Friday Frightmare 2

[Mike Morbid]

Good evening. As always, I am Mike Morbid, horror connoisseur. It is Friday night, which means it is time for another frightmare. There is no theme for the three movies I chose tonight. Two of them are ones I borrowed from the nearby library, and the other is one I found on YouTube that I’ve been meaning to watch for several years now. Take a journey with me now, to places many don’t dare to tread.

The Crazies
1973

Life is about to get hectic in Evan’s City, Pennsylvania. The people are getting... what’s the word... eccentric maybe? A touch on the loopy side? Maybe a touch kooky? Whatever, it doesn’t matter. We all go a little mad sometimes.

Something is infecting the citizens of this community, making them irrational and often violent. We see the first incident of this before the opening credits when two children see their father destroying the furniture. They rush to get their mother only to find that he has ensured that she won’t be interfering. Not to worry kids, soon you won’t be worrying about this anymore.

Thus begins the descent to madness. Soon the military will arrive to try to cure the Evanites. Many of their treatments come in the form of injections that come from the barrel of a rifle, but at least there are no remissions. There are two scientists working on an alternative cure. Yes, two, the government apparently doesn’t much care about these people. Don’t worry though, there is another plan if no cure is found, and you can fairly much guarantee that it will prevent infected people in Evan’s City from getting their nasty germs on anyone else for the next few thousand years.

This is one of George Romero’s earlier films, and it has some similarities to his ‘of the Dead’ series. It isn’t as grim as its kinfolk though. Yes, things don’t go well for the main characters (there are survivors, but they likely won’t enjoy their living conditions), but at least the world probably isn’t coming to an end. I enjoyed the remake more, but I know that some prefer this original vision.

The lead scientist is played by Richard France, who is more widely known as Dr. Rausch in Dawn of the Dead (1978).

Batman: The Killing Joke
2016

Okay, technically this isn’t a horror movie, but it certainly feels like one in a lot of ways. The Joker has decided to show that a good person can become just like him if subjected to enough trauma, and the methods he uses are as horrifying as many of the things I’ve seen in scary films.

This is an animated movie that is based off the graphic novel of the same name, but it includes a half hour prologue that wasn’t in the source material. I thought this section was alright, although not spectacular. It explores the relationship between Batman and Batgirl, and takes it in directions that I don’t believe have ever taken place in the comics. It doesn’t feel like it fits the characters of either of the Batsters.

After this setup it settles into the main story, which, as far as I can remember, follows the graphic novel exactly as written. The Joker does horrible things to Barbara Gordon, kidnaps Commissioner Gordon, and shows him pictures of what happened to his daughter. Meanwhile, Batman is deeply troubled by the strangle relationship he has with the clown prince of crime. He wants to somehow reach through the madness of his enemy and convince him to change his ways in order to prevent what seems destined to eventually happen between them.

The theme is strong in this movie. It is the story of two men who have each become what they are due to senseless tragedy. Batman has used this to become an unyielding champion of order and justice, while the Joker decided to go the route of madness and chaos. Both want to convince the other to embrace their own way of thinking.

But I’m sure you’ve heard all this before. What you want to know is if the movie is any good. Yes, it is. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill return one more time to voice the adversaries. Those of us who watched Batman: TAS know that this is good news. These two give arguably the best portrayals ever for these characters, using just their voices.

There is some controversy about some of the dialogue hinting that the Joker might have raped Barbara Gordon. The producer, Bruce Timm, insists that this was not the case, and said that if he knew those lines would draw that conclusion that he never would have included them. Even so, this is definitely not a movie for kids due to the brutality and disturbing events. If you think you can handle that, and being as you are reading this you likely can, I strongly recommend this flick.

This was the first Warner animated movie to get an R rating.

The Birds
1963

This film came out years before I was born. Colour was still fairly new in mainstream commercial movies. The soundtrack was sparse, and I don’t recall any use of mood-setting music. The objects of fear are a mundane animal that most of us don’t even notice when we are looking at them. It is about half an hour before we get just a small sample of what is to come.

It is one of my favourite horror movies.

This is a beautiful film. It was made 57 years ago, but it has more striking visuals than much of what can be seen in modern cinema, although I must admit some of the bird attack scenes are badly dated. I spent the first few minutes just basking in what I was seeing.

As for the sound, it wasn’t until after the movie was over that I realized I couldn’t recall any music other than what the characters were hearing. The opening credits were accompanied by the sounds of birds, and it was very effective in establishing a sense of unease. When we finally get the swarms of birds later on, they have an unworldly sound to them. Also, under the right circumstances, the sound of children singing can be quite eerie.

The setup for the first major attack (there are two before it, but one is just a scouting mission and the other is merely a skirmish) is masterful. A character is quietly sitting, just passing the time. We see a bird land on an object behind her. Each time it cuts back to that object, there are more birds there. Eventually, she turns around and sees there are now hundreds of avians watching her. A lesser movie would have her scream and start running. Not here. We can tell by her facial expression that she knows she is in trouble, and she quietly tries to walk away and warn people as the suspense builds.

There is another scene like this that to me was the creepiest scene of the movie. A group of people have barricaded themselves in their home, and now all they can do is wait. They sit there in silence looking at each other. They know the attack is coming, it is just a matter of time. They do not know if the barricades will hold, nor do they have any idea what to do if their shelter is breached. They are afraid not just for themselves, as everyone in the room cares about the others. So they sit, and wait, and fear what is going to happen.

The ending is ambiguous. There are survivors, but their future is uncertain. Some find such a conclusion unsatisfying, but under the right circumstances I enjoy them. I definitely did here.

When the audiences at the premiere of this movie left the theatre, hidden loudspeakers played the sounds of birds screeching and wings flapping.

And so another Friday Frightmare comes to a close, and this time I didn’t have to watch any movies which inspired me to claw at my eye sockets. Sometimes luck smiles on me. But I can’t leave you without a movie suggestion, so I would recommend you watch Feast (2005). It is a gorefest set in a bar where nobody knows your name. The patrons are quite shocked to find themselves under siege by grotesque monsters, and sometimes the ones who die are getting off lucky. It establishes early that characters you would normally peg as survivors are just as likely to get chewed as anyone else.

There you have it. I’ll see you all next week. However, if you are lying in the dark and hear a scratching at your window, I might have decided to visit you earlier. Have a good sleep!

[endo]

Awesome man. The Birds is a great movie. One of Hitchcock's best IMO. I've also seen Feast and love it for entirely opposite reasons.
One guy looks like Vinnie Paul from Pantera and the monsters just look like masks, but the gore is so good and it's so, I guess sepia toned, it all works. I like it a lot. Haven't seen the sequel.

[Mike Morbid]

There are two sequels to Feast now. I am conflicted in my feelings about them. The quality is nowhere on the level of the first, but they go way over the top and do things that most movies wouldn't dare.

[endo]

Well now I have to watch them both.