Talking the Talkies with Peter Waters

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Pwaters' Month of Terror Day 9: The Descent

Hello ladies, gentlemen, and creatures lurking in the shadows! This month, October, is a favorite among horror fans, such as myself. My goal for the next 31 days is to share with you the scariest and best of the genre. The films will range from old school classics to modern day gorefests (they won't be in any particular order). So scout these movies out, grab a bag of popcorn (or a blood bag) and enjoy!

The Descent (2005)
Dir. Neil Marshall

Are you claustrophobic in any way? If not, you will be after watching The Descent! When I first saw this movie in theaters I was not expecting much. The horrible movie The Cave had come out within recent memory and I think "cave horror" just didn't seem like it had any legitimacy. Of course, the movie ended up blowing me away and I would go as far as to say it's the best english-language horror film of the 00's. The film follows an all-female cast of cave divers, looking for a thrill by going down into dark, mysterious caverns. Unfortunately for them, killer cave creatures dwell there so not only do they have to survive being underground, but they have to deal with bat-boy's scarier, meaner family members.

Based on the plot, you'd think it would be a regular old b-movie, but The Descent is so intense and well made you forget about that; plus the make-up design on the creatures is really well done, and they aren't fully shown until well into the movie. I do have to say though - there are two versions of the film floating around out there: the original and the unrated cut. Even though it's harder to find, I suggest you put the extra effort into finding the original cut because the ending is completely different and so much better. Whichever you choose though, you'll most likely caved in with fear!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Pwaters' Month of Terror Day 8: Eraserhead

David Lynch has made some of the weirdest short films and movies of all time. His debut experimental feature, Eraserhead, is so bizarre and unsettling, it's almost impossible to describe. There's no strict narrative to Eraserhead, but there are similar pieces of imagery throughout that you can try to put together (the consensus is it has something to do with the fear of being a father). It's a wild experience; it's almost like watching an actual nightmare put to screen. From the minimalistic factory-like soundtrack to the crying of a baby coming from a cow fetus (yup, it's disturbing - they used an actual cow fetus) - if you want a "bad trip" without the LSD, watch Eraserhead.

David Lynch had a hard time getting this film made - the script was only 21 pages long and because no studio wanted to touch it, he shot it intermittently between 1971 and 1977 on a $10,000 grant issued to him by the American Film Institute. Although it was a rough road to get it made, when it was finished it found a huge underground audience at midnight screenings and big Hollywood names like Mel Brooks and Steven Spielberg caught wind of it (it was Brooks who soon after offered Lynch the job for The Elephant Man, which is a little more "mainstream" than this film). Now Lynch is heralded as a legendary cult director and is one strange, but artistic dude.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Pwaters' Month of Terror Day 7: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was loosely based around the real-life psychopath Ed Gein, a nutcase who's been inspiring Hollywood for a long time (his "doings" also provided the basis for Norman Bates in Psycho and Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs). The story goes as this: Sally, her wheelchair-bound brother Franklin, and three of their friends are on their way to an old family homestead. Along the way they pick up this completely demented hitchhiker . Since he's completely bonkers (he burns a photograph on tin foil, cuts himself, cuts Franklin, and talks about "headcheese"), they kick him out of their van; later they stop by a swimming hole where they find a house. Unfortunately for them its the house belonging to the cutter, and a whole family-gone-fucked.

The film is very gritty and grimy and feels totally authentic. When the group of friends stumble upon the farmhouse, housing some of the creepiest people in all of movies, it actually feels lived in, with bones and dust covering the furniture. Despite their craziness, the villains do have a sense of home and family (however morbid each of those categories are), which makes it even scarier. Instead of one nameless killer, there's a family of them that love each other - and killing only strengthens their bond.

The whole family is demented, but the official chainsaw-weilding mascot, Leatherface, is the focal point of this kinship from hell. He personally likes to wear the skinned-off faces of his victims on his face as a mask, which is an activity that Ed Gein actually did do (he had some mommy issues). 'Chainsaw Massacre' taps into something that is over the top, but real at the same time. Looking back, there really is hardly any blood or gore in the film despite it feeling like there was, which I think is a testament to its power. As in 'Blair Witch,' your mind fills in the blanks of what's happening, and often it's your mind that's the scariest place of all.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Pwaters' Month of Terror Day 6: The Wicker Man

Please, please forget about the remake starring Nicolas Cage; it may be a good midnight movie to cackle along with and make fun of, but the original 1973 British film is quite scary and nightmare inducing. The film follows Sargent Neil Howie on the remote island of Summerisle, from where a girl has reportedly gone missing. While investigating, he realizes that this small village is nothing like his straight-laced Christian background - they're an off-kiltered society of pagans and he smells something fishy going on. British actor Edward Woodward (try to say that ten times fast) is great as the man outside his comfort zone (granted that having to face the cult leader, played by horror veteran Christopher Lee, is no small tomatoes). The whole movie almost feels like a dream, and the music and imagery are downright haunting. After I watched the movie for the first time I felt like I was in a trance (or maybe it was just Britt Ekland's crazy nude seduction scene).

I think what makes The Wicker Man so scary is that a seemingly strong and smart man is so easily manipulated by this cult. Everyone seems to be "in" on things, and he knows it, but still can't figure it out. Plus the scenes of cult members wearing animal masks gleefully joining hands and chanting as they gather for a ritual killing are a tad unsettling.

(PS: I thought "no small tomatoes" was a saying, but then I googled it and nothing came up...I swear I've heard that somewhere before, but I guess I was wrong. I'm leaving it in though because I like it and I will as of now try to use the phrase as often as I can).

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Pwaters' Month of Terror Day 5: Frankenstein

Dir. James Whale

Of all the "classic" Universal monster movies (of which include Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Mummy, etc), I consider James Whale's adaptation of Mary Shelley's book to be the best. I think what makes it scary is that the actual monster is created by man. The monster is just a laboratory mistake, initiated when Frankenstein's assistant fucks up and drops the "normal" brain and has to use an "abnormal" brain. The ability to effectively "play god" and create life is kind of scary if you think about it - especially if the one creating life is an off-his-rocker scientist (when his monster first shows signs of life, Dr. Frankenstein exclaims "Now I know what it is like to be God!").

Enough can't be said about Boris Karloff's performance. After Universal's huge success with Dracula, it was originally planned to have Bela Lugosi play the monster in Frankenstein - luckily he backed down because now we have one of the best horror performances of all time. It's hard to put into words how good it is; it's much more complex than it ever needed to be. Karloff taps into some sort of bizarre basic primal human snarling type thing and every second he's on screen is mesmerizing. And also Jack Pierce's legendary make-up design for Karloff is undoubtedly one of the best of all time (that's just what we automatically think of when we hear "frankenstein"). It's said that Karloff had to endure four hours under Pierce's hand to put on the make-up, but I'd say it was worth every second to create one of cinema's best horror icons.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie (and the most controversial) is when the monster escapes the lab and wanders into the nearby village. He finds a little girl picking the petals off of flowers and gently tossing them into the river. He joins in with her and for the first time, we see the creature bonding with someone else; however, when the monster runs out of petals, he cannot make the distinction between the petals and the little girl, and he tosses her into the river against her will and drowns her. This scene had been altered or plain cut out of many of the original screenings because it was deemed too upsetting to audiences.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Pwaters' Month of Terror Day 4: Alien

Some people prefer the more action oriented sequel Aliens, but for me, nothing tops the eerie sci-fi horror masterpiece that is Ridley Scott's original Alien. The movie is about a spaceship crew on a trip back to Earth, awakened from their frozen state by the ship's computer telling them a transmission (indicating possible life) is coming from a nearby planet. Upon investigation, the crew finds an alien life form, and not to give anything away to those few who haven't seen it, but shit goes down and because they're in space, everyone is essentially fucked (as indicated by the film's amazing tagline "In space, no one can hear you scream").

This film begins quietly, and then it hits you when you least expect it. The setting of space is seemingly perfect for a horror movie because there is nowhere to run to. The ambience, the sounds of the metal corridors, and dimly lit areas of the ship only add to the atmosphere - and they provide places where said alien can easily cranny into and blend in. The various creatures and special effects were groundbreaking for the time, earning the film an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, and still scare audiences to this day. It was also considered trailblazing to not only have a female protagonist in a film like this (played by Sigourney Weaver), but to have her kick the most butt out of anyone else. That's not to say her male counterparts are shabby either; co-starring are Tom Skerritt, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, and Ian Holm. It's a scary, intense ride all the way through, with great actors, great aliens, great atmosphere, and best of all, Sigourney Weaver in white panties.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Pwaters' Month of Terror Day 3: A Nightmare on Elm Street

Great horror movies typically exploit a certain aspect of non-threatening daily life and turns it into something to fear (for example, the ocean in Jaws, showers in Psycho, and the wind in The Happening... wait, maybe scratch that last one). 'Elm Street' succeeds in that we all have to go to sleep, so there's effectively no way to escape from Freddy, the child-killing burn victim wearing a self-made glove with knives on the fingers. The haunting music and the eerie set pieces help to escalate the chill-factor, and it's great the way the film blends nightmare and reality (you never know exactly where you are, so the killer can pop out at any time). Plus, because it takes place in people's dreams, there's an excuse to make extremely over the top, elaborate gross-out/shock scenes. It's a true classic that has sort of lost its mystique since the character, Freddy, has been used to death in pop culture and countless sequels, remakes, and re-imaginings (Freddy vs. Predators 2: The Reckoning, Part 5 coming soon to DVD).

Partly what makes the series so successful is its villain. Robert Englund brings so much to the role of Freddy Krueger. His devilish charm and wit make him all the more frightening, and unlike the likes of other slasher movie killers such as Jason or Michael Myers, Freddy doesn't hide behind a mask - he has his own impish sense of humor, as if the kids he's killing are his "toys." It's as though your dreams are his sandbox. Also starring is Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and a pre-famous Johnny Depp, and all pull their weight in acting - but in the end Englund steals every scene.