Tag Archives: Horror Film

On The Eleventh Day of Christmas: Silent Night, Deadly Night: Ho Ho … Holds the Controversy

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Silent Night, Deadly Night boasts a history shared by few ’80’s horror films. Arguably its infamy far outreaches its quality. At its best, Silent Night, Deadly Night is a sleazy B-movie that hits the ‘so bad, it’s good’ switch. Many horror fans may just consider it plain bad. But when this Christmas chiller was released on November 9, 1984, it sparked unusually widespread public outrage. The backlash rivalled the ‘Video Nasties’ moral panic in England. In this edition of The Vault, I examine the convergence of factors that elevated a trashy splatter film to cult status.

Silent Night, Deadly Night Has Its Roots in 70’s Grindhouse Cinema

Critics largely lumped Silent Night, Deadly Night in with the slasher film craze of the 1980’s. While it’s by no means mutually exclusive, Silent Night, Deadly Night arguably shares more DNA with 70’s grindhouse splatter films.

Film fans often cite Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho as the precursor to the slasher movie. Hitchcock’s infamous shower scene introduced the basic slasher ingredient of the depraved psychosexual killer. Familiar 70’s and 80’s movies, including the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and Friday the 13th, would each introduce more pieces to the familiar slasher puzzle. On one hand, Silent Night, Deadly Night’s tragic killer, Billy, exemplifies the sub-genre’s sexually depraved killer. But Silent Night feels more like the sleazy splatter movies that circulated Times Square’s 42nd Street once upon a time in the 1970’s.

With its grainy picture quality and casually sleazy blend of sex and violence, Silent Night feels like grindhouse splatter.

Though both sub-genres share similarities, the key difference lies in their primary focus. Slasher movies combine elements of suspense and graphic violence. In contrast, the splatter film is more concerned with the abject portrayal of terror and physical destruction. Typically, there’s little emphasis on suspense. Herschell Gordon Lewis’s Blood Feast is to the splatter movie as Psycho was to the slasher film. Eli Roth and Rob Zombie dabbled in splatter aesthetics with Hostel and The Devil’s Rejects during the 2000’s “torture porn” movement. With its grainy picture quality and casually sleazy blend of sex and violence, Silent Night feels like grindhouse splatter. It has more in common with sleazoid movies like The Toolbox Murders and Abel Ferrara’s Driller Killer than Halloween.

Silent Night

Santa Claus is Apparently Off Limits

Timing is everything. Upon its release, Silent Night, Deadly Night was met by waves of protests. Parents and teachers criticized the marketing campaign that put its Santa Claus-themed killer front row and center. Demonizing Santa Claus would traumatize children, they argued. Distributor TriStar Pictures buckled under pressure and pulled advertisements almost a week before its release date. Several theatres declined to even screen Silent Night, Deadly Night.

Of course, the idea of a killer dressed as Santa Claus wasn’t new. Just four years earlier, obscure slasher movie Christmas Evil featured a rampaging murderer dressed as Old Saint Nick. British anthology horror film Tales from the Crypt beat both movies to the punch by 10 years. Its segment, …And All Through the House has a homicidal maniac dressed as Santa trying to break into a home on Christmas Eve. Neither of these movies attracted any public protest.

Friday the 13th, Censorship, and the Video Nasties List

At the time of its release, Silent Night was hitting a changing social climate. Some of this increased scrutiny of the horror genre can be traced back to Friday the 13th. In 1980, Friday the 13th was something of a game-changer for horror. Not that there was anything particularly original about the movie. Director Sean S. Cunningham mixed bits of Italian giallo with John Carpenter’s Halloween and a bit of grindhouse splatter for good meaure. As compared to ’70 grindhouse horror and Italian Giallo, Friday the 13th’s violence and sex was tame. But Friday the 13th was a box office success. The effect was to drag horror movie violence from seedy grindhouse theatres and videostore shelves into the public spotlight.

The effect was to drag horror movie violence from seedy grindhouse theatres and videostore shelves into the public spotlight.

A wave of slasher movie knock-off’s followed in the wake of Friday the 13th’s success. However, its success also attracted the attention of cinematic puritans, prompting a wave of censorship. Subsequent slasher movies, including Friday the 13th Part II and My Bloody Valentine, were hacked and slashed by the Motion Picture Association of America. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean, activist Mary Whitehouse pressured the British government to introduce the Video Recordings Act in 1984. The Act resulted in the infamous ‘Video Nasties List’, which saw 72 horror movies denied certification by the British Board of Film Classifications. Silent Night, Deadly Night was marketed and released in this climate.

Silent Night, Deadly Night a Victim of Moral Hypocrisy

What makes Silent Night, Deadly Night such an interesting case study was the source of public outrage itself. Consider for a moment that this is a movie in which not one, but three, different female characters are killed in various states of undress. Scream Queen Linnea Quigley is impaled on a mounted deer head while wearing only shorts. All of this violence is captured with gruesomely effective practical effects. Yet public protestors didn’t have much to say about violence against women. Nor did protests focus on the characterization of mental health and trauma.

Instead public outrage centred on the movie’s use of Santa Claus and its effect on children. Like most moral panics, the morality espoused by the various claims-makers was rather random, if not outright suspect. Silent Night, Deadly Night’s marketing campaign didn’t help. Apparently, a few televisions ads aired in the middle of family-friendly television programming (see Hysteria Lives). It all resulted in a ‘won’t someone think of the children’ moment not unlike a South Park episode. Keep in mind, this was also around the same time the child safety movement and ‘stranger danger’ were getting a foothold.

From Public Enemy No.1 to Cult Classic

In spite of the controversy, Silent Night, Deadly Night went on to produce four anemic sequels, an Internet meme, and a loose 2012 remake. Scream Factory assembled a batch of materials for a special Blu-ray treatment. None of this should be surprising. Several of the original ‘Video Nasties’ movies have been remade over the last 10 years or so with not so much as a peep from critics. Silent Night, Deadly Night was released into a perfect storm for controversy. Critics were already scrutinizing the genre. This increased attention coupled with its Santa Claus-themed killer amounted to the worst case scenario of bad-timing. But time heals all wounds. Or ‘there’s no such thing as bad press.’ Either way Silent Night, Deadly Night has done what so many bad movies have done in the past – compensated for box office failure with cult status.

Incident in a Ghostland: A Flawed and Challenging Psychological Horror Film

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Controversial director Pascal Laugier, the creative force behind the divisive Martyrs, is dividing audiences and critics again with his latest release. A Canadian-French production, Incident in a Ghostland, had a limited theatrical release. But before the studio even released Ghostland, it was courting controversy. One of its stars, an on-set accident seriously disfigured actress Taylor Hickson. Following its initial release, a number of critics signaled out Laugier’s latest effort. Specifically, critics called out Ghostland for its perceived misogynistic and transphobic content. How much of this criticism is valid? And does Incident in a Ghostland offer scares and maybe some subtext alongside its controversy?

IMPORTANT – THIS REVIEW IS SPOILER-FREE

Synopsis

Sixteen years ago, bestselling horror author Elizabeth Keller and her mother and sister, Vera, experienced a traumatic event. Shortly after arriving at their deceased aunt’s abandoned home, two serial killers invade the home, subjecting the women to a brutal attack. Years later Elizabeth receives a desperate and cryptic phone call from her sister. Reluctantly, she returns to their family home where the memories of that night still haunt her family.

Incident in a Ghostland Offers a Disturbing and, Challenging, Story

It would be easy to dismiss Laugier as a misogynistic hack if his work wasn’t so intriguing. Similar to Martyrs, Laugier, who also wrote the screenplay, never takes his story in a predictable direction. Simply put, there nothing formulaic about the storytelling itself. After an early twist, Incident in a Ghostland delivers another curveball at the halfway point that completely changes the movie. That is, Laugier forces you to reconsider what happened in the previous 40 to 45 minutes. Even in its closing moments, Incident in a Ghostland raises more questions. It’s layered and complex storytelling that engages even as it also repulses.

It’s layered and complex storytelling that engages even as it also repulses.

And then there are the very obvious problems with the movie. Many of the criticisms leveled at Laugier are legitimate. In addition to complaints about misogyny, critics have accused Incident in a Ghostland of transphobia in its portrayal of one of the movie’s two killers. While this killer plays only a small role in the overall story, this is essentially the thrust of the criticism. Neither killer is fleshed out or elevated beyond being a ‘really bad person’. Laugier fails to give his villains motive or any sort of discernible characteristic. Moreover, horror has a long history of characterizing transgendered and gay characters as evil – from Dressed to Kill to Sleepaway Camp. While those movies can argue that their creators made them in a different time, Ghostland has no excuse. It’s a completely unnecessary aspect of the movie that adds nothing.

Incident in a Ghostland’s Violence Raises Difficult Questions

On one hand, Incident in a Ghostland falls short of Martyrs‘ onscreen brutality. Nevertheless, Incident in a Ghostland is an absolutely violent movie and, more importantly, its violence is uncompromising. Laugier doesn’t peddle in the cartoonish violence characteristic of most slashers. Here, the violence is grim and nasty, not unlike Laugier’s past work in the New French Extremity. Much if not all of this violence is directed at young women. This is also a movie filled with doll imagery wherein its killers literally dress their victims up as dolls. Maybe Laugier wanted to make some commentary on the objectification of women. If so, Incident in a Ghostland undoes it own message with its own excessive violence. Here is a movie that begs the question – hos much is too much?

…Incident in a Ghostland is an absolutely violent movie and, more importantly, its violence is uncompromising.

Where Incident in a Ghostland distinguishes itself from formulaic slashers is its relationship between the movie’s sisters. Initially, Taylor Hickson’s ‘Vera’ is a thoroughly unlikable character. She’s the typical surly teenager that is mean and petty to her younger sister. But if much of Ghostland is focused on violence against women, a significant part of its story is the sisters’ bond ]] and the strength it affords them. As Laugier ratchets up the tension – an aspect of psychological horror at which he is quite adept – it’s the bond between the sisters that gives them the strength to fight back. Of course this part of the movie would have landed with a thud if not for the consistently compelling performances given by both Hickson and Emilia Jones.

Incident in a Ghostland Proves to be a Challenging Film To Review or Recommend

Bottom line, Incident in a Ghostland proves to be a challenging movie to review or recommend. With so many twists, it’s hard to discuss the movie without spoiling anything. And while he’s no stranger to controversy, Laugier again invites more concerns in the era of #MeToo and #TimesUp. Undoubtedly, the movie’s brutal subject matter and violence will put off casual horror fans. As for more hardcore horror enthusiasts, Incident in a Ghostland is both flawed and still very much compelling, tense, and at times quite scary. For people who prefer their horror films to be hardcore and intense, Ghostland is worth investing the time.

THE PROFESSOR’S FINAL GRADE: B-

Night of the Living Dead: Romero’s Masterpiece Remains Essential Viewing

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“They’re coming to get you, Barbara.” And with that line of dialogue, Night of the Living Dead  entered popular cultural lexicon. To date, George A. Romero’s zombie masterpiece has produced five sequels and its own thriving horror subgenre. Horror fans know the story behind the movie. Romero made his masterpiece with a small budget, on-location sites in rural Pennsylvania, and local actors and friends. Few horror films have earned the same level of attention in popular and academic writing. Even after 50 years, Romero’s low-budget, black-and-white zombie film is one of the most influential horror films in the genre.

Synopsis

Late in the day, Barbara and brother, Johnny, arrive at a rural cemetery to pay respects to their late father. After some teasing, a strange, shambling man attacks and kills Johnny. Barbara manages to escape to an isolated farmhouse where she stumbles across several survivors. But as more mindless ‘ghouls’ surround the house tensions escalate. Will anyone survive the ‘Night of the Living Dead’?

Night of the Living Dead Re-Invented a Monster and Kicked Off a Entire Subgenre

Zombies shambled through horror movies decades before Romero made Night of the Living Dead. And Romero was certainly not the first director to infuse the walking dead with social commentary. Two of the earliest zombie movies – Victor Halperin’s White Zombie and Jacques Tourneur’s I Walked with a Zombie – boasted similarly big ideas. While it has a mixed-to-negative critical legacy, the Bela Lugosi-vehicle, White Zombie, is considered the first true feature-length zombie film (Vuckovic & Romero, 2011). A decade late director Jacques Tourneur and producer Val Lewton released I Walked with a Zombie for RKO Pictures.

While it has a mixed-to-negative critical legacy, the Bela Lugosi-vehicle, White Zombie, is considered the first true feature-length zombie film (Vuckovic & Romerso, 2011).

Both movies established much of the early zombie mythology in the horror genre. In doing so, they borrowed and misrepresented religious traditions from Haitian culture and the practice of voodoo or ‘Vodou’ (Davis, 1988). In addition, White Zombie and I Walked With a Zombie also both set their stories on sugar cane plantations. Specifically, the undead in these movies are servants evoking themes of colonialism, slavery, and anti-capitalism. Links between zombies and voodoo were a fixture in zombie movies right up until Hammer Films released Plague of the Zombies in 1967.

Night of the Living Dead Steers Zombie Mythology in New Directions

Arguably, Romero’s major contribution to horror was how he adapted the zombie narrative in Night of the Living Dead. First, Romero dropped the Voodoo origins established decades earlier. Interestingly, Romero never uses the word zombie in Living Dead. In contrast, Romero’s ‘ghouls’ are cannibals whose bite transforms others into the “living dead”. Random news broadcasts speculate that the ‘outbreak’ may be the result of radiation from a space probe returning from Venus. Yet Romero never offers any explicit explanation.

To date, zombie movies have touched on societal anxieties ranging from environmental contagions to viral outbreaks.

In this respect, Romero created a movie monster that acts as a blank template. As compared to other cinematic monsters, filmmakers have since used the zombie narrative to explore a range of social issues. To date, zombie movies have touched on societal anxieties ranging from environmental contagions to viral outbreaks. Canadian zombie movie, Pontypool even suggests that patterns of speech ‘infect’ listeners, using zombies as a metaphor for the increasing social decay and/or laziness in our language. While minor variations to the visual and narrative elements of the zombie have cropped up occasionally – Dan O’Bannon introduced the brain-eating zombie in Return of the Living Dead and Danny Boyle gave us “fast” zombies in 28 Days Later (2002) – Romero’s cinematic vision of the zombie has remained largely unchanged for 50 years.

Night of the Living Dead a Triumph of Indie, DIY Horror Film-Making

In addition to changing the zombie narrative, Night of the Living Dead ushered in a new way of making horror movies. According to Jon Towlson (2014), Living Dead was one of several independently produced films that marked a shift in horror film-making. Romero’s low-budget, guerrilla film-making style loosened big studios’ grip on the genre. That is, Romero’s efforts made room for unique visions in the genre. Yes, other filmmakers were certainly breaking similar ground. Herk Harvey’s Carnival of Souls, for instance, was at the very least a spiritual predecessor to Night of the Living Dead. Yet while Living Dead was a low-budget effort it was also box office success. To some extent, Romero paved the way for 1970’s horror classics like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween.

Herk Harvey’s Carnival of Souls, for instance, was at the very least a spiritual predecessor to Night of the Living Dead.

In addition, Night of the Living Dead pushed the boundaries of onscreen violence and taboo subject matter. A decade earlier, Hammer Films tested the public appetite for violence with full technicolor blood in Curse of Frankenstein and Horror of Dracula. At the same time, Alfred Hitchcock shocked audiences with the lurid sexual content and shocking murders in Psycho. Similarly, Herschell Gordon Lewis’ Blood Feast laid the foundations for the splatter films that circulated grindhouse cinemas in the 1970’s. By the late 1960s, the restrictive Hays Code had lost its grip. As such, timing uniquely placed Night of the Living Dead as a driving transgressive force for what could be shown on screen.

Night of the Living Dead Remains Essential Viewing for Horror Fans

After 50 years, Night of the Living Dead remains one of the best films in the genre. Romero’s legacy is reflected by the wave of zombie films, shows, and collectibles that have surfaced in the last decade. The film remains an essential watch for horror fans, having lost none of its ability to shock. Fortunately, the Criterion Collection release will give old fans and new fans alike the best viewing experience.

References

Davis, W. (1988). Passage of darkness: The ethnobiology of the Haitian zombie. Chapel Hill. The University of North Carolina Press.

Dillard, R.H.W. (1987). Night of the Living Dead: It’s not just like a wind that’s passing through. In G. Waller (Ed.), American Horrors: Essay on the Modern American Horror Film (pp. 14-29). University of Chicago Press.

Poole, W.S. (2011). Monsters in America: Our historical obsession with the hideous and the haunting. Baylor University Press.

Towlson, J. (2014). Subversive horror cinema: Countercultural messages of films from Frankenstein to the present. McFarland Publishing.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Shocking Audiences After Five Decades

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As we roll into October, what better way to kick off the Halloween season then with one of the genre’s classics. Believe it or not, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre premiered 46 years ago on October 1st, 1974. With all the sequels and remakes, it’s hard to believe that several countries outright banned Tobe Hooper’s original movie. Growing up in the videostore era of the 1980’s, it wasn’t always easy to find. Watching the movie for the first time almost felt ‘dangerous’. Few horror movies will retain their power to truly shock like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Look no further than all those aforementioned sequels. None of these movies have come close to replicating the cultural impact of what Hooper accomplished. Today, it remains the rare example of a horror movie that is more than just the sum of its parts.

Hooper and Henkel Brought the Horror Genre into the 1970s

By the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, horror was undergoing serious changes. The Gothic horror of Hammer Film Productions and American International Pictures (AIP) was losing its box office grip. Of course, horror wasn’t the only genre of film experiencing a shift in audience interests. Indeed, the 1970’s witnessed the rise of the ‘director’ and creatively-driven, gritty films like The Godfather and Taxi Driver. Hammer Films tried to keep up with their audiences by introducing more lurid sexual material and flashy violence. But the sea change left Hammer and its counterparts behind. Not even putting Christopher Lee’s Dracula into swinging 70’s London could save the old-school approach to horror.

…The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a uniquely 70’s horror film.

In this regard, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a uniquely 70’s horror movie. After all, the 1970’s was the decade that saw cutting-edge fare like The Exorcist and Don’t Look Now get released. Director Tobe Hooper took cues from earlier films that pushed boundaries. Alfred Hitchcock’s sexually lurid (for the time) Psycho and George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead pushed, if not erased, the boundaries dictating what could and what could not be shown. With The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hooper followed suit and crafted a very raw, stripped down horror movie. Kim Henkel and Hooper’s story couldn’t have been further from Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe film series. From John Larroquette’s opening narration to the grainy film quality, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was one of the early horror films to accomplish a documentary, or cinema verite, vibe.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Paved The Way for a ‘New’ Type of Horror Movie – The Slasher

As horror entered the 1980’s, a new monster replaced vampires, werewolves, and witches as the new genre ‘heavy’. Masked, psychosexual killers, horny teens, and generous helpings of gore and nudity made the slasher sub-genre a uniquely 80’s horror innovation. Contrary to grindhouse splatter films, the slasher combines the Grand Guignol gore of giallo films with the mystery of an Agatha Christie novel. Yes, John Carpenter’s Halloween properly kicked off the subgenre, but its roots go further back. Many critics have pointed to Psycho and lesser-seen Peeping Tom as the starting point for the slasher film. Both films introduced horror fans to the psychosexual killer that would frequent most slasher films. To some extent, Romero carved out new ground in what could be shown on screen. But The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was the horror move where more of the slasher elements would coalesce and take shape.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is And it’s not a slasher film, but it certainly paved the way for what would follow.

In her book, Men, Women, and Chainsaws, Carol Clover outlined the common characteristics of the slasher. Like Psycho, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre introduced the ‘terrible place‘ and an early version of ‘The Final Girl‘. It also cemented the role of the psychosexual killer in horror. While this specific element surfaces more in Hooper’s sequel, Leatherface took the slasher antagonist more closely in the direction of future subgenre installments. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is and is not a slasher film. Nevertheless, it certainly paved the way for what would follow.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacres Has “Always Been in Meat”

What sets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre apart from other horror films is the potential of its subtext. Henkel and Hooper deserve credit for writing a movie brimming with more intelligence than its subject matter suggested. Its concept of a family displaced from their jobs by industrialization now cannibalizing victims offers a lot to ‘chew on’. Much of 1960’s optimism had faded by the time Hooper made his movie. Whether it was impending economic crises or the drawn-out conflict of Vietnam, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was released at unique time. Even as the ‘director as auteur’ was flourishing much of the counterculture movement was losing steam. By the early 1970’s, pervasive disillusionment with capitalism and Western advances was growing. And Jaws and Star Wars would soon shift Hollywood back to more big-budget, studio-driven projects. But Hooper’s movie, in many ways, foresaw the socially conscious horror of the last decade.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Remains a Feat of Horror Film-Making

Perhaps the best test of the quality of any form of popular culture is its staying power. From this perspective, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a rare cultural artifact that has stood the test of time. Look no further than its remake from 2003. Marcus Nispel’s remake is a slicker horror film with high production values, better actors, and more violence. Yet it falls short of Tobe Hooper’s original in every way imaginable. After 44 years, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remains a feat of horror film-making.

The Devil’s Rejects: Even Hell Wouldn’t Have Them

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Metal maestro Rob Zombie has a somewhat checkered history as a horror filmmaker. Critics complained that House of 1000 Corpses was too derivative. Fast forward several years and Zombie turned in a half a good movie with his Halloween remake. Though Zombie flashed some cool ideas with the sequel, his tendency towards ugliness overpowered the second go-around with Michael Myers. But The Devil’s Rejects marked the first time that Zombie flirted with critical acceptance. Released on July 22, 2005, The Devil’s Rejects is still Zombie’s best-received effort among critics. A small box office hit, it’s also Zombie’s most appreciated film among horror fans. In the years since its release, it remains a shocking and well-made piece of exploitation cinema.

The Devil’s Rejects is 70’s Exploitation Violence At Its Best

Like Eli Roth, Rob Zombie clearly has an affection for 1970’s exploitation cinema. Yet few horror filmmakers have an eye for that era’s aesthetics like Zombie. House of 1000 Corpses may have been derivative, but it’s hard to argue that Zombie doesn’t know the ‘in’s and out’s’ of good old-fashioned Grindhouse. Indeed, The Devil’s Rejects is the perfect 70’s exploitation splatter film. Released at the tail end of the ‘Torture Porn‘ cycle of the 2000’s, Zombie melds grainy cinematography with obscene violence. There’s the horrific imagery lingering in the background during the opening credits. And then there is the in-your-face brutality of the climax. Zombie refuses to compromise. It’s a transgressive symphony of social taboos stacked up and unceremoniously knocked down.

…but it’s hard to argue that Zombie doesn’t know the ‘in’s and out’s’ of good old-fashioned Grindhouse.

Take the Firefly’s siege on the Banjo and Sullivan band – it’s Zombie at his best. Certainly, the metal madman knows how to orchestrate onscreen carnage. Zombie also has a much better gift for making his violence feel cinematic as compared to some of his contemporaries, including Eli Roth. But Zombie’s films haven’t always been as good at generating genuine scares and suspense. That’s not the case with The Devil’s Rejects’ second act. Zombie ratchets up the tension in these moments. All the disturbing violence is also accompanied by a feeling of real peril for its characters. The Devil’s Rejects is bookended by two fantastically over-the-top shootouts. Zombie gives his terror trio one of the best film send-offs in horror film history.

Plenty of ‘Tutti-Fucking-Fruity’ Ice Cream for Horror Fans

The Devil’s Rejects technically positions itself as a direct sequel to House of 1000 Corpses, while abandoning much of its predecessor’s narrative core. Most notably, Zombie ditches the supernatural elements of his directorial debut. Neither an appearance nor a mention of ‘Dr. Satan.’ Instead, Zombie opts for a more grounded approach in The Devil’s Rejects, aligning the movie more closely with 70’s fare like The Last House on the Left. It’s a smart story direction, immediately setting the sequel apart from a movie that suffered from tonal inconsistency.

Instead Zombie opts for a more grounded approach in The Devil’s Rejects, aligning the movie more closely with 70’s fare like The Last House on the Left.

If The Devil’s Rejects is transgressive with its violence and willingness to flaunt social taboos, Zombie also gets subversive with his storytelling. The Firefly’s are thrust into the limelight from the opening credits and take centre stage in cinematic history’s most demented road trip. No bland and interchangeable protagonists in this go-around. Otis Driftwood, Baby Firefly, and Captain Spaulding are the stars. By the time they’re ordering ‘tutti-fucking-fruity’ ice cream, you get the distinct impression that Zombie wants you to like these people. And it actually kind of works.

In most horror sequels, The Firefly’s are the villains and Sheriff Wydell is the justified avenger. Yet somehow Zombie subverts this expectation and positions the Firefly’s as arguably the most unexpected antiheroes in recent memory. It’s a role reversal that works in part due to the charismatic performances from its leads (Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, and Sheri Moon Zombie). By the aforementioned final police shootout, Zombie has effectively cast The Firefly’s as some demented version of ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ for a generation raised on serial killer culture.

The Devil’s Rejects Feature No Banjo and Sullivan on Its Soundtrack

Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson – these are filmmakers who pick just the right music for a scene. Not surprisingly, Rob Zombie is also pretty adept at using music to evoke just the right mood for any moment. Even if some of his movies fall short in storytelling or scares, Zombie always seems to set things to the best soundtrack. Zombie’s southern-fried soundtrack makes a perfect backtrack for his hillbilly anti heroes. The juxtaposition of The Allman Brothers’ Midnight Rider playing while The Firefly’s leave behind a grotesque house of horrors sets a unique tone. With Joe Walsh’s Rocky Mountain Way playing as The Firefly’s party it up, you almost don’t feel bad for wanting to sing along with them. And you’d be hard-pressed to find a better use in a movie of Lynryd Skynryd’s Free Bird.

The Devil’s Rejects An Uncompromising Horror Classic

To date, The Devil’s Rejects remains Zombie’s best directorial effort. While The Lords of Salem showed some creative growth and welcome restraint, it still felt like Zombie imitating other filmmakers. In contrast, The Devil’s Rejects is pure Zombie. It’s the kind of uncompromising, take-no-prisoners approach to film-making that launched Wes Craven’s career. It also marked a huge creative leap forward for Zombie. Truth be told, Zombie has been in a creative holding pattern since The Devil’s Rejects. Neither his ‘killer clowns-inspired’ 31 nor the belated sequel, 3 From Hell, have lived up to Rejects.

Slender Man: Internet Boogeyman Exceeds Low Expectations, But Still Underwhelms

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Maybe you’ve heard of the Slender Man urban legend. If you’re young and hip, then you likely first heard of the fictional character through a creepypasta Internet meme. Eric Knudsen, or “Victor Surge”, created the legend on the Something Awful forum. If you’re older, you likely don’t know a creepypasta from a seafood linguine. As such, you may have about ‘Slender Man’ in the news following the stabbing of a 12-year-old girl in Wisconsin and the HBO documentary that followed. After a disappointing big screen debut, the Internet Boogeyman is finally creeping up on Netflix. Despite the controversy that surrounded the movie’s production and release, the Slender Man is completely unrelated to the real-world crime. Nevertheless, the bad publicity, a rotating release schedule, and abysmal reviews all but cursed its box office potential.

Synopsis

Four high school best friends – Hallie, Wren, Chloe, and Katie – decide to put the legend of Slender Man to the test. After watching an online video and ‘summoning’ Slender Man, Katie becomes obsessed with the legend. Days later, Katie mysteriously disappears. No warning, no trace. Now the faceless boogeyman from the legend is seemingly haunting her friends, day and night. All the girls wanted was to save their friend. Now they’ll be lucky to save themselves.

Slender Man’s Story Lacks Momentum, Compelling Villain

When Slender Man hits its final act, the story picks up and almost gets good. Almost. For about 15 minutes or so, the audience gets a glimpse of what might have been. Too bad most of the movie feels strangely aimless. Aside from the general sense that bad things will happen to the characters, David Birke’s script never develops a sense of urgency or ‘end game’. Many of the movie’s scary moments feel like a series of scary shorts or YouTube videos. That is, Slender Man has a very ‘cobbled together’ feeling.  The end result is a movie that lacks momentum for much of its 90 minutes.

Aside from the general sense that bad things will happen to the characters, David Birke’s script never develops a sense of urgency or ‘end game’.

Its wandering approach to the material is exacerbated by the frustration of knowing what the filmmakers had at their fingertips. Despite having a wealth of Internet mythology from which to draw, Slender Man’s titular villain is underdeveloped. There’s a fine line between the mystery and ambiguity John Carpenter created with Michael Myers and being frustratingly vague. Slender Man leans towards the latter. Everything about the monster feels like a compilation of the character’s Internet traits rather than a cohesive myth. You’ll find scarier Slender Man memes than what the movie accomplishes with the character.

Slender Man Wastes Too Much Time on Standard Jump Scares

Director Sylvain White offers a few decent jump scares early on in Slender Man. In fact, for its first half, Slender Man easily outpaces the earlier released Truth or Dare for scares. White even builds in a rather fun use of smart phone and video conferencing technology for a clever scare. Unfortunately, Slender Man gives in to some standard Hollywood horror excesses too often. For instance, the director leans heavily on loud noises coupled with a generic but intrusive score to produce pseudo-scares. Manic editing and some unnecessary cheap CGI effects underwhelm.

…Slender Man gives in to some standard Hollywood horror excesses too often.

But when Slender Man enters its third act, a strange thing happens – it actually kind of gets better. White commits to and achieves a uniquely creepy atmosphere. He relies less on generic jump scares and more on some haunting imagery that’s more fitting to the digital urban legend. For its final 15 minutes or so, the movie actually feels scary while delivering a few memorable images. Most importantly, Slender Man manages to carve out some unique horror imagery that doesn’t feel like a riff on The Ring or other movies.

A Good Concept Gets Lost in a Shuffle of Half-Baked Ideas

At the conclusion of Slender Man, the voice-over narration warns about the dangers of viral media and how stories about each disappearance feeds its legend. One gets the impression that the creative minds behind the movie had some big ideas they wanted to explore. Other movies – The Ring, most notably – have done a much better job exploring this idea. By the end of the movie, this theme can’t help but feel tacked on. Nothing in the movie itself justifies its mention at the end.

One gets the impression that the creative minds behind the movie had some big ideas they wanted to explore.

Sadly, this is a recurrent problem with Slender Man. Some parts of the movie, like its characters are underdeveloped, while other aspects of the movie are overstuffed, like its early scares. One can’t help but wish that White had shown a little more confidence in the material and allowed some of the scares to develop more organically. There are so many interesting directions the storycould have taken but instead the movie gets bogged down in a lot of half-baked ideas that get dropped soon after they’re introduced.

Slender Man Hides a Good Movie Somewhere in its 90 Minutes

Surprise, surprise … Slender Man turned out to not be terrible. That’s not to say it’s a good horror movie, but it certainly exceeds low expectations. Unlike Truth or Dare, which never felt like more than a forgettable PG-13 horror flick, Slender Man shows occasional flickers of promise now and then. It certainly has a bit more teeth and darkness than Blumhouse’s dull horror entry. Ultimately, this one isn’t good enough to recommend, but the concept behind the movie is too rich in potential scares to simply abandon. With a better script and a more stripped down approach, the Internet myth could still produce a good horror movie.

THE PROFESSOR’S FINAL GRADE: C+

Our House: Bland, Light Supernatural Scares Not Likely To Keep You Up At Night

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Horror films are at their best when they touch on sensitive nerves. Jaws isn’t scary because it’s about a big man-eating shark. No, it’s scary because it plays on our fears of not knowing what’s lurking beneath us in the water. Likewise, haunted house movies scare us because they strip away the security we believe exists in our home. And, as compared to home invasion movies, they also exploit our fears of exists beyond death. Unfortunately, haunted house movies aren’t in short supply. Case in point – a never-ending supply of sequels, prequels, and remakes followed The Amityville Horror. And that’s just one haunted house franchise. Now IFC Midnight’s Our House is hoping to haunt Netflix audiences after seeing a release some two years ago.

Synopsis

Ethan is a bright graduate student riding a big scholarship into MIT. Along with his girlfriend, Hannah, Ethan spends most of his time working on what he hopes will be the next big discovery – wireless electricity. After his parents die in a tragic accident, however, Ethan leaves school to take care of his younger siblings, Matthew and Becca. But he continues to stitch together his invention, piece by piece, in the family garage. Although a test runs look like a failure, Ethan slowly discovers that his invention may open doors to another dimension when his siblings reveal they have seen and talked to their dead parents. Is Ethan’s invention allowing his family to communicate with their lost parents? Or has he opened a door to something more sinister?

Our House Is Haunted by an Air of Familiarity

Nothing about Our House is incompetent or even poorly done. Director Anthony Scott Burns has assembled a very workmanlike movie that, at times, looks quite good. Some of the imagery captured on screen is actually quite stunning. Nevertheless, it never rises above any haunted house tropes most viewers have seen before in countless movies. There is a distinct air of familiarity that hangs over the proceedings.

The J-horror films of the 2000’s, most notably Pulse, had something to say about technology. Our House doesn’t seem to have much to say outside of spinning a haunted house yarn.

Too many scenes will remind viewers of much better haunted house films. In fact, you may catch yourself mentally checking off past movies that feel eerily similar. The hidden room in the basement – Ouija: Origin Of Evil did it better. Even the basic concept of technology opening doors to supernatural realms has been done much better. If you’re too young to remember The Legend of Hell House then maybe you’ve seen White Noise with Michael Keaton. Borrowing some ideas isn’t a problem in and of itself. But Burns doesn’t seem to have anything new to say. The J-horror films of the 2000’s, most notably Pulse, had something to say about technology. In contrast, Our House doesn’t seem to have much to say outside of spinning a haunted house yarn.

Our House is Horror-Lite For Non-Discerning Horror Fans

Sometimes derivative isn’t a bad thing. After all, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Still a horror movie needs to be scary. Too bad Our House is horror-lite in terms of scares and suspense. Much of the first 30 minutes or so of the movie is devoted to its characters, which certainly helps build an emotional core for the audience. But the pacing is is a little sluggish. Given the movie’s generic plotting, we know what’s ultimately coming. But Burns fails to ratchet up the tension or create any sense of urgency. Even worse, Our House’s climax never deliver the payoff a slowburn requires.

…nothing in Our House even comes close to reaching the heights of fear achieved by recent haunted house films including The Conjuring, Insidious, or Ouija: Origin of Evil.

Once the supernatural elements enter the story, Our House also fails to deliver a ‘big moment’. There are a couple of scenes that may prompt some white-knuckling from younger horror fans. Seasoned horror veterans will be underwhelmed. Nothing comes close to the heights of fear achieved by recent haunted house movies including The Conjuring, Insidious, or Ouija: Origin of Evil. I wouldn’t call Our House boring, but it’s certainly a kind of ‘ Diet Horror’.

Strong Performances Can’t Elevate Run-of-the-Mill Haunting Story

Everything else about Our House is at least competent. This is not a low-budget amateurish horror movie. You’ll find some nice but unoriginal visuals. In addition, the performances from the cast are universally quite strong. Thomas Mann turns in a genuinely earnest performance as Ethan. The film’s screenplay certainly fails him; for a genius, Thomas doesn’t seem to know much about his own invention. Both Percy Haynes White and Kate Moyer, playing Ethan’s younger siblings, are excellent. If Our House has a strong suit, it’s the very believable interpersonal dynamics of the on-screen siblings. It’s this relationship that will keep most viewers strapped in for the entirety of the movie. Nicola Peltz (Bates Motel), who plays Ethan’s girlfriend, has top billing, but that’s misleading. Peltz has little screen time and is given little to do with her role.

Our House is Competent, But Largely Forgettable Effort

Our House isn’t a terrible film, but there’s not much to recommend Over the last several years, we’ve seen a lot of good supernatural-themed and/or haunted house movie released. Absolutely nothing here comes close to hitting the same notes as these movies. What’s worse is that Netflix has no shortage of similar supernatural thrillers for audiences to stream. Perhaps the best description of Our House is that it’s a bland, inoffensive, and unforgettable effort. You’re not likely to hate it or turn it off in disgust, but you’ll probably never watch it again.

THE PROFESSOR’S FINAL GRADE: C

Universal Monsters: Five Legacy-Defining Movies

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Universal Studios and the Universal monsters of the 1930’s and 1940’s are the template for our Halloween. Mad scientists and hunchback assistants. Angry villagers with pitchforks and torches. Shuffling monsters with electrodes their neck. Full moons and werewolves. Aristocratic vampire in capes. During their nearly two decade reign over horror, Universal created much of the iconography we associate with movie monsters. After Dracula Untold and The Mummy failed to resurrect a ‘Dark Universe’, genre-specialist Blumhouse Productions and Leigh Whannell stepped in. The result – a critically-praised re-imagining of The Invisible Man. Apparently, several additional Universal Monsters titles are now in some stage of development. So what better time to re-visit the best of the original Universal Monsters?

Honourable Mentions

Though Universal released The Creature From The Black Lagoon several years after their ‘Monster’ wave, it’s still an achievement. Like its predecessors, Creature featured impressive monster make-up effects and state-of-the-art underwater photography. Yet another runner-up is Son of Frankenstein, the third film in the  Frankenstein series. Clearly a step backwards from the first two entries, Son of Frankenstein is still a fun, well-made sequel. Boris Karloff turns in his final performance as the Monster. In addition, we get Basil Rathbone as the ‘son of Frankenstein’ and Béla Lugosi as ‘Ygor.’

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Universal Pictures had its first monster ‘mash up’ with their 1943 release, Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man. While it’s a largely satisfying effort, Universal’s next attempts to bring its most popular monsters together were \underwhelming. Sadly, House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula are strictly B-movie entries. By the mid-40’s, The Universal Monsters cycle was show its age, feeling more like self-parody than horror. So what better way to reinvigorate the Gothic monsters than an intentional blend of comedy and chills. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is the definitive monster mash-up. Bud Abbott and Lou Costello were legendary comedians. And their rapport and timing are on display here with quick, sharp dialogue. As for the monsterS themselves, they play it straight and look better than they had for several years.

The Wolf Man

The Wolf Man did for Lon Chaney, Jr., what Dracula and Frankenstein did for Lugosi and Karloff, respectively. Missing the directorial skills of a James Whale or Tod Browning, The Wolf Man still exemplifies the best of vintage horror. It’s a simple story that understands what made the best of the Universal Monster movies work. Chaney’s ‘Larry Talbot’ is a tragic monster doomed by fate, not malice. Even in 2020, the misty moors still look haunting in the movie’s vivid black and white cinematography. Furthermore, Jack Pierce’s revolutionary make-up effects influenced werewolf design for decades. In fact, Pierce’s work wouldn’t be outdone until the release of An American Werewolf in London.

The Invisible Man

Another early Universal Monsters effort from director James Whale, The Invisible Man stands out from its peers. There’s quite a bit of dark humour running beneath the surface in The Invisible Man. In terms of story structure, The Invisible Man also has a unique first act that feels remarkably different to the other Universal Monster movies. Claude Rains is brilliant as a good man driven slowly mad. Even by today’s standards, the ‘invisibility effects’ feel remarkably clever.

Frankenstein

The black and white cinematography and lighting turned graveyards, castle halls, and laboratories into iconic horror imagery.

It’s remarkable watching Frankenstein today knowing it’s over 80 years old. Simply put, James Whale made a beautiful Gothic horror film. The black and white cinematography and lighting turned graveyards, castle halls, and laboratories into iconic horror imagery. With his performance, Boris Karloff gave us one of horror’s most memorable tragic monsters. In addition, the riverside scene with Frankenstein and the little girl is heartbreaking. And Jack Pierce’s monster make-up has stood the test of time.

Bride of Frankenstein

Bride of Frankenstein the rare case of the sequel that surpasses the original. Director James Whale returned behind the camera. On the other side of the camera, Colin Clive and Boris Karloff reprised their roles as creator and monster, respectively. No longer encumbered by the need to set up its story, Bride of Frankenstein feels like a tighter movie. To some extent, it’s a little bogged down by silly supporting characters. In addition, Bride’s antagonist is arguably too much of a traditional villain. But Karloff’s arc as The Monster is more complete this time around. Undoubtedly, the sequel is a testament to Karloff’s legacy.