Shocktober Director of the Day: Mary Lambert

One of very few women to make a successful Horror movie, director Mary Lambert's first major film was the 1989 adaptation of Stephen King's Pet Semetary. The story of a college doctor who loses to his young son to a truck on the highway, Pet Semetary is also a sort of zombie tale and a novel King admits he had to set aside, because he kept picturing his own son as Gage, the toddler at the center of the novel's events.

Handsome TV star Dale Midkiff (previously best known for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in the 1988 TV movie Elvis) stars as Louis Creed, a young doctor hired by Maine college and in for a nasty surprise when on his first day on the job, a student named Victor Pascow (Brad Greenquist) is hit by a car and killed while jogging. Louis' wife Rachel ("Star Trek: TNG" alum Denise Crosby) and his new neighbor Jud Crandall (Fred "Herman Munster" Gwynne) try to assuage his guilt at not being able to save the young man. And when the Creed family's cat is run over by a careless trucker on the highway in front of their house, Jud shows Louis a secret Indian burial ground where the dead can be raised, but at a horrible price. Needless to say, when the Creed's son Gage is killed on the same highway, Louis does the unthinkable.

Lambert does a decent job here, though like most directors who tackle King, ultimately fails in faithfully recreating the experience of the novel. The real problem with Pet Semetary lies in its cast. Sadly, most A-List actors shy away from genre films (with a few exceptions), so directors are left casting actors who aren't really up to the task. And such is the case with this movie. With the exception of Gwynne, none of the major players here are really right for the roles. Midkiff and Crosby try, but they come off as stiff and uncomfortable, unwilling to commit to the level required by the material. And Greenquist, under a layer of gory FX makeup, ends up looking dopey, rather than scary in his role as the ghostly harbinger. In fact, the most effective performance in the movie belongs to Daniel Hubatsek as Rachel's dead sister, Zelda.

Lambert's follow-up was the 1991 flop Grand Isle, starring Top Gun's Kelly McGillis in a romantic drama no one remembers. The next year, she directed T2's Edward Furlong in Pet Senetary II, a terrible sequel co-starring "E.R." doctor Anthony Edwards.

Lambert's career never again saw the success of her first film (and even that's debatable), and she has since gone on to direct music videos, TV shows and the 2008 Direct-to-DVD sequel Urban Legends: Bloody Mary, one of the worst modern Horror movies Uncle P can remember having the misfortune of seeing.



Next year, Lambert is scheduled to direct the SyFy movie Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (the title alone alludes to its quality) and the vampire movie High Midnight, starring Vincent D'Onofrio, Elizabeth Hurley and William Baldwin. I hope Lambert can redeem herself (and her career) with this film. It's sad to think that a woman can't make an effective Horror movie.

More, anon.
Prospero

Shocktober Director of the Day: Don Coscarelli

That's actor Angus Scrimm in his career-defining role as The Tall Man in director Don Coscarelli's career-defining movie, Phantasm. Before that, Coscarelli directed two movies in 1976 that no one even heard of, let alone saw: Jim, the World's Greatest (which featured future 80's TV hottie Gregory Harrison) and Kenny and Company. Then, in 1979, Coscarelli wrote and directed Phantasm, a strange Horror/Sci-Fi crossover about a young boy who discovers that the man running the local mausoleum is doing something a bit more nefarious than just burying bodies.

Pre-dating Friday the 13th with exceptionally explicit gore effects, Phantasm was an indie Horror phenomenon and has to-date grossed nearly $12M. Not bad for a film that cost $300K.

 

Mike (Michael Baldwin) has just lost his parents. His brother Jody (cutie Bill Thornbury) returns home to help pick up the pieces. When Mike witnesses The Tall Man effortlessly hoisting a casket up onto one shoulder, he becomes suspicious and convinces Jody and his ice-cream vending buddy Reggie (Reggie Bannister) to investigate what's really going on. It turns out that The Tall Man is shipping corpses off to another dimension, where they are reanimated as shrunken slaves. The Tall Man also has an arsenal of spherical weapons he uses to drop his enemies, draining the blood from their victims by boring holes in their foreheads. Weird, creepy and surreal, Phantasm is one of those movies you just have to see to really appreciate.

Coscarelli followed up with the 1982 Sword and Sorcery epic The Beastmaster. Starring a nearly-naked Marc Singer; future nearly-naked Sheena, Tanya Roberts and future DUI recidivist Rip Torn, The Beastmaster tells the story of Dar, a young man who can psychically bond with animals. Dar (much like Conan) is bent on avenging the death of his parents at the hands of a pillaging madman. He uses an eagle, a tiger and a pair of wascawy fewwets to do so. Oh, and there are these sort of creepy bat-people.

The Beastmaster would later be revived as a syndicated TV series, featuring the adventures of the nearly-naked young Dar, before he grew up to be Marc Singer.

1988 saw Phantasm II, in which James LeGros takes on the role of Mike, who once again teams up with Reggie to save a girl who may or may not be in danger from The Tall Man.

1989's Survival Quest went the way of Coscarelli's  first two films. Phantasm III and IV came soon after, though neither met the success of the original. Most recently, Coscarelli directed the cult hit BubbaHo-Tep. Based the short story by Joe R. Lansdale, BubbaHo-Tep imagines Elvis as a nursing home resident (he switched places with an impersonator who died before they could switch back) who must battle an  ancient mummy with the help of a fellow resident who claims to be JFK's brain transplanted into the body of an aging black man. Starring genre fave Bruce Campbell as Elvis and Ossie Davis as JFK, BubbaHo-Tep is a very amusing film, if nothing else.

Coscarelli's next scheduled project is Bubba Nostferatu, in which Elvis (Hellboy's Ron Perlman) battles an army of female vampires. Paul Giamatti is slated to play Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

Say what you my about Coscarelli's films, Phantasm certainly deserves a place among any discussion of genre films and remains one of Horror's most effective (if enigmatic) films.

More, anon.

Prospero

Shocktober Director of the Day: Steve Miner

Steve Miner isn't exactly a household name among Hollywood directors. But genre fans are certainly aware of his work, especially the films he made in the 80's.

Miner is the director who actually unleashed Jason Voorhees as the unstoppable killer in Friday the 13th Part 2 and Friday the 13th Part III (sometimes referred to as Friday the 13th 3D).

These days, Miner is known more for his work as a television director, having helmed episodes of "The Wonder Years;" "Chicago Hope;" "The Practice;" "Dawson's Creek;" "Felicity;""Smallville;" "Eureka" and most recently, "The Gates."

Miner began his career as a production assistant on Wes Craven's 1972 horror classic, Last House on the Left, working his way up through the ranks to Production Manager and Associate producer on Sean S. Cunningham's original Friday the 13th in 1980.

With a bigger budget and somewhat better cast, Miner's first feature as a director was even more successful than the original and allowed him to direct more and more. His second feature was 1982's 3D sequel (and the first time Jason donned his now iconic hockey mask):

Miner returned to the canvas chair with the 1986 horror comedy House, starring genre vet William Katt (Carrie; "The Greatest American Hero"), George Wendt ("Cheers"), Richard Moll ("Night Court") and 70's TV fixture Kay Lenz (the poor man's Susan Dey). Neither as funny nor scary as it should have been, House still holds a place among the among the pantheon of 80's physical FX horror movies:

That same year, Miner directed the deplorably racist comedy Soul Man, which is probably better left undiscussed. Then in 1989. Miner returned to features with the probably underrated Warlock, starring Julian Sands, Lori Singer, Richard E. Grant and cult fav, Mary Woronov. The story of a 17th century warlock who escapes execution by transporting himself to modern America, Warlock featured some wickedly funny lines and some impressive (for the time) special FX:

After almost 10 years of television, lame dramas and rom-coms, Miner returned to the genre with 1999's Halloween H2O: Twenty Years Later, starring Jamie Lee Curtis; Josh Harnett; Adam Arkin; LL Cool J; Janet Leigh and a very young Michelle Williams and Joseph Gordon Levitt. While better than most of the sequels to Halloween, it was still derided by critics and mostly ignored by fans.

H2O was then followed by one of Miner's best (and funniest) horrors, Lake Placid, in which current geriatric darling Betty White gets to utter the classic line: "If I had a dick, this where I'd tell you to suck it!" Bridgette Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt and Mariska Hargitay co-star in this story about a giant crocodile terrorizing a New England lake.

Miner's most recent film was the direct-to-DVD Day of the Dead, not to be confused with or construed as a remake of the George Romero original. Silly and overwrought, Miner's entry into the zombie sub-genre leaves much to be desired and suggests he should stick to TV from now on:

While I can marginally recommend Friday the 13th Part 2; House and Lake Placid, Miner's films can ultimately be described as "workman-like," at best. While hardly a star among genre directors, his films are certainly worth mentioning as part of a genre retrospective, which is why he's included here.

More, anon.
Prospero

Shocktober Director of the Day: Tom Savini

Tom Savini is a sweetheart. Uncle P had the good fortune to meet and talk with the genre legend at the one and only genre convention I ever attended, way back in the mid-80's. We spent several minutes talking about his FX Makeup work on films like Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He was gracious, humble and accessible, something rare in the movie business. He signed an autograph for me and told me to stay as far from the business as I could. Sadly, I ignored his advice.

In addition to his skills as a makeup artist, Savini is also an actor, who has appeared in over 40 titles including Dawn of the Dead; Knightriders; Creepshow; From Dusk 'till Dawn (as the hilariously named 'Sex Machine'); Planet Terror and most recently, Machete.

As a director, his resume is rather scant. He directed three episodes of the George Romeo syndicated series "Tales from the Dark Side" before his one and only feature film, 1990's Romero-produced remake of Night of the Living Dead:

Remaining faithful to the tone of the original, Savini's version features one very important difference in its ending (SPOILER ALERT), turning the character of Barbara (a pathetic, whiny dope in the original) into an eventual tough-as-nails survivor. Savini's remake is far from the ground-breaker that Romero's original was, but it does add a new twist to the familiar tale (as well as full-color gore FX). Savini's only other directing credit is the short "House Call" from a video series called "Chill Factor." His IMDb listing cites 8 impending projects as an actor. I included him in this series because his remake of Romero's classic is certainly worth a look, if only for it's twist on the original.

More, anon.

Prospero

Shocktober Director of the Day: William Friedkin

William Friedkin has really only made one Horror movie. But what a Horror movie it was (even if I personally consider it one of the most overrated movies of all time)! And I'll get to it in a moment.

Friedkin's first film was 1967's Good Times, Sonny and Cher's attempt to cash in on what the Beatles had already been doing for a while. The following year he made two films, the practically forgotten The Birthday Party and the hilarious burlesque comedy The Night They Raided Minskey's.  It would be three years before his next film, an adaptation of Mart Crowley's seminal gay play The Boys in the Band. Exceptionally frank for it's time, The Boys in the Band is now widely considered a stereotypical view of what it meant to be gay at the time. I've always found both the play and the movie to be a rather sad comment on how gay men were perceived 40 years ago, even among themselves.

Of course, Friedkin's big break came in 1971 with the Gene Hackman drug-drama The French Connection. Friedkin won a Golden Globe, a DGA Award and an Oscar for Best Director and was at the height of his career. 

Then came what many people still consider to be 'the scariest movie ever made,' 1973's The Exorcist. Based on the novel by William Peter Blatty, Friedkin's film about a little girl possessed by a demon named Pazzuzu had audiences puking, fainting and lining up for blocks. It turned actress Linda Blair into a household name and galvanized religious leaders across the globe in their fight against Satan. The special makeup effects by Dick Smith were revolutionary at the time and stories abound about the production being plagued by a host of unexplained problems. Still, it was critically hailed. Even my devoutly Catholic grandmother announced it a "wonderful picture... but not for children." I desperately wanted to see it, but at 12 years-old (there I go, giving my age away again), I was too young. I did get to see it six years later upon it's 1979 re-release, by which time I had already formed my opinions about God, the devil and religion, and the film's impact was greatly reduced.

In 2000, The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Scene was released, featuring this rather infamous scene cut from the original 1973 version:

Friedkin never again saw the kind of success that The Exorcist brought him, though 1980's Cruising courted controversy once again as Friedkin made his second foray into the 'gay experience." Al Pacino stars as a cop assigned to find a killer who is targeting gay men. Denounced as homophobic by the gay community and perverse by the so-called Religious Right, Cruising is probably best observed as a comment on the free-wheeling days before AIDS, while still managing to be a not particularly good movie. Set in leather bars, porn shops and dark alleys, Cruising also stars Karen Allen (who would shortly go on to gain movie immortality in a little film called Raiders of the Lost Ark) and Paul Sorvino. Personally, I never understood the disdain for this movie, other than it's not really very good. Lately, there has been a push for a "Director's Cut" version, though I for one, hardly think it's necessary (unless of course, it redeems the whole mess and makes for an actually good film).

Friedkin's most recent film, 2007's Bug, based on the Tracy Letts play of the same name, is a psychological thriller about two people sharing psychoses in a motel room. While the play itself works as a disturbing look into the minds of two very disturbed people, Friedkin's rather literal film is less than successful. Truth be told, Uncle P was very disappointed to find himself falling asleep while watching the movie version of a play he'd found so electrifying on stage.

Friedkin has never matched the success of The Exorcist and based on the films he's made since, I doubt he ever will. 

More, anon.
Prospero

True Horror

I'm interrupting the Shocktober posts tonight, because its happened again. That's 19 year-old Zach Harrington of Norman, OK. Towleroad is reporting that Zach took his life this week after attending "a hate-filled recent City Council meeting" on September 28th, during which adults his parents' age shouted epithets and sentiments similar to those expressed by children and teens in other recent suicide events.

I am sickened and distraught by what's happening in America, right now. Why do people still hate our community in the 21st Century? And how can anyone still say that being a member of the single most hated minority on the planet is a "choice?" Why would anyone deliberately choose to be taunted, vilified, hated and labeled as 'sick' and 'evil?' Does that make any sense to any one? I thought not.

Yes, I'm going to name the actual villain here: Religion. Blinded by what they've been told for centuries, religious leaders around the world have expounded on the 'sin' of homosexuality. Preachers, Priests, Imams and Rabbis have taught against homosexuality for centuries. Why? Because homosexual relationships (until recently) produced no children to give money and power to their cause. Of course the Pope wants you to refrain from birth control. That's that many less people to tithe. At least Lenin got one thing right when he said "Religion is the opiate of the masses."

Now I know there are plenty of LGBT people out there who still believe. And there are a few churches out there who teach acceptance. But as long as groups like Exodus continue to lie to people about being able to change their sexuality; and as long as the Catholics, Mormons, Baptists and Muslims tell their followers that being gay equals being evil; young people like Zach Harrington will continue to be hated simply for being for who they are. And they will continue to take their lives in desperation. And that is simply NOT acceptable.

This has to stop. I am asking all of my readers and my fellow bloggers to join the "It Gets Better" campaign. We have to let our young people know that they are loved, valued and needed and that their lives are worth living. 

And if you are a young LGBT person reading this, please do not give up hope. If you are considering suicide, please, please call the Trevor Project, 24/7 at 866-488-7386. You are not alone. Again, I've been there. I know how difficult it cane be. It really does get better. I promise.

More, anon.
A heartbroken Prospero

Shocktober Director of the Day: James Wan

With only a few films under their belts, James Wan and his writing partner Leigh Whannell have produced some of the most original horror movies of the past decade. Say what you will about the degradation of the franchise as it lumbers towards it's sixth sequel, Saw was a sensation at Sundance in 2003 and started an entirely new sub-genre of horror, which would be later expolited by director Eli Roth in the Hostel films. 

Two men, a doctor (Cary Elwes) and a photographer (Whannell) wake up to find themselves chained by the ankle to opposite sides of a filthy bathroom, a corpse and a tape recorder just out reach between them. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn that they are latest victims of a serial killer known as Jigsaw, who places his victims in deadly contraptions which require the solving of various puzzles to escape. Dina Meyer, Ken Leung and Danny Glover are the cops hot on Jigsaw's trail, while "Lost" alum Micheal Emerson plays a suspicious orderly; "Parenthood" star Monica Potter is Elwes' wife and Shawnee Smith is the only known survivor of Jigsaw's monstrous contraptions. Startling, grim and highly original at the time, Saw was the first movie in a long time whose twist ending actually surprised this jaded Horror fan.

Wan and Whannell created a creepy and original film on a limited budget, while managing to lure some exceptionally talented actors to take part in what was a risky venture, at best. And despite the increasingly lame sequels (the latest, due in just a few week is in what I call 'The GD3D'), genre fans must admit that the the original Saw is quite a ride.

The duo's next film, 2007's Dead Silence (originally titled Silence) was a take on one of Horror's classic tropes, the evil ventriloquist. Explored in dozens of films (including the excellent Richard Attenborough's Magic, starring a young Anthony Hopkins and Ann-Margret), the creepy/evil ventriloquist has been the cause of almost as many nightmares as the Evil-You-Know-What.

Ryan Kwanten ("True Blood") is Jamie, who receives a mysterious package containing a ventriloquist's dummy. When he goes out for Chinese, his wife (Mia Farrow look-alike Amber Valetta) is murdered and Jaimie returns to his hometown of Raven's Fair to bury her. Detective Lipton (Donnie Wahlberg) is suspicious and follows Jamie home, sure the young man had something to do with his wife's death. Jamie's cold father ("24" alum Bob Gunton) and his young wife welcome Jamie home, but there is something amiss. It turns out that Raven's Fair was once home to the celebrated Mary Shaw, a ventriloquist who was killed by vigilantes after the death of a young man who called her out during a performance. As the bodies pile up, Jamie and Lipton become convinced that something sinister is going on and a climactic battle between good and evil ensues in the rotting ruins of Mary Shaw's mansion/theater. 

Atmospheric and surprisingly creepy, Dead Silence is an under-appreciated throwback to the ghost stories of the 30's and 40's, where what what the audience doesn't see is often scarier than what we do.If you've never seen it, you should.

That same year, Wan directed the rather formulaic revenge actioner, Death Sentence, starring Kevin Bacon (Friday the 13th) as a man bent on getting back at the men who murdered his son. Both director and star deserved better material, and I suspect contractual obligations led to this mess more than anything. Kelly Preston, John Goodman and Aisha Tyler all should have known better, too.

Wan reunites with Whannell for the upcoming Insidious, starring Patrick Wilson (X-Men) and Rose Byrne (28 Weeks Later; "Damages") as parents trying to rescue their comatose from evil spirits:

Uncle P is looking forward to whatever horror this young Aussie filmmaker has in store in for us, including his scheduled 2012 take on vampires, Nightfall. Let's hope his future holds horrors as original and creepy as his first two films. 

More, anon.
Prospero