Hey gang, I’m off on vacation, my first since I started this Substack on March 1st. This is technically a repost because I shared an earlier version of this on Tumblr several years ago. However, that Tumblr was something I was deliberately hiding, back when I was not writing publicly, and it’s Halloween season, so I thought you might enjoy this. See you next week!
I know the Dokken song Dream Warriors by heart but I never got around to watching the movie it was made for. I had no idea the movie was actually any good.
I remember this post - it's a lot of fun. :) Thanks for reposting it!
My wife and I want to do a scary movie marathon pre-Halloween (we have three small kids, so "marathon" probably means, at most, two movies). Does anyone have any recommendations, outside of fundamentals? We've seen The Exorcist and The Shining; we don't need to see them again. Most of the other super-popular ones too, I'm sure. Any hidden gems?
> I say that because this movie is utterly without postmodernism, meta-theatrics, or knowingness. It was legitimately very refreshing to find myself watching a slasher movie where the characters did not know that they were in a movie.
I watched the new Halloween movie the other night. It wasn't very good but I had the same reaction - it's actually novel and interesting at this point to see a slasher movie without the incredibly tired jokey Whedonspeak. The dialogue is bad but the characters say what they mean and deliver it straightforwardly. There's even a rousing speech that riles up a mob played totally straight. I'm so tired of incessant viewer self-insert dialogue (even in stuff like Star Wars that's supposed to be operatic and heightened) that I give them credit for just making a straightforward bad movie.
I shan't defend the Friday the 13th movies at all, you're probably right about their uninspired nature. But you simply must make time to watch Jason X.
It's Jason Goes to Space! In the Future! Eventually as a Cyborg! And it's the most hilariously bonkers thing ever. In the way of good bad movies, it leans into the comedy of its premise while taking itself just seriously enough to be watchable.
Also if you liked Andromeda, it has Lexa Doig and Lisa Ryder, except this time, Lisa is the robot. It's worth the price of admission for the gynoid vs. Jason fight scene alone.
You know a movie like "Dream Warriors" was peak hair metal 80's. I mean, Dokken - DOKKEN! - turned the soundtrack into a hair metal hit! If I close my eyes, I can still hear it today ...
I always liked the Nightmare on Elm Street series because the kills were so imaginative - the "roach motel" death from 4 is probably my favourite. The other 80s slashers generally just had a mute guy in a mask stabbing people. The original is also my highest-rated. Just a brilliantly made horror film in all respects. Wes Craven was so good at this kind of thing.
Very interesting! I really liked the Freddy v Jason movie because it leaned in on all the tacky tropes.
I wish you would do more pop culture stuff, especially stuff that surfaces gold that was previously overlook. I am wounded by your Liz Phair hit piece. But if you could recommend other stuff I may not have heard of, we can make it even.
I've never watched any of these movies for pretty much the same reason you hadn't. But you've intrigued me. Maybe I'll try the first one...
Exactly what I needed today. :-)
I know the Dokken song Dream Warriors by heart but I never got around to watching the movie it was made for. I had no idea the movie was actually any good.
I remember this post - it's a lot of fun. :) Thanks for reposting it!
My wife and I want to do a scary movie marathon pre-Halloween (we have three small kids, so "marathon" probably means, at most, two movies). Does anyone have any recommendations, outside of fundamentals? We've seen The Exorcist and The Shining; we don't need to see them again. Most of the other super-popular ones too, I'm sure. Any hidden gems?
Freddie's tastes in art are just so different than mine ...
> I say that because this movie is utterly without postmodernism, meta-theatrics, or knowingness. It was legitimately very refreshing to find myself watching a slasher movie where the characters did not know that they were in a movie.
I watched the new Halloween movie the other night. It wasn't very good but I had the same reaction - it's actually novel and interesting at this point to see a slasher movie without the incredibly tired jokey Whedonspeak. The dialogue is bad but the characters say what they mean and deliver it straightforwardly. There's even a rousing speech that riles up a mob played totally straight. I'm so tired of incessant viewer self-insert dialogue (even in stuff like Star Wars that's supposed to be operatic and heightened) that I give them credit for just making a straightforward bad movie.
I shan't defend the Friday the 13th movies at all, you're probably right about their uninspired nature. But you simply must make time to watch Jason X.
It's Jason Goes to Space! In the Future! Eventually as a Cyborg! And it's the most hilariously bonkers thing ever. In the way of good bad movies, it leans into the comedy of its premise while taking itself just seriously enough to be watchable.
Also if you liked Andromeda, it has Lexa Doig and Lisa Ryder, except this time, Lisa is the robot. It's worth the price of admission for the gynoid vs. Jason fight scene alone.
Anyway, make time for it if you haven't.
You know a movie like "Dream Warriors" was peak hair metal 80's. I mean, Dokken - DOKKEN! - turned the soundtrack into a hair metal hit! If I close my eyes, I can still hear it today ...
I always liked the Nightmare on Elm Street series because the kills were so imaginative - the "roach motel" death from 4 is probably my favourite. The other 80s slashers generally just had a mute guy in a mask stabbing people. The original is also my highest-rated. Just a brilliantly made horror film in all respects. Wes Craven was so good at this kind of thing.
Very interesting! I really liked the Freddy v Jason movie because it leaned in on all the tacky tropes.
I wish you would do more pop culture stuff, especially stuff that surfaces gold that was previously overlook. I am wounded by your Liz Phair hit piece. But if you could recommend other stuff I may not have heard of, we can make it even.
I would figure you a Hellraiser type, Freddie. Enjoy your rest....