Inderlude

I love horror movies, film and tv in general, and all the drama that goes alongside it!

[sunsetquotes]

You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place. Like you’ll not only miss the people you love but you’ll miss the person you are now at this time and this place because you’ll never be this way ever again.

Azar Nafisi (via sunsetquotes)

[ellie-hallorann]

M. Night Shyamalan’s The Visit, is pretty overrated

This. Film. Was. Bad. With most other films I’d be willing to say that you are entitled to your own opinion, but I can legitimately not see why an audience would enjoy this as a serious horror. M. Night should go into straight up parodies because his recent scripts would land much better when we’re allowed to laugh and not feel like we’re kicking a man’s dreams in the tenderloins.

Firstly, we’re talking a Blumhouse production, so it’s already a mixed bag. Although this studio has given us some absolute gems like Get Out or even Happy Death Day, it doesn’t deserve a free pass for Truth or Dare, and this mockery of the found footage genre. So let’s discuss why exactly The Visit 2015 is pretty overrated.

1) Acting and Scripting. I have to talk about this first because I feel it’s the most broken aspect of this film. The performances are not up to par. I didn’t feel as if anyone cast truly fit their role, and I’ll say that’s the issue rather than the actors just being bad actors. However, I want to make it clear, for the most part I’d say with an amount of confidence these less than captivating performances are due to the script being trashy.

- Becca: The dialogue DeJonge is given just feels pretentious, and if this elaborated code of speech isn’t something you would use in real life regularly, it’s incredibly hard to make sound natural. DeJonge does well at attempting to make Becca this ambitious and mature girl, but I can tell this form of speech doesn’t fit naturally with her.

- Tyler: I respect this kid for powering through the cringe inducing dialogue he was given for about 90% of this film. I can see M. Night was going for that typical wannabe-edgy-hip-and-cool-preteen type of boy, but when the dialogue isn’t funny, the character lacks substance, or even a potential to relate. We’re not even going to talk about the rapping scenes.

2) Cheap “Scares”. The film isn’t scary, like at all. The only time you’re moved to emotional response is when there’s a sudden loud sound or weird animal growl after so many minutes of near silence in a dark house. It’s my pet peeve about horror films and thrillers because almost every film does it nowadays and it’s such a lazy way to create tension or climax that tension.

Also, why the hell does the grandmother just randomly let out these OBVIOUSLY TAKEN STRAIGHT FROM SOUND-CLOUD DOG NOISES?? Like she runs through shot or jumps into frame and they’ve edited in these really stupid sound effects even a TODDLER would think are too much.

3) Plot.

- A mother sent her children on a long distance trip to stay with people she never speaks to and that they themselves have never met.

- The grandparent’s act in ways that aren’t ‘strange’, they’re borderline psychotic at numerous stages and they choose to ignore it because.....screen-time quota?

- THE POLICE ARE ON THEIR WAY AND THESE PEOPLE ARE DANGEROUS BUT I’M GOING TO GO INTO THIS DARK BASEMENT WHERE THERE’S PROBABLY A DARK SECRET AND MAKE A LOAD OF NOISE

4) Found Footage. This is absolutely my biggest issue with this film. It shouldn’t have been found footage. Even a blend of documentary footage from Becca and regular movie camerawork would have been better for this film. The cameras they’re using are also way too high quality considering one of them is supposed to have come from a damaged goods bin. Also, there’s minimal effort to make it look as though the kids are actually filming with these cameras. Holding your arm up to the frame, does not make it look like you are holding the camera. Have you seen a movie camera? They weigh more than these children.

To conclude, I really don’t have anything positive to say about this movie, because it is an objectively bad movie, especially for experienced film makers. But at least they tried, and it can be watched well as a comedy. I have no doubt that the actors, writers and producers involved are talented people, and one bad performance doesn’t make you bad at your job. Everybody has bad days at the office, and that’s okay. If you enjoyed this film as a serious scary movie, somehow, congratulations to you. But personally, I’m going to wash my eyeballs in soap and Stephen King plot-lines.

[ellie-hallorann]

The Best Horror Movies Ever #1: The Shining

When it was first released, Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation of the iconic Stephen King novel was met with mixed reviews. Now, despite the perfectly valid criticisms surrounding actors performances, pacing and cinematic techniques, this film will forever be a staple of horror, and indeed, all of movie history. Here’s why Stanley Kubrick’s, The Shining is one of the best horror movies of all time.

1) Set Design. Not only are they large scale, but they reflect the mystery of The Overlook Hotel. Take the opening scene: as Jack walks through the lobby, in the background of shot we can clearly view a hallway opening with people coming and going. Yet Mr Ullman’s office has a large, glass window with sunlight coming in through what should be solid wall. Also, each section of the hotel has its own distinctive look.

- Room 237: pale greens and purples providing a more dream-like quality to the dwelling of the ghastly lady in the tub.

- The common area: washed-out and aged colours with a more ‘western’/cowboys and Indians theme, enabling the audience to interpret Kubrick’s possible real world metaphors, while also better focus on the actors more bold clothing fabrics.

- The kitchen: silver and sheer surfaces, giving scenes that take place there a cold and clinical feeling, with increased fear of armed violence.

By creating different looks for different areas of The Overlook, Kubrick intentionally alienates the audience. We can better empathise with Wendy’s disorientation, if we are also lost in a universe which is rarely, visually consistent.

2) Practical Effects. Within The Shining, there’s a scarce amount of visual effects that weren’t created by makeup or manually. Even the overhead shot of the maze was done using a partially practical set, and zooming out over the surrounding landscape which was later edited. Elevators releasing a tidal-wave of fake blood, smashing a door in with an axe- these things are made far more terrifying when they don’t depend on CGI to manifest on screen. Heck, there’s several big budget film companies who’d probably have 8 year old Danny Torrance zooming around on a minimal green-screen set instead of just building what they needed, and could definitely afford.

3) Acting Performances. Before anyone says it, YES, there’s a few people in this movie guilty of over-acting. And yes, I am biased. Jack Nicholson can do no wrong in my eyes. However, as a performer, I can understand why Kubrick hired these actors, and encouraged...exaggerated responses.

- Shelley Duvall. It’s no secret that Shelley had a horrific time on set, and it’s clearly present in the behind the scenes footage on the DVD. But I’m here to talk about her performance itself. I personally think she did a great job, despite the fact it’s so different to how Wendy Torrance appears in Kings’ text. This film is made great by it’s absurd, artificial portrayal of family, and cabin fever. When Wendy goes hysterical, I can believe it. Partially because from the start, she wasn’t exactly composed. Duvall, while exaggerated, fills the role of scream queen pretty effectively. Her hysteria contrasts everyone else’s acceptance of, or relatively calm approach to what we’re seeing. She’s like adding wasabi to sushi. Surprising, but it stands out.

- Jack Nicholson. Aside from the fact he’s one of the greatest actors of all time, don’t @ me, Nicholson taps into the meat of Jack Torrance’s psychological breakdown. Especially in a film, especially a Kubrick film, we can’t always have the same gradual, subtle decline we can in a book. Stephen King wasn’t a fan of this on-screen portrayal either, but again, it WORKS within this adaptation. Take the car scene where the trio is driving to The Overlook. Jack’s demeanour is intentionally uptight, silently agitated without real reason. “It’s okay, he saw it on the television.” is one example of how Jack is already prone to illogical annoyance. In a 146 minute film, it’s more believable that The Overlook would infiltrate the mind of a person who is already vulnerable to being a vessel of violence.

4) Cinematography. Kubrick’s style is very distinctive within the film industry, and if I asked you to think of an example of his works, you’d probably say The Shining first. Namely, the constant tone he creates. The suspenseful build is somehow very laid back; not depending on jump-scares or sudden audio strikes to make you tense. Kubrick keeps his audience on the edge of their seats by forcing you to pay attention. His work is like watching a security camera, or a found footage film. You have to watch the foreground, and are rewarded for observing the background. Every frame is crafted, rather than just done for the sake of it. Modern cinema, particularly within horror, just wants to throw everything in the audiences face. Like showing a baby a shiny set of keys. Kubrick doesn’t do that. He trusts the audience will want to pay attention to his work, and the story, and rewards us for our diligence.

To conclude, The Shining is a very unique film within the horror genre, and can be picked apart for its subtext, it’s creative license etc. It’s also a source of ethical controversy, with actors and crew having a whole spectrum of experiences working on the project (though that’s a topic for another day). Whether you personally like the film or not, you can’t deny, as a standalone piece, it’s incredibly beautiful for its manipulation of reality and framing of events. It’s responsible for inspiring many modern film makers and creative minds. For all these reasons, Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, is one of the best horror films ever made.