Horror Movie of the Day, 24 October 2010
Boy, do I suck...
This is becoming a trend... really need to be writing these....
25 October 2010
TBA
Horror Movie of the Day, 23 October 2010
ACH... I don't know yet...
To come... clearly after the fact....
ACH... I don't know yet...
To come... clearly after the fact....
22 October 2010
Vampyr
Horror Movie of the Day, 22 October 2010
Vampyr (1932)
Another German horror film from the early days. And again, about vampires. It begins: "This story is about the adventures of young Allan Gray." It informs us that he has become a dreamer, someone for whom the boundary between reality and that which is unreal has been blurred, all due to his studies of devil worship and vampire terror. Courtempierre is the name of the town in which the story begins; he has arrived there after one of the many "aimless journeys". As he knocks on the door, several times, he looks around. He sees a woman on an upper level close a window hurriedly. Further off, a man with a scythe is walking towards the river... to begin ringing a bell. A woman lets him in and shows him to his room.
He hears talking and wanders the house, finding no one but a locked door. Then, as he lies awake in his room later that night, there is a knocking at his door. It slowly opens, and an older gentlement comes into the room. When asked who he is, the man just goes to the window and opens the shade, turns around and says "quiet", more to himself than to Allan, and then proclaims to Allan that "she must not die. Do you hear?" Finally, he walks over to the desk, and writes "To be opened after my death" on some bound papers before he leaves the room. It is a weird scene which certainly leaves the audience with a strong sense of foreboding.
Indeed, Allan feels as if strange and dangerous things are happening, and heads out after the man who had been in his room. Along the way, we see many strange things. At one point, we can see the shadow of a man who has, for lack of a better term, a pegleg, walking around and doing work. Eventually, we follow the shadow... and see it take its place at the wall of the man it resembles... who has been seated on a bench the whole time. When the man does get up to move, this time, the shadow moves with him.
Allan arrives at a house, and a strange older man asks if he heard a noise. When Allan responds that he has indeed heard the cries of a child, the man informs him that there are no children there. Nor are there any dogs, as suggested by Allan as a rebuttal. Allan leaves, and we see the elder gentlemen help an even older lady walk to a different bench. Skulls follow their movement. She then hands him a jar of poison. Allan has continued his journey, and we rejoin him as he discovers a chateau, the house where the strange man who entered his room lives. It is a secluded location, and he lives there with his two daughters, the youngest, Giséle and one who has "wounds",Leóne, and their servants.
This man falls to the floor as if stricken... by a bullet that we never see shot. But the servants and one of the daughters come running. Allan enters the house seeing that he has fallen through a window and tries to help. There is nothing to be done, unfrortunately, as the man dies, his eyes staring out, terrified at something to which we the audience are not privy. Moving his body to another room, one of the servants declares that Allan will stay the night with them.
As one of the servants leaves to inform the police, Allan pulls the sealed packet out of his jacket. We see him open a book which is titled "The History of Vampires" by a Paul Bonnard. We learn about these demons known as vampires and why, even though dead, they arise from their graves - due to the terrible deeds they did while living. They must take the blood of children and young people in order to prolong their own lives. It claims that the Prince of Darkness is their companions, and the book claims that the victim will slowly fade away with no hope of salvation. We also see the wounded sister in bed asleep and then suddenly gone.
Suddenly, Giléle sees her through the window as she is walking through the field. Allan and the young woman take off after her, until they discover her. They find her bent over backward on a stump. Did they see the man who was just leaning over her? Or did they just see her? We don't know. The servants, having heard the shouting for Leóne and come to help carry the young lady back to the chateau. Upon arrival, Leóne awakens and states that she is damned. Though horrified at first, her visage quickly changes to one of disturbing amusement. She grins horribly and watches her sister Giséle walk, scared, from one side of the room to the other so that she can leave her sister's terrifying presence.
Giséle later declares that her sister is dying and seems to enter a state of shock. The carriage then returns without anyone riding it and blood dripping on the ground beneath it. Allan returns to read the book and discovers that the shadows of executed cirminals as well as human beings, usually those who have devoted their souls to the Devil, can be manipulated into doing as a vampyr wishes. The doctor who arrives to help Leóne is none other than the town doctor, the man he ran into when he thought he heard a child.
The doctor informs everyone that Leóne needs a blood transfusion. He looks at Allan and asks if he'll give his blood, then informing him that he will bleed Allan. While this happens, we get a brief glimpse at Giséle who wonders why the doctor only comes at night. Though he is certainly suspicious, the audience does not get the sense that the doctor is a vampire. But is he? We also see more snippets from the book. One claims that the vampyr attempts to drive the victim to suicide. The other explains that a village killed an elderly female vampyr by finding her asleep and driving a metal bar in her heart.
While a servant is reading this book, we see the shadow of the door open and then shut. Just the shadow. The door remains as it is. We see Allan asleep, and he sees a skeletal hand reach for poison and then reach out to give it to someone. The scene switches to show a hand reach for the poison. A servant enters and awakens Allan claiming that there is danger. They chase the doctor out of Leóne's room and realize that she has been poisoned when they see the vial drop from the doctor's hand.
Giséle is missing, and Allan, or rather, Allan's shade or shadow, follows the doctor to a castle where he discovers Giséle been kept locked up in a room. He then sees a coffin and removes the cloth covering it to discover his body, apparently awake and alive but paralized. They close his coffin with the lid, which has a window so that he can see what is happening to him. He sees the elderly woman from the doctor's house (perhaps it was his office... I don't remember very clearly what the building was... but you know what I'm saying!). He is then carried off, past a church whose bells are ringing, to bury him.
His shade is then at a cemetery where he recognizes one of the servants who is opening up a crypt. Allan heads over to help the man, and they open the coffin to reveal the elderly woman. The servant continues and follows the books instructions, hammering a metal rod into the heart of the creature. Leóne, back at the house, awakens and claims that she feels better, stronger.
A storm kicks up and worries the doctor and one of his henchmen. They look worriedly out the window, where the face of the girls' father appears. Fearful, the doctor runs into another room where the door shuts behind him and locks itself. We see shadows moving about before he runs out. He see the body of the henchman at the bottom of the stairs just after we hear a scream. Then Allan's shade appears and frees Giséle from the rope that has her tied up and the room in which she has been stashed. They run off. The doctor has fled, and finds himself in a flour mill. He can't see who is in there with him, but someone starts the machinery, and he is buried alive unders tons upon tons of flour. The young couple continue their journey and end up in a bright, sunny field.
I have more to add... but that will have to come as an update later!!
Go forth in fear!
Vampyr (1932)
Another German horror film from the early days. And again, about vampires. It begins: "This story is about the adventures of young Allan Gray." It informs us that he has become a dreamer, someone for whom the boundary between reality and that which is unreal has been blurred, all due to his studies of devil worship and vampire terror. Courtempierre is the name of the town in which the story begins; he has arrived there after one of the many "aimless journeys". As he knocks on the door, several times, he looks around. He sees a woman on an upper level close a window hurriedly. Further off, a man with a scythe is walking towards the river... to begin ringing a bell. A woman lets him in and shows him to his room.
He hears talking and wanders the house, finding no one but a locked door. Then, as he lies awake in his room later that night, there is a knocking at his door. It slowly opens, and an older gentlement comes into the room. When asked who he is, the man just goes to the window and opens the shade, turns around and says "quiet", more to himself than to Allan, and then proclaims to Allan that "she must not die. Do you hear?" Finally, he walks over to the desk, and writes "To be opened after my death" on some bound papers before he leaves the room. It is a weird scene which certainly leaves the audience with a strong sense of foreboding.
Hmm. He has gone to a lot of effort to seal this and keep them secret until he dies.... perhaps I should follow him until he is dead, and then I can read them! Ha! Good idea.
Allan arrives at a house, and a strange older man asks if he heard a noise. When Allan responds that he has indeed heard the cries of a child, the man informs him that there are no children there. Nor are there any dogs, as suggested by Allan as a rebuttal. Allan leaves, and we see the elder gentlemen help an even older lady walk to a different bench. Skulls follow their movement. She then hands him a jar of poison. Allan has continued his journey, and we rejoin him as he discovers a chateau, the house where the strange man who entered his room lives. It is a secluded location, and he lives there with his two daughters, the youngest, Giséle and one who has "wounds",Leóne, and their servants.
This man falls to the floor as if stricken... by a bullet that we never see shot. But the servants and one of the daughters come running. Allan enters the house seeing that he has fallen through a window and tries to help. There is nothing to be done, unfrortunately, as the man dies, his eyes staring out, terrified at something to which we the audience are not privy. Moving his body to another room, one of the servants declares that Allan will stay the night with them.
As one of the servants leaves to inform the police, Allan pulls the sealed packet out of his jacket. We see him open a book which is titled "The History of Vampires" by a Paul Bonnard. We learn about these demons known as vampires and why, even though dead, they arise from their graves - due to the terrible deeds they did while living. They must take the blood of children and young people in order to prolong their own lives. It claims that the Prince of Darkness is their companions, and the book claims that the victim will slowly fade away with no hope of salvation. We also see the wounded sister in bed asleep and then suddenly gone.
Suddenly, Giléle sees her through the window as she is walking through the field. Allan and the young woman take off after her, until they discover her. They find her bent over backward on a stump. Did they see the man who was just leaning over her? Or did they just see her? We don't know. The servants, having heard the shouting for Leóne and come to help carry the young lady back to the chateau. Upon arrival, Leóne awakens and states that she is damned. Though horrified at first, her visage quickly changes to one of disturbing amusement. She grins horribly and watches her sister Giséle walk, scared, from one side of the room to the other so that she can leave her sister's terrifying presence.
Giséle later declares that her sister is dying and seems to enter a state of shock. The carriage then returns without anyone riding it and blood dripping on the ground beneath it. Allan returns to read the book and discovers that the shadows of executed cirminals as well as human beings, usually those who have devoted their souls to the Devil, can be manipulated into doing as a vampyr wishes. The doctor who arrives to help Leóne is none other than the town doctor, the man he ran into when he thought he heard a child.
The doctor informs everyone that Leóne needs a blood transfusion. He looks at Allan and asks if he'll give his blood, then informing him that he will bleed Allan. While this happens, we get a brief glimpse at Giséle who wonders why the doctor only comes at night. Though he is certainly suspicious, the audience does not get the sense that the doctor is a vampire. But is he? We also see more snippets from the book. One claims that the vampyr attempts to drive the victim to suicide. The other explains that a village killed an elderly female vampyr by finding her asleep and driving a metal bar in her heart.
Yup. Normal, everyday occurence. Skeletal hand handing out some poison to share. Nothing weird about that at all.
While a servant is reading this book, we see the shadow of the door open and then shut. Just the shadow. The door remains as it is. We see Allan asleep, and he sees a skeletal hand reach for poison and then reach out to give it to someone. The scene switches to show a hand reach for the poison. A servant enters and awakens Allan claiming that there is danger. They chase the doctor out of Leóne's room and realize that she has been poisoned when they see the vial drop from the doctor's hand.
Giséle is missing, and Allan, or rather, Allan's shade or shadow, follows the doctor to a castle where he discovers Giséle been kept locked up in a room. He then sees a coffin and removes the cloth covering it to discover his body, apparently awake and alive but paralized. They close his coffin with the lid, which has a window so that he can see what is happening to him. He sees the elderly woman from the doctor's house (perhaps it was his office... I don't remember very clearly what the building was... but you know what I'm saying!). He is then carried off, past a church whose bells are ringing, to bury him.
Damn. Really sucks to be Allan. First he gives up his blood, then he's buried alive. Such a bummer. Ach, well. Better luck next time, Allan!
His shade is then at a cemetery where he recognizes one of the servants who is opening up a crypt. Allan heads over to help the man, and they open the coffin to reveal the elderly woman. The servant continues and follows the books instructions, hammering a metal rod into the heart of the creature. Leóne, back at the house, awakens and claims that she feels better, stronger.
A storm kicks up and worries the doctor and one of his henchmen. They look worriedly out the window, where the face of the girls' father appears. Fearful, the doctor runs into another room where the door shuts behind him and locks itself. We see shadows moving about before he runs out. He see the body of the henchman at the bottom of the stairs just after we hear a scream. Then Allan's shade appears and frees Giséle from the rope that has her tied up and the room in which she has been stashed. They run off. The doctor has fled, and finds himself in a flour mill. He can't see who is in there with him, but someone starts the machinery, and he is buried alive unders tons upon tons of flour. The young couple continue their journey and end up in a bright, sunny field.
I have more to add... but that will have to come as an update later!!
Go forth in fear!
21 October 2010
Martyrs
Horror Movie of the Day, 21 October 2010
Martyrs (2008)
This film takes the term horror to a new extreme and is amazingly disturbing. I initially questioned recommending this one for my Horror Movie of the Day as it is so highly disquieting. However, I believe that also is what makes it such a powerful movie. I think if a film can make a person jump and shriek just a bit and then alternately make said person cry, it is a strong film. Yes, there are moments that aren't top notch, but the movie is well done and it is definitely one that will make you cringe - both from the horror movie traits and the reality behind the first half of the film which leads to the disconcerting second half. (And... for the love of all that is holy... if I don't write funny comments under the captions, we might all go screaming into the night and have raging nightmares. Trust me... we need the humor for this one!)
The very first thing we see is a young girl, wearing just a white tank top and underwear, running down an empty street covered in blood and screaming. Next we see video of a doctor leading a couple of other people to the run-down, abandoned building from which she escaped. We learn that she was never sexually abused, but she was brutally abused both physically and psychologically. We see the squalor she was forced to stay in while bound to a chair with a hole in it (so she could urinate and defacate when necessary).
We then see video of Lucie, the young girl who has escaped, in the orphanage where she has been relocated. She is being taken care of by Anna, and the two become very good friends. Anna knows that Lucie needs some support and wants to help take care of her. The video turns off to show us that Anna is sitting with the doctor who informs her that they need her help since Lucie won't tell them who did this to her (She states it was dark most of the time and that she can't remember much). Anna says she will help.
Bah... out of time again... will finish this later...
Go forth in fear!
Martyrs (2008)
This film takes the term horror to a new extreme and is amazingly disturbing. I initially questioned recommending this one for my Horror Movie of the Day as it is so highly disquieting. However, I believe that also is what makes it such a powerful movie. I think if a film can make a person jump and shriek just a bit and then alternately make said person cry, it is a strong film. Yes, there are moments that aren't top notch, but the movie is well done and it is definitely one that will make you cringe - both from the horror movie traits and the reality behind the first half of the film which leads to the disconcerting second half. (And... for the love of all that is holy... if I don't write funny comments under the captions, we might all go screaming into the night and have raging nightmares. Trust me... we need the humor for this one!)
The very first thing we see is a young girl, wearing just a white tank top and underwear, running down an empty street covered in blood and screaming. Next we see video of a doctor leading a couple of other people to the run-down, abandoned building from which she escaped. We learn that she was never sexually abused, but she was brutally abused both physically and psychologically. We see the squalor she was forced to stay in while bound to a chair with a hole in it (so she could urinate and defacate when necessary).
Funny... funny... how to make this first one funny... hmmm... uhhh... you know... this is a French film. Maybe she's actually fleeing the horror of Sarkozy and his presidency. (Ha. He has a low approval rating right now... check back in a year!) OH! I have another one... maybe she's running to join the protests!! Nice.
We then see video of Lucie, the young girl who has escaped, in the orphanage where she has been relocated. She is being taken care of by Anna, and the two become very good friends. Anna knows that Lucie needs some support and wants to help take care of her. The video turns off to show us that Anna is sitting with the doctor who informs her that they need her help since Lucie won't tell them who did this to her (She states it was dark most of the time and that she can't remember much). Anna says she will help.
Bah... out of time again... will finish this later...
Go forth in fear!
20 October 2010
Eskalofrío
Horror Movie of the Day, 20 October 2010
Eskalofrío (Shiver, 2008)
Again, I'm going to have to inform you that I suck terribly, as I am not going to be writing a full blog today. I've been SUPER busy all day, and I just now have time to write and I'm freaking tired. How sad. 10:00 p.m. and I wish I were asleep already. Oh well, let's get at least a little bit of this off the ground.
Eskalofrío is a Spanish horror film with a very interesting premise. I will say that I was creeped out for a lot of the film. Part of the fear comes from the fact that the killings all take place outside, usually in a thick forest, and it's dark. My greatest childhood fear was of the dark. And to this day, I do not like to be near a forested area at night. This has been an issue for me for a long time, and I do not have any rational explanation for it. I will say that growing up, even when I was in high school and college, if I was home alone at my parents' house at night, I had to make sure the vertical blinds were close, facing the opposite direction from me, in the living (great) room. There were enormous windows and sliding glass doors that faced back to some woods behind our house. Not thick... there was a house behind that, maybe 50 yards back. But it freaked me out, not being able to see into those woods, but anyone could see in to where I was sitting. And this was way before The Blair Witch Project, so there's no blaming it on that!!
OK... that interesting premise part I mentioned... yes, the fear being based in the woods at night is valid, but it isn't new. (OK, really, not much is new in horror movies now!) The idea behind the killer is what I found quite fascinating, both who and what the killer is. I am not going to reveal that, at least not now (I may reconsider), because it takes a while to figure out the whole story behind it. When that is revealed, that only adds to the fear and suspense. The killer's personality and being are created out from an actual case.
Alright. Bed. Tired. Will write more SOON.
Go forth in fear!
Eskalofrío (Shiver, 2008)
Again, I'm going to have to inform you that I suck terribly, as I am not going to be writing a full blog today. I've been SUPER busy all day, and I just now have time to write and I'm freaking tired. How sad. 10:00 p.m. and I wish I were asleep already. Oh well, let's get at least a little bit of this off the ground.
Eskalofrío is a Spanish horror film with a very interesting premise. I will say that I was creeped out for a lot of the film. Part of the fear comes from the fact that the killings all take place outside, usually in a thick forest, and it's dark. My greatest childhood fear was of the dark. And to this day, I do not like to be near a forested area at night. This has been an issue for me for a long time, and I do not have any rational explanation for it. I will say that growing up, even when I was in high school and college, if I was home alone at my parents' house at night, I had to make sure the vertical blinds were close, facing the opposite direction from me, in the living (great) room. There were enormous windows and sliding glass doors that faced back to some woods behind our house. Not thick... there was a house behind that, maybe 50 yards back. But it freaked me out, not being able to see into those woods, but anyone could see in to where I was sitting. And this was way before The Blair Witch Project, so there's no blaming it on that!!
OK... that interesting premise part I mentioned... yes, the fear being based in the woods at night is valid, but it isn't new. (OK, really, not much is new in horror movies now!) The idea behind the killer is what I found quite fascinating, both who and what the killer is. I am not going to reveal that, at least not now (I may reconsider), because it takes a while to figure out the whole story behind it. When that is revealed, that only adds to the fear and suspense. The killer's personality and being are created out from an actual case.
This here is Santi. No, he is not a vampire. Probably wishes he were... bastard kids tease him relentlessly. Why? Because he has an allergy to sunlight. I mean, really? If he were a vampire, would you really want to be teasing him? Hmm? No. I didn't think so.
Alright. Bed. Tired. Will write more SOON.
Go forth in fear!
19 October 2010
Silent Hill
Horror Movie of the Day, 19 October 2010
Silent Hill (2006)
Alright, my fellow follower, (hee hee) I do not have time to write a full blog today. Ugh. I need more time!!! I'm hoping to update this week's blogs, if not tomorrow, then Thursday. But, I do have a movie picked for today, and I'll say honestly, I did not like the movie the first time I saw it. It was, however, scary. I think I just expected something different. But then again, I had not played the video game at all. Silent Hill is scary due to its top notch special effects, effective use of tension, and the fact that the idea for the town is based on a real town. Let me explain... Rose's (well, and Christopher's, but he's a minor character) daughter Sharon (played by the lovely Jodelle Ferland, who is in the currently screening Case 39) is having night terrors, dangerous ones. Rose decides that perhaps the secret to what is wrong with Sharon can be found in the city from where she was adopted, Silent Hill. Thus begins the trek that Rose and Sharon take to Silent Hill.
Unfortunately, Rose crashes the car and is knocked unconscious. When she awakens, she discovers that Sharon is missing. She must go in search of her daughter, but her car is certainly out of comission. Before she can head off, a cop shows up, Cybil, and arrests her. Before they can go anywhere (Cybil's motorcycle is wrecked too... not sure how she planned on getting Rose to the police station... not very bright this one...), some strange, creepy creature shows up to attack them...
And again... I must be off! I will update... again... hopefully tomorrow or Thursday.
Until then...
Go forth in fear!
Silent Hill (2006)
Alright, my fellow follower, (hee hee) I do not have time to write a full blog today. Ugh. I need more time!!! I'm hoping to update this week's blogs, if not tomorrow, then Thursday. But, I do have a movie picked for today, and I'll say honestly, I did not like the movie the first time I saw it. It was, however, scary. I think I just expected something different. But then again, I had not played the video game at all. Silent Hill is scary due to its top notch special effects, effective use of tension, and the fact that the idea for the town is based on a real town. Let me explain... Rose's (well, and Christopher's, but he's a minor character) daughter Sharon (played by the lovely Jodelle Ferland, who is in the currently screening Case 39) is having night terrors, dangerous ones. Rose decides that perhaps the secret to what is wrong with Sharon can be found in the city from where she was adopted, Silent Hill. Thus begins the trek that Rose and Sharon take to Silent Hill.
Well, that doesn't give off a sense of foreboding at all. An open inviting road... to death. Yup, death. Fog + creepy kid = death. And scary.
Unfortunately, Rose crashes the car and is knocked unconscious. When she awakens, she discovers that Sharon is missing. She must go in search of her daughter, but her car is certainly out of comission. Before she can head off, a cop shows up, Cybil, and arrests her. Before they can go anywhere (Cybil's motorcycle is wrecked too... not sure how she planned on getting Rose to the police station... not very bright this one...), some strange, creepy creature shows up to attack them...
And again... I must be off! I will update... again... hopefully tomorrow or Thursday.
Until then...
Go forth in fear!
16 October 2010
The Others
Horror Movie of the Day, 16 October 2010
The Others (2001)
A film that relies on much darkness and plenty of shadows to bring about the fear, The Others supplies tons of tension and fear even while we think we know what is going on. That is the other benefit to this supernatural horror film, we think we know the truth, and in part we do, but at the end, the audience comes to realize that the truth is much more terrifying than we realized. This film also came out right at the end of Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise's marriage (he's a producer and she's the main actress). Little did we all realize that the true horror of all is that Cruise is a raging lunatic, insane from years of Scientological indoctrination. Silly man. Oh... ahem... The Others... yes.
Very few people have not seen this movie at this point in time, so you all basically know the story. I'll try to add something you may have missed, make the review more fun and/or interesting, and maybe even add some psychoanalysis to the mix. Woo! Anyhoodle... the movie begins... We are in England, post World War II, in a great mansion with a young woman Grace, portrayed by Kidman, and her two young children, Anne and Nicholas (played by Alakina Mann and James Bentley respectively). Three strangers arrive at the door and Grace assumes they are there for an ad she put out looking for help taking care of the estate. These strangers are Mrs. Bertha Mills (Fionnula Flanagan), who seems to be the leader of the group, Mr. Edmund Tuttle (Eric Sykes) who is elderly but is good at performing yard work, and a young woman who is mute named Lydia (Elaine Cassidy).
Grace soon discovers that her ad never made it out as it was still in the mailbox, and she confronts the three servants. Mrs. Mills calmly explains that she tried to tell Grace when they arrived that they had actually worked in this very house and that large houses often need help. This satisifies Grace. Anne and Nicholas do their homework in a darkened room (they are photosensitive), and Anne teases Nicholas by telling him about ghosts. She is chided by her mother for such foolishness... until she starts to experience the strange events as well. There is music playing on a piano in a room that is where Anne is studying. Grace goes in and shuts the piano and her to cut it out. Anne blames it on Victor - a ghost that she sees and talks to periodically. She hears thumping and moving about and assumes that it's Lydia and yells at the woman to stop. That night, Anne scares Nicholas by telling him that Victor is in the room and is going to touch him. Anne is clearly in trouble and must read aloud the next day.
Then Grace hears the noises again. Just as she is about to go after Lydia, she sees the young woman outside. She asks Anne, still reading on the stairs, where the noise is coming from and who it is. Anne claims that she doesn't know what to tell her mother since she got punished for telling the truth, but in the end points to the room where the noise is coming from. Grace enters and is overwhelmed and begins to uncover everything. At one point, she uncovers a mirror in time to see the door behind her beginning to close by itself. Meanwhile, Anne has drawn a picture of several people, including a very ghoulish looking old lady, with numbers next to them. When her mother asks what this is about, she claims to have seen them (ghosts) and the numbers represent how many times she has seen them.
At this point, the children are hidden away and the draperies in all the rooms are opened so that Grace and the helpers can search for the intruders, finding no one. That night, she speaks with Mrs. Mills about how difficult things have been, and she visits the children and attempts to comfort Nicholas. Again, that night, she hears the piano playing, which has been locked, along with the door. With a shotgun she enters, shuts and locks the piano and slowly leaves the room. The door closes behind her... on its own. Trying to figure out what is going on, she opens the door again, only to have it slammed in her face, throwing her to the floor. She then screams for help.
The next day, Grace leaves to go to the town priest because she fears that there is evil in her house at this point. To add to the increasingly suspenseful and creepy atmosphere, Mr. Tuttle starts covering up a grave with dead leaves. Unfortunately, Grace continues on and she gets lost in the fog. Yet, she somehow runs into her husband, back from the war. It is clearly a surprising, unexpected, and unbelievable event in the film. Yet, it has happened. She brings him home, and Mrs. Mills comments to Mr. Tuttle that Charles, the husband, does not seem to know where he is. The kids, of course, are thrilled to see their father. However, Charles won't eat... he is confused, afraid, and in a state of shock. Anne upsets her mother that night at dinner, who still refuses to accept the ghosts. Mrs. Mills and the others realize it is time to put an end to the foolishness. They must do what must be done.
The infamous "You're not my daughter!" scene. Grace allows Anne to play for a bit in her Communion dress and goes to visit Charles. When she returns, it is not Anne's face peering out from under the veil, rather the old woman that Anne has drawn and spoken of many times. When Grace claims that this person is not her daughter, Anne's voice is heard proclaiming that she is. Unfortunately, Grace attacks her and then sees that it is indeed Anne when the girl falls to the floor. Anne cries and tells her father what happened... Graces confides in Mrs. Mills. Then, Anne tells Nicholas that their mother is mad while Charles tells Grace he must return to the front.
The parents make love, and Grace wakes up to discover Charles has left. She goes out to the gate, but returns upon hearing the screams of her children. She runs back to the house to discover that all of the drapes have been taken. She hustles the children into an interior room, blocking a window with a chalkboard while she and (she hopes) the three servants search the house. When she first yells, Mrs. Mills suggests that perhaps the children's allergies to light has cleared up, earning her a bitchslap (vocally) from Grace. Mr. Tuttle is called in and calmly agrees, that oh, yes, the drapes are indeed missing. Hmm. Interesting. But hey... natural light... nice! When she realizes these crazy kids are just not going to help her, she orders them out of the house, at which point our lovely Mrs. Mills decides that now is the time to uncover the gravestones, as she and Mr. Tuttle (and we assume Lydia... poor thing... she just goes with what she's told to do) proclaim that they are tired of the shenanigans.
Although I realize that the majority of the population has seen this film, I do not want to give too much away. Clearly, in my fantastically hysterical caption of this picture, I have revealed that Mrs. Mills, Mr. Tuttle, and Lydia are indeed ghosts. However, I am going to leave the very end a mystery for the few who have not seen it. I will say, the movie does a fantastic job of providing scares, tension, fear, and suspense up until the final moments. The children have tried to run away to find their father. This is when they discover the graves...which happens to be at the same moment Grace discovers a memento mori photo... both the graves and the photo revealing that the three servants are indeed dead.
The rest of the film... now that you know the three are actually ghosts... is for you to watch. The children scream and run to the house to be with their mother... and it continues to get stranger and scarier, until the truth is finally revealed. I hope you enjoy it.
Go forth in fear!
The Others (2001)
A film that relies on much darkness and plenty of shadows to bring about the fear, The Others supplies tons of tension and fear even while we think we know what is going on. That is the other benefit to this supernatural horror film, we think we know the truth, and in part we do, but at the end, the audience comes to realize that the truth is much more terrifying than we realized. This film also came out right at the end of Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise's marriage (he's a producer and she's the main actress). Little did we all realize that the true horror of all is that Cruise is a raging lunatic, insane from years of Scientological indoctrination. Silly man. Oh... ahem... The Others... yes.
Very few people have not seen this movie at this point in time, so you all basically know the story. I'll try to add something you may have missed, make the review more fun and/or interesting, and maybe even add some psychoanalysis to the mix. Woo! Anyhoodle... the movie begins... We are in England, post World War II, in a great mansion with a young woman Grace, portrayed by Kidman, and her two young children, Anne and Nicholas (played by Alakina Mann and James Bentley respectively). Three strangers arrive at the door and Grace assumes they are there for an ad she put out looking for help taking care of the estate. These strangers are Mrs. Bertha Mills (Fionnula Flanagan), who seems to be the leader of the group, Mr. Edmund Tuttle (Eric Sykes) who is elderly but is good at performing yard work, and a young woman who is mute named Lydia (Elaine Cassidy).
Why in the world is Lydia in pajamas? Doesn't that seem odd at all to Grace? Well... I guess 'odd' is relative... especially when you've been married to Xenu-fearing Tom Cruise!
Grace soon discovers that her ad never made it out as it was still in the mailbox, and she confronts the three servants. Mrs. Mills calmly explains that she tried to tell Grace when they arrived that they had actually worked in this very house and that large houses often need help. This satisifies Grace. Anne and Nicholas do their homework in a darkened room (they are photosensitive), and Anne teases Nicholas by telling him about ghosts. She is chided by her mother for such foolishness... until she starts to experience the strange events as well. There is music playing on a piano in a room that is where Anne is studying. Grace goes in and shuts the piano and her to cut it out. Anne blames it on Victor - a ghost that she sees and talks to periodically. She hears thumping and moving about and assumes that it's Lydia and yells at the woman to stop. That night, Anne scares Nicholas by telling him that Victor is in the room and is going to touch him. Anne is clearly in trouble and must read aloud the next day.
Then Grace hears the noises again. Just as she is about to go after Lydia, she sees the young woman outside. She asks Anne, still reading on the stairs, where the noise is coming from and who it is. Anne claims that she doesn't know what to tell her mother since she got punished for telling the truth, but in the end points to the room where the noise is coming from. Grace enters and is overwhelmed and begins to uncover everything. At one point, she uncovers a mirror in time to see the door behind her beginning to close by itself. Meanwhile, Anne has drawn a picture of several people, including a very ghoulish looking old lady, with numbers next to them. When her mother asks what this is about, she claims to have seen them (ghosts) and the numbers represent how many times she has seen them.
Is it just me or is the lantern crazy scary? I mean.... look at the way it glows.... all... on... its... own!!
At this point, the children are hidden away and the draperies in all the rooms are opened so that Grace and the helpers can search for the intruders, finding no one. That night, she speaks with Mrs. Mills about how difficult things have been, and she visits the children and attempts to comfort Nicholas. Again, that night, she hears the piano playing, which has been locked, along with the door. With a shotgun she enters, shuts and locks the piano and slowly leaves the room. The door closes behind her... on its own. Trying to figure out what is going on, she opens the door again, only to have it slammed in her face, throwing her to the floor. She then screams for help.
The next day, Grace leaves to go to the town priest because she fears that there is evil in her house at this point. To add to the increasingly suspenseful and creepy atmosphere, Mr. Tuttle starts covering up a grave with dead leaves. Unfortunately, Grace continues on and she gets lost in the fog. Yet, she somehow runs into her husband, back from the war. It is clearly a surprising, unexpected, and unbelievable event in the film. Yet, it has happened. She brings him home, and Mrs. Mills comments to Mr. Tuttle that Charles, the husband, does not seem to know where he is. The kids, of course, are thrilled to see their father. However, Charles won't eat... he is confused, afraid, and in a state of shock. Anne upsets her mother that night at dinner, who still refuses to accept the ghosts. Mrs. Mills and the others realize it is time to put an end to the foolishness. They must do what must be done.
Well, this scene has been parodied to death... how can I make an original contribution.... uhh.... "There now, Anne. Now no one will have to see your hideous face." "What?!?!" "I mean, uh, er, uh... don't you look pretty?!"
The infamous "You're not my daughter!" scene. Grace allows Anne to play for a bit in her Communion dress and goes to visit Charles. When she returns, it is not Anne's face peering out from under the veil, rather the old woman that Anne has drawn and spoken of many times. When Grace claims that this person is not her daughter, Anne's voice is heard proclaiming that she is. Unfortunately, Grace attacks her and then sees that it is indeed Anne when the girl falls to the floor. Anne cries and tells her father what happened... Graces confides in Mrs. Mills. Then, Anne tells Nicholas that their mother is mad while Charles tells Grace he must return to the front.
The parents make love, and Grace wakes up to discover Charles has left. She goes out to the gate, but returns upon hearing the screams of her children. She runs back to the house to discover that all of the drapes have been taken. She hustles the children into an interior room, blocking a window with a chalkboard while she and (she hopes) the three servants search the house. When she first yells, Mrs. Mills suggests that perhaps the children's allergies to light has cleared up, earning her a bitchslap (vocally) from Grace. Mr. Tuttle is called in and calmly agrees, that oh, yes, the drapes are indeed missing. Hmm. Interesting. But hey... natural light... nice! When she realizes these crazy kids are just not going to help her, she orders them out of the house, at which point our lovely Mrs. Mills decides that now is the time to uncover the gravestones, as she and Mr. Tuttle (and we assume Lydia... poor thing... she just goes with what she's told to do) proclaim that they are tired of the shenanigans.
Awww, how sweet, they're posing for a portrait! Well, right before revealing themselves as ghosts come to scare the bejeezus out of everyone.
Although I realize that the majority of the population has seen this film, I do not want to give too much away. Clearly, in my fantastically hysterical caption of this picture, I have revealed that Mrs. Mills, Mr. Tuttle, and Lydia are indeed ghosts. However, I am going to leave the very end a mystery for the few who have not seen it. I will say, the movie does a fantastic job of providing scares, tension, fear, and suspense up until the final moments. The children have tried to run away to find their father. This is when they discover the graves...which happens to be at the same moment Grace discovers a memento mori photo... both the graves and the photo revealing that the three servants are indeed dead.
The rest of the film... now that you know the three are actually ghosts... is for you to watch. The children scream and run to the house to be with their mother... and it continues to get stranger and scarier, until the truth is finally revealed. I hope you enjoy it.
Go forth in fear!
15 October 2010
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Horror Movie of the Day, 15 October 2010
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Having enjoyed Nosferatu, I decided to take on another silent film, again a production from Germany. In fact, the protagonist's fiancee Jane looks remarkably like Hutter's wife Ellen from Nosferatu (They are two different actresses; Lil Dagover portrays Jane while Greta Schröder plays Ellen). The film starts off in an almost dreamlike way, with Francis and a strange man talking about weird experiences. The elder man states that he has been driven from house and home by ghosts. Then, after Jane walks by, dreamlike, in a daze, Francis states that he and his fiancee have been through even weirder things. He proceeds to tell his story.
Francis begins his story back in the town in which he was born. Dr. Caligari arrives and learns that there is a fair. He would like a permit to perform his show - waking Cesare, a somnambulist who has "been sleeping for 23 years" (which is also, coincidentally, how old he is... though if you ask me, this creepy guy looks WAY older than 23!). A man has just left the town clerk's office and tells Dr. Caligari not to enter for he is in a bad mood. He enters anyway and asks for a permit. We see neither a permit or a denial for one. The scene cuts to the next day. Francis and his friend Alan attend the fair, and they are present at the show with Dr. Caligari and Cesare.
Upon awakening the comatose Cesare, Dr. Caligari informs the crowd that they can ask Cesare any question that they would like, for he knows the past, present, and future, and Cesare will tell them. Alan, entranced and excited by this proposal, runs up to ask his question. Francis, either concerned that something horrible always comes from this or thinking this is a sham and silly, tries to convince Alan not to ask his question, but to no avail. Francis asks how long he has to live. Cesare's answer is "Till dawn. Tomorrow." Alan looks frightened and then unbelieving.
Francis and Alan leave the fair and meet up with Jane. The three of them walk until they reach Jane's place, and then the two men continue on to Alan's house. Francis notes that both he and Alan are in love with Jane. He states that they will leave it up to her as to the man she chooses, but that no matter what, they are to remain friends. The men then go their separate ways. That night, Alan indeed dies... he is killed, though we only see the murder in the shadows.
The next day, the whole town is horrified to learn of Alan's death, especially that it is a murder. Francis is greatly disturbed, and the police vow never to stop working until they find the person responsible for what is now 2 murders. Francis goes to inform Jane of the death, and she is quite traumatized. (This is a silent film we're talking about here... if her reaction weren't overly dramatic, she'd come of as a bit of a bitch!) Francis remembers Dr. Caligari and Cesare's prophecy, and the police decide that they must meet with the men and question them.
As the police are at Dr. Caligari's place questioning him, and even asking him to awaken his slave/sidekick/assistant (?), another man is arrested as he is attempting to murder an old woman. He is taken down to the station and questioned by everyone - including the policemen who had been questioning Dr. Caligari, but leave him and apologize upon learning of another's arrest. He admits to his attempt to kill the old woman, but he claims that he thought it would be blamed on the murderer of the other two, of which he had not part.
Meanwhile... Jane has been sitting at home and begins to wonder why her father is taking so long to return home. Worried, she heads out in search of him and comes upon Dr. Caligari's tent. She tells him she is searching for her father. Instead of helping her, he lures her into the tent to see what he keeps inside his intriguing cabinet. The door to the cabinet opens, and inside is, of course, Cesare. When Cesare awakesn, he stares intently at Jane causing her to become frightened and then run away screaming.
That night, Francis stands guard outside of Dr. Caligari's house and watches the elder man while he sleeps, noting that Cesare is asleep in his coffin the whole time. Meanwhile, we see Jane sleeping and a shadow, no, Cesare, slips into her house. He is about to stab her, but cannot seem to kill her. However, she awakens when he touches her, and there is a great struggle. Cesare ends up kidnapping Jane and carrying her off. Unfortunately, there is a horde of men behind him, and he must leave her to escape.
When Francis returns to Jane and she tells the men what happened, Francis claims it is impossible for it to have been Cesare who did this to her, for he has seen the man sleeping for the past few hours. The police, meanwhile, who are clearly inept at their jobs, are questioning Dr. Caligari, again, and open his cabinet to discover... Cesare. So how was this pulled off? How did Cesare kidnap Jane and yet remain asleep in the cabinet?? That's for you to discover yourself, my friend.
Dr. Caligari escapes, and Francis attempts to follow him as best he can. He arrives at an asylum, an institution for the mentally ill. He is horrified to see this is where he has ended up. Two doctors come out and he questions them on whether there is a patient there by the name Dr. Caligari. They inform him that there is no patient by that name, but that the director has arrived and he may speak with him about the man. Francis nods his agreement to talk to the director of the institution. He enters the director's office and the man slowly looks up at Francis, to reveal that he, the director, is the man who Francis knows as Dr. Caligari. Francis stumbles out of the office and out into the plaza in front of the institution where he collapses. The doctors follow him and help him into a chair at which time Francis tells them that the director is Dr. Caligari.
The rest, I believe will be more effective and horrifying if you watch it for yourself. If you view it as the horrifying glimpse into humanity that it is. It's a disturbing film with a truly disturbed mastermind behind the killings and events that take place.
And Francis finishes his story, and he takes his newfound friend to see Cesare and Jane. But the film is not over yet. Oh, no. There is still time for the film to take a new, horrifying turn into the insane. But perhaps, even that is not how it appears. I do suggest this movie. It's wonderful. Not scary in the sense that you will jump out of your seat, but that it looks into the depths of the horrible things humans have done.
Go forth in fear!
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Having enjoyed Nosferatu, I decided to take on another silent film, again a production from Germany. In fact, the protagonist's fiancee Jane looks remarkably like Hutter's wife Ellen from Nosferatu (They are two different actresses; Lil Dagover portrays Jane while Greta Schröder plays Ellen). The film starts off in an almost dreamlike way, with Francis and a strange man talking about weird experiences. The elder man states that he has been driven from house and home by ghosts. Then, after Jane walks by, dreamlike, in a daze, Francis states that he and his fiancee have been through even weirder things. He proceeds to tell his story.
Oh, Francis! I seem to have forgotten to put lipstick on my lower lip... can you ever forgive me? I love you, my darling. Can you see it in my giant, sad eyes?
Francis begins his story back in the town in which he was born. Dr. Caligari arrives and learns that there is a fair. He would like a permit to perform his show - waking Cesare, a somnambulist who has "been sleeping for 23 years" (which is also, coincidentally, how old he is... though if you ask me, this creepy guy looks WAY older than 23!). A man has just left the town clerk's office and tells Dr. Caligari not to enter for he is in a bad mood. He enters anyway and asks for a permit. We see neither a permit or a denial for one. The scene cuts to the next day. Francis and his friend Alan attend the fair, and they are present at the show with Dr. Caligari and Cesare.
Upon awakening the comatose Cesare, Dr. Caligari informs the crowd that they can ask Cesare any question that they would like, for he knows the past, present, and future, and Cesare will tell them. Alan, entranced and excited by this proposal, runs up to ask his question. Francis, either concerned that something horrible always comes from this or thinking this is a sham and silly, tries to convince Alan not to ask his question, but to no avail. Francis asks how long he has to live. Cesare's answer is "Till dawn. Tomorrow." Alan looks frightened and then unbelieving.
Uhh.... yeah. I'd just be scared of Cesare's amazingly macabre face. Imagine this guy telling you that you are going to die. I'd freak out too.
Francis and Alan leave the fair and meet up with Jane. The three of them walk until they reach Jane's place, and then the two men continue on to Alan's house. Francis notes that both he and Alan are in love with Jane. He states that they will leave it up to her as to the man she chooses, but that no matter what, they are to remain friends. The men then go their separate ways. That night, Alan indeed dies... he is killed, though we only see the murder in the shadows.
The next day, the whole town is horrified to learn of Alan's death, especially that it is a murder. Francis is greatly disturbed, and the police vow never to stop working until they find the person responsible for what is now 2 murders. Francis goes to inform Jane of the death, and she is quite traumatized. (This is a silent film we're talking about here... if her reaction weren't overly dramatic, she'd come of as a bit of a bitch!) Francis remembers Dr. Caligari and Cesare's prophecy, and the police decide that they must meet with the men and question them.
Dr. Caligari... almost as disturbing as Cesare. He kind of looks like a psychotic Ben Franklin. Don't you think?!
As the police are at Dr. Caligari's place questioning him, and even asking him to awaken his slave/sidekick/assistant (?), another man is arrested as he is attempting to murder an old woman. He is taken down to the station and questioned by everyone - including the policemen who had been questioning Dr. Caligari, but leave him and apologize upon learning of another's arrest. He admits to his attempt to kill the old woman, but he claims that he thought it would be blamed on the murderer of the other two, of which he had not part.
Meanwhile... Jane has been sitting at home and begins to wonder why her father is taking so long to return home. Worried, she heads out in search of him and comes upon Dr. Caligari's tent. She tells him she is searching for her father. Instead of helping her, he lures her into the tent to see what he keeps inside his intriguing cabinet. The door to the cabinet opens, and inside is, of course, Cesare. When Cesare awakesn, he stares intently at Jane causing her to become frightened and then run away screaming.
Jane, in psychadelic hippie garb, freaks out upon seeing Cesare, in beatnik poet garb, stare at her intently. The psychotic Ben Franklin had no effect on her whatsoever.
That night, Francis stands guard outside of Dr. Caligari's house and watches the elder man while he sleeps, noting that Cesare is asleep in his coffin the whole time. Meanwhile, we see Jane sleeping and a shadow, no, Cesare, slips into her house. He is about to stab her, but cannot seem to kill her. However, she awakens when he touches her, and there is a great struggle. Cesare ends up kidnapping Jane and carrying her off. Unfortunately, there is a horde of men behind him, and he must leave her to escape.
When Francis returns to Jane and she tells the men what happened, Francis claims it is impossible for it to have been Cesare who did this to her, for he has seen the man sleeping for the past few hours. The police, meanwhile, who are clearly inept at their jobs, are questioning Dr. Caligari, again, and open his cabinet to discover... Cesare. So how was this pulled off? How did Cesare kidnap Jane and yet remain asleep in the cabinet?? That's for you to discover yourself, my friend.
See? The psychotic Ben Franklin is so abhorrent that now he's trying to kill himself. This man is fantastically freaky!
Dr. Caligari escapes, and Francis attempts to follow him as best he can. He arrives at an asylum, an institution for the mentally ill. He is horrified to see this is where he has ended up. Two doctors come out and he questions them on whether there is a patient there by the name Dr. Caligari. They inform him that there is no patient by that name, but that the director has arrived and he may speak with him about the man. Francis nods his agreement to talk to the director of the institution. He enters the director's office and the man slowly looks up at Francis, to reveal that he, the director, is the man who Francis knows as Dr. Caligari. Francis stumbles out of the office and out into the plaza in front of the institution where he collapses. The doctors follow him and help him into a chair at which time Francis tells them that the director is Dr. Caligari.
The rest, I believe will be more effective and horrifying if you watch it for yourself. If you view it as the horrifying glimpse into humanity that it is. It's a disturbing film with a truly disturbed mastermind behind the killings and events that take place.
And Francis finishes his story, and he takes his newfound friend to see Cesare and Jane. But the film is not over yet. Oh, no. There is still time for the film to take a new, horrifying turn into the insane. But perhaps, even that is not how it appears. I do suggest this movie. It's wonderful. Not scary in the sense that you will jump out of your seat, but that it looks into the depths of the horrible things humans have done.
Go forth in fear!
14 October 2010
The Haunting in Connecticut
Horror Movie of the Day, 14 October 2010
The Haunting in Connecticut
Due to continuing sickliness, I will have to update this later. But I will say this... the film is very creepy. I definitely had moments of great fear and tension.
Go forth in fear!
The Haunting in Connecticut
Due to continuing sickliness, I will have to update this later. But I will say this... the film is very creepy. I definitely had moments of great fear and tension.
Go forth in fear!
13 October 2010
Nosferatu
Horror Movie of the Day, 13 October 2010
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922; 1929 USA)
I fear that many horror movie fanatics will shun this film due to its early release date. After all, this is a movie from the silent film era, playing mostly music and some important sounds, and very little special effects. I hope that you are willing to give it a try. I did. And I am certainly glad that I did so. I do enjoy black and white films, but my experience with silent films is quite limited. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is worth the effort, and does the era justice.
To begin, the film was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, which is why the word vampire is not used for the title. Instead, they are called the nosferatu. We first meet Hutter, a young man, who is married to Ellen. Hutter's boss, Knock receives a letter, in what appears to be code, and informs Hutter that a Count Orlok would like to buy a nice, big house in their town of Wisborg, Germany. Knock suggests selling him the giant, abandoned mansion that is across from Hutter's house. Hutter thinks it's a fantastic idea and runs home to tell his wife, excitedly, about his trip to Transylvania. She is not so excited, and she immediately displays a sense of sadness, worry, and fear.
Hutter makes off on his travels and eventually stops at an inn. The people are happy, friendly, and welcoming... until he states that he needs them to hurry so that he can get to Count Orlok's castle quickly. All conversation ends, and everyone stares at him with a sense of astonishment and fear. The innkeeper then comes over and tells him that he can't leave at this time of night, there are werewolves about in the darkness. Hutter laughs and stays the night. In his room, he looks around and picks up a little book. He begins to read it and notes that it is about vampires, warning of their behavior and of the consequences of being around them. He laughs and puts it down. The night goes by uneventfully. In the morning, he looks at the book again. This time, he not only laughs, but he also throws it down as a worthless piece of junk.
Hutter travels through the Carpathian Mountains via a carriage with a steward and a driver. At one point, the men stop. They refuse to go any further, stating that it is creepy from here on out. Again, Hutter laughs, and takes off on foot. The music up to this point has been upbeat, at times, in my opinion, a bit odd for this movie (I have no idea if this is the music that was originally played with the film). As Hutter makes off toward the mountain peak, where the count lives in his castle, the music slowly and subtly changes. It's gets more somber, darker, and quiet. It breaks off as the carriage stops and the sound of bats is heard.
Finally, we meet Count Orlok. He is a very tall and slender man, very imposing and fearsome. He complains that Hutter has arrived so late, which seems odd, but perhaps is how he tries to gain the young man's confidence. You see, Count Orlok is out during the day, and not just this once. He ushers his new acquaintance inside the castle, and affords him a great buffet. While Hutter is eating, Count Orlok reads the document and then begins to peer at Hutter. Hutter, unnerved, begins cutting some bread. Unfortunately for him, the sound of the clock striking surprises him, and he cuts his thumb. Count Orlok gasps and grabs Hutter's thumb, trying to save the precious blood from being wasted. Hutter, fearful is backed into a corner when the count suggests they should get to know each other better. Hutter awakens the next morning, blissfully unaware of what has happened the previous night. He checks a mirror and sees two bit marks. He smiles and later writes to his wife that the mosquitoes are horrible and he has been bitten by them.
Ellen wants to read the book that Hutter has on vampires even though he protests. In the book, she discovers the answer to the problem of this nosferatu. In order to triumph over him, a "sinless maiden" must make him lose track of time, become unaware of what is around him, by offering him her blood willingly. She knows what she must do, to save her town and to save her husband. I'm going to leave the rest for you to watch, because I really do think it's worth it. It was a lovely film. And even though there are no big scares or jump-out-your-seat surprises, there is a constant sense of dread throughout the film. I highly recommend it.
To be continued.... (Info on Max Schrek and some effects of the film!)
Go forth in fear!
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922; 1929 USA)
I fear that many horror movie fanatics will shun this film due to its early release date. After all, this is a movie from the silent film era, playing mostly music and some important sounds, and very little special effects. I hope that you are willing to give it a try. I did. And I am certainly glad that I did so. I do enjoy black and white films, but my experience with silent films is quite limited. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is worth the effort, and does the era justice.
To begin, the film was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, which is why the word vampire is not used for the title. Instead, they are called the nosferatu. We first meet Hutter, a young man, who is married to Ellen. Hutter's boss, Knock receives a letter, in what appears to be code, and informs Hutter that a Count Orlok would like to buy a nice, big house in their town of Wisborg, Germany. Knock suggests selling him the giant, abandoned mansion that is across from Hutter's house. Hutter thinks it's a fantastic idea and runs home to tell his wife, excitedly, about his trip to Transylvania. She is not so excited, and she immediately displays a sense of sadness, worry, and fear.
Mmm, yes. I am a handsome, young chap. And these foolish rural folk and their legends amuse me. Ha ha ha. I am too handsome to believe that malarkey.
Hutter makes off on his travels and eventually stops at an inn. The people are happy, friendly, and welcoming... until he states that he needs them to hurry so that he can get to Count Orlok's castle quickly. All conversation ends, and everyone stares at him with a sense of astonishment and fear. The innkeeper then comes over and tells him that he can't leave at this time of night, there are werewolves about in the darkness. Hutter laughs and stays the night. In his room, he looks around and picks up a little book. He begins to read it and notes that it is about vampires, warning of their behavior and of the consequences of being around them. He laughs and puts it down. The night goes by uneventfully. In the morning, he looks at the book again. This time, he not only laughs, but he also throws it down as a worthless piece of junk.
Hutter travels through the Carpathian Mountains via a carriage with a steward and a driver. At one point, the men stop. They refuse to go any further, stating that it is creepy from here on out. Again, Hutter laughs, and takes off on foot. The music up to this point has been upbeat, at times, in my opinion, a bit odd for this movie (I have no idea if this is the music that was originally played with the film). As Hutter makes off toward the mountain peak, where the count lives in his castle, the music slowly and subtly changes. It's gets more somber, darker, and quiet. It breaks off as the carriage stops and the sound of bats is heard.
The Black Coach of Death has arrived, sir. Your future horror awaits you. Enjoy!
Finally, we meet Count Orlok. He is a very tall and slender man, very imposing and fearsome. He complains that Hutter has arrived so late, which seems odd, but perhaps is how he tries to gain the young man's confidence. You see, Count Orlok is out during the day, and not just this once. He ushers his new acquaintance inside the castle, and affords him a great buffet. While Hutter is eating, Count Orlok reads the document and then begins to peer at Hutter. Hutter, unnerved, begins cutting some bread. Unfortunately for him, the sound of the clock striking surprises him, and he cuts his thumb. Count Orlok gasps and grabs Hutter's thumb, trying to save the precious blood from being wasted. Hutter, fearful is backed into a corner when the count suggests they should get to know each other better. Hutter awakens the next morning, blissfully unaware of what has happened the previous night. He checks a mirror and sees two bit marks. He smiles and later writes to his wife that the mosquitoes are horrible and he has been bitten by them.
I am Count Orlok come to... see if you need anything. I have been suffering from insomnia for a week now. Would you like to play dice?
Hutter shares a portrait of his wife with Count Orlok after he has signed all the necessary documents. The count comments on her lovely neck, making Hutter uncomfortable. On his own later, Hutter smiles longingly at the portrait and puts it back in his pocket, only to discover that small book about vampires he had carelessly tossed aside at the inn. He comes to realize what is going to happen to him. Indeed, Count Orlok slowly, quietly makes his way to Hutter's room. At this point, we see Ellen seemingly reacting feverishly to the attack that is about to take place against her husband. While a doctor, friends, and family try to help her, Count Orlok looks up from his conquest as if aware that she sees him.
The next day, Hutter is aware of what befell him the night before. In an attempt to escape, he leaps out the window of the castle (Yeah, he did use sheets, but honestly, the moron could have killed himself. He was high up!). Count Orlok is planning on sailing to his new home, and Hutter wants to warn his wife. Knock is also aware that Orlok is on his way, and he begins to lose his mind as his master is coming. He is institutionalized and eats flies and spiders (As you do). On the journey to Worsig, every member of the crew of the ship on which Orlok is travelling becomes ill and dies.
Let's be honest... in shadow, he's even creepier. Max Schrek did his job but GOOD. More on that later...
Ellen wants to read the book that Hutter has on vampires even though he protests. In the book, she discovers the answer to the problem of this nosferatu. In order to triumph over him, a "sinless maiden" must make him lose track of time, become unaware of what is around him, by offering him her blood willingly. She knows what she must do, to save her town and to save her husband. I'm going to leave the rest for you to watch, because I really do think it's worth it. It was a lovely film. And even though there are no big scares or jump-out-your-seat surprises, there is a constant sense of dread throughout the film. I highly recommend it.
To be continued.... (Info on Max Schrek and some effects of the film!)
Go forth in fear!
Alien
Horror Movie of the Day, 11 October 2010
Alien (1979)
OK. So this was supposed to be done 1-1/2 years ago. I admit it. I suck. I got behind and then totally forgot to come back and fix these! So, today, since I am in for the day, I am going to try and remedy this situation as much as possible. What's really funny about me doing this finally, today, June 16, 2012, is that I saw Prometheus, yesterday for the second time. Ha. Anyway, on to Alien!
So, we open up on the spaceship Thedus, which is on its way back to Earth. All of the crew members, including the amazing and well-loved Officer Ripley (Yay, Sigourney Weaver), are in stasis. There is suddenly a transmission coming from some unknown location and the ship therefore wakes the crew. Several of the crew set out to investigate the source of the signal, while others, including Ripley, stay behind to monitor their progress and make some repairs to the ship. Because, you know, in horror movies, it's always a good idea to separate. Remember that, kiddies. Problems in a remote location? Break up into groups!
We're getting dangerously close... to 80s hair!
So... our bodies who have gone searching for the source stumble upon an alien spacecraft. Inside they encounter a very large, very creepy alien. Even worse that Mr. Creepy is that he appears to have exploded in the chest region. Meh... I'm sure it was just a case of really bad heartburn. No? At this point Ripley figures out that the transmission was a warning? Huh. I guess there really is danger. So... Kane (John Hurt... who doesn't love him?) continues the exploration, coming to a room full of eggs. Nothing foreboding here... until one opens and we meet the facehuggers for the first time! Woo! Oh... no... that's bad. So, Dallas and Lambert schlep Kane back to their ship. And, Ash, being the idiot that he is, (Sorry, Ian Holm... I do ♥ you!) allows them on board, ignoring the quarantine protocol set forth by Ripley. Nothing bad can come of that. Nothing. So... they try to get it off his face to no avail. This is when they discover that the alien's blood is acidic-like (Hey... we call it acid... they might call it acid...). Eventually the creature is found dead later, not on his face. Hmm.
Really, it just looks like a ginormous skeletal hand with two thumbs...
So... the humans decide to head back to Earth. Kane finally awakens and appears to be well... oh, you know where this is going. One is never normal after facehugging. So, during a meal, the best scene ever happens. He starts to convulse and suddenly a little alien bursts from his chest and runs off. I'm sorry, but even thinking about it, I can only remember the scene at the end of Spaceballs:
Hello, my baby; Hello, my honey; Hello my ragtime gal......
Anyhoodle... The crew attempt to locate the creature and kill it. They use electric prods and flamethrowers... the prods.... really? We aren't prodding cattle. Oh well, you gotta make do with what you have. So, Brett decides the cat (why the hell is there a cat in space?) will be his best bet in finding the creature. And he's right! And the alien has grown and kills him, disappearing with his body. Next to disappear a la Alien is Dallas. His plan was to trap the alien in an airlock so that it can then be shot off into space. But, the alien catches him and, yup, you guess it, kills him! Lambert decides everyone should escape in the ship's shuttle, but Ripley, ever the organized realist, notes that it will not support four people... hmmm...
Ripley decides to do some web-surfing... oh, wait... not invented yet... she just plays on the computer and discovers that Ash has been ordered to bring the Alien back to Earth so that it can be studied. Even at the expense of everyone else's lives. So, Ash, being bright, attacks Ripley... thankfully, Parker comes to her defense and decapitates Ash, killing hi... oh, no... he's an android. Not dead. Hmm... I guess they CAN all fit in the shuttle...
"I'm sorry... I didn't realize you were asking for a hug. There's no need to yell!"
Lambert helps by being killed by the alien. More space! Now we can save Ash's body, not just his head! Hee. And of course, Parker is also killed by the alien. So what's Ripley to do? Grab the cat and head for the shuttle. Oh, I should probably add that the plan is to set the ship to self destruct while Ripley and kitty escape on the shuttle. So... running for the shuttle, Ripley is stopped by the Alien. Of course she is! So Ripley heads off in the hopes of shutting down the self-destruct sequence. But when she returns, Alien is gone... meh, I'm sure it's taking a nap. So, Ripley hops on the shuttle, takes off, and barely misses the explosion of the ship. Aahhhhh... time for a nap... oh, damn. The Alien's on the shuttle.
It looks like she has no arms....
Ripley, being the smart gal she is... well... I don't know. I know the majority of the people who would read this have seen the freaking movie... but still... do I want to say the ending? Yeah, I've decided that I am not going to write the endings to any movies I write about. Well, not from here on out anyway. :) Even if it's one most would probably have seen. So...
Go forth in fear!
Alien (1979)
OK. So this was supposed to be done 1-1/2 years ago. I admit it. I suck. I got behind and then totally forgot to come back and fix these! So, today, since I am in for the day, I am going to try and remedy this situation as much as possible. What's really funny about me doing this finally, today, June 16, 2012, is that I saw Prometheus, yesterday for the second time. Ha. Anyway, on to Alien!
So, we open up on the spaceship Thedus, which is on its way back to Earth. All of the crew members, including the amazing and well-loved Officer Ripley (Yay, Sigourney Weaver), are in stasis. There is suddenly a transmission coming from some unknown location and the ship therefore wakes the crew. Several of the crew set out to investigate the source of the signal, while others, including Ripley, stay behind to monitor their progress and make some repairs to the ship. Because, you know, in horror movies, it's always a good idea to separate. Remember that, kiddies. Problems in a remote location? Break up into groups!
We're getting dangerously close... to 80s hair!
So... our bodies who have gone searching for the source stumble upon an alien spacecraft. Inside they encounter a very large, very creepy alien. Even worse that Mr. Creepy is that he appears to have exploded in the chest region. Meh... I'm sure it was just a case of really bad heartburn. No? At this point Ripley figures out that the transmission was a warning? Huh. I guess there really is danger. So... Kane (John Hurt... who doesn't love him?) continues the exploration, coming to a room full of eggs. Nothing foreboding here... until one opens and we meet the facehuggers for the first time! Woo! Oh... no... that's bad. So, Dallas and Lambert schlep Kane back to their ship. And, Ash, being the idiot that he is, (Sorry, Ian Holm... I do ♥ you!) allows them on board, ignoring the quarantine protocol set forth by Ripley. Nothing bad can come of that. Nothing. So... they try to get it off his face to no avail. This is when they discover that the alien's blood is acidic-like (Hey... we call it acid... they might call it acid...). Eventually the creature is found dead later, not on his face. Hmm.
Really, it just looks like a ginormous skeletal hand with two thumbs...
So... the humans decide to head back to Earth. Kane finally awakens and appears to be well... oh, you know where this is going. One is never normal after facehugging. So, during a meal, the best scene ever happens. He starts to convulse and suddenly a little alien bursts from his chest and runs off. I'm sorry, but even thinking about it, I can only remember the scene at the end of Spaceballs:
Hello, my baby; Hello, my honey; Hello my ragtime gal......
Anyhoodle... The crew attempt to locate the creature and kill it. They use electric prods and flamethrowers... the prods.... really? We aren't prodding cattle. Oh well, you gotta make do with what you have. So, Brett decides the cat (why the hell is there a cat in space?) will be his best bet in finding the creature. And he's right! And the alien has grown and kills him, disappearing with his body. Next to disappear a la Alien is Dallas. His plan was to trap the alien in an airlock so that it can then be shot off into space. But, the alien catches him and, yup, you guess it, kills him! Lambert decides everyone should escape in the ship's shuttle, but Ripley, ever the organized realist, notes that it will not support four people... hmmm...
Ripley decides to do some web-surfing... oh, wait... not invented yet... she just plays on the computer and discovers that Ash has been ordered to bring the Alien back to Earth so that it can be studied. Even at the expense of everyone else's lives. So, Ash, being bright, attacks Ripley... thankfully, Parker comes to her defense and decapitates Ash, killing hi... oh, no... he's an android. Not dead. Hmm... I guess they CAN all fit in the shuttle...
"I'm sorry... I didn't realize you were asking for a hug. There's no need to yell!"
Lambert helps by being killed by the alien. More space! Now we can save Ash's body, not just his head! Hee. And of course, Parker is also killed by the alien. So what's Ripley to do? Grab the cat and head for the shuttle. Oh, I should probably add that the plan is to set the ship to self destruct while Ripley and kitty escape on the shuttle. So... running for the shuttle, Ripley is stopped by the Alien. Of course she is! So Ripley heads off in the hopes of shutting down the self-destruct sequence. But when she returns, Alien is gone... meh, I'm sure it's taking a nap. So, Ripley hops on the shuttle, takes off, and barely misses the explosion of the ship. Aahhhhh... time for a nap... oh, damn. The Alien's on the shuttle.
It looks like she has no arms....
Ripley, being the smart gal she is... well... I don't know. I know the majority of the people who would read this have seen the freaking movie... but still... do I want to say the ending? Yeah, I've decided that I am not going to write the endings to any movies I write about. Well, not from here on out anyway. :) Even if it's one most would probably have seen. So...
Go forth in fear!
10 October 2010
The Descent: Part 2
Horror Movie of the Day, 10 October 2010
The Descent: Part 2 (2009)
Today's date is 10/10/10. Woo! Anywho... now that I've pointed that out, time for today's horror movie recommendation: The Descent: Part 2. Yes, that is the official title of the film.Whether they actually planned a part 2 before putting out the original, is something I do not know. I would say not, since the film had such an ambiguous ending. I'm going to go ahead and tell you now, I do not think that Part 2 was anywhere near as good as The Descent. I liked it; I found it interesting, but I don't think it was as scary or as developed. However, if you can get past certain character stereotypes and small holes, you're good to go!!
So, we start off with a search for the missing girls. Of course, we all know that the cops and search/rescue team are searching in the wrong caverns. Oops. No matter, they'll keep looking by golly. Meanwhile, in another area of the mountains (we're in the Appalachians, in case you've forgotten), a man driving a truck just misses hitting a deer. Thank goodness, Bambi's mom lives another day! Oh... wrong movie. Suddenly, a bloody and dirt-covered Sarah steps in front of the truck, bringing the man to a stop. The sheriff is radioed about the event and he and his deputy (lieutenant? officer?) head over to the hospital to visit her.Yeah... the sheriff is the stereotype I'm referring to, by the way. Think small town, Appalachian-southern cop, and you have him nailed. Raging idiot. He bitches that Sarah has been sedated because she was hysterical. So, he forces the doctor to wake her so that he can force her down into the caves to find the rest of her friends. Yeah, that sounds like a really smart idea.
So, they find their way into the caves (Yeah, I'm leaving out a bit. Get over it, I can't write the whole story here.). It's the sheriff, Sarah, his deputy Ellen, and a crew of experienced spelunkers, Dan, Greg, and Cath. The sheriff clearly does not believe that Sarah is having some memory issues, that something else is down there, or that she had nothing to do with what he finds. Unfortunately, she does not help her case, because when she finally does remember what happened in a series of flashbacks, she kicks him in the face (they are crawling through a tunnel) punches one of the rescuers and flees into one of the tunnels.
Being the idiot that he is, Sheriff Vaines runs into the clearing, asks where she went, and then takes off after her (into the wrong tunnel, mind you). Then, our good friends the crawlers start showing up. One scares the sheriff and he shoots his gun at it (very smart in a cave) and causes a cave in. Shock! Now Cath is in a small space of collapsed rocks, Sarah is hidden in a tunnel, the sheriff is in another tunnel, and Ellen, Dan, and Greg are in the clearing looking around. Further exploring finds them in a room with a bunch of bones... and a body. It's Rebecca. They notice the video camera and watch the film, seeing the women when they were alive before their spelunking up through when they see the crawler that the women saw. The three of them are then, of course, attacked by a crawler, forcing them to flee and in turn separate.
Ellen shouts for help, and Sarah, undecided as to whether or not to take off, finally decides to help her. She jumps on her back and holds her hand over her mouth. She whispers that the crawlers track by sound. Unfortunately, one of the men does find the two of them, but has been loud, and is killed in front of them. They take off to try and get out of the caves. Meanwhile, Cath has escaped her rock prison after a crawler came after her and runs into Greg. They flee and are chased by crawlers several times. They come upon the body of Sam, still hanging from the ceiling and realize they have to use her body to swing across.
Meanwhile, Sarah and Ellen have evaded the crawlers and gone through some underwater type tunnels, only to realize they can't get out that way. Ellen realizes she may not make it and leaves a message for her daughter on her camera. Sarah uses this to push herself harder and says that they will get out of there. Before this exchange, we've seen the Sheriff, alive far too long for his level of idiocy, if you ask me, stumbling about the caves. I will give him this: when the crawler comes to attack him, he just off and punches the thing in the face! Awesome. But now, the crawler is just really pissed. The crawler jumps on the cop and is about to kill Sheriff Vaines when...
That's right. Juno is alive. And she saves the sheriff. The sheriff informs her that he has come with a rescue party to save her (after he realizes he's found Juno, that is). Juno takes off with the Sheriff behind her. Sarah and Deputy Ellen are also racing to find an exit. That is when the inevitable happens - the two groups fun into each other. This leads to Juno attempting to kill Sarah. Which, I mean, I can't really blame her... Sarah injured her and left her to die so she could escape. At the same time, she did continually screw Sarah's husband and then accidentally stab their friend. The last part wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't left her there to die slowly and horribly and probably at the hands of the crawlers. Yeah, Juno, you kind of had it coming. Anyhoodle...
They realize they have to get out of there. Ellen has calmed Juno down by saying that Sarah came down to help find her... blah, blah. Juno wants to head out the hole where the crawlers eat while Sarah wants to follow the water. The sheriff, being the moronic jerk he is, handcuffs Sarah to himself and says they will all follow Juno. I think you can guess why that's a bad idea. Well, it actually happens in a surprising way. The sheriff stumbles and falls over a ledge, and Sarah is left hanging on for dear life, screaming. She begs Juno to help. Juno does. She jumps on top of Sarah to hold her down, and she tells Deputy Ellen that she must cut off Sheriff Vaines' hand. Crawlers start moving up the wall towards him, and Ellen is finally able to get his hand copped off. He and the crawlers fall while Juno removes his hand from the handcuff and tells the other two that they have to keep moving.
The three women arrive at the area where the opening to the outside world is. Unfortunately, there are quite a few crawlers feeding in that room. They decide that they still have to take the risk, and quietly move towards the exit. Unfortunately, someone is not completely dead, and brings the crawlers down on the women, who must fight them off. At this point, I am not going to tell you who lives and who dies. I will say that I truly enjoyed the next few minutes. I thought it was very well done. The final moments, eh. I felt the very end was unnecessary.
Other than the random final moments and the idiot sheriff, I actually enjoyed the film. As I said, it was not as tense as the first one, and the story not quite as amazing, but still very good. I do recommend the film.
Go forth in fear!
The Descent: Part 2 (2009)
Today's date is 10/10/10. Woo! Anywho... now that I've pointed that out, time for today's horror movie recommendation: The Descent: Part 2. Yes, that is the official title of the film.Whether they actually planned a part 2 before putting out the original, is something I do not know. I would say not, since the film had such an ambiguous ending. I'm going to go ahead and tell you now, I do not think that Part 2 was anywhere near as good as The Descent. I liked it; I found it interesting, but I don't think it was as scary or as developed. However, if you can get past certain character stereotypes and small holes, you're good to go!!
So, we start off with a search for the missing girls. Of course, we all know that the cops and search/rescue team are searching in the wrong caverns. Oops. No matter, they'll keep looking by golly. Meanwhile, in another area of the mountains (we're in the Appalachians, in case you've forgotten), a man driving a truck just misses hitting a deer. Thank goodness, Bambi's mom lives another day! Oh... wrong movie. Suddenly, a bloody and dirt-covered Sarah steps in front of the truck, bringing the man to a stop. The sheriff is radioed about the event and he and his deputy (lieutenant? officer?) head over to the hospital to visit her.Yeah... the sheriff is the stereotype I'm referring to, by the way. Think small town, Appalachian-southern cop, and you have him nailed. Raging idiot. He bitches that Sarah has been sedated because she was hysterical. So, he forces the doctor to wake her so that he can force her down into the caves to find the rest of her friends. Yeah, that sounds like a really smart idea.
I am the Sheriff, lady. You will do as I say.... follow the light... that's it... just your eyes... follow the light.... you now believe you are a chicken!
So, they find their way into the caves (Yeah, I'm leaving out a bit. Get over it, I can't write the whole story here.). It's the sheriff, Sarah, his deputy Ellen, and a crew of experienced spelunkers, Dan, Greg, and Cath. The sheriff clearly does not believe that Sarah is having some memory issues, that something else is down there, or that she had nothing to do with what he finds. Unfortunately, she does not help her case, because when she finally does remember what happened in a series of flashbacks, she kicks him in the face (they are crawling through a tunnel) punches one of the rescuers and flees into one of the tunnels.
Being the idiot that he is, Sheriff Vaines runs into the clearing, asks where she went, and then takes off after her (into the wrong tunnel, mind you). Then, our good friends the crawlers start showing up. One scares the sheriff and he shoots his gun at it (very smart in a cave) and causes a cave in. Shock! Now Cath is in a small space of collapsed rocks, Sarah is hidden in a tunnel, the sheriff is in another tunnel, and Ellen, Dan, and Greg are in the clearing looking around. Further exploring finds them in a room with a bunch of bones... and a body. It's Rebecca. They notice the video camera and watch the film, seeing the women when they were alive before their spelunking up through when they see the crawler that the women saw. The three of them are then, of course, attacked by a crawler, forcing them to flee and in turn separate.
Yelling does not solve any of our problems. Now hush, and watch them kill your friend.
Meanwhile, Sarah and Ellen have evaded the crawlers and gone through some underwater type tunnels, only to realize they can't get out that way. Ellen realizes she may not make it and leaves a message for her daughter on her camera. Sarah uses this to push herself harder and says that they will get out of there. Before this exchange, we've seen the Sheriff, alive far too long for his level of idiocy, if you ask me, stumbling about the caves. I will give him this: when the crawler comes to attack him, he just off and punches the thing in the face! Awesome. But now, the crawler is just really pissed. The crawler jumps on the cop and is about to kill Sheriff Vaines when...
Do you see my hair? I am pissed that I have not been able to shower. And just look at my skin... well, actually, that looks good. But dammit, I will kill you anyway!
That's right. Juno is alive. And she saves the sheriff. The sheriff informs her that he has come with a rescue party to save her (after he realizes he's found Juno, that is). Juno takes off with the Sheriff behind her. Sarah and Deputy Ellen are also racing to find an exit. That is when the inevitable happens - the two groups fun into each other. This leads to Juno attempting to kill Sarah. Which, I mean, I can't really blame her... Sarah injured her and left her to die so she could escape. At the same time, she did continually screw Sarah's husband and then accidentally stab their friend. The last part wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't left her there to die slowly and horribly and probably at the hands of the crawlers. Yeah, Juno, you kind of had it coming. Anyhoodle...
They realize they have to get out of there. Ellen has calmed Juno down by saying that Sarah came down to help find her... blah, blah. Juno wants to head out the hole where the crawlers eat while Sarah wants to follow the water. The sheriff, being the moronic jerk he is, handcuffs Sarah to himself and says they will all follow Juno. I think you can guess why that's a bad idea. Well, it actually happens in a surprising way. The sheriff stumbles and falls over a ledge, and Sarah is left hanging on for dear life, screaming. She begs Juno to help. Juno does. She jumps on top of Sarah to hold her down, and she tells Deputy Ellen that she must cut off Sheriff Vaines' hand. Crawlers start moving up the wall towards him, and Ellen is finally able to get his hand copped off. He and the crawlers fall while Juno removes his hand from the handcuff and tells the other two that they have to keep moving.
"Damn, you are ugly." "Who are you calling ugly, vampire-wannabe?! I'll kick your ass. And your mama's!"
The three women arrive at the area where the opening to the outside world is. Unfortunately, there are quite a few crawlers feeding in that room. They decide that they still have to take the risk, and quietly move towards the exit. Unfortunately, someone is not completely dead, and brings the crawlers down on the women, who must fight them off. At this point, I am not going to tell you who lives and who dies. I will say that I truly enjoyed the next few minutes. I thought it was very well done. The final moments, eh. I felt the very end was unnecessary.
Other than the random final moments and the idiot sheriff, I actually enjoyed the film. As I said, it was not as tense as the first one, and the story not quite as amazing, but still very good. I do recommend the film.
Brilliant moment.
Go forth in fear!
09 October 2010
The Amityville Horror
Horror Movie of the Day, 9 October 2010
The Amityville Horror (2005)
I am going to discuss the most recent version of The Amityville Horror, though for the most part, the 1979 version is quite similar.
OK... guys... guy... anyone there? Probably not. :) That's a good thing. I'm a bit sickly and I'm going to bed early. I'll finish this tomorrow. Hopefully.
The Amityville Horror (2005)
I am going to discuss the most recent version of The Amityville Horror, though for the most part, the 1979 version is quite similar.
OK... guys... guy... anyone there? Probably not. :) That's a good thing. I'm a bit sickly and I'm going to bed early. I'll finish this tomorrow. Hopefully.
08 October 2010
Seuseung-ui eunhye
Horror Movie of the Day, 8 October 2010
Seuseung-ui eunhye (Bloody Reunion, 2006)
I have found that the creepiest of all horror movies that I have seen are coming out of Asia, and Bloody Reunion is no exception. A film from South Korea, it adds more blood/gore than many of the Japanese films that I have seen, but still has a unique and interesting story line to keep it interesting. I will admit that the story could get a touch slow, but it was interesting enough that it didn't last long.
The movie is about a former teacher, Ms. Park, who is now in a wheelchair and is being cared for by an ex-student, Mi-ja. Mi-ja invites several of Ms. Park's former students for a visit 16 years after they have graduated. Every one of the students has very clear memories of their experiences with Ms. Park. All of their experiences were bad. Ms. Park, however, claims that she only did what she thought was best for them.
Although Ms. Park claims that she behaved the way she did to better them, their memories prove that she really was just a nasty woman. For example, a young couple, Se-ho and Eun-young, were president and vice-president of their class. While most people consider this an accomplishment (or proof of popularity!), Ms. Park belittled them constantly because they were poor. Then there is Sun-hee, who we have met as a gorgeous woman, someone who could definitely be a model. Ms. Park teased and nagged her in school because at that time, she was quite heavy. Then there were those who were physically and sexually abused by Ms. Park. Dal-bong became injured and had to give up his dream of baseball due to her abuse while Myung-ho was sexually harassed and molested by her. Then there was her own son who she locked in the basement due to his being deformed. Though victims of bullying themselves, at the hand of their teacher, or perhaps it is because they were bullied by their teacher, all of them used to make fun of her son.
Slowly, throughout the night (they've been invited for an overnight visit), the former students are killed. The killer is wearing a bunny mask, just as Ms. Park's deformed son used to wear. Of course, this leads the survivors to believe that he is the killer, coming back for revenge for all the bullying and teasing he was submitted to as a child. I am thankful that he was not truly the killer; I prefer films where the killer is not the most obvious suspect.
As you may be aware by now, if you've read any of my previous entries, I am not going to give away who the killer is or the end of the movie, especially since I think those two things make this movie that much more enjoyable. I will say that not everyone is who they seem. At the same time, it's not an obvious case of hiding someone's true identity. And... the twists keep coming!
Seuseung-ui eunhye (Bloody Reunion, 2006)
I have found that the creepiest of all horror movies that I have seen are coming out of Asia, and Bloody Reunion is no exception. A film from South Korea, it adds more blood/gore than many of the Japanese films that I have seen, but still has a unique and interesting story line to keep it interesting. I will admit that the story could get a touch slow, but it was interesting enough that it didn't last long.
The movie is about a former teacher, Ms. Park, who is now in a wheelchair and is being cared for by an ex-student, Mi-ja. Mi-ja invites several of Ms. Park's former students for a visit 16 years after they have graduated. Every one of the students has very clear memories of their experiences with Ms. Park. All of their experiences were bad. Ms. Park, however, claims that she only did what she thought was best for them.
That is a lot of alcohol on that table. Apparently she was a really big bitch of a teacher.
Although Ms. Park claims that she behaved the way she did to better them, their memories prove that she really was just a nasty woman. For example, a young couple, Se-ho and Eun-young, were president and vice-president of their class. While most people consider this an accomplishment (or proof of popularity!), Ms. Park belittled them constantly because they were poor. Then there is Sun-hee, who we have met as a gorgeous woman, someone who could definitely be a model. Ms. Park teased and nagged her in school because at that time, she was quite heavy. Then there were those who were physically and sexually abused by Ms. Park. Dal-bong became injured and had to give up his dream of baseball due to her abuse while Myung-ho was sexually harassed and molested by her. Then there was her own son who she locked in the basement due to his being deformed. Though victims of bullying themselves, at the hand of their teacher, or perhaps it is because they were bullied by their teacher, all of them used to make fun of her son.
That bunny mask isn't creepy at all. Nor is the fact that the kid is like a monster locked in the basement with that mask on. Perfectly normal.
Slowly, throughout the night (they've been invited for an overnight visit), the former students are killed. The killer is wearing a bunny mask, just as Ms. Park's deformed son used to wear. Of course, this leads the survivors to believe that he is the killer, coming back for revenge for all the bullying and teasing he was submitted to as a child. I am thankful that he was not truly the killer; I prefer films where the killer is not the most obvious suspect.
As you may be aware by now, if you've read any of my previous entries, I am not going to give away who the killer is or the end of the movie, especially since I think those two things make this movie that much more enjoyable. I will say that not everyone is who they seem. At the same time, it's not an obvious case of hiding someone's true identity. And... the twists keep coming!
07 October 2010
Låt den rätte komma in
Horror Movie of the Day, 7 October 2010
Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In, 2008)
As many of you may be aware, there has been an American version released titled Let Me In released just last Friday, 1 October, 2010. This one, Låt den rätte komma in, is the original Swedish film released just 2 years ago. While I have yet to watch Let Me In, which I do plan on seeing, I suspect that it is much flashier, filled with more scares and CGI effects, and has probably lost the wonderful storyline that Låt den rätte komma in has going for it. Granted, I'm basing that opinion solely on the previews I've seen, but I will update once I've seen it. On to the review at hand...
This film is essentially about a relationship between Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) and Eli (Lina Leandersson). Oskar is a 12 year old boy who is bullied regularly after school by the same 3 kids. The ringleader of these bullies is Conny (Patrik Rydmark) calls Oskar a piggy and forces the others to hit him with a switch. Indeed, these other two kids do not appear to really want to make fun of him, and they especially do not appear to enjoy hitting him. Enter Eli, who moves in next door with an older man (we never really learn what relationship the two have other than the fact that he helps her by getting her fresh blood). Look, at this point, you should be aware, if you haven't seen previews for the new film or seen taglines for this film, it's a vampire story.
This is not only a vampire story, however, it is also a love story and one about acceptance. Eli and Oskar live next door to each other, and their first couple of meetings are strained, at best. She declares that she cannot be his friend, while he wonders back who thinks he wants to be her friend. Meanwhile, her companion, Håkan played by Per Ragner, has already made an attempt to get her blood. He is now off on his second attempt to kill someone and bring her blood. Unfortunately, he cannot escape without getting caught. (The first time, he had to flee quickly and without the blood, leaving Eli to have to kill someone herself. This, unfortunately, was seen by someone living nearby.) Knowing that if he is caught it is the end for them both, he brings some sort of acid with him. Just as people rush in to save the young man he tried to kill. Hakan pours acid over his face to obscure his identity.
Eli of course hears the news of his arrest and understands that she is on her own (I'm not going to relate the ultimate result for him, I think it's best seen). She and Oskar have also started to develop a relationship, using Morse code to communicate through the wall that separates their rooms and apartments. She has also discovered that he is being bullied and tells him that he needs to fight back. She also tells him that she will help if he needs it. And Oskar does fight back. And the bully totally deserves it, he's a little brat. Later, in an attempt to solidify their solid relationship, Oskar suggests they make a blood oath. Eli cannot handle it and begins to lick the blood that has dropped on the floor before fleeing. This leads her to attacking a woman, friend of the previous kill by Eli, but she is stopped by the woman's friend.
Again, I will not reveal the ultimate result for the woman, but I will state that I found the rest of the story related to her quite fascinating. I enjoy when writers and directors play with the vampire mythos. In this one, the mythos is fairly true to the age old mythos while still adding a special tweak. I'll let you discover for yourself what I mean by that! I will say that Oskar saves Eli from being killed by someone who is out for revenge for what happened to the woman and the the previous man. It is at this point that Eli tells Oskar that she must leave.
Oskar sadly watches Eli leave. It is a very sad moment. But the movie is not over. Oskar receives a call from a friend of Conny who asks if he's coming to swim practice. In the background, we see Conny and his older brother, plus another bully friend, having a good laugh. It is clear that Oskar is going to be bullied again. Indeed, the older brother threatens Oskar and proceeds with the plan. I'm going to leave it at that.
One slight SPOILER: Yes, Eli does come back to help him. SPOILER END.
I honestly loved this movie. As I said, it's fairly tragic and bittersweet. But I will say that I absolutely adored the ending. I really think it's worth the time to watch this. Go get it!
Go forth in fear!
Låt den rätte komma in (Let the Right One In, 2008)
As many of you may be aware, there has been an American version released titled Let Me In released just last Friday, 1 October, 2010. This one, Låt den rätte komma in, is the original Swedish film released just 2 years ago. While I have yet to watch Let Me In, which I do plan on seeing, I suspect that it is much flashier, filled with more scares and CGI effects, and has probably lost the wonderful storyline that Låt den rätte komma in has going for it. Granted, I'm basing that opinion solely on the previews I've seen, but I will update once I've seen it. On to the review at hand...
This film is essentially about a relationship between Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) and Eli (Lina Leandersson). Oskar is a 12 year old boy who is bullied regularly after school by the same 3 kids. The ringleader of these bullies is Conny (Patrik Rydmark) calls Oskar a piggy and forces the others to hit him with a switch. Indeed, these other two kids do not appear to really want to make fun of him, and they especially do not appear to enjoy hitting him. Enter Eli, who moves in next door with an older man (we never really learn what relationship the two have other than the fact that he helps her by getting her fresh blood). Look, at this point, you should be aware, if you haven't seen previews for the new film or seen taglines for this film, it's a vampire story.
No, this is not the bully. This is Oskar, and Eli is behind him. They make a cute inter...er...species? couple.
This is not only a vampire story, however, it is also a love story and one about acceptance. Eli and Oskar live next door to each other, and their first couple of meetings are strained, at best. She declares that she cannot be his friend, while he wonders back who thinks he wants to be her friend. Meanwhile, her companion, Håkan played by Per Ragner, has already made an attempt to get her blood. He is now off on his second attempt to kill someone and bring her blood. Unfortunately, he cannot escape without getting caught. (The first time, he had to flee quickly and without the blood, leaving Eli to have to kill someone herself. This, unfortunately, was seen by someone living nearby.) Knowing that if he is caught it is the end for them both, he brings some sort of acid with him. Just as people rush in to save the young man he tried to kill. Hakan pours acid over his face to obscure his identity.
Eli of course hears the news of his arrest and understands that she is on her own (I'm not going to relate the ultimate result for him, I think it's best seen). She and Oskar have also started to develop a relationship, using Morse code to communicate through the wall that separates their rooms and apartments. She has also discovered that he is being bullied and tells him that he needs to fight back. She also tells him that she will help if he needs it. And Oskar does fight back. And the bully totally deserves it, he's a little brat. Later, in an attempt to solidify their solid relationship, Oskar suggests they make a blood oath. Eli cannot handle it and begins to lick the blood that has dropped on the floor before fleeing. This leads her to attacking a woman, friend of the previous kill by Eli, but she is stopped by the woman's friend.
Showing just the eyes is surprisingly effective. Of course, the few drops of blood on her face add to the horror.
Again, I will not reveal the ultimate result for the woman, but I will state that I found the rest of the story related to her quite fascinating. I enjoy when writers and directors play with the vampire mythos. In this one, the mythos is fairly true to the age old mythos while still adding a special tweak. I'll let you discover for yourself what I mean by that! I will say that Oskar saves Eli from being killed by someone who is out for revenge for what happened to the woman and the the previous man. It is at this point that Eli tells Oskar that she must leave.
Yeah, I can't even joke anymore. Their relationship truly was very sweet.
Oskar sadly watches Eli leave. It is a very sad moment. But the movie is not over. Oskar receives a call from a friend of Conny who asks if he's coming to swim practice. In the background, we see Conny and his older brother, plus another bully friend, having a good laugh. It is clear that Oskar is going to be bullied again. Indeed, the older brother threatens Oskar and proceeds with the plan. I'm going to leave it at that.
One slight SPOILER: Yes, Eli does come back to help him. SPOILER END.
I honestly loved this movie. As I said, it's fairly tragic and bittersweet. But I will say that I absolutely adored the ending. I really think it's worth the time to watch this. Go get it!
Go forth in fear!
The Grudge
Horror Movie of the Day, 6 October 2010
The Grudge (American version)
I have seen both the Japanese version and the American version, but I am going to rate the American version, since I've seen it several more times and we were lucky enough to have all the same Japanese actors playing the scary characters. This film plays on cable television periodically, and even with the edits for TV, I still find it to be quite creepy.
The film opens on Peter, played by Bill Pullman, in his apartment with his wife. The next thing that we see is Peter jumping out the window of his apartment to his death. Well. That sucks. Especially because Bill Pullman always plays the sweet, goofy, romantic lead. Have no fear, Bill Pullman fans, he will appear again in the movie... not dead, thankfully, but in flashbacks. Though we sure as hell don't get an explanation for quite a while. Oh well... let's see what happens next...
The family (who we have not yet met... damn directors... making this all confusing) hires Yoko through a Social Work program at a nearby university to take care of Emma and to clean the house. She arrives to take care of the older woman with dementia and the house. Unfortunately, she hears some noises from the attic and decides to investigate. She briefly sees a face and then disappears into the attic.
Enter Buffy, I mean, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Karen Davis, the next student to be sent to care for Emma and the house. So, Karen arrives to find the house in complete disarray (again, I need a new word...). The house is a huge mess. A hand slaps a window, and she finds Emma on the floor. Karen cleans up Emma and sets her in bed and then goes about cleaning the house. Upon encountering a taped closet door, and hearing meows from inside, she untapes it to find a little boy holding a cat. She eventually asks him his name, to which he replies that he is Toshio. Karen a short time later discovers Emma sitting up and talking to herself. As she tries to calm Emma down and lay her back in bed, only to have Kayako's spirit confront her.
(Flashback!) Matthew, his wife Jennifer, his mother Emma, and his sister checking out the house. Emma disappears and his sister Susan looks for her, finding her staring intently at the ceiling with an odd look on her face. Meanwhile, the realtor looks around and discovers a tub full of black water... don't want the clients seeing that! He is grabbed as he tries to reach in and unplug the drain. We also have Jennifer sleeping on the sofa, awaking to a loud noise. She then sees ghostly arms pick up a cat on the staircase. She follows this apparition into her bedroom, which is the former bedroom of Toshio, the little boy who picked up the cat. When Matthew arrives home, the house is in complete disarray and he cannot find Jennifer. Eventually he discovers her huddling on the bed unable to move or speak. He attempts to get through to her but is interrupted by a horrible sound, what sounds like a cat howling, and then notices a little boy, Toshio in the corner. Toshio is making the noise and eventually hovers over Matthew in the corner before the scene cuts out.
So.... Karen's boss arrives at the place since NO ONE will answer the phone. Jeez, people. There he finds Emma sitting up and confused. Yes, Emma is still alive. Woo! And then there is Karen, sitting the corner, frozen in fear. The police are called, and begin to search the house. At one point, they reach the room that Yoko disappeared from and notice slippers and hair in the closet. They climb up into the attic to discover... SPOILER the bodies of Matthew and his wife Jennifer. END SPOILER. The police also discover the lower jaw of someone. Now that is just freaky. And gross.
Over in another part of Tokyo, by the way, Matthew's sister has been done in by The Grudge curse. If you haven't seen it, I think it is much creepier not knowing. I will say that she is basically stalked by Toshio and Kayako while attempting to leave her office building. Unfortunately, even upon escaping this building, she is not safe. They stalk her at her apartment building and eventually kill her too, we imagine.
As the detective speaks with Karen (oh yeah... we're back to her now... she's in the hospital), he is interrupted by his colleague. This officer informs him of the strange disappearance of the sister Susan, the door was locked from the inside. Then.... she visits her boyfriends... gets a creepy extra hand in the shower. Oooh, we also get another visit from Yoko! I'll leave that one for you to watch! Anyway.... Karen decides to research the history of the house. This is when we learn that Kayako and Toshio were killed by their husband/father who then killed himself. Oh, and also that Kayako was obsessed with Peter. Remember Peter? Killed himself at the beginning of the movie? Yeah, him.
So, Karen goes to share the info with her boyfriend. Unfortunately, he has left a note in case she returns, saying he went to find her at the house. When she arrives, she experiences a residual memory of the house - walking through it behind Peter as he discovers the bodies of Toshio, Kayako, and her husband. When the memory fades, the house returns to its creepy state and Doug grabs her foot before she can leave. In an attempt to flee, she tries to drag him out, but crawls down the stairs and holds onto him.
Well... Karen realizes that she can't win. No one can. So she decides to burn the house down. While she is still inside. Somehow, she escapes or is rescued. We don't see it. Unfortunately... it is not the end.
Go forth in fear!
The Grudge (American version)
I have seen both the Japanese version and the American version, but I am going to rate the American version, since I've seen it several more times and we were lucky enough to have all the same Japanese actors playing the scary characters. This film plays on cable television periodically, and even with the edits for TV, I still find it to be quite creepy.
The film opens on Peter, played by Bill Pullman, in his apartment with his wife. The next thing that we see is Peter jumping out the window of his apartment to his death. Well. That sucks. Especially because Bill Pullman always plays the sweet, goofy, romantic lead. Have no fear, Bill Pullman fans, he will appear again in the movie... not dead, thankfully, but in flashbacks. Though we sure as hell don't get an explanation for quite a while. Oh well... let's see what happens next...
The family (who we have not yet met... damn directors... making this all confusing) hires Yoko through a Social Work program at a nearby university to take care of Emma and to clean the house. She arrives to take care of the older woman with dementia and the house. Unfortunately, she hears some noises from the attic and decides to investigate. She briefly sees a face and then disappears into the attic.
Smooth move, Yoko. Check the attic when you hear a "death rattle". Surely nothing bad will come of that.
Enter Buffy, I mean, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Karen Davis, the next student to be sent to care for Emma and the house. So, Karen arrives to find the house in complete disarray (again, I need a new word...). The house is a huge mess. A hand slaps a window, and she finds Emma on the floor. Karen cleans up Emma and sets her in bed and then goes about cleaning the house. Upon encountering a taped closet door, and hearing meows from inside, she untapes it to find a little boy holding a cat. She eventually asks him his name, to which he replies that he is Toshio. Karen a short time later discovers Emma sitting up and talking to herself. As she tries to calm Emma down and lay her back in bed, only to have Kayako's spirit confront her.
Hmmm. This is not the strong, confident Buffy we know... Damn, sorry... The Grudge... errr... she's scared now, but just wait. She gets scareder. Hee hee. I know, it's "more scared". I like "scareder" better... more fun.
(Flashback!) Matthew, his wife Jennifer, his mother Emma, and his sister checking out the house. Emma disappears and his sister Susan looks for her, finding her staring intently at the ceiling with an odd look on her face. Meanwhile, the realtor looks around and discovers a tub full of black water... don't want the clients seeing that! He is grabbed as he tries to reach in and unplug the drain. We also have Jennifer sleeping on the sofa, awaking to a loud noise. She then sees ghostly arms pick up a cat on the staircase. She follows this apparition into her bedroom, which is the former bedroom of Toshio, the little boy who picked up the cat. When Matthew arrives home, the house is in complete disarray and he cannot find Jennifer. Eventually he discovers her huddling on the bed unable to move or speak. He attempts to get through to her but is interrupted by a horrible sound, what sounds like a cat howling, and then notices a little boy, Toshio in the corner. Toshio is making the noise and eventually hovers over Matthew in the corner before the scene cuts out.
More evidence that kids are the creepiest part of horror movies. And are his eyes crossed? Well that just ups the creep factor... I mean, really, if he can find you with crossed eyes... damn.
So.... Karen's boss arrives at the place since NO ONE will answer the phone. Jeez, people. There he finds Emma sitting up and confused. Yes, Emma is still alive. Woo! And then there is Karen, sitting the corner, frozen in fear. The police are called, and begin to search the house. At one point, they reach the room that Yoko disappeared from and notice slippers and hair in the closet. They climb up into the attic to discover... SPOILER the bodies of Matthew and his wife Jennifer. END SPOILER. The police also discover the lower jaw of someone. Now that is just freaky. And gross.
Over in another part of Tokyo, by the way, Matthew's sister has been done in by The Grudge curse. If you haven't seen it, I think it is much creepier not knowing. I will say that she is basically stalked by Toshio and Kayako while attempting to leave her office building. Unfortunately, even upon escaping this building, she is not safe. They stalk her at her apartment building and eventually kill her too, we imagine.
As the detective speaks with Karen (oh yeah... we're back to her now... she's in the hospital), he is interrupted by his colleague. This officer informs him of the strange disappearance of the sister Susan, the door was locked from the inside. Then.... she visits her boyfriends... gets a creepy extra hand in the shower. Oooh, we also get another visit from Yoko! I'll leave that one for you to watch! Anyway.... Karen decides to research the history of the house. This is when we learn that Kayako and Toshio were killed by their husband/father who then killed himself. Oh, and also that Kayako was obsessed with Peter. Remember Peter? Killed himself at the beginning of the movie? Yeah, him.
This is Kayako... damn, creepy. I hate those contortionist movements, it's what creeps me out. Apparently, the actress used her ballet skills to help her with all her movements. Proof positive that ballet = evil.
So, Karen goes to share the info with her boyfriend. Unfortunately, he has left a note in case she returns, saying he went to find her at the house. When she arrives, she experiences a residual memory of the house - walking through it behind Peter as he discovers the bodies of Toshio, Kayako, and her husband. When the memory fades, the house returns to its creepy state and Doug grabs her foot before she can leave. In an attempt to flee, she tries to drag him out, but crawls down the stairs and holds onto him.
Well... Karen realizes that she can't win. No one can. So she decides to burn the house down. While she is still inside. Somehow, she escapes or is rescued. We don't see it. Unfortunately... it is not the end.
Go forth in fear!
05 October 2010
Tésis
Horror Movie of the Day, 5 October 2010
Tésis (Thesis)
Tésis is a Spanish film written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar (co-written by Mateo Gil). This film features Ángela (Ana Torrent) as a film student at Madrid's Universidad Complutense (I've totally been there, by the way!). Ángela is writing her thesis on violence in film and is searching all over the university for examples of violence on film and discussions of the topic. She searches the library's massive audio-visual collection and even speaks with other classmates. This is how she meets her cohort in investigation throughout the course of the film, Chema.
Chema (Fele Martínez) will end up helping Ángela more than she could have imagined. He has the largest collection of violent and pornographic films of any of the film students and even the library. He offers to let her view his collection, and she takes him up on his offer. Surprisingly, this is one horror film which sticks to its plot - perhaps this is why I like it so much. His inviting her over is not an attempt to have sex with her, he doesn't have some horror dungeon set up in his apartment, and he is really just another film student who is rather introverted and want to help out.
Ángela's professor goes into the library himself, and comes upon a film which he takes to view in a classroom. As he watches the film, Professor Figueroa dies, we assume from a heart attack. Ángela discovers her professor dead with the projector on, and takes the film that he was watching and leaves. (Apparently she is not too concerned about calling an ambulance or the police, just about that movie! It must be powerful!) What Ángela discovers, er, realizes is that she is now in possession of a snuff film.
In the snuff film, a young woman is seen tied to a chair. Her name is Vanessa, and she is a student who had disappeared from the University (No one "goes missing" in my blog... you can't GO missing, there is no place called Missing and it's not an action you can perform. GAH! OK. I'm done.) A figure, who appears to be male, is then seen torturing and killing her. Ángela decides to investigate, like any good horror movie protagonist, and see if she can find out who is behind the crime. She suspects a classmate of the young woman who died, Bosco Herranz (played by the lovely Eduardo Noriega, later made famous by another Amenábar movie, Abre los ojos an excellent film which is the original to Tom Cruise's crappy Vanilla Sky).
Ángela then waffles back and forth between believing the Bosco is the killer and believing him innocent and handsome. Indeed, Chema's odd behavior does not help the situation, as she begins to suspect him of the crime. She runs from Chema. She runs from Bosco. She does not who she can trust (and I am not going to tell you who it is, because this is truly a horror movie worth watching).
As you can tell by this last photo, Ángela is caught by the killer. Indeed, she is the next in line for her own snuff film. Her encounter with the killer is filmed. Yeah, I'll give you this - the killer IS male. You're welcome. But who is it? And does Ángela die, or does she get away? That's for you to find out!
Go forth in fear!
Tésis (Thesis)
Tésis is a Spanish film written and directed by Alejandro Amenábar (co-written by Mateo Gil). This film features Ángela (Ana Torrent) as a film student at Madrid's Universidad Complutense (I've totally been there, by the way!). Ángela is writing her thesis on violence in film and is searching all over the university for examples of violence on film and discussions of the topic. She searches the library's massive audio-visual collection and even speaks with other classmates. This is how she meets her cohort in investigation throughout the course of the film, Chema.
This is my "partner in crime"? He looks like a doped up Stephen King!
Chema (Fele Martínez) will end up helping Ángela more than she could have imagined. He has the largest collection of violent and pornographic films of any of the film students and even the library. He offers to let her view his collection, and she takes him up on his offer. Surprisingly, this is one horror film which sticks to its plot - perhaps this is why I like it so much. His inviting her over is not an attempt to have sex with her, he doesn't have some horror dungeon set up in his apartment, and he is really just another film student who is rather introverted and want to help out.
Ángela's professor goes into the library himself, and comes upon a film which he takes to view in a classroom. As he watches the film, Professor Figueroa dies, we assume from a heart attack. Ángela discovers her professor dead with the projector on, and takes the film that he was watching and leaves. (Apparently she is not too concerned about calling an ambulance or the police, just about that movie! It must be powerful!) What Ángela discovers, er, realizes is that she is now in possession of a snuff film.
That's not the snuff film... that's sexy Eduardo Noriega. Notice her caressing his lip... *sigh* Oh yeah, she also suspects him as the killer.
In the snuff film, a young woman is seen tied to a chair. Her name is Vanessa, and she is a student who had disappeared from the University (No one "goes missing" in my blog... you can't GO missing, there is no place called Missing and it's not an action you can perform. GAH! OK. I'm done.) A figure, who appears to be male, is then seen torturing and killing her. Ángela decides to investigate, like any good horror movie protagonist, and see if she can find out who is behind the crime. She suspects a classmate of the young woman who died, Bosco Herranz (played by the lovely Eduardo Noriega, later made famous by another Amenábar movie, Abre los ojos an excellent film which is the original to Tom Cruise's crappy Vanilla Sky).
Ángela then waffles back and forth between believing the Bosco is the killer and believing him innocent and handsome. Indeed, Chema's odd behavior does not help the situation, as she begins to suspect him of the crime. She runs from Chema. She runs from Bosco. She does not who she can trust (and I am not going to tell you who it is, because this is truly a horror movie worth watching).
Damn. Now I'm the victim. And who is that? Are you Chema? Are you Bosco? And are you getting my good side?
As you can tell by this last photo, Ángela is caught by the killer. Indeed, she is the next in line for her own snuff film. Her encounter with the killer is filmed. Yeah, I'll give you this - the killer IS male. You're welcome. But who is it? And does Ángela die, or does she get away? That's for you to find out!
Go forth in fear!
04 October 2010
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Horror Movie of the Day, 4 October 2010
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Though definitely not a top notch horror film, A Nightmare on Elm Street still holds its own among the genre. The first one in a series of a gajillion (it seems like it's around that number somewhere), it is the only one that truly has scares in it. After this film, and perhaps the next one or two, the series becomes kitsch and starts joking around, not taking itself too seriously, which is sometimes a wonderful route to go.
In A Nightmare on Elm Street, the audience is very quickly introduced to the killer, Fred Krueger, who will always be called Freddie, except by the adults who killed him. Oh yes, Freddie returns to kill the children of the people who killed him. Many years earlier, Fred Krueger was a child murderer (so explains the protagonist's mother) who killed more than 20 children. When he got off on a technicality, the parents living in the town tracked him down to the boiler room he was hiding in and burned him alive. Krueger returns in the dreams of the children of the people who murdered him. What is terrifying is that if Freddie kills you in your dreams, you die in real life. Tell me that at one time if your life you haven't heard that if you die in your dreams, you die for real. Right? This movie plays on that fear. Because very rarely does someone dream of their death. I can honestly say that I actually have dreamt of my death, or rather, I was dying in my dream, and I knew it. And I knew the moment that I passed. It was strange. But Wes Craven plays on these human instincts, and he does so fairly well in this film.
The movie stars Heather Langenkamp as the protagonist Nancy Thompson who suffers from horrifying dreams of this man with knives on his right hand. Her friend Tina has also had a nightmare, but wakes up to discover four cuts along her arm where the killer, Freddie, was able to get to her. The friends get together and spend the night with their boyfriends so that Tina can sleep without being so scared. Tina and her boyfriend decide, as the teens always do in any horror flick, that they want to get it on, and they head to her mother's bedroom for some good old fashioned sex. I'm not even going into the ew-factor of doing it in your mom's bed. Blech. Well, I think we can all guess what happens after this. And for the 2 people who have never seen this movie, I'm not going to describe the death scene, because it's rather unique. Indeed, this is where Wes Craven gets some real credit; it's a death scene that even now is freaky.
Yes, that is correct. Johnny Depp went with his friend to an audition, not really planning on trying out. But he did, and the rest, as we say, is history. And he plays Heather Langenkamp's boyfriend. Lucky bitch. Oh well, at least he dies before she can make out with him (He tries, but this fool pushes him away!). Yeah, sorry ladies. He doesn't make it. Let's be honest, even if you haven't seen this film, you know the premise from the eighty-kazillion other Nightmare on Elm St. films. Everyone dies. Except for Freddie. He can't be killed. That's a real problem for the kids of Elm St. Anyhoodle... moving on.
So, Nancy continues to have these horrifying nightmares. At one point, things truly get creepy (again) and Nancy pulls something out of her dream - Freddie's hat. Amazingly freaked out at this point, her mother starts acting weird, and she thinks it's best to put bars on the windows and add locks on the doors. To keep the evil out. She apparently doesn't listen too well... he's in her DREAMS, Mom! Finally, when mom gets drunk, she admits the whole horrible story of killing Freddie to her daughter. Well, that doesn't help, now all we know is that the killer is Freddie. So, Nancy continues to suffer these nightmares and people keep dying.
So, our hero Heather decides she needs to come up with a plan of survival. By the end, pretty much everyone she knows and loves has died, and she is left alone to kill Krueger. I don't think I'm giving anything away (again for the 2 of you who haven't seen this) if I say that she believes she has killed Krueger, and the end seems happy and how it should be. However, knowing there are more movies to come, Craven did not let it end on such an upbeat note. Honestly? That's how it should be with a killer who can't be killed.
Go forth in fear!
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Though definitely not a top notch horror film, A Nightmare on Elm Street still holds its own among the genre. The first one in a series of a gajillion (it seems like it's around that number somewhere), it is the only one that truly has scares in it. After this film, and perhaps the next one or two, the series becomes kitsch and starts joking around, not taking itself too seriously, which is sometimes a wonderful route to go.
In A Nightmare on Elm Street, the audience is very quickly introduced to the killer, Fred Krueger, who will always be called Freddie, except by the adults who killed him. Oh yes, Freddie returns to kill the children of the people who killed him. Many years earlier, Fred Krueger was a child murderer (so explains the protagonist's mother) who killed more than 20 children. When he got off on a technicality, the parents living in the town tracked him down to the boiler room he was hiding in and burned him alive. Krueger returns in the dreams of the children of the people who murdered him. What is terrifying is that if Freddie kills you in your dreams, you die in real life. Tell me that at one time if your life you haven't heard that if you die in your dreams, you die for real. Right? This movie plays on that fear. Because very rarely does someone dream of their death. I can honestly say that I actually have dreamt of my death, or rather, I was dying in my dream, and I knew it. And I knew the moment that I passed. It was strange. But Wes Craven plays on these human instincts, and he does so fairly well in this film.
Am I the only one who saw the four knives on his fingers and wondered why he didn't have anything on his thumb?
The movie stars Heather Langenkamp as the protagonist Nancy Thompson who suffers from horrifying dreams of this man with knives on his right hand. Her friend Tina has also had a nightmare, but wakes up to discover four cuts along her arm where the killer, Freddie, was able to get to her. The friends get together and spend the night with their boyfriends so that Tina can sleep without being so scared. Tina and her boyfriend decide, as the teens always do in any horror flick, that they want to get it on, and they head to her mother's bedroom for some good old fashioned sex. I'm not even going into the ew-factor of doing it in your mom's bed. Blech. Well, I think we can all guess what happens after this. And for the 2 people who have never seen this movie, I'm not going to describe the death scene, because it's rather unique. Indeed, this is where Wes Craven gets some real credit; it's a death scene that even now is freaky.
Did I mention Johnny Depp is in this? Mmmm. Watch it just for him. This is his breakout role in Hollywood. It's a shame he had to die in it. Bummer.
Yes, that is correct. Johnny Depp went with his friend to an audition, not really planning on trying out. But he did, and the rest, as we say, is history. And he plays Heather Langenkamp's boyfriend. Lucky bitch. Oh well, at least he dies before she can make out with him (He tries, but this fool pushes him away!). Yeah, sorry ladies. He doesn't make it. Let's be honest, even if you haven't seen this film, you know the premise from the eighty-kazillion other Nightmare on Elm St. films. Everyone dies. Except for Freddie. He can't be killed. That's a real problem for the kids of Elm St. Anyhoodle... moving on.
So, Nancy continues to have these horrifying nightmares. At one point, things truly get creepy (again) and Nancy pulls something out of her dream - Freddie's hat. Amazingly freaked out at this point, her mother starts acting weird, and she thinks it's best to put bars on the windows and add locks on the doors. To keep the evil out. She apparently doesn't listen too well... he's in her DREAMS, Mom! Finally, when mom gets drunk, she admits the whole horrible story of killing Freddie to her daughter. Well, that doesn't help, now all we know is that the killer is Freddie. So, Nancy continues to suffer these nightmares and people keep dying.
That actually looks like fun... kind of acrobat-y and rhythm gymnastic-y.
So, our hero Heather decides she needs to come up with a plan of survival. By the end, pretty much everyone she knows and loves has died, and she is left alone to kill Krueger. I don't think I'm giving anything away (again for the 2 of you who haven't seen this) if I say that she believes she has killed Krueger, and the end seems happy and how it should be. However, knowing there are more movies to come, Craven did not let it end on such an upbeat note. Honestly? That's how it should be with a killer who can't be killed.
Go forth in fear!
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