Celebrating 40 Years of Alligator

 Jaws instigated a series of “animals on a rampage” movies in the late 70s and early 80s: bears (Grizzly, 1976); whales (Orca, 1977); bees (The Swarm, 1978); bats (Nightwing, 1979). Universal Studios even attempted to recreate the magic (and mayhem) of its deadly great white shark with a murderous automobile in The Car (1977).

Of all the films to drop in on the wave of Spielberg’s benchmark blockbuster, few are as well-plotted and entertaining as Alligator. Scripted by John Sayles (who also helmed the terrific nature runs amok flick Piranha, 1978) and inspired by the urban myth that oversized alligators troll the New York sewer system, the film follows Chicago homicide detective David Madison (Robert Forester) and reptile expert Marisa Kendall (Robin Riker) as they pursue a man-eating gator that’s been terrorizing The Windy City.

Roger Corman disciple Lewis Teague captures the B-movie spirit of his mentor, offering heavy doses of tongue-in-cheek humor and breath-stealing terror in equal measure. From its unambiguous title and primitive score to its campy creature design and well-observed characters, Alligator delivers the low-budget goods.

Click here to read the full review: Celebrating 40 Years of Alligator

Black Characters With Body

Jordan Peele’s gripping debut Get Out forced audiences to consider the relationship between Black viewers and horror films. While Peele’s biting commentary on the Black experience in America was hugely successful both critically and commercially, the fears and anxieties of African Americans have been severely underrepresented by the genre throughout its history. Still, horror cinema has provided a handful of strong, multidimensional Black characters over the years. Click the link to read about a few of them:

Black Characters With Body

The Spookily Skillful Handling of Sound in John Carpenter’s “The Fog”

Every picture tells a story. But the sound sells the story. An effective horror film understands sound and vision are equal partners in getting the message across. Imagine watching the shower scene in Psycho without Bernard Herrmann’s unnerving violin screech; or Laurie Strode’s final chase through Michael’s murderground minus John Carpenter’s percussive piano riff. These aural ingredients are as vital and substantial to the film’s effect as the visuals.

Filmmakers employ sound design to communicate ideas. The process of building and mixing sound enhances a picture’s visual narrative. Even minor or subtle inclusions of sound have the power to stimulate the emotions of viewers. (Jack’s descent into madness in The Shining is buttressed by an atmospheric sound design—the clicking of the typewriter, the rolling of the tricycle over the wood and carpet, the thud of the tennis ball against the wall.)

A pioneer of modern horror cinema, director/musician John Carpenter employed the elements of film to produce enthralling works of terror and tension throughout his career. Celebrated for his superb pacing and striking cinematography, Carpenter also managed to put a unique stamp on each film by utilizing exquisite sound design. By applying the right combination of natural sound with music and effects, he was able to evoke terror in audiences, compelling them to substitutionally endure the trials and tribulations of the characters on screen.

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The Spookily Skillful Handling of Sound in John Carpenter’s “The Fog”

Rambo Jason

I adore slasher movies. I am also a big fan of 80s actioners. It doesn’t require much analysis to form connections between the two genres. One slasher/action pairing I find strikingly similar is the sixth installment in the Friday the 13th series with the Sylvester Stallone disaffected war veteran vehicle, First Blood.

Friday the 13th VI: Jason Lives was an outrageous entry in a financially floundering franchise while First Blood was an intelligent commentary on the struggle of veterans to re-acclimate to society, yet the two films share a number of themes and narrative elements.

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Rambo Jason

Celebrating 5 Years of ‘The Witch’

Horror movies are made to appeal to an ever-widening audience. Previous gatekeepers like hyper-adult themes and visceral displays of terror are now being toned down to appease younger viewers (See Alien vs. Predator). Horrifying pictures that wrench into the gut of moviegoers are becoming less and less common.  Enter Robert Eggers. Bucking the trend for softening things up, Eggers instead offered a deeply unsettling debut with The Witch. The film is a living nightmare, playing on fears and forcing viewers to retreat inside themselves for protection. Its affect doesn’t stop at the edge of the screen; it stays with you long after you’ve stopped watching.

Set in New England circa 1630, the picture opens on a colonial plantation. William (Ralph Ineson) and his family are forced to relocate to a tract of land on the edge of a foreboding forest. When their crops start dying off and their infant son goes missing, they fall apart, leaving them vulnerable to attack by an evil force.

To continue reading my review, click the link below:

Celebrating 5 Years of ‘The Witch’

Deadly Ladies: 13 of Horror’s Most Murderous Women

In honor of Friday the 13th and Pamela Voorhees’s bloodcurdling killing spree, I give you 13 of horror cinema’s most murderous women.

JENNIFER HILLSI Spit on Your Grave

Occupation: Short story writer

Hobbies: Castration, tranquil boat rides, long baths

Backstory: Jennifer abandons the loud and turbulent streets of Manhattan for an isolated cottage in the woods of Connecticut to write her first novel.

Catalyst: Jennifer catches the eyes of four psycho bumpkins who brutally rape her before leaving her for dead. She takes her time recuperating before killing her attackers in grotesque fashion.

Victims: Four crazed hicks who sexually abuse her.

Weapon of Choice: Various bladed instruments

To See The Rest Of The List, Click The Link Below:

Deadly Ladies: 13 of Horror’s Most Murderous Women

Celebrating 60 Years of Black Sunday

Mario Bava’s debut abounds with hypnotic visuals and nightmarish themes. A former painter and cameraman, it took a turn in the director’s chair to fully realize the horror maestro’s cold and harrowing vision. Clearly Black Sunday was a source of artistic liberation for the aspiring filmmaker.

The picture commences in brutally disturbing fashion. Asa Vajda (Barbara Steele) and her illicit lover Javutich (Arturo Dominici) are branded disciples of the devil and sentenced to death. Spiked masks are hammered onto their faces by imposing men with swelling muscles and black hoods. Dark liquid pops from their mouths and eye holes and soaks into the cloth of their tattered clothes.

Two centuries later, a pair of doctors en route to a medical conference accidentally resurrect the evil witch who plans to use the body of her beautiful descendant Katia to gain revenge against her family. 

The crisp black-and-white photography and marvelous set pieces evoke the creature features of the 1930s. Moonlit woods and baronial crypts conjure images of Universal’s mist-shrouded forests and bold castles. Gnarled trees fight against sodden Earth; cold stone stretches toward the radiant moonlight and disappears into black. Barbara Steele’s dark and mysterious look and regal voice recall the exotic performers that occupied Universal’s famed monster flicks.

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Celebrating 60 Years of Black Sunday

My Favorite Movies of 2019

What are your thoughts on the movies of 2019? Click the link to check out my favorite flicks of the year:

My Favorite Movies of 2019