Netflix This Movie! Vol. 45

Here it is! Your first round of #ScaryMovieMonth picks!

You guys are kicking dick on the Scary Movie Challenge! Make sure after you watch these movies, you enter your seven word reviews here!

Adam Riske: Scream 2 (1997, dir. Wes Craven) While not as good as the first Scream, Scream 2 is much closer in quality to the original than to its far inferior later sequels. I've always felt Scream 2 was underrated and the college setting makes me feel like revisiting this one the most out of all the Scream movies. I don't think the humor holds up all that well, but the suspense set pieces still do. It feels like a time capsule of the late '90s in a fun, nostalgic way. Plus, it has one of the most surprising kills in horror history -- one that gives the movie stakes that prevent it from veering into parody.

Erich: Pumpkinhead (1988, dir. Stan Winston) My first pleasant surprise of Scary Movie Month, this '80s horror flick marked the directorial debut of late special effects legend Stan Winston. The title monster is a demon summoned by a grieving father (played by Lance Henkriksen) to take revenge on the teenagers who accidentally killed his son. Winston's artistry and attention to detail are all over the film, with spooky sets and top-notch creature design (even if it looks a little too much like certain Aliens). The movie works because Winston grounds it in a rural world of hollers and ancient magic—the kind of place you'd expect to find a cabin getaway for doomed teens. Although the basic story is cartoonish in broad strokes, Winston and company make the characters more than fodder and stereotypes. Of the kids targeted by the demon, only one is a real jerk; the rest are believably freaked out by the accident and try to help the child. Henriksen undergoes his own transformation, reacting to the events like a normal person would. His anger about his son's senseless death becomes a thirst for revenge that dissipates once he sees and feels the horror he has unleashed on the outsiders and himself.

Though bloodier and humorless, Pumpkinhead comes from the same place as Killer Klowns from Outer Space, another horror movie made by FX artists. Winston didn't do much directing after Pumpkinhead. His only other feature was the kids movie A Gnome Named Gnorm. I've never seen it, but based on the poster it looks scary for different reasons. We're lucky Winston spent the remainder of his career bringing life to movies like Terminator 2, Batman Returns, and Jurassic Park, but this movie makes me sad he never made another creature flick of his own.

Heath Holland: A Horrible Way To Die (2010, dir. Adam Wingard) After I fell in love with Adam Wingard's film You're Next, Patrick recommended that I watch one of Wingard's older films, A Horrible Way To Die. Both films are written and directed by the same team and star many of the same actors. Netflix users don't seem to have a very high opinion of A Horrible Way To Die, because it currently has a two star rating out of five. I suspect that the Netflix users who rated this movie two stars didn't actually finish the film. I can almost forgive them, because there are some directing and cinematography (cinemaphotographic?) choices that defy logic. The camera drifts in and out of focus. Sometimes it wanders off of the objects it's photographing altogether. I found myself getting a little frustrated with these decisions because I have little patience for movies that call attention to their "indie-ness," but it never actually overshadows the story itself here. Plus, I don't think Wingard was trying to call attention to the style as much as he was trying to create a particular vibe. Watching the movie to the end credits reveals a smart script and some truly subtle and nuanced performances. It also reveals a director who has a lot of things on his mind and is not afraid of taking chances, as well as a writer who crafted such interesting characters that I stopped wondering what was going to happen and just went along for the ride. This movie is far from perfect, but it has enough interesting elements to make it worth your time this Scary Movie Month.

 

JB: Let The Right One In (2008, dir. Tomas Alfredson) Young Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) is having troubles at school. He meets a new tenant in his apartment complex, young Eli (Lina Leandersson) who seems mysterious and wise beyond her years. Together, the two find unique and interesting solutions to all of Oskar's problems.

Already the subject of an award-winning podcast, I am recommending Let The Right One In this week on the off chance that one or two of our loyal listeners and readers have not seen it yet. I would argue that this is a perfect film: perfect cast, perfect script, perfect direction. I have been screening it in my class for the last five years, and every time I see it again, I am more impressed. Although I find the film's pace more deliberate than glacial, be aware that some viewers complain about this. Stick around for the last fifteen minutes, one of the greatest conclusions in horror film history.

This film takes the conventions of both the horror film and the vampire film and stands them on their heads. Let The Right One In makes more trenchant observations about the nature of relationships than other films that are specifically about relationships.

Patrick: American Mary (2012, dir. Jen & Sylvia Soska) This one was first recommended to me by F-Head Shannon Briggs during Junesploitation. It's something of a mess, but it's one with a lot on its mind and its own personality. It's nice to see a horror movie that's very much its own thing. The movie can't stick the landing, but there's a lot here for horror fans -- especially those who feel like they've seen it all -- to like, and the lead performance by Ginger Snaps's Katharine Isabelle is really great. Plus, this was recommended to me and now I get to recommend it to all of you, so it's kind of like Pay it Forward. Which is next week's pick.