Chad Schimke's Blog
November 8, 2021
RAISED BY WOLVES
RAISED BY WOLVES - Ridley Scott, legendary director of Blade Runner and Alien, has returned to series television, offering an unsettling potential vision of our closest neighboring planet. Two androids have landed and camped out on that barren world, intending to recreate the human race. Kepler-22b is real, but Raised by Wolves (2020) was written/ created by Aaron Guzikowski, with the support of the aforementioned, as producer. Amanda Collin’s star shines bright in the role of Mother. As a shapeshifting necromancer, she’s into some extremely warped stuff, but I am here for it. Travis Fimmel stars as Marcus/ Caleb, and has even managed to bring about the future mullet. Musically, the score creates a backdrop of disconnected unease. Kepler-22b scenes are intercut with events occurring on a post-apocalyptic future Earth. The film has a specific aesthetic, evoking but not directly referencing Blade Runner or Alien. That is supported tonally by virtual and physical SFX which are some of the best ever to have been made. Big TV networks and movie studios have typically shied away from Sci-Fi/ Horror, like this one. It will be great to (hopefully) see this trend continue. I’ll admit - I feared showrunners completely lost their way in the hodgepodge finale of Season 1. Also, too often Mother wanders aimlessly, but does not accomplish anything. But overall, I loved it - as a collective entity. Despite some of it's flaws, and my complaints. Expect the 2nd season to be available for streaming on HBO in early 2022.
November 6, 2021
October 31, 2021
October 29, 2021
October 24, 2021
October 17, 2021
October 10, 2021
FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980)
October 3, 2021
00s HORROR MOVIES
OOs HORROR MOVIES - Which decade produced the best horror movies? A bit of backstory helps to provide a complete answer. Largely credited with being the first, originally titled Le Manoir du Diable, was a French silent film. It was retitled and released in the US in 1896, as The Haunted Castle. Jumping ahead, paranoia and puritanical repression lurked in the backdrop of every film made with a brief gap in the 30s. This endured through the 50s, and 60s. By the 70s, filmmakers were breaking away from the rubber head B-movie monster. The 80s ushered in big budget box office smashes in a decade of unrivaled storytelling. There were still certain lines which were not crossed. This relaxed in the 90s and dropped away almost completely by the aughts. In the 00s, horror movies were made all over the world, but the success was diminished perhaps by splatterporn and gore fests. Film fans in 2021 (sometimes) fail to realize that today’s creepypastas, anthologized series on streaming platforms, social network viral videos, RPGs, and even hidden easter eggs - buried in movie backgrounds, all owe debts to the above previous eras. Filmmakers, finally free able to make what they wanted, to follow their own artistic direction, ushered in movies foreign and domestic, which pushed the genre’s envelope from 2000-2009. The aughts brought about a huge surge, and saw widespread popular appeal of the genre. This propped up the decade to follow. Do you already know which decade produced the best horror? I rummaged through the vault, and came up with this entirely subjective short list. Perhaps you agree, or maybe you don’t. Check it out, and decide for yourself. Coming soon: 60s Horror Movies.
https://www.chadschimke.com/2015/12/80s-horror-movies.html
https://www.chadschimke.com/2021/10/oos-horror-movies.html
https://www.chadschimke.com/2019/03/70s-horror-movies.html
https://www.chadschimke.com/2018/08/90s-horror.html
Jisatsu Sākuru 2001
Cabin Fever 2002
28 Days Later 2002
Ju-On 2002
High Tension 2003
Dawn of the Dead 2004
Saw 2004
Hostel 2005
Wolf Creek 2005
The Hills Have Eyes 2006
Rest Stop 2006
Paranormal Activity 2007
28 Weeks Later 2007
Frontier(s) 2007
Quarantine 2008
Martyrs 2008
The Strangers 2008
Drag Me to Hell 2009
Last House on the Left 2009
