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| James Marsden, we'll get to you in a minute... |
In celebration of this year's 25th anniversary, I look back on an interesting time in horror. This is probably the year that most saw the effect of Scream, with numerous films making it to the screen in hopes of getting some of that film's success. There were several other films I wanted to revisit (The Faculty, Deep Rising, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer) but couldn't get copies of in time, and there was one I never saw (Apt Pupil) that also proved hard to track down. I watched Halloween: H20 with the Halloween marathon of 2014, so I can't complete the Dawson's Creek 1998 horror trifecta, sadly.
RINGU
(Hideo Nakata)
I'll do this one first because it's the only one of this batch that isn't a rewatch. I rewatched the remake for last year's fest. It's a film I very much love, so I was excited to finally see the original. While it can be a bit odd watching the first one second and two decades after the 2002 version has been established in popular culture, this one very much stood on its own. I'll have to see the follow-ups as I think they are supposed to be more acclaimed than the American sequels. Nakata directed the American second part, a film that was mostly disappointing. This version is almost exactly the same as the remake for the first half - a reporter investigates the conspiracy around a videotape that kills its viewer. It detours a bit in the second half, which may have been a good thing for a new viewer. GRADE: B+
BLADE
(Stephen Norrington)
I would've liked to have seen the sequels as I've never seen them, but every copy I came across was damaged. I hadn't seen this one since watching it on VHS in early 99, and it holds up pretty well. We'll see if the Marvel version with Mahershala Ali ever gets off the ground. Wesley Snipes plays a half human, half vampire who sets out to stop a vampire group from wiping out the human race. Snipes oozes cool, and the film certainly still looks great on Blu-ray. The problem I have with this is the villains are just never interesting enough, certainly not up to Snipes and buddy Kris Kristofferson. The opening sequence, though, still bangs. Also with Stephen Dorff and Sanaa Lathan. GRADE: B
CAMPFIRE TALES
(Matt Cooper, Martin Kunert, and David Semel)
Direct-to-video anthology about a group of teens who tell each other campfire stories after wrecking their car. The film opens with a short depicting the classic hooked killer in a make out spot. The rest of the tales are as follows: one involving a newlywed couple RV-ing in a spot where creatures are rumored to roam, the second has a young girl being stalked online and then in her house by a predator, and the third features a motorcyclist staying at a farm with a mute woman haunted by ghosts. The first one probably could've been expanded to a feature, and the second is the most traditionally scary going to some dark places. The third is an odd choice to end things, especially considering how the wraparound story ends. A good cast leads this little seen gem not many know about, sadly it doesn't appear to be streaming anywhere and the DVDs are out of print. With Ron Livingston, Christine Taylor, Glenn Quinn, and brief appearances by Amy Smart and James Marsden. GRADE: B+
DISTURBING BEHAVIOR
(David Nutter)
Ah, James Marsden. Before I get into this film, I must confess my eternal love for James and how in this film he's probably like, Top 5 Men for me. Maybe Top 3. Possibly #1. A moody Pacific Northwest late 90's guy wearing flannel, staring at the bay. Doesn't get much better than that. I must also confess that I still have the soundtrack and it barely plays because I wore it out replaying The Flys "Got You Where I Want You". Ah, 1998. (Still frustrating "Flagpole Sitta" wasn't on it despite being used in the film and marketing.) Anyways, 2 decades after The Stepford Wives and 2 decades before Get Out, there was Disturbing Behavior, which was from some of the people who worked on "The X-Files". In the town of Cradle Bay, a group of loners stumble on to a conspiracy where teenagers are being turned into perfect, Straight-A students. The problem is when their normal teenage impulses hit, they lose control. They get horny, they get violent. This was probably the first viewing of this I've had in 20 or so years, and I'm happy to report it held up even if I would still love a director's cut with the 20-or-so minutes of deleted scenes put back in. There's a lot of clever writing and Nick Stahl is so fucking good. I could've gone without Katie Holmes saying "Razor!" three times, though. But...Mr. Marsden...
What's your favorite song? Maybe we could hum along. I think you're smart, you sweet thing. Tell me your name, I'm dying here. AaaOOOOOOHHHH! GRADE: James Marsden: A+ (and a B+ for the movie)
JOHN CARPENTER'S VAMPIRES
(John Carpenter)
No John Carpenters were injured in the making of this blog post. The horror legend's western homage focusing on the leader (James Woods) of a crew of a vampire hunters searching the American Southwest for bloodsuckers. When his crew is wiped out, he uses a recently converted woman (Sheryl Lee) to find the vampire king. I haven't seen this at all since watching it in early '99. It seems like a movie that's mostly been forgotten. It did spawn a direct-to-video sequel starring Jon Bon Jovi. Great cinematography and score at the start, but it soon loses some of its edge once it goes more horror, less western. Also, it's pretty misogynistic sadly. I have to wonder if this would've been received better had From Dust Till Dawn not opened two years prior. Also with Daniel Baldwin and Thomas Ian Griffith. GRADE: B
PHANTOMS
(Joe Chappelle)
Two sisters (Joanna Going and Rose McGowan) find their small, snowy Colorado town under attack by an unknown deadly presence. The local police (led by Ben Affleck, who as it turns out is NOT the bomb in this) try to contain it, and a conspiracy nut (Peter O'Toole) is brought in to help. Scripted by Dean Koontz, the film begins quite moody and has a nice mystery to it, but it loses its way after the first act and then tries to throw in everything including the kitchen sink. Literally. A notorious bomb with both audiences and critics, I - unsurprisingly - enjoyed it back in the day. Also unsurprisingly, it does not hold up and is just too much of a mess. Liev Schreiber also appears. GRADE: C
PSYCHO
(Gus Van Sant)
Mention this film and 90% of the response will range from anger to lectures of "everything that's wrong with movies today!" That was even true 25 years ago, and I was in the small minority who actually enjoyed it. Remaking classics is obviously sacrilege, but doing an exact recreation with a bunch of then-hot names? Eyebrows were raised. To sum up Entertainment Weekly at time time: "Terrible idea. Can't wait to see it." It has its fans, but most probably would prefer it be forgotten. I surprisingly enjoyed going back and seeing what worked and what didn't. All of Marion's scenes remain strong thanks to Anne Heche, Vince Vaughn is a bit of a mixed bag as Norman. Didn't care for Viggo Mortensen or Julianne Moore, both seemed a little too actorly in their portrayals. Loved the kitsch-heavy production design and costumes. It's a bit like a modern magazine spread inspired by a classic movie - nice to look at, but ultimately kinda hollow. Still, I have to look at it as a love letter to the original slasher. GRADE: B
URBAN LEGEND
(Jamie Blanks)
Of all the Scream-knockoffs that populated the late 90's/early aughts, Urban Legend is probably among the best of the new age slashers. A killer on a college campus is using popular folklore to murder co-eds, with Natalie (Alicia Witt) seemingly the main target. Is there a connection to a rampage that happened decades earlier? While it doesn't quite transcend its clichés the way Scream did, Urban is still a lot of fun thanks to how it incorporates them and its game cast. It's never too wink-wink, mostly playing things straight, though there is an amusing moment involving a certain Paula Cole song and some horror faves in the supporting cast. I only wish the killer's look had been a bit more memorable. At least I Know What You Did Last Summer had a fisherman's outfit, whereas this is just a parka and an ax? There was a reboot in development a few years back, and it might be a franchise worth revisiting in the digital age. Also with Rebecca Gayheart, Joshua Jackson, Loretta Devine and future Oscar-winner Jared Leto. GRADE: B+
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| This is it. No man will ever be hotter. |
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