Monday, October 31, 2011
Hallonween II (1981)
The original sequel to Halloween starts right where the first one left off. Michael Myers is still alive and still hunting down poor Jamie Lee Curtis who's on the way to the hospital. The film is more like your typical slasher flick with the death toll higher and some of the scenes being lamer (like the nudity shot of the nurse in the hot tub). What makes it a good part two is John Carpenter and Debra Hill's brilliant twist toward the end that makes it all worthwhile. Rich Rosenthal directs and while he does a decent job I can't help but wonder how John Carpenter would have handled the film, considering he is one of my favorites. Grade: B+
Top Ten Horror Films (Commentary)
Happy Halloween! As I eat my trick or treaters or . . . I mean, greet my trick or treaters I thought it would be fun to list the best of this goulish genre known as Horror.
10. The Descent (2005) - Being trapped is terrifying, but being trapped in a cave deep in the Earth where there's no where to go but down is horrific. To double the fear add monsters. Some advice: don't see the USA cut with the awful ending. The UK version is fantastic.
9. 28 Days Later (2003) - Danny Boyle re-invents the zombie movie with rabid, fast moving Zombies that hunger for the living. Cillian Murphy is great and the empty streets of London are eerie. One of the better zombie movies made this decade. Skip the sequel though.
8. Dawn of the Dead (1978) - George A. Romero's sequel to the Night of the living dead. Who better to expand on the idea of zombies, subtly adding social commentary, then the guy who made zombies more than just voodoo people.
7. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - The terrifying remake starring Donal Sutherland that had me thunderstruck when I saw it. Is there anything scarier than a loved one or friend suddenly being different?
6. Hellraiser (1987) - Clive Barker's most beloved horror fantasy about a puzzle box that opens the door to Hell, where its gate keeper, a demon without a name (but we know him as Pinhead) enacts pain on he or she that opened the door. The sequel is pretty good too.
5. The Thing (1982) - John Carpenter really out does himself with a horror film that works as a film noir too. Ground breaking special effects and a fantastic cast help make this one of my favorites.
4. Night of the Living Dead (1968) - Creepy in black and white, Romero's original still packs a punch. One of the best endings to a zombie movie ever, actually it's one of the best endings to a film no matter the sub-genre.
3. The Ring (2002) - Sure it's a remake of a terrific Japanese horror film but there's something about this film that really hits you in the gut. The visuals are perfect and beautiful and as creepy as I've ever seen. The twist at the end leaves a haunted feeling that just gets worse.
2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - When I first watched this movie I couldn't believe it. It really grabbed me by the throat and held me hostage. Leather face is the monster Jason wishes he could be.
1. The Blair Witch Project (1999) - For me, this is the first film that really scared me. It builds so wonderfully that by the end I couldn't control myself. Goosebumps spread across my body when we see that last image. Personally there was something about those film makers too, they reminded me of friends I knew (I was the same age) and I just could relate. Some people dislike the shaky camera but for me it works.
Honorable Mentions
The Exorcist (1971) - Yes, it's frightening but it's also really slow. I will say though the version with the Spider-walk scene is the one to see. The sound work and the acting and the make up are so gruesome it makes you believe in exorcisms.
Paranormal Activity (2007) - I'm going to wait to put this on the list because I want to see how it all pans out. What I will say is that if there's one film that will knock off one of the above top ten films it's this one. What a terrifying event.
10. The Descent (2005) - Being trapped is terrifying, but being trapped in a cave deep in the Earth where there's no where to go but down is horrific. To double the fear add monsters. Some advice: don't see the USA cut with the awful ending. The UK version is fantastic.
9. 28 Days Later (2003) - Danny Boyle re-invents the zombie movie with rabid, fast moving Zombies that hunger for the living. Cillian Murphy is great and the empty streets of London are eerie. One of the better zombie movies made this decade. Skip the sequel though.
8. Dawn of the Dead (1978) - George A. Romero's sequel to the Night of the living dead. Who better to expand on the idea of zombies, subtly adding social commentary, then the guy who made zombies more than just voodoo people.
7. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - The terrifying remake starring Donal Sutherland that had me thunderstruck when I saw it. Is there anything scarier than a loved one or friend suddenly being different?
6. Hellraiser (1987) - Clive Barker's most beloved horror fantasy about a puzzle box that opens the door to Hell, where its gate keeper, a demon without a name (but we know him as Pinhead) enacts pain on he or she that opened the door. The sequel is pretty good too.
5. The Thing (1982) - John Carpenter really out does himself with a horror film that works as a film noir too. Ground breaking special effects and a fantastic cast help make this one of my favorites.
4. Night of the Living Dead (1968) - Creepy in black and white, Romero's original still packs a punch. One of the best endings to a zombie movie ever, actually it's one of the best endings to a film no matter the sub-genre.
3. The Ring (2002) - Sure it's a remake of a terrific Japanese horror film but there's something about this film that really hits you in the gut. The visuals are perfect and beautiful and as creepy as I've ever seen. The twist at the end leaves a haunted feeling that just gets worse.
2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - When I first watched this movie I couldn't believe it. It really grabbed me by the throat and held me hostage. Leather face is the monster Jason wishes he could be.
1. The Blair Witch Project (1999) - For me, this is the first film that really scared me. It builds so wonderfully that by the end I couldn't control myself. Goosebumps spread across my body when we see that last image. Personally there was something about those film makers too, they reminded me of friends I knew (I was the same age) and I just could relate. Some people dislike the shaky camera but for me it works.
Honorable Mentions
The Exorcist (1971) - Yes, it's frightening but it's also really slow. I will say though the version with the Spider-walk scene is the one to see. The sound work and the acting and the make up are so gruesome it makes you believe in exorcisms.
Paranormal Activity (2007) - I'm going to wait to put this on the list because I want to see how it all pans out. What I will say is that if there's one film that will knock off one of the above top ten films it's this one. What a terrifying event.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Black Christmas (1974)
Bob Clark of A Christmas Story fame directs and writes the best Christmas-themed horror film ever made, a film that chills one to the bone. Made years before Halloween, this is the one that really inspired the Slasher genre but in some ways its more complex. The story is about a crazy maniac that sneaks into a Sorority house and calls the house after every kill to vent or unravel like a crazy maniac does. The phone calls are what really freak you out, with the multiple voices and the strange back story that is mysterious as the killer. Not to ruin the film for you but the end really is special. Don't miss it. Grade: A.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
The Children (2008)
A dark and effective horror film that shouldn't be missed by those who love the genre. I had a problem with some of the obvious forehadowing moments but flaws aside this is a gruesome gem. A family of five drive out to the English countryside to visit their mother's sister's family for Christmas. Their son vomits when they arrive and they assume he was car sick. But next the littlest cousin becomes sick too and the horror begins to build with excellent tension and satisfying evil. The main character is the teenage girl, who is the first to realize something is going on with the children. Who will believe her though? The writer and director, Tom Shankland delivers the goods here and I'm curious to see what else he might have in development. Grade: B+.
Spoiler: As stated above there are some flaws that nagged me enough to keep it from an A rating. First is the use of the "disappearing pet" cliche. Really? The second you see the cat you know it's going to be tortured. Secondly I always hate it when the main character can't just tell everyone what is going on. She knows the children have become evil but doesn't say anthing, supposedly because she's in panic mode. I guess that would explain how stupid she becomes at the end of the film, choosing to pound on a solid wood door instead of breaking the window, climbing outside and rushing to help her mother. Still there's some wonderful implied violence and build up. At the end you're led to believe the teenage girl is next which begs the question: is it because, no matter how grown up she thinks she is, she's just as much a kid as her siblings; or does this evil zombie like disease up from the youngest to the oldest, eventually turning adults as well. I like endings like this that let you're imagination continue the story.
Spoiler: As stated above there are some flaws that nagged me enough to keep it from an A rating. First is the use of the "disappearing pet" cliche. Really? The second you see the cat you know it's going to be tortured. Secondly I always hate it when the main character can't just tell everyone what is going on. She knows the children have become evil but doesn't say anthing, supposedly because she's in panic mode. I guess that would explain how stupid she becomes at the end of the film, choosing to pound on a solid wood door instead of breaking the window, climbing outside and rushing to help her mother. Still there's some wonderful implied violence and build up. At the end you're led to believe the teenage girl is next which begs the question: is it because, no matter how grown up she thinks she is, she's just as much a kid as her siblings; or does this evil zombie like disease up from the youngest to the oldest, eventually turning adults as well. I like endings like this that let you're imagination continue the story.
Friday, October 28, 2011
The Seventh Victim (1943)
Horror films of this era are really not that scary and a lot of the time I think they're not horror films at all. This one produced by Val Lewton and directed by Mark Robson is mix between film noir and horror and I enjoyed how it unraveled. It's the story of a young woman, named Mary, who leaves school to find out what happened to her older sister, Jacqueline? What's especially twisted about this story is there's nothing really violent about it but there's an invisible psychological threat hovering over the central characters. Check it out if you enjoy film noir with a sense of doom. Grade: A-
Spoiler: The scene that really affected me the most was when Jacqueline is being told by the Satanic worshipers that she must drink the poison. It's a tense scene because you really think she might do it and the idea that a group could pressure you into killing yourself is a subtle but evil concept. I didn't expect this film to go where it did.
Spoiler: The scene that really affected me the most was when Jacqueline is being told by the Satanic worshipers that she must drink the poison. It's a tense scene because you really think she might do it and the idea that a group could pressure you into killing yourself is a subtle but evil concept. I didn't expect this film to go where it did.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Vampyr (1932)
This partly silent film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, who a film earlier delivered upon this world the classic film The Passion of Joan of Arc giving us one of the greatest performances by an actress ever, here dabbled in Vampires. It's a slow film but with great frightful textures. Not for anyone who dislikes dramatic silent films. Grade: B+
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964)
José Mojica Marins becomes Coffin Joe in a Brazilian horror film about an evil undertaker who kills people and seems to enjoy it. He wants to find a woman to bear him a child but ends up leaving a trail of dead people. Yet the forces of nature will have their justice of him and the spirits will have their revenge, even if he laughs in their face denying their existence. While dated, his vileness is still very horrific and you can see why this first of a trilogy became a classic. B.
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