Staying in the 1970’s, the next film definitely worthy of a mention is The Hills Have Eyes. I hated this movie. Genuinely, hated this movie. Which is a very powerful emotion to attach to a film, and that is the very reason I felt it deserved a place on my list.
This 1977, classic written and directed by Wes Craven, left the mark of a true horror, burnt into my brain. I have never before or since felt as uncomfortable watching a film as I did watching this one. Disturbing, graphic, gory, invasive and downright repulsive, this is an incredible piece of cinema that I will happily never watch again. If that is the mark of a true horror movie, of all that I have seen, this would take the number 1 spot every single time.
For some hideous reason, there are many others to the franchise (which I will live a long and happy life without watching, thank you). Including The Hills Have Eyes II in 1984, The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 in 2007, a remake of the same title in 2006 (and the only one thus far with Wes Craven still involved). Not to mention a further two additions to the franchise: The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning and The Hills Have Eyes For You, which are both currently under development, according to IMDB.
1994 in Film: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and the Effect of Horror on Creators
I can safely say, that I doubt I would be watching any of these at any stage. Which in itself is testament to the work of Wes Craven, for doing exactly what I hope he had planned to do, by crawling under the skin of every viewer and staying there – forever.
Love it or hate it, that is an incredible feat of filmmaking. The original film won 1 award in 1977 at Sitges – Catalonian International Film Festival & Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, and nominated for Best DVD/Blu-Ray Special Edition Release in 2017.
The next step of the journey takes us the wonderful 1980s. A cornucopia of unparalleled music, leather jackets as far as the eye could see and enormous amounts of hair – and that’s just in The Lost Boys! But for this, it simply had to be The Shining.
In my opinion, The Shining is truly incompatible. Its tangible, complex and wildly thought provoking, leading to a wealth of conclusions about the strange happenings of the Overlook Hotel. Which could lead you into a rabbit hole of theories for hours and hours on end – which it has! Adapted from the novel of the same name by Stephen King, any of who’s work has proved to be a very good fit for cinema, and directed by the infamous Stanley Kubrick (who also wrote the screenplay, alongside Diane Johnson).
Filmotomy Podcast 51: The Shining and Room 237
Not a lot needs to be said about this movie. Jack Nicholson’s eyebrows give a distinct impression of insanity from the off, let alone the fact that Danny talks to his finger. And that’s just the beginning! With references to cursed lands, cabin fever, reincarnation and most frightening of all: twins in matching clothes. This film is one of the most powerful, psychologically unnerving films I have had the pleasure to watch and genuinely enjoy.
The Shining is iconic in its simplistic complexity of watching a man’s mind slowly unravel and bring forth dormant madness in everything – from his family, to the very walls around him. This film is relatable, it keeps each character grounded very firmly in their full spectrum of human emotions. Keeping nothing very far from the realms of possibility for anyone in that situation.
Jack Nicholson’s performance as Jack Torrance remains as captivating now as it was the first time I saw it. Not to mention my growing appreciation for Shelley Duvall’s portrayal of Wendy, and how much quiet strength and resilience she shows, whilst trying to keep her family together in the shadow of terror.
The Long Cinematic Path of Folk Horror
As an addition, a follow on, Doctor Sleep, was released in 2019, which held me captivated for every second of its 2 hour 32 minute running time. A combined running time of nearly 5 hours, through which I would happily sit. A testament to incredibly creepy, captivating story-telling, which has lasted the test of time from book to screen!
Another skip, hop and terrifying jump takes us to the millennium era. Kicking off with 2002’s 28 Days Later, directed by Danny Boyle, and written by Alex Garland. Although neither the concept of post-apocalyptic living, nor the eruption of zombie hordes were exactly new, this was incredibly fresh. Impressive for a crowd of dead people, who are by design, not fresh at all. And it was, for that reason, the movie made me ‘Wow!’
The scariest aspect of this movie wasn’t the zombies, or the blood and ooze and the SFX, but the fact that following a viral outbreak, it is so close to something that could happen tomorrow. Especially at this very moment in history, should the fates decide.
Its story is so distant, yet so terrifyingly tangible, it becomes frightening on a very social, and somewhat moral level. The fact that it makes you stop and consider that one day, you may have to decapitate your elderly and newly feral Grandmother with a garden spade to stop her eating your flesh, is a bit of a thought provoker!
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