Preview: Birth of The Slasher

Oh, the slasher flick. In this particular brand of film, where a serial killer slays a sequence of victims, the audience themselves are also brought along for the ride. The cameras act as our own eyes and ears, and in effect we get to witness the crimes in a form of deadly voyeurism. Kinda twisted, huh? Yeah, and I love it. You can keep your typical splatterhouse horror movies, because slasher films are the ones dearest to my heart.

You see, the slasher film is is the very subgenre of horror that introduced me to the cinema of terror. At a very young age (four or five, I think) I watched John Carpenter's Halloween late one night on TV. Yes, I was mesmerized. But I'll also freely admit that the experience was intensely traumatic, and to this day I can feel my pulse quicken ever so slightly at the sight of that white Michael Myers mask. As my childhood progressed in the 80s, a cornucopia of pop culture horror slashers paraded on screens: Freddy Kreuger, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, and even Chucky invaded multiplexes and terrorized audiences. By the early to mid 1990s, slashers were played out through overuse and self-parody. But after the Scream movies reawakened the slasher genre in 1996, it was like greeting an old friend.

Sure it scared the bejeebus out of me as a kid, but now I get to appreciate them as exercises in film-making excellence (granted, in some... not all). If one has an eye trained to ignore all the blood, they can learn the importance of editing and particularly sound. Such high caliber is usually found in the best horror films, because they are the most effective tools by the director to play the audience like a harp.

As a treat this week, The Paramount is presenting the fathers of this genre we now all know so well. It is time to explore the roots of the slasher film, as directed by two British masters of cinema: Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Powell (Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes) in 1960.

Over fifty years after its original release, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is one of those films that not only was a landmark movie but a pop culture phenomenon. The movie has always been one of my favorites, and I could revisit it endless times. There's a evil giddiness that rises in me every time I see it, and every twist, turn and stabbing never get old. Don't be scared, I'm not a bloodthirsty viewer; I simply marvel at Hitchcock's craftsmanship. I doubt anything could ever recapture the amazement from the first time I saw Psycho, but then again nothing can probably ever ruin my enjoyment of the film. Well, almost nothing.

Regardless if one has seen the film or not, it's hard to imagine anyone not knowing the major twists to the story. Out of respect for those who know nothing about of the shocks and thrills in Psycho, I will refrain from spoilers. Perhaps it's best if I let the director himself sell you. Mr. Hitchcock himself, ever the showman, guides you through this unorthodox trailer for the film. It's a strange tone for this clip, which somehow is a hybrid of hotel tour and CSI investigation.

To this day, one of the more remarkable elements of Psycho is the manipulation of the audience and the shifting allegiances as the situations change. One minute, we're shocked by a character's act, and the next we're quietly rooting for them to get away with it. Alarming in its actions and flawless in its execution, Alfred always keeps us on our toes.

The influence of the movie goes way beyond people's showering habits. Hitchcocks slight-of-hand techniques are now practically standard on all thrillers, and every slasher film since aims to shock and awe like the original Psycho.

Peeping Tom, also released in 1960, also helped kick open the door for modern horror slasher films. Directed by the legendary British director Michael Powell (Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes), also deals with a serial killer but raises the perverse factor up a few notches. It's the story of a murderer who slays his victims and films their deaths in an attempt to make a magnum opus of snuff. There's enough complex psychological themes and sexuality in it to make Freud's head spin, and it takes the voyeuristic tendencies of the slasher film to perverse heights.

Like Psycho, this film was considered shocking in its presentation. Unlike Psycho, however, Peeping Tom pushed buttons and challenged boundaries that audiences weren't quite ready for. Reviled by many when first released, it developed a cut following over the years and has since been reappraised as a masterpiece of horror. Considering the disturbing imagery we see in cinemas today (and even more so in the news), it's safe to say that Peeping Tom was way ahead of its time.

The influence of Peeping Tom and Psycho runs deep over the past few decades. It's hard to imagine the horror franchises of the 80s, dramas like Se7en, The Silence of the Lambs and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, or even subpar movies like 8mm without these initial pioneers. Most recently, Scream 4 (released just a few months ago) borrows heavily from the premise of Peeping Tom and even references it directly in that way that only the Scream movies can.

Historians and sociologists can always turn to the 1960s as an era of cultural transformation, but not all change are like those seen in episodes of "Mad Men." Even the arts were breaking through barriers and exploring new frontiers. As these two films show, film was evolving on both sides of the Atlantic, and even horror movies can surprise us and cut through conventions... like a knife through flesh.

It's just a figure of speech, I swear.

Showtimes for the films:

Psycho
Saturday, Aug 6th
4:00 8:45
Sunday, Aug 7th
4:10

Peeping Tom
Saturday, Aug 6th
6:15
Sunday, Aug 7th
2:00 6:25

Final Notes about the screening
Bloody Mary & Peeping Tom Collins Drink Specials All Day!
Psycho Shower Photo Booth before 8:45 pm screening by Annie Ray

Double Features:
"When two movies are grouped together under the same thematic heading, one ticket is good for both features when viewed back-to-back on the same day." (cha-ching!)

Parking:
"Hassle-free downtown parking available for $6 at the One American Center for all summer films! Since you’re also supporting the theatre when you buy parking, they're giving you a free small soda each time you park there for a film. Buy online with your film tix and print out your confirmation e-mail or buy directly from the garage attendant (cash only). Attendant will have your soda ticket as well."

Preview: Scary Cats

A staple of horror movies are scary creatures. Most of the time, monster movies frighten us with creatures that are inherently scary (Arachnophobia with its spiders, Jaws with one big shark). Occasionally, a movie will come out of nowhere and change our views on a previously benign animal, like Cujo did to Saint Bernards. And of course, there are the classic monsters with human features: such as vampires, werewolves and others that aren't in those Twilight or Underworld movies.

But can cats be scary? Well, yeah. Cats have been featured in some horrific films too. Take for instance, that abysmally horrible Catwoman movie starring Halle Berry, Sharon Stone and that Merovingian guy from those crappy Matrix sequels. Not that it was a horror film, mind you, but it is scary that someone thought this movie was a good idea.

Seriously, though, cats are (to me) kind of freaky critters. How "scary" they actually are might just a matter of personal opinion. I've known many people who love cats, and also scores more who detest what they refer to as "untrustworthy, vile creatures." Yikes. That's a bit... much, isn't it?

Those feline haters would then probably get a real kick out of Cat People, the 1942 film directed by Val Newton. In this tale, a lonely Serbian woman falls for and marries an American man but refuses to consummate their union. The reason? She believes she descended from a cursed people from her country. In that folklore if she were aroused, she will turn into a panther. A man-eater, like the Hall & Oates song. Alas, there is no passion for the newlyweds. This naturally causes all kinds of problems, whether they be real and fantastical.

The trailer for this bizarre tale of felines and sexual repression can be seen here.

The success of Cat People spawned a more benevolent (and seemingly misnamed) sequel, Curse of the Cat People, that is most noteworthy for being the second film directed by Robert Wise (The Haunting, West Side Story, The Sound of Music). In 1982, Paul Schrader wrote and directed a loose remake that was much less subtle in its eroticism. It starred Natassja Kinski (herself a bit of a sex kitten of an actress at the time), Malcolm McDowell and the dad from Home Alone. The remake wasn't so good, but it did feature an awesome David Bowie song.

Now, when I say "black cat," what's the first thing that comes to mind? Bad luck? Halloween? That old Janet Jackson song? The cabaret with that iconic poster? That fake-looking thing from "Sabrina The Teenage Witch?" Or does your mind conjure up this?

As much of a staple of Independence Day and New Year's celebration is this black cat is, it doesn't fit with the horror film theme I'm going with. With all apologies to Katy Perry, baby that's just a firework.

No, the Black Cat in question is a classic Japanese horror film from 1968, and its a very dark tale indeed. The movie, Kuroneko (translated as "black cat") is a creature story, a revenge tale and a supernatural fable all combined like a sushi roll of terror. In this film, directed by Kaneto Shindō, the story begins in feudal Japan with two women who are brutally attacked and murdered by a roving band of samurai mercenaries. Later, samurai are discovered to be dead, all having been killed by slashed throats. Convinced that these slayings are the act of an onryō, a vengeful dark spirit, the governor summons a lone warrior to confront these ghostly killers. Shindō invokes the same raw sensibilities he exhibited in 1964's Onibaba, another tale where women slay passing samurai. Atmospheric and spooky, Kuroneko is a unique terror tale that represents some of the very best in Japanese cinema.

So there you have it, my dear readers. These are two classic films with a sleek and sinuous tone that is ever so appropriate for the feline predators found within. Do yourself a favor and don't miss them. No matter how scary they are, no matter how hard your heart will pound, it can't be any harder on your body than watching Halle Berry's Catwoman.

And if you find yourself too frightened in the theater aisles, just remind yourself that, like vampires, these werecats are only fictional. I mean, they just can't be real... right?

(Cure that scary Vincent Price laugh)

Showtimes for the films:

Cat People
Thursday, Aug 4th
7:00
Friday, Aug 5th
9:05

Kuroneko
Thursday, Aug 4th
8:40
Friday, Aug 5th
7:00

Final Notes about the screening

Bring in an item for the Austin Pets Alive! drive and receive a free small popcorn! Check their wish list here.

Double Features:

"When two movies are grouped together under the same thematic heading, one ticket is good for both features when viewed back-to-back on the same day." (cha-ching!)

Parking:

"Hassle-free downtown parking available for $6 at the One American Center for all summer films! Since you’re also supporting the theatre when you buy parking, they're giving you a free small soda each time you park there for a film. Buy online with your film tix and print out your confirmation e-mail or buy directly from the garage attendant (cash only). Attendant will have your soda ticket as well."

Preview: Don't Go Into The House!

Oooooooh. Time for another theme week at The Paramount Theatre.

This time, it's... horror. Thrills and chills, as they say.

Oh, how I could lambast the current state of cinematic affairs when it comes to horror. While at least the Saw movies have finally appeared to run out of steam, there is still a plethora of "horror movies" that are light on terror but are big on gore or cheap scares. Can you believe they're making another Final Destination movie?! And let's be real, the "found footage" subgenre may have been scary when The Blair Witch Project came out, but when the plots now revolve around a hidden lunar exploration, you know Hollywood's slurping the last of the slurpee from the straw.

They can keep all their gimmicks. To me, the scariest kinds of movies are those that get in your head.

Horror week kicks off with two horror classics, featuring ghost encounters of the cerebral kind. In effect, they are haunted house tales. The spookiness you find in these are more intense than any episode of "Ghost Adventures."

There are so many creepy things in The Shining (aside from the overly late 1970s decor) that it's not even funny. This unlikely hybrid of Stephen King's bestseller and Stanley Kubrick's horrific sterility made for the ultimate in the cinema of the unnerving. Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrence takes a job as a caretaker in a hotel for the winter so he can focus on his writing. HIs family comes along for the ride, and although it's clear they have inner demons of their own, it's nothing compared to what they encounter at this haunted hotel.

The Shining is Kubrick's overt attempt at a horror story, and it's chock full of unsettling imagery. That trademark "sterility" of Stanley's films really is served well here, and the film features some great steadicam work and long shots of desolation and despair. Nicholson's work here is the source of endless imitation and parody, but that's because it's so damn frightening to see his descent into madness. The effects on his loved ones is also startling, from his son's susceptibility to supernatural forces ("REDRUM!"), to his wife's (Shelley Duvall) becoming unhinged in fear. All in all, it's some intense (and deliberately paced) stuff.

The Haunting, based on the novel The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, is a very stylish classic film directed by the great and versatile Robert Wise (West Side Story, The Sound of Music, The Day The Earth Stood Still). Here, a doctor investigates a notorious house with a dark past. Assisting him is a skeptic young man, a mysterious clairvoyant, and a sensitive psychic. Before long, all discover that they are in waaaaay over their heads. Full of terror and boasting a clever array of lens trickery to enhance the disorientation of the paranormal, The Haunting stands a darker and more intellectual horror movie.

Alas, this creepy movie spawned a truly horrible remake in 1999, directed by Jan DeBont (Speed, Twister) and starring Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lili Taylor, and Owen Wilson (before anyone but Bottle Rocket fans knew who he was). True story: I saw the original with a friend of mine about ten years ago, and they dismissed it as boring (!!). Furthermore, they went on to say that the remake was much better (!!!).

Yeesh. If you need CGI effects as the basis of your scares, then you probably don't have a scary movie on your hands. If Jan DeBont is the director, don't expect a tiny shred of subtlety. A big budget remake does not assure that bigger will be better. No small coincidence, I am no longer friends with this person who preferred the remake.

Sigh. That remake only proves that they don't just even try to make 'em like this anymore. I wish modern audiences had better sensibilities so that Hollywood could stop churning out the crap. There's really no need for the senseless and purely visceral gore fests of today for experiences in fear. Sometimes all you need for a good scare is a cold and dark theater, where imagination can take over... and your heart can pound about the things that go bump in the night.

Showtimes for the films:

The Shining
Tuesday, Aug 2nd
7:00
Wednesday, Aug 3rd
9:10

The Haunting
Tuesday, Aug 2nd
9:40

Wednesday, Aug 3rd

7:00

Final Notes about the screening

Come drink Red Rum and hear Paramount ghost stories from stage before the screening of The Shining!

Double Features:
"When two movies are grouped together under the same thematic heading, one ticket is good for both features when viewed back-to-back on the same day." (cha-ching!)

Parking:
"Hassle-free downtown parking available for $6 at the One American Center for all summer films! Since you’re also supporting the theatre when you buy parking, they're giving you a free small soda each time you park there for a film. Buy online with your film tix and print out your confirmation e-mail or buy directly from the garage attendant (cash only). Attendant will have your soda ticket as well."