Phil's Horror Watch, Day 15: Phil watches SCREAM (1996)-October 15, 2011

Hello there and welcome to Day Fifteen of Phil's Horror Watch. So after a long day at work, I meet up some friends, had a few drinks, and pondered what film to watch when I got home. A friend of mine suggested the film SCREAM, and I thought, "That's not a bad idea."

Theatrical Movie Poster (1996)

Ok, now I usually talk about the film plot right here, but since it's late at night (and I had quite a few drinks), I think I'll skip this part. But I mean, let's face it. If you have never seen the film yet, then you really need to come out from under that rock you've been living in! Or come out of that dark, dank cave!

By the early 90's the horror genre was literally dead. The slasher genre was over. Major studios were not making any real horror films. Psychological thrillers were popular at this time. Films like MISERY (1990) and THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991) were hugely popular and very successful. Combining strong storytelling, popular actors, and real scares (and in some cases some very cool gore), these films were deemed acceptable, but in disguise, these were horror films. When you have a serial killer cut up person, peels his skin off and makes a suit out of it, if that isn't a horror film then I don't know what is! Thankfully, by 1996, along comes director Wes Craven screenwriter Kevin Williamson to inject new life into the horror genre.

It cannot be overstated just how important SCREAM is. It single-handedly revitalized not only horror films, but slasher films as well. With its very clever script, the film recognized and acknowledged all the horror films that came before it (HALLOWEEN, FRIDAY THE 13TH, and Craven's own masterpiece A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET) while also reinitiating the rules of the genre and poking fun at them, while scaring the audience with those same rules. The film was a boxoffice success, leading to three sequels. The fourth film of the franchise was released earlier this year to great fanfare. The original film was released by Dimension Films on December 20, 1996.

SCREAM is one of the top ten horror films to come out in the past fifteen years. Combining horror and fun, it is now become part of pop culture. If you don't believe me, on Halloween night, count how many kids dressed up in Ghostface you see. Then tell me that I'm full of it! That's right!

SCREAM is available on DVD and on Blu-Ray. To purchase a copy, visit your local retailer, or visit the Amazon website at www.amazon.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil's Horror Watch, Day 14: Phil sees the FRIGHT NIGHT/CHILD'S PLAY double feature at the Castro Theatre-October 14, 2011

Welcome back to Day Fourteen of Phil's Horror Watch! Tonight my friends and I journeyed back up to San Francisco, where at the world famous Castro Theatre, they were having a fantastic 80's horror double feature! So let's not waste any time people!!

Theatrical Movie Poster (1985)

The first film of the night was the classic (and original) FRIGHT NIGHT! Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) is a huge fan of traditional Gothic horror films. He stays up late at night to watch the horror movie TV series "Fright Night" hosted by Hammer Horror style actor, Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowell), who played a vampire killer for many years in horror movies. He also has a great girlfriend named Amy Peterson (Amanda Bearse) and a wacky friend named "Evil" Ed (Stephen Geoffreys). But when he suspects that his new next door neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire, his only hope to saving his life, and Amy's, is to enlisted the aid of the renowned vampire killer himself.

I love this movie! Sarandon is fantastic in the film, and brings a new form of sophistication to the vampire mythos. Charming still, but with a fresh 80's sense of style and behavior. Plus when he's in his full vampire mode, watch out!! Great acting, great story, and great special effects equals a classic horror film! And to see the film projected on the humongous Castro screen was incredible! Also the film was from an original 35mm print, so it had all the lovely scratches, pops, and it looked awesome! The film was distributed by Columbia Pictures and originally released to theaters on August 4, 1985.

Theatrical Movie Poster (1988)

The second film was another 80's horror classic that, in my humble opinion, still holds up. CHILD'S PLAY is about Charles Lee Ray, the serial killer known in Chicago as "The Lakshore Strangler" (portrayed by Brad Dourif). Trapped in a toy store by Chicago Detective Mick Norris (once again Chris Sarandon), Ray chants a voodoo spell that transfers his soul into a child's doll named Chucky. Soon he's bought by Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) for her son Andy's (Alex Vincent) birthday. Once Alex tells of Chucky's true identity, it might too late for him, as Chucky plans to transfer his soul into Alex's body.

Once again a great 80's horror film that, at the time, was going to be just one film. The film's distributor United Artists sold the right of the film to Universal, who then churned out FOUR sequels. While some of those films are forgettable, the original still stands up. Plus, the Chucky doll is downright creepy. Dolls that come to life are always creepy, and to watch it on the Castro screen made it even creepier! Again, the film came from a 35mm print, and like  FRIGHT NIGHT, had all the same scratches, hisses, an pops that you can only get from celluloid! The film was originally released to theaters on November 9, 1988.

Another great time at the Castro Theatre! If you would like to know more about their film schedule, visit their website at www.castrotheatre.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil's Horror Watch, Day 13, Phil watches MARTYRS (2008)-October 13, 2011

Hey folks! My horror movie marathon continues with Day Thirteen! I decided to stay in France for one more day to watch another of the country's most disturbing horror films of all time. With MARTYRS, the French offer up another modern European horror classic that will be talked about for years to come!

French Theatrical poster (2008)

The film's about two young girls named Lucie (Mylene Jampanoi) and Anna (Morjana Alaoui). In the beginning of the film, we are told via a flashback that Lucie escaped from a disused abattoir where she has been imprisoned and physically abused for a lengthy period of time. No signs of sexual abuse are identified, and the perpetrators and their motivations remain a mystery. Lucie is placed in an orphanage, where she is befriended by a young girl named Anna. Lucie vows to Anna that she will one day exact painful vengeance on her captors.

Fast forward fifteen years later and we see Lucie and Anna still together and Lucie thinks she has located two of her initial captors via a picture in a newspaper. With Anna warily in tow, Lucie pays a visit to the couples home with a loaded shotgun. She hopes by exacting some revenge that she will be exorcising a creature that plagues her, a creature in the form of a girl she left behind at the slaughterhouse and who takes delight in cutting Lucie to shreds at any opportune moment. But, in the end, it is Anna, not Lucie, who learns the truth of the girl as well as the real secret behind Lucie's captors and their terrifying mission.

The film is an extraordinary example of how we watch a horror film, but it examines what makes it horror. For starters, the subject matter is one of the true horrors that people wished it didn't exist: child abuse. Now while the film exposes Lucie as a test subject for her captor's experiments, the bottom line of it all was that Lucie was abused, and came from an abused home, thus her mental abuse haunted her till it was frothing for retaliation. Juvenile delinquency has been an issue for years, but has anyone really paid attention to the plight of the children? We create the environment for these kids, and as a result, a poor upbringing leads to an unhappy child. Child abuse is caused by many different reasons: lack of loving and caring parents, happy childhood, violence, drugs, drinking, bullying, physical and sexual abuse, lack of attention, and so forth. With Lucie, it was a variety of reasons that culminated with her committing murder to silence her inner demons. However, as the film progresses, sometimes those demons can be passed on. In this case, it was passed on to Anna, who by the end of the film, suffered the fate that was destined to be Lucie's.

The film was directed by Pascal Laugier, who also wrote the screenplay. The film was categorized as a new example of new French horror films; much like HIGH TENSION, FRONTIER(S), and INSIDE with regards to the level of violence it depicts. Laugier has said that he is in the middle of negotiations to have the film remade in America. The remake will be directed by Daniel Stamm (THE LAST EXORCISM) and the screenplay will be written by Mark Smith (VACANCY). The film was released by Canal Horizons in France on September 3, 2008. It was released on DVD by the Weinstein Company in April of 2009.

MARTYRS is harrowing, thought-provoking, brutal horror film that fans have been enjoying since the films release. For those who have weak stomachs may want to skip this film. But for those who are brave enough to sit through this film for the grotesque and enlightening 99 minutes, you will have seen one of the most original horror films in years!

MARTYRS is currently available on DVD. To purchase a copy, visit your local retailer or visit the Amazon website at www.amazon.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil's Horror Watch, Day 12: Phil watches INSIDE (2007)-October 12, 2011

Welcome back my friends to Day Twelve of my horror movie marathon. For the last couple of blogs I have been in Italy, visiting my good friend Lucio Fulcio. Now I've made my way to France where, since 2003, has been the home for some of the most original and the most shocking and gruesome images of horror that has been seen since the 1980's. Tonight's film INSIDE is just one of the many horror films that France (of all places) has been releasing onto unexpected audiences worldwide.

Original French Theatrical Poster (2007)

The film starts with a car accident that kills pregnant Sarah’s (Alysson Paradis) husband but she survives as well as her unborn baby. Four months later, she’s going home alone for the last night she has to herself before she is admitted into the hospital to deliver. That night, she is terrorized by a seemingly psychotic woman (Beatrice Dalle) who, wielding a pair of scissors, has a burning desire to cut the baby out of Sarah’s stomach and keep it for herself.

The opening of the film is important to how the rest plays out, and in the beginning we see that Sarah is just completely miserable. She’s outwardly rude to people and keeps only to herself, even shutting out her mother (Nathalie Roussel). She thinks so much about her husband that it is very clear to the audience that this baby is the last thing she wants. If she has the baby, it’s very possible that she will never be able to move on from what happened to her husband and be quite miserable all her life. Sympathy is sparked more towards the baby than it is towards its mother. Because of this, there is already an unconscious desire in the audience for the baby to end up with whomever will love it the most. Of course there is a feeling of sympathy for Sarah as well, because otherwise the film would stop being interesting right then and there. Because she is so miserable, there is another unconscious desire for her to move on from her tragedy and find something that can be fulfilling for her.

The mysterious woman is never known by any name other than “La Femme,” and is rather terrifying, but in a different way from any other movie villain. She’s not really trying to hurt Sarah, but she does want that baby and she will do anything to get it. She is almost completely un-sadistic. It’s her determination that makes her so frightening. She’s not doing this for fun; she really has a motive (which is revealed toward the end of the film). Another thing that really makes the audience sympathize with her is that she doesn’t always win. She gets stabbed and burned and kicked around and, at one point, nearly arrested. Making La Femme sympathetic is where this film crosses the line from mediocre horror to near-masterpiece. With this film, first-time directors Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury made a powerful explosion into the horror genre.

INSIDE is a powerful, emotional, tour de force horror film that prays on your emotions while simultaneously satisfies the bloodlust in all diehard fans of the genre. While it seems somewhat unbelievable, the French have demonstrated once again that they are a country that should no longer be made fun of. In fact, after watching the film again, we should be very scared of them.

INSIDE is currently available uncut on DVD. To purchase a copy for yourself, visit your local retailer of visit the Amazon website at www.amazon.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil's Horror Watch, Day 11: Phil watches THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981)-October 11, 2011

Welcome back my friends to Day Eleven of my horror movie marathon! Tonight I decided to visit my old friend Lucio Fulci one more time and watched another one of his classic films, THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY. With Fulci, you can always count on being scared out of your mind and grossed out all at the same time!

Original Theatrical Poster (1984)

 Dr. Norman Boyle (Paolo Malco) moves his wife Lucy (Catriona MacColl) and his son (Giovanni Frezza) out of their tiny, cramped New York apartment and into a beautiful old New England home. However, unknown to the new owners, the previous owner, the deranged Dr. Jacob Freudstein (Giovanni De Nava), who has been living in the house's basement for the past 100 years, feeding on the flesh of those who found themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The film was Fulci's final installment of what has been called his unofficial Gates of Hell trilogy, which also includes CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD and THE BEYOND. The camerawork is careful, creating atmosphere as well as a sense of polish. The makeup and gore effects are also well-crafted, and the Dr. Freudstein character is fairly creepy to see. Also, there are fewer splatter scenes, and they come more out of the story than any gratuitous attempts to add gore.

Italian Movie Poster (1981)

While many have said that the film was not one of his best, the film has genuine creepiness and scares that will make you shiver. However, the film ran into censorship issues, thus the film suffered several and severe edits to. Eventually the film was restored to its original gory version when it was released in 2001 by Anchor Bay Entertainment. The film was released in Italy in 1981. The film was released here in America on March 1, 1984.

THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY is a Fulci film that will forever stand the test of time as a horror classic! What's impressive that 30 years after the film's original Italian release, we are still talking about the film, and thus, keeping alive the film legacy of Lucio Fulci alive, as well as his name. This Halloween, treat yourself to this Italian shocker. I promise you that after watching the film, you will never go downstairs into a basement ever again.

THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY will be released on Blu-Ray and DVD special editions on October 25, 2011 courtesy of Blue Underground. To pre-order your copy, visit their website at www.blue-underground.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil's Horror Watch, Day 10: Phil watches ZOMBIE (1979)-October 10, 2011

Hello folks and welcome back to day ten of my horror movie marathon! After seeing THE DEAD yesterday, I decided to go on a zombie binge. So for tonight I visited the land of Italy, home to some of the most intense, gruesome, gory, and celebrated horror films of all time! If you don't believe, then you have never seen the film ZOMBIE. If you have, then you are one of the brave ones, because this is a very sick and disgusting film. And I love it!!

Original Theatrical Poster (1980)

Directed by infamous Italian filmmaker Lucio Fulci, the film begins when what appears to be an abandoned boat is found in the harbor of New York City. Soon the local police units investigates the boat when an undead zombie attacks them and then plunges into the harbor waters below, leaving the living with a big mystery on their hands, which news reporter Peter West (Ian McCulloch) smells a story and decides to go investigate. Soon Peter teams up with Anne Bowels (Tisa Farrow), the daughter of a scientist said to have gone missing in the Caribbean some time ago. Together they dive deeper into the mystery, meeting and traveling with another couple (Al Cliver and Auretta Gay) to a remote region of the Antilles Islands. There they hope to discover the answers, however for them, they only thing they will find is desolate place where the dead walk once again to feed on all that still live.

Sounds like a very intriguing film indeed, but the backstory of the film is even more fascinating. In 1977, American filmmaker George Romero teamed up with Italian filmmaker Dario Argento, who would help with the financing to make DAWN OF THE DEAD. In exchange Argento would distribute the film in Europe, where it was retitled as ZOMBI. Director Fulci decided to capitalize on the film's success by making his own gore-infested, living dead film. Thanks to a legal loophole, Fulci was able to slap a sequel number to his film, allowing moviegoers to think that his film was an actual follow up to Romero's film. Unbelievably true, but in the end Fulci's ZOMBI 2 did phenomenal at the European boxoffice. When the film was imported to America, it was retitled ZOMBIE, as to not confuse American audiences.

Original Italian Poster (1979)

The film itself is highly regarded as Fulci's best film ever, and a welcomed entry to the annals of horror. The special effects by F/X wizard Gianetto de Rossi are very impressive, and they still hold up to this very day. When Auretta Gay has her throat torn out is just gore-tastic. The scene when Olga Karlatos' eye is shoved into a large piece wood splinter is just so gruesome and painful to watch that I dare you to not look away. And of course, the film's most famous scene is when a zombie attacks and eats a shark. Yes my friends, that is a REAL person fighting a REAL shark! There is no CGI in this film people! Real sharks, real special effects, and real gore drenched the screen as it has never before. The Italians very much celebrated gore and violence, and in the process, made it into an art form that has influenced several big name horror directors. From Sam Raimi and Sean Cunningham to Eli Roth and James Wan, the Italian horror films from the late 70's to the mid 80's had a huge impact here in America. Films like SAW and HOSTEL owe a debt to the theses Italian shockers, especially with this film. The film was released in Italy on August 25, 1979. It was imported and released to theaters here in America on July 18, 1980.

ZOMBIE is one of the all-time greatest zombie films ever made! For it's shock value and sheer madness, no other zombie film can compare to nor come close to it. With this film, director Fulci was given the mantle "The Maestro of Gore." It is without hesitation to say that, after its initial release 32 years later, it is a title that no one has come close to achieving. When Luci passed away on March 13, 1996 at the age of 68, the world mourned the loss of a true artist. But in the end, Lucio Fulci continues to live on his films, which are not only his legacy, but a gift to us to enjoy over and over again. So Mr. Fulci, where ever you are, I just wanted to say, "Thank you."

ZOMBIE will be released on Blu- Ray and DVD special editions courtesy of Blue Underground on October 25, 2011. To pre-order your copy, visit their website at www.blue-underground.com. To those of you who would like to see the film on the big screen, Blue Underground will be having the film released to select theaters this Halloween! For those in San Francisco, the film will be playing at the Roxie Theater on October 29-31! Buy your tickets on their website at www.roxie.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil's Horror Watch, Day 9: Phil sees THE DEAD at the Camera 12-October 9, 2011

Hello again and welcome back to day nine of my horror movie marathon! So for today, there was a new British horror film that opened up this past Friday at the Camera 12 in Downtown San Jose that sounded like a winner to me. The film is called THE DEAD, and I was totally caught off guard by just how original and great the film was! This was a welcomed surprised!!

Theatrical Movie Poster (2011)

American Air Force Engineer Lt. Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman) is the lone survivor of a plane crash that was fleeing the zombie infested land of Africa. Along on his journey of survival, he meets Sergeant Daniel Dembele (Prince David Osei) who is searching for his missing son, which he soon finds out that he is still alive at an army base north of their location. To reach their destination, the two men must travel through the unforgiving African landscape, filled with an army of the dead.

Right off the bat, I want to say that this film is like a breathe of fresh air. One reason being is that it is set in a different location, meaning Africa. Some of the images in the film, like scenes of the African sunset are quite breathtaking, juxtaposing to see several undead zombies walking in front of said sunset brings a level of realism to the film.

Second is the fine acting from both Freeman and Prince Osei. Though they have minimal dialogue, they are realistic enough that we are able to sympathize with them during the course of the film. Third is that the zombie makeup effects were really quite gruesome and real looking. The filmmakers actually used real amputees to portray some of the zombies that were missing limbs. Again, making it even more creepier than the overused CGI effects that take away the believability of any zombie or horror film. There isn't a lot of gore in the film, but when the bloodshed happens, it is a outstanding and gruesome.

Another aspect of the film that I personally enjoyed was that it took the conventions of the zombie genre, and went in a complete 180 degrees, and not once in the film was there wasn't any humor to be found. It stayed serious, grounded in the realm of reality. The film never explained how or how or where did these zombie creatures come from. They're just there, eating every human being they can find. While tranquil and beautiful Africa is portrayed in the film, this magnificent land has a dark side, and will find you and eat you alive!

The film was directed by Howard and Jonathon Ford. These two brothers have clearly demonstrated that they are a force to be reckoned with. With this, just their third film, the Ford brothers have created a film that is a worthy entry to annals of not just the zombie genre, and not just the horror genre, but for the world of cinema. These two deserve a standing ovation!

THE DEAD is the most daring and original zombie film that I have ever seen since George Romeo's 1968 masterpiece NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Combing simple directing, a great story, and genuine fear, THE DEAD is the best zombie film to come out in a very long time!

THE DEAD is currently playing in select theaters in the country, including at the Camera Cinemas here in the South Bay. To view showtimes, visit their website at www.cameracinemas.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!