Halloween 2016: October 12

The City of the Dead (1960)

Ever see a movie that you feel like you should love but, for some reason, it just doesn’t quite click with you? Say hello to “The City of the Dead.” The story is set in America but was produced by an entirely British cast and crew, the people who would soon form Amicus Productions. The film is a good example of the transitions the horror genre was going through in the early sixties. Though deeply indebted to the gothic ghost stories that came before, “The City of the Dead” is actually an early example of the devil worshiper movies that would become more popular later in the decades. Though its public domain status makes the film widely available, it’s not quite well known or high regarded enough to be considered a classic.

Two hundred years ago in the Massachusetts town of Whitewood, the witch Elizabeth Selwyn was burnt at the stake by the Puritan townsfolk. With her dying breaths, she pleaded to the dark lord Satan, granted immortality in exchange for virgin sacrifices. In the modern day, this story is told as just a legend. Student Nan Barlow, writing a term paper about witchcraft, travels to Whitewood for research. Soon, after arriving in Whitewood, Nan vanishes. Her brother Richard follows after her, discovering that Elizabeth Selwyn and her curse aren’t a legend after all.

“The City of the Dead” may feature the platonic idea of  black and white horror atmosphere. Whitewood is always shrouded in fog, a thick layer constantly floating around everyone’s feet. The buildings are dilapidated, many boarded up. A spooky road sign – one of the wooden ones I thought only existed in old cartoons – points the way towards town. Deep shadows characterize the entire film, everyone existing in shades of black or grey. The cellar underneath the inn is thick with spiderwebs. Yes, there’s an ancient cemetery. My favorite scenes in “City of the Dead” are some of the least narratively important. Those that drive towards Whitewood find a man on the side of the road. After picking him up, he talks about Whitewood’s checkered past. Upon arriving in town, he disappears. Yep, “City of the Dead” inserts the old Vanishing Hitchhiker legend periodically into its narrative, solidifying its status as an old school horror story.

So I love how “The City of the Dead” looks. I would happily frame any of its still and hang them on my wall. Sadly, there’s not very much compelling about the film’s story or characters. Venetia Stevenson’s Nan appears to be the story’s main character for its first half. She winds up sacrificed by the Satanists mid-way through, shifting protagonists duties to her brother. Sadly, Dennis Lotis’ Richard is dull as dishwater. (I’d suspect killing the main character off early was a “Psycho” reference if the two films didn’t come out the same year.) The plot is very easy to predict. The witches essentially do the things they promise they’ll do, the sacrifices being heavily foreshadowed. Characters wander around, trying to figure out things the audience already knows. The one nice girl in Whitewood might as well have “virgin sacrifice” written on her forehead. A cast member that is obviously evil is revealed as such.

Despite the standard script and forgettable characters, “The City of the Dead” does have some memorable sequences. Nan spots black hooded cultists gathering in a cemetery after dark. A very good moment has the girl descending into the cobweb strewn cellar, grabbed by the witches and pinned to a slab. A mute girl is found dead in the same tunnels, seemingly frightened to death but unable to scream. A dead bird is used as a bad omen, even if that reveals too much too soon. The climax to “The City of the Dead” is its most bizarre moment. A hero breaks up a Satantic sacrifice. By waving a giant stone cross around, he calls down the wrath of god, causing the devil worshipers to burst into flames. At the very least, that’s a more direct resolution then I was expecting.

I don’t ask a lot from my horror movies and sometimes formula can be comforting. The characters and story of “The City of the Dead” just didn’t ring with me. Which is a shame, since the visuals are incredible. When brought to America, the title was changed to “Horror Hotel” for some reason and some of the more explicitly Satan-y dialogue was cut out. The film obviously has a cult following among various heavy metal bands. Iron Maiden used clips in their “Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter” music video and Rob Zombie sampled the dialogue in “Dragula,” just for the more well known examples. Muting the flick and putting on some devil rock might be the idea way to watch “City of the Dead,” a feast for classic horror fans’ eyes with a forgettable script. [6/10]

Paperhouse (1988)

It’s always seemed to me that Bernard Rose deserved a better career then the one he has. You’d think that, after making a critically beloved and commercially successful film like “Candyman,” Rose would’ve become a well known director. He’s made a few notable movies since then – a Beethoven biopic, several Tolstoy adaptations – but most of his subsequent entries in the horror genre have been poorly received. Before making that famous Clive Barker adaptation, Rose made an earlier horror film… Sort of. “Paperhouse” isn’t quite a surreal horror film and isn’t quite a children’s fantasy flick but a tantalizing halfway point between both.

While sitting bored in school, 11 year old Anna absentmindedly doodles a drawing of a house. Later that day, she collapses. Diagnosed with a glandular inflammation, Anna is instructed to stay in bed. During the day, she adds to the drawing of the house. At night, in dreams, she visits the changing home. In the house, she meets Marc, a boy unable to walk. Soon, Anna learns that Marc is a real boy with a muscular illness. As the two meet every night, Anna’s attempts to change her dream world for the better sometimes produces frightening results.

“Paperhouse” captures a dreamy tone with its eerie production design. The titular structure is slate grey, leaning sideways, standing among a barren field. The interior of the house features strangely slanted angles and stairways. Yet other strange flourishes characterizes “Paperhouse’s” surreal environment. Anna attempts to draw Marc working legs. Instead, useless clay legs appear in the stairway. She draws an ice cream machine but forgets to draw cones to eat the dessert with. She draws a radio but it's large and childish. Most intriguingly, the dreams and the waking world overlap in interesting ways. While a paramedic performs CPR on Anna, a monster in her dream pounds on her chest. The blaring of a clock radio echoes throughout the house. When carried into a hospital, Anna floats dreamily up the staircase of the paperhouse. Little touches like these make “Paperhouse’s” dream world seem appropriate unreal.

Anna’s life in the Paperhouse reflect her fears and desires. She slowly develops romantic feelings for Marc, the literal boy of her dreams. The romance develops naturally, as the two youths are initially somewhat critical of each other. An early reference to “snogging” becomes relevant later as the two kiss for the first time. Yet the house isn’t a retreat from reality either. The adolescent mind can also be a scary place. Anna’s father is an alcoholic who is rarely home. She draws him into the house but, in a rage, scratches out his eyes. Thus, the dream version of Anna’s father becomes a blind, violent monster. The girl’s youthful resentment of her father manifests as a horror movie, an atmospheric sequence of a hammer wielding madman stalking Anna and Marc. The resolution to this scene – tearing her dad out of the drawing – plays out as frighteningly literal. “Paperhouse” shows how intense an eleven year old’s mind can be.

The technical aspects of “Paperhouse” are impressive. Bernard Rose’s direction is frequently gorgeous. The shadowy shots of the nightmare version of Anna’s father descending down a hill are deeply creepy. Anna’s first venture into the dream world positively recalls Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World. Hans Zimmer’s musical score is equal parts foreboding and enchanting, one of the divisive composer’s best soundtrack. Mostly, it’s the young cast that shines in “Paperhouse.” The film is the sole screen credit of Charlotte Burke, whose Anna is insensitive, bratty, wounded, inquisitive, emotional, and ultimately brave. Elliot Spiers, who died suddenly while “Paperhouse” was awaiting release, gives a similarly nuanced performance as Marc.

While the ending is ultimately hopeful, there’s still a creeping sense that things could easily go wrong throughout most of “Paperhouse.” Which is appropriate, I suppose, considering how easily dreams can become nightmares. Considering the dark and strange places the film goes, it might be surprising to read that “Paperhouse” was adapted from a children’s novel. “Marianne Dreams” by Catherine Storr was previously adapted as a BBC serial called “Escape into Night” which was, reportedly, more faithful to the book. My copy of the flick, purchased from the VHSPS, hilariously begins with an ad for a psychic hotline and concludes with a commercial for a sports bloopers tape. Which certainly adds to the film’s surreal trappings. [8/10]

Masters of Horror: Homecoming

Considering the grotesque freak show 2016’s election season has become, a Bush era parable like Joe Dante’s “Homecoming” comes off as almost quint today. Set during the worst years of the Second Gulf War, the episode follows a right wing speech writer named David Murch. After a mother of a dead soldier confronts him on a talk show, he tosses off a comment about soldiers coming back to life, to let us know how much they love their country. His wish comes true, deceased American soldiers returning to life as zombies. And they do express their love of country… By utilizing their god given right to vote the incumbent out of office.

Political disclosure: I lean pretty fucking hard to the left. Yet even I find “Homecoming” to be a bit heavy handed. Making a shallow, painfully over-exaggerated Ann Coulter stand-in a main character was a mistake, especially the decision to portray her as a dominatrix. (Today, I think we’re all about 90% certain that Coulter’s entire act is a put-on at this point.) A plot twist in the last act has nothing to do with the episode’s main satirical target and really muddles the water. Revealing that the Republicans literally stole the election also pushes it. I don’t think even lobbyists have that much power in this country. These heavy handed moments distract from “Homecoming’s” funny scenes – the red-wingers changing their opinions about the zombies overnight – and its touching scenes, like when a dinner owner gives a tired zombie a place to sit. Good satire is subtle satire. “Homecoming” assuredly is not subtle. [6/10]

Lost Tapes: Jersey Devil

Considering the Jersey Devil is one of America’s most notorious cryptids, I’m surprised “Lost Tapes” didn’t get to it until season two. The Stark family – husband Greg, pregnant wife Judy, daughters Christina and Jolene – are traveling down the Jersey Shore. Jolene is recording the trip with the family camera. The group take a shortcut through the Pine Barrens when Dad runs over some sort of animal. After getting out to investigate, the family dog flees. While looking for him, the four are pursued by the Garden State’s most famous demon.

The plot for “Jersey Devil” is lame. The script has to stretch to get the family to leave their car in the middle of the Pine Barrens. There’s no reason for the youngest daughter to keep recording as long as she does. The episode’s final moments actually has the girl drop the camera, begging the question of what took her so long. There’s an embarrassing moment when a pregnant woman fights off the Devil with a 2x4, which really brings his credentials as a monster into question. Far too much of the episode is devoted to the daughter exploring an abandoned house. Yet, when the creature is on-screen, “Jersey Devil” kind of works. There’s a suspenseful shot of the Devil looking for the kids while they hide in a closest. The episode’s final image, of the monster’s hooves hovering over the camera, is mildly eerie. The educational segments are devoted primarily to the legends surrounding the Jersey Devil, except for the one guy who admits that some of the sightings could be a crane. [5/10]

Halloween 2015: September 22

The Good Son (1993)

During last year’s Halloween Horrorfest Blog-a-thon, I reviewed “The Bad Seed.” So it seems appropriate that I watch its early nineties equivalent “The Good Son” this year. I remember seeing the trailers as a kid and being mildly spooked by them. My mother would never let me see it because she found any horror movie involving children to be disturbing. “The Good Son” is an interesting comparison to “The Bad Seed.” Aside from the subject matter, both share a similar melodramatic DNA. The newer film balances that a little better though.

Seven year old Mark is traumatized by his mother’s death. He’s especially confused by her dying promise that she’ll “be with him always.” After his dad leaves for a business trip, Mark is left with his aunt and uncle. There he meets Henry, their seven year old son. He may appear angelic but Henry is actually a budding sociopath with murder on the mind. When Mark becomes part of the family, a jealous Henry begins to target his own sister and mother. Mark is the only who sees Henry’s true self but nobody believes him.

“The Good Son” was mostly sold on the novelty of seeing Macaulay Culkin play a psychopath. Coming off the huge success of “Home Alone,” Culkin was undoubtedly the biggest child star of the time. In a funny way, Henry mirrors Kevin McCallister, the famous kid hero of “Home Alone.” Both build weapons and traps out of everyday objects around them. Kevin drops bricks on bandits’ heads. Henry shoots a dog with his home-made crossbow. Both have a sadistic side. Honestly, if Kevin had targeted his family members instead of robbers, the movies wouldn’t be much different at all. Culkin was a talented kid actor. Though his line delivery isn’t always convincing, he does bring an appropriate coldness to the character.

“The Bad Seed” came to the groaningly obvious conclusion that psychopaths are born that way becomes of faulty genetics. “The Good Son” has more complex insight into the nature of evil. First off, it seems slightly undecided if Henry even is evil. The child psychologist, an important supporting cast member, says she doesn’t believe in evil. Henry’s matter-of-fact decision to murder his siblings, or anyone who threatens his worldview, may seem evil. Yet a later scene suggests otherwise. He’s jealous. He wants his mom and dad all to himself. While no reasonable person would ever suggest cold-blooded murder as a solution to this issue, it provides insight into the disturbed child’s world-view. Ultimately, the only difference between Henry and a normal kid is that Henry seems incapable of learning empathy. The cruel indifference that all kids exhibit never went away. Instead, the immoral freedom afforded to him by his lack of a conscious showed him how much fun it is to fuck with people. Though still relatively simple, “The Good Son” has some interesting ideas behind the psychology of a child sociopath.

This is Halloween, Zack. Get to the horrific stuff! “The Good Son” has a decent selection of thrilling moments. When the boys drop a life-like mannequin off a bridge, it leads to a seven car pile-up. An innocent-seeming game of hide-and-seek becomes sinister when Henry is involved. This leads to the sequence of the troubled boy tossing his little sister onto thin ice, a decently shocking moment. The climax of the movie goes into some overwrought territory. The whole movie borders against camp, as its events are frequently very serious yet somewhat silly. The conclusion to the film honestly shocked me though. How many movies have the balls to kill off a little kid? Pretty daring stuff for a mainstream thriller in 1993.

Elijah Woods plays Mark. As their grown-up work has proven, Woods is undeniably a better actor then Macaulay Culkin. The occasional false moment that hampers Culkin’s performance is nowhere to be seen in Woods’ assured, focused performance. That’s not the problem. Instead, the script sticks with the hackneyed device of no one believing the kid. It’s somewhat understandable, as Mark is still processing his mother’s death. Yet the movie goes to ridiculous lengths to make sure the parents doubt Mark’s story. The set-up provides some decent suspense, of the “racing against the clock” variety, but this is still a narrative device I have little patience for.

A much more crass film could have been made from “The Good Son.” The movie walks a fine line between exploitation and thoughtful thriller. I’d say it mostly tows that line successful. There are a number of memorable moments, the script provides some decent food for thought, and the performances are generally solid. The theatrical melodrama of “The Bad Seed” is buried within. Take Elmer Bernstein’s overwrought score, for example. Yet the movie digests those hysterical ideas into a more entertaining whole. [7/10]

They Came from Beyond Space (1967)

When I popped in the Movie Macabre version of “They Came from Beyond Space,” I assumed it to be just another low budget alien flick. Imagine my pleasant surprise when the name Freddie Francis appeared in the credits. By jove, this is an Amicus movie! While Amicus could never hope to dethrone Hammer as Britain’s most beloved horror studio, the company has a style and following all its own. “They Came from Beyond Space” was one of Amicus’ most cheaply produced film. Freddie Francis himself called it one of the worst movies the studio would ever make. Though the reputation isn’t entirely undeserved, the movie’s still not bad.

The film is based off the novel “The Gods Hate Kansas,” which may have one of the best titles of all time. Despite that awesome title, the movie is set in the British countryside. Strange meteorites rain down on a patch of forest. A group of scientists are assembled to investigate. However, when they approach the rocks, they are blinded by a strange wave. Their minds are taken over by an alien force. The possessed people quarantine the area and begin building something ominous within. The silver plate inside Dr. Temple’s makes him immune to the alien’s influence. He sets about trying to stop whatever it is the unusual forces are up to.

In her host segments, Elvira makes a repeated point about “They Came from Beyond Space:” The main character is kind of an asshole. And she’s right too. The film owes a lot to “It Came from Outer Space,” with the similar story of an alien intelligence possessing people in a rural location. As in that movie, I was half-expecting the aliens to be harmless visitor with the humans being unwitting aggressors. This would certainly explain why Dr. Temple is so belligerent. When confronted by the alien barricade, he repeatedly attempts to get inside. He threatens to run over some people with his car. Despite his (now possessed) love interest denying their attraction, he kidnaps her and continues to romance her. Of course, Temple is right about the aliens. They are malevolent invaders. But that doesn’t change how much of an unlikable ass he is.

Also weakening “They Came from Beyond Space” is how slow it is. The movie’s first half borders on tedious. For about an hour, we’re treated to the main character attempting to make it into the compound. He fails, comes back the next day, and tries again. So much attention is paid to the electrified fence that you might think it’s a main character. Since Temple can’t make it into the alien compound until the plot says so, “They Came from Beyond Space” has to fill its run time with other stuff. Thus there’s a subplot about the Crimson Fever, a plague that sweeps through the town, knocking people unconscious and leaving red splotches on their faces. Where the fever comes from, what it does, and how it connects to the aliens isn’t well explained.

Once “They Came from Beyond Space” gets beyond all that, it picks up considerable steam. The sets were reportedly recycled from “Daleks – Invasion Earth,” Amicus’ earlier Doctor Who movie. Having never seen that movie, I’m allowed to enjoy the funky sets for what they are. Characters don far-out helmet and goggles. Heroes and villains alike wield wacky laser guns. Once on the moon – the aliens are from the moon, by the way – we’re treated to moon-men in pastel gowns, standing around more funky sci-fi sets. A streak of funkiness runs all through-out “They Came from Beyond Space.” The jazz score is seriously distracting at first. After you get used to it, it becomes part of the movie’s eccentric appeal. Whenever the aliens take over someone’s mind, there’s a psychedelic swirl of wild color on screen. Befitting a Freddie Francis movie, “They Came from Beyond Space” is frequently quite colorful.

Though it’s real slow to start, “They Came from Beyond Space’ eventually develops into an entertaining sci-fi spectacle. The wild sets and off-beat story help make up for the jerky protagonist and sluggish pacing. As a Movie Macabre episode, it’s pretty good too. Elvira gets a call from John Paragon’s Breather, gets punched out by someone in the movie, cracks jokes about a metal cup, and looks as ravishing as ever. The cheapness of the set, lameness of her jokes, curves of her body, and spooky synth of her theme song are really starting to feel like home. [6/10]

Tales from the Crypt: Forever Ambergris

Jealousy, infidelity, and revenge are probably the most commonly reoccurring themes in “Tales from the Crypt” and “Forever Ambergris” is no different. Dalton is an experienced war photographer. Once considered the definitive name in the field, now Dalton is washed-up, coasting on his previous success. Meanwhile, Ike is an up-and-coming photographer, his powerful images making a name for himself. Though the two are friendly, Dalton secretly resents Ike. He also lusts after Ike’s sexually voracious girlfriend Bobbi. While working in a South American hellhole, Dalton sees the perfect plan to get rid of Ike, steal his work, reap the benefits, and take his girlfriend too. This being “Tales from the Crypt,” it doesn’t quite work out that way.

“Forever Ambergris” tries to break up the established “Crypt” formula. The guys aren’t immediately fighting over a girl. Ike actually seems willing to let his girlfriend see other men, though she’s totally devoted to Ike. Instead, it’s a professional rivalry. Dalton, though he puts up a friendly face, grows increasingly angry at Ike’s success. The script is decent though it's really the actors that make this fun. Roger Daltry plays Dalton. Though Dalton is better known for his rock star credentials, he’s underrated as an actor. Seeing him play such an angry, horny, bitter character is interesting. Steve Buscemi is fine as Ike, playing him as some intuitively insightful hippy. It would have been cooler to see Daltry and Buscemi trying to kill each other all episode but it wasn’t meant to be. Lysette Anthony is weirdly flat as the girlfriend, though nice to look at.

The horror element doesn’t come in until late in the episode. When exposes to the diseased area, Buschemi’s skin melts, fingers falling off, flesh boiling. He throws up and an eye pops out. It’s pretty gruesome stuff and some of the nastiest gore seen in “Tales from the Crypt” in a while. It might actually be too nasty, as it pushes the episode out of the show’s usual “fun horror” zone into “mean horror.” Then again, this is fairly grim subject matter and the bad guy still gets what’s coming to him. The Crypt Keeper host segments, which feature some amusing bits about photography, keeps thing light though. [6.5/10]

So Weird: Detention

This is the second “So Weird” episode in a row to be set in a high school. Hope Springs High School, where Molly went as a teenager and where Annie and Jack are going now, is opening up a time capsule. Molly, along with an old school friend Steve, didn’t put anything in the capsule. Despite this, an item is handed to them, two mysterious watches. Jack and Annie take the watches intended for Molly and Steve. Afterwards, the two teens are stuck in a pocket dimension where a never-ending detention is watched over by a shrewish teacher.

“Detention” shows the “So Weird” writers trying. I suspect re-focusing the show on a high school setting was part of Disney’s insistence that the program become more light-hearted. The horrors Jack and Annie face in the eternal detention aren’t very intimidating. They have to fill a room-sized chalk board with writing or scrap huge globs of gum from the bottom of the desks. The creation of this situation is hard to swallow. The science teacher invented the watches, accessing the alternate universe, in hopes of getting Molly and Steve together romantically. But the writers are trying, using the set-up to comment on Jack missing his sister and his fear that Annie is replacing her. (That’s a feeling the audience can relate too.) Unfortunately the ending, where Jack and Annie escape detention by learning to like each other, is heavy-handed. This, along with the lengthy coda where Annie flute-jams with Molly, seems like another attempt by the writers to make us like this new character. It’s still not working but the episode is better then the preceding two. [6/10]