Film Review: THE MAJORETTES (1987)

High school girls start showing up dead in THE MAJORETTES (1987) based on the novel by John A. Russo (writer for the original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD).  Here, Russo also writes the screenplay with another alumni of NOTLD Bill Hinzman taking over here as director.  Like many derivative slasher films of the late “80s, The Majorettes has sex and gore and nudity, but little else.  The film lacks the ambiance of Halloween or the sheer (implied) brutality of Texas Chain Saw Massacre.  It lacks the originality of Hellraiser or the makeup FX of The Burning.

In fact, there is very little to The Majorettes other than the star talent behind the camera as the cinematography is lacking as the iconic music.  It’s interesting that this is the first of the only two films Hinzman directed (the other is FLESHEATER, which also is not that good of a film either).  Russo, on the other hand, wrote the screenplay for the film based on his novel and went on to write, produce, and direct other films based on his novels.

The Majorettes is a film for Russo and Hinzman fans and little else even if you can appreciate the the trash cinema of the ‘80s slasher boom.

"Rants & Ravings About Horror - Week 26: “The Dreamscape & Nightmares of Clive Barker”

Week 26: “The Dreamscape & Nightmares of Clive Barker”

I’m a huge fan of novelist Clive Barker.  I’ve read most of his books and comic books based on his characters and stories (and even the ones he’s written) and I’ve seen all of his films as a director including those also associated with characters and worlds that he has created.  Barker’s unique talents for creating dream-like worlds and nightmares have inspired writers and artists for generations.  Despite having only directed three feature length films and a couple of shorts he’s produced lots more and most all of his characters and worlds have been translated in various other mediums.

For right now, I’m just going to focus on his three films as director – Hellraiser (1987), Nightbreed (1990), and Lord of Illusions (1995).  Trying to tackle every Barker film or associated with him would include the entire Hellraiser franchise, the films based on the Books of Blood, the Candyman franchise, and the various side projects that he’s produced, executive produced, or just provided a screenplay, not to mention the video games and the thousands of pieces of artwork that he’s produced.  

I came to Barker via my older brother and his Books of Blood.  He had them all because of a paper he was writing for school.  He knew I was big into horror (even in middle school) and handed me one of the volumes of the Books of Blood.  I devoured that first book.  At the time I was a huge fan of Stephen King so being introduced to Barker was naturally the next step.  I quickly read the other two volumes.  I was introduced to Hellraiser the same year the second film Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) was released.  I saw the first film and then immediately wanted to see the second film (but unfortunately I was too young to go see it in the theater so I had to make do with the first film).    I was aware that Barker had written and directed the first film but I had not yet read The Hellbound Heart on which the film is based (I’d read that novel around the time that Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, 1992 was released). 

Hellraiser was unlike anything I had ever seen before.  I had a healthy diet of films based on stories by Stephen King (i.e. Carrie, 1976; Salem’s Lot, 1979; Christine, 1983; Cujo, 1983; Children of the Corn, 1984; Firestarter, 1984; Silver Bullet, 1985; Cat’s Eye, 1984; Creepshow, 1982) and Barker was the next novelist I was aware also was associated with films.  It was a dark and violent film yet the gore was presented in a very beautiful way.  It was never a film that was suspenseful, in my opinion.  The only scene that really put me on the edge was Frank’s rebirth scene in the attic which seemed like the most painful scene in the entire film.  Even now, knowing how that sequence was actually achieved it gets to me.  For me the Cernobites were cool!  They were dressed all in black and when Pinhead spoke it was poetic.  I never had any fear of him.  Instead. I had fear for Kirsty (Ashley Laurence).  She seemed like an “everywoman” just like Nancy Thompson in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and Laurie Strode in Halloween (1978).  Kirsty loved her father but disliked her step-mother and was thrown into this otherworld when she’s first assaulted by her uncle Frank.  Even after all these sudden revelation she finds the courage to do the right thing in order to save her father (a journey that would continue into the second film).  Hellraiser was a film with something to say in its complex and broken family atmosphere shrouded in the fantasies of hell.  It was a great debut feature from a talented writer.

Hellraiser was a tremendous success and the sequel Hellbound: Hellraiser II would be released only a year later.  Barker would only executive produce Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth and Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996) before having nothing else to do with the franchise.

It wouldn’t be until 1990 when Barker’s next film as a director would be released.  Nightbreed (1990) had a lot more trouble reaching the screen than his previous film.  By this time I had read The Damnation Game, Weaveworld, The Hellbound Heart, and now Cabal, which was the basis for Nightbreed.  I was highly anticipating this film!  My brother was still a Barker fan and saw this film on opening night.  I had to wait to go see it with a bunch of my friends.  We bought tickets for some PG-13 film but snuck into the theater to see the violent and monster filled Nightbreed.  Now anyone who knows about the history of this film will know that Barker and the studio went head-to-head in regards to his film.  The budget was smaller than Barker’s vision so he had to make a lot of compromises.  His director’s cut was longer than what the studio wanted to release into theaters and the studio marketed the film as a run-of-the-mill slasher film.  All of this contributed to a film that unfortunately tanked at the Box Office.    Critics were mixed about the film and general audiences didn’t know what to do with a film where the monsters were the good guys and the cops were the bad guys.  The film quickly disappeared from theaters but that would not be the end of this film audiences would discover it on video.

Hearing about all the controversy surrounding the film and rumors of a longer director’s version of the film, Nightbreed’s cult status began to grow.  Audiences gave the film new life and eventually a Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut surfaced at film festivals with footage never before seen and scenes restored in order originally intended by Barker.  I was one of the fortunate people to see this version as I helped bring it to Georgia at the 2013 Gwinnett Center International Film Festival, where it would have its Georgia Premiere (it would also screen at DragonCon later the same year).  

Nightbreed like all of Barker’s stories is a world filled with amazing creatures and a vast mythology that screams to be told and seen and it is an acquired taste.  This is one of my favorite fantasy films as for me it is more fantasy than horror (as are most all of Barker’s novels) as well as my favorite Barker film.

We return to the world of “cool” with Barker’s next feature Lord of Illusions (1995).  Since Nightbreed’s release several other films associated with his name would be released such as Candyman (1992) and its sequel Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995), and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, so the world was getting plenty of Barker.  Lord of Illusions would be a different type of film as it would take place in the world of magic and illusions as well as that cults, monsters, and horror.  Starring Scott Bakula (from TVs Quantum Leap) and former Bond Girl Famke Jennsen (whom I’ve always had a thing for) I was dying to see this new film.  I saw it on opening night and was not disappointed.  Despite being a mystery film filled with magic and illusions it was still a Barker film that also had a Jamestown-like cult at the center and many people who would meet grisly ends.  It is also the first time that Barker’s broken private investigator Harry D’Amour would be brought to the screen.  As much as I loved this film, it doesn’t seem that mainstream audiences liked the film as it only made $13.4 million at the Box Office which ruined the chance of any further big screen adventures for D’Amour.

Lord of Illusions also had its problems reaching mainstream audiences as it was also a hard film to market.  Its mixture of horror, mystery, cults, monsters, and other strange paranormal things confounded audiences and critics once again.  It wasn’t until the film reached video that it found its true audience.

Hellraiser is Barker’s only film that has a huge mainstream following and with nine films in the franchise it has a life of its own.  Candyman is the only other film with its own franchise while most of the other properties associated with Barker has had mixed results to best. My favorite has been the films associated with the Books of Blood series which is Dread (2009), The Midnight Meat Train (2008) and Book of Blood (2009).  These have all been some excellent films that stay true to the spirit of Barker’s stories.

For those of you who didn’t know, Barker also directed two “official” short films prior to Hellraiser.  I say “official” only because Barker wrote and directed lots of stage plays and probably directed more short films than the two I’m about to mention.  Salome (1973) and The Forbidden (1978) are the two short films you can easily find.  There’s such a huge gap in between these two shorts and his first feature that it’s hard to believe that he didn’t do anything else.  These are both disturbing visions from a director trying to find his voice and style in the film medium.  More a curiosity for Barker fans than anything else as he adapts two of his own stories.

Barker may not have directed a lot of films in his long career but there is no denying his lasting influence can be seen and felt in the vast worlds that he has crafted and which others continue to inhabit and play in. 

Film Review: THE INFLICTED (2012)

Let me tell you what I liked about the film The Inflicted (2012).  It stars Bill Mosely, Sig Haig, and Doug Bradley.  That is all that is good about this film. David O’Hara (Matthan Harris who also wrote and directed the film) is a medical student who also happens to be a serial killer trying to make up for the mistakes of his murdering father (played by Mosely).  David has been plagued by the death of his sister when they were young by his father who drowned her.  Now he is trying to create his own perfect family by kidnapping Melissa Daniels (Lindsay Hightower) and impregnating her and forcing her to have his child. 

The only bad thing is that David isn’t all that good of a serial killer as despite the fact that he has killed many people before kidnapping Melissa.   The cops discover him very quickly and he becomes a simple killer on the run for most of the film.  Once Melissa escapes from David’s clutches she is haunted by his memory and the fact that she is carrying his unborn child.  She seeks help from her psychiatrist Dr. Gardner (Haig) but she can never forget her tragedy.  David has managed to stay on the run due to the help of his father but the local cops and special agents are after David who seems to be able to get out of every scrape with the law by killing a few people.  Oh, and Doug Bradley (Pinhead of the Hellraiser films) is Agent Wilson who is quickly killed by David in a thankless cameo.

The film is seriously hampered by a really bad directing and overall acting.  This is a small gripe as the writing is what really kills the film as it portrays David as a serial killer that can get out of any mess by killing a few people despite the fact that if he was as good a serial killer as written he would’ve never been caught in the first place.  This film truly is one of those films written and directed by an actor who wanted his own starring film and who wanted his own character to be better than all the rest despite the huge jumps in logic audiences would have to make to find any of it believable in the slightest.  This was a really badly done film whose only redeeming quality is Mosely who surprising gets more screen time than Bradley and Haig put together.  Even though his performance is all over the place (something I’m attributing to the bad direction of the film), Mosely does the best that he can with what he’s been given and I can commend him on that.

“Rants & Ravings About Horror” - Week 3

Week 3: “The Horror Franchise”

There is no other genre that relies as heavily on the franchise and/or sequel like horror films do.  The history of the genre is littered with franchises such as Universal Studios original Dracula, The Wolfman, and The Mummy.   Sequels carried on the studio’s legacy with the characters and gave audiences more adventures and stories of their favorite monsters.  When Hammer Studios took up the mantle in the ‘60s and ‘70s they crafted new and colorful stories with these same monsters whetting the appetites of eager horror fans.  Then of course all bets were off in the ‘80s and ‘90s as the slasher boom became the poster-child for franchise as numerous horror franchises were born and transformed the way in which studios marketed and sold horror films which continues (unfortunately) to this day.

I mention this because the horror franchise is one of the reasons most of us love horror or were first introduced to it.  One of my earliest obsessions was the Halloween franchise.  I was a huge Michael Myers fan from the beginning and growing up I watched all the films religiously every year (which is one of the reasons why I can no longer watch the films).  My other favorite was the Child’s Play films, which I still watch to this day.  It’s been wenty-five years and the franchise is still going strong mainly because writer (and now director) Don Mancini has been there since the beginning allowing the franchise to change and evolve with each new generation.   

Other more important franchises include A Nightmare on Elm Street, Resident Evil, Friday the 13^th, Hellraiser, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scream, the Hannibal Lector films, Saw, The Evil Dead, Final Destination, Aliens, Predator, Paranormal Activity, Jaws, Poltergeist, The Amityville Horror, The Omen, The Exorcist, Puppet Masters, Ginger Snaps, Subspecies, Cube, Hatchet, Feast, The Grudge, Psycho, Phantasm, V/H/S, Candyman, The Prophecy, and Return of the Living Dead, to name a small few.  The less important or more cult franchises include Basket Case, Prom Night, The Howling, Critters, Ghoulies, The Re-Animator, House, Creepshow, Pumpkinhead, The Crow, The Mangler, Children of the Corn, Watchers, Mirror, Mirror, The Stepford Wives, Hostel, Cabin Fever,  Leprechaun, and Silent Night, Deadly Night, to name a few (too).  In addition to these, there are the failed franchises which only made it to a second film such as C.H.U.D., 976-Evil, 30 Days of Night, The Gate, Alligator, the first remake of King Kong films, The Gate, Demons, The Collector/The Collection, Pet Semetary, Salem’s Lot, Trilogy of Terror, The Last Exorcism, Piranha, Mirrors, Willard/Ben, An American Werewolf in London/Paris, The Descent, Witchboard,  Night of the Demons, Fright Night (both original and remakes), American Psycho, Rosemary’s Baby, The Blair Witch Project, The Ring (although a new sequel is in pre-pre-production), and Carrie, to name a few.

This may be a lot of horror franchises but this is still just a small sampling.  The reason why so many sequels were produced (many more ill-conceived) is because horror films have always been big business for studios - low cost and big profits.  Even though many of the sequels went straight to video (video was booming in the ‘80s and ‘90s and also contributed to the proliferation of the horror franchise) there were always franchises that remained on the big screen and endured because audiences couldn’t get enough of them no matter how mundane and repetitive the sequels got.  

Films that killed franchises or “jumped the shark” were plentiful and took the franchise into ludicrous territory alienating even die-hard fans.  Films like Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, Return of Texas Chainsaw Massacre (aka Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation), C.H.U.D. 2: Bud for C.H.U.D., The Stepford Husbands, Hellraiser: Revelations, Jaws: The Revenge, Candyman: Day of the Dead, The Rage: Carrie 2, Look What Happened to Rosemary’s Baby, Piranha 3DD, King Kong Lives, Critters 4: In Space, Leprechaun: Back 2 the Hood, American Psycho 2, and Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows, to name a few.

The horror film and most importantly the horror fan relish the continuing adventures of their favorite monsters.  It is rare that a franchise hinges on a heroine.  The names Pinhead, Chucky, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Candyman, Norman Bates, Hannibal Lector, Leatherface, Jigsaw, The Tall Man, Herbert West, Damian, Fred Kruger, and Ghostface are what draw audiences in from one film to the next regardless of the quality of each subsequent film.  I love the Child’s Play films because I’m a fan of Chucky (and I’ve even read the novelizations and comics as well).  I watch the Alien films because I love the aliens and how they change from film to film (and likewise I’ve read many of the books and comics as well).   The villains are the draw for these films as any fan can attest. 

Franchises are an important way for us fans to continue to enjoy some of our most (in)famous icons.  As long as we continue to watch and support these films then studios will continue to produce then.  This is not always a great thing as we’ve come to realize as sequels usually lose their punch and become more sanitized.  Not every film in a franchise can be gold.  Sometimes we have to settle for bronze but isn’t that better than having nothing at all?

Film Review: LURKING FEAR (1994)

Writer/director C. Courtney Joyner brings to life H.P. Lovecraft’s Lurching Fear (1994) with Hellraiser (1987) and Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) star Ashley Lawrence and character actor Jeffrey Combs (of The Re-Animator films). 

The town of Leffert’s Corners has a deep and dark secret that has plagued it for generations and now it has become nothing more than a ghost town with a handful of residents holed up in the church surrounded by an ageless cemetery.  Cathryn Farrell (Lawrence) is the leader of this group of survivors just trying to not get killed by whatever haunts the town.  She has a plan to destroy the cemetery as she believes that the town is haunted by creatures that live underneath the cemetery praying upon all the living.  Unfortunately for her an ex-con John Martense (Blake Adams) and a few others also show up at the cemetery looking for money buried in one of the crypts.  Now, all hell is about to break loose as survival, money, and the constant threat of creatures below the surface threaten them all and maybe none of them will survive the night.

The film is a very bare bones affair and more concerned with action and gore than actual story which is fine because it’s very entertaining seeing Lawrence as the bad ass with guns and in full action-girl mode and her rapport with drunken doctor (Combs) gives audiences some of the best moments in the film.  What the film lacks in story it more than makes up for in action and atmosphere as the desolated and in disarray church that most of the film takes place in makes for an excellent location (similar to the one in John Carpenter’s The Fog).  There is a lot of great production value to be had in this film and Joyner’s direction makes the film one of the better adaptations of a Lovecraft story.

This may not be one of the top horror films of all time but it is one of the more entertaining for horror fans which is why it has endured for so long.  If you’ve never seen this film and are a Lovecraft (or Lawrence and Combs) fan this film is worth taking a look at.