Two Weeks of Terror Part 2

I’m splitting this up because that first post was getting a little big.

Again, the idea is a horror movie a night for two weeks. And what does this have to do with business? Nothing, except that every successful businessperson / entrepreneur should have a well-rounded life

October 26th – Tenebre (1982)- I’m doing two Dario Argento films in this (the next one will be later this week – if you know Argento, you can likely guess what it is.) Tenebre is more of a “stalker/slasher” movie than pure horror, but Giallo’s (the Italian name for such) have their place in the genre.

Tenebre is the story of a writer visiting Rome, whose novels seem to inspire a local murderer, making him a prime suspect. And that’s prettymuch it. Listen, Dario Argento isn’t much of a screenwriter, but he’s a hell of a director (one of my favorites.) He’s just a master withthe camera, and his touch is decidedly stylish – the moves, sweeps, panning, etc – he’s an artist witha lens. This is a great film to both watch and listen to (featuring a superb score by Goblin, the band he usually uses). It’s also pretty gory – Argento’svictims typically die spectacularly, with blood literally painting the walls.  But despite the gore, this is “art horror” (particularly the long outsideshot of the apartment building with the two girls… you’ll know it when you see it.)  

Expand your horizons – watch Tenebre and see a master director at work. Then get ready for the second Argento later this week.

October 27th – Don’t Look Now (1973) - As you can tell by the movies I’ve picked so far, the location and setting of the film mean a lot to me. Done well, it can make a good movie into a great one. And that’s the case with Don’t Look Now, a creepy little movie set in the most unromantic, downtrodden version of Venice you’ve ever seen. There are no gondolas with singing boatsmen here – just a damp, depressing, crumbling city ready to show you the darker elements of life. And that’s about all I’ll tell you (it’s all you really need to know.)

Like many of the movies I’ve chosen so far, this is more “atmospheric terror” than in-your-face scares – a group of teenagers turning this on while saying “ok, bring on the scary movie” will be disappointed.  But that’s ok – these movies are meant to be actually watched and experienced, not halfheartedly textedthrough. Watch this alone in the dark with no breaks and tell me what you think…

October 28th – The Blair Witch Project (1999) – This is likely the most polarizing movie in horror history – you either love it and think it’s brilliantly scary with one of the best/scariest ending scenes ever, or you hate it and say “it was nothing but shaky film and screaming”. And to be honest, it’s both – it’s just the people who love it see something beyond the screaming.

I tend to watch movies without pretense, without pre-formed opinions, etc. I like to watch them start to finish without interruption, and usually become engrossed in them – it’s the only way to watch movies, really (in my opinion anyway). And if you do that with Blair Witch, especially if you are alone, it will scare the @#$% out of you. Especially that ending. I almost don’t see how it can’t.

October 29 – La noche del terror ciego (Tombs of the Blind Dead) (1971)- This is a guilty pleasure of mine. Technically, it’s not a “great” horror film, but I can’t resist putting it here. It’s the first in the “Blind Dead” series by Spanish director Amando de Ossorio, and one of the creepiest films around. Like many good movies, it takes a bit to get going, but once everyone gets to the castle where the Blind Dead reside, it becomes everything you want it to be. The best part are the “blind” zombies who slowly shuffle towards their prey, relying on sound. They are ancient corpses, with rotting bone and tattered robes – some of the best looking zombies ever.  

One of my favorite DVD sets in my collection is the “Blind Dead” coffin box, seen here.

October 30th – The Beyond (1981)- I’m a fan of certain horror directors – Argento, George Romero, and Lucio Fulci all pop to mind. “The Beyond” is Fulci’s entry to my Two Weeks of Terror. It’s set in a run down New Orleans hotel that was built over one of the entrances to hell. There are supernatural happenings, killings, zombies, and… well… Hell.

Fulci is known for some surreal images and gore – buckets of it. People are killed by zombies, acid, spiders, etc. Despite what I’ve mentioned, however, out of my entire list, this one probably plays most like a “popcorn movie”. Maybe I’m just weird, but I’ve always found this one fun.

October 31 – Suspiria (1977)- My favorite horror film of all time is Dario Argento’s “Suspiria“. And why is it my favorite? Well, it’s not the story, which is average. Or the acting, which isn’t that great. It’s the way this movie looks, and sounds – in very simple terms, this is probably the most beautiful horror film ever shot, and has a score (again, by Argento staple ”Goblin”) that is worth owning on its own. The use of color and surreal images of the German dance academy(where the movie is set), along with some of the best horror music ever, invokes a dreamlike state that completely envelops a viewer – until, of course, the shockingly graphic violence that Argento is also known for. It makes for a mix of calm and terror that is unsurpassed. This would be a five star movie with no dialog at all.

And there you have it – two weeks of the best horror imaginable.

I know many were left out – Dawn/Day of the Dead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, The Omen, Salem’s Lot, A Nightmare on Elm Street, probably five Vincent Price films, Willard/Ben, Jaws, The Descent, Race with the Devil…. I could go on and on. Looks like I might have to do this again next year

Thanks for reading – one more movie post, and then we’ll get back to business.

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