Tag Archives: Horror

DUEL: Spielberg’s Man and the Elements

Duel is a film directed to near perfection, its technical efficiency meant to highlight on the “experience” rather than have its logistical details parsed out. It’s something elemental, like the villainous vehicle crawled out of the dirt of the seemingly endless California desert that has served as a tomb for so many other drivers. The telephone lines might as well be crosses in a graveyard. What can man do against such rudimentary construct of primal rage? It’s Spielberg’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre. His Earth-Jaws. With so many attempts at bringing in a “proper” third Terminator film, we may as well reconvene and name Duel the secret prequel in the tale of man vs. machine.Continue reading “DUEL: Spielberg’s Man and the Elements”

BLOOD, HEDONISM, AND HUMANITY IN NEAR DARK

“The night, it’s deafening.”

One of the first images in Near Dark is young Adrian Pasdar as Caleb, slapping a mosquito as it draws blood from his arm. A nuisance, not something to be thought of twice. Caleb is relaxing against the moody Midwestern sky without a care in the world. The only thing drawing his attention is friends, alcohol and a gorgeous girl wandering the streets seemngly without a care herself. The night beckons him.Continue reading “BLOOD, HEDONISM, AND HUMANITY IN NEAR DARK”

NOSFERATU: INTO THE LAND OF THIEVES AND SPECTRES

“Does this word not sound to you like the midnight cry of the Deathbird. Take care in saying it, lest life’s images fade into shadows and ghostly dreams rise from your heart and nourish themselves on your blood. Long have I contemplated the origin and recession of the Great Death in my hometown of Wisborg. Here is its story. There lived in Wisborg Hutter and his young wife Ellen.”

Continue reading “NOSFERATU: INTO THE LAND OF THIEVES AND SPECTRES”

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE in 35mm: So long, Tobe Hooper

We lost Tobe Hooper this year. A legendary filmmaker who created among the most powerful and exuberant genre films the world has ever seen. How appropriate then that a 35 mm screening of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre would be projected at BeyondFest, a film festival showcasing film culture’s fun house genre appeal. Don Coscarelli, Mick Garris, Tom Holland and Adam Rifkin introduced the film with each one commemorating an experience with their comrade in genre. It became clear quickly that Tobe Hooper was being honored as a person first and foremost. By all accounts, he was a passionate artist, wanting to entertain and striving to create new methods of expression on film. To paraphrase Mick Garris, the best way to honor him is to watch one of his films. And so we did.Continue reading “THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE in 35mm: So long, Tobe Hooper”

Let’s Talk About CinemaSins

Featured image from this video

Would you say Coca Cola is better than Pepsi? Sure, if you felt that way there’s no reason for you not to. They have similar tastes, look and consistency. There are grounds for comparison. Would you compare Pepsi to an orange soda? Sure, it’s a soda. But if you’re looking for something that tastes like orange flavored, why would you even go for the Pepsi? Sometimes you never know you wanted something different, so you roll with the flavor of the orange soda. It’s a pleasant surprise. Would you compare soda to an ice cream? No, because that’s fucking ridiculous and the two only go together with a root-beer float kind of deal. How about a soda to a pizza? Fuck no. What’s wrong with you? If you’re hungry, you get the pizza. If you’re thirsty, get the soda. They are clearly two different states of matter. You wouldn’t complain about a soda not being solid enough, nor would you complain about a pizza being liquid enough (also they’re not healthy but you get the point). So why do these arguments in the vein of these comparisons come up with movies?Continue reading “Let’s Talk About CinemaSins”

Dream Warriors Take Back Elm Street

Originally written on the 30th anniversary of Dream Warriors

Abuse and generational torment were always part of the thematic underpinnings of the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. In the first NOES ,the budget relegated dream sequences to a more lucid effect (not to discredit the great-late Wes Craven, whose directorial prowess gave the film its own sense of surrealism without the larger budget). In Dream Warriors, the gang of teenagers are still under the threat of Freddy Kreuger while also dealing with their own struggles and aspirations.

Dream Warriors presents a flawed gang of teenagers. Not miscreants but not quite do-gooders, they’re just kids with their own demons to battle. The kills are more technically proficient than every other film in the series (minus the Wes Craven directed entries of course) but it’s in how surreal direction provides the emotional efficiency. Rather than delegating schlocky kills designed as set pieces, the nightmares are extensions of the teenagers fears and insecurities, making them feel more tangible in our own viewing experiences.Continue reading “Dream Warriors Take Back Elm Street”