The title is pretty self-explanatory. Movie trailers and television spots are a marketing campaign to grab a hold of the audiences' attention and have them pay to see the latest film to hit theaters. Horror film trailers are tightly constructed and they have to make the film look scary, thrilling, and entertaining. However, in some cases (especially with today's films), the trailers to some horror films are for more appealing than the film itself. The trailer seemed to be an overview of a lackluster film's highlights. Here are some instances where I found the trailer to be captivating but the film to be a turkey.
Friday the 13th (2009) - This film was probably the biggest disappointment of all time as far as hype goes for an upcoming horror release. The Friday the 13th series is an extremely popular franchise. I myself am an extremely huge fan of the films. I was super stoked when I first viewed this trailer, believing it would be the ultimate Friday the 13th film, concentrating on the good elements of the series to make an amazing throwback to the golden age of horror films. Was I wrong or what?! This film was a dull, unimaginative slasher flick, no better than the most lackluster entry in the franchise. I seriously got bored after the first 20 minutes of the film. It brought nothing new to the table and really just recycled elements from the first four films of the franchise thus turning the whole film into a big cliched mess.
Friday the 13th, Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) - Since we're on Friday the 13th films, here's another disappointing marketing campaign that promised but didn't deliver. What Friday the 13th fan would not be drawn to the concept of Jason terrorizing the Big Apple? However, 3/4 of the film took place on a cruise ship headed towards NYC. Then the rest of the film deals with Jason chasing two teens in the sewers of Manhattan. There is only one good scene in the film where Jason is walking around Time Square... and everyone is ignoring him! Otherwise, this film sucks.
When A Stranger Calls (2006) - I, myself, was not that impressed with the original 1979 film with the exception of that extremely tense first act. The remake promised to be an extension on the first act and be just as tense. If it failed to do that, it looked like it could have just been a creepy slasher flick. It was neither. It was drawn out sequences of obscene phone calls and shots of the empty house that attempted to generate suspense but couldn't manage to do that.
Hatchet (2006) - I'm sorry Adam Green. You seem to be a huge fan of the horror genre and you are extremely nice. But your film was a turkey. It's not like it was necessarily bad. In fact, it was extremely well made. But this film was a prime example of failing to deliver. The word-of-mouth on this film was that it was probably the greatest horror film of the last twenty years and it was extremely scary and entertaining. Like a new age Friday the 13th Jason-esque slasher film. In some cases, it almost seemed like it was going to be a loose remake of Friday the 13th, Part II. It had cameo appearances from horror legends such as Robert "Freddy Krueger" Englund, Tony "Candyman" Todd, and the killer was played by Kane "Jason Voorhess" Hodder. This should have been a great horror film. It wasn't. Painfully mediocre at best.
The Fog (2005) - What was I thinking? I got so hyped up for this film after seeing this trailer. The 1980 original is one of my favorite films and this trailer promised a film that would capture the spirit of it's predecessor, expanding on the backstory and, overall, giving us a moody and atmospheric ghost story. This film is probably one of the worst horror films ever made.
He Knows You're Alone (1980) - I actually enjoyed this film, especially the excellent beginning. But it could have been better. And that neat little scene where the hand comes crashing through the mirror is not even in the movie! It turns out it was just a marketing gimmick.
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) - Riding on the box-office sucess of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers the prior year, the filmmakers of this fifth installment in the franchise rushed this film into production, hoping to capturelightning in a bottle yet again. While Michael's return was quite thrilling, this film seemed to be the epic battle between good and evil where the victims will strike back and end Michael's reign of terror once and for all. Well, they didn't do so hot. They resorted to the usual stalk-and-slash accompanied by scenes of annoying characters who were just knife fodder and a confusing supernatural sub-plot, and Michael ended up returning in three other sequels.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Horror Throne #1: Anthony Perkins
NOTE: SPOILERS AHEAD
"We all go a little mad sometimes". - Norman Bates, Psycho (1960)
In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation of Robert Bloch's pulp thriller novel, Psycho shocked audiences around the world. Taking horror out of the Gothic castles and forbidden planets, the story about a young motel owner who covers up the murders of his psychotic mother struck a nerve with movie goers and sky rocketed the careers of director Alfred Hitchcock and star Janet Leigh. But no one was affected by the film's success more than Anthony Perkins, the actor who will forever be known as the tortured Norman Bates.
Anthony Perkins was born on April 4, 1932. His father, stage and film actor James Ripley Osgood Perkins died when Perkins was five and his childhood was shadowed by an unstable relationship with his mother. Perkins' film debut was in 1953 in the film The Actress. Then three years later, Perkins stuck gold with his Golden Globe and Academy Award nominated role in the film Friendly Persuasion, making him Hollywood's hottest young star. He went on to star alongside Audrey Hepburn and Jane Fonda in subsequent films and hit the stage on Broadway. His performance in the play Look Homeward Angel caught the eye of screenwriter Joseph Stefano, who was adapting Robert Bloch's Psycho for the big screen. He began to mold his vision of Norman Bates after the talented Perkins, believing he was perfect for the role.
While Norman Bates in the novelization of Psycho was an overweight, middle-aged alcoholic with no redeeming qualities, Perkins' portrayal of Norman was a whole new character - young and goodlooking, seemingly innocent and trustworthy - making the revelation at the end of the film much more shocking.
While Norman seemed to be an unwilling accomplice to Mother's crimes, it just so happens that Mother has been dead for years. And her memory lives on in Norman, creating two different personalities, dueling it out in Norman's psyche.
The film was both a blessing and a curse to Perkins' career. Perkins became the victim of typecast. While appearing in hit films throughout the '60s and '70s such as Catch-22 and Murder on the Orient Express, Perkins career managed to stay afloat by returning to the role that made him famous. Under the masterful director of Richard Franklin (Road Games) and an excellent performance by its main player, Psycho II opened in the summer of 1983 and became the sleeper hit of the season. While the original film simply portrayed Norman as an unhinged mind, the sequel gave Perkins room to test his acting chops and turn Norman into a tragic hero, one who is constantly at war with himself.
This seemed to mirror Perkins' personal life, in which the actor lead a double life. One as a normal family man with a successful career and the other as a closet homosexual who was at war with his own identity.
Perkins' creative abilities continued to expand. Not only did her deliver an even more masterful performance as Norman Bates in 1986's Psycho III, but he used his talents to direct the film as well, delivering the ultimate character study on Norman Bates and now forever tying Perkins to the legacy of his on-screen persona.
Between the third film and the final chapter in the series - 1990's Psycho IV: The Beginning - Perkins tragically contracted the AIDS virus, putting his personal life in the spotlight. Just as the ending of Psycho IV brought closure to the character of Norman Bates, on September 12, 1992 passed away but not without confronting his own fears and learning to accept himself. In the end, Anthony Perkins left behind a legacy - much like Norman Bates - of great tragedy and triumph.
"We all go a little mad sometimes". - Norman Bates, Psycho (1960)
In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation of Robert Bloch's pulp thriller novel, Psycho shocked audiences around the world. Taking horror out of the Gothic castles and forbidden planets, the story about a young motel owner who covers up the murders of his psychotic mother struck a nerve with movie goers and sky rocketed the careers of director Alfred Hitchcock and star Janet Leigh. But no one was affected by the film's success more than Anthony Perkins, the actor who will forever be known as the tortured Norman Bates.
Anthony Perkins was born on April 4, 1932. His father, stage and film actor James Ripley Osgood Perkins died when Perkins was five and his childhood was shadowed by an unstable relationship with his mother. Perkins' film debut was in 1953 in the film The Actress. Then three years later, Perkins stuck gold with his Golden Globe and Academy Award nominated role in the film Friendly Persuasion, making him Hollywood's hottest young star. He went on to star alongside Audrey Hepburn and Jane Fonda in subsequent films and hit the stage on Broadway. His performance in the play Look Homeward Angel caught the eye of screenwriter Joseph Stefano, who was adapting Robert Bloch's Psycho for the big screen. He began to mold his vision of Norman Bates after the talented Perkins, believing he was perfect for the role.
While Norman Bates in the novelization of Psycho was an overweight, middle-aged alcoholic with no redeeming qualities, Perkins' portrayal of Norman was a whole new character - young and goodlooking, seemingly innocent and trustworthy - making the revelation at the end of the film much more shocking.
While Norman seemed to be an unwilling accomplice to Mother's crimes, it just so happens that Mother has been dead for years. And her memory lives on in Norman, creating two different personalities, dueling it out in Norman's psyche.
The film was both a blessing and a curse to Perkins' career. Perkins became the victim of typecast. While appearing in hit films throughout the '60s and '70s such as Catch-22 and Murder on the Orient Express, Perkins career managed to stay afloat by returning to the role that made him famous. Under the masterful director of Richard Franklin (Road Games) and an excellent performance by its main player, Psycho II opened in the summer of 1983 and became the sleeper hit of the season. While the original film simply portrayed Norman as an unhinged mind, the sequel gave Perkins room to test his acting chops and turn Norman into a tragic hero, one who is constantly at war with himself.
This seemed to mirror Perkins' personal life, in which the actor lead a double life. One as a normal family man with a successful career and the other as a closet homosexual who was at war with his own identity.
Perkins' creative abilities continued to expand. Not only did her deliver an even more masterful performance as Norman Bates in 1986's Psycho III, but he used his talents to direct the film as well, delivering the ultimate character study on Norman Bates and now forever tying Perkins to the legacy of his on-screen persona.
Between the third film and the final chapter in the series - 1990's Psycho IV: The Beginning - Perkins tragically contracted the AIDS virus, putting his personal life in the spotlight. Just as the ending of Psycho IV brought closure to the character of Norman Bates, on September 12, 1992 passed away but not without confronting his own fears and learning to accept himself. In the end, Anthony Perkins left behind a legacy - much like Norman Bates - of great tragedy and triumph.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Best Horror Movie Posters
These are just my opinion of what I think are the Best Horror Movie Posters. Feel free to add your thoughts.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974): How could you not be intrigued by this poster? A pretty horrific image with a twisted tagline: Who will survive and what will be left of them? Plus the gimmick of claiming that the events portrayed on the film actually happened.
Black Christmas (1974): A symbol of holiday cheer contains a creepy image of a murder victim, with a look of horror on her face - the last expression on her face before she met her fate at the hands of a mysterious killer. This poster pretty much defines the simplistic yet creepy atmosphere of the film.
Jaws (1975): Though the shark in the film wasn't exactly that big, it did tell the audience that the monster in this film is nothing you've ever seen before.
Halloween (1978): Like the theme music and the mask, the poster art for this film is iconic. The simple yet creative design of the knife interspersed with the pumpkin represents exactly what the film is: you don't need much to be effective.
Dawn of the Dead (1978): The tagline for this is probably the most popular line from a horror film. For some reason, this simple poster art is just awesome.
Friday the 13th (1980): You just know something bad is going to happen to the naive youngsters in this poster as they are dominated by the silhouette of a prowler, wielding a bloody knife. Like the film's influence on the slasher genre throughout the 1980s, this poster definitely had influence on the poster art for many slasher films to follow.
The Evil Dead (1981): The disturbing image of an innocent young woman being pulled down into the depths of Hell by some sort of demon reflects the the brutal ferocity of the film itself, promising not to disappoint potential viewers.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974): How could you not be intrigued by this poster? A pretty horrific image with a twisted tagline: Who will survive and what will be left of them? Plus the gimmick of claiming that the events portrayed on the film actually happened.
Black Christmas (1974): A symbol of holiday cheer contains a creepy image of a murder victim, with a look of horror on her face - the last expression on her face before she met her fate at the hands of a mysterious killer. This poster pretty much defines the simplistic yet creepy atmosphere of the film.
Jaws (1975): Though the shark in the film wasn't exactly that big, it did tell the audience that the monster in this film is nothing you've ever seen before.
Halloween (1978): Like the theme music and the mask, the poster art for this film is iconic. The simple yet creative design of the knife interspersed with the pumpkin represents exactly what the film is: you don't need much to be effective.
Dawn of the Dead (1978): The tagline for this is probably the most popular line from a horror film. For some reason, this simple poster art is just awesome.
Friday the 13th (1980): You just know something bad is going to happen to the naive youngsters in this poster as they are dominated by the silhouette of a prowler, wielding a bloody knife. Like the film's influence on the slasher genre throughout the 1980s, this poster definitely had influence on the poster art for many slasher films to follow.
The Evil Dead (1981): The disturbing image of an innocent young woman being pulled down into the depths of Hell by some sort of demon reflects the the brutal ferocity of the film itself, promising not to disappoint potential viewers.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Crypticon Seattle Horror Convention June 5-7 2009
Since Seattle's first horror convention was a huge success last year, Crypticon will again be having a convention this year. This year's guests will include Lloyd "Troma" Kaufman, Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog), Tom Atkins (Night of the Creeps), Nancy Loomis (Halloween), Charles Cyphers (Halloween), Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead), Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes), Howard "Bub" Sherman (Day of the Dead), and a Phantasm reunion - with director Don Coscarelli, Reggie Bannister, Bill Thornbury, and Kathy Lester - and more!.
It will be held at the Seattle Center on June 5-7.
For more details, go to:
http://www.crypticonseattle.com/
It will be held at the Seattle Center on June 5-7.
For more details, go to:
http://www.crypticonseattle.com/
H2: Halloween 2
Rob Zombie was given the most challenging task as a horror director: remake the the most famous and sacred film in the horror genre. That film was Halloween. Zombie's "re-imagining" of John Carpenter's 1978 classic was met with divided praise from fans, some saying it was a superior remake while others called it blasphemous.
But now Zombie is following up his vision of the story with an even more controversial sequel, simply entitled: H2. The film opens in several months, but apparently from the trailer we will be given a vision of the Halloween mythos that concerns Michael Myers with a new look continuing to stalk his younger sister, Laurie Strode who has become mentally unhinged since the events of the prior film. Meanwhile, Michael's psychiatrist, Dr. Samuel Loomis continues to hunt down the unstoppable killing machine.
Also, it seems that Michael is visited by the vision or ghost of his dead mother (played by Rob Zombie's wife, of course) who tells her son to kill in order to bring the family together.
It is quite apparent that Rob Zombie is taking major risks with this film, from changing Michael's look to showing a driving force to Michael's evil (which is identical to the plot device of both the Psycho and Friday the 13th films). While it's a breath of fresh air to add something new to the series outside the usual stalk-and-slash, if these new elements are not executed well, this film could be a disaster. You be the judge. Personally, I hate the 'Ghost Mom' angle. It seems too out of the place and cheesy. Plus, it goes against the character. Michael Myers is a force of evil. Even in Zombie's first film, Michael was already a bad seed despite a dysfunctional childhood. So, Michael's mother being the force that compels him to kill is a huge disservice to the character.
P.S. For you purists and nostalgic ones, here's a creepy clip from the original Halloween II from 1981.
But now Zombie is following up his vision of the story with an even more controversial sequel, simply entitled: H2. The film opens in several months, but apparently from the trailer we will be given a vision of the Halloween mythos that concerns Michael Myers with a new look continuing to stalk his younger sister, Laurie Strode who has become mentally unhinged since the events of the prior film. Meanwhile, Michael's psychiatrist, Dr. Samuel Loomis continues to hunt down the unstoppable killing machine.
Also, it seems that Michael is visited by the vision or ghost of his dead mother (played by Rob Zombie's wife, of course) who tells her son to kill in order to bring the family together.
It is quite apparent that Rob Zombie is taking major risks with this film, from changing Michael's look to showing a driving force to Michael's evil (which is identical to the plot device of both the Psycho and Friday the 13th films). While it's a breath of fresh air to add something new to the series outside the usual stalk-and-slash, if these new elements are not executed well, this film could be a disaster. You be the judge. Personally, I hate the 'Ghost Mom' angle. It seems too out of the place and cheesy. Plus, it goes against the character. Michael Myers is a force of evil. Even in Zombie's first film, Michael was already a bad seed despite a dysfunctional childhood. So, Michael's mother being the force that compels him to kill is a huge disservice to the character.
P.S. For you purists and nostalgic ones, here's a creepy clip from the original Halloween II from 1981.
Greatest Scenes in Horror
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens [A Symphony of Horror] (1922)- Rise: Count Orlock rises from his coffin. A truly terrifying scene. For 1922 - the make-up work, the movements of Max Schreck (Count Orlock), and the special effects are truly amazing.
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) - Unmasked: The up-and-coming opera singer Chrisine Dae discovers what's the behind the mask of brilliant composer, Erik. NOTE: This scene was originally in black & white and silent. This is a pretty cool, colorized, and scored version of the scene.
Psycho (1960) - Arbogast Meets Mother: Detective Arbogast is suspicious of Norman Bates. Beautiful Marion Crane has just disappeared and she was last seen at the Bates Motel. Arbogast gets a nasty welcome when he attempts to interrogate Norman's dear Mother.
Night of the Living Dead (1968) - "They're Coming To Get You, Barbara!": In the cemetery, Johnny teases his sister, Barbara with the notion that the dead will rise to collect Barbara. Was he right or what?
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - Somebody home?: In this scene, Kirk learns that curiousity killed the cat. A truly effective scene.
Carrie (1976) - "They're All Going To Laugh At You!": Carrie White's fantasy becomes a nightmare as a few of her cruel classmates humiliate her at the prom. But Carrie got the last laugh.
Halloween (1978) - The Mona Lisa of Murder: The suspense builds up perfectly up to the point where Michael Myers strikes. After he finishes off poor Bob, he takes a few seconds to admire his work as if he is observing a piece of art.
Alien (1979) - Soup's On: I definitely will not be having what he had. The claustrophobic, handheld camera work in this scene is what helps heighten the tension in this scene.
Friday the 13th (1980) - He's Still There: It's all over... or is it? Alice has just decapitated the maniacal Mrs. Voorhees who was on a vengeful killing spree over the death of her son, Jason. In the end, like mother like son.
Definitely leaves it open for a Friday the 13th, Part 2... and that certainly happened. As did Part 3 through Part remake.
The Thing (1982) - "You've gotta be fuckin' kidding!": With perhaps the greatest special effects ever printed onto celluoid, this truly terrifying scene shows Norris suffering from a heart attack. Or what we think is Norris... This film still scares me to this date.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - "This... is God!": Tina's faith in God is powerless against the evil Freddy Krueger. 1, 2 Freddy's Coming For You.
The Exorcist III (1990) - Legion: I've never been a big fan of The Exorcist and I've never seen this film. But I've heard about this scene countless time on horror movie websites, calling it one of the scariest scenes from a very underrated film. This scene does a perfect job at building tension through with it's cinematography and pacing. Sure as hell scared me!
Candyman (1993) - "Be my victim...": Undeniably, this is the scariest and most atmospheric horror film of the past twenty years. While an extremely gory, brutal film it's scariest moment is beautifully simplisitc.
The Strangers (2008) - Lock Your Doors, Pretend You're Safe: In this day and age, a good horror film is hard to come by these days. Especially a horror film with a simple plot and a low budget that manages to scare us. Even though this film did have it's share of cliches, it was still scary. Even this scene is nothing new - it is obviously inspired by the original Halloween. But it was executed to perfection. This is also the first time I was in the theater for a horror film where everyone started to scream at a certain scene, as shown in this video which was filmed at showing of the movie.
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) - Unmasked: The up-and-coming opera singer Chrisine Dae discovers what's the behind the mask of brilliant composer, Erik. NOTE: This scene was originally in black & white and silent. This is a pretty cool, colorized, and scored version of the scene.
Psycho (1960) - Arbogast Meets Mother: Detective Arbogast is suspicious of Norman Bates. Beautiful Marion Crane has just disappeared and she was last seen at the Bates Motel. Arbogast gets a nasty welcome when he attempts to interrogate Norman's dear Mother.
Night of the Living Dead (1968) - "They're Coming To Get You, Barbara!": In the cemetery, Johnny teases his sister, Barbara with the notion that the dead will rise to collect Barbara. Was he right or what?
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - Somebody home?: In this scene, Kirk learns that curiousity killed the cat. A truly effective scene.
Carrie (1976) - "They're All Going To Laugh At You!": Carrie White's fantasy becomes a nightmare as a few of her cruel classmates humiliate her at the prom. But Carrie got the last laugh.
Halloween (1978) - The Mona Lisa of Murder: The suspense builds up perfectly up to the point where Michael Myers strikes. After he finishes off poor Bob, he takes a few seconds to admire his work as if he is observing a piece of art.
Alien (1979) - Soup's On: I definitely will not be having what he had. The claustrophobic, handheld camera work in this scene is what helps heighten the tension in this scene.
Friday the 13th (1980) - He's Still There: It's all over... or is it? Alice has just decapitated the maniacal Mrs. Voorhees who was on a vengeful killing spree over the death of her son, Jason. In the end, like mother like son.
Definitely leaves it open for a Friday the 13th, Part 2... and that certainly happened. As did Part 3 through Part remake.
The Thing (1982) - "You've gotta be fuckin' kidding!": With perhaps the greatest special effects ever printed onto celluoid, this truly terrifying scene shows Norris suffering from a heart attack. Or what we think is Norris... This film still scares me to this date.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - "This... is God!": Tina's faith in God is powerless against the evil Freddy Krueger. 1, 2 Freddy's Coming For You.
The Exorcist III (1990) - Legion: I've never been a big fan of The Exorcist and I've never seen this film. But I've heard about this scene countless time on horror movie websites, calling it one of the scariest scenes from a very underrated film. This scene does a perfect job at building tension through with it's cinematography and pacing. Sure as hell scared me!
Candyman (1993) - "Be my victim...": Undeniably, this is the scariest and most atmospheric horror film of the past twenty years. While an extremely gory, brutal film it's scariest moment is beautifully simplisitc.
The Strangers (2008) - Lock Your Doors, Pretend You're Safe: In this day and age, a good horror film is hard to come by these days. Especially a horror film with a simple plot and a low budget that manages to scare us. Even though this film did have it's share of cliches, it was still scary. Even this scene is nothing new - it is obviously inspired by the original Halloween. But it was executed to perfection. This is also the first time I was in the theater for a horror film where everyone started to scream at a certain scene, as shown in this video which was filmed at showing of the movie.
Welcome to My Bloody Page
Hello my name is Johnathon and I'm a horror fan.
And Welcome to MY BLOODY PAGE!
The horror genre has the most loyal group of fans - I mean, come on, have you ever heard of Romantic-Comedy Conventions? Horror fans do everything from watching horror films to collecting horror memorabilia to reading up on anything horror-related online.
I've created this page to give online users a little taste of horror every day. Keep reading and stay scary!!! :D
- Johnathon
And Welcome to MY BLOODY PAGE!
The horror genre has the most loyal group of fans - I mean, come on, have you ever heard of Romantic-Comedy Conventions? Horror fans do everything from watching horror films to collecting horror memorabilia to reading up on anything horror-related online.
I've created this page to give online users a little taste of horror every day. Keep reading and stay scary!!! :D
- Johnathon
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