A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Good evening, and welcome to Teen Scream Tuesday!  It’s been a sad week in the horror world, and I write this review with a mixture of both a heavy heart and overwhelming gratitude in dedication to our fallen soldier Wes Craven.  A true master of horror, Wes has hands-down directed some of the absolute best teen screams.  From Swamp Thing to Scream, Wes has revolutionized horror again and again. But this week, for our Teen Scream Tuesday, I’m reviewing probably his most well-known and well-loved film: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).  A truly horrific concept – perhaps one of the most horrific concepts of all – brought to life by Craven and our much loved and much appreciated Robert Englund as Freddy.

And that’s where we will start this review – the concept. Craven alludes to some of his inspiration for this concept throughout the film.  He references a real rash of deaths that seemingly all were caused by nightmares (well, the doctor performing Nancy’s dream therapy references them), that you can actually read about here:  http://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/10/us/nightmares-suspected-in-bed-deaths-of-18-laotians.html.  He also references that certain peoples are known to be dream warriors/weavers: they have the innate ability to lucid dream enough to turn their nightmares into something far better – for example if they are falling, they fall into something amazing that grants them wondrous opportunities. The concept of a killer that can control your dreams and kill you in your sleep is downright terrifying – even more so than any other slasher film concept, if you ask me. A concept that is simply brilliant and intriguingly haunting.

Let’s talk about the gore for a second. For a film that graced the silver screen one year after your reviewer was born, this film has some wicked gore.  There are some campy spots (when Kruger’s arms stretch like Stretch Armstrong, for example), overall I would have to say that the effects were top-notch. Freddy’s burned/scarred face, Tina getting slashed as she is mysteriously dragged up the wall of her parent’s room, and the gallons of blood required to create Glen’s death scene are all so well-done and serve up enough of the red stuff to make any horror fiend satiated. But the gore isn’t even responsible for all of the goosebumps one gets watching this film. When we see that first shot of Nancy in bed and her ceiling begins to bow and shows Kruger’s face and hands coming through the suddenly pliable plaster – now that is just brilliant filmmaking right there, fiends. Further, the nursery rhyme…”One, two, Freddy’s coming for you…” We all know it. We all love it. And this movie would totally be missing some of its sinister feel without that rhyme. To take a child’s nursery rhyme and turn it into a warning speaks directly to our subconscious, and makes us wonder if we shouldn’t stay awake a little longer…

Last but not least, concerning what gives me the shivers in this flick, is my absolute favorite scene next to Tina’s death scene – the bathtub montage. When Nancy falls asleep in the tub, and her legs are apart and you see the infamous glove come up from between her legs, you can’t not get a little spooked out!  If you haven’t given this film a chance, you should, if only for this awesome sequence.

The cinematography is top-notch, obviously. No shaky camera, great shots of fog and smoke and fire and fiends. The acting is also first rate, we all obviously love Robert Englund but Johnny Depp couldn’t have landed a better role for his first feature film.  Heather Langenkamp is both memorable and inspiring as Nancy, and everyone else plays their roles convincingly and admirably. There wasn’t a weak link here.  As far as the music, it was perfect as well. The original Nightmare score was written by Charles Bernstein and still holds up as one of the more recognizable and well-written horror scores out there.  I’d have to say that this cast and crew outdid themselves in bringing Craven’s nightmares to life for us. Bravo!

You know a horror film is good when people recognize it simply by the first name of the antagonist. People can say “Freddy” in almost any household in America (and in many other parts of the world, even) and others know exactly to whom and what movie they are referencing.  He is an iconic boogeyman, standing shoulder to shoulder with fiends like Dracula and Frankenstein (though to be fair, Frankenstein was the doctor, not the monster even though when we say that name most people call up the imagery of the monster).  Needless to say, Freddy is legit as fuck.

So here comes what you all want to know – how does your reviewer rate this film?  Where are the beloved stats already?? Here we go:  Body count?  Four. Not many deaths here (and we aren’t even sure if they were real by the end) but they were well done so that counts for something. How many killers? One. Boob count? Two. Cheap thrills? One. Actual chills? Three. Raven’s Scream Meter Says? Five out of Five Screams. Anyone into horror should be able to appreciate this 80s masterpiece by Craven, as it isn’t nearly as campy as most of the 80s horror I’ve seen and actually has some wicked acting involved as well as decent gore. A must-have for your collection, and a classic that will always grace my thoughts as one of the more memorable concepts in the horror genre. RIP Mr. Craven. Thank you for the Nightmares.

As a bonus for reading tonight, I’ve included a link to the actual script for your viewing pleasure, which can be found here: http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/nightmare-on-elm-street.html

As usual, please feel free to comment below, and thanks for reading!   

Scream 2 (1997)

       "Nothin like a funeral to bring a family together!"  Hey there spooks, and welcome to Teen Scream Tuesday.  I love the Scream collection, and since I've only reviewed the original Scream, I figured I'd go ahead and get my Scream 2 review on. 
       The sequel to one of the best 90s slasher films begins with a couple (Maureen and Phil, portrayed by Jada Pinkett Smith and Omar Epps, respectively) settling in to enjoy the feature film "Stab," a Hollywood version of the frightening events that occurred in Woodsboro 'a couple years ago,' according to the teens in the theater.  When Phil is stabbed in the bathroom, and the killer comes out and sits with Maureen, the movie begins living up to the original in an unexpectedly awesome way. 
       We then are transported right back into Sidney Prescotts life, only now she is in college and has to change numbers somewhat regularly due to people calling her and asking if she likes scary movies.  When Sid sees that two people were murdered during the opening night of "Stab," she immediately seeks out Randy for assistance.  Suddenly all of the survivors from Scream have congregated to this college, worried about what appears to be a new serial killer on the loose.  First we see Sid and Randy, then Gail, then Dewey.  I'm thinking that whenever these four get near each other, random acts of violence and gore are about to take place.  Not by them, but they seem to attract horror like poop attracts flies. 
       The death of sorority girl "Cici" (Sarah Michelle Gellar) isn't incredibly surprising OR innovative.  I was slightly disappointed by this death, but felt that perhaps it was necessary so the characters become aware that the movie deaths are not 'random.'  Viewers probably all think the cameraman is going to get it, but when Randy (Jamie Kennedy) gets killed its a pretty big surprise (even though his killing is pretty much exactly the same death as the cameraman in Scream).  The best part of this sequel, in my humble opinion, is when Sidney and her dorm mate Hallie (Elise Neal) are trapped inside the car with the killer.  Sid has to crawl over the killer to get out of the car, and the scene feels very tense while watching.  Well done!

       I don't know if anyone recalls Sidney's snarky comment about Tori Spelling playing her in 'the movie version' of Woodsboro, but Scream 2 ensures that Ms. Spelling is indeed the lead role for the "Stab" movies. So hilarious and fitting with the original, I'm glad they tossed that detail into the plot.  As far as the acting, it was not sub par from the original Scream, but then again it entailed most of the original cast (well, any who were still alive that is).  Cinematography was great quality, as typical of the Scream films, and they still included "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in the soundtrack.  Though I will say that aside from the Nick Cave song, the soundtrack kinda sucked.  I mean, there were WAY better songs in the 90s that could have been utilized for this soundtrack.  I don't know who exactly was in charge of that, but they didn't impress me.

       Body Count?  This flick boasts a strong body count of TEN!  That was pretty impressive for a sequel!  Number of killers?  Technically, there were five killers total, but only two don the Ghostface costume.  Boob count? Zero! Scream continues to not be gratuitous with nudity in this sequel.  Cheap thrills?  A couple, but its Scream so you kinda expect people to die throughout it.  Actual spooks endured?  Just one, in my opinion.  Raven's Scream Meter Says: 3 out of 5 Screams!  Though I tend to agree with the notion that sequels are detrimental to the horror genre, the simple fact that this movie actually makes that statement within itself shows that this is different from many and doesn't take itself too seriously.  Good spooky teen fun! 

Haunter (2013)

            Good evening, fiends!  Last movie up for review on this fine Teen Scream Tuesday is Haunter (2013), directed by Vincenzo Natali.  This film begins with viewers meeting Lisa, a girl who appears to be living the same exact day over and over again (similar to Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day, if you will).  Her family is on the same repetitive cycle with her, only they seem completely oblivious to it.  She is, as she calls it, ‘awake,’ in that she is the only one of the family aware that she is dead.  As the movie continues the creaks and other strange sounds in her home appear to be both other dead people as well as the living that are currently occupying her home.  I have to say I really dig the way this film is shot from the perspective of a dead person that is ‘haunted’ by the living.  We are used to seeing ghosts irritated by the presence of the living, but never haunted by their presence quite in this way.  Lisa notices there is another presence in the house, a malicious presence that is both male and appears to be the cause of Lisa’s death, though she isn’t sure how he is connected with them.  When Lisa attempts to contact the living people in the home to warn them of the presence and tell them to get out of the house, the presence appears to her as a man and tells her to stay away from the living and to not shake things up or she will suffer the consequences. 

            Another thing I noticed I fancied right off the top with this movie is the cinematography.  The director and crew really came together and this movie is beautifully shot from start to finish.  The acting was decent as well, and the characters were mostly believable. Most of the actual horror was done with CGI (which as loyal readers I’m sure you know I’m not a huge fan of), so it was not perhaps the most innovative when it came to the effects, but it still managed to be a bit spooky from time to time.  The CGI was tolerable because of the other aspects of the film that already tickled my sensibilities, so I rolled with it.  I honestly cannot tell you anything about the score, aside from that it must be quite un-memorable because I cannot remember a thing about it other than I’m sure it was there in the background somewhere. 

            The Body Count was somewhat difficult in this film, since there were quite a lot of dead girls buried in that home prior to the family of four that we know for sure is dead.  But for lack of a better count, I’ll say 5 plus (it appeared the killer had been burying ‘missing’ girls in the basement for something around two decades).  Number of Killers?  Hard to say, but I will say at least 2.  Boob Count? Zero. Cheap Thrills?  One.  Actual Chills? A couple.  Raven’s Scream Meter Says: 3.5 out of 5 Screams.  This one grabbed me from start to finish, and even though I had to get past the CGI I felt like it was worth it.  I greatly appreciate your readership, and hope you thoroughly enjoyed the review!  Please feel free to comment/discuss below.  Xx ~ Raven   

Ring of Curse (2011)

            “The feelings of death make me understand more about it.”  Next up for our Teen Scream Tuesday is Gomennasai or Ring of Curse, directed in 2011 by Mari Asato.  The flick begins with three typically adorable Japanese girls, sitting in front of the camera and talking about the making of the rest of the film (as though it is based on a true story).  After their short introduction, the film ‘really’ begins.  Viewers are introduced to Yuka Hidaka and her classmates, including one Hinako Kurohane, who is regarded as one of the best writers in school because she won a contest the year prior.  What the kids don’t know, is that Ms. Kurohane can curse people through her writing…so as they pick on her and bully her, they unwittingly sign their own death warrants.  Fun fact:  Gomennasai translates as “I’m sorry,” in English. 

            The film begins from Yuka’s perspective and then switches to the diary of Ms. Kurohane, then back to Yuka for the denouement.  In Yuka’s original account, Hinako appears to be simply disturbed/crazy.  But when viewers see that the girl is fighting a malignant lymphocyte tumor, and how her family disregards her very existence, one can see why the sociopathic behavior developed.  It becomes hard to not sympathize with Hinako at this point, as she is going through serious pain both literally and figuratively, and has been given a very early death sentence due to the cancer.  She was in a desperate place.  Yuka realizes this as well in reading Hinako’s diary (sent to her prior to her death, as Hinako knew she would be dying).  But Yuka is still young, and still alive, and so she spreads the curse further unintentionally and inadvertently subjects herself to its wrath. 

            I felt the deep breathing in place of a score in parts of this film was very effective in setting the tone of the film, and often makes one think of one’s own breath and breathing (perhaps even providing the feeling of being short of breath).  The sequence of Hinako’s sister when she is out of breath for a month and scratching at her throat is also particularly chilling, and is probably the most gruesome thing in the movie’s entirety.  I wanted the girl to suffer, though, after the cruel things she said to her sister about her illness – and I’m betting most audiences probably feel this way.  I also dig that Hinako prefers to write her curses in her own blood (apparently even from early childhood), and that she actually fills a pen with blood and writes with it.  That was morbid and awesome.  The cinematography was decent as well throughout the film, and I enjoyed the different perspectives tying the storyline together.   

Though this film has a decent Body Count, clocking in at eight deaths total, there isn’t any gore to speak of.  This film is creepy in subtle ways, not in-your-face gore.  The Number of Killers completely depends on if you consider the jumper to also be a killer (his own killer).  In that case there are two.  Boob Count?  None to speak of, not even any kissing.  Cheap Thrills?  Zero.  Actual Chills?  One.  Raven’s Scream Meter says:  3 out of 5 Screams.  It is a subtitled film, and I generally prefer subtitled to dubbed, but I figured my fiends would want to be aware prior to popping it on for an afternoon of mindless horror (it becomes less mindless when one has to read).  Not as jump-out-of-your-skin as many Asian horror films, but still ranks as pretty great in my book due to its plotline and subject matter.  I hope you enjoyed the review, and please feel free to leave comments or begin dialogue below.  Thanks for reading! Xx ~ Raven   

Silent House (2011)

            Good evening fiends, it’s Teen Scream Tuesday!  We have some great flicks on the docket today, beginning with Silent House (2011), directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau.  The movie begins with protagonist Sarah (portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen) and her family, who are renovating their lake house before it is sold.  The movie doesn’t actually give you more than this before suddenly the girl’s family is no where to be found and she is being followed around the house by a mysterious male figure.  All the doors and windows are locked/boarded tight, and she’s unable to find her way out of the house.  She clearly feels trapped and this person, whom neither she nor the audience knows, is after her. 

            Truth be told, this movie doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for the first 30/40 minutes when this strange man is after her and we don’t know who he is or what his motive is, and the uncle leaving and the father getting hurt all at the same time before this maniac appears is pretty convenient.  But things become clearer as Sarah begins to realize that her father and uncle molested her when she was little, and the man that is ‘after her’ is part of her repressed memories of the event.  Sarah exacts her revenge on her father while her uncle watches, then pleads for his life.  The only death in the entire film is a bludgeoning by sledgehammer, which is pretty cool but wasn’t particularly gruesome.  The cringe-worthy elements of this film were the molestation (which isn’t shown, only alluded to) and the feeling of being trapped in the house during the initial guy-is-after-me-for-no-reason sequence. 

            The music in this one was mediocre, as was the cinematography.  It had all the elements I don’t care for (shaky camera, fuzzy camera, etc), though it is rare in that it attempts to portray itself as one continuous shot a la Hitchcock’s Rope.  This is no where near the quality of Hitch’s work, though I will give the directors and cameramen kudos for trying, and it is known that the movie was not shot all in one take (so that sort of removes the credibility, in my humble opinion).  I can’t say I was particularly taken with Elizabeth Olsen’s performance as Sarah either.  She wasn’t horrible but she just didn’t quite do it for me as a scream queen.  I also had issues with the plot in some parts…for example why on earth would her uncle, after seeing her show up bloody and crying and saying her dad was hurt, take her back to the house to ‘help’ without calling some sort of emergency response?  That just simply doesn’t make sense. 

            As I mentioned before, this movie has a wickedly low Body Count of just one.  That’s not quite enough blood for me!  Number of Killers?  One.  Boob Count?  None, but since this movie dealt with molestation and pedophiliac behavior, I’m quite glad for the lack.  Cheap Thrills?  Two.  Actual Chills?  Two.  Raven’s Scream Meter Says:  2.5 out of 5 Screams.  Decent for a teen-scream, but definitely won’t go down in the books as a horror ‘classic.’   I hope you fiends enjoyed the review, feel free to leave comments below!  And thanks, as always, for reading.  Xx ~ Raven