October Horror Movie Marathon

[MacBlayne]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Thanks for the warning again, B_E. I recall reading about the rapping wanker on here when it came out.

I don't think M Night Charlatan has made a decent film since The Sixth Sense and even then that was a one watch one trick pony.

I really like Unbreakable. It feels like the odd one out of his career.

[trebor8273]

Originally Posted by MacBlayne

I really like Unbreakable. It feels like the odd one out of his career.

its the only movie he did that i really liked, the sixth sense was Ok but once you have watched it once thats it the rest are just awful

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by MacBlayne

I really like Unbreakable. It feels like the odd one out of his career.

I liked his first four films.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Shadows (1975)

Shadows was a children's tv series that ran for three years. series one which i've just finished comprises of seven stand alone 25 minute dramas aimed at younger audiences.

The stories are of varying quality as you'd expect and not all are successful however those that did work which was about half of them at least in a chilling sense. The Waiting Room about an eerie old railway station platform reminded me of Sapphire and Steel's Second Assignment and The Witches Bottle - a spine chiller about witchcraft and an old oak tree which had similarities to The Ash Tree (1975).

The productions had decent casts including Jenny Agutter, Pauline Quirke, Gareth Thomas, Sophie Ward and John Woodvine and some interesting scripts from the likes of Trevor Preston (Ace of Wands) Roger Marshall (Public Eye) and surprisingly The Old Dark House's JB Priestley.

All the tales are suitably atmospheric, the two mentioned above in particular, and explore alternate realities as well as ghostly goings on which play on childhood fears and preoccupations.

By now i know what i'm getting with these Network spooky series from the 70's and Shadows is a welcome addition to my collection

[MacBlayne]

Silent Hill

Against the wishes of her husband, Rose (Radha Mitchell) drives her adopted daughter, Sharon (Jodelle Ferland), to Silent Hill – the town Sharon calls out in her sleep. Once there, Rose crashes the car and wakes up to find the daughter missing. Adding to her problems is an thick ominous fog, weird creatures and a strange cult that is tied to the town’s dark past.

Christophe Gans’ adaptation of the uber-terrifying video game is possibly the most beautiful horror film ever made. It is a visual tour-de-force. The jaw-dropping set design by Carol Spire accompanied by Dan Lausten’s astonishing lighting and dizzying camerawork creates a vision unlike any other film. There are shots in this film that would have David Fincher fall to his knees and weep. Even the soundtrack is a work of art, with Gans lifting sound effects straight from the game, as well as Akira Yamaoka’s inimitable score. Silent Hill is a unique and magnificent audio-visual experience. It’s just a shame that as a film, it is one marred by compromise.

Gans had originally hoped to adapt the game’s far superior sequel, Silent Hill 2, and gone as far as securing Sean Bean to play James Sunderland. Unfortunately, whereas Gans previous films had been mostly European funded productions that allowed him a great deal of freedom, Silent Hill was a US co-production. The American studio only agreed to pony up the financing if the first game was adapted, as this would pave the way for future follow-ups. This was the first of many trade-offs. While Gans wished to follow the ambiguous storytelling of the game, the studio and co-writer Roger Avary felt that there needed to be some exposition. And so, the role of the cult was expanded and a pointless subplot where Sean Bean and Kim Coates ran around the town was added. This created a run-stop-run-stop pace, where characters would interrupt scenes to quickly summarise the previous moments. It was a far cry from the Lucio Fulci-style narrative that Gans had intended.

But, even with all those flaws, I still love this film. Silent Hill 1 – 4 are considered to be the pinnacles of horror gaming thanks largely to the intense atmosphere they create, and their dealings with taboo subjects like suicide, child rape, incest and religious fundamentalism. Whatever mistakes the film makes, it absolutely nails the atmosphere of the games, and isn’t afraid to explore the games’ themes either. It’s hard to believe that the film landed a 15 certificate despite the horrific moments of sexualised violence and child abuse.

Silent Hill is a failure, but it is my favourite type of failure. It is one where the filmmaker reached for the stars. He came tantalisingly close, but sadly, he was held back by the meddling of others. It is a beautiful flower that has been trod on. If anything though, Gans definitely gave the videogame adaptation a mighty leap forward.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by MacBlayne

But, even with all those flaws, I still love this film.

Me too.

Nice review!

[trebor8273]

Originally Posted by MacBlayne

Silent Hill

The one film you expected Sean Bean to die and yet he survived

[MacBlayne]

Originally Posted by trebor8273

The one film you expected Sean Bean to die and yet he survives

Now, that's horror!

[MacBlayne]

Forgot to mention - if anybody is interested in seeing Silent Hill, try and get your hands on the French Blu-Ray. The film received a 4K master that was supervised by Gans and Lausten, and the special features are fantastic. Gans' commentary ranks as all time favourite commentary track. It is one of the finest Blu-Ray sets on the market.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

What's the sequel like, guys?

I'll just add that i don't love Silent Hill. I found it a scare free shambolic mess.