Friday, July 13, 2018

Third Friday the 13th Horror Movie Maration

We won't have another Friday the 13th until September 2019, so we had better enjoy this one.


White Zombie (1932) with Cthulu, Sopapilla Bats and Boo-nanas

First up, a classic Bela Lugosi film set in Haiti. A couple travels to a plantation to be married at the invitation of the owner. Unbeknownst to them, he plans to use the powers of a local voodoo priest to steal away the bride for himself. Definite undertones of Dracula, esp. Nosferatu.

Bela Lugosi hyponotizes in the role of Murder Legrande. Sadly he settled for a flat salary for the film and regretted all of his life. His amazing eyes deserved a salary of their own.

Now I know, the whole appropriation of voodun culture and the preponderance of white, male characters makes this one problematic; however, to me that almost makes it a perfect example of rape culture and white superiority. Not what they intended but a pretty good allegory nonetheless.


A Quiet Place (2018)

Wasn't sure what to expect from this one but I was excited about it. And it did not disappoint. Sometime in the near future creatures appear that attack based on sound. Two parents do whatever is necessary to protect their children in this new and dangerous world.

The first thing you are struck by is the silence. It is almost like one of the characters itself. Speaking of characters, the acting is superb. Even the little boy is quite good. The parents are played by real life couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski and their on screen chemistry is obvious. The stand-out, however, is the daughter, Millicent Simmonds. This is only her second film but we should expect great things from her in the future. Overall an outstanding film.



Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) with Spiderweb Taco Dip and Chips

Musical time! A barber who was unjustly sentenced to transportation returns to London with a new name to be reunited with wife and child but discovers that his wife is dead and his daughter the ward of the judge who sentenced him. Full of bloody good fun!

Although the CGI is a bit much at the beginning, this version of the legend is quite a trip. The above song makes me a bit sad that I enjoy it so much but it is creepy good. Can't help but laugh out loud as I sing along.



Ghostbusters (2016) with Green Slime Popcorn

I know, I know. Some people hated this one. But I am not one of those people. I love the concept, I love the characters, and I love the cameos. Holtzmann is my hero; she's badass, smart as hell, and
could totally be my best friend....or maybe my girlfriend. That would be cool.

Patty and Abby are the heart of the group and Kevin, well what's not to like about Kevin?

Pretty sure most of the haters just didn't want their movie remade with women. How can they complain so much when this was Dan Aykroyd's original idea for the sequel in the first place? The dance at the end makes me laugh so hard. I would so make everyone thriller dance if I could control people's movements, wouldn't you?



IT Part 1 (2017) with Skelasagna, Eyeball Caprese, and Bread Snakes with Blood (Sangria) and Strawberry Monsters for dessert



Moved to the Eighties but still pretty close to the book, the first part of IT draws you in with the creepiness and keeps you watching for the friendships and the surprising amount of hope. Of course, there are a lot of similarities to Stranger Things that pop up, mostly because Stranger Things is in part an homage to IT and other Stephen King movies. 
Skaarsgard is not Tim Curry but he is pretty damn creepy in his own right. With a whole year to wait for the next installment, watching this can be a bit frustrating.



Well, that's it for this installment. We'll try to do this again on Halloween, if we can.


No comments:

Post a Comment

It's book award season!!!

The winners of the ALA Youth Media Awards will be announced on Monday morning at 8 am PT (11 am here in NC). Here's the link if you woul...