Sebastian Bendix's Blog, page 6
October 15, 2016
10/14/16 – day fourteen of thirty-one days of horror!
When it comes to classic monsters, it doesn’t get more classic than the
Boris Karloff version of Frankenstein (and yes, that’s the monster’s
name), but Karloff’s final outing in the neck bolts, SON OF
FRANKENSTEIN, gets considerably less love than its predecessors
FRANKENSTEIN and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. This is a real shame because
Rowland V. Lee’s 1939 threequel is every bit as enjoyable as the other
two, adding new characters, new environments and a really cool fur vest
for Karloff’s iconic monster while
keeping everything above board and classy. This time Basil Rathbone (the
definitive cinematic Sherlock Homes) plays the son of original
monster-maker Henry Frankenstein, who is aided in reviving the
square-scalped stumblebum with the help of broken-necked Igor (the first
usage of that name in the Frankenstein mythos), played with sinister
relish by former Dracula Bela Lugosi. Production values are top-notch
for a horror picture of this era, and the themes and basic concept are
clearly the inspiration for Mel Brooks’ classic spoof YOUNG
FRANKENSTEIN. But forget that nonsense and make this criminally
overlooked entry a staple of your yearly Frankenstein marathon. Fur vest
optional.
October 13, 2016
10/13/16 – day thirteen of thirty-one days of horror!
Last year I listed the original Wes Craven HILLS HAVE EYES, so it’s only
fitting that this year I celebrate the 2006 remake, which I feel is
arguably the better film. French horror
wunderkind Alexandre Aja takes Craven’s barebones story of a
Winnebagoing family menaced by desert dwelling cannibal mutants and
spins it into something – dare I say – political, digging at Bush’s post
9-11 America in both funny and frightening ways. Craven himself is a
hands-on producer of the film, along with his son, so this feels less
like a cheap branding cash-in and a genuine attempt to take an idea that
worked fairly well in the 70s and updating it for the modern era. Aja
knows how to make a movie look good without making it too slick, and all
of the upgrades – from the make-up to the production design to the
performances – all work without losing the grindhouse aesthetic of the
original. If anything, the violence and gore are even more visceral this
time around. Not for the faint of heart but a fine argument for the
value of a smart remake, these hills are well-worth watching.
October 12, 2016
10/12/16 – day twelve of thirty-one days of horror!
1983’s CHRISTINE finds both director John Carpenter and writer Stephen
King in their prime, and while the film doesn’t quite match the heights
of either, it’s still a fun – pardon the pun – ride. It is also the best
deployment of two King staples; a sentient and malicious inanimate
object (in this case a red 1958 Plymouth Fury), and evil greasers,
neither of which are particularly scary if you aren’t a baby boomer.
Regardless, King’s story and Carpenter’s sensibilities are well
matched, with the director giving the classic car a real sense of
menace as it stalks the streets, headlights glaring like malevolent
eyes. Keith Gordon (who has gone on to be a TV director of note) gives a
layered performance as Arnie, the geeky, put-upon high-schooler who is
transformed into a vengeful greaser by the car’s influence. Plus it’s
got a propulsive, thumping Carpenter score that ranks among his best. If
it’s been a while since you’ve taken this classic 80’s supernatural
thriller for a spin, I say throw some pomade in your hair, pop on the
moldy oldies station and start cruisin’ – for vengeance!
October 11, 2016
10/11/16 – day eleven of thirty-one days of horror!
OK… hear me out. I think that Robert Zombie’s 2007 HALLOWEEN remake is arguably one of the most misguided horror remakes of all time, a tedious, un-scary slog that entirely whiffs the entire concept of John Carpenter’s original classic. But the sequel to his remake… well, it’s kind of a shrieking mess, but it’s an interesting shrieking mess. Freed (mostly) from the demands of the franchise, Zombie just does what he wants, tossing in surreal dream sequences (and explaining to you upfront what the symbolism is, in case you didn’t get it ) like a first semester art student with 10 million to burn. The end result is far closer to what you’d expect from the guy who made HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES; brutally intense, cannily shot and staged and well, just plain batshit. If you can approach this as a HALLOWEEN in name only slasher movie and just go with it, there is some legit, dare I say “vision” here. Also there’s a white horse.
October 10, 2016
10/10/16 – day ten of thirty-one days of horror!
I try to include at least one Italian horror film in the list every year, so this year the love goes to Lucio Fulci’s 1981 splatter-fest HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY. Set (and actually shot in part) in my home turf of New England, this tells the tale of a New York City family who move into the house once occupied by Dr. Fruedstein (yes, you read that right) a doctor of some ill repute who performed nefarious experiments on people in the basement back when he was alive. What starts seeming like a typical haunting quickly veers into something much crazier and gorier as somebody starts murdering and dismembering various people involved with the family. As unhinged as Fulci’s zombie gore classics THE BEYOND and ZOMBI, this one will satisfy those looking for a haunted house story as well as those craving genuinely nasty kills. Plus you get to enjoy the hilariously bad dubbing employed on the family’s tow-headed son, “Bob”
October 9, 2016
10/09/16 – day nine of thirty-one days of horror!
It can be argued which is the best of the I AM LEGEND adaptations, but it can’t be argued which is the funkiest – that honor goes to the 1971 Charlton Heston vehicle THE OMEGA MAN. Instead of vampires like the Matheson source novel we get a weird band of powder-white hippies in hoods, which as a child who was raised in the seventies is arguably scarier than vampires. Heston does his usual grit-teethed macho man routine, which is put to good effect here as he fights off waves of “Brother Matthias”’ (Anthony Zerbe) zombie-like minions and falls for Afro’d soul sister Rosalind Cash. It’s a bunch of silly 70’s fun that manages to convey a few moments of genuine pathos as Heston travels the empty streets of downtown Los Angeles in a cool car, and takes in an ironic show of WOODSTOCK in an abandoned movie theater. Matheson’s seminal novel still has yet to find its ideal version, but until it does, I’ll take this far-out, groovy take over the cheapo Vincent Price LAST MAN ON EARTH or that Will Smith CG fest.
October 8, 2016
10/08/16 – day eight of thirty-one days of horror!
Anyone who knows me knows that the quickest way to my heart is through an evil ventriloquist dummy, and James (SAW, FURIOUS 7) Wan’s 2007’s pre-INSIDIOUS and CONJURING spookfest leans on the dummy throttle, hard. Ostensibly a ghost story about Mary Shaw, the vengeful ghost with the worst spooky nursery rhyme ever, the real star of Dead Silence is Mary’s overtly creepy and seemingly sentient ventriloquist dummy, who Wan shoots for maximum creepy doll impact. Eyes roll, hinged jaws open, heads turn – everything you ever were scared your off-brand Charlie McCarthy would do propped in the corner of your childhood bedroom, this doll does. Whereas the film MAGIC (in my 2015 list) approached the idea of a scary dummy with probing psychology, DEAD SILENCE goes for cartoonish absurdity, and the result is a must-have bookend for any creepy doll-lover’s collection.
October 7, 2016
10/07/16 – day seven of thirty-one days of horror!
Everyone knows that Mummies are by far the most terrifying movie monster, and no version is more terrifying than the 1959 Hammer version (yes, even more terrifying than the Brendan Fraser vs a sand cloud version). Portrayed by Hammer’s go-to everymonster and loveable, lily-white snob Sir Christopher Lee (perfectly cast as an Egyptian pharaoh), this Mummy is a stumbling, hulking brute that inspires genuine terror whenever he comes crashing into frame – and he really likes to crash through things. Despite being not as well-loved as their Frankenstein and Dracula pictures, this lesser traveled corner of the Hammerverse holds up well, despite some glaring racial and gender insensitivity. But hey, it was the 50s, what do you expect? If you’re going to dust off only one Egyptian sarcophagus this Halloween season, keep the Karloff snooze-fest under wraps and make it Hammer’s take on The Mummy!
October 6, 2016
10/06/2016 – day six of thirty-one days of horror!
Right about now you’re thinking, “Isn’t this the worst Friday the 13th, the one with an imposter Jason?” The answer to the latter part of your question is yes, but the answer to the first part is an unequivocal NO! Long derided by fans but now embraced by true visionaries like Quentin Tarantino, Friday the 13th Part 5 A New Beginning is actually a wildly entertaining romp that delivers the kills you krave while surprising you at every delightfully nonsensical turn. Directed by the late Danny Steinmann (a former soft-core porn director), the film concerns Jason survivor Tommy Jarvis (played in the previous film by Corey Feldman) dealing with life at a halfway house for disturbed teens while also being stalked by Roy, I mean Jason. (Sorry, spoiler). This is one you’ve probably passed over for supposedly “better” slasher films, but you were wrong to do so. Dead wrong. Time to correct that “grave” mistake by busting out the Blu Ray and watching this finely crafted episode of horror’s greatest saga.
October 5, 2016
10/05/16 – day five of thirty-one days of horror!
Ti West’s riff on the Satanic panic of the early 80s is easily the most authentic-feeling 80s throwback of the recent trend – West expertly captures the feel of that halcyon era of horror, from the wardrobe to the music to the blown-out look of 16mm film stock in which the film is shot. Jocelyn Donahue is great as the “babysitter” who finds herself in peril of being sacrificed (or worse) by a Satanic cult, her most memorable moment being a music-video inspired bop around the titular creepy New England Victorian, listening to the Fixx on her era-accurate Walkman. A smart and scary slow-burn that may frustrate the attention deficient but rewards the patient, this is a House that drips both atmosphere and blood, making it the perfect chiller for a cold autumn night.
