Similars - Peeping Tom and The Resident

I finally had a look-see at Peeping Tom, where art and science come together. This young male had been a life long research subject for his father's research on the nervous system and fear. Mark Lewis seemed to be a combination of an extension of his father's fear response research, coupled with a talent for photography and film. This peeper directed his own movie about fear, called "The Walls are Closing In"; the ultimate fear being watching your own death, orchestrating the police investigation and ultimately his own death as the last part of his film.

The next night I watched a film which I thought was a ghost story, but it was not. The 2010 Hammer Production of The Resident with Hilary Swank Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Christopher Lee. Definitely creepy.

Similarities? Both Peeping Tom and The Resident have male main characters; disturbed with parent hangups. The main characters in both films live in the old inherited house and rent rooms; both men have sexual hangups, and a love of voyeurism. This voyeur is especially creepy because  (a) it's in the heart of Manhattan (b) it's an entirely plausible story line (less the usual horror death scenes.)
Both films lead to the same conclusion - don't rent - buy a home!
I enjoyed class with everyone - have a good summer.
Janice Garren

The Horror...The Horror...The Horror

I cannot say that I had ever taken horror films all that seriously before taking this course. I spent (or perhaps misspent) a good portion of my youth seeking out the lowest budget, worst horror films that I could find. I thought they were hilarious, and I still do. There is something very amusing and even charming about watching someones earnest effort to make a scary film, and fall so unbelievably short. I have watched and enjoyed many popular and higher budget horror films as well. My favorite of which is The Shinning.

The Shining has a million different interpretations but to me illustrates a central idea that I had realized during this course. Horror film monsters were almost always humanoid in form but it seems after WWII, real humans became the villains. The advent of Film Noir points to this as well. I believe this says that the most frightening monster is mankind. After the atrocities of the holocaust and the war itself, it was apparent that humans are capable of the most truly revolting, insane, and terrifying acts. Even in films with monsters, the monsters were created or antagonized by humans. Our own fears can turn us into the monsters that we are afraid of. The fear of being alone or unloved-Eyes Without a Face, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Last Circus. The fear of being controlled-Island of Lost Souls and Videodrome. The fear of the human mind-Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Peeping Tom. The fear of the future or the unknown-the Universal monster films and Don't Look Now. All of these fears have the potential of becoming a living nightmare. In the end the monster that you feel lurking in the shadows might just be hiding in the mirror.

PSYCHO - TRAILER (1960)

Here is the original teaser trailer for Alfred Hicthcock's horror classic with the master of suspense himself taking us on a tour of the Bates Motel.  Smart, clever and quite funny.

The Last Circus

Beside the house I grew up in, there was an electric fence. I'm not sure who started it, but my siblings and I along with our neighborhood friends all had our turn getting shocked then tricking or coercing the next kid who hadn't touched it yet into doing so, all to experience the "fun" jolt. It wasn't enough voltage to inflict any real, lasting pain but, it didn't feel very good either. We all got a real kick out of watching each reaction. That's what watching, then recommending this film is like. The Last Circus is rather unpleasant to experience but the shock is oddly worthwhile. I actually really like this film. As a matter of fact I'm watching it on Netflix as I write this. Once you get past the over the top violence and insanity, there is a really strong message. That message to me is: if people battle for absolute control or possession of something (a country) or someone, they will ultimately destroy it and themselves. The line between dedication and fanaticism can so easily be blurred when it comes to something worthy of great passion.

The Last Circus - Director Interview

I couldn’t stop thinking about last night’s film, The Last Circus. I was impressed with the political metaphor, and the way that De la Iglesia set vibrant colors on circus items against the gray, muted colors of the rest of the film. I found a short interview with De la Iglesia and Caroline Bang (the girl between Javier and Sergio). Interesting thing to note: The large cross at the end is not only a real place, but the skulls of the dead are also real – relics of Franco and war. I will be watching this movie again, and again. Here is an interesting excerpt and a link to the rest.

LWLies: What was it about the circus that worked as a metaphor for telling this story?

De la Iglesia: I think it is a way to talk about my life. My life is like a circus, and I am like a clown. To live, to survive, is to have a disguise. Everybody wants to be funny, to have a good time with others. All my friends and me and my past is something like a circus. In other ways, maybe my country and my kind of life is similar [to a circus]. I remember my past, when I was eight years old, I lived a strange nightmare with bombs and violence in the streets. I wondered why, and I have the feeling that I didn’t deserve this. So maybe this movie is my revenge.

http://www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/interviews/alex-de-la-iglesia-and-carolina-bang-12300

Two of my favorites...

Both of these movies came out in the late 70's and apparently that was a very influential time for imprinting on my psyche. These, to me, are the epitome of the horror film. The encompass the supernatural, the things we can't see, the disembodied voices, the religious implications of what we consider good and evil, and the helplessness we feel when we are not in control of our surroundings.
If you haven't yet been "horrored" out, put these two on your list.

TIM BURTON'S "ED WOOD"

Now that you have had a taste of "Plan 9 From Outer Space", it's time to check out this great bio-pic.