Author: Major Tom

Some people that I know don’t like horror movies.  Either they scare easily or they’re turned off by the level of violence in some of these movies.  Horror is so much more than blood, gore, and cheap scares.  The horror genre is probably the most versatile genre in film.  You can combine horror with so many other genres.  You can mix-and-match it with comedy, drama, reality, action, or romance.  The thing is, is that you don’t have to mix just two, you can have a movie that is representative of multiple genres at the same time.  Balancing them out might be tricky, but the ones that pull it off successfully are the ones that are remembered the most.  For me, however, the most effective combination is science fiction and horror.  What makes science fiction horror so effective is the reality that it can create.  For example:  The darkness and isolation of deep space can elicit a very strong emotional reaction to the unknown.  Usually, it’s fear.  But when you throw in something like a monster or a deserted ship, you’re giving that fear free license to run amok.  That makes for a very intense experience.  For this post, I’m going to be going over some of my favorite science fiction horror films that really stood out to me.

Alien

Yeah, I’m starting with the best.  Ridley Scott’s 1979 masterpiece, Alien, took the world by storm.  The film is about a group of what you would call space truckers as they are returning home from somewhere in deep space when they come across a distress signal from a nearby moon.  The crew discovers an alien ship that was carrying eggs of some sort, when one of the crew is attacked by a parasite.  Back on their ship, the infected crew member has this creature bursting from his chest in one of the most memorable scenes in film history.  What follows is a struggle for survival against a growing creature that could be hiding anywhere in the dark corridors of their ship.  Certain critics refer to Alien as Texas Chainsaw Massacre In Space, and they’re not necessarily wrong.  The creature’s design by the late H.R. Giger is one for the ages.  It is a truly terrifying beast that picks off the crew members one at a time.  It’s an intense ride from beginning to end and gives us Sigourney Weaver in one of the most bad-ass roles that she’s been in as Ripley.  If you haven’t seen Alien, shame on you.  Stop reading this post and go see it!

Event Horizon

When Event Horizon came out, it kind of divided audiences and critics.  You had some people say that it was an intense ride, while others said it rips off better films like Alien and Hellraiser.  I’m one of the people that actually loved this movie.  Yeah, you can definitely tell that the film was inspired by Alien, but it seems to be geared more towards being Hellraiser in space, and on that level, it mostly succeeds.  What really makes this movie stand out, is the setting and atmosphere.  The film mostly takes place on the ship called the Event Horizon which disappeared 7 years prior to the events in the movie, only to show up with the crew missing.  I loved the design of the ship.  It has a very Gothic and cold feeling throughout that really adds to the dread.  While the CGI effects are obviously less-than-stellar, even by 1997 standards, the rest of the film holds up remarkably well.  It has very strong performances from Sam Neill, Laurence Fishburne, Jason Isaacs, and Sean Pertwee.  I wouldn’t say that Event Horizon is equal to Alien.  Most people wouldn’t.  But I don’t think the film is as bad as a lot of people say it is.  Is it derivative of better films?  Sure, but in the best way possible.  I definitely like to watch this one from time to time.

Annihilation

If there was one word that I could use to really describe Annihilation, it would be psychedelic.  From a visual standpoint, this film is amazing.  You have this nifty “shimmer” that’s expanding, but when people go into it, they see some really strange stuff, like altered plant and animal life because of some kind alien genetic modification.  The film falls more or less on the science fiction side, but there are some serious elements of horror that really stand out.  It’s at times a body-horror movie, a monster movie, and an alien movie all rolled into one.  It’s a bit of a slow-burn, but when the violence hits, it hits hard.  This movie is extraordinarily interesting and bizarre.  Yet, it works.  It’s definitely one that you need to see.

John Carpenter’s The Thing

I know I mentioned this film in my Best of October: Remakes post, but it’s still worth mentioning here.  John Carpenter’s The Thing is pretty much the very definition of  science fiction horror.  You’re dealing with an alien that eats its victims and assumes their form, along with their memories and everything else.  In an isolated environment like Antarctica, that would lead to some serious paranoia.  Who do you trust?  Can you trust yourself?  The atmosphere is dripping with dread.  Not only that, the creature and gore effects still hold up over 30 years later.  It’s all done practically and in combination with miniatures.  I love this movie.  You have a very strong cast that includes Kurt Russell, Keith David, and Richard Dysart.  I can’t recommend it enough.

From Beyond

Oh, 1980s, where would we be without your strangeness?  When it comes to movies, there has never been a decade quite like the 80s.  It saw the quality of movies ranging from amazing to amazingly awful to everything in between.  This was before CGI really became a thing, so most of what you saw was done practically.  It had to be.  One of the most bizarre movies to come out of the 80s was From Beyond.  Loosely based on the H.P. Lovecraft of the same name, and I do mean loosely, the film follows a mad scientist(as if there was any other type)trying to experience the outer limits of pleasure by stimulating a particular gland and accessing another dimension.  The results were gooey and gory.  From Beyond was absolutely bonkers.  Genre favorite, Jeffrey Combs, actually plays a bit of a good guy in this one.  The creature designs and effects are absolutely nuts.  It’s definitely not for everybody, but I found it to be incredibly entertaining.

The combination of science fiction and horror is one of the best combinations you can get for a horror film, if it is done correctly.  There has to be a balance between science fiction and horror, but most movies that attempt this combo don’t really work.  Thankfully, the ones that do work are absolutely amazing and those are the ones that I’ve just mentioned.  So, be sure to check them out, if you are as much of a sci-fi/horror fan as I am.  Remember: October continues, and I’ve got something special in mind for Halloween.

Released: August 2006(USA)

Director: Neil Marshall

Rated R/Unrated

Run Time: 99 Minutes

Distributor: Lionsgate Studios

Genre: Horror

Cast:
Shauna MacDonald: Sarah
Natalie Mendoza: Juno
Alex Reid: Beth
Saskia Mulder: Rebecca
MyAnna Buring: Sam
Nora-Jane Noone: Holly

The best horror movies, like most movies in general, depend entirely on their ability to not just scare people, but to tell a coherent and compelling story.  It’s not always about the gore or shock value, even though those values can be attributed to horror.  However, the great ones are able to balance not only top-notch scares, but also strong character development, atmosphere and tension.  I’ll be honest:  Most horror movies these days are generally recycled garbage, with most of them either being remakes, sequels, or spineless teenage-pandering trash.  Part of the problem is that certain movie studios want to try and appeal to everyone, but by doing so, they end up alienating the fan-base that they need the most in a bizarre sense of irony.  I’m not saying that every horror movie should strive to be as shocking or as depraved as something like say….Cannibal Holocaust.  No.  As much as I appreciate that film, there’s no way in hell that I could recommend that to a general audience on a rainy day.  On the flip-side, I can’t recommend movies like Twilight or Slender Man because the film-makers don’t seem to understand what makes a decent horror movie.  If your movie has nothing but jump-scares, then you’ve failed as a film-maker and as a story-teller.  But for those film-makers willing to take a risk and give us a horror movie that we can get behind, then horror fans will generally have your back, even if you make a misstep every once in a while.  That brings me to Neil Marshall’s The Descent.

The film begins as Sarah and her friends are enjoying a rafting trip, only for the trip to end in tragedy.  A year later, Sarah and her American friend Juno are travelling to meet more of their friends for an afternoon of cave exploration.  They find a cave that Juno was scouting out and they make their way down.  After a tunnel collapses, trapping the women, it’s revealed that Juno had led them into an undiscovered cave system.  With the entrance cut off, the women have to find another way, only to find that they are not alone.  The Descent’s got some serious guts for starting the way it did with a horrific tragedy.  What it does, though, is set the tone for what kind of movie that we’re about to experience.  Story-wise, this really is nothing new.  In fact, it borrows liberally from other films like Alien.  Unlike other movies that claim to be inspired by Alien, The Descent gets it right.  Instead of outer space, we’re dropped with the women into a cave of impenetrable darkness.  Truth be told, I find the idea of being stuck underground far more terrifying than being in space.  The film does take a little bit of time to get going after that initial jolt, but that’s to introduce us to our main characters and to allow us to connect with them.  That is the mark of a really good horror film.  If you thought Alien was claustrophobic, The Descent takes that sensation and amps it up to 25.  Atmosphere is important in a film like this, and The Descent has it in spades.

When it comes to story-telling, the characters need to be the driving force for any film, horror or otherwise.  Neil Marshall’s film, thankfully, has some really strong characters.  I’ve always been an advocate for strong women in horror movies.  Too often, we see women as these helpless and fragile things that are used to either sex up a movie or as helpless victims.  It’s very refreshing to see a movie that focuses on really strong and well-written women….mostly.  While most of them do end up as victims, they don’t go quietly or without a fight.  These characters aren’t stupid, either.  They make the best and most rational way that they know how, but they also behave in a way that’s very realistic when faced with a very grim situation.  Because these ladies are written well, we, as an audience want them to be able to survive their ordeal.  Sarah, in particular is a character that has suffered the most with the personal tragedy that she endures at the beginning of the film.  We don’t really see her give up.  In fact, as the film goes on, we see her become a serious bad-ass.  Well done, movie.  Well done.

With The Descent being set deep underground, it makes sense for the sets to be relatively small and claustrophobic.  It’s to help sell the illusion that Sarah and friends are in a very alien environment.  When I said the film borrows from Alien, I meant it.  The tight spaces and rough interiors help to provide a window into a very inhospitable world.  This is also a monster movie.  These creatures are nasty and vicious.  They’re blind, so they hunt by sound.  They also don’t hesitate to start tearing our characters to pieces when everything does go down.  This is a pretty gruesome movie.  It’s got some really fantastic gore and creature designs.  These are guys in suits, so there’s very little in the way of CGI.  The only thing that really stood out to me was that in certain scenes, you could tell they were standing in front of a green screen.  Given the film’s budget, it’s pretty understandable, and it’s not always distracting.  It’s just something that I noticed, especially when watching the film on Blu-Ray.  Overall, the set, character, and creature designs are all absolutely fantastic.  The film doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to the action.  The pacing is also really good.  The first act of the film sets up the characters and then it’s a roller-coaster ride into hell.  It’s fantastic.

Before I wrap this up, I want to mention something, particularly about the film’s ending.  It could be considered a bit of a spoiler, so if you haven’t seen the film, click the close button on your browser and go see this movie.  Make sure you see the Unrated version.  The reason I bring up the ending right now, is because there were two endings shot for the film.  The original ending shot for the film has more of a nihilistic bent to it, but it does fit in with the other themes surrounding the character of Sarah.  That version was the version that folks in the United Kingdom got to see.  In the United States, however, the ending was altered to have a more…”upbeat” ending.  While it’s not awful, it feels out of place, especially since the sequel to the film is built off the American ending.  The less said about The Descent 2, the better.  With all that in mind, The Descent is a fantastic horror experience that I urge fans to seek out, if they haven’t already.  It is one of the best horror movies of the last 20 years.  It does have small problems, but those are basically nitpicks and can easily be ignored.  If you’re a fan of horror, do yourself a favor and check this out.

My Final Recommendation:  I’m never going into another cave for as long as I live.  9.5/10

Released: October 2007

Director: David Slade

Run Time: 113 Minutes

Rated R

Distributor: Sony/Columbia Pictures

Genre: Horror

Cast:
Josh Hartnett: Eben Oleson
Melissa George: Stella Oleson
Danny Huston: Marlow
Ben Foster: The Stranger
Mark Boone Junior: Beau Brower
Manu Benett: Billy Kitka
Nathaniel Lees: Carter Davies

Vampires are a main staple of the horror genre, whether it’s movies, books, or video games.  These creatures of the night are both terrifying, yet alluring at the same time.  From the dark and Gothic Count Dracula to the demonic monsters of From Dusk Till Dawn, these fanged bloodsuckers have taken on multiple forms.  Ignore those sparkling bitches that you see in those stupid Twilight movies.  Those aren’t vampires.  They’re pathetic.  Real vampires(as real as can be in fiction, of course)are threatening, powerful, alluring, and immortal.  But they are also not afraid to do some serious damage.  Count Dracula, Blade, and Santanico Pandemonium just to name a few.  Along with werewolves, vampires are among the most popular movie monsters of all time.  So…how do make a vampire movie that not only stands out among the rest, but is also very compelling?  Ask director David Slade, who gave us 30 Days of Night.

There are places in the world where darkness takes hold and doesn’t let go.  Welcome to Barrow, Alaska, where once a year, the sun goes down for 30 days and the townspeople hunker down for the cold dark nights ahead.  When a mysterious stranger shows up, all hell breaks loose and what’s left of the townspeople have to fight for their lives until the sun comes up again as they are under attack from a group of bloodthirsty vampires.  The overall story is kind of one that we have seen before, but it’s still pretty effective.  Based on the comic mini-series of the same name, the film follows Sheriff Eben Oleson as he tries to keep survivors alive.  I haven’t read the mini-series, but the story is pretty exceptional, although, the vampires are more fleshed out in the comics than they are in the film.  I certainly would have loved to have learned more about them and their leader, Marlow.  But as it stands, the film is pretty effective on its own.

The vampires in 30 Days of Night are unlike any other vampires that I’ve seen in other movies.  They are as different from Dracula as they are from the ones in From Dusk Till Dawn.  They aren’t particularly supernatural, but they are very animalistic, which makes them far more brutal and vicious than any other vampire in film or literature.  Their mouths resemble more of that of a shark’s, with all of their teeth being razor sharp.  The way they move in this film resembles more of a beast than a man.  The way they communicate with each other is also interesting.  There is a spoken language, but the communication is done through body language and screeches  There’s no shape-shifting or turning into mist here.  This strikes me more of a realistic version of vampires, if they were real.  These guys are not nice.  They are evil.  The lead vampire, Marlow, is played by Danny Huston, who turns in an incredibly electric performance as the vampire leader.  On the human side of the equation, we have Josh Hartnett who plays the town’s sheriff, Eben Oleson.  Josh is an incredibly underrated actor, and it’s a shame that he’s not really getting the attention he deserves.  He plays character that are fairly likable and Sheriff Oleson is one of them.  Melissa George plays Stella, Eben’s wife.  She definitely holds her own with Hartnett.  Ben Foster kind of steals the show at times as The Stranger, the guy who brings the vampires to Barrow.  Ben Foster has quickly become one of my favorite actors.  He really gets into the heads of the characters that he plays, and he’s willing to go dark places to make sure those characters are authentic.  Overall, the acting is fantastic.

What really stands out about 30 Days of Night is where the film is set.  The film wasn’t shot on location in Barrow, as the town itself doesn’t actually lend itself to the bleak nature of the film, so the movie was filmed in New Zealand.  That being said, I did a little bit of research into Barrow, Alaska before starting the film.  Barrow is one of the most isolated towns in the United States.  There are literally no roads that go into Barrow.  The only way you can get there is by plane.  It is almost literally at the top of the world at the very northern edge of Alaska.  As a result, the town does experience what is called a polar night.  It’s a phenomenon that only happens in the northern and southernmost reaches of the world.  It only happens in the polar circles.  Basically, the sun goes down for about 65 days, starting at the end of November, and going until towards the end of January.  That’s two months of perpetual night.  That makes for an incredibly isolated and spooky experience, as there is literally no help for over 100 miles, if they get cut off.  That’s what happens in 30 Days of Night.  It was a very brilliant idea to set the story in this part of the world.  If I was a vampire, I would take advantage of that phenomenon.

The effects are mostly practical, even though there are some CGI shots here and there, and there’s definitely some green screen going on, but it’s done in such a way that makes the film feel even more isolated.  The film is definitely violent and extremely bloody, which makes sense for a vampire movie.  When the action hits, it’s brutal as the vampires show absolutely no mercy.  Shortly after the lights go out, the vampires basically slaughter everyone in sight in one of the most harrowing scenes I’ve seen in a movie of this sort.  After that scene, the film takes on a kind of cat-and-mouse kind of feel, as the survivors are trying to avoid fighting these creatures, because the only way you can kill them is by taking their heads off or letting the sun take them out.  Considering the town is covered in darkness for 30 days, the sun’s not really an option, but Eben does use a UV lamp to his advantage.  Even though the film does slow down at times, almost unbearably so, it still has that tension that you need to have for a horror movie.  The pacing of the film is pretty much my only real gripe with the film.  Outside of that, it’s an incredibly bleak, yet fun vampire film that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go.  It’s highly recommended.

My Final Recommendation: Don’t visit Barrow, Alaska at the end of the year.  Vampires may be afoot.  9/10

It goes without saying that Hollywood is suffering from a complete lack of originality these days.  It’s either a sequel, a remake or a reboot of some sort.  It also goes without saying that most horror movie remakes are generally pretty lousy, mostly because the people remaking these movies have no understanding of what made the original film so good.  That being said, there are remakes out there that are actually pretty good.  Not necessarily better than the original film, but not a complete waste of time.  Every once in a while, though, you come across a remake that outshines the original film in nearly every way.  Granted, these films are few and far in between, but it is definitely worth seeking them out.  For this post, I’m going to go over what I consider to be some of the best horror remakes.  Movies like 2005’s House of Wax don’t count as they really don’t have anything to do with the original film outside of the name.  So, with that in mind, let’s dig up some good remakes.

Evil Dead

The original Evil Dead, released in 1981, is considered by many to be one of the best horror movies ever made, and I tend to agree with that assessment.  The original film had its problems, but those problems stemmed from the cast and crew not having enough experience making movies, so there is definitely a very workman-like quality to the film that actually adds to its charms.  In 2013, Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi teamed up again to co-produce a new Evil Dead film.  Featuring all new characters in an all-too familiar location, the new film follows the same kind of outline as the original, but instead of a group of people on vacation and hanging out, the folks in the remake are staging an intervention for one of their own who is a drug addict.  Discovering an ancient book in the basement, all hell breaks loose.  While the original film is definitely a horror movie, it also had a sense of humor, which permeated the whole thing, including the effects.  Here, the goings-on is strictly a dead-serious affair.  I think that actually works in its favor.  The effects are outstanding as the effects are mostly practical, including the blood rain storm that happens towards the end of the film.  It’s a pretty intense film from beginning to end, and I think it deserves a place alongside the other Evil Dead films.

The Last House on the Left

Wes Craven’s first feature film, The Last House on the Left, was one of the most shocking movies to be released in 1972.  It had a group of criminals kidnap two young women who were on their way to get drugs, and end up getting assaulted and murdered.  It was shown in some pretty graphic detail, but people seemed to have had more of a problem with the revenge part of the film where the parents went after the criminals.  The 2009 remake of the film, takes a far more grittier approach to what happens.  The rape scene isn’t protracted and is thankfully pretty short, but this version also leaves one of the girls alive after the ordeal, which allows for the film to have a little bit of hope in the end.  The revenge aspect is still pretty brutal.  While I definitely appreciate the directness of the original film, I feel that the tone in the remake is far more consistent.  It doesn’t have the goofy cops or silly music of the original film.  It actually feels more realistic, except for the ending, which was….weird.

John Carpenter’s The Thing

John Carpenter’s The Thing is a film that is actually more of an adaptation of John W. Campbell’s Who Goes There than a remake of The Thing From Another World, but it still counts.  The Thing follows a group of researchers in Antarctica as they come across a shape-shifting alien creature.  That’s pretty much the gist of the story.  This film got nailed to the wall back in 1982.  It was one of two extra-terrestrial films to come out at that time, the other being Steven Spielberg’s E.T.  Guess which one did better.  The average film-goer was not in the mood to watch a blood-thirsty alien wreak havoc in an isolated research station.  Yet, the film gained an audience and is ultimately more appreciated now than it was over 30 years ago.  The effects are all practical thanks to the work of Rob Bottin.  The creature designs and the gore are still second-to-none.  It’s not just the effects that still stand-up.  The atmosphere and the isolation really bring the dread, and the level of paranoia adds to an already intense film.  It’s one of my favorites.

The Blob

The Blob was one of the most unique monster movies to come out of the late 1950s.  It featured the legendary Steve McQueen going up against an indestructible gooey mass that devoured people.  It was definitely a pretty silly movie, especially when you tried to have a 20-something Steve McQueen portray a teenager.  That being said, it was still a fun film.  It developed such a massive following that starting 2000, the town of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania began holding an annual “Blobfest” commemorating the film.  The film did actually get a sequel in the 70s, which was lame, but the movie that most horror fans will drift towards is the 1988 remake.  While it still follows the same outline as the original film, the 1988 movie takes it to a whole new level by making it a full-blown horror movie.  The 1988 remake is one of the goriest movies to come out of the decade and it was also one of the few movies where nobody was safe, not even kids.  While the film was definitely gruesome, it also had a sense of humor.  It definitely pokes fun at the idea of slasher movies and the irritating things that people experience in theaters.  Don’t you just hate it when people talk during the movie?  The Blob has an answer for that.

The Fly

The 1980s was a pretty strong year for horror movies, especially when it came to remakes.  The Fly is one of the most interesting and fantastic remakes I’ve ever seen.  Featuring a strong performance by Jeff Goldblum, The Fly follows a scientist as he tries to develop teleportation as an alternative to normal modes of transportation.  Something goes wrong when he gets stuck in one of the pods with a fly and the two are accidentally spliced together.  The Fly is as much a horror movie as it is a tragic love story.  Jeff Goldblum steals the show as Seth Brundle, a scientist whose body is changing because of an accident with his experiments, and his performance is extraordinary.  The effects are incredibly gruesome, gooey, and gory.  But there is a real human and emotional element that really ties the whole thing together.  The Fly is one of the best movies of its kind.

The Hills Have Eyes

The Last House on the Left was not the first Wes Craven film to be remade.  His 1976 film, The Hills Have Eyes, which featured a family that gets stranded in the middle of a desert being set upon by a group of inbred cannibals, got the treatment in 2006, when French director Alexandre Aja took the helm.  Again, like the other films on this list, The Hills Have Eyes follows the same outline as its predecessor, but it also changes things around a bit.  Instead of inbred cannibals, we have a group of mutated inbred cannibals as a result of nuclear testing in the New Mexico desert.  The make-up effects and gore are truly and the isolation is harrowing.  The film doesn’t really shy away from the violence which is pretty brutal.  You also have a pretty strong cast that includes Ted Levine, Kathleen Quinlan, and Billy Drago.  It’s an intense film with some pretty outstanding visuals.  It pulls no punches, and I’m thankful for that.  Definitely check this one out.

I’ve seen a lot of horror movie remakes, but these ones are the best ones of the bunch, in my opinion.  They prove that a movie doesn’t necessarily have to be original, but it has to be well made and tries to bring something new to the table.  The Best of October continues.