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Posted on November 13, 2015

Ruby (1977) Review: Camp Horror At Its Finest

Here’s a secret. For as much as I enjoy pedigreed horror films dripping with social criticism, there is nothing quite like an old-school horror film brimming with schlock and fun. Once the domain of the Saturday afternoon movies, forgotten low budget horror films are finding a brand new audience thanks to bootleg YouTube videos and VOD. And so I thought it was time to revisit one of my very favorite horror films of questionable taste: Curtis Harrington’s Ruby (1977).

Coming on the heels of her explosive turn in Carrie, Piper Laurie is luminous as the titular character, a woman trapped by her murderous past. With a borderline camp aesthetic that works because of the character’s showgirl past, Laurie’s performance fuels the atmospheric tone of the film, which is evocative of drive-in horror.[i] By blending a bit of 1930s supernatural dread with a heaping helping of 1940s film noir, Ruby manages not to trap itself in the decade in which it was made. The end result is a film that feels dated but in the best possible way.

Posted on November 2, 2015

The Final Girls (2015) Film Review

Elizabeth Erwin

The Final Girls (2015) directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson is a curious horror film. On the surface it is an homage to all the ridiculous tropes that made 1980s slasher films so irresistible. But lurking beneath this campy homage is a heartfelt sentimentality that works because it is so unexpected. The end result is a horror film that manages to break new ground tonally while still providing the gasp-worthy moments sought after by fans.

Fueled by memorable performances, most notably by the criminally underrated Malin Akerman, The Final Girls features way better acting than we would expect to see in a slasher film. The story revolves around Max, a girl whose recently deceased actress mother is a cult star of a slasher film. When a series of events pull Max and her friends into the fictional world of the cult film, the teens must figure out how to avoid the knife-wielding killer.

Posted on October 25, 2015

Why Horror? (2014) Film Review

Elizabeth Erwin

Why Horror?

Not Rated | 81 min | Nicolas Kleiman & Rob Lindsay | (Canada) | 2014

Sound byte Review: Talking about horror seriously and in a variety of contexts while still celebrating the experiences of fans makes Why Horror? a unique experience for viewers who both enjoy and are repulsed by the genre.

Grade: A-

As someone who writes about horror and has a special appreciation for extreme gore, my sense of discomfort this past summer with the way some fan fiction was handling those perversions (murder, rape, incest, etc.) often tackled in horror was unexpected. And so as I was already beginning to question my own involvement in the genre, I was perfectly primed for the topic of this compelling documentary that seeks to answer why it is that people are drawn to horror. While I can’t say that it revolutionized my thinking on the topic, the film does illustrate the importance of opening up a conversation on why it is that we fear the things we do.

Premiering Friday on Showtime, Why Horror? is an interesting exercise in exploring all the varied reasons why horror resonates with fans. Examining everything from film to art to psychology, this POV documentary works largely because of its commitment to not exploring the genre in a vacuum. What I especially appreciated was the way in which the film wove in discussions of culture and gender to consider the myriad of ways in which horror has the power to impact society. Less in-depth exploration and more personal journey, the film is best suited to those viewers who can’t quite grasp why it is that people would find enjoyment in depictions of explicit gore and violence.

Posted on October 13, 2015

The Walking Dead Season 6 Premiere Review

Elizabeth Erwin

Grade: B+

While The Walking Dead has played with challenging storytelling before, most notably in the love ‘em or hate ‘em bottle episodes, tonight’s foray into nonlinear storytelling was a bold narrative move that potentially resets the show. Not only does it play with the audience’s perception of what we think we know about these characters, but it also sets up the potential for our hero to become our villain. Instead of turning into a tour de force of pyrotechnics and fighting prowess like last season’s opener, “First Time Again” was actually a very quiet character piece in which every survivor was given a moment to shine.

This was not an episode designed to inspire shock and awe (my bet is that is coming next week) but was the proverbial calm before the storm. For as much as the promos promised a showdown between the ideologies of Rick and Morgan, “First Time Again” was less about grandiose philosophies coming head-to-head and more about the ways in which seemingly unremarkable encounters can alter how we see the characters we think we know. From Abe’s (Michael Cudlitz) dangerous search to feel alive to Sasha’s (Sonequa Martin-Green) shockingly Zen state, the episode took great pains to highlight how these characters and their worldviews are shifting. Read more

Posted on October 11, 2015

6 Predictions for Season Six of The Walking Dead!

Elizabeth Erwin

After what seems like years of waiting, we are now mere hours away from The Walking Dead’s season six premiere! And so in between baking Carol cookies and coiffing my Eugene inspired mullet, I bring to you predictions!

6. – Daryl Gets His Groove Back
As a huge fan of Daryl (Norman Reedus) from seasons one and two, it’s been disappointing to watch what was once a nuanced character become so, well, emo. The expected arrival of comic fan favorite Paul Monroe, aka Jesus, puts the position of Daryl somewhat in jeopardy. Monroe is an able survivalist who becomes one of Rick’s most trusted allies. Sound familiar? The show needs to remind viewers of the reasons why we first fell in love with Daryl, and so I’m expecting to see a less teary-eyed and more badass Daryl take center stage. And if this metamorphosis could involve Carol (Melissa McBride), that would be even better!

5. – You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out!- The Carl Version
It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I am not Carl’s (Chandler Riggs) biggest fan. And so it might be with more than a little sadism on my part that I am actively hoping that one of the comic book’s most memorable storylines comes to fruition. Carl losing his eye actually opens up a wealth of storyline potential and could be a defining moment in helping to transition that character from child to adult in the eyes of the audience.