I read an interestng theory somewhere that Van Sant possibly approached the Psycho remake as a kind of art project, the idea being to see whether duplicating Hitchcock's work almost exactly would produce the same results, or whether Hitch had that 'something special' which seperated him from other film makers.
Van Sant has experimented with form throughout his career, including his wonderful 'death trilogy', and his filmography indicates that he's way too smart and much too much of an artist to simply cough up a carbon copy of a beloved classic such as Psycho.
It never made sense to me why he would make a shot-for-shot remake of Psycho; there was just nothing for him to gain and so much to lose (he'd just scored a major hit with Good Will Hunting). But the notion that it was all some kind of experiment is an explanation that I can understand, and also one that makes watching the film interesting. And I love the idea of Van Sant taking that studio money and using it for some kind of personal art project.
Hmmm... Suddenly I feel like revisiting this film.
Yeah, that movie is pretty good. While part 3 isn’t that good, it’s worth it for one death that mimics the shower scene. But skipnpart 4. Seriously. It’s unwatchable.
Given by my 3 year-old son on vacation. **Context: I am walking in from picking up dinner and they're watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." And, I lament: "You're stealing my month. It's Scary Movie Month, and you're watching a Christmas movie.
To which he responded with this seven-word review:
Halloween II (2009, Dir: Rob Zombie)
ReplyDeletePut some mustard on that dog, Michael.
The Babysitter (2017)
ReplyDeleteThought it was supposed to be scary
Piranha 3D (2010)
ReplyDeleteA missed opportunity for equal opportunity wang.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
ReplyDeleteSo is Jason's heart considered Soul Food?
Suspiria (1977)
ReplyDeleteIgnore the plot and enjoy the expiraence.
Poltergeist (1982)
ReplyDeleteTurns out Teague made a grave mistake.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
ReplyDeleteWhite haired werewolf will haunt my nightmares
Vamps (2012)
ReplyDeleteWhat? IMDb says it's a horror movie.
Lost Boys 2: The Tribe (2008)
ReplyDeleteShould’ve just watched the first one again.
Society (1989)
ReplyDeleteBest fisting scene since Caligula.
Agreed!
DeleteSociety (1989)
An orgy Penthouse can only dream of.
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
ReplyDeleteRocky's big organ can't beat Riff-Raff's pipes
Near Dark (1987)
ReplyDeleteWho plays Hudson and Bishop in Near Dark?
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
ReplyDeleteSleeping bag slam: best Jason kill, ever!
Bye Bye Man (2017)
ReplyDeleteCan't get over the name Mr. Daisy
Or how Cressida Bonas says Mr. Daaaisy.
Los sin nombre (1999, dir. Jaume Balagueró)
ReplyDeleteShaky-head shot two minutes in. Disqualified!
1922 (2017)
ReplyDeleteThomas Jane does his best Tom Hardy.
Wishmaster (1997)
ReplyDeleteAdam Riske's favorite Gilligan's Island character? Djinn-ger.
Creepshow (1982)
ReplyDeleteWish I’d seen it as a kid.
I watched Creepshow for the first time this week and had the exact same reaction. 12 year old me would've loved it. 30 year old me...its just okay.
DeleteClown (2014)
ReplyDeleteA somewhat silly premise played effectively straight.
Society (1989)
ReplyDeleteBeing offered urine with tea means love?
The Body Snatcher (1945)
ReplyDeleteThe dog dies in first 10 minutes.
The Seventh Victim (1943)
ReplyDeleteMissing sister sequestered by several swinging satanists.
I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
ReplyDeleteWay too much walking; not enough zombies.
Shocker (1989)
ReplyDeleteWith Ted Raimi as 2002 Peter Parker
Tourist Trap (1979)
ReplyDeleteRifleman wears a mask, dances with dolls.
If I remember Correctly
DeleteYer mad yer basturds
Laughed for ages after that shot. Elric kept saying it and I had forgotten what film it was from
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
ReplyDeleteCautionary tale about the dangers of werewolfing.
Tusk (2014)
ReplyDeleteIt's Smith's mistake, never go full walrus.
47 Meters Down (2017)
ReplyDeleteAtleast getting a nitrogenoxide high seemes fun
Pet Sematary (1989)
ReplyDeleteCagey Gage raged, triaged barrage, disparaged marriage.
Hatchet II (2010)
ReplyDeleteBiggest Problem: Film wasn't made in secret.
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
ReplyDelete“He's Lucky. I'm Lucky! The Banister’s Lucky!
The Beyond (1981)
ReplyDeleteTarantula rental is HOW MUCH?!...Two please.
The Blob (1988)
ReplyDeleteDillon’s hair is my Brave New Love.
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
ReplyDeleteThis episode of @midnight really sucks, man.
You Were Never Here (2016)
ReplyDeleteHaneke-esque. Pretentious, intriguing, interesting. Not traditional Horror.
Night of the Living Dead 3-D in 2-D (2006)
ReplyDeleteWhy do I do this to myself?
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)
ReplyDeleteSo the hillbillies are the good guys?
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
ReplyDeleteCrimes of passion take year to commit.
Dead and Buried (1981)
ReplyDeleteSmall city sheriff senses sinister scheme spreading.
Patchwork (2015)
ReplyDeleteThis one really tugs at the seams.
Trick Or Treats (1982)
ReplyDeleteAsylum orderlies populated entirely by Keith Hernandezes
The Babysitter (2017)
ReplyDeleteIt's the Scott Pilgrim of horror movies.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
ReplyDeleteMcDougal starts out angry, only gets angrier.
Return to Halloweentown (2006)
ReplyDeleteNot very good even by Halloweentown standards.
Blood Beach (1980)
ReplyDeleteIt’s Audrey II’s fun summertime beach vacation!
Alien (1979)
ReplyDeleteLeave the cat. Get a new one.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
ReplyDeleteJason shoulda dropped the elbow on Trish
The Final Destination (2009)
ReplyDeleteForget plot, let's make it super 3d!
Chopping Mall (1986)
ReplyDeleteThey had just cleaned up Matrix's mess.
Props. This might be my favorite comment of the month.
DeletePhantasm Ravager (2016)
ReplyDeleteBeware: enduring crappe of the Tall Man.
Dracula (1931)
ReplyDeleteDracula not that evil for a polygamist.
Hatchet (2006)
ReplyDeleteDeon Richmond has worked with worse monsters.
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
ReplyDeleteI prefer Rob's music to his movies.
Halloween H2O: 20 Years Later (1998)
ReplyDeleteI got it, Michael really likes rap.
Poltergeist III (1988)
ReplyDeleteDrink every time you hear Carol Anne.
Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985) with F This Movie Commentary
ReplyDeleteChicken people, cocaine, chocolate, boobies, ooo baby!
Psycho (1998)
ReplyDeleteNext time, exhume Hitchcock, have corpse direct.
And cast Andrew Garfield
DeleteYes! He’d do a great Bates. Aside from the whole concept of this remake being questionable, Vaughn’s performance was a big problem.
DeleteI read an interestng theory somewhere that Van Sant possibly approached the Psycho remake as a kind of art project, the idea being to see whether duplicating Hitchcock's work almost exactly would produce the same results, or whether Hitch had that 'something special' which seperated him from other film makers.
DeleteVan Sant has experimented with form throughout his career, including his wonderful 'death trilogy', and his filmography indicates that he's way too smart and much too much of an artist to simply cough up a carbon copy of a beloved classic such as Psycho.
It never made sense to me why he would make a shot-for-shot remake of Psycho; there was just nothing for him to gain and so much to lose (he'd just scored a major hit with Good Will Hunting).
But the notion that it was all some kind of experiment is an explanation that I can understand, and also one that makes watching the film interesting.
And I love the idea of Van Sant taking that studio money and using it for some kind of personal art project.
Hmmm... Suddenly I feel like revisiting this film.
White Zombie (1932)
ReplyDeleteDaylight come, and me wanna eat brains.
The Snowman (2017)
ReplyDeleteLike serving a cake before baking it.
Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare (1987)
ReplyDeleteIt's not recording studio, it's ROCKcording studio.
Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (1986)
ReplyDeleteJason Lives or the one without boobs.
The Exorcist
ReplyDeleteSpider walk aside, “New” version is interminable.
Pumpkin head (1988)
ReplyDeleteYou call that Pumpkinhead? More like Raisenhead.
Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)
ReplyDeleteOk technically not horror but holy fuck.
Boo 2! A Madea Halloween
ReplyDeleteMadea legitimately scary. Her eyes. There's madness.
Child's Play (1988)
ReplyDeleteInsane asylum has no budget for windows.
Split (2016)
ReplyDeleteThe Kimmy Schmidt parallels keep on coming.
Happy Death Day (2017)
ReplyDeleteDeplorable characters, badly written, did not enjoy.
The Wolf Man (1941)
ReplyDeleteNice wolfman tiptoes through the forest. Snap!
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
ReplyDeleteBetween a rock and a fire place?
Psycho 2 (1983)
ReplyDeleteEasily my favorite Scary Movie Month discovery.
Yeah, that movie is pretty good. While part 3 isn’t that good, it’s worth it for one death that mimics the shower scene. But skipnpart 4. Seriously. It’s unwatchable.
DeleteThe Birds (1963)
ReplyDeleteTippi Hedren terrorized by Alfred Hitchcock's Gamecocks.
The Blob (1988)
ReplyDeleteDillion too nicely dressed to be toughie.
Given by my 3 year-old son on vacation. **Context: I am walking in from picking up dinner and they're watching "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." And, I lament: "You're stealing my month. It's Scary Movie Month, and you're watching a Christmas movie.
ReplyDeleteTo which he responded with this seven-word review:
"It's scary, dad. The Grinch is scary."
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000)
LOL! I love it and he's not wrong.
DeleteInvasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
ReplyDeletePeas come in Pods. Always hated peas...
1922 (2017)
ReplyDeleteCharlie Kelly's needed to handle those rats.
Haha!! The rat king of course!
DeleteMasters of Horror: We All Scream for Ice Cream
ReplyDeleteRight ingredients are there, but lacks flavor.
Get Out (2017)
ReplyDelete"Lets give some credit to the T.S.A!"
Leprechaun 2 (1994)
ReplyDeleteApparently, Leprechaun’s also really like go karts.
The Wolf Man (1941)
ReplyDeleteWhat's a Hays Code workaround for "gnards"?
Tales from the Crypt (1972)
ReplyDelete'70s kids remember when Cryptkeeper had skin.
Faceless (2017)
ReplyDeleteExcuse me doc, this isn't my face!
Tarantula (1956) on Svengoolie
ReplyDeleteLeo G. Carroll as the Elephant Man
or
Weightless '50's monsters sneak up on anyone.
Leprechaun 3 (1995)
ReplyDeleteSo you rhyme, some of the time?
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2 (1987)
ReplyDeleteIronside so smooth he goes slow motion
(kinda borrowed this from Brent Petersen - thanks Brent)
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
ReplyDeleteNext stop: Manhattan or Hell?....Hell please!
Shaun of the Dead (2004)
ReplyDeleteThis movie will never stop entertaining me.
From Beyond (1986) Dir. Stuart Gordon
ReplyDeleteGotta look carefully for the phallic symbolism.
Blood Sand (2015)
ReplyDeleteHigh tide doesn’t exist in this movie?
Village of the Damned (1995)
ReplyDeleteCarpenter has a Thing for green eyes.
What We Do In the Shadows (2014)
ReplyDeleteI wish Thor: Ragnarok was a mockumentary
Gnome Alone (2015)
ReplyDelete“Sounds like a fucking hobo on helium”
Identity (2003)
ReplyDeleteWhen I was going down the...scares!
The Craft (1996)
ReplyDeleteThese mean girls burn book really burns
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
ReplyDeleteScores big points for amazing practical effects
Byzantium (2012)
ReplyDeleteThat is no country for vampire prostitutes.
The Haunted Mansion (2003)
ReplyDeleteDisney really spared all the expenses, huh?
Christine
ReplyDeleteHoly shit, way better than I remembered.
The Void (2016)
ReplyDeleteThe Thing Beyond the Prince of Madness.
(I say that as a compliment)
The Sentinel (1977)
ReplyDeleteYeah, still worth it for that view
The Devil's Candy (2015)
ReplyDeleteBeing a dad is, like, so metal.
Evil Dead (1981)
ReplyDeleteDown at our rendezvous, trees company too!
Evil Dead 2 (1987)
ReplyDeletePerfect blend of comedy and horror. Groovy.
Aliens (1986)
ReplyDeleteDamn I was hoping for more cats
Cabin Fever (2002)
ReplyDeletePostcoital Listerine penis dousing doesn't prevent infection.
Victor Crowley (2017)
ReplyDeleteThe Jurassic Park III of the series.
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
ReplyDeleteTonally strange religious references for shark movie.
Phantom of the Opera (1929)
ReplyDeleteMasquerade sequence is both beautiful and terrifying!
It's pretty great
DeleteThe Dark Half (1993)
ReplyDeleteSomething, something, "double or Hutton" pun.
Blood Feast (1963)
ReplyDeleteInspired The Bangles’ “Eat Like an Egyptian”
Prince of Darkness (1987)
ReplyDeleteThe Southtown, where green juice don’t play.