Creepy Kitch Discussion Time! - Is Less More?

And its mainly discussion time because I STILL haven't had a chance to sit down and watch the two movies I need to review this week (Evil Things and Grace). But the blog looked lonely sitting all quiet like so I figured I'd keep it company.

So here's my question for the masses:
What is more scary to you; lots and lots of graphic gore or something that only suggests lots and lots of graphic gore? Now I'm not asking what is cooler and more entertaining to watch but what is more frightening.

As I've stated WAY too many times on the blog, I am a less is more type of gal. I really like it when a movie lets me imagine the horrible things rather than spoon feeding it to me. I have one Hell of an overactive imagination (which really does explain my acute sense of paranoia) and sometimes all I need is a hint, a word, a slight description, and I am off the deep end. Before I even saw it, the suggestion of what the movie Se7en was about gave me nightmares for days...then the movie gave me nightmares after I watched it simply because you never saw the kill scenes, just the aftermath.
And I will admit, just the poster for Funny Games freaks me the hell out. I haven't seen it yet and I"m not sure I could get through it. But the small blood stains on the white gloves gives me the willies BIG time.
Suggestions of gore always scare me most.

HAVING SAID THAT...
I can also say that certain moments of total gore can really freak me out as well. But it has to be something that I consider pretty realistic or "serious" for it to get to me. Campy over the top clown gore doesn't scare me. Is it cool? Oh Hells yes. But does it scare me? Nah, not really. But scenes that are wither realistic or full of complete object terror for the victim will get to me. For example the eye scene in Zombie II, the barbed wire room in Suspiria (wow, the Italians are fucked up), and ESPECIALLY a scene of the cop falling from the stair well in [REC] are all pretty gory, surprising, and terrifying to me. So gore, in a realistic manner can be pretty scary if portrayed in a specific way.

So, What are your thoughts? I'm always curious as to people's Point of View when it comes to what they find scary. Is less more in your book?

Halloween Movie Madness! Week 4 (finally) - Hatchet

See, I TOLD you I'd catch up.

So I finally managed to sit down and watch Hatchet. I've been reading about it periodically on blogs and hearing about it from various podcasts I listen to. Overall it has gotten a good rep. So I figured since this movie has been sitting in my Netflix instant cue for God knows how long, now is a good a time as any to watch it.

And it rocked.

In a nutshell: Our leading man was recently dumped by his girlfriend. In an attempt to cheer him up, his buddies take him to New Orleans during Mardi Gras thinking massive amounts of tit flashing will cheer him up. Instead, our hero rather go on a haunted swamp tour. An unfortunate chain of events (and many hilariously supporting characters along the way) leads the the tour to the house of Victor Crowley, a deformed and deranged hatchet wielding psycho. And the rest is slasher history.

Hatchet is one of those wonderful homage films to the 1980's slasher genre only it really gets it right by not trying to be ultra hip and trendy. Yes, its formulaic but it wouldn't be a good tribute if it wasn't. The makers of this film are obviously fans of the slasher genre and Hatchet is a love letter to the gems of the past. And while it does have some genuine scares, it plays as a tongue in cheek horror comedy that makes you both cringe and laugh. Hell, it even has appearances by Horror legends Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, and Robert Englund. My favorite being Tony Todd mainly because that man can STILL be sexy screaming obscenities in a creole accent and dressed like a mime on his wedding day...Oh and Kane Hodder is kind of adorable in that burly lumberjack sort of way when not in grotesque make-up .

My hormones are starting to take over this review. Lets move on.

What I loved so much about Hatchet was finally seeing a slasher film where all the characters are likable. In slashers you tend to secretly (or in some cases, not so secretly) root for our villain because lets face it, they can be charming and clown gore is awesome. Therefore most victims in slashers are nothing more than nerve grating two dimensional machete fodder. And while I'd hardly call the characters in Hatchet well rounded pieces of cinematic history, I liked them all and found each one entertaining in some way. And having that likability made the killings more gruesome and the chase scenes more intense.

Oh, and the clown gore. The glorious GLORIOUS clown gore!! I found myself more than once shouting "Oh my God! Did you SEE that?!" to absolutely no one in the room...unless you count my cat...and she wasn't there because she only watches John Carpenter horror movies. The effects were extremely well done and completely shocking. Much love goes out to the effects crew.

This movie also has one of the best insults ever. Now whenever some random chick gives me a hassle I'm going to tell her "Your nipples are dumb!". That will put her in her place.

So my overall impressions? This is really worth the watch. If you're a fan of the slasher genre and want to see a non pretentious fun film with awesome clown gore, definitely check out Hatchet.

And tomorrow I will post Week 5 - Dead Snow. WOOT!

10 minutes of Terror: Ghost Ship

Woo hoo! Come spend another 10 Minutes of Terror with me, won't you?

This weeks 10 minutes come from Dark Castle Productions; Ghost Ship.



Okay...has anyone really seen this movie? Like, the WHOLE movie?

because I have...and its kind of crappy.

Its an interesting concept. A haunted ship that's collecting souls, a plucky young woman trying to get to the bottom of things, and a creepy looking little ghost kid which are all the things I would enjoy in a horror film. Alas, it wasn't executed very well. And honestly, I think Event Horizon did it better with the whole haunted ship/stealing souls thing.

But Event Horizon is another article for another time.



Regardless of me thinking the meat of the film is mildly entertaining at best, it's saved from being completely written off because it has one of the most surprisingly awesome opening scenes I've seen in a B horror film.

Here's the clip. It takes a while to set it up, but once it happens, you'll gasp...or laugh. Or Both! Either way, its surprising.





Okay, did you see THAT?!

BEST GROUP DEATH, EVAR!



I have to hand it to the Dark Castle people, what their movies lack in scares they make up for in creative clown gore. When I watched the special features on the Ghost Ship DVD they discussed this scene at great length. What the film makers wanted to do was to top the "half a lawyer" gag that had such a huge reaction in 13 Ghosts. So instead cutting one poor guy in half, they cut...well...50 people in half. The scene has a nice tempo and build up to something completely unexpected. What I thought was an interesting touch was how the little girl was spared because of her height, which made that moment of the captain's head sliding off its jaw all the more horrifying. Though I do think the best moment is the expression on everyone's faces right after the wire snapped.


Stac and I first saw this film together with our friend Bevin on one of our Blockbuster Video romps. It was a new release and with weren't expecting much from it. I do believe we replayed that opening about four times, each time ending with us squealing in girlish glee and clapping our petite pink nail polished hands together after the captain's head fell off. I later showed this to a friend of mine, and he as well squealed in girlish glee...I mean manly intense glee.
... he reads this blog.
It seems whoever I've shown that scene to, it usually ends with the words "EEE! Oh My God! That was awesome! Rewind that! EEE!" The second EEE being optional.


Unfortunately this is probably the best moment in the movie. There is a gleeful murder montage near the end of the film which reveals a bit of a twist. And while that is interesting to watch it really pales in comparison to the opening scene.


Do I think Ghost Ship is worth looking at? Well, its not horrible. At moments its kind of fun and campy and I think its worth the watch if you're looking for just a fun movie with little scares and lots of flashy camera tricks. But if that's not your thing, you just saw what I consider the best part right here.

The Joys of "Clown Gore" Now with Visuals!

Okay, to calm the masses (Yup, all seven of you) I shall post something incoherent and not as sex filled as usual!

So I was thinking this morning...
Its quite a feat since I am not a morning person and tend to shy from coffee unless desperate. Something about not wanting to have the caffeine addiction and my paranoid brain...

Regardless, I was thinking this morning about my views on gore in movies.


Nah, not really a soap box rant, just my views on what I like. I've made it no secret that I am not a gore hound. My favorite style of horror films are the "less is more" style. Its not every one's favorite but I assure you my twisted imagination is far more scary than anything Eli Roth can show me.
But you try Eli! And Kudos to you! You're still my adorable little elf man of horror. I may not like your movies too much but I would love to pinch your cheeks and keep you in my pocket so I bring you out for parties and dazzle everyone with your horror trivia knowledge.
I bet he's a tall man which makes what I said sound even more stupid than it did.


But I digress...because I lack coffee.

Anyways, despite not being a gore hound, I do find it acceptable. Far be it from me to turn my nose up at gore. But I'm extremely picky with my gore. I'm not a fan of torture porn like Hostel or Captivity. I'm a fan of over the top gore. Creative gore. What I like to call "Clown Gore".


The definition of "Clown Gore"- over the top craziness in horror films that would not or could not happen in real life because it probably defies physics. Things that are so outrageous that it almost makes me laugh or hiss and yell "OOOH! JEEEEEZE!"...THEN laugh.

I suppose it says a lot about society that I am laughing at something so horrific. But that is the beauty of horror films. A way to release tension. And when the gore is crazy, I can detach myself from the act and just enjoy the visuals, creativity, and craftsmanship of the gore happening. I consider horror escapism. I don't WANT to be in jeopardy and frankly I don't want a horror film to disturb me to the point where I'm not enjoying what I spent my money on. But I love to watch movies that give me a thrill. And "Clown Gore" is quite a thrill.

Here's some of my favorite movie "Clown Gore" moments to give an example of what I mean.

13 Ghosts (The Remake)

Anyone remember the "Half a Lawyer" gag? Its the money shot of the film. The sequence is a good combo of CGI and live action as well. Now, I seriously doubt you'd be able to cut a human being in half like that with such precision in real life with a glass door. There is BOUND to be some squishing somewhere. But the scene still made me sit up and yell "AWESOME!". It was unexpected and spectacular.



Dead Alive

This whole MOVIE is nothing BUT Clown Gore. The ear in the soup, the lawn mower massacre. Peter Jackson knows his gore gags which in turn make you WANT to gag. Regardless, the film takes quite the hilarious light turn and makes you squick at the same time. Once again, I don't see many things in this movie happening like that in real life. In fact I don't WANT to see that happening in real life. But the creativity is tops and the splatter is quite fun.


The Evil Dead Series

Spam in a cabin anyone? This was the birth of splatter horror and definitely some of the best over the top effects in horror films. The stop motion in the first one is cheep but fun and effective. Its the fantasy aspect that gets you. Its not real but its not SO fake that you don't get involved.

Silent Hill
The scene where Pyramid Head rips the skin off of Anna's naked body is insane! I honestly did not expect that. Not only does he rip it off in one movement but he then THROWS it at our heroes?! What the hell, Pyramid Head! You have some anger issues. Actually everyone in this movie has anger issues. That scene along with some nasty bits with barbed wire at the end turned what could have been an average video game film into some fantastic horror.
This Scene really needs to be watched.




Reanimator
Do I REALLY need to mention which scene? Seriously? Okay I'll give you a hint. It involves a little head..I mean that both literally and in inuendo.
If you guys don't know what I'm talking about, then go rent the movie, NOW.


This isn't the ONLY gore I like mind you but if I'm going to choose a movie based strictly on gore, I'm going to choose a film where a guy's head explodes in a Technicolor dream over a long realistic, gruesome, torture scene.

There is an argument that over the top gore can take you out of the reality of the situation. And it can in some cases. "Clown Gore" would not work in films like Se7en, Last House on the Left, or Funny Games (just for the record, I have not seen Funny Games past random clips). But that's not what those films are about. I consider those films more along the lines of horror drama than straight pure horror. They focus more on the reality of the situation rather than the sensationalism.

Now, while I do love over the top gore in horror films, I do believe that a movie needs more than JUST over the top gore to make a horror film great. The above films were mentioned because I found them all to have interesting story lines and fun characters I care about. Without that you pretty much have the equivalent of a kindergartner finger painting with roadkill.
I'm sure someone out there would love that image.
So..thoughts on my incoherent Rambling?