Halloween Horror Marathon Day 31: Vampyr (1932)

Directed by Film legend Carl Theodor Dreyer, though for many years considered a low point in his career, Vampyr is an early example of opportunities in storytelling provided by low budget horror cinema. The story of the film follows young Allan Grey, a strange fellow who finds his thoughts obsessed with the occult and supernatural. His aimless wanderings have taken him to a town wreathed in malicious shadows and haunted by the power of a vampire.

Presented in a dreamlike haze, the story of this film is intenionally obfuscated by an experimental edge that makes full use of the limitations in it’s budget. The film takes on many of the stylistic sensibilities of a silent film, despite having dialogue and sound. Use of both intertitles and spoken dialogue serves to disorient the viewer. Furthering this aim is the film’s use of camera movement, closeups, and point of view, all of which are distorted in stylistic ways throughout the film.

On the audio side of things, there is a ghostly detachment from what is seen and what is heard. This ties into some of the best story beats in some thematically interesting ways. The sound design is best described as being spectral in how separated it feels from the actions that produce it. In that this is a film about death, this ghostly audio presentation works at being both striking and haunting in equal measure.

Vampyr frequently feels like a hybrid between sound and silent film making styles. This makes it a very unique oddity in the history of film, as sound films generally tried to distance themselves from the silent style. While it is certainly a classic, this film is a tougher recommendation than something like yesterday’s Kwaidan because of where it sits in film antiquity. Vampyr is a film that almost feels like an alternate world of film making, where sound did not completely disrupt the creative discourse of the silent era.

Halloween Horror Marathon Day 30: Kwaidan (1964)

I have spoken before about Japan’s personal history with horror movies before, but today we look at one of the crowning achievements of not just Japanese horror cinema, but all cinema. Kwaidan takes the form of a four part anthology of traditional ghost stories, based on the Lafcadio Hearn book of the same name. These stories run the gamut from straightforward morality tales to just plain weird, and from traditional historical film making to the downright impressionistic.

Kwaidan brings it’s stories together with the universal air of mystery and suspense needed in a classic ghost story. Within this there is still a great diversity to the stories which helps keep the film moving along it’s prodigious three hour runtime. The elements of being extensively long and tonally diverse makes Kwaidan somewhat unique in the world of film, being a ghost story epic, but epic it most certainly is.

Aesthetically, Kwaidan delivers it’s epic length subject matter with a visual wit and creativity that is virtually unmatched in the world of film. This is one of the most technically spectacular films in existence, almost every moment here has some element (or more) of audio-visual mastery on display. Like a film noir, the acute use of style serves to effectively highlight the interior truths of the story and the nature of the characters.

The wholistic effect of Kwaidan is one of depth, everything is intended to be felt on a deep level. From tales of love to strangely comedic and downright bizarre stories, Kwaidan delivers a comprehensive look into a spooky world of ghosts and spirits. This film is incredible, and one of the most aesthetically perfect films I have ever seen. I would highly recommend this film to just about anyone as it focuses on emotion, variety, and spookiness over visceral thrills. This is a true classic, not just of the horror genre, but of all film.

Halloween Horror Marathon Day 29: The Abominable Doctor Phibes (1971)

The Abominable Doctor Phibes is the truly bizarre tale of a master musician and theologict driven to homicidal madness by the death of his wife under the surgeon’s knife. Bathed in the atmosphere of peak early 70’s British pop art sensibilities, he undertakes his revenge taking inspiration from the ten plagues of Egypt in the Book of Exodus.

Starring Vincent Price as the titular Doctor, this is a truly unclassifiable film in the history of horror. In some ways, it is very 70’s and very much so of it’s time, however it is also well ahead of it’s time in many more ways. Perhaps that is because despite this film’s lack of mainstream recognition, it seems to have influenced many films that follow it. One can point to the biblical killings foreshadowing David Fincher’s Seven, and many of the ingenious killing techniques presage some very similar images in the Saw Franchise.

The pop art presentation, coupled with some incredibly dry British wit however, make this a singular film despite it’s influence. Flashing back and forth between the carnival of chaos that surrounds Phibes and the deadpan humour of the Investigators on his trail gives the film a uniquely madcap sensibility. Yet it never feels like a matter of clashing sensibilities, there is a wholistic insanity to this film that ties everything together rather nicely.

Imagination is the name of the game with this film, as it attempts to induce terror through bedazzlement. Featuring Vincent Price in absolutely top form, he leads this madness expertly and delivers an incredible performance despite never really speaking on screen. While it is certainly accurate to call The Abominable Dr. Phibes a curiosity, it downplays just how genius and wonderfully entertaining it really is.

Halloween Horror Marathon Day 28: The Prophecy (1995)

Starring the inimitable Christopher Walken as the archangel Gabriel, The Prophecy tells the story of his quest to bring a particularly evil soul to kickstart a second War in Heaven. Sadly, Walken is the antagonist here and would be more than happy to exterminate us human pests, our protagonist is played by Elias Koteas and is perhaps the most dull wet blanket of a main character I have ever seen. He and Gabriel find themselves playing a cat and mouse game while trying to track down and exorcise the evil soul back to Hell, out of the reach of holier than thou angel types.

Despite having a remarkably bland protagonist, this film does have some of the finest villain acting around. Christopher Walken oozes menace and disdain from every pore of his being and truly inhabits the character of God’s immortal fist. This take on Christian myth presents the Angel as a sentient and spiteful tool, a pseudo-living weapon more than willing to end anything it is pointed at. Think the Terminator with a classical education and a chip on it’s shoulder.

With The Prophecy, you have to take the good with the bad however. The film incorporates Native Americans into the story in a rather objectionable manner for one. Appropriating and misrepresenting these cultures was a big staple of 90’s culture and one of the worst elements. It isn’t that these cultures can’t be represented, far from it; but this is hardly true representation and comes across more as cynical trend following as their identity doesn’t actually feature into the narrative.

If one can look past this major flaw in the film, the boring protagonist really isn’t much of an issue. This is mainly due to his surrounding cast being quite good and frequently fascinating. While Walken consistently steals the show for most of the film, the finale sees none other than Viggo Mortensen killing it as Satan himself. Really everything angel related in this movie is excellent, the ways they move and perch about are genius bits of direction.

While The Prophecy certainly has elements that make it hard to swallow, there is a kernel of genius at work here. It is in a historical sense a rather perfect artifact of the general trends in 90’s movies, both good and bad. I would, however, only recommend it to fans of Walken or those experienced with films of questionable taste. Which kind of breaks my heart to say as I really love what this film does well, but then there is the rest of the film.

Halloween Horror Marathon Day 27: Genocide (1968)

Apocalyptic horror really came into it’s own at the height of the cold war, when nuclear annihilation seemed at it’s closest. While those anxieties are still with us and still influences a wide variety of horror movies, this early entry into this variety of film has more than enough reactionary fear for all of them. Combining the classic nuclear fears with environmental themes, militant paranoia, and reactionary fear of multicultural contamination.

Genocide is a film so overcome with anxiety that it frequently finds itself stewing in it’s own toxic waters. This island spy drama meets insectoid terror plot is overwhelmed by a nihilistic distaste of every human thing. The feverish presentation does have some appeal to it however, there is momentum in the film’s absurdity. However, the nihilistic and unempathetic outlook the film has is one of my least favorite tropes in horror films.

I just find it hard to care about a philosophy of inherent vileness in all things. It permeates the film with a lack of empathy that I think is essential for strong horror. I need to care about those people victimized by the horror, and if the film doesn’t care, neither do I.

As such I don’t have much more to say about this film. Sure it’s overwhelming anxiety has a propulsive energy to it, but it’s grimness never gets to the heart of the matter because this film doesn’t really seem to care. Perhaps in that the film is a good metaphor for depression as even the film itself can’t manage to be asked to care. However, presentations of that form of depression have been made before with substantially more humanity.

Halloween Horror Day 26: The Fall of the House of Usher (1960)

Based on the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name, and beginning an eight film Poe series headed by the legendary Roger Corman, The Fall of the House of Usher delivers exactly what it says on the tin. It concerns the final moments of the venerable Usher dynasty, who built a fortune on the suffering of others. Vincent Price plays the final patriarch of the Ushers, a man driven to end his family madness with himself and his young sister being the last in their line. However a fetching young man from the city has come calling at the crumbling Usher estate, claiming to be engaged to the youngest Usher, throwing a wrench into the plans of the family patriarch.

Despite being shot with Roger Corman’s legendary brisk economy, there is an enjoyable decadence to this film. The costumes and gothic colour palette leap off the screen and seem to take on a life of their own. This helps the film move along as despite it’s short run time, the first act really drags as it hammers home the macabre and bizarre nature of the Usher’s story. It just takes a while for any real threat to menace the film, it’s a lot of talking about cruelty, horror, and evil, without much demonstration. However, the film does begin to pick up steam as it hurtles towards a truly poetic conclusion; building up a psychedelic momentum of malice towards the end that is a ridiculously fun ride.

Vincent Price forms the eye of the hurricane of weird fiction madness that sweeps through this film, showcasing why he is the legend he is. It is a camp and over the top performance to be sure, but one that is very complex and, most importantly, strange. This film is rooted in the horror tradition of weird fiction, which is more about wild imagination and strange circumstances than about tightly focused terror. In that respect it does deviate slightly from the original gothic designs of the Poe story; detracting from much of the mystery but delivering fully on the macabre.

Weird fiction doesn’t always match the feel of full force horror, often lacking substantive threat in preference to more personal and imaginative personal demons. This isn’t to say that weird fiction is in any way bad horror, or that it can’t be truly terrifying to those in the right state of mind; it’s just weird, with all that that entails. I think The Fall of the House of Usher is a fantastic film in the Gothic and Weird styles. It captures a lot of the feeling of the early western horror literature, a certain haunting wrongness that permeates this film. So definitely check this one out, it is one of Price’s, and Corman’s, finest outings.

Halloween Horror Marathon Day 25: Evil of Dracula (1974)

The third and final entry in Michio Yamamoto’s Bloodthirsty Trilogy concludes this series of oddball gothic experiments with an explosion of pop art style. The story this time around involves a new teacher of psychology at an all girl’s boarding school in the Japanese countryside who uncovers an old vampiric curse. Will he be able to uncover the school’s blood curdling secret before he is consumed by the forces of evil?

While the previous two Bloodthirsty films were intent on mimicking the western gothic style of vampire movie, this final entry takes those ideas and runs completely wild with them. It throws out the typical gothic soundtrack in favour of a psychedelic mix of Jazz and pop music whose bizarre soundscapes only further to enhance the already dreamlike nature of this series. The soundtrack also serves to enhance the incredible colour palette of the film to true pop art heights.

Previously in the series, the films had had enough time with the slow atmospheric builds for their latent plots to sink in a little, not so here. This movie goes all out showcasing shocking and bizarre imagery, moving too quickly for much thematic weight to build up behind any of it. At least the creative imagery that is meant to drive the film is very fun and wild.

Evil of Dracula is a masterclass of spooky kitsch. Sure, it lacks a certain level of substance, but there is some wonderful audio visual creativity here. This is just a fun, spooky ride with plenty of entertainment value. There is a certain manic madness to the proceedings that makes it all quite worthwhile.

Halloween Horror Marathon Day 24: Witchfinder General (1968)

Starring horror legend Vincent Price as the titular villain, Witchfinder General is based on the real life exploits of one Matthew Hopkins. In both film and reality, this man launches a for-profit campaign of terror in southern England during the civil war. He rides into a position of power on a wave of wartime anxiety and Cromwell’s religious persecutions, immediately taking advantage for his own profit and benefit.

Witchfinder General and yesterday’s film, Deathdream, have quite a lot in common as both take a national ideal lifestyle and probe it’s darkest corners for their horror. Unlike the previous film’s American suburb, Witchfinder takes place in the idyllic British countryside. Despite it’s status as a period piece, the subject matter feels truly, disturbingly timeless.

There is nothing supernatural in this film however, it’s horror is real and all too common. The film may be lurid and graphic for it’s time, there is a focus on the emotional toll of these witch hunts which truly dominates the film. This very real terror of persecution, layered with patriarchal sexism and religious persecutions, casts a long shadow on the beautiful countryside setting.

At turns both lurid and shocking, Witchfinder general effectively walks a razors edge between violent exploitation and important historical expose. Part of this is probably due to the standards of violence being much higher back in the day. For as violent as this film can be, it always pulls the focus to the emotions and the characters. It is also one of Vincent Price’s greatest performances, he exudes a realistic menace much darker than his usual camp portrayals.

Witchfinder General is a true horror classic. It showcases how the genre conventions of horror can bring an effective impact to historical cinema. In some cases, the creativity of horror can be a means of discussing sensitive topics in a more metaphorical manner. This film is the opposite, using horror to highlight the very real horrors of mob mentalities driven by superstition and fear. It can be a tough watch at times, but it is a very rewarding one.

Halloween Horror Marathon Day 23: Deathdream (1974)

Channeling as much of the angst of Vietnam War era America as possible, Bob Clark’s Deathdream is a stark and aggressive thriller. The story follows a family awaiting the return of their son from Vietnam, unfortunately he is announced KIA. On the same night that the notice is delivered to them however, their son mysteriously returns, changed in some horrific way.

Shot in the style of stark realism that would become popularized with future slasher films, Deathdream is very obviously riffing on themes of both post traumatic stress and suffering on the home front. The deliberately realistic and minimalist style of this film helps highlight the fact that there is a lot going on with this film thematically. Aside from the aforementioned war themes, there are also themes of domestic abuse, delusional desire, alcoholism, and other American family values.

The same realist style that highlights those themes also serves as an effective frame to the wilder, more violent aspects of the film. When the film begins to showcase a supernatural angle to the events, that realism serves to contrast sharply and violently with the proceedings. There are perhaps times when this aggressive brand of horror begins to detract from the themes themselves, due to the added impact of the visceral style.

While Deathdream threatens to jump the rails in it’s most aggressive moments, there is a quiet horror here under the oppression of domesticity. These themes would later form the foundation of the entire slasher genre, which Bob Clark himself would go on to make major contributions too. I think the movie is more than just a historical oddity though, and worth watching on it’s own inherent merits beyond it’s important historical relevance.

Halloween Horror Marathon Day 22: King Kong vs Godzilla (1962)

Just as a piece of disclosure, I am reviewing the original Japanese edit of this film instead of the more common 1963 American edit.

Franchises, crossovers, and shared universes are all the rage right now; but most of these marketing tropes are very old and came to the world of film through pulp horror. Frankenstein was moonlighting with Abbott and Costello as early as 1948 by which time Dracula had a series of five films under his belt. That doesn’t really detract from the audaciousness of King Kong vs Godzilla, which follows advertising executives from a pharmaceutical firm trying to pit the two monsters against one another for the good of all Japan.

There is evidently a good deal of self parody in this story, focusing on corporate absurdity and ridiculous marketing gimmicks as it does. The story follows a particular pharma company who need to bolster the ratings on a science program they sponsor, what better way to do that than by investigating a mysterious Caribbean island! however, a competing firm recently uncovered Godzilla frozen in ice that is melting due to global warming for their own sponsored TV. Godzilla is obviously bad news for Japan, so it is a stroke of luck that the island expedition returns with none other than King Kong in tow, ready to throw down in a massive monster rumble!

Giant monster movies may technically be horror, however they are rarely horrific outside of the repeated imagery of hordes of terrified people made refugees by the devastation. King Kong vs Godzilla is just so, more an adventure comedy with a sprinkling of terrifying devastation for flavour. This film actually has some very effective sequences of that refugee experience, fleeing devastation and missing connections with loved ones in a mad panic as doom creeps ever closer. However the film is also very funny, with an over the top comic performance for the ages from Ichiro Arishima (a comedy legend in Japan) as an over-exuberant executive.

With direction from Kaiju veteran Ishiro Honda, these disparate moods actually work quite well together. The film is a variety hour of thought provoking horror, gonzo humour, action, adventure, and romance. It is, for the most part, a smorgasbord of kitsch. There is an extreme pop art look to much of this film, vibrant colours and plenty of visual dynamism to make both the silly and the horrifying elements really stand out. It is quite fitting that Godzilla’s first outing in colour would be one of incredible vibrancy.

I also really appreciated how involved the film is with the tropes of both King Kong and Godzilla, even if that means a return of the racist portrayal of various island cultures. However there is a rather random element of King Kong being empowered by lightning, a holdover from a previous script involving a giant Frankenstein monster instead of Kong. As a self aware parody of this film’s own marketing based inception, this film is actually quite clever. As a giant monster film, it has the requisite devastation and particularly notable presentations of the human cost and fear amidst the rubble. This is a genuine Kaiju classic and certainly worth looking into for anyone willing to explore this ultra-kitsch genre.