THIS MODERN NIGHTMARE

HORROR LIST 2 - THE 1990s

The 1990s weren't a good decade for horror movies. It was made up mostly of bad sequels and the beginning of the trend of films populated exclusively by bad teenage actors (thanks to Wes Craven's awful Scream films). Horror was becoming a grind and wasn't being taken seriously anymore. Luckily there were still some films worth watching, despite all the dreck.


BEST HORROR FLICKS OF THE 1990s


1. AUDITION (1999) (dir. Takashi Miike) - Japanese master Miike gives us a scary movie unlike any other. I hesitate to describe this one in too much detail to people who haven't seen it - because they should watch this one with as little information as possible - and be surprised. Basically, it's about a widower who is looking for a new wife. A friend of his who is a casting director suggests he hold an audience for a prospective mate (unbeknowest to the women who show up for what they think is an acting role). Let's just say, nothing goes as planned.

2. CRASH (1996) (dir. David Cronenberg) - not really a horror film, but a disturbing, powerful movie with strong horrific overtones, and my favorite film by director David Cronenberg. Based on the classic novel by J.G.Ballard. About a group of people who fetishize car crashes.

3. DEAD ALIVE (1992) - (dir. Peter Jackson) An amazing early film by Peter (Lord of the Rings) Jackson, this might be the final word on zombie movies. The gore-drenched ending featuring a gas-powered lawnmower turning zombies to mulch is simply unforgettable. And the zombie baby was pretty funny, too.

4, THE KINGDOM (1994) (dir. Lars Von Trier) - this is one Stephen King's TV series KINGDOM HOSPITAL was based on. But Von Trier's original is a hundred times better. Originally a Danish television series that was released as a movie, THE KINGDOM features a hospital with a lot of eccentric characters, and some very spooky goings-on involving ghosts. Check out the original!

5. DAY OF THE BEAST (1995) (dir. Alex De Iglesias) - excellent horror film by Spanish director De Iglesias. About a well-armed priest trying to prevent the anti-christ from taking over. De Iglesias is a terrific director, and you might also want to check out his film PERDITA DERANGO (1997), based on characters who also appeared in David Lynch's WILD AT HEART (both scripts were by novelist Barry Gifford). Peridita was played by Isabella Rosselini in Lynch's film, but here, is played by the much more accurate Rosie Perez, who gets involved with a psychotic voodoo priest (Javier Bardem - the killer from NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN). Incredible performances by Bardem and singer Screaming Jay Hawkins as his helper (also an early role by James "Tony Soprano" Gandolfini as a cop). Unfortunatley, this film is only available on DVD in an edited version called DANCE WITH THE DEVIL. I keep hoping they'll finally come out with an uncut version under the real name. I like this one even better than DAY OF THE BEAST - but they're both great!

6. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) (dir. Jonathan Demme) - Anthony Hopkins's first portrayal of Hannibal Lecter. Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling. Buffalo Bill. Liver and cianti. Oscar-winning horror movie (a rarity!). This movie has become pretty iconic, and deservedly so. What more can I say?

7.NIGHTBREED (1990) - (dir. Clive Barker) Clive Barker directed this one, based on his novella. Sympathetic monsters who are the outcasts of society vs. a real monster (David Cronenberg as a psychopath). Very cool, but supposedly the version that was released was drastically cut by the studio to get an R rating. I keep hoping the uncut version will find its way onto DVD.

8. MISERY (1990) - (dir. Rob Reiner) the 90s was a great decade for Stephen King movies at least. This is one of the best. A crazed fan (Kathy Bates) becomes the caretaker of her favorite novelist (James Caan) after he has a car accident in the middle of nowhere. While he lies helpless on a bed, she tries to "convince" him not to kill off her favorite character. The "hobbling" scene is especially effective. Bates is incredible in this one.

9, RINGU (1998) - (dir. Hideo Nakata) the movie that started the whole J-horror craze. If you watch a videotape, you will get a phone call telling you you have a week to live. And there's no way out of it. The sequels and remakes don't come close.

10. THE DARK HALF (1993) (Romero) - Solid Stephen King adaptation where a writer gets into a life and death struggle with the pseudonym he's trying to get rid of - which has since manifested itself as another person and doesn't want to go away anytime soon. Very cool concept, and you gotta love it when Romero and King team up.

11. (tie) FRANKENHOOKER (1990) - (dir. Frank Henenlotter) Frank Henenlotter's film about a scientist who brings his girlfriend back from the dead, with various "borrowed" body parts. But she becomes a hooker. Also check out Henenlotter's sequel to his classic debut BASKET CASE, entitled, not-surprisingly BASKET CASE 2 (1990)

AND DELAMORTE DELAMORE (aka CEMETERY MAN) (1994) (dir.Michele Soavi)- Rupert Everett as the caretaker of a cemetery where the bodies won't stay dead. Very atmospheric.

12. THE RELIC (1997) (dir. Peter Hyams) A monster stows away in a crate from South America and emerges from its dormant state in a museum, where it then wrecks havoc, and keeps gettiing bigger and bigger. Fun monster movie.

13. APT PUPIL (1998) (dir. Bryan Singer)- Still another great King adaptation. This time with Ian McKellan as a former Nazi who instructs impressionable youth Brad Renfroe in the ways of the Reich.

14. TALES OF THE DARK SIDE: THE MOVIE (1990) (dir. John Harrison) - I loved the TV show, and the movie is a lot of fun, too. Featuring stories by Michael McDowell, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Stephen King. With Debby Harry in a wraparound "Hansel and Gretel" type story.

15. (TIE) NADJA and THE ADDICTION (1994 & 1995) (Michael Almereyda and Abel Ferrara) - Two movies about women vampires looking for their place in the world that seemed very similar to me when they came out. Both are worth checking out.. The classy NADJA features the striking Elina Lowensohn as the vampire whose father has recently died (for good - and he might be Dracula!), With Peter Fonda as Van Helsing (!). While Ferrara's THE ADDICTION features the great Lilli Taylor as a grad student who gets "vampirized." The movie equates the vampiric hunger for blood with drug addiction, Interesting take on the subject. With Christopher Walken and Edie Falco.

16. BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR (1990) (dir. Brian Yuzna)- fun sequel to Stuart Gordon's classic "Re-Animator." Nowhere in the same league, but worth renting. Featuring the return of the amazing Jeffrey Combs as Dr. Herbert West - which is reason enough to see any movie.

17. INNOCENT BLOOD (1992) (dir. John Landis) - Anna Parrilaud (from the original French version of LE FEMME NIKITA) as a vampire who gets involved with gangsters, headed by crime boss Robert Loggia. Not as good as Landis's masterpiece, AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON, but a decent enough flick. And Parrialud is mesmerizing. And Don Rickles has a role in it, too!

18, SLEEPWALKERS (1992) (dir. Mick Garris) for some reason I'm not a big fan of Stephen King adaptations done by Mick Garris. I like THE STAND miniseries, and this one, and that's about it. Alice Krige plays a woman with a strange secret she's keeping from her son: they're really cat-like monsters called sleepwalkers. Flawed, but with some memorable scenes, and a hint of incest. One of the few Stephen King scripts not based on a novel or story.

19. IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (1995) (dir. John Carpenter) - A flawed film that I wanted to love, but didn't. However, I thought it had the strongest Lovecraftian feel to it of the films I've seen that were inspired by his work. This one is about a book that drives the reader mad! An insurance investigator (Sam Neill) tries to find the author and find out what's going on. Some excellent scenes, despite problems with the shoot that made this movie less than it could have been.

20. THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999) (dir. Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez)- the first time I saw this movie, it really had an effect on me. Especially that creepy ending. When it came out in theaters, it was something of a phenemonon. But when I've tried to watch it since, I just can't get through it. Too much whining and the characters are annoying as hell. But everyone should see this at least once.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
CANDYMAN (1992) - Clive Barker wrote the script about a supernatural being who comes if you say his name three times. Tony Todd is great in the lead role. But for some reason I was disappointed with this one. It's just not scary.
PET SEMATARY 2 (1992) (Mary Lambert directs a good sequel to her adaptation of Stephen King's novel about an ancient burial ground that can bring anything you bury there back to life. In this one, a kid buries his mother there!)
TETSUO 2: BODY HAMMER (1992) director Shinya Tsukamoto gives us a crazy, surreal sequel to his insane 1989 film about a man who slowly turns into a machine. This one plays like a superhero flick on acid)
WOLF (1994) Mike Nichols directs Jack Nicholson in this story about a book editor who becomes a werewolf. A flawed film with some unintentionally laughable scenes, but Nicholson turns in an interesting performance. With Michelle Pfeiffer.
STRANGELAND (1998) (dir. Dee Snider) - A weird killer with tons of piercings and tribal tattoos gets victims by chatting with them on IM's and then makes plans ot meet them. Once he gets them, he keeps them prisoner and does body modification on them! A great concept, and some creepy scenes, but in the end, it just isn't scary enough. Snider needed to go a little more hardcore to pull this one off.
THINNER (1996) (dir. Tom Holland)- Another King adaptation (of a novel he wrote as "Richard Bachman"). A selfish, fat lawyer (Robert John Burke) is cursed by a gypsy and can't stop losing weight. This movie is actually pretty laughable at times, but has one amazing image - a pie with a mouth. For some reason, that image sticks with me, even now.
THE NINTH GATE(1999) (dir. Roman Polanski) - another flawed flick.This time with Johnny Depp as an antique book dealer who is in search of a rare book for a client who may be the devil. Depp is great, and the details about the antique book business are fascinating. But in the end, it's short on scares. With the great Lena Olin as a demon/vampire who can walk on walls. What happened to the Polanski who gave us the classic ROSEMARY'S BABY?
STORM OF THE CENTURY (1999) (dir. Craig R. Baxley) TV-movie written by Stephen King (another of this rare original scripts written for TV and not based on a novel or story). This might have been the best King miniseries of the 90s, with Tim Daly as a cop trying to keep his town safe during a blizzard, and Colm Feore as a sinister visitor whose presence evokes blood and murder. Feore's character Andre Linoge, also has a "shocking secret." Worth checking out.

90s Movies I Haven't Seen Yet, But Have Heard Great Stuff About:
CAT IN THE BRAIN (dir. Lucio Fucli, 199), BEGOTTEN (1991, dir E. Elias Merhige) and DUST DEVIL (1992, dir. Richard Stanley)

Actually, considering how dismal the 1990s were, I was able to find a good amount of decent horror flicks. This surprised even me!

Next Up (in about a week): THE BEST HORROR FILMS OF THE 1980s.

FEAR ON THE MEAT TRAIN!

I've seen three episodes of FEAR ITSELF so far, and like its predescessor MASTERS OF HORROR (the show's name when it aired on Showtime), it's very uneven. The first episode, "The Sacrifice" (reviewed in earlier post), featured four men fleeing a heist gone bad, who end up in a deserted, walled community, and find just three inhabitants - all beautiful women. Oh yeah, and the priest chained up in the attic. Turns out the women were bait for travelers, so they could provide food for the old-world vampire who snuck to America on an immigrant boat generations before. Atmospheric, well-photographed, but very cliche-ridden. This one was directed by Breck Eisner (who is also directing the upcoming Creature of the Black Lagoon remake) , with a screenplay by Mick Garris, from a story by Del Howison.

The second episode, "Spooked," gave us Eric Roberts as a tough cop who didn't always play by the book (think Dirty Harry). When he gets booted off the force for excessive brutaiity (after saving a Senator's child from a killer, btw), he becomes a private detective. Fifteen years later, the child-killer's ghost comes back in a vacant house Roberts works out of while keeping tabs on the supposedly cheating husband across the street. This one would have worked a little better, but it was just as cliche-ridden. We've seen this kind of thing a hundred times before. And it's hard to sympathize with a ghost trying to make Roberts "pay for his sins" when the ghost itself is that of a child-killer (and probably molestor, too, but for some odd reason they don't elaborate on that part). Also, all of the guys Roberts used brutality on probably deserved it. So all this ghost succeeds in doing is making the viewer want to punch him in the face. This one was directed by Brad Anderson, who also gave us SESSION 9 (which I thought was pretty good), with a script by Matt Venne.

The latest episode "Family Man" features Colin Ferguson (from the Sci-Fi Channel series "Eureka") as an upstanding family man who gets in a car accident. In the emergency room, he briefly dies. Not far away, a serial killer (Clifton Collins, Jr.), who also dies. Somehow they are both revived, but have switched bodies. The family man finds himself finds himself in a jail cell, awaiting trial, while the killer now has a wonderful new little family of his own. The killer even comes to taunt the unlucky guy on visiting day - telling him if he wants his family to remain safe, he's going to have to help him be convincing in his new life. Oh, and did I mention the killer was dubbed "the Family Man" because he likes to kill whole families? This one was actually the best of the three so far, since it had some real suspense. Collins (as the good man in the body of a killer) is exceptional here, and convincing. Ferguson is also good, but not as convincing (he seems to adapt a little too easily to his new body). The ending is downbeat, but I liked it. It worked. My main problem is with plot points that never really get explained, like the fact that the killer's body gets beaten regularly by vengeful cops in the jail, but we never see a mark on him. At one point a cop says "What are you, indestructible?" But we never find out what that's all about. Despite these small qualms, I thought this episode was pretty good. Directed by Ronny Yu (who is being hyped as the guy who directed FREDDY VS. JASON and THE BRIDE OF CHUCKY, which is unfortunate, because in Hong Kong, he directed much better movies like THE BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR (1993)) with a script by Dan Knauf (who was also a writer for the great HBO series CARNIVALE). This one was definitely a step in the right direction.

Next week: an episode directed by John Landis, who gave us the horror classic AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON. Since his episode "The Deer Woman" from the first season of MASTERS OF HORROR was one of my favorites when the show was on Showtime, I hope his episode of Fear Itself, called "in Sickness and in Health" is one of the better entries. We'll see.

* * *

Also, in CLIVE BARKER news, Barker is promoting a petition on his website to convince Lionsgate, the studio that made MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, to give the movie a wide release, instead of the current plans for a limited release. A wide release would mean that people who don't live in major cities might actually have a chance of seeing it on the big screen. Imagine that! Yet M. Night Shyamalan's crappy THE HAPPENING gets screen time in every mall cineplex in the country.

To check out the petition, just go here.

I especially liked the part about "millions of horror fans like myself who have been disappointed by the recent trend towards watered down PG-13 horror movies." Heh.

HORROR LISTS PART 1: THIS DECADE (THE OO'S)

This is the first of several lists I'll be posting over the next month. Several people have asked me for lists of great horror movies (by decade) so they can rent them. Originally, I was just going to list a Top 10 for each decade, but then I realized that, in a lot of cases, there were 1) a lot more bad movies than good ones, so I wanted to highlight as many good ones as I could, and 2) a lot of times I couldn't decide on which ones were my favorites. So here's how it's going to go. For each given decade, I'll list a top 20 (if I can) and then put some other highlights in a coda called "Honorable Mentions." If a director has more than one good movie per decade, I'll mention his other good ones when I mention the one that made the list (unless more than one makes the list).

We're starting with the 00s (this decade) and going backwards.

So let's start with movies since the year 2000. This has been a great decade for horror movies, since I had a list of over 30 titles so far, and the decade isn't even over yet. Here are the movies that I recommend:


1. THE DEVIL'S REJECTS (2005) (dir. Rob Zombie) - After his directing debut with House of 1,000 Corpses in 2003 (which is also worth renting), Rob Z turned everything up a notch for his follow-up flick, and in turn made what is my favorite horror film so far in the 00's. A psycho family goes on a killing spree while a sheriff who is just as insane tracks them down.

2. MOTHER OF TEARS (2008) (dir. Dario Argento) – Dario Argento's last installment in his "Three Mothers" trilogy is one of the most fun films I've seen in a long time. Dario's daughter Asia stars as a woman who was born to fight the evil Mother of Tears. (due out on DVD in November).

3. INSIDE (2007) (dir. Alexandre Bustillo & Julian Maury ) (2007) – The best of the new wave of French horror films so far. A pregnant woman, all alone in her house, is repeatedly attacked by a psychotic woman who wants her baby. Intense!

4. HOSTEL 1 & 2 (2005 & 2007) (dir. Eli Roth) – A lot of people disagree with me on these movies, but I really enjoyed the Hostel films. These are the ones (along with the Saw movies) that started the whole controversy over what the media calls "torture porn." Backpacking American college kids travel around Europe and end up as fodder for a secret society that pays to kill humans. The first movie was an interesting surprise, but the second one is actually the superior movie – and is actually a very dark comedy – especially for the plot about the kinds of people who actually pay to do the killing.

5. GRINDHOUSE (2007) (dir. Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez) – In theaters, it was two movies for the price of one, but few people gave it a chance, and the movies have since been split up for DVD release. One is a zombie epidemic movie by Rodriguez called PLANET TERROR, which is a lot of fun, and the second film is a revenge flick called DEATH PROOF about a killer who uses his reinforced car as a murder weapon, and his comeuppance. These two DVDs should be watched back to back, as they were in the theater. But weirdly, neither disk has the fun "fake trailers" which showed in theaters.

6. WOLF CREEK (2005) (dir. Greg Mclean) – one of the bleakest serial killer movies to show in theaters in a long time. This one actually opened on Christmas Day as part of a very dark publicity stunt. It features a Crocodile Dundee-type guy who kills tourists in the outback. Vicious stuff.

7. GINGER SNAPS (2000) (dir. John Fawcett) – one of the best werewolf movies in a long time. Two goth sisters live the dark side for real when one of them gets bitten by a werewolf. High school will never be the same. Spawned two decent sequels.

8. HEADER (2006) – I saw this at a convention and it's still not out on DVD. But when it comes out, it's worth renting. Crazy rednecks do unspeakable things to unsuspecting victims in rural America. Kind of like Deliverance taken to an absurd level. Based on the equally demented novella by Edward Lee. Not for the squeamish.

9. JACK KETCHUM'S THE GIRL NEXT DOOR (2007) (dir.Gregory Wilson) – Another rough one that's not for the squeamish. GIRL is a fine adaptation of Jack Ketchum's classic novel where a girl in the 1960s finds herself living with another family while her carnival worker parents are on the road (in the book, they died in a car crash). The woman who takes her in is a vicious psychopath who not only tortures the girl but invites her whole family and some neighborhood kids to join in. Based on a true story. Disturbing stuff (also check out THE LOST from 2005, directed by Chris Sivertson – another strong adaptation of a Ketchum novel).

10. PAN'S LABYRINTH (2006) (dir. Guillermo del Toro) – Del Toro's masterpiece so far. A girl in war-torn Franco's Spain escapes into a dark fantasy world with dangers of its own. Also check out his equally good film about an orphanage in the same time period, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE (2001)

11, BEYOND RE-ANIMATOR (2003) (dir. Brian Yuzna) – The third Re-Animator movie finds insane scientist Herbert West (the always terrific Jeffrey Combs in his most famous role) in prison, reanimating more corpses with his weird green serum. Even though this is nowhere as good as Stuart Gordon's original film, it's still lots of fun, and even features a reanimated hopping penis..

12. THE MIST (2007) (dir. Frank Darabont) – Frank Darabont's mostly faithful adaptation of Stephen King's beloved novella adds a very dark ending that took major balls. Excellent.A weird mist covers a Maine town and brings lots of monsters along with it. A supermarket full of people fight to survive.

13.CLOVERFIELD (2008) (dir. Matt Reeves) – Giant monster attacks New York. 20-somethings caught in the carnage videotape it all as it happens. Produced by J.J. Abrams (one of the creators of the TV show LOST).

14. 30 DAYS OF NIGHT (2007) (dir. David Slade) – The adaptation of the graphic novel written by Steve Niles is about a town in Alaska that is engulfed in darkness for 30 days every year, which turns into an all-you-can buffet for visiting vampires. The best vampire flick of the decade so far. Vampires are finally scary again.

15. THE RUINS (2008) (dir. Carter Smith) – Tourists in South America stumble upon an ancient pyramid and end up as human sacrifices to a supernatural plant creature.

16. THE DESCENT (2006) (dir. Neil Marshall)– A group of women go spelunking in an unexplored cave and meet up with cannibal/vampire type creatures. Suspenseful stuff. Also check out Marshall's excellent werewolf vs. soldiers movie DOG SOLDIERS (2002)

17. MAY (2002) (dir. Lucky McKee) A very strange girls who has trouble making friends decides to "make" her own friends. Terrific performance by Angela Bettis. Also check out McKee's follow-up THE WOODS, which unfairly went right to DVD (although May is far superior)

18. PATHOLOGY (2008) (dir. Marc Schoelermann) – Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli from Heroes) plays an aspiring pathologist doing his residency in a hospital morgue. He gets caught up in a game with the other residents where they kill people and the others try to determine how they did it. The game gets more and more disturbing as it goes along.

19. BUBBA HO-TEP (2002) (dir. Don Coscarelli) Bruce Campbell plays Elvis Presley who is still alive in a nursing home. Ossie Davis thinks he's JFK. Together they fight a mummy who is sucking the life essence out of everyone at the nursing home. Based on one of the more humorous stories by the legendary Joe R. Lansdale.


20. THE HOST (2006) (dir. Joon-ho Bong) – Like Cloverfield, an interesting spin on the giant monster movie. It starts with a monster coming up on the beach and killing people. As it leaves, it kidnaps a little girl. The girl's family then goes about trying to save her.


HONORABLE MENTIONS:
DAGON (2001) (Stuart Gordon adaptation of Lovecraft's story) / SLITHER (2006) (fun monster movie)/ and CALL OF CTHULHU (2005) – Another Lovecraft adaptation. This one's a fascinating low-budget film that looks like an old silent movie (the time period the story takes place) – very cool.

ART MOVIE OF THE DECADE (so far)
IRREVERSIBLE (2002) (dir. Gaspar Noe) - Noe takes us on a journey into hell that starts at the end and works backwards. Some people may not consider it a horror movie, but it's very horrific. Including an agonizing, 10-minute rape scene. Not for the squeamish. Excruciating!

Also ICHI THE KILLER (2001) (dir. Takashi Miike) - is more of a gangster film, but the violence is so over the top that it crosses the line into horror.

REMAKE OF THE DECADE
Most of the horror movie remakes this decade have been pretty awful, but Alexandre Aja's remake of Wes Craven's 70s classic THE HILLS HAVE EYES (2006) is that rare remake that expands on the original and improves on it.This one's about a family on vacation in a Winnebago vs. cannibals in the desert.

FLAWED BUT WORTH CHECKING OUT
And a few flicks that have some worthwhile moments, despite flaws, include: HAUTE TENSION ("High Tension") (2003) (dir. Alexandre Aja) - this intense, violent film has some really good moments but it's way too much like Dean Koontz's INTENSITY - including scenes that are just about the same - without giving Koontz credit./ WRONG TURN (2003) (dir. Rob Schmidt) - yet another movie about a group of people who stop at the wrong place and get attacked by cannibals - despite the cliches, a good performance by Eliza Dushku (Faith from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show) and some cool creatures by the late Stan Winston/ and TEETH (2007) (dir. Mitchel Lichtenstein) - an entertaining story about a girl with teeth in her vagina. Good performances by Jess Weixler as Dawn and John Hensley (Matt from FX's Nip/Tuck) as her evil brother Brad. The flaw is, it's uneven and can't tell if it wants to be a comedy or a horror film. Still worth checking out.

So how's that for an in-depth list? Next up, the 1990s.

FAREWELL TO STAN WINSTON

Makeup and special efffects master Stan Winston died of cancer on June 15th. He was only 62. He was an Oscar-winner and did "creature effects" for such movies as: the Terminator films, Jurrasic Park, and Edward Scissorhands. For horror fanatics, he did the makeup and effects for the 1972 TV movie GARGOYLES (a personal favorite of mine), John Carpenter's THE THING (1982, and one helluva flick), and he did the creatures for WRONG TURN (2003, a movie he also produced) and THE RELIC (1997). He even designed a suit for IRON MAN, so he was working right up to the end. He even directed a handful of movies including the cult classic PUMPKINHEAD. He'll be missed.

SWINGTOWN, AND OTHER INTERESTING DESTINATIONS

Well, I saw the new Stuart Gordon film STUCK yesterday, to review for FearZone (more on this when the review goes online) and then decided to make it double feature since MOTHER OF TEARS was playing in the same movie theater and my wife Laura hadn't seen it yet.

I've got to admit, I enjoyed MOTHER OF TEARS even more the second time around. This might just be my favorite film of 2008 so far. My friend Nick Cato loved it too and saw it in NYC. He had this to say about it, and I totally agree: "As I sat in the theater, I felt as if I were in the glory days of early 80's Times Square, watching the latest UNCUT horror film with one of my old friends. And for giving me an hour and 40 minutes of horror-fueled nostalgia, I thank you, Mr. Argento." What a great quote from Nick!

So I got to see an old-time double-feature by two legendary horror directors on one Saturday afternoon. Except it wasn't priced like an old-time double-feature. At $10 a movie ticket, Laura and I ended up spending $40 for two movies. Man! I can see why a lot of people don't go to movie theaters anymore! But if you eventually see MOTHER OF TEARS on DVD, I'm going to tell you, it just doesn't measure up to seeing it on the big screen. Some movies are just meant to be seen in a movie theater.

Of course, MOT is only playing in a limited number of major cities. So not everyone has the ability to see it, unfortunately.

***

Also saw the new show SWINGTOWN, which I'd taped while I was watching FEAR ITSELF last Thursday night.

SWINGTOWN sounded interesting because it's about 1970s suburbia, and the whole phenomenon at the time of wife swapping. The first episode was okay - but there are hints it might get better as it goes along. The cast is pretty good, at least. One main reason I watched was for Molly Parker, who was so damn terrific as Alma Garret on DEADWOOD (one of my favorite shows ever). Here she plays Susan Miller, a typical 1970s wife whose husband Bruce (Jack Davenport) is moving up in the world, so they move from their rather conservative neighborhood to a bigger house a few miles away. Their neighbors in the new place aren't so sweet and innocent. There's lots of free love and drug use (including the qualudde!). It's like time traveling from the 1950s to the 1970s by way of a car ride.

When their new neighbors, Tom and Trina Decker (played by Grant Show from MELROSE PLACE and the very attractive Lana Parrila) invite them to their Fourth of July part after they've just moved into their new house, Bruce and Susan are eager to check out their new environs. And they don't hate what they see. In fact, they seem primed to dive right in to this new decadent world they've found themselves in.

I actually liked this show. I dig the two female leads and I think it has a lot of potential. Thursday nights are going to be interesting between horror (FEAR ITSELF, which I hope gets better as it goes along) and sex (with SWINGTOWN). Two great tastes that taste great together.

Of course, being on network television (in this case NBC) means SWINGTOWN will have very clear limits on how far it can go. A show like this seems much more suited for something like HBO. But it will be fun to see it push the envelope a bit. The only downside is that, as a summer show, it probably has a slim to none chance to being picked up for NBC's regular fall season. So if this sounds at all interesting to you, you might want to watch it now, before it's gone forever.

***

I also finally saw the new Darren Aronofsky movie THE FOUNTAIN. I'd avoided this one for a long time because it got such bad reviews. But I have to admit, I didn't think it was that bad. Hugh Jackman plays three roles (originally meant for Brad Pitt, who left the movie before filming began), as Tomas, a conquistador invading the Mayans and looking for the secret to eternal youth; Tommy, in the current day, who is a scientist trying to fiind a cure for cancer for his dying wife, and who instead finds a possible treatment that could lead to eternal life; and Tom Creo, a future man in a bubble floating through space and trying to revive his wife, who has been absorbed into the roots of a massive tree.

The movie jumps from time to time, and Tomas to Tommy to Tom. I thought it would be confusing or annoying, but it wasn't. The terrific Rachel Weisz (who was so amazing in Neil LaBute's SHAPE OF THINGS) also has three roles, as Tom's love interests in each of these time periods. In the past, she's the queen of Spain who offers Tomas her heart if he finds the secret of youth; in the present day she's Tommy's dying wife; and in the future, she's the spirit of that weird tree in the bubble (which isn't as weird as it sounds).

The themes of death, eternal life, and strong romantic love provide the movie's tides, constantly going out and crashing back in again. I thought it was a beautiful, occasionally powerful little film (I also thought for some reason that it was over 2 hours long, but it wasn't).

I had a little trouble getting into it in the first 15 minutes or so, but once it grabbed me, I happily went along for the ride. Jackman and Wiesz carry the movie, and they do a great job. And frankly, I should have been more trusting of director Aronofsky, who previously gave us the movies PI, and the fantastic REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. I should have realized that in his capable hands, I would have had a good time, even if most critics slammed THE FOUNTAIN when it came out.

It's such a strongly visual film, that I would have preferred to have seen it on the big screen. I won't make the same mistake again the next time Aronofsky has a new movie out.

Definitely worth a rental, or catching on cable.

***

On the music front, I am totally into the band WEEZER this week. For people who know me, this might come as a shock. But I'm actually warming up to Rivers Cuomo and the gang. I picked up their new self-titled Red Album, along with their previous "color" albums The Green Album and The Blue Album (they were on sale real cheap). And I've been listening to all three on my Ipod. The Blue Album is the one with their biggest hits "Buddy Holly" (which I still think is a mediocre song) and "Undone (The Sweater Song)" which I still ABSOLUTELY HATE! But my big problem was that the songs that got the most play on the radio might have been their worst songs. Because the Blue Album also features their hit "Say It Ain't So" which I totally dig! The Green Album's biggest hit might have been "Hash Pipe" - another kick-ass song. And the new one, the red one, has a single called "Pork and Beans" which is about refusing to follow a formula to have a hit record, no matter how bad the studio pressures you.

They ain't my favorite band or anything, but it's been fun rediscovering them and finding that I like a lot more of their stuff than I thought I would. The cool thing about the ipod is finding new stuff you weren't into or aware of before. Or rediscovering old music you hadn't had time to listen to for years.

Still reading Skipp & Spector's classic novel THE SCREAM, about a demonic rock band. I'm enjoying it, but as usual it takes me forever to read a book. I've been reading it for a month now, and I'm only up to page 300. I'm almost done (only 100 pages to go), but it takes me forever, since I mostly read on the subway during my commute back and forth from work. I really envy these people (a lot of whom I know) who can read a book a day or something. I have no idea how they do it.

Oh well, that's all for this installment. Until next time.

Infernally Yours,

LLS

FEAR ITSELF?

Well, I just saw the first episode of FEAR ITSELF, the new NBC show that is a watered-down spinoff of Showtime's MASTERS OF HORROR. Remember that one? The firsst season of MOH was pretty good -with some stellar episodes. I was really excited about future seasons. Then we got Season Two, and the quality level went waaay down. Aside from a few okay episodes (nothing all that great), Season Two was pretty sucky.

Then the show made the move from Showtime to NBC, with a name change. Now it's called FEAR ITSELF. But the premise is still the same. Horror movie directors direct hour-long segements of a horror anthology show.

Considering how bad Season Two of MOH was, I figured FEAR ITSELF had to be a step up.

But so far, it's business as usual. Now the gore's watered down, and instead of being R-rated fare, FEAR is PG stuff for network television.

The first episode "The Sacrifice" was written by series creator Mick Garris (from a story by Del Howison - which had to be better than this), and directed by Breck Eisner. You might be asking yourself, who the hell is Breck Eisner? Well, he's former Disney head Michael Eisner's son. Aside from that, he's directed mostly TV episodes. For FEAR ITSELF they hyped him in the press release as the "director of CREATURE OF THE BLACK LAGOON!" which is kind of absurd, since that hasn't come out yet - so it's no yardstick as to his talent (or lack thereof). Eisner is also supposed to be the director of the upcoming remake of George Romero's THE CRAZIES. Wow, two upcoming remakes. What amazing credits.

But enough about him. Back to the episode. Let's see. Four guys fleeing from a crime (one of them has been shot) get stranded when their truck breaks down. They go to some weird-looking fort in the woods, looking for help, and come upon three sisters who at first seem to be helping them, but then we learn that they lure people here (the truck breaking down was no accident) so that they can feed them to some ancient Romanian vampire who came over with their people on a boat decades (centuries?) before. They keep him well fed so that he doesn't go out into the outside world.

None of the characters were particularly compelling (I don't ask that characters be "likeable" but they have to at least be interesting), and even Jesse Plemons (Landry from the excellent NBC series FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) is annoying here. The vampire kinda sucked (some guy in weird make-up running around in fast motion). Nothing particularly new or noteworthy about this one.

A disappointing start to the series. And next week's episode with Eric Roberts as a detective who spends a night in a haunted house doesn't look much better (or any less cliched). Let's hope at least a few episodes are decent enough to recommend.

But nothing positive to report so far.

There was a time when horror anthology shows on TV didn't suck. I swear it. There was a show hosted by Boris Karloff from the 60s called THRILLER that was pretty cool, and while it had as many clunkers as good episodes, I'll always love NIGHT GALLERY, but then again, that was hosted by Rod Serling, who also gave us TWILIGHT ZONE, maybe the best anthology show ever.