Poltergeist (1982)

“Poltergeist” is still one of the best ghost movies ever made. How a PG rated movie ended up being so frightening is still a mystery; everything is so simple and yet so very effective. Just the opening scene where five year old Carol Anne is talking to the static of the television, with the flashing strobe light like effects, can be spooky if you’re in the right mood. Some of the special effects and the dangerous situations that involve the children are particularity effective. Even the music adds the right amount of suspense at the perfect moments. Both Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg were involved in this film, as director and producer respectively although there is debate about how much Hooper actually directed when Spielberg was on the set.

It’s interesting to see plot devices in this film that would later be the main focus for future ghost related films like “White Noise” and “Pulse”. I would not be surprised if the scene where Steven shows the children’s room to the paranormal research team possibly influenced a scene or two in “Evil Dead 2”.

The Freelings are a happy family of five living in a planned community in California. There is Steven who is a real estate developer; Diane is a stay at housewife, and the children Dana, Robbie, and Carol Anne. One day Diane and Carol Anne discover odd occurrences taking place in their kitchen, and then that night a tree in the back yard becomes animated and tries to eat Robbie. While Steven and Diane save Robbie, Carol Anne is “kidnapped” and taken to the Other-Side. Steven and Diane bring in a paranormal investigation team to help them Carol Anne. After witnessing several events, the team adds a spiritual medium, Tangina, to help bring Carol Anne back. With her help, Diane goes over and brings Carol Anne back, after which Tangina declares that the house is clean. But it’s not….

 Carol Anne as she is being taken.

Tangina

How did this scene make it into a PG movie?

Steven picks up Diane and Carol Anne after they cross back over.

Wolfen (1981)

“Wolfen” was one of the earliest horror movies that I saw as child, the first being “Alien”. I remember some intense moments that stayed with me until I was able to rent it again as a teen. It’s a slower police thriller that takes its time and explores Native American spiritualism and inner city “gods” which is something that isn’t in may horror movies. It has great character development and some thrilling set ups to the death scenes.

Captain Dewey Wilson is assigned to solve a high profile murder case that involves a land developer who was working on a massive redevelopment of a rundown section of New York City. The people who become involved with the case fall victim to the mysterious killer as well. While on the trail of the killer, Wilson begins to suspect that things are larger than he or anyone suspects and when he is enlightened by several wise Native Americans, Wilson is told about the Wolfen, the Wolf Spirit. Wilson is then tested when he comes face to face with the Wolfen and has to prove who’s side he is on.

Phantasm (1979)

Simply stated, “Phantasm” is one odd movie! I have to admit that it took a few viewings before I was able to get a clear understanding of what was going on. This isn’t surprising considering that the crew was trying to figure out what happens next while they were making it! But in the end, there ended up being one of the more original horror films from the 1970’s and 80’s. It was followed by three sequels that were just as head scratching as the original. The film was written and directed by Don Coscarelli, who would go on to film the sequels, the classic fantasy adventure “Beast Master”, and “Buba Ho-tep”.

“Phantasm” has one of my favorite movie tag lines – “If this film doesn’t scare you, you’re already dead!”

Mike Pearson, his older brother Jody, and their friend Reggie become entangled in the mystery surrounding the mysterious deaths occurring in their small town. Shortly after Mike and Jody’s parents die, their friend Tommy is murdered while having sex in the graveyard. They’re told that it Tommy died by natural causes but Mike notices strange things going on at the cemetery when he sneaks along to the funeral. Later, Jody is nearly seduced and murdered by the same fiendish ghoul that killed Tommy, surviving the encounter only because Mike interrupts them after being chased by a small demon-like jawa-thing. Events only become more bizarre when Mike sneaks into the mausoleum and witnesses a man being killed by a flying silver sphere with knives, spilling the blood in a fountain is it drills into the victims head. Soon Mike and Jody are being chased by the Tall Man, the mortician of the mausoleum and leader of the shrunken demonic servants.

Favorite scene – Mike is able to obtain a cut off finger that continues to move on its own. Mike and Jody plan to use this finger as evidence when they decide to get the police involved but before they can leave the house, the finger turns into a gnarly fly-monster that they end up trapping and killing in their trash disposal, only with the help of Reggie, who didn’t know about the strange occurrences at the mausoleum yet.

Mike and the Tall Man

Reggie the Ice Cream guy and the Tall Man

Author's Note - Random Week #2: In the mood for Halloween!

October is the time when lots of people start watching horror movies, even those who don’t do so normally. It’s because it’s Halloween time! Growing up, I loved watching all of the movies that they showed on TV. These movies left huge impressions on me and developed my love for horror. When I was old enough to rent R-rated movies, these were some of the first ones I took home. The films I’m reviewing this week are the ones that I loved when I was little and still get in me the mood for Halloween!

George A Romero's Day of the Dead (1985)

George A Romero’s “Day of the Dead” is a decent zombie but is my least favorite of his original trilogy. I have to admit that I enjoy the loose remake more than this version; this film is relatively slow and doesn’t have much action until the end of the third act. This movie has two main storylines, the first dealing with the growing tension between the civilian scientific team working in the makeshift research bunker and the other one dealing with the insane Dr. Logan and the zombie Bub who he is training to be human again. Tom Savini does another fine job with his make-up and special effects for the zombie genre, especially when the movie gets to the point where the victims are torn asunder by the zombie horde.

Dr. Sarah Bowman is the main character in this film that takes place a good deal of time after “Dawn of the Dead”. She is the voice of reason and one of the few people who are not succumbing to the stress of the situation although she is beginning to have dreadful nightmares. When she comes back from a recent deployment looking for survivors and supplies, she learns that the military CO has been killed has been replaced by the tyrannical Captain Rhodes. All he cares about is his men, who he treats more like possessions than as people, and is sick and tired of the antics of Dr. Logan. Captain Rhodes doesn’t think the scientists are doing anything productive and is threating to shut the operation down and take the helicopter and its pilot and leave. Dr. Logan has been busy at work but not with finding the cause or a cure, instead he has been feeding his zombie pets the dead soldiers and training them to behave as if they were alive. Eventually one of the soldiers is bit which sets of a chain reaction of events that causes the zombies to get what they want, fresh meat. Sarah and the two helicopter pilots, Bill and John, manage to escape and live to see another day.

Captain Rhodes is having a very bad day.

 Dr. Logan and his test subject, Zombie Bub.

Sarah having a nightmare.

Day of the Dead (2008)

The 2008 film “Day of the Dead” is not a part of the George A Romero canon but is heavily influenced by his version that he made in 1985. Both films focus on military personnel and the doctors/scientists who are working on finding a cure or cause of the zombie outbreak. Several characters even share the same names in both films, although the personalities are not the same. The concept that a zombie might retain some of its human personality is also explored. This updated version of these concepts results in an entertaining zombie movie that deserves a chance. It stars Mena Suvari who is great in the role of Corporal Sarah Cross, who happens to be from the town that is experiencing the zombie outbreak. It also stars Ving Rhames who plays Captain Rhodes, one of the characters in the 1985 version. This film was written by Jeffrey Reddick who is best known as writing the complete "Final Destination" series.

There is a flu-like epidemic affecting the residents of Leadville, Colorado. The military arrives and blockades all ways in or out of the small town. Corporal Sarah Cross takes Private Bud with her as she checks in on her mom. Her mom is sick and so she takes her and her younger brother Trevor and his girlfriend Nina with them. At the hospital, Sarah and Bud find that the ER is full of people suffering from the epidemic. Suddenly, they start dying and then moments later the dead residents come back to life and attack the living. The hospital becomes a chaotic scene and Sarah and Bud barely escape while Trevor and Nina end up finding safety in the town’s radio station. The film focuses on Sarah and Trevor and those with them as they try to stay alive and escape from the mobs of super-fast, strong, vicious zombies.

Zombie Captain Rhodes, pulling out his eye only to eat it moments later.

Corporal Sarah Cross and Captain Rhodes inspect the hospital.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

On October 1^st, 1968, exactly 45 years ago, George A Romero forever changed the zombie genre and the popularity of zombie films with his classic “Night of the Living Dead”. From the famous “They’re going to get you Barbara” to shooting zombies in the head, Romero set the style and sensibilities for future zombie movies for the next several years. Romero also made a provocative choice by casting Duane Jones as the lead character, during a time period when African Americans were never cast as the hero in an ensemble full of Caucasians. Romero also made the same casting choice in his sequel “Dawn of the Dead” by casting Ken Foree as Peter, one of my all-time favorite characters in all of the horror movies I’ve seen. The story was co-written by John Russo and was at first a comedy/horror. But Romero made changes after being inspired by Richard Matheson’s classic “I Am Legend”. What would the world of horror be like without this film??

Spoilers!                                                              Spoilers!                                              Spoilers!

Barbara and her brother Johnny take a lengthy afternoon drive to visit their father’s grave. While they are there, Johnny begins to tease her sister because she doesn’t like graveyards, and while doing so a strange man comes up and attacks Johnny, killing him. The stranger chases Barbara to a secluded house where she finds a woman’s corpse inside. She runs out but comes across Ben, who takes her back inside and talks her down from her shock while boarding up the windows and doors. They discover that there are others in the house, hiding in the cellar. With their help, the survivors try to escape from the farmhouse with disastrous results. The zombies finally attack in masse and break through the barricades, trying to grab the survivors through the windows. Barbara meets a gruesome fate as she’s over taken by zombies when she notices that her brother Johnny is among them. Ben is the only one to survive the night, only to be mistaken for a zombie by a sheriff’s posse the next morning.

Ben defending the farmhouse.

Barbara running away from the first zombie in the graveyard.