The October Project 2: Day 31   Happy Halloween!

 

 

Vampyr  (1932)

Directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer

Okay, admittedly for my final recommendation, I've gone pretty highbrow. Dreyer is one of the undisputed masters of cinema, a creator of austere but emotionally devastating masterpieces that will  remain relevant as long as people care about film, or art for that matter.
This is my point. Horror is an often maligned genre, seen and dismissed as only suitable for the most trashy and exploitive material. Admittedly, I've included some pretty trashy material in this list and that was because I wanted to give an indication of the wide variety of subjects and styles that can categorized, broadly, as "horror".  Yes, it includes the "trash" but it also can include as sublime a work of art as Dreyer's Vampyr.Loosly adapted from Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla (as would many vampire films in the coming decades) Vampyr tells the story of a young student of the occult who, when investigating the illness of a friend's sister, encounters a Vampire and her coven of acolytes. The plot is simple enough, but hardly the point. This was Dreyer's first sound film and it contains very little dialogue. The heart of the storytelling is in the eerie, poetic visuals that can invoke wonder to this day.

 

 

 

 

 

Mysterious, dreamlike and ultimately unlike any other vampire film, this movie may be a bit abstract and slow paced for modern audiences. However, if you have any interest in the history of film and the great works of horror genre in particular, Vampyr is required viewing.

A sublime and ethereal way to spend an October night.

 

 

Whew, that's it, 31 new recommendations in as many days. I know this list is all over the place. As I warned at the beginning it contains a lot of odd choices but all are enjoyable in their own way. As usual there was a lot of films I would have liked to include, but couldn't find a space.

Some of these would include:
David Lynch's dark and disturbing Eraserhead, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's love-letter to the genre, Cabin in the Woods, Stuart Gordon's equally twisted follow-up to Re-Animator, From Beyond, the extraordinary Finnish film Sauna and either Dario Argento's  Deep Red or Inferno. It also bothers me that there are no Japanese titles on the list but I am woefully undereducated in J-horror.

Anyway, I hope this list provides some interesting new viewing ideas for fans of the genre, or movies in general.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween, or a dark, disturbing Samhain, whatever you prefer.




The October Project 2: Day 30

 

"Blood! Your precious blood! "

 

 

"Death is not the worst. There are things more horrible than death."

 

 

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens   (1922)
Directed by F. W. Murnau


Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht   (1979)
Directed by Werner Herzog

Two films by master German filmmakers, made almost 60 years apart, ostensibly telling the same story, sharing many of the same plot points, themes and images and yet very distinct and individual works of art.
Way back in 1922 Murnau set the standard for gothic horror with his loose, and unauthorized, adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Instead of Stoker's corrupted and debauched nobleman, Murnau and actor Max Schreck create a Count who's pure monster. His bald head, bat ears and rat-like fangs, combined with his strange jerky walk and unnaturally stiff posture create a figure to instill chills to this day.
So why would Werner Herzog, one of the leaders of the German "new-wave" of the sixties and seventies bother with a remake of an established masterwork? Well obviously he wanted to pay tribute to the great pre-war German film culture destroyed by the Nazis, but in interviews he's stated:
"I never thought of my film Nosferatu as being a remake. It stands on its own feet as an entirely new version... My Nosferatu has a different context, different figures and a somewhat different story."
This may sound like a rationalization, but he's absolutely right. His vampire, as personified by the great mad genius Klaus Kinski, is a far more nuanced and tragic character, brimming over with angst and existential pain. It's one of Kinski's best roles.
 By all means see these films, one at a time, or as a double feature, but see them. They're important

PS- Also, you might want to check out Shadow of the Vampire E. Elias Merhige, a tounge-in-cheek fictionalized portrayl of the filming of Murnau's Nosferatu. John Malkovich is terrific as Murnau, but the film belongs to Willem Dafoe, who gives one of his best best performances as Max Schreck, portrayed here as an actual vampire (with really loathsome manners).
        

 

 

The October Project 2: Day 29

 

 

"You will never escape my vengeance, or Satan's!"

 

Black Sunday (La Maschera del Demonio)  (1960)
Directed by Mario Bava

 

Gothic masterpiece from maestro Mario Bava that provided the breakthrough role for Barbara Steele, one of the great figures (and faces) in the history of horror. She plays the dual role of a virtuous young princess and a vengeful witch reincarnated as a vampire, registering strongly as both ingénue and monster.
The luminous monochrome cinematography is by Bava himself and is truly stunning. You should definitely try to see it on the new Kino Blu-ray if possible. The film may not have the most coherent narrative (there are a few continuity glitches here and there) but it has moments of visual power and beauty to rival anything in Jean Cocteau.
If you want to know more about the fascinating life and career of Mario Bava, hunt down Tim Lucas' massive illustrated biography Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark. It not only covers the director's life but provides cogent analysis of his massive filmography. It's one of the great film books.



The October Project 2: Day 28

 

 

"Each man creates his own God for himself, his own Heaven, his own Hell."

 

 

The Masque of the Red Death  (1964)

Directed by Roger Corman

 

 

Roger Corman may have a well-earned reputation as a purveyor of schlock but, when his heart was truly in a project, he could, with limited financial means, deliver a fine, well-crafted film like this one. I like all eight of Corman's Edgar Allen Poe inspired movies, even his goofy version of The Raven, but The Masque of the Red Death remains my favourite.
Vincent Price has a great time playing the evil sensualist Prince Prospero who cloisters himself and his followers inside his castle to pursue their most decadent fantasies as the titular "Red Death" ravages the countryside outside the walls. It's easily one of his best performance but, then again, he's good in all the Poe films, so you really should watch them all.
There is excellent, wide screen, colour-saturated cinematography by Nicolas Roeg and the script by Twilight Zone veteran Charles Beamont manages a perfect balance intelligence and melodrama. Despite all the genre trappings, this is a surprisingly philosophical film that debates question of morality and mortality while providing all the requisite chills and thrills. If you want a double feature any of the other Poe films will do, but I'm especially fond of The Pit and the Pendulum and The Tomb of Ligeia.

The October Project 2: Day 27

"The Angel of Death was summoned. He cannot return empty-handed."


The Devil Rides Out  (1968)
Directed by Terence Fisher


This time out, I wanted to include a film from legendary Hammer Studies, which ruled British Horror throughout the 50's and 60's. Rather than one of their famous Dracula or Frankenstein films, I chose this superb occult thriller adapted from Dennis Wheatley's novel by the late, great, Richard Matheson. Christopher Lee is splendid as usual as Wheatley's hero, the Duc de Richleau who is trying to save a friend from falling further under the influence of a satanic cult leader played by Charles Gray.
Hammer vet Terence Fisher provides his usual deft hand as director, keeping everything moving at a good pace and the cast plays the pulpy material completely straight. The film holds up marvellously, marred only by some cheap optical effects during the climax.
A classic of it's type, waiting to be rediscovered

The October Project 2: Day 26

``Yeah...I think this weekend's going to be it. We're going to get something good I can feel it.``


The Innkeepers 
(2011)
Directed by Ti West

From the director of House of the Devil comes a another exercise in subtle fear building. For most of the film the ``haunted-hotel`` plot takes a back seat to small comic moments meant to build empathy for the eccentric characters. Sara Paxton couldn't be more charming as Claire, the young night clerk of on old New England Hotel that she and her co-worker believe is haunted. She`s foolish and naive but her unfailingly positive attitude and surprising courage make her a heroine worth rooting for. Pat Healy is also memorable as her fellow clerk, the cynical, not entirely trustworthy, Luke resident expert on the Hotel's history of ghostly phenomena.
As the fright gags get ratcheted up and the film barrels to it`s abrupt conclusion the time spent with these characters proves well spent as we actually care about what happens to them.
Another winner from, not just a good horror director, but a talented indie filmmaker full-stop.

PS - Fun cameo near the beginning from Lena Dunham, who also played a voice on the phone in House of the Devil.

The October Project 2: Day 25

 

 

"Even a big bitch cockroach like you should know... never, but never, fuck with the King."

Bubba Ho-Tep  (2002)
Directed By Don Coscarelli

The most surprising thing about Don Coscarelli's Bubba Ho-Tep is how poignant it proves to be.
Given that this is a film with BRUCE CAMPBELL playing Elvis (!) who fights a souls stealing mummy (!) with the aid of Ossie Davis who plays JFK (?), I think it was fair to assume that this film would be a knock-about comedy in the vein of Evil Dead 2. Well I couldn't have been more wrong! This is a melancholy film, coloured with loneliness, regret and keen sense of mortality.
Bruce Campbell plays the king as a sick frustrated old man, but this makes him all the more heroic as he decides that he's the only one who can save his fellow rest-home patients from immortal evil. (Well, he and his best friend, elderly African American JFK, that is.)
This is not to say that the film has no humour, it's just that the laughs are in the dark sardonic vein of author Joe R. Lansdale, the writer of the original short story. Anyway both Campbell and Davis give strong, moving performances and Coscarelli, as usual, spins, atmospheric gold out of a tiny budget.
Terrific little film and a welcome addition to it's director's strange and utterly personal filmography.