Sebastian Bendix's Blog, page 9
October 17, 2015
10/15/15 – day fifteen of thirty-one days of horror!
I would be remiss to skip the once great Dario Argento, dark prince of
Italian horror, so this year I’m picking one of his weirdest. In 1985’s Phenomena
(aka Creepers), a young Jennifer Connelly plays a girl with the power
to communicate with insects, who with the help of always nutty Donald
Pleasence, attempts to solve a string of gruesome murders at a Swiss
boarding school. Not bizarre enough for you? What if I told you a chimp
wielding a straight razor might show up? This film sees Argento at the
height of his powers, dishing out creepy dream logic atmosphere,
shocking gore and kicking some Iron Maiden into the soundtrack to boot.
You won’t be able to make a lick of sense out of it, but you’ll enjoy
the wild and crazy ride.
October 14, 2015
10/14/15 – day fourteen of thirty-one days of horror!
It’s time for some Cronenberg, and as an added bonus we get more Oliver
Reed as well! The Brood, while not Cronenberg’s most celebrated entry in
the “body horror” genre (a genre he perfected), is possibly the
Canadian auteur’s most personal and unsettling work of this period. It
concerns an unorthodox therapist and his treatment of a man’s estranged
wife (Reed is the crazy-ass therapist, naturally) and, well, lets just
say things get really, really weird. Terrifying. child-like murderers,
tumorous growths, wood-paneled 70’s Canadian architecture, Art Hindle at
his sexiest – this movie’s got it all. The rare horror film that
scares the crap out of you while taking place mostly in daylight, it is
also the perfect movie to make you never want to settle down and have a
family.
October 13, 2015
10/13/15 – day thirteen of thirty-one days of horror!
Curse of the Demon, or Night of the Demon as it was known in the UK, is
the rare 1950’s era horror film that deals with the supernatural rather
than atomic age paranoia. Brilliantly directed by Jacques Tourneur and
adapted from M. R. James’ story “Casting the Runes”, the films concerns a
college professor’s investigation into a satanic cult led by a crafty
and charismatic leader. This results in the summoning of some seriously
spooky stuff, and the image of the titular demon (famously resisted by
the director, writer and star) is something that will stick with you
forever. A somewhat obscure film that casts a wide, goat-horned shadow,
Tourneur’s influence is clearly felt in today’s slew of demonic haunting
movies. Thankfully, this one is not found footage.
October 12, 2015
10/12/15 – day twelve of thirty-one days of horror!
Tobe Hooper returns to this year’s list with The Funhouse,
a lesser respected but worthy entry in the 80’s slasher boom. There’s
nothing creepier than carnies, and no film captures the caked-on
scumminess of the carnival experience like this one. The premise is
simple – some teens hide out in a carnival funhouse after closing and
are rightfully stalked by a drooling mutant in a Frankenstein mask, but
the depraved depths that Hooper takes the story goes far beyond your
usual stalk n’ slash. A great reminder that the charming street fair you
enjoy once a year is just a facade hiding a nightmarish underworld and
you should never, ever be caught there after closing time.
October 11, 2015
10/11/15 – day eleven of thirty-one days of horror!
Today’s left-field pick is no one’s idea of a “scary” movie, nor is it
anyone’s idea of a “good” movie, but being a horror fan is about
embracing the good, bad and hilariously misguided offerings our beloved
genre affords. And you won’t find anything as awesomely misguided as
Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest. Set in the decidedly
un-harvesty streets of Chicago, this is the spine-tingling tale of what
happens when some of Stephen King’s (not involved in this sequel) corn
kids re transplanted to a hip-hoppin’ urban scene and get to killin’ and
cornin’ around. I actually enjoy this nonsense better than the original
Children of the Corn, and far, far prefer it to the band Korn. Also, if
you look real carefully, you will catch the big-screen debut of
Charlize Theron!
October 10, 2015
10/10/15 – day ten of thirty-one days of horror!
It doesn’t get any more classic haunted house than 1963’s The Haunting.
Based on the incredible novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley
Jackson, Robert Wise’s film is a close if not slavish adaptation that is
confident in its ability to frighten and unnerve through sound and old
fashioned suspense. The performances are great across the board with
Julie Harris in the standout lead as the increasingly frayed heroine. A
masterful study in the thin threads that bind our sanity, this is a
classic that truly earns its reputation and is the rock-solid foundation
of the modern haunted house movie. Please avoid the god-awful 1999
remake at all costs.
October 9, 2015
10/09/15 – day nine of thirty-one days of horror!
It took me a long time to come around to the odd and wonderful Exorcist
III. Directed by the author of the original Exorcist, William Peter
Blatty, the film concerns an exquisitely grouchy detective played by the
always gruff George C. Scott (the character was played in the original
by another actor) who finds himself drawn into a murder mystery that has
shocking ties to the possession of the 1973 William Friedkin film. What’s really refreshing is that most of the characters are
over the edge of 60 and you can practically smell the Old Spice and
musty old person miasma coming off of every loving frame. The film was
rejiggered by the studio to put in more in line with audience
expectation, so it gets a little clunky at the climax, but overall it’s a
weird, shocking ride and worth a look if you haven’t seen it and are a
fan of The Exorcist.
10/08/15 – day eight of thirty-one days of horror!
So far this year my list has been short on gore, demonic possession and
Italian horror, so why not cover all 3 with Lamberto Bava’s 1985
splatter classic, Demons? A film that very much feels like an unofficial
Evil Dead sequel, the bloody action takes place in a movie theater that
is unleashing demonic spirits into the audience through a possessed
film…or something. It doesn’t matter because the low budget but
innovative shocker manages to be fun, scary and gory all at the same
time, making it a true triple threat. Look for a weird cameo from my
favorite Italian horror director Michele Soavi, who directed The Church,
an unofficial sequel to this film. There’s also Demons 2, which isn’t
half bad if you just can’t get enough demons.
10/07/15 – day seven of thirty-one days of horror!
OK, so you’ll have to set aside 3 hours of your day to properly enjoy
Tobe Hooper’s 1979 TV adaptation of Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, but it’s
worth it. After all these years, those floating vampire kids at the
window are still totally scary, and Hooper expertly captures a horror
atmosphere that manages to feel classic and modern at the same time.
That epic running time lends itself well to creating what King referred
to as “Peyton Place with vampires”, and the central performances, led by
Starsky and Hutch’s David Soul and Die Hard’s Bonnie Bedelia, are far
above par for 70’s television. Still the best vampire story of its kind.
October 6, 2015
10/06/15 – day six of thirty-one days of horror!
When it came out in 1999, this was overshadowed by by the somewhat
similar Sixth Sense, but for my money Stir of Echoes is every bit as
effective and far scarier than M. Night Shayamalan’s twist-ending
dependent blockbuster. Directed by David Koepp from a story by the
legendary Richard Matheson, it’s the rare urban ghost story that
captures the dread and isolation of a Gothic setting, buoyed by the
pitch-perfect central performance of an increasingly unhinged Kevin
Bacon. Having Illeana Douglas (where have you gone, Illeana?) as the
wacky, witchy sister doesn’t hurt either. Suburban Chicago has never
been creepier.
