This movie proves without a doubt that just because you have a snazzy set of computers and artists, doesn’t mean you can replicate good old fashioned special effects. Sometimes the actual material and human actors can be much more effective than dapper computer animation that, even in 1997, looked like cut scenes from a Playstation video game. Of course it’s not like studios ever really learned their lesson after “An American Werewolf in Paris” landed with a thud in 1997. They just tried and tried until they succeeded. Supposedly in development for six years, “An American Werewolf in Paris” feels as if someone had the bright idea to remake the John Landis eighties classic “An American Werewolf in London,” backed out, and then kicked up production again once computer technology advanced. And then somewhere along the line a remake of a classic horror comedy became a stale and brutally underwhelming horror comedy that failed to amount to even an ounce of the charisma and brilliance that the first film did.
Tag Archives: Romance
Ten Underrated Horror Heroines
Yes, we spent all October objectifying women in many articles concerning women in horror and what we’d do during sexual encounters and the final girls we love to ogle while cheering for. Now in the final Friday of October, we spotlight the strong women. They’re bold, courageous, pushed in to a corner, and battle their way out. They have brains, brawn, instinct, and often times are smarter than they men they’re battling alongside. They display amazing resilience in horrible situations, endure dark corners, sub zero temperatures, and maintain their sanity. They meet a challenge head on and fight to the death. These are ten underrated horror heroines we adore, these are ten underrated horror heroines we’d love to have beside us during confrontations with demons, zombies, vampires, or ghosts.
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
So “Tales from the Darkside: The Movie” is based on the television show, but in the movie, “Tales from the Darkside” is actually a book filled with various horror stories. Does that mean the television show is actually a book? Is the narrator at the opening credits the one telling us the various stories? How did the witch in the film get a hold of the book? And is the witch Debbie Harry plays in the film the same one she plays in the episode “The Moth” where she portrays a devious teenage witch outwitting her mother? It’s never quite indicated. At all. I assume the film is attempting to be meta with the wrap around story, but it never quite works. However we do get a slight instance of the theme song to the television series playing during a scene in the opening.
May (2002)
May Dove Canady’s upbringing is eerily very similar to Michael Myers. While there isn’t a hint of abuse or neglect in the opening shots that chronicle life as a child in her family house hold, we get the sense that the somewhat grating goal for perfection is the key to May’s abundant madness and psychosis. When we meet May, she’s a fairly normal and meek child who has been inflicted with a lazy eye that gives her poor sight. Though it’s a small imperfection that can be adjusted over time, her mother spends a majority of the time focusing on the imperfection to notice May is a very beautiful young girl. Though she doesn’t entirely experience unusual cruelty for her small affliction, the abundant idealizing of her mother, as well as the fawning over a china doll that is clearly the manifestation of what her mother originally pictures would be May, causes her to grow in to an isolated and mal adjusted young woman.
Casper (1995)
For all of its flaws, 1995’s big screen adaptation of Casper the friendly ghost, actually manages to be a dark fantasy worth watching. Not only does it play all the right chords by casting in vogue and talented child star Christina Ricci as the heroine of the film, but it depicts a Casper the Friendly Ghost who isn’t a downer. While the animated shorts almost made you get in to a bathtub with a toaster in both hands, the feature film is life affirming and uplifting in its own ways. And to give Casper something of depth and plot friction, there’s the wise addition of three rude, crude, and disgusting specters who make everyone’s lives miserable.
The 1995 “Casper” wisely gives an identity to the ghosts that loved to scare while Casper refused to submit to his duties, and in the end, the feature film works very well. Much more than “Richie Rich” ever did. “Casper” is mainly a coming of age film that features Casper as a key to main character Kat to not only growing up but dealing with the concept of her mother’s death. Years after the death of her mother, she and her father James spend their days travelling and trying to uncover the secrets of the paranormal and the after life. Though James passes it off as research to his daughter, secretly he hopes to uncover the secret to connecting with his wife one more time and speak to her.
The duo decide to live at Whipstaff Manor in Maine where the mansion has been abandoned by its descendents thanks to its rabid hauntings, in spite of the fact that there is rumored to be a treasure hidden within the bowels of the house. While there James attempts to uncover the psychiatry of specters, dealing with random pranks and mean spirited play from the trio of uncles, all of whom take every chance to make the father and daughter miserable, while Kat finds a friend in Casper. Thankfully the portrayal of Casper is never cloying or abundant with cutesy dialogue. Casper as a character is lovable, and utterly adorable. He’s a being filled with optimism and love, but has also lived long enough to mutter nuggets of wisdom about death, the after life, and what it means to be alive.
And though originally many thought the addition of Casper’s uncles Stretch, Stinky, and Fatso to the fray would be a cheap grab for merchandise, the film actually sparks a great and logical argument for their presence. Ghosts are often thought as restless spirits that dwell in their past homes. Casper is a boy who died from a painful illness and died saddened and in terrible conditions, thus his state of misery keeps him perpetually stuck as a ghost. His uncles were three rotten and awful individuals who were so evil in their past life, they’re forever stuck as specters haunting their mansion because their evil prevents them from a peaceful slumber in the after life.
For a film made in 1995, “Casper” really does manage to re-invent the formula in many ways that are clever and very welcome. Rather than just animating Casper, he’s a very gelatinous translucent being who seems to be stuck between the after life and our life, thus he’s always faded but very eye catching. The trio of evil ghosts are almost always in a tint of green inadvertently creating this sense that they’re made from the same essence of Slimer from “Ghostbusters.” Christina Ricci is one of the finest child actors of the nineties, thus her role as Kat is empathetic and very heartbreaking, if derivative. Kat’s whole journey as the new girl in Maine plagued by bullies is very cliché as the main lure of the story is her relationship and bond with Casper, who offers her clarity in her darkest times.
What keeps “Casper” from being excellent is that though it’s touted to children, it tries to pass off a painfully ridiculous deus ex machina involving a machine and magic potion that could transform ghosts in to living beings once more, and never makes a really definitive bit of reasoning for even injecting it in to the story. Save for the final scene where Casper gets one of his biggest wishes, a fleeting and heartbreaking moment but one that really defies the film’s logic. Nevertheless, “Casper” is still an entertaining and adorable fantasy film that gives the character of Casper a hint of dignity and respect. It’s a shame this was followed up by endless piss poor direct to video sequels. In a decade that gave us “Flintstones” and “Richie Rich,” the cinematic adaptation of “Casper” is one of the very rare instances where they not only got it right, but improved on the original formula. Offering a sweet story, smart casting, and a sense of humor, “Casper” is still a nineties favorite that doesn’t get enough credit.
Girl vs. Monster (2012)
While many kids of the nineties will agree that DCOM’s simply aren’t as good or as innocent as they used to be, the talent has improved enormously. Most of the actors in the past DCOM’s (Disney Channel Original Movies) were always so blustery and stilted in their performances, in spite of the fact that Disney took more risks with their movies. These days, they’ve traded subtlety for talent. “Kickin’ It” is one of the few successful boy oriented shows Disney has launched. It’s a show about a group of kids who deal with growing up through the skill of martial arts, and one of its stars Olivia Holt has displayed a real charm and charisma that’s tough to keep contained.
In “Girl vs. Monster” she has a real magnetism and appeal that makes her the ideal choice for the role of a young girl about to come in to her own as a monster hunter in a legacy of master monster hunters in her family. “Girl vs. Monster” contains elements of “Supernatural,” and “Ghostbusters,” with a hint of “Hocus Pocus” and manages to be rather entertaining. Skyler Lewis is a bold and brave young girl who isn’t afraid of anything. She leaps on to a rafter to fix a Halloween banner and lands the fall with grace, and before leaving with her friends engages in a performance with a local band for the room. She’s the envy of many people, and we’re forced to believe somewhat of an outcast. Her parents are primarily mold specialists whom are incredibly over protective and refuse to let her attend the Halloween party thrown by musician Ryan, who begs Skyler to sing for the group when lead singer Myra is hurt in a hilarious accident. Refusing to let her go, Skyler’s odd parents leave her in the charge of her uncle, and lock her inside the house.
Determined to make it out, she shuts the power down to the house and accidentally frees the evil Deimata from the ghost chamber in their basement. On a mission to possess Skyler and feed on her fear, Diemata is intent on hunting Skyler down as Skyler comes to grips with the fact that she has to be a hero. Very much in the vein of “Halloweentown,” Skyler is a girl who loves Halloween whose over protective parents are suppressing her until a certain age where she can become a hero of some kind. In that regard it’s rather derivative. I also never understood why the parents would house a ghost chamber in their basement and make their power grid so functional and easily shut down by hand when their house is protected by a key pad. And what would Deimata accomplish by possessing Skyler? Was it a part of a master plan to destroy the legacy of monster hunters? Or was she trying to inflict revenge on Skyler’s parents? As with most DCOM’s, “Girl vs. Monster” is entertaining and very charming, but often very silly and doesn’t entirely make a lot of sense in the end.
But the primary reason to watch “Girl vs. Monster” is because it’s such an interesting concept worthy of a few follow-ups for the character of Skyler, and star Holt has a real enthusiasm and draw that’s tough to ignore. As with all DCOM’s, this new film is about a character coming of age, and ultimately she has to learn how to cope with fear and use it as a means of thriving in life rather than letting it control her. As the film progresses we learn that Skyler may not be too normal, while her two friends often paralyzed by their insecurities may be more in control around demonic beings. The trio of ghouls feast off of the insecurities of teenagers, and are basically just metaphors for anxiety, insecurity, and self-esteem. They’re manifestations of those flaws, and they feed on such horrors.
To defeat them they must ultimately face their fears, which means Skyler’s friend Sadie must confront her fear of public speaking, goofy Henry must battle a bullying scarecrow, and Skyler must perform her music for the party she’s attending. As with all modern DCOM’s, the cast is intended to do more than just act, so Olivia Holt pulls in double duty as a singer and actor and accomplishes some strong singing paired with some very catchy music for the film’s inevitable soundtrack. While it has bumps along the road, “Girl vs. Monster” has a clear message for its teen audience about confronting fears, while marketing on the growing popularity of talented star, Olivia Holt. It’s a very pleasing Halloween treat. With Disney trying to re-invent their Halloween tradition for a new audience and move away from the classic “Halloweentown,” the new “Girl vs. Monster” is a fun and exciting action comedy for the teens, but I doubt it’ll be as well received as the former more festive fantasy film. Olivia Holt has real potential, and I hope Disney banks on her more in the future.
Basket Case 2 (1990)
It’s pretty hilarious how though the sequel to “Basket Case” is said to have taken place the night after Duane failed to commit suicide with Belial, actor Kevin Van Hentenryck seems to have aged since the first film from eight years prior. “Basket Case 2” embraces the idiocy this time around, taking the route of the “It’s Alive!” sequels. Rather than Belial being a rare case of a deformed monster, we learn that there are in fact a tribe of deformed monsters of various dispositions living in the suburbs. And they’re all being cared for by the eccentric Granny Ruth who not only cares for them but acts as their therapist. The line “I understand your pain, Belial, but ripping the faces off people may not be in your best interest.” is actually delivered with a dead pan expression.