I was wandering around on YouTube and decided to compile the top five scariest scenes from classic horror movies, and to share them with people who may be less inclined to search out these old films on their own.
It is not really accurate to call these the "scariest" scenes. There are almost no jumps or shocks to terrify you. There are scenes and films that frightened me much more (for instance, "Night of the Living Dead" didn't even make this list), and iconic scenes from more recent horror films that are more well-known and are certainly "scarier" than anything you will see here ("The Exorcist", for instance). What these scenes have in common is that their scariest moments are unnervingly quiet. They do not show gore or violence; in all but one case, they don't even show the monster itself. They are all subtle and restrained and above all cinematic. These moments are incredibly creepy without showing anything that would garner anything more than a PG rating. Most of all, these scenes are reminders that horror doesn't have to be cheap or exploitative; it can be poetic and even beautiful. The images and sounds of these five scenes are imprinted on me deeply.
#5)
Film: "Cat People" (Jacques Tourneur, 1942)
Scene: Irena stalks Alice in the swimming pool
Context: Irena may or may not be a werecat; upset that her husband is falling in love with Alice, a co-worker of his, Irena follows her rival home and decides to give her a scare while she swims a few laps before bed.
Clip: (embedding disabled; click here to watch!)
Commentary: There is no panther anywhere in this scene. The shadows on the wall were created by director Tourneur doing shadow puppets with his hand, plus a bit of cel animation. The scene is effective because of its sound effects and lighting, Jane Randolph's performance, and the perfect direction of Tourneur. The presence of the panther is terrifying and utterly convincing without showing anything at all.
#4)
Film: "Dracula" (Tod Browning, 1931)
Scene: Renfield arrives at Castle Dracula
Context: London realtor Renfield follows strict orders from a foreign count and ignores the warnings of the superstitious townsfolk and takes a mysterious carriage ride at midnight through the Borgo Pass in the Carpathian Mountains and finds himself alone, with no luggage and no driver, at the "broken battlements" of Castle Dracula...
Clip: (embedding disabled; click here to watch!)
Commentary: This opening sequence of "Dracula" more or less started the first cycle of Hollywood monster movies, and Lugosi's entrance is one of the most iconic depictions in the history of the media. But even if you think you know it ("Children of the night!", etc., etc.), check out the incredible set, the lugubrious pacing, the beautiful moving camera... the atmosphere is so distinct that it still works 70 years later.
Please also check out a longer clip; there is a slight bit of overlap, but this longer clip encompasses the whole sequence of Renfield in Castle Dracula, every bit of which is sublime. The first 8 minutes of this second clip are by far the best thing in the film, and one of my favorite sequences of any type of movie ever.
#3)
Film: "Vampyr" (Carl Th. Dreyer, 1932)
Scene: Allan Grey sees his own funeral procession
Context: Poor Allan has wandered into a town under the spell of an evil old vampire woman. In this sequence, Allan has fallen asleep (or simply is projecting astrally, or is under the spell of a vision, or something) and we see the coffin lid closed and the coffin carried out to the church yard... from the dead man's perspective.
Clip (the first 3:00 minutes of this clip is the sequence I am referring to):
Commentary: The film is not perfect, and is too symbolic and mystical at times. (There is also a great deal of reading to be done.) The film is almost completely devoid of dialogue, as this scene makes fairly clear. The grey silence and shadows are ominous enough, but this is one of the most clever and unnerving scenes I have ever seen. The fear of being buried alive is primal and unavoidable, and Dreyer exploits this with an avant-garde style that makes us experience the closing of our own coffin, forcing us into the uncomfortable perspective of staring up at the ceiling and sky as we are carted away. Dreyer makes us feel complete helplessness, without a word or a traditional "scare" of any kind.
#2)
Film: "The Leopard Man" (Jacques Tourneur, 1943)
Scene: Teresa Delgado meets the leopard
Context: There is a fairly ludicrous mystery that takes up most of the latter part of the film, but in this sequence, the young Mexican girl Teresa is trying to take a short cut home from the grocery store when she encounters a leopard that has escaped from a nightclub act...
Clip (sorry about the French subtitles...):
Commentary: Despite the direction the rest of the film goes, this short sequence itself is I think one of the most effectively directed, suspenseful, breathless, and finally horrifying set pieces in any thriller. The building fear as the leopard is revealed in the shadows and the chase lead to an incredible climax that happens behind a closed door and out of sight. Again, there is no monster and all the action happens off-screen, but the stark simplicity of the final image is gut-wrenching and leaves all the violence to the imagination. What we can picture as happening behind that door is ten times worse than anything they could ever show.
#1)
Film: "The Mummy" (Karl Freund, 1932)
Scene: Prologue ("A Little Walk")
Context: An Egyptologist and his assistant have uncovered the mummy Im-ho-tep and his tomb full of treasures, including a sacred scroll whose magical incantations carry a deadly curse. As a fellow anthropologist tries to convince his friend to take the curse seriously and not to tamper with the tomb, the young assistant becomes impatient and takes a look at the scroll himself...
Clip:
Commentary: This simple sequence is my favorite scene in any of the old Universal monster movies, or in any classic horror film, even though "The Mummy" probably isn't in my top ten. Again most of the action happens off-screen. When the light catches a glint in Karloff's eye as the mummy comes to life for the first time in 4,000 years gives me an actual chill every time. The whole scenario is just too hideous to comprehend, and the performance by the assistant is perfectly manic. He is rendered senseless by whatever he saw. The contrast between the screaming and the hideous image of the mummy's shrouds trailing him out the door with the assistant's shattered psyche and comical nonsense ("He went for a little walk!") is just too much to handle. The scene is lit, acted, and directed PERFECTLY. I believe this is what we refer to as "pure cinema". It shows just enough to light up the darkest corners of your imagination without showing so much that you are taken out of the scene. A few scenes approaches this one for off-screen horrors that make your imagination go wild (the prologue to "Murders in the Zoo", the vivisections in "The Black Cat" and "Island of Lost Souls", the crypt scene in "Bride of Frankenstein"), but none quite top this one for me.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 22, 2010
the story of love and hate
"Night of the Hunter" is showing Friday night at the beautiful Landmark Loew's Jersey in Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91IAwfdRX6A
ahhhh can't wait.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91IAwfdRX6A
ahhhh can't wait.
Friday, March 12, 2010
"The Elephant Man"
Just saw "The Elephant Man" as part of the Anne Bancroft retrospective at Lincoln Center. I am kind of ambivalent about David Lynch; I love some things he does and get really annoyed at some things he does, often in the same film or even in the same scene. I learned to love him as a person from his brief cameos in "Twin Peaks" ("SORRY COOP! CAN'T HEAR YA!"), and as a film-maker I am conflicted. Some films (like "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive") are endlessly interesting, some (like "Lost Highway") I have no patience for, and some (like "Fire Walk With Me" and "Eraserhead") have moments of terror and brilliance combined with a ton of missteps.
"The Elephant Man" was a very tasteful, beautiful, and sad biopic of John Merrick, better known as the Elephant Man, a famous "freak" from Victorian England known for his enormous and dangerously deformed head. (Apparently his real name was actually Joseph Merrick... look up "Joseph Merrick" or "The Elephant Man" on IMDb to see photos of the man.) The make-up for the film was apparently based on actual casts of his skull (which Michael Jackson bought?) and look just like the actual photos. As usual in Lynch films, the sound design was unbelievable. A handful of scenes were incredibly touching and a few were scary and memorable -- my favorite scene was the one in which Merrick's "owner" locks him in the cage with the baboons. There were just enough genuine David Lynch stylistic touches to whet my appetite, but the plot was linear and the film was largely narrative and I could follow along, which was a great and unexpected surprise for a Lynch film. All the performances were stunning, and the make-up was truly perfect. The film was not without complaints, but pouring Lynch's style over a linear story creates a great final product.
"The Elephant Man" was a very tasteful, beautiful, and sad biopic of John Merrick, better known as the Elephant Man, a famous "freak" from Victorian England known for his enormous and dangerously deformed head. (Apparently his real name was actually Joseph Merrick... look up "Joseph Merrick" or "The Elephant Man" on IMDb to see photos of the man.) The make-up for the film was apparently based on actual casts of his skull (which Michael Jackson bought?) and look just like the actual photos. As usual in Lynch films, the sound design was unbelievable. A handful of scenes were incredibly touching and a few were scary and memorable -- my favorite scene was the one in which Merrick's "owner" locks him in the cage with the baboons. There were just enough genuine David Lynch stylistic touches to whet my appetite, but the plot was linear and the film was largely narrative and I could follow along, which was a great and unexpected surprise for a Lynch film. All the performances were stunning, and the make-up was truly perfect. The film was not without complaints, but pouring Lynch's style over a linear story creates a great final product.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
an excerpt from Len Deighton
___"There are four stages of a love affair. First there is the stage of being in love and liking it." Her voice was muffled by my shoulder. "That's this stage."
___"How long's it likely to last?"
___"Not long enough," said Sam[antha]. "The other stages soon follow."
___"What stages?" I said.
___"There's being in love and not liking it," said Sam. "That's the second one. Then there is not being in love and not liking that. And finally there is not being in love and liking that. You are over it then -- cured.
___"Sounds great," I said.
___"You have to be make-believe tough," Samantha said. "I'm serious and it makes me sort of sad. If people in love synchronized their movements through these stages..." She snuggled deeper into my shoulder. "We'll stay at the first stage forever. No matter what calls us away, we'll stay up here on the moon. O.K.?"
___"O.K."
___"No. I'm serious."
___"Looks like we're first here on the moon," I said.
___Sam said, "Just think of all those poor dopes down on earth who can't see that great sun."
Len Deighton, Funeral in Berlin, page 82.
___"How long's it likely to last?"
___"Not long enough," said Sam[antha]. "The other stages soon follow."
___"What stages?" I said.
___"There's being in love and not liking it," said Sam. "That's the second one. Then there is not being in love and not liking that. And finally there is not being in love and liking that. You are over it then -- cured.
___"Sounds great," I said.
___"You have to be make-believe tough," Samantha said. "I'm serious and it makes me sort of sad. If people in love synchronized their movements through these stages..." She snuggled deeper into my shoulder. "We'll stay at the first stage forever. No matter what calls us away, we'll stay up here on the moon. O.K.?"
___"O.K."
___"No. I'm serious."
___"Looks like we're first here on the moon," I said.
___Sam said, "Just think of all those poor dopes down on earth who can't see that great sun."
Len Deighton, Funeral in Berlin, page 82.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Casablanca re-cast
I am showing "Casablanca" (with my personalized intro and outro) this Wednesday night on the NYU University Channel (channel 14, I believe, for people on CampusCable) at 8 pm. In honor of that momentous occasion, here is something for you to debate: the contemporary cast for a hypothetical remake of "Casablanca" if it was made this year. Marisa and I spent a shift at work a few months ago working on this, and I just found the Post-It it was written on and decided to streamline it and make a few changes.
"CASABLANCA" RE-CAST! (Warning: LOTS of photos to load!)
+ Rick Blaine
It took me a little while to think of this, but as soon as I did it was a no-brainer. Even though he doesn't have a lot of big-screen movie experience, I think the success of "Mad Men" and all of the awards they get every year qualifies him as a big enough star to sell this project. He has a definite Humphrey Bogart look and is used to wearing double-breasted suits and accessorizing with cigarettes and tumblers of Scotch. I give you Jon Hamm.
+ Ilsa Lund
Again, it took me a few rounds to get to her in my head but once I found her she is perfect for the role. We needed someone foreign (Bergman is Swedish, this actress is French) and someone pouty and with so-called "Classical Beauty" but also someone who can handle some serious drama. I don't think there will be any objections to Eva Green.
One more picture of Eva, because she is so lovely.
+ Captain Louis Renault
This was the one that I had the hardest time with. Claude Raines' portrayal is so iconic and so charming and so unique. His is probably the most memorable performance from the original film (and he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor that year). Even though the character is French, Raines is so British that I cannot conceive of Renault any other way. I originally thought Simon Pegg (but he is too goofy), settled on my beloved Ricky Gervais (eventually decided he would come across as too depressing, like in The Office and Extras), and finally found the PERFECT actor, Martin Freeman. I am so relieved that I found someone satisfactory for this!
+ Victor Laszlo
This character has to be foreign and handsome but completely humorless. Josh Brolin is my favorite current actor and I was hoping to get him into this movie, and this was the best place I could put him. However, he is just too American for this. I thought about Peter Sarsgaard, whom I also love, and Ewan McGregor, whom I love a little less... and I thought a long time about Jude Law, but he is ultimately a little bit too charming as well. However, this is kind of an easy part that mainly requires stoicism, so I am going to grant the part to my original choice, Jonathan Rhys Meyers (I hope that is spelled right).
+ Major Strasser
This was by far the easiest one. No other options here, no runner up. It is a shame that this great actor is going to get typecast as a Nazi officer, but that is up to his agent, not up to me. Strasser can only be played by soon-to-be Best Supporting Actor Christoph Waltz.
+ Ugarte
This is a minor character, true, but Ugarte and his exciting arrest really set the tone for the whole film. Remember the manic, desperate performance by Lorre and his bugged-out eyes. There is no one who could play this but my beloved Steve Buscemi.
+ Sam the Piano Player
I need someone who is funny and charismatic and likable and can play the piano and sing. I know exactly where to go. Dooley Wilson is being replaced by Mos Def.
+ Carl the Waiter
The maitre d'hotel at Rick's cafe has to be big and round and jovial and middle-aged and, again, super charming and lovable. Like Fred Flintstone, or Babe Ruth, or... Walter Sobchack. That's right. John Goodman. (I think I found the only known picture of John in a tuxedo to help you imagine him in Carl's tuxedo from the movie. Amazing, right?)
+ Sascha the Bartender
The Russian bartender has to be lanky and snarky and a little bit sarcastic and quick-tongued and I would like to hear anyone try to object to John Turturro. "I love you, but he pays me!"
+ Signor Ferrari
Ferrari is a little bit obnoxious and a little bit of a blowhard and definitely large in size. We are continuing the parade of the Johns with a slight variation: we are removing the "h" to cast Jon Lovitz. The picture with the suit and the cigar should convince any skeptics that Lovitz can fill in for Sydney Greenstreet.
+ Yvonne
Yvonne is the patriotic French woman who had some kind of relationship with Rick. She drinks too much and even flirts with the enemy while wasting her time at the bar of Rick's Cafe. In her most memorable scene, she tearfully shouts aloud the lyrics to "Le Marseillaise". So we need a beautiful brunette who is French and knows the words to the French national anthem. It is pretty obvious that the right choice is Audrey Tautou, and if you don't believe me, watch her recent romcom "Hors de Prix" (aka "Priceless"), in which she wears slinky dresses and drinks too much at hotel bars, just like the minor character Yvonne.
+ Annina (the Bulgarian refugee)
Again, this is a pretty small role with only a handful of scenes, but we need a beautiful young brunette who is just waiting for her breakout role. I'm giving it to Mary Elizabeth Winstead not only because I know she can handle it, but because she NEEDS to work in a good film sometime soon. Pleeeeaaase.
The cinematographer is going to be Roger Deakins. But I still need a director.
Any comments or criticisms?
"CASABLANCA" RE-CAST! (Warning: LOTS of photos to load!)
+ Rick Blaine
It took me a little while to think of this, but as soon as I did it was a no-brainer. Even though he doesn't have a lot of big-screen movie experience, I think the success of "Mad Men" and all of the awards they get every year qualifies him as a big enough star to sell this project. He has a definite Humphrey Bogart look and is used to wearing double-breasted suits and accessorizing with cigarettes and tumblers of Scotch. I give you Jon Hamm.
+ Ilsa Lund
Again, it took me a few rounds to get to her in my head but once I found her she is perfect for the role. We needed someone foreign (Bergman is Swedish, this actress is French) and someone pouty and with so-called "Classical Beauty" but also someone who can handle some serious drama. I don't think there will be any objections to Eva Green.
One more picture of Eva, because she is so lovely.
+ Captain Louis Renault
This was the one that I had the hardest time with. Claude Raines' portrayal is so iconic and so charming and so unique. His is probably the most memorable performance from the original film (and he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor that year). Even though the character is French, Raines is so British that I cannot conceive of Renault any other way. I originally thought Simon Pegg (but he is too goofy), settled on my beloved Ricky Gervais (eventually decided he would come across as too depressing, like in The Office and Extras), and finally found the PERFECT actor, Martin Freeman. I am so relieved that I found someone satisfactory for this!
+ Victor Laszlo
This character has to be foreign and handsome but completely humorless. Josh Brolin is my favorite current actor and I was hoping to get him into this movie, and this was the best place I could put him. However, he is just too American for this. I thought about Peter Sarsgaard, whom I also love, and Ewan McGregor, whom I love a little less... and I thought a long time about Jude Law, but he is ultimately a little bit too charming as well. However, this is kind of an easy part that mainly requires stoicism, so I am going to grant the part to my original choice, Jonathan Rhys Meyers (I hope that is spelled right).
+ Major Strasser
This was by far the easiest one. No other options here, no runner up. It is a shame that this great actor is going to get typecast as a Nazi officer, but that is up to his agent, not up to me. Strasser can only be played by soon-to-be Best Supporting Actor Christoph Waltz.
+ Ugarte
This is a minor character, true, but Ugarte and his exciting arrest really set the tone for the whole film. Remember the manic, desperate performance by Lorre and his bugged-out eyes. There is no one who could play this but my beloved Steve Buscemi.
+ Sam the Piano Player
I need someone who is funny and charismatic and likable and can play the piano and sing. I know exactly where to go. Dooley Wilson is being replaced by Mos Def.
+ Carl the Waiter
The maitre d'hotel at Rick's cafe has to be big and round and jovial and middle-aged and, again, super charming and lovable. Like Fred Flintstone, or Babe Ruth, or... Walter Sobchack. That's right. John Goodman. (I think I found the only known picture of John in a tuxedo to help you imagine him in Carl's tuxedo from the movie. Amazing, right?)
+ Sascha the Bartender
The Russian bartender has to be lanky and snarky and a little bit sarcastic and quick-tongued and I would like to hear anyone try to object to John Turturro. "I love you, but he pays me!"
+ Signor Ferrari
Ferrari is a little bit obnoxious and a little bit of a blowhard and definitely large in size. We are continuing the parade of the Johns with a slight variation: we are removing the "h" to cast Jon Lovitz. The picture with the suit and the cigar should convince any skeptics that Lovitz can fill in for Sydney Greenstreet.
+ Yvonne
Yvonne is the patriotic French woman who had some kind of relationship with Rick. She drinks too much and even flirts with the enemy while wasting her time at the bar of Rick's Cafe. In her most memorable scene, she tearfully shouts aloud the lyrics to "Le Marseillaise". So we need a beautiful brunette who is French and knows the words to the French national anthem. It is pretty obvious that the right choice is Audrey Tautou, and if you don't believe me, watch her recent romcom "Hors de Prix" (aka "Priceless"), in which she wears slinky dresses and drinks too much at hotel bars, just like the minor character Yvonne.
+ Annina (the Bulgarian refugee)
Again, this is a pretty small role with only a handful of scenes, but we need a beautiful young brunette who is just waiting for her breakout role. I'm giving it to Mary Elizabeth Winstead not only because I know she can handle it, but because she NEEDS to work in a good film sometime soon. Pleeeeaaase.
The cinematographer is going to be Roger Deakins. But I still need a director.
Any comments or criticisms?
Saturday, February 13, 2010
countdown
Finally saw "Boogie Nights" today. I liked it more than I expected, but the "moral" was confusing. Everyone spins out of control and becomes miserable and desperate and unlikable and then they all just get a second chance and end up happy? I'm all for the happy ending, but why judge the characters so harshly for most of the film?
Can't wait to see "THE WOLFMAN" on Monday. Will most likely be disappointed and be angry about the fact that it somehow disrespects the original Lon Chaney, Jr./Claude Raines version, but I am going in with a great attitude.
Just got back from the Diane Birch concert at Skirball. Amazing and breath-taking and great. Best concert I have been to in a long, long time. Probably the best since one of the three Joanna Newsom concerts or two Sigur Ros concerts I have been to. The opening act was some NYU student who was such an atrocious singer that I spent the whole time wincing and pitying the kid's roommate. But Diane was friendly and funny and captivated the whole room. Her four-piece band was also great and everything about the concert was great. The live versions of the songs were in almost every case more exciting than the album versions, and she played a solo version of the the trance song "What Is Love?" (from "A Night at the Rosbury") on the electric keyboard that was incredible as well.
For the record, here is an updated countdown of the Prettiest Women Ever:
Diane Birch
occupation: musician
link
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
occupation: actor
link
Vanessa Victoria Volpe
occupation: writer, student
link
Can't wait to see "THE WOLFMAN" on Monday. Will most likely be disappointed and be angry about the fact that it somehow disrespects the original Lon Chaney, Jr./Claude Raines version, but I am going in with a great attitude.
Just got back from the Diane Birch concert at Skirball. Amazing and breath-taking and great. Best concert I have been to in a long, long time. Probably the best since one of the three Joanna Newsom concerts or two Sigur Ros concerts I have been to. The opening act was some NYU student who was such an atrocious singer that I spent the whole time wincing and pitying the kid's roommate. But Diane was friendly and funny and captivated the whole room. Her four-piece band was also great and everything about the concert was great. The live versions of the songs were in almost every case more exciting than the album versions, and she played a solo version of the the trance song "What Is Love?" (from "A Night at the Rosbury") on the electric keyboard that was incredible as well.
For the record, here is an updated countdown of the Prettiest Women Ever:
Diane Birch
occupation: musician
link
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
occupation: actor
link
Vanessa Victoria Volpe
occupation: writer, student
link
student conference
The schedule for the Student Conference next weekend finally came out!
schedule
I am going Friday afternoon at 2:00 pm. Since my paper is about film noir, I understand why I got put in a panel with other noir papers. However, judging by the other titles, I can't see how my paper will have anything else in common with theirs. My paper is much more about genre categories than about noir, but whatever... Hopefully it will go well anyway. With a moderator like Bill Simon, how could it not?
schedule
I am going Friday afternoon at 2:00 pm. Since my paper is about film noir, I understand why I got put in a panel with other noir papers. However, judging by the other titles, I can't see how my paper will have anything else in common with theirs. My paper is much more about genre categories than about noir, but whatever... Hopefully it will go well anyway. With a moderator like Bill Simon, how could it not?
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