Halloween

John Carpenter's infamous Halloween was released in 1978

This film is considered to be one of the first ever slasher films and it predates the Friday the 13th saga. It's a bench mark in horror cinema and sets up the conventions of a typical slasher movie. Does it still appeal to today's audience? Well its still very iconic for sure but I feel that perhaps it has now become very predictable and doesn't pack quite so much of a scare as it once did.
What makes these films scary is the fact that it's not a monster it a person, a mad man with a knife. This is still a frightening concept and in the 70s it would have been even more of an impact.

Can I come in?

   
There is no motive to Michael Myers' killings other than the fact he is completely mad. The film opens with his very first murder as a small child, he kills his sister with a knife. Years later Michael returns to his home town having escaped from the mental hospital he was being kept at, Doctor Loomis (played by Donald Pleasence) is in pursuit of Michael Myers and is the only one who knows what Michael is capable of. Meanwhile our heroin Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) is babysitting and unfortunately enough encounters Michael.

Doctor Loomis

The film is wonderfully shot, with Myers often lurking to the side of the frame half in darkness. Whenever Michael Myers strikes he seems to come out of no where, as the film progresses you start to feel that he could be hidden in any shadow or behind any door. For one of the first slasher films this is excellent and has indeed stood the test of time, when I first watched this film I did find it quite scary but the ending annoyed me. Having watched it again recently I no longer find it scary and I find the ending mysterious yet rather stupid at the same time.

Die!

The most frightening aspect of this film is the look of it, the creepy mask is still scary even if the massive knife is a little over the top. The dark and shadowy cinematography works wonders too. I would recommend this film, however I think that by today's standards people are unlikely to find it scary... but then again, perhaps if you turns out the light.

Re Makes

There have been many remakes of classic horror films in recent years. The fantastic Gothic horror film House of Wax for example, which was remade as a teen slasher film in 2005. The wonderful Gothic horror film The Pit and the Pendulum, which was also remade as a teen slasher film in 2009.




Films are made by people who care about the art of story telling and understand the power that cinema can have. Films are 'remade' by people who care about money and understand how to cash in on movies that are already successful.
The original versions of classic films like The Omen, Friday the 13th, Halloween, The Thing and The Evil Dead (all of which have now been remade) have all stood the test of time. These films remain an important part of popular culture and represent landmarks in cinema. There was absolutely no need for any of these movies to be remade other than for financial reasons, these films were already really good and personally I find it hard to understand the love some people have for remakes.

Some argue that remakes are good because they're bringing old films to a modern audience and keeping them alive, but in actual fact these films are already very alive and that is the reason they've been remade. No one remakes a film that they think people might one day forget or stop caring about. If a film is to be remade it has to be one that's popular already because other wise it wouldn't make heaps of cash on it's release. The only reason they choose not to make something original is because if they say it's 'Halloween' or 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' then they know people will pay money to go and see it. 

My advise would be to watch the original, go and see the remake too if you want but make sure you've watched the original first. There's a reason it's being remade and that's because the original was a success, so whatever you do don't let these remakes ruin the old films for you.

Drive

Drive is a crime drama directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and released in 2011.

The Driver

So, I finally got round to watching Drive and it was not what I expected at all. What I thought was going to be a pretty standard action film, with cars crashing and guns shooting, actually turned out to be something worth watching. Although there are a few car chases, this film has an edge that others do not and this made it refreshing to watch, especially after having had to endure Taken 2!
There is very minimal dialog in this film, in fact entire segments of the film have no speaking what so ever, what the characters feel is told instead through body language, music and cinematography.

He's as quiet as he sounds in this photo.

You might wonder why this film was rated 18, until about half way in when it starts to get violent. The violence is graphic but bearable, not too much but still enough  to make you cringe at times. Despite being quiet, and only uttering a few words in the entire film, the main protagonist (played by Ryan Gosling) turns pretty nasty suddenly and unexpectedly. Although he essentially has good motives The Driver becomes an extremely violent man, spurred on by the thought of his new found love Irene (played by Carey Mulligan) who has been put at risk.

Irene (The Driven)

This is a stylish film and one of the things that stands out most, more than the actual story, is the overall look. The film is beautifully shot, a lot of time has gone into getting the color, lighting and camera angles exactly right. The filming style and lack of speech sometimes make it feel as if you're watching a music video or a car advert. The film isn't too slow but it doesn't have the pace of an action film, it carries with it a gritty and slightly somber mood as well.   

scene # : They look at each other

One scene that stands out most is when The Driver and Irene are stood looking at one another, there is very little dialog and instead the two characters just stare at one another and smile. It's one of the most romantic moments in the film and everything they need to say to one another is said, but through smiles. 

sexy man

I would recommend this film, perhaps not quite as amazing as people make it out to be but still certainly worth a watch. 

Them!

Them! is an American SciFi film that came out in 1954 and was directed by Gordon Douglas.

Poster.

Although this film is essentially about an invasion of giant ants, it is in fact far better than you might think. Sure enough the large rubber ants are cheesy and over the top but the story, theme and the acting make this film a very gripping and enjoyable watch. 

Set during a time when the threat of nuclear bombs seemed imminent and no one really knew what the effects of radiation would have on people (or ants), this film is all about entering into the fearful abyss. The threat of atomic bombs and the paranoia surrounding new technology created an air of the fearful and ominous 'unknown', in the 1950s this scary new step into the atomic age was here personified by giant ants. The opening to the film is scary and eerie even by today's standards, it starts when two police men find a caravan in a remote stretch of desert. The caravan  has been torn apart from the inside, they then find a little girl who is wondering the desert all alone, her face is wide eyed and staring and she is unable to speak. The police realize she is in shock and take her away to get help.

Her doll is dead

In the 50s this was a far more terrifying experience, especially when we learn that the cause of the horror is back ground radiation from the first atomic bomb. As with a lot of films of this era there is a heavy focus on the military who are called upon to fight the ants, this movie wasn't long after the war and so it would have been a popular theme to have soldiers fighting monsters in an attempt to 'save America'. This has become steadily less of an occurrence in film today as the army are seen less as a defensive and more as an invading force who are violent and greedy (Avatar is a god example of this) but in this movie there's no oil to be had just a nest of large and dangerous killers. 

The army enter the ant nest

Once the first nest has been destroyed it seems like the threat is eliminated, until the scientist points out that the queen ants (or flying ants) will have flown across the country and started new ant nests. It then takes a lot of searching and a lot of gun power to save America and the world from the ants. The first half of this film is definitely better than the second and many of the initial opening scenes set in the desert hold an air of creepy and unknown danger made all the more suspenseful by the strange sound the ants make. This eerie noise echos across the desert and serves as a warning that the ants are near by. 

You must be joking!

We're not going down there!

Perhaps not as famous as some other atomic age monster movies, e.g. Tarantula, this one is is still definitely worth a watch. I found that when I saw this film it was incredibly immersive and despite being rather dated it never became dull or boring. All in all it's a pretty good SciFi classic that is engaging but unsurprising,  does what is says on the tin.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mVwsAAsdOY

  

   

Dr. Terror's House of Horror

Released in 1964, Dr. Terror's House of Horrors is an Amicus production directed by Freddie Francis.

Original Poster.

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors was the first portmanteau film by Amicus, it would lead the way for films such as From Beyond the Grave and Tales from the Crypt. A portmanteau film is a film that is comprised of several short stories, in this case five, that are in some way connected to an overall narrative/situation. In this film the passengers on a train are each told their future by the mysterious Dr. Terror, their train journey finally arrives at the station but something is wrong... If you want to know the twist then you're just going to have to watch it yourself I'm afraid. Although now very dated in terms of style and special effects the tales each possess a lot of character and although I wouldn't describe them as scary perhaps 'spooky' would be a better term.

Six men on a train.

As each passenger takes his turn in letting their fortune be told we leave the train and enter into a strange and sometimes rather ridiculous short story. The first of these stories is that of an old house haunted by the unforgiving spirit of a previous owner whose coffin is concealed in the cellar, this is the most Gothic of the five stories and is reminiscent of an Edgar Allen Poe tale. It's a great story to start off the film and I'd put it at joint second place if I was to order the films in accordance to their mysterious and captivating quality. 

This is followed by the worst tale of the five, a rather cheesy attempt at scifi horror in which pants have grown intelligent and hostile. It's entertaining but not for the right reason, I'd be very surprised if anyone was on the edge of their seat when the 'killer vines' attack the house. One huge advantage to portmanteau films is that if their is a story that isn't to your taste then there'll be another story along in a few minutes time.

Get the weed killer!

  

The third story is probably the most interesting and original, it's set in the West Indies and involves a jazz musician stealing the music of a voodoo god. This is the most humorous tale and isn't quite as spooky until nearer the end when the voodoo curse begins to become more imminent, although no harm actually comes to the protagonist. Some of the acting seems a little wooden although on the whole it's not too bad, unsurprisingly the best performances are from Peter Cushing (Playing Dr. Schreck AKA Dr. Terror) and Christopher Lee (Playing Franklyn Marsh) who do well in bringing their characters to life.

Lee and Cushing.

The penultimate tale is by far the best, in my opinion, and stars Christopher Lee as a bad tempered art critic called Franklyn Marsh who is very rude about an artist's work. In the story the artist takes issue with Marsh and starts to wind him up, Marsh then retaliates by running the artist down in his car severing his hand in the process. The artist is now left unable to paint and weeps at the though of never being able to create his art again, he shoots himself. Franklyn Marsh is then perused by the artist's dismembered hand which comes after him in revenge. This is by far the darkest of the five stories, as well as the most exciting and scary. 

Need a hand?

   

The last story is a rather cliched vampire tale that is typical of many vampiric movies of the time. The man is led to believe that his recently betrothed wife is in fact a vampire and is told by the doctor that the only chance they have is if he drives a stake through her heart. The police then arrest him for murdering his wife and it is left open to interpretation as to whether she was really a vampire or whether it was in his head the whole time. 

The dialogue is incredibly cheesy and the acting is a little wooden, it seems a bit of a shame to end the film with this story, although at least there weren't any killer pants. Considering this was the first portmanteau film of it's kind it pulls it off incredibly well but as is so often the case I would question whether it's really as terrifying than it's name would suggest.

Her life's at stake!

     

Killing them Softly

An American Crime film directed by Andrew Dominik and released in 2012.

Gritty and brutal with a dash of dark humor, this film is a grim tale of high end, american criminal activity set during the 2008 presidential elections. The movie is essentially a gangster film but without the glamour, it's a down right nasty tale of some hapless criminals who are hunted down and killed by a hired hit man (Played by Brad Pitt). Initially the film seems a lot lighter than in fact it is, what with the two bumbling criminals robbing the money from a poker game while wearing kitchen gloves and wielding a ridiculously small sawed-off shotgun. The film turns dark and horrific once Markie Trattman (Played by Ray Liotta) is savagely beaten in the street by two paid thugs, the film is bleak and aggressive from this point on with a smattering of humor to help it along. 

This is not a comedy film, it just has moments of comedy embedded in it and if you're expecting to see something funny or light harted then you're in for a shock. In your average gangster movie when someone's shot that's the end of it, in this film you see them tagged and freezer drawed in the morgue. There's no happy ending and no positive message, the film's harsh subtext seems to be making the point that we can't get along and we do everything for money because life is just another job. And I'm sorry but Brad Pitt doesn't even take off his top this time :(

This is another film that certainly requires it's 18 cert, it doesn't tip toe round any issues and instead gets straight to the point. It's one of those heavy films that you only watch once. 

The cinematography is really good and provides a wonderful look for the film, with slow motion shots similar to those in Dredd. You could say that the visuals and overall feel of the film are both very beautiful and also so goddamn ugly. Not sure I can really recommend this film but if you do go to see it be aware it's ruthlessly unforgiving and doesn't hold back.   

    

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Bram Stoker's Dracula an American film directed by Francis Ford Coppola and released in 1992.

The scene in which Dracula and Mina are both in clothing.

An arty and flamboyant take on the Gothic tale of Dracula by Bram Stoker, surreal and make believe. This film's overall style is one that is Bohemian and experimental with a good helping of pornography mixed in, the acting is intentionally camped up and the costume and lighting are amazingly colorful and elaborate.   

Keanu Reeves trying to act.

Gary Oldman's interpretation of Dracula is interesting and original, it certainly contrasts with the lack of performance from Keanu Reeves whose absence of any facial expression and awful fake British accent are unbearable to behold. This movie is worth a watch but may not be to everyone's taste, depending on what the viewer takes away from the artistic and  avant garde aesthetic of the film, the appearance of a naked pair of breasts every few scenes can seem either gratuitous or in keeping with the romantic/Gothic style. Sex and death are of course two strong themes of the Gothic genre and Bram Stoker's Dracula is the most sexed up version of Dracula you're lightly to find.    

Lucy rises from her tomb.

Although an interesting and entertaining film, it does feel as though it's trying a little too hard to be 'arty' and is very much an over kill. If you want a film that is camp and slightly pretentious then this is the one for you, however if you're looking for a good Dracula film then I would much sooner recommend Tod Browning's 1931 film Dracula or the numerous Dracula Hammer films from the 1960s. I did enjoy watching Bram Stoker's Dracula but it wasn't nearly as good as it could have been had the acting and plot not suffered in favor of the visuals.

Blood!