Horror Movie Month Week #4
This week we explore some sci-fi horror (my favorite genre) along with some bonefide classics. The film makers are all heavy hitters, and deliver some of the most satisfying movies of the month thus far. Enjoy, and sound off in the comments! Which of these films have you seen? Which of these do you love? Do they belong on this list?
Dark City (1998)
Directed by Alex Proyas
Dark City may not be a straight horror film per se; it's more in line with The Twilight Zone and other heady sci-fi. A man wakes up in a bathtub, bleeding from his forehead, suffering from intense amnesia. He discovers a dead woman near his bed with strange markings on her chest and soon is on the run from some positively paranormal looking authorities. Its film noir meets sci-fi in the best way, with some Cenobite looking villains thrown in for good measure. My favorite thing about this movie is that the entire city is either done via miniatures or made up on a soundstage. There are no real locations in this movie, which gives it an otherworldly feel in the best way. Kiefer Sutherland has an incredibly annoying speaking inflection, where he takes a deep breath before every word or phrase (very interesting choice Kiefer), but for the most part, the performances in this movie are good. The CGI effects don't hold up to scrutiny when viewed through a modern lens, but they're dated in a very charming 90s way. Watching Dark City made me want to throw on an episode of Seinfeld to wind down. I can imagine Jerry and George following up a showing of Prognosis Negative with this one. This film probably won't be remembered quite as fondly as Alex Proyas' other film, The Crow, but this is still highly underrated sci-fi horror. All comparisons to The Matrix are moot to me as this film came out over a year before that one. Proyas even sold some of their sets to the crew of The Matrix. Check this one out, especially if you're a fan of noir.
The Others (2001)
Directed by Alejandro Amenábar
Is there a better ghost story put to film than this one? Is there a haunted house film with a better twist, with more likable characters, all the while being genuinely scary? The Others is a movie I was reluctant to put on this list because I'd seen it so many times growing up. It's probably been close to ten years since the last time I watched it and I had so much fun with this film. The characters, the old house, the music, and the performances are all top notch. It's hard to go too deep without ruining the twists, and I think it's generally best to go into films like this totally blind. Nicole Kidman is a widowed during the end of World War II, and is left alone to watch over her two small children in a giant and rapidly deteriorating house. The children suffer from an acute sunlinght sensitivity, and the new maids who have been hired on have secrets they are waiting to reveal. The children swear they see and hear ghosts throughout the house, all the while dreading another vioent outburst from their mother. This is classic Halloween stuff. Don't watch trailers, don't talk to anyone about it before you see it; just turn it on and watch.
The Platform (2019)
Directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
If you are a fan of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror, you should stop what you're doing and watch The Platform. This movie is a perfect morsel of sci-fi-horror-dystopia, shot and edited excellently, with an incredibly intriguing premise. There is a building with hundreds of stories with two inmates housed on each floor. A large platform of food descends each day, with each group of inmates expected to eat the previous floors leftovers. Naturally, many at the top eat whatever they like, but many of those at the lower floors get nothing and have to resort to drastic (cannibalistic) means for survival. The film is an obvious metaphor for classism, a very literal rebuke of "trickle-down" theory, and I think depending on your particular political bent, you may view it differently than others. The Platform is brutal and does not give you a ton of faith in humanity or society as a whole. Characters in this film sink to complete depravity to stay alive, and even when they are relatively safe, they still choose to be awful to those below them. It's like if every anonymous Twitter comment section had to somehow get along with each other in real life - while hungry. Don't watch if you're looking to feel encouraged about the upcoming election, but if you're as jaded about our current era as I am, you should feel right at home with The Platform.
Hagazussa (2019)
Directed by Lukas Feigelfeld
Wow. Lukas Feigelfeld is a name to watch in the coming years. Hagazussa, his debut feature film (and graduate project for film school), is as mighty of a first film as I've ever seen. Not since Robert Eggars' The VVitch from a few years ago have I been this impressed with a director's first feature. Speaking of that film, Hagazussa has a lot in common with that film and is somewhat considered "The VVitch of Germany." Feigelfeld's style is an amalgam of David Lynch, Panos Cosmatos, and Robert Eggars. Hagazussa is a tone poem or meditation on the life of a young girl named Albrun, divided into four chapters. It is the slowest of slow-burn horror films I've seen in a while, but if you appreciated Mandy or Under The Skin, you may enjoy this pacing a bit more than most. I may have buried the lede a bit here; this movie is incredibly disturbing. There is sexual assault, rape, plague, a bit of gore, and another awful aspect of the film that I won't ruin. Hagazussa can be a challenge to sit through, but the entire time you will be guessing and second-guessing the motivations and mysteries surrounding each character. This film is scary, tense, surreal, and downright gross at times, but it is also beautiful. Every frame in this movie is a marvel to look at, and I highly recommend viewing this in the highest quality possible. I participate in Horror Movie Month every year to ensure I find films just like this one. Hagazussa presents a challenge to the modern filmgoer. It's the absolute opposite of your Quibi or Tik Tok appetizer style of entertainment. This film is a feast and one that may be hard to stomach for some people. But for me, I'm ready for seconds. I can't wait to see what Feigelfeld does next.
Body Bags (1993)
Directed by John Carpenter & Tobe Hooper
John Carpenter, to me, is Superman. Not only in the sense that he can do everything (write, direct, score, edit), but also he is a personal hero of mine. Few creative people on Earth's work have struck such a chord in me and made me want to be even more creative in my own life. Carpenter is no bullshit, and he always makes exactly what he wants to make. His string of films in the 80s is almost unparalleled in cult rewatchability. To me, John Carpenter owns the month of October. He is the unofficial ambassador of the Halloween holiday, and he embodies everything fun and awesome that comes from celebrating these films. Body Bags is one of the few films of his that I hadn't seen until this year, and like all things Carpenter, I loved it. This film is an anthology, bookended by segments featuring Carpenter as our host, an undead morgue worker with a disgusting taste for formaldehyde. It's clear this was an effort by Showtime to cash in on successful shows like Tales From The Crypt and Creepshow, and it's a shame this one didn't take off. Tobe Hooper (of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame) also directs a segment, and both directors bring as much humor and wit as they do gross-out goop and gags. There are tons of cameos by directors in this film, including Rodger Corman, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, and others. It's clear watching Body Bags that this was pure fun for these guys, and the fact that the stories are effective and scary is the icing on the cake. Body Bags is essential Halloween viewing.
Frankenstein (1931)
Directed by James Whale
James Whale is a name I was not familiar with before this month. I was incredibly impressed with The Invisible Man and couldn't believe that he directed both Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein as well. Even more unbelievable was that I hadn't seen either one of those films. Watching Frankenstein for the first time after viewing so many horror films over the years was like seeing a missing puzzle piece fall into place. So many references, tones, and choices made by other subsequent films started to make sense, and the magnitude of this film hit me. As far as fictional cultural icons go, Frankenstein's Monster is up there with Batman, Superman, Mickey Mouse, Darth Vader, etc. He's one of those characters that is hard to imagine the world without, and it's a shame that at this point, all of these Universal Monsters are took for granted. The film itself is a classic retelling of the Mary Shelley story and hits all the notes you'd expect from an iconic movie like this. One thing I didn't expect was how tragic the story of Frankenstein's Monster is. He is a creature who does not understand who or what he is, did not ask to be alive, and is supremely misunderstood. His failure to adapt, or more his creator's failure to help him adapt, leads to him being hunted relentlessly like a wild animal on the loose. It's a fantastic story, and the way Boris Karloff brings that character to life is incredible to see. Do not wait until you're 30 and have called yourself a horror movie nerd on the internet for years, like me, before you watch Frankenstein. Halloween is a week away - watch it now!
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Directed by James Whale
I watched Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein back to back, for what was an incredibly fun bout of movie watching. Frankenstein is a fantastic film, but the fact the James Whale returned to the well to essentially remake that film as an even better sequel is nothing short of amazing. Yes, Bride is better than the original, and yes, I'm aware that you just read me heaping praise on that film. The Bride of Frankenstein is a notable improvement from the first film across the board, which is an incredible feat. The sequel begins where the first film leaves off and even offers up a recap of sorts for the original. Dr. Frankenstein is approached by his former mentor to form a new partnership to bring to life a Bride for Frankenstein's Monster. I'll admit, I was disappointed at first by how little screentime The Bride got, and truth be told, she doesn't enter into the movie until the very end. But wow, does she make use of what little time she has on-screen. I'd compare it to Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of The Lambs in that Elsa Lanchester does more with about 10 minutes than most actors can do in a lifetime. The entire final sequence that brings about her character is so perfect - it's become one of my all-time favorite movie scenes I've ever seen. If you only watch one of these films, I'd watch Bride. It retells the entire story of the first movie and uses it as a jumping-off point for this story. The Bride of Frankenstein is an exceptional movie.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
If you've been following along with the initial list, you'll note that this night was supposed to be a showing of The Babadook, the wildly original 2014 film debut by Jennifer Kent. Rest assured, I love that movie, but the Blu Ray copy I ordered has not arrived yet, so I elected to substitute it for another favorite of mine: Bram Stoker's Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola. When I was a kid, for whatever reason, my parents let me watch Pacino's Scarface and The Godfather films. They were my favorite movies at about age 11 or 12, and I would watch them and rewatch them obsessively. The Godfather led to Apocalypse Now and then, in my mind, Coppola didn't make any more movies. When I discovered Bram Stoker's Dracula, I was gobsmacked. Coppola resurrects all of his superpowers of film making and pulls out all the stops. There is minimal use of digital effects, as Coppola instead elected to bring in his nephew Roman to use every single old school trick in the book to do practical effects in camera. This film expertly uses matte paintings, models, miniatures, makeup, and all kinds of forced camera perspectives to achieve what you see. It's masterful, and that's not even going into how great the performances, set designs, and costumes are. Gary Oldman, for my money, is the Dracula (commence with angry comments below). He connects with the character in a way that makes you feel bad for him, and he wields his powers of seduction in ways never seen before or since on screen. This movie is sexy, bloody, atmospheric, and of course, scary.
Now at this point, if you're not aware of the elephant in the room regarding this film, I'll cut to the chase: Keanu Reeve's performance. He is easily the weakest part of the film (even if he's an angel sent from heaven in real life), and his accent is awful. His performance in this film is so notorious that I think it's the only thing many people even know about this movie. I, for one, avoided this movie during the height of my Coppola obsession precisely because I'd heard Keanu Reeves ruins the entire film. Now, is that true? NO. His accent is bad, but he is hardly a reason to avoid watching this film. The ensemble cast is so fantastic (Winona Ryder, Cary Elwes, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Oldman) that the rest of them easily carry the film home despite Keanu phoning it in. I find Reeves' performance part of the charm of the film, and he's such a lovable guy it's hard not to just appreciating that he's in the movie. The filmmaker's motivation for casting him was suspect (they wanted a teen heartthrob to lure in the girls), which makes me wonder why they didn't just hire Johnny Depp in the role. Bram Stoker's Dracula should be remembered for what it is: Coppola's final great film, and the best Dracula movie to date.
Check in next week, we’ll be covering the next batch of horror movies on our calendar!
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