Posts Tagged ‘movies’
Are You Horror’s Biggest Fan?
Happy Monday once again my friends! Here we are only 2 weeks away from Halloween and just 7 short days from the beginning of the Coffin Hop! I hope you are as excited as I am. Fall is in full swing and I feel my mood lifting as my favorite season takes hold. 
No self-respecting horror fan would admit to loving Summer over Fall. It’s against the rules. You must love Halloween, Stephen King and all things Lovecraft to be a true horror fan. Wait….what? I don’t even like Lovecraft (though I do adore Mr. King.) Are you as tired as I am of genre snobs trying to tell you what’s acceptable to like and what you must consider garbage? You know who I’m talking about, maybe it’s even YOU! Those people who consider themselves elite, their opinions above everyone else’s, their knowledge superior. They often use the word purist, and they are present in every avenue of artistic beauty, from music, to films, to literature.
I went to the movies this weekend with my beloved Lou. Despite reading nothing but horrendous reviews, we decided to take a chance on The Thing, which promised to be a prequel to the original, rather than a remake. Having not seen a single positive note about the film, I will admit I had lowered my expectations. I must say, though it wasn’t the best horror film I have ever seen, it wasn’t bad. We both enjoyed it. Neither one of us felt we’d been screwed out of 20 bucks and two hours of our lives. The review that sticks out most in my mind, went on and on about the lack of suspense compared to the original, the lack of character development compared to the original, the blah-de-fucking-blah compared to the original. Anyway, it got me thinking about that group of assholes, you know who I’m talking about, that think they are Horror’s Biggest Fan. It’s not enough that they declare they have seen EVERYTHING horror has to offer, but they also will dissect each and every film (or book) claiming to understand the directors motives and using pretentious terms that only college professors appreciate. You know, that schmuck that rolls his eyes, should you admit you don’t see the genius in Sam Raimi’s work, and calls you an imbecile.
These people are present in all walks of life, I have noticed they can be particularly obnoxious in the music industry, but I ask you this, why do we tolerate it? Shouldn’t you have the right to like what you like, without some pretentious prick feeling that it is his/her duty to illustrate to you just how and why you are wrong? And that’s the funniest part. It’s opinion for cripes sake! There is no right or wrong. I’m not picking on my friends who said they didn’t like The Thing. That’s their opinion and I totally respect them for it. I’m talking about that more heinous group of individuals who would treat me like a caveman for not liking Lovecraft. Clearly I am uncouth and know nothing of the genre.
Before I go any farther, some of you may be thinking back to the unfavorable post I did on the re-make of Fright Night. I stated clearly that it was only my opinion, openly admitting that I was prejudiced against the film due to both the 3D and the fact that it was a childhood favorite. I look forward to giving it another chance on DVD.
The most humorous thing about Horror’s Biggest Fan, is with his ever-present disdain for anything mainstream or commercially popular, he fails to recognize his own hypocrisy. Should you mention Scream, he will throw out some obscure title, delighting in the fact you’ve never heard of it, and informing you of how it is far superior horror since it never gained mainstream acceptance. In fact, the only constant that seems true of all these people, whether they are talking about literature or music or whatever they have styled themselves to be the experts about, is that anything with commercial success is shit. If it is universally loved by the masses, it must be worthless. I bet these people hate puppies. And fucking apple pie!
I don’t believe that you should jump on bandwagons and like something just because everyone else does. But I think it’s just as big a sin to not give something a chance because it’s popular. We are all individuals with different tastes and perceptions. I like what I like, regardless of what others say. Especially genre snobs. In fact, I will listen to their pretentious bullshit only if forced. Of course, what do I know? I’m just a buffoon who enjoys Sam Raimi’s movies, but wouldn’t call them genius. These idiots are the same ones who will soon be leaving me rambling reviews on Amazon, comparing me to Lovecraft and outlining all the ways I come up short. Now that’s scary……
The Coffin Hop is sneaking up on us! Get ready for the fun next Monday when 80+ horror authors will be hosting contests that will put the Howl in your Halloween! Visit me again on Monday, October 24th for a chance to win the items in the picture below, including a signed copy of Dark Moon Digest Presents Zombies!
For The Love Of Vampires.
So I spent my Sunday afternoon in a dark theater, wearing dorky glasses, and munching overpriced, yet absolutely perfect popcorn. Lou and I had been eagerly anticipating the release of the remake of one of my favorite films of all time, Fright Night. Yesterday was the only day that we could fit it into the schedule, and as a bonus, our local theater had just been reopened under new management. Freshly cleaned and updated with dazzling new technology, the theater was a very pleasant place to be as we anxiously awaited the start of what would our first 3D experience in many years.
This was especially exciting for me as there were at least two years of my life, I believe between the age of ten and twelve, when I watched the original almost every day. I loved that movie. I still do. I have always been a fan of the horror genre, but if I had to pick, I could easily say that my all time favorite movies are the vampire ones. There’s just something about them. I will watch ANY vampire movie, regardless of how ridiculous it may seem. In fact, I will even put up with sparkly ones, though they aren’t my favorites. I’m actually more annoyed by the fact that they don’t have fangs, but then again, there were no fangs in Near Dark either, and that movie rocked! But I digress.
I’ve decided that this week I will do a post about my feelings on this film. No worries, there will be no plot spoilers here, just my honest opinion of this remake. So upon entering the theater and buying a ticket, this movie already had about 5 points in it’s favor, just by virtue of being a vampire movie. Subtract 3 points for the 3D, I absolutely despise 3D, and it was still a good 2 points ahead of the game. I will refrain from using points for the rest of the post. I hate math about as much as I hate 3D. Let’s get back to this.
I am generally as skeptical of a remake as the next guy…er…gal, and this was no different. To date, the only remakes that I have truly appreciated have been Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. I’m not saying that these films were superior to the originals, only that they were respectful and good enough to stand alone. The remake of Halloween just pissed me off. I mean, seriously! Half of what makes Michael Myers so scary is because we know he was evil from childhood, but don’t know why. Throw in some abuse and Viola! He’s just some schmuck with every reason to be crazy. We have enough of those people in real life.
I promised an opinion of Fright Night, but I’m not really sure I know how I feel about it. It wasn’t great. It was different enough from the original that I wasn’t trying to compare it much. The only things I really did compare were the characters of Charlie and Evil Ed, and I liked neither. With Charlie I was left with a feeling of apathy, I didn’t really care what happened to him either way. Evil Ed on the other hand pissed me off. As one of the most colorful characters in the first movie, this kid just didn’t pull it off. He was whiny and a bit pathetic.
The majority of the movie was really quite bad, but the last twenty minutes seemed to save the film. I despised Colin Farrell as the vampire for the most part, but he really seemed to get it together at the end. There were some final scenes that were really fantastic, but I don’t know if that makes the movie good. I will say that I found it acceptable. I am looking forward to seeing the movie in 2D, before I fully form an opinion, since the 3D is such a distraction. It was much better than when I was a kid, but it’s still such a gimmick.
I guess that’s it. The movie was acceptable as a horror film, I certainly didn’t leave feeling as though I wanted my 40 bucks back, but maybe 10 or 20 of it. They will continue to remake the movies we love, and we will continue to feel conflicted about it. Such is life. I actually heard that they are planning to remake Dirty Dancing. Now that’s scary…..
