Day 315: The Amityville Horror

The Amityville Horror

Home is where the horror is

The haunted house, as a means of delivering horror, goes far beyond film. Stories have been passed down through the generations, speaking of evil spirits and unholy things that dwell within our own homes. We've all been alone in a house and felt a creeping uneasiness. We know full well that no one else is home, but are sure that there is something “else” with us. Creaking floors, settling foundations, doors that never stay closed; while these may have simple explanations, the mind runs wild with fear and anticipation. It's this real-life fear that allows the haunted house story to still strike fear into the hearts of an eager audience.

The Amityville Horror is a 1979 horror film based on the the book of the same name written by Jay Anson. The story is said to be based on real-life paranormal events witnessed by the Lutz family. The movie stars James Brolin (The Car, The Cape Town Affair) as George Lutz and Margot Kidder (Superman, Black Christmas) as his wife Kathy. An unknown assailant murders an entire family without a motive in a house in Amityville, New York. Years later, George and Kathy Lutz purchase the house and move in with Kathy's three children. While George is not religious, Kathy asks Father Delaney (Rod Steiger, On The Waterfront, Oklahoma!) to bless their new house. He experiences trouble while trying to do his blessings, including trouble breathing, a door inexplicably shutting and being surrounded by flies, despite being out of season. He hears a disembodied voice yell “Get out!” and overcome with sickness, Father Delaney flees. As the days go by, George starts to change, becoming more sullen and aggressive. He ignores his work and the family finances, causing Kathy to become afraid. Her daughter Amy also begins to act strangely, saying she has a new invisible friend named Jody. When Kathy's sister, a nun, comes to visit, she immediately becomes sick in the house and leaves. When one of Kathy's boys has a window randomly shut on his hand, it becomes apparent that a malevolent force is present in the house. Father Delaney tries to use faith and prayer to rid the house of evil, but it follows him even to the church, eventually taking his eyesight. Research reveals that the house was built on a tribal burial ground and was once home to a devil worshiper. Will George be able to free himself from the grip of the house before it's too late?

"Oh, Choppy. You're the only one who gets me."

This was the first time I had watched The Amityville Horror and thanks to pop-culture references and spoofs, I had high expectations. The house in which the story is based on was actually for sale not too long ago, so that probably increased my desire to see the film. Sadly, I cam away very disappointed. When it was first released, the movie performed very well at the box office, earning more than $80 million. Perhaps my expectations were too high or maybe I've just seen too many horror movies, but I felt that the movie came off as middling and tedious. The story itself is interesting on the surface and the general mystery of what is going on with the house kept me interested. The payoff is rather weak, made all the more worse with an extra-long run time. The movie does go the religious route similar to The Exorcist, but it feels like they didn't know where to go with it. All the focus on Father Delaney could have been cut from the movie without any damage to the story itself. The is some excitement and action in the movie, but the blood and gore is pretty tame, even by 1970's standards.

It's not all terrible, though. There are some very good, recognizable scenes in the movie, such as George climbing the stairs with an axe, the walls bleeding, and Father Delaney being surrounded by flies. The music is also very good, receiving an Academy Award nomination for composer Lalo Schifirin. James Brolin is good in his role that requires a wide range of emotion. He is able to pull off both a loving husband and a deranged maniac convincingly. Margot Kidder is alright, but overacts in certain scenes. The same could be said for some supporting roles as well. The direction is good thanks to some creative angles and letting scenes run their course. The editing was a little bit off, at least to me, as certain scenes felt like they came out of nowhere. 

The flies love Father Shitface

I expected a lot out of The Amityville Horror, but it didn't meet my expectations. The film is slow most of the time, but there are a few good scares and jolts. The music is good and there are some fun, iconic scenes. The movie is a little too long and the acting could have been better. The mystery is enough to keep the movie going, but the ending was not very satisfying. By today's standards, the movie lacks the necessary violence and blood to be truly thrilling. It's fun to know that there is an actual house where the movie was based on, even though the movie was actually filmed in Toms River, New Jersey. While The Amityville Horror isn't great by any means, it still has it's moments and is a good starter movie for people who do not like horror.

5.5/10

Day 239: The Sentinel

The Sentinel

Originally titled "The Bumblebee"

Religion and horror go together like peanut butter and jelly. They serve as the perfect foil for one another, the holy and the unclean. Why there are some horror movies that touch on other religions, the main one used in most horror is Christianity/Catholicism. In exorcism movies, there is always need for a priest or holy man. In vampire movies, a cross is frequently used to ward off the creatures of the night. There are even holiday-themed horror movies based around Christian holidays such as Black Christmas and Silent Night, Deadly Night. A cursory search of Christianity in horror movies brings up a slew of websites asking if it is OK for Christians to watch horror movies. Many of these movies could be interpreted as anti-Christian while some may see the same movie as pro-Christian. Regardless of what you believe in, the imagery used in these movies is very powerful and can help a horror movie gain a sense of importance for people.

The Sentinel is a 1977horror movie starring Cristina Raines (Nightmares, Sunshine) as fashion model Alison Parker. Alison learns that her father has become ill and dies shortly after. As a young child, she witnessed her father having a bizarre sexual encounter with other women and tried to take her life. Despite living with her boyfriend, Michael Lerman (Chris Sarandon, Child's Play, Bordello of Blood), Alison is determined to find her own place to live. Her search leads her to a brownstone house in Brooklyn, New York. The top floor is inhabited by a blind priest named Father Halloran (John Carradine, The Ten Commandments, The Grapes of Wrath) who just sits at the window, staring into space. She meets other neighbors, such as the eccentric Charles Chazen (Burgess Meredith, Rocky, Magic) and a lesbian couple that makes her incredibly uncomfortable. Alison begins to have bouts of passing out and other medical conditions while living at the apartment. She beings to hear footsteps and strange noises in the apartment above her. When she speaks to the realtor, Alison learns that the house is only occupied by the priest and herself. She visits a local church, where she meets a priest who gives her guidance and tells her to reaccept Christ in her life. The priest is in fact part of a secret order of Catholic priests who actually own the building she lives in. Michael begins to investigate and uncovers a conspiracy wherein every religious figure that lived in the house went through most of their life as another person and had attempted suicide. He also finds a file with Alison's information, stating that Father Halloran will die and Alison is to take his place tomorrow. It is revealed that the building is the gateway to Hell and Alison is to be the guardian, keeping the demons from escaping. The people she believed to be neighbors were in fact devils and they are trying to keep her from becoming the next guardian. Will Alison succumb to the will of Hell or become the next sentinel?

Jesus! Where?

The majority of The Sentinel is a mystery movie with only the last 15 minutes being true horror. The mystery is just enough to keep the audience interested because we want to know just what the hell is happening. It would have been nice to have more action as there isn't much to go on. The movie does a good job of teasing out the answer with Alison's condition worsening and including references to the secret society throughout. The movie does slow down though when the focus shifts from Alison to Michael. There is a subplot with Michael and two detectives who are chasing after him due to the mysterious death of his first wife. Nothing ever really comes of it and it just serves to take away the focus from Alison which is far more interesting than anything going on with Michael. The only good part about it is that one of the detectives is a young Christopher Walken. When the movie finally goes into full horror-mode, it goes all the way. The apartment fills with hideous demons and deformed monsters pursuing Alison while Charles Chazen tries to convince her to commit suicide. The use of actual disfigured people and circus performers add authenticity to the movie, though it did create some controversy when the movie was originally released. Regardless, their looks and the general atmosphere are particularly scary and unsettling.

As far as Catholic-based horror movies go, The Sentinel is light on scripture but heavy on imagery. Since I am not a Catholic, this doesn't really mean much to me and it occasionally became annoying to sit through. The cast has an impressive list of movies under it's respective belt. Burgess Meredith is great as the eccentric and almost whimsical Charles Chazen, but he really shines as the evil Chazen. Cristina Raines is a little flat through the film and I would have liked more emotion from her. Same could be said for Chris Sarandon especially when the movie focuses on him. There are a few bit roles for actors that are now better known such as the aforementioned Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, and Tom Berenger. The direction is good, though very much entrenched in the aesthetics of 70's film-making with musical flourishes in-between scenes that no longer exists in modern films.

Just another night in Philadelphia

The Sentinel has an intriguing mystery for a rather plain story, but the final act is highly entertaining and legitimately unsettling. While the mystery is solid, I could have used a little more foreshadowing as the revelation that the building holds the gates of Hell seems to come out of nowhere. I also would have liked a little more horror in the movie, especially when the police subplot threatens to derail the entire movie. The movie tries to makeup with the lack of horror by cramming in 15 minutes of it at the end. It's a great 15 minutes as the “devils” look very scary and Burgess Meredith creates a terrifying atmosphere. The Sentinel has some very good moments and while it's not amazing, it is still an interesting watch.

6.5/10

Day 129: 5ive Girls

5ive Girls

I'd rather be at Five Guys

Ron Perlman is pretty awesome. He's been an actor on the big and small for many years and has lent his voice to the popular cartoon, Teen Titans. Heck, anyone that can play the weird 80's Beast from Beauty and the Beast show and still have a career should be praised anyway. His run as main character from the Hellboy franchise is probably one of his most popular roles, but he's also starred in a few horror movies as well. He's been in I Sell The Dead, Mutant Chronicles, and Alien Resurrection just to name a few. While the quality of his horror movies range from good to not so good, Ron Perlman has always been a a bright spot. Can the same be said for the movie with a number in it's name instead of a letter? Would Ron Perlman be able to make a possession movie be exciting?

5ive Girls is a 2006 Canadian horror movie starring Ron Perlman (Enemy At The Gates, Hellboy) as Father Drake and Jennifer Miller (Lucky Number Slevin, American Pie: The Naked Mile) as Alex, a young woman with psychic powers. Five years ago, a student at the Catholic school St. Mark's named Elizabeth was attacked by a demonic force. Father Drake rushed to save her, but was powerless to stop the demon, and Elizabeth vanished without a trace. Cut to the present day, St. Mark's has just reopened as a sort of reform school for five troubled girls. Under the strict rule of Headmistress Pearce (Amy LaLonde), Alex and the four other girls are subjected to harsh punishments. Alex begins to have visions of Elizabeth roaming the halls and reveals this to the other girls. It turns out they all have supernatural powers and abilities, Connie is a conduit, Mara can heal, Leah can pass through objects, and Cecilia has ESP. It turns out that Miss Pearce has actually brought the girls together in an effort to conduct a satanic ritual that will bring Elizabeth back. Each girl is possessed and murdered by the demon Legion of New Testament fame, bringing Miss Pearce closer to bringing back Elizabeth, who turns out to be her sister. With Father Drake dead, will Alex and Mara be able to stop Legion and Miss Pearce?

Shalom!

I posted a question earlier asking if Ron Perlman could make a generic movie great. To answer that question in one word, “No.” In two words, “Hell no.” In three, “Hell fucking no!” That's not to say Perlman doesn't put in a good performance, because he does, it's just not enough to pull the movie out of the depths of cliché hell. I do think it's funny though that a nice Jewish boy like Ron has played a priest in more than one movie.  All the usual religious/satanic symbols and symbolism are present; the pentagrams, the “demonic” voice, the blood, the crosses. Even if you haven't watched many of these movies, you'll feel like you've seen it all before and will be endlessly bored. With these movies, there is the possibility where you may actually learn something. As a non-Christian/Catholic, I was not particularly familiar with who or what Legion is. They gave a quick description, certainly not enough to really explain the whole backstory and just why the hell he made Elizabeth disappear and why he's back now.

Beyond the weak story, the problems lie within the acting and the special effects. The acting ranges from passable to cringe-worthy. The direction is off in some places, with angsty rock music being played in scenes that don't really need it. It doesn't help that they are given some truly terrible dialogue that sounds like it came from a bad CW teen soap drama. Some jokes and witty banter are tossed in and it just kills the flow of the movie. The special effects are pretty bad and really hurt the overall horror. There are some action scenes, but the overall feel of Catholic school girls running around comes off more like a soft core adult film.

Those effects are "special" alright

5ive Girls (not to be confused with the instrumental metal band or the boy band 5ive) is a typical religion vs. Satan story that has nothing going for it beyond Ron Perlman. I may not have watched the movie if he wasn't starring in it. He does a fine job, but he gets zero help from his supporting cast. The story is painfully cliched, the acting is poor, and the effects are unfortunate. By the end, I didn't care if the characters lived, died, or mushrooms grew out of their asses. Wait, that last one might have at least been interesting. Overall, 5ive Girls will give you the sense of deja vu from a movie you already hate.

3/10