A quick summary of a spooky urban legend, in honour of the awesome Terrifier (2017).
With clowns being pretty popular at the moment (we all know why) I thought it would be fun to look at a clown-related urban legend. ▪
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Nerd time: Terrifier’s title font screams 1980s exploitation. It delivers on this big time.
Well hellooo there. Everyone, meet Art the Clown. He’s nucking futs.
It’s a dark and dirty Halloween night. On TV a talk show hostess interviews a horribly mutilated girl. Two other girls are out on the streets, dressed in super-slutty costumes for the night, and now walking home in the dark. They drop into a friendly pizzeria to commiserate over their evening. But they’ve caught the attention of a terrifying clown carrying a highly suspicious black rubbish sack, and now those two girls are in his sights. I don’t think he’s playing, ladies. Oh yes, something very, very bad is going to happen this evening…and trust us, this clown makes Michael Myers look like My Little Pony.
Just a perfectly safe walk home on Halloween. Right?
When ‘Art’ the clown begins the hunt it’s not long before there’s blood and body parts all over the place. As our heroines try to escape, his kills get very twisted and extremely nasty. Art is a memorable horror villain, able to make you squirm and laugh and scream simultaneously. He treats everything as a joke, but the joke’s deadly serious. Once he sets his sights on you, you’d best run for it and pray for morning. This is actually really good, with some real tension and engaging characters who are mostly quite sympathetic. I honestly cared what happened to them, despite some paper-thin writing. The film even has the sense to give the background characters some halfway-decent dialogue, which makes them feel a little more alive before they’re added to the body-count. But don’t get too attached to anyone, as you can always trust Art to do the worst thing. And oh man, it gets pretty fucking bad…
Eep.
Terrifier is a short, nasty trip into horror; a bloody, gleeful return to those graphically violent, gonna-get-you-for-no-reason exploitation films from the 1970s and ’80s. This throwback knows its roots and thank goodness, the special effects have come a long way. So be warned. It gets unapologetically gross, and even upsetting to anyone who has a shred of empathy left – even after too many horror films, but the horror genre excels at pushing boundaries. It should sometimes be just about using amazing special effects work to generate a disgusted ‘what did I just see?’ reaction from the bloody-thirsty horror-fan audiences. It’s so over the top it’s kind of…funny? Or is that just this Eyeball’s view? It’s all about perspective, guys.
So watch Terrifier for a front row seat to full-on Grand Guignol, if that’s your thing, because Terrifier knows exactly who it’s aiming this at. Namely, those with strong stomachs. But if you don’t have a strong stomach, then you’d better run for the exits before Art the Clown locks you in with him for the night, and hide before he gets out his rusty, blood-spattered saw…
You can run, but can you hide?
Documentary on Folk Horror and Kill list etc
To tie in with this week’s review of the Wicker Man, this interesting documentary discusses the current resurgence of folk horror in films. These capture the inherent eeriness of the British countryside, exploring our unease about what evil resides in the woods and villages…and if our worst enemies might be the people we live next to.
Folk Horror has evolved over the years, from The Wicker Man in 1973 to Kill List in 2012, but why are we afraid of Folk? What is Folk Horror all about? Inspired by the Folk Horror season at the Barbican (London) this year, I intended to make a quick video looking at Folk Horror but it ended up taking quite some time. It went from being an overview, to being much more about Kill List specifically, but I hope it’s not too much of a mess as a result. It’s my longest video yet, and I was still cutting things out by the editing process! Thanks for watching, I hope you enjoyed this video essay! If you have any thoughts on the ideas in this video, or just your interpretation of the film in general, please leave them down in the comments. 🙂
With references to Blood on Satan’s Claw, Kill List and the Wicker Man of course, this is a very useful overview of films and TV shows that provide that same sense of rural terror.
Note – this is a review of the 84 minute cut – for more information on all the many versions of this film, please check the Wikipedia entry, but of course beware of spoilers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wicker_Man
Cast
The fine and upstanding Sgt Neil Howie (Edward Woodward)
Scotland, 1973. A little girl goes missing, and Sgt Neil Howie, a strictly religious man with a devout belief in the teachings of Jesus, is sent to find her. His search takes him to the idyllic Summer Isle, but the investigation soon becomes very fraught, as he learns that the islanders have long ago rejected the church and have instead reverted to a Pagan lifestyle and ancient superstitions. However, everyone on Summer Isle is incredibly happy, and it does seem like paradise compared to the uptight policeman’s idea of the good life. But it rapidly becomes clear that they’ve had a bad harvest, and the possible fate of the little girl becomes increasingly sinister. However, the real secret hidden on the island is worse than he can possibly have guessed…
For the few that haven’t already heard this or seen The Wicker Man, this non-spoiler section of the review is for you. Try not to learn too much. If you haven’t seen it yet, find a copy as soon as you can. Don’t even look up what the title means. Watch it as soon as humanly possible. Be prepared for joyful nudity, eerie folk songs, leery pub-goers and terrifying pagan rites. This is a very beautiful film, showcasing the sunny Scottish countryside in all its glory (although they filmed in October and November, brrrr), and the print available on NowTV seems to be far better than the version I videoed off the TV in the late 1990s.
So much more naked flame-jumping than I remember…
Given how much happens in beautiful, hi-def daylight, it’s still an incredibly eerie film. Poor Sergeant Howie has no idea what he’s let himself in for, as he self-righteously dismisses the islanders’ beliefs, and cringes at their open displays of nude dancing, shagging in the graveyards, and teaching the school children about the true meaning of the Maypole. To be fair, a lot of the prancing nudes are almost certainly lot prettier than the cast who keep their clothes on. Very odd, that. Anyway, fan service aside, there’s plenty of cunningly rendered. tension between Howie’s rigid religious fervour and the laid-back but troublingly fanatical pagans. The folk songs are a lot bawdier than the sweet melodies might suggest, too. Although send these islanders to Ibiza, or any town centre on a weekend night, and see if the hedonism still shocks them then. If anything, the Wicker man predicted what much of the UK would ultimately turn into…only with much gentler music.
Who’s the real fool?
As a slice of disarmingly gentle horror with a savage bite, I can’t recommend this film highly enough. Another one that rewards patience, I sympathised fully with Howie’s priggish struggles, whilst wishing he would let himself go, just a bit.
But then, in the name of duty, some sacrifices do have to be made…
Can you say…really frickin’ OMINOUS?
OK, everyone here already seen it? Good. Because even when you know what’s about to happen, this film’s payoff is a doozy. The dread leading up to the reveal is luscious. I think it works even if you know what’s coming, because you end up trying to figure out the extent to which the villagers are messing with him, and how their plot somehow comes together to entrap him for their purposes. Much like SPOILER Shutter Island, the whole island has conspired to trap their unwitting visitor within a narrative woven especially to suit him, and while Howie actually IS who he says he is, there’s the same level of deceit and a tragic ending going in this community, which he can never hope to escape from.
Poor, poor Howie – and all the animals, too. Hope it was worth it you pagan-crazies…
Have to wonder, though. Will the villagers actually get away with it? There is a police-issued sea-plane parked right outside their island. Surely someone is going to miss that, if not poor Officer Howie, at some point? Or is he really that unpopular at work? And in some cuts, he apparently has a fiance. Hopefully she’ll raise some questions, right?
I also love that the success of the sacrifice called into doubt, we never know if it even worked (correlation is not causation, folks). Also if the islanders weren’t already thinking of sacrificing Lord Summerisle should the crops fail again, they’re definitely all thinking about it, now…and that’s something, I suppose, for poor Howie – and the viewer – to hold onto as the flames lick higher.
Well she can’t jump the flames in that flimsy thing, she’d go up faster than the Wicker Man…
Christopher Lee as Lord Summerisle. His outfits throughout this film are rather stunning.
To provide some context for the spirit of the times that House of the Devil was set in, here’s a discussion about Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) from a reliable source – the New York Times
A 1980s newsreader discusses the outcry over the ‘evil influence’ of kids role-playing D&D in their parents’ garage…
Moral panics are a recurring theme, and have since moved onto computers games and music videos, and then back again to videogames…kind of. But The outrage over Dungeons and Dragons promoting devil worship is a kind of perfect storm of Satanic Panic and ‘moral majority’ paranoia that seemed so rife in the 1980s.
Some kids undergoing instruction from their Dungeon master…
Samantha deals with her troubles by listening to some kickin’ 1980s rock on her personal Walkman.
Samantha desperately needs to get out of her college halls and away from her gross roommate. When the possibility of that is dangled right in front of her thanks to a kindly Landlady (Dee Wallace), she just needs to make a little more money for the deposit and she’s good to go. When she spots an advert for a well-paid babysitting job, it seems like a golden opportunity. But of course, it’s far too good to be true. Or safe…and what’s with the pizza delivery guy? Will she realise the real plan before it’s all too late? Is it really based on true events?
Well, not really. But it is a great movie. Scary yet demure, House of the Devil is a lot more than a typical slasher. The source of its horror comes from the paranoia of the ‘Satanic panic’ of the 1980s, rather than the typical crazed maniac with a knife. Something is definitely stalking Samantha in the vast house with its ominous locked rooms, and it’s probably connected to the moon eclipse that no one will shut up about – but while the reveal isn’t entirely a surprise, the tension is ratcheted up til it screams. In fact, Ti West directs this simple but deadly story with a masterful level of restraint, and a sneaky sense of humour, letting Jocelin Donahue do the heavy lifting in this skeleton crew of a cast. It’s a masterclass in low-key, hugely atmospheric horror that’s perfect for darkening nights in October.
We get lots of eerie, voyeuristic views of Samantha as she explores this creepy huge house in the middle of nowhere.
With its chilly Autumnal vibe and spot-on music, House of the Devil provides a healthy slice of nostalgic horror for anyone who really enjoys the odd 1980s guilty pleasure. Delivering several of the best ‘oh crap’ moments I think I’ve ever seen in film, with an efficiently brief run time, this is a certified Halloween classic.
And just remember folks, if a job ever seems too good to be true, then it very probably is…
Visions by Seraph Films LLC (2013)
Cast:
Poor Debbie is trapped in her own body, apparently held prisoner by a demon. Her parents are getting desperate at the end of an exorcism. The priest is unimpressed, claiming that drugs are not the answer and that she needs ‘godly counsel’.
But there’s something about the doctor that’s just a little bit…sinister. Perhaps it isn’t the priest who looks like a demon we should be worrying about. Is there something worse than the devil going on? And is Pop Goes the Weasel ever not scary?
A little slower and not such a bamn! Payoff! kind of film, have a wallow in its atmosphere and admire how they cast two very creepy authority figures.
Two brothers living dead-end lives receive a video from a cult they used to belong to, and are persuaded to make a return visit. Only trouble is, they think it’s a death cult. Weirdly, when they finally arrive there, nobody seems to have aged or really changed at all. Is everyone living really well, are they all ghosts, or is something much weirder than your typical cult horror movie about to take place?
Just you’re friendly UFO cult…kind of
The Endless is a brilliant followup to Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s strange and engaging 2012 Resolution (2012). It’s not necessary to have seen Resolution first, but there are several links to the earlier film nestled within Endless, tying up some loose ends, though it delights more in unravelling new threads. With a knack for spreading tiny details that add up to huge realisations, it deals with the infinite but keeps it all relatably at ground level. That’s about the best you can hope for in a film tying together Lovecraftian concepts of vast, unknowable monsters, warped space and time, and strange UFO cults and meth heads living out in the back end of nowhere. There’s an uneasy feeling about the land that the cult inhabits (but they’d prefer not to be called a cult, thank you). There’s practically no jump scares here though. The creepy aspect comes down to pure existential dread, as the truth of their situation is gradually revealed.
Justin and Aaron come face to face with the truth
The real horror hits the viewer alongside the two brothers as they come to understand the terrifying forces at work, but its the focus on this little group of people and their reactions to the insane situation that really make us care. And I cared a lot. The two brothers have a difficult relationship but clearly look out for each other, and this emotional connection, as they struggle to decide what they want out of life, is the crux of the story. If they do decide to leave, will the strange force at work even let them go?
Drive angry….
While it’s not a typical horror, The Endless is every bit a Lovecraftian nightmare. There’s little gore either, but this film rewards a bit of patience, so if you’re ready to question your sanity, and peek at the secrets behind an eternity of time and space, then I’d recommend you dive right in.
In 1997, Danish dance act Aphex Twin made considerable waves with this bleak but memorable horror movie masquerading as a music video.
Borrowing the phrase ‘come to Daddy’ from Hellraiser, it concerns broken childhoods and a new, terrifying god borne from the screams of a dead TV screen.
There’s so much nightmarish about it, the despair of the tower blocks, the hapless grandma and her dog. The old lady’s dog appears to start all the trouble by weeing on the broken TV in the first place. What is it with dog wee resurrecting horror icons? It crawls out and grows really fast, and then screams at this poor old lady for a good minute….
Weird. That’s even without getting into all the kids with the same face of Richard D Jams (Aphex Twin himself). 
They gather round the newly born creature, which has an Aphex Twin face and a Doug Jones/monster from Rec-type body, almost feminine, definitely terrifying.
It sure sounds Satanic, or devilish, and he plays up that look here. An urban pact with the devil, this is a nightmarish video embodying a guttural scream of outrage at our own deranged existence. In 1997, it was still preferable to the Spice Girls….
Cast
The Grahams put a loved one to rest…maybe….
When Annie Graham’s mother dies, you get the sense she won’t be much-missed. It appears that matriarch controlled a vast amount of the family’s daily life, and Annie seems to be building tiny miniatures as a sort of coping mechanism to regain some control (and also to sell as important art pieces). Now that Annie’s mother is dead, her remaining family badly want to reconnect with Annie herself. But is grandma really gone? Her powerful influence still hangs throughout the house, as malevolent as the spirit of the Overlook Hotel, and as sinister – yet humdrum – as the Satanists in Rosemary’s Baby. Just like the Shining, Hereditary operates within a world of almost dreamlike logic and unsettlingly long takes, forcing you to examine every frame for…something that’s not right. Because a deeply sinister threat looms over the household, and the hapless Graham family is soon enveloped by a complete nightmare.
The overused but undoubtedly horrific image of Toni Collette screaming (even made it onto the official Twitter hashtag).
Hereditary wrings great tension just from the crushing pressure of domestic conformity, of things best left unsaid, keeping the peace within claustrophobic walls. It creates a harrowing family drama that just so happens to involve even darker occult secrets. Secrets so dark that even shrinking them down to dollhouse size won’t make them manageable. The characters simply don’t get the luxury of this heightened perspective until it’s far too late. Annie starts to crack under the pressure of horrible dreams and a painful reality, which chops away at everyone’s sanity, though their father desperately tries to keep it all together. Is the family going mad with grief, or is there really a supernatural threat coming for them all?
Peter Graham (ALex Wolff) and his unsettling reflection…
Whatever you were expecting, it might just surprise you, despite the huge amounts of publicity that preceded its theatrical release. It’s worth having patience with its slow steady burn, and it looks terrific. The model miniatures are put to amazing use, disorienting and condensing each new horror, so that even the tiny doll version of the deceased grandmother become huge with dread. For the record, this isn’t a typical haunted house story, but it does suggest no one is quite free of the dead either. There are also slightly ridiculous moments, though those absurdities somewhat offsets the constant pressure of anxiety. Even Polanski seemed to understand the ridiculousness of Satanism, with the often funny, but always dangerous, Devil-worshipping neighbours in Rosemary’s Baby.
So let’s try to forget the enormous weight of the hype heaped upon this poor movie. It’s silly to apply such expectations anyway. There’s no way even a film as good as this could exceed them, and calling this ‘better than the Exorcist’ (yeah join the queue) is never going to endear you to fans of that movie (sorry Mark Kermode). Better to judge it, then, on its own considerable merits. This is a brilliantly creepy film, and the miniatures give each scene an unsettling afterburn, where you’re never totally sure what reality you just saw. Events bleed eloquently from one setting to the next, propelling characters into an ever-deeper nightmare world.
Hereditary neatly weaves the guts of Rosemary’s Baby (with its Cultish backdrop) and The Shining (in gliding, ominous mood) together like a gruesome corn doll. I truly hope viewers will keep an open mind about the film, as it has divided reviewers and filmgoers. It is slower than a lot of modern horror films, but if you approach it with an ‘anything can happen’ perspective, and try to let it all in, I think you’ll have an intense and terrifying experience.
No, it’s not upside-down by accident or anything, this is in the film!
A short note. In a reveal worthy of Lovecraft’s sublime ‘The Thing on the Doorstep’, we learn that their deceased grandmother has been part of a cult determined to raise a powerful demon named Paimon into the body of the next Graham family heir. He prefers a male, though at first poor little Charlie is having to do. Until she’s gruesomely destroyed as part of the ritual, a truly chilling scene. Body stealing is a particularly wicked trope, the ultimate personal violation, and we follow the hapless Peter as he drowns in fear and is a victim of the malice of others. Poor guy never stood a chance. We can assume that he suffered so much in this film precisely to make him a better host, more vulnerable and open to possession. A film that lingers, then. Uneasy and odd, though the final moment is oddly benign…despite the severed heads and naked old people (also a Polanski trait…). Yeah. It’s good. Weird, and good, and we want more of this!
Creepy little Charlie taking in the view
The good
The Bad
The Haunted Eyeball 