Welcome to the latest “Evil Dead!”
Congrats to Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell and the original “Evil Dead” team, as the new version of the film is a big hit! Everyone wants to be scared out of their seats, right?
In the mood for a bloody good time?
Yes, it’s that time of year, when the leaves turn color and night time turns bloody – and I love it!
There are many different types of horror films – let’s take a look at a few genres of horror – so we can begin to focus on classics in each sub-genre…
One category is “the maniac with a grudge”, you know that one well – everything from “Halloween” to “Friday the 13th” and beyond…
Don’t mess with them…next you have the creepy house that makes noise and unleashes “stuff in the night” – examples include “The Haunting” and “The Amityville Horror” – you know, places you don’t want to stay the night.
Finally, you have good, old-fashioned demonic possession…a good friend suddenly turns into a zombie – everything from “Night Of The Living Dead” to “28 Days Later” and beyond…
There are many great examples of each kind of horror film, and here is an example of one of each to get you started on your bloody enjoyment!
Maniac With A Grudge!
First, start with an iconic image – in this case, the bloody girl and her chainsaw….
High Tension aka Switchblade Romance
A film with a split personality, thanks to a title change for the US market!
The very bloody red poster for the rest of the world was changed for the US, and the title was changed as well…but no matter what you call it, this is one scary thriller! Check out the trailer!
The bloody horror film was originally rated NC-17 in the U.S. for strong graphic violence, but a few graphic shots were cut from the final version of the U.S. release to get it down to the R rating. However, the original cut (referred to as an unrated version) is available on Blu-ray and DVD – and you want to see this one uncut!
Of course, it doesn’t begin so bloody…it all starts out so nice…Alexia travels with her friend Marie to spend a couple of days with her family in their farm in the country. They arrive late and they are welcomed by Alexia’s father.
Late in the night, a sadistic and sick killer breaks into the farmhouse, slaughters Alexia’s family–including their dog–and kidnaps Alexia. Marie hides from the criminal and tries to help the hysterical and frightened Alexia, chase the maniac, and disclose his identity in the end.
That’s right, Marie trails the killer and his conquest, trying to find the best time to save her best friend from the maniac…
That’s all you need to know…this is a bloody, twisted thriller that has a lot of great scares and unrelenting suspense!
[repeated line]
Marie: I won’t let anyone come between us any more.
Director Alexandre Aja and screenwriter Grégory Levasseur are childhood friends and made this film as a homage to the old-school horror films of the 70’s and 80’s that the two would watch together growing up.
Here is some great bloody trivia:
The camera used during the car-attack scene got so much fake blood on it during shooting that when it was being used on another film later on fake blood oozed from it during the focusing of a shot. How can you miss a movie that has THAT going for it!
Creepy “Stuff In The Night!”
Time for a lesser-known classic horror film, where of course, “something” isn’t right about that house…
The Changeling!
That house is not fit to live in. No one’s been able to live in it. It doesn’t want people.
This is one great horror film! Nothing elevates a scary movie more than adding an acclaimed Actor who never does horror…in this case, Oscar-winning Best Actor George C. Scott!
Check out the dynamite trailer!
After a freak automobile accident claims the lives of his wife and daughter, Scott retreats to grieve in private. Consumed by grief, John, at the request of friends, rents an old turn of the century house. Mammoth in size, the house seems all the room that John needs to write music and reflect.
Of course, something isn’t quite right with the house…that is, after all, why it’s a HORROR FILM…
Scott does not realize that he is not alone in the house. He shares it with the spirit of a murdered child who has homed in on John’s despair and uses him to uncover decades of silence and deceit.
With the help of Claire Norman, the one who aided John in procuring the house, they race to find the answers and soon learn that a devious and very powerful man guards them.
Most horror films don’t get much critical acclaim, but “The Changeling” was the first film to win best picture in the Canadian Film Awards after its name was changed to the Genie Awards.
This is a very under-rated thriller that is worth finding on netflix, ondemand or good old DVD…it’s a perennial favorite every Halloween season…that said, let’s now jump to the “Citizen Kane Of Possession Horror”…
Demonic Possession!
Time now for one of the most-loved horror films of all time!
The Evil Dead
It has spawned sequels, a remake is on the way, it catapulted Bruce Campbell to cult status, and Director Sam Raimi went from this no-budget shocker to “Spiderman” and much more…all because a group of friends spent the night in the WRONG cabin!
Five friends go up to a cabin in the woods, where they find a book called the “Naturan Demanto”, Book of the Dead, and the taped translation of the text. Of course, you NEVER play a tape recorder you find in an abandoned cabin, but of course, they did!
Voice on Recorder: “I know now that my wife has become host to a Kandarian demon. I fear that the only way to stop those possessed by the spirits of the book is through the act of… bodily dismemberment.”
Once the tape is played, the evil is released. One by one, the teens are possessed. Finally, only Ash – the legendary Bruce Campbell, is left to survive the night and battle the evil dead.
Director Sam Raimi and star Bruce Campbell were friends from high school, where they made many super-8 films together. Campbell became the “actor” of the group, as “he was the one that girls wanted to look at.”
Cheryl becomes possessed first, and of course, it’s NOT a good look:
Shelly: [about Cheryl] Why does she keep making those horrible noises?
Ash: I don’t know!
Shelly: Look at her eyes. Look at her eyes! For God’s sake, what happened to her eyes?
[Cheryl has become possessed]
Cheryl: Why have you disturbed our sleep; awakened us from our ancient slumber?
[shouts]
Cheryl: You will die! Like the others before you, one by one, we will take you.
Naturally, there is nothing else to do but force their friend into the basement – and of course, you can’t keep a good ghoul down…
Cheryl: [Cheryl’s possessed body’s attacking Ash] I’m all right now, Ashley! Come unlock this chain and let me out! I’m all right now! It’s your sister Cheryl!
Andy Grainger, a friend of Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi, gave them the advice: “Fellas, no matter what you do, keep the blood running down the screen.” They included the scene in the finished film where the blood runs down the projector screen as a tribute to him.
This is a classic – and if you really haven’t seen it, there are a number of different editions on DVD and blu-ray…and enjoy the latest “Evil Dead” too!
Categories: 70's Cinema, Action Films, Exploitation films, Grindhouse, Halloween, Horror films, Movies, Obscure Movies, Revenge Movies, Talent/Celebrities
johnrieber 
Variety said the film was “A highly imaginative horror film that provides the requisite shocks to keep fans of the genre happy”.
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The Changeling is fantastic! So scary! Love that movie!
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Yes, it’s not well known at all, but it is really good, and I do think that George C. Scott gave it GRAVITAS
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That Japanese Changeling poster is awesome!
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Just another reason to love the internet! Thanks for reading the post!
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