31 Day of Halloween: Day 5 - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari - Original Horror

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) is widely considered the first horror film.  It is also considered the first serial killer film by some although Bluebeard (1901) predates it by 19 years.



The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari really is the first horror film, though, because it is the first to use unsettling mise en scène and lighting to establish an unsettling feeling in the viewer.  It also established many of the tropes we now know as anathema to the serial killer sub-genre.  There are no parallel lines to disillusion the viewer.

My wife asked me if I thought people were scared watching this when it came our in 1920.  I said that I definitely do think people were sacred.  They had never seen anything like this.  It's the same way people were scared when the Beatles' Revolver came out and Tomorrow Never Knows changed what they thought music could sound like.

The Somnambulist is a sleep walker and he is Dr. Caligari's victim.  Dr. Caligari forces him to kill.

Watching people from 1920 moving around is really a form of necromancy.  We use some kind of technology to resurrect these people who have long since been dead.  It is odd that we are watching ghosts.  Even when we watch recent cinema, those people do not exist anymore, not in that form at least.  They will forever be frozen in that period of time.  When you watch a film that you've seen before, it always remains the same, even if you haven't.  I guess it's a form of time travel too.

Watch the whole thing here with an updated soundtrack.

Later this film would inspire avant-garde pornographer Stephen Sayadian to make Dr. Caligari (1989) an art film about the original

 Dr. Caligari's great-grandaughter who had some experimental methods of psychiatry to say

 the least.

Trailer

Full Film

31 Days of Halloween - Days 3 & 4: Army of Darkness and Evil Dead reboot

Like the second in the Evil Dead trilogy, this film doesn't really seem to belong on this trilogy, but for a different reason.  Whereas Evil Dead 2 (1987) was more of a remake than a sequel to the first one, Army Of Darkness (1992) is its own film entirely.  It's not really a horror film even; more of an action/adventure film.  Some of this can be explained by the fact that each of the films are five or six years apart.  

Of course, there is an army of reanimated skeletons.

However, unlike the second film, Army of Darkness does trace a clear plot line from the second film.  It then takes a total left turn right at the beginning.



I also want to mention I have been listening to the NoSleep Podcast.  It's a fun horror story podcast for when you're in the car or doing the dishes.

Also, check out Mr. Nightmare.



Evil Dead (2013) is a pastiche of the first two films with completely different characters.  They go to the cabin not to have a nice vacation, but to help their friend get off heroin.  At first they think everything going on with her is because of the detox, but they later find out...

This film loses the camp of the original trilogy and I think suffers for it.  It takes a fun Halloween classic and makes it into a torture film.  The infamous tree-rape scene is even more disturbing and realistic, which is really not welcome.  There is a whole thing with a nail gun that reminds me of The Passion of the Christ (2004).

Today I have been watching this South Korean animated zombie film Seoul Station.

Tonight is the silent classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920).

31 Days of Halloween: Day 2 - Evild Dead 2 and Exorcist III

Last night I watched Evil Dead II (1987) as the second installment of the 31 Days of Halloween series.

First, we begin with the question:  Why would Ash take his new girlfriend to the same place his old girlfriend was killed and all that stuff with the demons?  I guess he was just like, "I know a really cool cabin that's really secluded.  This is too sweet of a deal to just abandon because of some drama."  

In all seriousness, genre fans will say Evil Dead II, released 6 years after the original, is more of a remake than a sequel.

With that out of the way, the film does a lot more to explore the mythos of the previous one.  The what the Necronomicon is and why it's in the cabin are explained.

The first half of the film is the remake of the first film.  The second half Ash is introduced to new characters who reveal more about what is going on in these woods.

There is of course even more slapstick and silly looking special effects.

Finally, let us not forget, the original film is The Evil Dead, the second is Evil Dead 2 (no the),  the third is Army of Darkness (no Evil Dead), and the remake is just Evil Dead (no the).

I am currently watching the Exorcist III.



I was struck by two moments when the camera got a glimpse of two inspirational posters on the walls of two professionals.

First, the priest:
"What we give to the poor is what we take with us when we die"

Then the psychologist:
"A psychotic is someone more neurotic than his doctor."

They speak to the dual nature of the original main character himself, Father Karras, the priest-psychologist.  They are apt summations of the various professions from the professionals that work them.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 1

The Devil's Candy (2015) (directred by Tasmanian director Sean Byrne) exploits metal aesthetics, clearly delineating its target market. It does connect with relatable experiences beyond just the cultural, however, which makes it more universally appealing than just a metal film. It has the aesthetic of a Rob Zombie film while delving deeper into the struggles (family, relationship and economic) of the characters than most of Zombie's films do. The psychological profiles of the characters is masterfully crafted.

Satan's Cheerleaders (1977) is a fairly pedestrian piece of 70s grindhouse type cinema. It reinforces stereotypes of women as being paradoxically weak and devious. The idea is that this entire town and the leadership therein are Satanists and Satan needs sacrifices. One of the potential victims, however, happens to be a witch. The authority figures in the town appear to be men, yet the witches behind the scenes, pulling the strings are women. Thus, the cheerleaders must rely on themselves and each other to get out of their predicament.  Finally, when the Satanists try to find virgins in the bunch they run into a whole headache they didn't expect.

And now...

Today's inaugural film of the 31 Days of Halloween!!!!

The Evil Dead (1981)

To start with, the POV demon perspective tracking shots in this film are affective and brilliant.  It's not the point of view of any individual, but it is the perspective of the collective evil of the forest. The film begins with a comedic atmosphere that sets the stage for the ridiculousness of the rest of the film with a delightful diddy.

This is from the Book of the Dead Website

Shelly & Scott's Singing

The script lists the song that Shelly & Scott sing while they're driving to the cabin as an "old 'Baby Moses And The Thrillers' song". Unfortunately, no recording of this song has ever been commercially released, so it isn't available to buy, but you can see a transcription of the lyrics to the right. 'Baby Moses and the Thrillers' was the name for the various players in the musical jam sessions in his Sam's basement, which usually included Rob Tapert & Ivan Raimi because they could both play the guitar, along with Josh Becker, Scott Speigel or Bruce occasionally sitting in on background vocals. Their biggest hit (a hit simply because Sam said so) was 'Eight Mile Line', which was the same song performed by Sam, Bruce & Greg Nicotero at the Evil Dead II talent contest. The song Shelly & Scott sing, had actually been written by another band member, with which Sam had worked out all the rights issues in advance. Sam taught the lyrics to the actors while they sat in their positions in the car on location at the beginning of the first day of shooting.

SHELLY ...I sent you twenty letters from Paris last year... ...You've been gone six months and I've got the fear after all the songs that we've sung together, after all the sweet and over stormy weather...  SHELLY & SCOTT ...If I knew where you were well I would surely inform you that... ...But every night don't you sleep kind of right, don't you...

And who can forget this classic Halloween moment from the classic Halloween teen movie Donnie Darko (2001).

This film, like Kubrik's the Shining (1980), sets the atmosphere early on and does not suffer for it.

Later on it gets goofy and almost slapstick at points

Of course, it's a classic to start the Halloween season!

Tomorrow is The Evil Dead 2

31 Days of Halloween List

Today is the first day of the official Halloween season.  Here is our watching list for the 31 days of Halloween:

October, 2017

Evil Dead Trilogy +
1 - The Evil Dead (1981)
2 - The Evil Dead 2 (1987)
3 - Army of Darkness (1992)
4 - Evil Dead (2013)

Original Horror
5 - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

Art Horror - Jodorowsky's Panic Movement
6 - Santa Sangre (1989)

Disney Spooks
7 - Hocus Pocus (1993)

70s Exploitation Classics
8 - I Drink Your Blood (1970)
9 - Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

Euro Scares
10 - Calvarie (2004)

Recently
11 - The Void (2016)

Musical Oddity
12 - Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Friday the 13th Celebration: Going out to the Theatre, currently
13 - Happy Death Day (2017)

Uh, Vincent Gallo?
14 - Trouble Every Day (2001)

70s Exploitation Classics
15 - Faces of Death (1978)

90s Teen Screams
16 - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Euro Scares
17 - In My Skin (2002)

Art Horror - Anger's Hollywood Babylon
18 - Lucifer Rising (1972)

Sweetest Day Special - Romantic Horror
19 - Spring (2014)
20 - My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Romero
21 - Martin (1978)

Original Horror
22 - Häxan (1922) - William Burroughs narration

Peter Jackson
23 - Bad Taste (1987)

Tobe Hooper - Texas Chainsaw Mythos
24 - Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

J-Horror
25 - Naked Blood: Megyaku (1996)

Steven King but haha not really
27 - Room 237 (2012)

70s Exploitation Classics
28 - The Wicker Man (1973)

Original Horror
29 - Freaks (1932)

Devil's Night
30 - The Crow (1994)

Halloween Night Celebration: Going out to the Theatre - Tobe Hooper - Texas Chainsaw Mythos
31 - Leatherface (2017)

Today I am watching Satan's Cheerleaders (1977) and The Devil's Candy (2015) and later tonight I will watch The Evil Dead (1981)

31 Days of Halloween

Tomorrow is the first day of October so I'd like to start a little Paranoid Cinephile tradition: 31 Days of Halloween. I will post a movie that my wife and I are watching each of the 31 days of October until the big day and a Mexican film for El Día de Muerte.

Tomorrow we will officially begin the Halloween season with the inaugural piece in the Evil Dead trilogy: The Evil Dead (1981)

More innovative horror from South of the wall

Well, our new King has issued an executive order to start construction on the wall on the US-Mexican border.  This is unfortunate because when Mexico sends their people they're sending their best, most hardworking and most community oriented individuals in the country.  They work for wages lower than Americans do at jobs that most Americans would never want to do.  Hopefully, though, this wall doesn't also prevent another valuable import from Mexico that we here in the United States are able to enjoy: horror films!  The Mexican film industry, for years now, has consistently put out poignant, disquieting, disillusioning, lyrical horror films like not other country has.  The first on this short list I came across recently and it immediately became one of my new favorite films.

The Similars (2015)

It would be hard to try an synopsize this film directed by Isaac Ezban (The Incident) without spoiling it. I can say this, it takes place in a bus station somewhere outside of Mexico City and it involves several characters who didn't expect their night to go the way it did. This film takes several odd, surrealistic twists and turns. There are certainly moments when the absurdity is almost over the top, but it is somehow all brought together. This is a great film and I highly recommend it.  It is one of the best films I've seen in a long time and I gave it a perfect rating.

Rating: 10/10

We Are What We Are (2013)

This film, directed by Jorge Michel Grau (Mexico Barbaro) is about how sometimes families have to do things out of desperation and sometimes those things become traditions. It is a twisted commentary on culture, tradition and normalization.

Rating: 8/10

Here Comes the Devil (2012)

This film also deals with family issues. A family are on vacation when the daughter and younger son wander off. They get lost and as a result a chain of events is set off where the parents end up making odd decisions thinking it's in the best interest of their kids. Also one of my favorites of the century so far.

Rating: 9/10