Halloween 2021: October 18th

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975)

In my early research into genre and cult cinema, I certainly came across the title “Picnic at Hanging Rock.” Yet I didn't really learn much about the movie until reading about it in John Kennith Muir's “Horror Films of the 1970s.” Muir raves about the film, listing it as one of the best horror movies of the decade. When I finally sat down to watch Peter Weir's 1975 motion picture, I was disappointed, to say the least. “Picnic at Hanging Rock” is not a traditional horror film by any means, floating on the margins of the genre. As I've mentioned before, I've evolved enough as an appreciator of cinema since then that it's probably time I revisit this one. After all, it's perhaps the most beloved Australian movie of all time, so there has to be something to it.

The year is 1900 and the place is Appleyard College, an all-girls school, in the rural town of Woodend in Victoria, Australia. To celebrate Valentine's Day, a group of girls and two of their teachers travel out to Hanging Rock, a natural rock formation, for a picnic. Four of the girls – Miranda, Irma, Marion, and Edith, plus their French teacher – ascend up the rock. Only Edith, who is in hysterics, returns. Search parties comb the area but find no trace of the girls. A poor valet discovers Irma, who has no memory of what happened. The fallout of this mysterious event has ripples all throughout the school and its residents.

From its opening minutes, wherein Poe's “Dream Within a Dream” is quoted, Weir's film establishes a dreamy, otherworldly tone. As the party arrives at Hanging Rock, the teacher clarifies that the landmark is millions of years old. The girls, in their flowing white gowns, are intrusions in this wild, raw location. Everyone's stopwatches freeze around the rock. This is because it's a place out of time, that has been there for eons and will be there for eons more. The girls fall under the strange sway of this timeless location, falling in and out of trances as they march further up the rock. This extends to the other people who attempt to climb the rock later on, reduced to crawling and crying around its surface. This ancient, mystical location exerts a strange power on everyone around it. Weir manages to convey that same feeling to the audience.

“Picnic at Hanging Rock” can be said to be about a lot of things. To me, it's most about the unknown. This is also why the movie falls squarely into the horror genre, albeit in an unorthodox way. All the girls remain within a fugue state as they ascend the rock, except for Edith. She complains repeatedly, saying she doesn't feel well, and eventually flees the area, screaming. When Irma returns from the location, just as mysteriously as she disappeared, she has no idea what happened. The forces at work within Hanging Rock go completely unexplained. I can't help but see shades of cosmic horror here, of mankind being confronted with ideas that are beyond their comprehension, that are totally unknowable. When faced with forces beyond explanation, you either go mad or wipe the whole incident from your memory. 

But like I said, there's a lot of things going on in “Picnic at Hanging Rock.” Another theme throughout the film is that of adolescent sexuality. Albert, the valet that rescues Irma that's played by a baby-faced John Jarret, makes crude comments about the girls as they pass by. His friend, the upper-class Michael who has a crush on Miranda, is disgusted by such open expressions of lust. After she disappears, Michael develops an obsession with finding Miranda borders on erotomania. He's not the only one: Sara, Miranda's bunk mate, is very fond of her. Maybe she's attached just because she has no one else in her life but Sara's feelings seem more than platonic. This is far from the only suggestion of sapphic tendencies among the school girls. When the girls fall under Hanging Rock's spell, they do things like remove their stockings and corsets. As if the wild, ancient forces of the rock allows them to express these feelings they've long suppressed.

Sara's subplot invites another reading of the film. She is an orphan, who was horribly abused by her matron. She is at risk of being kicked out of the school, due to her tuition payments arriving late. This is only the most obvious way Sara is an outsider among her posh schoolmates. This goes hand-in-hand with the clear differences between the similarly classy Michael and the cruder Albert. The biggest indicator of the film's themes of class division can be seen in the school's head mistress. After the girl's disappearances, what is she most worried about? How it's going to affect the school's reputation. 

Maybe the craziest thing about “Picnic at Hanging Rock” is that a lot of people are convinced it actually happened. Joan Lindsay's source novel, also regarded as a classic of Australian popular culture, used a fictional based-on-true-events framing device that the movie only hints at. There's absolutely no basis in reality for the story's events but that hasn't stopped some folks from trying to dig up historical precedence. Though that research did uncover the excised final chapter from the original book, which includes a rather unsatisfying explanation for what happened. I don't love “Picnic at Hanging Rock” the way many do, as it is purposely inscrutable and vague. Still, Weir's film is full of depth and does have a strange, unnerving power to it. I can see why its held in such high regard in its home country. [7/10] 

Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort (2014)

Once again, I can only speculate on how or why such decisions are made. Whatever the cause, after making the last three movies in the series, Declan O'Brien did not return for the sixth “Wrong Turn” movie. I don't know if this was his decision or Fox's. I like to think someone finally took notice of the declining quality of the series but who knows. Either way, Valari Milev – previously of “Re-Kill” – would take the directorial reins for the sixth entry in the backwoods franchise. It's unclear how “Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort” fits into the (already inconsistent) lore of the previous films, causing most to assume it's a reboot. Either way, the sequel would arrive on DVD and Blu-Ray in October of 2014, nearly ten years after the original.

Danny has recently being feeling lost in life, suffering a mental breakdown that cost him his cushy wall street job. This is when he accepts an invitation into the mountains of West Virginia, where he has supposedly inherited a run-down hot springs resort called Hobbs Spring. His girlfriend Toni accompanies him, along with a group of friends. The resort is run by Daria and Nick, sister and brother and distant relatives of Danny's. He immediately feels a bond with both of them, who proceed to show him their way of life. Toni and the others are skeptical. It turns out Hobbs Spring hides a macabre, bizarre secret. And the cannibalistic, inbred Hillicker brothers are part of that legacy.

“Wrong Turn 6” definitely represents an attempt to take the slasher series in a radically different direction. Instead of being set in the Appalachian backwoods or some indistinct small town, most of the movie takes place in a sprawling hot springs resort. (Of which there are several in West Virginia, though it should surprise no one to read this movie was filmed in Bulgaria.) Along with the change in scenery, the movie reveals that Three Finger, Saw Tooth, and One Eye are part of a incest-worshiping cult. There's a secret chamber inside the hotel where the family can gather around and watch their siblings fuck, all while wearing “Eyes Wide Shut” style robes. The movie still makes concessions to the expectations of the “Wrong Turn” franchise. Scenes of the brothers murdering people in the woods are inserted, almost randomly sometimes. It's very different but, after the increasing monotony of the last three films, I appreciate the series getting kinky and weird in its sixth installment.

“Last Resort” also gets some credit for attempting to give its characters some sort of actual depth or motivation. Danny certainly has a full-blown arc, starting out as an outsider and then being increasingly accepted into this incestuous brood. Whether he's being brainwashed or is falling into it naturally isn't elaborated on but it's something. His girlfriend, Toni, is genuinely concerned for him. Daria and Nick are memorably bizarre villains. Two of the hillbilly victims are a gay couple, which provides some novelty. Granted, the movie is still full of indistinct supporting characters who tag along exclusively to get killed. That do senseless shit like commit petty theft or decide the ancient sex pit is a great place for some hanky-panky. But at least you can tell the writer had a molecule of investment in these characters. That counts for something.

The focus, more often than not, is absolutely still on delivering cheap gore and softcore sex. The movie opens with a dumb-ass scene of two humping mountain bikers getting picked off. Yet Valeri Milev shows more flair for this stuff than Declan O'Brien ever did. A random park ranger getting shot full of arrows is cut with Danny killing a deer, the first life he's ever taken. Which is a nice touch. The scene where a bunch of Hillickers gather around while an outsider is strung up, cut open, and eaten is somewhat stylish. The most gruesome fate awaits the fellow who is given a fire hose enema until his gut explodes. That one certainly stands out among the typical hacking and slashing. Like I said, many of the death scenes are truly superfluous. What did that old lady do to deserve a meat cleaver to the chest, Three Finger? But at least some style or creativity is expended here, compared to the soulless sadism of the last three features.

It is entirely possible that I'm giving “Wrong Turn 6: Last Resort” a slightly positive review only because the last three films sucked so much. This is still a dumb-ass movie. The plot is ridiculous, full of illogical decisions and bizarre leaps in logic. The acting is largely terrible, especially from the evil siblings. The visual style is dreary and overcast. The mutant hillbillies continue to look pretty rubbery, compared to the strong make-up in the first two movies. There's some annoying jump scares tossed in whenever things get too quiet. Even at only 93 minutes, it feels a bit overlong. Yet “Last Resort” earns points for one or two memorable murder scenes and a story that expands this franchise to some enjoyably nutty places. If nothing else, it's a big improvement on the third, fourth, and fifth film. [5/10]

The Twilight Zone (2002): One Night at Mercy

I don't have many memories of the 2002 version of “The Twilight Zone” when it was new. However, one of the few episodes I definitely recall all these years later is “One Night at Mercy.” The episode follows Dr. Jay Ferguson, an overworked and headache-prone emergency room doctor. One night, a suicide survivor comes into his operating room. The man claims to be none other than the Grim Reaper, Death himself. The doctor takes some convincing but soon believes the man is who he claims to be. Exhausted and depressed from eons of harvesting souls, Death decides to quit his job. While Dr. Ferguson initially thinks a world without death is a miracle, he soon discovers otherwise. 

“One Night at Mercy” has a wonderful performance at its center. Casting Jason Alexander as a neurotic, depressed grim reaper overcome with guilt seems like stunt casting. Alexander certainly gets to roll off the type of sarcastic one-liners you'd expect from him. Yet he brings a genuine sadness to the role, a real sense of being exhausted and beaten down by centuries of escorting lives to the other side. The way he talks about the toll the Black Plague took on him, or a Chinese woman from the 14th century that almost made him abandon his post, is an interesting idea. Alexander brings it to life with surprising subtly and empathy. I also like the moment where he apologizes to the corpses in the morgue. The final scene features some clumsy writing but Alexander and Tyler Christopher, who is solid as Dr. Ferguson, manage to make it sort of funny and touching. 

The rest of “One Night at Mercy” is not as strong as its central performances. The episode devotes too much time to Dr. Ferguson trying to figure out if his latest patient is crazy or genuine. Exactly one scene focuses on the consequences of a world without death, as the emergency room fills up with mangled people in agony. The twist ending is extremely easy to predict. Take a guess about what's causing Dr. Ferguson's headaches. Still, a decent premise and some strong performances does make this one of the better episodes from this often-overlooked and rarely laudable iteration of “The Twilight Zone.” [7/10]

Salome (1973)

Years before he became a celebrated author, filmmaker, and visual artist, Clive Barker was just a weirdo in Liverpool trying to get recognition for the strange things he painted and wrote. His first work of motion picture art was “Salome,” a very loose retelling of the Biblical story and the Oscar Wilde play inspired by it. The film depicts the classic tale in an extremely expressionistic manner. We see Salome crawling through a darkened tunnel, coming upon John the Baptist. (Played by Barker himself.) She kisses and strangles him at the same time, seemingly tearing his head off with her bare hands. She then performs her Dance of the Seven Veils for King Herold (Played by a young Doug Bradley in make-up that makes him look like King Diamond.) She then makes out with John's decapitated head before the king has her crushed with a spiky shield of some sort. 

If the above plot synopsis seems straight-forward enough, that doesn't really convey what the experience of watching “Salome” is actually like. Shot on blurry, black-and-white 16mm, the movie has no dialogue or synced sound. The DVD presentation only has a discordant score for an audio track, composed largely of clanging noises. The shadowy visuals are sometimes difficult to decipher. If you aren't familiar with the story of Salome, you'll probably have no idea what is happening. Adding to the short's overall vague presentation, most of the short happens in slow-motion as well. Barker makes sure to include some further transgressive, sensual imagery. Like random full-frontal nudity from both men and women and Salome seemingly going into orgasmic throes before kissing John the Baptist's head.

Though it's easy to dismiss “Salome” as nothing but the pretensions drivel of an artist in his embryonic stage,  the film does have a strange energy to it. The film was literally shot in a flower shop basement, which explains why it feels like such a raw, underground production. In-between Bradley's exaggerated face paint and the heavy bags under Anne Taylor's Salome's eyes, “Salome” feels seeped in the early goth culture of the seventies. While never creepy, disturbing, or all that shocking, there is a degree of the mythic, the forbidden in it. You can see the crumbs of what Clive Barker soon would be here. That makes “Salome” worth a look, even if it's just as likely to baffle as intrigue. [6/10]