HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE

     An 80's slasher that's really grown on me over the years is HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE, released in 1980. Yes, it was Tom Hanks' feature film debut and generally known as a low-budget HALLOWEEN clone, but the film actually is somewhat better than its reputation and has some charm to it. Following the massive success of HALLOWEEN and FRIDAY THE 13TH, many filmmakers responded and wasted no time in churning out tons of imitators- some great, others terrible.  I'd say HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE is one of the better imitators.

        Detective Len Gamble (Lewis Art) is hot on a manhunt for deranged Ray Carlton (Tom Rolfing). Seems a bride-to-be Marie (Robin Tilghman) is murdered in a movie theater and Detective Gamble immediately suspects Ray Carlton, who three years prior murdered his ex-girlfriend and who just happened to be Detective Gamble's fiance. She was killed on their wedding day, and apparently ole' Ray has a thing for killing brides before their nuptials, and has spent the last three years doing just that.

     While all this nasty bride-killing is going on, our heroine, Amy Jensen (Caitlin O'Heaney) is yet another bride-to-be who is spending her last free week with her friends, Joyce (Patsy Peasy) and Nancy (Elizabeth Kemp) while her fiance is out of town. In time-honored slasher fashion, crazed Ray sets his murderous sights on Amy and her friends, leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake.

     HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE was the brainchild of tv movie director Armand Mastroianni, and it's downright obvious while watching that Armand probably stole way too much from John Carpenter's 1978 classic. Even the music is a bit too close for comfort- but despite all that, I really enjoy HKYA. It comes across as much more classy and polished than most of the post-FRIDAY THE 13TH imitators, for one. Making the heroine a bride-to-be is a clever twist, and for once it's not horny teenagers getting offed- we're dealing here with young adults trying to find their place in the world. It's refreshing to see something other than horny teens being slaughtered.

     HE KNOWS YOU'RE ALONE is well-written and assuredly directed. And the cast comes off as quite likable and natural. My main gripe is the film's underwhelming climax set in a morgue. Mastroianni could have made better use of a creepy morgue setting, but the last ten minutes or so of the film are curiously flat. No sequel was ever filmed, and it's easy to see why the film quietly slipped into obscurity amidst the tons of other slashers being released at the time. HKYA isn't a flashy or gory slasher, it's not "edgy". However, it's got great characters and a good story, so it makes up for the lack of gore. Not that you need gore to make a good slasher, but you know what I mean.

     Overall, I've seen better slashers, and I've seen far worse. HKYA has developed a small following over the years as even Wes Craven homaged the great opening scene set in a movie theater in the opening of SCREAM 2. I like this one, kids, even if it's a bit flat at times. HKYA also has a great autumn setting, so it's an appropriate horror movie to watch around October.

It's About That Time of Year Again...

     Guys- I'm sitting here in my kitchen with the windows open as a somewhat cool breeze is blowing the fallen leaves up against the house while the 1963 classic THE HAUNTING is playing on tv as we speak and I'm in such an October/Halloween mood I am literally bursting with fruit flavors right about now. I mean, September to me is the beginning of fall.  Kids are back in school, football season begins, and the leaves begin changing colors and falling.

    Even though it's scary movie season all year long at my house, when September rolls along suddenly scary movie season kicks into overdrive. Something about dark, overcast days with falling leaves just screams horror films, and I know you kids understand what I'm talking about. It's time for as many slashers and ghost stories I can gorge myself on, even some bad ones. So what do you say? Let's start the season off right.

FRIDAY THE 13TH- BEHIND THE SCENES

 

     It's a strange feeling seeing all these amazing behind-the-scenes photos on the set of the original FRIDAY THE 13TH popping up all over the place. Strange, yet utterly fascinating.
   

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THE STEPFATHER

     A great underrated thriller from the 80's is THE STEPFATHER starring Terry O'Quinn, Jill Schoelen, and Shelley Hack. It's a curious film, as it's not sure at times whether it's a suspense/thriller or a slasher, but always manages to be entertaining and suspenseful. Terry O'Quinn is fantastic as a good old-fashioned family values man who murders his wife and children in cold blood after discovering they weren't perfect. He changes his identity and soon finds himself another family, and here's where Shelley Hack and Jill Schoelen step in.

     THE STEPFATHER is one of the more memorable horror films to come out of the late 80's, if you ask me. Jill Schoelen is always welcome on screen, and Joseph Reuben assuredly directs the shenanigans. More FATAL ATTRACTION than FRIDAY THE 13TH, THE STEPFATHER was a refreshing change of pace at this time in horror. By the film's release in 1987, we had been bombarded with all the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and FRIDAY THE 13TH films- which are great and all- but it was nice to see a more realistic story brought to screen. THE STEPFATHER could absolutely happen- it has happened before, and that's one of the reasons why this little film works so well.

     Obviously THE STEPFATHER made an impact on pop culture, as it spawned two sequels and a 2000's remake. However, like most remakes, it simply wasn't needed. Terry's maniacal performance is timeless, and the film surprisingly holds up better than I expected today. It hasn't dated that much, even with Shelley Hack in a lead role, haha.

     THE STEPFATHER is a great film to watch in the fall, with many shots of fall foliage and raking leaves. It's a rather stylish film, with lots of genuine suspense and some occasional black humor. Much more of a psychological thriller than out and out horror movie, but Terry is creepy enough to warrant the film a spot in any horror section.

     For some reason, I find the early 80's to be a much more rich and creative time period of the decade than the latter part- I don't know how to explain it, really. To me personally, the horror films released between 1980 and 1984 are by far the best of the decade, but once in a while a gem would emerge after 1985. THE STEPFATHER is one of those gems, kids. Indeed.

THE CONJURING

     So I watched THE CONJURING as soon as it was released in 2013, and I must say, I wasn't impressed with it. I'm honestly not a James Wan fanboy- as a matter of fact, I felt INSIDIOUS was one of the most ridiculous horror movies I'd ever seen, and honestly didn't go into THE CONJURING with very high hopes. I sat through it and quite literally forgot about it until recently as THE CONJURING 2 was being released, and started hearing the rave reviews of the sequel. As it so often happens, suddenly I became obsessed with seeing the original again, convinced I hadn't given the film a proper chance and was perhaps missing out on a lost classic, which always gets me excited. I re-watched THE CONJURING, and I must say the film was far more enjoyable the second time around. In fact, dare I say I loved it?

     Yes, dear readers, I loved every single minute of THE CONJURING the second time around. What the hell I was thinking the first time around is beyond me. James Wan brilliantly takes us back to the retro golden age of horror, the 70's and 80's, and delivers a top notch ghost story that thankfully doesn't rely on silly and bloated CGI effects, but instead instead utilizes camera work, good actors, a great story based on actual events, and pure suspense to frighten us. And does a damn good job at it.

   
     THE CONJURING is based on Ed and Lorraine Warren's most famous case, the story of the Perron family. Supposedly this was their most frightening and disturbing case that they kept hidden from the public until recently, and their involvement with the Amityville case got all the publicity. It was high time the Warrens were portrayed on film, and Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga do a delicious job bringing the campy duo to life. Ron Livingston and Lily Taylor realistically breathe life into Roger and Carol Perron as well, and honestly there's not a bad performance to be found anywhere in the film. I loved that THE CONJURING for the most part keeps it real- it strays away from the ironic, self-aware mentality of many horror films today, and setting the film in 1971 just seems to make it all the more authentic anyhow. If the film were set today, the girls would have been taking pics of the demons and posting them to Instagram or some shit.

      Chock full of high tension and terror, THE CONJURING wonderfully takes a wholly unoriginal premise- the haunted house- and present it to an audience in a totally fresh and creative way. While a smart throwback to THE EXORCIST, THE AMITYVILLE HORROR and THE CHANGELING, it's also an inventive but modern ghost story that's earned a place alongside the greats. There's a lot to admire about a modern horror film that has the audacity to honor and embrace the classic American horror films of the 70's and 80's and stand tall and proud amongst the wretched sea of anemic remakes, teen 'slashers', and sequels that pass for most horror films today. And can we talk about this damn doll?  Of course, dolls are always creepy, and have been used many times to great effect in horror movies throughout the years. Annabelle, the terrifying doll used in THE CONJURING, is no exception. It's the doll of nightmares, and instantly striking a chord in audiences, became a new icon of terror. Enough to get its own spin-off, at least.

          THE CONJURING has no sex, gore, extreme violence, or even swearing, which would normally alienate your core audience- yet the film was still slapped with an R rating due to its scariness and became a box office smash, grossing $318 million in the US alone. That's kind of badass, if you ask me. I'm not the biggest fan of James Wan's work, but his obvious love for the last golden age in horror shines through on this retro/modern ghost story that to me, easily ranks alongside the greats. This is the rare ghost story that actually works, and I'm rushing to see the sequel as soon as possible.

Behind the Scenes

These films are so iconic to us we forget that at the end of the day, they were simply actors playing roles in movies being made. It makes them all the more extraordinary.

FRIDAY THE 13TH on the Big Screen

     So last night, we saw the original FRIDAY THE 13TH on the big screen for the very first time.  I was just a bit too young to see it in theaters (I caught these gems late at night on HBO), so I really kinda missed out.  Well, just so happens our local theater has a Midnight Madness series going, and FRIDAY THE 13TH was one of the October selections.  Well of course I wouldn't miss it for the world, so we went.

     The film itself looked sensational up on the big screen.  We sat with roughly thirty people, and surprisingly most of them were young.  There was a 40ish lady with the nervous giggles throughout the entire film, and although slightly annoying at first- it soon became infectious, and the mood suddenly shifted in the audience.  All of a sudden, we were all participating, all part of something.  Going to see films like this are fascinating when you check out the audience.  There were people of all ages- people like us who had grown up watching these, and young people who had possibly never actually seen the original, only having heard of the name handed down over the years in pop culture.  Before we knew it, we were all laughing and screaming at the film, and FRIDAY THE 13TH was doing exactly what it was supposed to be doing.

     Two young girls, probably 19 or 20, were sitting directly behind us.  It was actually quite entertaining watching her during the big, scary moments- poor thing had her eyes covered the entire way, and nearly jumped right out of her skin when Jason comes out of the water at the end.  It was October, we were all in Halloween mode, and we were our own little audience at FRIDAY THE 13TH. At the risk of sounding corny, it was actually a big deal for me, seeing it up on the big screen like that. It was so much fun, and a perfect way to spend a fall, Saturday night with good peeps.   All in all a great night.  Next up- the original HALLOWEEN on the big screen this October 29th.  This is certainly my lucky October, so far.