Irrelevant But Awesome

Jason:  And now, for the piece de resistance ! Ever since this movie came out, there has been a debate amongst fans. Is this a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie? I’ve always ascribed to the philosophy “Porque no los dos?” and thus I watch it every Halloween AND Christmas. Anyone who has ever known me knows that I can recite this film from front to back, dialogue, sound effects, and all. I don’t know what it is about it but I just love it dearly. When it first came out, it was not the first stop-motion animation movie. There have been claymation films and stop motion for almost as long as there have been movies! See Ray Harryhousen for some of the best in the craft. But this was one of the first fully stop-motion feature films to use armature puppets. It was also Tim Burton’s first go at a feature length animated film and it is arguably still his best. The music is memorable and singable. The story, while full of deeper meaning, is light and enjoyable. I dunno, I could tal...

Jason:  I chose this movie because of its placement under the “Scary Movie” list on Netflix and it is not out of place on that list. At least for the first two thirds, or even three quarters of the movie. The atmosphere that is built through Suki’s interactions with the other residents and her experiences at Juniper Tower is chilling and surreal. To think that there may actually be places like that out there in the world is scary in its own right. Just the degradation of the building and the squalid condition of the tenants’ quarters speak to the emotional state of all the girls who live there. From a psychological standpoint, the idea of DID and schizophrenia are terrifying. Seeing as this movie is based on a graphic novel, I don’t think they were going for a very realistic portrayal of these conditions but it turned out heady and mental nonetheless. I was very much into the story for most of the movie. The interrogation and the murder investigation seemed like they were ...

Jason:  I am not a big proponent of the found-footage style of movie making. Shaky cam makes my head hurt.And usually, those kinds of movies are light on the scares, choosing to fill in the extra space with overly emotional reaction shots. Keeping all of that in mind, The Taking Of Deborah Logan is not a typical example of this style. Not for the most part, anyways. Starting out as a doctoral thesis documentary about a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s and her deterioration from it, the camera work is pretty steady and is set up to be watchable. It looks like a camcorder but it isn’t all over the place. Of course, by the end, there is no stability at all and you only get glimpses of what’s going on around as the video cuts in and out and the sound is all echoey and distorted. But that isn’t what makes this one hard to watch. The depiction of the disease, while not 100% medically accurate, is emotionally spot on. Deborah is being cared for by her daughter, Sarah. Both are emot...

Jason:  Considered to be one of the modern classics of horror that came out in the 80’s, Hellraiser is a beautiful marriage of sick effects, intriguing plot, and gorgeous cinematography. This first film in the franchise explores the consequences of digging too deeply into forbidden pleasures. The character of Pinhead (who wasn’t originally called Pinhead, but Priest in early drafts) and the rest of the Cenobites in this movie are intriguing to me. More so in this film than in the sequels, they represent a neutral force who are only there to give people what they truly desire. It wasn’t until the sequels started rolling out that they became more bent on… well, raising hell. But in their beginnings here, they represent nothing more than the ultimate conclusion of one’s own choices. I think that is a unique look at the main monster of a movie in this genre at this time. In a market saturated by psycho killers who are out for nothing but blood and chaos, to have the Cenobites be...

Jason:  I am a huge H.P. Lovecraft fan. Now that that’s out of the way, this may be one of the best Lovecraft adaptations that has ever been made. The story is a retelling of one of HPL’s serialized stories, “Herbert West: Reanimator”. It takes its liberties and changes quite a few things, namely the time setting. Originally, they were going to have this movie set in the early 1920’s, same as the story, but because of budgeting constraints, they modernized it. And I think that it works really well in a more modern era. The same questions of what is life, and can we beat death are no closer to being answered now than they were when the story was written. And, this was originally supposed to be a multi-part film that would have come out in sequence, just like the story did. There again, it had to be cut down to a single 90 minute movie because of money. I could go on and on about the differences between HPL’s story and the movie but that could take a while. Just like any ove...

Jason:  If you put a few movie nerds in a room and get them talking about horror films, they will inevitably get around to Silence of the Lambs . I remember watching this for the first time and being genuinely creeped out by it the whole time. It doesn’t have all the jump scares or scary monsters or lurking terror of other horror movies but it really goes to show that it is the monster you know that is the most terrifying. The reason this movie is so successful in making people afraid is because from the very beginning, it makes you identify more with the monster than with the hero. Throughout the movie, we are shown Hannibal Lecter as a gentleman who respects art and literature and decent conversation. Sure he talks about eating people and asks some pretty inappropriate personal questions, but he seems like a real person. He could be the guy next to you on the bus mentioning how much he likes your shoes. In the other direction, you are made to feel anger and disgust for th...

Jason:  This movie is a departure from the movies we’ve seen so far in that there is absolutely nothing supernatural going on. No monsters, no ghosts, no aliens, nothing. That being said, it is pretty stinkin scary! And not in the loud noise, flash of light and movement scary either. This is scary in just how plausible it is! The whole thing takes place in this one dude’s house and the whole time, he is literally torturing his “guest”. Upon second viewing, I realized that from the very moment John walks in, Warwick is leading him down a dark path. It is clear at the end that Warwick is aware that he is absolutely batpoop crazy and that he is actively trying to keep his home life and his outside life separated. It’s when the two start to intersect that everything starts falling apart for him. The real creepy factor of this movie is in the fact that there are people out there with mental illnesses that could lead them to do these kinds of things to other people. And David Hy...

Jason:  On Dark Skies day, I mentioned that there were two alien movies on the list. This is technically the second. I say that this is technically an alien movie for two reasons: First, at the beginning, we see a meteor crash into the ocean, which you are supposed to assume is how the creatures got here. And second, the director has said he specifically made references to Ridley Scott’s original Alien film franchise in the movie. Other than that, this is a straight-up creature feature all the way. It is truly amazing what can happen when you start with a dumb idea, add a giant tentacle monster, and douse the whole thing in alcohol. OK, so the plot is a little thin and the characters are super predictable. But that is what makes this movie charming! The dynamic between Lisa and O’Shea is adorable from the very beginning. And only in Ireland can you get away with the silly town drunk being the voice of reason and logic. Paddy’s character is delightful. Also, I think we s...

Jason:  First of all, I hope that everyone watched the right iteration of this film. The one with Vincent Price, not Jeff Goldblum.  Now that we’ve gotten that straight… This movie is considered to be a Halloween cult classic. It doesn’t have a whole lot in the way of scares or terror but it still remains a seasonal favorite. For the time, the make-up effects were decent. The way Andre’s fly head twitches and vibrates makes it look pretty convincing for a 1950’s puppet mask. The story, however, is what is so captivating. I have been reading a lot of Lovecraft stories lately and I couldn’t help but draw a comparison between them and this movie. The plot is very Lovecraftian. Let me explain: The main character is a highly intellectual recluse who spends most of his time in research. He stumbles across some natural secret that ultimately leads to his destruction. As he is trying to rectify his discovery, he slips farther and farther away from his humanity until he is com...

Jason:  As the first of two alien films on this list, Dark Skies follows the classic abduction story line and goes for a lurking terror plot. It’s pretty formulaic. And as Emily and I were watching it, we kept looking at each other with incredulity. This family, who is supposedly going through pretty bad financial struggles, lives in a huge, multi-level house, have at least one nice car, hold dinner parties in their backyard, and can afford a six camera, night vision, wireless security camera system. But they want to cut back on the cable. It’s like the writers don’t know what it means to be in a financial crisis. And the chemistry between the actors is not the best. Kerri Russel does a pretty good job playing a freaked out mom but she and the husband have a weird tension between them. I dunno. That isn’t to say that this movies doesn’t have some redeeming qualities, though. The alien design is spooky and they never get to the point where they are shown too much. They get t...

Jason:  I am so glad I put this one on this list! This is one of the only movies on here that I haven’t seen before. I haven’t laughed so much at a zombie movie since the first time watching Shaun of the Dead . Man, England has had a rough time with the undead. 28 Days/Weeks later, Shaun of the Dead, Dracula, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and this movie (to name a few). When the plague does start, I’m betting it hits London first. There are wonderful zombie tropes that this film hits with perfection and some that it highlights like no other zombie movie I’ve seen. There is a scene where an old man with a walker is being chased, but not caught, by a whole group of the undead. They match pace and it is hilarious! Going into this, I was a little worried that it would be ultra campy and light on the hard core horror but this thing pulled NO punches! The baby. That is all. I have found a new zombie movie to add to my personal collection! There are feels, comedy, terror, and ...

Jason:  The Babadook is a compelling and refreshing horror film. This is a story about possession but not in the traditional sense. What possesses the main character is not a demon or an evil spirit, but a memory and an emotion. We spend the whole movie learning bit by bit about this woman and her son. We learn of their relationship to each other, their family, and everyone around them. And the more we know, the worse it seems. The beginning plays out very much like any other supernatural ghost story but the more things start to get out of hand, the more you realize that they were that way to begin with.The psychology behind what befalls Sam and his mother is intriguing and truly terrifying in its reality. Artistically, this film is beautiful. It was shot on a low budget but there is not much for that to affect. The story relies on emotional response to the characters as opposed to special effects or monster make-up. The allusions  that can be found throughout the mo...

We are 2 months away from new Star Wars and although we've had several teasers, we haven't had a full trailer for the movie in which has a ton of secrecy surrounding it. But that all changes now with the release of the first full trailer for Force Awakens! It's here! Enjoy!