Atomic Caravan

Showing posts with label schlocktober. Show all posts

9/15/16

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)

My previous experience with the Slumber Party Massacre series can be summed up in this brief timeline...

-2001: I discover Slumber Party Massacre 2 at a Flea Market. It's described to me as "A real Diarrhea flick" by the redneck who sold it to me. I disregard it as being a sequel and watch it first. LIFE CHANGING. I watch it at least a dozen times. It's all I watch that year.

-2002: ...still watching.

-2003: And I continue watching still, only now I have also become immersed in Troma. My taste is taking shape.

-2004/2005: Having done almost no research online I finally take an interest in seeing the the original. I wondered if it featured the same killer or was a musical. I watch The Slumber Party Massacre and am immediately put-off by the different tone, different killer and soundtrack I found completely uninteresting. To my 18 year old schlock obsessed brain, this was too serious and failed in entertaining me in the way I had come to expect. It's worth noting that I almost always have gravitated to the less-serious sequels in horror franchises. They speak to me.

-2006/2007: I stumble across a copy of Slumber Party Massacre 3. I know that I inserted the tape into the VCR, but all memory beyond that is null. Which probably means I experienced a similar disappointment and then fell asleep.

-2016: I recently picked up the DVD collection so I can re-visit the series with an open mind. Starting from square one, I put on the first. I warm up to it in the opening shot. Where Part 2 is all kinds of in-your-face weird, the original is also kind of strange but in a more subtle, read-between-the-lines kind of way. It really doesn't "feel" like any other slashers, not in the way that slashers notoriously mimic each other. For starters, you see the killer's face immediately. There is no mystery to the identity of Russ Thorn. I may not have understood this in my teens but as an adult, I admire the approach. He's just a man, and men are scary. Men kill women. It's very simple, and it works here.

Slashers had been around for a while, and there certainly wasn't anything ground breaking about teenagers in peril. What feels fresh to me about the Slumber Party Massacre films is a specific feeling I get from the Southern California landscape and how these teenagers exist in it. Filmed in Venice beach, Slumber Party Massacre opens with a shot of palm trees. Funereal synth music plays over the credits, and our (first) leading lady Trish dresses herself for school. The nudity in this film is especially cold and deliberate. Amy Holden Jones was clearly adding it out of obligation so these scenes are completely devoid of sexuality. Kind of a "just get it over with" approach. The sex is in the subtext.

The thing about this film and the sequels that's so remarkable to me is; yes, there's nudity, yes they're getting murdered with a phallus but I've always picked up on a strong sense of female unity. I love the way Amy Holden Jones films these girls and shows them interacting with each other. It's very clearly the mark of a female, and likely feminist filmmaker. The idea that strong female personalities can't exist in exploitation films is a misguided opinion that has always frustrated me. The friendships in the first film seem especially real. What drew me to these as a teenager is that I had dreams of idyllic slumber parties with my girlfriends. I wanted the pizza, the popcorn and the glowing TV lighting our coven. In a way I've modeled my lifestyle around this desire. All I really want is to watch horror movies with friends and eat food I shouldn't be eating and pretend it's 1982. Is that so much to ask?

Courtney, we will be seeing her again in a different incarnation.

I still have less to say about the original than it's handicapped siblings. It's very direct and I still find it mostly humorless despite claims that it was intended to be a horror comedy. It laid the foundation for what was to come, and for the ME that was going to blossom from the soot of a Panama City Flea Market because of spell that would soon be cast by a certain Drill-Guitar wielding Rockabilly Killer.

Stay tuned for my review of Slumber Party Massacre 2, and don't forget...

"I love you."

12/9/15

Belated Schlocktober Rundown

I can't believe it's already December! More so, I can't believe I let all of October, and then November pass without writing about my Halloween marathon. That which is so dear to me. The one thing that's been a constant on this blog since I started it in 2009. Something hasn't felt quite right these past few months as I've been swamped with work. I always feel a little empty when I can't make time for Atomic Caravan but missing all of October sent me to new depths. So even though December is here and I should be working on my Crappy Christmas marathon and drafting my 'Top 50 First Time Views of 2015' list, I feel I would be getting ahead of myself if I didn't take a moment to reflect on the highlights of October's annual marathon.

5. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

I always try to focus on a director or revisit a series throughout the month of October. Last year it was the Ju-on films, this year my attention was on the Nightmare on Elm Street series. These aren't really films I've felt much of a need to discuss, not because they aren't great because I would just be echoing an already well covered area. Wes Craven's New Nightmare is my favorite, followed by the original; 2-5 are fairly equal in my opinion. I know a lot of people aren't crazy about Dream Child, but I find Dream Master to be the lesser of the series, but really who's counting? They're all Freddy movies and that makes for good times. The one unpredictable moment in the marathon was Freddy's Dead:The Final Nightmare, because somehow in my 30 years of existence I'd never watched it. Shocking, I know. I missed it somehow and by the time I realized, I decided to hold off until I was re-watching the rest all at once. What's interesting about it, and about the fact that it somehow evaded me, is how strikingly different it is from the rest of the series. The other sequels seem united by a collective theme, this one is peculiar from the onset. The tone has changed and the characters are totally unfamiliar. At first, I was off-put by how far it strayed from the formula but after a while I embraced it. There is something very "final" and empty about it. It's the 'Silent Night, Deadly Night III' of the series - bizarre and slightly Lynch-ian. I believe director Rachel Talalay even stated that Twin Peaks had influenced her in the making of Freddy's Dead. I appreciate the risks the film took, and I don't begrudge it's failure. It added interesting if not unneeded dimension to Freddy Kreuger's mythos, and really....would the BEST film in the series have happened after if Wes Craven hadn't stepped in to say enough is enough.

4. Maleficia (1998)

This one was an, um, "experience". It's the goriest movie I've endured in a while. I watched it in French with no english subtitles but it didn't matter much. 95% of the dialog is guttural screaming and Satanic incantations. Senseless, never-ending, ritual-like forest murder from the get go. On paper it's not something that would normally be in my wheelhouse, but the tenacity of Murderdrone pioneer Antoine Pellissier makes is the horror equivalent to watching one of those ambient fireplace screen savers. The violence exceeds a level of normalcy where it almost becomes zen. Red Jammy Jams and purple polyester. Druid-eque Satanists, Satan-Heads, Vampiric Crypt An Daemons, Pastoral Zombies, Goth Girls with Perms. The Works.

I posted lots of pics on Tender Moments.

3. Bloody Moon (1981)

Jess Franco is probably my favorite director that I have such hot and cold feelings for. There's are handfuls of films I dislike or have no feelings toward whatsoever, but there are also canonical masterpieces that I'm thankful exist. You never really know which kind of Franco film you're in for, though after a little experience you start to get a sense of his "eras". My knowledge going into this one was that it was of his German period and that it was his attempt to jump on the slasher band wagon. In my mind this didn't seem like such a far reach, but he is clearly out of his element and it is awesome. As far as I've seen, this is the apex of his career. It seems oddly more naive than his previous work. Usually when I watch his films I feel like he knows something I don't, but in is case he brought himself down to our human level and it is just beaming with weird. He may have gone through the motions but cannot be limited to the confines of a formula. While it indeed is a slasher, there's something more interesting happening just below the surface. It's almost feels as if the players are aliens pretending to be human. There has never been a more beautiful marriage of colors. Pinks, golds and just the right shade of blue through a soft lens. Shadows that don't make sense. This film truly took me to an alternate reality, and has the most amazing wardrobe I've ever seen in my life. It's the kind of film I instantly want to watch again to make sure I didn't miss a single frame. And there's incest. In December I finally caught "Blue Rita" which had the same Alien Transmission vibe, and the most hilarious youtube worthy fight scene I've ever seen. I feel that I've finally tapped into MY Franco Era.

2. Skullduggery (1983)

I wasn't really sure what I was in for with Skullduggery, the census seems to be of a general confusion. It is indeed a "what the hell did I just watch" kind of experience. It's drawing from so many different places, the end result can barely contain the sum of it's parts. Literally overflowing with the elements of five movies, Skullduggery crams them all into one little bizarre mish-mosh. Let's break it down.

1. Role Playing Games. A Dungeons and Dragons inspired slasher? One of the least successful sub-genres of horror (Throw some titles at me if I'm forgetting but Mazes and Monsters is the only to come to mind). What makes it work so well in this movie is that, I sincerely don't understand these games and especially something as vast as Dungeons and Dragons. It's as complex as finding any coherence in this movie. So they're united both in theme and in being unattainable.

2. It's set in a Costume House. Not only does this appeal to me on a personal level because I'm a costumer but it opens a lot of doors for great and senseless characters. A Wizard of Gore-ish Magician, King Arthur or something, Eve; as in Adam and..., A Gorilla, A Tic Tac Toe Janitor, Bunny Killer, Various Ren Fair looking folks as well as masked Greek orgy types.

3. Dungeon Synth. This discovery is relatively new to me. While the film has been on my watchlist for a while, this inspirational list on Letterboxd by Gregory Joseph propelled to high priority. Dungeon Synth is a musical genre that sounds exactly like it's description. Evocative, atmospheric, visceral, setting the soundscape for a film like Skullduggery with a poetic coldness.

And for your viewing pleasure, I posted pics on Tender Moments.

1. Communion (1989)

Let's face it, Aliens are cool. This movie starts out with a totally sincere and terrifying aura. I'll never un-see the infamous Alien peaking from behind the armoire. Then after the first encounter, it enters pure schizophrenia. In an interview director Philippe Mora said that Walken was the kind of actor that works best with freedom, so he gave him that freedom. I'm sure a lot of people think this was to the film's detriment. His approach certainly does turn would be terrifying moments into something that's more like a joke, but a really hilarious joke you want him to expand upon. I'm sure Author Whitley Strieber was appalled to see his traumatic life changing experience basically mocked by deez nuts. My favorite moment, THEE best moment is when Walken is about to get probed and he looks at the little dude holding the phallus and says "...Can we talk this over?"...and if that's not enough, as the alien draws the dong shaped device close to his face he says "You look like you're about to sing White Christmas." My friends, THIS is a movie. You're removed from the horror elements but instead given this beautiful character study on the epileptic personality of Christopher Walken. I dare say I never truly appreciated him until this moment. He ad-libbed his way into my heart. In the end there's a New Age resolve that totally delights my balls. A few years ago I watched the incredible "The Suns of Easter Island" and my afterthought was that I desperately need more New Age Metaphysical Alien movies in my life, Communion is the only one that's come close since. Strange Science with an ample dose of anal probing.

That's it kiddos, sorry for the belatedness as per usual. Trying to mend fences 'round these parts. I have another movie lined up that I know for sure will be my next full review, I just hope I can deliver before the New Year! Either way I PROMISE to post my Holiday Horrible-thon in a timely manner.

Later!

10/30/14

Dumptober Part 2: Silent Horror

As I mentioned in my previous post, a significant chunk of the month was dedicated to a video compilation project. The theme was silent horror and I admittedly have zero editing knowledge. I've made mash-ups using a VCR and a dvd recorder but anything that involves even the most limited software is lost on me. Despite these things, I was determined to put something awesome together. I knew I could learn fast, and so I did.

photos of the actual projections at Sip.

The project was meant to be simply a collection of visually stimulating scenes from silent horror. A friend of mine hosts a monthly event and wasn't quite sure the direction she wanted to take since it fell so close to Halloween. When I suggested silent horror I knew I was taking on a enormous task. I wanted it to be historically accurate above all. While nodding to demi-gods such as Caligari and Orlac, I did NOT want to simply make a loop of the most popular films. The goal was to only use clips from the dawn of cinema (1892) to the end of prohibition (1933). I spent weeks extracting snippets and ended up with clips from twelve feature films and fifteen shorts. There's a collective romanticism from films of the period. Effortlessly haunting. Naturally I gravitated to German Expressionism.

My favorite new discovery from my research was a film called From Morn to Midnight (1922). Possibly one of the most effectively stylized movies of the era. It's about a depressed banker who decides to heist the money and flee to pursue his passions. While he lives the lap of luxury he's constantly haunted by the face of death. Without being able to escape his own guilt he eventually goes mad. The film is so beautifully designed I dare say it reaches a level of expressionistic perfection that makes Cabinet of Dr. Caligari look restrained. The story might not stack up but the images are profoundly arresting. I can't help but wonder if it didn't influence some of my favorite films. Baron Prasil, Ubu Roi and Forbidden Zone all have shades of From Morn to Midnight. I could have just put the film on a loop and called it a day!

THIS OUTFIT. omg.

Secondly, I finally watched one that's been on my list for a while. Satan's Rhapsody. Italy had an interesting silent wave, especially in fantasy and horror. While not the shadowy nightmare world that German Expressionism embodied, there's an ornate quality that it possess. Lavish with an attention to detail. The use of tinting film also feels important as it helps you really open your eyes and notice patterns and textures that define the region and atmosphere. I was drawn to this film from the alluring poster. As it turns out, it's Faustian tale of an aging actress who sells her soul to the devil to be young and beautiful. It's a bit old fashioned at times (uses mostly stationary camera angles in the first half) but the end sequence is just oozing with phantasmagoria.

Her first encounter with Satan.

Being fabulous in her beautiful clothes.

The last feature that I really want to touch on is Robert Wiene's Genuine: A Tale of a Vampire. She's more of a sexual vampire than a literal vampire. A siren, if you will. After painting her portrait, the artist dreams that she emerges from it. She was found in mysterious tribe, worshiped like a goddess then sold as a slave at the market. She possesses the power the drive men insane with desire. Wiene made Genuine the same year he did Caligari, which I think has a lot to do with it being overshadowed. Fern Andra as Genuine is a perfectly creepy vixen. Her clothes are borderline insane. There's the dramatic uniformity of clothes and set design in German Expressionism and then there's Genuine. Allow me to show you with a series of screen shots.

Sexy floral/lacy bodysuit.

Interesting painted/graffiti-esque outfit that matches her room.

This one's maybe my favorite. Strappy gothic almost dominatrix swirly thing. I can't even really figure it out, but it has a matching cape.

I can't figure out what's on her coat here but I know that I want it.

lol, she's the best.

A little more traditional, but beautiful none the less.

This little bloomer number is killin' me.

Both costumes and production design by famous painter Cesar Klein.

For some reason Genuine doesn't have a sterling reputation amongst German Expressionist fans (by that, I really just mean Cabinet of Dr. Caligari fans) and I'm really not sure why. Just because it isn't the greatest movie ever made doesn't mean it can't simply be a great movie. It's certainly one of my favorites.

Here are some other screen grabs I took while working on the project.