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Threads (1984)
Chilling even today!
The first time I saw this was when I was on a band tour in England in 1985, and it was being shown on TV. I didn't get to see all of it then but I did see the attack sequence and some of the events leading up to it, and as a teenager living with the threat of nuclear war hanging over us like a Sword of Damocles it was a pretty scary experience. When I saw it again years later on video, it scared me even more. Like many other reviewers said, it made 'The Day After' look small in comparison, both in reality and graphic content fields.
***WARNING! SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW***
It follows two families in the city of Sheffield, UK, an industrialized city whose main economic bases are energy, steel, and chemicals. Also close by is an RAF Base. Every one of these is a possible attack target, for destroying an economic 'base' can cripple a country permanently, as the film shows. An escalating crisis begins following an invasion by the then-USSR of Iran, and the angry international diplomatic response to it, led by the U.S. These families go about their lives facing their own problems (impending pregnancy, marriage, employment), apparently oblivious to the oncoming terror of WW 3. The ICBMs come unexpectedly on a clear spring day. People are going about their business when the air-raid sirens sound, and panic breaks out! The actual attack sequences are chilling but brutally realistic. In particular was the second when the missile struck a few feet from one of the characters' homes, and the devastating firestorm that follows in which we see burning cars, homes, industrial sites, and even bodies. Perhaps more frightening than the attack itself is the nuclear winter - and its apparent indefinite length, as we see that the survivors are unable to even grow food due to radiated soil, no agrochemicals or fertilizers, and radioactive water (or none at all). It was chilling to see just how fast the world can fall apart - the images of exploding buildings, burning cars, and corpses, along with the contrast of the post-attack world in which man is reduced to his most basic measures to survive - and thinking only of survival.
I did not think that this movie was at all anti-NATO or anti-U.S. In fact, its portrayal of the USSR's aggressive behavior was in line with that of former Soviet leaders.
The numerous authorities who were consulted in the making of this film lend considerable credibility to its portrayal of the effects of nuclear war (including the late Carl Sagan), as well as what would follow in terms of maintaining law and order (if that were possible)!
Although the USSR no longer exists, the nuclear threat still remains to a degree - from terrorists and their allies. So although the actual situation portrayed in the film may be somewhat dated, the message it sends is not.
Wishmaster (1997)
Interesting - not that bad!
*This may contain spoilers*
In spite of all the negative reviews, I am going to say it - Wishmaster was actually pretty good. Some of the acting wasn't the greatest, to be sure, but the story was somewhat original (how many people expect a genie to twist their wishes and steal their souls like the Djinn?) and some of the Djinn's vile wish-grantings were unequalled in previous horror flicks (such as the ancient warriors coming to life and killing men armed with handguns).
Andrew Divoff was actually quite effective as the Djinn and its human manifestation. I had never seen him before, but it was a pleasant surprise to see a villain so thoroughly menacing and sinister as Divoff's. Like another reviewer said, the Djinn is on a par with Nightmare on Elm Street's Fred Krueger as a despicable, twisted creature. Interestingly enough, Robert Englund, who played Krueger, appears in Wishmaster as a collector who was adding the statue containing the Djinn to his collection. Englund's portrayal of the collector is a stark contrast from that of Krueger, and it was different to see his character on the receiving end of evil acts committed by the Djinn.
The Djinn's fracturing of people's wishes is something that is never mentioned in other stories surrounding genies. Most people had never thought of it that way and it was different to see the manifestations of people's wishes twisted by the Djinn in a way that allowed him to steal their souls. Especially good were the ones showing the security guard at the auction house (Kane Hodder, a.k.a. Jason Voorhees, 'Friday the 13th') challenging the Djinn to go through him - which he does - and the one of the Djinn asking Tony Todd (Candyman) if he wants to 'escape' - then putting him in a straitjacket & chains inside a full steel tank of water! The Djinn then hisses 'Houdini did it in 2 1/2 minutes' while heading through the door to Robert Englund's party.
To be fair, the ending was perhaps a little cliched, but the manner in which Alexandra (Tammy Lauren) turned the tables on the Djinn was original. Wishmaster is a not-too-bad mix of standard horror formula and originality.
The Dead Zone (1983)
One of the best thriller/horror movies made; underrated
Having read the book and seen the movie, I was very impressed with how Cronenberg's 'The Dead Zone' compares with the Stephen King novel. While most of the original 'visions' were close to the book, some of screenwriter Jeffrey Boam's creative work was well done, other visions King mentioned were omitted or substituted and I would have liked to have seen the originals.
***WARNING! SPOILERS FOLLOW***
Johnny Smith (Walken) awakens from a 5-year coma caused by a car wreck to discover that his teaching job is gone, his fiancee has married someone else, and that he is physically disabled, at least temporarily. But he acquired a terrifying ability to see the future simply by coming into physical contact, and as he later discovers, the ability to CHANGE it.
Some of the visions he has are downright terrifying, most notably the little girl cornered in her bedroom by a raging fire while her things burn around her, and the one of the evil Greg Stillson (Sheen) as U.S. President, starting a nuclear war in spite of a diplomatic solution to an unnamed crisis. The first one frightened me so much I couldn't watch that sequence again.
After seeing the vision of Stillson starting a nuclear war, Johnny must wrestle with the question of whether or not he should use the power he has to alter the future by eliminating Greg Stillson. He ultimately chooses to do so by gunning Stillson down at a rally in the next town. Unfortunately his plans go awry when he misses and is gunned down by Stillson's thugs. Stillson, however, had grabbed Sarah's (Brooke Adams, as Johnny's former fiancee) infant son and used him as a human shield. What none of them had seen was a photographer taking pictures of Stillson's despicable act, and when Johnny touches Stillson's hand he sees the photo on the cover of a U.S. national magazine. In a second he realizes he has succeeded in stopping Stillson. Sarah comes over to Johnny and whispers, 'I love you', just before his death, in a very touching scene.
One of the visions that appeared in the novel was that of a grad party which included a boy Johnny had been tutoring. In the novel, the boy had attended the party only to be killed in a fire started by a lightning strike on the restaurant where the party was being held. This was replaced in the film by Johnny seeing his younger student drown while playing hockey. As in the novel, Johnny manages to prevent his student's death by talking his father out of it. While the sequence in the movie was well done, I would have liked to see the original from the book. Nevertheless, the movie's most powerful line is delivered here by Walken in a shattering manner: 'The ICE is gonna BREAK!'
Michael Kamen's alternately sad and terrifying score is excellently woven into the film, especially the sequences involving Johnny and Sarah.
Walken's portrayal of Johnny is amazing as a man whose life has been turned upside-down by the loss of so many people he loved, not to mention losing 5 years of his life and gaining an unwanted psychic ability. This was a different role for him than his ones as the twisted Max Zorin (A View to a Kill), or Frank White (King of New York). It was nice to see him as the good guy for once. Martin Sheen also does a great job as the vile Stillson, in another sharp contrast to his current role as President in 'The West Wing' TV series. Brooke Adams is also stellar in her role as Sarah, torn between her love for Johnny and a need to move on with her life.
The Dead Zone is an excellent film; for a Cronenberg movie it has surprisingly little gore. However, what gore there is is essential to the story. It is an alternately sad and genuinely scary movie that seems to contain at least some of the elements of a classic literary tragedy.
The Ghost and the Darkness (1996)
Excellent movie - this one is based on a terrifying true story
An excellent story, based on the real-life experiences of Lt. Col J.H. Patterson written in 'The Man-Eaters of Tsavo', which chronicled his efforts to stop the 2 male lions who were killing his workmen.
*Some spoilers may follow - I have tried to minimize them*
Patterson (Val Kilmer) is a British Army Engineer who is sent by his boss, the arrogant, pompous Robert Beaumont (Tom Wilkinson) to build a railway bridge across the Tsavo river. There is a time deadline as the French and Germans are also building railways, and the British are just ahead. When he reaches Africa he is taken in by some of the most spectacular scenes of animals and landscapes - absolutely terrific cinematography. The building of the bridge begins but not without occasional sightings of a pair of lions creeping around the camps. Patterson manages to kill a lion the first night he spends there, and the workmen are relieved that Patterson has made their lives safer again. Unfortunately, one dead lion DID NOT end the terror. It began that night when Mahina, the foreman(Henry Cele) is pulled from his tent by a lion and dragged out. He is killed, dragged away and eaten. Another death occurs the following night after a man wanders out of his tent and the lion grabs him. Patterson has half the workmen start building thorn and tree-branch fences around the camps to keep the lions out while the other half go to the bridge. While Patterson is reading mail, several screams come up from the camp and Patterson heads towards them. He discovers a big male lion charging through the village, and it overpowers a workman before dragging him out of sight around a building. Patterson follows until he has the lion in sight, when a 2nd roar comes from above. Another big male lion dives down on them, fatally wounding one of his secretaries. The two lions glare menacingly at them (in a sequence that shows them as a pair of very beautiful, handsome creatures)and then disappear into the grass. A 'great white hunter' named Remington is sent to help Patterson, and one plan he has is to build a new hospital - one that should keep the smells of sickness and blood out of the lions attention. They seal up the old hospital as a trap, but the lions pass it by and hit the NEW one! After this, the workmen leave on the first train that passes through Tsavo. They come swarming out in their white robes, carrying their belongings in bags and riding anywhere they can - on top of box cars, clinging to doors, even on the front of the steam engine.
Now Patterson and Remington must hunt for the lions alone and with Masai Tribesmen known to Remington. They corner one in a jungle thicket but Patterson's rifle fails and he cannot shoot. In a truly eerie sequence the lion moves toward him, and in the backgrounds are screams of Patterson's men who died at the lion's hands. Remington squeezes off a couple of shots, but the lion escapes. They employ a variety of night-hunting measures including a tall platform which Patterson sits on, but finds himself at the mercy of the approaching lion when an owl makes him lose his balance. After a quick game of cat-and-mouse, Remington kills the first one with a shot in the chest. Patterson wakes that night to see that Remington's tent has collapsed, the inside is a mess and there is blood on the floor. As he heads back to the half-finished bridge he starts shouting, "I'm going to SORT IT OUT! I'm going to SORT IT OUT!" while firing off his rifle. The lion's roars fall silent for a second, then it appears and a nail-biting chase starts on the bridge, with the lion determined to get its paws on the man who killed its companion.
Altogether these lions were known to have killed about 130 people during the time they were killing Patterson's workmen. The movie follows very faithfully the storyline of the book, and recreates some of the workmen's tensions seen in the movie - this is why it seems a little dull for the 1st 30 min. or so. So be patient - it improves as the story carries on.
I would highly recommend that people who have seen this read 'The Man-Eaters of Tsavo' by Lt. Col. J.H. Patterson. It was reprinted just after the movie's release so it may still be available. An excellent movie that outdoes most of the horror/suspense flicks today, and as the tagline suggests....'the most incredible parts of the story are true.'
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
Bone-Chilling!
I went and saw this in the theater when it first came out. It was the 1st Halloween movie I'd seen and I was so impressed that I've rented it several times since.
*THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
The atmosphere starts out creepy right at the beginning, as an ambulance makes its way along a dark, twisting road to the Ridgemont Federal Sanitarium, where Michael Myers has been in a coma since being set on fire at the end of Halloween 2. While en route to another hospital, he overhears the ambulance crew referring to his niece and comes to life, savagely killing the crew who are trapped inside.
During the night, that niece, Jamie Lloyd, who lives with another family, spots an ambulance outside her home, and then after going back to her room discovers Myers is hiding in it! When the lightning flashed, showing him standing in the mirror, I just about jumped out of my skin! An interesting bit was where he appeared in the doorway, immediately after Jamie saw him sitting up on the other side of her bed. Loomis's first encounter comes after he & his boss find out that the Illinois State Police have discovered the wrecked ambulance that was carrying Myers, and Loomis heads off to a gas station where Myers has acquired his traditional coveralls and wicked-looking knife. The part that spooked me the most came when Jamie was standing in front of the mirror, holding up the clown outfit. Suddenly the image in the mirror changes to that of a six-year-old boy who murdered his sister in 1963, and Myers himself appears behind her as he pulls down his mask. This mask is different from the first two, but I found it more frightening because the hollow, dark eyes give the impression that there is no human inside it. The ending scared me as well, because it left an unanswered question - was Myers 'reborn' or somehow connected to his niece another way?
Donald Pleasance remains effective as the psychiatrist trying to stop the apparently demonic Michael, along with the new sheriff Meeker and Ellie Cornell (what a sweetheart!) as Jamie's half-sister Rachel.
This one lacks the graphic gore of Halloween 2, and it seems that director Dwight Little has tried to stick to Carpenter's original formula. For the most part he and his crew have succeeded. It's better than most of the Friday the 13th ones in that you don't see most of the killings - only the end result. Definitely on a par with the first two and probably better.
The Fog (1980)
Creepy, underrated ghost story
A good ghost story, which went outside the usual formula of 80's slasher flicks. Carpenter uses the eerieness and suspense he created for Halloween in The Fog.
*WARNING! POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOLLOW*
The 100-year birthday of the California town of Antonio Bay is fast approaching, and it will be one that the town's residents would rather have not happened at all. A century earlier the first settlers of the town lured an unsuspecting ship crew to their doom, by burning a fire on shore which lured the ship through a thick fog until it crashed against the rocks and sank, killing the crew. Now, on that anniversary, the ghosts of the crew, concealed in the fog that contributed to their deaths, are returning to Antonio Bay to exact revenge and claim what is rightfully theirs. One of the creepiest moments involves the deaths of 3 men on a boat. The first thing they see is the ghostly apparition of the ship, with ripped sails and soaked decks. The fog clears away to reveal several dark figures standing in the middle of it, and one at a time the men are killed. The next is when the glowing fog rolls into the town as the celebrations are closing, and with it comes the ghosts of the crew, hunting for a total of 6 victims in place of those who had caused their deaths. As the fog moves through the town, it menaces people trying to flee, in their homes, or anywhere else. A DJ (played by Adrienne Barbeau) warns the town, "Get inside and lock your doors...close your windows...there's something in the fog!". The ending was particularly interesting....you have to see it to understand it!
This movie is grossly underrated as it was released on the heels of 'Halloween', and wasn't given a lot of press. It has a good story, is mostly well acted, and has genuinely frightening ghosts. The story is fitting to one told around a campfire, like it is at the start of the movie and so sets the stage for what follows. The music is genuinely creepy and fits the film well, especially when the fog sweeps in at the end of the celebrations. An excellent little movie that scares better than today's horror flicks!
I Can Make You Love Me (1993)
A frightening true story, better made than most
This is a truly frightening story of a real stalking case. In fact, the story this movie revolves around pioneered the anti-stalking law in California and likely inspired other states to do the same.
Richard Farley (played by Richard Thomas, in a role at the other end of the spectrum from his role in The Waltons) is an office nerd-of-sorts who thinks he has a shot with Laura Black (Brooke Shields), a new co-worker at a Northern California high-tech firm. Farley ruthlessly pursues Black in spite of her rejections. In spite of Black's protests, Farley keeps up his pursuit, even sending letters to her at her parents' home in VA. (This event actually happened).
*SPOILER FOLLOWING*
Farley continues his pursuit until, after threatening the HR people at his company (another real event), he is fired and banned from the property. However he still pursues Laura until he is served with a temporary restraint order keeping him away from her. What follows is a terrifying attack against his old employer. In a sequence that shatters actor Thomas' wholesome image, he goes 'postal' and ruthlessly guns down several people, including Laura, who managed to escape. This segment seems to follow the real story almost right down to the last detail, including those surrounding Farley's surrender.
I have heard of the story surrounding Laura Black, and this movie fit most of the particulars almost to a T. The depth of the writers' attention to the details of the Laura Black stalking made this movie that much more frightening. It is better than most TV movies which take a fair bit of dramatic license with their writing. Unlike those, this one sticks very close to the actual story.