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Fear and Loathing in the cult movie blogosphere
Thoughts, analysis and examination of all the splatter that matters.
Am I still a horror fan?
Submitted by Bryan on Mon, 08/18/2008 - 02:37.
One of The Film Fiend's recent posts, about a startling revelation he had recently got me to thinking.
Back in 1982, my family moved from Binghamton, NY, one of the world's most god forsaken cities, to Marblehead, MA and in this new setting, I discovered The Creature Double Feature and horror movies, in general. It changed my life. Though, schlocky, I'd been pining for horror movies since I first saw that Friday the 13th poster on the way into the theater to see The Empire Strikes Back. Ever since then, I'd been devoted to the genre. I even tried my hand at those vinyl horror movie monster model kits to disatrous results. I've spent a good chunk of my life following horror with righteous dedication. That is, until recently.
I'm getting older. I realize this. I also realize that horror's target market has always been an audience half my current age which still puts them below the age requirements for an R rating. Maybe I've been hanging on in hopes of some renaissance that breathes new life into the genre but I forget that that already happened back in 1996 with the advent of Scream and I was just as grumpy then as I am now, only now I actually qualify as a grouchy old guy.
I seem to be nothing less than annoyed with each new movie announcement, "Oh! Fucking fantastic! They're remaking Leprechaun now! What the fuck is this world coming to?" In spite of the fact that I go on and on about how I really don't give a shit about remakes, I have to wonder, who am I trying to convince of this? Don't bother to comment on this point. We've been over it. But it doesn't end there. I take a suitably bourgeois attitude that is nothing short of ironic when it comes to the market that actually fascinates me. I come off like some art house hipster when trying to explain to someone why the American horror market is a numbers machine and unconcerned with a quality product (yet still puzzled over why no one is going to see the movies). It sounds something like this, "Sure, Weather Report were good, but Jaco Pastrorius' solo work is his most vital and experimental." When I'm actually trying to tell you that you should buy a region free DVD player to watch [REC] instead of the upcoming Quarrantine. The only things missing in this instance are a pencil mustache, a beret and a clove cigarette.
Even the original stuff, or semi-original stuff like the quietly remade Korean suspense flick, Mirrors, fails to capture my attention. What about it didn't have me by the balls? The TV ads make it look like some tame teen friendly picture but I'm told it's everything you're expeting from Alexadre Aja.
I'm hardly hanging up my boots, here, but I am ready to accept the fact that I am a grouchy genre asshole. A elitist prick about horror movies. I'm hard pressed to find a movie from the last 20 years that I actually like. There are a few sprinkled here and there, mostly in the direct to video and indie markets, but as far as theatrical stuff goes, I'm just not as interested as I used to be, still hung up on names like Fulci and Naschy. The foreign market still kills me. For instance, I can't wait to dive into that copy of Dark Floors I just got in from Finland but what happened to the domestic stuff? A recent review run of The Asylum's latest steaming piles of worthlessness convinced me that the low budget scene has nothing much going for it, either (except for Richard Griffin).
Fire away.
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I know what you mean. I
I know what you mean. I feel pretty much the same, especially as regards the remakes argument. There have been very few movies recently that I have actually enjoyed enough to make them classics, albeit only to myself.
And Dark Floors, isnt that the 'Lordi' movie? That alone is putting me off it.
www.myspace.com/devil2pay
I love Lordi!
I love Lordi!
I suppose being chased by a
I suppose being chased by a load of eurovision winners could be a pretty scary ordeal, but the film just looks like an excuse for them to show off there costumes. Although the Evil Dead rip off video for Blood Red Sandman wasnt too bad so I may check it out.
www.myspace.com/devil2pay
Had to add this, Just
Had to add this,
Just watched Dark Floors and its got to be one of the worst films Ive seen in a long time. Not scary in the slightest and at no point in the film do we get an explanation as to what exactly is going on.
www.myspace.com/devil2pay
Yeah, I just posted a review
Yeah, I just posted a review of Dark Floors. Make no mistake, that movie fucking sucked!
What about...
I agree with most of your arguments, but I would ask what about films like The Descent, Cloverfield, Feast, 30 Days of Night, Cabin Fever, House of 1,000 Corpses etc etc...??? Obviously I'm sure there are films on that list that you're not a fan of. But I think overall you're being a little too doom and gloom. And this is coming from the grumpiest bastard on this block.
I agree, I'm being pretty
I agree, I'm being pretty bluesy about it and I'm sure we could have a grouch off, but I feel vindicated in my opinion. I have a very low opinion of Rob Zombie and other current genre icons. Guys like him and Eli Roth do something in their movies that drive me crazy: They reference other movies. Roth is probably worse than Zombie about it but Rob crafts entire movies in the mold of other movies while Roth gives you blunt visual cues about how much he loves Cannibal Holocaust. Though I will say this, I keep waiting for Rob Zombie to get it together and I'm interested in Tyrannosaurus Rex. I haven't given up on him yet, but what the hell was the deal with Halloween?
But just to point out a couple of other things: The Descent? Loved it. British. I love Neil Marshall. I avoided Feast because of the Project Greenlight association. That's my own fault for being prejudicial. Maybe I'll catch up with that one at some point. Cloverfield? Interesting idea but Abrams' love affair with the tease broke every rule of the daikaiju movie. You have to show the monster and I don't necessarily mean in fleeting glimpses. I'm talking Terror of Mechagodzilla gratuitous monster money shots. Also, hype++.
For the most part, these movies get so much hype and fan service that by the time I catch up to them, I'm really underwhelmed. I think my problem really lies in the people who make the movies and the machine that gets to decide who makes what. I'm sure some of the contemporaries could turn out something good if they had some creative freedom and if their n00b status didn't relegate them to the world of remakes. What we really need is a director who has the self-restraint to just make a movie and not tell you about his favorite movies through his debut feature.
It'll come back around, though. It always happens. I think at this point, I'm experiencing the genre burnout that hits horror after a wave loses steam.
Bryan, ask for more! Keep
Bryan, ask for more! Keep pushing for it or we are gonna have a genre filled with Saw sequels and teen slashers where the tepid teen stars are more important than the slasher him(her)self. Hell it's already happened but if we don't keep supporting those guys doing new stuff with less, like Billy O'Brien, Lucifer Valentine, Eric Stanze, Doug Buck and others we'll never see a new way. I don't like a lot of what these guys turn out, but at least it isn't running over old ground.
Same as it ever was...
I tend to be the same way, very uppity about the remakes, pissed about the quality of low-budget fare that is so clearly done to break into the business in some abortive way, but I started going through the roll call of movies I love and they spring from all eras. I still like the '63 The Haunting, or Psycho, despite the typically atrocious so-called horror films of the time (ignoring Lewton and, later, Romero), the more character-driven stuff in the '70s (Wicker Man, Rosemary's Baby, The Exorcist), the fun gorefests of the '80s (Re-Animator, From Beyond, Night of the Creeps, Fright Night, etc.) and even the self-referential trends of the '90s, admittedly a lower point. In this new decade, we've seen The Descent and The Mist, [Rec] and the French new wave. All in all, it seems like we're about on pace for a handful of classics and a lot of trash. At least, that's what I tell myself to get to sleep after the Prom night remake...
www.frightflicks.blogspot.com
Exactly
There have always been shitty horror films. And to be fair, those "classics" get a pass from most people because of nostalgia... that hasn't even been brought up yet.
Bo brings up a great point about The Mist which was highly solid, and Inside which was amazing. The 90's were weak but if you can ignore the remakes, there has been a lot of great horror since 2003.
And as far as Cloverfield "breaking" kaiju rules... I'm not a fan of those films at all so it was okay in my book. The only thing prolonged full body shots would have done is make people laugh, so I'm really glad he didn't do it. The whole point was that it was a really personal view of the situation, and b/c of that those types of shots wouldn't have made any sense. His sparing use of the monster was one of the film's biggest assets in my opinion.
I'll grant you the
I'll grant you the Cloverfield argument. The concept is outstanding and in spite of the hype it managed to beat those other verite genre movies to the punch by a few months. Also, I'm a Lost junkie and a ridiculous Abrams fan. So that guys gets a pass from me every time.
I'll tell you, I loved The Mist right up until the ending and I hated the ending so passionately that I feel as though it ruined the entire movie for me. But the short story is a favorite of mine and that showdown with Marcia Gay Harden's character was downright intense.
The 90's was also a real rough time for the genre I think look at it through rose colored glasses, too, because throughout that decade I was doing more bootleg VHS trades than ever thanks to the emergence of the internet. So even though not much happened in terms of horror it seemed like such a busy decade for me since I tapped into foreign markets heavily for the first time.
I guess what I'm doing right now is talking this out with you guys. It's like horror movie therapy for me.
Mist Ending...
I freaking loved the ending of The Mist. In fact, without it i'm not sure if I would have liked the film as much as I did. For me, it's the logical place that story would have ended. Having not read the book, I had no emotional ties to the original ending.
It's funny though how many people were violently upset about the ending of that film. My read is that they were mostly fans of the book who were pissed b/c it was so different from the original ending.
The Good News!
Overall, the one thing that we can all draw satisfaction from is the fact that despite the new, the old provides a seemingly bottomless source to draw from. I haven't seen any of the films that people have called in and suggested as double features as noteworthy classics, and I'll be the first to admit my knowledge of the genre just barely tips fanboy scales. I think the motivation of pawing through old classics ends up much more satisfying than trying to find hope in new ones. That being said, all it takes is a film like "Inside" to restore a marginal bit of faith in the "new school."
Inside: Horror's Requiem for a Dream
I'm really pleased to see so much love for Inside here. When I first saw it, I was shocked and horrified, which is exactly why I watch these movies. It freaked me out. It's not a movie I go back and watch often, or really want to, but that's precisely why it's so effective. I love it, I don't know if I want to be in the place it took me often. What else is horror? Chin up, Bryan, Martyrs is coming, too.
www.frightflicks.blogspot.com
Inside
Huh... I didn't really LOVE "Inside". I'm surprised everyone else seems to dig it so much....
I think Inside will probably
I think Inside will probably seem a harsher watch for women as obviously no men are ever going to appreciate the situation as well as women.
It definately made me feel uneasy (which is something that I havent felt watching a movie sine The Woodsmen) and a couple of my friends who watched it with me were pretty disgusted by it, and me for saying that it was meant to be an amzing film.
www.myspace.com/devil2pay
huh
Maybe I'm just being overly cynical. I just found Inside to be a tad predictable. I would like to give it another watch, just to see. I was struck by some of the visuals ie: the clean white bathroom splattered with blood.
It didn't shock or upset me. I'm equal opportunity when it comes to death and despair in film. Real life has no taboos and censorship.
Maybe I missed something. I have definitely seen much more impressive recently ie: "Ils" aka "Them".
Alright, now I'M confused
Alright, now I'M confused haha
Them...
Well we must be working from different scales then. It's the only explanation I can come up with considering that I thought "Them" was only "okay". It was a decent suspense film but nowhere near as good as the hype it had before I saw it.
I can't stress enough the need to see the Unrated version. You mean to tell me that the last 5 minutes of that film didn't shock you? If you saw the version I did I can't possibly see that being true.
Eric-
I'm unsure if I saw the same version as you. *spoiler alert lol* When she took the baby ala c-section? Cuz maybe I did miss something... especially if that isn't what you're referring to.
Yes
Yes, that is what I'm talking about... *spoiler alert*
In the version I saw, you literally see the entire thing in all it's horribly gruesome glory. Then you see her physically rip the baby out, and the film ends with her all bloody holding the baby in a rocking chair. Kicked my ass! I guess maybe you're just tougher than I am ;) That's always a possibility.
Crazy gore aside, I just
Crazy gore aside, I just think as a FILM inside held up pretty well. It may have not been the most wildly imaginative film ever, but I think the concept and execution were rock solid, save for the occasional wackiness and Ally McBeal baby that we talked about in the podcast. That being said, Christine, bow to your un-shockability!
ha!
No bowing necessary! Although it did make me lol. Mark, I agree with your last statement. I'm glad we could finally reach common ground on this one ;-)
Inside Unrated...
Mark, Casey, Jon and I saw it Unrated at Horror Hound weekend, right after it had been picked up at Anchor Bay. I know there was some hubbub about 7 + minutes being cut out from the "Blockbuster Exclusive" version, so to be honest I'm not sure if an Unrated cut even exists on DVD. If not, trust me when I say those 7 minutes will make a huge difference.
It was just so intense and well done. I would say it was one of the best films I've seen in the last 5 years.
One of our friends we were watching it with (whose wife was pregnant) had to literally walk out because he couldn't handle it. Several other people reported feeling sick afterwards. It didn't have that affect on me (if you listen to the show, you know I'm a cold hearted bastard ;) but I did think it was one of the most intense films I've ever seen.
More on inside...
It's also pretty important to note that we saw it in a huge room of very hyped up people, so some of the disturbances were alleviated by the loud ooh's and aah's of the crowd. It was a much more hyped up atmosphere than I can imagine seeing it at home would be.
Horror in the 90's
All the smack on the horror genre in the 90's got me thinking...
Is it or was it because I was a grizzled vet of horror flicks by the 90's that I look at the decade as a whole as weak?
Probably. Most, if not all of the biggest franchises in horror still had something going during this era. Halloween, Friday the 13th, Freddy, Texas Chainsaw, and even The Exorcist were still around trying to make a few bucks. None of which were my favs by a long shot, but I'm sure there were kids of that time that were getting their share of spooks from these. Along came Scream and it's sequels, to bring even more teens into the genre. Still not for me, I'm thinking maybe it was the 90's, maybe I was almost what my teenage self would have considered "old" by then.
No, no, wait there were some good, if not great ones when I really try and think about it. Silence of the Lambs, Army of Darkness, In the Mouth of Madness, Misery, Seven, Sixth Sense, and Blade and even others that touch the horror genre (like Alien did back in the day), with The Matrix and T2.
The 90's weren't all that bad.
First I'll start by saying
First I'll start by saying that I'm allot older than most on this board. And I'm not as much of a Horror aficionado as allot of you people here. I've seen the Exorcist, Carrie, Last house on the Left, Zombie and Dawn of the Dead in the theaters on there first run. There where some real great movies coming out when I was at prime theater going age (a job and a car or friends who drove). But there was also a lot of shit too.
During the 80's and 90's I was so busy getting my ducks in a row that I didn't see too many movie out side of a date and most dates don't want to see that stuff. I got out for some thing's like The Reanimator, Day of the Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween. Now that I'm looking back at older stuff that I had heard so much about and wanted to see back in the day, allot of that is crap too. I think you have a "prime time" in your life and things from that time seem better because of nostalgia or not having been desensitized yet. When that guy came out of the room and took a chunk out of his wife's neck in Dawn Of The Dead I almost shit myself and couldn't sleep that night. Now it just kinda looks funny.
I've really been diving into the horror stuff for last...maybe five years and I've seen some really great stuff and some really terrible stuff. The great that stands out for me, most have already been mentioned. Dog Soldiers, Feast, Cloverfield, the Decent, Behind the Mask - the Rise of Leslie Vernon, the Signal, the first Saw, Resident Evil, 30 Days of Night, the Mist, 28 Days Later, Planet Terror, and High Tension.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that there has always been crap out there trying to cash-in and it's part of being a fan that you have to put up with the shit to appreciate the real gem when it comes along. Also one mans trash is another mans treasure.
I have Inside in my queue, but I rent from Blockbuster online so I'm not too sure if it is worth watching or not but I'll still give it a look. BTW Imdb has the running time at 83 min (US R rated at 75min) Blockbuster online has it at 82 min.
Aim for the head-!!
Completely Agree
with Headshot's take on "primetime", "nostalgia", and the whole one man's trash (don't dare say "junk" these days) is another man's treasure is spot on.
Just like the bulk of the music we listen to in our lifetime is based upon those days in our youth where it really seems to mean something.
I'll add with it all depends on the attitude and mood you have when watching and listening to just about anything.