Shudder Saturday: Creepshow Animated Special (2020)

Here we are, a special episode of the much-anticipated anthology series springboarding from the classic movie, and I felt it should be discussed here. It's not a movie, I know, but it's not the first time I have discussed something here that is not a movie. And it won't be the last time either.

A lot of people were delighted with the news that this series was coming. Many people are still delighted that it has happened, with some commenting that the feel of the show is just what they wanted, and the stories and framing make everything seem nicely in line with that Creepshow vibe.

I have to respectfully disagree.

Much like the tale of the monkey's paw that features in one episode in the first series, Creepshow is a classic example of being careful what you wish for. We already had the classic first movie. A lot of people really like the second movie. But there was a third movie, which was pretty bad. Now we have this, arguably the weakest of all of the products that have the Creepshow name attached.

I don't know why I held out hope that this animated special would be better, but I did. Maybe I was carried along on the wave of positivity that seems to keep coming from the horror community. But let's be clear, I cannot help thinking that the positivity, the love, for this series is coming from people who are still hoping it becomes better than it has been so far. As easy to please as I am, the hit rate for the show has been just below 50%, at a conservative estimate. The better stories have been good, the worse stories have been godawful.

A lot of the success depends on the source material, so I was pleased to see that the first tale this time around was "Survivor Type", a dark and twisted Stephen King story about a man who ends up on a desert island, and aims to stay alive for as long as possible, no matter what. I've long been a fan of this story (which I first read in "Skeleton Crew" and, considering the nastiness of it, using animation to tell it seemed like a perfect choice. Kiefer Sutherland voices the main character, the animation style is okay, and it wasn't that bad. If the second tale was a good one then I could see myself enjoying this special.

The second tale, "Twittering From The Circus Of The Dead" was not a good one. I'd actually say it sit easily alongside the worse of the tales featured in season one. A young girl (voiced by Joey King) and her family end up going into a roadside circus attraction, which features zombies and people in peril. The people in peril act as if they're genuinely afraid. I am sure you can guess why. Based on a short story by Joe Hill, I can only assume this was picked as a way to give the special that father-son writer connection, all this did was make me wish they had gone with some other, ANY other, Joe Hill story. Given the form, this would have been an ideal opportunity to introduce people to the quirky world of Pop Art (okay, not as grounded in horror, maybe, but a much more interesting choice).

I'll watch a second season of the show, but it's become increasingly obvious with each episode, and particularly with this special, that the people crafting Creepshow (and it's Greg Nicotero who has his name writ large over most of it) have forgotten how to capture that spark of magic that makes the original film such an enduring classic, and even makes the second film a fun time for horror fans. I hope they bring some people on board soon who can help them remember how to find it.

4/10

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Shudder Saturday: Cursed Films (2020)

As I have very occasionally done before, this time on Shudder Saturday I am covering a show that they have provided on the streaming service, rather than any one movie. I was previously going to do this with Creepshow, their highly anticipated spin-off from the popular anthology movie, but I figured too many people would be upset if I just spent one blog post trying to find fifty different ways to say "lazy pile of shit".

Anyway, to Cursed Films, a 5-episode series (to date) that features, in order, The Exorcist, The Omen, Poltergeist, The Crow, and Twilight Zone: The Movie.

It's generally a bit weak, to put it mildly. What the show does best is show how people will interpret certain events because of their own views. It's almost an enjoyable study of confirmation bias, and if the makers of the show had decided to pick apart the theories with that in mind then I dare say that this could have been a much more interesting watch.

If you are familiar with The Exorcist then you probably know everything that crops up in the first episode. It's easy to see why the movie was chosen as the first title to be looked at. It's also arguably the biggest disappointment of the whole series, with the content displayed being a mix of something covered much more effectively in many other discussions (including the excellent documentary from Mark Kermode) and some absolute balderdash that shows someone offering exorcisms to a couple of people who seem clearly in need of some extra care from their fellow humans.

The Omen is similar, a regurgitation of many stories that have been told many times before. Yet, because more of The Omen stories are near-misses and could-have-beens, it feels much more tenuous. Something less powerful turned into something marketable by those who were involved in the making of the movie.

Things pick up with the episode on the Poltergeist movies, thanks to the involvement of many people who speak honestly about their own emotional pain after the premature death of young Heather O'Rourke and some wonderfully candid clips (including an archival interview with Zelda Rubinstein) calling bullshit on the whole idea of a curse, and claiming it to be quite disrespectful to those who were more immediately impacted by the loss of loved ones. It's a shame you also get a tangent with some location-hunters finding the house used for filming, and an amateur interview conducted with a neighbour who appears to give some needless "scoop" on the filming of the movie, but the good stuff here is better than anything in the first two episodes.

The Crow keeps things moving in the right direction. A lot of people know the story by now, and the parallels between Brandon Lee and his famous father, Bruce, but this takes you clearly through the chain of events, and explains how the film ended up being completed due to the wishes of those who knew that Brandon Lee was so pleased with his work in the movie. It's a shame that there wasn't a bit more time detailing the huge impact this had on the life of actor Michael Massee (the man who shot the gun, assuming it was all correct and as safe as these things are required to be on any movie set), but it generally gives you the familiar with an added personal connection from people who were directly involved with the movie.

Last, and by no means least, we get to Twilight Zone: The Movie. Be warned, there is footage here of the incident that led to the death of actor Vic Morrow and two young children that is up there with some of the most distressing content I have ever seen. It's real, it happens quickly, it's hard to believe it happened that way, and hard to believe they show it in this show. This is, however, the best episode in the whole series, because of the full picture built up by the many talking heads, and because of the raw nature of a number of archival clips. It's also a huge reminder that (and I LOVE his movies, met the guy, got a bluray signed, and got a pic) John Landis is a massive shit, who should have at least been found guilty of some manslaughter charge. He was a reckless asshole, and his career should have been over after this movie. The documentary doesn't quite cover things here as in-depth as it could (such as a certain rumour about important figures being quickly whisked away from the vicinity, or the way in which the jury on the main court case could have been . . . influenced), but it makes clear, despite the statements from one or two people, that Landis made the bad decisions that led to this tragedy. But, hey, he attended all three funerals, and actually got up to speak at Vic Morrow's funeral, rambling about the immortality Morrow had onscreen. He's clearly upset, which is at least something, but that takes some level of nerve, considering the fact that people state Morrow wasn't really enamoured by Landis, and took the gig because of the involvement of Spielberg.

Each episode is just under half an hour, so I WOULD recommend watching the whole thing (especially if you are a younger horror fan, or a newcomer to the genre), but it's a shame that the quality only picks up in the second half. Although it's still a damn sight better than Creepshow (the series).

6/10

Fanning the flames.

I was asked recently why I had left my blog to gasp and die. And I wasn't sure of my answer, even as I was verbalising it. I know that there were times when it started to feel like an obligation. I know that there were times when it felt like adding a teaspoon of water to a sea already rising up enough to send us all into the kind of environment we once mocked when Kevin Costner starred as a merman. And I decided that not writing about movies would give me more time to actually watch movies. You can watch movies without necessarily sharing your opinion of them with others, right?

But that itch has been growing in recent weeks. A small, glowing ember has been fanned into some small flames that may well lead me back here on a more permanent basis. I no longer have the NEED to blog daily, but it's starting to feel like I have the desire again.

That is down to a mix of a few different things.

First, I am still trying to watch as much as I can on Netflix, Amazon Prime, MUBI (no idea why it took me so long to give that streaming service a try), and also SHUDDER.

Second, I am still as big a shopaholic as ever, thanks to Arrow Films, Powerhouse/Indicator releases, Eureka!, and numerous other labels, both big and small. I have been acquiring some great reading material, from booklets enclosed in lovingly-packaged releases to the selection from the impressive Spectacular Optical. And Dark Bunny Tees is still my clothing supplier of choice (all gift cards greatly appreciated). I am not bankrupt yet, but it often seems like it's not from a lack of trying.

Third, I have been enjoying the world of podcasting. Yes, I caved in and joined a few good friends to assault your ears with Raiders Of The Podcast. We're on Twitter (as Raiders Of The Pod), Facebook, and many places were you can quench your podcast thirst. I even do a daily Instagram for movie-related goodness. And my Letterboxd allows me to keep track of all my viewings.

Fourth, last, and by no means least, I have had some wonderful cinema experiences lately. The kind of experiences that make you want to wax lyrical about the power of the moving image. Films like Blade Runner 2049 (okay film, amazing time at IMAX), Thor Ragnarok (blockbuster of the year? maybe), mother! (messy, not an easy watch, and quite brilliant), and 70mm screenings of both Dunkirk (Nolan has won me round again) and Lawrence Of Arabia (gold-plated classic).

I make no promises (or threats, depending on how you view my ramblings). Let's just say . . . . . . . maybe meet up here again tomorrow?