Horror

THE HAUNTING (1962)

October 31, 2020

(AMC+/SHUDDER/VOD) If you’re reading this, there’s probably a 50/50 chance you’ve watched THE HAUNTING and, if so, it’s well-worth a re-watch! If you haven’t? Well, that’s what these electronic missives are for!

THE HAUNTING (1962, not to be confused with the 1999 version, which isn’t as bad as you may remember) is probably the closest to a definitive Shirley Jackson adaptation we’ll ever get, and not just because she was actively involved with the adaptation. While it excises and condenses the book, it never loses track of the complexities of Eleanor, the figurehead of the story, wanting to be wanted, but unaware as to how she can be needed.

It helps that THE HAUNTING is shot with a pitch-perfect eye. Director Robert Wise (a goddamn Hollywood legend as the award-winning editor of CITIZEN KANE and director/producer of WEST SIDE STORY, THE SOUND OF MUSIC) and cinematographer Davis Boulton used an experimental Panavision 30mm lens that lends an unmistakably unique look to the film; the occasional lens distortion helps to amplify certain scenes near the end of the film.

The lens, in tandem with the claustrophobic and detailed sets and the intense lighting gives the house a verve (while often framing all of the primary characters as entrapped or jailed) that required almost absolutely no ‘traditional’ haunting visual effects, relying instead on perfect sound design, and all of it dovetails with the intense internal monologuing from Eleanor.

THE HAUNTING is a perfect Halloween film, one that’ll make you think about your surroundings as you lumber off to bed, all while questioning your own place.

TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (1986)

October 30, 2020

(AMC+/hoopla/Prime/VOD) TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 has a similar reputation to its original as HALLOWEEN 3 has to the first two HALLOWEENs: fans felt betrayed. Both films toy with their hallmark villains (in the case of HALLOWEEN 3, Michael is nowhere to be found), neither film tries to repeat their prior efforts, and both look and feel drastically different from what fans expected. While HALLOWEEN 3 has finally been embraced by horror fans, TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 (TCM2) is still mostly ignored, which I believe is rather unfair.

TCM2 is unmistakably glossier and poppier — just take a listen to the soundtrack. And yes, it’s far broader than the original. In other words, far closer to the tone of similar 80s horror films, but there’s a reason for that.

Hooper and co-writer L.M. Kit Carson (co-writer of PARIS, TEXAS) are using TCM2 to actively undermine what Hooper created with TCM1, by putting a slapstick, circus-like veneer on the entire film. Texas, as a state, is reduced to a brightly colored carnival (Texas Battle Land, chock full of crass Alamo murals and poorly rendered re-enactments), the Sawyer family become a twisted Three Stooges, and Dennis Hopper is reduced to an short-sighted, idiotic buffoon, often over-compensating for his own weaknesses by taking up not one, but two chainsaws.

Is it puerile? Oh, most definitely — there’s even a scene where Leatherface (who quickly falls for our radio DJ heroine) ejaculates in his pants, then quickly becomes frustrated and tears up the radio station upon discovering this new sensation. New Sawyer family member Chop Top has a disgusting habit of picking the skin from around his skull wound with the hook of a clothes hanger and eating it.

Is it satire? I’m hard-pressed to say, but Hooper’s definitely undermining his original creation and having a lot of fun doing so. If they had replaced Leatherface and recast the Sawyer family and hadn’t sold it as a TCM sequel, I’m sure this film would be better regarded today. However, it’s questionable whether the film would have the same bite that Hooper intended if it weren’t billed as a Texas Chainsaw Massacre film, if it hadn’t pulled the rug out from fans’ feet.

THE MIST (2007)

October 29, 2020

(AMC+/fubo/VOD) I read a fair amount of King as a kid and, while I found much of it thrilling, I recall very little of it disturbing me (although the TV film adaptation of IT definitely kept me awake at night) except for one short story from his SKELETON CREW collection: THE MIST. I fully realize it wasn’t so much the story itself, but how the story let my imagination run wild with the fear of what’s unseen.

While Frank Durabont’s adaptation of THE MIST differs in many ways from the source material, it still reckons with the idea of ‘what’s the worst out there that we can’t see?’, taking it to the extreme with what you may feel is a controversial end. In-between the opening and that ending, you have your traditional small-town interpersonal conflicts and blow-ups, mostly structured within the space of a decently sized grocery store with overly spacious front windows.

It includes murderer’s row of fantastic performers, including Laurie Holden and Jeffery DeMunn (both pre-THE WALKING DEAD), Andre Braugher, and frickin’ Toby Jones, stylish shots and cracking sound and monster design, it’s one of those adaptations where everything coalesces into something special.

(By the way, there was a barely-promoted TV adaptation of THE MIST that aired on the now-defunct basic cable channel Spike in 2017. Unless you’re hardcore about comparing adaptations — like I am — you may want to skip it.)

I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943)

October 28, 2020

(AMC+/VOD) A slight cheat, as it’s gothic romanticism disguised as supernatural horror, but the end result is just the same. Horror master Jacques Tourneur (CURSE OF THE DEMON, CAT PEOPLE) was tasked by master producer Val Lewton, to create a film to match the title ‘I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE’. Tourneur did, but leaned heavily on JANE EYRE and Haitian folklore to do so, resulting in the an early ‘elevated horror’* film.

As you might expect from a Haitian folklore zombie film from the 40s, there’s a fair amount of problematic othering going on here, although it’s not as severe as other films of its time, and it’s actively attempting to be progressive.

  • I hate that label, but it’s sufficient shorthand.

NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984)

October 27, 2020

(VOD) A surprisingly rich character-based post-apocalyptic film. Reg, our hero, has her own agency; she stands toe-to-toe against all of the dumb dudebros that she has to endure while still standing by her younger sister, but more importantly, she feels like a unique character — she’s not a prototypical horror archetype. Also, Catherine Mary Stewart plays her perfectly — disaffected and confident. Did I mention that the film opens with her being very focused on her TEMPEST arcade cabinet high-score?

That aside, I will always love this film because of one very particular (non-spoiler) cineaste riff: Reg survives because she’s in a projection booth that was re-enforced due to the explosive nature of nitrate film.*

You could remake this film word-for-word, shot-for-shot today, and it’d still be considered progressive and interesting. But what often gets lost is the fact that the film is surprisingly gorgeous, with some amazing costume and color work. I’m not sure if they were bestowed with a fantastic budget (nope, they shot all of the ‘abandoned streets’ bits at 5am), a brilliant cinematographer and/or production designer, the film stock, the ND filters they were using or whatnot, but everything pops in this film.

  • Fun fact: there are only three theaters in the US that can screen nitrate films because of the risks involved. I was lucky enough to attend a nitrate screening of Hitchcock’s first go at THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH at the Egyptian in LA in 2017, which had recently been reinforced for nitrate screenings, and wow, that was a treat.

CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962)

October 26, 2020

(AMC+/Criterion/fubu/epix/HBO MAX/hoopla/kanopy/Paramount+/tubi/Vudu, anywhere really, although I watched The Directors Cut via my Criterion copy) One of the few films I discovered because of a video game — no, not CARNEVIL — I’d read about it influencing SILENT HILL.

CARNIVAL OF SOULS is a surprisingly singular vision from industrial film Herk Harvey, who only made this one film, but he made that swing count. A woman is the sole survivor of a three-person car crash, and goes about trying to move ahead in life, but can’t shake a gauzy hazy or the stare of a ghostly man.

It’s a surprisingly quiet film, despite the often oppressive organ soundtrack, and while it’s built upon a number of small moments, it culminates in an astounding final sequence. Art-house horror, full of tension and dread, well before such a thing widely existed.

One final note: I believe some song I’m quite familiar with sampled Mary’s meeting with a Dr. Samuels, as well as the exchange: “Now you quit licking your chops, she’s outta your class.” “You wanna bet?” If anyone knows who sampled them, let me know!

FINAL DESTINATION 2 (2003)

October 25, 2020

(HBO MAX/VOD)? I love original recipe FINAL DESTINATION — Wong & Morgan took everything they learned from THE X-FILES and expertly applied it expertly to the slasher genre, all while introducing teens to counterpointing via John Denver (Rocky Mountain High makes a brief muzak appearance in this film as well) — but goddamn, the opening sequence is one of the most memorable set-pieces of the last twenty years, and the kill scenes are astoundingly convoluted.

I’m not going to say it’s as good as the first FINAL DESTINATION, but it’s exactly what you hope for from a sequel. Also, ONE DAY AT A TIME’s Justina Machado is a supporting player!

If you haven’t read it, ‘Death Is Not the End: An Oral History of Final Destination’ is well-worth your time, if for no other reason than learning about how influential the ‘bus kill’ scene was for effect techs: https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/03/final-destination-oral-history/

ROGUE (2007)

October 24, 2020

(VOD/Vudu) Greg McLean followed up WOLF CREEK (2005) with this tremendously satisfying Australian giant crocodile film. As with all of McLean’s films, the characters are far more nuanced than necessary for the material, and he has a fantastic command of wringing the most tension out of a scene without making it feel cheap. For a giant creature flick, it has some surprisingly poignant moments. Sadly, this was the era of schlockier creature features, and the film never gained much traction.

It helps that the cast is full of brilliant-but-underrated performers: Michael Vartan (an oft-forgotten part of ALIAS) milks his shy eyes and perpetually concerned brow; Radha Mitchell (PITCH BLACK, SILENT HILL) plays it straight and extremely considered; a young, fresh faced Mia Wasikowska (CRIMSON PEAK, STOKER, DAMSEL); oh, and also Sam Worthington (MAN ON A LEDGE, THUNDERSTRUCK).

All of this said, it’s slightly hampered by early naughts CGI and more mansplaining than I remember, but it’s still a thrilling time.

PONTYPOOL (2008)

October 22, 2020

(AMC+/VOD) Based on Tony Burgess’ PONTYPOOL CHANGES EVERYTHING, the film condenses and improves on the source material, turning it into more of a WAR OF THE WORLDS broadcast, becoming more of a stage/radioplay than film. This piece about a virus transmitted via speech wouldn’t work nearly as well without Stephen McHattie’s resonant voice -and- acerbically charismatic presence. That said, even without him, it’d still be an imaginatively brilliant and horrifying work. The mid-film obituaries hit hard. It’s a masterclass in wringing the most from a smart concept by selling a lot through showing very little.

A sequel has long been rumored — I assume it’d be based on CAESAREA, which I have yet to read — but by all indications it’d be significantly larger in scope, whereas PONTYPOOL (the film) works better because of its insular scope.

“Pontypool is under quarantine. Everyone has to stay inside at all times.” Frankly, I’m shocked they haven’t re-united the cast for a COVID-19 ZOOM play. I’d pay damn good money to hear that.

BLOOD DRIVE (2017)

October 21, 2020

(SyFy/VOD) Another cheat, as it was very briefly a SyFy TV show, but I felt like it’d be a disservice to wait until November to boost this horror one-season wonder.

I can’t believe this aired on basic cable.

The show’s basically DEATH RACE 2000, but the cars are Cronenberg-ian devices that run on blood, and every episode riffs off of a different horror genre. Watch the trailer, as it succinctly explains the premise:

Now, with a premise like that, they could’ve just phoned in the eps, made them all stand-alone stories, but no — they fleshed out the lore, ruthlessly plotted it, made it super smart with surprisingly rich and empathetic characters — Colin Cunningham as Julian Slink is especially delightful — all while still managing to be one of the most amusing and disgusting things I’ve ever seen on TV. A surprisingly perfect season of TV.

If you still aren’t sold? Well, it’s basically second-wave industrial music conceptualized as a TV show.