31 Days of Horror

Been watching a couple of my favorite horror movies this month...
WEEK 1
1- Pieces
2- The Vanishing (1988)
3- Cat People (1942)
4- Carrie & Audition
5- The Blair Witch Project
6- Bram Stoker's Dracula
7- Halloween

WEEK 2
8- Fright Night & Frankenstein (31)
9- Night of the Demons & Killer Klowns From Outer Space


10- Videodrome
11- Re-Animator
12- Zombi 2
13- The Haunting
14- Rosemary's Baby






WEEK 3
15- The Monster Squad & The Descent
16- Nosferatu
17- The Changeling

18- Creepshow
19- Jacob's Ladder
20- none
21- Trick R' Treat







WEEK 4

22- A Nightmare On Elm Street 1 & 2
23- Dawn of the Dead
24- Evil Dead 2
25- Dead Alive
26- The Devils Rejects
27- Alien
28- none



FINAL STRETCH
29- An American Werewolf In London
30- Night of the Living Dead

HALLOWEEN
The Thing
The Shining
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The Exorcist
Psycho

Corpses, rejects and masked mayhem

After a recent re-viewing of The Devils Rejects, I have to say that it may be one of the most effective horror films of the past ten years. It has as much in common with Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs as it does with Texas Chainsaw Massacre. You feel dirty afterward. & beyond the effective documentary like style Zombie employs, it's the bizarre characters that inhabit the ugly world of the film. While using 70's & 80's horror icons like Ken Foree, P.J. Soles & Michael Berryman could come off as gimmicky, here it does kinda work. This is casting done right.

The concept of Rejects is one of true horror. As It'll Be Dark Soon already pointed out, what if we ended up following Leatherface & his family for that whole film instead of having the usual 'good guys' to watch & get chased. It is this concept that allows for a truly love it or loathe it factor. The problem people have with it is that there is no moral center. The protagonists are serial killers. I really have to question the criticisms: If the film makes you feel unsafe or dirty isn't it accomplishing what so many other recent horror films have tried to make the audience feel & failed miserably at? The difference with the Saw & Hostel franchises and even the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre is that they all came off as sanitized horror. I felt no horror whatsoever throughout the duration of Hostel. But when watching the hotel scene in Rejects, there was a feeling of sheer unpredictability. Anything could happen at any moment.

Now the bad thing with this particular director & his catalog is, for the most part inconsistency. The problems I have with Zombie stems from stylistic choices. House of 100 Corpses saw the director stuck in the music video phase. It came off as a singer/music video artist wanting to be a filmmaker. Granted, the characters were quirky (though unrealistic) enough. Rejects saw him cut the rope that bound him to that style and allowed him to make his one truly great film.

Then, something went a little wrong. The remake of Halloween tried to have it's cake and eat it too. It attempted to give Michael a backstory (& a much too large one at that) while at the same time cramming in the obligatory 'remade' scenes of the original. As an overall storyteller, I think it would have been best if someone else did the writing and then have Zombie shoot that script. I mean the the film has some good qualities, but just not enough of them for me to love the movie. If Halloween was a director taking a slightly wrong turn, then Halloween II is not even being in the right town. Stylistically, it's all over the place. I understand he's a fan of Lynch & Kubrick, but dragging those influences into a slasher film can seriously fuck with the way you are telling a story. It doesn't help either when the script is weak. Sometimes making a film different from the pack works (see: Nightmare On Elm Street 2). Sometimes it falls flat on its ass (see: Friday the 13th Pt. V). This was the latter.

We're all gonna die out here

Bashing on Blair Witch has become a hip thing to do amongst people. The one thing they seem to forget is just how successful it was both in terms of concept and marketing back in 1999. But beyond even that, how it still is able to create what it set out to do in the first place: a sense of dread.

Two scenes left a memorable impression upon first viewing: 1. when they find Josh's tongue in the bag and 2. The ending. One could see this film only once and still have images from the ending imprinted upon their mind for months. There are only a handful of movies where I was legitimately creeped out. This was one of them. & this is not taking into account the "shaky cam" aspect of the film at all. It was how it played on sounds & what we don't see.

What struck me about it was its innovation with the found footage concept. Trying to blur the line between documentary and horror film. Keep in mind, this was before I discovered (& had my mind warped by) Cannibal Holocaust. Blair Witch is now known as one of the most profitable horror films as well as one that embraced its marketing strategy. Going to a theater thinking that you are about to witness the deaths of people on screen? I mean how could it not be profitable?

Having avidly watched the Sci-Fi Channel at the time, one of the docs that appeared on the channel to market the film was The Curse of the Blair Witch. A documentary that stressed the legitimacy of the found footage. The whole legend of Rustin Parr, a hermit who lived in the woods that kidnapped and murdered 7 children would have an impact on impressionable minds.


Immediately following the release of Blair Witch, came an onslaught of parodies and pale imitations. While it proved to be successful with Blair Witch, the found footage concept is one that has caused too many "cash-ins". The Fourth Kind being the worst offender of the bunch. I will still contend that Blair Witch is a succesful and unnerving movie.

Shapes of Fear: John Carpenter

From '76 thru '88, John Carpenter was on a creative roll few (if any) genre directors have matched. He is an A filmmaker that specializes in B content. While he was more of a 'director for hire' on Christine & Starman, the latter's weaknesses were somewhat counterbalanced by admirable qualities. The former being the only minor weak spot in that run. Beyond that, it's been hit & miss from 1992up until 1998, with the one true hit being In the Mouth of Madness. Curiously enough, the final film in his Apocalypse trilogy. But it wasn't until Vampires that he lost it. And if there were any doubts in people's minds as to whether or not he still had it in him -- Ghosts of Mars was the film that sealed it.


___________________________________________________________
The spirit moves John Carpenter again
By Mark Olsen
(L.A. TIMES)

John Carpenter needed a break. It was 2001, and his latest film, the outer space thriller "Ghosts of Mars," had just flopped — at the box office and with critics. Creatively stymied and just plain exhausted by Hollywood and the moviemaking process, the director decided it was time to step away from the camera.

"I'd always sworn to myself when it stopped being fun I'd stop, and it stopped," Carpenter said over a recent lunch of pasta and Winstons in Beverly Hills. "I was really burned out. And it doesn't help when your movie tanks."

Now, nearly 10 years on, Carpenter is back with a very different kind of ghost story. The 1960s set "The Ward," which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Midnight Madness section Monday night, tells the story of Kristen ( Amber Heard), a young woman who is confined to a remote mental hospital where she and a small group of fellow patients are stalked by a dark spirit.

The project is one that is likely to be described as a "return to form," and Carpenter believes it might have something to do with his self-imposed respite from Hollywood. "It was needed time," he said. "I needed it badly."

Living under the long shadow of your own reputation can be a troubling proposition for any
filmmaker, and you might say Carpenter has spent large portions of his career haunted by his past. Though his resume is peppered with science fiction, action adventure and satiric titles, his reputation in the broader cultural consciousness has been that of a horror director, stemming back to his landmark 1978 effort " Halloween."

"I never got in this business, in cinema, to make horror movies," said Carpenter, whose filmography includes "Escape From New York," "The Thing," "Big Trouble in Little China," "Starman" and "They Live." "They arrived on my doorstep and I got typecast. Which was fine, I enjoy it, but I got into this business to make westerns. And the kind of westerns I used to see, they died. So that didn't work out."

He hadn't initially intended to direct "The Ward" either. In the middle years of this decade, Carpenter had begun to reemerge working in television, helming two episodes of the Showtime anthology series "Masters of Horror," an experience he said reminded him of the importance of having a good hotel on location and how much his feet hurt after long days on set. Although he'd turned down the movie, he nevertheless worked on developing the script with writers Michael Rasmussen and Shawn Rasmussen, fine-tuning the project that would mark his return to features.

"We realized John wanted to be very careful about what he did next," said Doug Mankoff, president of Echo Lake Entertainment, who produced the film along with Peter Block's company A Bigger Boat. "This is a man who has painted on some very large canvases, and I think he wanted to really own this opportunity to paint on a slightly smaller canvas, to really focus on the story and the characters."

"I thought, maybe I'll try a little movie, not a big one, but a little film," said Carpenter of what appealed to him about the project. " 'The Ward' was perfect, in the sense it was a contained film. It's basically a story about isolation anyway, with a small cast, and that was perfect for me. And it was a different kind of movie than I had done, which was fun. I didn't have to go back to the same ground again."

The film, which features a distinctive cast of such young actresses as Lyndsy Fonseca, Danielle Panabaker, Mamie Gummer, Laura-Leigh and Mika Boorem, shot last year in Spokane, Wash., on a relatively modest budget of around $9.5 million. Working on that smaller scale didn't restrict Carpenter's signature artistic choices, however — nobody shoots a young woman running down a hallway quite the way he does.

"Wide lenses, that's the secret," he said with a knowing laugh.

Much is riding on festival reaction to the film, which is still looking for distribution. Carpenter, who was due to be in Toronto for the movie's premiere but was required to stay in Southern California for jury duty, says he's happy either way. He's not spending too much time thinking about the future or what project he might work on next. Simply making "The Ward" turned out to be fulfilling enough, all on its own.

"I needed to be away from the movie business and rediscover what it was about cinema that I loved," the 62-year-old said. "And I found it."

END OF ARTICLE
__________________________________________________________________



The two films Carpenter fans usually have at the top of their lists are either Halloween & The Thing. While I love Halloween, the tension and mood are both one upped in The Thing along with a startling sense of viciousness. Of all the scenes in this director's career, the one that is probably the most effective in terms of pure suspense would have to be the blood test scene. By this point of the movie, we have already seen the alien creature take on a variety of shapes and forms -- courtesy of then 22 year old FX maestro Rob Bottin. The camera set up in the blood test scene itself is very economical and spare in approach. Lensed by Dean Cundey, it allows the boiling pot of paranoia to pour over. There was already a rampant sense of paranoia running throughout the film to begin with. Trying to figure out who is infected at what point in the film makes for incredible replay value. An ingredient this film delivers in spades: setup & payoff. And the payoff in the blood test is about as gruesome & nihilistic as it gets in Carpenter's ouevre.

Another key ingredient to this film's effectiveness: the unknowable. While the character of Michael Myers would be exploited through a franchise of films, the shapes that the Thing forms still invoke mystery upon the mind. The only thing we know (and is also the string that ties it to the 1951 original) is that a Norweigan research team found it in a block of ice. Along with the spaceship from whence it came. With the forthcoming prequel on its way, I have a strong feeling that, even as a prequel, the dialogue will be peppered with exposition. I had always wondered how exactly the chaos played out for the unfortunate team of Norweigans. All Carpenter shows us is aftermath. Maybe it's just best to leave it that way.

I have yet to see The Ward and am in no hurry to. As a Carpenter fan, it pains me to say that. The reviews I have seen for it don't sound too promising. The last decade hasn't treated his films well either, with remakes of Assault On Precinct 13, The Fog & Halloween. I do have a sliver of hope that he finds great new material to mine. Maybe even have the revival that another 80's director, John Hughes, never had. But as time goes on, and directors from that time period get older (Landis & Dante included) I'm afraid his legacy will remain in the late 70's & 80's.

Favorite Horror Films Pt. 2

5. "You like this face?"













4. "12 cabins, 12 vacancies."











"Great party, isn't it?"













3. "I don't know what's in there. But it's weird and pissed off whatever it is."










"He's got something in his throat."













2. "Here kitty, kitty."















1. "In here, with us."













ADDENDUM
--Yep. 3 & 4 are ties. I also revised the first list I posted.

-- All of these films to me have one thing in common: they are able to create and sustain a mood throughout their duration that make most horror filmmakers today jealous.

--This was hard enough to do even with 10 (hence the ties). A top 20 would be somewhat easier. The rankings are interchangeable among the films selected. However, the films in this section of the list in particular rarely switch places with those in the other list.

Some very honorable mentions (technically making what was suppose to be a top 5, a top 20...):
An American Werewolf In London, Halloween, The Devil Rejects, Audition, The Changeling, Frankenstein, Dead Alive

Favorite Horror Films Pt. 1

(a response to Speedy McFlash)

...because a top 5 just ain't cuttin' it these days. 1-5 will be posted next week.

6. "They're coming to get you Barbara."

















"No more room in hell."














7. "Show me the way to go home..."













8. "I'll swallow your soul."

















9. "...you'll see devils tearing your life away."

















10. "........"

Maybe it's in the trunk

At the age of 9, Scary Stories was a book I ended up borrowing constantly from the library & would eventually end up owning. I already had my fill of EC Comics (I'll expand later) and was looking for more short stories. Alvin Schwartz crafted some truly eerie and unnerving tales. The book was basically a compendium of tales born out of urban legends and folklore. But what left the biggest impression was Stephen Gammell's artwork. His images will creep under the skin of even the most hardened horror fan. According to wikipedia, the book is seventh most challenged 2000-2009 by the American Library Association for its religious viewpoint and violence.

While EC Comics kickstarted my love for the horror genre, Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark cemented it.

Retro Reviews: Creepshow

1982 was the year that saw the horror stars align. Written by Stephen King. Directed by George Romero. Makeup FX by Tom Savini.The film was Creepshow. And it proved to be one of the more popular anthology films amongst horror fans.

With horror films taking off into various franchises and comedies hitting their stride in the 80's, the combination of both genres became a natural marriage. There are only a handful of filmmakers able to tackle the horror/comedy genre because it often falls flat on its face.

The melding of these genres long before they gestated onto the silver screen. In the 1950's, William Gaines would create a comic book company known as EC Comics. Becoming quickly under fire by conservative groups of the time and facing allegations of causing juvenile delinquency, the comics would become banned. A number of genre filmmakers took influence from these comics. One of them being a young George Romero. After all, one of the most common stories of the three big titles (Tales From the Crypt, Vault of Horror & Haunt of Fear) was the 'walking zombies' story.

Creepshow is essentially 5 stories in the EC tradition that's filled with ghoulish glee and devilish delight.

First up we have Father's Day, where Nathan Grantham returns from the grave to seek retibution on those who did him wrong. The Lonesome Death of Jody Verrill stars Stephen King himself as the titular character. A 'nunkead' who ends up coming across a meteor that gives a whole new meaning to the term "going green." The third returns back to walking zombie type story. It's called Something To Tide You Over and stars Leslie Nielsen in one of his few villianous roles. The Crate, my personal favorite is probably the goriest. A demonic, ape-like monster that hibernates underneath the stairs in the basement of a college conservatory. Finally, we have They're Creeping In You. E.G. Marshal stars as a germophobe who is overrun by cockroaches in his penthouse apartment.


















Just look at the cast: Adrienne Barbeau, Hal Halbrook, E.G. Marshal, Ted Danson, Leslie Nielsen, a young Ed Harris and Fritz Weaver. That's all you need right there. Not to mention, the macabre piano driven score the film has. The closest another anthology film has come to capturing the macabre sense of black humor that EC Comics had was Trick R Treat from 2008.

An excellent day for an exorcism

Watching The Exorcist: The Director's Cut in the theater reminded me of something sorely missing in cinema these days- great horror films. No shitty jump scares. No large crashes of the soundtrack. The scares are genuine. The tension was palpable in the audience I was in. People were cringing, covering their eyes and were geuinely terrified.

Being that the horror movie is one of the most profitable genres of film (thus there being a cornucopia of crappy horror movies), it has become harder to find one that is effective. We had it in 2005 with Rob Zombie's The Devils Rejects.

So I'm asking, what are some of your favorite horror films of the past decade?

For whom the bell tolls

Small Gauge Trauma

"Short films, at their best represent cinema distilled to its purest form, unhindered by constraints of commercial demands, minimum times or even the need to please an audience. They allow their makers a degree of freedom that is difficult if not impossible to attain in feature-length work. As vehicles for raw expression, one would expect that short films would be cherished and celebrated lovers of the Seventh Art. And they are...sort of." Mitch Davis

While feature films are widely available for mass consumption, short films usually only make their rounds on the festival circuit and once they do they are lost in obscurity. If a particular filmmaker enters the mainstream like a Tim Burton or a Steven Soderbergh their short films will sometimes be included as supplements on their DVDs. This isn't the case for filmmakers struggling to make a name for themselves.

With that in mind, Small Gauge Trauma is an excellent compilation of what is out there. Hand picked by Fantasia Film Festival programmer Mitch Davis and spanning the years from 1997 to 2004, these shorts represent filmmakers disregarding the limits of cinema and pushing it to new artistic heights. There are a variety of genres represented from 8 different countries and presented in a varying number of formats.


ABUELITOS (GRANDFATHERS)
Dir: Paco Plaza
Format: 35 mm
Country: Spain
Year: 1998

For those afraid of old people, this one is for you. Eerie atmoshpereic short about the macabre events that take place in an old person's home. It's very subdued and has expertly photographed imagery while classical movies plays over it. 8/10

AMOR SO DE MAE (LOVE FROM MOTHER ONLY)
Dir: Dennison Romalho
Format: 35mm
Country: Brazil
Year: 2004

Ramalho manages to create more horror in 21 minutes than most mainstream horror films can hope to acheieve in 90 minutes. It centers around Macumba voodoo and the black arts. Probably the strangest fact behind the movie is that it was scripted by an actual Macumba priest which only adds to its genuine sense of unsease. 10/10

CHAMBRE JAUNE (YELLOW ROOM)
Dir.: Helene Cattet & Bruno Forzani
Format: Still Photography/Digital
Country: Belgium
Year: 2001

This reminded me alot of the Italian giallos of the 70's. It incorporates the giallo elements into an S & M tinged feverdream. We are presented with a combination of still photographed images and digital photogtaphy. A horrific melding of sensuality and cruelty. One of the shots is reminiscent of the French horror film Inside. 8/10

FLAT -N- FLUFFY
Dir: Benoit Boucher
Format: 16mm
Country: Canada
Year: 2001
In the age of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, cartoon shows have broken lots of taboos and experimented. This is a short that would find it's home on that channel when the kids are asleep. An acid trip involving two people who accidentally shoot a war veteran neighbor's dog Fluffy to pieces. 7/10

GORGONAS (GORGONS)
Dir: Salvador Sanz
Format: Digital
Country: Argentina
Year: 2004

An animated vision of the apocalypse. A superstar pop group who turn out to be gorgons. Not too different from superstar popstars we have now come to think of it. 8/10

I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS
Dir: Miguel Angel Vivas
Format: 35mm
Country: Portugal
Year: 2004

The most expensive short ever produced in Portugal. This is a great zombie filled feast of carnage. 9/10

INFINI (INFINTY)
Dir: Guillaume Fortin
Format: 16mm
Country: Canada
Year: 2002

A man sits in a room and splices together super 8 filmstrips. On the other side of the coin, an overdosed junkie has flashes of memories of her life. The concept behind this short was brilliant as I am a sucker for anything involving memories. 9/10

L'ILYA
Dir: Tomoya Sato
Format: 16mm
Country: Japan
Year: 2000

Lil'ya, the title character, documents the suicide of people on her digital camcorder. Expertly done through gruesome imagery, the short has had a difficult time getting seen on the festival circuit. But for those that have seen it can agree that it scars. As Mitch Davis said in the booklet for this DVD "this film will haunt your memories long after the obituaries fade." 8/10

MISS GREENY
Dir: Tenkwaku Naniwa
Format: Video
Country: Japan
Year: 1997

An absurd 30 second video from Japanese artist Tenkwaku Naniwa. Short but sweet. 5/10

RUTA DESTROY!
Dir: Diego Abad
Format: 35mm
Country: Spain
Year: 2002

The funniest short on the disc. I commend it for being a musical that laces sex, drugs and ashtray shaped haircuts together in a bizarre cocktail. 7/10

THE SEPERATION
Dir: Robert Morgan
Format: 35mm
Country: UK
Year: 2003

Stop motion animation at its most bizarre but also its most brilliant. The seperation of conjoined twins causes one of them to try to join themselves together again. If short filmmakers were more recognized, Robert Morgan would be just as celebreated as David Lynch or David Cronenberg.
This is not only the best short on this DVD, it's one of the best shorts I've seen period. I cannot praise Robert Morgan's work enough. 10/10

SISTER LULU
Dir: Philip John
Format: 35mm
Country: UK
Year: 2001

This has a very Twilight Zone-esque feel to it. Concise story that doesn't overstay its welcome and packs a haunting final image.
8/10

TEA BREAK
Dir: Sam Walker
Format: 35mm
Country: UK
Year: 2004

This short takes place at an industrial abattoir. A blood stained worked systematically hacks up his victims without emotion. A grim depiction of desensitization.
8/10

OVERALL
For anyone who wants to look into short films, this is the best place to start. There are hardly any weak entries on this DVD and the ones that are, still have something unique to offer.
10/10

Synapse Films put out this DVD release and it is available on their website, http://www.synapsefilms.com/.

Martyrs (2008)

Martyrs is a French film released in 2008 by Pascale Laugier and picked up for distribution by the Weinstein Company. The French don't screw around when it comes to horror. Gallons of gore and bleak views on the human condition. This film in particular rides on the last wave of French horror and offers up distressing tone shifts, unexpected turns and a powerful narrative.


The plot synopsis is going to be short because it's hard to describe it without giving away the film. The film is broken down into three plotlines. The first plot thread deals with a girl who was tortured. She ends up going to an orphanage and making a friend. Fairly linear so far. The film then takes a left turn and we are introduced to a family seated at a table talking about what is going on in their lives. Then, the doorbell rings. After that, everything goes to hell. The last plot thread is for you find out. The key to a good viewing of Martyrs is this: the less you know the more effective the impact will be.

Director Pascale Laugnier brings out really good performances out of the actors. He also knows how to play with audience expectation. Right when you think you know where the film is going it takes a sharp turn into the unexpected. The gore and brutality the film has to offer is important in telling this type of story. It uses it to make a more intellectual statement than films that use it to shock its audiences.

The last act in particular and the concept around it is as disturbing as the visuals we are presented with. Martyrs will get under your skin and shake you to your core.
It's one of those rare film that transcends the genre it is apart of.

4.5/5

May (2002)

In the realm of indie horror flicks, there are ALOT of stinkers and a few winners. May is one of those winners. Directed by Lucky Kee, May follows the story of a girl named...May who has a lazy eye. She wore a patch for this growing up but became a loner whose only friend was a doll that was given to her for her birthday. She moves to L.A. and winds up working at a vet. She becomes attracted to a filmmaker played by Jeremy Sisto. The relationship begins to sour quickly. May winds up starts blaming her oddball quirks on her doll. She then befriends an alluring lesbian colleague played by Anna Faris, but even that crumbles apart.

The lack of connection May feels throughout the movie is really effective. In essence, it's a character study that plays along the lines of Roman Polanski's Repulsion. In that film we see Catherine Deneuve's descent into madness. Here we see May's descent, but it pushes the lines much further.

Angela Bettis gives an amazing performance as May. We feel her cracking more and more throughout the film and it comes across well. Anna Faris is really fun as her colleague. Jeremy Sisto of Six Feet Under fame turns in a nice performance as well. What's also impressive is that May is Lucky McKee's first film. Here is a director with a big future ahead of him. He has made a couple of episodes for the Masters of Horror series that were pretty interesting entries.

The film is haunting, quirky and downright twisted. It's one of those films that's going to be remembered down the road. For those looking for good indie horror, check out May. You will be quite impressed.

New Nightmare (1994)

Wes Craven gave a big stink about them making A Nightmare On Elm Street into a franchise. In all fairness let's take a look at what he made between Nightmare 1 and New Nightmare: Hills Have Eyes Pt. 2, Dudley Flynn (his lowest point in his career), Serpent and the Rainbow (this was actually pretty good), Shocker, People Under the Stairs (thought it was OK). Now New Nightmare can best be looked at as the film that was a warm up for Scream. It's a really interesting stand alone film for what it is. This is what happens when an artist who cares about the character decides to reboot a series.


The concept here revolves around the creators of the Nightmare On Elm Street series and how they start having nightmares about Freddy Kreuger. All the principle actors are playing themselves: Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, producer Bob Shea and Wes Craven himself. There are new appearances, the son Dylan and the babysitter Julie. Robert Englund plays 3 different incarnations. He plays himself, the new incarnation of Freddy and Freddy Kreuger. There's a scene in this that cuts straight to the heart of what Craven was trying to say about the sequels. Robert Englund is on a talk show and says "You're all my children now." Harkening back to Part 2. They're obviously sticking it to the last few sequels where Freddy had become that over the top.

It does have it's self infulgent moments. When dealing with a concept like this of course there's going to be. It also has it's share of gaps in the story. But I'm willing to forgive those flaws because there are some really good scenes here. The funeral scene in particular.

This film is much better watched alone than in sequence with the rest of the series. It's not mean to be a Nightmare On Elm Street film. You can remove Freddy and have it be about a fictional horror character and it still works. With New Nightmare, Craven came up with an interesting concept that's fun and puts the series back on track.

A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)

This film represents the final part in a 3 part arc (3,4,5). Alice & Dan return from Part 4. There are three characters set up. You get Yvonne, a high diver who doesn't look the part. Mark, a comic book artist portrayed by an atrocious actor. And finally Greta. It plays up the dufus loser parents angle more than anything. Mark's dad is a fat slob and Greta's mom is a shallow high society snob.

Now let's get to the writing. This is the all exposition script. Newspaper clippings, Freddy's background and so much recap. You can do anything with the nightmare sequences and the fact that they chose to go with poor ones shows. Case in point, the demonic Freddy baby is used as a means to re-introduce Freddy to the world. Might as well just write the whole thing on a chalkboard at this point as so many scenes are straight up exposition. On top of that, a scene involving Mark and Alice bringing up abortion has no place in this movie. Do they realize once they do that, THEY will start having nightmares?

This film also features the most over the top kill of the series involving an incredible drawn out sequence between Dan, a truck and a motorcycle. Let's not forget a dozen one-liners. OK, now how can we make it dumber? Mark's dream sequence (a sequence that rips off the "Take On Me" music video) in which Freddy dons a superhero cape.


The makeup effects are incredibly sub standard. Case in point, Greta's death. Freddy stuffs her face with food and ends up make her face look like the Lady In the Radiator from Eraserhead. This sequel suffered the most edits from the MPAA and it shows.

In summary, this film suffers alot in having a good idea and not knowing what to do with it. In the realm of franchises, any sequel that ends with a 5 (Halloween, Friday the 13th, Star Trek, Saw) is bad news.

A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

By the time part 4 came out, Freddy Kreuger was a cultural hit. You had all sorts of Freddy merchandise ranging from poster boards to action figures. Add to that the first time a Kreuger movie being released in the summer. It was also rushed into production after the success of part 3.

We are also presented with a rarity in slasher horror: three survivors from the previous installment returning. Unfortunately, Patricia Aquette did not come back for this film. Her replacement, Lisa Wilcox is adequare though. The problem with this though is how quickly the last of the elm street kids are disposed of in order for us to follow new characters. It's the Alien 3 effect if you will. You just need to look at Kincaid's scene in the junkyard. I think they could have capitalized on that and have Kincaid use his dream powers to a fuller extent. But that's not what the movie is going for. It's almost disprectful to Wes Craven in being that they're getting rid of the characters from his previous script so quickly. It was a pissing contest between Harlin and Craven essentially, and Renny won because he pissed fire. But we'll get to that little nauseating tidbit later.

This is the first movie with chains. Interesting seeing that it came out a year after Hellraiser. It seemed as if Freddy was chasing Hellraiser's tail. Now say what you want about Pinhead, but the Nightmare series never got as gruesome or as grisly as what the Cenobites did to people in Hellraiser.

The Dream Master for me ranks above 2, 5, & 6 but below 1, 3 & 7. It's a fun installment and as the film would turn out to be succesful, it would only be a matter of time until the franchise would go downhill.

A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

"Sleep those little slices of death. How I loathe them." -Edgar Allen Poe


My personal favorite of the series and one of my favorite horror flicks of the 80's because of its visual inventiveness. Freddy's world is fully realized with a bigger budget. It does everything a great sequel should do. Iconic imagery. Memorable characters. Throwbacks to the first film. It straddles the line between dark horror and mainstream lightness. A lightness that would be full blown in future installments. As good as Chuck Russell's direction was, the heart of the film lays in Frank (Shawshank Redemption) Darabont's script.

The film revolves around the last of the Elm Street children who are locked up in an institution. Our protagonist is played by Patricia Arquette who after, having a nightmare of Freddy coming after her, ends up slitting her wrists. She joins the rest of the Elm Street kids. Heather Langenkamp from the 1st film shows up to explain to the kids who has been haunting their dreams.

The visual that has I would take out as the most haunting not just from this film but the whole franchise would have to be what happens to Philip. It's such a brilliant kill and is one of the best in the series. The second death of Jennifer getting smashed through a TV involves the only line ad libbed by Robert Englund in the entire series: "Welcome to prime time, bitch!" This line would come back to haunt him for the rest of the series. From that scene onward, we are now dealing with a jokester Freddy. A Freddy who loves throwing out one liners.

Just as Goldfinger became the film that crystallized the James Bond formula and laid down the path for rest of that franchise, it wasn't until Dream Warriors that they figured out how to make a series out of Nightmare On Elm Street. Dream Warriors did have the perfect amount of camp and serious horror. A balancing act that would shift drastically towards camp in future entries of the series.

A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

The bastard son of 100 maniacs has returned. The lack of connection to the first movie is the a major factor people use to gripe about this film (well, besides all the homoeroticism). That being said, Freddy is still his menacing self and if there is one thing I like about a good sequel is it's ability to stand on it's own while still pleasing fans of the original.

That's not to say this film doesn't have it's low points. This entry is less about dreams and more about possession. In fact, take Freddy out of it and you got a possession film along the lines of Amityville Horror 2.

Anyone who has seen this film should realize the homoerotic symbolism that is apparent. It's not a detraction but it is a distraction. If there was one incident it could be viewed as accidental but there's just too many instances to mention here for that.

Another strange flaw is the possessed bird. Does Freddy think that if all else fails with possessing the teenager he has to possess the bird?

The Freddy Kreuger we are presented here is the darkest yet. Yes, more so than in the original. It's not the worst in the series. Not by a longshot.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

1, 2, Freddy's coming for you. Wes Craven directed this first entry in the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise. New Line Cinema will always be known as The House That Freddy Built. This was the first film they produced and the Elm Street series would become their calling card.

Wes Craven got the idea from 2 events. The first involves him reading about a Cambodian refugee who had nightmares and when his parents found him in his room, he was dead. The second involves Wes as a kid and having a tall dark stranger staring at Wes through his bedroom window.

The entire movie takes place after Freddy Kreuger is dead. Freddy Kreuger, for those not in the know, was a child murderer who was arrested and released on a technicality. So then a bunch of parents decide to get together and burn him alive. He comes back as an avenger who kills the children of the parents who have killed him. Opening shot we are shown Freddy creating his famous glove. The Charles Bernstein theme playing over it is perfect. One of the best horror movie openings.

The idea of using dreams against people is so brilliant and allows people to really run wild with their imagination. Dreaming is something you can't avoid. Out of the the three big slashers, Freddy is the least amiguous. He has limitless power in the dream world.

The film is remembered for a variety of iconic images. The image that most haunts me from this film is the bloody bodybag being dragged into a room of the school. There's just something about the arm that flops out of the bag that gets to me. It also has one of Johnny Depp's first roles as Nancy's (Heather Langenkamp) boyfriend.

With that said, as there those who agree this is the best film of the series, there are weaknesses. For one, Heather Langenkamp's acting. Secondly, one of the worst eulogies ever is delivered when one of the characters snuffs it. It is interesting seeing the love for a film with these types of flaws but it does make sense. It's one of the best concepts for a horror film and so much more could be done with. Which more or less, for better or worse, this is taken into account later on in the series.

Despite its flaws, I do give this a high reccomendation. Great imagery, great kills and a brilliant concept. There's really no lull in the movie in terms of pacing. It engrosses me everytime I watch it.

Night of the Demon (1957)

Jacques Tourner is a director who started off directing Val Lewton pictures in the early 40's. Those films being Cat People and I Walked With A Zombie. He brushed up his filmmaker status in the auteur realm with the 1947 noir Out of the Past. It wasn't until 1957 that he would return to horror. And a grand return it was. Based on an M.R. James story 'Casting the Ruins', Night of the Demon is as good a horror film you will find from the 50's. Several plotpoints were even borrowed by Sam Raimi to make the most recent Drag Me to Hell.

Night of the Demon starts out when John Holden (Dana Andrews) discovers that his colleague has been murderedunder mysterious circumstances. Right off the bat we see the reason- a demonic creature. The images of the demon itself are well known among fans of horror films from this particular era. Holden denies that it is the work of the devil until he finds himself involved in a curse. There's also a strong sense of film noir in the film which should make sense as Tourner worked on several film noirs before doing this. What makes it a classic is the use of atmosphere, tension and performances.

Note: There are 2 versions of this film. The original UK release ran 95 minutes and is titled Night of the Demon. The second one is the US version which runs 82 min. Both versions are on the Colombia DVD release.