Halloween (1978): The Scariest Movie Ever Made?

Halloween (1978):

D: John Carpenter

W: John Carpenter, Debra Hill

S: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis

When I was fourteen-years-old, I had reached the point where I felt I was officially too old for trick or treating, so I decided to stay in for the night and checked out AMC’s horror movie marathon.

This was the year they stepped up their game. In previous years they had only shown stuff like “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” or “The Wolf Man,” but this year they started showing films like “Friday the 13th,” “Fright Night,” and the 1978 horror classic “Halloween.”

Watching the TV promo for it, I thought, in a typical “wannabe” macho tone, “Oh wow, look a guy in a mask. How scary. Whatever. Bring it on.”

Two hours later I was in my bedroom with all the lights on and my Red Ryder BB Gun in hand. To this day John Carpenter’s “Halloween” remains one of the scariest movies ever made.

It was this movie that helped set the standards for many future movies.  It was also one of the movies that created the slasher genre, but this film did it best. One reason why I think this film works above a lot of others is that it had a low budget.

When people hear about a low budgeted movie, they automatically think of either cheesy B-movies or quirky indie films, but this little motion picture does not fall in either category. Its low budget helps give it an eerie and scary atmosphere, primarily in the night scenes. Then adding in the “blank, pale, emotionless face, and the blackest eyes” of the villain, Michael Myers, and you’ve got a legitimately scary motion picture, maybe the scariest of them all.

What also makes the film work is its setting, a regular suburban neighborhood. A lot of slasher films will take place out in the woods in a cabin or something similar, but this film’s location offers a sense that it could happen anywhere. Also given how it’s Halloween, a night not only chills of but also mischief, obviously, when someone is screaming bloody murder, no one in the film is likely to take it seriously.

There are many other great elements in the movie. The soundtrack, composed by the film’s director John Carpenter, is still haunting and memorable. Also the performances from Donald Pleasance and then-newcomer Jamie Lee Curtis are spectacular.

I could go on about how much I love these characters and this film, but I’ll let you experience it for yourself.

So on All Hallow’s Eve, as the sun is setting, pop some popcorn, turn off the light, settle in and remember, “The boogieman is coming.”

This review can also be found athttp://www.ucba-activist.com/news/view.php/852087/Movies-The-Scariest-Ever-Made

Share your own thoughts on this film or any other film you find to be scary.

Be sure to like the Blog's Facebook page.

Thank you for reading and sharing.

Fury is a brutal look at an untold chapter of World War II

Fury

D: David Ayer

W: David Ayer

S: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, Jon Bernthal, Jason Isaacs, Scott Eastwood

The director of End of Watch releases his second 2014 film (the other being Sabotage, which I haven't seen). In Fury the audience follows a tank squad during the final days of World War II as they get a new recuite (Logan Lerman) and have to deal with lingering Nazi SS forces and at one point have to make a final stand. 

If you've seen my Top 15 World War II Films article you can gather I'm a big WWII movie fan, especially ones that are a little bit more on the gritty side. In this movie we get a story about an aspect of the war that is very rarely, if ever, covered, the tanks. Usually when tanks are involved in World War II movies they're usually the mechanized cavalry that comes in to rescue the soldiers at the last minute. But in this film the audience gets a detailed, intense, and  brutal look at what these guys have gone through, and what war can do to a person.

The main story involves the leader of the tank squad, Wardaddy (Brad Pitt), as he helps break in their newest member, Norman (Lerman), while at the same time he tries to keep a sense of humanity in him. It's strongly hinted at that before Norman came along that this tank crew, consisting of Wardaddy the C.O., Gordo the driver (Michael Pena), Coon-Ass the loader (Jon Bernthal), and Bible the gunner (Shia LaBeouf), had been with each other since the beginning of the war. So a big chunk of the first half is making sure Norman, who was not trained as a tanker but as a typist, gets how much of a responsibility he has as the co-driver. 

This is emphasized in the film by just how many of the tanks get destroyed. The tanks the Americans had, Shermans, where easy to take out by the German's more advance tank, the Tigers. So it is miraculous that Wardaddy's crew has managed to last as long as they did. One way we can tell Norman's non-soldier like mentality early on is when he and Wardaddy first meet. Wardaddy asks, "What's your name?" To which Norman replies with just his regular name. He can tell Norman hasn't seen any action or done anything involving tank work because he hasn't been given a tank name. 

While members of the squad do fall into typical war movie archetypes they are flesh out enough to where it isn't a problem. They do at times come off as despicable but given how much it is hinted at what they've been through together it is almost understandable. 

As I stated early Wardaddy seems to at some points try to retain any parts of humanity in him and in Norman especially. There's an extensive scene where the Wardaddy and Norman go into a German home and basically try to recreate a home environment. We see Wardaddy has hidden eggs that he wants the two female German residences to fix, and he even gets a shave and washes up. But by the end he does realize that there isn't much of chance of him adapted to the world properly after the war. This is hinted at by him later referring to the tanks as home.

As for Norman, he does have a tough time adapting to the war mentality and he does eventually give in and even get his own tank name, Machine, "He's a drinkin', f**kin', killin' maching!"  And even though he gets more comfortable with his role in the tank he still isn't at the same level as the others and Wardaddy sees that. 

As I stated earlier this is a film by David Ayer who as did the spectacular 2012 film End of Watch. The real highlight of the film was the chemistry between the two main characters, portrayed by Pena and Jake Gyllenhaal. In this film we get the privilege of seeing similar sparkling chemistry between the tank members. Each one gives a great performance with the two highlights being Shia LaBeouf, yes really, and from Jon Bernthal, who you Walking Dead fans would know better as Shane. 

Finally I'd like to talk about the action scenes, we get intense, fast paced, and wonderfully executed fight scenes. The best one was a tank duel between three Sherman and a Tiger tank. We see how intense it is, we see them try to outrun their gun swinging around to kill them, we see the Tiger take out two of the tanks (three actually but one was destroyed early on) and we see why tank battles are so intense. I also have to give props to the sound people with how they handled it the sound design. 

I highly recommend this film. If you have a weak stomach for violence then I understand why you wouldn't want to see it but this has enough character and wit behind it that it should appeal to anyone. This is without a doubt going to be on my best of 2014 list. 

(All photos belong to their respective sources)

Have an opinion about the film? Share it in the comment section.

If you enjoyed this review check out the blog's Facebook page for more movie related posts. 

Thank you for reading. 

The Boxtrolls is a Fun Treat.

The Boxtrolls
D: Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi
W: Irena Brignull, Adam Pava
S: Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Elle Fanning, Ben Kingsley, Toni Collette, Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan

From the studio that brought you ParaNorman (2012, dir. Chris Butler, Sam Fell) and Coraline (2009, dir. Henry Selick) comes another delightful and fun movie, The Boxtrolls. 

When night falls on the town of Cheesebridge a mysterious and mischievous group of creatures, the eponymous Boxtrolls, roam the city at night and collect random bits of garbage to construct random gizmos and thingamabobs. Unfortunately all is not well in Cheesebridge as Archibald Snatcher (Ben Kingsley) wrongly tells the leader of Cheesebridge, Lord Portley-Rind (Jared Harris), that the Boxtrolls have captured and eaten a small child and murdered his father. The reason? So he can rise the social ranks and become a 'White Hat.'  This of course turns out to be false as the baby turns out to be fine and is raised by trolls after his father mysteriously disappears. The boy, named Eggs (Isaac Hempstead-Wright), along with the Lord Portley-Rind's daughter Winnie (Elle Fanning), attempts to right the wrongs and clear the Boxtroll's name.

Like a lot of studio Laika's movies it deals with the theme of outsiders and misfits. In this case not only is the main character a misfit but also the villain, with Snatcher wanting to belong to the higher ups by any means necessary. He even cross dresses as a woman named Madame Frou Frou. Why? I'm guessing because he'll do whatever it takes to belong to the upper society *shudders*.

This movie also ties in the topic of nature vs nurture. With  people assuming the Boxtrolls are evil because they aren't the same nature as the humans so they think their natural way of thinking is more savage. Whereas they think they're are just the good guys without question which is brought up by two of Snatcher's henchmen, Mr. Trout (Nick Frost) and Mr. Pickle (IT Crowd's Richard Ayoade). By the way, these two along with the third henchmen, Mr. Gristle (Tracy Morgan) get a lot of laughs.

Not only is the film great in the story telling department but it's also great from a technical and artistic standpoint. I have nothing but respect for anyone who does stop motion animation, because this style requires a lot of time and patience, there's a great bonus clip during the credits that show how long it takes to get a small scene filmed. They do a great job at building and showing the world of the Boxtrolls in an excellent about detailed design.

If there are any negative aspects about the film is that some character development isn't as strong, mainly the plot line involving Lord Portley-Rind and his daughter's relationship.

The film is wonderful treat with some splendid comedic moments and enough charm to satisfy both kids and adults. Give it a watch. Also, if you haven't seen Corlaine or ParaNorman you totally should!

Rest in Peace Geoffrey Holder (1930-2014)

The world has lost another charismatic actor and another great Bond villain, Trinidad born actor Geoffrey Holder passed away on October 5th at the age of 84. Mr. Holder has had a wide and diverse career from directing stage shows to being a villain in one of the most beloved movie franchises.

My first experience with Mr. Holder was in a now rather obscure movie, Doctor Dolittle (1966, dir. Richard Fleischer) where he played the leader of Sea-Star Island named Willie Shakespeare, yes really. He was able to portray this rather silly character with grace and dignity, which given how he was subjected to casual racism from a co-star's then wife I give him all the more credit.

But without a doubt his most notable role was that of Baron Samedi in Roger Moore's debut Bond film, Live and Let Die (1973, dir. Guy Hamilton). I'll be honest and I remember this guy a lot more than I do the main villain, and that is not me disrespecting Yaphet Kotto. Holder's 6' 6" stance and  memorable laugh will make anyone and everyone stop and stare in amazement. I also wouldn't be surprised if his design helped inspire the design for Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog (2009, dir. Ron Clements, John Musker). 

Holder has also had a remarkable career on the stage as well. He starred as the title character in a modernized version of William Shakespeare's Othello, and was the stage director and costume designer of the 1975 production of The Wiz. He received two Tony Awards for his work in the latter. 

Rest in Peace Mr. Holder, you will be sorely missed.