Ginger Snaps

Well that was fucked.

I'm kinda floundering here guys, I really had no idea what to expect and more from word of mouth did this movie hit my radar, which I suppose is keeping in the style since this movie came out in 2000. All I will say is, just give it time. Cause when this movie kicked off all I could say was what in the fuck, but as it progressed and I got to know these character it didn't take long to get invested. For a story as simple as two outcast sisters Brigitte and Ginger who inexplicably are attacked by a werewolf and the drama and tragedy that unfolds after that, I can understand why it is held fairly high by the horror community. It's a small scale story on a small scale budget, it has charm in it's production and the kinda time capsule look, the chemistry and arc of these sisters is anything but boring, and it almost seemed destined to become a cult hit and be regularly rented on video for years to come. So much of the story is settled on the backbone of Brigitte and Ginger so let's talk cast. Emily Perkins for my money was a bit spellbinding to be honest, I just could not keep my eyes off her everytime she was on screen and to see her transition from a rather shy, meek, only sociable person around her sister to this no horseshit, get things done, trying her best survivor is a trip. She ain't no final girl, because she doesn't have to be. Whereas with Katherine Isabelle her metamorphosis only doubles down on her personality from a brash, no fucks given, do what I want type of gal into a wild, untameable, increasingly bloodthirsty force that slowly but surely wants no solution to this dilemma. It's fascinating to watch man, cause it really and truly does not follow the paces of other horror movies and sets out to do it's own thing. Yes it's a werewolf movie but couldn't be more displaced from the well known lore presented in The Wolf Man in every facet. It's mixing of transformation with not only acknowledgement of menstruation but also the social stigmas towards women is original to say the least, and some people can bitch and moan all they want but the movie is not wrong! Good fair points are made at periods (no pun intended I swear) and it sets these characters up nicely. I feel the movie has this undercurrent of dark comedy at points but doesn't lean into it too hard, even still it got a good laugh or two out of me amongst many other emotional reactions so obviously it worked for me. You got to have a shred of curiosity to even watch this movie but I feel you will be rewarded for giving it a chance. Shit I didn't suspect it actually took place in October so the fallen leaves, gray skies, and steadily building Halloween decorations lended solid atmosphere and a nice garnish to the grisly proceedings. I feel I should watch it again in the future, I have this gut feeling the more you watch it the more you enjoy it, so I give it 3.5 stars, 8/10, but that score could easily rise! I was intrigued, disgusted, sometimes baffled, but ultimately thrilled I got to watch this at last. New movie incoming next time!

In The Mouth Of Madness

Reality is not what it used to be.

Believe it or not this movie has been on the list for several Halloween seasons and I'll be damned if I didn't hear quite a bit of good praise since before even this show began for it. It pretty much had me from John Carpenter and Sam Neill in a semi-Lovecraft story regarding an insurance fraud investigator hired to track down a missing author of a world famous horror series, and as the movie progresses it just gets weirder and strongly metaphysical in a perfect case of life is stranger than fiction. And yeah it takes it's time over the course of 90 minutes to unfold this story but does more than enough to grab your attention and make you almost begrudgingly watch it till the end even when you know it's not exactly gonna be a happy ending. Sam Neill goddamn it man I miss you, upon hearing of his extremely untimely passing this year I knew in my heart of hearts I'd finally have to talk about this movie and true to his professional form turns in a very strong performance, starting off as a logical and highly skeptical investigator named John Trent that gets broken down more and more until the wild ending. I certainly wish I could say all but this is one of those movies where the more blind you are going in the better the experience is. Julie Carmen as a publicist named Styles (Very twee.) who joins the investigation kinda was throwing me off at points but as we near the end the puzzle pieces start snapping into place, and she does have this subdued ethereal beauty to her at points I must say. I'm almost positive this is my first Jurgen Prochnow movie and wow what a first time, he's not seen all that much as the illusive author Suttor Cane but whatever screentime he does have is memorable and effectively off putting. And I gotta shoutout David Warner, Charlton Heston, and John Glover in the cast who all have bit parts but I'd be a lying sack of shit if I ever said I wasn't happy to see them here! Production wise it's more a lowkey Carpenter affair, shot very nicely with appropriate mood and atmosphere, has a wee bit of special effects, but the horror aspect all comes from the psychological side of things as would be typical for a lovecraftian style story that might not dig under your skin but certainly would make you question reality even for a second. Are you the dreamer or the dream? That's always been the type of horror that has the most prolonged and heavy impact on me, it's not the blood soaked monsters or haunting scenery, it's the simplest question of what is real and what's not? I mean I'm sitting in my chair cross legged writing this waiting for my dinner to be done, but I could in actuality be in a bathtub in a white room raving about chocolate syrup and beavers for all I really know. And that's the kind of existential dread and mental terror the movie puts front, so to me this is one of the most effective horror films I've ever seen when I start thinking about it, but I can absolutely see other people walking away just liking it and considering it a minor gem in John Carpenter's career. I give it 3 stars, 7.5/10, and the strangeness will continue for a cult beloved werewolf film next time.

The Phantom Carriage

Possible first swedish horror film I've ever seen?

I can't exactly recall where I heard about this movie from but the title alone was all I needed and the story that unfolds wasn't really what I expected. It at first seemed about a woman with consumption waiting for death but then we get an inverse of A Christmas Carol where the spectral driver of the eponymous carriage comes to collect a dead drunk and shows him the life he threw away and the mistakes he made that has links with the dying lady but he's already dead so he can't change it, before it naturally resolves to a happy ending. The movie is close to two hours long so you get familiar with these characters and their histories, seeing them go from loving and caring almost idyllic lifestyles to such depressing depths. It is a horror movie but not quite in the typical way you would think, true the phantom carriage is a proper spooky visual but it's almost more an existential horror. I mean imagine you die or are near death and you have to confront a life's worth of regret, seeing what your actions have wrought that have hurt other people's lives, to be helpless and succumbing to a sickness whether it be something as banal as liquor or something as serious as pneumonia with no real chance to heal, that's pretty fucking horrific to my eyes. And you are stuck with this bastard of a character, played by the director Victor Sjöström himself no less, through the majority of the film as he just becomes this loathsome man who has to own up for his choices and it's a pretty decent performance. Astrid Holm as the Salvation Army nurse Edit is the real victim here and played to tragic beauty, just someone trying to help where they can who is almost cursed with sickness makes it eerily clear that people have lives out of your orbit, she really is the light in such a dark film. The driver of the carriage also played by Victor due to the lore presented that if someone should die at midnight on New Year's Eve they must take the reins of the carriage is an interesting presence, keeping the hooded robe and scythe from the Grim Reaper yet somewhat personable as he lays someone's life out before them. He feels appropriately intangible and someone you could never fight, it's a more lowkey potrayal of Death but a good one nevertheless. The production is also pretty simple too with minimal sets that are reused thoroughly throughout, with a contemporary time period instead of a period piece set centuries ago which I think is awesome cause that means you get to see just a teeny bit of 1920s Sweden, the dark shadows and warmly lit interiors are very nice and the telling of a ghost story around a fire is as classic as classic can get. I can see the film being very life affirming to some with a message imploring others that it's never too late for love or forgiveness until your dying day, but it does leave you with more awareness of your own presence in the world. I quite liked it, it's not a great film or a shining example of silent cinema but a well told story with a strong message, and hey it's not everyday I can talk about a foreign silent film so I can dig it. I give it 2.5 stars, 7/10, and next week we got a little grab bag of movies so stay tuned.

The Man Who Laughs

Not a total horror movie by most's estimations but when the hell am I gonna be able to talk about this again?

The Man Who Laughs is a wonderful movie and can definitively be put in the Universal classics collection in my mind. Centering on a performer who was horrifically disfigured as a boy who garners a healthy reputation in 17th century England as a sideshow, while royal machinations interfere with his quite beautiful romance and the best of both worlds he cannot achieve. The first thing I really gotta point out is these performances...holy shit balls! Even as someone who champions silent cinema, who has seen my fair share, I'm kinda stunned how everything fit so well. Conrad Veidt is a marvel in this film as Gwynplaine (or as I affectionately called him, Gwyn) which says a lot considering he had to wear dentures with metal hooks in him to achieve the ghastly grin, but his eyes and his mannerisms convey so much you almost kinda forget it's a silent film! He shows heartbroken sadness, joyous love, nervous apprehension, and even prideful dismissal all with a smile on his face. Good God he deserves every shred of praise and recognition for this role. Do I even have to say I love Mary Philbin as Dea in this? She's only one of the most gorgeous women I have ever seen and the sheer just brightness and love she brings to this made it impossible for me not to be heavily invested in this character, and hey this might be the beginning of the trope where a blind girl falls in love with a slightly monstrous figure so how could I hate it? On the opposite end of the spectrum Olga Baclanova as the Duchess Josiana kinda gives me Maria vibes from Metropolis just not on as grand as scale, as this life loving, wild, slightly seductive woman who drifts into Gwynplaine's orbit is fascinating to watch. Literally from the first time she sees him you can read like this mix of morbid fascination and budding attraction on her face, and I didn't really know where her story was gonna go. Cesare Gravina as self proclaimed philosopher and sideshow manager Ursus while a minor role is prominent throughout and is a stalwart supporter of Gwyn and Dae's romance, has some standout moments too near the end that actually feels quite real in the desperation and heartache so bravo to him! We even get Brandon Hurst back as Barkilphedro and wow it is night and day between Hunchback and this, in Hunchback it was a very dry performance with enough to make you dislike Jehan but here he is eating this role up as this confidant servant to the royal family, and my God he is such a slimy son of a bitch in this movie and it is glorious to see cause you can tell he's relishing every second he gets to play this conniving swine. Like rarely have I seen a main cast of a silent film this spectacular across the board, you can read so much emotion through their faces alone and it perfectly encapsulates why silent acting has to be respected and appreciated. Production wise it's not as expansive and flashy with it's sets as Hunchback yet I'll be damned if I said they weren't good either. What more caught my eyes beyond the period costuming was the camera does some interesting stuff, it's not your typical early cinema shots, they do exteme close ups and place the camera at interesting angles and even does some crossdissolves that you really just don't see in movies even 20 years after the fact. And I'll admit to you straight up this movie had a loooot of pull on me, damn near cried not once but twice, was smiling like a fool, I even had a moment where I covered my dropped jaw in both shock and joy. I can't even recall the last movie to have those kinds of reactions from me but hey I'm older than the hills, I can't remember what I did three days ago. And on that distressing bombshell it is time to end, I give this 4 stars, 8/10, and next time we get foreigny.

The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (1923)

Maybe not exactly a horror film as we define it today but a good movie to spotlight nevertheless.

As someone who grew up loving the animated Hunchback from a young age even I'm kinda surprised it took me this long to see the original film adaptation. This could very well be considered the first Universal Monster movie almost a decade before Dracula, and it's not often you get to talk about a film that's now 103 years old so let's talk about it! Set in 15th century Paris the film more or less consists of a love square between the eponymous hunchback Quasimodo, a gypsy Esmerelda, a captain of the king's guard Phoebus, and brother of the arch-deacon of Notre Dame Jehman as revolution broils under the surface, it's not a very involved plot which could be said about several silent films but you can get into it. What the film may lack in story the production well makes up for, with a true to scale facade of the Notre Dame cathedral on the Universal backlot that stood untouched until unfortunately a fire devastated the backlot in 1967 and it really does feel like we are seeing the church in the fifteenth century. All the sets are massive and decorated to the max, the costuming is garish and while I'm no expert on french clothing in the 1400s feels authentic, the staggering amount of extras for crowd shots, and there always seems to be a crowd shot, around every corner gives it such weight and scale that most movies could never even dream of achieving. In terms of acting, while this is not my personal favorite performance of Lon Chaney the dedication he always brought to the makeup and the sheer disdain Quaismodo has for humanity mixed with a tragic love for Esmerelda makes it still a fine acting part that is still talked about to this day. Patsy Ruth Miller brings such light to a sometimes grim movie as Esmerelda, showing great compassion and innocence which really makes me feel bad she's gotta deal with some real pieces of work at times and while I feel her backstory is woefully presented with a true out of left field element I'm also aware about fifteen minutes of this film is lost but we have a mostly intact copy. Norman Kerry who you might remember as Raoul from Chaney's Phantom plays Phoebus and I know this is modern sensibilities coming from me, but he's a bit of a fucking whore in this! I'm serious man he's already engaged to one woman and is known to get around as they say before zeroing in on Esmerelda, and I'm just like bro move on my God. Solid performance but an irksome character. And boy does that compound hard and fast with Brandon Hurst as Jehan who is our Claude Frollo equivalent in this film, you can just tell from Brandon's face he's a real devil of a swine and he just cannot leave this poor girl alone, tries to abduct her, literally stabs Phoebus to get to her, and pretty much orchestrates a failed coup just to run off with her, like Christ alive he's not as interestingly evil as the Disney version but he's still a bastard! It's easy to get invested because you do want the best for Esmerelda and can sympathize with Quasimodo even if he isn't a baby face voiced by angel sent from above Tom Hulce, and for a almost two hour film takes it's time but doesn't drag it's feet either. I would say it's more a minor classic of both the silent film era and the horror genre, but I still liked it just fine. I certainly can appreciate the art all made by hand no less, and this was a megabucks hit for Universal gaining over 3 million dollars and I need you to think about that for a sec considering movie tickets were dimes back then, and I'm happy to say I ginally have seen it. I give it 2.5 stars, 7/10, and we have a semi-horror title up next.

The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile

I'm actually quite happy this was brought to my attention.

Speaking as someone who has zero knowledge of Raggedy Ann in any capacity or format other than she's a doll, it surprises me how much I enjoyed this little special. There's not much to the plot besides a young boy who yearns to celebrate the holiday is stopped by his crumudgeon of an aunt, as both Ann and Andy seek out a pumpkin to lift the boy's spirits and we're introduced to the eponymous pumpkin as they race to save the Halloween spirit before the night is done. It is bare bones as all get out, but it holds a different kind of power. The word more than any other I would describe this special as is mellow. It is a mellow, laid back, cute short. Whatever lack of exquisite fall atmosphere that was missing from the last two specials is brought tenfold here, this short bleeds autumn. The sunset sky, the rich trees, the old town architecture, it is unbelievable what Chuck Jones and the production team brought to this just in terms of visuals. I like the story and can give my two bits on two aspects, one being the pumpkin who is honestly a good stand in for depression and how that makes one feel even around holidays but the simple fact that someone out there is happy that pumpkin exists changes a great deal on their outlook, and can also perhaps lighten a person's feelings as well watching this knowing there's at least one person who is excited you're around. Second is and maybe this also due to Chuck Jones having a hand in this, but the grumpy aunt practically has the Halloween equivalent of the Grinch going from not liking the holiday at all to revelling in it. The voice cast may be small but are solid throughout, June Foray has a voice as sweet as honey, Daws Butler is a bit more rough around the edges but ultimately nice and wanting to help, Les Tremayne's perfomance as the pumpkin is perfect for animation and it is quite sweet to see the arc he goes through. And if Garfield is the special you watch right before you charge out into the night, this is the special you watch as you come back home and start winding down, trading candy with friends and lounging on the couch in the glow of the TV eating your favorite treats, before finally going to bed. And hey, Halloween is on a Saturday this year so it doesn't get much better than that. As for this incredibly short and sweet special I give it 3 stars, 7/10, and next week we go back to the silent era.

Garfield's Halloween Adventure

I know, shocking it took this long right?

Yet another seminal classic that I just never watched or knew of until into my adult years, which is funny because I was a Garfield fan in my youth to the point where my Nan would mail me the comic strips she cut out of the paper every few months. So yeah I feel like a major ass not reviewing or seeing this sooner. But I can safely say despite my lateness this is a real fun special, essentially amounting to Garfield picking out a costume and going trick or treating with Odie when it gets spooooky after an old ghost story is told to them. I mean if you had a checklist of Halloween goodness it damn near checks every box. Costume picking, tricks or treats, pumpkin carving, ghost stories, seeing other people's costumes out on the dark streetlight filled neighborhoods, it literally is just missing that exquisite autumn atmosphere we love so dearly on this show. I don't really think I need to tell you about the greatness that is Lorenzo Music as Garfield, the man is a legend for this alone perfectly encapsulating not just Garfield but I feel all cats in my opinion, as his greed for candy and dry humor makes this endlessly entertaining. However I will spotlight C. Lindsay Workman as the scary storyteller who has this unbelievable voice almost akin to James Earl Jones who just makes this small story about pirate treasure memorable, and I feel to a certain generation namely mine and the one before us I think if not all of us most of us have heard of or encountered a scary neighbor, not a bad neighbor or even a harmful neighbor, just someone who lived near you that kinda scared you. Again, capturing that childlike innocence with such ease that we may have forgotten about or took for granted as we grew up. This is the quintessential short but sweet special, not even 25 minutes with credits, and despite my lack of intelligence to summarize why Garfield is so entertaining there's a reason this is looked back on fondly and I have less than zero problem fully recommending it. Hell I could even see this is as the perfect special to watch before you dash out the door, adorned in costume, ready to take on the town for tricks or treats under the moonlit night. And that's pretty fucking awesome. 3.5 stars from me, 8/10, and we got just one more that I don't hear a great many talk about so I'll catch you next time.