Monday, March 20, 2006

He said, "First let's just unzip your religion down..."

Why? People close to me often ask me that question. Why do I love horror movies so much? I always find this embarrassing--like somehow the only answer that makes sense is that something is deeply wrong with me. I don't actually think they think that, but it is the answer I've feared most. Then this weekend as I was on a roadtrip by myself, I figured out part of the answer. I love horror movies because they are so honest, and so trustworthy. Sounds crazy, right? But think about it... the slasher on your doorstep makes no bones about what he (she?) wants from you: to humiliate you, to dominate you, to cause you great pain, to pick you apart piece by piece, and ultimately destroy you. He is so very different from the people who hurt us slowly over time: the self-absorbed parent who has no time for you, the deceitful lover who promises you are loved & special, the caretaker who rocks you to sleep at night and whispers with drunken breath that you will never amount to anything, the spouse who slowly destroys you over the decades by quietly invalidating you cell by cell. The knife coming down in the movie is a refreshing smack of sincerity when compared to the small little lies and deaths that occur everyday. You know where you stand with a driller wielding manic, but how often are you sure of where you stand with the people who come into your life?

Watching:
Scream Bloody Murder-I love 1973 grainy ass film :)
The New York Ripper--wow, did Fulci hate women...
Flightplan (YUCK, how come people with the biggest budgets make the worst movies?)
Rebecca--STRAIGHT TO MY TOP TEN LIST!
The History of Violence-I so dug this and all the extras. I need to watch it again...

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Love is not patient. Love is not kind.

Once again I have managed to watched MANY MANY movies without writing them down...which was the whole fucking point of this lame little blog. How hard is it to write a list? I've demanded no great critical essays of myself on the wonderful & surreal grittiness of Italian horror (giallos...daaaammmnnn), or the brilliant social commentary of early Romero. Nope. None o' that. Just a goddamn list.

So once again, from memory:

H-- Japanese. So, so very bad. Bad acting, bad writing, bad bad bad. I turned it off after 45 minutes, and I was being very forgiving for letting it go on for that long.

Maniac-- Excellent. Creepy as hell. I have no idea what it's like to be a sweaty, overweight, murdering pervert... but this got me a little closer to it...

Manhattan Baby--It's Fulci, so I felt I had to watch it.

Papherhouse--I loved this strange little film! I could have done without the cheesy 80's score (but that's just how it is with that whole decade...), and the sentimental ending. But it was a magical, chilling little flick that I dug.

Don't Torture A Duckling--Awesome. The beating scene of the witch was groovy. Rob Zombie clearly took inspiration from it.

Latest Harry Potter movie

Black Sunday

Fear of Clowns (don't ask)

The Stink of Flesh--at least they had a good time making it...

The Dead Next Door--I may write an essay about this one sometime. Written, directed, and shot by an 18 year old kid in his small home town. The equivilant of an awkward but sincere love letter from a kid to his biggest crush. It rocked.

Outlaw Dancer--- 3rd personality, Elvis, threatening to kill his wife...priceless. Go to Black Lodge and RENT THIS.

Outlaw Dancer 2

Collateral--should have been titled "predictable & ridiculous" what a steaming pile.

Soft for Digging

House of Voices--beautiful, amazing, feminine ghost story. I friggin loved it.

Murderous Maids--french & fun!

Twitch of the Death Nerve, aka Bay of Blood

Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key--Yep, that's really the title. Too bad the movie wasn't as good as its name.

Cold Blood & Ghost of a Needle--these two films are by the same duo. Cold Blood was good for a first film. Ghost of a Needle blew it away. I can't WAIT to see their third, Dark Remains, which is doing the festival circuit right now....

Aftermath

Nightmare City

The Freakmaker--oh how I love thee, Donald Pleasence.

The Beyond (again...sigh..it's sooo beautiful)

I, Zombie--This was a cool idea, and for the most part, a cool execution.

Malevolence--- low budget actually shot on 35mm. I thought it was great and can't wait to see what this director can do when given a bigger budget.


There's more, but I can't recall at present.

Read: Hell House
Reading: We Have Always Lived In This Castle

Listening: Audiodrome