Category: Blood-n-Guts

A look into the genre of horror that thrives on blood, guts and torture.

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Blood-n-Guts

Halloween Movie Checklist

I don’t know why I didn’t do this before, but I’m making a check list of all the movies I want to watch! I’ll update and check things off as I go. At least I’m putting it up with more than a week to go before Halloween. Some of these are ones I’ve seen before and just like to watch around Halloween, but a handful are movies I haven’t seen and want to take the opportunity to watch while it’s spooky season (even though all seasons are spooky for me).

  • Friday the 13th
  • The Nightmare Before Christmas
  • Rosemary’s Baby ✔︎
  • The Nightmare on Elm Street
  • Saw ✔︎
  • Cam ✔︎
  • Hellraiser
  • Little Monsters ✔︎
  • The Evil Dead 1&2
  • The Ghost and Mr. Chicken ✔︎
  • A Quiet Place
  • The Haunting
  • The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
  • Hell House LLC 3
  • The Haunting of Deborah Logan
  • Night of the Living Dead
  • Dawn of the Dead
  • Day of the Dead
  • Halloween
  • Scream ✔︎
  • Mother
  • The Changeling
  • House on Haunted Hill
  • Halloweentown
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Blood-n-Guts Female Horror Netflix Original Psychological Scares Shudder Exclusive

Is Revenge Sweet? My Thoughts on Rape Revenge Horror

I’ve talked about my feelings towards rape revenge films in previous posts (Revenge, The Perfection). It’s not a genre I’m exactly well-versed in since sexual assault and rape is something that I can’t really handle in film. There are exceptions (such as the posts I linked above), but overall it’s a genre I try to avoid. Recently, my sister watched I Spit on Your Grave which she thought I had recommended to her.

I can assure you, I never recommended I Spit on Your Grave.

I’ve never even seen I Spit on Your Grave.

I remember so vividly being in Family Video (which shout out to FV for holding on through all the streaming services, honestly) and seeing the cover of I Spit on Your Grave and having a gut reaction to it. If you’re unfamiliar let me paint you a word picture: a woman stands with her back to the camera, wearing a ripped and dirty t-shirt that is falling off one shoulder. She is not wearing anything on her bottom half aside from underwear which expose half her butt cheeks. We see only a quarter of the bottom half of her profile, and she holds a butcher knife with blood dripping off the blade. (You can also Google it if my word picture isn’t clear enough)

Even if you needed to head to Google for a clear idea of what this poster looks like, I hope that you at least were able to understand the issues with just that poster. The woman’s face is not even part of it. The primary focal point of the photo is her ass. The bloody knife is only there to let you know that at some point she will get inflict a little bit of pain. However, compare that to the Revenge poster. Let me paint another word picture: a young woman pointing a gun directly at the camera. She’s dirty, yes, and looks like she’s been through a lot…but she is not an object. She is the powerhouse of the picture, demanding all the attention and sending a pretty clear message that she is here to mess you up.

I don’t want to sit here and pit two films against each other. There are many people who love I Spit on Your Grave and I’m sure would argue that it, too, is a feminist revenge saga…but is it?

I know you’re probably wondering how on earth I can sit here and talk about rape revenge if I’ve seen such a small amount of the content out there, but rape in horror isn’t exclusive to just rape revenge films. There is a lot of sexual assault used in horror films, particularly the slasher/killer genres.

I’ve never liked to watch any media where rape is a major factor. There are films where rape is a side factor, or a backstory, but either isn’t on screen at all, or is done in a way that doesn’t make you feel gross. I’ve read the full synopsis of many movies to decide whether I can stomach the assault…with movies like I Spit on Your Grave or The Last House on the Left I have decided that I don’t want to put myself through the anxiety and the stomach ache just for a movie.

Basically I just want to address the issue with women and horror.

I’ve volleyed back and forth between whether or not horror is actually a feminist overall, or if it really is a female hating genre. I’ve done research, written papers, and presented paper at the Pop Culture Association 2019 conference all about women and their place in horror. So let me do some breaking down of my findings, my thoughts, and how those are contributing to my struggle with the rape revenge sub-genre.

The Virgin, The Whore, and The Crone

If you’re less aware of the tropes and the terms assigned to horror in academic study then this is the best place to start. There are three molds that women in horror tend to be put into:

The Virgin: I think this goes without explanation. In movies like Halloween, The Nightmare on Elm Street, or Prom Night the young girl who becomes the target of the masked killer is the girl that would be considered the “good-two-shoes”. Usually an actual virgin with friends who spend a decent amount of time in the movie having sex with no discretion. This girl tends to be the “final girl” which is another concept that could get it’s own post.
Basically, these movies equate virginity to value.

The Whore: Again, probably goes without saying. This is the best friend in The Nightmare on Elm Street who just wants to have sex with her high school boyfriend but instead ends up on the ceiling, bleeding out from her belly. You can take everything I said about the virgin and just flip it on it’s head, and that applies to the idea of the whore. Now, can you be a whore and survive?
Well…maybe in 2019? In classic horror there’s really no chance. The film The Cabin in the Woods even plays off of this trope. The character who was set assigned as “the virgin” wasn’t exactly a virgin, but as Sigourney Weaver says they had to “take what we can get”. Whore or slut or whatever term you want to use here is equated to wrongness. The virgin deserves to live…but the whore?

The Crone: This is a little bit of a wider birth of women. This is a woman who is no longer in her “prime” who is probably single, haggard, and usually in line with the old school ideas of Disney stepmothers or ugly witches in the woods. Usually she is bitter, waiting for some sort of revenge for something that happened long ago. Sometimes the crone is pitted against the virgin.

So, what am I saying by laying all this theory out?

Traditional rape revenge films usually position the woman as more innocent (*the virgin*), and we see her transform into a revenge seeking machine (*the crone*). To me, this all just demonizes sex and women’s sexuality. I mean it’s great to see a woman get revenge for what has happened to her, but typically there’s an hour of horrific torture the woman endures and then there’s 20-30 (or maybe less) of her getting her actual revenge. These movies tend to be written and directed by men…but you see a major shift when you look at a movie like Revenge or American Mary.

Revenge, which was directed by Coralie Fargeat, was the first rape revenge film I watched that didn’t leave me feeling sick and abysmal. Where movies like I Spit on Your Grave spend the majority of the movie torturing the woman, Revenge’s first 20-30 minutes is the set up, and the rape is only a short scene. Jenn’s, the woman who is raped, big conflict starts after the rape when her lover wants to pay her off so she won’t go to the police and turn in the man (a friend of his) who did the actual raping. There’s a chase through the gorgeous dessert where the film was shot where they try and take Jenn down, but that’s just the beginning.

The rest of the film is the saga of Jenn turning into, essentially, a superhero who survives being impaled on a rotting tree, the harsh dessert conditions, and various other physical traumas. Jenn’s fight isn’t just for revenge, but for survival.

American Mary is another rape revenge film that breaks the mold of the traditional framework. The film follows Mary, a medical student who is invited to a part by a surgeon she is doing her residency under where she is raped and the men film the horrible act. Before the entire party and rape even happens Mary tries to get a job stripped in order to help pay for her schooling, but when she is at the club the owner offers her $5,000 to sew up a man with a wound that clearly came from some sort of illegal activity. After that Mary is found by a stripper from the club and asked to perform an extreme body modification on a friend of hers.

After Mary is raped, she drops out of her surgical residency and starts doing illegal and extreme body modification surgeries. She kidnaps the man surgeon who raped her and keeps him alive in a storage unit where she practices her surgeries. The revenge part of this movie is less important to the story than Mary’s descent into crime and the brutal surgeries she performs. Mary doesn’t start doing the body modification surgeries because of the rape – she has that inside of her the whole time. The film is written and directed by sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska, showing that female led rape revenge tends to be less brutal towards the woman, and deeper than just brutalizing a poor defenseless woman.

The final film I want to talk about as an example of rape revenge done right is The Perfection. Now I just put up a whole post about this film, so I don’t want to spend too much time on it, but it does break the thread of female directed rape revenge. It was directed by Richard Shepherd, but one of the three writers that worked on the script was a woman (Nicole Snyder). There is no actual on-screen rape in The Perfection and the only actual on screen sex scene is between Allison Williams and Logan Browning who play Charlotte and Lizzie, respectively. It surrounds a school for young and promising cellists where the headmaster and teachers have, essentially, a sex cult. The elite students at the school are allowed to play in the acoustically perfect “chapel”…but if they make mistakes, they are raped or sexually abused as penance by the men of the school.

Charlotte wants to save Lizzie, and by the end of the film you realize the entire plot has been leading up to the torture of the headmaster. This film focuses so little on the actual rape, and yet is a rape revenge film. It’s a wild ride, but will leave you feeling much more empowered than sympathetic.

So what is my point in all of this?

Basically – be more critical of the rape revenge that is being put out. Look at it carefully and determine whether or not the purpose is to empower the female characters and show the women as warriors…or is it just a way for men to hide their objectification and their brutalization of women? Personally I think rape is the lowest hanging fruit when it comes to scaring people. Of course every woman is automatically scared when rape is involved because it is something we all have to worry about it our day-to-day life.

Of course, it is up to each individual person to determine their feelings towards any given movie. Just because I think movies like I Spit on Your Grave or The Last House on the Left are exploitative and too brutal to be feminist doesn’t mean that everyone will or has to have that same opinion. It is just something I have taken the time to sit and think about. This is totally my thoughts and opinions coupled with the basic research I have done thus far. My goal is to do some farther academic research and see what is out there, but for now I’ll leave you with these thoughts and feelings.

What do you think about rape revenge as a sub genre?

 

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Blood-n-Guts Female Horror Netflix Original Psychological Scares

The Perfection – Revenge Done Right (SPOILERS)

*Trigger warning for sexual assault and rape*

On May 24, 2019 Netflix added it’s newest horror thriller, The Perfection, starring Allison Williams and Logan Browning as prodigy cellists who are now adults and dealing with trauma. I know more and more of my reviews are requiring some spoilers, but honestly I think that says a lot about the sophistication of horror right now. The more intricate the storytelling is, the more difficult it is to discuss without some spoilers; and this is a movie that requires some spoilers to discuss.

So, if you want to go watch the film before reading my review I will say this: it is not what you are expecting, and that’s all I can say without giving things away.

And spoilers in…

3…

2…

1….

So if you’re still here I’m assuming you’ve already watched it, or you don’t mind spoilers, so here we go:

Charlotte was a student at the Bachoff school for promising young cellists who had to leave school when her mother became terminally ill. Now a grown woman, Charlotte reaches back out to the head of the school to re-join them after her mother dies. When she meets Anton and his wife Paloma in Shanghai where they are recruiting new students, Charlotte meets the newest pride of Bachoff, Lizzie. The two instantly have sexual chemistry as well as immense professional respect for each other, and their night ends in a sexual encounter….and that’s when things get really insane.

When they wake up after their night together, Lizzie is visibly ill and tells Charlotte how bad she feels. Charlotte and Lizzie both chalk it up to a bad hangover, but as their day progresses and they begin the trip Lizzie planned things get progressively worse. Lizzie throws up what appears to be bugs, and they are kicked off the bus, and once off the bus Lizzie hallucinates bugs underneath her skin. Charlotte gives her a cleaver, and Lizzie chops off her own hand in order to save herself from what’s inside of her.

AND THAT’S ONLY LIKE THE FIRST 30 MINUTES OF THE MOVIE.

I would absolutely categorize this movie as a psychological rape revenge horror film. I know that sounds like a lot of descriptors, but it all works together so well. I’ve said before that I don’t tend to do well with rape in films (check out my post about the film Revenge), but this is no typical rape revenge film. It slowly is revealed that the men who work and run Bachoff have been using their students to fulfill their twisted sexual desires…and yes, when they are children.

Quickly (or maybe not actually so quickly, but it FEELS like break neck speed) we’re thrown into what we think is going to be revenge against Charlotte, but what really ends up being a plot to take down the monster that runs the school. Charlotte is brought back to the school and put in the “sanctuary” where the men make their “star students” play extremely complex pieces for them, and then rape them if they make mistakes. There is a “religious” implication to what the headmaster says in Charlotte’s flashbacks – that playing perfectly honors the gods, and in lieu of perfect playing sex fills that role.

Fucked up right?

Well, the film then does a total 180 again and we find out that Lizzie is working with Charlotte who had drugged Lizzie with a hallucinogen so she would cut off her hand and no longer be able to play the cello…effectively breaking her ties to the school. Lizzie and Charlotte appear to be in love, and by the end of the film they have totally destroyed the man who tried to destroy them.

So let’s chat about the actual mechanics of the movie:

First of all, it’s NUTS. It is absolutely buck wild and there’s no ifs, ands, or buts about that. Objectively, I don’t think it’s a very good movie when it comes to the actual technical side of the movie, and even the pacing is a little weird…but by golly if it’s not absolutely enamoring, then I am a field mouse. The appeal of the film is the utter absurdity and mayhem caused by two (queer) women, one of whom is a WOC and they’re taking down the patriarchy in their life. It is really beautifully shot, and both Logan Browning (Lizzie) and Allison Williams (Charlotte) give incredible performances. It is the type of psychological horror that you think about for weeks afterwards.

Be careful, it isn’t for the faint of heart.

In general I don’t tend to watch rape revenge films. Recently, my sister watched I Spit on Your Grave and was convinced I’d been the one who recommended it to her…but I’ve never seen the film, nor do I intend on watching it. A friend had Last House on the Left on a list of horror movies to watch this October and I told her that, while it was totally fine if she and other friends in our group wanted to watch it, but I didn’t think I could watch it with them. Rape and sexual assault is one of the few things I can’t stomach in horror, not to mention I think it’s truly the lowest hanging fruit to scare women…but both The Perfection and Revenge focus on the women turning into superheroes and taking down the men who hurt them quickly and brutally within the first 30 minutes or so. Movies like I Spit on Your Grave or Last House on the Left focus primarily on the brutality against the women for the majority of the movie and their revenger for the LAST 30 minutes or less, and that is why I choose to not watch them.

If I’m going to watch a movie in which women are brutalized, then I want the majority of the film to focus on them becoming badasses that cut off dicks and murder the men that did it.

This film doesn’t have actual on-screen rape scenes, but that doesn’t make it any less disturbing…especially when you consider the fact that both Charlotte and Lizzie have been at Bachoff since they were small girls, and they both were seen as “special” when they were between 10 and 13 years old. Charlotte’s character is unbelievably resilient, and the fact that she was able to break free of the hold the school had on her and then help Lizzie break free of them as well shows that the writers were concerned with building strong female characters. Unlike a lot of movies where a man saves a woman…not only is a woman the one doing the saving, but a queer woman saving the woman she has fallen in love with.

Is it a little damsel in distress-y? Yes.

Do I care? No.

I love a good lesbian relationship that’s not just there for the benefit of the straight men in the film or audience. Lizzie and Charlotte fall in love (granted, over shared trauma), and help save each other.

This movie just helps further prove the lack of queer representation in horror, and honestly the lack of feminism in the genre as well. We need more characters like Charlotte and Lizzie, and preferably not only in rape revenge.

Have you seen The Perfection? What were your thoughts? Were you as obsessed with it as I was?

The Perfection IMDB

The Perfection Wiki

The Perfection Trailer 

Logan Browning IMDB

Allison Williams IMDB

 

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Blood-n-Guts Box Office Bangs Bumps in the Night Creepy Critters Old vs. New

IT: Chapter Two and the problem with reviews (Mild Spoilers)

Yes, you read that correctly.

I want to talk both about the genius that was It: Chapter Two and the issue with movie reviews – and trust me, the irony is not lost on me. To be perfectly candid, I don’t necessarily consider what I do here to be “reviews”. This started out as a “horror review blog” for a class my freshman year of college, but honestly I view it more as a place for me to gush about the horror movies I love without annoying everyone in my life. It’s an outlet for me to ruminate on horror and the genre and all things surrounding it, and all three people who read any of these posts (hi Dad) get to choose whether they listen to my nonsense.

Film critics are a totally different animal to me. I have never listened to film critics…I don’t even read reviews unless I have already seen the movie and want to hear another perspective. Personally, I think that most people making their living on reviews are jaded and impossible to impress as it is let alone when it comes to a genre that is already extremely polarizing.

Which brings me to It: Chapter Two…

I thought it was brilliant. Do I love the Native American lore being use for a story written by a white man? No. But Stephen King also seemed to have an obsession with using Native American lore/legend/land in his stories. (Let’s not forget that Pet Semetary which also just got a remake is ALL ABOUT A NATIVE AMERICAN PIECE OF LAND). Granted, the 80’s in general had an obsession with using Native American land as a copout *coughcough* Poltergeist *cough*.

BUT aside from the obvious cultural appropriation, and some qualms with how Bev was written which I will get into later, I really have no complaints about the film.

Lets start with the casting:

The detail they put into casting the adult versions of the characters was absolutely mind boggling. I was impressed by the cast when they released the initial photos, but it was nothing compared to seeing them in character.

Bill Hader was definitely a stand out in this film, and it was only enhanced by the fact that Richie is very obviously a closeted gay man and Hader  Granted, I wish they could have given us an actual coming out scene (even if it was just  small moment of admitting it to the Losers) but when diversity in horror is so low when it comes to sexuality I am happy to take any and all we are given.

James McAvoy was also great as Bill, but I’ve never been as head-over-heels for him the way 80% of the female population seems to be so while he was great (because he’s just a great actor) I wasn’t overly excited about him the way a lot of fans were.

Honestly, I was surprised by how much I loved James Ransone as Eddie. I saw Ransone in the Sinister films where he played a deputy (and an ex-deputy in the second one), and I wasn’t sure how confident I was in his acting chops. Partially because I haven’t seen the Sinister films in a long time and partly because he wasn’t memorable enough for me to automatically be excited about his casting. However, the combination of Hader as Richie and Ransone as Eddie was a comedy duo that enhanced the film and didn’t override the horror. Personally, I’d pay to watch a film of just those two actors in those two roles sitting in a room and just bantering for 2 hours. I realize calling Ransone unmemorable is not the kindest, but honestly those movies in general weren’t the most memorable so it wasn’t Ransone’s acting, but the character he played.

The rest of the cast was great and definitely shined, but going person by person seems like a bit of overkill…but let’s talk about Bev.

Bev in the first movie is a firecracker who stands up for herself, is more than just the token girl of the friend group, and actually is her own person. Bev in the second movie is…well..a prop. Granted, years of abuse by both her father and her husband are probably enough to make anyone timid and boring, but the character was just very disappointing as a whole to me. I feel like she existed just to be the object of Bill and Ben’s affection rather than being written as an actual human being. If I recall, it was very much the same thing in the mini-series from the 90’s but worse because Bev had sexual tension with all of the men and not just the two.

BUT I DIGRESS

Aside from the aforementioned issues I had – I really loved it. I think that one of the things people disliked was the CGI (the giant statue chasing Richie, the leper that attacks Eddie, the old woman in Bev’s old apartment). It is the type of thing that we aren’t used to seeing in modern horror. There’s this idea that the less you see if a villain the scarier they are, and in a lot of cases that’s true, however the way that It: Chapter Two was crafted feels like a love letter to horror movies of the 80’s. The terror of Pennywise and all the evil that comes along with him is how along each person is with their fear. Nobody can see the giant statue come to life and chase Richie through the park, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous to him.

I’m enjoying the shift we’re seeing in horror, and I think we’re entering a new era of horror films. This can also be seen, on a smaller scale, in films like Insidious and The Conjuring. Without spending too much time on films that aren’t It in this post, Insidious was one of the first modern horror movies I remember moving away from the idea that the monster should never be fully seen or in view (the demon at the end of the first film, or the ghost of the mother in the second one who confronts them flat out) and the The Conjuring 2 used the same type of CGi for the Crooked Man.

From someone who does not have a degree in horror or film (whatup English majors), but spends 80% of her time ingesting horror content I think we are on the brink of the newest era of horror. In the early 2000’s slasher films/teen horror had their moment (Saw, Hostel, remakes of House of Wax and Friday the 13th), the 2010’s brought back a lot of haunted house content (Insidious, The Conjuring, Annabel) and I think we are starting to see another shift to horror that confronts the viewer more directly.

Personally, I think that’s very exciting.

I had someone tell me once that classic horror movies didn’t scare them because they “Didn’t know what was scary back then”, and while there are many layers to pull apart and discuss in that sentiment the main thing to talk about is the phases horror has been through. To be fair, horror is a rather new genre compared to genres like drama, comedy, or even fantasy. Gothic literature is really the mother of the modern horror genre, and it is still a genre that doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Films like It and It: Chapter Two are pushing back on people’s understanding of how horror works and what makes a movie scary. Let’s all just be happy that we’re finally getting a break from first person camera and zombie films for now.

My point in telling you what this person said is not to say they’re dumb or make fun of them, but simply to say that we are living in a generation that doesn’t understand or appreciate the classics. Yes Friday the 13th can be cheesy, but watching that arrow go through Kevin Bacon’s throat still gives me nervous tummy! In 20 years (assuming the world hasn’t burned by then) our kids will be telling us that directors working now “didn’t know what was scary”. People disliking it didn’t seem to come from anything more than misunderstanding the genre, and when people don’t like something their automatic response is that it’s bad…but just because you don’t like something doesn’t make it “bad”, it just means it’s not for you!

If you haven’t seen It: Chapter Two yet I highly recommend it. I was extremely excited, and not  disappointed (other than maybe Bev). It is worth the outrageous cost of movie tickets, and I’m honestly just curious what people’s thoughts are on the shift we’re starting to see in modern horror films. If you have any thoughts my email will be down below and you’re welcome to send them to me!

I realize that most of my rambling in this post wasn’t about the movie itself, but honestly I feel like it’s one you just have to see for yourself.

It IMDB

It Wiki

It Trailer

It: Chapter Two IMDB

It: Chapter Two Wiki

It: Chapter Two Trailer 

It (1990) Wiki

Send me your thoughts to wickedlittleblog@gmail.com

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Blood-n-Guts

Mini Post 3: Nicky Brendon Runs Amok!

Hello friends!

It’s been awhile since I’ve sat down to write, and part of that is because I haven’t seen a movie recently that I’m excited enough about to write a whole post on. I’m thinking about writing up something about the 3rd season of Channel Zero on Shudder, because let me tell you it’s a wild and disturbing ride! HOWEVER, that’s not why we’re here.

We’re here because I met Nicholas Brendon on 7/6/19 (Saturday), and if that isn’t something that the internet needs to know about, I don’t know what is!

So, here’s the deal: if you aren’t a Buffy or Criminal Minds fan you may not know who I’m talking about, but that’s okay. I shall explain.

Nicholas (or Nicky as he goes by now!) played one of the main characters in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xander Harris. If you are a Buffy fan you know that over the last several year Nicky has struggled with substance abuse, depression, and has been in trouble with the law. When I initially heard that he had been arrested on domestic abuse charges I had pretty much made up my mind I was done with him.

However, I was unaware that he is now clean and sober and has made one of his primary goals to share his struggles with fans and help raise awareness about depression and mental health struggles. The “cancel” culture we live in is so dangerous and leaves no room for people to make mistakes, and then make up for those mistakes. I’m going to try to keep my soapbox short – but all I’m saying is, there are some things that warrant cancelling, however, a man who struggled with the disease of addiction and is now using his struggles to help other people is not one of those that deserves cancellation.

BUT NOW FOR INFO ON THE ACTUAL EVENT!

So Nicky has been doing the “Happiness Runs Amok” tour for awhile now, and I have to be honest when my mom first asked if I wanted to go while I was home over the weekend, I was rather ambivalent. I love Buffy, but when she first asked me I basically felt like I could take or leave it. But I am SO SO glad that I went. Nicky is one of the kindest people I have met, and he was so genuinely happy and appreciative that we were all there.

At the beginning of the event his PA/girlfriend, Sarah (and spelled the CORRECT way with an H!), ran through the list of everyone who was supposed to be there. She kept saying she wanted to be done before Nicky got there, and mentioned that he liked to learn the names of everyone at his events. I assumed he would just go through and ask names and that would be that.

BUT NO

Nicky took a good 20-30 minutes to go around the room, ask everyone’s name, connect it to someone that he knew, and continued to repeat all the names until he remembered them all. It was really amazing that he cares so much to, not just ask names, but LEARN ALL OF THEM. There were at least 40 people there, and he managed to remember every single person. (I’ll put up a video on my Instagram! @wickedlittleblog).

They then screened the musical episode of Buffy, “Once More With Feeling”, and he continued to mingle throughout the whole episode. He would quote his favorite lines, pop out to talk to the waitresses at the bar, tell little anecdotes about filming the episode, and he sang along to the entirety of Xander and Anya’s song “I’ll Never Tell”. After the episode he then spent about 15 minutes talking to us, and that’s when he was very honest with us about his struggles. I so admire people who use their past struggles to help other people, and not just to garner sympathy.

We got the lowest tier ticket because I’m a broke new graduate, my mom is in nursing school, and my sister has a 2 year old to worry about; so that meant autographs and selfies were $30 for us. I didn’t have the money to pay for a selfie, but my sister went ahead and got a selfie with him which I will also post on Instagram! However, when my sister was waiting to selfie with him my mom (sweet sweet Julie!) went up to him and, like a good momma does, told him one of the reasons she came was to support him and his recovery.

And you know what he did?

He put a hand on my mom’s back and said:”Let’s go outside and chat!”

He then proceeded to spend a solid 10 minutes outside with the three of us just talking about his past, and his career, and was just so sweet and friendly! It was better than any selfie.

So,  I encourage you to check out what Nicky is doing now, and if he comes to your city or a city near by I would suggest going ahead and getting a ticket! Even the lowest tier ticket is worth it, and you won’t be sorry.

I’m going to stop rambling before this mini-post becomes a full post! Check out my Instagram for a some of the videos I took of the event!

Nicky’s Wikipedia 

Nicky’s IMDB

Nicky’s Facebook Page

 

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Blood-n-Guts

Pride Month Horror Movie List

Jennifer’s Body

Megan-Fox-Jennifers-Body

This 2009 supernatural horror about girl who is nearly sacrificed to the devil, but instead is turned into a succubus who literally feeds off men doesn’t get the credit it deserves a film rife with lesbian tension and drama. Plus, as a bonus, it was written and directed by women!

Stars: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons
Written by Diablo Cody; Directed by Karyn Kusama

The Haunting (1963)

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One of the many adaptations of Shirley Jackson’s novel, The Haunting of Hill House, this film is not only one of the scariest movies I’ve ever seen, but also one of the gayest. Protagonists Theo and Eleanor are brought to Hill House for an experiment that may extend past science.

Starring: Julie Harris and Claire Bloom
Written by Nelson Gidding; Directed by Robert Wise

You’re Killing Me

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This underrated indie horror comedy came out in 2015 and I have yet to see it on any lists of must see queer horror films. Joe is a serial killer who just wants to be honest with his new boyfriend George…but George just thinks Joe is as funny as can be. I watched this movie on Hulu where it is still available to stream.

Starring: Jeffree Self and Matthew McKelligon
Written by Jeffree Self and Jim Hansen; Directed by Jim Hansen

Carmilla (2017)

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In 2014 the Carmilla web series took queer women by storm. A modern adaptation of the 1872 gothic novel (which predated Bram Stoker, thank you very much) followed Laura Hollis who just started her freshman year of college at Silas University in Austria. Laura’s roommate goes missing within the first few days of school, plunging the journalism major into a mystery that all comes back to her new roommate: the hot, mysterious, and very gay vampire Carmilla.

Starring: Natasha Negovanlis and Elise Bauman
Written by Jordan Hall; Directed by Spencer Maybee

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

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There’s no denying there’s some problems with the way they portray trans people in this movie, but none-the-less it has become a cult classic that true horror fans must see. However, please be aware going in that it is considered problematic by many people. It does feature the mean girls of all mean girls, Judy, and death by curling iron (and if those don’t pull you in I don’t know what will)

Starring: Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersten, and Karen Fields
Written and directed by Robert Hiltzik

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge

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This movie in the definition of (supposedly) an unintentional queer film. The story follows Jesse five years after the tragedy of the first Nightmare on Elm Street film as he faces off with everyone’s favorite dream dropper – Freddy. The homo-erotic undertones are so blatant at times that even the most heterosexual audience will notice there is something more going on underneath the surface.

Starring: Mark Patton, Kim Myers, and Robert Englund
Written by David Chaskin; Directed by Jack Sholder

The Lost Boys

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While not explicitly a queer movie, the homoerotic undertones are undeniable in this vampire flick. A boy moves to a small town in California and meets a group of attractive, well dressed vampires? How could that NOT lead to something sexy?

Starring: Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland, and Ed Hermann
Written by Jan Fischer; Directed by Joe Schumacher

The Silence of the Lambs

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Again we have a film that has a controversial portrayal of trans people. However, this film is the only horror movie to ever win an Oscar, has Jodie Foster *coughcough* a lesbian *cough* playing a bad-ass female FBI agent, and Anthony Hopkins. For me Anthony Hopkins is enough of a reason to watch this movie if you haven’t, and to revisit it even if you have. This is definitely my favorite movie, horror or otherwise, and it has had a big impact on me.

Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and Ted Levine
Written by Thomas Harris; Directed by Jonathan Demme

Hellraiser 1&2

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The Hellraiser franchise is one that seems to go on and on and on and on…and on. But the first two films are the reason the series will go down in horror film infamy. Split between two realms: ours and a bizarre hellscape that uses horrifying BDSM to torture (and also kind of pleasure?) their victims. And how do you get there? Through a puzzle box! It’s honestly go a lot of homoerotic threads, and in a strange way shines a spotlight on king culture (if not in the best way). Be warned there is extreme gore and some implied sexual violence! The first two films follow the same protagonist as she tries to deal with family tragedy and escape the Cenobites.

Starring: Doug Bradley, Ashley Laurence, and Clare Higgins
Written and directed by Clive Barker

Interview With a Vampire

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I know, I know: “Sarah, what’s with all the vampires?” Well, if you’re asking that question you clearly do not understand the nuances of vampires and sexuality. This adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel stars two of the 90’s biggest male stars as long term vampire companions who are caring for Claudia: a female vampire, turned when she was still a pre-teen. So basically, it’s about a same-sex couple raising a bratty pre-teen who is too mature for her own good. If that’s not gay enough for you, I don’t know what you’re doing here.

Starring: Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Kirsten Dunst
Written by Anne Rice; Directed by Neil Jordan

Mulholland Drive

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While you can argue that this is not a horror movie, I think the bizarre darkness of all of David Lynch’s work earns him a spot as a “horror director”. This is one of my favorite movies, and requires more than one watch if you want to fully appreciate it. Two women embark on a journey to recover the memory of one of them. The storytelling is non-linear, the lesbian sex has very long acrylic nails, and it’s very 90’s: but it’s an incredible example of how psychological horror should be donw.

Starring: Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, and Justin Theroux
Written and directed by David Lynch

Let the Right One In (Swedish) / Let Me In (US)

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Confession! I haven’t actually seen Let the Right One In. I’ve seen the US version, Let Me In, but have yet to watch the original Swedish film. The bittersweet story of a young, lonely boy who befriends a (you guessed it) vampire who was turned as a pre-teen girl is a commentary on bullying, loneliness, and co-dependency. It’s dark and haunting, and definitely the most emotional of all the vampire films on this list.

Let the Right One In
Starring: Kåre Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson
Written by John Ajvide Lindqvist; Directed by Tomas Alfredson
Let Me In
Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloe Grace Moretz
Written and directed by Matt Reeves

Stranger by the Lake

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So another quick confession: I haven’t seen this film either. This was suggested to me by a friend, and I’ve seen it on other lists of LGBT+ horror films. It’s a French film about a man name Franck who frequents a nude beach that also happens to be a cruising spot for gay men. He meets a man named Michel, and let’s just say this is not a romantic comedy and therefore this will not be a happy ending (pun intended).

Starring: Pierre Deladonchamps, Christophe Paou, and Patrick d’Assumçao
Written and directed by Alain Guiraudie

The Neon Demon

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Have you ever seen a movie that you need to watch again to decide how you feel about it, but you’re not sure you can handle watching it again? Yeah, that was how I felt about The Neon Demon. It follows a young girl from the midwest who catches a bus out to LA to become a model. She meets three girls – two models and one makeup artist – who take her under their wing, but their motives aren’t entirely pure. There’s a storyline of unrequited lesbian feelings, landing it on this list. Trigger warning: there is a scene in which the main character listens to her hotel manager rape another young girl in the room next to hers. It’s hard to stomach, and I just want you to be aware before you sit down to watch.

Starring: Elle Fanning, Jena Malone, and Keanu Reeves
Written by Mary Laws; Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Raw

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Another French film that made the list! I was so hesitant to watch Raw even though everyone I know (including my mothers) was telling me to watch it. It’s about a girl who is starting vet school. She’s been a life-long vegetarian along with her parents and older sister, but during a hazing ritual she is forced to eat meat: and it awakens her craving for human flesh. To explain why this is on a list of LGBT+ plus movies would probably give too much away, so I’d say just watch it and see for yourself.

Starring: Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, and Rabah Nait Oufella
Written and directed by Julia Ducournau

Black Swan

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Now if you don’t know why this is on the list, I’m not sure why you’re here at all! Just kidding, please stay. Black Swan is about a ballerina who is getting the opportunity to dance the lead in Swan Lake, only to be threatened by an understudy. There is a steamy scene between Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis and if that isn’t enough of a reason for this to be part of the list then I don’t know is.

Starring: Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis
Written by Mark Heyman; Directed by Daren Aronofsky

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

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Duh. Does this even need any explanation? Well, I’ll give you one anyway. This cult classic musical is about two young and upstanding citizens that wind up at Dr. Frank N. Furter’s castle where they are pulled into his world of song and dance and science and sex. If you’ve never seen this movie you’re in for a treat – and probably a lot of confusion and questions about what you’re watching.

Starring: Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, and Tim Curry
Written by Richard O’Brien; Directed by Jim Sharman

Monster

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This is not necessarily a horror movie, but it is about infamous murderer Ilene Warnoss and the woman she started a relationship with. Of course, there are liberties taken and from what I can tell they definitely romanticize the relationship, but for the purposes of this list we’re only worried with what’s in the film, NOT REALITY!

Starring: Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci
Written and directed by Patty Jenkins

Categories
Blood-n-Guts

My Most Anticipated 2019 Horror Films

 

  1. Ma
  2. IT Chapter 2
  3. Midsommar
  4. Child’s Play
  5. Zombieland: Double Tap
  6. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (we can fight about whether this is horror or not, but it stays on the list!)
  7. Annabelle 3: Annabelle Comes Home
  8. The Crooked Man

There are a lot of still untitled projects and/or projects that have very few details about them that I am optimistic about, but I’m not including on this list. I’m going to be keeping an eye on them (The Wizard of Oz horror project, for example) and I’ll update my list as things come out and as more info comes out about other projects. This list is also only big studio releases. I’m sure there will be new horror films on streaming services that will be coming out that I just don’t know about right now, and honestly some Netflix originals have been better horror films than major studio releases.

Let me know what horror movies you’re excited for! I plan to keep updating and curating lists, and I’d love for you to help me with that.

Categories
Blood-n-Guts Box Office Bangs Comedic Scares

They’re Us *SPOILERS*

UsSo…

I needed some time to sit and process Us before I could fully articulate what I think. This is a movie that can’t really be talked about without spoilers, so I’m giving you one more chance to bail before anything is ruined.

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Okay, I’m assuming if you’re still reading that means that you have either already seen the movie or you’re a masochist who doesn’t mind spoilers.

Let me start off by saying I really, truly enjoyed Us. It was scary and different and the cast was absolutely incredible. Jordan Peele is a genius at merging horror and comedy in a way that I haven’t seen before. Even in the most intense scenes a well-placed and well-timed joke can release some tension, and give the audience a well deserved break before things get even more tense.

So what exactly is this clone/doppelganger horror flick really about?

The trailer did an incredible job of giving just enough without showing all the best scenes, which is a problem that plagues many horror films. There’s either too much, or it makes the movie look like something completely different than what it actually is.

The follows the Wilson family as they go to they head to their beach house for the summer. The family consists of mom Addy (Lupito Nyong’o), dad Gabe (Winston Duke), daughter Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph), and son Jason (Evan Alex). The Wilson’s aren’t there for more than 12 hours before their exact doubles show up, and attempt to kill them.

The opening of the movie takes place in 1986, and we see a young family at a carnival on the Santa Cruz pier. Tension between the mother and father is clear, and the young girl with them seems extremely aware that things are unhappy between her parents. When her mother leaves to go to the bathroom and her father plays Whack-a-Mole the little girl wanders off and finds herself in a fun house. On the way, she passes a man holding a sign that says “Jeremiah 11:11”.  Inside the fun house the girl gets turned around because of all the mirrors, and the scene ends with her bumping into what at first appears to be another mirror with her reflection only for her to turn around and the “reflection” to keep it’s back turned.

The audience is the thrown back into the present, and we join the Wilson family. When Gabe announces they are going to meet their friends at the Santa Cruz beach, Addy becomes visibly anxious. They bicker back and forth about whether or not the family will go to the beach, but eventually Addy gives in when Gabe agrees that they will be home by dark. This is the first moment it becomes clear that Addy was the young girl from the opening scene.

On their way to the beach they pass an ambulance loading a dead body into the back. The body has bleeding wounds, and carved into his forehead is “11:11” indicating that he is the man Addy saw when she was young. This is the first tip off (in modern day at least) that something is very, very wrong in Santa Cruz. Later at the beach, Jason goes to the bathroom by himself and sees a man standing with his back to him, with his arms out stretched, face to the sky, and blood dripping off his hands. Addy is in hysterics, and chastises her son for leaving without telling her where he is going, and the Wilson’s head home.

Once they’re home, Addy recounts her childhood experience to her husband. The flash back cuts off right as she and her doppleganger come face to face and adult Addy says “I ran as fast as I could.” And here in lies my first qualm with the story telling.

Let’s all be very honest for a moment: Jordan Peele, while an incredible horror writer and director, is still very new to horror. He has mastered so many specifics of the genre, and I’m so impressed by his work. That being said, Us is only his second horror film and with the genre comes  so many nuances that I don’t think any first time horror director is able to perfectly master all of them. Peele tries to leave us a few bread crumbs to indicate that (and here is the first SPOILER) Addy is, in fact, the doppleganger we saw earlier who took her under ground and switched places with her. Where the flash back is cut off, the fact that we find out Addy did not speak once her parents found her, and her mother telling the child psychologist “I just want my daughter back.” were all supposed to be crumbs…in my opinion, however, they were more like neon arrows pointing to the switch that was made.

Of course! This is just my feelings towards it, and it may be different for other viewers. I will say that I feel as though Get Out was much more subtle in leading us towards the deeper sinister goings on.

So, we finally meet the other family. Let me skip right to the point: the Other Addy tells a story of “the girl and her shadow”, which is the only time I thought maybe I was wrong about Addy being replaced with the doppleganger. Later, once Addy has made it down to the facility where the dopplegangers were being kept the Other Addy explains that the were created to be “tethered” to the people above, and she thinks it was in order to control the people above. But jokes on them, because the the Tethered wound up being controlled by the people above. There are scenes that show what happens above and how the Tethered are controlled by the above ground people that are absolutely stunning. Tethered Addy, once she is above ground, is put into dance by her parents to encourage her to express herself. Peele choreographs a scene that cuts in scenes of Tethered Addy dancing on a stage above, and the fight between Tethered and Other Addy that is one of the most stunningly choreographed scenes I have ever seen on camera, and Black Swan is one of my favorite horror movies.

I have a lot of back and forth on this movie: on one hand, it is a stunning example of horror married with comedy, and it’s some of the most beautiful film making I have ever seen, but on the other hand there is a lot of rabbit trailing and some loose ends I would have loved to see better tied up.

BUT…

All that to say, I enjoyed it SO much. I was scared, I was moved, I was challenged to think about deeper issues…and that is everything a horror movie should do for you. Also, Lupita Nyong’o gave one of the most incredible performances that I have ever seen. I have been thinking about it ever since, and honestly I want to watch it a million more times specifically for her performance. The fact that she is portrayed both our “protagonist” and our “antagonist” (though both Addys could be pro- and antagonist depending on your view) and you really feel like you are watching two completely different people’s performances is absolutely incredible. Regardless of how you feel about this movie, there is no denying her talent and the life she brings to these roles.

This is a movie I would really love to hear thoughts on. You can DM me on Instagram (@wickedlittleblog) or email me (sarahkrodden@gmail.com) with your thoughts. Please specify in the subject line that it’s about this if you email me!

Us Trailer

Us IMDB

Us Wiki

Jordan Peele IMDB

Jordan Peele Wiki

 

 

Categories
B Calm Blood-n-Guts Old vs. New

Cabin Fever Needs a Vaccination (spoilers, kind of)

Let me start this off by saying I am NOT an Eli Roth hater: on the contrary, he has been my favorite director for several years now. If Eli Roth is attached to a project, I WILL watch it. So it truly pains me to say that the remake of Cabin Fever was one of the worst movies I’ve seen in a long time. If you’ve seen the original film, then there isn’t much to spoil, but if you haven’t and don’t want key plot points ruined come back after you’ve watched the 2002 original.

The new filmmakers used the exact script from the original, 2002 Roth film and it was more or less a shot for shot remake. We all know we are living in a time of remakes: Evil Dead, Pet Sematary, Child’s Play. Reboots and remakes are everywhere you turn, but Cabin Fever – in my opinion – did not need a remake. For starters, the film was not even 15 years old at the time that it was redone by director Travis Z. Second of all, it was 95% a shot-for-shot remake of Roth’s original teen horror film.

I’m well aware that shot-for-shot remakes can, and have, worked. However, the brilliance (and absurdity) of the original Cabin Fever was the way in which Roth constantly shocked the audience with the frantic pace and bold body horror. The film worked because of its originality, and a exact remake is anything but original. Remakes like Evil Dead or The Thing took brilliant pieces of original cinema and made enough changes that they felt fresh and inventive to both new fans and fans of the originals.

Obviously I can’t speak for people coming to this movie without having seen Roth’s original movie, but I’m not even sure a new viewer would enjoy this movie. The pacing seems off from the very beginning, the actors don’t deliver the dialogue in a convincing way, and the beloved comic relief sheriff was changed to a blonde sex pot whose laugh lines feel forced and uncomfortable.

The thing that I have always admired about Roth is that he doesn’t hold back in his film making. The point in his movies is often how much can you watch before turning off the TV? With an exact remake the fans have already experienced everything there is to experience from that story. The shock and the rush viewers got that first time watching Cabin Fever is gone.

The few things they did try and do different did not add anything better to the plot, just made things more unrealistic and corny. The main character Paul, played by Samuel Davis, finally gets a shot with his childhood crush only to find out she has gotten the flesh eating disease ravaging the small community. By the end of the movie Karen, played by Gage Golightly, has barely any skin and has been attacked by an infected dog. She is laying in the boat house where they quarantined her begging for Paul to kill her. Paul stands there for far too long dealing with his inner struggle. When he finally decides to put Karen out of her intense agony the gun won’t fire, so Nick takes a shovel and shoves it into Karen’s mouth and severs her jaw which, shockingly (that’s sarcasm), doesn’t kill her. He then SETS THE SHED ON FIRE AND BURNS HER ALIVE.

The original Paul, played by Ryder Strong, also chooses a shovel to help end Karen’s misery. However, rather than stab her in the face with the shovel he bludgeons her with it. Bludgeoning is still a pretty nasty way to end someone’s life, but at least Paul 1 didn’t set her on fire. The remake of Karen’s death scene is frankly one of the strangest scenes in a movie I have ever seen. The pacing is awkward and weird and you just wind up feeling sick in the worst way for this poor girl who keeps begging for him to kill her.

Roth endorsed this remake, and for that reason alone I wish I was able to say I enjoyed it. I think everyone who is a hardcore Eli Roth fan can admit that Cabin Fever (2002) has its own problems. It is a clear debut film, but it was a debut film that set him on a trajectory within the horror community that everyone was dying to see. He followed it up with films Hostel, Green Inferno, and Knock Knock all of which kept on the same path of “how long can you watch” as Cabin Fever.

I don’t really like to write negative reviews like this because in most situations I want to credit artists for their creation rather I like it or not. In this situation, however, with it being a shot-for-shot remake I don’t feel nearly as bad saying this: Do NOT waste your time on this remake. If you want to watch a remake of a classic go with Evil Dead instead: even more blood and a fantastic amount of originality. If you’re in the mood for Roth-like body horror just watch the original Cabin Fever (and the original has added bonus of Ryder Strong and his face). But I’d strongly recommend giving the new Cabin Fever the pass the next time you’re ready for some gore.

*Also, Eli Roth’s History of Horror is absolutely incredible. If you don’t have a Shudder subscription it is worth the 4.99 a month alone.

Cabin Fever (2002)

Wiki

IMDB

Trailer

Cabin Fever (2016)

Wiki

IMDB

Trailer

Eli Roth

Wiki

IMDB

Categories
B Calm Blood-n-Guts

The Neon Demon burned into my mind (SPOILERS!!!)

The Neon Demon.jpgSo since this is my first post since returning to the life of blogging I need to tell you there are going to be some changes in some of my posts.  Before I attempted to keep them spoiler free so that you would be compelled to go watch the movie, but there are just certain films that I just can’t possibly give you my full impression of without giving some spoilers.  So I’m giving you ample time to click away and go watch The Neon Demon staring Dakota Fanning, form your own opinions, and then come back over here and hear mine.

Here we go:

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Okay if you’re still around, thank you and hello!

The Neon Demon is a horror thriller from Nicolas Winding Refn who you may know from his 2013 film Only God Forgives and it focuses on 16 year old aspiring model, Jesse played by Elle Fanning, who is fresh off the bus to Los Angeles from Georgia after her parents die.  Sounds cliche, I know, but I promise you the tropes end there.

The film is beautifully shot from start to finish.  It opens with Jesse lying on a couch staring blankly at the camera, her throat appears to be cut.  At first it’s unclear if Jesse is, in fact, dead or not.  The shot pans out to reveal it’s merely a photo shoot, and we’re quickly introduced to three of our major characters: Jesse, Ruby (Jena Malone), and Dean (Karl Glusman).  It is clear from the beginning that Ruby, who is a makeup artist, is sexually attracted to Jesse.

She goes to meet with a prestigious modeling agency where we get the first glimpse at the horrifying world of being a professional model.  There, she meets with Christina Hendricks.  Jesse is instructed to tell people she’s 19 if asked, despite the fact that she has yet to even hit 17.  As she leaves the modeling agency, we see Hendrick’s character send a young girl away without even so much as meeting with her.

Here’s the deal, I am very against the modeling industry in general and this movie did absolutely nothing to change my mind.

Jesse is portrayed to have some sort of alluring quality that juts seems to radiate from her.  It is unclear if there is some sort of other worldly quality or something supernatural, but what is clear is that nobody can resist her and no other model can like her because she overshadows them.

Ruby takes it upon herself to take care of her, and through her Jesse meets two other models Gigi (Bella Heathcote) and Sarah (Abbey Lee).  The two automatically have animosity toward her because of how quickly she is progressing in the modelling field, and how old the two of the are considered for models.

There is a lot that happens between the meeting of the two other girls and the climax.  Including Jesse listening to the owner of the motel where she’s staying, played by Keanu Reeves, brutally rape the 14 year old run away living in the room next door and not calling the cops, to Ruby essentially attempting to rape Jesse herself, to Ruby having sex with a corpse at the morgue were she works while thinking of Jesse.

Now let me tell you, this is one of the first movies I’ve watched in a long time that at the end I sat in silence for quite awhile and just thought: “What the f@#& did I just watch?!”, but when I was researching afterwards and realized that this movie was in part inspired by Elizabeth Bathory. If you aren’t familiar with this particular piece of history here’s a really quick, terribly simple rundown: Elizabeth Bathory was a countess in 14th century Hungary who decided that in order to stay young she needed to bath in the blood of young girls. Gruesome, I know. Bathory has been an inspiration for a lot of stories throughout horror history, including Bram Stoker’s Dracula himself.

The Neon Demon is a heavy handed, disturbing, graphic cautionary tale about the dangers of our cultures obsession with youth and beauty. Jesse suffers a horrific fate at the hands of women who are, probably, only ten years her senior who are so jealous they are driven to murder, and the ultimate crime of cannibalism (if you weren’t convinced of how f***** up this movie was before, I’m sure you are now).

Overall, The Neon Demon is worth a watch if you can handle gore and utter hopelessness. I haven’t been able to stomach a second viewing, though it’s one that might leave you needing a second to fully form an opinion for yourself.

The Neon Demon IMBD

The Neon Demon Wiki 

The Neon Demon Trailer