I watched a couple this past month for spooky season, and I think the 80s is probably my favorite decade for horror.
A couple weeks ago I watchedThe Fly, which was just an incredible film. The practical effects still largely hold up, but the acting is what really carried the story. The only thing that kind of bugged (🪰) me about it was that
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her creepo boss became a hero at the end.
I also just saw Hellraiser, which I’d always been curious about since I saw the VHS cover as a kid: the guy with the nails in his face looked terrifying! This is another one where the practical effects hold up, but is really held together by the characters and their relationships. I liked when
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Kirsty was banishing the cenobites at the end, and her boyfriend tried to take the box from her to finish it, but she slapped his hand away to do it herself. It was a really small moment, but told you a lot about her as a character.
My favorite 80s horror though is The Thing. I swear I’m not that into body horror, it’s just that all the best 80s horror movies were pushing the boundaries, and that’s where the line was for a lot of people. Again, this one has amazing practical effects, but the actors and writing carried the movie.
So, what’s your favorite 80s horror?
Yeah, Carpenter’s The Thing. Great movie.
How about Raimi’s The Evil Dead? We were screaming like little girls during that one!
Or Basket Case?
Evil Dead Pt 2 is the best remake ever.
The same director, making the same film twice, but with a (moderately) higher budget, a lot of creative problem-solving, a defiant “We can do this” attitude, and Bruce Campbell reaching Buster Keaton-levels of physical comedy genius.
Incredible, all the way, through and through.
And don’t forget the camera work, it’s weird, creative and simply fantastic! So many strange angles and motion…
This movie is a great example of what people, used to a minimum budget, can do if you throw money at them.
One element that fits under “creative problem-solving”.
That long subjective camera rush towards Ash (Campbell), the one that continued the cliffhanger end of Evil Dead 1, then lifting Ash and spinning him at high speed… I can deconstruct more or less how they did it - at regular or slow speed, Campbell strapped to a board and on an axes, etc. - but I still can’t wrap my head around the insanely good final result. It’s like… one of the best examples in cinema of something being more than the sum of its’ parts.
That’s like A Bout De Soufflé caliber gourmet shit, Jimmy!
I just remembered Eating Raoul
Bartel’s Eating Raoul could be considered a horror film as much as (either) Little Shop of Horrors. I don’t know. Both are more black comedies more than straight-out horror, like, say, Cohen’s It’s Alive or Deodato’s Cannibal Holocaust.Depends on your level of pedantry. 🤓🤣
In any case, thanks for reminding me of that one—how could I forget it? A great film which I haven’t seen in far too long! 🤝
Don’t tell anybody, but I never saw Evil Dead, only Army of Darkness. I should really fix that! I love Raimi’s style. He’s definitely a b-movie director who knew how to get the most out of his budget.
I’ve never heard of Basket Case, but, like I mentioned, I love b-movies. I’ll check it out!