Wow, I haven't logged in here for a looooooong time. This is exactly the problem I was worried about; starting the blog ball rolling, then drying up after a few months. I didn't want it to go this way, but it happened anyway. The reason? Well, I seem to blame it on the fact that I had no clear direction. I was rambling about anything and everything instead of a set subject that I could comment on. Having an anything-and-everything blog is great as long as you've got something to write about regularly - and there was my problem. So I did what I knew I was going to do when I hit this brick wall - I stopped writing posts altogether. What was the point agonising thinking of something to write about? So I abandoned ship and thought "Meh. I tried". So why have I suddenly made this post after almost eight months? The answer is: the cinema.
I went to the cinema last week; first time I've been in seven years (hey, there's that number again!) and a lot had changed. Ticket prices had gone up considerably, adverts and trailers seemed to go on far longer than they used to and the popcorn wasn't as foodgasmy as it used to be. One thing hadn't changed though and that was me and my inner critic. Just like riding a bike, it was second nature to me to slip back into 'critic mode', making mental notes all the way through it. Once the film had finished, I launched right into a discussion with the friend I'd gone to see it with of all the pros and cons. Of course, she hadn't gone into it as in-depth as I had and I soon realised that I should stop dissecting the thing and just get the drinks in and relax. It did get me thinking about my abandoned blog though, and how the last load of posts had been me writing about films. So, I suddenly thought about re-branding and using this blog to record these ramblings of my inner critic; not just recent or new releases, but also look at films in retrospect ie. if i've already seen them or if I'm late to the party. Whatever way I do it, I want to use here to do it in. Hopefully I can stick at this better than my first attempt, who knows?
One thing to now about me is that I’m a Night Owl (not in
the literal sense, obviously!!) so I’m up until the wee small hours most
nights. I’ve never been a good sleeper so I avoid spending hours lying awake in
bed just hoping to eventually fall asleep. Instead, I occupy myself with music
or internet because there’s usually nothing on the TV to watch. However, I was
pleasantly surprised the other night/morning (?) when I spied the 1972 film Cabaret on BBC1 at midnight. The next
couple of hours were well and truly sorted!
My first glimpse of Cabaret
was very brief and I was at an age where I didn’t understand what the hell was
going on. Being one of my mother’s favourite films, all I was told was “Oh,
it’s a good film. Michael York is gorgeous” but it meant nothing to me. By that
age, I was of the belief that anything my mum liked, I wouldn’t - which was
true at that point! However, a re-watch further down the line (when I was older and *ahem*
wiser) changed everything. Suddenly everything clicked and made sense and I ended
up thoroughly enjoying the film; although I was reluctant to admit to my mum
that, on this occasion, I shared her taste!
WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW.....
Cabaret, on the
surface, appears to be a fun, flamboyant musical full of colourful characters
and fabulous songs. However, it’s actually a pretty dark tale of hedonism mixed
with sexual ambiguity that’s set during the uprising of the Nazi Party in
Berlin. The story revolves around Kit-Kat Klub singer Sally Bowles (Liza
Minnelli), her relationship with British visitor Brian Roberts (Michael York)
and her bohemian lifestyle in Berlin and where it leads her. Sally’s character
is very multifaceted. She presents herself as a care-free, fun-loving spirit
that has high ambitions to become a great movie star. Underneath the facade though,
it appears that Sally is a fantasist that is desperate for attention. She comes across as naive and rather child-like at times and
her relationship with her father is obviously a sore point for her. Her work at
the Kit-Kat Klub seems to be the perfect way to escape her insecurities about
the reality of her life. Liza Minnelli is fantastic in the musical numbers; she
really throws herself into the performances. 'Mein Herr' is a great number with a nice touch of foreshadowing re Sally and Brian's relationship:
It's not only Sally that's the star of the show in the Kit-Kat Club. The Emcee (Joel Grey) is equally as intriguing and entertaining. I have to say at this point, that the Emcee is my absolute favourite character in the film; Joel Grey was perfect casting. The Emcee acts as the host in the club. He introduces acts, entertains the audience with jokes and also performs on stage himself for a few musical numbers. He paints the club as a place for people to come in and forget all their troubles in the outside world and just indulge in what the club has to offer - "We have no troubles here. Here life is beautiful". His interaction with Sally is intriguing; there seems to be a hint of something sexual there (the scene where he stands behind her and gropes her breasts is a "WTH?" moment) but we don't know for sure. It's all part and parcel of the sexual ambiguity that runs through the entire film. One thing' for sure though, Minnelli and Grey worked very well together.
The sexual ambiguity exists away from the club too. Brian initially resists Sally's seduction and she assumes he's gay. However, Brian reveals that he's had past encounters with three girls but with disastrous results. Despite this, he and Sally eventually embark on a relationship. This relationship is expanded to include Maximilian von Heune, a rich baron who Sally has taken a shine to due to his money. The dynamic between the three is initially strained as Brian appears to be jealous of Max, while Sally fawns over him. However, the relationship between the three becomes confusing as there seems to be sexual tension between all of them. It's later revealed that Max had slept with both Sally and Brian during this heated exchange between the two:
Brian: "Screw Maximilian"
Sally: "I do"
Brian: "So do I"
After this spat, Brian storms off and gets into a fight with two Nazis as they hand out their literature. The undercurrent of the uprising of the Nazi party is very sinister. Instances of Nazi-related activity appear sporadically throughout the film, but every time it does appear, it shows their growing support and their growing power. The classic scene below just epitomises the situation:
Knowing what we know about what the future held for Germany when the Nazis took control just makes this scene thoroughly chilling. It's an extremely well done scene; the swift change of the singing from sweet and soft to harsh and determined with everyone joining in is really unsettling. The new solidarity between the German people and the Nazis contrasts sharply to the attitudes earlier in the film where the Nazis were ridiculed and treated with disdain. See Max's words to Brian earlier in the film:
Max: The Nazis are just a gang of stupid
hooligans, but they do serve a purpose. Let them get rid of the Communists.
Later we'll be able to control them.
Brian: But who exactly is ''we''?
Max: Germany, of course
After the spectacle in the beer garden, which Brian and Max witness, Brian calls Max out on his previous attitude by simply asking: "Do you still think you can control them?". Again, because of our historic knowledge, we are fully aware just how dangerous, bleak and tragic life is going to becomeinGermany. The seeds are being sown here and some of the characters are picking up on that fact. Anti-Semitism is getting stronger and this is shown via the subplot of Fritz and Natalia. Natalia is a
victim of the Nazis rabid anti-semitism when she finds the body of her
pet dog on her doorstep and a constant chant of "Juden" outside the
gates of her house. Fritz is a Jewish man pretending to be a Christian because he is aware of the rising negative attitude towards Jewish people. He falls in love with Natalia but she rebuffs his proposal due to the fact that she's Jewish and he isn't which, in the current climate, would be unthinkable. Fritz eventually confesses he is a Jew and the two marry, although whether they escape Germany before it's too late is never revealed.
The Nazi issue, although recognised by others, is completely ignored by Sally. She instead continues to live in her own little world. Her relationship with Brian comes to a halt after an unexpected pregnancy ends in abortion, despite a weak attempt by the pair of them to plan some sort of future together. As shallow and child-like as Sally is, she has a rare moment of accurate insight when she foresees how much of a disaster life with Brian and a baby would be. She knows that they're just too different to sustain a long term relationship and so a parting of the ways is inevitable. After Brian's departure, Sally goes back to what she knows best - the Kit Kat Klub and a retreat from the harsh reality of the world.
The film then ends with the Emcee saying goodbye, but he cuts his farewell short and hurriedly leaves the stage. A drum-roll begins and the spotlight pans over the stage and the camera follows it and then pans onto the audience which is full of Nazis. There's a small crash of a gong and then the credits go up. There is complete silence as the credits roll. We have no idea what fate is in store for Sally and the others at the club; that actually leaves a pretty grim feeling.
Overall, Cabaret is a truly great film and I'm so glad I wised up in my attitude towards it. I'm not usually a fan of musicals, but then again, this isn't your ordinary musical. The themes running through the film make for some unsettling, yet brilliant viewing.
You see what it says there? November. We are barely two weeks into November. Bonfire Night is over and Remembrance Sunday has only recently been and gone. So what's the next big event? Christmas, but that's aaaaages away so there's no point thinking about it yet, right? How I wish this was the case. Unfortunately, pretty much 50% (probably more!) of adverts on TV right now are Christmas ads. No matter what channel you switch to, you just can't escape them. This hasn't just started today either, these ads reared their heads a couple of weeks ago. Christmas Day is 40 days away, yet the build up is already in motion? One question: Why? Why so early?
I honestly can't remember the kick-off to Christmas ever being as early as it is this year. Halloween had barely finished before the first Christmas ads surfaced. There's been zero breathing space between events as companies seem rather obsessively desperate to flaunt their own personal Christmas spirit ASAP. I'm aware that all these companies are trying to entice people to buy their stuff, that's not the issue here. The issue is that they're on too damn EARLY! After just two weeks, I and others are already thoroughly sick of them, so God knows what the rage-o-meter is going to be like by the time Christmas actually arrives!
This premature Christmas hype isn't just exclusive to TV ads though. Recently, I visited a garden centre and as I walked through the doors I was greeted by a strong smell of Christmas spices, tinsel and decorations strung all over the place, trees galore with flashing lights and Christmas karaoke-type songs being continually blasted throughout the place. Last week, I visited my town centre and it was also strewn with huge silver decorations, lights and two huge silver reindeer figures slap bang in the middle of the shopping area. I suppose I should've been looking around in awe with cries of "Ooo! Christmas! Yay!" but I wasn't. Instead, I was just thinking "Why is all this out now? We've barely hit November". By generating the festive feeling so early, they've actually ended up killing it (for me, anyway). I firmly believe that anything Christmas related should begin on December 1st, possibly a few days earlier, but nowhere near as early as the end of October/start of November - there's just no need for it. Moving back to the ads..... I hate adverts at the best of times, I really do. They annoy the hell out of me. They all just seem to be plain irritating drivel. The Christmas adverts this year, are no different* and that's pretty much down to the awful cover versions a lot of them have opted for. Here is a brief look at just some of what's on offer this year: *I'd like to make an exception for the Boots advert purely for them using the song 'Smalltown Boy'. It has absolutely no connection to Christmas at all, but it's a great song and I'm always up for listening to it!
LIDL
I hate, hate, HATE this advert with a fiery passion. Why? Solely down to the sickening, mawkish, quivery, baby vocals in this cover version of One Direction's 'Little Things'. I loathe 1D and that song anyway, but this particular cover version makes me want to kill. Unfortunately, simpering covers like this seem to be all the rage in adverts now. I don't know whether there's supposed to be some sort of sweet charm to them, but if that's the intention then it's failed spectacularly. All stuff like this does is raise blood pressure.
Iceland
Iceland's general ads used to be grim viewing due to the trashy, Z-list Kerry Katona who fronted them. Now though, Iceland seem to be trying to shed the Chav-tastic image with something more upmarket. They've drafted in Canadian crooner Michale Bublé for their new ads. The one above features his version of 'Jingle Bells' - that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I hate it. The jazzing up of it just makes me cringe and it's on way too much to ignore. Not as rage-inducing as the LIDL ad, but it's irritating enough.
TK MAXX
This advert is just weird.The slo-mo close-ups of everyone's faces is kind of freaky. I always find myself laughing at this ad in a "WTH?" way. It's better to just not look at the advert and instead just concentrate on the instrumental of Yazoo's 'Only You' in the background!
John Lewis
The John Lewis Christmas advert seems to have become a sort of tradition. It was trending on Twitter a week or so ago and a forum I visit had a long thread about it. Reading through the various comments, the general feeling seemed to be that it was beautiful, tugged at the heartstrings and even made people shed a tear. Obviously I was intrigued and was hoping to catch it ASAP. I finally did and it was such an anti-climax. The animation is very good (it has an 'Animals Of Farthing Wood'/Watership Down' vibe to it) but, once again, it's the damn song that accompanies it - Lily Allen's cover of Keane's 'Somewhere Only We Know'. I'm not a fan of Keane, but Allen's cover is just terrible; her vocals on her own songs are grating enough! As much as everyone seems to be falling over themselves to say how amazing this ad is, I don't think it's a patch on last year's effort:
Now that ad I really loved
As I type, the Coco-Cola advert has just graced my TV screen for the umpteenth time. The usual cry of "You know it's Christmas when the Coke advert comes on" seems rather redundant now - the Coke ad came on a few days ago and we're nowhere near Christmas.
Well, here we are - Numero Uno! Yes, my ultimate favourite horror film is Scream (1996). I really don't even know where to begin with this film, I just love everything about it; the story, the script, the characters, the soundtrack, the satire and pop culture references, all of it! I popped my horror cherry with Scream, so it's like a first love and nothing can replace it.To this day, I can pretty much recite the entire script, that's how much I immersed myself in it. Just like with The Shining, I was bursting to tell all my friends how cool Scream was and how they just had to see it. My gushing paid of with one friend, I showed it to him and it kick-started his interest in horror films. Of course once I'd found someone my age to talk about it with (I was 14 so, once again, bypassed the rating) I couldn't stop. We obsessed about it for weeks and weeks and there's no way that kind of impact can ever be forgotten.
Scream has been cited as the modern day slasher flick that gave a much needed shot in the arm into the horror genre as a whole. It's spawned sequels (Four up to now, a fifth and sixth one in the pipeline) but none of them can top this; although Scream 2 was actually a good film. But, like I say, you can beat the first and I think it's safe to say that no horror film in general can knock it from my No.1 spot.
The plot is, again, not too taxing, but there is a bit of back-story that is established throughout the film. The gist of the story is: Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is stalked by masked killer (Ghostface) around the anniversary of her mother's death, a year ago. I'd just like to mention how cool the Ghostface mask is, in fact I'm the proud owner of one myself. There were so many crappy replicas out though, so I made sure that I got one that's as close to the real thing as possible. It's served me well over many Halloweens! Anyway, I digress...
The opening scene of the film is just fantastic as it doesn't take long for the action to kick off. What starts out as a presumed wrong number, ends up as a matter of life and death. Ghostface's initial tactic of working through phone calls, as opposed to just turning up and stabbing his victim, is interesting. Ghostface's phone calls to Casey Becker (Drew Barrymore) start out in a flirtatious vein, with Casey entering into a conversation about her favourite scary movie. As an aside, this is the first instance of pop culture being referenced (Halloween being her favourite scary movie) and also an in-joke about Nightmare On Elm Street being the only scary film while the rest of the franchise "sucked". I love this line because director Wes Craven only directed the first NOES, none of the others; so we've got a Craven film being talked about within another Craven film. This isn't the only time Nightmare... is alluded to either. When Billy visits Sidney and crawls through her bedroom window, the scene is almost replicating Glen climbing through Nancy's window. Also, the high school in Scream has a janitor called Fred (also played by Wes Craven) who's outfit includes a stripey jumper and trilby hat! It's little references like this that makes Scream so enjoyable to watch.
The opening also takes a Psycho-esq direction as it kills off a character that we assume is going to be there until the end. Drew Barrymore was a big name for the film, so for her to die in the opening of the film is a real shocker. It's a captivating opening though as Casey is drawn into a lethal Q&A game with Ghostface as he throws horror movie trivia questions at her. It's not just her life at stake either; boyfriend Steve is outside, tied to a chair and becomes victim number one very quickly. Casey meets her demise not long after, although her attempt to escape is so frustrating to watch! She almost manages to get away, but falls into the clichéd trap of stopping when she should be running! The fact that we're hit with a gruesome couple of murders right at the start of the film is the perfect incentive to carry on watching.
We're then introduced to Sidney, her boyfriend Billy (Skeet Ulrich) and friends Randy (Jamie Kennedy), Tatum (Rose McGowan) and hey boyfriend Stu (Matthew Lillard). Randy immediately became my favourite character and he still is; I'm still sad that he never made it any further than Scream 2. The scene of the friends sitting at the fountain is a really nice introduction to them all and I think the dynamic of the group worked well - it's too bad that two of them were psycho killers. The other main characters include Tatum's brother, police officer Dewey (David Arquette) and news reporter Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox). We learn that Gale and Sidney have issues due to Gale's reporting of Sidney's mother's murder. Gale believes the man convicted of it, Cotton Weary, is actually innocent whereas Sidney is convinced he's not. However, once the new spate of killing begins, Sidney shows signs of doubt.
Sidney's first encounter with Ghostface is a great scene with another nod to horror film clichés. See this exchange:
Voice: What's you favourite scary movie?
Sidney: Oh come on, you know I don't watch that shit
Voice: Why not? Too scared?
Sidney: No, no. It's just, what's the point? They're all the same. Some stupid killer stalking some big breasted girl who can't act who's always running up the stairs when she should be going out the front door. It's insulting
A direct hit at horror film logic! How often do we roll our eyes and shout instructions at the screen when a potential victim is flapping about and pretty much giving the killer the green light to bump them off? We're always left aghast at the stupidity of horror film victims. The same issue was touched upon during Casey's scene at start of the film; Ghostface taunts Casey by ringing the doorbell which prompts her to call out "Who's there?". Ghostface then gives her another gem of horror film advice:
"You should never say 'Who's there". Don't you watch scary movies? It's a death wish. You might as well come out here to investigate a strange noise or something"
This is the great thing about Scream; it pokes fun at the clichés of the horror movie world but it also incorporates them into itself. Sidney mocks the running upstairs action, but does that exact thing when Ghostface attacks her. Brilliant touch.
The party scene at Stu's house is yet another lesson in horror. Randy is the teacher as he outline the "certain rules that one must abide by in order to survive a horror movie"
1. No sex
2. No drink/drugs
3. Never say "I'll be right back"
This scene is terrific as these rules are blatantly broken (Stu's deliberate utterrance of Rule 3 is hilarious) but some of the people who break them do survive. Sidney loses her virginity to Billy (with Randy previously emphasising that only virgins can outsmart the killer) yet survives. Randy has been knocking back the beers at Stu's party, but survives. Gale utters the immortal line "I'll be right back" and survives. Randy sort of establishes himself as a horror film Yoda in the franchise; always on hand in some way to dispense words of wisdom about the pattern of horror films. I love his role so much.
What Randy was spot on about, however, was Billy: "He's got killer printed all over his forehead". He was right. Billy is ultimately revealed to be the killer, but he has an accomplice in Stu. This is another reason why Scream works so well. Having a second killer was a genuine surprise and a nice twist. My gut reaction was that the killer was Billy, solely because he's got a bit of a creepy vibe about him. In the later half of the film, Billy and Stu stage Billy getting attacked by Ghostface, and it's assumed he's dead. At that point, I thought "Oh damn! I was wrong", but when Billy had miraculously survived the attack I was just plain thrown. The idea of a second killer didn't even cross my mind so it was a huge OMG moment when Stu revealed himself to be Billy's partner in crime. I find the partnership of Billy and Stu strangely comical. Billy actually has a motive for killing Sidney, whereas Stu puts his involvement down to "peer pressure". The two guys have different approaches to the killings and it shows when they try to put their final plan into action. Because of their erratic behaviour, they lose control of the situation and end up dead; as an aside, I love Stu's death scene!
So the plot is great, the characters are great, the dialogue is brilliant. The other thing to praise is the soundtrack. The soundtrack is actually on my iPod and I get such a strong feeling of nostalgia when I hear it. The only gripe about the soundtrack CD is that it never included the very last song on the end credits, which is my favourite. Fortunately though, I eventually managed to track it down somewhere else so I suppose it's a bit of a none issue. My other personal favourites include 'Youth Of America' (Birdbrain), 'Drop Dead Gorgeous' (Republica) and 'Whisper To A Scream' (Soho). I also really love the instrumental of 'Trouble In Woodsboro/Sidney's Lament', courtesy of composer Marco Beltrami. The latter part of the track is very haunting, although, for me, there's a bit of a funny story attached to it. When my brother worked at a cinema back in '96, he was left to lock up after everyone got up and left during the end credits. While he made his way towards the exit, the lights went out and all that was playing was the eerie second half of the track. He said he was left to walk the corridor that leads out of the cinema, on his own, in total darkness with this music playing. Needless to say, he got down that corridor and out of the door as fact as possible! It always makes me laugh when I think about that.
Favourite track right here ^
Really, I just can't say enough good things about Scream. It's very tongue-in-cheek, but still manages to pull of a solid story with enough scares in there to keep the drama flowing. It's not the scariest horror film ever, or the goriest either. Scream is a fun, witty, clever film that's still thoroughly entertaining no matter how many times you watch it. 10/10!!
Favourite lines:
"Movies don't create psychos, movies make psychos more creative" - Billy Loomis
" No, please don't kill me Mr Ghostface. I wanna be in the sequel" - Tatum Riley
"What's Leatherface doin' here?" - Randy Meeks
"Kenny, I know that you're about 50 pounds overweight. But when I say 'hurry', please interpret that as 'Move your fat, tub of lard ass NOW!" - Gale Weathers
"There's a formula to it. A very simple formula: EVERYBODY'S A SUSPECT" - Randy Meeks
"What did Mom tell you? When I wear this badge you treat me like a man of the law!" - Dewey Riley
"Fairness would be to rip your insides out. Hang you from a tree so we can expose you for the heartless, desensitised little shits that you are" Principal Himbry
"I don't really believe in motives, Sid. I mean, did Norman Bates have a motive? Did they ever really decide why Hannibal Lecter liked to eat people? Don't think so. See it's a lot scarier when there's no motive, Sid " - Billy Loomis
"Did you really call the police? (Sidney confirms she did) My mom and dad are gonna be so mad at me!" - Stu Macher
"Guess I remembered the safety that time, you bastard" - Gale Weathers
"I’m curious to know how/when it will all end and if
there’s ever going to be an explanation for any of it. Then again, I suppose if
he disappears without a trace with zero explanation then it’ll keep that air of
mystery. Either way, I’m going to keep track of this one for as long as possible!"
That's what I wrote in my 'Clowning Around' blog post about the freaky Northampton Clown. Well folks, looks like the fun may be over now. The mystery seems to be a mystery no more. According to the UK's national press, the clown is actually a 22 year old university student film-maker who was just having a bit of fun (LINK HERE) What an anti-climax, huh? This supposed revelation prompted me to look over my initial thoughts about the entire charade and I have to laugh at how wrong I was, particularly with this (from 'Is It A Bird? Is It A Plane?'):
"This latest
development in this insane story has now pretty much convinced me that
the whole thing is a publicity stunt/promotion for something"
Yeah, I was way off. There's been a mixed reaction to the cover being blown, however. Some people are glad that this stunt is finally over, branding it a ridiculous waste of time. Others are very annoyed that the media has ruined a very intriguing and fun story. As for my feelings? Deflated probably sums it up. When the story first broke, it was bizarre but intriguing and I did say that I was going to keep an eye on it. I did, but it seemed that the more popular the clown got, the more the 'freaky' vibe faded. It was emphasised, by the clown himself, that he wasn't out to deliberately scare anyone but come on! Like it wasn't freaky as hell seeing Pennywise's twin randomly standing in the street for no reason. The fright factor was weirdly part of the charm, but he seemed to turn into a publicity clown (eg. making appearances on request as opposed to randomly popping up) and lost his way; Plus, I never heard anything more about 'Boris' the clown catcher. For that reason, I'm kind of glad that it's (possibly) ended because the novelty was already wearing thin; I say 'possibly' because the named student is actually denying that he is the clown, he's just protecting the identity of the real clown. Personally, I think he's been rumbled and is trying to save face/attempt to keep it all going. Maybe he had something planned for Halloween and now it's all in tatters because of the exposure. Then again, what do I know? I thought that it was promotion for a TV show or something!
The last message from the clown is "Don't believe everything you read in the papers", obviously trying to convince the public that this reported identity is bogus. Whether it is or it isn't remains to be seen, but if it is? Well, it was fun while it lasted.
Before I finish my Halloween Countdown, I just want to give a brief name-check to some of the films that didn't make the final list. I did say in my Carrie post that I was going to give honourable mentions so, in no particular order, here they are:
Halloween
It's
actually a shame that I couldn't push myself to do a top ten, because
Halloween (1978) is so worthy of praise. One of the first in a long line
on slasher flicks, Halloween is just a perfect scary movie for, well...Halloween! I usually watch it every year and it's still as creepy as ever. Complete with butcher knife and white mask, Michael
Myers is one of the most infamous movie killers in the horror genre. He
personifies the idea of the "Boogeyman" and the notion that true evil
can't be destroyed; hence him always surviving whatever is thrown at
him. His apparent immortality is frightening enough, but what's even
more scary is that fact that in Halloween,
there appears to be no motive to his killings. As slasher flicks go,
Halloween is simple. There's no complex plot, not even much blood/gore,
just a creepy tale of how an escaped homicidal maniac has returned to
his hometown in order to kill again. It's a terrific film that's really joint #5 with Carrie
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Now this was one of the only scary films that actually gave me nightmares and I still feel a bit uneasy watching it, even now. This film is just generally unsettling; mostly due to the atmosphere and location, but also because of the unhinged, murderous family the main group fall victim to. 'Leatherface' (Gunnar Hansen) is another well known horror antagonist and it's not hard to see why he'd deemed so terrifying (human flesh mask and chainsaw anyone?!) but the character that majorly freaks me out is the hitchiker - the guy is just too convincing at being a total weirdo! Of course the main scares come through Leatherface as he picks off the group one by one until only Sally (Marilyn Burns) is left. As far as blood/gore goes, this film isn't a bloodbath but it's gruesome enough to make an impact - hanging a girl on a meathook is a fine example. Shudder...
A Nightmare On Elm Street
Another horror classic with an infamous antagonist, Nightmare On Elm Street just can't be left out. Freddy Kruger is certainly a horror movie villain to remember and the story of his killings taking place in people's dreams is a great twist. The plot is, again, fairly simple: Main character Nancy trying to figure out how to put a stop to Freddy Kruger. But, like in Halloween, Freddy doesn't stay beaten for long and it's another case of the antagonist living on through numerous sequels. However 9 times out of 10 in these cases, I always stick by the belief that the original film = best; this is no exception. This film did freak me out when I first saw it, not majorly, but enough - Tina's death scene (below) has always stayed with me. It does come across as a bit corny now, but it's still a great film that gave us a horror icon. It's also fun to see Johnny Depp make his film debut!
Braindead
A strong stomach is definitely in order for this one! Forget scares, this zombie horror flick is purely for amusement. It's so ridiculously over the top that all you can really do is laugh. Braindead is one of Peter Jackson's early films - and sometimes you wonder how he ever ended up in charge of 'The Lord Of The Rings'!! It's basically and out and out gorefest and it's just dripping with blood, guts and zombies! It's cheesy, it's fun and it's crazy as hell. If you're looking for something that you just switch your brain off for, then this is perfect. I'll re-iterate though, it's certainly NOT for the squeamish. Oh, and there's a chance that it could put you off custard for life.
