Not ready for Halloween to be over
Sorry. Just not. I prolonged it by going to see the Tiger Lillies last night. They were WONDERFUL. And one of the few bands that can actually give me nightmares.
FLIPPER BOY! FLIPPER BOY!
Sorry.
Anyway.
So, to keep my Halloweeny state of mind going, I'm going to tell you about some horror movies I saw this season.
Paranormal Activity
Bored the snot out of me. I didn't buy it. The ending was fun. Had trouble staying awake through the rest of it.
June 9
Now THIS is a fun low-budget "found video" movie. Some (totally obnoxious) teenagers start spending every day of summer vacation in a part of rural Ohio known as "Helltown." They try to find out if there's anything to the supernatural rumors about the place, and play tons of nasty tricks on people along the way. Um...this is not destined to end well. But it was sure as hell fun!
Simon Says
If you like old-school '80's slashers, and ESPECIALLY if you like Crispin Glover, this backwoods splatfest is for you. CG puts in a delightful, over-the-top performance as psychopathic twin brothers. I'm so desperately attracted to the man that I got a little distracted, but y'know. Did I mention the home-made seige engines that fling pickaxes? Yeah...sigh...
Orphan
Evil children! Oh yeah! This is a fine, fine example of the genre. The little girl who plays Esther is adorable, and a great little actress. Poor Vera Farmiga is yet again playing the mommy of an evil offspring. (Her mental breakdown in "Joshua" was downright spectacular.) The writing is fresh and fun, and there's an awesome twist at the end. If you haven't heard about it, don't let anybody talk to you about it. Just rent that puppy! You'll never look at blacklight paint the same way again!
Dead and Rotting
Super low-budget but well written and fun supernatural snarkfest, starring the eternally gorgeous and cool Debbie Rochon. Dude! It has pumkin zombies! What's not to like about it?
Murderous Maids
Ridiculous title for a terrific movie about the Papin Sisters. "Sister, My Sister" was a creepy, poetic movie about the infamous girls, but "Murderous Maids" really digs into the sisters' relationship, and Christine's deep mental illness. Not really horror, but a great psychological study with a horrifying conclusion.
Kovak Box
Less a horror flick and more a (not so gory) Dario Argento-style weirdass thriller, but i enjoyed the heck out of it. Timothy Hutton was terrific. And the premise is sincerely creepy. Plus, it features one of my favorite songs, "Gloomy Sunday."
Population 436
Weird twist on the "messed-up backwoods town" genre of horror. Starring the totally cute Jeremy Sisto as a census taker who is puzzled by a little town that has maintained a population of 436 people for over a hundred years. ...Yeah. You can guess that nothing good can come of this. But it's a helluva fun movie.
Yes. I DO intend to drag Halloween out all the way through Thanksgiving.
FLIPPER BOY! FLIPPER BOY!
Sorry.
Anyway.
So, to keep my Halloweeny state of mind going, I'm going to tell you about some horror movies I saw this season.
Paranormal Activity
Bored the snot out of me. I didn't buy it. The ending was fun. Had trouble staying awake through the rest of it.
June 9
Now THIS is a fun low-budget "found video" movie. Some (totally obnoxious) teenagers start spending every day of summer vacation in a part of rural Ohio known as "Helltown." They try to find out if there's anything to the supernatural rumors about the place, and play tons of nasty tricks on people along the way. Um...this is not destined to end well. But it was sure as hell fun!
Simon Says
If you like old-school '80's slashers, and ESPECIALLY if you like Crispin Glover, this backwoods splatfest is for you. CG puts in a delightful, over-the-top performance as psychopathic twin brothers. I'm so desperately attracted to the man that I got a little distracted, but y'know. Did I mention the home-made seige engines that fling pickaxes? Yeah...sigh...
Orphan
Evil children! Oh yeah! This is a fine, fine example of the genre. The little girl who plays Esther is adorable, and a great little actress. Poor Vera Farmiga is yet again playing the mommy of an evil offspring. (Her mental breakdown in "Joshua" was downright spectacular.) The writing is fresh and fun, and there's an awesome twist at the end. If you haven't heard about it, don't let anybody talk to you about it. Just rent that puppy! You'll never look at blacklight paint the same way again!
Dead and Rotting
Super low-budget but well written and fun supernatural snarkfest, starring the eternally gorgeous and cool Debbie Rochon. Dude! It has pumkin zombies! What's not to like about it?
Murderous Maids
Ridiculous title for a terrific movie about the Papin Sisters. "Sister, My Sister" was a creepy, poetic movie about the infamous girls, but "Murderous Maids" really digs into the sisters' relationship, and Christine's deep mental illness. Not really horror, but a great psychological study with a horrifying conclusion.
Kovak Box
Less a horror flick and more a (not so gory) Dario Argento-style weirdass thriller, but i enjoyed the heck out of it. Timothy Hutton was terrific. And the premise is sincerely creepy. Plus, it features one of my favorite songs, "Gloomy Sunday."
Population 436
Weird twist on the "messed-up backwoods town" genre of horror. Starring the totally cute Jeremy Sisto as a census taker who is puzzled by a little town that has maintained a population of 436 people for over a hundred years. ...Yeah. You can guess that nothing good can come of this. But it's a helluva fun movie.
Yes. I DO intend to drag Halloween out all the way through Thanksgiving.