13 Films For Halloween

Back in 2012, The Watchers did a Halloween special where we did a Top 10 countdown of our favourite scary movies where films such as Halloween (1978), Scream (1996), The Wicker Man (1973), The Exorcist (1973), Saw (2004) and Interview With The Vampire (1994) are all mentioned. 

Obviously there's a lot of horror films out there- from The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1920) to Get Out (2017)- so I decided (in the spirit of the season) to give some recommendations. I'll be honest, I'm not a massive horror fan- that's really more Watcher Matt's arena- but these 13 films are, for one reason or another, definitely worth a watch in my opinion.

Don't Look Now (1973)
dir. Nicolas Roeg; starring Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland

1973 was a banner year for horror movies: The Exorcist, The Wicker Man, and Theatre Of Blood were all released this year, as was the haunting and brilliant Don't Look Now. Adapted from a story by Daphne du Maurier, the film sees married couple Laura and John Baxter travel to Venice to try and get over the death of their young daughter. Whilst Laura gets a mysterious message from a psychic old woman, John starts to see a small figure in a red coat running around the streets. Could it be their daughter? The film is as famous for the passionate sex scene between Sutherland and Christie (which was rumoured for years to have been real) as it is for its pervading sense of dread and a shocking twist ending. 

The Omen (1976)
dir. Richard Donner; starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, Harvey Stephens

An American ambassador and his wife have a beautiful baby boy. But, as the child grows up, mysterious things start to happen around him. Could the boy actually be the Antichrist? There are a couple of truly shocking moments: the death of Damien's first nanny, and a death by decapitation, may stay with you after the film has finished. Peck and Remick are great as the struggling parents. There's a terrifying performance by Billie Whitelaw as Damien's nanny Mrs Baylock, and good support from David Warner and Patrick Troughton. The 2006 remake with Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles is also fairly good (which, for a horror remake, is high praise) but- as a rule- I'd always recommend the original.

The Shining (1980)
dir. Stanley Kubrick; starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd

A writer, struggling with alcoholism, takes a job as a winter caretaker for the Overlook Hotel and moves in with his wife and young son. However, the young boy has a paranormal gift- the shining- and, soon, the dark past of the Overlook comes back to haunt them all. There are strong performances by Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall (who really goes through the wringer), along with several shots and set-pieces that have now passed into cultural memory. Stories of Kubrick's obsessive perfectionism and his mistreatment of Duvall are as known as the film itself. Incidentally, Stephen King is not a fan of this adaptation, comparing it to 'a great big beautiful Cadillac with no motor inside'.

Poltergeist (1982)
dir. Tobe Hooper; starring JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O'Rourke

The Freeling family home is haunted by a malevolent spirit who seems to fixate on the youngest daughter Carol Anne. As the spirit begins to make its presence felt, a team of paranormal investigators and a psychic come to help cleanse the house. So much of the language of this film has permeated into pop culture- from the tree attack, to the killer clown, and Carol Anne's amazingly creepy 'they're heeeere!'. Zelda Rubinstein is brilliant in a supporting role as diminutive psychic Tangina Barrons.

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991)
dir. Jonathan Demme; starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn

Is it a horror? Guess it depends on your definition. It's not a slasher flick by any means, but it utilises a lot of the same tools that horror films do, and that's good enough for me. Ably directed by the late Jonathan Demme, this adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel is a masterclass in tension. Whilst the presentation of Buffalo Bill (the killer) is somewhat problematic, brilliant- and Oscar winning- performances by Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins make this worth a few hours of your time. 

The Craft (1996)
dir. Andrew Fleming; starring Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell, Rachel True

Released the same year as Scream, The Craft helped to herald a revival in teen horror; other good examples are I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), Urban Legend (1998) and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998). This twisted tale of a coven of teen witches whose powers get out of hand is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine- Fairuza Balk is great as the increasingly unhinged Nancy and there's a kick-ass soundtrack too. 

Perfect Blue (1997)
dir. Satoshi Kon; starring Junko Iwao, Rika Matsumoto (voices)

Again, the argument could be made that this isn't exactly a horror film in the strictest sense. But it's a psychological trip that's deeply unsettling. A young popstar, Mima, retires from singing and takes up acting. However, not everyone is happy with this decision. Mima starts getting stalked by an obsessive fan but also seems to be haunted by the ghost of her former self. It's not an easy watch in places but it's a strong piece of film-making. Darren Aronofsky is a big fan, and you can see its influence in Requiem For A Dream (2000) and Black Swan (2010).  

The Blair Witch Project (1999)
dir. Daniel Myrick & Educardo Sanchez; starring Heather Donohue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard

Well, it had to be, didn't it? A true sleeper hit that kickstarted the vogue for 'found footage' horror. Three students making a film about the legendary Blair Witch disappeared during filming and their footage was found a year later. Coupled with a canny publicity campaign- which actually convinced some people that the actors were indeed missing- this film is a slow burner but, as they get into the woods and the weirdness starts happening, it really grips you. Heather's breakdown has been parodied and sent up relentlessly ever since but the final shots of the film are chilling. 

The Others (2001)
dir. Alejandro Amenabar; starring Nicole Kidman, Christopher Eccleston 

A ghost story with a twist, this might not be an obvious choice for a list of horror films but the wonderfully atmospheric setting and direction provides more than its fair share of surprises. Nicole Kidman is stunning in the central role as a mother who has retired to a mansion on Jersey towards the end of the Second World War with her two children, waiting her her husband to return. When three servants arrive to help the family, the strangeness begins. Who are the strange people that the family keep seeing in the house? The twist at the end is quite inventive and I remember being impressed by it. 

My Little Eye (2002)
dir. Marc Evans; starring Kris Lemche, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Sky

Five people apply to live in an old house together for six months whilst their every move is recorded and broadcast. If one person leaves, they all lose. There's a million dollars up for grabs... but what will people do in pursuit of that prize? There are some genuinely unsettling moments throughout this film, which- for the time, as 'reality TV' was really getting its hooks into the cultural landscape- had an alarmingly prescient hook.Similar in style to The Blair Witch Project (with the use of various camera angles, including night vision), it's definitely worth a look as a bit of a curiosity.

The Descent (2005)
dir. Neil Marshall; starring Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid

Six friends go spelunking in the mountains, but get cut off from their entrance point. As they descend further into the cave complex, it's clear they're not alone. The tension and claustrophobia created in The Descent is, at times, almost unbearable. The relationship and interchanges of the six women is as vital a part to the tension as the location and the unseen threat. If anything, once the Crawlers are revealed, the film loses some of that tension. But the ending... oh my God, the ending. An exquisite- but wholly depressing- gut-punch. Something it has in common with the next film on my list. 

The Mist (2007)
dir. Frank Darabont; starring Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Andre Braugher

When a strange mist engulfs a small American town, the townsfolk hole up in a local supermarket. Tensions begin to rise amongst the inhabitants whilst they search for answers to what's caused the mist... and what's hiding in it. A terrifying look at mob mentality and the petty nature of mankind, this isn't a film that will affirm your belief in the inherent goodness of people. People act selfishly, horribly, for their own preservation. There's a really unnerving performance by Marcia Gay Harden as the religious zealot Mrs Carmody (who sees the mist as a herald of the end of days) and the film ends on a despairing, downbeat note.

Tucker & Dale Vs Evil (2010)
dir. Eli Craig; starring Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk, Katrina Bowden

A molasses-black horror-comedy in a similar vein to Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark (1988) or The Cabin In The Woods (2012), this smart, funny, but also remarkably gory flick tells the story of a typical crazy redneck slasher film... from the redneck perspective. Tucker and Dale just want a quiet weekend at their cabin in the woods. No trouble, no drama. However, when they stumble across a group of college students, the students automatically see them as stereotypical mad hillbillies who want to slaughter them. Nothing could be further from the truth. You'll need a slightly sick sense of humour to really enjoy this, but it's definitely worth a watch. 

So, there's some food for thought. Whilst the blog's been running, we've also discussed some classic horror movies at length, such as the original Psycho, the Evil Dead films, both versions of Carrie, and Alien. Check out our thoughts on these classics and have a very happy Halloween!

Tez

Review: Thor: Ragnarok (UK Cert 12A)

The God of Thunder is back in his third solo film, this one directed by Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows, Hunt For The Wilderpeople)

When Hela, the Goddess of Death, rises and takes over Asgard, Thor finds himself on the distant planet of Sakaar. Imprisoned and forced to fight in a gladiatorial arena, Thor must find his way back to Asgard to face Hela and prevent the end of days- Ragnarok- from happening...

Tonally, it's very different from the other Thor films- indeed, tonally different to most other MCU films if I'm honest. Whilst the original had an almost Shakespearean feel to it (thanks to director Kenneth Branagh), and the second had a Game Of Thrones aesthetic (thanks to director Alan Taylor), Thor: Ragnarok is a synth-soaked, buddy-comedy, end-of-the-world extravaganza. 

Moreover, it's funny. Like, properly laugh-out-loud funny. The other Thor films have suffered a little from being a bit too strait-laced, a bit po-faced- which seems ridiculous when you're dealing with an outlandish story of gods and monsters. Here, the humour comes thick and fast- but not at the expense of anything else. There's a fine balance between this humour and the more dramatic elements and the incredibly well choreographed fight scenes. 

Chris Hemsworth is as good as ever as Thor; he's got that cocky but charming act down to a tee. Tom Hiddleston is similarly at home in Loki- again, a charming but utterly dangerous being. As always, their fractious relationship- part sibling rivalry, part best buds- forms a cornerstone of the film. Anthony Hopkins really earns his 'and' credit, with a total of about five minutes on screen- but he's superb when he is. Idris Elba gets more to do as Heimdall this time round- removed from his role as gatekeeper for the Bifrost, he acts as a resistance leader trying to save the Asgardians from Hela's undead army. 

Mark Ruffalo is great as Banner/Hulk and brings an extra dimension to the role. He's been Hulk for two years (since he skipped off at the end of Avengers: Age Of Ultron) and has found himself on Sakaar as the Grandmaster's champion. There's a great deal of confusion when he turns back into Banner and is afraid of the change, that he'll lose himself if he Hulks out again. He has great rapport with Chris Hemsworth, which forms part of the buddy-comedy strand. Benedict Cumberbatch's brief appearance as Doctor Strange may not be strictly needed, but it's fun to see them interact (especially after the hidden scene at the end of Doctor Strange) 

Of the new members of the cast, no complaints at all. Cate Blanchett is utterly superb as Hela; I honestly can't imagine any other actress doing the role as well as she does. From her very first entrance into the film- and what an entrance it is- she commands the screen every time she's on it. While the MCU tends to have a bit of an issue with its villains (in that they're either not very good or not drawn out well), Hela is a rounded and very credible threat. Once again, Blanchett shows that's she's one of the best actresses working in Hollywood today. 

Tessa Thompson (Creed) is great as Valkyrie, a drunken scavenger when we first meet her (as she captures and brings Thor to the Grandmaster) but is revealed to be the last of the great warrior women race- previously decimated by Hela. Her relationship with Thor is great; luckily, they eschew any obviously romantic overtures for something more like friendship. 

Jeff Goldblum is just magnificent as the Grandmaster, the ruler of Sakaar. A mercurial, kooky, but ruthless leader, he pits creatures against one another in his Contest of Champions. Again, I can't really imagine anyone else in the role. Karl Urban is great as Skurge, a rough Asgardian warrior with a Cockney accent who takes Heimdall's role as gatekeeper of the Bifrost and becomes a conflicted ally of Hela's. Finally, director Waititi also voices Korg, a blue alien rock being that Thor meets on Sakaar and becomes friends with and who is seriously one of the best characters in the film.    

Thor: Ragnarok was excellent. Whilst the film is 130 miuntes long, it never once felt like it. Fun, bright, brilliant. Simply put, another triumph for Marvel. 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tez

Cabaret (1972)

Currently on tour of the UK is a revival of the stage musical Cabaret, which had a big screen adaptation made in 1972. 

Based on John Van Druten's 1951 play I Am A Camera- which itself was based on the novella Goodbye To Berlin by Christopher Isherwood- and with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb (who also wrote Chicago and Kiss Of The Spider Woman), Cabaret tells the story of a vivacious young showgirl- Sally Bowles- who sings and dances at the Kit Kat Klub, a seedy nightclub in 1930s Berlin. She meets and falls in love with a young writer, but the atmosphere in the city is changing, as the Nazis begin their rise to power. The show opened on Broadway in 1966 with the London premiere happening two years later and featuring Judi Dench in the lead role as Sally Bowles. 

The film was directed by Bob Fosse and starred Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles, Michael York as Brian Roberts, and Joel Grey as the Master of Ceremonies (reprising his role from the original Broadway production).

Liza Minnelli with director Bob Fosse on set

There are a number of differences between the film and the stage version. In the stage version, Sally is English and the writer (Cliff) is American; in the film, the writer (Brian) is English whilst Sally is American. A major subplot featuring the sweet but ultimately doomed romance between boardinghouse landlady Fraulein Schneider and a Jewish fruit-seller Herr Schultz is removed, although there remains an element of this story in the relationship between Fritz and Natalia. The love triangle element between Sally, Brian and Max doesn't feature in the stage version at all, although subsequent productions have brought Cliff's bisexuality to greater prominence. Several of the musical numbers from the stage show have either been cut or are only heard in instrumental versions.

Sally Bowles is Liza Minnelli's Norman Bates or Ellen Ripley; this is the role that she will be forever twinned with in people's minds. And that's no bad thing. It is a truly iconic role- her introduction at the Kit Kat Klub before she sings 'Mein Herr', in bowler hat and black stockings and suspenders, is a defining moment of 70s cinema, as is her final defiant rendition of the film's title song. Sally is a complicated character; a woman who enjoys 'divine decadence', a vivacious flibbertigibbet, flirtatious, inappropriate, sensuous, yet still having a little-girl-lost quality which stops her being an over-the-top archetype. It may be a cliche but she just wants to be loved. It's an outstanding performance which still impresses, 45 years later. 

 As Sally's love interest Brian, Michael York is a wonderful counterfoil for Minnelli. Brian is quiet, studious, a little shy, like the audience a little taken aback by the force of nature that is Sally Bowles. But he impresses in the quieter moments as their fumbling relationship takes root; Brian's also one of the few people to actively speak up against the Nazis' rise and call people out on their anti-Semitism. Of course, this doesn't get him very far, but it's important to show that not everyone in Berlin was sleepwalking into the arms of the Nazis. 

As the Master of Ceremonies for the Kit Kat Klub, Joel Grey is a consummate all-rounder. From the opening notes of 'Wilkommen', he's your guide to the hedonistic world of the club and its refuge against the real world. A capering, white-faced, rouged puppet, he sings and dances as the clouds begin to gather and keeps the club together. He is never seen outside the Klub and all his musical numbers echo what is happening in the outside world- a Tyrolean hand-slapping dance number is cut between scenes of a man being beaten up, and the truly shocking 'If You Could See Her' with the gut-punch final line of 'she wouldn't look Jewish at all' (sung to a woman in a gorilla suit) comes as a group of Nazi thugs kill Natalia's dog. 

As goes the other cast members, Helmut Griem is charming as rich playboy Maximilian von Heune, with whom both Sally and Brian have a relationship, whilst Fritz Wepper and Marisa Berenson are both similarly lovely in their supporting roles of Fritz and Natalia. Fritz is passing as a Christian, although is Jewish, whilst Natalia is Jewish; their relationship is quite endearing as Fritz must decide whether to 'out' himself as Jewish in order to marry the woman he loves (no mean feat given the atmosphere of the time). 

The film's treatment of the Nazis is interesting. At the beginning, a Nazi is thrown out of the Kit Kat Klub; their rhetoric is not accepted there. However, the growing tide of the party starts to come to the fore, culminating in a scene in a beer garden where the patriotic song 'Tomorrow Belongs To Me' is sung by a young man who is revealed to be wearing a Hitler Youth uniform. As the other patrons start to join in, Brian looks uncomfortable. After this, a can-can routine at the Klub turns into a goose-step (although it's not clear whether this is mockery or not) and Brian gets beaten up after opposing Nazis in the street. At the very end of the film, a shot of the club shows men in Nazi uniforms sitting in the audience.

Visually, the film is really interesting and there's a nice contrast in both style and camera-work between the club and the real world. And also, whilst this is a musical, all of the musical numbers- bar 'Tomorrow Belongs To Me'- take place in the Klub; Sally doesn't suddenly burst into song whilst in bed with Brian. Of the musical numbers, Minnelli gets the lion's share of the good ones- with 'Mein Herr', the beautifully poignant 'Maybe This Time' and the title song 'Cabaret' becoming well known. Grey doesn't get short-changed, however, with the wicked 'Two Ladies', the magnificent duet 'Money, Money' with Minnelli, and the opening number 'Wilkommen'. 

Cabaret holds the record for the most Oscars won by a film which didn't win Best Picture. Nominated for ten Academy Awards, it won eight; Minnelli and Grey won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor respectively, and the film was also honoured for its cinematography, art direction, sound, and editing. But perhaps the biggest surprise on the night was Fosse winning Best Director (over Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather, which went on to win Best Picture). 

The film also won the Golden Globe and BAFTA Film Award for Best Film, with Minnelli and Grey also winning those awards for their performances. In 1995, Cabaret was also selected by the Library of Congress as one of twenty-five films to be entered into the National Film Registry that year as a work that is 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant'. It's also seen as a landmark film in LGBT cinema as it deals with themes of sexuality in an unusually frank and non-sensational (and non-judgemental) way. 

Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey with their Oscars at the 1973 ceremony

Cabaret is a musical with a difference; it's certainly no Sound Of Music. There's no happy ending here, and there's no attempt to soften or lighten some of the more dark material. It was the first musical ever to be given an X rating (although now it's a 15 certificate in the UK). So, if you think all musicals are trite and twee and everyone lives happily ever after, Cabaret gives the lie to that. Perhaps take Sally's advice and 'come to the cabaret'. It's an experience you won't forget in a hurry.

Tez

'Life is a cabaret, old chum. Come to the cabaret!'