Topic: October Marathon: Horror!

[Achim]

The Hills Have Eyes 2 is infamous for being as bad as it is (although I've never seen it and probably never will). But Wes has indeed made a few good or at least decent film: A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scram (see how I don't mention the sequels), wes Craven's New Nightmare and The Serpent and the Rainbow (Pete, have you seen this one? A "real life" zombie story.) I only said he made good films, not that all his other films are good...

To put Mind Ripper into a Wes Craven Box Set is an insult.

[addicted2dvd]

Nope... never seen The Serpent and the Rainbow... but you are not the first one to suggest it to me. I will have to keep this one in mind to pick up... thanks for the reminder!

[Najemikon]

[.REC]
4 out of 5



A young reporter and her cameraman accompany the Spanish fire service to a routine call. Before they know it they are trapped in an apartment block by the authorities who refuse to let them out until an unspecified health scare has been neutralised.

Yet another home movie. What is it with filmmakers today? Are tripods too damn expensive? Released around the same time as Cloverfield and Diary of The Dead, and featuring a well-worn situation, originality was never going to be this movies strong point. But strong points it does have, comparing favourably with the other "authentic" handheld movies this year and The Blair Witch, probably to blame for the idea in the first place. In fact this is possibly the best horror movie released since The Descent.

The story is very basic, with only a handful of characters. The latter at least is unusual for a zombie movie, but in an enclosed space, it's more effective and apart from two, all the infected victims are characters we've been introduced to so it has more punch. The tension is heightened by the shadows of the people outside playing on the windows showing civilisation and safety is in spitting distance.

It's a credit to Rec, Diary and Cloverfield that all of them have been able to use the same basic idea without treading on each others toes and finding some hook: Diary, the least entertaining, had the most ambition with multi-source post-edited material and a bonkers cameraman; Cloverfield stretched the conceit to breaking point but had the nice idea of including bits of the previous recordings form a happier time; but Rec perhaps uses it to best effect, reducing it to a simple P.O.V. from Pablo the cameraman, making for a terrifying tour of a haunted house. It'll be a while before I peak in any lofts! None of them ever used the trick from Planet Terror though, which I loved (damaged film means a good portion of the story is missing).

You might assume that the DTS sound is limited because it's supposed to be an in-camera recording, but it's used very well. As the infected grab at the mike and muffle the sound; or you hear a scream from behind and Pablo spins around to look, the scream runs through your room. Visually there's plenty of jumps and shadows to explore. The light on the camera and night vision are used brilliantly.

The last act reveals some substance, with a play on the regular viral infection now including The Vatican dealing with a case of possession. So plenty of sequel bait! That's unusual for me. Two films in this marathon have left me salivating for a follow-up. At least that's happening here for definite, plus a remake already for those allergic to sub-titles. Do yourself a favour and try this first. At the very least, they aren't going to find a heroine anywhere near as cute as the wonderful Manuela Velasco. The bouncy little pig-tailed minx is far more attractive than Bruce Willis in the dirty vest look!

There are very few, if any, films that have actually scared me properly, especially in recent years. That's why I say it's the best since The Descent. They still don't have the power to make me sleep with the light on, but still, no films between those two have had me on the edge of my seat, jumping like a loon as much as this!

[Najemikon]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
5 out of 5



Five kids in a van pass by an old deserted house that used to belong to one of their families. The neighbours house isn't quite so deserted. And so the scene is set for one of the most influential horror films, loosely based on the exploits of Ed Gein, also the inspiration to Psycho amongst others.

The most shocking thing about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is I liked it! I've seen it before and didn't understand the fuss. It was on TV though so maybe it was still cut. Certainly some of it's more surreal moments originally threw me, but this time I understood it's deserved reputation.

It's really very cleverly put together and although it's served as inspiration for so many films that came after, those pretenders really miss the point and have none of the attention to detail in both setting and narrative, while dragging themselves down with unnecessary exposition. The recent remake is a case in point. As a slasher, it's adequate, but this original was never supposed to be a mere slasher.

The five teens have very little backstory. From beginning to end we learn very little about them. No angst, in other words. A sulky cripple feeling left out is the most we get. This actually makes them more human and the eventual attacks more savage. Normal people on a road trip don't pick that moment to play out all lives tragedies, so these regular kids seem more real. Other characters in the early part of the film are also given only the barest material to get through the scene, meaning there might be genuine surprises toward the end. And even if you do see them coming, the film never tried to trip you up in the first place so it feels right. There's also a surprising amount of humour. Again there's no over-playing the irony, but it's there and should make you laugh albeit guiltily!

That commitment to it's own story is old fashioned film making. As are hints at what's to come. Instead of the modern style of talking about feelings and morals, these teens discuss how the old slaughterhouse despatched the cattle, worry about trivial meanings in horoscopes or find evidence of ritualistic killing, all of which subtly screams "run!", but they pay it no heed. Instead of opening their hearts, we learn how their hearts will be opened! It's a fascinating example of just how good cinema was in the 70s; old fashioned methods with new independence. Why modern versions can't see that balance, I'll never understand.

Everything is in the preparation in this film. The house they wander up to to ask for help (not the wisest move) is astonishing in the detail. Bones and feathers, grime and decay, all litter the place. It looks like they've wandered into a pit of death, and the host ain't too friendly either. Leatherface's entrance is simple but devastatingly effective. His massive frame suddenly fills the a doorway and he immediately clobbers his first victim with a sledgehammer then slams the door shut! No music here and throughout the film also just let the images linger. That's right for this film, but I'm not saying music isn't right in general; Hitchcock's take on the Gein story in Psycho racks up the tension using the exact opposite method.

More killings follow and none are gratuitous. Leatherface kills like a slaughter man kills cattle (as we learned earlier) and we don't really see much. With that setting, the marvellous sound design and simple reactions from the victims, our imagination fills in the blanks. I don't about you, but I need to have words with my imagination; it's far too descriptive...

The last act of the film, which I previously hated, is actually a further descent into depravity in perfect keeping with the rest of the film. Grandad's the best killer of all apparently, but his decrepit efforts are hilarious and disturbing at the same time. The shot of the victims desperate eyeball is fantastic as she makes a last desperate bid for sanity.

Those perverse final images of Leatherface whirling his chainsaw around confirm what the earlier scenes suggested. That he is scarier and more tangible than almost any other screen horror villain I can think of. I reckon if you check his fridges you'll find both Jason and Freddy! But not Michael. He is another matter entirely.  

[Najemikon]

Road Games
3 out of 5



Stacy Keach is Pat Quid, driving a truck (but not a "truck driver"!) across the Outback. Prone to making up stories about his fellow road users, he begins to suspect one could be the serial killer he hears about on the radio. He picks up a hitchhiker, Jamie Lee Curtis, who feeds into his theory and tries to help. But then she disappears and the police think he may be the killer...

Another serial killer film that I took a chance on fitting in the "horror" genre and there's a couple of shocks and dark humour enough to count. I think.

This film is great fun, but caught me out somewhat. The first half is almost a comedy! Keach is brilliant as Quid, riding along making up stories about the other cars, chatting to his pet Dingo and quoting poetry. Does that sound weird? Well it does I suppose, but actually the mood is like a laid-back western and very enjoyable (If you're familiar with Aussie films beyond Mad Max, this balance between styles isn't unusual). Quid is just a well-read, friendly loner. And some genuine shocks and inventive camera work lift it well away from the mundane. I particularly liked the way the first victim is plucking at a guitar, which forms her own tension building theme.

Along the way he meets a variety of funny characters with their own oddities. Eventually he picks up a seriously under-used Curtis, although a running gag means we'd seen her twice already from behind, if you pardon the expression. Although while I'm bringing filthy innuendo into this, there is none at all in the film. Odd, for an early Curtis role. If you're not going to use the Scream Queen to scream, at least get her top off! I mean, it's almost slasher movie law!

After a roadside altercation with the two worst cops in film (just awful) and a campfire scene with a genuine spine-tingling shock worthy of any ghost story, she manages to get herself kidnapped by the suspected killer and Quid goes off in pursuit. Here, it all goes a bit wrong. It's like they were trying to reverse the vibe of Duel and that's just too high a target. Other variously good ideas will be bettered later by the marvellous The Hitcher with Rutger Hauer.

After a seriously daft chase the finale manages to involve all the same characters he met on the road in a sort of Cannonball Run cameo reunion. I really felt let down by that. Why would all these people be going to the same location? He's covered the distance between Melbourne and Perth. And so did everyone else?

It all finishes up in typical TV drama style and annoyingly never gives any kind of reason for what the villain is up to. Worse, the girl with the guitar is the only one killed on screen. So as a pure serial killer film, it's lacking. While it's certainly a film of two halves, the first being much better than the second, the whole thing has a tongue in cheek cartoon style that means it's never boring. And the final gag is bloody brilliant!

Note: I bought this DVD from Play.com and noticed a review from Ninehours (small world this Internet!) saying how awful the image quality was. It is bad. Sound too. I think it's just acceptable though and comparable with a lot of cheap bare-bones releases, but then thanks to Ninehours, my expectations were very low.

[Jimmy]

This one is on wishlist since a long time, maybe I will ordered it some day... The region 1 dvd isn't a cheap one like the one you have reviewed. It was released by Anchor Bay and it countains some extra (commentary, making of, screenplay, ...) and it is widescreen (I suppose that this one is a vhs transfer). The reason why I want it is that it was directed by Richard Franklin and I love Fantasm one of his previous film.

[Najemikon]

This one is on wishlist since a long time, maybe I will ordered it some day... The region 1 dvd isn't a cheap one like the one you have reviewed. It was released by Anchor Bay and it countains some extra (commentary, making of, screenplay, ...) and it is widescreen (I suppose that this one is a vhs transfer). The reason why I want it is that it was directed by Richard Franklin and I love Fantasm one of his previous film.

It's worth saying that although it doesn't work as a serial killer film, and it's not so hot as a road movie, it's the direction and balance with comedy that makes it worth watching. Possibly more so than if they had been fully committed to the serial killing plot. In other words, the plot is there to join together Stacy Keach, his dog and weird road users. In fact, that's what I've been trying to put my finger on! It's kind of like a TV series about Bud Quin and I happened to see the Truck Driver episode.

As for the DVD, Optimum are a strange label. I can't work them out. Quality varies and they seem to be re-releasing both Anchor Bay and Momentum titles. Have both of them pulled out of the UK?

[Najemikon]

An American Werewolf in London
5 out of 5



Jack and David, two American backpackers get lost on the English moors, despite dire warnings. They are attacked by a werewolf and Jack is killed, but David is rescued by the locals feeling guilty for not helping them earlier. Weeks later David awakes in hospital, but a full moon is due...

An American Werewolf in London is rightly a horror classic, but an oddity all the same. Directed with gusto by John Landis, some accuse it of not knowing what it wants to be. It's genuinely funny and genuinely scary, sometimes at the same time, which means despite its confidence, it can't be a genuine comedy or a genuine horror. Empire commented that the final scene is powerful, but immediately undermined by the rock 'n' roll version of Blue Moon over the credits (it opens with the original ballad, so maybe it should have been the other way around). They're right, but I find that part of the fun!

First time viewers may indeed struggle with the ever-changing tone, but it rewards repeat viewings and first-timers well versed in horror mythology, because this movie works best as a love letter to horror. As such Landis takes nothing seriously, plays the whole thing with a tongue wedged firmly into his cheek, yet gives us well rounded memorable characters who are treated with respect and affection, even if what they do is absurd. And it never dips into sentimentality. A frightened David phones home at one point and it could easily have been mawkish, but it's actually very funny and -there's that word again- genuine. 

So we end up with situations like bumbling coppers in a rather quaint view of London, or The Slaughtered Lamb pub, populated with a typical Hammer style group of superstitious locals. The fact is, we British don't give pubs names like that and the moors aren't populated by such folk keeping terrible, murderous secrets and Satanic symbols on the walls. Well I bloody hope not anyway! As the inquisitive doctor who helps David says, "we'd have seen it on the telly". 

It's all part of the in-joke and works so well because Landis is having as much fun as us, channelling his inner child who probably sat up late watching horror movies when he was a kid. As such it sits in a sadly little-used sub-genre along with Joe Dante's werewolf flick The Howling or Gremlins. It's little-used because the entries have to be bloody good and there aren't many directors who can pull it off. I'd also include the marvellous Shaun of the Dead, but even that is more of a full-time comedy with the gory scenes being as funny as anything else and an awkward serious scene near the end.

Here the gore is often part of the absurd comedy, with visits from Jack's corpse being freakishly fun highlights. But when it wants to be scary, it pulls no punches. The early sequence on the moors, the random attacks in London. Though not so much the final rampage! It's great, but it's Landis cutting loose, not trying to scare us. So lots of blood, bouncing heads, car crashes. Wonderful stuff! He did the scary stuff earlier to most effect on the Underground. London's tube system can be lonely and full of echoes anyway, without a sodding werewolf wandering around. Of course in keeping with the tone, the victims confront the human David when he meets Jack in a porn cinema with hilarious results.

It's all held together with the central performances of David and his nurse, Alex (Jenny Agutter) who run straight and true throughout. And if you need someone to hold your hand while having bad dreams, Jenny is perfect. That's right, you get horror, comedy and even a genuine (sorry) romance too. Am I twisted for finding the innocent scene of her spoon-feeding and chastising him very sexual? Probably. Don't care.

Those dreams are another opportunity for classic sequences of random horror, letting the make-up guys have fun. When they play serious though you get the famous changing sequence. Still the best, still beats CGi. This and The Thing will stand the test of time because of that hard work and dedication.

[Najemikon]

Alien (The Director's Cut)
5 out of 5



The crew of the Nostromo are awakened early from hyper-sleep to answer a distress call from a seemingly abandoned planet. While investigating on the ground, they discover an alien craft, seemingly lifeless. Yet one of their number is attacked and brought back to the ship, complete with unwanted guest.

Alien is one of the greatest science-fiction films ever made and a long term favourite of mine. Sorry, but I'm bound to go about this one! If you've never seen it, erm... why? It's influence is huge. That it can be accurately described as near-perfect is astonishing given the scope of it's ambition. There are so many layers to this film that it's hard to know where to begin.

Let's start with the ship as that's the first thing we see. The Nostromo is essentially a huge tug-boat, dragging an even larger refinery. Inside the camera moves slowly around the quiet vessel, languishing in the design. Finally stopping at a panel that bursts into life, processing what we later learn to be a distress call. The fascinating thing about The Nostromo is it looks old and well used. A working, grimy industrial ship. I suppose to most people at the time, the clean regimented Federation ships of Star Trek would be the typical sci-fi notion of space travel and this couldn't be a starker contrast.

Throughout the film, the sets boast huge lonely cavernous storage areas, dark and full of feasible equipment that looks like someone has it there for a reason, though a long forgotten one judging by the rust. Aesthetically I don't think there is a better realised film. There is an almost Victorian look to it,  including lots of steam, in keeping with that industrial mood. That old fashioned look means it should never date, right down to computer panels with CRT monitors, basic text readouts and "clack-clack" operating noises. This is a machine age where flat screens and holograms will always be unwelcome.

Soon the crew awaken from their hyper sleep. A dishevelled bunch, ranks are observed, but not formally. As it is a working class ship, this is a small working class crew and even Captain Dallas (Tom Skerritt) has the weary look of someone who is simply doing his job. That must have struck a chord with audiences in the economically rough 70s. In keeping with which, the relations between the crew are typical of any factory. The engineers Parker (Yaphet Kotto) and Brett (Harry Dean Stanton) are always arguing with the others about money. They're one step away from calling their union and going on strike! Lt. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) similarly pisses everyone off by waving a rule book around all the time, though in retrospect maybe they should have listened. A "told you so" wet dream for any Health & Safety official!

While investigating the call that caused them to be awoken early, Dallas, Kane (John Hurt) and Lambert (Veronical Cartwright) discover the alien vessel and the dead pilot. As with everything else, a lot of work has gone into this to make it look like it could work without actually showing us how or why. Soon Kane finds eggs and is attacked by a facehugger and has to be taken back on board.

And so begins the intricately detailed lifecycle of the greatest monster ever to stalk cinema. This thing is an invasion in more ways then one. Importantly I think it is as alien to the crew as it is to us. These working class people don't expect to find gooey bugs in their factory as much as we don't.

The Alien was created in the mind of bio-mechanical genius H. R. Giger and it has specific stages in it's process to match the machinelike environment it attacks. It's the most effective monster because that process is very sexual, attacking the human psyche at a base level. The Facehugger stage is mating with -perhaps raping even- Kane and the result is flippantly called "Kane's Son" by science officer Ash (Ian Holm), who seems a little too fascinated by the creature that the others are happy to destroy.

If this all sounds a bit deep and Freudian, well actually the birth scene is a notorious horror classic. The resultant creature then haunts the ship and it's scary as hell. Each set-piece picking off the crew one by one is different to the last, dripping with metaphor and tension. And what a magnificent beast it is too, brilliantly photographed. It is basically a bloke in a rubber suit with a huge cock for a head, though it never looks like that. Strobe lighting, slow movements, more steam; we never see the creature in full, but all the shots combine in our imagination. Ridley Scott directs the whole thing with an almost priapic confidence and he throws everything in to grace his creature with as much terror as he can muster.

The director's cut includes a scene of Ripley finding past victims cocooned against a wall. Though never explored this is the next stage in the creatures cycle which surely included a Queen. Obviously we don't see her. Yet.  But even on first viewings it's obvious the Alien has a purpose beyond a boogey man in fancy dress. We've just been dropped down the food chain and that gives the story a lasting fear. Ripley going back for the cat is a human weakness this ruthlessly efficient thing would never do and such a small act just emphasises that it is better than us. That's scarily one of the most important elements in any horror. Superiority. The victims don't even have a moral high ground; their extinct.

All things considered, there's a lot could of gone wrong. The film is so rich without a single cliche (even the black guy doesn't die first! And picking the survivor when you first see the crew is impossible) it almost seems a waste to pace it as a simple haunted house story. But that's the sort of ambition that is lacking in todays cinema. This is possibly Scott's masterpiece and that's why rumours of his involvement in a possible Alien 5 endure. I hope it's true.

[Jimmy]

This is possibly Scott's masterpiece and that's why rumours of his involvement in a possible Alien 5 endure. I hope it's true.

Why? All the Alien films after the second one are a lost of time...

I agree with you that this film is a masterpiece, one of my favourite Science Fiction movie. I've seen it so many times since I've seen it the first time at 12 years old (lots of nightmares because of this), maybe that's why I don't have it yet in my film library.

[Najemikon]

This is possibly Scott's masterpiece and that's why rumours of his involvement in a possible Alien 5 endure. I hope it's true.

Why? All the Alien films after the second one are a lost of time...

Well I'm hoping to get to Aliens and Alien 3 in this marathon. But suffice to say for now, Aliens was my favourite film for a long time and I hold it in very high regard as the best sequel. Alien 3 is badly flawed, but I think it had some good ideas. Part 4? Let me tell you what I think of Resurrection.

Detailed though the Alien lifecycle is, it's never been seen taking a shit. But it must have happened. Jean-Pierre Jeunet looked around the Nostromo, found a huge steaming turd, jammed a French flag in it and threw it at a cinema screen. Well, he might as well have done. Alien 4 is a f***ing travesty, not least because Joss Whedon wrote a terrific script which I assume was used for paper planes. The AvP films aren't great, but at least they're having fun and not screwing around with the legacy.

By the way I have nothing against French films or their directors, in fact I love Jeunet's Amelie and A Very Long Engagement. He just shouldn't have been allowed to take his French quirkiness anywhere near Alien.

Ridley Scott has said he's always been interested in returning to the story and specifically to the origin of the alien ship where Kane first finds the eggs. I trust his judgement because Alien is full of design that isn't necessarily explored or explained. So it goes, there might be a fleshed out idea about that ship that's in keeping with the original themes. Scott is a very straight-talking sort of bloke, so I doubt he'd respond to the rumours if he hadn't already thought about how it could be done.

Also, I always loved the comics that extended the Alien universe. They had some great ideas that gives me confidence that there are a lot of people who know what they're doing if they were allowed a crack at another sequel. Certainly the comics had much better ideas for part 3.

[Najemikon]

Shutter
3 out of 5



A photographer, Tun and his girlfriend Jane are driving home from a party when a girl steps out in front of them. Instead of checking on the girl, Tun persuades Jane to just drive on. Wracked with guilt they try to find out if she survived, but there's no trace. But Tun has started to see apparitions in his photographs and as something from his past continues to haunt him, his closest friends are dying.

Shutter is an effective J-horror, although strictly speaking, it's Thai. But it has all the usual ingredients that fans of Ringu and Ju-On will recognise. In fact, apart from some odd pacing in the middle, the only problem with Shutter is familiarity. It follows a similar pattern to the others and as usual it's a very emotional story; the spirit is restless because of Tun's guilt.

It has a very laidback, almost dreamlike quality, perhaps a bit too enigmatic at times, but there are a handful of solid scares. I usually measure scary moments by how far I throw my drink in the air and there's a definite damp patch on my ceiling. The strange thing is, I'd hadn't got a drink this time.

Much of it is predictable, both in plot and in where the next jump is coming from, but all credit to the film that those moments still work. And I found a bit with a polaroid camera very creepy because it's an instant picture and what Jane sees in the picture, must be in the room right now! Honourable mention for the flash sequence and darkroom. The DTS sound is used very well. In one scene the lights go out, but you can hear footsteps running around you.

The film loses momentum towards the end with a very odd, out of place scene in a roadside toilet. It picks up again for the last act where the truth of what happened is revealed. Jane gets a clue with a stack of photographs where the shadows form a flick book animation.

The final moments are a bit silly, but look great and the very last shot is very memorable!

If you've never seen a J-horror, then I highly recommend this as it's a perfect jumping on point to a worthy genre that might be starting to show its age. If you're a veteran, it's still worth seeing.

[addicted2dvd]

I am hoping to see this soon... my niece bought a copy... and she said she will bring it over for me to watch. When?... who knows... hopefully before October is over! 

[Najemikon]

This version, or the American remake?

[addicted2dvd]

Not sure... she didn't say. But knowing her.... I would be willing to bet it is the American remake.