I've
seen a lot of movies lately that have been based around the famous horror short
story by English author W.W. Jacobs, The Monkey's Paw. In The Monkey's Paw a
mother wishes that her recently deceased son would come back to life, but when
he does he's not the same way she wished he was. The Monkey's Paw is a "be
careful what you wish for" story, and so is Deathdream. Deathdream is
about a family whose son goes to fight in Vietnam and gets killed, and the
mother in her deep grief and denial about her son's death, somehow manages to
bring him back home from the dead. Upon the son's arrival back home the family is
immediately aware that something is different with Andy and he is completely
different from how he was before the war, he becomes increasingly violent and
he seems more dead than alive. The film is also a less than subtle look at the
issue of how war changes people and a look at the baggage they bring home with
them (primarily PTSD). The film covers troubled relationships the soldiers had
with family and friends upon coming home, but also their romantic relationships
and how difficult that could be, and the film also symbolically looks at soldiers
and the drug addictions they would come home with (primarily Morphine because
of its use as a pain medication), even though the main character needs blood to survive instead of actual drugs.
The movie is a good "be careful what you wish for" story, as well as a unique zombie and vampire story. This was one of director Bob Clark(Black Christmas, Porky's, and A Christmas Story)'s
first films, and for famous horror movie make-up artist and actor Tom Savini
(original Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th, Creepshow, The Burning, Martin,
and Knightriders)'s first film. I love Bob Clark and his style and
cinematography that he brings to each of his films, and that style is still present
even this early on in his career, and the special effects are of course great
(of course because they're by Savini) as well. The acting is great too by the
whole cast which includes John Marley (The Godfather)as the father and Oscar
nominated actress Lynn Carlin (nominated for Faces[1969] in which she also
starred with Marley) as the mother. Deathdream is marvelously creepy and lots
of fun because of it and it's message, be it metaphorical or not is much like
the message of another film I reviewed recently
(The Walking Dead[1936]), which is "let the dead stay dead." That
message of course can also be reinterpreted to apply more directly to one's
life as "let the past stay in the past." I loved the film and I give
it a 5/5. The film is mentioned in Rue Morgue Magazine's 200 Alternative Horror Films You Need to See. You can view the trailer below:
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:
