31 Days of Horror: Misery (1990)

One word conjures up images in my head that make me shudder. Just the thought of this adaptation of Steven King's novel sends chills up my spine. Starring James Caan as famous novelist Paul Sheldon who has an unfortunate run-in with his 'number one' {psycho} fan as played brilliantly by Kathy Bates.

Bates as Annie and the pain she inflicts on Caan is what creates the terrifying atmosphere in Misery. The quick setup with Sheldon crashing into a snowbank and being rescued by nurse Annie belies the agony about to occur. When Annie freaks over the death of her beloved fictional character, she nearly beats Sheldon to a pulp. Instead, she decides to let Sheldon atone for his book, but writing a new one in which Misery Chastain is resurrected.

Director Rob Reiner fashions Misery as a slow burn from the moment Sheldon {and the audience} realizes Annie has no intention of letting him leave. Annie is alternately sweet and diabolical. Reiner couldn't have cast better. Caan easily develops sympathy from the viewer--how could he not?! It's Kathy Bates that really gets the opportunity to shine. As Annie, Bates simmers a split personality--the scary part is you never know which one is going to show up. It's horrifying.

Under Reiner's direction the house become a playground of torture. The film's pacing is dead-on. The tension between Sheldon and Annie is nearly unbearable. As the viewer, you want Sheldon to escape, but you also recognize that with each unsuccessful attempt brings another lever of misery.

The hobbling scene is easily the pain-filled highlight and the most excoriating moment of the film. Simplistic in nature, the scene practically carries the weight of the entire film.

Misery is unforgettable terror.

Dear Wendy (2005)

My enjoyment of the seemingly obsure led me to this selection. Dear Wendy is a provocative and engaging character study. Beautiful composition by writer/director Thomas Vinteberg {new to me} creates a fresh bittersweet tale.

Dick Dandelion (Jamie Bell) is a social outcast in any Smalltown, USA. When he disocvers that the toy gun he purchased for an idiot friend is actually a small handgun, Dick finds himself strangly drawn to it despite his fervent pacifist views. When he finds a fellow sympathizer in Stevie (Mark Webber), the two delve into the history and nuances of their respective weapons. Before long it becomes an obsession and, after recruiting a few more misfits from town (Chris Owen, Alison Pill, Michael Angarano), The Dandies--a pacifist gun club--is born.

The group is ruled by a strict code of conduct that each member eagerly obeys and fervently respects. Each of these social rejects are the direct result of their circumstances and as they find acceptance and confidence with the Dandies, each member {and their silent partner} loom large. With the power of their knowledge and their choice to wield is responsibly, the Dandies maintain the ritualistic existence until the world comes crashing in with the arrival of Sebastian (Danso Gordon).

The ensemble cast is remarkably strong. A young Jamie Bell leads the way as Dick and provides narration for our story. Bell plays the character for sympathy and never loses sight of what makes Dick vulnerable. Mark Webber is equally captivating. Brother Huey and Freddie (Owen and Angarano respectively) and Susan (Alison Pill) each add a quirk or theme that rounds out our study.

Dear Wendy is beautifully outrageous and equally graphic. Director Vinterberg weaves tight cinematography with light and dark that plays well against the human condition provided by the remarkable screenplay. His use of The Zombies laden soundtrack adds a strangely morose touch.

Dear Wendy is, I hesitate, like a modern day Western. Perhaps it's more a reworking of a western film. Building to a climax that guarantees a reaction--a climax that is brilliant {a study in perfection}, Dear Wendy is oddly pitch perfect.

31 Days of Horror: Cabin Fever (2002)

Continuing in the same vein of yesterday's post, director Eli Roth is capable of well-constructed horror as seen in Cabin Fever. The film terrifies on different planes. There are quirky moments like the random bunny-suited man in the woods and true horror in the shower, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Five recent grads leave the city behind to get away from test scores and life's pressures. Their plans include beer and sex in a remote mountain cabin until an unfortunate series of events after a run-in with local-yocal. All hell breaks loose when one friend contracts a flesh eating disease. Now they must survive it and each other.

Cabin Fever is a perfect storm of camp and gore. Out of the gate, Roth sets the tone with the emphasis on the characters. We quickly determine the hierarchy of the group, who's the stoner, the athlete, etc.--actually, it's more like Victim #1 and Victim #2. Roth doesn't bother with psycho-babble or twists, his aim is to scare and he delivers.

The cast is surprisingly strong. But it's the unusual and seemingly random scenes that really get me. Here's everyone around the table enjoying pancakes... 'oh, I'm off to the shower'... *screams* OH MY GOD!!! MY SKIN IS COMING OFF!!! It's random terror at its best!!

Cabin Fever also succeeds because of what you don't see. Surely, I'm not the only one who things a remote cabin in the woods is frightening in itself. Add a flesh eating virus--YOU CAN'T SEE!!, some freaky country bumpkins, a touch of infighting--oh yeah, it's all coming out now. Oh, the B-movie touches don't hurt either. Roth gets it right with Cabin Fever.

31 Days of Horror: Hostel (2005)

Three young men backpacking their way across Europe find themselves in a quaint Slovakian town with many sex-crazed local women. After checking into a local hostel, the boys are surrounded by eager and all too friendly girls. It's not until his friends disappear, that Paxton (Jay Hernandez) begins to ask questions and discovers a murder-for-profit organization settled within the city limits.

Hostel is essentially torture porn for the masses. Charging away with gruesome, random events, the movie's potential is squandered with a less than stellar plot, sub par acting and a storyline that tortures it's own audience.

Director Eli Roth jumbles essential elements of film-making and randomly inserts them for this messterpiece. Sure, the scenes of torture are intense, but Roth fails to back them up with enough development to make us care. Part teen sex comedy, part horror and all crap.

Still as hack&slash goes, Hostel is memorable. Scene after stylish scene assaults your memory with cheap, gratuitous, juicy thrills. Those with one iota of brain will do as I did..."what kind of crazy bastard thinks this stuff up?!"

As I see it, Hostel is an original concept, very poorly executed. There is nothing here but hard and fast thrills. For some, that will suffice. For me, it crossed a line and ceases to be entertainment.

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life (1983)

You either love or hate Monty Python's brand of humour. I don't think there is any middle of the road for the likes of John Cleese, Michael Palin, and Eric Idle. The Meaning of Life is no different.

Monty Python's The Meaning of Life is unabashedly raunchy and offensive. The original kings of insult comedy, Cleese, Palin, Idle, Graham Chapman, Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam take great liberties to offend everyone and everything. From the opening stabs at Roman Catholics to the closing strains of death, The Meaning of Life has you covered.

Through a series of sketches, the comedy team take on the various stages of life and maximizes them for the best laughs. These laughs, however, are often sight gags complimented with dry British humour.

The Meaning of Life is best suited for those who are well rounded in the genre of British comedy. Fans of Are You Being Served? or the more recent Little Britain should give it a go. If you're not a fan, you will find The Meaning of Life utterly pointless.