Underrated Terrors from Masters of Horror

Undisputed masters of horror George A. Romero, Tobe Hooper and Wes Craven have directed wildly popular horror classics: “Night of the Living Dead,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Nightmare on Elm Street.” But these are not the only gems in these filmmakers’ treasure chests. All three have created other masterpieces, from early in their careers, that have been sadly overlooked by horror fans.
Here are some lesser known but chilling works from the horror triumvirate of Romero, Hooper and Craven. You won’t find any big-name actors or pricey special effects in these early movies. You will discover some truly unnerving films that deserve a second chance and (for some of us) a first look.

George A. Romero’s “Martin” (1977) is a horror film with a twist. You are never certain if the title character is truly the vampire he claims to be, or simply a mentally disturbed killer. What makes it so hard to decide is the way the film subtly blends classic vampire mythology with small touches that suggest Martin might in reality be an all-too-human psychopath. Like a traditional vampire, Martin has a taste for human blood, but in this film he has to resort to razor blades to retrieve it (because he lacks fangs.). Unlike other movie vampires, daylight, garlic, and crosses don’t bother him. So is he or isn’t he? Romero slyly never allows us to definitely answer that question. From its extremely disturbing and bloody opening on a train to its harrowing finale, Romero’s take on the familiar vampire genre is truly unique. Although ”Martin” is definitely worth a look, watching this graphic film right after dinner might not be such a good idea.


Wes Craven’s “The Hills Have Eyes” (1977) is in broad strokes similar to Tobe Hooper’s classic “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” (Both were also remade into inferior films in the last few years) Like “Massacre,” “Hills” features a group of people who are stranded in the middle of nowhere while being stalked by a weird family of psychopaths. Despite its derivative-sounding plot, “Hills” is actually surprisingly innovative and darkly funny. The film takes place in the sweltering hot Arizona desert which gives it a distinctive and other-worldly atmosphere. The ironic comment at the end of the film is that in order to survive one of the protagonists has to become a killer himself. Craven’s intense and gritty film is on par with his later bigger-budget work.

For those who thought the Bloomsburg Fair was scary, prepare to scream even more loudly at the horrors on display in Tobe Hooper’s “The Funhouse” (1981). This delightfully ghoulish film is about the mayhem that occurs when four teenagers decide to sneak into a funhouse after hours. Unfortunately for them, a crazy deformed killer also happens to live in the funhouse. Although the film’s plot is pretty standard stuff, the unique production design is what makes this film special. The funhouse itself, with its array of creepy mechanical puppets, is unsettling and truly creepy. Also surprisingly good is the monstrous make-up design by renowned make-up artist Rick Baker. Add some clever homages to “Psycho” and “Frankenstein” and some off-center supporting performances, and you’ve got an underrated classic.

Perhaps what is most impressive about these three little-seen films is that they are proof that when it comes to horror, less can be more. Much more. All three are examples of how innovative filmmakers can overcome tiny budgets, bare-bones special effects, and a lack of brand-name stars to create unique and powerful films. Finding these forgotten treasures was not easy. I had to sneak into a cemetery after midnight to unearth these forgotten films, as ghouls shrieked, zombies lurked, and werewolves howled at the luminescent moon. Luckily, now that all the hard work has been done, all you have to do is go to your local video store and rent these truly underrated terrors for yourself!

3 Coming of Age Films to Check Out

Wondering which movie to rent this coming weekend? Tired of the same old, same old? Well, as a service to the Bloomsburg community, I’ve scanned my vast vault of DVDs to uncover several sadly overlooked films that share a common theme: the trials and tribulations of young people who are coming of age. No, we’re not talking about Porky’s or American Pie here; we’re talking instead about three films that treat the coming of age theme from refreshingly intelligent, offbeat perspectives.
The topic of the alienated and confused young adult has been a cinema staple for years – from James Deans’ iconic performance in Rebel Without a Cause (1955) to Dustin Hoffman’s generation-defining The Graduate (1967), to this year’s dark horse hit, The Garden State. There have been several fine recent films in this genre, however, that did not make much of a splash at the box office, but which are definitely worth a look. In the three films I’ve chosen you’ll find emotionally satisfying, complex stories about the hardships of being a young adult and how the central characters learn to accept themselves for who they really are.

The first film is Ghost World (2001) which is probably one of the best movies ever adapted from a comic book. Ghost World tells the story of Enid, a confused 18 year old, who has just graduated from high school. Enid doesn’t know what to do with her life and spends most of her time making fun of and mentally torturing people with her best friend Rebecca (Scarlett Johansen). When they zero in on a 40ish oddball loner, Seymour (Steve Buscemi), looking for Miss Right, their friendship begins to dissolve as Enid grows to like and become friends with Seymour. At times funny, sad, and tragic, Ghost World is a great little movie which features a fine lead performance by Thora Birch as the sarcastic Enid who hates the “commercialized, synthetic” world around her (hence the title). Unique character actor Steve Buscemi is also perfect as the music obsessed loner who takes a liking to Enid. From its hilarious beginning to its ambiguous end, Ghost World is a movie which shows what real friendship is all about and wonderfully captures the confusion and aimlessness that many teenagers feel after graduating high school.
The next movie also deals with the friendship between a young and old person. In R

Rushmore (1998), Jason Schwartzman plays Max Fischer, a sophomore at the prestigious prep school Rushmore Academy. While Max is involved in every extracurricular activity imaginable (including the play director and bee hive keeper), his grades have been terrible and so he is expelled from the school. It isn’t long before Max and his unlikely steel tycoon friend, Mr. Blume (Bill Murray) both fall in love with Miss Cross (Olivia Williams), the first grade teacher at Rushmore whom he helps out after school. The rest of the movie concerns Max and Blume trying to get the attention and love of Miss Cross. While Max and Blume look very different on the outside, they are both basically little boys on the inside. Schwartzman is perfect as the smart and cunning Max and Murray gives his best performance as the self-loathing Mr. Blume who likes Max more than his own sons. For those who enjoy smart and well-written comedies that don’t have to resort to bathroom humor to get laughs out of the audience, Rushmore will definitely fit the bill.

The last movie on my list is the least realistic of the three. In fact, if you look for it in a video store this film will probably be filed away in the science fiction section. It’s Donnie Darko (2001), a one of a kind movie and a very promising debut for young writer-director Richard Kelly. The movie takes place during October 1988 and is told from the POV of Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal), a disturbed high schooler who one night wakes up to find a “reptilian bunny” (no, I’m not kidding) tell him that the world will end in a month. When Donnie wakes up, he finds that during the night a plane has crashed into his house. I won’t reveal any more of the plot but it does involve time travel and leads up to a truly surprising and thought provoking ending. Jake Gyllenhaal gives a creepy performance as the disturbed young man who communicates with giant bunnies. Drew Barrymore, as a hip new teacher and Patrick Swayze, as a smarmy self help guru also stand out in the uniformly excellent cast. For those who enjoy mind-expanding and genre-bending movies, you’ll probably love Donnie Darko!

Well, I hope I’ve persuaded you to check out some of these films: they’re all available on DVD. So the next time you’re looking for a good flicks at the video store, pass by the latest dumb teen comedy and instead check out one of these thought-provoking coming of age movies.

The Real Master of Thespians

Hey everyone..while this deals with media overall, rather than specifically movies, I thought it worthwhile to post it here...these are two videos I did as a presentation about media effects for my mass media class. Although the'yre pretty goofy, I think they're pretty entertaning, especially the "War of the Worlds" one where I go nuts...By the way, I'm the bearded one who can't act to save his life. Enjoy...