Vincent gets used to [Halloween Town] in small increments. Here, he blends into the environment so well that residents are surprised to find him a newcomer.

…

He speaks with the Werewolf, avoids the awe-struck vampires and listens to the band in the evening, perching on the light pole to overlook the sprawling township.

-Smoke and Mirrors Keep Us Waitin' On A Miracle by Gothams_Only_Wolf (@bamfcoyotetango ) on Ao3

I’ve been rereading some of my older Ao3 bookmarks and idk what possessed me, but I had to draw something for this one lmaooo

10 Horror Films In Desperate Need Of A Blu Ray

10 Horror Films In Desperate Need Of A Blu Ray https://ift.tt/2PoIlUF

A few months back I watched a film from 1953 called The Maze. It was directed by William Cameron Menzies, the same man who did Invaders from Mars (1953) and a slew of other highly regarded silent and early sound films. The Blu from Kino Lorber is pristine. I had never seen a black and white film look so good, despite having seen what I thought were perfect prints and scans.

As for the film, a quiet vaguely Lovecraftian tale of longing, loss, and familial curses, I could foresee how it had been lost throughout cinema history. A film could be amazing, yet with a shoddy old print or transfer it becomes impossible to watch. Due to carelessness, we may have lost more masterpieces than we know. And that’s where Blu Ray comes in. Eventually, we’re going to get to the point where we can’t conceivably get better quality than this, right? And if Blu Ray is it, what will happen to the films that don’t make the upgrade? Will it be the same as VHS to DVD, where a library of movies are tethered to one outmoded media and hardware? The following films are in danger of being lost, let’s try to save ‘em.

Keep reading for a look at the 10 horror movies we most want released on Blu-ray as voted on by Chris Coffel, Kieran Fisher, Brad Gullickson, Meg Shields, Rob Hunter, and myself.

10. Anguish (1987)

Films with a “meta” element can be tough to pull off, and for every slice of brilliance (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, 2005) there’s a messy misfire (Last Action Hero, 1993). One of the more unappreciated examples is Bigas Luna‘s Anguish. There’s an argument to be made that its film within a film within a film structure amounts to nonsense, but what it lacks in vigorous logic it more than makes up for in style, tension, and creativity. Its various threads are captivating and suspenseful in their own way, and in today’s world the movie theater segment carries far more terrifying power than it once did. At its most basic it’s a Psycho (1960) riff about a man and his mother, but it succeeds far better as an eye-opening look at our own obsession with watching.” A new Blu-ray would sharpen the picture even further. – Rob Hunter

9. The Dentist (1996)

Going to the dentist is terrifying in and of itself. A psychotic dentist with a tendency to slaughter his patients with the very same surgical equipment we all fear is even scarier. But that was the genius concept behind Brian Yuzna’s riotous B movie that saw Corbin Bernsen as the eponymous tooth surgeon. The movie spawned a sequel that’s equally as entertaining as the first, and they both deserve all the upgrades. That’s a hint Scream Factory. – Kieran Fisher

8. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)

There was nothing quite like going to the video store. Be it Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, or your local mom and pop shop browsing the seemingly endless shelves, staring at the alluring box art, was a film school for my generation. And no box art was more attention-grabbing as Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2. Which is why it’s even more disheartening that it is still orphaned on a barebones DVD. An “in title alone” sequel to Jamie Lee Curtis’ early 80s school slasher, Mary Lou takes on a supernatural twist attempting to capitalize on that either killer of dreams Freddy Krueger. The film is an instant cult classic with its bizarre incestuous plot lines and over the top deaths, but the film deserves to be remembered (and remastered) for its striking visuals, especially one of a swirling blackboard that becomes a swirling void. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2 is how you do a sequel. – Jacob Trussell

7. April Fool’s Day (1986)

The 80’s were the heyday for the slasher sub-genre. Every major franchise released multiple titles and a bunch of imitators and cheap knockoffs got in on the action. While a majority of these films followed a similar template every now and then one would come along with a fresh new take, as was the case in 1986 with the Fred Walton-directed April Fool’s Day. This is a movie that is conventional until it’s not thanks to a final act that may catch some viewer’s off guard. Whether or not the film’s conclusion is one that works is a worthy debate, however, in a sea of slashers that are largely the same this film’s ending does make it stand out. Plus it features a stellar 80’s cast that includes Deborah Foreman, Griffin O’Neal, and Thomas Wilson. This is all to say that the film’s lack of Blu-ray release is a travesty that needs rectifying. – Chris Coffel

6. The Keep (1983)

Shouldn’t every Michael Mann movie be on blu-ray? The guy is a master stylist, and even his second and possibly weakest effort oozes style and craft. Shot by Alex Thomson (the eye behind Excalibur, Legend, Labyrinth, Leviathan, Alien 3), The Keep is a rich visual feast of inky blacks and mysterious light sources. To forever live in the purgatory of bargain basement standard definition is criminal. Mann tried his best to adapt F. Paul Wilson’s World War II supernatural saga, but as the budget ballooned above him, the studio lost all confidence in recouping their money. An epic 210 minutes was savagely stripped down to a paltry 96. No wonder the final plot is barely coherent. That being said, the film that is currently available is an essential addition to every cineastes library. From The Keep comes Manhunter, Heat, and all the rest. A new Blu-ray could be akin to an exorcism for Mann. Sit him in front of a microphone, and let him unleash a torrent of frustrations over the production. That would provide solid psychotherapy for Mann and quite an education for us. – Brad Gullickson

5. The Haunting of Julia (1977)

That The Haunting of Julia has never been released on DVD is a goddamn tragedy. Almost as much of a tragedy as the cold open of the film, which sees a choking child and a tracheotomy gone wrong. Also known as Full Circle, Julia sees a frazzled Mia Farrow haunted by loss, and possibly something more sinister. A psychological horror in the vein of The Changeling and The Innocents, Julia is eerie slow burn with an effective twist (and a badass soundtrack). Extant digital copies are unlicensed and subject to the ever-horrid pan and scan technique. If The Haunting of Julia isn’t rescued via blu-ray, it is at real risk of falling into obscurity. – Meg Shields

4. Mr. Frost (1990)

Jeff Goldblum has found a late-career surge with quirky performances in blockbuster movies, and as much as we love them it’s worth remembering that he used to deliver far more varied characters in smaller films. One of the best — and least seen — is this grim psychological thriller that casts Goldblum as a confirmed serial killer who just might be something worse. The film is a twisting mind-game between Frost and those around him including a detective and a psychiatrist (Kathy Baker), and his identity and abilities are constantly in question. It’s a methodically paced thriller with supernatural undertones, and I’d love to see it reach a wider audience… perhaps with a commentary by Goldblum as Frost? – Rob Hunter

3. Ghostwatch (1992)

People love to troll found footage films, and it’s easy to see why. Ridicule is natural when something becomes as popular, and as over saturated, as the format. But what far few remember is how absolutely blood curdling that first found footage film you see can be. Is it real or is it strictly fiction? The format blurs the storytelling lines. But imagine watching something like Ghostwatch before this storytelling device was widely used. Imagine how terrifying a story can become when you earnestly think you’re watching a documentary. And that’s exactly what Ghostwatch did. Originally aired on BBC as a Halloween special with national treasure Michael Parkinson as host, Ghostwatch purports itself as being a real investigation into a haunting of a family. With CC cameras and a live crew capturing the paranormal activity, the creatives blurred the lines even deeper by insinuating that the haunting isn’t just real, but could affect you by merely watching the broadcast. It was so terrifying to UK audiences that it caused mass hysteria, ala Orson Welles War of the Worlds, and resulted in the BBC banning future airings of the special. With an uptick in popularity thanks to the streaming service Shudder, Ghostwatch deserves the Blu ray treatment and a spot in your home library. – Jacob Trussell

2. Martin (1978)

The late great George A. Romero is best remembered for giving new life to the zombie genre. But in an ironic twist, his favourite of his own films is about vampires. Or is it? That’s the ghoulish gambit of 1978’s Martin: is the awkward teen an immortal blood-sucker or just a serial killer in the vein of Richard Chase? A creepy and often tender meditation on alienation, Martin is critically beloved and criminally under-seen. The film’s downbeat tone and more somber sensibility might have something to do with this, but the rights situation (more of a fiscal standoff, really) is the main culprit. Martin is a neglected, socially-relevant masterpiece; a Blu-ray is long overdue. – Meg Shields

1. The Hitcher (1986)

When I discovered that The Hitcher had yet to receive the Blu-ray treatment, I was even more baffled than that day in 2016 where I woke up to find that an actual turd had been elected the President of the United States of America. This movie gave us one of the best horror villains of all time in the form of Rutger Hauer as a murderous hitch-hiker who makes life hell for travelers. Such a simple concept, with such perfect execution (and executions). The movie is so good that Michael Bay even saw enough dollar signs to produce a terrible remake in the 2000’s, which has its own Blu-ray release. – Kieran Fisher

Press pause on the rest of your life and spin up more entries in our 31 Days of Horror Lists!

The post 10 Horror Films In Desperate Need Of A Blu Ray appeared first on Film School Rejects.

via Film School Rejects https://ift.tt/23tjcnD October 23, 2018 at 10:06AM

Welcome to the Hellmouth: Subverting Expectations

Season 1, Episode 1: Welcome to the Hellmouth. These are most likely going to be long form stream of consciousness posts. Watch the episodes and follow along with my rambling thoughts. (It’s on Netflix!)

Subverting expectations is the name of the game right out of the gate. It seems to me that the BtVS team wanted to shatter any preconceived notions on multiple fronts. This show came out in the era of 90210, and Dawson's Creek, right smack in the middle of the WB teen drama boom of the late 90s. BtVS needed to stand out from the watery gruel of its contemporaries, without falling into a niche of campy Goosebumps-esque fare. Welcome to the Hellmouth seems to have been set up to do just that.

The opening scene of this show is brilliant. The spooky shots of the school that will be the primary setting, two kids breaking in, a timid schoolgirl and an obvious badboy. The show tells us immediately that things aren't going to go the way you think when the girl vamps out and eats the guy. Darla’s a fascinating character, and I’ll touch on her more later.

The opening organ notes of the theme song always give me chills.  Nerf Herder doesn’t get nearly enough credit.

The first shot we see of Buffy she’s lying in bed having nightmares. We get a ton of shots of some of the monsters Buffy will fight over the course of the season, which I kind of like. It’s a treat for people who really pay attention. Or for hopeless obsessives that have seen it 50 times. They kind of drop the whole Slyer prophecies thing as the show goes on, and I have mixed feeling on that. It’s a little clichéd, but there was a sense of macabre whimsy to it as well, especially when we get to some of the more abstract stuff later on.

When we get our first shots of Sunnydale High in the daytime, we're lulled back into thinking we know what's going on. We meet the gang, Xander the roguish dork (I can't believe he rides a skateboard), Willow the meek nerdy girl, and Jesse who is also there.

BtVS suffers a bit from late 90's fasion, which makes it feel a bit dated, but it's a pretty minor problem overall. It's more of an issue in early season 1 as the show gets its feet under it from a visual perspective. But oh man, Willow's checker dress and backpack.

In Buffy's meeting with Principle Flutie we get one of our few references to the Buffy Movie. Retconned so that instead of getting on a motorcycle and riding off with Luke Perry she just burned the motherfucker down. Not something you'd expect from a tiny cute blonde, (Flutie certainly doesn't seem to expect it) Seeing Buffy in class is weird. For a show set in a high school, relatively little education seems to happen. We meet Cordelia here too, in manner which suggests that she's going to be Buffy's new bff, (the little quiz Cordy gives Buffy dates the show a bit too. Hard to remember that James Spader was once a teen heartthrob) but almost immediately we see her viscous side when she snaps at Willow for using a water fountain that Cordelia doesn't even seem to want to use. Not all that glitters is gold.

Next we get to meet Giles. Anthony Stewart Head is far and away the best actor on this show. He acts with his whole body. You can see the shift from rigid indifference to near giddy excitement when he pull out that Vampyr book. (One of my favourite props. I love that thing). Again we're subverting expectations, of the characters as well as the audience. Buffy goes in to get a text book and is confronted with a tome of monster lore that seems to frighten her. It's great stuff. There aren't many scenes of students that aren't the core gang, unless something horrible is about to happen.  Dead body on campus count: 1

The first scene with the core three (Buffy, Willow, and Xander) Cordelia, and Jesse, establishes so much of the early dynamic, it's really great to watch. I'll talk more about Jesse when I watch the Harvest, but his existence is another massive subversion. Here he's set up as a foil for both Xander and Cordelia, but the writers had something else in mind. Jesse is one of my favourite things about season 1.

Giles' exposition scenes are a core component of the series, especially early on. With the wrong delivery these scenes could be dry as dust, but Head makes each of them a joy to watch. There's an urgency and passion that makes you lean forward and really listen to what he's trying to tell you, even if Buffy doesn't. This one five minute scene lays out the whole premise of the show and you barely notice it happening. We learn how vampires turn people, what a Slayer is, what a Watcher is, that Sunnydale is monster central, that Giles is a huge dork, and that some mystical badness is gonna happen soon. Buffy tempts fate big time at the end of this scene. It's a bit cliched, but it sets up some great jokes way down the line. Buffy's mother, Joyce, is another unappreciated character. Depicting a single mother in the 90s was a bold move, and she pulls it off well. Just the right mix of trying to let her daughter have freedom while still indulging her helicopter mom instincts. The early BtVS villains don't get nearly enough love. Partly because there was half as much time to establish them as the later villains (season 1 was only 12 episodes), and artly because they get overshadowed by the more wacky season 1 baddies like Mantis Lady and Internet Demon. But Luke, the Master, Darla, they're all great.

Angel's introduction is just the right combination of intriguing and creepy. Introducing him as a cryptic informant, and showing that Buffy can physically overpower him immediatly quashes the idea that he'll need to come to her rescue lays so much groundwork for Angel's development and for their relationship. I love the cross necklace. Jewlery gets used a lot in BtVS for symbolism. That little cross holds so much emotional power as time goes on. Ahh the Bronze. So much happens in that little dingy club. Mostly murders. Lots and lots of murders. The scene in the Bronze pulls a huge amount of weight for character development. We get to see that Buffy is a dork, who really wants to have something normal. We see Willow eating raisins at a club, and find out about her conflicted Xander feelings. We learn what Giles considers partying (this was a year and a half before Google, how did American kids find out what the hell Bovril was?). We get Jesse seemingly stop pining after a chick who hates him, (much to his personal detriment), and we get to see Buffy's place in the social order cemented when she nearly stakes Cordelia. When we get to the graveyard, we have our first proper fight of the series, and we get to see Buffy in her element. The entire episode we see her timidly talking to teachers and students and her Mum, and even herself, trying to figure out what she's supposed to do and where she fits in. Here we see her immediately confident, her posture changes, she starts being snarky. This is where she belongs. In the fight. But again, this episode is about subversion. So halfway through the fight a bigger badder badguy shows up and she starts getting wrecked. This badass superchick can also be threatened. She isn't the strongest thing out there. Pilots are supposed to show both what the show is, and what it has the potential to become, and Welcome to the Hellmouth knocks it out of the park. It's not the greatest Buffy episode, not by a longshot, but it builds an unshakable foundation. Right away we know that this isn't just another teen drama. It's not just another vampire show. This is going to be something else entirely.

Favourite Quote: Willow: Well... when I'm with a boy I like, it's hard for me to say anything cool, or, or witty. Or at all. I-I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away.