Welcome to My Nightmare: Review of A Nightmare on Elm Street

Classic from the Vault: Halloween Edition

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Director: Wes Craven

By Alex Watson

“One, two, Freddy’s coming for you… Three, Four, better lock your door!” The moment we hear those eerily spoken words our fist clench and our body tenses up! Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street has inspired one of the truly great horror characters in disfigured knife wielding manic, Freddy Kruger because he is the kind of thing nightmares are made of! Craven’s ability to scare us is beyond doubt; both Scream and The Hills have Eyes have become slasher favourites! But Elm Street still remains his finest hour and dreams after this were the never same again!

In the town of Springwood, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) and her friends are experiencing horrific nightmares about a crazed maniac who has a glove of knives. At first they dismiss these dreams as just dreams but after her friend Tina (Amanda Wyss) is horrifically murdered, Nancy realizes that they must stay awake in order to stay alive, but also they must delve into the legend of Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) before it is all too late!

Even though it has been parodied to death in the modern day, A Nightmare on Elm Street is still just as terrifying today and it was years ago. All the way through whenever someone falls asleep we know that something terrible is due. The scariest element is that in the dream world the teens are stuck in Freddy’s domain! And in that place there is no escape because Freddy is able to manipulate his surroundings to his advantage! In other words, if you die in dreamland, you die in the real world!

The images that we are left with are some the most iconic and frightening of horror movies, including the scene where Glenn (Johnny Deep in early role) is innocently asleep in his bed- then suddenly two arms reach out from under him and pull him down, cue mass blood splatter that even Dexter would be proud to analyse! The most terrifying of all is watching poor Tina’s demise as her boyfriend sees knife marks magically appear on her body and then an invisible force throws her about the room! The fact that no one can do anything to help makes this all the more shocking!

But it’s the man himself Freddy that provides the real scares in A Nightmare on Elm Street, clad in his torn red and green striped top with his hat and glove of razor sharp knives- Craven has given a truly frightening villain who literally cannot be killed! Although he lurks mainly in the shadows, his menace surrounds the movie and ensures that sleepless nights will lie ahead after this! Although the later Elm Street films have proved patchy affairs, Freddy’s presence has yet to fade on screen and this to Craven credit for this!

Robert Englund brings Kruger to life through an impressively creepy performance, although behind heavy prosthetics for his role, Englund still conjures up a threat that is everlasting and has ensured that he has remained a favourite with horror fans ever since. Heather Langenkamp is equally impressive as Nancy, this is because she decides to go against the ‘typical scream queen’ formula and is instead resourceful against Freddy and his reign of doom, and in the end it is her strength that will see her through.

Johnny Depp also makes an early impression as Glenn, even though his screen time is limited. In his short time he also gets to star in one of horrors best loved death scenes! Seems if he comes across Freddy in a dream, he owes him a glass of blood stained beer.

Dated it may be now, A Nightmare on Elm Street is one the most original and genuinely startling horror movies of all time which has a villain for the ages. Although Wes Craven’s most recent efforts haven’t been the same quality scare wise, he will always be loved by the horror community for bring us Freddy! Sleeps well after watching this because remember “One… Two, Freddy’s coming for you!!”

I Remember Nothing: Review of Memento

Classic from the Vault

Memento (2000)

Director: Christopher Nolan

By Alex Watson

Christopher Nolan is a director that has yet to make a bad film. His previous efforts have brought some of the most original and thought provoking films of the last ten years. He has shown us Al Pacino battling endless daylight in search of a killer in Insomnia, had Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as rival magicians in The Prestige and more recently made our minds spin like a top in Inception! And lest we forget- Nolan has given us the most memorable Batman series that ever graced the screen. With the impending release of The Dark Knight Rises, it felt right to re-visit where it all began. Nolan’s talent for story was obvious when he gave us the backwards tale of a man with a broken mind in the brilliant Memento.

Former insurance investigator Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) has short term memory loss and as a result of his condition he cannot make new memories. His only lasting memory is the brutal rape and murder of his wife. Since then he has hunted for her killer, but as he cannot remember clues he only a loads of polaroids and tattoos on his body to remind him of the clues. Through the gaps in his memory he will come into contact with sympathetic widower Natalie (Carrie- Anne Moss) and friendly Policeman Teddy (Joe Pantoliano), but are they all that they seem? And more importantly why does he know them?

Christopher Nolan’s clever toying of the story is the most memorable feature of Memento, as it fits in with Leonard’s fractured state of mind. Rather than giving a linear storyline the film is played out in reverse, this effect grips us immediately as the climax is revealed first. Here we witness Shelby shoot Teddy dead because he believes he has finally found his wife’s killer- but as we rewind the movie scene for scene, it reveals a far more shocking truth!

The careful overlapping of scenes gives as many clues as it does questions and like Leonard we are thrown to into mix, completely unaware of the situation. As our perception is continually messed with, we learn in each scene to throw out every assumption we may have and let Leonard find his bearings- no matter how chest tightening it gets!

But its the positing of Leonard as an un-reliable narrator that keep us hooked. Initially we are sympathetic to his cause, but as we venture further we begin to realize that everything he owns from his clothes to his Jaguar are dubious. At the films second climax (the beginning) Nolan brings things full circle and as the credits roll, you will simply sit and digest all that has just happened.

Guy Pearce does a magnificent job of holding the film together; the continuous blank confusion on his face perfectly complements the confusion of Leonard. Here we have a man whose mind in a haze and doesn’t know who he can trust. It is strange that Pearce hasn’t since had a leading role because his presence is felt throughout this. Hollywood wake up! Because we have an actor here who is good enough to anchor any film. Carrie-Anne Moss gives top support as Natalie, all the way through we are unsure of her intentions and at times we wonder if she is simply messing with his head! Joe Pantoliano is likewise excellent as the frustrated Teddy- his friendship always in question. From the very beginning when Leonard paints the wall with his skull- you wonder what drove him to it!

Memento is an excellent film for so many reasons, firstly it gave us one of the most original and mind bending tales of years gone by. Secondly we are giving a stunning central turn and finally- it gave world Christopher Nolan! His promise since then has been duly delivered and today he is the director in demand. For a truly though provoking experience then please re-visit this film, but be careful though because as the films tagline suggests- ‘Some Memories are Best Forgotten’.

Crime and Punishment: Review of Into The Abyss

Into The Abyss

Director: Werner Herzog

By Alex Watson

When going to see a Werner Herzog film the audience should be prepared for anything. Over the last three decades the German director has not only baffled us with his films such as Heart of Glass and Stroszek, but also shocked us with tales of on-set tension in Fitzcarraldo and threats of death whilst making Aguirre: the Wrath of God (both starring Klaus Kinski) to finally tugging at our heart strings with his documentary Grizzly Man. Herzog is one of the more unique directors in the world today and he is never afraid to tackle a subject, no matter how controversial. In his new film he returns to documentary and poses some difficult questions on the subject of death and accuracy of the legal system in new film, Into the Abyss.

Into the Abyss shows Herzog travelling to Conroe, Texas to examine a triple homicide that occurred in 2001 when young men Michael Perry and Jason Burkett were convicted for brutally murdered a 50 year old woman and two young men in order to steal a car! In this film Herzog speaks to people on both sides of the event, from the families of the deceased, to the men inside the system that not only convicted them but eventually kill one of them, to finally the killers themselves. But all the while asking the big question, why do people kill and why does the law feel compelled to do the same thing?

Herzog’s film stays away from the usual shock doc clique’s and delivers us a haunting depiction of people who have paid a terrible price with their lives at the cost of murder.  As we meet the men for the first they come across as almost likeable. In Herzog’s conversations with Michael Perry (who was executed in July 2010), we see a man who is more or less still a boy. But in a few short days after his interview his life will be terminated.

Another surprising element is the absence of Herzog from the screen. In his previous efforts we have always seen him interact with the camera and at times seen the effect the subject has on himself. For instance in Grizzly Man when the viewer saw first-hand how disturbed the man was when he listened to the tape of Timothy Treadwell’s death. But with Into the Abyss, Herzog takes a back seat to proceedings and lets the images speak of themselves.

Into the Abyss treads a fine line and Herzog’s never portrays the men as neither guilty nor innocent.  He leaves the big questions to the audience themselves and here we ask ourselves what any man’s breaking point can be?

All the way through there is a haunting feeling hovering over the film.  As we see the killers sat behind the glass in jail we see men who have been stripped of a life before it has really begun. In one interview, Herzog speaks to Burkett’s father who has spent a life incarcerated. Here he reveals that he gave a testimony at his son’s murder trial and in doing so might have spared his son from Death Row.   His life behind bars has alienated him from the world and as a result, he has never truly known his family. So this one gesture meant so much to the man and through his tears we see his regrets in life.

The most fascinating element of the Into the Abyss is Herzog’s interactions with the men within the system itself. This segment will leave the audience with a heavy heart as we see men who are troubled by the ghosts of dead inmates and in some ways are struggling to cope.

A prominent example of the emotional struggle faced is when Herzog interviews a former captain of a Death House (the last place a convict spends before being executed). The man talks of a female prisoner who simply thanked him for his kindness. After this he experienced a minor break down and was unable to do this job anymore. The Death House graveyard shows us grave stones with contain no names, just numbers. We are shown that some prisoners upon death are just statistic of the state rather than people.

Into the Abyss is one of the more powerful messages of the year because it asks intelligent questions on the accuracy of the capital punishment system and if taking a life for a life is really the answer we seek. Herzog is a great director and although this might not hits the emotional height of Grizzly Man, it’s certainly another interesting and ghostly picture.

Ultra-Violence in Japan: Review of Audition

Classic from the Vault

Audition (1999)

Director: Takashi Miike

By Alex Watson

Japanese Director Takashi Miike’s films are to put it mildly-an acquired taste! His films range from very gory, bizarre to sometimes family friendly. In his previous efforts such as the brutally violent Ichi the Killer and the strange family film Visitor Q, we have seen perhaps the most controversial artist of years gone by. Opinion has been divided over his work, particularly his use of sexual perversion and extreme violence. Audiences were firmly spilt with his 1999 film Audition, which was adapted from the novel by Ryu Murakami. In this film we were given some of the most shocking imagery in both Asian cinema and the very history of cinema itself!

Audition features a lonely widower of seven years, Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) who is currently raising his teenage son single handed whilst running a successful TV production company. To help him find love a friend and colleague suggests he hold a mock audition to find the perfect girl. Aoyama is reluctantly to go along but is eventually persuaded. While there he finds himself enchanted by the shy Asami Yamaza (Eihi Shiina). His friend expresses concern when her resume doesn’t check out and some suspicious events are reported. Aoyama however, is infatuated and proceeded to approach her! Very soon he discovers there is a dark side Asami which will soon leave him fighting for his life!

Upon release Audition caused a major stir and in various film festivals walk outs were common. At the 2000 Rotterdam Film Festival one viewer was so incensed she screamed ‘YOU’RE EVIL’ into the face of Miike. The reaction was unsurprising as the imagery in the film is at times difficult to swallow. But in the face of all its adversities we have a fantastic psychological horror film. The tension builds slowly and it sets up Aoyama as a pleasant and loving man who is looking another woman in his life. At first we assume this is will be a love story and when we first meet Asami she seems innocent and very likable as a person. But then we switch to a scene which shows her sitting quietly in an empty apartment with only a sack and telephone. When the phone rings, the sack begins to move a make gurgling noises. From here the audience begins to feel a sense of un-ease!

The second half is where Miike’s psychological mind play comes into effect, we know that there is something dreadfully wrong with Asami and we pray for Aoyama to discover before it is too late. But we know that the road he taken will lead to disaster. Little by little our hero goes deeper into the underworld and the further he goes the more terrified we grow. The imagery in the latter half is disturbingly memorable! In particular the scene where Asami carries out her delicate and near sexual torture of Aoyama! Dressed in a black apron and slender black gloves she carries out a horrifying deed as she saws off his foot with a wire saw! While doing this she displays a scary girlish glee! Whatever charm was previously is thrown out the window and we see our worse fear come to light! This links to Miike use of violent and perversion because she seems to get a thrill of gently making Aoyama suffer! As the credits roll you sit in a stunned silence and contemplate if this whole event was all a bad dream.

Eihi Shiina gives us one of the most terrifying performances of years gone by. Asami isn’t any typical boil bunny girlfriend and instead she is very soft spoken and seemingly gentle. It is these qualities about her that make it all the more shocking when her dark side emerges and through her piercing eyes we never forget her presence! Ryo Ishibashi charms us with his portrayal of Aoyama, his eyes dazzle at the sight of his conquest but gradually his smitten looks turn to pure terror as things progress. Through Ishibashi’s great everyman performance we see a nice man who is gradually being scarred for life!

Audition is an audacious film by one of Asia’s most daring directors, never once does Miike’s style flinch while any of the mind boggling image are on screen. He always shows us the whole event, no matter how vicious it may be. It is this fact that has set him apart for other men in his field. Audition is worth a look and will leave you think for days after. But be warned it might make you think twice about dating strange woman in future.

The Double Sided Mirror: Martha Marcy May Marlene Review

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Director: Sean Durkin

By Alex Watson

Every year around festival time, there comes an independent film that captures everyone’s attention. In these films there are no fancy effects or big names, just raw and efficient story telling. They are pieces that make us sit and pay attention, and have actors that make the story feel more genuine. This year’s festival darling is debut director, Sean Durkin’s complex directorial debut, Martha Marcy May Marlene.

The story begins with Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) fleeing from the abusive cult she has joined in Catskills, New York. The cult is led by the caring but possessive Patrick (John Harkes). She makes a frantic phone call to her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) who takes her to the luxurious lake side apartment she shares with her husband Ted (Hugh Dancy). Martha has been missing for two years, and is reluctant to reveal who happened in her absence. Inside she is traumatised young woman! As the film progresses her paranoia increases and she comes to believe that Patrick’s cult are watching her every move!

Martha Marcy May Marlene has a very rough edge to it, and a lot of what happens will seem very ambiguous. But those who stay with this film will be rewarded with one of the boldest pieces of American cinema this year. The story is split between two worlds, we focus initially on the scenes of Martha re-entering society. These scenes have heavy fracture to them, almost as if Martha is reawakening from a coma and the disorientation that comes with it.  It is here where the movie forms a claustrophobic edge. Martha’s behaviour grows more bizarre, she goes skinny dipping and at one point she climbs into bed with her sister when she is in the middle of sex with her husband! She fails to comprehend how this behaviour isn’t normal. It seems like the ghost of the past are trapped inside her.

Then we back date to her time in the commune, this part of the story is slowly brought to light by Durkin. It is this area where the film feels strongest; there is an ethereal like quality and we are pulled into a world where nothing seems quite real!  What starts as innocent free love, turns into something very un-pleasant. Through these cracks we see the influence of cult leader Patrick, who re-christens Martha, ‘Marcy May’. Patrick’s followers are truly slaves to his will and it seems they do anything to please him, even if it means murders of innocents! With his poetic philosophic sayings and his soulful singing, at first he appears like a cult Bruce Springsteen. But when his cold, calculating side appears, his control over Martha intensifies.

Elizabeth Olsen takes centre stage in this film; Martha could have been a very un-likeable and cold character in the wrong hands. But through the haunted look in her eyes, Olsen holds the screen throughout and we are drawn to Martha’s battle against her confusion and increasing anxiety! The younger sister of the Olsen twins, it seems Elizabeth has made her mark on the film world! John Harkes’ performance is also of a high quality. We’ve seen him play this kind of aloof character previously in Winter’s Bone. But here his character rings remarkably true, Patrick feels like a soft spoken prophet whose ideals enchant his young disciples. Sarah Paulson also gives a strong supporting turn as sister on the edge Lucy.

Director Sean Durkin gives us a fascinating look at a troubled woman and his broken style of direction in Martha Marcy May Marlene shows us he’s a name to watch. His principal strength is that the main events of the movie are left open to interpretation. Are Martha’s paranoid thoughts valid or has not truly escaped Patrick’s control? The end scene of the movie will spilt viewers, some will go away disappointed, while other will leave quietly anxious. But one fact is undisputed, we have a great new independent film and in Elizabeth Olsen, a new indie queen in the making!

The Approaching Curve: Review of The Sweet Hereafter

Classic from the Vault

The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

Director: Atom Egoyan

By Alex Watson

Normally if you asked to name a film by director Atom Egoyan then you would probably give that person a blank stare. The Egyptian/Canadian director is an acclaimed artist who has refreshingly stayed away from the mainstream. Egoyan has an eye for expressing complex human emotions and bringing their feelings across. His previous efforts Exotica and Felicia’s Journey demonstrated such feelings as loss, trauma and individuals seeking comfort. All these themes were expressed in his Canadian gem The Sweet Hereafter.

The Sweet Hereafter tells the story of the small town in Canada which has been affected by a fatal school bus crash that has claimed the lives of nearly all the town’s children. The accident has attracted lawyer Mitchell Stephens (Ian Holm) who has metaphorically lost his daughter Zoe to a heroin addiction and Aids. Mitchell is determined to prove that the crash was anything but an accident and is looking to give the town’s anger a voice. Each of the film’s characters have been affected by the result of the loss of their children, particularly young teenager Nicole (Sarah Polly) who has been paralysed and is traumatised from the loss of her legs, which has ended her music career and ends her ‘special relationship’ with her father.

One of the main themes running through The Sweet Hereafter is trauma. Through Egoyan, we see the town’s pain in full force. Entire families move away, parents turn to alcoholism, while others seeking solace in affairs with others. The trauma of truth is also predominant, families are un-willing to talk about that fateful day and the memories will forever haunt. In particular, Billy Ansel (Bruce Greenwood), who lost his children in the accident. He knows the lawsuit won’t bring him happiness, and he wants to move forward with his life.  Here, he is the voice of reason for the town and the sole opposition to greed.

Throughout the film there is no single voice that the audience is drawn to but several. The Sweet Hereafter moves from narrator to narrator and the story unfolds gradually. By doing this Egoyan prevents the viewer from getting too close to any particular character. The story is told mainly through flashback and it is for the audience to make their own interpretation of events. This effect gives the story a dream like quality and ensures that the audience experiences the full range of emotions in the town, especially the exploitation of greed. Mitchell Stephens, although determined to give their anger a voice, also brings the threat of greediness by promising them a big cash settlement! As the film unfolds greed becomes an important emotion as many of the bereaved parents seek financial compensation, but for what reasons do they turn to it? Are some doing it because they feel that money will quash their anger and solve their problems? Or are they doing it to gain some attention. The repeated telling of The Pied Piper by Nicole emphasises this notion and spells the outcome for the town if they continue!

The performances in The Sweet Hereafter are an unknown quality, Ian Holm gives one of his greatest performances as jaded lawyer Mitchell Stephens. We feel his connection to the case as he has more-or-less lost his own daughter. Holm’s world weariness fits the role perfectly as Stephen’s strive to help everyone involved. Sarah Polley is heart breaking as Nicole, a victim in more ways than one; she has not only lost her entire future and friends. But she is also involved in an incestuous relationship with her father. Through Polley’s engaging presence, we feel the death or her dreams and Nicole’s unwillingness to accept the life that is left for her.  She is the lame child in the Pied Piper, left behind while the others are gone.

It is disappointing that the cinema of Egoyan is largely unknown. His use of emotion is beautifully articulated. In his films Egoyan shows us resolution can be both brutal and beautiful at the same time. The characters here are fully justified in their pain and loss, but what set them apart is that they are willing to sell out their trauma in order gain riches and be in the spotlight.  In The Sweet Hereafter he makes ourselves ask some serious question about how close we hold the traumatic events our lives. If you wish to explore Atom Egoyan, this will make the perfect start!