Suspiria

Tags

1970's, Alida Valli, Dario Argento, Horror, Jessica Harper, Joan Bennett, Stefania Casini, Suspiria

Film Title

Suspiria

Director

Dario Argento

Starring

• Jessica Harper as Suzy Bannion
• Joan Bennett as Madame Blanc
• Alida Valli as Miss Tanner
• Stefania Casini as Sara

An overwhelmingly visual and sinister horror movie from Italian maestro Dario Argento, Suspiria is rightfully regarded as a work of arresting quality and bold aesthetic. If there’s a horror movie that can hold the distinction of being beautiful, Suspiria is the victorious champion.

From the moment American dancer Suzy Bannion arrives in Germany to attend a prestigious ballet academy, there is something not quite right. Firstly, she encounters a panicked student, who later turns up murdered. Then the whole atmosphere of the place is laced with a certain menace, not helped by the domineering and eerie presence of vice director Madame Blanc and teacher Miss Tanner. Suzy struggles to fit into her new surroundings, but this is nothing compared to the spine tingling things that will soon take shape. A series of creepy occurrences take place; maggots rain from the roof, there are strange footsteps at night and it would appear that the teachers are guarding something frighteningly shocking. Aided by a fellow student Sara, who is the first to think something strange is happening, Suzy sets out to uncover what is really going on at the academy. As more unusual events(complete with more murder and sickly ailments inhabited by Suzy) take place with many suggesting something supernatural at work, Suzy is thrown into the pit of horror as she strives to piece together the meaning of the school and the designs of its inhabitants.

Dario Argento is the showman, richly displaying his craft in full glory. His flair for the theatrical and stunning is left on every frame of this strangely beguiling horror fantasy. It’s clear from Suspiria that Argento is an artist of the highest order and a horror icon to treasure for his baroque attitude. Plot and character development are not what this movie is about; tension and spooky atmosphere are the main components and things it accomplishes with ease. Argento grabs you from the opening frames and pulse you into this ghoulish world he has created, where uneasy and weird things build to a crescendo of high art and horror. Most worthy of praise is the bold use of colour, in particular red, blue and green. Red is the most employed; saturating the screen in a haze of nightmarish fantasy that is as spellbinding as it is creepy. One can’t help but wax lyrical about the eye-popping and sensory areas of Suspiria, that stick with you long after the film’s finish. A certain fairy tale quality, albeit one of the unnerving and eerie variety, is ever-present here in a lot of shots, specifically the gripping opening. We witness arrival as a storm hits and she briefly sees a fellow student run away from the school. Later, the incoherent girl who fled the academy is traumatised by strange sights and then brutally murdered by a largely unseen assailant. Her lifeless body crashes through a stained glass ceiling, her neck in a noose and the glass causing the death of a friend. It’s a successful opening that clearly establishes the strange tone and often horrifying but stylish visions that Suspiria will bring in abundance. Gory violence is startlingly seen, but rendered mesmerize through the lens of artistry that colours everything here. It seems strange to describe a horror movie as lush and beautiful, but Suspiria is both of those things and more. While a lot of horror favours darkness , Suspiria is strikingly colourful and filled with a prowling eye from adventurous camerawork. This distinction makes it stand out in horror for all the right reasons. As a relentless exercise is stupendous visual splendour and growing tension, Suspiria is compelling and filled with imagination. And no talk of Suspiria would be complete without mentioning the thundering music score, provided by Goblin. An intense roller coaster of twinkling percussion, loud drums and snatches of scratchy whispers, it’s another element that sucks you into the vivid world brought to life in pulsing form.

Although plotting and characters aren’t the important parts of Suspiria, the cast is still pretty serviceable. Jessica Harper is appropriately beautiful, waif-like and innocent as the heroine and while not the best actress, she still presents an air of spirited nature as Suzy heads into the disturbing machinations at work. Joan Bennett and Alida Valli successfully transfer something sinister and unusual as two of the academy’s staff, who immediately set your nerves and mind on edge from the first moment they are glimpsed. Stefania Casini is also pretty good as a student, very suspicious of what’s going on. There are various other characters in the film, but the biggest star is Argento himself.

Gorgeously shot, hauntingly creepy and artistic to within am inch of its life, Suspiria is simply put an experience for and grandiose assault on the senses.

The Sentinel

Tags

1970's, Arthur Kennedy, Ava Gardner, Beverly D'Angelo, Burgess Meredith, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Walken, Cristina Raines, Deborah Raffin, Eli Wallach, Horror, Jeff Goldblum, Jerry Orbach, John Carradine, José Ferrer, Martin Balsam, Michael Winner, Sylvia Miles, The Sentinel

Film Title

The Sentinel

Director

Michael Winner

Starring

• Cristina Raines as Alison Parker
• Chris Sarandon as Michael Lerman
• John Carradine as Father Halliran
• Burgess Meredith as Charles Chazen
• Ava Gardner as Miss Logan
• Deborah Raffin as Jennifer
• Arthur Kennedy as Monsignor
• Eli Wallach as Detective Gatz
• Christopher Walken as Detective Rizzo
• Martin Balsam as Professor Ruzinsky
• José Ferrer as Robed Figure
• Sylvia Miles as Gerde
• Beverly D’Angelo as Sandra
• Jeff Goldblum as Fashion Photographer
• Jerry Orbach as Director

A 70’s horror with an all-star cast, I was expecting The Sentinel to be a treat. Alas, it was a shoddy mess that descended into ludicrous and incomprehensible places. There are nary any positives in this film, which could have been something special, fur floundered into the abyss of rubbish.

Alison is a young, pretty model living in New York. Though in a relationship with slick lawyer Michael Lerman, she is reluctant to move in with him or consider engagement. She decides to find her own place to live. While seemingly living the high life, Alison has baggage in her memories that still haunt her and refuse to let go. Continuing looking for a place, she is recommended by realtor Miss Logan, a beautiful Brooklyn Heights apartment. She notices a man in the top apartment window. Miss Logan informs her that it is Father Halliran, a blind priest who seems to sit there without ever really moving. Thrilled at the scope of the place and the reasonable amount being asked for, Alison moves in. Shortly after arrival, Alison encounters some of the strange tenants of the building, starting with the peculiar and intrusive Charles Chazen. Gradually, Alison’s nights are disturbed by horrific visions of her troubled past that involved an attempted suicide and is plagued by unnerving noises from another apartment. Frightened yet very curious, Alison is then shocked to learn that only she and Father Halliran reside in the complex, with no one having previously occupied it for three years. Becoming more alarmed by events that may or may not be real, Alison crumbles completely. Somehow, she is linked to a centuries old pattern that the apartment block has which poses a deadly and potentially otherworldly trouble. Can Alison really figure out why these visions appear and what sinister designs are being made for her?

Michael Winner gets some atmosphere going at the start, but his lack of taste and frankly trying direction makes The Sentinel really drag and go into a place of boredom. He plays up the overt sensationalism and outrageous moments to an extent that they aren’t frightening or remotely chilling. The visual style is one positive point( even though it’s sadly only one such instance) finding a certain gloss and at least setting some spooky aura. This however is drowned out by the sheer implausibility and inanity  of it all, that causes The Sentinel to be a major let down. The Sentinel film that could have been something if thought had actually gone into. What we are left with is a confused and histrionic film, that doesn’t generate hardly any terror or resonance. There is one scene that is rightly celebrated for its scare factor, but apart from that, The Sentinel is laughable and deplorable. I mean, I’m game for some campy and melodramatic moments in horror, often they can be quite fun. But the overload, coupled with a dragging, not to mention hard to follow story, was too much for me to take. And there is one thing in The Sentinel that really left a bad taste in my mouth. When all hell breaks loose and the supposed fright of the movie is in swing, one manifestation of evil is depicted as people with prominent deformities. The main thing I took issue with was that the people used were actually deformed themselves. When you put a physical defect or disability on screen, it should be done with respect. Here, it equates the deformities with evil, which really didn’t lie well with me. It felt exploitative and mean-spirited, especially as the implication it made was in very poor taste. The music score is passable with some unusual passages, yet like the rest of The Sentinel, over cooks events to a laughable degree.

As aforementioned, The Sentinel has an unbelievable cast. The sad news is, hardly any of them are given anything to work with and show off their skills. Cristina Raines, in the lead of tormented model, is basically required to look frightened and pretty. She does both things well enough, but there’s nothing really meaty for her else to do. Chris Sarandon at least tries his best with putting some cocky attitude into the role of the lawyer boyfriend. John Carradine, heavily made up to look older, is pretty effective as the largely silent priest whose eerie presence hangs over the building. Burgess Meredith rocks creepy to the hilt as a pesky and very unusual neighbour, who becomes more than just a common nuisance. Ava Gardner is completely wasted as the realtor of the place, only appearing a handful of times and not equipped with much in the way of action to play. Deborah Raffin is pretty bland as Alison’s best friend, while experienced veteran actor Arthur Kennedy at least contributes some mystery as an enigmatic priest. Eli Wallach and a young Christopher Walken are seen in a thread of the story that makes no sense and wastes the obvious talents of two reliable stars. Martin Balsam and José Ferrer, two fine actors, both appear in blink and you’ll miss it roles which is extremely unfortunate. Sylvia Miles and Beverly D’Angelo certainly have the strangeness down in their parts, but not much else because the script restricts them. Bit parts are also handed to Jeff Goldblum and Jerry Orbach. The mix of old and new stars was supposed to be amazing, but they are never given any time to shine or strut their stuff.

A big mess of a movie that showed potential but quickly became farce, The Sentinel is one to avoid in the horror genre.

What Horror Movies Would You Recommend to Me?

Tags

Horror

Horror is probably my favourite movie genre. I think it all start when my Grandpa let me watch The Fog at the age of 12 and being both frightened and thrilled. Since then horror has been a go to genre for me, as I love the variety you can have. While I would say I’m a horror hound, there are still a huge number of horror flicks I haven’t seen yet. So this is where I ask all of fabulous people to intervene. Which horror movies would you highly recommend to me? As I know you are all amazing, I just know you’ll come with some great scary movies for me to see. And below is my pretty lame attempt at creating a classic horror movie scream.

Burnt Offerings

Tags

1970's, Bette Davis, Burgess Meredith, Burnt Offerings, Dan Curtis, Eileen Heckart, Horror, Karen Black, Lee H. Montgomery, Mystery, Oliver Reed

Film Title

Burnt Offerings

Director

Dan Curtis

Starring

• Oliver Reed as Ben Rolf
• Karen Black as Marian Rolf
• Bette Davis as Aunt Elizabeth
• Lee H. Montgomery as Davey Rolf
• Burgess Meredith as Arnold Allardyce
• Eileen Heckart as Roz Allardyce

A haunted house horror/mystery that uses suggestion and enigmas to raise tension and atmosphere, Burnt Offerings is a seriously underrated chiller. Unease and the raising of hairs on the back of the neck are guaranteed in this effective movie.

The Rolf family; husband and wife Ben and Marian, their 12-year-old son Davey and elderly but sprightly Aunt Elizabeth, decide to take a summer vacation. They find a large house that is asking for tenants in California’s countryside. The house is marvellous, big in size and area, but a little dilapidated. Still, the reasonably cheap price to stay for the summer is very tempting. After meeting the slightly unusual brother and sister Arnold and Roz Allardyce, who own the house,  Marian becomes insistent on staying there. Ben is not so sure, especially as they ask them to take care of their elderly mother. She never comes out of her living quarters, so they are just required to bring meals to her door. Ben eventually agrees after seeing how much Marian would love it. Upon arrival, have left for some vague reason. Making the place their own for the time that they have, the family settle in nicely . But the house soon reveals that it’s not the most hospitable place for guests and seems to have something evil inside it. Marian is the main person who is influenced in a malevolent manner by the old house, becoming obsessed with it, rejuvenating the old place and behaving alarmingly alienated towards her family. Other strange events unfold like a seemingly possessed Ben nearly drowning Davey in the pool, the greenhouse of dead flowers slowly coming back to life and Marian’s insistence that the house needs her. Everything seems to link to the very house itself, which appears to wield a strange power over all that enter. But just what can it want with the family and in particular Will any of the family truly discover the sinister secrets and shocks of the house? Or will the house itself get them before it is too late?

The creeping thrills and strange mystery are kept to a good level of skill by director Dan Curtis. The set up boats all the usual hallmarks of a haunted house movie, bit the mysterious approach and the fact that we aren’t hit over the head with overt explanations, makes Burnt Offerings a good and under appreciated entry into the genre. Just how and why the house is tormenting them is the main mysterious crux of Burnt Offerings. It is only gradually that the real intentions of the house come into the light. The photography is one if the highlights of Burnt Offerings; enveloping events in a dream like haze that starts out quite nicely and joyfully, then little by little gets to an ominous level of chilling intensity. I also liked how it was different from some haunting movies. In a lot of them,  the haunting is designed to scare the people out, the malevolence actually wants to trap them for its own insidious purpose. To spoil the intention and designs of the house would be a major disservice to the creepy tone and uncomfortable events of Burnt Offerings. I will say that it is something very alarming and disturbing, yet done with degrees of exceptional subtlety and bubbling menace that make it pretty satisfying. The house is pretty much a character itself, though one that you really are t sure of. You know it’s evil because we’re in a horror movie, but the ways that it influences all, particularly Marian, is still pretty unsettling and spooky stuff. The slow burning pace is largely excellent in developing the evil of the house and building up numerous enigmatic angles. One little problem I had was that Burnt Offerings gets a bit leisurely in the middle half of the picture, when it should have some oomph in its engine. Saying that, it is redeemed quickly by what follows and the sensational climax of what is a really compelling horror mystery. Up and down strings and the old classic music box sound are in abundance, making Burnt Offerings suspenseful even when nothing unusual is happening. It’s that hint that something sinister will transpire that the score really works on.

Oliver Reed is his usual intense self as the husband under siege from the house, his dramatic approach lending itself well to the character’s eventual descent into tormented horror. Karen Black makes for a marvellously and genuinely creepy leading lady. Playing Marian, who becomes almost immediately entranced with the house, her unusual tics and mannerisms slowly emerge into something very alarming. It’s a credit to Black’s talent that you buy into how unusually obsessed and spine chilling Marian becomes, as her once genial persona starts to get more peculiar, mercurial and generally unstable as time passes. The great Bette Davis brings her professionalism and grand standing to the part of energetic Aunt Elizabeth, who is really the first to suspect something amiss in the house. It’s a supporting role, but when you have Davis, even in smaller roles she displays her immense talent and steals the scenes she is in. Lee H. Montgomery does the frightened child act well, while the brief but very memorable appearances of Burgess Meredith and Eileen Heckart as the unusual siblings who own the house, makes a deep impression and spooky one at that.

Spooky entertainment and creepy thrills abound in this slow-burning but extremely eerie horror film. If you like some haunted house horror, with mysterious overtones and good cast, Burnt Offerings is probably the flick for you.

Scream 4

Tags

2010's, Alison Brie, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Erik Knudsen, Hayden Panettiere, Horror, Marley Shelton, Mary McDonnell, Neve Campbell, Nico Tortorella, Rory Culkin, Scream 4, Wes Craven

Film Title

Scream 4

Director

Wes Craven

Starring

• Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott
• Courteney Cox as Gale Weathers-Riley
• David Arquette as Dewey Riley
• Emma Roberts as Jill Roberts
• Hayden Panettiere as Kirby Reed
• Rory Culkin as Charlie Walker
• Erik Knudsen as Robbie Mercer
• Marley Shelton as Deputy Judy Hicks
• Alison Brie as Rebecca
• Nico Tortorella as Trevor
• Mary McDonnell as Kate Roberts

A return to the slasher series with a satirical edge, Scream 4 undoubtedly has its flaws. But it would be impossible to reach the heights of the influential first movie and if you look at it from a singular standpoint, Scream 4 is still rollicking and entertaining, albeit with problems. Plus, you’ve got Wes Craven on directing duties, Kevin Williamson back in the writing department and three of the principal actors from the original trilogy. And in those areas, Scream 4 rocks.

It has been ten years since the first spate of slayings in Woodsboro and Sidney Prescott returns. In the time since, she has written a self-help book and become a very confident woman whose no longer scared of her past. She stays with her Aunt Kate and cousin Jill, who is in her teens and surrounded by friends who adore the movies. Her return is part of her book tour and she reconnects with friends Dewey Riley, who is now the Sheriff and Gale, who is married to Dewey and whose career as a writer has somewhat stalled since moving back to Woodsboro a number of years ago. Dewey is having a good enough tenure as Sheriff of his hometown, while Gale has writer’s block and craves a new challenge. Yet as Sidney arrives, her old nemesis of Ghostface makes his presence felt with a rash of grisly murders, akin to the crimes perpetrated all those years ago. With a new generation of wise ass teens on the block, we learn that the killer may be trying to outdo the original in the way that most reboots do. That means it’s up to Sidney, an inquisitive Gale and Dewey to unearth the psycho before more blood is shed from the people Sidney holds dear to her heart. But just who is starting all these killings over again and what is the overall motive?

Wes Craven, that great iconic director of horror, is firmly in the director’s seat and his obvious expertise in the genre are at play. Though some of it feels stale, Craven has enough energy and style to make Scream 4 at least a worthy entry to the canon. In a sad footnote, Scream 4 was Craven’s last directing gig before his death and he left us with a good movie to go out on. While it has some problems, I will say that it has a bit more a better ratio with laughs and scares than Scream 3 did. meta and self referential areas are still pretty much intact, though they can lack some of the panache the other movies had.  Regardless, the many satiric jibes about endless glut of horror movies that attempt to outdo their predecessors by being outrageous and bigger are well-handled. The in jokes here are pretty amusing it must be said, as a new set of reboot rules come out to play. Because so much has changed in the world of movies and technology, Scream 4 can seem a bit forced as it is a totally different age from when the first three where hot. Saying that, quite a lot of the humour regarding us being such a dependent species on the Internet and the lives of others is particularly tart and barbed; something writer Kevin Williamson knows a lot about. Yet for all the mocking of conventions, it slips into many of them a lot more than necessary. Overall though, the script and return of Williamson are inspired and still very witty when it comes to be self-aware. Just that opening film within a film part is wildly entertaining as a send up to relentless sequels in the gore-filled genre. Seriously too, I loved the homages to the other films in the franchise; a lot of them really stuck in my mind and surprised me. Probably the most glaring flaw is the lack of interesting supporting characters, save for movie savvy Kirby, girl next door Jill and geeky Charlie . The rest of the teenagers are mere cardboard cut outs whose main purpose is to die extravagantly( though that does make the film more brutal and pretty scary it must be stated). The other main flaw within Scream 4 is that it overlong and could have been cut better, instead of dragging quite a big chunk of it out. I believe it’s a flawed movie, but it has some excellent moments that bring us back into the feel of the first troika of works. Marco Beltrami also returns on music duties and kicks up the action and winking to the audience that these movies are a dab hand at. The music has always been a big part of why I love these movies and this doesn’t disappoint, along with some side-swiping writing and inventive deaths.

The returning cast members slip back into the roles they know so well and do it with style. Neve Campbell once more impresses as perennial survivor Sidney, who is now older and more confident than ever before. Campbell portrays Sidney at her most hard-edged and ready for battle, even having a bit of sarcasm and as she’s faced this horror before yet refused to be the victim. That quality of overcoming adversity and personal growth has always been the most effective thing about Sidney Prescott, best embodied by the naturalness and heart of Campbell. She is still obviously terrified by events repeating themselves, but by now can take charge and kick ass with both attitude and soul. All bow down to Sidney Prescott and Neve Campbell for bringing this resilient character back to life. Courteney Cox gets to show that Gale can still be a fabulous bitch who wants her part of the glory solving the crimes, in typically defiant and amusing and near dangerous fashion. David Arquette’s puppy like enthusiasm is still there in funny ways, though it is tempered with a weariness now that the character is older. It was nice seeing these three characters return once more and still be interesting to watch. Emma Roberts is good as the cousin of Sidney, while Hayden Panettiere steals the show as the wise ass, movie buff Kirby. Exhibiting a sassy attitude and flirty sex appeal, she was a lot of fun to watch. Rory Culkin and Erik Knudsen are pretty OK as the movie geeks of the piece, though Culkin overshadows Knudsen because he appears more than him. The gorgeous Marley Shelton is unfortunately saddled with an uninteresting part of adoring police deputy who has a thing for her boss and Alison Brie majorly grates as the bitchy publicist with a big mouth and condescending persona. Nico Tortorella is pretty bland and not at all convincing as a creepy ex-boyfriend of Jill’s, while Mary McDonnell is completely wasted in her role as Sidney’s Aunt.

As flawed as it gets and lazy in some aspects it becomes, Scream 4 is largely an entertaining return to the series, aided by some inventive deaths and characters we know and love. Imperfect it may be, but any Scream is better than no Scream, even with some blemishes to its name.

Who Is Your Favourite Horror Heroine?

Tags

Horror, Strong Women

As anyone who follows me will know, horror is probably my favourite movie genre. One aspect that I adore is the roster of strong women or final girls that appear. Nine times out of ten it is the ladies who are left standing. But which of them is your favourite?

Mine are and the reasons why:

Ellen Ripley is the ultimate bad ass who takes control in heavy situations. You wouldn’t want to mess with her.

 

Sidney Prescott is a resourceful and very human character who shows great initiative and resilience. And she’s probably one of the most relatable heroines.

Laurie Strode is a level-headed girl with the great ability to think on her feet with intelligence.

Nancy Thompson is the go to girl for survival and ensnaring the horror that stalks her.

Kirsty Cotton is another resilient heroine sucked into gruesome situations but able to quickly adapt.

So which lady is your personal pick? Mine are just an example, so yours can be any lady from the genre.

Cujo

Tags

1980's, Christopher Stone, Cujo, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Danny Pintauro, Dee Wallace, Ed Lauter, Horror, Lewis Teague, Stephen King

Film Title

Cujo

Director

Lewis Teague

Starring

• Dee Wallace as Donna Trenton
• Danny Pintauro as Tad Trenton
• Daniel Hugh Kelly as Vic Trenton
• Christopher Stone as Steve Kemp
• Ed Lauter as Joe Camber

Although a terrifying and tense film based on the Stephen King novel, Cujo falls down in pacing and a sometimes over the top nature. It’s thankfully saved due to some horrifying sequences and a powerful turn from Dee Wallace that raise Cujo up a few levels, even if the overall product is flawed.

In the opening, we observe the friendly St. Bernard named Cujo chasing a rabbit. He gets his head stuck in a cave when looking for the rabbit, but awakens the bats that reside there. His presence scares the bats(which are rabid) and they respond by biting him. Slowly, Cujo begins exhibiting signs of rabid behaviour, that no one seems to notice. Meanwhile, in the town, various dramas are at play. Housewife Donna Trenton is married to advertiser Vic and has a young son named Tad. Although she cares for both, she has grown restless and dissatisfied. This has led her into an affair with local stud Steve Kemp, although Donna attempts to resist this. A problem with the family’s car forces them to visit alcoholic mechanic Joe Camber, who is the owner of Cujo. The dog is progressively getting more frightening and infected, but everyone is concerned with other things to truly take note of it. Donna, feeling guilty about her indiscretions, admits to her affair to Vic. Having to deal with a crisis at work and the knowledge of his wife’s affair, Vic leaves for business, which makes Donna be in charge of sorting the failing car and grappling with not knowing what the future holds. Little realising what awaits them, Donna and Tad head to Camber’s house to finally get the car sorted out. Unfortunately, by this point Cujo has become a rabid animal that has killed Camber and his friend. The dog soon sets upon Donna and her son, isolating them in their car that the battery has run out of. Trapped inside the car and terrified, Donna must summon up all the resolve she has to survive the attacks of Cujo and ensure the safety of her son.

Lewis Teague makes a good stab at directing this horror tale and does manage some very scary moments. His control over pacing and narrative is less assured, as he could have brought a bit more immediacy to things to increase the shocks. When the movie gets the nitty-gritty of the rabid dog attacking people and ultimately trapping Donna and Tad , is where the big strength and effectiveness of Cujo lies. It’s the build up to the unleashing of violence that provides a stumbling block for the movie. In one respect, some of it builds suspense and comments on how wrapped up everyone is in their own lives, that they fail to notice a change in Cujo. Yet the other narrative points are too melodramatic and soap opera style that they feel extremely out-of-place. It’s a conundrum to be sure, and just when you may consider turning the movie off, the horror kicks in and the better parts of Cujo become noticeable. With odd camera angles and a frenetic energy, the latter half of Cujo makes up for the stale first part. It gets straight to the fear of Man’s Best Friend going awry, which is a frightening notion brought to shocking life here. The use of what at first looks likes the point of view of the beast, that ultimately isn’t is impressively used when Cujo jumps out of nowhere and puts your body in a jolt. The dog of the title is terrifying yet pitiful, as it isn’t the dog’s fault that it became rabid. Still, the sheer size and appearance of the animal is ferociously rendered and towering when it menaces Donna and Tad. Above all, the theme of a protective mother and her child is brought forth, and is what gives Cujo the life-blood it needs to be memorable. Watching as they are holed up in the run-down car, near dehydration and completely traumatised makes for some nerve-shredding suspense and a sympathy for their plight. A creeping and capricious score enables suspense and terror to influence the atmosphere in the film and make it stick.

For all the flaws that Cujo boasts, the main acting from Dee Wallace is not one of them. She really convinces as the desperate mother in a battle to save her child, while almost at the point of exhaustion. Wallace searingly plays the protective mother with committed energy and depth; you genuinely feel worried for her as the attacks from Cujo become more frequent and she must gather what’s left of her strength to fight. Between vulnerable and strong, Wallace brings a much-needed dose of power to the film that is a chief asset among the other less compelling parts. Young Danny Pintauro gets it right as the absolutely terrified child, in a horrific situation. I’ve heard some people say that he’s annoying because he screams a lot in the film, but he is a child and just think how you’d react if there was a rabid dog attacking you. The other roles in the film are OK, but nothing like that of Wallace and Pintauro. Christopher Stone does what he can with the part of spurned lover, but Ed Lauter overdoes it as the hard-drinking owner of the eponymous threat. Saying that, Lauter does have very good and shocking death scene that really kicks the film into gear

An uneven slide of horror that nonetheless has its moments of greatness, Cujo can best be described as a mixed bag. If things had been a bit more focused, it may have attained excellence. Overall a creeping atmosphere, some outstanding camerawork and fine central performance are the redeeming factors that keep you watching Cujo.

Brotherhood of the Wolf

Tags

2000's, Action, Émilie Dequenne, Brotherhood of the Wolf, Christophe Gans, Fantasy, Foreign Language Film, Horror, Jérémie Renier, Mark Dacascos, Monica Bellucci, Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel

Film Title

Brotherhood of the Wolf

Director

Christophe Gans

Starring

• Samuel Le Bihan as Grégoire de Fronsac
• Mark Dacascos as Mani
• Jérémie Renier as Marquis Thomas d’Apcher
• Émilie Dequenne as Marianne de Morangias
• Vincent Cassel as Jean-François de Morangias
• Monica Bellucci as Sylvia

An audacious melding of more genres that you can shake a stick at and Taking basis from tales of an alleged beast in the of France, Brotherhood of the Wolf is enthralling and unusual in the best sense of the word.

The year is 1764 and in the province of Gévaudan, a spate of brutal killings of young girls and children is attributed to an unseen predator known as The Beast. As time passes, the killings rise rapidly in and other parts of the land, leading to much upheaval and panic as to whether the creature is something of this Earth. In response, The King of France sends two men to make some sense of what is happening. These two men are Grégoire de Fronsac, a naturalist and talented sketch artist and his blood brother companion, Iroquois Mani. They find lodging at the house of a respectable family of high-ranking, becoming friendly with the young Marquis Thomas d’Apcher, who has a big imagination and a lot of heart. The dashing Fronsac is skeptical of the Beast’s authenticity or that it is something demonic, yet must investigate this thing that is baffling and devastating the land. He along with Mani is frequently tested by things that don’t add up regarding the alleged monster. Many describe it as a giant wolf, but others who survived it claim it was a supernatural being. The authorities keep a lot close to their chest, which hinders the search for The Beast and leads to more questions of just what the purpose and reality of the Beast truly are. Meanwhile, Fronsac finds himself attracted to noblewoman Marianne de Morangias, much to the chagrin and jealousy of her one-armed brother Jean-François, who has inappropriate yearnings for his sister. Something of a libertine, he also has his head turned by the tarot reading courtesan Sylvia, who lures him into her twisted web. The attacks of The Beast continue to alarm everyone, and the intelligent Fronsac, along with the sensory perceptions of Mani, believes he is getting nearer to discovery. For what lies at the centre of the Beast’s mystery is something way beyond what either man expected it to be

Gans is an adventurous film maker it must be said and that puckish quality is put to phenomenal use in this bricolage film, that always has a kinetic feel to it. There is no shortage of drama or eventfulness in Brotherhood of the Wolf that ranks it very high on the excitement and swashbuckling action. From the standpoint of visuals, the movie is so alive and a lot of careful craftsmanship has gone into the sets, costumes and overall atmosphere. The editing conjures up a sweeping and adventurous spell, complete with clever dissolves and overlapping imagery for maximum impact. While it could be accused of over egging the pudding with the sheer amount of genres at work, Brotherhood of the Wolf is nothing short of high entertainment and the very fact that it is so unusual is what makes it strong. Half of the fun in the movie is trying to see what will happen next or what tone it will adopt, which is exemplary in my book. I mean you just look over how many elements the film juggles and your mind is blown. You’ve got the feelings of fantasy and horror through the bloodshed and peculiar nature of the beast( which for a long time is effectively shrouded in shadows before revealing itself). Action is frequently shot like that of a spinning martial arts movie, specially prevalent whenever is around. And obviously there is something historical in the film from the fact that the material of The Beast of Gévaudan is still something of a strange mystery. For many, Brotherhood of the Wolf may confound with the sheer amount of things going on in it. But wouldn’t you rather have a film that  is filled to the rafters with content instead of a movie where noting of much value unfolds? The music bursts with unbridled energy from the very first frame. You couldn’t have asked for a better score to match the devilishly blended cavalcade of events going on.

Samuel Le Bihan is a good fit for the thinking and slightly rakish Fronsac, who knows something is very amiss in this affair. He gets across the funny and intellectual side that slowly paves the way for a personal streak of vengeance and fury, as the mission grows to be something personal. The morphing from thinker to full on fighter is handsomely handled by Le Bihan. The mainly silent but intense Mark Dacascos lends a spiritual and physical grace to Mani, from his movements to his mannerisms that are largely quiet but when needed pronounced. Dacascos possesses an unearthly poise and athleticism that make the role of Mani one of action as well as soulfulness. Young Jérémie Renier is suitably as the youth who becomes enraptured and curious in helping the two men in their discovery. It helps that has a charm and impressionable wide-eyed expression that is appealing and endearing. The three main guys of the picture work well with each other, obviously bouncing off the difference in personalities and attitudes that are brought together. A demure Émilie Dequenne handles the part of a stifled lady of prominence, who silently chafes at what is expected of her and is more than just an obedient observer when the occasion calls for it. Vincent Cassel nails the sneering arrogance of the warped nobleman whose desire for his sister causes a lot of creepy conflict, especially with Fronsac. Monica Bellucci seductively steams the screen up as the most mysterious lady of the night, who may very well have more answers than she gives out. Sly and capricious spring to mind when talking of her character and the stunning Bellucci plays that to the hilt.

A hugely exhilarating motion picture with deep imagination and a clear love of pulling things that shouldn’t really go together into something spectacular, Brotherhood of the Wolf is one of the most unconventional movies you’re likely to see, but that is what causes it to be so arresting.

Carrie

Tags

1970's, Amy Irving, Betty Buckley, Brian De Palma, Carrie, Horror, John Travolta, Nancy Allen, Piper Laurie, Sissy Spacek, Stephen King, Supernatural Horror, William Katt

Film Title

Carrie

Director

Brian De Palma

Starring

• Sissy Spacek as Carrie White
• Piper Laurie as Margaret White
• Amy Irving as Sue Snell
• Nancy Allen as Chris Hargensen
• Betty Buckley as Miss Collins
• William Katt as Tommy Ross
• John Travolta as Billy Nolan

Based on the novel by Stephen King, Carrie is a heartbreaking and frightening take of bullying and the limits that someone is pushed to. With Brian De Palma behind the camera and Sissy Spacek supremely moving as the titular protagonist, Carrie becomes a compelling exercise in horror rooted mostly in the real world, but with supernatural touches complimenting it.

Carrie White is a painfully shy outcast in high school, who is mercilessly bullied by her fellow peers. She has an equally unhappy home life where her mother Margaret is a crazed religious zealot who thinks anything remotely sexual is a sin, regularly beats Carrie and forces her to pray for her alleged sins. Carrie is once again tormented when she experiences menstruation for the first time in the showers and as a result of her upbringing that hasn’t explained it, she is targeted by a number of girls headed by the sadistic Chris Hargensen. Miss Collins breaks up the horror of the situation and attempts to comfort Carrie. She punishes the girls for their horrible treatment of Carrie, resulting in Chris being banned from prom due to her lack of sympathy and refusal to admit she’s done anything wrong. At the same time, the timid Carrie starts exhibiting signs of telekinesis that flair up when she is angry and she struggles to understand. One of the girls involved in the torment,  Sue Snell, starts to feel very guilty about her part in it and wanting to be nice, she asks her boyfriend Tommy to take Carrie to the approaching prom. She sees it as a way to help Carrie and also as an apology for her behaviour of which she feels immense remorse for. Carrie is apprehensive when Tommy asks her as she thinks it is a prank, but after talking and getting advice from the kind Miss Collins, she accepts. Meanwhile, the horrid Chris ropes her boyfriend into engineering some sort of revenge on Carrie. Carrie’s mother is adamant that her daughter will no go to the prom, but Carrie finally stands up for herself and attends. But after a vicious prank set up by Chris and her boyfriend humiliates Carrie just as she feels accepted, she completely breaks and makes those who have bullied her very sorry in a most fatal and gruesome way with the use of her powers.

Brian De Palma directs this film a stylish and surprisingly empathetic touch to showcase the way that Carrie wants to be accepted and is repeatedly bullied for it. Sensitive and compassionate are not often words associated with De Palma, but his approach to the material really hits home in how it presents the horrors of bullying and being seen as different by ignorant others. And while a film that is in the horror genre, the biggest unsettling parts are the depictions of cruelty and nastiness that Carrie endures. When she finally lashes out and unleashes her powers, you can see why this is happening. She has been put to the razors edge and is now acting out retribution of the most fatal kind. Carrie is no monster, merely a misunderstood girl with a gift that finally snaps when torment gets to much, and I think everyone whose ever been mistreated or bullied can at least relate to that feeling of being so downtrodden and yet wanting to get back at those who frighten them. Which brings me onto my next point of interest. Now no review of this film would be complete without a shout out to the justly celebrated prom sequence when Carrie is pushed over the edge with no way back. Utilizing an assortment of techniques( eerie yet tense slow motion, the maximizing of particular sounds and striking split-screen) the results of the scene are simply haunting in how chilling and precise everything is, as Carrie turns the prom into a bloodbath. I could wax lyrical about this forever but the review can’t be a full on essay. All that’s left to say is De Palma is the masterful composer behind the detailed and shocking scene that leaves a big imprint on the mind, and won’t be forgotten for a long time after the movie finishes. Carrie adeptly straddles the tropes of a perceptive high school drama with horror that grows to a jaw-dropping finale, confirming it as a horror film that deals with real life social issues compassionately. The pace of it is just right, building up to the climatic snapping of Carrie’s mind with assurance and some cleverly ironic foreshadowing. And the score is purely amazing in every aspect of the word. Pino Donaggio works wonders as he covers all the emotional ground of Carrie, while bringing in by little nuances, the suspense and shocks that will eventually ignite. You couldn’t have asked for a better score for this film than the lyrical and haunting one it sports.

Sissy Spacek represents the tormented soul of the film with a natural and sympathetic performance. There are times when she is so authentic that it doesn’t seem like she is acting at all, so sincere and expressive in her interpretation of Carrie’s anguish and victimized mind. There is simply no one who could have been so convincing in the part and use their eyes to both moving and unnerving effect, particularly noticeable in the prom sequence when Carrie’s powers come into full force. Piper Laurie is wildly and suitably over the top as Carrie’s crazy mother, who puts fear into her heart and also the audience’s. She really goes for the unrestrained and frightening approach that is superbly played like a pro, which of course Piper Laurie is. This is the mother of your nightmares, and has to rank as one of the most unhinged to hit the cinema screen. In her movie debut, Amy Irving strikes the right notes of guilt-ridden shame and atonement for her actions in a quiet but evocative way. Nancy Allen stars as queen of nasty and vicious Chris, and you can’t fault her performance because you genuinely loathe this character. Betty Buckley is a supportive presence as the kind Miss Collins, while William Kitt displays a sensitivity as Sue’s boyfriend who is persuaded to ingratiate Carrie to the prom. And of course, there is a very young John Travolta, who successfully plays the none too bright boyfriend of Chris who is pulled in to help her exact her shocking prank on the title character.

A dazzling horror and cautionary tale of how you should think about the treatment of others, Carrie is rightfully iconic and cuts deep on a lot of levels.

The Changeling

Tags

1980's, George C. Scott, Horror, Melvyn Douglas, Peter Medak, The Changeling, Trish Van Devere

Film Title

The Changeling

Director

Peter Medak

Starring

• George C. Scott as John Russell
• Trish Van Devere as Claire Norman
• Melvyn Douglas as Senator Joseph Carmichael

A very spooky and understated haunted house horror, The Changeling boasts a genuine suspense and mystery to it, which stand it in extremely good stead. It’s a shining example of the less is more approach that favours atmosphere and twists instead of bloody carnage.

John Russell is a music composer who is one day being helped by his wife and daughter as their car has broken down in the snows of Upstate New York. Yet tragedy strikes when they are both killed in a freak collision between a snow plow and a van. Broken by this, John gets out-of-town and takes a job teaching music to university students. Grief-stricken by his loss, he tries to find somewhere to live in the hope that it will help him get to grips with life alone. Thanks to friends, he discovers a large unoccupied house that he believes will give him peace and time to reflect as well as heal. But while coming to terms with the tragic loss of his wife and daughter, John finds himself plagued by strange things in the house. A loud, repetitive banging sound occurs at the same time for a number of days at the exact same time. This particular incident leads a suspicious John to a secret room, that has been hidden away behind large planks of wood and locked. Most creepy of all is the image he catches of what appears to be a young boy drowning in the bath. At first, John isn’t sure about what to make of these unexplained events as he has no way of piecing anything he finds in the room together( which include an old-fashioned children’s wheelchair and a music box that eerily has the same tune he has been composing) with the strange phenomena of the vision he saw. Yet they continue to occur and John is tried by what he experiences, and he can’t rely deny what is happening right before his very eyes. Bewildered and shocked by these things that he finds to be trying to get his attention in one way or another, he dives into the past of the house with the friendly support of Claire Norman, who helped sell him the house and is a member of a historically related society. Stumbling blocks in the form of missing records and misdirection only add more to the mystery and the obstacles it poses. A séance is conducted that helps reveal something about the presence and the tragic clues as to why it haunts the house. The events have a large impact on John, who slowly discovers a will inside him to bring out the truth before it is too late. It’s a matter of proving the existence of the spirit to anyone that it will impact that is going to be the problem. John takes it upon himself to uncover what lies at the bottom of the haunting and the repercussions it continues to have, with a forceful approach that stirs up trouble for those in relation to the horror of the past.

The Changeling is a film that is driven by an eeriness and a simplicity that enables the spooky goings on to gradual reveal themselves through a measured but never lagging pace. The method of getting jolts of terror from sound and doubt are effortlessly employed , but never in a way that gets overly styled or distracting. While some unusual angles are employed, the direction from Peter Medak is wisely kept to an understated a and marvellously constructed level. For me, the attention to the story and how the ghostly haunting linked where the real hooks and the work from compliments them stunningly. The Changeling is just as much a mystery as it is a ghostly horror, a significant attribute that Medak wields with flair and just the right amount of content( the séance scene is a highlight of unnerving tension and revelations) to keep it ticking over. I found the matters surrounding the haunting very entertaining and spine-chilling as it gave another sheen to the film that went places I was not anticipating it to visit. It really pulls you right into the enigma of the house and what transpired there, with a suitably gloomy visual palette to highlight both the spooky aspects and the mourning heart of John going through his own pain. Take for example the scene of John finding his daughter’s bouncing ball which he knew he got rid of, only to have it repeatedly fall down the stairs towards him on a loop. It’s a simple yet haunting indication of John’s link with the presence as it reaches out to him and how he can’t ignore what he has seen. The lugubrious and spine tingling score( complete with ghostly cries and slithering strings) aids the personal journey John goes on in battling his own grief, while bringing justice to someone from the other side who isn’t at peace.

On the acting front and definitely strong is George C. Scott in a nuanced turn. He plays the man attempting to hold his grief inside and deal with it in some way impressively, as well as showcasing the growing feeling of unease in regards to the house. Scott is a professional who makes the role look effortless and the building feeling of determination that his character attains in trying to uncover the reasons for the haunting are pretty amazing, as well as wholly believable. Trish Van Devere( who was actually married to Scott in real life) is nicely curious and helpful as the concerned Claire, the two working well together in a natural way that isn’t surprising considering their off set relationship. Rounding out the main cast is Melvyn Douglas a powerful Senator who somehow fits into the scheme of things regarding the past of the house. Douglas wonderfully makes the most of the part by displaying a worry and slowly unraveling fragility.

A smartly old school horror that knows the best way to chill the blood is by making things creepy and gradual, The Changeling is for me an underrated horror gem that deserves a hell of a lorn of credit for what it teases out.