Day 28: Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)

Evil Dead 2 (1987)

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Denise Bixler, Ted Raimi

Category: New classic, favorite

Plot Tags: demon possession, comedy/scary

Original release: March 1987

Format viewed: Blu-Ray - own collection

Directed by: Sam Raimi

Written by: Sam Raimi, Scott Spiegel

Produced by : Robert Tapert, Irvin Shapiro, Bruce Campbell

Distributed by: Rosebud Releasing, Anchor Bay

It didn't seem fair to include Army of Darkness in this little project because I can basically recite the whole movie from memory give/take. So I thought it would make more sense to include the equally awesome but viewed-less-times Evil Dead 2. I remember seeing this for the first time with my dear friend Justus Humphrey (along with things like Dead Alive) and just having a grand old time. That has been part of what has made this project fun - remembering the circumstances by which I saw these for the first time or with whom etc. It's like with Reservoir Dogs- I remember the midnight screening and the crowd and all the rest of it and that positive association will always stay with the movie. So anyway, that is certainly part of it with Evil Dead 2.

The story starts with Ash and his girlfriend Leslie headed to a cabin in the woods for a romantic getaway. They find a tape recorder with a professor type guy reciting passages from the book of the dead (the necronomicon) and playing them brings out an evil demon thing that kills Ash's girlfriend Linda and possesses her body. Ash must remove her head to stop her and buries her outside the cabin. The demon attacks him and is possessed for a little bit and then let go. The next day we are introduced to the professor guys daughter and her partner who discover (as Ash previously did) that the bridge leading to the remote cabin is destroyed. They get help from a couple local guys to get another way to the cabin. Oh yeah, and Ash has to cut off his own hand which had become possessed by the demon. This is an absolutely hilarious scene and basically ruined all future 'person-versus-their-own-appendages' scenes in movies because no one could really do it better. Prior to the researchers and locals arrival, Ash starts to hallucinate and thinks that all the objects in the cabin are laughing at him, including cabinets, books, deer heads, the whole deal. It is like an evil version of that George Harrison video for 'I've got my mind set on you' - very fun. Once the others arrive, everything heads towards a steady decline with people being possessed, attacks by trees, the revelation that the professor guys wife was possessed but is in the basement/cellar versus being decapitated which leads to a rather amazing end to one of the characters. 

This all continues on with the remaining ones trying to figure out how to cast the demon away. A reading of the last couple pages of the necronomicon opens a portal which does just that but also sucks Ash, his old car and newly fitted chainsaw hand into some pastoral area in Europe many centuries prior. He kills a 'deadite' which validates his heroic status with the locals but it also dawns on him that he is now, somehow, stuck in this time. 

This movie, from top to bottom, is a crazed, bloody, goofy, manic good time. Raimi uses wild camera techniques and over the top creature effects to elicit a sense of controlled chaos that seems to echo the insanity the characters are going through. These things add to the overall fun of the movie which is, I guess, subjective. The grossness and overall violence (I mean, hey, a guy has to cut off his own hand once possessed) is pretty high but, if you're in the right mood, Evil Dead 2 is about as fun a time as you're going to have in this genre'. Bruce Campbell is just inspired as Ash and continues his smarm charm into Army of Darkness. All in all, I just love the Evil Dead films and hope to God the new one next year will be worth a damn because the source material sure as heck is. 

Day 27: Trick r' Treat (2007)

Trick r' Treat (2007)

Starring: Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Rochelle Aytes, Leslie Bibb

Category: New classic, favorite

Plot Tags: anthology, holiday

Original release: December 2007*

Format viewed: DVD - own collection

Directed by: Michael Dougherty

Written by: Michael Dougherty

Produced by : Bryan Singer

Distributed by: Warner Brothers*

Okay, so first things first, the (*) marks above and what they mean (at least to me). This film is one of many that got made and a bunch of lame-ass marketing people and a bunch of lame-ass studio types didn't know what to do with it. I base this on many accounts I've read about the production and subsequent shelving of the movie after it was made. The bottom line, as near as I can figure it, is that it wasn't an out and out comedy (because of the inherent meanness and dark humor) and it wasn't and out and out horror film (I guess if you know nothing of the genre' you'd think that) so they were unsure about how to position it. So there it sat, seeing only a handful of screenings from the tail end of 2007 into 2008 and 2009 and when I got my hands on it finally in October 2009, it took a couple weeks of tracking it down and ultimately got a copy entirely by accident. They printed some criminally small amount of copies at the time which meant Amazon couldn't ship it and no retailers even had much of a record of having one or two or not. I finally found it at a Best Buy way way north of where I live and even then it was mislabeled. Since that time, they've upped the print runs considerably and you can find it pretty much anywhere but at that time, it was a massive chore. Course, you could find enough copies of the terrible Halloween remake, the Amityville remake and 10,000 other remakes at the time to repanel your house if you were so inclined. Sigh. Okay, so the reason I'm writing all of this is that Trick r' Treat is an absolutely wonderful love letter to the whole mythos of Halloween, the traditions, the urban legends and all the rituals that surround it. It is a little freaky, a lot joyfully mean spirited and all together a hoot and deserved no part of the screw job the distributors put on it. 

Basically the story centers around four (maybe five) stories that intertwine over the course of one Halloween evening in a small town. One story is about the school principal (the great Dylan Baker - Thirteen Days, Road to Perdition) who seems to have a bent towards thinning the local herds and developing the family business. Another story involves a group of middle school ( I think) children who decide to play a prank on an autistic girl at their school by bringing her to the rock quarry and, after she tells the story of the bus driver who drove a bus full of developmentally disabled children into the quarry on purpose to ease their parents' burden, don zombie costumes and scare the crap out of her. Things develop beyond the prank and, well, goes a different way. Another story surrounds a tentative girl in her early 20s (Anna Paquin) who is being drug around by her sister and her friends to pick up men for a party. She is very unsure about this and it being her first time, regardless of the chiding of her sisters' friends. After the other three girls find dates, Laurie decides to stay behind and comes face to face with a hooded, masked guy who we've just seen is up to a whole lot more than just innocent fun and instead seems to be a bloodthirsty creature of the night. This changes a bit, after Laurie wanders into the forest and the party comes into greater focus. The last actual story surrounds a mean old man (Brian Cox) who is bothered and annoyed by neighborhood children who is forced to come face to face with the true spirit of Halloween in the form of a now familiar face, a little boy in a sack head costume who is a whole lot more than that. This little boy plays an integral part from the onset of the film and is a constant reminder of the true spirit of Halloween. 

So I am leaving out a lot in terms of what happens in each of these stories and the twists and turns of them because that is part of the great charm and fun of the film. Nothing is groundbreaking in terms of plot twists but the way that each story resolves itself and the way they overlap is very clever and ultimately very interesting to see how it continues on. This isn't a film for everyone, as it is a bit bloody at times and the fates of many of the characters can be somewhat unpleasant but on the whole it is entirely appropriate for yearly Halloween viewing and it is a film I've definitely grown to love on each subsequent viewing. 

Day 26: El Orfanato / The Orphanage (2007)

El Orfanato / The Orphanage (2007)

Starring: Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, ROger Princep, Geraldine Chaplin

Category: Foreign, favorite

Plot Tags: ghost story, child(ren) in peril

Original release: Oct 4th, 2007 (Spain), December 2007 (United States)

Format viewed: DVD - own collection

Directed by: J.A. Bayona

Written by: Sergio G Sanchez

Produced by : Guillermo del Toro

Distributed by: Picture House / Warner Brothers

This film was one of my favorites the year it came out and has stayed on my list of all time favorite scary movies. There is an elegance to the way it is constructed - everything from the filming style/cinematography to the acting to the story itself, it is a beautiful work all around. Now, it is important to note that there is an inherent sadness to it too that hangs very heavy over much of the story. I mention this because some people have a hard time with sad stories on the whole. I understand that thematically speaking, people want to turn off their emotions to a point and just be entertained by movies. That is okay. However, even though I cite this film as being sad, it doesn't mean there isn't an undercurrent of hope and beauty and love that carries through to the finale. I just think it is important to mention. 

The story centers around Laura (the wonderful Belen Rueda) who is/was an orphan returning back to the home she grew up in to renovate it and turn it into a home for disabled children. She is accompanied by her husband Carlos and their 7 year old adopted son Simon. Soon after their arrival, Simon speaks of making a new friend, Tomas, and draws a small boy with a burlap bag over his head. Laura and Carlos are also set upon by Benigna, a social worker who has ties to the home and its past. She delivers a file for Simon that reveals he is HIV positive. Soon after this, Simon teaches Laura a hide and seek game (taught to him by Tomas) that leads to the discovery of the file that leads to an argument between Laura and Simon. 

This leads to a children's party at the facility and after an argument between Laura and Simon, Simon goes and hides from her. When she is searching for him, she is confronted by a boy in a sack mask with Tomas written on his shirt. Instead of a peaceful interaction, the boy attacks her and traps her in a bathroom. Upon getting out, she cannot find Simon and becomes frantic. She tries to make her way into a cave by the ocean/waters edge and she falls and hurts herself. When being treated, the police contact suggests that Benigna might've taken Simon. The film fast forwards six months and confronts Benigna's background with the orphanage and her son, Tomas, who died after children took his mask and hid it in the cave during low tide. The mask was used to cover up his physical deformities and with desperation to find it, trapped himself in the cave and died. Additional revelations are uncovered to the true extent of these things and the sad turns that come from the aftermath. 

Laura brings in a medium to perform a seance to try to get clues as to her son's disappearance. It is from this point that the film takes advantage of the slow, steady increase in tension it has built and ratchets things up during the seance to the point where you can hardly stand it. It is constructed and crafted so so well and is beyond tense. This reminds me that I should mention this film does not rely at all on stupid jump scares or any gory popping-out type things that give you a jolt but annoy you moments after. The real art of this film is that, even without those vehicles for scares, the film is just so tense and spooky, built solely on the rising tension and desperation of Laura and the increasingly startling revelations of the past of the orphanage itself and the sad series of events that happened only a little while after she was adopted. I cannot say enough how important that lack of cheap scares are here - it would be so easy to throw a bunch of random crap at the viewer, twitchy spectres and the like and have that be where the fear comes from. But thankfully, this film takes its time, lays out the story and allows the viewer to become so emotionally involved that the scary and tenseness are all created in their (the viewers) minds and, more importantly, hearts. 

I feel it is very important to not summarize the rest of the plot beyond the seance sequence. There is a lot that comes out after it, and great lengths Laura must go to to seek out and find her adopted son and unravel the rest of the mystery of the past of the Orphanage itself. Her level of commitment is amazing, her fearlessness and utter bravery in the face of things that happen is just amazing. Her character is a real one and because of this, we feel along with her as the story culminates and resolves. It is because of this that we feel the revelations and losses deeply and Laura becomes a channel for what the viewer might feel or empathize in this situation. I'll say it again, this is such a wise choice because it makes everything that happens more personal and authentic. 

Bottom line, this film is a beautiful piece of work. It is tense and scary/spooky but does not rely on cheap scares or dumb sight scares to get you on the edge of your seat. It is a patient, well crafted ghost story with a wonderful heart and a somber tone that has stuck with me since I first saw it and every time since. Much like The Devil's Backbone (another Guillermo del Toro one), the real horror or fear is more to do with what we feel and what we don't want to happen to characters in a story and not merely what happens. That authentic connection is the real magic of a film like this. 

Day 25: Frankenweenie (2012)

Frankenweenie (2012)

Starring: Cathrine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Winona Ryder, Charlie Tahan

Category: New, animated/stop motion

Plot Tags: mad scientist, children's movie

Original release: Oct 5th, 2012

Format viewed: Theatrical screening

Directed by: Tim Burton

Written by: John August (screenplay), Tim Burton (concept)

Distributed by: Walt Disney

Tim Burton is a mixed bag of a creative person. At times, he is absolutely a genius and creates wonderful, eerie and all together original works. Such examples are Beetlejuice, Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Batman/Batman Returns, Ed Wood, Big Fish, Corpse Bride. Other times, his style and sense of things overrun the work and it becomes awfully hard to enjoy what he is doing. Examples of this include Planet of the Apes (remake), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (remake), Alice in Wonderland, Dark Shadows (which I so so wanted to like more than I did). So his vision and his work can be a mixed bag. 

It seems like he is at his best when he is able to create what he really cares about and doesn't have to try to stuff it into this box or that safety net or whatever else. You can really see the pure creativity in Beetlejuice or Edward Scissorhands without a bunch of other producer types muddling it up. You can see the quagmire of a mess that happens when a lot of extra bodies are involved like in Alice in Wonderland. So with Frankenweenie (a full feature 'remake' of his live action short film from 1984), you can almost immediately see the care and regard he holds for classic horror films and what it means to really care for them (for someone like me). There is an immense amount of inside baseball that happens in the film with a lot (ok, a ton) of references to many old classic horror films and monsters. But like with the other animated gem this fall, Paranorman, this adoration doesn't come off as recycling, more just use with affection. Plus, it doesn't rely solely on those previous works to tell the whole story. Regardless of my personal interests, I can appreciate this because it means that the average non-horror obsessed viewer can get into it and enjoy it. 

The story is pretty simple, Victor, a young aspiring scientist and filmmaker (his home movie/monster movie was just heart melting, a la the kids film in Super 8) lives in a small, slightly odd town with his parents who appreciate his interests but want some sense of normalcy for their son. After getting somewhat forced into baseball, an accident happens at the end of the game involving a home run ball that takes the life of his very beloved dog Sparky. Victor, determined to bring him back to life, sets up a lab in the attic and, with the help of a formula (I think a reference to Reanimator) and lightning, brings Sparky back to life. Unfortunately, as these things go, Sparky is discovered and through blackmail by one of his friends, is forced to explain how he has performed this amazing feat. This spirals out of control in a hurry and the kids at his school cannot handle the aftereffects of bringing their dead pets back to life, including a truly inspired bit of lunacy involving sea monkeys. Things progress to the point where the town is overrun by the weird hybrid creatures botched by the other kids and things start to get out of hand when the mayor's daughter is dragged, literally, into the mess. The sight gags and references come fast and furious in the whole second half of the film but if you aren't a horror movie junkie, you won't miss out. Very smartly, TIm Burton elected to fade these things into the background in such a way that they feel organic and certainly not forced. The last bit of the movie I won't spoil because it is not only enjoyable to watch/discover on its own, but there is an emotional clarity to it that I think shows a remarkable amount of maturity on the part of Tim Burton and his crew. 

All in all, I really loved Frankenweenie for its charm, its timeless quality, the remarkable art style and the heart it shows. So often anymore, Tim Burton has all the ingredients but fails to give his creations heart and soul but this is not the case in this film. This was most decidedly a great success. 

Days 25-31+1+1 - And all the rest

And all the rest

When one looks at the calendar, one realizes that once the predetermined number of days in a month are over, the next month starts. This is pretty common knowledge and seems to happen pretty regularly. So I thought I should note why I'm on 24 scary movies and not the final 32. Well, between arduous work reports this last week or so and two music festivals, I slightly overestimated my free time. Free time to write, not watch. I hit darn near every day as planned and even have a few extras I'm not going to include for their lameness (looking at you, Red Lights) or lack of application to the project regardless of badassness (Seven Psychopaths). So anyway, here are the remaining films I will include on the count up to/over 32 total:

Abram's Hand (new)
Tomb of the Blind Dead (weird, cult classic, foreign)
Monkey Shines (boxes that scared me)
Orphanage (favorite, foreign)
Mientras Duermes - Sleep Tight (new, foreign)
Beetlejuice (favorite - all time)
Frankenweenie (new)
Trick R Treat (favorite)
Evil Dead 2 (favorite)
V/H/S (new)

Separate from those, I am going to write up a little thing about the recent documentary The American Scream. This is from the same folks that did the wonderful Best Worst Movie. The American Scream chronicles the ups and downs of three families in a small Massachusetts town who are obsessed with Halloween and making their homes into haunted houses. The three families highlighted are of different skill levels and demeanor and the challenges and stresses are different for each but the whole of the film is something very beautiful and true about the way we are and the way we try to be in the face of desire versus reality. It was a truly lovely film and one of my favorites this year, bar none.

Okay, so plan is I'll have these all up by the end of the weekend and the wrap it all up next week. Thanks to anyone and everyone who has taken time to read any of them.

Day 24: Attack the Block (2011)

Attack the Block (2011)
Starring: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Nick Frost
Category: New(ish) favorite
Plot Tags: invasion from outter space, child(ren) in peril
Original release: May 2011
Format viewed: DVD - own collection
Directed by: Joe Cornish
Written by: Joe Cornish
Studio: StudioCanal, UK Film Council
Distributed by: Optimum Releasing

If even half the people who went and saw the last 'Martin Lawrence puts on a fat suit and somehow fools people' movie saw Attack The Block instead, director Joe Cornish would be a household name. But alas, they didn't. While I can't completely hate on Martin (seeing as he was in Nothing To Lose and Bad Boys), I can hate on the audiences a bit for not seeking out wholly original film making like this one. This is absolutely one of my favorite films of the last 5-6 years and every time I've watched it its grown in my esteem. From the creature effects (part practical, part CGI and part...wait for it...rotoscoping!!!!) to the dialogue to the story itself to the hero arc to the humor and all the rest, this is just one of those movies I just love up one side and down the other.

The story centers around a rough London neighborhood and a group/gang of street youths led by Moses (a brilliant John Boyega) who generally go around causing problems. I call them a group/gang because they really aren't a full fledged gang as they are youngsters and really aren't bad at heart. Anyway, the film starts with them mugging a nurse (Jodie Whittaker - Perrier's Bounty) and soon after seeing a flying object land in a nearby barn thing. They approach with Moses leading the way. The thing that lands attacks him, scratches his face and a battle ensues. They kill the creature and thinking it might be worth something, the lug it back to their neighborhood drug dealer's flat (played by Nick Frost - Sean of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul) to store in their weed room. As it turns out, many more creatures are following this one and not long after they are there, they see a ton of streaming things from the sky, leaving the small dead creature there. They are set upon by the police who have Whittaker's character in the police van to help identify them. In the process of being arrested, large, jet-black things with bright glowing blue teeth show up and kill the police officers and nearly get our group. They flee with Whittaker in tow. What follows is a series of near misses with the creatures, mounting tension, tense and scary scenes and a sense of what is really happening with these monsters and why they are after our group. As the story comes to a head, the hero's arc because something of grand display (without being cheesy) and if you aren't rooting for that character by the end of it, there is certainly something wrong with you.

There is a laundry list of why I love this movie but part (or rather 3 parts) of the reason is...well, I have to preface this because it makes me sound kind of evil. I really love adventure/scary movies where children are in danger. Legitimately. Not like crazy crap is going on all around them but never touches them no matter what. I mean, legit danger. Take fish movies. Jaws is amazingly effective because of the youth death pretty early on. It changes the expectations and the rules and totally puts you on edge for the duration of the film. On the other side, Piranha (not the brilliant Corman/Joe Dante one, the remake) totally lame-asses out on this and put two children in dangerous situations but frames them in such a way that you know full well nothing will happen to them. Tension level -0-. I'm getting off track, so Attack The Block is great because it puts our group of youths in seriously bad danger. Some characters across the film do die. It's not like everyone who is likable makes it or they just keep killing the guys from Star Trek with the red suits. Again, legit danger. This is wonderful, brings a certain excitement to it that really draws you in.

Another reason is the script/humor and writing style. Nothing, and I repeat nothing is more lame than horror movies trying to be funny when they mug for the laugh on a misplaced joke. Like someone dies right in front of them and then a clever quip is the next line. Give me a damned break. It's not funny and not realistic and just plain crap. Perfect examples of this are the absolutely abhorrent Night of the Demons remake, Fright Night remake and maybe Valentine. Bleah. Attack the Block brings the same crisp humor from Sean of the Dead and/or Paul where they don't treat you like an idiot and they don't treat their characters with disrespect. These youths are sharp and charming and when they get going, riffing on each other, it is just grand. One character in particular, nicknamed 'Pest' is really great at this and has one of the best lines in the movie in a back and forth with Jodie Whittaker's character. Priceless.

The last reason I love this movie (at least what I have time to write about) is the effects themselves. Having a dinky budget means you have to be creative and smart about what you do and how you do it. The combination of effects techniques combined with the filming style and overall look make it seem so much grander than it is. The monsters themselves are marvelous - black haired and glowing teeth and all. They move amazingly well and occupy their spaces with true menace and exude fear. Watching the making of on the Blu-ray is freaking awesome - you gain an even greater appreciation for what they did. So the effects are just wonderful - not crutching on big, overblown CGI crap to cover a bad script or lousy acting.

Damn, okay, one more thing. The actors are all fantastic. Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega are the leads in every sense of the word - the teenage boy and the adult woman occupy the same authority and earn the two feet they stand on. By that I mean, you believe them and you believe in them. This is the mark of smart writing and good acting. Across the board, the ensemble is so wonderful to watch that you wonder how on earth they pulled it off (again, watch the making of).

So bottom line, I freaking love this movie. I really do. It is fun, scary at times, exciting, funny and just the kind of original project that should be celebrated as often as possible. Truth.



Day 23: The Objective (2009)

The Objective (2009)
Starring: Jonas Ball, Matthew R Anderson, Jon Huertas
Category: New(ish)
Plot Tags: unexplained phenomena, breakdown, survival
Original release: Feb 6th, 2009
Format viewed: DVD - rented from Vulcan, naturally
Directed by: Daniel Myrick
Written by: Daniel Myrick
Distributed by: IFC Films

This was an interesting movie - really deep when it comes to concept and the idea of it all but lacks somewhat in the forward moving structure leaving some scenes kind of repetitive. So on the one hand, I really dug it, but on the other hand I wished they'dve made better choices when it came to putting people in peril and advancing the story forward hand in hand. It's like in the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy keeps stopping and getting involved with each of the characters there en route to the Emerald City. If they had a few more characters for her to pick up, it would get pretty tiresome but with three, works pretty well. In this film, the instances of 'stoppage' because of attack or unexplained stuff count over 7 or 8 times with not a ton of variation. This raises tension but also robs itself of more tension because of the repetitiveness. The director also did Blair Witch Project, so annoying repetitiveness might be in his blood.

Okay, the story itself, basically we have a highly trained team of soldiers (including Jon Huerta from Castle) being assigned to accompany a CIA operative in Afghanistan to find a cleric guy with sensitive information about, I think, weapons or trade routes or some such. They set out on this assignment in the desert (filmed beautifully in Morocco and Iraq, crazily enough) and are soon set upon by a series of strange events - lights that look like headlights heading towards them and then separating off and flying into the sky, the deafening sound of a helicopter overhead without being able to see it, no bodies left after a firefight with militants and on from there. The CIA guy is pretty set in on this infrared camera thing where he is documenting everything that is happening. It becomes pretty clear pretty quickly that something else is going on and as the group size dwindles, an encounter with a desert dweller guy goes badly etc, the CIA guys true motives become more clear and their chances at survival become less and less likely but not because of some big ass desert monster or something. There is a whole secondary level of breakdown psychology that comes into play at this point and it would be a shame to ruin it - especially considering the last (give/take) 10 minutes of the film. They really amp up the reality of what is going on and hammer home the situation these soldiers are/were in and what the real goal was.

I'm being intentionally vague here because, again, the last 1/3 of the movie is just excellent. I wish to God the first 2/3rds had the same level of urgency and structure because the ending is nothing short of brilliant and unnerving and interesting. I will say that this is a stretch to call a horror movie, but, if you can work in mental breakdown, misbegotten missions as sources of horror, then it qualifies. I'll take an overall concept like in The Objective much more than a standard horror type setup/military like in something like Dead Birds where NOTHING FREAKING HAPPENS. So anyway, there you go.