OK guys I promise there's something in the pipeline. Been crazy busy and haven't been watching many horror flicks in the past few weeks. However there are a few new movies coming out and a few Netflix items that have been intriguing me as of late. Silent Hill is the current topic I'm writing about and with 2 movies and a shit load of games to talk about it's petty epic.
Keep watching boils and ghouls I promise something terrible is about to happen.....
Lola
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
The Exorcist
1973
Director: William Friedkin
Starring: Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, Mercedes McCambridge
Basic story: 12 year old Regan becomes possessed by the demon Pazuzu. Her mother seeks the help of "an old priest and a young priest" to free her daughter from this possession. (And the sales of pea soup plummeted)
Ahh, The Exorcist, it's a classic. I will admit that this movie freaked the shit out of me for years. I saw it one night and refused to watch it ever again. Then the 25th anniversary came around and I was working at the local Blockbuster video store. We got so much crap in to advertise for it that I felt like ok it's time. My SO at the time had never seen it either and we both said "let's turn all the lights on in the living room, sit on the couch and do this shit!!!!"
I decided to watch the special features first. I figured if I ruined the special effects and knew all the back stories on how everything was done then it wouldn't be as scary. Yeah I was wrong. While the way they made "help me" appear on Linda Blair's stomach was pretty cool and listening to Mercedes McCambridge's audio clips of rehearsing the demon voice was creepy and cool all at the same time. I was still freaked. The head turning around scenes still scare the shit out of me to this day!!!!
When the movie was originally released people were supposedly fainting and running screaming from the theaters. It has been stated that the scenes that caused most of these reactions were specific scenes where Regan is undergoing various diagnostic procedures requiring large needles to be inserted in her neck, etc. If modern horror movies elicited that reaction, regardless if it was the blood and guts or not, it would either shut down the horror heyday we've been enjoying or from then on we would get nothing but insane horror movies that aren't fun anymore. Look at the initial outcry regarding the first Saw movie. If The Exorcist were released today it would still be an awesome movie, but wouldn't have the same affect. I'm not saying that we're desensitized or anything, I just think it would be pure CGI and the impact that the practical effects made would be lost.
Think about it. They had to build a rig to make Linda Blair's head spin around backwards, not just CG it. The "help me" on her skin was created by building a false torso out of foam latex, painting the words on it with cleaning fluid and filming the chemical reaction. A heat gun was used on the forming words causing the blisters to deflate. Then the film was run backwards in editing making the effect look like the words were rising out of the skin. Mind Blown!!!! Guys I work in theater and have had the pleasure of working in haunted attractions. I understand the concept of how special effects can scare someone and how those effects are created. It still blows my mind. Fishing line attached to latex pieces on Linda Blair's leg and pulled from off screen created the effect of her skin being flayed as "The power of Christ" compels her to stop floating above the bed. Seriously check out the making of features on the anniversary DVD at some point. The amount of Macguyvering they did was crazy.
The movie still holds up today as some really scary shit. Every time I watch it I have to watch something with fluffy bunnies and unicorns afterwards. My brain keeps Linda Blair's contacts burned into my short term memory for at least 3 days. I tried reading the book at one point and it ended up getting thrown across the room. My ceiling fan was making knocking noises right as I got the scene where Ellen Burstyn's character hears knocking noises on the ceiling access door to the attic. I was done. Book was thrown, sleep never happened, have no idea where the book is now and it can stay where it is thank you very much. As much as I like reading the book and watching the movie version to see what's different this is one book I will leave unread.
While the movie does scare the hell out of me and I won't be adding it to my DVD library anytime soon, you will hear me request a young priest and an old priest at times when my laptop decides to do something funky. Pea soup comments abound in conversations about being sick. It's a classic and I will force people who have never seen it and call themselves horror fans to watch it. I'll just make sure all the lights are on and there's lots of My Little Pony ready to put on afterwards.
Ok. It's been a long day and now I need fluffy bunnies and unicorns.
Next up: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2013)
Director: William Friedkin
Starring: Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, Mercedes McCambridge
Basic story: 12 year old Regan becomes possessed by the demon Pazuzu. Her mother seeks the help of "an old priest and a young priest" to free her daughter from this possession. (And the sales of pea soup plummeted)
Ahh, The Exorcist, it's a classic. I will admit that this movie freaked the shit out of me for years. I saw it one night and refused to watch it ever again. Then the 25th anniversary came around and I was working at the local Blockbuster video store. We got so much crap in to advertise for it that I felt like ok it's time. My SO at the time had never seen it either and we both said "let's turn all the lights on in the living room, sit on the couch and do this shit!!!!"
I decided to watch the special features first. I figured if I ruined the special effects and knew all the back stories on how everything was done then it wouldn't be as scary. Yeah I was wrong. While the way they made "help me" appear on Linda Blair's stomach was pretty cool and listening to Mercedes McCambridge's audio clips of rehearsing the demon voice was creepy and cool all at the same time. I was still freaked. The head turning around scenes still scare the shit out of me to this day!!!!
When the movie was originally released people were supposedly fainting and running screaming from the theaters. It has been stated that the scenes that caused most of these reactions were specific scenes where Regan is undergoing various diagnostic procedures requiring large needles to be inserted in her neck, etc. If modern horror movies elicited that reaction, regardless if it was the blood and guts or not, it would either shut down the horror heyday we've been enjoying or from then on we would get nothing but insane horror movies that aren't fun anymore. Look at the initial outcry regarding the first Saw movie. If The Exorcist were released today it would still be an awesome movie, but wouldn't have the same affect. I'm not saying that we're desensitized or anything, I just think it would be pure CGI and the impact that the practical effects made would be lost.
Think about it. They had to build a rig to make Linda Blair's head spin around backwards, not just CG it. The "help me" on her skin was created by building a false torso out of foam latex, painting the words on it with cleaning fluid and filming the chemical reaction. A heat gun was used on the forming words causing the blisters to deflate. Then the film was run backwards in editing making the effect look like the words were rising out of the skin. Mind Blown!!!! Guys I work in theater and have had the pleasure of working in haunted attractions. I understand the concept of how special effects can scare someone and how those effects are created. It still blows my mind. Fishing line attached to latex pieces on Linda Blair's leg and pulled from off screen created the effect of her skin being flayed as "The power of Christ" compels her to stop floating above the bed. Seriously check out the making of features on the anniversary DVD at some point. The amount of Macguyvering they did was crazy.
The movie still holds up today as some really scary shit. Every time I watch it I have to watch something with fluffy bunnies and unicorns afterwards. My brain keeps Linda Blair's contacts burned into my short term memory for at least 3 days. I tried reading the book at one point and it ended up getting thrown across the room. My ceiling fan was making knocking noises right as I got the scene where Ellen Burstyn's character hears knocking noises on the ceiling access door to the attic. I was done. Book was thrown, sleep never happened, have no idea where the book is now and it can stay where it is thank you very much. As much as I like reading the book and watching the movie version to see what's different this is one book I will leave unread.
While the movie does scare the hell out of me and I won't be adding it to my DVD library anytime soon, you will hear me request a young priest and an old priest at times when my laptop decides to do something funky. Pea soup comments abound in conversations about being sick. It's a classic and I will force people who have never seen it and call themselves horror fans to watch it. I'll just make sure all the lights are on and there's lots of My Little Pony ready to put on afterwards.
Ok. It's been a long day and now I need fluffy bunnies and unicorns.
Next up: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2013)
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