I’ve always been under the impression horror is what you make of it. Stories and films relay on our innermost fears and phobias to make an impression with the viewer, hence the art of the scare. I don’t care if you’re badass Kurt Russell or Samuel L. Jackson, everyone has one thing or another that makes them uncomfortable.
Horror films have utilized a wide-range of phobias to attract audiences to give them the “safe” scare adrenaline rush. Sub-genre horror movies with the focus on clowns, kids, psychological warfare are some of the most popular among fanfare. However personally speaking, the use of older folks in horror films as the core of fears is some of the most powerful I’ve seen – and most effective. GERONTOPHOBIA, which means the fear of elders or aging, is actually a fairly common fear amongst the populous. We associate looking at our elders with our own mortality and it can be a hard pill to swallow- so we place a heavy fear on it. As authoritarian as it sounds to place our once care-givers who have aged in years at the center of what we fear most sounds inhuman at best, in horror cinema it works to a degree; and all too well.
I mean, who WOULDN’T be horrified of this?!
The first film I saw as a young girl with an elder in a terrifying role was that of Julian Beck’s portrayal of the malevolent Henry Kane in Poltergiest II. That being said, I’m fairly certain I wasn’t the only one his performance affected in a unfavorable manner. To this very day I get very anxious when an elder comes knocking on my door mostly thanks to his frightening exchange with Craig T. Nielson in front of the Freeling home. Knowing later in my older years, Beck was suffering from pancreatic cancer and basically dying at the time of filming haunts me in waves of periodic guilt trips for being so petrified of the man; who literally giving a dying performance and the one most people remember him by. Whether that was his intention, and I’m sure it was to give it his all, I still can’t help but feel horrible that I myself associated his deathly appearance with such fear; and still kind of do. Little Heather O’ Rourke was so afraid of her on-screen antagonist that she cried and ran away from him on set upon first seeing him. I’m not sure if the mall scene in the movie IS the actual first time she saw him as I can’t confirm it at this time, but knowing that it did indeed happen as stated by crew members, makes this scene all the more believable.
That had to have stung.
Four years later came a more prominent display of gerontophobia in film in the form of William Peter Blatty’s TRUE sequel to The Exorcist, The Exorcist IIIbased off Blatty’s PHENOMINAL novel Legion. Most of the story is set in the gloomy atmosphere of a hospital, particularly in the disturbed wards and of those suffering from dementia and catatonics. The demon this time around, James Venamun, ‘The Gemini Killer” has possessed a once-thought deceased Damian Karras and is tormenting both the fallen priest and old friend Kinderman (George C. Scott) as a revenge tactic on behalf of “friends” for the McNeill incident 15 years prior. If that couldn’t get any more fucked up, the Gemini hops from body to body in the wards possessing the older dementia victims and feeble-minded to carry out murderous acts; hammering home how vulnerable and horrifying it can be to age. Because now we have to worry about getting possessed by demons to boot.
Fantastic.
A more recent film by Adam Robitel, The Taking of Deborah Logan works on the same concept as The Exorcist III except the entire film is focused on this matter and not just an excerpt. Miss Deborah Logan (Jill Larson) is slowly slipping away with Alzheimer’s but something is obviously more sinister afoot with an actual possession going on here. This one really leans into the fears of mortality within us all and what happens when we have reached that bridge in our life span. The pain and the suffering can be tremendous and not only affects us as individuals, but our loved ones as well. The reality of the matter at hand is, if we so happen to live beyond our 70’s and 80’s, it is most likely to come with some painful challenges such as a degenerative disease as terrifying as that of Alzheimer’s- which mind you is displayed pretty accurately in this movie. If one has never suffered from good ol’ gerontophobia prior to seeing this one, chances are you’ll at least be thinking about it soon after.
There are many other film I could list here, some notable ones like The Visit or Ghost Story, but I think you guys are smart and get the point here. Old age in itself can be a source of true horror and is obviously an effective tactic as plot point in the genre. However, it can also be very damning unfortunately and further put a damper on our views of aging. The human experience is one hell of a ride isn’t it? Let’s just hope we don’t piss off any demonic entities’ along the way as we grow into our twilight years.
Richard Donner passed away at the age of 91 this past week (July 5, 2021). He left behind a legacy of awe, laughter, inspiration, and horror. Few men are able to become legends in multiple fields of various film genres, but our dearly departed Donner achieved just that.
He Made Us All Believe A Man Could Fly
via the Guardian
Today we are glutted on superhero movies, but this wasn’t always the case. It wasn’t until Dick Donner was brought on board a little project that looked absolutely impossible to do. Someone had to achieve the impossible, bring Superman, the world’s greatest superhero, to life and make it the world’s greatest superhero film of all time.
via Warner Bros
It was nothing short of a master-class work of pure cinematic alchemy that came together. From the actors (after all not just anyone could play both Clark and Kal El), the music, the cinematography, and, most importantly, the man in the director’s chair.
via Warner Bros
One of the things that really stands out about the movie is John William’s immortal score. Originally, Jerry Goldsmith (The Omen) was brought on to score this legendary undertaking. However, and despite already working with Goldsmith, Dick heard a sample of what Williams had to bring to the film, and, in Donner’s own words, the soundtrack literally shouted SUP-ER-MAN! And that sold him on the idea. Williams took charge of the music and we can all be thankful for that crucial decision.
And it’s simply a given fact. If it wasn’t for the groundbreaking success of Donner’s legendary Superman there wouldn’t be a Marvel Studios today. Superman was groundbreaking and a pioneer of the superhero film.
Zack Snyder’s ‘Justice League via HBO Max
We wouldn’t have Batman, the Dark Knight Trilogy, or Joker, Wonder Woman, or Zack Snyder’s imperial Justice League. Dick Donner showed the world comic books were more than worthy to become blockbuster franchises.
The Day the Devil Grinned
Via Fox
Not a single soul in Hollywood wanted to touch a little film project about a 5 y/o Antichrist. It had been turned down by some of the best-named directors in Hollywood. Fox Studios brought the script to Donner and told him no one wanted it.
“Why are you bringing it to me then?” he asked with a chuckle. They told him there was a lot of potential in this project. So he gave it a look, saw something in it, called them back, and agreed to take it on with one exception, “Get all that devil stuff out of it.” He wanted it to feel like the worst day of bad luck a man could ever have to deal with.
via Fox
He wanted audiences to decide for themselves if this was all a coincidence or was Satan really in the background orchestrating events? The original script had satanic images, covens, and cloven hooves in the audience’s face the whole time. By removing this stuff it not only elevated the film from B level to A standard, but he created a horror sensation that flooded across the world and made people believe End Time prophecies were fulfilling in the ‘70s. The subtlety wormed into people’s minds and drove them nuts!
Suddenly people’s asses were going back to church and the Antichrist was a red hot topic. Parents looked at their own children and wondered if they’d given birth to a Hellspawn.
via Fox
It was fucking great!
Donner was also involved in casting Damien Thorn, the child of Satan. The casting was pretty straightforward. Each kid brought in to audition was given very specific instructions, “I want you to fight me,” he’d tell them. This was crucial to the role because of the freak-out scene involving Damien Thorn not wanting to enter a church.
In came little Harvey Spencer, a blonde-haired angelic-looking kid. Donner told Harvey to fight him and right off the bat Harvey punched Dick right in the balls and they could not get the kid off him. He was throwing punches like he was auditioning for Fight Club. Once his parents pulled him away Dick’s mind was made up. “Dye his hair black. We’ve found the Antichrist.”
via Fox
There are plenty of moments that stand out in this apocalyptic horror classic. The beheading by glass, the hellhounds in the graveyard, the nanny’s hanging. But the ending seals it. Like the frosting atop a cake, the finale really sells the story and it was by complete accident.
Due to the chemistry between Donner and Spencer, the moment worked like (black) magic. The scene was supposed to have little Damien turn and look morosely at the audience. So Donner is behind the camera and telling little Harvey, “Harvey, now don’t you smile. Look serious. If you smile I won’t be your friend ever again. Don’t you dare smile.”
image via Fox
The scene became a moment of satanic victory as audiences watch the Antichrist turn and give us a devilish grin. He’s won! Evil triumphed! The little bastard is victorious. That’s not how a movie is supposed to end! It shocked the fuck out of people.
Not at all bad for an accident. Realizing the potential of the moment (and having great taste) Donner used the scene to tremendous effect.
Donner’s satanic movie made so much money for the studio that they were able to support a little struggling project called Star Wars that was being made at the time.
Dick Donner’s contribution to our childhoods is limitless. Who didn’t grow up loving Goonies? And Scrooged is my favorite Christmas movie. And know what? Fuck it, I’m gonna say it. I like The Toy with Richard Pryor. But there’s also Lethal Weapon to the man’s credit.
Really, if there’s one man’s career that defined my generation it’s Donner’s. He will be missed but he lives on by his films.
Let us know which of Donner’s films have the most impact on you.
Be sure to not miss out on our latest about the scares and shocks that got us from theFriday the 13th franchise.
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Oh, Hells yeah! Here we are, my Nasties! Time to risk our skins and venture deeply into the fog of Camp Blood as we explore some of the best scares, screams, and shocking moments (not to mention some of those good ol’ fashion what the fuck times) that are littered across the franchise’s blood-soaked legacy.
It’s no secret that the slasher genre is my absolute favorite subgenre in the pantheon of horror. And my absolute favorite slasher series is Friday the 13th! It’s the series I’m always turning back to and can watch a hundred more times without it getting dull.
Fans of the franchise know what we want too. Blood, guts, (tiddies), and lots of gore. So today we want to dance on the graves of those buried in the soggy depths of Crystal Lake as we celebrate those moments that made us shit our bloomers and left an impression on us all.
Today we’re looking at not only the movies but also taking the game(s) into consideration. So sleep with one eye open, my Nasties, as we camp out at Jason’s lake.
WARNING: there will be spoilers.
Encountering Jason for the first time in the game – NES game
Just for shits and giggles, I’m not going to talk about the video game experience without mentioning the cult-classic NES game. What may seem silly and (probably rightly so) ridiculous today, but back then, back when we were far more innocent as a society, the NES Friday the 13th game did actually scare some kids.
Back in the 8-bit era and with nothing else to compare to it, that first encounter with Jason was truly shocking. If not possibly the very first jump scare many of us ‘80s brats got to experience, I’d say this stands out as the all-time best NES scare moment. You play as a dumbass camp counselor desperately trying to save both your idiot friends – who can’t defend themselves – and a bunch of stupid kids all lined up and waiting to be slaughtered.
All the while Jason is out there and ready to charge in out of the blue making you jump to the moon and stain your undies.
There’s no worse feeling like the absolute helplessness of trying to fight Jason and having no clue how to defeat him. Good luck out there, gamers.
Encountering Jason again all these years later.
Now we’re adults and our games grew up with us. Gun Media and Illfonic brought fans and gamers an extraordinary chance to explore the movies (and the horror) like never before as locations, characters, and kills from the franchise were all poured into this passion project. Tom Savini came up with new ways to kill us. Harry Manfredini brought his terrorizing score to the game giving it a genuine feel akin to the movies. And Kane fucking Hodder put the mask back on and proved why he’s our favorite Jason as he brought the video game killer to thrilling life.
There’s nothing like encountering Jason for the first time. He can just appear anywhere! As a camper, you can find yourself in a cabin and he’ll be outside the window watching you. Or he’ll catch you wandering the dark woods and stalk you until you run out of stamina. You can try to fight but you have very little chance of surviving him. Especially your first time around.
I’m sad the game is now stalled and all future DLC is dead on the water thanks to the ongoing lawsuit, but there’s still enough here to keep me coming back to it. So, yes, I strongly recommend playing it.
Ari Lehman in Part I
The first WTF moment that really, really got us. This scene still scares unsuspecting audiences. That’s how goddamn effective it is. Far as we knew the movie was over. The villain was slain and our lead heroine (Adrianne King) was safely sleeping in a canoe out on the lake. No one could reach her and as she awakens Manfredini’s calming score lets us know all is well and she’s safe. Roll the credits.
Well fuck you straight to Hell, asshole! The music suddenly kicks us in the nards and flips the world upside down! Out of nowhere the boy who drowned, Jason himself, rises out of the lake, no, that sounds graceful. Jason breaks through the mirrored tranquility of the lake like the wrath of God, without pity and void of all mercy, grabs hold of Alice and pulls her down to his murky Hell. More people screamed over this scene alone than any other.
And it turned a small time horror flick into a timeless legend. Horror fans clamored for more and would not be satisfied until they got just that- more Jason!
The Window Scene of Part II
Mirroring the jump scare of Part I, Part II makes it seem like everything was fine. Our Final Girl (Amy Steel) is safe, she’s escaped Tater-Sack Jason and all is well.
Now bear in mind this movie has given us a whole lot of Jason to love. We’re first given a glimpse into his world, into the rickety shack he lives in out in the woods, but, more importantly, we are shown his insatiable taste for carnage!
Jason is really mean natured too. Think being in a wheel chair gives you a free pass? Like Hell it does. Jason can’t wait to slam a machete in your stupid face and send you rolling down a flight a stairs. Bon voyage!
And the guy was just about to get laid too. Jason also kills poor ol’ Crazy Ralph this time around. And if you thought Alice (from the first movie) was safe, well think again. Jason kills the girl in the safety of her own home.
And at last, my nasties, this cinematic roller coaster of carnage begins clicking to an end. Unclench your knuckles, take a deep breath, and relax. But that’s when they get us! Jason crashes through the darkened window and snatches our Final Girl right before our eyes proving no one is safe at Camp Blood.
Not a single soul!
Part II doesn’t get a lot of love but it did establish a lot of the lore and laws by which the franchise would follow and further secure its place as a legendary horror icon. It introduces the indestructibility of Jason and how fucked anyone is once Jason locks eyes on them.
That ending in Part III
These endings were on steroids and had a boner for punishing their audiences just as much as their heroes. Well piss and shit, this one went all the way, and frankly it had to, if it wanted to not be overshadowed by its previous film endeavors.
Once again mirroring the first film our Final Girl (Dana Kimmel) is safely in a canoe out on the lake. Night has passed, she wakes up to a fresh new day. The terror has passed and good proves triumphant over evil, but we all know better. You ain’t getting us this time, Jason. Someone is going to pop up behind her and scare us to death …. oh holy shit what the Hell?
While we’re all looking behind her the real threat is right in front of her. In the upper room’s window!
She takes one look up at the house and there on the top floor is an unmasked Jason staring at her with murderous glee. There’s almost a childlike joy in his eyes when he realizes there’s still some fresh meat left over for him to cut up into meaty red kibbles and bits.
Actually we don’t know if he’s been there the whole time just waiting for her to look up and see him. If he has, well, jeez that’s eerie. Or was he there just by coincidence? Whatever the case this scene creeps me out.
I have a thing about windows any way…or maybe this is what started it all. But I’m really paranoid about looking out the window (at night time) and seeing some gruesome face staring back at me. So here it is, the one scene that scared a little boy Manic out of his skin. Bravo!
Part V Vic kills candy boy
Part V deserves way more respect than it gets. I love this movie and mainly because of two characters, Ethel Hubbard (Carol Locatell) and her dimwitted son Junior (Ron Sloan). They don’t have a single thing to do with this scene but I gotta sing their praises. I love those two and still waiting on NECA to make me a figure of them both.
Anyhow the scene I’m talking about is the one murder that kick starts the rest of the movie’s killing spree. And Jason isn’t the even the killer here. Vic (Mark Venturini), a muscled up and mentally disturbed young man, is out chopping wood (because it’s healthy to let a mental patient work with a hatchet) when poor dopey Joey (Dominick Brascia) walks over with chocolate smeared around his mouth like sloppy lipstick around a hooker’s lips. Joey offers Vic a candy bar, overstays his welcome, and only leaves once he’s pushed every single button Vic can stand.
Vic puts that hatchet to use and severs the better part of Joey’s spine with it. It shocked people because it’s totally unexpected and so mean. But, let’s face it, Joey had it coming.
I’m Mrs. Voorhees – discovering who the killer’s been this whole time
Breaking all the rules right from the start by the time Betsy Palmer’s kindly character of Pamela Voorhees shows up for the final act (Friday the 13th Part I) the unknowing audience makes the assumption that all is going to be ok. Like the fairy godmother archetype of childhood folklore, Mrs. Voorhees carries a warm-hearted motherly presence with her and who can’t be enchanted by that lovely smile of hers? She shines, but, as we’re about to learn, for all the wrong reasons.
This is a woman who met with tragedy when her only child drowned in the lake. “They were out making love while that poor boy drowned’ she recounts emotionally, condemning the carelessness of the camp counselors. And Mrs. Voorhees deals with her grief by slaughtering all who arrogantly dare to desecrate the last breathing grounds of her dearly departed Jason.
That smile becomes a sneer as our Final Girl realizes this kindly woman is the one leaving bodies around camp. The final show down begins in fury as Mrs. Voorhees lunges at Alice and it had audiences shrieking with delight.
“Kill her, mommy” Jason urges from beyond his watery grave. And Mommy is all too happy to oblige.
Her role was so shocking and out of character that Sieskel and Ebert gave out the woman’s home address and implored their viewers to call and write her their many grievances. I don’t care how much you might hate a movie that’s just not cool, guys.
Freddy vs Jason tease in JGTH
Undeniably most fans would rather tickle their dicks with a porcupine quill than sit through this torture again. And according to Crystal Lake Memories, most of the actors aren’t that thrilled with this, well I guess you can call it a movie. In a failed attempt to look clever, JGTH introduces Jason’s never-before mentioned sister, has Jason talk in one scene, misspells the Voorhees name, and turns Jason into a demon worm that slides up a pussy. Or maybe it was her ass? Oh, who cares? It’s clearly an immature work made by college kids.
Today it’s hip to like this movie and act like it’s some misunderstood masterpiece, but that can’t erase how terribly New Line treated their first Jason film after acquiring the rights from Paramount. As a ‘90s era slasher movie, ok I’ll admit it’s fun. Stupid fun, but still fun. But as the 9th entry in an already well-established horror franchise, it sticks out like a turd stubbornly hanging out of a dog’s ass.
However, love it or hate it, fans can at least all agree that final shot was awesome, at least at the time of its release. Seeing Freddy’s glove reaching out of Hell to drag down Jason’s mask left fans with a coveted glimpse into Freddy vs. Jason.
Really there’s no reason why this couldn’t have just been Freddy vs. Jason rather than Jason Goes To Hell. Or they could have made a movie about Jason actually being in Hell. Kinda like the title implies.
Tommy Loses Control Part IV
Friday the 13th Part IV has some fan-fucking-tastic kills. But undeniably the best one was saved for last and it’s Jason’s own.
The moment stands out for a few reasons. For starters it’s a deliberately drawn out death. And it works. They meant to kill Jason and kill him good! So Jason gets brutalized and is left with no chance of surviving.
The other thing that stands out is who ends up slaughtering Jason – a little kid. Now it’s nothing short of brilliance that the film makers introduce Tommy Jarvis as some normal kid. Not a super hero and without any extraordinary gifts. Just a kid who makes cool monster masks and plays video games. Not to mention he was like all us guys back then and couldn’t wait to see some boobies.
As kids we wanted to be Tommy’s pal. And Cory Feldman was a really likable kid actor. He just had this innocent look about him, something angelic.
So when Tommy shaves his head in a clever attempt to connect with Jason and then lays the business end of a machete into the pretty side of Jason’s face it’s not all that shocking. Tommy’s just trying to protect his older sister… right?
But it’s when Tommy picks the machete back up and turns Jason’s body into a Cannibal Corpse album cover that the creepy factor rises. The manic look in the kid’s eyes, the ferocity in his face, and the wet sounds every time he pummels Jason all add up to a very disturbing experience.
Naturally we loved every minute of it.
The movie ends on a freeze frame of lil Tommy with that same crazed look in his eyes, hinting that the series may have lost one killer by creating a brand new one. Kids are creepy little shits anyhow and this movie drives that point home.
Yeah there’s no soul behind that stare.
This has already gone on way too long and it means a lot that you’ve stuck around for this long, my Nasties. There are still so many moments that shocked us and scared us silly, and this is just a small list of some of our all-time favorites from the series. Each one proves why Friday the 13th is a horror sovereign. We’d love to know which ones are yours so don’t be shy.
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