Yes, I had to qualify with "horror", as Stand By Me isn't all that Halloweeny. And to further qualify: these are my favorite King films, not necessarily the best. I won't argue against the fact that Carrie is, technically speaking, superior to at least 3/5 of my list, but at the same time, if I have a choice between re-watching it and re-watching any of the below, the choice is easy.
5. Children of the Corn -- You just can't go wrong with creepy killer kids. Yes, the ending is goofy as all get-out, but in a way, that only endears this to me more.
4. Creepshow --Probably the first horror portmanteau I ever saw. Highly stylized film that leans heavily on its comic book framing device, which is probably what made it resonate so much with me at a young age.
3. Silver Bullet -- I haven't watched this werewolf flick in many moons, but back in Elementary school I probably came close to wearing out the video store's copy.
2. Misery -- The first R rated movie I ever saw by myself at the theater. Kathy Bates' break-out role blew me away
1. The Shining -- I'm thankful I saw Kubrick's film long before I got around to reading what would turn out to be my favorite King novel; that way I didn't let the changes made color my impression of an excellent, creepy, beautifully filmed work.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Countdown to Halloween Day 8 -- Top 5 Costumes I'd Like to Wear
As evidenced by yesterday's post, I'm not exactly a bastion of creativity when it comes to my Halloween costumes; cheap, quick, and easy is the rule of the day. But, if I did have more money, time, and skills --, and, let's be honest, less poundage around the midsection -- here are some costume ideas I'd love to do
5. The Monarch or his henchmen -- really, I could say "virtually any Venture Bros. character," but there's something about the incongruity of The Monarch's appearance and his supposed menace that appeals to me.
3. Jack Staff/Union Jack/Captain Britain -- any of these UK themed heroes' outfits would be a treat to wear
3. The Question -- I've always been a fan of the faceless Question's design
2. Nightcrawler -- my all time favorite X-man has to be near the top of my list
1. MODOK -- it would be imposbile to maneuver in, but it would be glorious nonetheless
5. The Monarch or his henchmen -- really, I could say "virtually any Venture Bros. character," but there's something about the incongruity of The Monarch's appearance and his supposed menace that appeals to me.
3. Jack Staff/Union Jack/Captain Britain -- any of these UK themed heroes' outfits would be a treat to wear
3. The Question -- I've always been a fan of the faceless Question's design
2. Nightcrawler -- my all time favorite X-man has to be near the top of my list
1. MODOK -- it would be imposbile to maneuver in, but it would be glorious nonetheless
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Halloween Countdown Day 7 -- My Top 5 Halloween Costumes
Growing up, I was never one to concern myself with originality in my Halloween costumes, generally relying on the cheap store-bought costumes with pictures of the character I was supposed to be emblazoned across the chest. When I got older, relying on those costumes was no longer an option, so I was forced to branch out. Here, then are my favorite former Halloween costumes.
5. Yar's Revenge -- Okay, so, while this is an example of the cheap costume I referenced above, it will always hold a special place in my heart because of the strange insectoid mask, which was a departure from the usual super-hero faced masks I gravitated towards
4. Cyclops -- A pre-packaged costume, which makes it only marginally better than the cheapo costumes of my youth. Still, the fact that one of my child-hood heroes had actually gotten popular enough to warrant a pre-packaged costume was pretty cool to me.
3. Mullet Man -- epitome of the last-second shopping style of costume creation, this incredibly inexpensive mullet wig got some of the best reactions of any costume ever -- at least one co-worker still references it as one of the most disturbing costumes I've worn to the office party
My favorite part is that it makes it look like I'm wearing a shirt for some heavy metal band named Grendel, instead of a comic book shirt
2. Axe Cop -- It took visits to multiple costume shops to put this one together. I spent most of my time trying to explain to everyone who I was supposed to be; hopefully I managed to expose a good number of people to the work of the Nicolle brothers.
1. Dr. Horrible -- Best part of dressing up as a character from a musical? Perfect excuse to burst into song at a moment's notice.
5. Yar's Revenge -- Okay, so, while this is an example of the cheap costume I referenced above, it will always hold a special place in my heart because of the strange insectoid mask, which was a departure from the usual super-hero faced masks I gravitated towards
4. Cyclops -- A pre-packaged costume, which makes it only marginally better than the cheapo costumes of my youth. Still, the fact that one of my child-hood heroes had actually gotten popular enough to warrant a pre-packaged costume was pretty cool to me.
3. Mullet Man -- epitome of the last-second shopping style of costume creation, this incredibly inexpensive mullet wig got some of the best reactions of any costume ever -- at least one co-worker still references it as one of the most disturbing costumes I've worn to the office party
2. Axe Cop -- It took visits to multiple costume shops to put this one together. I spent most of my time trying to explain to everyone who I was supposed to be; hopefully I managed to expose a good number of people to the work of the Nicolle brothers.
1. Dr. Horrible -- Best part of dressing up as a character from a musical? Perfect excuse to burst into song at a moment's notice.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Countdown to Halloween Day 6 -- Impostor Among Us
Modifier: Impostor Among Us
Category: Sub-genre
Type: Positive
Strength: High
The Impostor Among Us sub-genre consists of stories where a group of people discover that someone in their group is not who or what they appear. Imposters could be anything from the very mundane like escaped convicts or serial killers, to the extraordinary, like an alien invader or supernatural doppelganger. Sometimes the impostor has assumed the identity of a real person, while at other times they're using a totally fabricated alias. The group is often confined to a single location (sometimes being merged with a Strangers in a Bottle story), but this isn't always the case. The impetus in these stories is generally to discover which person in the group is the impostor before the impostor's hidden agenda is realized. In cases where the impostor is some sort of preternatural doppelganger, the agenda is often "infect/assimilate all humans," in which case the group has to find a way to stop the force before everyone is converted. When mashed up with Strangers in a Bottle plots, the Impostor is generally the driving force behind -- or at least complicit in -- whatever has trapped the characters together.
This is another sub-genre for which I have a soft spot. In fact, I've long wondered whether my love for this sub-genre is the reason why I love John Carpenter's The Thing so much, or if seeing and loving that film at an early age formed my affinity for this sub-genre -- my own personal "chicken or the egg."
Much like the Strangers in a Bottle sub-genre, one of the things that catches my interest most about Impostor Among Us stories is the plot propelling paranoia of its participants; however, that means that the same pitfall of overplaying the paranoia holds true as well. But while my favorite pure Strangers in a Bottle stories tend to revolve around man-made gatherings of strangers, my favorite Impostor Among Stories lean towards the extraterrestrial/supernatural side of things; watching the characters succumb one by one to the corrupting/consuming alien force as you wonder who has already been turned, and who could be next creates a much different form of tension than just seeing characters die. If nothing else, it can give the actors the chance to show some range as the replaced or possessed people reveal their newly alien nature.
Category: Sub-genre
Type: Positive
Strength: High
The Impostor Among Us sub-genre consists of stories where a group of people discover that someone in their group is not who or what they appear. Imposters could be anything from the very mundane like escaped convicts or serial killers, to the extraordinary, like an alien invader or supernatural doppelganger. Sometimes the impostor has assumed the identity of a real person, while at other times they're using a totally fabricated alias. The group is often confined to a single location (sometimes being merged with a Strangers in a Bottle story), but this isn't always the case. The impetus in these stories is generally to discover which person in the group is the impostor before the impostor's hidden agenda is realized. In cases where the impostor is some sort of preternatural doppelganger, the agenda is often "infect/assimilate all humans," in which case the group has to find a way to stop the force before everyone is converted. When mashed up with Strangers in a Bottle plots, the Impostor is generally the driving force behind -- or at least complicit in -- whatever has trapped the characters together.
This is another sub-genre for which I have a soft spot. In fact, I've long wondered whether my love for this sub-genre is the reason why I love John Carpenter's The Thing so much, or if seeing and loving that film at an early age formed my affinity for this sub-genre -- my own personal "chicken or the egg."
Much like the Strangers in a Bottle sub-genre, one of the things that catches my interest most about Impostor Among Us stories is the plot propelling paranoia of its participants; however, that means that the same pitfall of overplaying the paranoia holds true as well. But while my favorite pure Strangers in a Bottle stories tend to revolve around man-made gatherings of strangers, my favorite Impostor Among Stories lean towards the extraterrestrial/supernatural side of things; watching the characters succumb one by one to the corrupting/consuming alien force as you wonder who has already been turned, and who could be next creates a much different form of tension than just seeing characters die. If nothing else, it can give the actors the chance to show some range as the replaced or possessed people reveal their newly alien nature.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Countdown to Halloween Day 5 -- Strangers in a Bottle
Modifier: Strangers in a Bottle
Category: Sub-genre
Type: Positive
Strength: High
Stories of this sub-genre involve a group of strangers who find themselves trapped together in a location and are usually forced to work together to gain their freedom. I have been unable to find an official term for this type of material, so I've been forced to coin my own terminology; the "strangers" portion is self-explanatory, while the "bottle" portion is a reference to the TV production term "bottle episode," which, despite having a broader definition, generally refers to an episode of a series where the characters are confined to a single location.
Often, Strangers in a Bottle stories have the main characters trapped together by an outside force which often wants them together for a mysterious purpose, although sometimes the strangers are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The force could be a person (Nine Dead, Saw), an organization (Breathing Room, Persons Unknown), supernatural entity (Devil), or pure bad luck (Elevator); sometimes there is an unknown connection between the characters that is eventually revealed (Nine Dead, Saw II), but other times they turn out to have been selected randomly. There is also typically an element of danger present in the situation: from the person or thing responsible for gathering/trapping the strangers; from one of the strangers themselves; or a combination of the two. The setting can be a variety of locations: an enclosed space (Elevator, Devil); a single room (Breathing Room, Nine Dead, Saw); a house (House of 9, Saw II, Vile); or a larger complex (Cube, Identity, Persons Unknown). The strangers might be given a concrete goal they have to accomplish in order to be set free (House of 9, Nine Dead, Saw, Vile), although sometimes that goal turns out to be a set-up ([films redacted for spoiler-free reading]).
I most definitely have a soft spot for this subgenre. One of the things that draws me to these stories is that a plot built around a disparate range of personalities trying to interact with each other for the first time lends itself well to becoming a character study. The stories also often include some sort of puzzle element related either to the tasks needed for the stranger to win their freedom or determining their hidden connections, which appeals to me. Plus, the "nobody knows anyone else" element helps create some paranoia-driven tension to propel the plot forward.
One of the downsides of the sub-genre is that at time the paranoid aspect is played up a bit too much, resulting in characters who are so overly-suspicious and antagonistic towards one another that their behavior borders on cartoonish; it doesn't help that the overly-aggressive-and-overtly-violent stranger is never the real danger in the group. If the writer and director don't reign that aspect in, one or more characters can become so shrill and obnoxious that it makes it difficult to enjoy.
Another downside is that the sub-genre lends itself well to doubling as Torture Porn, with the social and psychological interplay between the strangers becoming secondary to the physical tortures they're being forced to endure; when the strangers become nothing more than targets for gruesome fates, my interest begins to wane.
That being said, if I come across a story that fits into this sub-genre, it moves immediately into my "must watch/read" queue.
Category: Sub-genre
Type: Positive
Strength: High
Stories of this sub-genre involve a group of strangers who find themselves trapped together in a location and are usually forced to work together to gain their freedom. I have been unable to find an official term for this type of material, so I've been forced to coin my own terminology; the "strangers" portion is self-explanatory, while the "bottle" portion is a reference to the TV production term "bottle episode," which, despite having a broader definition, generally refers to an episode of a series where the characters are confined to a single location.
Often, Strangers in a Bottle stories have the main characters trapped together by an outside force which often wants them together for a mysterious purpose, although sometimes the strangers are just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The force could be a person (Nine Dead, Saw), an organization (Breathing Room, Persons Unknown), supernatural entity (Devil), or pure bad luck (Elevator); sometimes there is an unknown connection between the characters that is eventually revealed (Nine Dead, Saw II), but other times they turn out to have been selected randomly. There is also typically an element of danger present in the situation: from the person or thing responsible for gathering/trapping the strangers; from one of the strangers themselves; or a combination of the two. The setting can be a variety of locations: an enclosed space (Elevator, Devil); a single room (Breathing Room, Nine Dead, Saw); a house (House of 9, Saw II, Vile); or a larger complex (Cube, Identity, Persons Unknown). The strangers might be given a concrete goal they have to accomplish in order to be set free (House of 9, Nine Dead, Saw, Vile), although sometimes that goal turns out to be a set-up ([films redacted for spoiler-free reading]).
I most definitely have a soft spot for this subgenre. One of the things that draws me to these stories is that a plot built around a disparate range of personalities trying to interact with each other for the first time lends itself well to becoming a character study. The stories also often include some sort of puzzle element related either to the tasks needed for the stranger to win their freedom or determining their hidden connections, which appeals to me. Plus, the "nobody knows anyone else" element helps create some paranoia-driven tension to propel the plot forward.
One of the downsides of the sub-genre is that at time the paranoid aspect is played up a bit too much, resulting in characters who are so overly-suspicious and antagonistic towards one another that their behavior borders on cartoonish; it doesn't help that the overly-aggressive-and-overtly-violent stranger is never the real danger in the group. If the writer and director don't reign that aspect in, one or more characters can become so shrill and obnoxious that it makes it difficult to enjoy.
Another downside is that the sub-genre lends itself well to doubling as Torture Porn, with the social and psychological interplay between the strangers becoming secondary to the physical tortures they're being forced to endure; when the strangers become nothing more than targets for gruesome fates, my interest begins to wane.
That being said, if I come across a story that fits into this sub-genre, it moves immediately into my "must watch/read" queue.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Countdown to Halloween Day 4 -- 10 Horror Remakes That Justify Their Own Existence
If I've learned one thing from frequenting the Internet, it's that the prevalence of remakes are the death-knell of modern cinema in general, and the Horror genre in particular. And we all know the Internet is never wrong.
However, while a large number of the Horror remakes I've seen have struck me as a waste of time and money, there are a handful which have managed to justify their existence by putting enough of a twist on the original to not just feel like a tired retread, while also maintaining an acceptable level of quality in the script, direction, acting, etc. Inclusion in this list doesn't mean that the remake is superior to the original; it just means that the remake was on some level an enjoyable film.
10. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) -- I tend to think of this as this the remake that really kicked off the Horror remake boom, but I try not to hold that against it. Although I'm a bigger fan of the 1974 original, whose rough and gritty visuals conjure a creepier tone than its slicker successor, I think the 2003 Massacre was still an effective film with some nice jump scares, which made it fun to watch in a crowded theater.
9. The Blob (1988) -- I will cop to the fact that I remember very little about this updating of the 1958 Steve McQueen vehicle, and reserve the right to come back and replace it with Cat People or the like if a re-watching proves it to not live up to my nearly 25 year old memories of it. With that caveat, my recollection is that this remake justified its existence by some nifty special effects and a more active version of the titular creature.
8. Dawn of the Dead (2004) -- Although many zombie purists disliked this remake's use of "fast" zombies, the frantic energy of the opening scene helped justify the decision; that being said, the 1978 original is by far my favorite straight zombie film.
7. Halloween (2007) -- The stylistic contrast between Rob Zombie's remake and John Carpenter's 1978 Horror classic is the flip side of the two Massacres, with Zombie's film feeling much grittier than Carpenter's. In addition, Zombie focuses a lot of time into the circumstances of Michael Meyers' life, in an attempt to lend some empathy to the character as a product of his upbringing. But, while I enjoyed the character exploration, humanizing Meyers even slightly served to diminish the air of menace that surrounded the original version's silent killing machine.
6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) -- This remake of the 1956 metaphor for the Red Scare justifies it existence simply for this
Everything else I could mention about this well done flick is secondary to Screaming Donald Sutherland
5. The Ring (2002)-- While there were things I preferred about the original Japanese version -- in particular the off-hand way that the father is portrayed as psychic -- it was nowhere near as creepy to me as Gore Verbinski's English language remake. I'd be tempted to chalk it up to cultural differences if this weren't the only such remake I found more disturbing than the Japanese original.
4. The Fly (1986) -- I'm a fan of director David Cronenberg's form of body-horror, and he puts it to good use in this film, which I think is superior to the original in almost every way but one -- no Jeff Goldblum-headed insect screaming "Help me! Help me!" in a high pitched voice.
3. Little Shop of Horrors (1986) -- Maybe this is a bit of a cheat, since it's more an adaptation of the play that was inspired by Roger Corman's 1960 film than a straight-up remake, but there's no way I could leave this off the list; I just wish they had kept the musical's original ending intact.
2. Fright Night (2011) -- Of all of the horror remakes I've seen, this was the one I was most trepidatious about, since the 1985 original is one of my favorite vampire movies of all-time. Thankfully, this turned out to be the epitome of what a remake should be: respectful of the original, without being slavishly devoted to it. Expect a more detailed review of this over at my Reviews of Doom page sometime soon
1. John Carpenter's The Thing -- If I have to explain to you why this is number one on my list, obviously you have never seen it. You should go rectify that. Now.
However, while a large number of the Horror remakes I've seen have struck me as a waste of time and money, there are a handful which have managed to justify their existence by putting enough of a twist on the original to not just feel like a tired retread, while also maintaining an acceptable level of quality in the script, direction, acting, etc. Inclusion in this list doesn't mean that the remake is superior to the original; it just means that the remake was on some level an enjoyable film.
10. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) -- I tend to think of this as this the remake that really kicked off the Horror remake boom, but I try not to hold that against it. Although I'm a bigger fan of the 1974 original, whose rough and gritty visuals conjure a creepier tone than its slicker successor, I think the 2003 Massacre was still an effective film with some nice jump scares, which made it fun to watch in a crowded theater.
9. The Blob (1988) -- I will cop to the fact that I remember very little about this updating of the 1958 Steve McQueen vehicle, and reserve the right to come back and replace it with Cat People or the like if a re-watching proves it to not live up to my nearly 25 year old memories of it. With that caveat, my recollection is that this remake justified its existence by some nifty special effects and a more active version of the titular creature.
8. Dawn of the Dead (2004) -- Although many zombie purists disliked this remake's use of "fast" zombies, the frantic energy of the opening scene helped justify the decision; that being said, the 1978 original is by far my favorite straight zombie film.
7. Halloween (2007) -- The stylistic contrast between Rob Zombie's remake and John Carpenter's 1978 Horror classic is the flip side of the two Massacres, with Zombie's film feeling much grittier than Carpenter's. In addition, Zombie focuses a lot of time into the circumstances of Michael Meyers' life, in an attempt to lend some empathy to the character as a product of his upbringing. But, while I enjoyed the character exploration, humanizing Meyers even slightly served to diminish the air of menace that surrounded the original version's silent killing machine.
6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) -- This remake of the 1956 metaphor for the Red Scare justifies it existence simply for this
Everything else I could mention about this well done flick is secondary to Screaming Donald Sutherland
5. The Ring (2002)-- While there were things I preferred about the original Japanese version -- in particular the off-hand way that the father is portrayed as psychic -- it was nowhere near as creepy to me as Gore Verbinski's English language remake. I'd be tempted to chalk it up to cultural differences if this weren't the only such remake I found more disturbing than the Japanese original.
4. The Fly (1986) -- I'm a fan of director David Cronenberg's form of body-horror, and he puts it to good use in this film, which I think is superior to the original in almost every way but one -- no Jeff Goldblum-headed insect screaming "Help me! Help me!" in a high pitched voice.
3. Little Shop of Horrors (1986) -- Maybe this is a bit of a cheat, since it's more an adaptation of the play that was inspired by Roger Corman's 1960 film than a straight-up remake, but there's no way I could leave this off the list; I just wish they had kept the musical's original ending intact.
2. Fright Night (2011) -- Of all of the horror remakes I've seen, this was the one I was most trepidatious about, since the 1985 original is one of my favorite vampire movies of all-time. Thankfully, this turned out to be the epitome of what a remake should be: respectful of the original, without being slavishly devoted to it. Expect a more detailed review of this over at my Reviews of Doom page sometime soon
1. John Carpenter's The Thing -- If I have to explain to you why this is number one on my list, obviously you have never seen it. You should go rectify that. Now.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Countdown to Halloween Day 3 - Top 5 Found Footage Films
Since yesterday's post might have come off a little negative towards the Found Footage sub-genre, I figured I should use today's post to list some examples where the format actually worked for me
5. The Blair Witch Project -- The one that helped kick off Found Footage as a go-to format. Not having watched this since it first came out over a decade ago, I don't know if its story of a group of would-be filmmakers lost in the woods would hold up for me in my current Found Footage weary state. That being said, I have to admit that the final shot is still one of the creepiest things I've ever seen in a film.
4.Paranormal Activity -- This haunted house story was almost a victim of its own hype with me, but by not relying solely on hand-held footage like the majority of the Found Footage films I'd seen before, they were able to open up the story and provide some nice creepy moments.
3. Quarantine/REC -- Having seen the American remake Quarantine long before the original Spanish REC, it's hard for me to distinguish much between the two, as the latter didn't deviate much from the former's plot. Both effectively used the claustrophobic nature of the setting to good effect.
2. Trollhunter -- This Norwegian flick about a group of students who stumble onto their government's cover-up of the existence of trolls gets bonus points just for being about something other than ghosts or zombies. Plus, the designs of the trolls never failed to amuse me.
1. Chronicle -- The only non-horror entry on the list, this entertaining exploration of three teenagers suddenly blessed/cursed with super-powers manages to make the "character is never without a video camera" work on a story level, which is rare. Even better, the film merges the character trait with his superpowers to set up a pretty creative way of covering the big battle scene at the end without damaging the film's Found Footage nature.
5. The Blair Witch Project -- The one that helped kick off Found Footage as a go-to format. Not having watched this since it first came out over a decade ago, I don't know if its story of a group of would-be filmmakers lost in the woods would hold up for me in my current Found Footage weary state. That being said, I have to admit that the final shot is still one of the creepiest things I've ever seen in a film.
4.Paranormal Activity -- This haunted house story was almost a victim of its own hype with me, but by not relying solely on hand-held footage like the majority of the Found Footage films I'd seen before, they were able to open up the story and provide some nice creepy moments.
3. Quarantine/REC -- Having seen the American remake Quarantine long before the original Spanish REC, it's hard for me to distinguish much between the two, as the latter didn't deviate much from the former's plot. Both effectively used the claustrophobic nature of the setting to good effect.
2. Trollhunter -- This Norwegian flick about a group of students who stumble onto their government's cover-up of the existence of trolls gets bonus points just for being about something other than ghosts or zombies. Plus, the designs of the trolls never failed to amuse me.
1. Chronicle -- The only non-horror entry on the list, this entertaining exploration of three teenagers suddenly blessed/cursed with super-powers manages to make the "character is never without a video camera" work on a story level, which is rare. Even better, the film merges the character trait with his superpowers to set up a pretty creative way of covering the big battle scene at the end without damaging the film's Found Footage nature.
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