1974 was one hell of a year for the horror genre, arguably the two most influential horror movies (and arguably two of the most influential films of all time too) were released within ten days of each other, the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Black Christmas. Black Christmas was the first film to do many things, it was the first Christmas horror film (first holiday horror film as well), it was the first sorority horror movie, it was the first horror film where you never see the killer, the first where ending is never clearly resolved, the first to do the big twist with the phones (think When a Stranger Calls[1979] or [2006]), and the one which the director was most proud of, the first realistic look at college life in the US. Bob Clark may have become most famous for the 80s comedies Porky's (1982), or the immortal holiday cult classic A Christmas Story
(1983), but like many and most famous directors, he started in the horror genre. Like most directors he only viewed making horror films as a necessity to pay the bills until he would later be big enough to make the films he wanted to do, but those who have seen his horror films usually agree that they are some of the best ever made. This film is about a serial killer stalking the residents of a college sorority around Christmas. This film came out four years before Halloween (1978) which would set the horror world ablaze creating the slasher craze which would eventually in one way or another affect every horror movie ever made after the 70s. When I watched this one I had no idea of the historical significance it had and I was just like "wow this is pretty similar to Halloween, it's really good though, and hey they stole that part from When a Stranger Calls!" When in reality When a Stranger Calls blatantly ripped off this film. This film even if you have seen all the movies it influenced before you see these one, it still feels great. The film is still scary, still funny, and the juxtaposition of the killings around "the most peaceful time of the year" still works great. While The Texas Chainsaw Massacre influenced horror movies to eventually go down the path of extreme violence and gore, this film is just as influential in the way that it is stylized and shies away from being extremely graphic (though it does have its
moments).This film truly still feels fresh, especially in its portrayal of the college students, I felt like they were similar to some people I've met being a current college student. The film is also notable for its young stars Olivia Hussey (Romeo and Juliet) Margot Kidder(Superman), and Keir Dullea (2001: a Space Odyssey). It should almost be a crime that this film has dwelt in obscurity while the other films that were influenced by it prospered enormously. This film does have pretty devout cult following that it has gathered over the years though, including such celebrity fans as Steve Martin (in the documentary in the bonus features on the disc, Olivia Hussey said he told her it's one of his favorite movies and he's seen it 23 times), and a little guy named Elvis Presley, who watched it every year around Christmas until he died, and since then Priscilla and Lisa Marie have kept up the tradition every year since.The film also had a remake in 2006 which earned the approval of Bob Clark, the remake is notable in the sense that it sets out to resolve some of the loose ends left by the original. The film's most famous scene is when a girl is asphyxiated by a plastic bag over her head. This film is a part of Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments, and I give it a 5/5. You can view the trailer below:
Just watched this one last night. This is another one that I've been meaning to watch for forever, but just never got around to it, but I finally got around to it and it's well worth a watch. For those of you that aren't familiar with this movie's premise, here it is: Bruce Campbell plays an elderly Elvis (the real one who switched lives with an impersonator back in the 70s) living in a nursing home in texas with a black man who's convinced he's JFK (Ossie Davis), and their nursing home and its residents are under attack by an ancient mummy, and Elvis and black JFK have to save the day (that is quite possibly one of the craziest sentences I've ever written). If you are a sane intelligent human being, chances are you read that synopsis and said "oh my god, that sounds crazy," for some of you it should make sense though if I told you the movie was directed by Don Coscarelli (Phantasm series, John Dies at the End (2012). For those of you who don't know the insanity that is Don Coscarelli let me explain/describe the other movies he's best known for: Phantasm (1979) is the story of a boy and a disgruntled Ice cream man battling a demonic/alien mortician named "the tall man" and a metal flying orb with blades on it that drills through peoples skulls, and John Dies at the End (2012) (which I previously reviewed) is about two college aged men who take a mysterious drug called "soy sauce" and become paranormal interdimensional warriors. So this film fits perfectly into Coscarelli's usual brand
of craziness. Bruce Campbell is hilarious and very believable as an elderly Elvis who regrets switching identities with an impersonator so he could escape fame and start over, he misses Priscilla, Lisa Marie, and the fame. But with the arrival of the mummy wreaking havoc on the Shady Oaks rest home he has found a new reason to live; to save the shady oaks residents. The chemistry between Cambpell and Ossie Davis is perfect and the movie is laugh out loud funny. It's also great to see Campbell in another role after Army of Darkness (1992) where he can call everybody "baby" and be "the king" again. The movie is relatively low budget (like most of coscarelli's movies) but the makeup and special effects are effective. Also make no mistake, though this is a definite comedy, it is a horror movie, a horror-comedy, the creepy atmosphere in the old folks home at night is very well done. The humor is pretty vulgar, that's just a head's up in case vulgar humor's not your thing. There are also lots of great lines like " I hate to tell you this Jack, but Kennedy wasn't black." "I know that, they dyed me this color!" If you're a fan of wacky movies, or horror movies/horror comedies, I highly recommend this one. Also if you like either Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) or The Big Lebowski (1998) this one has a similar wacky feel to it. I give it a 4.5/5; This film is available to be streamed on Netflix, and it is also available through Xfinity OnDemand with Comcast. For some reason Blogger won't let me upload the trailer I want as a youtube clip so I'll put the link to the better version of the trailers for it here.
This is the third film by Jim Jarmusch that I've seen, and I found it spectacular. The film is a series of three vignettes that all occur in Memphis during the same night and eventually all the characters' stories overlap. The film mainly centers around two japanese teens who make a pilgrimage to Memphis to visit Graceland and Sun Studios where Elvis and so many early rock greats recorded. The film is a great late night viewing, it shows what goes on during the wee hours of the morning in the city of Elvis, and as a night owl it's always nice to watch a good "late night movie" every now and then. It's heartwarming at times, hilarious throughout, serious, and a good portrayal of some of life's confusions, struggles and hardships. At times shocking and surprising, but fun throughout. Listen to this cast: Tom Waits, Steve Buscemi, Screamin' Jay Hawkins (of I Put a Spell on You fame), Joe Strummer (lead singer of the Clash), and soul legend Rufus Thomas ("Do the Funky Chicken" and "Walk the Dog") Tom Noonan (Heat, the bad guy in The Last Action Hero) and Rick Aviles (the bad guy from Ghost), and with such a great cast of musicians you can bet the soundtrack is good too. I'm really beginning to love Jarmusch's stuff, this film is also on Criterion. I give it a 5/5, and I highly recommend it.
P.S. instead of showing the trailer here I will instead include one of my favorite scenes with Screamin' Jay Hawkins. Context for this scene: one of the japanese tourists gave the bellboy a special Japanese plum as a tip (they do not understand the concept of "tipping" in Japan):
