Divine Decadence

Wilkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome...

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 become in Germany. 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.

Holidays Aren't Coming Yet!!

The date today is November 15th 2013

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.

Bah Humbug!

Happy Halloween!

Horror films? Check

Popcorn? Check

Copious amounts of alcohol? Check

Hello Sidney

Halloween Countdown: #1 Scream

For the last time, I'll say SPOILER ALERT!

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 LOVE SCREAM!

Pennywise Unmasked?

"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.

Best Of The Rest

WARNING: SOME SPOILERS

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.

Redrum

Halloween Countdown: #2 The Shining

This is another classic film from the horror genre, again with a signature iconic scene. The Shining (1980) was another one of my first tastes of horror films, and immediately became a firm favourite. It was the first horror film that I actually sat and watched through alone; usually (since I never took heed of ratings) my brother always watched whatever film I wanted see first, to take note of any 'inappropriate' scenes or dialogue so he could skip them/tell me to look away. For some unknown reason, he never got around to checking over The Shining and I got fed up of waiting. He freaked out when I told him that I'd watched it without him, but I was too busy gushing about how awesome it was to all and sundry. To this day, my feelings about it haven't changed one bit.

It's the second film adaptation of a Stephen King novel that I've written about; the first being Carrie. It's common knowledge that King intensely dislikes director Stanley Kubrick's portrayal of his story. He believes that Kubrick altered it too much and made his characters basic and rather one-dimensional. Now I can't comment on this as I've yet to read the book, so I can't compare/contrast. That being said, looking at The Shining strictly film-wise, it is a brilliant watch. It's an extremely atmospheric film, intensified by the music and the camera work, which creates a fitting air of claustrophobia.Just like The Omen, the opening title to the film sets the tone. The camera sweeping over miles of vast scenery coupled with the ghostly whinings in the music make for a very eerie introduction.

The plot revolves around Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) and his descent into madness whilst acting as winter caretaker for the Overlook Hotel. Along with his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and son Danny, Jack is responsible for maintenance of the hotel. The Overlook is in a remote location and gets heavily snowed in during the winter which is why it closes for the season. During Jack's interview for the post of caretaker, the first heavy piece of foreshadowing is laid: A former winter caretaker had a mental breakdown due to 'cabin fever', killed his family and then himself. Despite his cheery assurance that nothing like that will happen with him, it does end up going in that direction for Jack. He comes across as slightly unhinged pretty much from the word go, so this little bit of Overlook history is a very big hint that even first time viewers can't ignore. 

The other focus of the film is on Danny and the strange gift he possesses; dubbed "shining" by Overlook hotel chef, Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers). This gift includes telepathic ability, plus visions of past/future events. This "shining" often presents itself through Danny in the form of 'Tony', Danny's presumed imaginary friend. Tony has already shown Danny sinister visions of the hotel - a lift pouring with blood and two twin girls - and is reluctant for the Torrance's to go there. Although Tony is acknowledged by the adults around Danny, it is only Hallorann who knows the truth about what Tony represents. There is an open conversation between Danny and Hallorann about "shining". Hallorann himself possesses it, as did his grandmother. I love his explanation of Danny's visions:

"When something happens, it can leave a trace of itself behind. Say, like, if someone burns toast. Well, maybe things that happen leave other kinds of traces behind; not things that anyone can notice, but things that people who shine can see. Just like they can see things that haven't happened yet? Well, sometimes they can see things that happened a long time ago"

The toast analogy is perfect. The entire conversation puts this supernatural ability in layman's terms so that everybody can understand how it works. That being said, there are a number of WTH? moments throughout this film that I still don't fully understand - perhaps I should turn to the book for an explanation! Nevertheless, any confusion just adds to the general bizarre feeling of the film. 

It doesn't take long for Jack's 'crazy' to start showing. Hoping to use his time in the hotel to get back into writing, he spends the majority of his time alone while Wendy and Danny enjoy exploring the hotel and its grounds. His relationship with Wendy gets increasingly strained and the scene below is very telling:

I feel so sorry for Wendy here. It's like I've just watched someone kick a puppy! But the thing to note in this scene is the typewriter. Jack had pulled the paper from the typewriter and ripped it up when ranting at Wendy. When Wendy leaves, Jack continues typing on new paper, but how did it get there? The Overlook is feeding Jack paper as well as feeding his madness. It's a very subtle detail that can be easily overlooked (pun not intended!) but gives the indication that the whole place has a bad vibe to it. This is reiterated by Danny's experiences in the hotel and another memorable scene when he encounters the twin girls from his vision in one of the hallways. 

Murdered twins aside, the location and camera work for this scene is superb. The long shot of Danny trundling off-screen on his tricycle, then the jump to following him along the corridors and the corner-turn into the girls is an effective sequence. I particularly like the crashing gong sound as Danny is faced with the girls. The narrow hallways also give a 'no escape' feeling that's really unsettling. What's even more unnerving is the fact that, later on, Jack recites the girls' mantra of "Forever and ever and ever" when talking to Danny. Again, this is a very heavy hint that the hotel has some sort of control over Jack and things are going to go very wrong the longer they stay there. As Jack's mental state is deteriorates rapidly (he even dreams that he kills Wendy and Danny) Danny encounters another ghoul in mysterious room 237. Hallorann had earnestly warned Danny away from 237, but Danny is lured into entering during another creepy scene. Again, the camera angles add to building the tension as a ball is rolled towards Danny as he is playing with his toys. When Danny looks to see where it's come from, he's met with an empty hallway and the door to 237 open. The next time we see Danny, he's walking towards Jack and Wendy, as if in a daze, with his shirt torn and bruises on his neck. Wendy instinctively blames Jack which leads to a key scene that ramps up the supernatural element of the film.

Jack, displaying yet more signs of insanity, ends up sitting at the empty bar. He begins to ramble to himself ("I'd give my God damn soul for just a glass of beer") but then he looks right at the camera and begins talking to someone called Lloyd. The camera changes shot and we see a bartender standing in front a fully stocked bar who responds to Jack and they have a conversation in which there's a strong sense of familiarity. However, Lloyd and the drinks disappear when Wendy tracks Jack down and hysterically cries to him about a "crazy woman in one of the rooms" who Danny named as his attacker. Jack goes to investigate, leading to a simply bizarre scene where Jack encounters a naked young woman in the bath, makes out with her then runs away in horror as she transforms into a decaying old woman. This scene really is a WTH? moment for me and I do get royally freaked out by it every time I watch it. Jack returns to the Torrance's room, but denies seeing anybody in the room, much to Wendy's confusion. Jack puts Danny's injuries down as self-inflicted, but Wendy's convinced that something's really not right with Danny and suggests they leave the hotel to find him help. The prospect of leaving sends Jack into another unhinged rage and he storms out of the room and back to the bar. The hotel obviously has a strong hold on Jack if he's not willing to leave even when his son's health isn't good. When he reaches the bar this time around, the room is full of people attending some sort of party. A waiter (Phillip Stone) accidentally runs into Jack and spills drinks all over him, then ushers him into the bathroom to clean him up. This is another key scene which is full of intrigue. 

The waiter's name is Delbert Grady - Grady being the name of the caretaker who'd gone mad and murdered his family. Jack immediately picks up on this and begins to subtly quiz him on his history, with Grady being vague and evasive. Jack finally confront him with his knowledge, but Grady continues to deny all knowledge of what Jack is saying. Grady then twists the conversation in a strange and sinister way.

"You are the caretaker. You've always been the caretaker. I should know, sir. I've always been here"  ties into to something that Jack had said to Wendy earlier in the film about having an extreme feeling of deja-vu in the hotel. That, the familiarity between Jack and Lloyd and the final shot in the film which shows a picture of Jack at the Overlook's July 4th Ball just presents far more questions than answers. Again, this is where the book probably explains more, but the film really messes with my head at this point and I resign myself to never getting a full explanation. It boils down to Grady, being aware of Jack's link with the hotel and his family's desire to leave it. He subtly urges Jack to "correct" the situation with Wendy and Danny (ie. kill them) as he did with his own wife and daughters. This is where the foreshadowing from the beginning of the film transforms into reality. I'd also like to mention just how damn creepy Phillip Stone is in this scene. He's got an eerily calm, soft voice but has this intimidating (threatening even) air about him. Very spooky.

Next is my favourite scene in the film. Wendy, realising that Jack is unstable, arms herself with a baseball bat and begins to search for him. She comes across his typewriter and finds that all he's typed during their entire time at the hotel is:

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

While going through his pages, Jack appears behind her and there is a showdown that is full of heightened emotion on both sides. Jack has fully lost his marbles now and Wendy is petrified. The fact that this scene is slow-moving is what makes it effective. Jack doesn't rush at Wendy, he just keeps walking towards her, fixing her with a stare that's just full of menace. The tension is continually built up throughout this scene and I can really feel the fear emanating from Wendy. Jack Nicholson just seems to have a natural knack of portraying crazy (a little too!) well and this scene is a perfect example. There's such a mish-mash of behaviour from Jack in this scene and it demonstrates his total loss of sanity very well. 

Of course, the iconic moment that epitomises Jack's madness is this one:

 

Dubbed one of the scariest moments in film, 'Here's Johnny' is just like the shower scene in Psycho - even if you haven't seen the film, you're fully aware of the scene. It's just that infamous. This is part of the pay-off to what the entire film has been building up to: Jack's transformation into a complete madman and the intended deaths of his family. The last portion of the film is pure cat-and mouse as Jack chases Danny through the hotel and ends up stalking him in the Overlook's hedge maze in the snow. The hedge maze chase is another high-adrenaline scene that really cranks up the tension. Due to the snow, Danny isn't hard to follow as Jack simply follows his footprints. The twist comes when Danny manages to fall off Jack's radar by backtracking, then covering his prints with snow. Jack ends up going his own route and gets lost in the maze, freezing to death while Wendy and Danny escape the hotel. The film ends as a giant question mark as it zooms in on the picture of the July 4th Ball. Jack is featured there, smiling away with other guests, but the picture is dated 1921. Ultimately, the film has messed with the viewer's head as much as it has the characters'. 

This is partly the reason I love it so much. As a film on its own, there's so many unanswered questions, but it doesn't stop you from getting sucked into the story. As I said at the beginning, it's all about the atmosphere and the slow build up of dread. The 'action' is all towards the end of the film, but in order to fully appreciate that action you need to watch how it gets to that point. The dialogue is important too, even if some of it is very vague and only gives hints about something rather than explain it. 

Again, if you're not a fan of buckets of blood and gore then The Shining is a good film to go with. The beauty of it comes through the setting, the camera angles, the chilling music and sounds...Jack Nicholson no doubt steals the show and I just can't imagine anybody else in the role. The Shining is a great film to screw with your mind and although there's only one death (poor old Hallorann) it's still a freaky, unnerving film that doesn't lose its impact.