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Color me Scarlett
Thursday, October 29, 2009
The winds of winter are right around the corner, but they're no match for the lasting power of "Gone With the Wind," which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.
Why old monsters never die
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
by Erik J. Martin
Old monsters never die, and they don't exactly fade away, either. Instead, they're reborn in fresh new takes on the horror genre that pay homage to the classic creatures and indelible demons of pop cultures past, a la contemporary fright films like "Twilight" and small scream TV series like "True Blood."
“It’s nice to see the legacy of pioneers like Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi kept alive in contemporary horror movies and television programs,” Ackerman said.
James E. Gunn, Emeritus Professor of English and Director of the Center for the Study of Science Fiction at the University of Kansas, told me that “almost every other kind of fiction is based on the notion that people earn their fates. What’s horrible about horror is that people often do not deserve the bad things that happen to them.”
Gunn argued that exposing viewers to timeless horror references—however subtle—in modern entertainment helps promote the classics of literature and film and form a more close-knit fan community.
“It tends to give viewers a kind of feeling of belonging, of being in the cognoscenti when they recognize something referenced” on their favorite TV show or new movie, Gunn said. “They feel as if their show is paying tribute to their knowledge of the horror genre. When a teenage viewer doesn’t ‘get it,’ they say, ‘gee, I’d better get with it and brush up on my horror history.’”
Why does the vampire mythos continue to be so popular, as evidenced by the strong following for modern horror series on television like "The Vampire Diaries"?
“A mummy or a werewolf are typically unpleasant, menacing characters,” said Ackerman. “A vampire, on the other hand, can be a more handsome, realistic creature that appeals to our humanistic, sympathetic side.”
Ackerman added that he does not worry about batminded burnout.
“There’s been a bit too much focus on vampires in the past few years in movies, books and television, and I fear that we may be getting burned out as a culture on vampires,” Ackerman says. “Being more of a purist of the classics, I also feel that they’re taking a bit too much liberty with the original Dracula archetype in some of these new creations. For example, vampires can get around by day now in some of these stories. But then again, they can’t have these vampires keep doing the same things over and over again. You have to add something new to the mythology.”
Ackerman, like most fans, believes that the undead, as well as their millennium-proof monster brethren, will never rest.
“I think classic monsters like vampires, werewolves, mummies and the like will stand the test of time,” Ackerman said. “I never saw the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde character become forgotten. And Frankenstein, Dracula and the mummy have been brought back to life more times than you can count.”
Gunn agrees that these frightmare forerunners have staying power that will defy age.
“The reason characters like Dracula and the Wolfman have lasted this long is they are archetypal—they deal with certain basic human concerns. It isn’t that we’re afraid of turning into werewolves, it’s that we have these repressed feelings within us that we don’t often let out,” Gunn said. Read more...
Hire a Carpenter this Halloween
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
You can't beat Bernard Herrmann's haunting score for "Psycho." Or Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar-winning soundtrack for "The Omen."
But if you’re throwing a monster mash bash this weekend–or even if you just feel like getting creeped out wearing headphones alone in a dark room--the ultimate Eve of All Hallows soundtrack is the music for John Carpenter’s 1978 horror classic “Halloween," currently available in a 20th anniversary edition compact disc (click here for details).
Written and remastered by Carpenter himself, this CD of instrumental music from the film is packed with bone-chilling cuts, including, of course, the piano-and-synthesizer title theme that plays as the elevator music to so many of our nightmares.
Also thrown in are spooky dialogue bits from the movie, featuring the voices of Jamie Lee Curtis and the late Donald Pleasance. Talk about your music to soothe the savage beast. Read more...
Join the Chicago Indie Film Meetup Group
Monday, October 26, 2009
One of our new members was kind enough to pass on information about another film club that meets regularly to view and discuss films--independent films, that is. It's called the Chicago Indie Film Meetup Group, and it convenes on the north side of Chicago.
According to its website, "The Chicago Indie Film Group typically meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema. We meet as a group, then split up into smaller groups to see several films based on the interests of those who attend. Afterward we retire to a local eatery to grab a bite or drink, discuss the films we saw, and socialize."
To join this group or for more info, visit: http://indiefilm.meetup.com/12/.
Hitchcock and Halloween: A match made in movie heaven
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Just in time for Halloween, the Oak Lawn Library will be hosting a free public screening of Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" (1951), scheduled for Thursday, October 29 at 2 p.m. and then repeated at 7 p.m.
No, it's not a horror film, but it is a fascinating study in cinematic suspense that will keep you riveted and thoroughly entertained. Rated: PG for some violence and tension. 101 min.
Check out our November/December schedule
Friday, October 23, 2009
The CineVerse schedule for November/December has been created. Click here to view it.
Let the write one in
Thursday, October 22, 2009
If you enjoyed our examination of "Let the Right One In" yesterday, or if you want to learn more, you can read the Reflections handout I created on the movie by clicking here. It contains erudite articles, essays and reviews about the picture.
And for those who couldn't join us last evening, you can listen to a recorded podcast file of our discussion by clicking here.
Read more...
Shocktober Theater x 2
See for yourself when you join us for our Shocktober Theater grand finale, a double-feature starring Bela Lugosi in the former and Boris Karloff in the latter, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28.
Read more...
Celluloid possessions
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Earlier this month, we examined the lasting potency and lingering shock value of "The Exorcist" (click here for the article).
- The Entity (1983). Barbara Hershey gets dominated by a lusty demon in this sometimes laughably lame fright flick.
- Exorcism (1974). A satanic cult goes on a gruesome crime spree in a little English village. Tame by today’s standards, but has its spooky moments.
- Exorcism’s Daughter (1974). Cheap ripoff of The Exorcist released a year later depicts the insanity of a woman who witnesses her mother’s death during an exorcism.
- The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005). More of a disturbing psychological horror experience.
- The Possessed (1977). An oh-so-dated made-for-TV fleshcrawler starring James Farentino as an exorcist called in to cast out Satan from a private girls’ school.
- Possession (1981). Rosemary’s Baby clone in which a secret agent’s wife prepares to give birth to an evil manifestation.
- The Possession of Joel Delaney (1972). Eerie flick about a wealthy divorcee whose brother, apparently the victim of Caribbean voodoo, undergoes harrowing transformations. Earns admiration points for predating The Exorcist by a year.
- Repossessed (1990). A silly satire that’s still worth the rental just to see Linda Blair spoof herself—with the help of Naked Gun-slinger Leslie Nielson—and the entire demonic possession genre.
- Rosemary’s Baby (1968). A highly stylized and chillingly effective tale about a mother impregnated with the devil’s child, directed by master auteur Roman Polanski.
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