31 Horror Movies in 31 Days: Frankenstein (1994)

Frankenstein (1994)

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Starring Kenneth Branagh, Robert De Niro, Aidan Quinn, Ian Holm, John Cleese, & Helena Bonham Carter

A ship traveling to the North Pole picks up a dying stranger with an extraordinary story. This man, Doctor Victor Frankenstein, tells the captain his life story. How his mother’s death drove him to seek a means to conquer it. This obsession compelled him to seek out taboo sciences and conduct an ungodly experiment. He created a man out of dead parts and left the creation when the reality of the situation hit him. What Victor didn’t know was that the creature would be so persistent to seek its creator. Victor didn’t know his obsession would destroy his life.

Meant almost as a companion piece to Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula, Branagh’s Frankenstein is equally lofty in its scope and story. The sets are huge and lavish, the costumes are detailed, and the creature is more humanistic than previous movies dared to show. This is a film version that’s fairly faithful to the actual book. No Igor and no windmill, but plenty of clashing egos and an impromptu trip to the arctic. The movie immediately alienates some by abandoning the cinematic vocabulary already established for Frankenstein and his creature. But, doing so opens the movie up to playing with Mary Shelley’s loftier ideas and themes. It’s a smarter film, perhaps at the cost of some scares.

The makeup for Victor’s creature looks good and decidedly different from many other movie versions. There’s no hint of the Universal design; this creature is just scars, a tattered coat, and grit. But, the slightly minimalistic approach does give De Niro the freedom to act under the makeup. The sets and overall design are quite lovely as well. They’re gothic and elaborate, but in the way a BBC production would execute them. It’s slightly disappointing given the film history of Frankenstein and the aesthetics of Coppola’s Dracula, but it’s still serviceable.

Kevin Branagh is an actor first, so his Victor is pretty great. He’s intense and driven, obsessed with conquering death but filled with regret over his actions. Perhaps he overacts a bit in parts and he certainly loves to show himself shirtless. Branagh still did a good job as both lead and director. Helena Bonham Carter does well enough with Elizabeth, but she’s only given something truly great to work with in the third act.

There are some really interesting surprises in the cast. John Cleese has a somber turn as Victor’s mentor, Professor Waldman. Aidan Quinn shows up during the bookends of the movie as the ship captain who finds the good doctor. Of course, the biggest surprise is Robert De Niro as the creature. Not only is this a big fish to pin to monster role, but De Niro also hits it out of the park. His creature is lonely, vengeful, and hungry for acceptance. It feels like Branagh and De Niro are on the same page, they both treat the material like it’s Shakespeare.

Frankenstein goes in a slightly more theatrical direction than previous film versions, but that just makes it more interesting. It’s filled with great performances and it looks beautiful. There are much worse Frankenstein movies you could find, but none quite as ambitious.

8 out of 10

31 Horror Movies in 31 Days: Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Directed by Tim Burton

Starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, & Christopher Walken

New York City Detective Ichabod Crane is called to the little town of Sleepy Hollow to assist in an investigation. There have been a string of murders where every victim was decapitated. Crane, a man of science and user of new investigative techniques, receives much resistance form the locals and town officials. They believe a murderous spirit is the perpetrator; local legend the Headless Horseman. The doubtful Crane pushes forward with the help of a boy orphaned by the murders and with the help of Katrina Van Tassel, daughter of the richest family in Sleepy Hollow. As he gets deeper into the case, Crane comes up against the possibility that he may be dead wrong about this wrathful ghost.

This is truly a Tim Burton movie and not one of his recent efforts which feel lacking in his enthusiasm. The art, costumes, set design, and color palette are gothic and twisted. The film favors lots of gray and black tones, saving vibrant splashes of color for meaningful moments and for arterial spray. The whole look of Sleepy Hollow is reminiscent of Hammer films, which are a big influence of Burton’s. There’s even Hammer regular Michael Gough in a small supporting role just to cement the link.

The story itself is a surprisingly tight mystery. Questions of who summoned the Horseman and who would stand to benefit from these murders are constantly dancing through the movie. The only time you stop thinking about these things are when the Horseman appears. Burton and company wisely use the Horseman as more of a force of nature than a traditional movie monster. People can barely slow him down and stopping him outright is nigh impossible.

The special effects still look quite nice. The Headless Horseman looks fantastic and the gore is ghoulishly fun. The only troublesome effect comes at the end of the movie, when we see a human body part reform in a few quick shots. The CGI used is showing its age, but it mercifully isn’t shown for long.

The Horseman is ably played both headless and otherwise by two actors. Ray Park is the headless one, creating menacing poetry in motion. Christopher Walken is the Horseman with a cranium, looking like pure crazy in free fall. Johnny Depp is great as Ichabod Crane, playing the detective like with the mind of a scholar and the courage of a prepubescent girl. Christina Ricci does well with Katrina, imbuing her with equal amounts of courage and tenderness. The supporting cast is composed of skilled character actors turning in excellent performances. Even Casper Van Dean manages to play a convincing douchebag. There’s not one bad performance in the whole movie.

There’s so much to like about Sleepy Hollow. It’s a good mystery, a solid monster movie, and a gothic playground where Tim Burton goes mad with the aesthetic. If you’re looking for a great horror with a little flair, give it a try.

9 out of 10

31 Horror Movies in 31 Days: Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

Directed by The Chiodo Brothers

Starring Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson, & John Vernon

Crescent Cove experiences a close encounter of the strange kind when aliens descend upon the little town. But not just any aliens; clown aliens with cotton candy ray guns and a big top mother ship. Couple Mike and Debbie are the first to discover the threat. They enlist the help of ice cream truck drivers the Terenzi Brothers and Officer Hanson to warn the town. If everyone wants to survive this circus of terror, they’re going have work together and find a way to kill these clowns.

Nobody should take Killer Klowns from Outer Space seriously. The title alone is a big clue as to how the movie is going to play. It’s campy, goofy, and fun. Killer Klowns is written, produced, and directed by the Chiodo Brothers. They’re mainly known as special effects artists, who created puppets and effects for movies like Team America: World Police and Critters. Their specialty is what drives the fun of Killer Klowns. The design, look, and general playfulness of the antagonists are why you keep watching. The Chiodo’s made a good movie around the successful implementation of a fun idea with the practical and special effects to make it worthwhile.

The whole point of the film is to watch some gnarly looking clowns from another world murder people in hilarious ways. In this sense, the film is a complete success. Otherwise, it’s not so great. The story is thin and merely strings together a series of scenes involving alien clowns doing dastardly things. The characters fit the horror movie archetypes we see over and over again. The attempts at humor not using the villains are misguided at best and annoying at worst. But, all of this is outweighed by the sheer schlocky fun of the movie itself.

There really aren’t any good performances in Killer Klowns with one exception: John Vernon. He continues his career of playing Dean Wormer from Animal House, but as a police officer. Everyone else knows they’re in a movie about evil clown aliens and doesn’t even try.

You don’t watch Killer Klowns unless you already understand that this is going to be ridiculous. Once you’ve accepted cheese into your heart, the movie is such a good time. Unless you have Coulrophobia, in which case this might be your equivalent of Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. Either campy horror comedy appeals to you or it doesn’t.

8 out of 10

31 Horror Movies in 31 Days: The Blob (1988)

The Blob (1988)

Directed by Chuck Russell

Starring Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith, Donovan Leitch, Jeffrey DeMunn, Candy Clark, Joe Seneca

A meteor crashes in a small town, bringing something unstoppable and deadly. A devouring goo emerges from the rock, engulfing a hobo and moving on to some townspeople. As the sentient mass consumes more and more, it becomes a race against time for two teens to convince the town of the imminent danger coming their way.

Make no mistake: this remake is all about the gory fun of horror movies. That’s not to say that The Blob is dumb, it’s certainly more cynical and darker than the original. The film is all about getting the story and the audience to the next FX shot with as little resistance as possible. Kind of like Michael Mann makes style into substance; Chuck Russell shows the merits of a sickly satisfying monster movie.

The special effects are the stars here, showing everything about the Blob’s digestive process that the 1958 film would never dare to exhibit. People are digested alive, onscreen, under bright lights. Teens implode, soldiers get engulfed, and even small children fall apart in the creature’s gooey embrace. It’s shocking and disgusting, but also kind of fun and nihilistically charming.

The consistency of the Blob no longer resembles jello topped with jam. It’s got a lumpy, mucus-like consistency that looks bio-hazardous. The mass also sprouts tentacles in this update, which vary in quality. Some look menacing, others look like rubber tubing. Overall, the creature and gore effects are cool and still make gruesome sights. The only effects that didn’t age well are the green screen backdrops which are used sporadically.

Russell and Frank Darabont wrote a script that balances plot, action pieces, and sets up the scares quite well. The story just flows, never dwelling too long on anything but still keeping your attention. There are some legitimately good action scenes, even a full motorcycle chase. Little things introduced seemingly offhand come back later for some serious payoff.

The characters work well enough, but they’re only there to be put into terrifying sequences that demand your attention. Shawnee Smith has the most interesting part in Meg, a cheerleader that’s intelligent and capable of dealing with the Blob on her own. She’s almost a proto-Buffy. Russell and Darabont put a lot of work into making the Blob itself have a pronounced personality. It’s not just this oozing thing that mindlessly pursues Steve McQueen. This Blob is aggressive and tactical, finding the best moment and method for which to attack. The monster here is a Lovecraftian apex predator and it makes all the difference.

The cast is awesome and full of future success. Kevin Dillon plays the bad boy turned mulleted hero Brian. Shawnee Smith does well giving some spirit to Meg. Jeffrey DeMunn shows up to play hard ass sheriff with a secret soft side. Del Close has a memorable performance as the town Reverend, a side character that has an interesting character arc. Joe Seneca plays military scientist Dr. Meddows with equal parts old man charm and authoritative viciousness. Only the kid actors turn in sub par work, but not enough to ruin the movie.

The Blob is twisted, dark horror movie fun. It’s for those who don’t feel too precious about the original or haven’t tested their squeamishness in a while.

8 out of 10

31 Horror Movies in 31 Days: The Innkeepers

The Innkeepers (2011)

Directed by Ti West

Starring Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis

The Yankee Pedlar Inn is having its last weekend in business and business looks dead. With only a handful of guests, workers Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) have the place mostly to themselves. Both amateur ghost hunters, the pair decides to spend their last weekend at the inn trying to capture definitive proof of ghosts. Specifically, they want to record the appearance of local legend Madeline O'Malley. It’s their last chance to see the guest who never checked out, as O’Malley hung herself in the honeymoon suite and has been said to haunt the inn ever since. As the two investigate, they start to realize that maybe they won’t get to leave the Yankee Pedlar.

Writer/director/editor Ti West is a confident and talented voice in filmmaking. Broken up by chapters, the story starts out quirky and slowly transitions to full blown paranormal horror. The pacing is rather slow, more on par with older films. It’s not really a detriment, as the extra time gives the characters and story enough room to develop. You get to know the people working The Yankee Pedlar and you get to care about them. That makes the scares more frightening as West stops leading on the audience and starts to show some truly spooky stuff. And even though you have to go through a lot of teases and false scares, the actual ghostly occurrences are pretty unnerving. West shows a kind of restraint and clarity of vision that’s rare in the modern horror scene.

There aren’t many special effects to speak of, but the moments they’re utilized are heart stopping. The makeup is especially outstanding; bring some grotesque life to the unsettled dead. This isn’t the movie for lots of eye candy, but what does appear is quite lovely.

The small cast more than ably delivers some excellent performances. Sara Paxton has a wonderful mix of naïve innocence and wide eyed enthusiasm. When the spooky stuff really begins, Paxton shows just why she’s a modern scream queen. Pat Healy is dead on as that guy everyone has worked with; someone who’s probably too old to keep working crap jobs and not have an idea of what he wants out of life. He’s affable, slightly creepy, and yet somehow totally relatable. Kelly McGillis turns in a good performance as a former star turned psychic medium. It could have been a role played for laughs, with jokes a little too on the nose. Instead, McGillis grounds Leanne with a sense of dignity and purpose.

The Innkeepers is a great ghost movie that favors a deliberate pace, building tension, and character development over lazy filmmaking. It’s a fantastic feature from one horror’s rising stars.

9 out of 10