Horror Movie Talk

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser is a transgressive journey into a world where the lines between ecstasy, pain, heaven, and hell are blurred. It stands as a unique counterpoint to the one-note slashers of the 1980s.

Synopsis

Hellraiser is about a psycho sexual sadist named Frank that seeks out a personal pandora’s box. He believes that by opening the mysterious puzzle box, he will get everything he ever wanted in life. Turns out he was mistaken and he didn’t end up liking eternal pain in Hell. Whodathunk?

When Frank’s brother Larry and his wife Julia arrive at the family house that Frank mysteriously disappeared from, flashbacks reveal that Frank made his brother a cuckold by sleeping with Julia.

When Larry accidentally cuts his hand and bleed on the floor of the attic, he inadvertently helps Frank begin resurrecting himself.

When a mostly goo Frank is discovered by Julia, he recruits her to bring sacrificial singles in their area so that he can become a real boy.

The only thing standing in their way is Frank’s niece Kristy, and the hell-demon Cenobites that seek to recapture him.

Review of Hellraiser

This film is Clive Barker’s best film, and it is a unique mix of family dysfunction, sex, sadism, and gore.

At times it feels like a 50’s melodrama, other times like a nightmare, and sometimes like torture porn.

The tone that it sets is hard to put a finger on, but it is definitely dark and icky.

The surreal imagery and goopy special effects are really the best parts of the film.

The acting isn’t particularly great, but the imagery and themes of the film overwhelm any shortcomings it has.

Score

9/10

Hellraiser

Add Hellraiser to your collection or stream it now.

Buy/Rent Hellraiser

We watched tremors and I have to say that this may be the epitome of a made-for-TV-movie feeling movie. I’ve seen it 20 times and I’ll see it 20 more during my life, and that’s a good thing.

Synopsis

Tremors follows Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) in their attempt to leave Paradise Valley, Nevada, while doing odd jobs and handyman work. As they make their way up and down the valley between odd jobs and quirky small-town characters they begin to notice a string of seemingly related ground-level killings. 

Upon meeting up with a grad student, Rhonda (Finn Carter) who is doing some important if timely seismic research, they learn that there are a bunch of little earthquakes – or tremors – happening all over the valley. 

Before they jump the gun on declaring that there is a 100 foot tall, 200 ton serial killer on the loose, they find evidence of a subterranean suspect. A worm of sorts. 

The rest of the movie is spent running for their lives from an unlikely, if terrifying phenomena with a ton a quirky townsfolk.

Watch Tremors Now

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Review

Tremors, by director Ron Underwood, is one heck of a solid movie. It’s basically a monster movie, but it feels a bit more like an action-thriller to me because of all the action and adventure that takes place, along with lots of changes of scenery and methods.

Tremors is a nearly perfect movie in terms of it’s script, who we have S.S. Wilson and Brent Maddock to thank for . Everything that is said or mentioned is followed-up on or ruled-out at some point in the movie. Almost nothing extraneous or unneeded is mentioned, and all the characters play a wonderful role in making Paradise Valley a believable place.

Maybe the best part of Tremors is it’s intense focus on the characters instead of the monster. Sure, we see the monster but the focus of every scene is on the characters and getting the audience to empathize with them. This forces a pivot in the otherwise fucked-out monster movie paradigm. It’s why Jaws was great, and it’s probably no coincidence that this is essentially a Jaws remake – even down to the movie poster. 

It’s terrifically ironic that a movie that focused so much on the characters instead of the monster spawned five completely monster-focused sequels that lack most of the charm of the first, with exception of the second movie, Tremors II : Aftershocks.

Many horror skeptics will say that this movie is not a true horror movie noting the goofy fun and light ambiance, but I beg to differ. Not only is Tremors definitely a horror movie, it’s the most important kind of horror movie – entry level horror. 

This is the stuff that I watched as a little kid and sent me scrambling for the rocks. It hooked my pint sized imagination and lit up every corner, making me wonder if it really was safe to play tag on the playground or if I should seek the high-ground.

Tremors is interesting, has wonderful tension, and most importantly is fun as any movie you will ever watch. 

Score

8/10

What Makes Tremors so Great?

From an entertainment and rewatchability standpoint this is a bit of a sleeper, but upon review, it holds up quite well. a big part of this is the horror aspect mixed with good, old fashioned humor.

Humor in Tremors

The humor in this movie is goofy, and downright wholesome, but it’s good enough to make you smile on every viewing. The wholesomeness of an early 90’s feel good sitcom mixed with the horror elements of Jaws really works.

It’s directly responsible for the late success of the movie on television. In theaters, Tremors did poorly with a 5 million dollar take on what cost 11 million to make. But the real success of this movie kicked in with syndication on cable TV. I watched it probably 20 times on TV because it was fun, funny, and always on.

You Can’t Beat Burt!

Burt (Michael Gross) and Heather (Reba McEntire) Gummer are just as much the leading actors as Val and Earl in this one, and how couldn’t they be? They are preppers and gun enthusiasts without being insane, instead just a little quirky.

You probably know a Burt, which is what makes this character so fun. But the character of Burt isn’t so over-the-top as to make him not human. He’s passionate, but not a caricature.

Burt brings the boom in this movie, and it’s just what the doctor ordered.

Graboids are Awesome

In my personal experience, it’s rare for monster design to work out well. It’s even rarer to have monster reveals work out well, but in this, Graboids are handled perfectly!

The monster design is simple, believable enough that it’s not totally jarring (unlike Pumpkinhead), and the presentation is fabulous.

Each Graboid is killed in a totally different way, but they follow the same rules. For example, the first one that is killed runs into a concrete wall while chasing our protagonists. This perfectly sets up the last Graboid kill, where Val runs toward a cliff and uses a bomb thrown behind the creature to scare it to make the jump onto the rocks far below.

The movie increases the tension before even first showing our worm like friends, which sets up the reveal quite well.

What Tremors Gets Wrong

So, it’s not all great, but what is? The worst aspect of this movie is definitely the musical score.

Bad Music Makes a Big Difference

I’ve talked a bit about how this movie is very similar to Jaws, and that’s mostly to it’s advantage, but they got it wrong in terms of music.

OK, I get it, it’s hard to stand-up to one of the best musical scores of all time, but man, you have to try! Tremors soundtrack digs deep into that 90’s sitcom bin of pop-country jazz riffs and pulls out the most goofy music you can imagine. A part of me says it works for nostalgia, but that’s the same part that cringes at nostalgia.

Ernest Troaost wrote the original soundtrack, but they only ended up using it for a few spots in the movie, most notably at the beginning and end. The good, suspenseful bits that are actually effective but not quite iconic were later written by Robert Folk.

Final Recommendations

This is the most crowd friendly movie that we have reviewed, even more so than Gremlins. Tremors is a very light-fair, action-thriller that goes easy on the cussing and sexual themes in favor of tension and violence that the whole family can enjoy.

If you haven’t seen this, you absolutely must.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a fictionalized, and harrowing vérité portrayal of real life serial Henry Lee Lucas. This is a movie that will stick with you and make you feel dirty. We’ve been sitting on this review for a while, but are excited that it is finally seeing the light. We recorded it back in September of 2019 to be a backup episode when we needed to take a week off. Turn’s out, we rarely take a week off.

Synopsis

Henry played by Michael Rooker,  is serial killer constantly on the move, but is momentarily staying with his former cell mate Otis (Tom Towles). Also living with them is Otis’ out of state sister Becky (Tracy Arnold). She flys in to escape her abusive boyfriend and to try to find work to bring her daughter down to live with her.

The drama in the film is in the interaction between these three characters. The trio is a powder keg trauma, sociopathy, and victimhood. However, as the title of the film suggests suggests, the main purpose of the plot is to paint a stark and unflinching portrait of Henry as a serial killer.

Review of Henry

This is one of those films that feels a little too real. Even though it is definitely a narrative driven Hollywood film, it shows the realities of killing in such plain detail that it almost feels like a documentary.

When I told David about this movie I described it as “Taxi Driver, but without the touchy feely parts”.

You are thrust into a world of people that are deeply broken and are dangerous to each other and themselves. 

It feels like a snuff film, mainly because within it, is a snuff film.

Watch Henry Now

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Henry reminds me of a couple of my favorite movies in terms of subject matter and tone. First is David Fincher’s Seven, and even more so, Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream. It’s a film that sticks with you and makes you feel dirty just watching it. This is because unlike most narrative driven Hollywood movies, this one has no glamour or spin. It is full of dread and terror even in scenes that on the surface are innocuous. 

It is undeniably a great film, just from the fact that I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it and it deeply affected me. 

Score

10/10

Spoilers

Scream is maybe the best slasher ever made. It’s also the horror movie of the 90’s in every way that you can imagine. More than that, it’s a meta take on the genre of slashers.

Synopsis for Scream

Scream is the story of a bunch of 20 somethings that haven’t managed to graduate high-school yet and their quiet town of Woodsboro that has a serial killer problem and its fair share of quirky characters.

Our main girl Sydney, whose mother was murdered a year ago loses a friend to a horrific double homicide and quickly becomes the focus of the deranged and seemingly horror movie obsessed killer. 

As the killer cuts a swath of … killings… through the town the very old teens begin to realize that they are dealing with someone who strictly follows the rules of slasher flicks. And they end up with more death then they bargained for.

Watch Scream

on Amazon

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Review

Directed by Wes Craven and sporting an impressively sexy and notable cast, Scream defined and poked fun at horror movies for the casual movie going audience. It was one of the most easily accessible horror movies of my generation, being mainstream enough that parents all around the world wanted to watch it, which meant kids got to watch it too.

While it was accessible, it was also shocking and legitimately disturbing because it focused on uncontrollable teens as the killers – who doesn’t find that scary?

Not to mention, Scream was released in 1996, a mere three years before the Columbine school shooting, edging out reality by mere inches.

It is the most solid slasher I have ever seen – it’s disturbing when it’s supposed to be, fun when it’s supposed to be, and has a fabulous premise.

Score

8/10

Spoilers

Scream is an impressive who-dun-it, that throws an interesting and disturbing twist in at the end.

As it turns out, Billy and Stuart, the movie obsessed hot-heads, have been doing the killings in tandem for shits and giggles, but also because Sidney’s mom slept with Billy’s dad and caused his parents to break-up.

The thing that really gets me about this movie is the dedication to self-harm between Billy and Stuart to avoid having the finger pointed at them as part of their master plan.

When they start stabbing each other and willingly taking severe damage, it upsets me to my core. There is something about watching two people who are emphatically engaged in nearly killing each other but not in a fight, on purpose, that is so sick and twisted.

Couple that with the excitement they have about re-enacting their favorite horror movie killers – it’s just gross.

Final Recommendations

Scream is a solid movie and it’s probably the best slasher I have ever seen. I have to say, if you haven’t seen it, you must. It’s a 90’s nostalgia machine that will leave everyone with something to think about at night.

Portland Horror Film Festival, the Pacific Northwest’s
premiere horror genre film festival, is going virtual! Horror Fans can
soak up over 60 short and feature films over the 6 night event
beginning June 10th with the first shorts block and a preview of the
festival’s upcoming features. The terror continues June 17-21st with
more short and feature films from around the world.

In the midst of this pandemic, some businesses are finally starting to
re-open, but there is no way to know when theaters in Portland will
finally open, and how many people will be allowed inside once they do.
Many events have had to postpone again and again due to this uncertain
timeline.

Festival Directors Brian and Gwen Callahan believe the right thing to
do is follow the lead of amazing festivals like Fantasia and CFF, and
present Portland Horror Film Festival as a dynamic streaming event for
horror fans all over the US. While going virtual creates challenges
for the festival, independent filmmakers, and distributors, the
directors believe it is important to continue to evangelize
independent film and show the year’s best horror films to the
community. Rather than cancel or postpone the festival until things
are “safe”, which only increases the stress and uncertainty of these
times, going forward with a streaming event offers important relief
and a sense of stability to horror fans who are stuck at home. Beyond
helping horror filmmakers and fans, ticket sales will also benefit the
historic non-profit Hollywood Theatre, the seat of independent cinema
in Portland, which is currently closed due to the pandemic.

All films will be integrated into carefully curated nightly shows and
securely streamed during limited event hours for ticketed audience
members. Because a film festival is more than just watching movies,
nightly programming will feature both pre-recorded and live content,
including film introductions, interviews with horror icons, and live
filmmaker Q&As that the audience can take part in. “Our goal is to
foster the sense of community that makes our fest so magical, with a
fun and eventful stage and screen show… just on a virtual stage,”
said Brian Callahan.

This year’s feature film lineup opens on Wednesday, June 17th with
Wild Boar, starring Augie Duke and Daniel Roebuck as geocachers who
quest for a legendary treasure, only to end up as fodder for mutant
pig-men. Wild Boar was written and directed by Oscar winner Barney
Burman, known for his makeup effects on JJ Abrams’s Star Trek,
Zombieland: Double Tap, and the TV series Grimm. Thursday’s double
feature kicks off with Sunset on the River Styx, a surrealist and
contemplative story of two lovers who fall into a vampire death cult,
from writer/director Aaron Pagniano, winner of the Funny Bone Award
for last year’s horror comedy short “We Got a Monkey’s Paw.” Come for
the vampires, but stay for the zombies! Witness Infection is a
hilarious tale of mobsters and zombies directed by Andy Palmer,
written by Carlos Alazraqui (Reno 911) and Jill-Michele Meleán (MadTV,
Reno 911), who star alongside Robert Belushi, Vince DonVito, Erinn
Hayes (Children’s Hospital), and Tara Strong (Rick and Morty). Don’t
miss fan-favorite Justin Harding’s Making Monsters, The Curse of
Valburga from Slovenia, with its hilarious splatterfest of
international tourist stereotypes and jaw dropping kill scenes, Uncle
Peckerhead with its punk-rock demon action, written and directed by
Matthew John Lawrence, winner of the 2016 Funny Bone Award for his
horror comedy short “Larry Gone Demon,” and the World Premiere of The
Brain That Wouldn’t Die, a crowdfunded love letter to the 1962
B-movie, filmed here in Portland.

Short film offerings include a wide variety of seriously terrifying,
thoughtful, funny, and Weird films from all over the world, including
the Czech Republic, Russia, Poland, Italy, Portugal, Iran, The
Netherlands, France, Spain, Canada, the UK, and the US. Fans of the
bizarre will want to tune in Saturday night for the “Shorts Gone Wild”
block of the most unhinged films on offer.

Even if you’re not in Portland, you can immerse yourself in the
experience with a Deluxe Patron of Horror Ticket Package that includes
an exclusive t-shirt, souvenir lanyard, and a Portland Horror Face
Mask, so you can forage for toilet paper in style!

For more information on tickets, deluxe packages, and the festival –
please visit https://portlandhorrorfilmfestival.com/

Buy tickets through Hollywood Theater’s website here: https://hollywoodtheatre.org/events/portland-horror-film-festival-2020/

You can join the Facebook Event at
https://www.facebook.com/events/2774301782590900/

Candyman 2020 was supposed to be coming out in theaters this week, but that obviously isn’t happening. To tide over your sweet tooth for Candyman, we’ll be reviewing the original this week. Also in this week’s episode of Horror Movie Talk, we discuss our new logo, play a new game, and read comments from social media from listeners like you.

Synopsis

The film follows grad student Helen Lyle as she researches for her thesis on urban legends. When she stumbles across the legend of Candyman, whose story seems to be alive and thriving in the poverty stricken projects of Chicago. The legend involves an African American, Bloody Mary-eque apparition that appears when his name is called in front of a mirror. Instead of the three “Bloody Mary’s”, you must say Candyman five times, in some sort of supernatural 3/5ths compromise.

When the skeptical Helen calls Candyman five times in her mirror, she seals her fate and is led through a terrifying journey to discover the reality of the film’ boogey man.

Review of Candyman (1992)

Candyman is impactful, and multifaceted. Tony Todd is an instant icon in horror with his unique silhouette and hypnotic disembodied baritone voice. 

There is an uneasy balance between Candyman being a sympathetic and seductive figure, and that of being the realization of some deep seated racist fears. While watching this, my wife pointed out that some of the racist connotations of the plot, and my knee jerk reaction was to defend the film and say she was grasping at straws.

But as time went on… there was actually a compelling argument to be made for it relying on long held racist stereotypes about the dangers of black men.

Regardless, it’s a compelling gothic horror tale told well with the backdrop of nineties urban Chicago. Candyman is an iconic monster, and is one of the best horror movies on the topic of an urban legend.

Watch Candyman Now

Watch on Amazon

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Score

8/10

Final Recommendations

This is definitely a nineites horror movie that is worth seeing. While it’s not perfect, it does create a great mythology and monster in Candyman.

Mentioned in the Episode

We watched Evil Dead 2 on Amazon and this movie has been a favorite of mine since I was a little kid. The combination of stop motion, practical effects, and Bruce Campbell’s amazing physical acting makes for one of the best comedy horrors ever made.

Evil Dead 2 Synopsis

Evil Dead 2 is the story of Ash and his girlfriend Annie who drive deep into the woods to have a nice time breaking and entering into a cabin that isn’t theirs. Following their felony, Ash stumbles upon the Necronomicon Ex Mortis – the book of the dead.

The book served as a passageway to the evil worlds beyond. Written long ago when the seas ran red with blood, and this blood was used to ink the book. in the year 1300 AD the book disappeared.

Ash plays a tape recorder with a translation of the pages from the book, and that’s enough to unleash more evil than they bargained for.

Watch Evil Dead 2

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Evil Dead 2 Review

Evil Dead 2 (1987) is sort of a remake of the first movie that started it all The Evil Dead, by Sam Raimi. It’s not a step by step remake, and it differs in a lot of ways, but the premise is very similar – people go to a cabin in the woods, find the book of the dead, and are attacked by a long-dead evil.

Where the first movie is deadly serious and quite disturbing, Evil Dead 2 takes a more comedy-based approach while maintaining an incredible array of shocking visuals. The effects in this are so over-the-top that it’s pushed into goofy, nervous laughter territory.

Couple these super-cool effects with Bruce Campbell’s most incredible performance of all time. He carries this movie in a way that amazes me every time I watch it. For almost half of this film Campbell manages to act alone, with almost nothing to react to and his energy is unbelievable.

Finally, I really enjoy how this movie manages tension with silence and stillness juxtaposed with loudness and chaos. It’s a classic that’s based on a classic, and Ash gets a sawed off chainsaw for a missing hand coupled with a sawed off shotgun – the most bad-ass pairing of weapons since peanut butter and chainsaws for hands.

Score

10/10

Spoilers

If you haven’t seen this movie, you really must.

Evil Dead 2 takes a very simple premise and creates a playground of special effects around it. 

There isn’t a tremendous amount to spoil in this one, it’s mostly the story of how a long-dead evil is summoned at an old cabin in the woods, and what Ash does to put it back in its place.

The end result is the most fun you may ever have in a horror movie, action is everywhere. The violence is so insane and prolific that you can’t help but laugh at the spectacle of it. 

No one but Sam Raimi could have pulled this thing off, and to be honest, no one ever has. The 2013 remake, Evil Dead is technically a remake of the first movie. So, number two continues to stands alone.

Final Recommendations

Everyone you know should watch this movie.

This week we watched As Above, So Below on Netflix. This tight package of a found footage adventure horror holds up very well over the years. Maybe we’re too easily impressed, but when a horror movie sets up a compelling premise, has interesting characters with motivations that makes sense, and a plot that maintains interest, it’s hard to be displeased.

On today’s episode, we review As Above, So Below, play a new trivia game with Ben Warrington, and read the latest from Horror Movie Talk’s social media accounts.

Synopsis

Loosely based on the classic literary work Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, this film follows a ragtag team of archeologists as they follow clues to find the legendary philosopher’s stone.

Their search takes them into the labyrinthian catacombs under Paris. Paris, France. As they wind themselves deeper into the claustrophobic caverns and through the nine circles of Hogwarts, they fight against their own demons and encounter far more than they bargained for .

Review of As Above, So Below

As Above, So Below is to found footage movies as your racist uncle’s one black friend is to all black people: It’s one of the good ones. The film is a combination of Indiana Jones, The Descent, and… let’s say… a haunted house movie. It starts off very strong, and sets up a full fledged plot, which is surprisingly rare in a found footage film.

The subgenre usually leans heavily on gimmicks and “unscripted” banter, and it’s a welcome relief that this one doesn’t. Also rare in found footage movies, the characters are actually fleshed out with relationships and backstories.

It gives you enough of a reason to be hooked and interested early on, and has enough mystery and scares to keep you interested throughout. The idea of setting a horror movie in the Paris Catacombs is brilliant, and they take full advantage of all the elements that make them scary in real life. It’s huge and maze-like, it’s claustrophobic, caves be caves, and spooky bones.

It’s not without it’s flaws, but they are few and far between. The phrase “we gotta keep moving” is uttered one too many times for my taste. Like, really? We can’t rest and reflect  for a minute after a lifelong friend just died? But honestly it’s hard to find things to complain about with this one.

Score for As Above, So Below

9/10

Final Recommendations

This is a must watch in my eyes. It is accessible enough for fans of Brendan Fraser’s The Mummy, and scary enough for fans of The Conjuring. Watch it today on Netflix or, buy it on Amazon.

Other found footage movies that we have reviewed that might be of interest are The Taking of Deborah Logan, and Quarantine.

We watched It Follows on Amazon Prime, and to me, it remains one of the very best movies released this century. I have seen this movie mentioned in many “Best of” lists and quite a few “Worst of” lists, so it’s controversial, but it will give you something to talk about either way. 

Synopsis

It Follows is a story that focuses on a group of kids and one girl, in particular, Jay (Maika Monroe). 

At its outset, this is something of a romantic story that soon gives way to terror. As Jay’s new relationship with Hugh blossoms, she allows herself a glimpse of happiness before being forced into hell.

Watch It Follows

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It’s hard to say much about It Follows without giving away spoilers, but suffice it to say there is a monster, and it follows specific, defined mechanics.

Review for It Follows

When I first saw It Follows, it was in theaters, and I knew nothing about it other than that it was a horror movie. When I walked out of that theater, I had a distinct impression that I had seen horror history.

The care that went into making everything about this movie is immediately apparent. The musical score, the framing, and attention to detail, the use of extras – it’s flawlessly executed. Add to that a concept that is unique and taps into the core of our humanity, and I think you come away with a perfect movie.

It’s more than just a chilling concept or a well-executed film – It Follows feels like a new thing in horror. It feels like a movement toward the conceptual idea of what drives horror. Strip down the overburdened tropes and monsters that make up what horror was for decades, and leave just the essentials.

Like it or hate it, I can promise you that this movie will give you something to debate with your friends about for years to come.

Score

10/10

Spoilers for It Follows

It Follows is such a wonderfully done movie that is so simple that once you understand what’s going on, there isn’t a whole lot to spoil. Instead, let’s take a look at what works in this movie.

Endless Ambiance

The mood of this movie can be described as heavy melancholy, which is an exciting and unique choice in horror movies. The acting and the bleak settings tee up this feeling of sadness and innocence lost that works, especially with this perverse subject matter.

The acting is especially impressive when you consider that there are almost no adults at all in It Follows – just a bunch of teens. They all feel real, and they all seem like they are being left alone by uncaring or unavailable parents. These teens bond and end up sleeping wherever they end up at night.

The setting shifts between suburban Detroit and abandoned Detroit. The use of abandoned buildings and houses adds to the ambiance in such a fantastic way without being full of effort. Maybe I enjoy the setting so much because we never get to see movies that are set in these bleak and downtrodden areas. Perhaps it’s because I have a soft spot for Detroit.

Incredibly Perverse Subject Matter Done Right

It Follows is about a shapeshifting, slow-moving monster that is a sexually transmitted disease. If you have sex with someone who is infected, they pass the monster’s invisible leash to you, and suddenly you are granted the ability to see this monster.

The catch? The monster can look like anyone, even people you know and love. It can use these people to get to you and kill you; once you are dead, it moves on to the person who passed it to you.

It Follows could have been a raunchy sex-capade with a bunch of crass, boring, overused bullshit – but it’s not. Every sex scene is either tender and loving, or a deception, and many instances of sex are merely insinuated and take place off-screen entirely. The result is a very classy and thought provoking film that doesn’t take any of the easy routes.

Think about it. There are three ways to pass this disease on to the next person so you can avoid being killed by the monster:

1. You trick them into loving you and have sex with them
2. You love them and have sex with them whether they know you have it or not
3. You rape them

Those are the options and none of them are appealing.

Compelling Monster Mechanics

The way that this movie is laid out sets the stage for endless gameplay theorycraft. The age old question of “What would you do in a zombie apocalypse” is reimagined with the workings of this monster.

The best chance for your continued survival if you are infected would be to create a monster user manual that you can pass to your next partner and they can pass to their next partner. But sometimes you just need to take a rest from all the running, which might mean having a quicky with someone you view as disposable.

There are multiple confounding factors to add to the basic rules that make the game harder or easier. Are you good looking? Are you a male or a female? Are you a sex worker? Are you a swinger? How smart are you? All of these questions and more play a role in the likelihood of your survival. And remember, once you’ve passed it on, you can let your guard down only so far as you trust your partner’s ability to stay alive and pass it along.

In my opinion, this is the most interesting monster since Freddy, in A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Lost Innocence

There is a moment early in It Follows where Annie asks Hugh who he would want to be in a crowd of people they are amongst. Hugh says he would want to be a young boy standing with his parents and when questioned as to why, he says something like, “things were so simple as a kid”.

Once you have sex, a part of you is forever changed, and a new world of possibilities and uncertainties are forced upon you. Every person you sleep with has the chance to be very dear to you, or they could hurt you deeply.

Lovers can be wonderful and bring lots of joy to your life. They also might spread a STD to you where a previously invisible monster becomes visible only to you and endlessly follows you everywhere you go in an attempt to brutally murder you.

Artistically Intentional

It Follows is made with such care and so much attention to detail that you just have to give it it’s due. The framing is always thoughtful, keeping strangers walking toward the camera in the background, or off a character’s shoulder works so well. It keeps the eye looking for what or who might be after Annie at all times.

There are all these beautifully framed shots that are still shots, or attached to a wheelchair, or above shots – it’s fabulous artistry.

 Final Recommendations

You are better off watching this movie, so just give it a go.

The hits just keep on coming over here at Horror Movie Talk! During quarantine, we’ve been catching up on all the classic slashers. This week we rewatched the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, and reminded ourselves why this franchise has such staying power.

A Nightmare on Elm Street can be bought or rented on amazon or your favorite video thingy.

Synopsis

A Nightmare on Elm Street wastes no time introducing you to one of horror’s greatest villains. Tina Gray, played by Amanda Wyss, is being chased in a dream by an unknown assailant with knives for fingers.

Before the fedora wearing pizza-faced man can introduce himself with a M’lady, Tina wakes up in cold sweats. Later we learn that this vivid nightmare is shared by her group of friends, including Nancy Thompson, played by Heather Langenkamp, Glen, played by Johnny Depp, and her boyfriend Rod, played by Jsu Garcia. 

Soon we learn that the scary man in everyone’s dream is a formerly alive child killer and pedophile (?) named Freddy Kreuger, played by the inimitable Robert Englund.

Review of A Nightmare on Elm Street

This slasher upped the ante of 80’s slashers by unabashedly adding fantasy elements into the genre. The Freddy franchise became one of the most lucrative horror franchises of all time. And for good reason!

The premise of a killer that comes to you in your dreams and can kill you in real life is truly unescapable. No zombie fortress, or gun can save you from Freddy. Everyone sleeps.

The film not only introduced one of horror’s most iconic figures, it also the bloodiest mainstream horror movie up to that point. It’s a tightly packaged and thoroughly conceived film.

Most of the scenes and special effects hold up even today. Some effects, admittedly fall flat, and a few enter the realm of so bad their good. Regardless, it still deserves its place as one of the genre’s tentpole films and cemented the creator, Wes Craven, as one of horror’s greatest minds.

Score

10/10

Robert Englund Interview

Robert Englund himself called in to talk with Horror Movie Talk about his latest project, JJ Villard’s Fairy Tales on Adult Swim. Skip to time code 54:06 in this episode to listen to Freddy himself chat about his life in horror.

Like Classic Slashers?

Check out our review of Friday the 13th!