3. Season of the Witch

George Romero's 1972 Season of the Witch (a.k.a. Hungry Wives or Jack's Wife), like his previous film Night of the Living Dead, isn't afraid to mix social questions with regular ol' horror. The film is really interested in the terror of the feminine mystique, the fear inherent in a feeling of being both trapped in the home, and vulnerable to outside sexual attack. I loved the story and found the general atmosphere and mise en scene fantastic; I would say the film's only weakness is Joan Mitchell, the star; her permanently pursed lips and weirdly empty gaze become quite annoying by the end of the film. But she is hotter than her daughter. And clearly a talented witch. I suppose enough boredom leads to the possibility of a huge release of "energy." 

2. The Descent

The Descent is a 2005 film from director Neil Marshall, a horror film in the tradition, though a few interesting changes. For example, the film stars six women; the group dynamic doesn't rely on gender roles, a semi-unique move, particularly in such an athletically demanding situation. And the six women appear to be in the their thirties, possibly even very early forties - though they are all wonderfully physically fit, sexy and "single," their age complicates these characteristics. Why are they all still alone? What's the deal, are they too hooked on the gym to make new friends, of any gender? Of course, the film features the token lesbian character, the first to be seriously wounded, and the sad blondie, the first to almost die. But the evil creatures in the caves are actually pretty cool; they're scientifically possible, if you think about. Primeval humanoids who have adapted to their underground habitat. Hey, there's even a "mother" creature! I jumped, I laughed, I loved it. A rare find among recent horror films. 

1. The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane

The 1973 film The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane, directed by Nicolas Gessner, stars a shockingly young Jodie Foster (released the same year as Taxi Driver). The film was categorized as "horror," though the dead bodies in the cellar don't quite add up to that conclusion. It's much more a thriller. Though I wasn't "scared" in the traditional sense, I was thoroughly frightened by Martin Sheen's character's threats to the "little girl," thirteen years old, with "such pretty hair." What a creep! This has meaning not only as the warning of the evil side of living alone as a child - that protecting yourself becomes a daily task, particularly when a pedophile lives nearby, whose mother "owns" the village. The further significance lies in the uncomfortable sexualization of such a young person; Jodie Foster just debuted as a fourteen-year-old prostitute that Robert DeNiro falls complicatedly in love with - is he a father figure, or a lover? Can he say for sure? Similarly this film frightens with the older man's perverse desire for Rynn, but glorifies the young, awkward sexuality Rynn shares with Mario. So it's okay, simply because the guy is only a couple years older? Like I said, uncomfortable. However, it's a sweet, strange film. I dig it. 

 

31 days of Halloween

Well, I suppose it's not an entirely "original" plan. But I've decided to set a little project for myself: seeing 31 horror films throughout the month of October - not necessarily one per day, as it's already too late to make that kind of commitment, and it would require acquiring a film everyday - not necessarily a viable option. So, I will begin recording today, though I will include films I saw on previous days. "Horror" encompasses anything intense and/or frightening (to help me reach the goal, of course). 

Perhaps I'm too lazy for this after all.

Lo Sceicco bianco, 1957

Federico Fellini

I've had a busy week...

The Godfather

Francis Ford Coppola, 

1972

The Godfather, Part II

Francis Ford Coppola, 1974

Sweet Movie

Dusan Makavejev, 1974

The Osterman Weekend

Sam Peckinpah, 1983

Alive

Frank Marshall, 1993

The Three Faces of Eve

The 1957 film The Three Faces of Eve, directed by Nunnally Johnson, is a relatively good film that demonstrates a degree of sensitivity toward the mentally ill not necessarily common in Hollywood. Joanne Woodward performs magnificently, but I found her more convincing as the psychiatrist in another, more powerful film about multiple personality disorder: Sybil, the 1976 TV movie starring Sally Field in an absolutely stunning performance. The difference in time periods can perhaps excuse the rather shallow, sensationalistic portrayal in Eve, whose personalities are caricatures of deviance or abnormality - except, of course, Jane, the personality that wins out in the end. The manner in which the movement between personalities is depicted is similarly unconvincing. Furthermore, the incident of rupture from Eve's childhood is revealed and wiped away rather quickly in the film, thereby failing to portray the psychological intensity of that defining moment. 

The most interesting moment of the film is perhaps the interaction between Eve Black and Ralph, Eve White's husband. He has just scolded his timid wife, only to face her "alter-ego" in full va-va-voom mode, attempting to seduce and control him as his own wife never had. What makes this such a thought-provoking sequence is its relevance for the general portrayal (and understanding?) of the power dynamics and personality performance between men and women who are romantically or sexually involved. At first, Ralph is threatened and angered by this forward, barely-clothed woman whose make-up nearly hides her other personality; however, he is soon drawn to her, and consents to buy her things in order to bring her home - and to his bed. Of course, the control dynamic remains as it was as soon as they are home again. This instance also relates to an interesting aspect of the film, in that for most of its duration, as the audience is allowed to see, Eve's personality disorder seems to be perhaps an expression of repressed disappointment and boredom in the face of her controlling husband and banal domesticity. A risky move, to be sure.