Talk: Monsterfest

Old Horror Movie Title Needed!

2008-04-24T12:41:09Z

Hi all. My first post. There was a horror movie made in the 1960s I believe, about a mad scientist in a mansion. He was doing some kind of weird experiments on peoples' brains I think. Somehow his daughter or her friend maybe, was killed but the scientist kept her head alive in a glass jar. At the end of the movie, the head says "Kill me, kill me." I think there may have been Nazis in the movie, but I'm not sure. It also seems like whoever played the mad scientist was famous. Everyone I tell about this movie says I'm nuts and no such movie ever existed. Am I crazy or does anyone remember this flick?

Thanks,
Bob

Horror Remakes: Ever a Good Decision?

2008-04-07T18:25:18Z

As production continues on the Nightmare on Elm Street remake and more and more casting news surfaces for the upcoming Friday the 13th remake, I find myself becoming increasingly agitated, perhaps even anxious. It's not that I am inherently opposed to remakes -- I am in fact typically very much in favor of reimagining stories to make them relevant for a new generation. But then I think about Rob Zombie's Halloween; I think about Jessica Biel's Texas Chainsaw Massacre; I think about Paris Hilton's House of Wax, and I have to ask: is remaking horror ever a good decision?

I would have to answer with a reserved no. I say reserved because there are some cross-genre remakes like Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Fly whose updates were at least as successful if not better than the original. But because these films also share roots with Science Fiction, I cannot unabashedly put them in the "Win" column for horror. And aside from these horror/scifi hybrids, I can't think of a single great remake.

I think perhaps this is because unlike most other genres of film, horrors are essentially timeless. The motivations for Jason attacking the camp counselors, for example, will stay relevant as long as the human race continues to engage in recreational sex -- and I don't see that changing any time soon. There is really no need to update the visuals because, let's face it, we nailed blood and gore a long time ago, and so reinvention becomes at best a scheme to earn a quick buck without having to be original.

Can you guys think of any successful horror remakes? Are there any upcoming remakes you're looking forward to? Is there any way to successfully remake a horror classic?

Funny Games -- Haneke Hates Us

2008-04-03T17:10:54Z

I just saw Michael Haneke's adaptation of his own movie Funny Games, and I have to say it was one of the most appalling horrors I've ever seen. Never have I witnessed a filmmaker who has so much contempt for their audience.

The premise of the movie is simple (and, I have to say, alluring) -- two psychos take a rich family hostage and make a bet that they won't live through the night. But it quickly becomes obvious what the point of the movie is: scolding the audience for enjoying the horror genre.

How does Haneke do this? By breaking the fourth wall and having the kidnappers address the audience, just to make sure you're not actually getting into the story he's presented. Well Mr. Haneke, I wouldn't go to see the movie if I didn't get any enjoyment out of it, and if I want to be lectured, I'll go to church. I felt viscerally insulted by the film, more so because of the promise it showed.

Did I read this movie wrong? Did anyone out there actually enjoy this movie?

Who's Your Favorite Horror Villain?

2008-03-20T21:20:10Z

Who's your favorite sicko, psycho, crazy, killer, stalker, hunter, ghost, ghoul, undead, zombie, vampire or freak?

I have to go with Zelda from Pet Semetary.

She's not in the movie for long, but man are you glad to see her go.

What's the Last Horror You Watched?

2008-03-05T20:22:01Z

If there's one thing that can be said about horror, it's that only the true fans can appreciate good horror when they see it -- even when everyone else sees mindless schlock. So make some recommendations!

What's the last horror you saw, and how would you rate it on a scale of 1 to 10?

Have We Seen Enough Zombie Movies?

2008-02-26T17:25:14Z

This month George A. Romero released what must be his quadrillionth zombie movie, Diary of the Dead. And though the film proved to be extremely competent and unique in that it followed movies like The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield in the cinema verite genre, I couldn't help but think to myself: how many zombie movies can we possibly watch before it gets old?

Now first of all, I love zombies. In fact I think the shark-fight scene in 1964's Zombies is one of the greatest in horror history. But by this point we've seen every single iteration of zombie possible, we've seen remakes of the originals, spoofs of the remakes, and on and on and on. The SciFi Department's Kevin Maher interviewed Romero and asked him what the evolution of the Zombie would be, and Romero said that honestly he saw nowhere else for the zombie to go. Essentially, a zombie is a zombie is a zombie.

So my question is, if there's nowhere else for zombie movies to go, why do filmmakers keep making them and why do we keep watching them? It seems to me that the horror genre in particular is extremely adept at exploiting a trope that "works." That's why we have 20 iterations of each Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers movie. But is that necessary? Are we in danger of quashing fresh ideas, concepts, and themes simply because we know people will line up to watch Freddy Krueger terrorize some child, or a horde of flesh-eating zombies march through town?

Horror vs. Sci-Fi: A Line in the Sand

2008-02-14T19:05:35Z

I love my horror films, I also love Sci-Fi films and many times the two genres cross-polinate. Recently under the subject "Definition of 00's Horror" Clayton brought up a point that neither I Am Legend nor Cloverfield are horror films but rather Sci-Fi and a Monster Movie, respectively. This got me to thinking. I Am Legend is populated with "vampires" while Cloverfield has a giant monster running about destroying Manhattan. Are these two films really that set apart from my beloved genre? What about films like David Cronenberg's The Fly, it has so many horror moments but it's really based in Sci-Fi.

So let's have at it, is there a line in the sand? Should we not mix our peanut butter and chocolate or should we keep them separate when discussing films that fall into both genres?

Definition of '00s Horror

2008-02-01T23:03:18Z

Horror movies have evolved over the years. Each decade can lay claim to its own genre, especially those in recent history. The 1980s were the era of the undead slasher, which actually began in 1978 with Halloween, and went on to include Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Child's Play.

In the 1990s, the form morphed yet again. Although slasher flicks were still the way to go, the villain got real. No longer was he a vengeful spirit; now he was a serial killer. Movies like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer adapted the conventions of their predecessors then riffed on them in inventive ways.

Win Godzilla on DVD

2008-01-24T21:53:12Z

With the release of Cloverfield behind us and the country split on whether J.J. Abrams' monster epic has the right stuff to change the genre forever, the time has come for you to weigh in on who you think is the greatest monster to ever attack a metropolis.

Are you a King Kong fan, or does he have nothing on Godzilla? Is The Deadly Mantis more deadly than The Fly?

Tell us what you think, and enter for a chance to win the two-disc Deluxe Collector's Edition of the original Gojira (Godzilla).

Update: This contest has ended and a winner has been randomly selected. See after the jump for the winner and the comment.

To Gore or Not to Gore, That Is the Question

2008-01-24T17:47:11Z

So I was reading the blog the other day about gore not saving your independent film and I thought to myself, "Well, it won't save an independent film but it does make a bad one better sometimes". It reminded me of the 2004 film Bone Sickness. It was shot on the cheap on weekends by a guy and his friends. It wasn't groundbreaking or new, but the gore made it the most enjoyable part of the whole thing.

So my question for you Goatlings is how does gore rank for you in a film, does it kill it or help?

Who's Your Favorite Vampiress?

2008-01-16T19:25:18Z

This is a sad week for the undead as we learned of the death of Maila Nurmi (a.k.a. Vampira). Afterwards, we took a moment to give her a proper YouTube retrospective.

And then we realized the only way to properly honor Vampira would be to pay heed to her legacy, her successors, her sisters in bloodsucking. You've already decided which vampire movie is your favorite, now pick Dracula's Bride:

Cloverfield: The Aftermath

2008-01-15T22:49:32Z

The time has come. You've endured months of viral marketing, code-name film titles that turned to real-name film titles, "Ethan Haas Was Right" red herrings and a website dedicated to a fictional Japanese drink called Slusho--I imagine it's like a Slushee, only made from nuclear waste.

Cloverfield has FINALLY hit theaters.

Now that you've seen the movie, it's time to let us know if it lived up to the hype. Did the beastie meet your expectations? Will this movie redefine the monster genre forever? Most importantly, given everything J.J. Abrams and his crack-squad of marketers have put you through, was the movie worth it? Or do you feel a bit let down?