Horror Gorging
A spooky-season observance for October 2024
I love Halloween time—or "spooky season" as seems to be the current parlance—so I always want to do something to celebrate. This year I went a lot harder than I meant to. Often, my observance is artistic, I draw a comic or something, but this year I'm playing the consumer by watching and reading oodles of horror stuff. I'll touch only briefly on each item as to avoid spoilers.
Universal Monsters
The classic monster movies by Universal Pictures have had such an impact that even without actually seeing them many of us carry them with us, and that was how I found myself.
Frankenstein features classic themes and imagery I had already somehow absorbed through cultural osmosis, but it was a treat to sit down and ingest it on purpose. It's such an odd thing for a 93-year-old movie based on a 206-year-old book to be so effective still today, but I guess we're all human, no matter the century. Timeless movie.
The Bride of Frankenstein is fun fun fun. I have no idea how they did certain effects.
Creature from the Black Lagoon was not for me. I appreciated the scientific table dressing and the beauty of Julie Adams (of course), but otherwise I found it tedious. My distaste for this one makes me think I might not care for other 50s b-movie horror.
Henri-Georges Clouzot
In bits and pieces I'd been accumulating the notion that I would enjoy checking out Diabolique, so I gave it a try. The nearest comp is probably Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. In fact, it seems that the American master of suspense had wanted to adapt this picture too, but French director Henri-Georges Clouzot obtained the rights first. So Psycho, and perhaps in some ways Vertigo, seem to have been Hitch's attempts to work in a similar vein, and may have taken some inspiration from Diabolique. This was a real hidden gem for me; exactly the sort of film I was hoping to discover. I enjoyed it so much that I went on a bit of a tear watching Clouzot films.
The others I tried turned out to be more mystery/thriller/noir than horror, but I decided that I get to make up the rules for my spooky season celebration, and these films often did spook.
My favorite of these was Le Corbeau, which was made in occupied France in 1943. What I enjoyed so much about it was the verve with which it demonstrates the complexity of people and their morality. Its ideas are serious, but its execution is delightful. It's engrossing and thought-provoking. I now think of Le Corbeau as one of my favorite films and I look forward to rewatching it.
George Romero
Night of the Living Dead was one of those legendarily scary movies oft referenced by older boys on the school bus. I doubt they saw it themselves though, because if they had, they surely would have noted the appearance of a naked zombie butt. I enjoyed the straight-ahead plot and—in the tradition of Frankenstein—the cutting commentary on humanity.
Dawn of the Dead expands on the themes of the original picture. The choice of setting is brilliant both in that it provides social commentary, and that it offers all kinds of fun. In addition to being a horror film, this is an audacious action flick with sociopolitical armageddon at the periphery. It was my favorite of the Dead series that I viewed.
Day of the Dead surprised me with its pace; it's not a "one crazy night" kind of movie. Instead it slows down and gets curious about the zombies. This one features some impressively wrought gore. Pulpy fun.
Giallo
I had not heard of giallo until the Criterion Channel debuted a collection. It's a curious cinema niche.
Blood and Black Lace by Mario Bava boasts some of the most lavish color I have ever seen in film, and one of the most striking opening credits sequences too. In a word, this movie is stylish. Ultimately I wanted to like it more than I did, so I may continue to learn about it and give it another try, to see if my appreciation grows.
Tenebrae by Dario Argento is so 80s. My nostalgia made it warm and fuzzy in a way that perhaps corresponds to how likable its characters are, and which is antithetical to its moments of unbridled gore.
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage by Dario Argento is playful as heck, and the mystery is intriguing. While it didn't scare me, it did make me laugh, and that's part of its brilliance.
Deep Red makes the third giallo film I've watched this month by Dario Argento, and by now, there are clear themes to his work. I found this film to be slow and deliberate. The gore, when it finally does occur, is pretty shocking. But my favorite thing about this one is the rom com stuff between Marc and Gianna. So cute and funny!
Modern horror
I don't watch a lot of new movies, and I don't usually watch a lot of horror. So I guess let's see what happens when I do both!
Mandy is as crazy as I had hoped it would be; a synth phantasmagoria, and it gives new meaning to the "satanic panic". Its 2 hour runtime felt too short, on the positive side due its sheer entertainment value, but also because it could have benefitted from expanding the third act to build toward its crescendo. I loved this one.
Midsommar by Ari Aster has a unique feel, and yet I'm struck by how well it would work in a double feature. For instance, it and Mandy work as daylight/starlight duology. Or how about M. Night Shyamalan's The Village? Or perhaps any other movie where the terror is principally in broad daylight. One more pairing suggestion: the graphic novel Beautiful Darkness by Kerascoët and Fabien Vehlmann. My favorite thing about this film is the interplay between the festive, pastoral imagery, and the horror.
I Saw the TV Glow by Jane Schoenbrun is a drama with spooky elements. I enjoyed piecing together its inspirations (Buffy, Pete and Pete, Twin Peaks, Are You Afraid of the Dark?), and watching as Schoenbrun wove them into something new and personal.
Evil Dead Series
I became interested in the Evil Dead series recollecting that at some point along the way the movies turn funny. Having already seen the first film, I decided to view the sequels.
At first I wasn't sure if Evil Dead II was intentionally humorous or if it was just inane. As the film progressed I settled into thinking it was stupid on purpose, and I had a pretty good time.
Army of Darkness is the film I was anticipating, and it's my favorite of the series. I'd lump it in with other movies of the era with a medieval theme, like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Princess Bride. This one doesn't quite reach those heights, but it's a nice discovery. You know what else it's like? Big Trouble in Little China. Okay, I'm done.
70s blind spot
Often celebrated as the greatest all-time decade for movies, the 70s are something of a blind spot for me. I do have some favorites from this era, but strikingly fewer than its reputation commands, so I decided to watch some 70s Hollywood horror staples.
The Exorcist has a great story and high production value. On first viewing, I think it's a flawed masterpiece. Really enjoyed it.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a gritty horror with an almost documentary feel. It depicts some moments of gruesome shock and an extended descent into abject terror.
The Omen is going for something akin to The Exorcist but I didn't find it to be as good.
J-Horror
Perfect Blue is an animated thriller/horror from Japan. A fascinating bouquet of themes are arranged here, including image, identity, and how society and celebrity interact. As I watched I kept thinking of Paprika, which as it turns out, was helmed by the same director: Satoshi Kon.
Jigoku was not for me. Cool imagery though.
Kuroneko is a nice ghost story. During this project I've realized that if one of the listed genres is Fantasy, I'm interested. I like an elevated telling.
At some point, likely twenty years ago, I saw The Ring (2002), and although I only remember images from it, I was curious to see the original Japanese film. I was surprised how much of Ring (1998) was a procedural; where's the spooks? The vengeful spirit recalls those in Kuroneko. Evidently, this is a feature of Japanese folklore. In the words of my generation: "today I learned"!
Wait, is it vengeful spirits all the way down? Ju-on: The Grudge debuted 4 years after Ring and they are of a piece—both follow the spread of a supernatural curse. Being that the two are so similar, comparisons are afforded, so I'll say that I preferred Ring. There were some really good creepy ideas and images here though!
Rewatches
Sometimes you just want to rewatch something great.
I'm sure there's nothing interesting I can say about the all-time bangers Alien and The Thing, so I'll just say I enjoyed the rewatches!
I'm a big fan of Hitchcock's work, but The Birds hasn't been one of my favorites. I decided that I needed to give it another try being that it's been decades since I saw it, and I wasn't disappointed. When I was younger I was unimpressed with the effects—and truth be told, they don't all hold up—but this time I found more appreciation for them. It's a beautiful film. Delicious mise-en-scène. And Tippi Hedron's Melanie is such a fascinating character. Love birds indeed.
I first saw Cube on the Sci-Fi channel when I was 13. I loved it. Since then I've avoided returning to it, out of a fear that it wouldn't be as good as I remembered. Nope. I adore it. The rewatch was great, and I'll proudly proclaim this as a favorite sci-fi horror. Incidentally, I just realized today that the premise is remarkably similar to perhaps my favorite Twilight Zone episode: Five Characters in Search of an Exit.
Young Frankenstein genuinely made me laugh. I can't remember the last time I was so amused. It's a sendup of Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein which I also viewed for this project.
Misc.
Frenzy is Hitchcock's final film save one. It's more explicit than his other work I've seen. It features many of his hallmarks, from theme, to suspense-building, to some truly affecting shots. Even though it isn't among his best work, it has a spark.
Carnival of Souls was partially shot in my hometown in Kansas, which was my primary interest in it. I'm of two minds about it. On the one hand, it's definitely a b-movie, so from a critical standpoint, it loses marks in terms of quality. But on the other hand, the horror is effective. It evokes a feeling of foreboding and leaves one thinking about it. One serendipitous connection is that this film was inspirational for Night of the Living Dead, which I also viewed for my October project.
Peeping Tom, like Diabolique is a "could have been Hitchcock" movie; contemporary and exploring similar themes. I loved this one. Incredible color. Oh, and it stars Anna Massey, who later appeared in Hitchcock's Frenzy, which I also viewed for this project. Odd coincidence!
Picnic at Hanging Rock is beautiful and fascinating, though it turns out not really to be a horror.
The Fly had me squirming like nothing else during this project did. Yuck. But wow. But yuck!
House on Haunted Hill wasn't quite as fun as I'd hoped. It felt like there was a higher gear it needed to shift into but never did.
Graphic Novels
Old Head is outrageous fun; a meaningful story wrapped in a comedy-horror. This is a new favorite, and I'm looking forward to reading more of Starks' work.
Black Hole by Charles Burns is a compelling book. It features some impressive art; dense and expressive with impeccable draftsmanship. The story is affecting too. You'd think that what would be scary about it is its depictions of putridly deformed individuals—see also The Fly, above—but what's actually scary is the tragedy of just being a teenager, people who (by no coincidence), know a thing or two first-hand about body horror.
Daybreak is a classic zombie tale with an interesting twist: it's told in the second person. I've never read a comic that did that, and it has the effect of immersing you in what is otherwise, obviously, quite an unrelatable experience—trying to survive a zombie apocalypse.
Through the Woods wasn't for me but I might cautiously recommend it for teenage girls interested in spooky stories.
Paper Girls turns out not to be a horror, but I understood that it had Stranger Things vibes and starts out the day after Halloween, so that was good enough for me to give it a look for this project. I enjoyed this enough to grab volume 2.
Post mortem
Well, that's everything I gorged for spooky season. I used the word "fun" so often in this post that I think I can now safely say that I'm a horror fan.
I'm excited to do something similar next year. Until then, stay safe, stay spooked.
