Examining the State of Horror Cinema in 2015: A Look at the Current Trends, Auteurs and Squishy Noises
If you’ve read MFF and listened to the podcast you know that we’ve plumbed the depths of horror and keep coming back for more. We’ve written about its wardrobes, fights, gore, tank tops, survivors, football teams, horror corners (check the index) and talked endlessly about the perfect horror film and new classics. If you are interested check out how the 2014-2015 horror films stack up against the rest of the 21st century horror movies.
I am excited about the direction horror is taking in 2015. There is a new crop of horror directors and older maestros who are taking what they love of horror and creating something new. There is a “boutique” vibe to the films as they’ve become fashionable and wear classic horror influences like accessories. They are told by horror lovers who are very much so part of the modern generation.
There will always be remakes, prequels, reboots and sequels littering the horror landscape but the last several years have seen new blood injected into the genre. In 2010 Blumhouse productions unleashed the $1.5 million Insidious that featured Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Lin Shaye battling an incredibly jerky Further demon. It was a runaway hit and since then the horror world has been on an upswing. A good amount of the movies haven’t followed a trend and seem to exist in a world all their own. They’ve ditched the A (Killer) + B (Nubile Co-eds) = C (Blood) formula and explored different trails in the same park. They were not made in response to influences like Night of the Living Dead, Jaws, Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream or Paranormal Activity. They are not cash grabs looking to follow trends (I Know What You Did Last Summer) and there is genuine art taken to create mass carnage.
Director Richard Linklater said Spring was “a beautiful, unique love story. An accomplishment of genre and tone.”
Author and Grantland contributor Mark Harris recently wrote about the indie horror boom and had this to say:
Perhaps it’s unfair for those of us who are, ahem, considerably older to sigh about what is and isn’t scary — if you’ve indiscriminately slept around in the genre for decades, of course you’re going to feel “Is that all there is?” But there are signs that the films themselves feel that ennui. At least It Follows scavenges the detritus of the genre in search of fresh ways to be frightening, not just as a way of creating wry commentary about it
In other words they’ve pulled a Carl Weathers and turned leftovers into delicious broth.
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Today’s cinematic and televised (Walking Dead, Hannibal) horror landscape is full of thoughtful and literate people who understand horror. Thus, we have gotten The Guest, Backcountry, It Follows, Spring, The Conjuring, Creep, We are Still Here, The Babadook, Honeymoon, Housebound, The Taking of Deborah Logan, Cheap Thrills, Under the Skin, Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead, Oculus, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Only Lovers Left Alive, What We Do in the Shadows and Tusk. These 19 films averaged 87% on Rotten Tomatoes (Tusk’s 39% didn’t help). Horror is becoming hip and critical darlings are everywhere.
If you say you don’t like The Babadook there is a very real chance a hipster horror lover will come out of nowhere and punch you in the face.
What I love about the 19 films is that they feel original (only one sequel in the bunch) and only slightly familiar. They know what they are and in the case of The Guest have the patience to build to a final line (What the f**k?) that sells the entire movie. I don’t think any of them will be considered classics as they lack suitable cult aesthetics (Think Evil Dead and Ash) and villains (Nosferatu) that offer primal scares (The Thing). However, they are fun and feature truly memorable lines, moments and erotic dancing.
It is no longer a male dominated genre as The Babadook, Honeymoon, Carrie and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night were directed by female directors. These solid films join female directed Near Dark (Kathryn Bigelow is my hero), Ravenous and American Pyscho as examples of tone and style coming together to form a solid film. It is a breath of fresh air to have a different viewpoint and female characters who aren’t machete fodder. The stock “final girl” aspect has been skewered as You’re Next, Final Girl and The Final Girls all acknowledge the trope. Take them alongside Cabin in the Woods, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Grabbers, Cockney’s vs. Zombies and you have self-aware comedy horror films that take the piss out of long-established clichés.
Why are these college kids killing themselves!?!?
Directors and writers are fully aware their films will be compared to the classics so they take care to offer something new. A good example of a director explaining and defending his work is in this Anatomy of a Scene video by the New York Times. It Follows director David Robert Mitchell breaks down the opening scene.
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It plays like Nightmare on Elm Street met a De Palma woman in peril film and was scored by John Carpenter. In the opening scene we’ve already found three comparisons. However, as the movie continues it becomes its own beast with its own origins, world and scary moments. It takes the familiar and makes it fresh. It was a love letter and a calling card. It Follows is well aware of the horror genre yet breaks new ground.
For a horror fan it shouldn’t be surprising if we recognize trends occurring in horror. Much like any genre, studio productions are a study in trends and they wait to exploit whatever is popular. There is nothing wrong with striking while the iron is hot but it wears down the fresh creation into homogenized fare that exploits rather than creates. It is a waste of time to complain of similarities and tropes. This may sound like a weird example but soccer has been around for a very long time (1,004 B.C.) and it still centers around athletes kicking around a ball. Horror films have been around since the invention of film (1896) so it is no mystery that there are recurring themes (people will always go to cabins in the woods).
If you like the people in the cabin it doesn’t matter. You like the people in Honeymoon.
1922’s Nosferatu was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula that set the tone for many horror films. I love that in 1922 it was unauthorized and Max Schreck was so iconic the film Shadow of a Vampire suggested he actually was a vampire. So, one of the first and most iconic horror films stole its source material, changed a couple of names and has gone down in the pantheon of great films. The studio had to declare bankruptcy and only a few prints survived. Since then we’ve seen every iteration of vampires and we are in no way done with them. Not much has changed in the last 90 years.
What We Do in the Shadows is the greatest vampire mockumentary ever made.
I read the fantastic book Shock Value: How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, conquered Hollywood and Invented Modern Horror. It is about the late 1960’s and 1970’s horror boom that influenced decades of horror. It was like the wild west and I love that a few people set the standard for modern horror. It is abundantly clear that we won’t get dirty sweat stained movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer or The Exorcist ever again. The days of soul-destroying yet artfully made horror may be in our rear view mirrors. Occasionally, violent cult classics like I Saw the Devil, Devil’s Rejects, Thirst and Martyrs sneak through the cracks but we are moving on to something more tame and less daring.
It crushes my soul watching new ideas like Tomorrowland, Waterworld, Frailty, Event Horizon and Oblivion falter while sequels upon sequels bring in the money. New isn’t always lucrative but with the expansion of VOD artistic horror films are starting to pop up once again. Now that talented folk can experiment, create and shoot on a budget I fully expect more gems to sneak through the system. For instance, the über low-budget Creep is a neat little found footage film that is about two people and a camera. Director Patrick Brice and actor Mark Duplass started it off an as experiment and it evolved into something worth watching. It proves that two men, a camera and a love of film can create something that reaches the masses. it was very inspiring to watch and Brice intended Creep to be a motivator.
With the new technology comes more freedom and much like in the 60’s and 70’s I expect more artists to create their unhindered and slightly less bonkers visions. For instance, the movie Spring is a horror hybrid that does something new on a budget. I love this quote by Spring co-director Justin Benson.
It felt like there was something sort of rebellious in the act of creating a new monster. Because for some reason it was something that so few people attempt to do now. Usually, when people want to tell a monster story, it’s a vampire, it’s a werewolf, or it’s an alien. It’s always got to be one of those things. That’s pretty much it, conceptually.
Bring on the new monsters! I am optimistic about the state of horror as David Robert Mitchell, Alejandre Aja, Ti West, Adam Wingard and others are maturing and creating fantastic yarns. 2016 will be loaded with remakes but there is a welcome presence that are providing us horror hounds with new horror tales.
If you enjoyed this post make sure to check out our podcast on Itunes or Blog Talk Radio. In our latest pod we came up with quite possibly the most random horror film idea ever. It is kinda glorious.
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John’s Horror Corner: Extraterrestrial (2014), a playful approach to gory sci-fi horror that samples a little of everything.
MY CALL: In this spirit of entertainment (and good fun), this flick seems to have sampled a little of everything. It’s pure dumb fun for the uncritical horror fan. I recommend it. MOVIES LIKE Extraterrestrial: There have been several recent horror approaches to traditional aliens… Alien Abduction (2014), Skinwalker Ranch (2013), Dark Skies (2013), Signs (2002), The Fourth Kind (2009), The Thing (2011).
The opening scene is worth mentioning. After being refused refuge by some ponytailed jerk at a woodsy remote gas station on a stormy night, a frightened young woman makes a call from a phone booth in the middle of nowhere and it–the entire phone booth and woman–disappears…then crashes down from the sky without her in it. This sets the tone for a fun flick. Next, the credits seem serious and well composed, with glimpses of what appear to be red-filtered UFO clips. So apparently some aspects of the production were tended to more lovingly than most direct-to-DVD horror flicks.
April (Brittany Allen; Dead Before Dawn) is going to the family vacation home, a cabin in the woods, with her boyfriend Kyle (Freddie Stroma; the last three Harry Potter movies). Unbeknownst to April, who was only going to take photos of the cabin to put it on the market, Kyle invited a bunch of their friends. Melanie (Melanie Papalia; The Den, Smiley), Seth (Jesse Moss; Tucker and Dale vs Evil, Wolfcop, Ginger Snaps) and Lex (Anja Savcic; iZombie) join.
The sheriff (Gil Bellows; The House at the End of the Street) warns these 20-somethings of recent criminal activity in the area. After agreeing to behave, our youth in revolt drink and smoke, grill and dance. In the middle of a drinking and pot-smoking session, the group observes something fiery falling from the sky. Upon investigation, they find a prototypical flying saucer has crash landed leaving inhuman footprints departing the scene.
When we see the alien it has the classic look to it, however much taller and quite gangly. They shoot it, leave it for dead and end up trapped in the woods by a suspicious treefall blocking the road.
Filmed in both traditional and found footage techniques, this trope-by-numbers movie over-explains things to us with the victims saying things like “that’s a fucking alien” and “is it still in the house.” We see things like a skinny naked alien with big eyes a la Communion (1989), someone getting beamed up in a tractor beam, and every other alien movie staple you can think of…so it should come as no surprise that the aliens use mind control as well.
The effects were as good as they needed to be, including a very cool yet simple effect involving rain. I was also quite pleased with some gunshot wounds, loving the gore from the headshot. There were slimy imprisoning cocoons and slimy hallways a la Aliens (1986), a cabin siege a la Signs (2002), an Alien mothership megaplex a la Independence Day (1996) and Oblivion (2013), a weird grub impregnation a la Wrath of Khan (1982) and a bladed drill bit anal probe. Yuuuuck. We also encounter experiments hybridizing humans and aliens a la Alien Resurrection (1987) and District 9 (2009). In this spirit of entertainment (and good fun), this film seems to have sampled a little of everything.
I was happy to see Sean Rogerson (Grave Encounters, Underworld: Evolution) as a deputy. Also, look for Michael Ironside (Starship Troopers) in a cameo as a weed-farming nutcase. He’s a conspiracy-theorist Vietnam veteran with claims of nearby experimental aircrafts. His character is annoying at times, poorly written most of the time (perhaps deliberately), and entertaining all the time. He explains that the aliens are attacking because a peace treaty with these gangly aliens was broken when our victims shot the first alien.
From the makers of Grave Encounters (the Vicious Brothers), this is pure dumb fun for the uncritical horror fan. I recommend it.
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John’s Horror Corner: Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), exploring Clive Barker’s Labyrinth and Cenobite upgrades.
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This article is rich with images you do not want your boss to see when he’s looking over your shoulder at work. View at your own risk.
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MY CALL: This is one of the more interesting horror movies of its decade—second only to its franchise predecessor. Gory, dark, exploratory and with an engaging story, this is not a movie to miss. MOVIES LIKE Hellraiser: Hellraiser (1987), Re-Animator (1985), Lord of Illusions (1995), Nightbreed (1990) and The Thing (1982).
The movie opens with a something of a highlights reel of the best and grossest scenes from part 1. Continuing immediately from where Hellraiser (1987) ended, we find Kirsty (Ashley Laurence; Hellraiser, Warlock III) in a mental hospital where her account of what happened to her father, uncle Frank and stepmother Julia (Clare Higgins; Being Human) is received as more than a little hard to swallow.
Whereas Hellraiser (1987) delivered credible character reactions to an incredible evil force, Hellbound takes a nosedive into bonkersville in terms of plot believability. I, in no way, mean this as a complaint…I LOVE this movie. But this “movie” is the point in the franchise when we stop using the word “film.” Clive Barker’s infernal art and brilliant storytelling are behind us now. It seems that perhaps our new director Tony Randel (Amityville: It’s About Time, Fist of the North Star) was trying a little too hard to fill Horror Master Clive Barker’s (Nightbreed, Hellraiser) shoes. The gore–which was already heavy, sloppily gross and pleasurably unique in part one–is now turned up to an “11” and the plot elements seem to have shifted from credible to nonsense. Almost every event in the story evidences this mania—not that the horror genre is known for its storytelling. In fact, as bonkers as it is, this story is told more eloquently than most horror (especially in the late 80s).
Now in a mental hospital, the doctor in charge of Kirsty’s case just happens to be an amateur expert and collector obsessed with all things occult, especially the Puzzle Box and its history. In other words, coincidence has been pushed to the extreme as Kirsty’s caregiver has been waiting for this! After Kirsty warns police to destroy the mattress on which Julia died in part 1 (because Kirsty somehow understands exactly how coming back from Hell works all the sudden), Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham; Hot Fuzz) somehow gets the police to deliver this murder case evidence to his private residence with the intentions of summoning Julia. For a blood offering he checks out a deeply disturbed patient from the screaming basement ward of his mental hospital–it’s what you’d expect from an 1800’s mental hospital…in a horror movie…on steroids…and then more extreme!!! Dr. Channard seems to frequently bring disturbed patients to his home without restriction.
So clearly, this movie has gone to comicbook lengths to bring something crazy to the screen. But you know what? It remains crazy awesome!!! I haven’t read Clive Barker’s books (on which this is very loosely based), but I think we can safely assume that these actions would all much more carefully explained and tactfully justified in his detailed pages. As it turns out, the book on which Hellraiser was based (The Hellbound Heart) was quite short and only minorly addressed Pinhead and his Cenobites–so already the films have taken their own path. Meanwhile, in Hellraiser movieland, no one seems concerned with the disappearance of several patients.
It may sound like I’m slamming the plot. I’m not. In fact, overall the story itself remains elegantly unique. After all, whatever liberties this director took in making this film, it is still based on Barker’s refined writing.
After Julia’s “resurrection,” she sexually beguiles Channard–even though she hasn’t any skin–to help fully restore her with more victims. He obliges and we get to enjoy a room full of life-drained corpses. But this isn’t enough for Channard. He wants to know and see the secrets of the Hell that is The Labyrinth. So he brings a mute patient with a knack for puzzle-solving to open the gate to Hell with the Puzzle Box.
Things get yet crazier as Channard and Julia wander the corridors of Hell. He gets transformed into a Cenobite himself (simply referred to as “the Channard Cenobite”) by the God of Hell Leviathan and is for some reason way tougher than Pinhead and his Cenobite gang. He kills loads of people with his stop-motion bladed hand tentacles, so Kirsty gets Pinhead to see his inner child and wears Julia’s skin as a suit. A lot of cool stuff is happening, FOR SURE!
Whereas part 1 was entirely based on illustrating one man’s escape from Hell and the temptations required to accomplish the task, this sequel addresses that component just in the first act and then moves on to exploring the Labyrinth and witnessing various personal Hells while being swiftly introduced to how Barker’s Hell works and is ruled. Despite the busy plot of this movie (it does cover a lot), it remains very dark and creepy and, more importantly, the plot makes sense. We can’t say that about a lot of horror. Its gore-pleasing effects are abundant, the story pushes the Hellraiser franchise into a new dimension, and we learn more about the background of the Cenobites and the mythology behind Barker’s Hellish Labyrinth.
This movie is buckets of cool (and blood) and one of the more interesting horror installments (along with part 1) of its decade.
Watch it! Love it! Buy it! Watch it again!
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The found footage world is a mixed bag of the good, the bad and the ugly. For every Blair Witch and Troll Hunter we get hundreds of The Gallows and Devil’s Pass movies. Occasionally, a weird little film climbs its way out the found footage wasteland and distinguishes itself via an original story, all-in performances and creepy masks that look great in movie trailers.
Creep is a semi-improvisational horror hybrid about a camera man answering a Craigslist ad. He will be paid $1,000 to film a man’s final moments before cancer and a brain tumor kill him in a few months. The final product will go to his unborn child and will provide a glimpse into his daily life. Things go wrong (of course) but the direction of Creep is never predictable. The dark humor, paranoia and performance by Mark Duplass create an immensely watchable 80 minute horror hybrid.
What makes this film work is that it doesn’t seem to be a cash grab or more of the same. It fits perfectly alongside the original and proactive horror hybrids that have been hitting the theaters in the last couple years. Mark Duplass (The League, Safety Not Guaranteed) and director Patrick Brice started filming with a five-page outline and over the course of a year it evolved into a tight little thriller. Here is what Duplass had to say about it.
In the case of Creep, there was no stress at all. We never were attached to this movie being released. This was an arts and crafts experiment from the beginning. This was the most unprepared we’ve ever been going into a movie — or I’ve ever been — and we just put it together as we went. Then we promised ourselves, if it sucks we just won’t put it out there. So that was very freeing and stress-free. Where the stress does start to come in is when your movie starts testing well and you realize you do have something but it’s not quite there yet. Then you feel the responsibility to make it good, and that’s the point where we brought in Blumhouse as a partner and really employed our smart director friends to help us figure it out. That was a little stressful, but totally worth it.
Creep has a grounded realism that focuses on two very lonely people. One person resorts to answering craiglist ads for money while the other has obvious mental problems. Together they form a weird duo brought together by loneliness. Their day filming spirals into a controlled chaos in which clues are unraveled and the term “Chekhov’s axe” takes new meaning.
Creep doesn’t reinvent the found footage wheel but it doesn’t go flat either. The footage isn’t nausea inducing and the video diary brings an organic vibe to a man holding a camera for way too long. If you are a horror hound looking for blood and guts you will be disappointed but you might be inspired by the nature of the movie. It is a tiny little thing that is getting national press. It doesn’t feature CGI and the locations are scarce but it features a good idea and enough vision to get it in front of audiences.
If you are looking for inspiration and want to create something in the film world I totally recommend you watch this film. It is simple, smart and builds to a brutal conclusion. Let me know what you think when you watch it!
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MY CALL: This is The 40-Year Old Virgin of the present decade, folks. Don’t miss this. MOVIES LIKE Trainwreck: The Change-Up (2011), What’s Your Number (2011), Wedding Crashers (2005), That Awkward Moment (2015), The 40-Year Old Virgin (2005), This is 40 (2012), My Best Friend’s Girl (2008), Good Luck Chuck (2007).
I am one of perhaps millions of people who fell in love with Schumer’s brutally honest and often limit-pushing humor specializing in relationships and sex. Her Comedy Central Roast work was always top notch and her stand-up pleases crowds and creates a powerful female presence shining through the overtly provocative comedic shadows cast by Dave Attell (who cameos in Trainwreck), Daniel Tosh, Louis CK, Jim Jeffries and Dane Cook. That’s not to say there aren’t some equally provocative “R-rated” female comedians out there, but they haven’t become as popularly mainstream as Schumer.
In her first major role as Amy, a well-educated writer for a trashy magazine, Schumer breaks gender barriers and basically plays the female version of a womanizing, overindulgent “bro.” It’s like a frat house version of Sex in the City. She drinks in excess, sleeps with everyone, has a “rule” about never spending the night, takes the longest walk of shame ever (even involving a Ferry from Staten Island), and assumes that if a guy calls her the next day that it’s either a butt-dialing accident or that he’s a psychopath.
The story is simple. The perpetually single and aloof Amy is assigned to write a story about an orthopedic surgeon (Bill Hader; Superbad) to sports stars. They have drinks, click, sleep together and, well, it turns out to be something more meaningful than a one-night stand. Of course, Amy is confused, repulsed and scared by this and from these emotions emerge the resistance and humor that synthesize this story of Amy becoming romantically “sensitized.” Much more interesting than the story, however, are its characters, which include too many cameos to mention. Most comedies have one or two people drawing our laughter, but here we have a dozen!
The film opens with a great scene in which Amy’s father (Colin Quinn; Grown Ups 2, That’s My Boy) rationalizes divorce and infidelity to his two young daughters using Teddy Bear analogies to convince them of the non-existence of happy monogamy. Quinn is delightfully brutal and always on point, stealing every scene in which we find him as he claims that “every 12-year old in the Dominican Republic is better than Babe Ruth” or that his nursing home is basically a Viagra-fueled sex house after lights out.
Likewise, Schumer and Dave Attell (cameo) bombard us with numerous comedic nuggets regarding sex with strangers (or even objects) and overindulgence. Schumer is always “on” but, much to my pleasure and very loud laughter, so is everyone else. As her boss, Tilda Swinton (Snowpiercer, Only Lovers Left Alive) steers clear of her typically serious roles to play a soulless, shallow, quick-witted magazine editor whose every line is a memorably cutting one-liner.
However, among all of the shallow sex jokes we encounter some softer, even touching moments. Amy gives a most memorably sweet yet honest eulogy at a funeral (like in This is Where I Leave You), LeBron James (as himself) steals the show with funny but heartfelt commentary about being romantic and splitting checks and how Cleveland is as awesome as Miami, and Bill Hader brings the voice of reason to the entropy of Amy’s otherwise romance-free life. As Aaron, Hader plays his role straight and dramatic, which works our fantastically.
Most shocking was John Cena (The Marine) as Amy’s perhaps sexually confused boyfriend. Their dirty-talking sex-scene is hilarious, seeing Cena nearly naked is (speaking from a male perspective) equally horrifying and intriguing (at 255 lbs, the dude is gigantic for 5’9”), Cena getting taunted in the movie theater is awkwardly genius, and all of his dialogue is shockingly well-written. By the way, Schumer did an AMAZING writing job penning this–her first script!
Directed by Judd Apatow (The 40-Year Old Virgin, This is 40), this is exactly the raunchy romantic comedy for anyone in their 30s-40s with a history of partying, serial dating or at least a couple one-night stands…or even someone with a close friend or sibling like that. The film is formulaic in general plot points, but excellent in comedic execution. A few scenes feel like they run long, but they account for all but maybe 5-10 total minutes that I wasn’t laughing out loud.
This is The 40-Year Old Virgin of the present decade, folks. Don’t miss this. It is comic brilliance and I can’t wait to see what Schumer does next.
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The stapler is a very important tool. It keeps paper together, works as a weapon and when an alien is surgically removed from your stomach staples are used to close your belly back up. It is an underrated tool that has played a part in some fantastic cinematic scenes. The following post examines my favorite usage of staples/staplers and proves that little metal things shaped like a U can make a difference.
1. Office Space and the beautiful red Swingline stapler.
Poor Milton
I own a red swingline stapler and would be pissed if somebody from upper management stole my prized possession. The red stapler has become an iconic tool and a hot item to own. It seems like an act of rebellion to own the red stapler in the cubical world and as the Office Space cult grows so does Swingline’s sales. The Wall Street Journal chronicled the red stapler phenomenon and concluded with this.
Office Space” has turned out to be one of the more effective, if unusual, recent examples of product placement in films. The movie didn’t just spark sales for Swingline: It invented the whole idea of a bright-red stapler. Now, the sleepy Midwestern company that made the first top-loading stapler more than 60 years ago has discovered a new approach to marketing office products to younger generations. Best of all, the “Office Space” plug didn’t cost Swingline a dime.
2. Drag Me to Hell and the stapling of doom.
What do you do if a gypsy woman attacks you in your car? You find whatever you can and hit her in the face with it. In Drag Me To Hell our hero uses a stapler to perfection and Sam Raimi’s direction and camera do the rest. It is a beautifully gonzo fight that comes out of nowhere and isn’t afraid to stick a staple in an old woman’s eye.
3. Home Alone 2 and the nose stapling of pure pain
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Marv and Harry take an inhuman amount of pain in the Home Alone movies. The fact that they keep going almost makes me think they are Terminator rejects who somehow found their way to a life of crime. In Home Alone 2 poor Marv takes three staples that would drop anybody on this planet. Sure, he sets himself up but nobody wishes anybody the pain of a massive staple to the nose, butt and crotch.
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4. Christmas Vacation: When staples meet clothes
The Christmas light scene in Christmas Vacation is beyond iconic. It was a masterclass in over doing it and the results where pretty amazing. However, the unsung heroes of the scene were the staples. The staple gun made Clark Griswold’s life easier and because of this he wasn’t careful. In true Clark fashion he staples his jacket to the house and hilarity ensues. Where did Clark get the staples because they are strong enough to rip off his sleeve?
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5. Mickey Rourke gets stapled while wrestling
The Wrestler is fantastic film that features some grueling wrestling scenes. During a particularly violent hardcore match Randy The Ram takes some painful staples to the body. The scene was so visceral it made the audience hurt as the once helpful household appliance was used as a torture device. Whatever happened to leg drops and those chest slaps?
6. The Rock staples a piece of paper to David Koechner’s forehead.
When people annoy The Rock what does he do? In Get Smart he staples a piece of paper to a guy’s head. It gets the point across and it is an easy way to make sure pieces of paper are read. Milton must love this scene.
7. Prometheus and the surgical staples of doom
So…..You’ve just had an alien pulled from your guts and the only way to close up the gaping wound is via futuristic staples to the belly. I don’t know what they were made of but they healed the wound pretty quickly and Noomi Rapace was able to make her escape and live through the terrible alien attack. Future staples will save people from aliens. That is a fantastic advertisement for future staples.
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Hello all. Mark here.
Some movies get lost in the shuffle and slip through the theaters without you knowing. We humans are busy and can’t possibly watch all the vampire mockumentaries and absurdest westerns that are released in the theaters. In order to catch you up on some of the films you might have missed I’ve compiled five films that are totally worth your time.
These five movies differ greatly in subject matter but all bring something original to a cinematic world that relies on recycling. These beauties offer something for everyone and feature burgeoning talent, confident directorial debuts and sexy dancing.
What We Do in the Shadows (Redbox,VOD)
What We Do in the Shadows is a glorious comedy/horror mockumentary that centers around four vampires who live in New Zealand. The horror hybrid blends comedy with lots of gore and features some of funniest characters of the last several years. It is a creative blast of niceness and violence that will most certainly become a cult classic. The 85 minute film is so full of one-liners, sight gags and hilarious characters you need to watch it more than once.
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Ex-Machina (Redbox, VOD) Check out our Ex-Machina pod here.
Ex Machina is the rare “intelligent” film that is actually intelligent. It is a fantastic science fiction film that does wonders with a $15 million budget (AKA Avengers craft service budget). Director and writer Alex Garland (The Beach, Sunshine, 28 Days Later, Never Let Me Go, Dredd) continues his hot streak and proves he is one of the best in the business.
Ex Machina revolves around two humans, one very special AI creation and a whole lot of booze. It is a character heavy movie that feels like a chess match played by three people. You kinda need to watch this film.
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’71 (Redbox, VOD)
After Starred Up and Unbroken poor Jack O’Connell can’t seem to escape movies that put him through the wringer. 71 is no different. It tells the tale of a young British soldier cut off from his ranks and trapped behind enemy lines in Belfast. If you are familiar with the Catholic/Protestant battles of Irish history then you will be fully invested in this tense tale. I also recomend you watch the Paul Greengrass directed Bloody Sunday. I love the film and I think James Nesbitt pulls off a performance for the ages.
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It Follows (Redbox, VOD) Check out the MFF It Follows pod here.
It Follows has a unique style that blends a lurking sense of dread with absolute urgency. It isn’t afraid to mess with the genre while sticking to well-worn tropes. If you combined All the Real Girls withNightmare on Elm Street and threw in All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Elephant and The Sixth Senseyou would have something sorta resembling the film.
Director David Robert Mitchell (The Myth of the American Sleepover) takes my favorite aspects of horror (urgency, dread, patience) and combines them with a beautifully simple story about the dangers of sex. Mitchell lets the film breath and this allows the rabbit and hare story to unfold organically. The teens sleepless state creates a dreamy atmosphere that is captured nicely by the lingering camera and patient editing. The film moves at a methodically slow pace yet you have a hard time catching your breath.
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Slow West (Redbox, VOD)
Slow West is a beautifully shot, well-acted western that has its own distinct personality. It blasts off the screen with personality and lingers in your memory long after viewing (which is a good thing because I pretty much forget about movies after I’ve watched them). Michael Fassbender is always good. Rory McCann gets to do something other than play Game of Throne’s The Hound. Ben Mendelsohn wears a massive fur coat. Watch it.
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The MFF Podcast #20: Developing the Perfect Horror Film
Hello all. Mark here.
Great news! Blog Talk Radio, Sharkdropper and MFF have teamed up to form the perfect movie podcast. Now, you can stream the pods on the BTR website or download from Itunes.
Do you love horror films? Do you love incredibly random horror films that feature crossbows, overalls, pastries and squids? If you said “yes” to both of these questions you will love this pod.
Sidenote: The Merman from Cabin in the Woods makes an appearance.
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We combined ten categories (Villain, Method of Killing, Harbinger, Hero, Setting, Skeptic, Victim, Twist, Ending, Sidekicks) and broke them down in order to create something glorious. In this pod you will be transported to a new world featuring prison islands, an 18-year-old hero named Mason Jar and Pure Bulgarian Miak.
Sit back, relax and enjoy another random movie podcast from MFF. Check out the MFF pod on Blog Talk Radio or head over to Itunes and listen to the randomness!
If you get a chance please REVIEW, RATE and SHARE the pod!
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MY CALL: This film steers clear of paradigmatic horror and will fulfill your darkest pleasures with creepiness and awesome practical effects. MOVIES LIKE Hellraiser: For more great practical effects try Re-Animator (1985), Lord of Illusions (1995), Nightbreed (1990) and The Thing (1982).
A crowd pleaser to horror fans of all ages, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser tells the story of a man who escapes Hell, the temptations he exploits in order to freely roam the Earth again, and the consequences that befall those nearest him.
In 1987 horror was already becoming predictable, but Barker takes us into uncharted territory that lacks the predictability of this film’s horror peers. The victims aren’t drunk teens, people don’t make horrendously stupid decisions, and things in no way happen as we’d expect them. Even the gore and effects take us down a more rare and satisfying path. This film will fulfill your darkest pleasures.
Larry (Andrew Robinson; The Puppet Masters, Pumpkinhead 2) and his reluctant second wife move into an old family property in which, unbeknownst to anyone else, his brother Frank had toiled with the powers of evil and now suffers in Hell. Some blood is accidently spilled where Frank was torn apart by an otherworldly evil and this blood initiated the beginning of the transformation of his remains to a rather “incomplete” facsimile of infernal Frank.
This scene is a testament to the patient practical effects of the 80s. We see organs develop from blood droplets and his body slowly finds form from a gory muck. The scene is long and gross, and it includes some creepy stop motion of his decrepit skeletal arms and bloody resurrection. This transformation scene is one of the most memorable scenes in 80s horror.
Deliciously gooey!
Now a skinless, weak, macabre husk of his formal self he tempts Julia (Clare Higgins; Being Human) to “help” him by bringing him more blood. Julia clings to an adulterous memory of a past lusty tryst with Frank and wants more. She has no love for Larry but much carnal desire for Frank despite Frank’s criminally loveless nature–making this quite the perverse story.
Abusive, adulterous, infernal and skinless… Clearly, Frank is the man every woman dreams of.
Whereas Frank’s desire to be whole again bridges our story from reality to Hell, the keystone is Julia’s adulterous desire to be in his arms. As she finds comfort in the murderous means to fully restore Frank, we see her shift from an apathetic (in her marriage with Larry) and effortless housewife to a comfortably made-over black widow. Once she has brought blood to Frank slimy flayed body, she starts to do her hair differently and her make-up looks sharper–more villainous.
Although many scenes occur elsewhere this feels much like a chamber thriller, claustrophobically taking place mostly in the confines of the house. We, like Frank trapped in the attic-like spare room, feel isolated; trapped under a roof with a damned skinless man.
The only impediment to Frank’s freedom is Larry’s daughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence; several Hellraiser sequels, Warlock III), who learns the infernal power of the Puzzle Box and bargains with some demons to return Frank to Hell.
These leather-clad, macabre demons are called Cenobites and they look like members of a devil-worshipping 80s metal band. They include Chatterbox, Butterball, Female and their leader Pinhead (Doug Bradley; Nightbreed). Their monster make-up work is off-putting and their silent demeanor only adds to their malevolence. Their words are few but direly chilling.
The Puzzle Box leads us to the only special effects in the film that don’t hold up well. While watching the Puzzle Box being solved is actually very simple (no significant FX involved really) and cool, the Box brings about some effects that resemble Atari-Tron videogame lasers. However, the Box remains powerfully mysterious and it draws our ominous attention whenever it’s on screen.
Written and directed by Clive Barker (Nightbreed, Lord of Illusions), this film offers no shortage of gore to compliment the fantastic, effective story. Frank’s victims are drained husks of pus and maggots, Frank himself is a horror to behold in his various phases of development, and then we still have other cruel visions, the twisted make-up of Pinhead and his fellow Cenobites, the Puzzle Box opening creepy gates to a somewhat ambiguous Hell, and Frank ultimately being torn apart by hooked chains in another iconic horror scene of the decade.
I find the story and characters every bit as powerful as the gory practical effects and consider this a “must see” for anyone who considers themselves a fan of modern horror.
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Ant-Man: Marvel Expands its Universe by Going Small.
Antman may fit into the larger Marvel cinematic universe but it still stands out as a singular experience. It is a weird little hybrid that feels part Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hott Fuzz), Adam McKay (Anchorman), Paul Rudd and Marvel. It has several star turns and has just enough action, character and Avenger moments to satisfy most fanboys. I appreciate that it actually made the theaters intact after the directing changes, rewrites and fact that it is about Ant-Man.
What I love most about Ant-Man is that it focuses on a small scale origin story. It tells the story of burglar Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) pulling off a heist. It is a small stakes movie in a Marvel Universe full of apocalypse, property destruction and large green men smashing stuff. The villain in Ant-Man is a petulant protege who is angry his mentor Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) didn’t share his technology with him. So, he decides to sell the tiny technology to Hydra and nobody wants tiny Germans running around. So, Pym trains Lang to handle the Ant-Man suit and from there we get giant ants, face punches and Michael Pena stealing the show.
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The action is beautifully augmented with the best 3D I’ve seen since Hugo, Avatar, Life of Pi and Jackass 3D. Tiny 3D trains are destroyed and a school for ants (small scale model) is blown to smithereens. The 3D world is awesome and I sat in the theater with my jaw agape loving every second of the tiny carnage. It is not everyday you see a tiny man running through an exploding architecture model while another tiny fellow shoots laser beams at him.
Ant-Man is a nice film about a nice man who has to become great. Paul Rudd is back in Clueless likable mode and he carries this film on his now bulked up shoulders. I love that Scott Lang understands the situation and that Pym treats him as an expendable. He has a daughter he wants to provide for and he takes the training, fights and ant riding in stride. The situation is bigger (and smaller) than him and Rudd adds appropriate awe, humor and sarcasm to the role.
Rudd isn’t forced to carry the show as he is joined by a fantastic crew of supporting characters. After stealing comedic scenes in 30 Minutes or Less and Observe and Report I’m glad the producers let Michael Pena go full crazy. His Ant-Man character may be underwritten but Pena shines in the best friend role and I hope it propels him into the mainstream. He has been great for a long time and after End of Watch and Fury he has proven he can do anything. Check out this 30 Minutes or Less clip and you will love the character immediately.
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Ant-Man expands the Marvel universe by making it smaller. It creates likable characters who will play an important part in the upcoming Avenger and Captain America films. I hope that Marvel continues to realize that likable characters are the main draw. Guardians of the Galaxy exploded because of the core crew and Robert Downey Jr. started a revolution by simply being himself. All the carnage doesn’t matter if you are not invested in the people battling the evil robots.
Ant-Man is a welcome addition to the Marvel Universe and I will gladly continue to shell out my money for further Ant exploits.
Movies, Films & Flix 
