RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR – “HOW MONSTER FILMS DEFINED MY LIFE”

RANTS & RAVINGS ABOUT HORROR – “HOW MONSTER FILMS DEFINED MY LIFE”

Early this year during the 2017 Something Wicked Film Festival (www.somethingwickedfilmfestival.com), Festival Panel Moderator Jim Adams created a panel discussion that would forever define the future of panel discussions for the event (especially since I’m the Festival Director and I just hired him to be the Official Festival Panel Moderator.  One of Mr. Adams’ first duties were to come up with some original ideas for new panel discussions and thus “How Monster Films Defined My Life” was born. 

Now I know part of the reason why Mr. Adams decided on this topic for a panel discussion is because he has the podcast “Monster Attacks!” where he has spoken at length about his love for monster films.  For many people, monster films from the Universal horrors of Dracula and The Wolfman to Hammer Studios’ Frankenstein and The Mummy were defining characters of fear from childhood.  For more modern audiences there is Leatherface and that dream demon Freddy not to mention the likes of Ghostface Killer and The Jigsaw Killer.  No matter which decade, audiences have their own nightmare monster that haunts them or fascinates them to no end.

I was one of the film-makers on this panel discussion and one of the films that defined my childhood was the Joe Dante film Gremlins (1984).  I saw this in the theater in ’84 at the early age of 8 and it left an undeniable impression on me.  The monsters were both cute and cuddly and dangerous and fun at the same time.  It was like watching a bunch of unruly children at play able to do whatever they wanted.  It also had an amazing soundtrack by Jerry Goldsmith (who became my all-time favorite music composer).  The film was dark and horrifying as well as funny and entertaining.  It had the perfect mixture of comedy and horror and part of that is due to the very dark photography of the film and the fluid cinematography.  It truly became one of my all-time favorite films for which my love for other monsters would grow.

 

I didn’t grow up with the black & white Universal monsters nor had I seen many of the bloody Hammer Studio films until I became a big horror fan in my teenage and college years.  The next monster I gravitated to was that of the Good-Guy doll Chucky.  When I saw Child’s Play (1988) I had never seen anything like it before.  A serial killer uses Voodoo to possess a doll and to continue his killing spree.  Even though this film played straight into horror (unlike the more comedic sequels) it still was quite fun and entertaining.  By ’88 when this film was released and I was eleven years old I had already become a horror fan but nothing had defined my true love of the genre just yet until this film.  I got the poster for the film from the nearby Video Store (how I miss these establishments) and I placed it lovingly on my bedroom wall (where it was later joined by posters of the second and third films).  It was the first poster I ever put on my wall but it would not be the last.

I followed the continuing exploits of Chucky to cinema with Child’s Play 2 (1990) and Child’s Play 3 (1991) which I had to beg my Father to take me to since I was too young for the R-Rated horror.  At this point I did come to realize how much I loved horror films but more importantly – monster films.

At this point you could say I went looking for monsters as I learned to love all monsters big or small.

It wasn’t until Clive Barker’s Nightbreed (1990) that I wished I was one of the amazing monsters that populated our magnificent world.  Barker crafted a story where the monsters were the good guys while man was the bad guy.  This film defined the idea of what a monster could truly become.  The monsters in Barker’s film were deformed and misunderstood as well as dangerous and fascinating.

It was after this that I became a true and everlasting monster fan.  From the films featuring Godzilla and his rogue’s gallery to the Cenobites of the world of Hellraiser I loved monsters both other-worldly and those more human.  My favorites were monsters not easily described or defined like those in Christine (1983), The Thing (1982), Puppet Master (1994), Critters (1986), and especially Killer Clowns From Outer Space (1988), to name but a small few.

I most certainly enjoyed the exploits of Michael Myers and Leatherface (and family) and even those Freddy films but it was with these non-human monsters that I enjoyed more and would later define my love and appreciation of horror.  For me, monsters aren’t defined as either good nor evil but in most films, they are simply just trying to survive and do what comes naturally.  This is the defining trait of King Kong and Godzilla as well as many other timeless monster films.

Serial killers and mass murders are interesting but monsters are something from the imagination where anything that can be dreamed can become a reality.  Therefore, they’ve had such a profound effect on me as not only a film maker but a storyteller and a film lover.  If nothing else, I implore others to seek out monster movies not just for pure entertainment and enjoyment but to understand oneself and the world in which we live (and the one created for the monsters to live in).  It’s never too late to enjoy a good monster film.

To view the entire “How Monster Movies Defined My Life” panel discussion go here - https://vimeo.com/238990857

"Rants & Ravings About Horror: - Week 35: “Universal’s DRACULA (1931) Returns to the Big Screen in a Big Way!”

Week 35: “Universal’s DRACULA (1931) Returns to the Big Screen in a Big Way!”

I’ve never been much of a fan of the original 1931 Universal Picture’s Dracula.  I’m not a fan of vampire films and I’ve never really been a big fan of Bela Lugosi, so, this has never been one of my favorites of the Universal Monsters or films.  The one thing going for the film is that it was directed by Tod Browning whom I’m a huge fan of due to his film Freaks (1932), which is one of my favorite films of all-time.  This being sad, Dracula is a film I appreciate but don’t really watch as often as say Frankenstein (1931) or The Mummy (1932) or Bride of Frankenstein (1935).  I was excited to hear that on October 28^th Fathom Events was going to honor this film with a return to the big screen.  Point of fact is that I wasn’t born when any of these films were originally released so being able to see one of the big screen has been a dream come true whether it be the Mummy, Frankenstein’s Monster, the Creature from the Black Lagoon or Dracula himself.

An added bonus is the fact that this was a double feature presentation of the original Browning film as well as the Spanish language version.  I had never seen the Spanish version so that alone was a great selling point for me.  This was also the first time I was going to be able to see a Browning film on the big screen so I was really excited!

It should be noted that I love and appreciate classic cinema.  I was never able to watch these films growing up but I studied classic horror and noir films in college (despite my focus being on horror and animation) and I have a very deep love of these “old black & white” films.  Being able to see one of these films back on the big screen is a rare occasion especially with an audience who can also appreciate the film.

Getting back to Dracula, the night was presented by Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and as such had a wonderful introduction to both films especially right before the Spanish version in which the narrator discussed the advantages of director George Melford (the Spanish version) over Browning since both films were shot simultaneously and Melford was able to see what Browning was doing and improve upon his filming techniques.  By comparison, it does show as the Spanish version is not only longer but also contains some vastly different cinematography choices that enhance the film.  If nothing else, it was great watching the two films back to back in order to see the differences between them.

I have a newfound love for Browning’s Dracula.  There are details that I never saw before and the image was sharp and crystal clear like I had never seen.  This film truly was meant for the big screen.  I may not be a Lugosi fan but this is by far my favorite film of his and I can now see why he was obsessed with the image and personae.  I can honestly say that both the Browning version and the Melford version are magnificent films and that if you are a fan of the films and never watched them back to back I do suggest it.

I do have to say that Fathom Events has spoiled me a little as I now want the opportunity to watch some of the other Universal Monster films on the big screen.  If you get the opportunity to see any of these films on the big screen you should take it as there is no telling when (or if) it will ever happen again.