This isn't only a great day for women in Hollywood, its a FABULOUS day for horror fans!
The gal of the hour (and the one I was rooting for), Kathryn Bigelow won the Oscar for best director! She is not only the first woman in history to win best director, she is also the director of one of THE BEST vampire films ever made, Near Dark! Granted, she didn't win for Near Dark... since that was made over 20 years ago...but still, props to a fellow uterus for winning!
Also, Roger Corman won a lifetime achievement award which makes be endlessly happy. Call him a hack all you like but you can't deny those Vincent Price Edgar Allen Poe films he did are total unabashed AWESOMENESS. I love ya, Roger, you old coot!
Also, Hollywood gave us horror fans a shout out with a little tribute to horror. A little cheesy tribute to horror yes but HEY, any bone ya throw to me as a fan is usually appreciated! Though I still stand by my convictions that it should have been introduced by Kathy Bates instead of the Twilight folk. Not because I hate Twilight (I'm pretty indifferent about it) but because I really don't consider Twilight in the horror genre. I also don't consider Edward Scissorhands to be a horror film either but they stuck that one in there too. *shrugs* Oh Hollywood. You crazy.
See the tribute here. This also includes the great Paranormal Activity parody they did on the show:
And...erm......anyone else thought Eli Roth looked adorable in his little tuxedo?
He was there with his bro-mantic partner, Quentin Tarantino. I think they make a cute couple and just want to fold Eli up and put him in my pocket...even if he is over six feet tall. I may not think his movies are the end all be all and yes, he can be kinda a douche at times...an adorable adorable douche. But he'll always be a little pocket gore hound to me. ...Don't you ask me to explain my attractions! Stacy already admitted to wanting to have sex with Jason so at LEAST give me this! Don't judge meeeeee!!!
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 interestingstory lines and fun characters I care about. Without that you pretty much have the equivalent of a kindergartnerfinger painting with roadkill. I'm sure someone out there would love that image. So..thoughts on my incoherent Rambling?
Thanksgiving is a great time for food, family, and being grateful for the gifts they recieved in the last year. Well, for my family it was. For others I'm sure it was a great time for stress, burnt turkey, and your cousin coming out of the closet infront of your redneck Uncle Chuck. But I digress. I felt I had a few things to thank the horror genre for giving us and today is a good day to do so.
What Cins is Thankful for:
Clive Barker Clive Friggin Barker, man. Currently he is my top favorite in my personal Trilogy of Terror (Clive Barker, Wes Craven, and John Carpenter) What sets Mr. Barker apart for me is his elegance in the horror genre. His movies have an elevated feel much akin to the Gothic horror films of the 50's and 60's. I like to call him the master of "Goo. His visuals always have this style of "Goo" to them that no other film maker can capture (much like the Stanley Kubrick boobies. Ever notice that every woman in a Kubrick film has the same type of boobies? Just me? Really?...Nevermind.). His gore is elegant. Seriously. No matter how graphic or gory his scenes become, there is a beauty of it that keeps me watching. I am not a gore hound, but I cannot get enough of Clive Barker gore. If you never seen a Barker film I highly recommend Hellraiser (a Classic), Candyman, and a hidden Gem, Nightbreed. So thank you Mr. Barker, for giving us a little art with our horror.
Ellen Ripley I'm thirty two years old...and I want to grow up to be Ellen Ripley. Ripley was the first female character I ever saw in a SciFi/Horror film who a-did not have massive cleavage and b-survived off her wits and c-Kicked ASS! I'm sure Ripley was not the first but she was the BEST. I saw the first two Alien films in reverse. So when I experienced Ripley coming out in that power armor and demanding "Get Away From Her, You Bitch!" I stood up and shouted 'YES!! YES!!! I WANT TO BE THAT!!" In retrospect it would he shitty to be Ripley. I rather not be constantly persued by Xenomorphs and subjected to Alien 3. But At the time? Yes. I would have been awesome. So Thank you Ripley for showing the world that women can kick much ass.
Eli Roth's Thanksgiving Okay, as a horror blog I felt obligated to post this on Thanksgiving. I think its an Internet law somewhere. I'm not a big fan of Eli Roth's films. I feel they're too much gore, too little heart. But man himself though? I love the guy. He clearly loves horror and has a wicked sense of humor. Example? Pancake boy from Cabin Fever. I have NO clue what that was about but I laughed for about 2 minutes after that. So when Mr Roth created this hilarious trailer for Grindhouse, I fell a little in love with the bastard. I was eagerly awaiting his trailer movie Trailer Trash which was supposed to come out last August and didn't. I can't seem to find much information about it these days. Hopefully it hasn't been shelved. Oh well, at least I still have Thanksgiving. Thank you Eli Roth, for being a wicked little bastard.
No, I am NOT sucking up. I truly like this blog. A lot. Freddy In Space has not only inspired Stac and I to open up our wacky corner on the web but also is an endless source of movie reviews, trivia, and rare gems that I've never seen before. John is also a really great and friendly guy. He is always open to discussing movies or whatever on his blog or message board. So Go Read it! Now! Right now! I'll wait. Really..... FreddyInSpace.BlogSpot.Com ...See? Wasn't That Fun?! So Thank you John and Freddy In Space for inspiring our silly ramblings and weirdness. Also, thanks for not thinking I'm a stalker. Of course after this paragraph you may think I am now. Sorry about that.
I hope everyone has a great and happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the Turkey hangover tomorrow!
