The Changeling (1980)

I kept hearing a lot about "The Changeling," namely that it was one of the scariest horror films out there yet it never spilled one drop of blood.

The film definitely falls into the same category as "The Others"; both are haunted house spook stories that focus on a huge reveal that is the turning point of the story. In "The Changeling," composer John Russell takes his family on a vacation to a snow-laden woods, where they're killed in a freak accident. In order to recover from the loss of his wife and child, Russell rents out a huge Victorian manor in Seattle. He tries to focus on lectures and composing new pieces, but a strange banging at 6 a.m. every morning along with the sense of a strange presence in the house leaves him feeling that he is not alone.

Slowly he pieces together the desires behind the strange entity that lives in the house, finding secrets buried in all the nooks and crannies. Despite being over thirty years old, this film definitely still holds up. A lot of eighties horror films edge on either campiness or cheesiness, but the actors here were great.

George C. Scott was outstanding as the main character, giving us a grieving husband and father who's pitted against this supernatural problem. His character came off very real -- these were real people presented with a problem that truly seemed like it could happen in the every day. It's Amityville style, where the ghosts are playing with your head and your perceptions instead of being full-bodied apparitions for no discernible reason.

The special effects are few and far between, but they're used to their fullest potential. Loud banging at precisely 6 a.m. that has no apparent source, moving furniture, EVP voices all show trace amounts of the supernatural that could exist in the real world. It's slowly coming back into vogue with things like Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch, and it's definitely something I would like to see more of.

In the end, I was definitely satisfied with the recommendation. It just seems that it's really difficult to go wrong with a haunted house movie -- taking our homes and turning them against us, making the one thing that is supposed to be our refuge and safe place work against us is possibly the most terrifying idea ever. Home is an integral part of the self, so making it a person in itself with wants and desires creates an other in us that is uncontrollable and confronts some of our deepest desires. This film is very much a must-see.

Saturday Horror Short #16

Loom is a short film that tells the story of a successful catch. It's very metaphorical and abstract, leaving the viewer to piece together what exactly it might mean.

Loom from Polynoid on Vimeo.

House of Usher (2006)

Potentially a reboot of the classic Vincent Price/Roger Corman film, or else a modern day adaptation of the Poe story, House of Usher doesn't really do a whole lot outside of its pretty cinematography to entice the viewer into watching.

If you're familiar with the story, you'll essentially know what's going on. Jillian, a massage therapist, drops everything when she hears that her best friend, Madeleine Usher, has passed away from a mysterious illness. She drives to the Usher family estate for the funeral, and ends up reconnecting with Madeleine's brother, Roderick (given the shorter, sportier nickname Rick), who is her ex. So, yeah, a few changes to the short story, and that's only a few.

But the majority of the film encompasses Jill and Rick debating their hot and cold relationship (usually in soft whispering voices that almost make it seem like the actors weren't really sure how to approach the material), Jill whining about Rick keeping secrets, and, well, more slow dialogue. Jill does get fleeting glimpses of Maddie throughout the house, but that's all they ever measure up to be as the maid (played by Beth Grant, who's characters are usually a little kookier and more fun than the tight-lipped, sour faced woman she's called upon to be here) is ever present to stop her from lingering too far.

You can tell something weird is up when Rick spends most of his time either a) writing an atrocious sounding novel that I'm sure is supposed to be reflective of Poe himself but sounds a bit more like bad 8th grade poetry or b) sexing Jill up under the pretense of "needing comfort" after his sister's death. I guess sex is the only thing guys can think about after all? Once Jill ends up pregnant (apparently Rick's endgame), all the family skeletons come out of the closet and the dastardly truth of calling Jill to the homestead comes to light.

Overall, I'd skip this film and watch the Vincent Price version where the characters are brought to life much more vividly and the back story in it isn't as slimy. Certain additions to the film really turned me off to it, including Jill's pregnancy and other facts that I won't disclose here if you still feel inclined to check this thing out. I'm usually down for anything Poe related, but this was a real bummer.

Buried (2010)

What would you do if you woke up in a pine box buried in the ground? That's the situation presented in Buried; a contractor working overseas in Iraq wakes to find himself buried, with only a flashlight, a lighter, a cell phone and a few other items to help get himself unburied.

Since the entire film takes place within a six by two foot box, you'd think that it would be difficult to keep the audience's attention -- but honestly, Ryan Reynolds does a bang up job of riveting your eyes to the screen. You can really feel the frustration as he does whatever he can to make his limited battery life count. Government numbers, his wife's number, his company's phone number all come to his memory's forefront, and each gives up a different consequence, rounding out a short but sweet story that has a very shocking ending.

It starts off simple enough -- Reynolds' character is a contract truck driver working in Iraq, during the recent "conflict". He's not a solider, and neither he nor any of his coworkers have any sort of protection, defensive or offensive, against insurgents. So when their truck gets hit, there's nothing they can do. Slowly the story is pieced together; not just a story of one many trying to get himself out of an impossible situation, but also of how a larger entity, such as a government or country, treats a singular person. After all, what's one person when their life is stacked against several thousands, nay, millions?

It's really amazing how absolutely frustrating -- and honestly, thats the word to describe this film, at least when you put yourself in the character's point of view -- it is to watch this character make phone calls and how easily people write him off. At one instance, one woman even tells him to "not be so rude." Is this something that a lot of people prank phone call about? HELP I'M BURIED IN A BOX IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH OXYGEN- Sorry, sir, please hold. He is continuously shuffled from person to person, and in the end there's really only one man who gives a shit.

The best part of it, I think, was how one caller interweaves the reassuring story of how he found one man to whom this similar situation had happened. He was kidnapped but rescued, and was back home safe and sound with his family. It's pretty amazing on what you can do with such a small scope and a very talented actor. The film really doesn't waste any of its 95 minutes, moving constantly from one obstacle to the next as time is ticking for the man in the box.

Saturday Horror Short #15

Today's horror short isn't necessarily horrific -- it's actually pretty cute and funny -- but it's got a lot of horror elements in it. Le Taxidermiste is an adorable twist on a woman saying good by to her taxidermist husband after he passes away. Check it out!



Le Taxidermiste from Le Taxidermiste Team on Vimeo.