31 Days of Horror-Day 24: Sisters (1973)

(dir. Brian De Palma)

*First time viewing

     Throughout his career, Brian De Palma has focused explicitly on themes of voyeurism, obsession, and the infliction of psychological trauma. While his shifts in character perspectives and plot twists sometimes come at the cost of creating a tonally consistent film, De Palma has always been one of the most entertaining directors of thrillers and horror films. Sisters focuses on reporter, Grace, who witnesses a man’s murder in the apartment across from her. The police don’t believe her story, leading her to investigate on her own. Grace becomes caught in a deadly tale of Siamese twin sisters, whose separation resulted in disturbing psychological consequences.

     De Palma’s film is part Rear Window and part Psycho, but the story lacks the impact of either of those masterpieces. Though De Palma has paid tribute to Hitchcock throughout his career, his films are always a little trashier (in the best sense of the word) and more exploitative than Hitchcock’s. Still, the schlock value is usually mixed with important sociological and psychological ideas. Sisters deals with race in the eyes of the police, female agency, and identity. While none of these concepts are given enough attention to really say anything significant, they prevent De Palma’s film from just being a pulp piece.

     Part of what makes De Palma’s films (Sisters in particular) so unique are his creative camera choices and shot constructions. Sisters is filled with neat flourishes, notably the use of a split screen two show a scene from two different perspectives. This makes the initial murder all the more striking. Later in the film, De Palma delivers exposition in a clever way by inserting Grace into another character’s memories through a very surreal form of hypnosis. Despite the fact that the twist becomes predictable in the third act and the ending note doesn’t have the resonance it should, De Palma’s directorial ability elevates the film.

Scare Factor: 1/5 While it falls more on the thriller end of the spectrum than genuine horror, there are still some thrills to be had. If you’re a fan of De Palma’s work, it’s well worth a watch. If you’re a De Palma virgin, Carrie and Blow Out are better examples of what he can achieve with a stronger script, but Sisters adds a nice sense of progression in the context of his career.

*Available to watch on Hulu Plus

31 Days of Horror-Day 23: Them (2006)

(dirs. David Moreau and Xavier Palud )

*First time viewing

     While the home-invasion horror film can no longer be considered original, I think they are the most consistently frightening. The destruction of sanctuary, the twisting of familiar spaces into something strange and dangerous is an understandable human fear based on evidence and not superstition or paranoia. Them destroys the sense of safety in every sense, and creates a chilling portrait of isolation. The French-Romanian film follows recently instated teacher, Clem, and her boyfriend Lucas, as they are attacked in their home by a group of hooded visitors who proceed to torment them throughout the night. When the hoods come off, Clem is faced with how dire her struggle to survive really is.

     Story-wise Them shares a number of similarities with The Strangers (which was released two years later) including its claim that it was based on a true story. There’s no evidence of its factual basis, but the film creates a convincing scenario. Them is a less cinematic feature than Bertino’s film, but there is a more realistic, albeit less frightening quality to it. While there are no creepy masks, Moreau and Palud make great use of sound, giving the visitors the means to make distinctly inhuman noises that keep their identities vague. The film’s twist ending is genuinely surprising and makes the events that transpired all the more disturbing.

Scare Factor: 3/5 It lacks a certain slickness in terms of visuals, but Them is gripping and it’s brief hour and sixteen minute runtime helps the film maintain tension. The film is relatively bloodless, and scares are a result of the characters’ fear at the possibility of being harmed, rather than harm done. While the story isn’t new, it still proves to be an effectively terrifying scenario.

**Available to watch on Hulu Plus

31 Days of Horror-Day 22: Grave Encounters (2011)

(dir. The Vicious Brothers)

*First time viewing

    Unintentionally we return to the mental hospital with Grave Encounters. Yes, it’s better than The Ward, but that’s not saying much. The film follows the crew of a paranormal reality show (think Ghost Hunters) as they explore an abandoned psychiatric hospital. But what was only supposed to consist of staged events, takes a turn when the crew become trapped in the hospital. Plagued by mistrust and ghosts, the crew slowly realize that hospital will find a way to create new patients, one way or another.

     The story is pretty standard but the film has its share of cool concepts (such as the shifting corridors, and constant night despite the passage of time). The ghosts are successfully terrifying and effects-wise the movie makes good use of its minuscule budget. But the good the film does is ruined by its annoying characters and unconvincing actors. I’m not usually one to complain about acting quality in horror movies, but found footage movies’ success is largely based on the natural line delivery of its cast (whatever you think about The Blair Witch Project or the Paranormal Activity franchise it’s hard to deny that their unknown actors deliver convincing performances that add a certain credence to whatever supernatural stuff is going down). While part of the bad performances seem intentional as part of the reality show that’s being filmed, the performances never get better when reality footage stops shooting. The repetitive and stiff dialogue in Grave Encounters make the frightening situation seem cheap and mostly ruins what would otherwise be a very solid film.

Scare Factor: 2/5 Grave Encounters has some creepy moments and ideas but the creation of tension is consistently thwarted by poor dialogue and acting.

**Available to watch on Netflix Instant

31 Days of Horror-Day 21: The Ward (2010)

(dir. John Carpenter)

*First time viewing

     John Carpenter returns to horror movies with The Ward, in which a young woman in 1966 is sent to a mental facility after burning down a farm house. In the facility, Kristen meets the other patients who are keeping a secret from her about the dead woman she keeps seeing in the hallways. As the girls in the ward are killed one by one, Kristen tries to find the reason behind the murders.

     The Ward is Carpenter’s first feature in almost ten years. I wish I could say it was a return to form for a master of genre films, but it sadly isn’t. While the script isn’t original it’s not like Carpenter hasn’t borrowed from pre-existing films before and turned out successful and sometimes great features. The true fault lies with the fact that the movie is so painfully devoid of style it could have been directed by any newcomer, instead of a virtual wizard with decades of experience. It’s visually polished to the point of being dull and the film’s lack of personality is disappointing for a director whose earlier works had the distinctness of being John Carpenter films.

     The story is dreadfully boring, offering nothing in terms of scares or compelling concepts. The characters are ill-defined psychiatric hospital clichés complete with the girl who sings to herself and a Nurse Ratched knock off. While the twist ending is somewhat interesting, it doesn’t save the preceding 80 minutes. If this film had been made during the 70s or 80s, perhaps with Carpenter on script and music duty as well as directing, it could have been at least an entertaining ride. But modern filmmaking doesn’t seem to mesh with Carpenter’s skills.

Scare Factor: 1/5 As someone who has an immense amount of respect for John Carpenter, trust me when I say this is one film in his filmography you can skip. Save yourself the time and watch one of his classics instead.

**Available to watch on Netflix Instant

31 Days of Horror-Day 20: The Caller (2011)

(dir. Matthew Parkhill)

*First time viewing

     The great thing about caller ID is that you don’t have to pick up for calls you don’t recognize. In most cases it’s some sales pitch or scam, but there’s always a chance that it could be a woman from forty years ago who’s desperately looking to make you her friend, at any cost. This is the situation Mary finds herself in in The Caller. Seeking a fresh start after leaving her abusive husband, Mary moves into a new apartment where she starts receiving mysterious phone calls from Rose, a woman calling from the past whose own abusive relationship has left her unstable. Believing she’s found a kindred spirit, Mary tries to help. But then Rose starts showing up in Mary’s old childhood photos…

     The Caller is the kind of movie that starts off being pretty interesting, and then shifts into awesomely crazy mode. While the cinematography is flat and the film isn’t visually interesting, the script by Sergio Casci transcends the mediocre direction. The story, while complex, never becomes convoluted in its time travel rules. The time travel is used with enough restraint that it remains effective at raising the stakes as the story progresses. And by the time the film reaches its ending, it feels completely earned.

Scare Factor: 3/5 The Caller is a highly original blend of horror and time travel that starts slow but becomes absolutely pulse-pounding. It’s a film that will sneak up on you. Out of all the non-wide release horror films available to stream, The Caller has one of the most unique narratives.

**Available to watch on Netflix Instant

31 Days of Horror-Day 19: Eyes Without a Face (1960)

(dir. Georges Franju)

*First time viewing

     The first thing you may think of when you hear “Eyes Without a Face”, is that catchy Billy Idol song, but it’s also the title of a fantastic French film that explores beauty, horror, and the limits of guilt and gratitude. Eyes Without a Face is the story of a surgeon who kidnaps young women and cuts off their faces to replace his daughter’s, who was horribly disfigured in a car accident of his own fault. It’s wonderfully mad science explored with elegant precision and stunning imagery.

     Franju’s film mixes gothic beauty with grotesque horror, creating a film that is as startling as it is stunning. I’ll admit that I was surprised by how far the film went with its story (and lack of cutaways during the facial cutting), especially given the time in which the film was made. I found it to be just as risky and important a film for the genre as Hitchcock’s Psycho which debuted the same year (both films would later go on to influence John Carpenter’s Halloween.) But what makes the film all the more surprising and memorable is how the grisly nature of the story is balanced with compassion. Christiane’s transformation, beneath the surface of her mask, is a remarkable work of character development that is achieved with little dialogue. The characters are particularly well-rounded, and the film achieves this easily without relying on much exposition. While a lot horror delves deeper into inhumanity as the story progresses, Eyes Without a Face relies on the process of reclaiming humanity.

Scare Factor: 2/5 Don’t be turned off by the subtitles or fooled by the black and white, Eyes Without a Face pushes the limits in terms of what it will show. It’s not only an exceptional horror film, it’s an exceptional film.

**Available to watch on Hulu Plus

31 Days of Horror-Day 18: Inferno (1980)

(dir. Dario Argento)

*First time viewing

    Few directors can so successfully break down the rules of story logic and character advancement in service of the image and still create a gripping film like Dario Argento. He doesn’t just make movies, rather he creates orchestras of horror. Inferno is a thematic sequel to Suspiria, continuing the tale of “The Three Mothers.” Seeing Suspiria isn’t required to understand Inferno, but watching both does add an interesting layer of mythology (and Suspiria is a masterpiece that should be watched regardless). The story takes place in Rome and New York and follows two siblings as they separately try to uncover the secret purpose of an apartment building housing something ancient and evil.

     Argento routinely places visuals above story. While this can be problematic at times, his visuals are like no other director in the genre. His stylistic use of lighting and color (aided by cinematographer Romano Albani) creates a palette not commonly seen in horror movies. Inferno is less narratively succinct than Suspiria and story-wise Argento doesn’t stretch himself much. Some of the plot points become muddled and there are shifts in character perspectives that only serve the orchestration of clever killings. Still, this has little effect on the overall quality of the movie. It’s occasionally messy story only serves to enhance the dreamlike quality of the film as it builds to a frantically paced finale. Coupled with the soundtrack by Keith Emerson, Inferno is gorgeously surreal and occasionally dizzying in its attempt to stun.

Scare Factor: 3/5 Dario Argento is one of the masters of horror and his style is unmistakable. While Inferno takes some time to build, the unique and well-choreographed death scenes are worth waiting for. It’s style over substance done the right way.

**Available to watch on Hulu.