Part One of a Series
When the calendar passes into October, my mind inevitably
turns to Halloween...chills, thrills and more specifically, horror movies. As
you may know, I'm a bit of a horror aficionado and love nothing more than
settling down in a darkened room on a cool, crisp October night and spending
some time with a few fright flicks.
So as I build my list of celluloid scares to spend time with
this Halloween, I thought I would share some choice cuts with all of you to
help build your own menu of macabre movies to enjoy in celebration of All
Hallow's Eve. I'll profile a couple films a day for the next week or so as
everyone prepares for their Halloween entertainment.
Killer Cuts #1 - Trick 'r Treat
Trick 'r Treat is a great throwback to horror anthologies
such as Creepshow or Trilogy of Terror, or Tales From the Darkside: The Movie,
though better than any of those. Writer/Director Michael Dougherty
(screenwriter for X-Men 2 and Superman Returns) weaves a web of interrelated
tales that include a school principal with bad intentions (Dylan Baker), a
disturbing urban legend about a "school bus massacre", a red riding
hood (Anna Paquin) who finds herself chased not by a wolf, but (ironically) by
a vampire, and finally an encounter between the old neighborhood curmudgeon (Brian
Cox) and the mysterious "Sackboy." The film is far from perfect, but
it's a new Halloween classic—the sort of horror movie that hasn't been made in
years; it's original, gory, creepy, disturbing and darkly funny.
It's a shame that Warner Bros. never released Trick 'r Treat
theatrically, because a late October release would have made them the budget
back on this baby and then some, particularly if they had released it soon
after Anna Paquin earned her horror hottie cred with True Blood. Originally scheduled
for release in 2007, WB put it on the shelf for two years and sat on it until
fan outrage finally convinced them to release it straight-to-video last
October. I suppose the ultimate audience for this movie would have been built
on video anyway, but a theatrical release could have done wonders for its
profile. Either way, do yourself a favor and stream or give Trick 'r Treat a
spin in the player this Halloween.
Killer Cuts #2 - Splinter
This cinematic slice is a bit of a modern throwback as well,
recalling the kind of creature features that have become such a rarity these
days. Like John Carpenter's The Thing, where isolation and suspicion are used
in conjunction with a truly horrifying enemy, Splinter uses this same formula
to create a sense of panic and dread that sticks with you long after the movie
is over.
A young couple (Paulo Costanzo and Jill Wagner) on a camping
trip find themselves kidnapped by a fugitive (Shea Wigham) and his strung-out
girlfriend, only for the four of them to face something much worse when they
stop to fuel up.
Typically I find that F/X maestros don’t make for
particularly effective directors (Stan Winston and Robert Kurtzman both come to
mind), but with Splinter, director Toby Wilkins appears to have bucked the
trend. Splinter is atmospheric, suspenseful and disturbing, and more
importantly, it's realistic and respectful of both its characters and the
situation in which they find themselves.
All in all, Splinter is a terrific way to fill one's modern
monster movie quota when it comes to your Halloween horror choices, with the
only caveat being that the shaky-cam filming style is a minor annoyance, but
one that doesn't detract from the overall experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment