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24 Hours of Screams, Thrills & Gore!
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What better way to spend Halloween than with the celluloid treats that scare us the most. This is the writer's own personalized 24 Hour Halloween Movie Marathon, timed down to the minute. There will be a 1-minute intermission between each film to allow time for quick comments, changing the DVD and possibly changing your underpants. The objective in this marathon is to hit many notes compared to maintaining one common theme. Taking the "grab-bag approach;" this marathon will give everyone a wide selection of the horror genre and a taste of some of the most beloved, alebit odd films. The horrific elements of each selection will be listed; which might sway you and offer a glimpse into the method of the writer's madness. Happy Nightmares.
12AM - 1:28AM
The Wicker Man
Directed by Robin Hardy
88 mins
If you can imagine Gone Baby Gone meets The Devil's Rejects, just with softer music and more Scottish Highlands landscape, you're in for a treat. Sadly, had this film been made centuries ago, it would have sparked some controversy and even a war. The Wicker Man tries to frighten us with devilish thoughts of polytheism, human sacrifices and massive orgies. Don't shake in your boots, just yet. It is worth watching by all means; it is a great story, though the message received was one of: "Thank goodness we have only one god. We'd go crazy with multiple gods and be forced to sacrifice our children to ensure a better harvest." Don't let the message spread.
Horrific Elements: The Occult, Human Sacrifices, Numerous Bouncing Sets of European Breasts
1:29AM - 2:49AM
Death Bed: The Bed That Eats
Directed by George Barry
80 mins
If you weren't scared by the occult, you'll certainly think twice before laying down on your favorite futon after seeing Death Bed. A demon falls in love with a young woman, but when she dies, his sadness infects a bed. Said piece of furniture becomes indestructible and develops an insatiable appetite for human flesh. When you think it couldn't get any worse, the soul of one of its victims now haunts a painting and comments on the carnage the bed reeks. What frightens most in this film is that they actually attempt to be visually appealing with their choice of lighting, camera movement and cinematography. This demonic piece of furniture won't put you to bed, but will leave you wondering how low a horror movie can go.
Horrific Elements: Haunted Furniture, Disturbingly Artistic, If Hammer Horror Films Discovered Acid
2:50AM - 4:20AM
Cube
Directed by Vincenzo Natali
90 mins
Many admire this picture for its story and even more for its production value. This film was made ages before Saw but still maintained the core production idea: shoot in one location for as much as the story as you can, ala Richard Linklater's Tape. The filmmakers designed one room, and easily changed the color gels on the outside to make it appear as if it were an adjacent one; a new room. Aside from The Edge and a few special effects, the production never left that room, and admiration flows to them for maintaining their sanity and having it not reduced to cinematic cabin fever. Even Saw had to ditch the bathroom set for at least 20 collective minutes in their story.
Horrific Elements: Claustrophobia, Super Fine Nets that Cut Through Flesh and Bone, Too Many Numbers
4:21AM - 6:33AM
The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen
Directed by William Friedkin
132 mins
You might think only puppets could twist their heads completely around. Prepare to be corrected. This film is a sordid reminder that something terrible can happen to any one at any minute. Our poor Regan did nothing wrong in her life, yet her body seemed to be the perfect party to hit for a demonic entity. She wasn't at a camp, smoking the pot and having premarital sex; she was an innocent girl. That dark reality is more frightening than any serial killer by far.
Horrific Elements: Spinning Heads, Foreign Tongues, Locations Crucifixes Should Never Venture To
6:34AM - 7:41AM
Cabinet des Dr. Caligari., Das
Directed by Robert Wiene
67 mins
Beware the fortune tellers, for they not know the future, but they will certainly try to mold it. This German Expressionist film was the basis for Rob Zombie's "Living Dead Girl" music video, though the original still terrifies more. It is a deep story surrounding a traveling magician who shows off Cesare, a somnabulist (sleep-walker). It is a very elaborate and dark tale of intrigue, murder and questioning moral certainties.
Horrific Elements: 2-Dimensional Sets Representing 3-Dimensional Space, Traveling Magician and Psychic, Somnambulism, German Expressionism
7:42AM - 9:19AM
Session 9
Directed by Brad Anderson
97 mins
Session 9 has carved out a small place in local hearts, not only for its chilling story, but also for the fact that many were able to visit Danvers State Hospital (where the movie was filmed) in Danvers, Massachusetts before its historic committee lost its battle and said creepy building was demolished to make way for condominiums. The hospital gave birth to the frontal lobotomy and was known for its harsh treatment of patients up until the 1960s.
On a happier note, the tenants of the newly-constructed apartments are not enjoying their stay. Surely the 1,200+ bodies buried underneath the soil on the grounds aren't enjoying their new friends either.
Horrific Elements: Kubrickian Dehumanization, The Location Was Actually Haunted in Real Life, America's Mental Health System [Past and Present]
9:20AM - 10:24AM
Freaks
Directed by Tod Browning
64 mins
For once, a normal human being is the real enemy in this one: not some deformed killer or mutated murderer. It is sad that some time ago, a film like this was banned because it featured more-than-unique people. It speaks a lot about humanity. If people were detested by Freaks then and are detested now by films like Hostel, where will cinema be in another 50-60 years from now, in terms of gore/gross-out factor? The actors featured in this received the credit they deserved. Before you cringe under the tent at the circus again, remember there is another human you're gawking at or relaying negative emotion to.
Horrific Elements: Circus Sideshows, Death By Poison, Trophy Wife Greed
10:25AM - 12:00PM
Slither
Directed by James Gunn
95 mins
Slither is almost snack-dab in the middle of this list, because it is important to remind viewers and readers that these films are fake and are meant to solely entertain. And what better film to choose than one involving alien slugs prepared to intrude any orifice on the human body to use it as a host. Slither makes me laugh for its near-acid-trip-reincarnation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. You'll always snicker when you cuddle up with Slither.
Horrific Elements: Slugs, Giant Fat Women, Michael Rooker
12:01PM - 1:47PM
Espinazo del diablo, El
Directed by Guillermo Del Toro
106 mins
Spanish horror from the demented, yet beautiful mind of Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo Del Toro. The Devil's Backbone acted as a prelude to what he had in mind to show his audiences years later. Del Toro reminds us that not every horror movie has to have a survivor, let alone the hero surviving. Horror and evil does not need to have a prerogative or purpose; sometimes it is just there and will stay until it is matched. And matching it is never an easy challenge in any of Del Toro's worlds.
Horrific Elements: Children Ghosts, Orphanages, War-Torn Families
1:48PM - 3:47PM
The Birds
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
119 mins
It sure beats Anaconda, but when thinking of the deadliest animal horror movie, this was the first film to come to mind. Up until the 1900's, birds ruled the skies. We had mastered the land and sea, but the skies still remained a mystery to us. While watching The Birds, you'll ponder if we belong up there til this day. Had we taken the path of zeppelins as methods of sky travel (and bypassing the Hindenburg disaster), a flock of seagulls would only need to peck a couple of times to take one down. Even though some aircraft can now achieve speeds in upwards of Mach 5, always remember; the birds reign and always will.....
Horrific Elements: Vicious Animals, Death From Above, Nature Winning Against Man
3:48PM - 5:14PM
Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives
Directed by Tom McLoughlin
86 mins
The writer knows he will catch hell for this one. Out of all of the serial killers (Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, Leatherface, etc.), Jason Voorhees always struck the right nerve. You want to feel sympathetic for his condition and if you were a camp counselor, would you frequent the same location that was massacred three or four times over in previous years? This film deserves credit for having a death scene that rivals the infamous and fan favorite sleeping bag slaughter of Part VII. 
Horrific Elements: Serial Killer, Sheriffs Getting Bent in Half The Wrong Way, Business Outing Massacres
5:15PM - 7:41PM
The Shining
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
146 mins
Kubrick has been known to exploit the worst conditions in humans. And people praise him for it. However, what frightens more than Jack Torrance's mental breakdown in this picture was its horrifying symmetry. The extensive length of some single camera shots allows us to take the journey with Jack, and remind us that a lunatic lives in all of us. And it only takes a secluded location and a nasty case of writer's block to summon it. Redrum!!
Horrific Elements: Kubrickian Dehumanization, Writer's Block, Scatman Crothers, Seclusion, Mazes in The Snow
7:42PM - 9:02PM
Kyûketsuki hantâ D
Directed by Toyoo Ashida & Carl Macek
80 mins
This list did deserve an anime entry, and what better choice than a favorite Saturday Anime selection from Sci-Fi Channel. Even Demon City Shinjuku didn't have the vast array of demon creatures as this one did. Shinjuku has a two-headed dog (double the dog treats); D has another face on D's hand (double the witty banter). A rumor rises that Leonardo Dicaprio is rejuvenating Akira, in a live-action form; why not Vampire Hunter D as well? Or was that Van Helsing? -cringe-
Horrific Elements: All Forms of Grotesque Animated Creatures, Western Style Anime, A Dracula That Acts Like A Detroit Pimp
9:03PM - 10:37PM
Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens
Directed by F.W. Murnau
94 mins
The First. The Original. The Deranged. We don't care how many straightedge blades Gary Oldman licks up; the silent and stalking Max Schreck sends shivers down your spine every time. In a time when facial prosthetics were in their newborn stages, you lost track of where Schreck ended and they began. The simple tactics created the most horrifying sights that burned into memory. They killed almost all the lights on the set, laid Schreck down on a dark plank of wood, and lifted him up, using his feet as the pivot point. What resulted was the harsh fact that vampires could exist on the silver screen, and be pretty damn frightening.
Horrific Elements: Max Schreck, Lack of Sound, Cheap Producers Who Refused to Pay for Novel Rights
10:38PM - 12:00AM
The Monster Squad
Directed by Fred Dekker
82 mins
The Monster Squad rounds out the list because its not always about the bone-chilling thrills and stomach-turning gore of a movie; its about the amazing test of cinema. Who, in this day and age, could ever pitch a film involving The Little Rascals pitted against the Universal Monsters and expect to get it greenlit? No one. Absolutely no one. But someone, twenty years ago, had the kahonies and imagination to make one of the best cult horror films in cinema history. An extremely well-balance film, it deserves the praise Fred Dekker has received for it by fans from all over the world. Can't he get back to Hollywood for more of these treasures.
Horrific Elements: A Dracula Prepared to Kill Children, Sexy Killer Vampiric Brides, The Painful Discovery That a Wolfman Has Nards, Gilman Enjoying Twinkies, A Peeping Frankenstein's Monster
For more info: Almost all of these films are available for purchase from Amazon, and can be rented through Netflix. Have a safe and Happy Halloween, and read more from this Examiner here.
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