Scary Monsters

Halloween is probably my favorite time of year. I love costumes, I love candy, I love monsters, but most of all, I love scary movies.

Or at least I used to. The current crop of horror flicks from Hollywood are pretty damn banal. Either they are remakes of classic horror films or bland American remakes of new and interesting films from Japan, China and Korea. I'll admit that Hollywood is an easy target, but these movies are being made for a reason: people will go to see them. This is sort of a chicken and the egg situation, though. Is Hollywood making bad movies because that's what the audience wants to see, or is the audience going to see bad movies because that's all Hollywood makes? My gut tells me that with the success of smart, interesting and fresh films (especially indie films) that it's simply the later. People want to be entertained so they'll pretty much go see any movie that looks remotely interesting, then bitch about it afterwards.

But, I digress. What I really wanted to talk about was good scary movies, the ones that scared me as a kid and still scare me now. In honor of Halloween, here's a list of some of my favorites and why you should watch them. These are sorted by category.

Now I'm feeling Zombified

Night of the Living Dead: the original film seemed all the scarier to me because it was shot in black-and-white. I think it must be the way shadows are rendered (see anything made by the Germans in the 20s if you don't believe me). This film plays on a primal fear of death and the dead (not to mention cannibalism!) and the tone and acting was quite serious; Romero never talked down to his audience nor did anything at their expense.

Shaun of the Dead: not a horror film in the traditional sense, this comedy starts dark and gets darker. It plays upon the zombie genre as a metaphor for growing up and can be funny, scary and heart-breaking all at the same time.

Dead Alive: This was the first movie I saw from Peter Jackson and much later, when I heard he was making The Lord of the Rings movies, I had a difficult time reconciling the two. Sure, he had also directed Heavenly Creatures, but then again, he had directed Meet the Feebles. Anyway, this is another zombie horror comedy with plenty of over-the-top gross-out effects, great action and quotable lines ("I kick ass for the Lord!" still makes me laugh my ass off).

28 Days Later: This was surprisingly effective movie that plays upon fears of contagion and fears about our fellow humans, imagining what would happen if we were compelled to act upon our basest impulses.

Evil Dead 2: worth it just to hear Bruce Campbell say "Groovy."

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me

Seven: The sheer ugliness of the movie makes it both fascinating and repulsive. Every scene is filled with darkness and dread and when the horrible truth comes to light, the filmmakers do not cop out or allow you to look away. Probably one of the best films I have ever seen.

The Sixth Sense: Speaking of dread, it is nearly overwhelming in this film. This is a perfectly made story and although much is made about the surprise ending, there is enough detail, metaphor and lovely moments to make repeat viewings a treat.

Jacob's Ladder: What scared me about this film was its panicky freakiness; even at the end you were never quite sure what just happened and what was really going on. Like most good horror films the main character's fear, confusion and pain is palpable.

The Shining: This is, of course, Jack Nicholson's movie and it's a great deal of fun to watch him come unhinged. The weird touches, like the twin girls and the strange figures in costume make this a very creepy and unnerving film.

The Exorcist: Linda Blair is the Exorcist what Jack Nicholson is to The Shining - it's a perfect peformance.

Monsters!

Halloween: I watched this movie recently and was surprised at both how well it held up and how slow it builds - even though you may know what happens, the tension is still there. I still can't watch this alone and in the dark. Bonus points for an extra creepy soundtrack.

Alien: This movie at times has an almost dreamlike quality to it. It's beautifully shot as well as horrifying (the alien coming out of John Hurt's stomach is still one of the best moments in horror film history). And the alien is beautiful and disturbing.

Nosferatu: This film is still a beautiful example of German Expressionism, the movement that probably did the more for cinematography than any other school, director or technology. The vampire is ugly and creepy, much different from the charismatic vampires that would follow in movies and TV.

Ginger Snaps: This wicked little gem uses lycanthropy as a metaphor for growing up or more specifically, for puberty. Like I Was a Teenaged Werewolf before it, it puts teens in the roles of werewolves, but this time with a smart, witty and scary script.

In time for Halloween: TV Thrillers

What a great season to be a Sci Fi/Fantasy fan! Not since The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer were on prime time have there been so many science fiction and fantasy-based shows on network television. Hoping to catch the same audience that made Lost a such hit, the networks have given us two new creepy shows: Supernatural and Night Stalker. How do they compare?

Premise
Supernatural: Two brothers search for their missing dad, who became obsessed with occult-based crimes after their mother's death. By investigating mysteries that he would have been drawn to, they hope to find clues to his whereabouts.
Night Stalker: Carl Kolchak, a reporter, is drawn to mysterious and occult crimes similar to the death of his wife.
Winner: Tie - the premises are very similar. And yes, before you get all pop culture on me, read the next one.

Pedigree
Supernatural: Many of the episodes are directed by Kim Manners and written by John Shiban, both of whom worked on The X-Files.
Night Stalker: Based on the cult made-for-TV movie and television series staring Darren McGavin in the early 70s.
Winner: Night Stalker; the original is considered to be some of the best sci-fi/fantasy produced for television and definitely inspired The X-Files.

Sample Storyline
Supernatural: The brothers invesitgate a wendigo, a person now transformed into an evil spirit through cannibalism. The wendigo stalks hikers with uncanny swiftness and stores them in an underground larder.
Night Stalker: Kolchak investigates mysterious killings in a secret college society. The victims were literally scared to death. The killings were caused by the lingering fear of a little boy who was murdered by his father in the house where the rituals of the society take place.
Winner: Supernatural - Although neither plot sounds like much, it's all in the execution. Night Stalker's plot had holes and the resolution (including Kolchak burning down the house!) seemed silly. Supernatural, on the other hand, was actually scary and gross.

Production Values
Supernatural: A recent episode featured a shapeshifting creature that actually shedded its old appearance, including skin and teeth, into a gross puddle of goo.
Night Stalker: Generally, the show avoids monsters and even then shows them only as shadowy shapes.
Winner: Supernatural - No, the show isn't as glossy as a big budget Hollywood movie, but they do really well with what they've got.

Stars
Supernatural: Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki - though not big stars as yet, they are nice-looking boys and have done quite a bit of work.
Night Stalker: Stuart Townsend - an Irish actor who has been in such movies as Queen of the Damned and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Winner: Draw - I like all three. Townsend's film work might leave something to be desired, but somehow I still like him. Ackles and Padalecki have a good rapport and actually seem like brothers.

Winner: Supernatural edges out Night Stalker. Though I really want to like Night Stalker, I also really want it to be more: more scary, more interesting, more, ironically enough, like The X-Files; fans of the original series will be disappointed. On the other hand, Supernatural, unsurprisingly, feels like The X-Files and has intriguing, scary stories. However, both series lack a strong "mythology" plot, which has come to be expected from these sorts of shows. I hope they last long enough to get a chance to develop that story element.

Supernatural is on WB on Tuesday nights.
Night Stalker is on ABC on Thursday nights.

3 Things that I love

1. A good cup of tea - I am an unashamed anglophile. I love teas of all kinds. I love cookies, cake, little tea sandwiches and generally anything that has to do with the ritual of making and drinking tea.

2. Gene Wolfe - Currently, I'm reading Latro in the Mist. A Roman soldier, after receiving a head wound, suffers from amnesia and can no longer make long term memories (think Memento). He also can see the gods...

3. Wacky, but clever inventions - MIT students are creating a machine that makes dishes on demand. It's cooler than you think.

3 things that piss me off

1. The Broadcast Flag - Certain media companies want to implement copy protection for digital broadcast television and are seeking a law to do so. The law would compel companies making recording technologies to adopt a content protection language/technology/standard/whatever they're calling it this week. This is, of course, an attempt to stop pirating by assuming that all consumers are thieves; by stalling technological innovation and the reallocation of broadcast spectrum assets; and on some level, to invade our privacy by controlling what we can do with our computers and recording devices. I think the thing that really makes me angry, though, is that rather than embrace the technology and find creative solutions to piracy and copyright issues, these companies would rather spend millions of dollars fighting it.

2. The Military Keeping Databases of Children for Recruitment Purposes - according to this site, a section of the No Child Left Behind bill requires high schools to turn over student information to military recruiters. This isn't new actually, as quite a few of my friends in high school (in the 80s mind you) got calls from recruiters. And this isn't to say that serving in the military is wrong. What is wrong is not keeping parents well-informed about how their children's personal information is being used.

3. RFID Tags - These chips receive and respond to radio-frequency queries from special transmitters. Currently, they are being used to track inventory in stores, but other applications are being developed - for example, Michelin is embedding the tags in their tires to track them for possible problems. The State of California had considered even using them in their driver's license ID cards. So what's the big deal? Unlike UPC, the RFID tags are unique identifiers. With the right equipment, the tags can be read from a distance, allowing someone to stalk, spy or (in the case of RFID-equipped ID cards) even steal the identity of a person carrying an item with a RFID tag in it.