How does the nature of Haddonfield change, from film to film?

I can't be the only one here who has been bugged by this, over the years.

I have always been struck by how Haddonfield changes back and forth between being a suburb and a rural community. Does anybody here have any cool thoughts on this? Like, in the first movie, the town is definitely a suburb. The sheriff even says "Do you know what Haddonfield is, doc? Families, children, lined up in rows up and down these streets." That, my friends, is a suburb. Jamie Lee, especially, comes across as a very suburban chick... the other characters, less so, but still, somewhat.

Then parts two and three are different, for different reasons.

Parts four and five were apparently shot in Utah, and it all seems much, much, much more rural. There are lots of shots of fields of crops, and also, just what some of the characters are like. Their dialog is like small town people, or rural farm people. I don't know if the actors and actresses had personally spent much time far away from cities, but their lines just seem very rural to me. Then, of course, various scenes in and around barns, and the vigilantes at the end of part four that they were able to scrounge up in just a few minutes... I mean, come on.

Then, in part six, I always thought they kind of split the difference. Haddonfield seems somewhere in the middle, between rural and suburb. Also, apparently it is a college town, with some kind of community college or junior college. The college students might have been supposed to be a little older than traditional college students... early to mid 20's?? I'm not sure. Marianne Hagan's character had a son who was not a toddler.... Anyway, different scenes strike me in different ways, rural versus suburban. The way that dickhead (Mr. Strode) dresses seems like he's got some kind of a white collar job, so that sort of implies suburb.

By the way, it is interesting how Halloween 6 prefigured Scream, in a lot of ways. That Halloween festival had a very Scream-like feel to it. Just the way they talked about Michael Myers, and horror... it also prefigured Halloween 8 (Resurrection) at least in the sense of that local access TV show. It was similar to what Busta Rhymes had going on, in Resurrection.

Anyone have anything to say about any of this? Agree, disagree, call me a mindless bastard and storm off pissed as all hell? Whatever, it's all good.

All these things are more mixed up in today's world, in some ways, but I don't think they were as mixed up in the 70's, 80's, and 90's.

The Ghoul (2016) a Lynchian nightmare




Gareth Tunley's directorial debut, The Ghoul, is slow burning dark psychological thriller examining depression and mental illness. And occult black magic. And a detective hunting down a killer. Or maybe it's none of these things, having just seen the movie I'm not entirely sure.

A homicide detective (a fantastic turn by Tom Meten) goes undercover as a psychiatrist's patient to track a potential killer. Then, very slowly, thing begins to unravel, reality blurs, twists and loops around creating chaos and confusion until... It's one of those films where knowing as little as possible going in vastly improves the viewing experience, and if you like strange slow mindbending stuff then this is for you.
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A great lead performance is backed up by solid support from Alice Lowe & Geoffrey McGivern and a oddly compelling cameo from Paul Kaye. The cinematography is both claustraphobic and sweeping, switching from single room to Lost Highway style driving shots, all the while accompanied by an unsettling string score. Fans of Lynch, Wheatley and dark surreal mindfucks in general should enjoy.

Friday The 13th Part 5 - Unsung gem of the series?

It's pretty clear the series hit a stride with Parts 3 and 4, then 6 and 7. These feel like the films that set up and use the Jason archetype that the series is best known for.

So why is part 5 generally considered an odd one out in that run?

Is it merely the Jason copycat angle?

Personally I find it up to par with the other Friday sequels in that era, I may even prefer it to Part 4 and 7.

Ethel's son on the motorbike, what was going on in that scene? Freakin' hilarious.

Birdemic, and the so-bad-its-amazing type movies

Watching this movie again, it's all kinds of awesome. The acting, plot, and effects are just awful. They're always trying to homage great, classic old movies, yet the movie itself is atrocious. You can tell that everyone involved in this movie has a screw or two loose.

Gotta love it! Do you think the director honestly tried to make a legit film, or is he bullshitting with us? Tommy Wiseau with "The Room" is a similar situation. Was he for real, and did he put he best effort into that movie? Did Andrew Jordan and Barry J. Gillis try to make a real movie with "Things"? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? The world may never know...

Horror movies that are like plays?

I'm watching some of Existenz this morning. I hope I don't sit here long enough to watch the whole thing, it would be better to go out and do something in the physical world. But, just to mention this... I have always been struck by how much Existenz (and some other Cronenberg films) feels/feel like a play. Not completely, but often, and certainly much more than many other movies.

The Ashley Judd/Michael Shannon movie Bug reminds me of a play at times, too.

I know I have thought this before, about other horror movies, but nothing is coming to mind right now. Wait, maybe Misery, at times... there are other movies though. Anyone else have anything that comes to mind?

Udo Vs. Joe: Volume 1



The old Universal monsters were great. At least I'm sure they seemed like it at the time to all the depression-era folks who got their minds blown by all the Horror come to life. I mean, sure. They're ok. I mostly liked them as a kid, and will always respect them for what they were. But Dracula? Frankenstein? Wolf Man? The Mummy? They have a place. And t's called the 1930's and 40's. But of course, there's Hammer, who resurrected them all for the late 50's to early 70's era. A seemingly endless amount of films that probably should have been a little more interesting than they were, and despite wearing out their welcome a bit, they too ran their course. So, by 1973, who would want more of that? Trust me. You want this!

In 1973, Trash/semi-gay-themed Art Film director, Paul Morrissey was ready for something a little different. Best known for his Flesh/Trash/Heat Trilogy with friend/producer, Andy Warhol, Morrissey would try to infuse his Waters-esque style into a horror project, which quickly became two horror projects. More on the second one some other time, but the first was to be Flesh For Frankenstein, also known as Andy Warhol's Frankenstein. A trashier, more perverted take on the Mary Shelley classic. In other words, Morrissey dragged the legend of Frankenstein into the 70's. And with Udo Kier brought on board to play the Doctor, it seems as though we're finally in for something different.

That Baron Frankenstein is a weird one, eh? Being married to his sister and all. Having two kids with her, even. Plus, he's always in that laboratory with that little weirdo, Otto, who is probably a little too dedicated for a mere assistant, but hey. Good help isn't always easy to come by. And the Baron is sure to keep him in check. Those two rascals have been gathering up dead bodies and sewing parts together so that the Baron can create a race of Super Serbians, starting with a man and a woman, whose purpose will be to mate. These Super Serbians will answer only to Baron Frankenstein. Something about ruling the world. It's a hobby. I guess it's a hobby. It's the only thing he ever thinks about or talks about. And seemingly the only thing that matters to him. That's called a hobby, right?

Dr. Frankenstein is a lot of things, but family man is not one of them. Baron's sister-wife doesn't seem to mind as long as nobody bothers her with anything. Their two kids don't have personalities, and probably hate them. One could say that the Frankenstein's are one lousy ass family. We find out the Baron is a bit of a hypocrite, as he is not shy about showing what a big prude he is. Meanwhile, he decides to test out the female before she's even brought to life. By the way. Is there a word for that? If you make love with someone who isn't alive yet, that's technically not necrophilia, right?

So, the female is obviously good to go. however the head of the male has yet to be retrieved. Frankenstein and Otto spy on a couple of locals who aim to get their dicks wet at the local brothel. One of them seems to be tearing them all up pretty good. Due to a misunderstanding, Frankenstein and Otto ambush and remove the head of the wrong guy. And when I say "wrong", I mean asexual, or possibly a repressed homo. We don't really get to know him well enough to tell.

The one whose life was spared would have served them well, though. Nicholas is all about the poon. A very out of place character played by Morrissey regular, Joe Dallesandro. Joe isn't happy to find his buddy's head missing when he wakes up the next morning. Nobody needs that shit AND a hangover. Joe is determined to solve this mystery, or at least slightly motivated, but in typical Joe fashion, he is distracted by an affair he stumbles upon with Baroness Frankenstein. He tries getting her to help, but she doesn't care. After stumbling upon the laboratory, Joe very well may figure something out, this time. Oh, and yeah. The Super Serbians aren't ever going to fuck. The Baron is not pleased. This makes Otto sad.

And there you have it. The perfect 70's B-Horror flick. Gore, nudity, all kinds of perversion, atmosphere, beautiful score, beautiful location. Just beautiful! Considering the hit or miss, John Waters-light, career that Paul Morrissey had going, this was no doubt shockingly good to many who originally saw it. The 3D gimmick was also probably a welcomed quality. Monique van Vooren added a touch of weirdness that didn't go unnoticed. The idea of a married brother and sister, who have no interest in one another, is a bit which never gets old. And Joe... well, he's definitely Joe. Nothing can take that away from him. Apparently, he figured his acting in past Morrissey films was adequate, as it certainly hasn't improved since Andy Warhol's Trash. My favorite part of this movie has always been the assistant, Otto, played by Arno Juerging. We never really find out what his deal is, but I'd be willing to bet he's the sickest fuck of them all. If you like good Horror, if you like bad Horror, if you like anything at all in this world, you'll love this movie. Promise! 9/10



#Review

Jigsaw: The Convolution Continues!

Yeah, that's right... Jigsaw! The 8th movie in the series to feature a killer who's been dead since part 3. If you don't know that much by now, just leave the thread, cuz it only gets more ridiculous.

With that said, the series is a twist-centric gorefest, so I'll try not to post spoilers, but the twist is pretty much what you'd expect at this point. Ask yourself how you'd make a Saw VIII, and if you take all the cues from the previous sequels... you'll see that this sequel is absolutely no different. It's more gore to curb your appetite, but fuck it. It's entertaining enough.

Like all the Saw movies, it's always open for another sequel, where Tobin Bell can continue to appear in flashbacks, because this movie really is no different. You've seen these twists in the other movies, but they're presented to you under a new name. "Jigsaw".

Will the next one be "Jigsaw II" when it can just as easily be "Saw IX"? Does Hollywood not like it when the sequel numbers get too high? Instead of Rocky 8, we'll be getting a Creed 2, because 2's can still be respectable.

The Spierig brothers did alright. It's gross enough, but never truly surprising at this point. Saw fans will like it though.

Logan's Run (1976)

What did you think of it?

I liked it and it has that weird vibe that sci-fi of its time had.

The 7th film in any given series

I was thinking about Cult of Chucky, and what a good job they did with it. There's a review floating around, somewhere out there in the ether of the internet, which rhetorically asks how it is possible for the seventh film in any horror series to be THAT good. I mean, jeez, it's a lot better than it had to be, right?!?

Anyway, that review got me thinking, and right off the bat I thought of several horror series in which the seventh film was actually one of the better ones in whatever the series is. Just the most obvious ones that came to mind, from the best known series, are often very respectable. Friday the 13th part 7, Halloween H20, and Wes Craven's New Nightmare are all actually not bad at all, in different ways. People could argue about whether Halloween H20 is so great, but hey, Jamie Lee did her job well, so that should count for something. In the Child's Play, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween franchises, they all tried to sort of get back to the basics of whatever the franchise is about, in part seven of whatever the franchise is.

Even in Friday the 13th part 7... we have talked about this here before, or on IMDB... no one would argue that F13 part 7 really gets back to the basics, because, Jason versus Carrie?!?!?!?!? Come on. But, in a funny way, it does capture the heart of what the series has become about, more completely than many other films in the series, which is to say: zombie/whatever Jason in a hockey mask, stalking through the woods, at night, hacking up any young people in the vicinity who are engaging in sex, drugs, or just breathing too much.

But I digress. I guess there aren't that many horror series that have even made it to seven films, but can anyone think of any other series in which the seventh film was actually pretty damn good? Anything come to mind? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

Wrestling with Chyna Documentary

I really have to see this. It breaks my heart knowing she was so depressed and was treated so unfairly. It's very sad that she passed away during the filming of this. I hope it's respectful to her.