70s and 80s Horror Gems

Seventies and Eighties Horror Gems

By Kristin Battestella

At last, my husband has decided to tune in for some ‘old’ horror films.  And by ‘old’ he means seventies and eighties nostalgia.  So, here’s a quick but by no means exhaustive sample of some horror jewels from those fabled decades!  

An American Werewolf in London – Jenny Agutter (Logan’s Run), Griffin Dunne (My Girl), and David Naughton (My Sister Sam) star in writer and director John Landis’ (Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Coming to America) very fine 1981 ode to the Universal classics and werewolves of yore.  The plotting and pace is realistic and natural, yet there’s room for fun, sexiness, and modern humor amid the scares.  Now that it’s been thirty years, that extra touch of period vibe adds to the lovely British locations as well.  Landis’ isn’t afraid to go where his horror predecessors couldn’t with nudity, ironic peep shows, graphic designs, and Oscar winning make up. However, there’s also a sweet homage and seriousness to the personal monster torment and the fear of the beast within.  Some today may find the ending a little abrupt, but this is still a darn entertaining ninety minutes of quality wolfy. 

Dawn of the Dead – This 1978 sequel to Night of the Living Dead from George A. Romero has a lot of subtle humor thanks to Ken Foree (Kenan & Kel) and Gaylen Ross (Creepshow) holding out against a zombie infestation in a very, very sweet mall. I mean, wow, did malls like this really exist back in the day? Our local malls have none of this magic- just clothing shops and empty spaces. But here, rednecks use the reanimated dead as target practice, the government and media are nonexistent, and the ills of people- not zombies- ruin this little retail paradise. Yes, there’s fun, nostalgia, and great zombie effects. However, the somber social statements, serious reflection, and the dynamics of what plague can do to people are just awesome. Seriously, nowadays the best place to survive zombies would actually be a dang Wal-Mart- groceries and guns!

The Evil Dead – Bruce Campbell (The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr.) battles zombie babes, rapacious forestry, and wondrous 1981 isolation in this the first in Sam Raimi’s (Spiderman) trilogy of Sumerian undead running amok in rural Tennessee and beyond.  Simply put, the natural horror and backwoods elements build up the scares tremendously.  There are no cell phones to save anyone here, people! Even if some of the effects and zombie make up are perhaps dated, it all still looks good, dirty, gory, and frightfully nasty. Raimi and his cast aren’t afraid to get silly, either, with self-referential humor and necessity is the mother of invention absurdity in taking down those titular problems.  The conclusion is wonderful, and there’s more to be had in Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness.

The Fog – This 1980 original from John Carpenter (Halloween) may seem hokey to some- deadly glow in the dark misties preying on two generations of scream queens Jamie Lee Curtis (Prom Night) and Janet Leigh (Psycho) what not and wow all that. However, several spooky sequences and isolated lighthouse in peril action scenes can still bring a few scares. You know if you were alone on a foggy night along a desolate coast you’d be scared witless!  Carpenter’s scoring also adds heaps of atmosphere, along with those hook wielding and seaweed wearing wronged spirits out to set right ye olde injustice. Though I would have liked a little more time with the players and their consciences over said errors, Adrienne Barbeau (Maude) is a cool character; a single mom disc jockey we can all get behind. Hal Holbrook (Into the Wild) is also perfect as the lone priest trying to do right.  Now then, I had seen the 2005 remake several years ago, but dang if I can recall anything about it!  I suppose the proof is in the pudding there.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Naturally, this 1978 science fiction remake from director Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff) is not the original, I grant you.  It’s a little slow to start and spends more time on outer space photography and explanations, creepy plants, kinky pods, and brief duplicate nudity.  Nevertheless, stars Donald Sutherland (M*A*S*H), Leonard Nimoy (Spock, people, hello), Jeff Goldblum (The Fly), Brooke Adams (The Dead Zone), and Veronica Cartwright (Aliens) are all likeable and fun to root for against the paranoia and conspiracy.  It’s also intriguing to guess who becomes a pod person when while rewatching for all the red herring details. The fear of violation, distrust, and alien peril are damn entertaining; it’s still all about what you don’t see and even more scary, what we don’t know onscreen and off. And that is a damn killer ending!

Return of the Living Dead - John Russo’s 1985 split sequel to Night of the Living Dead brings a little too much punk to the series- yes, these fashions have not stood the test of time. Thankfully, self- reverent humor, a dang intelligent set up, tongue in cheek fun, and a sweet ending go a long way in the whole eating brains of it all.  Brains! Brains! Not only do we have characters ironically named Burt and Ernie, but there’s still some social analysis and sexy balancing the gore, too.  While some may not like this departure from the seriousness of the original or Romero’s follow up series, you have to be able to laugh at all these zombies at some point. Others new to the somewhat confusing franchises might like the fun nostalgia and a comparison marathon as well.  

Texas Chainsaw Massacre – The firstest is the mostest! Despite being one of the grandpappies of the genre, there’s actually little gore in this 1974 film when compared to today’s torture porn.  Sure, there’s some smartly placed bloody splatter, skulls and bone furniture, Leatherface and his skin wearing chainsaw wielding self.  However, most of the grizzly is blessedly off camera, creating a level of audience suggestion that really ups the fear. The implications of what has happened or will happen are allowed to germ with the viewer. I frankly always wonder about the sexual disturbia that must go on in this domestic. The hidden paranoia formula is far, far superior to the modern shock and awe desensitization, and I really don’t know why this glorious style was abandoned in favor of unsubstantiated guts and glory.  The smart, cheap, desperate, and thus brilliant filmmaking also looks dang sweet on blu-ray. Amen. 

Fall Suspense and Thrillers

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Autumn Suspense and Thrillers

By Kristin Battestella

What better way is there to spend a stormy autumn evening then with some cool mystery, heady suspense, classic thrillers, or spy hijinks? 

The Asphalt Jungle – John Huston’s (The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre) brooding 1950 noir starts slow, but the wonderful cast twists and turns this complex, intricate heist tale into a grand, sharp tongued classic.  Sterling Hayden (Johnny Guitar, Dr. Strangelove), Supporting Oscar nominee Sam Jaffe (Gunga Din, Ben Hur), and a budding, forties styled innocent but no less femme Marilyn Monroe (Some Like it Hot) lead the viewer on the murderous city scene as the dark, intricate lives and crimes blur together into one tragedy and double cross after another.  The ensemble is exceptional, everyone’s corrupt, you can’t trust anyone, and it makes for damn fine film.

Color of Night – Yes, the uncensored glimpse of Bruce Willis’ (Die Hard, Moonlighting) wang brought a lot of negative attention to director Richard Rush’s (The Stunt Man) 1994 thriller.  The psychological run around and build up of hints, however, outshines the kinky drivel and the more obvious plot points here.  The poor editing and numerous chopped up editions hurt this mystery more than anything else did, but not all the steamy nineties erotic scenes have stood the test of time either. Thankfully, the ensemble cast- including Leslie Ann Warren (Clue), Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap), Brad Dourif (Lord of the Rings), and Lance Henriksen (The Terminator) is very good-especially when plot holes and weak dialogue fails them.  There’s not a lot of repeat value once you’ve figured this one out but it’s a lot of fun guessing the twists or shouting at the inconsistencies on that first viewing. Although there’s yet to be a definitive DVD edition, give this one a chance.

Red Riding: 1974, 1980, 1983 – Directors Julian Jarrold (Brideshead Revisited), James Marsh (Man on Wire), and Anand Tucker (Shopgirl) have crafted an exceptional trilogy based on the novels by David Peace and adapted by Tony Grisoni (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas).  This morbid tale based on real life events captures the scope of corruption, gruesome violence, depression, and emotions.  Each film can be viewed separately, but this is indeed a trilogy with all three completing a much larger puzzle. The varying styles, great period music, and Yorkshire brooding are wonderfully filmed. Performances by Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) Sean Bean (Sharpe), Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz), Mark Addy (The Full Monty), David Morrissey (Blackpool) and the rest of the ensemble are exceptional.  We follow each of our protagonists even though they can’t possibly surface in these disturbing waters much less win out.  This series is not for the faint of heart, and subtitles are required thanks to plenty of whispers and soft sounds. Although Red Riding is a very heavy series, depressing, and confusing in some spots, Americans should definitely see this fine multi layered piece twice if you can stand it.  Law and Order: Special Victims Unit wishes it could get away with this kind of disturbing magic.  Hollywood simply does not know how to make this kind of film, and I can’t imagine Ridley Scott attempting to top this wonderful piece with a big screen remake. Please don’t bother! This may be the best recent series on either side of the pond-I haven’t looked forward to an ending and jumped up and down for it this much since Trainspotting.

The 39 Steps (2008) – No, this is not the Hitchcock classic, but I don’t know why this recent adaptation starring a Cary Grant-esque Rupert Penry-Jones (MI-5) and lovely Lydia Leonard (Jericho) gets no love.  Director James Hawes (Doctor Who) takes some historical liberties, absolutely, but the period music and World War I styles add to the Scottish action and locales.  An American version would have Hannay and the hottest 18 year olds updated to today with terrorism in L.A., oil mania, and more transportation chases then you can shake a stick at.  Though silly, fun, and too fast in some places, the mystery and chemistry keep this one entertaining from beginning to end.  I could have done without Penry-Jones’ super bleachy blonde hair, but the period espionage action here makes me again wish that the Bond reboot had been period as well. And why not continue the good here in another Hannay telefilm?

Touch of Evil – Orson Welles’ 1958 noir classic has its fair share of cinema history and infamy.  Unprecedented tracking shots and Charlton Heston (The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur) as a Mexican-what the heck is going on here?  A damn fine, complex thriller that’s what.  Naturally, the editing and pacing suffers from all the studio interference and recuts, but Welles’ (Citizen Kane) corrupt Captain Quinlan and the ambiguous mistreatment of Janet Leigh (Psycho) keeps the suspense wonderfully seedy.  Oscar winner Henry Mancini’s (Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Pink Panther) music also ups the onscreen ante.  All this heady crime and its Marlene Dietrich (Morocco, Witness for the Prosecution) who almost steals the show along with a creepy Mercedes McCambridge (All the Kings Men).  I could do without all the aforementioned Mexican stereotypes, but the 112 minute restored version honoring Welles’ original vision is worth another look.

The Usual Suspects – I suppose now everyone knows how this 1995 thriller directed by Bryan Singer (X-Men) and starring Oscar winner Kevin Spacey (American Beauty, L.A. Confidential) ends.  Yes, repeated viewings may pick up a few flaws, but if you haven’t seen this one in awhile, give it a second look with fresh, intelligent eyes.  Better yet, if you can find a viewing virgin who doesn’t know the end thanks to all the spoofs or parodies- make the popcorn and turn out the lights.

Little Women (1933) and Little Women (1949)

Little Women and, Well, Little Women

By Kristin Battestella

Last December, I took in a critical of analysis of Gillian Armstrong’s very fine 1994 adaptation of Little Women. But just when you thought I couldn’t whip up any more traditional Christmas sentimentality, this December I’m taking a chilly winter’s night in with not just one Little Women, but both the 1933 and 1949 film versions. Hold on to your hoop skirts!

Although family audiences and even confident men can enjoy Little Women, women young and old especially adore this 19^th century coming of age tearjerker. For every girl’s fancy, there’s a March sister playing and growing up through the seasons in Concord. Looking for Love Meg, tomboy writer Josephine, shy piano player Beth, and materialistic Amy cherish their Marmee while they befriend wealthy next-door neighbor Theodore Laurence and wait for their Father’s return from the Civil War. What’s not to love?

The 1933 first talkie edition from director George Cukor (My Fair Lady, A Star is Born, Gaslight) adapts Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 by adding several expository scenes and transitions at the opening of the film. Of course, there’s also plenty of Christmas enchantment to be had in this heartwarming tale of family loves and loss during the Civil War. The music and old-fashioned December traditions scattered throughout the film will remind the young at heart and sentimental how things used to be. There’s seriously cold weather, the joy of sausage for Christmas Day dinner, and plenty of wartime generosity to warm any grinch.

Naturally, the black and white cinematography doesn’t allow for the bright styles of other Little Women pictures, but the snowy locations and onscreen holiday music make up for the monochromatic silver screen. The costumes by Academy Award winner Walter Plunkett (An American in Paris, How the West Was Won) are the poor man’s hoops skirts we expect, and the Victorian set decoration looks wonderfully authentic. Ironically, Plunkett would also have costuming credit on the 1949 version, along with more credit to screenwriters Sarah Y. Mason and Victor Heerman (Magnificent Obsession). The couple won the Adapted Screenplay Oscar here, and this 1933 version also saw nominations for Best Picture and Director.

Why is it that in Little Women films, the stars always end up being the ladies who play Jo and Amy? An older Katharine Hepburn made to look younger and a blonde Joan Bennett (We’re No Angels, Dark Shadows) too old to play the littlest March sister battle it out in proper over the top thirties fashion. Hepburn is clearly having a good time with this much beloved character. She gives all of herself in the outspoken, yet classy tomboy fashion old school fans have come to expect from the future star of classics such as The Philadelphia Story and Bringing Up Baby. Of course, the budding icon would win her first of four Best Actress Oscars for the more mature Morning Glory, also released in 1933. It’s not so much the peculiar ages and casting of Hepburn, but that she has the wonderful range for the part.

Bennett, of course, was pregnant and in her early twenties while playing the school aged Amy. Her acting family pedigree, however, strengthens her high-class portrayal of the youngest, most uppity March girl who covets the finest things and wishes her family returned to wealth and good standing. Spring Byington (December Bride, You Can’t Take it With You) is ever charming as the good hearted Marmee, and Edna May Oliver (Drums Along the Mohawk) is delightfully crotchety as Old Aunt March. Jean Parker (The Gunfighter) and Frances Dee (Of Human Bondage- but perhaps better known as Mrs. Joel McCrea) are also wonderfully marshmallow as Meg and Beth, respectively; but the first and third girls are always overshadowed by their star sisters.

The 1949 color extravaganza is no different in its star treatment of Jo and Amy, casting the 32 year old June Allyson (The Glenn Miller Story, Executive Suite) and a be-blonded Elizabeth Taylor (A Place in the Sun, Cleopatra, Butterfield 8)-who’s now the number three March sister instead of the youngest. Wouldn’t you change your literary classic to make room for Elizabeth Taylor?

Traditionally a blonde herself, Allyson dons Jo’s dark hair and spunky style. Despite her being way too old for the part, we can’t help but like feisty little June and her button nose-especially in the famous scene were Jo has sold her hair. Her spontaneity is a treat, too. Unlike other Amys past and future, Elizabeth Taylor is also charming. She’s prim and uppity yes, but somehow likeable in her expressions. Like the rest of the cast, she’s enjoying herself. A very young Janet Leigh (Psycho, Touch of Evil) also looks delightful as Meg, and Margaret O’Brien (Meet Me in St. Louis) is adorable as the now youngest, but still tragic Beth.

Where Douglass Montgomery is a little bland in our 1933 edition, Peter Lawford (It Happened in Brooklyn, Easter Parade) makes his presence known here as Laurie. Well and sure, he’s a fine actor and all of that, but it’s a little more of his Kennedy and Rat Pack connections that have us noting each of his scenes with ‘It’s Peter Lawford!’ Oscar Winner Mary Astor (The Maltese Falcon, The Great Lie) is also perfect as Marmee.

Charming as our prior adaptation is, there’s a little more Christmas here in all its Technicolor glory. The poor, homemade but splendid Victoria décor, the joy of a dollar to spend on presents-and all they could get for their dollars! The onscreen caroling is also delightful, along with snowy escapades, good deeds, and bundles of petticoats. Little Women looks heartwarming despite the March family’s seeming depravity, and this 1949 take won the Color Art and Set Decoration Oscar. In sharing an almost identical script and screenplay, there shouldn’t be that many differences amid these two Little Women takes-but oh, there are. Some of the scenes are in a different order, and there’s no European travels here. Yet, somehow, the 1949 version is longer. Nevertheless, it’s also great fun to hear some of the exact same lines delivered by a different cast. Teachers of the novel or literary fans might enjoy a back-to-back viewing for classroom study or comparison. I don’t know that I could choose between these two versions of Little Women. Some of the 1933 tale is a little more over the top, but it has Katharine Hepburn! Then, again 1949 looks so good. Both features are certainly family friendly to young audiences and classic film fans.

I may still have my old VHS, but DVD editions and video on demand options are available for both Little Women and, hee, Little Women. The sets are a little slim on features, but a digitally restored and preserved film copy is plenty enough. Now, I certainly don’t consider myself the sentimental and super girlie type, but one knows a fine character drama when one sees it. Alcott’s true to her time story of sisters growing to womanhood is still a dang fine tale. Naturally, it makes not one, but three exceptional holiday films. Fans of the novel can certainly enjoy the old school films here, and families can enjoy Little Women at Christmas or throughout the year.

Psycho

Modern Fans Under Appreciate Psycho
By Kristin Battestella

Everybody’s heard of Psycho-and like The Sixth Sense, even if you haven’t see it, most people nowadays know Psycho’s twist ending. Today’s visually desensitized young adults cannot fully appreciate Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 masterpiece even though it has become the grand daddy of slasher films. Oft emulated but never equaled, Psycho needs to be re watched with vigor anew.

Anthony Perkins stars in the Hitchcock thriller as Norman Bates, a quiet and lonely young man who befriends Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) while she spends the night at the Bates Motel. Wishing for a respectable life with her boyfriend Sam Loomis (John Gavin), Marion steals $40,000 from her boss and sets out for California. Following Marion’s trail is her sister Lila (Vera Miles) and Detective Milton Arbogast (Martin Balsam). All come to suspect Norman, the Bates Motel, and Norman’s mother- the innocent Mrs. Bates.

Under Hitchcock’s direction Anthony Perkins plays Norman Bates to the T. Forever typecast by Hollywood and fans alike-we still can’t separate Perkins from Bates. The actor himself was conflicted and confused sexually, and Perkins gives this genuine emotional conflict to Norman. The way he cleans up after his mother, stays on in an empty motel-we feel bad for Norman the moment we meet him. Likewise Janet Leigh plays the good girl gone bad. Even though Marion’s at odds with the law, we open the film in the middle of her situation. We see her plan and prepare, yet we want her to get away with it.

When Lila and Sam come calling for Marion-we root for them as well. We care for each, fear for them or of them-the audience relates to each character, regardless of their standpoint in the spectrum. No one is filler or miscast. Even though Vera Miles has played the tough cookie in films like The Searchers and other early television westerns, and Janet Leigh the sweet tart in Bye Bye Birdie- the women are perfect as sisters. Even though Sam is Marion’s lover, we see him more with Lila. The underlying chemistry between Miles and Loomis hints at something more. As simple as Psycho can look on screen, everything from the actors to the props is multitasking.

Oscar winner and suspense king Hitchcock intentionally made the film black and white-a cringe worthy concept to today’s effects happy filmmakers. Using the film crew from his television series Alfred Hitchcock Presents and good old fashioned film making ingenuity like chocolate syrup for blood, Hitch stuck to Psycho’s $1 million budget. There are no effects to speak off, just swift camera angles and perfected lighting techniques. Multiple actors were used to keep up the illusion of Mrs. Bates, and the attention to detail regarding costumes, props, and sets is top notch. Psycho perfectly captures the early sixties in every detail. The bullet bras, poofy dresses, even Norman’s taxidermy isn’t taken for granted. Those stuffed birds, of course, allude to something else.

Based on the book Psycho by Robert Bloch, Psycho benefits greatly from sound source material and screenplay work by Joseph Stefano. It’s intelligent, yet light at parts. Innocent yet dark, modern imitators don’t have the psychological complexities of Hitchcock’s work. Today, some may find the story slow, but the first hour sets up the unraveling yet totally explained and satisfying ending. After Psycho premiered in theaters, Hitchcock demanded no one be seated after the start of the film in order to preserve the suspense. Every word is timed perfectly onscreen, every shot, every scene says something-not a frame is wasted in Psycho.

Several scenes in Psycho are so iconic and oft imitated or parodied that audiences forget the original. Gus Van Sant’s 1998 inferior and useless homage remake of Psycho stars Vince Vaughn and Anne Heche. The color recreation is almost a frame for frame imitation of Hitch’s original. Can you name another film that has that kind of backward flattery? Psycho’s infamous shower scene is genius in its editing, illusions, and it did for the bathroom what Jaws did for ocean swimmers.

Psycho and its score by Bernard Herrmann are the best music marriage since Gone With The Wind. Composer of other Hitchcock scores as well as Citizen Cane and The Day The Earth Stood Still, Herrmann’s haunting strings aren’t a hum-able tune, yet everyone knows the theme when he or she hears it. Herrmann’s score fits Hitchcock’s layered suspense and sixties mood. Long after you’ve watched Psycho you hear those strings in the shower and in your sleep.

Psycho’s undoing is its audience’s inability to forget and be surprised again. Today’s information hounds have been spoiled by sub par sequels like Psycho II (1983), Psycho III (1986) , and a prequel Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990). Unlike most low budget or obscure old flicks waiting to be rediscovered, the stalwart Psycho has never quite left the public eye. Despite previous acting prowess in Friendly Persuasion and Fear Strikes Out, Anthony Perkins will be forever associated with this role-Perkins played the alter ego Norman Bates nearly up until his death in 1992.

My VHS copy contains a short making of featurette. The set was fun, but Janet Leigh actually spent very little of the shoot with Perkins. Deeper documentaries on Hitchcock, Perkins, and the film are available and filled with trivia and antic dotes. Collectors should definitely upgrade to DVD for restored picture, sound, and additional documentaries and insights.

Deemed too gory, shocking, and risqué at the time, Psycho will not loose its iconic status-despite the popularity of gory, gimmicky, and quick fix films. Detailed, intelligent suspense thrillers will always have an audience. Psycho’s bonus is its duality-quiet, simplistic onscreen, yet complex and full of optical illusions. I fear not only a lack of appreciation for fine horror films like Psycho, but also I wonder if modern teeny boppers and fans of bloody horror understand the nuances presented? While Psycho is gore free, the spooks might still scare kinds under 10. Truthfully anyone with a heart condition should avoid Psycho. If you’re new to classic films, old movies, or Alfred Hitchcock, Psycho is a must see. Study it and appreciate it thoroughly.


This Review was posted previously at Flames Rising and Helium