I have complained at length, here and on TheAvod, about self-reflexive cinema. In the post-Scream era, a lot of people jumped on the postmodern bandwagon, but it seemed they forgot why that movie was such a success. It wasn't because it folded in on itself, but how it did so. Scream was self-aware without being self-conscious about it, but it's just the opposite for a lot of horror films today. If a movie takes itself seriously, then it shouldn't draw attention to itself with ironic, and often poorly written, insight.
Now, that's not to say that I don't enjoy postmodern horror, I just find that most of it is terribly done. So you can understand that I was a bit anxious when I sat down to watch Behind the Mask. The movie blends mocumentary with narrative film to tell the story of Leslie Vernon's attempt to become a legendary serial killer in the same vein as Jason, Freddy, and Michael.
Many years ago, Leslie Vernon was taken from his home by an angry mob after he brutally murdered his abusive parents. Leslie was thrown from the top of a waterfall and was never seen or heard from again. Some say that if you till the soil in the Vernon apple orchard under a havest moon, the dirt will become thick with blood, and if you listen close, you can still hear the creaks and groans of his mother's body as it hangs from a tree, swaying in the wind. Now, years later, Leslie has returned to his ancestral home to murder a group of kids partying in his house. And grad students, Taylor, Doug, and Todd are there to document it.
Taking a page from Man Bites Dog, Behind the Mask is about a group of documentary filmmakers who follow Leslie around as he plans is killing spree, and they even help out once or twice. In the world of the film, Jason Voorhees and the like are real people, and Leslie hopes to become like them--iconic. So he plans and works hard to ready himself for his big night. And while we follow him as he stalks his "survivor girl" and tours us around his property, he tells us about what it means to be a killer, how it all works.
Most people don't know that it takes months of planning and preparation to select the right group of kids, and choose the right final girl. A killer has to make sure he can accurately predict what people will do, where they will run to. And a killer has to work hard to train his body and his mind to withstand the endurance trail that is the horrific killing spree. Leslie walks us through these revelations with good cheer and introduces us to his mentor, Eugene, who terrorized nubile teens back in the 60s.
To counter Leslie's moral ambiguity and general cheerfulness is Taylor, the documentary's director and host. She's clearly opposed to what Leslie plans to do, but has committed herself to documenting his story, and tempers her outrage with the false hope that Leslie might not actually follow through. Only when Leslie claims his first victims, does Taylor fully understand the kids are in a horror movie.
Behind the Mask uses all the stereotypes and archetypes we've come to expect from horror to pit the genre against itself in what might be the most successfully recursive horror movie I've ever seen. Not only does the movie provide a humorous discourse on genre expectations, it also breaks down genre analysis by explaining how imagery is used to communicate ideas about characters and story.
If I had to complain about something (and let's face it, I usually do) it would have to be Taylor. Once she figures out Leslie's endgame, she fails to use her insider knowledge to her advantage and continues to operate within the confines of Leslie's horror movie. This would suggest a kind of inevitability, that horror movies generally work off the same standard script. I don't really have a problem with this, but I would have preferred if Taylor at least tried to break free from convention only to find that she can't.
The rest of the movie, however, is wonderfully done. The documentary sequences are delightfully crummy, and Leslie himself is very engaging and his enthusiasm is infectious. The film also features Robert Englund, and that's always a plus. I really enjoyed Behind the Mask, and it's given me a new appreciation for all the hard work that Jason, Freddy, and Michael do.
Showing posts with label Robert Englund. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robert Englund. Show all posts
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
2001 Maniacs
Not having seen the original 2000 Maniacs, I was worried I'd be playing catch-up. Turns out this movie is not a sequel. It's a remake. Sort of. "Inspired by" and "based on". A retelling, maybe? Perhaps a re-invention.
Three friends are on their way to Florida for spring break when they take a detour and pass through Pleasant Valley, Georgia. And then two more groups of travelers take that same detour and find themselves face-to-face with the local population. All eight "northerners" are half invited, half coerced into celebrating Pleasant Valley's jubilee. Horror ensues.
I have not, to my shame, ever seen an HG Lewis film, but I can sort of imagine what it might be like. Thus, I can sort of believe that 2001 Maniacs holds true to the gore presented in the original. I mean it is kind of ridiculous, but also kind of gross. The guests of honour are offed in a variety of ways and the death scenes are interspersed with prolonged sequences of people trying to get it on. Robert Englund hams it up as the mayor, so you know, there's that, too.
For some strange reason it reminded me of Freaks, even though 2001 Maniacs is nothing like Freaks. 2001 Maniacs isn't a good movie, but it isn't a terrible movie, either. Entertaining, I think is the word. A bit nonsensical, too. But it does have the one thing most horror movies lack: friendly characters. Though crippled by raging libidos, all the ill-fated party guests are nice and likable enough. The movie creates a bit of distance between the audience and the people on screen, but you still don't feel like anyone really deserves to die. I think for that reason alone I'm willing to give more credit to this film than it probably deserves.
Three friends are on their way to Florida for spring break when they take a detour and pass through Pleasant Valley, Georgia. And then two more groups of travelers take that same detour and find themselves face-to-face with the local population. All eight "northerners" are half invited, half coerced into celebrating Pleasant Valley's jubilee. Horror ensues.
I have not, to my shame, ever seen an HG Lewis film, but I can sort of imagine what it might be like. Thus, I can sort of believe that 2001 Maniacs holds true to the gore presented in the original. I mean it is kind of ridiculous, but also kind of gross. The guests of honour are offed in a variety of ways and the death scenes are interspersed with prolonged sequences of people trying to get it on. Robert Englund hams it up as the mayor, so you know, there's that, too.
For some strange reason it reminded me of Freaks, even though 2001 Maniacs is nothing like Freaks. 2001 Maniacs isn't a good movie, but it isn't a terrible movie, either. Entertaining, I think is the word. A bit nonsensical, too. But it does have the one thing most horror movies lack: friendly characters. Though crippled by raging libidos, all the ill-fated party guests are nice and likable enough. The movie creates a bit of distance between the audience and the people on screen, but you still don't feel like anyone really deserves to die. I think for that reason alone I'm willing to give more credit to this film than it probably deserves.
Sunday, 25 January 2009
Killer Pad
Another entry in the directed-by-Freddy-Krueger calatogue. My roommate and I found this one while cruising on demand at 1am.
Three best friends are awarded a big cash settlement when their collectively owned dog is accidentally castrated at the groomers'. They use the money to move out of their parents' home and into a large house in Hollywood Hills. On the way to their new permanent address, 666 Perdition Road, they run across Angel, a Mexcian groundskeeper. "The devil is here!" he warns them, but since they don't speak any Spanish, the trio thinks he's confessing a profound love for hot sauce. In an effort to make the most of their amazing new place, and in hopes of scoring with hot chicks, the boys decide to throw a kickass party. When people start dying, the guys write the deaths off as mysterious accidents until one of them eventually comes face-to-face with the Devil and a gate to hell opens up in the living room. The only way of defeating the evil is to sing a holy song. Unfortunately, they aren't very good singers.
Killer Pad is, I have to admit, pretty funny. And stupid. But the funny wins out in the end. Robert Englund proves entirely capable of directing comedy-horror, or what I like to call comror, something that I would imagine is hard to do. Though comedy and horror both draw on emotional responses to absurdity, they exist at opposite ends of the spectrum. However, badly done horror often results in an amused response from a would-be terrified audience. And Hitchcock often said he thought of Psycho, a genre staple, as a comedy. So when comedy and horror are brought together, a fine balance must be reached between the funny and the scary.
In the case of Killer Pad, the funny is of the slightly stupid and juvenile variety, replete with fart jokes and people getting bagged. I try not to hold myself or the movies I watch to too high a standard, but I could have lived without the recurring bare midget ass and I don't think the film would have suffered from that loss.
Three best friends are awarded a big cash settlement when their collectively owned dog is accidentally castrated at the groomers'. They use the money to move out of their parents' home and into a large house in Hollywood Hills. On the way to their new permanent address, 666 Perdition Road, they run across Angel, a Mexcian groundskeeper. "The devil is here!" he warns them, but since they don't speak any Spanish, the trio thinks he's confessing a profound love for hot sauce. In an effort to make the most of their amazing new place, and in hopes of scoring with hot chicks, the boys decide to throw a kickass party. When people start dying, the guys write the deaths off as mysterious accidents until one of them eventually comes face-to-face with the Devil and a gate to hell opens up in the living room. The only way of defeating the evil is to sing a holy song. Unfortunately, they aren't very good singers.
Killer Pad is, I have to admit, pretty funny. And stupid. But the funny wins out in the end. Robert Englund proves entirely capable of directing comedy-horror, or what I like to call comror, something that I would imagine is hard to do. Though comedy and horror both draw on emotional responses to absurdity, they exist at opposite ends of the spectrum. However, badly done horror often results in an amused response from a would-be terrified audience. And Hitchcock often said he thought of Psycho, a genre staple, as a comedy. So when comedy and horror are brought together, a fine balance must be reached between the funny and the scary.
In the case of Killer Pad, the funny is of the slightly stupid and juvenile variety, replete with fart jokes and people getting bagged. I try not to hold myself or the movies I watch to too high a standard, but I could have lived without the recurring bare midget ass and I don't think the film would have suffered from that loss.
Friday, 9 January 2009
976-EVIL
Directed by Freddy Kruger, 976-EVIL, mildly entertaining though it is, hinges on a profound misunderstanding of irony.
Spike, who may or may not have flunked out of school, and whom I may or may not find strangely attractive, lives with his loser cousin Hoax and his crazy fundamentalist Aunt*. Oddly, Spike is not the main character, though we spend a lot of time getting to know him. Rather, it is Hoax, of whom we learn very little.
Yes, the main character's name is Hoax.
Hoax.
Lacking a strong maternal influence, Spike has grown into an undisciplined teenager who spends his nights playing poker with Marcus and his gang of 80s thugs. Hoax, on the other hand, has grown up in the care of a lunatic who likes to threaten abuse when her son eats while sitting on the couch. Having no life of his own, Hoax lives vicariously through Spike. Spike, for his part, humours Hoax, and even goes so far as to protect him from Marcus. Though somewhat clumsy, Spike's and Hoax's characterizations are meant to represent the controlling theme of good vs. evil.
While flipping through a magazine, Spike finds a flyer for a horoscope hotline, only horoscope has been spelled "horrorscope" and the number to dial is the titular alpha-numeric. Spike listens to a cryptic recording which has nothing to do with fish raining down from the sky, and then fish rain down from the sky. The following morning a man shows up at the house, claiming to be a reporter from Modern Miracle magazine and interviews crazy Aunt Lucy about the fish.
This, by the way, has nothing to do with the actual plot.
That night Spike again dials in for his horrorscope and is told, in no uncertain terms, to steal. But stealing is wrong! And Spike, despite being a lowlife dropout punk, refuses. He dials the hotline again but hangs up when the recorded message expresses displeasure at Spike's surprising moral fiber. And finally we come to the point in the story where we catch up with Hoax who is, remember, the actual main character.
Painful loser that he is, Hoax is not above stealing. Or murder. Having broken into Spike's room, Hoax has found the horrorscope flyer and has called the hotline. He learns that if the stalks Spike, he'll get a chance to steal his girlfriend. So Hoak follows Spike to the movies and when Spike ditches Suzie for a poker game, Hoax swoops down and provides Suzie with an opportunity to deliver the stupidest line ever: "You scared me, sneaking around. Why do you gotta sneak around?"
Spike, who may or may not have flunked out of school, and whom I may or may not find strangely attractive, lives with his loser cousin Hoax and his crazy fundamentalist Aunt*. Oddly, Spike is not the main character, though we spend a lot of time getting to know him. Rather, it is Hoax, of whom we learn very little.
Yes, the main character's name is Hoax.
Hoax.
Lacking a strong maternal influence, Spike has grown into an undisciplined teenager who spends his nights playing poker with Marcus and his gang of 80s thugs. Hoax, on the other hand, has grown up in the care of a lunatic who likes to threaten abuse when her son eats while sitting on the couch. Having no life of his own, Hoax lives vicariously through Spike. Spike, for his part, humours Hoax, and even goes so far as to protect him from Marcus. Though somewhat clumsy, Spike's and Hoax's characterizations are meant to represent the controlling theme of good vs. evil.
While flipping through a magazine, Spike finds a flyer for a horoscope hotline, only horoscope has been spelled "horrorscope" and the number to dial is the titular alpha-numeric. Spike listens to a cryptic recording which has nothing to do with fish raining down from the sky, and then fish rain down from the sky. The following morning a man shows up at the house, claiming to be a reporter from Modern Miracle magazine and interviews crazy Aunt Lucy about the fish.
This, by the way, has nothing to do with the actual plot.
That night Spike again dials in for his horrorscope and is told, in no uncertain terms, to steal. But stealing is wrong! And Spike, despite being a lowlife dropout punk, refuses. He dials the hotline again but hangs up when the recorded message expresses displeasure at Spike's surprising moral fiber. And finally we come to the point in the story where we catch up with Hoax who is, remember, the actual main character.
Painful loser that he is, Hoax is not above stealing. Or murder. Having broken into Spike's room, Hoax has found the horrorscope flyer and has called the hotline. He learns that if the stalks Spike, he'll get a chance to steal his girlfriend. So Hoak follows Spike to the movies and when Spike ditches Suzie for a poker game, Hoax swoops down and provides Suzie with an opportunity to deliver the stupidest line ever: "You scared me, sneaking around. Why do you gotta sneak around?"
Suzie and Hoax go for a pizza but thier intimate evening is ruined by Marcus. Things only get worse when it's revealed that Hoax has Suzie's panties in his pocket. Suzie storms off, Hoax slinks away, and Marcus orders more food. When Hoax arrives home, he again calls the horrorscope hotline and is told that he should teach Suzie a lesson. Naturally, Hoax uses black magic to cast a spell and teach said lesson. It's never explained how Hoax knows any magic at all, or what the lesson is supposed to be, but the spell requires him to remove his shirt. All good spells do.
Unsurprisingly, things go a little too well and Suzie dies. Rather than being scared and secretly excited by his newfound power, Hoax is gleeful. And boastful. He tracks down Spike and tells him, right to his face, that he killed his girlfriend. And what does Spike do? He doesn't scream or cry or swear revenge. He shoves him. Spike pushes Hoax, who falls over, and this foreshadowing conversation takes place:
Hoax: When this possession finally takes full control of me, you're going to regret pushing me around.
Spike: No. I won't.
Meanwhile, the reporter from Modern Miracle has taken an interest in Suzie's death and charms the high school principal into helping him with his investigation. As Hoax's possession slowly takes hold, the reporter, Marty, who is in fact a P.I., tracks down the source of the 976 number. Marty comes face to face with Richard Piccardo who explains that he runs a number of pay-telephone services and explains the "horrorscope" was decommissioned some time ago. Marty then returns to his flirtation with the principal, and Hoax continues to dial the number.
Finally, Hoax becomes totally possessed and he exacts a terrible revenge on Marcus, mercilessly killing his thugs and punning at every turn. Marty and the principal confront him at home, and Hoax opens up a portal to hell. Spike arrives and the cousins fight it out:
Hoax: I told you this would happen.
Spike: You don't listen too good, do you?
Strictly speaking irony is the opposite of what's expected. In this sense Alanis Morissette was correct: rain on your wedding day is ironic. Also, it sucks. More generally, irony is often darkly or sarcastically humerous. There's nothing funny about Hoax's possession or his turning the tables on Spike. Nor are any of the events that take place in the film unexpected. There is nothing really ironic about 976-EVIL, though the movie seems to think there is. In spite of everying, the movie doesn't totally suck. Maybe that's the ironic part.
*This family arrangement wasn't at all clear to me until partway through the movie, when Aunt Lucy made reference to Spike's dead mother. Until that point, I thought Spike was just a neighbour. He lives in a separate building, you see, and sneaks into the house to drink milk and steal money that's been hidden inside a fishing trophy.
Unsurprisingly, things go a little too well and Suzie dies. Rather than being scared and secretly excited by his newfound power, Hoax is gleeful. And boastful. He tracks down Spike and tells him, right to his face, that he killed his girlfriend. And what does Spike do? He doesn't scream or cry or swear revenge. He shoves him. Spike pushes Hoax, who falls over, and this foreshadowing conversation takes place:
Hoax: When this possession finally takes full control of me, you're going to regret pushing me around.
Spike: No. I won't.
Meanwhile, the reporter from Modern Miracle has taken an interest in Suzie's death and charms the high school principal into helping him with his investigation. As Hoax's possession slowly takes hold, the reporter, Marty, who is in fact a P.I., tracks down the source of the 976 number. Marty comes face to face with Richard Piccardo who explains that he runs a number of pay-telephone services and explains the "horrorscope" was decommissioned some time ago. Marty then returns to his flirtation with the principal, and Hoax continues to dial the number.
Finally, Hoax becomes totally possessed and he exacts a terrible revenge on Marcus, mercilessly killing his thugs and punning at every turn. Marty and the principal confront him at home, and Hoax opens up a portal to hell. Spike arrives and the cousins fight it out:
Hoax: I told you this would happen.
Spike: You don't listen too good, do you?
Strictly speaking irony is the opposite of what's expected. In this sense Alanis Morissette was correct: rain on your wedding day is ironic. Also, it sucks. More generally, irony is often darkly or sarcastically humerous. There's nothing funny about Hoax's possession or his turning the tables on Spike. Nor are any of the events that take place in the film unexpected. There is nothing really ironic about 976-EVIL, though the movie seems to think there is. In spite of everying, the movie doesn't totally suck. Maybe that's the ironic part.
*This family arrangement wasn't at all clear to me until partway through the movie, when Aunt Lucy made reference to Spike's dead mother. Until that point, I thought Spike was just a neighbour. He lives in a separate building, you see, and sneaks into the house to drink milk and steal money that's been hidden inside a fishing trophy.
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