Horrorfest 2022/Let’s Get Criterion Presents: The Devil’s Backbone (2001, Guillermo del Toro)

This was the last movie I watched for my Horrorfest, and I choose wisely. The Devil’s Backbone is a haunting, tragic and bittersweet picture set amongst the horrors and violence of the Spanish Civil War. As I viewed this movie I was reminded that some monsters are very human, which I think runs through a lot of Guillermo del Toro’s work. The man is a master craftsman of dreams and nightmares, fully unafraid to wield magical realism in his cinema. It’s a shame it took the Academy so long to praise his efforts.

Fernando Tielve takes the main character’s role of Carlos and fully runs with it all the way. He is left to survive in an all boys orphanage, bullied at first yet earning the respect of the kids there. Particularly Íñigo Garcés’ Jaime, who he forms a bond with and who is hiding a secret. A ghost is rumored to lurk on the grounds, all while an unexploded bomb sits quietly in the middle of the building. So many metaphors, only so much screen time.

The adults running the place range from saintly, nice, haunted, and wicked. You have Marisa Paredes’ Carmen who runs the place and deals with both scars hidden and obvious. Federico Luppi as Dr. Casares, who cares deeply for both Carman and the boys, yet is older and thus weaker as a result. Irene Visedo plays Conchita, who loves Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega) yet fails to realize he is not a good person until it’s too late. It is the adults who set in motion perilous events that threaten everyone in the orphanage, not the boys who only try to survive.

The ghost scenes in this movie are so effective because they lure you in and then pop up right in your face. There is a keyhole scene that rivals Black Christmas’ one in terms of supreme creep level, and the finale is very suspenseful. I’ll be dwelling on this one a while, and it’s easily one of del Toro’s best movies. It also clearly inspired other later movies, and is a welcome addition to my Criterion collection of Blu-ray’s.

Horrorfest 2022 Presents: Halloween Ends (2022, David Gordon Green)

Anyone who has bothered to read my reviews knows I’m a fan of the current Halloween trilogy. I’ve seen every single one in the franchise, and I own up to the Rob Zombie ones in a Blu-ray box set I got from Wal-Mart. So I wasn’t too surprised that I enjoyed Halloween Ends. What I didn’t expect is that I would like it the most out of the Gordon Green entries in the series. This is literally if Halloween III had Michael Myers after all, and to me it works despite people complaining that Michael Myers takes a backseat.

Well honestly he kind of has in all of the ones Laurie Strode appears in, save for Halloween Resurrection of course. These movies are as much about Mikey’s victims and the haunted survivors as they are about his murderous rampages. This one gets that aspect especially well, as one Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell in an excellent and creepy performance) is not only shaped by one bad night, but also transformed into something worse. Strode (the always great Jamie Lee Curtis) slowly realizes what is happening, even as she is responsible for Corey meeting her daughter, Allyson.

Andi Matichak by the way doesn’t get enough credit for being excellent in all of these movies, and one can argue she is as much the focus of these ones as her grandmother Laurie. I also am glad that Will Patton pops up again although lucky for his character he doesn’t go after Myers for a change. There is a nice grocery store scene between him and Laurie that ends with Laurie being confronted by one of Myers’s victims in what is a chilling reminder that the boogeyman didn’t kill everyone he crossed paths with. Some were unlucky enough to survive and live with pain and scars.

The film does drag in certain parts, and there’s a lot of flash and style to account for certain scenes that lack substance. However the movie has a fantastic mix of original score and movie soundtrack picks, and I’m greatly amused at how one group of people literally exist as victims you don’t mind seeing die horribly. If anything that’s the issue folks have with slasher movies, that we end up rooting for the killer as much as we do for their potential victims trying to survive. Yet that’s maybe an element we could focus on more, how so many of us eagerly go see movies like Halloween Ends.

Shoutout also to Diana Prince aka Darcy the Mail-Girl for her awesome cameo as a radio station secretary who ends up not having a good weekend. I imagine they’ll keep making these movies, and I’ll keep showing up to watch them. However Gordon Green’s trilogy has a very satisfying conclusion, and I’m glad I saw it in theaters. Also one particular thing happens that was not only long overdue, yet very fitting for this series. Don’t Fear The Reaper, indeed.

Horrorfest 2022/Let’s Get Criterion Presents: The Cremator (1969, Juraj Herz)

My final viewing on Halloween that was a first time viewing (I did revisit two Brian De Palma films, one which I need to review for this blog, the other which I reviewed years back) was Juraj Herz’s disturbing dramatic horror movie The Cremator. Is this a horror movie or is it a drama? I feel that both apply here, in that Herz covers the so called “Banality of evil” that comes to mind when describing any such horrors that occur in life committed by people who appear to be normal. In this case it applies to the Holocaust, which is the event that inspired such a quote.

What we realize is that people we deem monsters are in fact rather human beings, and this movie is an excellent and chilling display of how someone goes from being a loving father, husband and pillar of the community to an absolute monster capable of murder and much, much worse. I wonder how much this inspired such later films as American Psycho, where the main character manages to captivate our interest while he commits such awful crimes, and fittingly both that movie and The Cremator are bleak comedies. I did find myself chuckling at some parts that were truly beyond the pale, and Karel Kopfrkingl (Rudolf Hrušínský) is the main character of this movie, combining Tibetan philosophy with Nazism in what is a marvelous and skin crawling performance. Without him this movie wouldn’t even work, and I’m reminded of how easy it is for people to be swayed by others who offer a credence that preaches you being better than others.

In fact, the Nazi party scenes offer a window into a society that practices benign acceptance of a horrific policy, and embraces a destiny that appeals greatly to Karel. He believes that he is freeing souls through murder and death, and there are several parts that show his madness on full display. The final shot is very effective, as he never waivers from his beliefs and they and him become one, driven on by others. He is given the authority to put his desires and plans into motion, and I’m sure others today would eagerly grasp onto such power if given the chance. The Cremator is one of the best horror movies I’ve ever seen, and it’s going to haunt me for a while. With the rise of fascism again in the world and people cheering for alt right candidates, I feel that Herz’s classic is all the more relevant in today’s age. I wish it wasn’t so, people seem to have short memories and always need reminders. Cinema is good at delivering those.

Horrorfest 2022/Let’s Get Criterion Presents: Onibaba (1964, Kaneto Shindo)

Finally I got around to watching my copy of Kaneto Shindo’s Onibaba on Halloween, which is an eerie and slow burn nightmare tale of murder, madness, and family bounds fraying amongst the ruins of war torn Japan. Two women, one older (Nobuko Otowa), one younger (Jitsuko Yoshimura) have a man (Kei Satō) come between them, as the younger woman is dealing with her husband being dead as a result of the civil war raging at the time. The older woman, realizing that she can’t kill people by herself, decides to use a samurai mask that is really super freaky looking and tales of hell to scare the younger woman into staying with her. Does all of this horribly backfire? What do you think, ha ha? Of course it does, in gloriously shot black and white cinematography that only adds to the movie’s unsettling atmosphere and strong feelings of dread.

I rather liked the dynamic between the two women, and one can argue that what happens to them is karma, yet I felt that the movie’s finale and last act is more a fulfillment of a bleak destiny that was hanging over them the entire time. Toho did a great job with this movie, and even though I don’t think it’s a great movie I feel it is a very strong one, a film that I should probably watch again and look even more closely at. Criterion did a fine transfer job as usual, and I would like to see more of Shindo’s work. My only issue is that I’m not sure the movie really had an ending, although I guess that often happens in foreign cinema.

Horrorfest 2022 Presents/Let’s Get Criterion: Häxan (1922, Benjamin Christensen)

Benjamin Christensen’s Häxan is one of those silent cinema era movies that helped influence and define the genre when it was still in it’s early years. It also reflects on the fact that man is the biggest monster of all, although this movie shows the Devil a lot. This movie’s version of the Devil inspires the witches that the movie covers and discusses, and he looks pretty much like you would expect, or at least the heavy metal version, anyways. Witchcraft has a long history and usually involves people accusing others of being witches, thus resulting in the local religious authorities torturing and murdering people. Often people were completely innocent, swept up in the mass hysteria of the time and condemned to awful and inhumane fates. The movie treats all of this as a quasi-documentary, and is framed as a long standing history lesson, which is fascinating and sometimes enlightening to those who were unaware of such things. Most of the time people who had mental disorders were thought to be witches, which makes things even worse.

There are several gorgeously shot and marvelous appearing set pieces, the one where the witches have a mass coven meeting after flying through the night being very remarkable. The movie has some great practical effects, many of which still hold up a century later. I viewed this classic on Halloween eve, which may have been the most opportune viewing time. It’s also notable that with few exceptions the victims of witch hunts were usually women, and thus sexism and misogynistic views reigned heavily during the periods where witch hunts were at their highest.

Christensen even ties this into the modern era with the final act, noting how the witch hunt never really died, it just changed it’s shape and purpose. For a silent cinema era movie to note this is outstanding, and I may view this movie again at a later date just to see how it holds up still in my eyes. Which will be easy to do since I own it on Criterion, and the Criterion Blu-ray is a gorgeous transfer. If people watch this on YouTube or via TCM that’s fine too, if you get the chance you should totally check this one out.

Horrorfest 2022 Presents: Deathdream (1974, Bob Clark)

Bob Clark gave us A Christmas Story, yet his main body of work lies in the horror movie genre. Deathdream is a really good horror movie that reminds us to be careful what you wish for. It just might come true and make things worse. Much worse. Lynn Carlin is fantastic as Christine, a mother who wishes for her son Andy (Richard Backus in a freaky and creepy performance) to come home from the Vietnam War. He was reportedly killed, and yet one night he shows up, to the amazement of his mother, father (John Marley) and sister (Anya Ormsby) who all thought he was dead.

They choose to ignore the fact that he’s home, although his father starts to notice that Andy is well, different. A lot different! What occurs next is a series of brutal murders and the realization that while Andy is still walking, he’s not exactly human anymore. That’s for sure in what reminds me not only of The Monkey’s Paw (the inspiration for the flick) but also Stephen King tales as well.

I’m not sure if Andy is a zombie or a vampire, yet the scenes where he attacks people to drink their blood are pretty suspenseful and freaky. Clark made a low budget movie that is still well put together anyways, and he focuses on the negative impacts of the Vietnam War upon a local community literally less than a year after the US pulled out of the conflict. I do wish the movie had lingered on those aspects a bit more, yet Deathdream is a really effective drama horror movie that did burrow itself into my brain a little. Viewed thanks to Tubi, and a reminder that the 1970s had some of the best horror the genre had to offer.

Horrorfest 2022 Presents: The Flesh Eaters (1964, Jack Curtis)

The Flesh Eaters is one of those cheesy 1960s horror movies, and yet it has more violence and gore than a lot of them do. In fact this movie is not afraid to cross the line and feature some creature murder effects that would make Herschell Gordon Lewis nod in approval. Despite the movie’s obvious limitations I enjoyed this one, and it’s a mostly bleak bottle style episode movie where a group of people are trapped on a distant island. This island happens to be surrounded by a group of monstrous glowing microbe that a scientist on the island seems to know more about than he’s telling. Byron Sanders is stoic and resourceful as the movie’s hero, and Barbara Wilkin plays the love interest. There’s not a huge cast here, and honestly most of the others seem to exist as potential victims.

One of the victims ends up being devoured from the inside out in what is a really gruesome and nasty moment, and the movie’s evil critters sure are hungry. All the time! The movie doesn’t really overstay it’s welcome and I’m actually surprised no one has tried to remake this movie, although I guess the creature effects would all be CGI these days. Sometimes practical effects work best, or at least look really cool.

Horrorfest 2022 Presents: The Raven (1963, Roger Corman)

I finally watched Roger Corman’s 1963 horror comedy classic The Raven, which is a delightful movie with a great cast. When Jack Nicholson is a supporting actor in this movie you know you have some stars, that’s for sure. Vincent Price and Peter Lorre play sorcerers battling Boris Karloff in a battle of wits, powers, and even manners. Hazel Court plays Price’s wife who may still be alive, and Olive Sturgess is Price’s daughter. The movie uses the Edgar Allan Poe legendary poem The Raven as it’s main basis, although of course the rest of the movie has nothing to do with the actual story. Richard Matheson wrote the film, so that’s why it has so much good natured and fun humor combined with fantasy and horror movie elements.

In fact this is probably more of a dark comedy than a horror movie, still I counted it as such anyways because this is my Horrorfest and I do what I want. Price vs Karloff is great and all, yet the movie works the best when Lorre and Price are bickering amongst each other back and forth. While Corman and Price made better Poe movies than this one, I think it’s up there amongst their best works and it’s beyond fun to watch. The castle setting is perfect for this movie, and the chair wizard battle scene is marvelous in every way. I saw this thanks to Tubi, and I’m happy to check off another Price movie. It’s a shame he was never nominated for an Oscar.

Horrorfest 2022 Presents: Aenigma (1988, Lucio Fulci)

The really weirdly titled Aenigma was Lucio Fulci once again trying to craft something different than his other movies, although this one was a bit too campy for me at times. It was sort of channeling Carrie, although I was also reminded of Phenomena as well, and those are better movies than this one. Still if you want to see a Fulci movie about a coma patient who gets revenge for the prank pulled on her, this is the movie for you. Lara Lambert is great and sinister looking as Eva, the instrument of Milijana Zirojevic’s Kathy, and Ulli Reinthaler is good as Jenny, who I think you were supposed to root for even though she was involved in the prank. Jared Martin is the doctor who is treating Kathy, yet still fails to make any connection between her and the strange deaths. I can’t tell if that is the plot requiring him to be that oblivious, or if it’s just him being blinded by the two ladies who are in love with him. I’ll go with both here. Both is good.

The snails death is actually pretty nasty even for a Fulci movie, and is probably one of the most memorable from a master of memorable disgusting and gruesome moments. There is also several other decent kills, and the last act is suspenseful enough, particularly since Eva literally becomes an unstoppable killing machine. Does the movie offer tangible answers to what happened, why any of this was possible, and if it could happen again? Hah ha, no, of course not. That’s the Italian horror movie way, and I’m fine with it. Also the end credits shot is very The Shining, in a way, and that’s how I like it.

Horrorfest 2022 Presents: Manhattan Baby (1982, Lucio Fulci)

By the 1980s Lucio Fulci had decided to change up his style a bit, and the result is the pretty decent and somewhat entertaining Manhattan Baby, which is a strange title. Here Fulci channels The Exorcist, and reminds me of Poltergeist (even though that movie came out in the same year) for a movie about a girl who ends up cursed because her father uncovered an ancient Egyptian tomb. This leads to cruel deaths, weird happenings and a finale that is pretty wild. It’s a shame that this movie had its budget cut, as Fulci was trying to move away from his usual gory affairs, and you can tell that he was trying to make a creepy and effective movie. Still there are some good freaky death scenes in this movie, and it’s pretty obvious this is still a Fulci movie.

Christopher Connelly and Laura Lenz are really good as the parents of Susie (Brigitta Boccoli) who ends up becoming affected by the evil. What happens to Susie and her brother’s (Giovanni Frezza) babysitter is pretty crazy, and there is a bedroom scene that would easily be at home in any of the Poltergeist movies. I can’t say more about the deaths yet one that occurs in the finale is pretty wild and very memorable, and despite not being allowed to reach it’s full potential I still liked this movie. I saw it thanks to Shudder, which has a fairly solid collection of Fulci’s movies. The Italians sure knew how to make a crazy horror movie.

She’s got that…cobra in her? Huh Fulci was ahead of his time!