Pros: After two plus years, and a difficult, Shire-scouring move-in process, I'm back in my previously burned out, fully refurbished digs. A radical change in the menu at the dayjob means a bunch of new challenges and, happily, a lot of writing about film. My piece on the resurrection of William Friedkin's Sorcerer gets a delighted response from the director himself on Twitter (thanks, Brian). The woman I love. Welcome visits from parents. Reading Lovecraft on stage, wearing only a veil of machine fog. Hitting the stage with three fine actors, none of whom I'd worked with before, in my "Queen of the Nile" adaptation for the Dark Room's tenth edition of Twilight Zone: Live. A slew of fine contemporary movies laying waste to the notion that cinema is dead. A robust (though embattled) rep scene in San Francisco showing great stuff in all formats. New audience members appearing at these venues and realizing what they have.
Cons: My new home a battleground (in a blogpost, at least) in an ongoing war. That war of course the dot-com fronted gentrification that is making San Francisco blander and unaffordable. Expanded editorial duties at the dayjob distract from other writing outlets, including, I'm sad to say, the House of Sparrows. Getting older and being too exhausted or otherwise engaged to do stuff. Too many friends dealing with too much shit. Republican intransigence/inability to campaign on issues. Democratic gutlessness/inability to turn GOP weakness to their advantage. The deaths of too many cinematic titans, including but not limited to Ebert, Hinds, O'Toole, Fontaine, Walker, etc. etc. fucking etc.
Movies that deserved better: (recognition) The Last Stand, The Lone Ranger; (better distribution) Byzantium, which I didn't get to see; (ANY distribution) Me & You, Bertolucci's intimate and lovely coming-of-age tale that should've played beyond US festivals.
I'm wishing you nothing but the best in the coming year. With the move out of the way my deck is clear, and I'm ready to jump in and engage. Join me.
1) Favorite Vincent Price/American International Pictures release.
Gonna go with The Haunted Palace, mainly for the post-production gymnastics the film went through to shoehorn it into Corman's ongoing Poe cycle, and for the joy I had seeing it in San Pedro last month. It is a lovely piece of Lovecraftian cinema, though, and Price is just fine in it.
2) What horror classic (or non-classic) that has not yet been remade would you like to see upgraded for modern audiences?
Though many might argue that it's science fiction, The Incredible Shrinking Man is a dandy horror film. Though I'm extremely wary of the notion of Keenan Ivory Wayans and Eddie Murphy remaking it (as has been threatened for years), I'm not averse to a contemporary take on it. In my mind's cinema it retains the original dialogue (including Grant Williams' achingly gorgeous final monologue), and boasts a new Radiohead score.
Another remake I would like to have seen is the proposed Tim Burton/Lisa Marie remake of Bava's Black Sunday. Marie really should have been the star of one of her lover's films - one of those rare instances where I think intimates should collaborate, considering the amazing work she did in others of his films - but it wasn't meant to be.
The 1795 storyline put me in awe of David's incredible sensitivity. But Barnabas Collins is the fucking Man, so I gotta go with Frid.
Believe it.
4) Name the one horror movie you need to see that has so far eluded you.
I won't count movies I've seen on video but not theatrically (would love to catch up with An American Werewolf in London on film, someday) or films that are famously lost (like London After Midnight). I suppose it's a bit strange that I haven't seen the original Friday the 13th, but I feel greater pangs over having seen so few of the giallo flicks on the incredible list posted on Sound On Sight today.
5) Favorite film director most closely associated with the horror genre.
I gotta go with Dario Argento. The stylization of his best films sends me, and even his worst films are quite watchable. This blog was originally to be called the House of Peacocks, located in Brussels, Belgium, as an homage to the man but I decided to change up the name to give it its own flavor.
No damn contest: Barbara Steele. Black Sunday clinches it alone. Plus her eyes are incredible:
7) Favorite 50’s sci-fi/horror creature.
Next week I intend to buy a lush sushi dinner for my host and watch some of the films featuring this creature, on its birthday. Through all of his iterations, my fondness for Godzilla remains unabated.
8) Favorite/best sequel to an established horror classic.
Whether or not Child's Play is an established horror classic is open to debate, but Bride of Chucky absolutely transcends it. Ronny Yu packs the thing with a cornucopia of fine choices, from the blue lighting to Jennifer Tilly's fetishwear to the deployment of a bubble machine during the transformation sequence.
Of all the Hong Kong expatriates who worked in Hollywood following the 1997 changeover, Yu's output may be the most curious. I very nearly picked his Freddy vs. Jason to answer this question - like Bride, it eschews any attempt at scariness to instead focus on artfully crafting a bloody fantasy.
9) Name a sequel in a horror series which clearly signaled that the once-vital franchise had run out of gas.
My threshold for watchability is very low, i.e. it takes a lot to make me want to write off a franchise. That said, per my previous entry, Halloween: Resurrection is absolutely tedious, and (among many other problems) wastes the talents of a former classmate.
11) What was the last horror movie you saw in a theater? On DVD or Blu-ray?
As of this writing (executed piecemeal, over several days), Nadja was the last horror movie I saw theatrically. And though it doesn't count as a horror film per se, the "Just A Dream" two-parter from the Justice League cartoon offered some surprisingly-strong-for-Y7-rated imagery, and a beautifully nuanced voice performance by William Atherton as John Dee/Doctor Destiny.
12) Best foreign-language fiend/monster.
Rather than repeat myself, I'll say Kayako/Toshio from the Ju-On/The Grudge series. Each of the films has at least somewhat unsettled me, and I think taken together they're one of the most notable bodies of work in the genre of the last thirty years.
13) Favorite Mario Bava movie.
Oh, goddammit. Shit. Black Sabbath, then, for style, variety, genuine scares, real laughs, and that mind-bending coda.
14) Favorite horror actor and actress.
Lugosi. The aforementioned Steele.
15) Name a great horror director’s least effective movie.
Clearly recognizing that The Card Player is the least of Argento's features didn't keep me from wishing it were the pilot to an ongoing TV series. I also note that I had kind of a fucked up experience with his most recent film, Giallo, put off as I was by the false spoiler in the film's IMDB page. And that tacked-on ending undermines what could have been Argento's most powerful finish.
Joan Bennett brings class to Collinwood, but there's a scene toward the end of the first Barnabas arc where Julia is beset by low-tech, ghostly visions. It's basically Grayson Hall just riding a fucking crazy train - for ten glorious, unbroken minutes, the only thing you saw on ABC was Grayson Hall losing her shit. I would LOVE to have been in the studio the day that scene was shot.
17) When did you realize that you were a fan of the horror genre? And if you’re not, when did you realize you weren’t?
God, I don't even remember. I'm not sure it was a single epiphany as much as it was a gradual process. I steadily weathered all of the images that schoolmate Yuri Lowenthal savvily collected as the root of our generation's cinematic trauma (specifically: the daughters in The Shining; the clown in Poltergeist; the sister in Twilight Zone: The Movie [see below]; and Ralphie Glick at the window in Salem's Lot) and just gradually developed a taste for it.
It doesn't boast the giant insects/creatures run amok that most people associate with the Gordon oeuvre, but I thought Tormented was a nicely effective little spook show. Plus it had a fun role for Joe Turkel.
19) Name an obscure horror favorite that you wish more people knew about.
I want to share Bigas Luna's film Anguish with everyone, but need them to not read reviews and to just fucking trust me.
20) The Human Centipede-- yes or no?
I'm going to go with "fuck, no." Not because of its disgusting premise, but because it offers no wit or insight along with its gruesomeness. I've said before that if Tom Six was so influenced by David Cronenberg, then how come his films aren't smarter?
21) And while we’re in the neighborhood, is there a horror film you can think of that you felt “went too far”?
I've no desire to see A Serbian Film. Or to link to it.
22) Name a film that is technically outside the horror genre that you might still feel comfortable describing as a horror film.
Billy Wilder's Sunset Blvd., in addition to being my favorite of his films, gives me the fucking creeps. Norma Desmond is a glorious mess whose plight transcends camp, and her need to take down others with her is nothing short of vampiric. Terrifying.
Like'em both, but Scott gets a slight edge. Not sure why.
24) If you’re a horror fan, at some point in your past your dad, grandmother, teacher or some other disgusted figure of authority probably wagged her/his finger at you and said, “Why do you insist on reading/watching all this morbid monster/horror junk?” How did you reply? And if that reply fell short somehow, how would you have liked to have replied?
Mom would give me this too-pointed glare when she didn't approve of something we'd seen together. I just ignored her. I love her dearly, but when she put that glare on, I ignored her.
25) Name the critic or Web site you most enjoy reading on the subject of the horror genre.
The House of Sparrows would not have opened without the abiding influence of Arbogast on Film and Final Girl.
26) Most frightening image you’ve ever taken away from a horror movie.
27) Your favorite memory associated with watching a horror movie.
The applause that busted out in the Castro Theatre the third time she said "Bastard."
28) What would you say is the most important/significant horror movie of the past 20 years (1992-2012)? Why?
The Blair Witch Project. It established a template and a spirit for 21st century, low-budget, off-Hollywood horror. And, after the hype and backlash, it was scary as hell.
29) Favorite Dr. Phibes curse (from either film).
Beasts (from the first film). Phibes kills a guy by shooting a brass unicorn at him from across the street, for crying out loud.
30) You are programming an all-night Halloween horror-thon for your favorite old movie palace. What five movies make up your schedule?
This is the question I'm most eager to read the responses to.
An American Werewolf in London - Because I've never seen it projected.
Phenomena/Creepers (Argento, 1985) - Likewise.
Anguish - Because I want to feel an audience's reaction to the halfway point again.
The House With Laughing Windows - Wanna fatten the program up with a movie I've never seen.
The Sleeping Car - Never saw this either, though its mention in a trailer for a month of horror on Cinemax back in the early 90s intrigued me. So my horror-thon is framed by David Naughton pictures. Clearly he's pleased.
Naturally, this exhibition would be loaded with at least two horror trailers before each film, and short films scattered as entr'actes. Including Peter Tscherkassky's Outer Space.
So that's a wrap on this, right on time for Halloween! How'd I do, Doctor? ...Doctor?
From our friends at Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule, a blog that's as much fun as its title, comes this huge summer film test. Since the House has been a little barren of late, and since answering tests like this feels, at some shameful level deep within your proprietor's venal heart, like an interview, my answers follow.
2) Regardless of whether or not you eventually caught up with it, which film classic have you lied about seeing in the past? If I've ever done this, I'm too ashamed to recall it. I'm pleased to admit that there are plenty of worthy films I haven't seen - something to look forward to.
3) Roland Young or Edward Everett Horton? Horton for longevity - respect a man who went from the silent era thru Top Hat to Playhouse 80. Young, however, was in And Then There Were None, so there's love there too.
4) Second favorite Frank Tashlin movie Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
5) Clockwork Orange-- yes or no? Yes, certainly.
6) Best/favorite use of gender dysphoria in a horror film Back in 1996 when I was living in Washington DC, there were some huge blizzards that blew through and paralyzed the city. I used the opportunity to catch up on movies that I'd taped off cable. "Nice, I can finally watch Polanski's Repulsion!" Perhaps because I was snowbound and stir-crazy, the movie fucking scarred me.
7) Melanie Laurent or Blake Lively? Laurent.
8) Best movie of 2011 (so far…) So far, BOONMEE. But the year ain't half over yet.
9) Favorite screen performer with a noticeable facial deformity Tina Fey. She never volunteered info about the scar, and I don't think any of us who knew her ever asked (though the answer's now easily found; she wasn't a celebrity yet when we knew her, and celebrities have no secrets.)
10) Lars von Trier: shithead or misunderstood comic savant? Yes. But that's not all.
11) Timothy Carey or Henry Silva? Silva's a "better" actor (nothing but love for Johnny Cool) but Carey's extremism takes him to deeper, more moving places.
12) Low-profile writer who deserves more attention from critics and/or audiences I keep hoping that Kenneth Branagh will one day film any of the Yellowthread Street mysteries by William Marshall.
13) Movie most recently viewed theatrically, and on DVD, Blu-ray or streaming Theatrically: Midnight in Paris DVD: don't recall - lately have been watching mostly TV on disc (DARK SHADOWS and TWIN PEAKS, most recently) Blu-Ray: oh, fuck blu-ray Streaming: work movies don't count, so let's go with Killdozer
15) Best thing about streaming movies? They're the bread and butter of the company that's employed me for going on four years now.
16) Fay Spain or France Nuyen? Only one of these women played Elaan of Troyius:
Nuyen, definitely.
17) Favorite Kirk Douglas movie that isn’t called Spartacus PATHS OF GLORY.
18) Favorite movie about cars VANISHING POINT.
19) Audrey Totter or Marie Windsor? Windsor.
20) Existing Stephen King movie adaptation that could use a remake/reboot/overhaul King's works are often problematic in that what works on the page seldom translates effectively to the screen. Rather than reboot one of the films, I'd rather see someone take a stab at filming "Mrs. Todd's Shortcut" from SKELETON CREW.
21) Low-profile director who deserves more attention from critics and/or audiences Richard Kwietnowski has a too small body of work, but each of his films has an abundantly delicate touch, and should be shared theatrically.
22) What actor that you previously enjoyed has become distracting or a self-parody? I tend to stick by my actors. The only artist whose ego has ballooned to the point that I can't enjoy his earlier work isn't an actor, most of the time.
23) Best place in the world to see a movie Weirdly, I don't have a favorite venue. Anywhere with decent projection, good refreshments, and seats for people I care about will do.
24) Charles McGraw or Sterling Hayden? Hayden, but I understand the McGraw camp.
25) Second favorite Yasujiro Ozu film Decline to answer.
26) Most memorable horror movie father figure Genre being relative, I'll go with Kirk Scott's memorable, funnycreepy turn as J.D.'s dad in Heathers. Scott and Slater suggest not a familial relationship so much as a symbiosis, and it speaks volumes to J.D.'s pathology. The backstory of J.D.'s home life is one of that film's more evocative mysteries, thanks largely to Scott's performance.
27) Name a non-action-oriented movie that would be fun to see in Sensurround Irma Vep, from the chaos of the production office to the otherworldly transcendence of the final montage
28) Chris Evans or Ryan Reynolds? I've found both enjoyable in a number of films - Reynolds seems to have a bit better range, from the gently obscene comedy of Waiting to the moralistic Fed-in-crisis in Smokin' Aces, so he gets he nod.
29) Favorite relatively unknown supporting player, from either or both the classic and the modern era I'd love to see Arthur Stone get a little more appreciation outside classic movie circles - his turn as the comic relief but capable con man in 1927's Valley of the Giants seemed to anticipate the works of Pee Wee Herman, Martin Short, and many others.
30) Real-life movie location you most recently visited or saw
31) Second favorite Budd Boetticher movie Can't answer. My favorite BB movie, however, is Ride Lonesome.
32) Mara Corday or Julie Adams? Corday.
33) Favorite Universal-International western No preference.
34) What's the biggest "gimmick" that's drawn you out to see a movie? The fourteen-hour running time, multi-day staging, etc. of Rivette's OUT 1.
37) Best/worst remake of the 21st century so far? Best: Takashi Shimizu's own remake of his JU-ON: THE GRUDGE as, simply, THE GRUDGE enabled him to continue his already fascinating and under-way process of remixing his own work. The resulting sequel, THE GRUDGE 2, came too late in the American wave of J-horror remake but provided a perfect capper to that onslaught with he ghosts arriving in Chicago.
Worst: I hate, on principle, to pile onto the work of a female director, but Julie Taymor's THE TEMPEST was a misfire in nearly every conceivable way.
38) What could multiplex owners do right now to improve the theatrical viewing experience for moviegoers? What could moviegoers do? Just stop treating film like easily-ladled product - take pride in presenting an experience, from the correct aspect ratio and sound volume to decent refreshments. Moviegoers: stop putting yourself over the movie, stop texting/talking in the damn thing, and be present in the experience with your neighbors.
I built this house as a place where I could examine/talk about my favorite horror/fantasy films. Other topics will be discussed if the spirit moves me. Enter freely and unafraid.
