Film Review: TO HELL AND BACK: THE KANE HODDER STORY (2017)

Documentaries that focused on a single individual can fall into two camps – one is that it’s too pretentious to actually say something serious about the subject or two it tells a well-rounded and comprehensive look at the subject’s life and career both the good and the bad.  Unfortunately, the second one only actually happens when the subject has already passed on.  So it is with great pleasure that To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story (2017) belongs in the second type and Kodder is very much still alive.

For those of you who are not familiar of who Kane Hodder is (and I doubt there is a single horror fan who doesn’t know who he is), Hodder is a stunt actor/stunt coordinator/actor most famous most famous for playing the immortal Jason Voorhees in four of the Friday the 13^th films as well as the character of Victory Crowley in the four Hatchet films (the forth film called simply Victor Crowley).  In addition to this Hodder has worked on a ton of films including Demolition Man (1993), House (1985), Se7en (1995), and Spawn (1997), to name a small few of the films. 

In this film Hodder goes into intimate details about being a young child who was abused to an early accident where he was horrendously burned to his current recovery and insistent on always helping others.  This is reiterated by a huge cast of actors and fellow crew members who relate their stories of working with Hodder on very productions.  Some of the people featured included John Carl Buechler, Sean S. Cunningham, Bruce Campbell, Robert England, Adam Green, and Bill Moseley, with is just a small sampling of the people interviewed.

Directed by Derek Dennis Herbert, this could have easily been a talking heads documentary about Hodder but the stories these people tell show a brighter like on Hodder as a person and Hodder’s own recollections shed a light on how he overcame so many elements in his life that would have crippled other people.  This is not just a film about the man and his work but a film that gets into the deeper character of a man who has continuously faced challenges head on and never letting anyone or anything decide his own fate other than himself.

This is an amazing story of an amazing individual that has had a profound effect on the horror genre and horror fans in general and this is a great film that expertly separates the myth from the man.

Film Review: DANCE MACABRE (1992)

Even when he’s making bad movies he’s making good-bad movies as can be said for Robert England and his film Dance Macabre (1992), a kind of forgotten gem in which England plays Anthony Wager, a dance choreographer of a Russian ballet school.  When American dancer Jessica (Michelle Zeitlin) arrives at the school, Anthony immediately recognizes her resemblance to his former lover and takes a liking to her.  This doesn’t sit well with the Madame of the school (England in dual role) and before long Jessica’s classmates start to go missing. 

Written and directed by Greydon Clark the film has a great look and England steals every scene he is in overshadowing Zeitlin completely (who comes off as miscast in this film).  Clark’s style would also be seen in the cult favorites Without Warning (1980), Wacko (1982), Uninvited (1987) and Out of Sight, Out of Mind (1990), to name a few.  He creates a dance a foreboding atmosphere playing homage to Dario Argento’s Suspiria (1977) in addition to England’s own Phantom of the Opera (1989), which is not surprising considering this film was originally conceived as a sequel to that film.

The film itself is quite forgettable but England does a great job with the material and he is always entertaining in just about everything he is in (no matter how bad).  Clark does his best to entertain while providing the elements that will appease horror fans but since the film hinges on Zeitlin, this is where the film falls apart the most as she is not nearly as good as the rest of the cast.

"Rants & Ravings About Horror" - Week 30: “The Magnificent Heather Langenkamp!”

Week 30: “The Magnificent Heather Langenkamp!”

The ‘80s were filled with names of female actors who would one day be labeled “scream queens” but few have had as big an impact as Heather Langenkamp.  Considering that the film A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) put her on the map and she starred in two subsequent sequels her resume is pretty empty of any other horror films.  She mostly stuck to television series and guest appearances on several famous shows.  Keeping with my series surrounding Wes Craven and his films I thought it would be a good idea to explore one of the actors that became an icon due to his films.

The original A Nightmare on Elm Street was a major role for Langenkamp.  It was her first starring role which fortunately gave her a lot of range.  She wasn’t just a victim who was quickly dispatched by the killer.  Audiences experienced the nightmare through the eyes of her character Nancy Thompson and would get to see a dangerous relationship develop between her and nightmare killer Freddy Krueger (Robert England).  As Nancy’s friends are killed one by one she decides to discover the truth about the man who may kill her in her dreams but soon discovers that her parents as well as the other parents in the neighborhood may have had something to do with the murder of Fred Krueger.  It’s something she’s lived with her entire life.  Despite living in the perfect neighborhood where nothing ever really happens, the truth is deeper and darker.  She comes from a broken home; her mother is a drunk and separated from her police father whom she barely speaks to and whom doesn’t understand her.  Looks are deceiving.

Nancy has the perfect BFF in Tina (Amanda Wyss) and an understanding boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp) and everything is fine until her and her friends all dream of Fred Krueger at the same time.  Now one of the great things about this film is the great chemistry with the entire cast and Langenkamp is the leader.  She’s able to make all the relationships genuine and believable in a film in which everything becomes unbelievable.   Part of buying into the world that Craven crafted is believing all the characters that inhabit it and the entire cast does a great job which is why the film endures to this day.  Although it was England who became the household name as the wise talking burned serial killer Freddy Krueger, it was Langenkamp that ushered in a new type of horror film heroine.  Her character of Nancy just didn’t scream and run she found the strength and mindset to fight back when she didn’t have any one else to fight for her.  She became self-sufficient and strong, something you’d see future horror films emulate.

It would only be a few years later that Langenkamp would return as Nancy Thompson in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987).  The events of the original film have had an effect on Nancy who is now a psychologist that specializes in helping teenagers deal with their nightmares.  In this film she shows up at a hospital after Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette) has already tried to kill herself because of her nightmares.  Kristen is one of a group of teenagers who are all being haunted by Fred Krueger in their nightmares and Nancy is the only one who believes and understands them.  In this film Langenkamp gets to play an older and wiser Nancy who gets to use her knowledge to help save others in the same situation that she was once in.  Nancy and Krueger have a different relationship as she is the one that beat Krueger so there is personal animosity present that wasn’t there in the previous film; this is the first film in which Krueger would face off against a previous foe.  Nancy has an almost kindred spirit connection with Kristen; a very sister like bond that’s not explored by any other characters in subsequent films.  This film allows Langenkamp the opportunity to see her character grow and mature and ultimately sacrifice herself.  This is a fitting end to one of horror’s most enduring female characters.

This film ultimately became a fan favorite helping to make Langenkamp one of the few heroines to actually gain as much notoriety as Robert England himself.  Her popularity and star status would not rise as fast as Jamie Lee Curtis or Linda Blair due to the fact that she did not star in a string of successful horror films throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s.  The Elm Street films are generally the only horror films that provided her with a large enough role to actually matter.

Despite not having the opportunity to fully play the iconic character of Nancy Thompson again (death will do that sometimes), she did return to the franchise one final time playing herself in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994).  This was Craven’s chance to return to the director’s chair to craft a whole new story based on the iconic characters that he created.  Langenkamp would be herself, the mother of a young boy who was married to a man who is secretly working on a new Elm Street film with the real Craven.  Fact and fiction are about to collide when the nightmare world starts to turn Langenkamp’s life upside down.  After the death of her husband, her son starts to experience debilitating nightmares of Freddy Krueger, who has stepped into the real world to ensure that he lives on in the minds of future generations.  Craven melds the real life world with the world of film and the fandom created by the Elm Street series and Freddy Krueger himself.  Nancy Thompson has grown up and become a mother and a storyteller instilling in her child the fantasy that the world of film is nothing more than a fairytale to be passed down from generation to generation.

Langenkamp (the real person) has the opportunity to play her most complicated character and she does so effortlessly.  In a career character spanning three films she’s been able to accomplish something that very few actors get the opportunity to do.  This has not only made her one of the great heroines in horror film history but allowed the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise to live with its own legacy despite the mediocre sequels that have come and gone before and after.  

The reason why Langenkamp had such an impact on me growing up is because with these three films the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise was at its strongest.  No other horror franchise had an internal trilogy that mattered this much (although some would argue Jamie Lee Curtis’ three film Halloween trilogy comes close excluding that abysmal Resurrection film)).  I continued to watch these films sans the rest (as I’m sure many fans have done as well).  Langenkamp has always had that next door neighbor “every girl” quality that endured her to fans.

Her only other major impact would’ve been the television series Just the Ten of Us (1988-90) which gave her, her longest role.  Some may remember her as Nancy Kerrigan in the TV movie Tonya & Nancy: The Inside Story (1994), which I only saw when it was originally released.  She also had a part in the cult film The Demolitionist (1995) but most of the rest of her roles have been small.  She has yet to be given another amazing opportunity of a Nancy Thompson but that doesn’t matter since that is the character that she will always be remembered for and we fans will be thankful for.

"Rants & Ravings About Horror" - Week 29: “A Look at A Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise”

Week 29: “A Look at A Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise”

Freddy Krueger is one of the most iconic horror film icons ever created.  In addition to having been featured in nine films he’s also graced a television series, comic books, novels, and CDs, not to mention the fact that his image is one of the biggest selling items during Halloween.  Freddy has become an icon of pop culture that doesn’t seem to wane even when there isn’t a new film on the horizon.  I’ve decided to take a few moments to give my thoughts on each of the films as these films played a tremendous part in my love of the horror genre growing up.

I don’t know when I first saw the original film A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) but I do know it was after the second film as I saw them both at the same time.  Despite being a Michael Myers fan growing up, Freddy Krueger was the more dynamic character.  For one, his sound and dialogue played a huge part in terrifying me as a kid.  Director Wes Craven’s original film was atmospheric, dark, filled with suspense and had a great cast of “normal” teenagers.  Craven’s talented cast led by the charming Heather Langenkamp created a group of characters that could easily represent your own best friends and neighbors. This would play a key point in future sequels which all featured young high school or college aged students haunted by the un-killable Fred Krueger.  Whenever I was in the mood for Freddy Krueger this would be the first film I’d take in.

Despite the infamy of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985), it holds a special place as a favorite of mine because it was the film that prompted me to watch the first film.  Actually, it was the trailer for this film that put the bug in me to see these films.  I remember seeing the trailer for this film and was in awe at the moment where Freddy stood over all the children at the pool party and exclaimed, “You are all my children.”  Freddy had this ambiance and menace that was undeniable.  When I finally saw this film on video I ended up watching both the first and second one.  I can’t remember which one I saw first but this is the one that was calling out to me.

The film itself is dark and moody and atmospheric like the original.  In fact, it comes the closest of any sequel to that dark mood of the original as it wouldn’t be until the third film that the deaths and carnage would become more “light hearted” and “comedic”.  This film also happens to be the only one with a male protagonist which sets it apart from the others.  Even though I was unaware of the homoerotic motifs and imagery in the film when I was young, there is no denying their presence or impact on the film overall.  It didn’t matter to me then about this (when I didn’t know any better) and it doesn’t matter to me now (since I am very aware of it).  For me this is more entertaining and raw than the subsequent sequels which all focused on the comedy and more imaginative death sequences.

Now I’ll be the first to say how glad I was that Heather Langenkamp returned for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987).  By then I was well aware of the impact of the series.  By this time I wanted to actually go see this film at the theater (but sadly that would not happen until Wes Craven’s return to the director’s chair).  For a long time I considered this my favorite of the franchise.  It was the “coolest” of them all with some of the best visual SFX in addition to the best dream sequences and death sequences in the entire franchise.  Also, the tragic death of Langenkamp’s character Nancy who had once been a victim but now a savior and hero to a new generation of kids made this film poignant.   Something future sequels would lack.  This would be the film most often paired with the first film in my Freddy double feature nights.

I’ve never really been a fan of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988).  I was a little thrown by the fact that Kristen (played so eloquently in the previous film by a young Patricia Arquette) was now played by Tuesday Knight and that she was killed off within the first fifteen minutes of the film.  I didn’t really take to any of the other characters because of this despite the fact that Lisa Wilcox did a fine job of taking over the franchise as Alice.  The most memorable death scene was Elaine turning into a cockroach (which will stay with me forever) but everyone else’s death was pretty forgettable.  The only reason I ever continue to revisit this film is to pair it up with its direct sequel Part 5, which I enjoy so much more.

It should be noted that even Robert England continued to do a fine job as Freddy Krueger throughout the subsequent films never missing a beat despite the films becoming less scary and more comedic.  He was able to take the punches and keep getting back up after being knocked down.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5: The Dream Child (1989) would be my next favorite in the series and it would create my triple feature night partnered with the original and Part 3.  This film returned the franchise to its darker mood and atmosphere especially considering that it partially takes place in an asylum and features Freddy’s mother.  With the theme of motherhood and children at its core it was also one of the few sequels to really touch on a taboo subject in horror films especially one geared towards teens and young adults.  Everyone was at top form and I loved that the film featured Kelly Jo Minter, one of my favorite actors at the time from Summer School (1987) and The Principal (1987) but would soon become more famous for her horror roles in Popcorn (1991) and The People Under the Stairs (1991).  With just these few roles she became one of my favorite actors of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s.  

I really hate Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991).  From the trailer I thought this would be a cool movie.  It was supposed to be the last, it had the Power Glove and part of it would be in 3-D!  The reasons why I hate it is because it wasn’t the last, it had the Power Glove, and only the ending was in 3-D (which I never even got to experience), among many other reasons why this film is bad.  None of the dreams sequences were interesting and them showing the truth about Fred Krueger and that he has a child all seemed ludicrous.  The film was poorly directed but that’s not nearly as bad as the script or the celebrity cameos in the film all of which contribute to the infamy of this bad film.  I don’t watch this film unless I get the urge to watch the entire franchise (which isn’t often any more).  In hindsight I do love Lisa Zane and it does have Yaphet Kotto but these are minor great things from a major disappointment of a film.

My faith in the franchise would be restored with Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) which allowed Craven to return to the franchise he started and make everything right again.  This is my favorite of the sequels after the first film.  Craven was able to make a stale franchise fresh and invigorated it with smart characters, an intelligent script and amazing special FX and makeup FX not to mention the amazing score by J. Peter Robinson.  Unfortunately, the lack of love for this film at the Box Office spelled the end.  The film was way ahead of its time by bringing back actors from previous films to play themselves and being a film that focused on film myth in Hollywood as well as fairytale myth in a dark world of Freddy’s making.  This was as striking and original as the original film had been in ’84.  This also happened to be the first film in the franchise that I got to view on the big screen on opening weekend.  I remember the day very well as it was either this film or The Next Karate Kid (1984) and there was no way in hell I was going to be talked into seeing that film.  Other than the original film, this is the only film in the entire franchise I can watch on its own without adding in one of the sequels.  For me, this film stands on its own and doesn’t need to be paired with any of the others.

In 2003 Freddy would meet his match with Freddy Vs. Jason.  Having seen this film on opening night as well, I loved this film.  It was exciting and it invigorated the Friday the 13^th franchise, which I’ve never been a fan of.  It featured the Freddy I wanted to see in the later sequels and the Jason Voorhees that should’ve been in all those sequels.  Unfortunately, time has not been very kind to this film.  It’s neither scary nor moody and plays like a pop horror-action-teen movie rather than a scary matchup of two of the horror genre’s most iconic images.  It was following the trend of horror films at that time like Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000), Cherry Falls (2000), Dracula 2000 (2000), The Forsaken (2001), Jeepers Creepers (2001), Thirteen Ghosts (2001), Dog Soldiers (2002), and Darkness Falls (2003), to name a few.  Even now, people who loved the film when it first came out despise it.  I hardly ever watch it.

This would be the last film in the franchise to star Robert England.  He had a great run that was longer than most others who played iconic fiends of horror.  England was Freddy and it would be hard for someone else to fill his shoes but Jackie Earle Haley was up to the task for the remake A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010).  This film was darker and more atmospheric than previous films but it was also less interesting, lacked suspense, and wasn’t any fun.  It tried so hard to be gritty and realistic that it forgot to be entertaining.  It also lacked originality and was generally a downer of a film despite Haley actually being the best part of the film.  This is the only film in the franchise I’ve never bothered watching a second time.  Why bother when all the previous films are superior and at least have England to entertain?  I’m sure there are fans of this film out there…I’ve just never met any of them.

I could saw some more about the films themselves but I know most anyone reading this has already seen the films several times over and had their own double and triple features.  Despite being a Michael Myers and Halloween fan there has always been enough room for love of this franchise with me.  I love horror films and I love franchises because they allow us fans to continue seeing the progression of some of our favorite characters in more stories.  They don’t all have to be great films but they do need to entertain and generally respect the franchise as a whole in order to satisfy us die-hard fans.    Freddy Krueger is by far the most interesting and dynamic of all the horror film icons and that was made possible not only from his creator Wes Craven but the man who brought him to life Robert England and all the adventures and characters he interacted with in each film crafted by a huge and talented group of actors and film-makers.