My Bloody Valentine (1981)

GEORGE MIHALKA

MY BLOODY VALENTINE

CANADA, 1981

7.5/10

"From the heart comes a warning, filled with bloody good cheer, remember what happened as the 14th draws near!"

The 1980s, what a time for horror the 1980s were. Following the huge success of HALLOWEEN (1978) and FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980), many slashers based on certain days were created. We got NEW YEAR'S EVIL (1980), PROM NIGHT (1980), SLIENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT (1984), and many others. And probably one of the best of those films, and, in my opinion, one of the best non-franchise horror films of the '80s was MY BLOODY VALENTINE (1981).

The plot is pretty simple. Two security guards at the mine hurry away to get to a Valentine's day party in time, forgetting to check the methane levels. There's an explosion, and the miners are stuck in the cave, only one surviving: Harry Warden, who had to eat the flesh of the other miners to survive. After a year at a mental hospital, he breaks free and kills the two security guards responsible, and warns the town never to celebrate Valentine's Day again. 20 years later, the town decides to hold another Valentine's dance, and sure enough, the killing starts again.

This film is famous because the MPAA forced it to cut out a lot of its gore (and the gore in this is very impressive for a kinda low-budget flick), but nowadays it can be viewed in all of its gory glory on the uncut DVD. True, the added footage is a little grainy, but seeing as it has been on the side for 30-ish years, it's rather good. Many kills are interesting and creative, with many rather effective jump scares.

There are a lot of characters, some of them are not memorable and are paper-thin. There are a lot of cliches, like the jokester, and an older bartender who warns the young characters (not teenagers, just young) is very similar to Ralp from FRIDAY THE 13TH. The four or five more main characters are a bit more complex and interesting. They are still not great characters, but they are believable and real enough that I care what happens to them. Since there are a lot of characters, there are also a lot of actors, and a lot of the acting is nothing remarkable. However, a lot of the lead roles do very well, and we don't watch slashers to see Oscar-worthy acting, we watching slashers to see a bunch of people get cut up creatively.

The director does a very good job creating the atmosphere. The opening scene is very surreal and dreamlike, yet a horrific act still occurs, which perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the movie. In the beginning, we see Valentine Bluffs, a town covered in pink and red hearts and banners declaring the upcoming Valentine's dance, yet we still feel a sense of foreboding. Later in the movie, the scene involving the descending suits is very suspenseful. When some of the characters descend into the mine for the climax of the movie (filmed in an actual Nova Scotian mine), it is very claustrophobic and creepy. I think it compares best to the recent british horror, THE DESCENT (2005). The scene where four of the characters climb the ladder was very tense and created a very large sense of anxiety. The shot of the killer knocking out the lights in the mine with his pickaxe is very creepy.

Everything about the killer is scary, really. I mean, I find gas masks pretty fucking creepy, and they make the whole "heavy breathing" cliche even more distinct and creepy. The costume really hides the killer's identity, whether it's Harry Warden or any of the other characters killing people is pretty hard to tell. I don't really like the twist at the end just because it wasn't executed very well, but the last line of the film is still really, really creepy.

In conclusion, this is one of, in my opinion, the better 1980s slasher films. Though the plot is lackluster and the actors/characters leave much to be desired, it's still a very effective, atmospheric horror flick. Try to watch the gorier uncut version, but the original cut is still pretty effective.

Opera (1987)

DARIO ARGENTO

OPERA/TERROR AT THE OPERA

ITALY, 1987

8/10

"I am nothing like my mother! Nothing like her!"

While the film is rather flawed, I still have a soft spot for Dario Argento's OPERA (1987), also known as TERROR AT THE OPERA. It was the first Italian and Argento film I had ever seen (I think it might even be the first non-US horror film I have ever seen, but that fact I'm less sure of), and so I still love it and forgive its faults. I believe another factor may be the fact that I'm an absolutely massive PHANTOM OF THE OPERA fan (I love the novel, movie adaptations, and musical, I honestly just adore anything Phantom), and this film did remind me of that story. I mean, it has a mysterious murderous man becoming obsessed with a young opera singer, the rest is pretty different but that basic story-line is still the same. The idea of placing needles under a girl's eyes to force her to watch murders occur in front of her was so sick and twisted that it captivated me. I mean, I'm a horror fan, of course I love anything sick and twisted.

The soundtrack for me was hit and miss. I absolutely adored the opera soundtrack, and I thought that to have something like that featured in a horror film was just so new and so fascinating. Yet the heavy metal just felt completely out of place, and I actually feel it dumbed down the murders. I'd love it if the murders occurred while an opera piece is playing, as I think the beautiful music would provide a wonderful contrast with the horrors occurring on scene. I'd like to get off track for a minute and talk about another film I love, BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974). If you've seen the film, you no doubt remember a scene in which (I will not be using names to not spoil anything) a character opens the door to find a group of young children singing Christmas carols, while another character was being violently murdered within the sorority house. This is one of my favorite scenes from the movie, because cutting to the peaceful group of children, singing songs while the snow falls and then to the horrifying act inside captivated me. I feel, if OPERA got rid of the heavy metal score, the film's rating may have increased to 8.5/10.

Like many other Argento films, the storyline isn't amazing (though, as mentioned earlier, the story in this captivated me), the acting is nothing to write home about, and the dubbing is pretty abysmal, but the colors are beautiful, and in this film there are multiple above-average murder sequences (there is an unforgettable shot involving a peephole in the middle of the movie), and even with all its flaws, OPERA still comes together to form a wonderful, enchanting movie. 

I do believe the final twist ending is slightly unnecessary (I am going to refrain from giving too much information here), but the final shot of Betty, speaking about insects is incredibly crucial to the entire film and ties all of Betty's character development together, despite it seeming weird at first glance, so I forgive what really felt like an afterthought of an ending. 

If anyone has not seen OPERA yet, I would highly recommend it. Another reviewer on IMDb commented this, and I'd like to add that Betty is not a normal girl, and her reactions to the murders are not normal, because of what she's witnessed in the past. If you have not seen it, or disliked it initially, I urge to go back and watch the film, keeping this in mind. I did, and I ended up enjoying the film a lot more. Overall, OPERA is a great film with some setbacks, but I have a soft spot for it, and it is a personal favorite. If you have liked Argento's previous work, I highly recommend it. 

Scream (1996)

WES CRAVEN

SCREAM

USA, 1996

7.5/10

"Several more local teens are dead, bringing to an end the harrowing mystery of the masked killings that has terrified this peaceful community like the plot of some scary movie. It all began with the scream of a 911, and ended in a bloodbath that has rocked the town of Woodsboro. All played out here in this peaceful farmhouse, far from the crimes and the sirens of the larger cities that its residents have fled."

In a time where Michael was boring, Freddy had lost his edge, and Jason hadn't had a good film in years, the horror genre was close to dead. And yet in that time, we get SCREAM (1996), a funny, new, and, most importantly, scary movie. For once, a horror film in which the characters had seen all the same movies we had.

The film opens at the house of character Casey, played by the famous Drew Barrymore, who is getting ready to sit down and watch HALLOWEEN (1978), when she receives a mysterious call. The rest of the film is littered with comedic moments and horror references that any slasher fan should have a fun time identifying (keep an eye out for the name of Sidney's boyfriend, the number on Tatum's shirt, etc).

And of course there is the famous line "There are certain RULES that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie." The film mentions rules which we have all learned by watching earlier slashers. There's the glaringly obvious "don't have sex", don't yell out "who's there?", don't drink, and more. And what SCREAM does is try to break every rule (though it is still rather unpredictable).

Now, of course, I hate what SCREAM did to the genre. It revived the horror genre, and specifically the slasher sub-genre, but almost all of the films inspired by SCREAM were just annoying and cheesy films that were trying too hard to be self-aware. Looking at you, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (1997); it's hard to believe that I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER was written by the same writer of SCREAM. And, while the second SCREAM movie is still pretty good, the other two films in the franchise are horrible imitations, just as formulaic as the films SCREAM tried to defy.

When I first got in to horror, I watched almost every sub-genre of horror films, and had seen quite a lot of movies at young age (by the time I was 13 I had already seen THE SHINING (1980), THE EXORCIST (1973), THE OMEN (1976), THE FLY (1986) and many, many more), but one sub-genre that I wasn't very experienced in was the slasher. Sure, I had seen HALLOWEEN and the first four FRIDAY THE 13TH films by the time of watching this, but that's as deep as my understanding of the sub-genre went. So I enjoy SCREAM because it helped past-me and many other horror novices discover the slasher genre (this film led me to the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET franchise, PROM NIGHT, THE BURNING, and many others that I never had any interest in watching before). And that is what I truly love about SCREAM: its ability to please horror experts and to educate those who aren't as understanding of the genre.

When some horror fans want to talk about shitty modern movies, their go-to film to poke fun at is often SCREAM. I find this completely ridiculous, because SCREAM is actually a very good film. I'd understand completely if they made fun of SCREAM 3 (2000) or SCREAM 4 (2011), or hell, I could even understand SCREAM 2, but the original SCREAM is actually a very original, witty, tongue-in-cheek film that still somehow manages to scare on top of all of that.

(Minor spoilers about the killer(s), no identity/identities are shared) While some argue that the killer(s)'s reason of recreating horror films (although another reason is that he/she/they are just batshit crazy) is very unlikely, I honestly believe it was the only ending the film could have done. I mean, if it turned out to be some crazy act of revenge, or another standard slasher ending, I think we'd all feel a little cheated. And this is hardly the most ridiculous ending in the franchise (as much as I enjoy SCREAM 2, the ending is pretty ridiculous, and 3 and 4 are both some of the most ridiculous endings I've ever seen, though I'll save that for my future reviews of those films). 

All in all, SCREAM is a very fun, scary, and interesting horror film that actually brought something new to a genre that had been reduced to formulaic slashers for years (if only we could have another truly original film nowadays). There are some brilliant one-liners ("You're starting to sound like some Wes Carpenter flick"), great characters (I'm not Dewey's biggest fan, but besides him I enjoy all of the characters), and a mystery-slasher that actually keeps you constantly guessing until the very end (the first time I watched this film, I never would have guessed the killer(s) in a million years). Highly recommended. 

Halloween (1978)

JOHN CARPENTER

HALLOWEEN

USA, 1978

10/10

"I met him, fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and, the blackest eyes... the devil's eyes. I spent eight years trying to reach him, and then another seven trying to keep him locked up because I realized what was living behind that boy's eyes was purely and simply... evil."

While it is in no way the best made film ever made (although you can expect that with a budget of only $325,000), HALLOWEEN (1978) manages to frighten me on a level that no other film has been able to do. Sure, Jason Voorhees is cool with his hockey mask and machetes, and Ghostface was the first slasher villain I really, truly loved, but everyone pales in comparison to the blank stare, the heavy breathing, and the emotionless and terrifying mask of Michael Myers.

John Carpenter, my all-time favorite horror director, directed this film and, as he does with many of his films, had the ability to make the film look much more expensive than it actually is. As I mentioned before, the cinematography is no Oscar-winner, but considering the almost non-existent budget this was filmed with, it's extremely, extremely impressive. 

HALLOWEEN is quite different from other slasher films in the fact that it has both a very long build-up and very little gore. Despite these uncommon factors that, to someone unfamiliar with the film, you might expect would make the film boring, HALLOWEEN is still incredibly, incredibly frightening. Just seeing Michael Myers driving his car behind Laurie sends shivers down my spine.

This film also uses many killer POV shots. The entire opening scene, except for a final shot of child-Michael, is shot from Michael's perspective. The only film that I think did this better is BLACK CHRISTMAS (1974), even though HALLOWEEN is still a far superior film and was much more influential then BLACK CHRISTMAS ever was (even though B.C. is still a personal favorite of mine). This film also features many shots of Michael, his back to the camera, observing the characters he is going to murder later in the movie. This technique was used in many, many FRIDAY THE 13TH movies and many of the HALLOWEEN sequels, though it is never nearly as effective as it is here. 

HALLOWEEN is not the best horror film of all time (I believe THE SHINING (1980) to be the best), but it is definitely, in my opinion, the scariest film ever made. This film is highly recommended to any fans of horror and slashers, and is the beginning to a great franchise (none of the films all that good, though; HALLOWEEN is the best of the bunch), and (along with the FRIDAY THE 13TH movies), kick-started the 1980s slasher craze. This is one of the most influential horror films of all time, and is incredibly, incredibly frightening, entertaining, and interesting. It is a must-see for anyone even remotely interested in horror.

Friday the 13th (1980)

SEAN S. CUNNINGHAM

FRIDAY THE 13TH

USA, 1980

8/10

"Did you know a young boy drowned the year before those two others were killed? The counselors weren't paying any attention... They were making love while that young boy drowned. His name was Jason. I was working the day that it happened. Preparing meals... here. I was the cook. Jason should've been watched. Every minute. He was - he wasn't a very good swimmer. We can go now, dear."

The '80s were a time of horror movies attempting to, basically, recreate John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN (1978). Very few films succeeded, and FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980) is one of the only ones to receive its own franchise and to go on to inspire even more films.

Before continuing, let's get one question answered: is FRIDAY THE 13TH a good, frightening movie? And, to put it bluntly, the answer is no. The acting is (in all cases besides Betsy Palmer's) anywhere around "okay" to "laughable". The screenwriting is elementary. If you're watching an edited for TV version, it's almost not worthwhile to watch. The end chase scene between Betsy Palmer and Adrienne King goes on for far too long. But FRIDAY THE 13TH doesn't set out to be a perfect, thought-out masterpiece. It achieves what it wants to do: keep you on the edge of your seat, keep you (somewhat) frightened, and, (spoiler, even though this is common knowledge today) if you are unaware that Pamela Voorhees is the killer, keep you guessing. And for some this movie does achieve what it sets out to do. Some viewers probably will hesitate before turning off the lights to go to sleep. Many viewers will probably jump, particularly at the end scare, which is, along with Palmer's performance and character, this film's strongest and greatest achievement. In the simplest terms, FRIDAY THE 13TH is entertaining and occasionally creepy. Nothing more, nothing less.

And even though this film doesn't manage to scare as much as many other films in its genre, it (and Part 2 as well) belong on the shelf of any horror film fanatic, because HALLOWEEN and FRIDAY THE 13TH both gave a lot to the genre. Without them, the '80s slasher-fest never would have occurred (whether or not that is the best or worst thing to happen to the genre depends on who you're talking to). Without these films, the "rules" of horror films would never have been eternally set in stone. 

Basically, this film is by no means the best, but it was a very heavy influence on the genre as a whole, and in order to appreciate modern horror films (mainly slashers, but some other sub-genres draw inspiration from this as well), we must first thank FRIDAY THE 13TH.