Horror Film of the Week: The Fog

The Fog

Directed By: John Carpenter

Starring: Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Houseman, Janet Lee, Hal Holbrook

Year of Release: 1980

Rated: R

1 hrs. 30 min.

One hundred years after an accident at sea, the sleepy town of Antonio Bay honors the accident with a candlelight vigil and the unveiling of a statue. However, the local priest discovers the truth behind the "accident," and when the fog rolls in, the dead sailors return for revenge.

The Fog is a great classic horror film from renowned director John Carpenter, creator of one of the most notable horror films in movie history, Halloween (also starring Scream Queen Jamie Lee Curtis). The exposition is introduced creatively in the form of a scary campfire story told by a an old sea-weary man to a group of local children. It is an interesting way to introduce us to the legend of the boating accident that efficiently draws us into the narrative.

Almost from the get go creepy things happen: car alarms sounding for no apparent reason, glass bottles in the grocery shaking in the refrigerators, and televisions flicking on. The action quickly calms down, however, giving the the film a nicely balanced pace. The Fog also gives us those great crunching, crisp sound effects that are typical of horror classics of the 1970s and 1980s. The fog also creeps into frame every time it makes its arrival like any human villain such as Jason Voorhies or Michael Meyers.

The Fog is another classic horror film from the brilliant mind of John Carpenter. With great moments of suspense, action, and a chilling plot, this is another must-see for all movie fans.

Horror Film of the Week: Suspiria

Suspiria

Directed By: Dario Argento

Starring: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini

Year of Release: 1977

Rated: Unrated

1 hrs. 38 min.

American ballet student Suzy Bannion travels to Europe to attend a prestigious dance academy. On the rainy night she arrives, Suzy witnesses a girl fleeing from the building. After a subsequent couple of deaths, and the disappearance of a friend, Suzy begins to realize that the noises she hears at night may not be the norm at this school.

Dario Argento masterfully mixes the supernatural with slasher and psychological horror. Not only does Suspiria make you think, but it also gives you chills. Argento knows how to brilliantly build tension in short amounts of time. Each death scene gives you want you want out of a good horror film: anticipation, chase, and gruesome murder.

The plot aside, the aesthetics alone are worth seeing. Argento uses rich colors masterfully in so many ways. There are deep reds, hard greens, bright blues, and so on. He uses the color scheme brilliantly to create suspense in certain sequences. During the first death scene, the contrast of the whites of the floor and the light all around against the vibrant red blood and the brightly colored glass of a broken window make each shot in the sequence simply exquisite.

There are many more brilliant spots in Suspiria, including use of shadow and the chillingly dramatic music. It is a truly classic film and certainly one I recommend to any person, horror fan or not. If this film is to your liking, you'll be happy to know there are two sequels, Inferno (1980), and La Terza Madre (The Mother of Tears)(2007). Together they make the "Three Mothers" trilogy.

Horror Film of the Week: The Omen

The Omen

Directed By: Richard Donner

Starring: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick

Year of Release: 1976

Rated: R

1 hrs. 41 min.

When the child of US Ambassador Robert Thorn and his wife Katherine is stillborn, Robert reluctantly adopts a baby boy whose mother died in childbirth without telling his wife that the child is not their biological son. Years later the family relocates to London and holds a birthday party for the boy, Damien. At the party an incident occurs which sets in motion a series of deaths and odd events which lead Robert to search for the truth behind who Damien really is and where he came from. The truth is more frightening than Robert could ever have imagined.

The Omen is wildly chilling. Nothing is more frightening than a child being a truly powerful force of evil, especially when it is a child you think is your own. Harvey Stephens portrays Damien brilliantly, with his vacant stares and devilish grins. Gregory Peck is just as strong a performer in this film as he is in the literary classic To Kill a Mockingbird. As Robert Thorn, he wonderfully portrays the role of a father torn between the love for a boy he claims as his son and his desire to find the evil truth of that boy's existence.

The film has so many seemingly beautiful aspects. The Oscar-winning score is the perfect tool, causing tension and suspense at all the right moments with haunting Latin choral chants. You will get chills every time you hear one of these dark pieces of music. There are also camera shots and editing devices which are compelling and lyrical while still keeping the film in the realm of dark and frightening. In one shot, a single fish bowl falls silently and slowly from a balcony and shatters on the hard floor below. At another moment, a gun goes off and, in slow motion, we watch the bullet leave the gun and float through the air amidst the gunpowder emitted from the shot. Moments such as these two are part of what makes The Omen such a classic; its not just about the scary moments (such as the iconic scene where Damien's nanny hangs herself), its the beautiful cinematography, editing, and acting.

And besides, the name "Damien" is cleverly similar to the word "demon." Is there a better name for an evil child than that? If you are a character in a horror film and you name your child that, you're just asking for trouble.

The Omen is most definitely one of the horror elite. No single person can call himself or herself a true horror fan, or a fan of film in general, without having seen this masterpiece.

Horror Film of the Week: Pet Sematary

Pet Sematary

Directed By: Mary Lambert

Starring: Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, Brad Greenquist, Fred Gwynne

Year of Release: 1989

Rated: R

1 hrs. 43 min.

The Creed family moves to a beautiful house off of a country highway that is frequented by big rigs. A kindly neighbor named Jud (Fred Gwynne) shows the family a pet cemetery in the woods nearby. An accident occurs over the Thanksgiving holiday that is only the beginning of a much larger event.

Right from the beginning the audience is pulled into the film; its eerie opening sequence puts the viewer in the right mood for a horror movie. The camera creeps through the titular cemetery, giving us a peek at each of the tombstones of beloved pets from the past, and it is backed by dark music consisting of children's voices. And what's creepier than children when it comes to horror films?

Pet Sematary is a brilliant masterpiece that is a darkly wonderful comment on the concepts of death, afterlife, and grief. It is able to pull you into more emotions than just fear; you feel sadness, loss, joy, and shock, all in one movie. Plus, there is the added bonus of the presence of Fred "Herman Munster" Gwynne as the kindly neighbor.

Intrigued yet? If not, there are two words that can only make this even better: Stephen. King. The script for Pet Sematary was written by the Master of Horror himself, and was based on his 1983 novel of the same name. There are many reasons why Stephen King has earned his title of Master of Horror, and Pet Sematary is one.

Horror Film of the Week: The Evil Dead

The Evil Dead

Directed By: Sam Raimi

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Ellen Sandweiss, Hal Delrich, Betsy Baker, Sarah York

Year of Release: 1981

Rated: NC-17

1 hrs. 25 min.

In this classic horror film from the now renowned filmmaker Sam Raimi, five friends travel to a cabin in the woods. Upon exploring the cabin their first night they come across a Book of the Dead and a recording of a man's research and readings of demonic incantations. Upon playing the recordings they unwittingly release an evil in the woods. One by one the characters are possessed and become zombies. Will any of them make it to see the sun rise?

The Evil Dead has everything you expect from your classic horror movie: lots of blood, gore, cheesiness. Despite being a non-Hollywood chillfest, the film, like any great classic, has many a great scare and thrill in it, from a brutal attack on one girl by the trees and roots in the forest to the iconic scene in which a possessed zombie girl stabs her friend in the ankle with a pencil.

The film went on to spawn two sequels, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, a stage musical, and a comic book series. There is even a fourth film in the works. Hey, if Bruce Campbell returns in the fourth film, then that is also sure to be a classic as well.

This is one film that is not just a must see for the film buffs and horror aficianados. Anyone and everyone should see The Evil Dead, but be prepared for the occasional cheesy moment and bad acting. But isn't that what makes so many of our favorite horror films so classic?