Just like last week with the Friday the 13th films, AMC is showing the edited versions of the first 5 Halloween films this week. Also just like Friday the 13th, I have already seen these uncut (except for Halloween III), so I don't mind watching the edited versions. Notice that I don't start with the original Halloween, as I always save that viewing for my all day viewing marathon on (or near) Halloween itself...
Halloween II (1981)
Halloween II takes up immediately after the original (which ended with Michael Myers being shot 6 times, but walking away). Michael ("The Shape") is still on the loose and killing his way through the town, looking for Laurie, the survivor of the 1st film. The sequels attempts to give a reason why Michael is after Laurie (other that she survived) - apparently she is Micheal's sister, who was adopted by another family after Michael was committed for his first murder as a child. The remaining sequels (other than III) will continue this thread that Michael is motivated by a desire to wipe out his family.
II is nowhere near as great a film as the original (I would be saying that even if Halloween wasn't my favorite horror film of all time - its pretty evident). What the original accomplished with very little blood and high suspense/tension, the sequel tries to do with a higher body count and moor blood. However, I have always enjoyed II and felt that it got a bad rap. It is better than a lot of the other slasher film immitators that the original spawned.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
This was a film that I have never seen. Because of my love for Halloween, I made it a point to see all the sequels, ending with Halloween 6 (since that one was so bad I lost interest after that). As is well known, this sequel has nothing to do with Michael Myers, so I never got around to seeing it until now.
III revolves around a company that is attempting to market their Halloween masks to kids and, in combination with a certain television program shown on the night of the 31st (a plot that is much more plausible back in the day before everyone had cable and would ever fly today), would lead to a mass sacrifice that would bring about some supernatural event (the film is not very clear on that point).
The only thing this film shares with its predecessors is a name and the fact that at 3 different times in the movies, the original Halloween appears on a TV screen. I know that the producers were attempting to start fresh and have series of movies that would come out every year, revolving around Halloween, but having nothing to do with Michael Myers. However, I think this was a terrible miscalculation. Had this movie been named anything else besides Halloween III, I think it would have had a much better chance at the time and not be nearly so reviled as it is today. Its not a great movie, but it has some good stuff going for it - the basic plot is original, and the ending is fantastic (the main character is ALMOST able to stop the catastrophe, but he can't convince the last station manager to halt the trigger program, before the film abruptly ends (very few major studio films today have the guts to end on anything less than a happy ending). Unfortunately, it bombed and the studio decide it was back to the Michael Myers well...
Halloween 4: Return of Michael Myers (1988)
The title of this sequel tells you every thing you need to know about the plot to this sequel. Its been 10 years since the events of Halloween/Halloween II, and despite what happened both Dr. Loomis and Michael have survived the fire (the latter in a coma). Michael comes out of his coma on the day before Halloween when he accidentally overhears that Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis from the first 2 films) has a daughter that is alive in Haddonfield (Laurie has died and her daughter Jamie has been adopted by another family, much like with Laurie). Michael of course proceeds to go on a killing spree on his way to trying to knock off his last remaining relative.
I always remembered liking this movie when I saw it previously, and this viewing (being many years since my last) did nothing to change that. It did a good job with remaining true to what worked with II - attempting to stay true to the spirit of the original, but adding to it with a little more blood and a higher body count (and in this case more outlandish kills, like a shotgun used to impale a victim). It had a lot of the spirit of the first 2 films in the series, so, while not a great film, it was a success in my book (especially since I really liked the ending)
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
Where the last sequel tried to replicate the high points of the previous films and finds a little success, this one tries the same thing and fails.
Once again, they fail to kill Michael and he, one year later, tries to kill his last remaining relative. The twist they try and throw into this film is of a supernatural nature. During the entire film a mysterious man in black follows Michael around and, at the end, breaks him out of jail (the next sequel tries to flesh this out a little more, but the less said about that film the better). There is really nothing special about this film, and can definitely be skipped.
Next:
I have gotten really backed up in writing about the horror films I have seen this month. This is the most expansive horror movie fest I have undertaken to date. Before last year, I limited it to one date. Last year, I slightly expanded it (I periodically watched horror films in October before my end of month marathon). This year, I have watched nothing but horror movies for an entire month. I still thought I had enough time to write about everything I watched before the "official" marathon was here. However, since that marathon is taking place on Friday, October 29th, and I am writing this post late on Thursday, October 28th (by the time its done it is actually Friday), the only way I am going to get caught up is to blow through the remaining films as quickly as possible (no big deal, since the handful of followers this blog has are taking the month off anyway...). Away we go:
1.) The New York Ripper (1982)
An Italian version of a slasher film before slasher films took off. A nice amount of suspense and gote, but the killer's Donald Duck fake voice was a HUGE distraction.
2.) Magic (1978)
The good - Anthony Hopkins as a crazy man, losing his mind as his show business success rises; a ventriloquist dummy - which are ALWAYS creepy; a sexy Ann-Margret.
The not-so-good - not nearly enough happens in this film. It could have been much creepier.
3.) Cabin Fever (2002)
Eli Roth's (director of the Hostel films) first film as a director. A pretty good change of pace horror film (have you ever seen another horror film about a killer flesh eating virus?) that foreshadowed a lot of what Roth would do in in his later films - a must see for people that were turned off by the gore and violence in Hostel but still like horror, jut to see Roth's skill in the genre.
4.) Dolls (1987)
A completely over the top (in a good way) film about killer dolls. If you like films like Puppet Master, check it out....
5.) Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971)
Terrible acting by the main character completely overshadows any chance this film has to be scary.
Coming up:
Sleep (for now) and a marathon (tomorrow)!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
2010 Horror Fest Pt. 12
Madman (1982)
Since by the end of the Friday the 13th series, the films were pretty far away from their early 80's slasher roots, I decided to pick a film from that era to watch next. I had never heard of this film, but it was showing on IFC this month, so I decided to give it a try.
This is a pretty straight forward entry in the genre - low budget, takes place in the woods at night, silent killer performing his killings on the anniversary of some earlier tragedy/massacre (although, that may have just been part of the story one of the counselors told at the beginning to scare the kids - it may not actually have been the same date as the earlier killings). Madman takes place at a camp, and one of the counselors tells a campfire story about Madman Marz, who killed his family with an ax but escaped the noose and ran into those very woods. Of course, one of the smart ass kids does exactly what you are not supposed to do (say Marz' name above a whisper) and he appears and begins to knock off the adults one by one. Like in most slasher films, there is a final confrontation with the killer and he is seemingly killed. This wasn't a bad entry in the slasher film genre, and at a quick 88 minutes, worth a watch if you are a fan of that type of film (sure, its pretty much a ripoff of Friday the 13th, but pretty much all of the slasher films at the time were...).
Black Sunday (1960)
This is the debut of Italian director Mario Bava (director of previous entry in the fest Shock). This film really shows why he has the reputation as one of the greatest Italian horror directors.
Black Sunday is the story of a 200 year old witch (who is also some type of vampire) who is accidentally resurrected from her tomb. She proceeds to make more vampires and attempts to drain the blood of her lookalike (played by the same actress). Its up to a local priest and a traveling doctor to put a stop to her. The film is a definite call back to the Gothic horror films of the 30s. It is black & white, and looks like it could have been made at the same time as some of the Universal classics of the time. Black is very creepy and atmospheric, and adds a touch of gore that wasn't allowed back in the 30s. This film definitely showed why Mario Bava is considered one of the greatest Italian Horror directors of them all.
Near Dark (1987)
This is a late 80s vampire movie that has a good reputation (and was directed by the same person as The Hurt Locker!) that I was looking forward to, but ultimately was fairly uneven.
The plot: One night, a young guy named Caleb meets a girl who bites him (turning him into a vampire), kidnaps him, and brings him to her "family" - all vampires themselves. They are not pleased and want to kill him, but they decide to give him time to see if he can become a killer and one of them. Caleb refuses to kill, and holds out long enough for his family to rescue him. His father manages to cure him of his vampirism (more on that in a bit), and he manages to cure the woman who turned him after killing off the the rest of the vampire family.
First, the things I liked about the film: Lance Henriksen plays the lead vampire, and he is his usual awesome self - disturbing and menacing. Bill Paxton plays another of the vampire clan, and he is HIS usual awesome self - high-strung and spastic. I like that they attempt a different vibe for a vampire film - it really shies away from a lot of the supernatural elements (other than them being vampires). There are no crosses or holy water. No changing into bats or being able to hypnotize anyone. The sun is really the only thing they fear. Finally, there is a pretty great scene in a bar, where the clan is giving Caleb one last chance to become a killer. The tension really mounts as each member of the family tries to show him how its done.
Now, the things I didn't like: Caleb is cured of his vampirism by a simple blood transfusion from his father. That seems like a giant cop out to allow the film to have a happy ending. I could see it if maybe they gave some sort of explanation, like it worked because he never actually fed on a victim (just on Mae, the vampire who turned him), or it worked because it was from a family member. However, they used the same technique on Mae at the end to turn her back. Another negative is that there was no attempt to have a realistic passage of time at night. It seemed that, just to suit the plot, whenever they needed to ratchet up the tension, it was almost dawn, whether it made sense for it to be or not (this town must have the shortest nights on record - in one scene it was almost dawn after they left a bar that was still open for business, and at the end, it was almost dawn when it really hadn't been all that long since Caleb and his family finished dinner). Lastly, there were way too many stretches with not enough happening.
I might have to give this one another viewing in the future to see if the positives outweigh the negatives the 2nd time....
Since by the end of the Friday the 13th series, the films were pretty far away from their early 80's slasher roots, I decided to pick a film from that era to watch next. I had never heard of this film, but it was showing on IFC this month, so I decided to give it a try.
This is a pretty straight forward entry in the genre - low budget, takes place in the woods at night, silent killer performing his killings on the anniversary of some earlier tragedy/massacre (although, that may have just been part of the story one of the counselors told at the beginning to scare the kids - it may not actually have been the same date as the earlier killings). Madman takes place at a camp, and one of the counselors tells a campfire story about Madman Marz, who killed his family with an ax but escaped the noose and ran into those very woods. Of course, one of the smart ass kids does exactly what you are not supposed to do (say Marz' name above a whisper) and he appears and begins to knock off the adults one by one. Like in most slasher films, there is a final confrontation with the killer and he is seemingly killed. This wasn't a bad entry in the slasher film genre, and at a quick 88 minutes, worth a watch if you are a fan of that type of film (sure, its pretty much a ripoff of Friday the 13th, but pretty much all of the slasher films at the time were...).
Black Sunday (1960)
This is the debut of Italian director Mario Bava (director of previous entry in the fest Shock). This film really shows why he has the reputation as one of the greatest Italian horror directors.
Black Sunday is the story of a 200 year old witch (who is also some type of vampire) who is accidentally resurrected from her tomb. She proceeds to make more vampires and attempts to drain the blood of her lookalike (played by the same actress). Its up to a local priest and a traveling doctor to put a stop to her. The film is a definite call back to the Gothic horror films of the 30s. It is black & white, and looks like it could have been made at the same time as some of the Universal classics of the time. Black is very creepy and atmospheric, and adds a touch of gore that wasn't allowed back in the 30s. This film definitely showed why Mario Bava is considered one of the greatest Italian Horror directors of them all.
Near Dark (1987)
This is a late 80s vampire movie that has a good reputation (and was directed by the same person as The Hurt Locker!) that I was looking forward to, but ultimately was fairly uneven.
The plot: One night, a young guy named Caleb meets a girl who bites him (turning him into a vampire), kidnaps him, and brings him to her "family" - all vampires themselves. They are not pleased and want to kill him, but they decide to give him time to see if he can become a killer and one of them. Caleb refuses to kill, and holds out long enough for his family to rescue him. His father manages to cure him of his vampirism (more on that in a bit), and he manages to cure the woman who turned him after killing off the the rest of the vampire family.
First, the things I liked about the film: Lance Henriksen plays the lead vampire, and he is his usual awesome self - disturbing and menacing. Bill Paxton plays another of the vampire clan, and he is HIS usual awesome self - high-strung and spastic. I like that they attempt a different vibe for a vampire film - it really shies away from a lot of the supernatural elements (other than them being vampires). There are no crosses or holy water. No changing into bats or being able to hypnotize anyone. The sun is really the only thing they fear. Finally, there is a pretty great scene in a bar, where the clan is giving Caleb one last chance to become a killer. The tension really mounts as each member of the family tries to show him how its done.
Now, the things I didn't like: Caleb is cured of his vampirism by a simple blood transfusion from his father. That seems like a giant cop out to allow the film to have a happy ending. I could see it if maybe they gave some sort of explanation, like it worked because he never actually fed on a victim (just on Mae, the vampire who turned him), or it worked because it was from a family member. However, they used the same technique on Mae at the end to turn her back. Another negative is that there was no attempt to have a realistic passage of time at night. It seemed that, just to suit the plot, whenever they needed to ratchet up the tension, it was almost dawn, whether it made sense for it to be or not (this town must have the shortest nights on record - in one scene it was almost dawn after they left a bar that was still open for business, and at the end, it was almost dawn when it really hadn't been all that long since Caleb and his family finished dinner). Lastly, there were way too many stretches with not enough happening.
I might have to give this one another viewing in the future to see if the positives outweigh the negatives the 2nd time....
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
2010 Horror Fest Pt. 11
Friday the 13th Part VII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
At least this one gets credit for trying to mix up the formula a little bit. Sure, its still basically Jason stalking and killing a bunch of teens, but this time, its on a BOAT! Then, its in MANHATTAN!
In order to have the plot be a little bit different, though, it requires a massive amount of improbability. A group of high school kids are taking a boat trip to NYC that is apparently school sanctioned since there are 2 teachers on board (what the hell high school is this? Why didn't they just take a bus?). So, instead of stalking kids through the woods, Jason does his work throughout the ship. This allows him to expand on his pattern of continually more outlandish methods of killing that has been established in the last few films (one victim is dispatched with a sauna rock). Eventually, Jason causes a fire on the ship, causing the survivors to abandon it and head for Manhattan (with Jason in hot pursuit). Eventually, the last 2 people alive are stuck in the sewer with Jason, where he is taken down by the most implausible ending to a Friday the 13th film yet (even more implausible than the ending to Part VII, where the psychic girl uses her powers to resurrect her dead father from the bottom of Crystal Lake to drag Jason down to the bottom) - a flood of toxic waste hits Jason, devolving him back to what he looked like as a kid when he initially drowned (????) before he dies.
This is by no means a good movie, but at least they had a little fun with what had become a very tired premise by the time.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
This installment also tries to change up the stale Friday the 13th formula, but in a completely different way than the previous film. Final Friday decided to completely embrace the supernatural side of Jason (which had always been there below the surface, seeing as how he is an un-killable zombie that originally rose from a lake) and run with it full speed ahead.
After a fairly inventive opening (in which an already resurrected Jason is caught in an FBI sting and blown up), only Jason's spirit is revived instead of his body and he begins to inhabit other people in order to continue his killing spree, jumping from body to body. It turns out that Jason will always return from seeming death unless he is killed by someone from his own bloodline. It just so happens that some of his relatives are still around, and eventually one of them doers manage to kill him once in for all, as he is dragged down to hell (and his mask is grabbed by the hand of Freddy Krueger to boot!).
This film scores a few points for originality, but the franchise was definitely in need of ending at this point. However, it took 2 more sequels - one of which tried to mix things up by sending Jason into space(!) (Jason X) and one that paired him up finally with Freddy (Freddy vs. Jason) before it was finally put to rest, only to be resurrected (much like Jason himself) in a reboot (2009's Friday the 13th).
At least this one gets credit for trying to mix up the formula a little bit. Sure, its still basically Jason stalking and killing a bunch of teens, but this time, its on a BOAT! Then, its in MANHATTAN!
In order to have the plot be a little bit different, though, it requires a massive amount of improbability. A group of high school kids are taking a boat trip to NYC that is apparently school sanctioned since there are 2 teachers on board (what the hell high school is this? Why didn't they just take a bus?). So, instead of stalking kids through the woods, Jason does his work throughout the ship. This allows him to expand on his pattern of continually more outlandish methods of killing that has been established in the last few films (one victim is dispatched with a sauna rock). Eventually, Jason causes a fire on the ship, causing the survivors to abandon it and head for Manhattan (with Jason in hot pursuit). Eventually, the last 2 people alive are stuck in the sewer with Jason, where he is taken down by the most implausible ending to a Friday the 13th film yet (even more implausible than the ending to Part VII, where the psychic girl uses her powers to resurrect her dead father from the bottom of Crystal Lake to drag Jason down to the bottom) - a flood of toxic waste hits Jason, devolving him back to what he looked like as a kid when he initially drowned (????) before he dies.
This is by no means a good movie, but at least they had a little fun with what had become a very tired premise by the time.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
This installment also tries to change up the stale Friday the 13th formula, but in a completely different way than the previous film. Final Friday decided to completely embrace the supernatural side of Jason (which had always been there below the surface, seeing as how he is an un-killable zombie that originally rose from a lake) and run with it full speed ahead.
After a fairly inventive opening (in which an already resurrected Jason is caught in an FBI sting and blown up), only Jason's spirit is revived instead of his body and he begins to inhabit other people in order to continue his killing spree, jumping from body to body. It turns out that Jason will always return from seeming death unless he is killed by someone from his own bloodline. It just so happens that some of his relatives are still around, and eventually one of them doers manage to kill him once in for all, as he is dragged down to hell (and his mask is grabbed by the hand of Freddy Krueger to boot!).
This film scores a few points for originality, but the franchise was definitely in need of ending at this point. However, it took 2 more sequels - one of which tried to mix things up by sending Jason into space(!) (Jason X) and one that paired him up finally with Freddy (Freddy vs. Jason) before it was finally put to rest, only to be resurrected (much like Jason himself) in a reboot (2009's Friday the 13th).
Sunday, October 24, 2010
2010 Horror Fest Pt. 10
Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1968)
(I decided to take a break from the happenings at Crystal Lake to watch the last of the Hammer Dracula films that I'll be watching this month...)
My dog accidentally erased the post I had for this movie (don't ask, he's a lummox), and I don't feel like retyping it. This is the 3rd sequel to Horror of Dracula, and I liked it just as well as the others I have watched (other than Dracula AD 1972), for the same reasons (Lee as Dracula, the settings, etc.). There are still other Hammer Dracula films I need to see, but the month is winding down and I am getting Dracula'ed out, so this will be the last one (I can save the rest until the 2011 Horror Fest).
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
This is the installment of the series where it crosses over from old school, early 80's slasher film to campy horror. In addition to the acting being over the top (a given for this type of film), the characters are now over the top as well (especially the white trash family that lives next door to the halfway house). Also, they do away with the slow build of tension that the earlier films employed. The focus is now on trying to cram as many killings in as they can, and to make them as gruesome and outlandish as possible.
At least New Beginning attempted to shake things up a little, plot-wise. Here, we move away from a summer camp setting to a halfway house for mentally disturbed teens. Tommy, the kid who finally was able to put Jason out of his misery at the end of the last film, is 5 years older and is sent to the halfway house as he has been warped by what he was forced to do to take care of Jason. Of course, killings start again, leading people to think Jason has been brought back to life (he hasn't). This film (as you can tell by the title) was an attempt to take things in a different direction, and eventually have Tommy take over for Jason as the killer. People didn't care for that, so it it wasn't long before Jason was back for good...
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
In fact it was only 1 year later. Jason is ressurrected right at the beginning, and he is front and center the whole film. The makers of this movie knew what the people wanted - no more lurking behind trees and using POV camera shots to show when the killer is around. Its all Jason, all the time.
There really isn't much to say about the film, other than it is my least favorite of the series. There is nothing to distinguish it from the other Friday the 13th films (at least New Beginning had a different killer, and Part VII has a girl with psychic powers - more on that below). Its pretty bland.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
New Blood takes place 10 years after Jason Lives. There has to be these huge jumps in time between the films to explain why ANYONE would want to spend any time at all in the same area where, by this point, 5 different brutal slayings have occured (New Beginning was the only one that took place away from Crystal Lake or, as it was renamed in Jason Lives in an effort by the townspeople to move on from the killings, Forest Green). Unlike the last installment, this film at least tries to add a new twist to the (by now stale) standard plot of getting a bunch of teens together to allow jason to wreck havoc - the main character Tina has psychic powers. Its her powers that inadvertantly ressurect Jason from his watery grave, and also play a part in Jason's final demise. The rest of the film is what you'd expect, but at least some attempt was made to change things up a little.
(I decided to take a break from the happenings at Crystal Lake to watch the last of the Hammer Dracula films that I'll be watching this month...)
My dog accidentally erased the post I had for this movie (don't ask, he's a lummox), and I don't feel like retyping it. This is the 3rd sequel to Horror of Dracula, and I liked it just as well as the others I have watched (other than Dracula AD 1972), for the same reasons (Lee as Dracula, the settings, etc.). There are still other Hammer Dracula films I need to see, but the month is winding down and I am getting Dracula'ed out, so this will be the last one (I can save the rest until the 2011 Horror Fest).
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
This is the installment of the series where it crosses over from old school, early 80's slasher film to campy horror. In addition to the acting being over the top (a given for this type of film), the characters are now over the top as well (especially the white trash family that lives next door to the halfway house). Also, they do away with the slow build of tension that the earlier films employed. The focus is now on trying to cram as many killings in as they can, and to make them as gruesome and outlandish as possible.
At least New Beginning attempted to shake things up a little, plot-wise. Here, we move away from a summer camp setting to a halfway house for mentally disturbed teens. Tommy, the kid who finally was able to put Jason out of his misery at the end of the last film, is 5 years older and is sent to the halfway house as he has been warped by what he was forced to do to take care of Jason. Of course, killings start again, leading people to think Jason has been brought back to life (he hasn't). This film (as you can tell by the title) was an attempt to take things in a different direction, and eventually have Tommy take over for Jason as the killer. People didn't care for that, so it it wasn't long before Jason was back for good...
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
In fact it was only 1 year later. Jason is ressurrected right at the beginning, and he is front and center the whole film. The makers of this movie knew what the people wanted - no more lurking behind trees and using POV camera shots to show when the killer is around. Its all Jason, all the time.
There really isn't much to say about the film, other than it is my least favorite of the series. There is nothing to distinguish it from the other Friday the 13th films (at least New Beginning had a different killer, and Part VII has a girl with psychic powers - more on that below). Its pretty bland.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
New Blood takes place 10 years after Jason Lives. There has to be these huge jumps in time between the films to explain why ANYONE would want to spend any time at all in the same area where, by this point, 5 different brutal slayings have occured (New Beginning was the only one that took place away from Crystal Lake or, as it was renamed in Jason Lives in an effort by the townspeople to move on from the killings, Forest Green). Unlike the last installment, this film at least tries to add a new twist to the (by now stale) standard plot of getting a bunch of teens together to allow jason to wreck havoc - the main character Tina has psychic powers. Its her powers that inadvertantly ressurect Jason from his watery grave, and also play a part in Jason's final demise. The rest of the film is what you'd expect, but at least some attempt was made to change things up a little.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
2010 Horror Fest Pt. 9
AMC is showing all the Friday the 13th movies this week, and since I haven't seen them in years, I am going to watch them all and the next few posts will be about these films (with the occasional other movie popping up).
(I know that I will be watching the edited versions on TV, but I have seen all of these un-cut often enough that I don't mind)
Friday the 13th (1980)
This film, along with Halloween, is the one that started the early 80s slasher boom. I think it stands right at the top of the all-time slasher film list (keeping in mind that Halloween is on its own list, which is above this list).
You can see almost all of the features we commonly find in slasher films on display here (although some of them had their start in Halloween and are just being copied here). Unknown killer not revealed until near the end of the film. Splitting up the large group into smaller couples (and then into individuals) and then picking them off. Couples that have sex are killed (including a feathery-haired Kevin Bacon!). The killings take place on the anniversary of a former tragedy or other milestone.
The story is pretty well known - teens are working on getting Camp Crystal Lake ready for the summer and a crazed killer decides to do away with them as revenge (in her mind) for counselors allowing her son, Jason, to drown at the camp 22 years earlier. It also happens to be Jason's birthday, so that is bad luck for the teens.
The movie manages to do a good job of building up the tension as each character is picked off 1 by 1 by not showing too much - some of the kills even happen off screen - and leaving a lot up to your imagination (the edited version I watched didn't even have to remove too much. Topping off the movie is the weirdly creepy portrayal of Mrs. Voorhees, the killer. She is only in the movie at the very end, but man is that lady freaky. Friday the 13th also has one of the most iconic soundtracks in horror - almost everyone recognizes its signature "ki ki ki, ma ma ma".
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
While this sequel is not as well regarded as the original, i think I like it almost as much. Its certainly my favorite of the films where Jason Voorhees is the killer, probably because in this one (despite the fact that he had been living in a lake for 22 years) he comes off as just a normal person, rather than the supernatural unkillable zombie he becomes in every film after this.
Part 2 takes place 5 years after the original (other than the opening scene, in which Jason tracks down the only survivor of the first film to take care of some unfinished business), which is long enough for everyone to forget the original killings and make their way out to Crystal Lake again. The plot is pretty similar to the first one - a bunch of teens are together in the woods (this time for counselor training), they all get separated and then get picked off one by one. Even the ending is similar - the survivors think they are out of danger before one last unexpected scare. Since this is a sequel, things are turned up a notch - more nudity, more blood (although not to much, as once again not a lot had to be edited out of the AMC version as far as the killings are concerned), more inventive kills. Its not quite as good as the original, but still pretty decent.
Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)
And here is where things start to go downhill, quality-wise...
First of all, this movie was released in 3D, and they tack on so many superfluous shots just to have more 3D scenes that it makes a lot of the film very cheesy. Some examples of the crappy 3D - someone tosses a wallet across a store; as one of the characters lays on the round, another plays with a yo-yo right over her head; someone makes popcorn on the stove. UGH. Another mark against this movie are too many scenes similar to the first Friday the 13th (there is one kill similar to the way Kevin Bacon's character was killed in, and the survivor winds up in a canoe on the lake for one last scare at the end). I am sure they are suppose to be homages, but they just come off as inferior imitations.
This is the first Friday film that has the version of Jason Voorhees with which most people are familiar - big, hulking, relentless, hockey mask-wearing unstoppable killer (seriously, Jason is like twice as big as he was in Part 2). Also, the style of kills employed by Jason are more outlandish than in either of the first 2 films (ex. Jason uses a spear gun on one victim, and crushes the head of another with his bare hands) that will continue through the rest of the series.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
I always enjoyed this sequel better than Part 3, mostly because of the ending (there is no point in talking about what comes before the ending, since its the same as what happened in the first 3 movies). Even though the ending is a takeoff of the ending to Part 2 (someone puts on a disguise to confuse Jason - in Part 2 it was as his mother, and here its as Jason himself - Jason isn't very bright), I thought it was very effective, mostly due to the performance of Corey Feldman (I know, surprising, right?). Corey's character shaves his head to appear more like Jason as a child, which looks creepy enough on its own. Then, Corey viciously attacks Jason with a machete when it is apparent that Jason is not yet dead. The look on Feldman's face as he performs the attack was always very disturbing.
(I know that I will be watching the edited versions on TV, but I have seen all of these un-cut often enough that I don't mind)
Friday the 13th (1980)
This film, along with Halloween, is the one that started the early 80s slasher boom. I think it stands right at the top of the all-time slasher film list (keeping in mind that Halloween is on its own list, which is above this list).
You can see almost all of the features we commonly find in slasher films on display here (although some of them had their start in Halloween and are just being copied here). Unknown killer not revealed until near the end of the film. Splitting up the large group into smaller couples (and then into individuals) and then picking them off. Couples that have sex are killed (including a feathery-haired Kevin Bacon!). The killings take place on the anniversary of a former tragedy or other milestone.
The story is pretty well known - teens are working on getting Camp Crystal Lake ready for the summer and a crazed killer decides to do away with them as revenge (in her mind) for counselors allowing her son, Jason, to drown at the camp 22 years earlier. It also happens to be Jason's birthday, so that is bad luck for the teens.
The movie manages to do a good job of building up the tension as each character is picked off 1 by 1 by not showing too much - some of the kills even happen off screen - and leaving a lot up to your imagination (the edited version I watched didn't even have to remove too much. Topping off the movie is the weirdly creepy portrayal of Mrs. Voorhees, the killer. She is only in the movie at the very end, but man is that lady freaky. Friday the 13th also has one of the most iconic soundtracks in horror - almost everyone recognizes its signature "ki ki ki, ma ma ma".
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
While this sequel is not as well regarded as the original, i think I like it almost as much. Its certainly my favorite of the films where Jason Voorhees is the killer, probably because in this one (despite the fact that he had been living in a lake for 22 years) he comes off as just a normal person, rather than the supernatural unkillable zombie he becomes in every film after this.
Part 2 takes place 5 years after the original (other than the opening scene, in which Jason tracks down the only survivor of the first film to take care of some unfinished business), which is long enough for everyone to forget the original killings and make their way out to Crystal Lake again. The plot is pretty similar to the first one - a bunch of teens are together in the woods (this time for counselor training), they all get separated and then get picked off one by one. Even the ending is similar - the survivors think they are out of danger before one last unexpected scare. Since this is a sequel, things are turned up a notch - more nudity, more blood (although not to much, as once again not a lot had to be edited out of the AMC version as far as the killings are concerned), more inventive kills. Its not quite as good as the original, but still pretty decent.
Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)
And here is where things start to go downhill, quality-wise...
First of all, this movie was released in 3D, and they tack on so many superfluous shots just to have more 3D scenes that it makes a lot of the film very cheesy. Some examples of the crappy 3D - someone tosses a wallet across a store; as one of the characters lays on the round, another plays with a yo-yo right over her head; someone makes popcorn on the stove. UGH. Another mark against this movie are too many scenes similar to the first Friday the 13th (there is one kill similar to the way Kevin Bacon's character was killed in, and the survivor winds up in a canoe on the lake for one last scare at the end). I am sure they are suppose to be homages, but they just come off as inferior imitations.
This is the first Friday film that has the version of Jason Voorhees with which most people are familiar - big, hulking, relentless, hockey mask-wearing unstoppable killer (seriously, Jason is like twice as big as he was in Part 2). Also, the style of kills employed by Jason are more outlandish than in either of the first 2 films (ex. Jason uses a spear gun on one victim, and crushes the head of another with his bare hands) that will continue through the rest of the series.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
I always enjoyed this sequel better than Part 3, mostly because of the ending (there is no point in talking about what comes before the ending, since its the same as what happened in the first 3 movies). Even though the ending is a takeoff of the ending to Part 2 (someone puts on a disguise to confuse Jason - in Part 2 it was as his mother, and here its as Jason himself - Jason isn't very bright), I thought it was very effective, mostly due to the performance of Corey Feldman (I know, surprising, right?). Corey's character shaves his head to appear more like Jason as a child, which looks creepy enough on its own. Then, Corey viciously attacks Jason with a machete when it is apparent that Jason is not yet dead. The look on Feldman's face as he performs the attack was always very disturbing.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
2010 Horror Fest Pt. 8
The Mummy (1959)
This version of The Mummy is from Hammer Studios' trifecta of films (along with 1958's Horror of Dracula and 1957's The Curse of Frankenstein) re-introducing the classic Universal horror icons to a new generation. Unlike with Horror of Dracula, which was a very good film, yet not as good as the original (mostly due to Lugosi's portrayal of the Count), I enjoyed Hammer's version more than the original (the verdict is still out on the Frankenstein battle, since I have not seen Hammer's entry).
This version of the story (which has more in common with Universal's Mummy sequels The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb than with the plot of the original) finds the Mummy being summoned by a modern day Egyptian man to take vengeance on a bunch of British archeologists for disturbing the tomb of a princess. The Mummy was cursed with eternal living death as punishment for his love for the princess and he was entombed along with her. The Egyptian and the Mummy follow the archeologists back to England and start their murderous spree.
While the 1932 version had the great Boris Karloff as the title character, he really only appears as an actual mummy for a few minutes in the film (the rest of the time he tries to pass himself off as a normal person). In the 1959 version, an unrecognizable Christopher Lee is the Mummy throughout the whole film (other than a flashback to ancient Egyptian times to give his back story) and he is fantastic. The Mummy is very menacing and Lee portrays him in the relentless, shambling manner that was copied for every mummy in movies and TV for decades.
The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964)
This film is the first of three sequels (although they were unrelated, story-wise) from Hammer Studios to their original Mummy film. The basic plot is pretty much identical identical to the first film - a tomb is disturbed by foreigners, and a mummy is summoned to pick of the tomb's violators one by one once they return to England. The sequel suffers from a vastly inferior Mummy, as this actor can't hold a candle to Lee's portrayal. However, while this is a lessor movie, if you enjoyed the first one, you'll probably enjoy this one.
(I also started watching the next film in the series, The Mummy's Shroud, the same night - as TCM was having a marathon, but the plot seemed to be the same once again, so, since it was late and I was Mummy-ed out, I turned it off and went to bed)
The Mephisto Waltz (1971)
The Mephisto Waltz is a classic 70s horror film that has been on my "need to see" list for a long time (considering how many movies I watch, that list never seems to get any smaller...).
In the film, Alan Alda is a music journalist who becomes friends with a world renowned piano player named Duncan Ely, and his daughter. His wife doesn't like all the attention they (especially the daughter) are lavishing on her husband, but she relents when she finds out Duncan is dying. After he passes on, Alda inherits a sum of money from Ely and undergoes a complete attitude transformation. This is because Ely and his daughter are Satanists, and they have switched Ely's soul into Alda's body at the moment of Ely's death.
Until this film, my exposure to Alan Alda was related to mostly comedy roles - M*A*S*H* (which I watched a lot in re-runs as a kid), which did allow him the occasional dramatic turn, and guest appearances in other comedies like 30 Rock. I wasn't sure how he would do in this type of movie. He really nailed it. His transformation from the laid-back journalist to the egotistical, sinister pianist is quite well done.
This is another very good version of the type of atmospheric movies that came out of the 60s and 70s. A lot of the action takes place at Duncan Ely's old mansion, which is creepy on its own, but is especially creepy during the New Year's Eve masquerade party (the scene where they put the human mask on the family dog is one of the most disturbing sights I have seen in a long while) and during the occult ritual. Also, the use of a fuzzy, fish eye view for dreams and visions adds a nice surreal quality to those scenes and makes you as disoriented as the character experiencing them in the film.
This version of The Mummy is from Hammer Studios' trifecta of films (along with 1958's Horror of Dracula and 1957's The Curse of Frankenstein) re-introducing the classic Universal horror icons to a new generation. Unlike with Horror of Dracula, which was a very good film, yet not as good as the original (mostly due to Lugosi's portrayal of the Count), I enjoyed Hammer's version more than the original (the verdict is still out on the Frankenstein battle, since I have not seen Hammer's entry).
This version of the story (which has more in common with Universal's Mummy sequels The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb than with the plot of the original) finds the Mummy being summoned by a modern day Egyptian man to take vengeance on a bunch of British archeologists for disturbing the tomb of a princess. The Mummy was cursed with eternal living death as punishment for his love for the princess and he was entombed along with her. The Egyptian and the Mummy follow the archeologists back to England and start their murderous spree.
While the 1932 version had the great Boris Karloff as the title character, he really only appears as an actual mummy for a few minutes in the film (the rest of the time he tries to pass himself off as a normal person). In the 1959 version, an unrecognizable Christopher Lee is the Mummy throughout the whole film (other than a flashback to ancient Egyptian times to give his back story) and he is fantastic. The Mummy is very menacing and Lee portrays him in the relentless, shambling manner that was copied for every mummy in movies and TV for decades.
The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964)
This film is the first of three sequels (although they were unrelated, story-wise) from Hammer Studios to their original Mummy film. The basic plot is pretty much identical identical to the first film - a tomb is disturbed by foreigners, and a mummy is summoned to pick of the tomb's violators one by one once they return to England. The sequel suffers from a vastly inferior Mummy, as this actor can't hold a candle to Lee's portrayal. However, while this is a lessor movie, if you enjoyed the first one, you'll probably enjoy this one.
(I also started watching the next film in the series, The Mummy's Shroud, the same night - as TCM was having a marathon, but the plot seemed to be the same once again, so, since it was late and I was Mummy-ed out, I turned it off and went to bed)
The Mephisto Waltz (1971)
The Mephisto Waltz is a classic 70s horror film that has been on my "need to see" list for a long time (considering how many movies I watch, that list never seems to get any smaller...).
In the film, Alan Alda is a music journalist who becomes friends with a world renowned piano player named Duncan Ely, and his daughter. His wife doesn't like all the attention they (especially the daughter) are lavishing on her husband, but she relents when she finds out Duncan is dying. After he passes on, Alda inherits a sum of money from Ely and undergoes a complete attitude transformation. This is because Ely and his daughter are Satanists, and they have switched Ely's soul into Alda's body at the moment of Ely's death.
Until this film, my exposure to Alan Alda was related to mostly comedy roles - M*A*S*H* (which I watched a lot in re-runs as a kid), which did allow him the occasional dramatic turn, and guest appearances in other comedies like 30 Rock. I wasn't sure how he would do in this type of movie. He really nailed it. His transformation from the laid-back journalist to the egotistical, sinister pianist is quite well done.
This is another very good version of the type of atmospheric movies that came out of the 60s and 70s. A lot of the action takes place at Duncan Ely's old mansion, which is creepy on its own, but is especially creepy during the New Year's Eve masquerade party (the scene where they put the human mask on the family dog is one of the most disturbing sights I have seen in a long while) and during the occult ritual. Also, the use of a fuzzy, fish eye view for dreams and visions adds a nice surreal quality to those scenes and makes you as disoriented as the character experiencing them in the film.
Friday, October 15, 2010
2010 Horror Fest Pt. 7
My Bloody Valentine (1981)
Somehow, this is the first time I have seen this film. I spent a lot of weekends in the 80s watching horror films, so how did I miss one of the most popular (among horror films, not in terms of box-office success) slasher films that popped up in the wake of the Halloween/Friday the 13th knock-off boom?
This film is one of the better examples of a slasher flick out there. The plot follows the basic formula of the genre - there is a maniac on the loose (in this case, on Valentine's Day), and the victims, unaware of any danger, find various reasons to be split up and picked off. The main thing that sets this film apart from its contemporaries is the setting - it takes place in a mining town, and since most of the characters are miners, a lot of the action takes place in a mine. The makers of the film decided to use an actual mine, too. The mine adds a little something extra to the film. A mine is bigger than an old mansion, so there are even more isolated tunnels/hallways spread out over a larger area that makes it more plausible that people could be split up and not hear what is going on around them. Also, a mine is supposed to be dark and spooky, so there is no need to manufacture that feeling with things like a power outage or a thunderstorm.
The killer himself looks especially scary with his miner outfit (I have no idea if that's how miners actually dressed in the early 80s, but the get-up was certainly effective), and the kills are well done. I watched the extended version of the film, which restored several minutes of footage that was removed to avoid an X rating at the time. After seeing films like Saw and Hostel in recent years, the removed scenes do not compare to some of the stuff film makers get away with today, but the removed scenes are still effective (one guy is killed by drowning in a scalding pot of hot dog water).
This is a must-see for anyone who is a fan of the genre. I am going to try and watch the remake this month to see how they compare (most likely not very well,but you never know).
Return of the Living Dead (1985)
This is another film from the 80s that I remember seeing all the time at the video store when I was a kid, but somehow never saw all the way through until now (I had recently seen a bit of the edited version on cable recently and I enjoyed it enough to stop watching and add the DVD to my Netflix queue).
Return... was based on a story by on of the guys, John Russo, that was involved with George Romero in making the original Night of the Living Dead. When they parted ways, Russo kept the rights to any films with "Living Dead" in their title (which was why none of Romero's subsequent zombie films had any version of the title of his original). This film is a great example of the over the top, somewhat campy, morbidly funny horror film that, when done right, can be very enjoyable. Its not scary at all, but it's really not trying to be. It relies on special effects and gross humor to get its reaction from the audience rather than fear.
The plot revolves around the chemicals that cause the zombie out break in Night of the Living Dead (in the world of the movie, that film actually exists and as a true story, but the details were changed to hide the truth of what really happened) are released into a medical supply warehouse, and then eventually to a cemetery. Of course, zombie mayhem ensues.
I enjoyed the hell out of this film. The the acting was sub-par, but this movie wasn't meant to be played straight, so it fit. The zombie effects, especially the initial creature that was freed, were weird end gory enough without looking cheap. This is a completely different film than the Romero zombie films, but it is enjoyable for its own reasons.
Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988)
Since the sequel to the last movie was available on Netflix Instant, I decided to dive right in. Within the first few minutes, it was apparent that I was not going to enjoy this movie as much as the first one for one simple reason - I hate movies that have child characters that behave and think like adults, and the main character in this film is one of them. However, one of the other main characters is the guy who played Bobby Briggs on Twin Peaks, so it has that going for it.
This film tries to replicate everything that the first film pulled off - over the top acting, campy/morbid humor, and weird zombie effects, and does none of it as well. It even casts two of the main actors from the first film in different roles, but has them act just like (and has the same thing happen to them, practically) as in the original Return. There are much more zombies in this film, and it takes place over a larger area (a whole town instead of just a cemetery (and the surrounding blocks), since this is a sequel after all. However, most of this movie falls flat.
Virgin Witch (1971)
I really wish I would have looked into this film a little more before I added it to my Netflix queue. There is nothing scary, suspenseful or creepy about it - its an early 70s British soft-core nudie film that just happens to be about a coven of witches. A total waste of time (if you are expecting a horror film - if you are expecting copious amounts of 70s female nudity, totally NOT a waste of time...).
(No trailer available)
Somehow, this is the first time I have seen this film. I spent a lot of weekends in the 80s watching horror films, so how did I miss one of the most popular (among horror films, not in terms of box-office success) slasher films that popped up in the wake of the Halloween/Friday the 13th knock-off boom?
This film is one of the better examples of a slasher flick out there. The plot follows the basic formula of the genre - there is a maniac on the loose (in this case, on Valentine's Day), and the victims, unaware of any danger, find various reasons to be split up and picked off. The main thing that sets this film apart from its contemporaries is the setting - it takes place in a mining town, and since most of the characters are miners, a lot of the action takes place in a mine. The makers of the film decided to use an actual mine, too. The mine adds a little something extra to the film. A mine is bigger than an old mansion, so there are even more isolated tunnels/hallways spread out over a larger area that makes it more plausible that people could be split up and not hear what is going on around them. Also, a mine is supposed to be dark and spooky, so there is no need to manufacture that feeling with things like a power outage or a thunderstorm.
The killer himself looks especially scary with his miner outfit (I have no idea if that's how miners actually dressed in the early 80s, but the get-up was certainly effective), and the kills are well done. I watched the extended version of the film, which restored several minutes of footage that was removed to avoid an X rating at the time. After seeing films like Saw and Hostel in recent years, the removed scenes do not compare to some of the stuff film makers get away with today, but the removed scenes are still effective (one guy is killed by drowning in a scalding pot of hot dog water).
This is a must-see for anyone who is a fan of the genre. I am going to try and watch the remake this month to see how they compare (most likely not very well,but you never know).
Return of the Living Dead (1985)
This is another film from the 80s that I remember seeing all the time at the video store when I was a kid, but somehow never saw all the way through until now (I had recently seen a bit of the edited version on cable recently and I enjoyed it enough to stop watching and add the DVD to my Netflix queue).
Return... was based on a story by on of the guys, John Russo, that was involved with George Romero in making the original Night of the Living Dead. When they parted ways, Russo kept the rights to any films with "Living Dead" in their title (which was why none of Romero's subsequent zombie films had any version of the title of his original). This film is a great example of the over the top, somewhat campy, morbidly funny horror film that, when done right, can be very enjoyable. Its not scary at all, but it's really not trying to be. It relies on special effects and gross humor to get its reaction from the audience rather than fear.
The plot revolves around the chemicals that cause the zombie out break in Night of the Living Dead (in the world of the movie, that film actually exists and as a true story, but the details were changed to hide the truth of what really happened) are released into a medical supply warehouse, and then eventually to a cemetery. Of course, zombie mayhem ensues.
I enjoyed the hell out of this film. The the acting was sub-par, but this movie wasn't meant to be played straight, so it fit. The zombie effects, especially the initial creature that was freed, were weird end gory enough without looking cheap. This is a completely different film than the Romero zombie films, but it is enjoyable for its own reasons.
Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988)
Since the sequel to the last movie was available on Netflix Instant, I decided to dive right in. Within the first few minutes, it was apparent that I was not going to enjoy this movie as much as the first one for one simple reason - I hate movies that have child characters that behave and think like adults, and the main character in this film is one of them. However, one of the other main characters is the guy who played Bobby Briggs on Twin Peaks, so it has that going for it.
This film tries to replicate everything that the first film pulled off - over the top acting, campy/morbid humor, and weird zombie effects, and does none of it as well. It even casts two of the main actors from the first film in different roles, but has them act just like (and has the same thing happen to them, practically) as in the original Return. There are much more zombies in this film, and it takes place over a larger area (a whole town instead of just a cemetery (and the surrounding blocks), since this is a sequel after all. However, most of this movie falls flat.
Virgin Witch (1971)
I really wish I would have looked into this film a little more before I added it to my Netflix queue. There is nothing scary, suspenseful or creepy about it - its an early 70s British soft-core nudie film that just happens to be about a coven of witches. A total waste of time (if you are expecting a horror film - if you are expecting copious amounts of 70s female nudity, totally NOT a waste of time...).
(No trailer available)
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