Horrorshow: What Lies Beneath

I'm actually still not sure what to make of this movie. What Lies Beneath didn't come recommended to me in any fashion; it's just something my roommate had sitting on his shelf. And... well, I thought it was pretty good, but there are of course some qualifications.

About half and hour into the movie, I got a feeling that I'd seen this story already. Then, another half-hour later, I felt like I was watching a completely different but still familiar film. In fact, What Lies Beneath felt like a mix-tape of about every horror film trope I've come to be familiar with.

Luckily, the actors carry these tropes off pretty well - especially Michelle Pfeiffer who, considering the only other movie I've seen her in, is a much better actress than I expected. Harrison Ford (who is VERY good) tips his hand a bit early on, revealing the twist within the first half-hour; however, I lay the blame for that on the script rather than the actor.

Above all else, though, there are the bathtub scenes. These scenes are surprisingly intense, even if a little silly (There's a drug that paralyzes completely except for a person's eyeballs?). Still, you get a real sense of dread, especially as the killer maintains a casual tone while filling up the tub. That stuff's pretty chilling.

My schedule's getting a bit busier this week, so I may not have time for any more horror flicks before Halloween. Wish I'd gotten a few more genuine scares this year. Well, there's always 2013...

Horrorshow: The Changeling

Hey, look! It's a legit horror film! How about that?

The Changeling has been recommended to me more times (and more insistently) than just about any other horror film. I put it off for a while... because apparently that's what I do when people recommend things to me. Got a chance to watch it last night, and... well, I was pretty pleasantly surprised.

I've only ever seen one other George C. Scott movie, despite the fact that he's one of the more prominent actors in Hollywood history, and that earlier film was an adaptation of A Christmas Carol, so it didn't provide me with much insight into the performance I got. Scott's character never seems like he's being terrified by the peculiar goings-on in the house he's rented - if anything, he just gets more and more motivated to uncover the truth. Honestly, I almost prefer that approach in horror films than the usual terrified victim routine. Or maybe that was just this film. Either way, I approve.

My favorite aspect of the film is, surprisingly, the title: it references an element from Irish (I think) folklore that doesn't literally figure in to the plot. However, the titular beastie does appear in a metaphorical sense. It's subtle, but incredibly apt.

As for the scare factor... well, it's strange, but I don't find myself getting all that frightened by these movies - not like the crop I watched two years ago. Dated production values in The Changeling make some of the intended scares seem cheap and almost laughable. There are a few genuinely frightening moments, but nothing that made me squirm in my seat.

Maybe it's just those darn violent video games again.

Okay, so it wasn't all that scary to me. That doesn't mean it wasn't a good movie. In fact, I think The Changeling is in the running for the best horror movie I've seen this year, which, given some of the other films I've seen, may sound like a faint-praise damnation. But, trust me, it's pretty good.

Horrorshow: Red Riding Hood

I... I'm not sure this counts.

Just to be clear: I'm not the one who classified this as a horror movie. I found it at the library with a little orange sticker on the DVD case, which means the library considers it to be either a horror film or an animated feature. And, considering how flat everyone's faces are, there's NO WAY anyone can call this animated.

ZING!

*ahem*

Sorry about that.

Right from the movie poster, we're off to a bad start. See, I happened to know going into this movie that Gary Oldman had a role. Looking at the poster, I see Amanda Seyfried and two pretty boys with anachronistically spiked hair. No Gary Oldman.

Look, movie, when you have Gary Oldman in your movie, you need to make sure people can see your Gary Oldman. Failure to do so is just a poor use of your Gary Oldman. I hope you learned your lesson.

Okay, so this movie was pretty much a failure on all fronts, but most prominently as an adaptation of the Red Riding Hood fable. The original story is FULL of symbolism about, like, adolescence and innocence and stuff. The movie doesn't even ATTEMPT to reference the metaphorical weight of the original. Rather, they take all the visual elements of the fairy tale and hammer them into a plot where they just do not belong. I mean, the whole "Grandma, what big teeth you have" exchange takes place in a dream - meaning, frankly, that it has no influence on the actual plot.

There is exactly one scene which I thought looked good - At one point, High Inquisitor Oldman decides Amanda Seyfried's character (who is NOT named Red and, therefore, I don't care what her name is) would make good bait for the werewolf, so he parades her around in the village square and places an iron wolf mask on her face. We get a few shots of Seyfried's friends coming around and accusing her of being a witch, all shot through the eye sockets of the mask. The effect is claustrophobic, oppressive. I actually said, out loud, while watching the movie, "Okay, THAT was pretty good."

Other than that, you just have a bland teenage romance that encourages young girls to disobey their parents and go off with the first boy they fall in love with who might literally eat their faces off. Which... is actually pretty scary, but not in the way the movie intended.

Horrorshow: The Turn of the Screw

So far this year, my horror movie selections have pretty much been limited to what's been on the shelf at the local library. That's led to some pretty interesting selections (more on that later). I saw this title, though, and remember that a friend recommended it, so I checked it out.

Truth be told, I had a lot of trouble following the story in the Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of The Turn of the Screw. I'll credit most of that to a breakneck pace set by a very condensed script. I suppose I could also shuffle some of the blame onto the low volume I play most movies at now, since my roommates go to bed at 9:00 most nights.

Subtitles are important, and some movies just don't have them.

That said, there were some good moments. The supposed "ghosts" were sufficiently ominous and impressive in their appearances (although the music in this particular production does them no favors). The scenery and some bits of cinematography were also pretty impressive for a "made for public TV production." But, for me, the real draws to this show are the children.

Creepy kids are a common trope in horror fiction, and The Turn of the Screw has got two notable examples. The young girl is all sweet and innocent, but she's got a certain edge that makes you question her sincerity. The fact that she looks a bit like a Culkin kid doesn't make her any more sympathetic, either.

The same goes for the boy who plays Miles. His odd familiarity with the governess unsettles the viewer far more than any loud strikes at the piano keys, and the actor keeps his face a blank just enough to hide whatever he's thinking while still presenting a veneer of innocence.

So, yeah, it wasn't my favorite movie, but it does make me want to go pick up the book - which, unless I'm very much mistaken, is probably exactly what the masterminds behind Masterpiece Theatre would want. Well, that and maybe for me to fill up my gas tank.

It was sponsored by ExxonMobil. That's all.

Horrorshow: Night of the Living Dead

Yet again, I've dipped my hand in the zombie well, only for it to come back up all goopy and brainy.

Actually, I found that I liked Night of the Living Dead a lot more than 28 Days Later or any of the other zombie films I've seen before. The violence is a lot more subtle - it's still present, but much of it happens just off-screen, so it's a little easier to stomach, if a bit more traumatizing to the psyche.

And isn't that what horror is all about?

It's nice to see the "genesis" of most zombie tropes. Most plot twists and devices now considered cliche come across as new and terrifying when witnessed in their first context. When the audience is introduced to a little girl who's been bitten by a zombie, her conversion into a full-blown walking dead brain muncher comes as a terrible shock.

Finally, I have to say something about the protagonists. Barbara is a far cry from most horror "scream queens" we've gotten used to today, but the real star of the show is Ben, a man who drowns himself in pragmatism to keep from giving in to the horror of the situation. A pretty impressive character, I thought.

Horrorshow: Pan's Labyrinth

I think my brother may have been a little upset that I wasn't overly fond of the last movie he recommended me. Well, today's post should make him feel a little better, I think.

I had some misgivings going into Pan's Labyrinth about the level of violence. I mean, this is a pretty disgustingly violent movie - even worse than I'd anticipated. But... gosh darn it, if I didn't think it was good all the same.

I mean, this film is STUNNING. Ironically, the more "modern" CG effects look pretty dated now, but the "old school" puppetry and costuming is gorgeous. Some of the best-looking special effects I've ever seen in anything, ever, and that without any Dayglow Blue Smurf People.

Pan's Labyrinth is going into the same category as Lolita - a story I'm really glad I experienced, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to go through again. Then again, the juxtaposition of ambiguous darkness in the fantasy world and genuine evil in the real world create a wonderful tension I honestly think I'd like to experience again.

It's a very confusing film, that's all I'm trying to say.

I may actually PURCHASE the two disc DVD set, if only for the "Making Of" featurettes on disc two. I love hearing artsy people discuss stuff they feel passionate about, and Guillermo Del Toro doesn't disappoint. I ALMOST liked the featurettes more than the film, and that's pretty impressive.

I guess some people might question categorizing Pan's Labyrinth as a horror film. Wikipedia calls it "dark fantasy." I call it, "Why does that guy not have any eyeba... AAHH!!! RUN! RUN! STOP EATING, YOU STUPID GIRL! AAHH!"

I say that counts.

Horrorshow: 28 Days Later

As much as I love all things nerdy, I've never been a big fan of zombies. Mainly, I just can't stomach zombie violence. So in asking for recommendations for horror movies, I tend to gloss over anything that has the shambling, undead metaphors for the mass-consumption of society.

So why'd I opt to watch 28 Days Later? Well, partially because it came so strongly recommended by my brother, and partially because I'm kind of a big fan of Cillian Murphy. Oh, and the zombies in this movie aren't real zombies, so there's that.

For about the first half of the movie, I watch Murphy's performance and thought to myself, "Hum. He looks a lot like Christopher Eccleston in this movie." Then Christopher Eccleston showed up...

28 Days Later gets a well-deserved R rating, but I'm not sure how necessary the "content" is. I get that violence is the foundation of any good zombie movie, but I REALLY would have liked a good five minute stretch without hearing the F-bomb.

Oh, and was there any point in having Cillian Murphy wake up completely naked in the hospital? Seriously, for the rest of the movie, I wasn't thinking about when the next zombie scare was coming. I was thinking, "What kind of terrible hospital leaves their post-op patients lying naked and completely uncovered on top of their beds?"

Seriously irresponsible medical practice, guys.

Horrorshow: The Woman in Black

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're back!

Two years ago, I decided I'd spend the month of October watching horror movies. I didn't really watch too many last year, so I'm pretty excited to have another go at the Horrorshow in 2012.

The first horror movie I ever watched was Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell, so I think it's only fitting that I kick off this year's horror movie marathon with THE EXACT SAME MOVIE!

Okay, maybe that's a little unfair, but the entire time I watched The Woman in Black, I couldn't help but notice several similarities between this movie and Drag Me to Hell, ESPECIALLY as the films near their conclusions. If you've seen them both, then the dark night in the rain and mud, the fake out resolution, and the finale at the train station all feel suspiciously familiar.

However, The Woman in Black trades Raimi's comedy for a slow-boil creepy atmosphere that, personally, I prefer. There are some nice long stretches of near-silence that just ratchet up the anticipation of future scares very nicely.

Also, I don't know what they did with the lighting, but everyone's EYES just stood out in nearly every shot. There was one seen where Daniel Radcliffe's eyes actually looked like they were different colors. I don't know if the intent was to highlight the eyes or just add some deep shadows, but I liked it.

I have a few misgivings about The Woman in Black. It's a pretty formulaic movie, but (at least for me) the formula's still relatively new. I enjoyed the heck out of it, even if I spent a few minutes yelling at the screen because WHY THE HECK WOULD YOU LET GO OF YOUR CHILD'S HAND WHEN THERE'S A GHOST ON THE PROWL?!?!

GAH! Harry Potter's an idiot sometimes.

Horrorshow: The Last Exorcism

Unlike last Halloween, I haven't been able to watch a whole lot of horror movies this year. I did manage to squeeze in a viewing of The Last Exorcism, which looks like some strange mash-up of The Blair Witch Project, The Exorcist, and, oddly enough, Rosemary's Baby (that, um, may have been a spoiler).

Despite the unoriginal the premise, there's a lot that works in this movie. I got freaked out quite a bit by the creepy atmosphere, and there are a couple of well-executed jump scares. The casting is pretty good, especially Ashley Bell as the possessed girl.

I did get kinda disctracted by some of the casting, though ("Hey, isn't that the guy from that one episode of Burn Notice?").

So the movie's scary enough, but the plot left a LOT to be desired. The whole "Satanic cult impregnates an innocent woman to give birth to the Antichrist" thing felt a little out of place, almost tacked on, like the writers realized they forgot to add the requisite twist ending (However, I STILL felt that the demon impregnation plot is still handled better here than in Rosemary's Baby. Horror purists may commence with the hate).

I guess I can say that I LIKED The Last Exorcism, although I feel little desire to ever watch it again. I'm starting to wonder if horror just isn't my genre - with only one exception (Psycho), I've yet to see any horror movie that I felt drawn to watch again.

Oh, I also saw Charade for the first time this weekend, and now I want to be Carey Grant when I grow up. But that's not scary at all, is it?

Horrorshow: Finale

What better way to end the Halloween season than with a horror movie double-feature?

Before this, I don't think I'd ever seen an actual Vincent Price film. Now my life will never be the same...

The House of Haunted Hill is a great suspense story - full of tense, genuinely frightening moments. It's a fairly dated film, of course, by today's standards. I found the lack of gore to be refreshing, especially after some of my bloodier forays into horror filmdom.

Now, the whole film, you KNOW some evil scheming is going on besides the supernatural, and that tends to blur the line between what is real and what isn't. Even at the end, I wasn't quite sure what was going on for CERTAIN - but SOMETHING was definitely up.

The atmosphere is tense, the chemistry between actors believable, and Vincent Price is a genuinely creepy presence at all times.

And speaking of "blurring the lines of reality"...

My dad touted The Haunting as one of his favorite horror movies - mainly because there is no way to determine if anything supernatural actually is going on. The tenants of Hill House experience many supernatural phenomena, but there's nothing that can't be SOMEHOW explained away by natural events.

If there's one storytelling device I would LOVE to get rid of, it's the internal monologue. Watching a person's face fill up a screen, hearing them talk in an echoing voice WITHOUT their mouth moving... nothing throws me out of a movie faster. Luckily, it's a trend that seems to have all but died off in most forms of storytelling (even comics are getting rid of thought balloons). Still, in older films, it's a bit jarring - and The Haunting RELIES on the internal monologue device.

Since The Haunting is all about the gradual disintegration of a human psyche, most of the film is spent building the atmosphere slowly and subtly. There aren't a lot of jump-out-of-your-seat scares, but the ones that ARE there will get you good.

And I think that's it for horror movies this year. I'm starting to jump at shadows - and, with as early as it gets dark nowadays, there are a LOT of shadows out there. I'll probably pick some more up next Halloween, but... geez.

Horrorshow: Silence of the Lambs

Gotta admit, I think all these scary movies are getting to me. I haven't been having nightmares, per se, but there's been a definite sense of unease gradually building around me.

Man, I LOVE Halloween!

Silence of the Lambs has been on my list of movies to watch ever since I caught a couple of scenes on television a few years back. They were dark, intense, and utterly terrifying.

As it turns out, I caught the most intense parts of the movie, and didn't really need to see the rest.

I'm sorry to report that Silence of the Lambs is kind of overrated. The plot's pretty thin, and the main character, Clarice, doesn't really have enough depth to make her an interesting protagonist to watch for two hours.

The serial killers were by FAR more fascinating to watch. Buffalo Bill's the second character I've seen in horror to use transvestism as a means of frightening the bejeezus out of the audience, and it's pretty darn effective in both instances. Hannibal Lecter's such a prominent figure in pop culture anymore that anything I'd have to say about him would be redundant.

So, yeah. Silence of the Lambs. Kind of dull, but worth it for the psychos.

Horrorshow: The Grudge

I'd been looking forward to watching The Grudge for a long time. I'd seen pictures of the ghosts from the movie, and they absolutely terrified me. So, yeah, I figured this would be a good movie for a good scare.

Turns out I was only half right.

The Grudge is actually one of the scariest movies I've seen. There's a tense atmosphere built up around each of the set pieces that haunts you even after the movie's over. The ghosts themselves are memorable and incredibly terrifying, from their jet black hair and pale skin to the pained, unnatural noises they make.

Thing is, though, that The Grudge is not really a good movie. Most of the acting is wooden and unconvincing - especially from Sarah Michelle Gellar, the lead. The plot itself is just a shallow excuse to introduce the scarier moments, which - effective as they are - aren't enough to carry a narrative on their own.

Still, this movie scared the CRAP out of me.

Horrorshow: Saw

Here's a movie that I never expected to watch...

Judging from its reputation, I expected Saw to be the most violent, goriest movie I've ever seen. That's about what I got - I don't think I've ever seen a movie that actually compelled me to close my eyes while watching it unless it was putting me to sleep.

I was surprised, though, to find a movie with an overall compelling psychological plot. The movie doesn't really focus on the blood and violence as much as it does the riddle of getting out of the deathtrap. It was the focus on the characters and their situation that really caught my attention, more than any of the implied (or explicit) violence.

By far, my favorite parts of the movie are less about death and more about terror. There's a scene focusing on a woman caught in a "reverse bear trap" attached to her head (featured in the movie poster above). Now, in the movie, this scene is related to us in flashback, so we KNOW she survives. What caught my attention here was the cinematography: the woman's efforts to break out of the trap are shown in fast-forward, adding a frantic, desperate energy to an already chilling scene.

The other scene - which may be one of my favorite horror scenes of all time - takes place almost completely in the dark. A man is being stalked by a home invader, but all the lights in his apartment have gone out. The only source of light comes from the flash on his camera. It's pretty well-executed - I jumped every time the camera went off. The scene was intense, frightening, and completely bloodless.

The plot gets worn a bit thin at points - there are certain events that simply don't hold well under close analysis. Some of the intense moments are a bit derivative (a character has to reach his hand into a filthy toilet right at the beginning in a scene almost directly pulled from Silent Hill 2). Oh, and make no mistake, this is a VIOLENT film - one I'll probably never watch again.

But I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Saw at least this once.

Horrorshow: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

Remember breathing? I miss breathing.

Yeah, I'm still feeling sick - terrible feeling, really, especially since I'm still in this play tonight. Hopefully, my voice will be well enough to hit all the high notes.

Anyway, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

I knew nothing about this old silent film before going in. Well, I'd heard that it was the first film in the German Expressionist movement or something like that, but that doesn't mean anything to me. All I knew was, "Scary silent film? At the Organ Loft? I'm there."

And there I was. Now, granted, this is an EXTRAORDINARILY dated movie. Silent comedies are still almost 100% gold, but anything else tends to fall a bit flat. The march of technology has really put a couple cracks in what is supposed to be one of the first great films of all time.

Now, mind, that doesn't make this a BAD film. The visuals are stunning - probably among the best I've seen in a silent film. There's a level of Tim Burton surreality to the set pieces - you just have to overlook the shaking when an actor walks on them.

There's a scene right towards the end in the insane asylum that is absolutely chilling, and a twist ending that brought a wicked little smile to my face. So, yeah, this is one entertaining piece of history.

Horrorshow: The Ring

The nice thing about being laid up sick is that you don't really get hung up on the amount of time you spend watching movies. So here's another one.

The Ring has always been a movie I've been curious about. I remember when the movie first came out - I'd just started college, and I overheard the following exchange between two single returned missionaries just older than me:

Guy 1: Hey, have you seen that movie The Ring yet?

Guy 2: No way, man. I'm trying to stay as far away from rings as possible.

A sentiment I often find myself echoing.

Anyway, there's a movie here somewhere.

So I found the beginning of The Ring to be a bit... well, stupid. The two blonde sorority girls basically give away the whole plot of the movie right there ("So, like, have you heard about this movie that kills you. It, like totally kills you DEAD. Omagawsh!"), when I think I would have wanted a bit more suspense. Also, there were a couple of parts in the middle when I found myself nodding off - but a lot of that might have had to do with me being sick and all that.

Still, when the movie was over, I stared at my phone, terrified that it was actually going to ring, and I hesitated getting too close to the TV when I took the disc out.

A good movie, then, I'd say.

Horrorshow Trifecta

It's been a busy week - but, apparently, not so busy that I wasn't able to squeeze in three more scary movies. Exactly HOW scary... well, I'll tell you.

First up, we've got Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd. Now, this isn't exactly a horror movie per se, but I killed all the lights in my apartment and treated it like one. Actually, if you're pretty squeamish about blood (which I am), then you might find this movie pretty scary (which I did). I had been told that the blood was very cartoony, so I thought I'd be able to handle it. Well, the gore's definitely over-the-top, but it's extremely gruesome - cartoony is NOT the word I'd use.

My first encounter with Sweeney Todd was the Angela Lansbury musical, so that's more or less what I was expecting. I found that I missed a lot of the great Sondheim music that I loved from the original. The visuals (except for the blood) are great, classic Burton, so it's worth seeing for that.

Final verdict: Good movie, but not quite what I expected.

The second movie I caught is considered to be a horror classic, Rosemary's Baby. I'd been looking forward to this movie, as everything I'd heard about the story promised exactly the tense, threatening atmosphere I was so hoping to find in a horror film. Sadly, here I was a bit disappointed.

For a story about a woman pregnant with the devil's child, I expected more suspense. The ending is nice and tense, but there's not a whole lot of action to carry me through to the end. Rosemary gets a little sick-looking, sure, and there are a couple of moments when she devours raw meat that helped to create a real feeling of unease. The problem, though, is that we know from the beginning how things are going to end. It's no real surprise when we find out who the father of the baby is, because we saw the whole thing, right from the inception.

Which leads to another criticism I had with the film - it's unnecessarily graphic. The female lead gets a couple of full-frontal shots, which feel completely tacked on and irrelevant. Again, that's probably a weird complaint, especially when "devil rape" is the central action in the story. The nudity doesn't really serve to shock or make anyone feel uncomfortable - it's just sort of there.

I've been told I should be more forgiving of the film and consider the impact it must have had when it first came out - and, granted, the audience of 1968 was probably more shocked by nudity than I was. Still, I think the best movies don't need time to serve as an excuse - they're great REGARDLESS of when you watch them.

Case in point: Psycho.

There's a reason this is considered to be one of the best movies of all time. It's truly fantastic. The entire movie works to build a growing sense of unease that completely rocks the audience.

I wish I'd seen this movie before hearing the whole plot synopsis - that way, the surprise reveals would have been more effective. Alfred Hitchcock, though, is a master, and I found myself shouting in surprise (yes, shouting, alone in my apartment) at every twist. The famous shower scene is every bit as effective as you've heard without actually showing the naked woman (take note, Rosemary's Baby).

I strongly recommend Psycho for a Halloween viewing. The movie now belongs on my list of all-time favorites.

Horrorshow: Drag Me to Hell

I've been experimenting in a lot of genres and media that I haven't ever really tried before. I've been listening to dance music. I've gone to a bunch of art exhibits. I've even read manga for the first time in my life. In the spirit of exploration, I just watched my first real horror movie - and, despite all the opinions I've heard to the contrary, Kazaam doesn't count.

Last night I watched Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell... and I'm not sure how I feel about it

See, a lot of what I love about the horror genre (or, at least, the IDEA of the genre) is the atmosphere - the feeling that, at any moment, something terrible will happen. The only real experience I have in the horror genre AT ALL is in video games (like Silent Hill 2), where immersion is the game's primary objective. Movies don't have the time to cultivate the environment of fear quite like a video game does, so I think my expectations might have been off

Also, a lot of the creep factor (at least in this movie) comes more from the gross-out moments than anything else - and there were a LOT of gross out moments. I saw more old-lady spittle than I ever thought possible, and it's not as much of a turn-on as I thought it would

Wow, I have GOT to stop typing

Anyway, Drag Me to Hell - pretty good movie. Extremely goofy (but, considering what little I know of Sam Raimi and his usual accomplices, seems fitting), not as scary as I was hoping, but enjoyable.