Case 39: Ugh

Netflix has really been slacking in the awesome department as of late. It keeps suggesting I watch movies called, "Naked Vampires" and "Zombie Whores" or some similar sounding name of sexually transmitted terror. Therefore it was no surprise when Monday night rolled around and I started watching Case 39. Although to be fair, the main reason I began watching it was because I forgot if I liked Renee Zellweger or not. Is that how you spell Zellweger? Oh well, I'm over it.

So anyways. Case 39 is pretty terrible. This isn't even going to be a real review I'm just going to talk about how ridiculous and terrible this movie was. Which I guess is no different from how I do regular reviews. Hmmph.

Emily is a social worker who has a lot of cases and she's swamped. She has 38 cases, and then her boss tells her she has to do one more. Which tada! Equals 39. Ding ding. Case 39 involves a young girl named Lily? I forget actually and now I'm too lazy to look that up on IMDB so I guess I'll just make up names from now on. Alright so Lily seems like an abused child, afraid to speak up against her extremely weird and apparently religious parents. Emily however has a feeling and luckily her feelings turn out to be right because in the middle of the night Emily catches Lily's parents trying to burn her alive in the oven!

Now with Lily parentless, Emily temporarily adopts her and soon learns that her parents may have had the right idea.

Honestly, I lost it when the parents put her in the oven. Of all the methods of quickly dispatching some evil demon child, you pick the slowest and most ridiculous way ever? What happened to slitting someone's throat? What happened to stabbing? Suffocating? Really? An oven? That's what you got? Oh yeah sorry SPOILER Lily is actually some weird and evil demon that kills people in ominous ways. Sorry to ruin the surprise.

Actually the oven incident reminded me of something awesome believe it or not--THE THING.

It's just like in the beginning when the Norwegians are trying to shoot the dog and you're all like nooooo noooooo not the dog! But then later you're all like----well shit, they should have shot that fucking dog. Yup, same deal here.

The thing is---Lily seems to turn into the evil demon that she's apparently always been seemingly overnight. There's no gradual change of her character. There are literally NO hints that we would ever think she was anything but a sweet angel. It's not until she has an insanely awkward therapy session with Bradley Cooper that her meanness starts to come out. Yes, Bradley Cooper is in this. I think his name was....Steve? No that's not right.... D......DOUG! That was definitely it.

So the skinny on Doug is that his biggest fear is wasps. Of course he tells demon child Lily this, who uses it against him. This scene is perhaps even more ridiculous than the oven incident. Doug hears buzzing somewhere and then takes a Q-tip to his ear.....

only to unearth a wasp!

Naturally the scene progresses for like 15 minutes and involves wasps coming out of just about every single one of Doug's orifices. I mean we don't see them come out of the butt, but let's just say I'm sure they did okay?

This scene gives a whole new meaning to NOT THE BEES.

Oh and they're super CGI-fied so it makes it even more ridiculous. They even swarm on his back and kind of look like an Ed Hardy shirt.

No? In the end, they fly out of his mouth and start attacking him and then somehow, Doug breaks his own neck (?) I'm still confused about it but at some point the entire sink fell out of the wall, so I guess things were serious.

Anyways the movie progresses steadily into laughable realms of insanity. I guess the main thing I can't get past, is that Case 39 in a round about sort of way kind of....encourages child abuse? I mean okay, I know Lily is the devil but you must admit there is something odd about a social worker rescuing a young girl, taking her on, and then agreeing with the maniac parents that the only solution is to kill her. It just seemed so..............what's the word I keep using? Oh yeah, RIDICULOUS. It's like Case 39 just wants to explode into all different levels of under the radar inappropriateness. There's something unsettling about seeing Emily waiting for Lily to come home from school while she hides a knife behind her back.

So yeah. Case 39? Not good. Don't see it, unless you are using it for comedic purposes only.

Here is the wasp scene for your viewing pleasure.

Who Can Kill a Child?

Who Can Kill a Child among others things has been referred to as an abomination, a masterpiece, a rip off of movies like Village of the Damned, and the victim of ripping off by Stephen King. What is it really? Well, it is most of those things, but it is also one of the finest examples of red paint blood that exists AND entirely thought provoking and possibly even a little bit terrifying. Terrifying of course in the sense that the things, the "themes" happening here are some of the more twisted and complicated ones that I've come across in a long time. I may never know what it is exactly that this movie is trying to tell me, or what it is I'm supposed to get out of it, but I do know that something is eating at my brain and I don't really like it.

I've seen my fair share of evil children movies, just click on my "Children" label if you would like to see for yourself. The thing about evil children movies is that the subject is taboo- and more importantly that it has always been taboo. I don't think there was ever a time where children were thought of as the "lesser class" or the target of some terrible war or religious purge. Well there probably was, but like the historical footage played in the beginning of the film, these things happened in times of war and struggle. We are told and forced to watch actual footage of emaciated children, dead, dying, or simply just decaying away. We are also told in a sense that these wars that happen, these struggles between adults, between countries usually end up impacting children the worst. This is the ultimate juxtaposition that puts these horrifying images against the horrifying children in the film, that seem to have absorbed those same violent tendencies that the wars have released. This seems to be an immediate turn off for most people watching this movie. How on earth can the director put real life tragedy next to fictional evil children? What exactly is that suppose to make us think? That children are victims- but then also villains? What makes it OK for our main characters to kill and child and how and why is it differing for the Nazis that killed children? It's all very confusing and really really messed up. But like most things, real conclusions and analysis can only truly be made at the end. So save your disdain.

Tom and his pregnant wife Evelyn are vacationing in Spain when they decide to jaunt off to a small island that Tom remembered from his childhood. Upon their arrival, things immediately seem a little off. The town only contains children, and evidence suggests that the residents were interrupted from their daily going ons in some abrupt way. The children are also very giggly and...creepy. Soon grisly acts of violence are witnessed by Tom and he realizes very quickly that they must get off the island. Of course as with most instances- this realization comes a bit too late and the reality of their situation is very, very, depressing.

Some of the greatest things about this film are the subtle moments of death and discovery. My favorite of these is when Tom is walking through the market. We only see his feet on the other side of the aisle- and a dead woman on our side. Tom never sees this woman, but the fact that we were showed her body and close up was both startling and terribly alarming. It was one of the finer examples of dramatic irony that I've seen. The same goes for the dead bodies washing up on the mainland- and how in the boat after finding the floating flower, Tom says that it must have come from the island, because things always wash up from there...(like dead bodies!!).

Then there is of course my favorite thing- the overly bright red and thick blood used. No doubt a lovely appetizer for Suspiria, this fake blood most likely was paint. The color may be off, but you can't deny it's impact and how terribly beautiful it really is. It reminds me in a way of photographers using images from wars and images of death as art and as something similarly "terribly beautiful". Once again this relates to the beginning images, but just how do we relate real life tragedies to fictional movies? Blood in movies is beautiful- but blood in real life is terrifying. It's such an interesting idea and to be honest, I'm just really not smart enough to dissect it.

Now onto the most startling moments of all, spoilery because it has to be, the first killing of a child. Which also answers our title's question.

That first death is so unbelievably relieving and horrible at the same time. It's a shock, but it's warranted. It's brutal but it's right. It's so many opposing ideas that it hurts my head. The children of course are evil, but like any evil children movie- the actual act of killing a child is always met with this silent sort of intake of breath. It's so haunting and it's always going to be.

Then we also have the deaths of the adults in the film and one of the more important themes, the idea that what the children are doing is more like a game to them. This is cleverly realized when we see the children playing with the pinatas in the beginning, and then seeing the children playing human pinata with an old man. Is it really all a game to them? Perhaps all the evilness projected from wars has been imprinted on their brains and they subconsciously believe that wars (playing war) is a game? There are so many possibilities and so many things that just barely touch at what the movie may or may not be trying to say.

The very fact that the children can seemingly communicate through their eyes, or a touch complicates things even more. What does this mean?! It makes the concept if anything, more serious and more global which is fully realized during the very last scene. This isn't a change that developed due to some crazy religious kid- it's almost a disease. And that my friends is the very difference that puts this film worlds apart from "Children of the Corn"- and even Village of the Damned. This movie I would say, is attempting to suggest that it is through our own faults and wars that these children have developed this sickness, this evil war as a game concept. That is what makes this film truly chilling and unique.

The film is utterly depressing in that sense because it touches on the vulnerability of children and how easily they become victims and can just as easily become villains. Generally people do not like to see children being killed, so I can understand where a lot of the hate for this movie comes from- but I however really found it to be quite brilliant. The scenes of all the children closing in on Tom and Evelyn and the other adults, either from a distance or without their knowledge, is so wonderfully Hitchcockian so The Birds and so so creepy.

The last few scenes, the arrival of the police and that awful line of "Adios" and just....every thing was mind blowing. It's not a perfect film by any means and I wouldn't even say it's a great film- but it's tantalizing to those few brain cells that haven't been killed by the realization that I am a crazy cat lady. Hopefully I've made a little bit of sense and can convince those who have not seen the film to give it a try. People who love to think step right up. Those that prefer Jason Voorhees...eh not so much.

Buy Who Can a Child at Horror Movie Empire

Do NOT watch this clip if you plan on seeing this movie.

Children of the Corn: And a 25 Year Old Child Shall Lead Them.

I've seen more than a few negative things said about this movie- mostly having to do with the word "terrible" and what not. And after watching it the whole way through I have to wonder- what do you mean it's terrible!? I love this movie. How can you not be completely creeped out by children- killing their parents and every adult in town, and then dressing like Amish people and worshipping corn?? Isaac alone is the most terrifying thing that ever happened to scary children movies- although an IMDB trivia search will tell you that the actor has one of those hormone deficienty diseases and was 25 at the time of filming- plus he also played Itt in the Addams Family movies.

Still, I think the fact that Isaac is actually an adult makes things even creepier. But what I really want to know is what was Isaac's life like before the massive uproar- and corn worshipping. Was he always a super creep? And if so- why didn't his parents kill him first? If my kid was wearing a hat like that around the house, he'd be out of there in a second.

What really makes this movie terrifying is how it blends creepy children AND intense religious folk. Creepy children who put religion above everything else- jeez louise. Although I must point out how silly it is that only 2 of the children would be more into listening to music and playing Monopoly than worshipping corn. Those are some boring kids. Anyways the creepiest parts are by far- the way that the children talk to each other. It's old world with a little Yoda mixed in and its possibly the creepiest thing in the world. The ritual of Amos's birthday and the cutting of the pentagram into his flesh and then the drinking of his blood? What the heck. Why is a pentagram even being used in a religion having to do with "the lord" and some crazy corn monster? Just seeing how excited Amos is to be taken by "he who walks behind the rows" is enough to turn your stomach quite sour. Plus I really really hate the girl in the dress.

So anyways, people who are a little too enthusiastic about religion have always scared me- and to add that to my fear of creepy children? Forget it. Whoever doesn't feel instantly creeped out by this movie and it's "children music" has something seriously wrong with them. The opening scene alone is enough to make you shudder. Plus looking at all those drawings??

What a bunch of creepers. Children of the Corn is perhaps a scary child movie that many seem to overlook. I'm not sure why because these children are terrifying. Sure they might be powerless once their leader is taken away from them- but good God. The minds of children are impressionable and easily molded- probably why Isaac chooses to use them I'm guessing. So you can only imagine how difficult it is to sway them from believing in what they do.

Although....since we find out that "he who walks behind the rows" actually exists- I suppose that makes things even harder. While I'm on the topic- what the hell is that? It looks like a thing from Tremors. Personally I kind of wish "he who walks behind the rows" didn't actually exist- and then Isaac would look even more like a psychopath. If he does exist- then I'm pretty sure I might be right there worshipping him with those children. Why jeopardize your life when a corn monster is involved?

In any case, I hope that I'm not alone in thinking that Children of the Corn is insanely creepy and unsettling. Maybe it's a guilty pleasure or maybe it just really is a good and creepy movie. Who knows.

Ahhhh!

Buy Children of the Corn at Horror Movie Empire

5 Things I've Learned This Year.

Yay we made it through another year! Every year we experience new things, new people and new places yadda yadda yadda. This year was an interesting one- I graduated from college, moved to Boston, became unemployed and then found a job- and most importantly I began a little project called The Horror Digest. After starting a blog sometime last year (Sunny's Delight if you're feeling saucy) I realized my true passion was Horror- and plus always having to look at my dog who died in March was too much for my little heart to handle. Thus began the formation of what you are reading now. SO before we began another year full of blogging I will tell you 5 things that I've learned since starting my blog.

1. I love John Landis.

This should come as no surprise to any of you- actually this whole list should come as no surprise. But for real...with every new person I meet in life- I find that I am constantly asking them if they know about John Landis. Sure they may "know" about him but do they KNOW ABOUT HIM? And by that I mean how awesome he is. I was trying to explain his genius to Emmy Doomas yesterday and I decided that it's because he has the perfect blend of comedy and horror that just feels so incredibly natural. His horror movies are just the right amount of funny to not be considered a "horror comedy". He maintains an equal hold of both- kind of similar to Tom Hanks who can be an amazing actor yet has the most perfect comedic timing I've ever witnessed. An American Werewolf in London has quickly come one of my favorite movies and it's becoming equally possible that John Landis may replace Dario Argento as my favorite director of all time. Mind blowing I know. So in closing, John Landis, if you're out there...I love you.

2. Eli Roth Really IS a Bastard. (But Still Attractive)

The inside of the horror world is a gross and disgusting place- actually I don't know that but what I do know is that some people have huge heads and egos and my experiences these past few months have shown me this in full force. I promise this will be the last time I go into this story- and with the new year comes new obsessions and new people to block me (wink wink John Landis). Ahem. At some point these last few months I noticed someone had retweeted one of Mr. Roth's tweets. That's funny I thought...that tweet of his never showed up on my timeline...let me check out OH WHAT what is this shit? Eli Roth had had months of tweets that I had never seen how could this be?! I went to follow him again thinking that Twitter had become wacky at some point and deleted those I was following but instead I got this message "This user has blocked you from following them" Yeah what the shit is that about? I've gone over and over the past few months in my head and the only logical explanation is that A. he was scared of the love I had for him and B. he was mad that I said I don't like Hostel or Cabin Fever but LOVED emphasis on loved, Hostel 2 and that I still had faith in him. Apparently that warrants a block? Shade city. After a little research I've found that people have had similar experiences, namely writing him nice comments on his Myspace about how they didn't love a certain part of his movie but loved many many other things- which in turn lead to Eli completely deleting the entire comment. In the immortal words of Stephanie Tanner, How rude! But for real, grow some skin and realize that not everyone is going to love you.

3. French is the New Asian.

Alright I've beaten around the bush long enough so I'm just going to say it- I don't like Asian horror. Well I like it but I don't love it as much as everyone else seems to. But it seems to me like French Horror has really picked up the pace this past few years. With movies like Martyrs, Inside, Ils, Frontiers, High Tension, title after title of complete and utter masterpieces I cannot help but notice that foreign horror has a new Daddy. Move over Asian Horror, the French are here to claim your throne. I am so excited to see what the French will come up with next that I can hardly contain my excitement. On a side note French children are also the new Asian baby. I always see this little French boy talking French to his mother on his way to school and it overloads me with cuteness. It sounds to me like the French are just taking over the whole world...I wonder if French game shows are superior as well...

4. Children are Terrifying.

I used to think sharks and spiders were terrifying but I honestly think I'm ready to amend my list of worst fears and add crazy, creepy, murderous children to it. The Children, Orphan (debatable) The Village of the Damned, The Brood, It's Alive!, Grace, The Innocents - the list can go on for ages! I had never before realized just how scary children can really be and with the latest additions of Grace and The Children it's pretty obvious that filmmakers are ready to seize the issue as violently and brutally as possible. Children are no longer safe from on screen deaths or violence - basically nothing is taboo any longer and with the promise of the new year brings the promise of more vile and terrifying children....ooh I shudder at the thought!

5. Blogging is the Tits.

The Horror Digest has been in business since July and I can't believe how far it's really come. I used sit and watch the counter on my blog and cheer for joy when one new person came to read each day. My first comment? Forget it- I was celebrating for weeks. And now I average about 100 something views a day- plus on average about 8 comments per post. I still can't believe it and it makes me swell with pride and gratitude for all of you that read and seem to enjoy what I write. The fellow bloggers and horror fans I have interacted with these past months are some of the greatest people I've ever met. And with the creation of this blog and the success I've gained, I've come to realize that this is my true passion in life. Thank you to all, you know who you are and I love each and every one of you. Happy New Year and may the next year bring us luck and excitement in the horror world!

Orphan: And So The World Loses Another Great Artist Of Our Time.

I've been very worried about seeing this movie despite all the positive reviews I had been hearing. I was worried because I am one curious cat and therefore enjoy spoiling the end of movies that I don't think I will ever see. Of course I didn't realize that this movie would actually be pretty decent and that I would have to see it! Damn. Damn. Damn. So last night I tried to tuck away the twist and enjoy the ultimate creepy and uncomfortable-ness of Esther. Turns out she is even creepier when you do know the twist!

The movie opens with a dream sequence that gives us insight into a great tragedy in John and Kate's life (get the proverbial Jon & Kate jokes out now before I continue). Their third baby died in the womb- and while Kate seems to be harboring a darker secret inside- the couple agree to adopt their third child. While at the orphanage the couple meets Esther. A well spoken, authentic Russian gal with a talent for painting. John and Kate agree that Esther would be a terrific fit to their family of an already existing 10 year old-ish early douche bag and a cute deaf girl. It is not long before strange tragedies start to happen and the funny thing is that Esther is always around when they happen. Clearly as the movie's poster says, something is wrong with Esther.

So let's get what everyone is talking about out of the way. Did they pick the names John and Kate on purpose?! What? Oh right. wrong thing everyone is talking about. Esther IS the best part about this movie. Coming from someone who just watched The Omen, The Village of the Damned and The Children all in a matter of a week- I was genuinely terrified of Esther. I think it was a combination of her creepy Russian accent and her remarks about the son's hairless prick that really set me off but then again I'm not sure. No no it was definitely the hairless prick comment. Not to mention she likes to watch John and Kate have sex....in the kitchen! Sex in the kitchen is really only acceptable when you have children that are babies- god John and Kate what were you thinking? So by far Esther's performance is what makes this movie.

Now other than Esther, the movie has some pretty valid points. The dream sequence although a previous annoyance with me was actually pretty effective. The disgusting and bloody swaddled baby comes to mind, and the blood that seeps out when Kate is getting rolled away in the wheelchair. I also enjoyed the impact of Esther on Kate's psyche. The part where she chops all the roses off from the bush was jaw dropping and how Esther cleverly manipulated Kate's alcoholic past with everything that was going on--so evil! I also loved that first scene with the pigeon- it really served up Esther's cruelty and put it right into your face. Whoops I just realized all the valid points were about Esther! Damn this!

Something I definitely wasn't crazy about was the length of the film- running about 2 hours. 2 Hours for this kind of horror movie is way too long. The perfect length for a horror movie is an hour and 30 minutes- anything longer that isn't a Stanley Kubrick or an insanely artistic and provocative movie just drags on and starts churning out boringness. As a result I found the end of Orphan to be a bit formulaic. It soon almost turned into a joke- how many times will Esther rise from the dead?

Peter Sarsgaard and that other woman were ok, but sometimes I really can't stand P. Sarsgaard's twangy voice. I also loved the deaf girl. Those sign language sub titled scenes were surprisingly moving to me. And as much as I dig hysteria and things not going according to plan- all the Kate is an alcoholic with psychological problems geared towards Esther grew kind of tiring. Any Doctor that was convinced Kate could break Esther's arm that badly needs to get a new license. Speaking of which that arm breaking scene...holy mother of Christ.

Overall the movie provides an original take on the classic devil child story. Esther's performance alone is enough to warrant a viewing of this movie- but don't be surprised if your attention starts to wane at parts. Another very interesting thing I encountered was reading the trivia about the earlier drafts of the script- which in my opinion are far superior to the final draft of the script. SPOILER P. Sarsgaard's death for one was much more violent and amazing and creative., also the son is suppose to have died in the hospital, AND the final fight in the ice never happened and originally ended with Kate shooting Esther between the eyes with the final "you are not my daughter you bitch" (or however it went) line of the century. There's also an extensive history behind Esther's persona involving sexual abuse, incest and prostitution. All very interesting spins on the movie that probably could have made me like it more. Poor kid that played Esther though. I bet she's suffering from Linda Blair syndrome- surely if I saw her in public my first impulse would be to jump out a window or maybe to kill her- I guess it would all depend on my mood.

Other notable freak out scenes- the discovery of Esther's nudie black light paintings, her transformation, and her seduction scene(ahhh!) Where did she get black light paint anyways?

The Children: Snow On the Ground and No One Is Wearing a Jacket? Now I've Seen Everything!

After watching several horror movies in the past 5 months or so, I have decided that the key to survival in any circumstance, is to trust no one. If your daughter has turned into a zombie- she's no longer your daughter. If your cat was buried in an Indian burial ground he's not going to be the same old cat. And if your children develop a strange illness don't think twice about slicing them up. Simple rules to follow really- but always ignored.

The Children is about 2 families celebrating the New Year's holiday together. The children soon start developing strange and irritable behavior- which ultimately escalates in complete and utter ridiculousness. They turn on their parents- and the parents are just too oblivious to realize that their children have turned evil. The film offers up the question- what do you do when your own children start to turn on you?

Right away this movie clues you into a very important fact; the children are everywhere. Running around and screaming like a swarm of beasties. It really made me want to punch a wall sometimes. Screaming kids are something I just cannot handle. So it was easy to see that everyone was pretty much doomed the moment they started reproducing. Casey- the eldest daughter who apparently was saved from being aborted while in the womb- is the obvious black sheep of the family. She wears mini skirts, has purple streaks in her hair AND wears thigh high socks. Good grief! She also has a strange bitterness towards her mother for not being able to understand the idea of contraception- and even got a tattoo of a fetus on her belly button. Plus she jokes about abortion- what a rebel!

What I found to be really creepy about this movie is the lack of explanation for why the children turn the way they do. Sure we get that close up view of the cells doing god knows what, and the occasional coughing up of blood and green vomit- but the actual cause is left very muddled. This truly makes the movie more terrifying because when there are no reasons- things are indefinitely hopeless.

The first death scene was pretty darn amazing. I meant to take a screen shot of the blood on the snow but I forgot and don't feel like finding that scene again so you'll just have to imagine how beautiful it was. I also loved the way the kids didn't seem like they were outwardly infected. Sure they looked a little pale and did some weird things but we weren't hit over the head with the fact that they were infected with some crazy disease. The way that they killed the parents still managed to be such an innocent undertaking and it was pretty remarkable. Their random bouts of laughter were both unsettling and utterly terrifying- and never truly knowing what was happening made it all the more scarier. That one shot of the little boy just standing and looking at his parents while they were sleeping? Yeah. Terrifying.

The scenes of the children dying were most likely uncomfortable to those who felt it is wrong to kill a child on the screen. But I'm pretty much immune to child killing after seeing Baby Blues. Yes it may be startling but these children were just going to kill everybody anyways! At least their deaths were justified.

Anyways- crazy and really fucked up kids will always get the better of me. As much as I hate them they have such a unique power of winning over any and all adults. As we see in the case of Casey- adults will seldom believe that a child could ever do anything as malicious and evil as the act of murder.

Best scene hands down? Ramming that stupid girl with the car. Sooooo wonderful. The ending I felt kind of meh about because I don't feel like it was necessary to leave us with that ambiguity but I suppose it was better than full out telling us. Then I would have been really angry. I guess I just feel like horror movies often get stuck in that last scare motif. I am so refreshed by horror movies that just fade to the credits after the final death scene. Why can't things just end??!

But anyways I was really impressed with this film. Lots of really great shots, some serious creepiness and some really jarring editing techniques. The film is so open to interpretation and really opens the door for some serious thinking. The movie does at times delve into this really annoying pro-life commentary. Like basically shoving it in our face that killing your children is awful and bloody and a sin. I don't know maybe it was just me but I definitely felt some agenda pushing! I guess it could also be looked at as a pro-choice commentary though....if you don't kill your children...they will kill you? Yeah I don't really get it. Someone who is smart tell me which side they were pushing!

My biggest gripe is that even though it was cold outside and I mean like snow on the ground cold- everyone was just running around with no jackets on! They didn't even look cold. Maybe the children wouldn't have gotten diseased in the first place if someone had just put on a jacket. That's all I'm sayin'.

The Omen: What Does a Jackal Giving Birth To a Human Actually Look Like and Followup Question; Is That Even Possible?

I'm sure unlike many of you, I made the grave error of seeing the remake of this movie before the original. Unfortunately Julia Stiles' best performance will always be Save the Last Dance- and Cotton Weary....why did he get that part anyways? Needless to say after watching the original I, firstly do not see a reason for the remake and secondly- did they even bother to change anything? OH WAIT Gorillas try to attack Damien instead of Baboons! My Bad!

The Omen is the ultimate son of Satan event. As much as I love Rosemary's Baby, we never really get to see what that little tyke is capable of. Damien however shows us exactly that--although I'm not entirely convinced he really did anything wrong at all but we will get to that later!

If you don't know the sad story of the Thorn's rest assured I will tell you. The Thorn's have finally gotten pregnant and given birth to a baby boy- the only problem is- the baby died. Atticus Finch is distraught and doesn't know what to do. A strange priest suggests he adopt- for another baby boy was born that same day- and his mother died during the birth. How perfect! Turns out...not so much because that baby just happens to be the son of the Devil.

Now one thing you will always hear people talk about when speaking of this film is the music. Never was there a more perfect feast for the ears when dealing with the spawn of Satan. The demonic chorus of voices is spectacular and always comes at just the right moment. What I love the most however is the beginning scene of the nanny hanging herself. The way she is so possessed and says it's all for you blah blah what the fuck! That part seriously messes me up every single time.

I think I've voiced my dislike and utter discomfort for hanging scenes before- so it should be no surprise that I find this scene especially traumatic. Not to mention a dog makes her do it not Damien.

Then of course we have Damien.

Some say he's the devil-- I say he's just trying to rid the world of bad style one hat at a time. See the above scene for more information. Damien is an interesting one- because it doesn't seem like the kid really knows he is the son of the devil. He laughs and plays with the other children- and the only reason bad things happen is because the evil Nanny manipulates him with her evil mind. Occasionally he gives the token spawn of the devil evil glare- but for the most part I think he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And by wrong place I mind inside a Jackals uterus.

This movie is classic and has several moments of extreme beauty- and beauty and blood at that. The deaths are so wonderfully set up that it truly makes me appreciates and long for the days when this kind of masterful filmmaking was more common- in horror that is.

Sigh. Isn't that just swell? So basically the gist here is that I love The Omen. I still don't get the whole human baby through a Jackal's vagina thing but whatever-- I'm not a veterinarian. The revelations of the seriousness of the situation will always surprise me no matter how many times I watch this. For some reason I always forget the major sort of twist that happens when Gregory Peck opens up that second grave! How is this possible? Because it rocks. End of story.

It also has inspired me to do a Top Spawn's of Satan post...to come soon. And by soon I mean in like 20 minutes...because it's raining and I can't go anywhere.

OH and on a side note- Damien may be the heaviest sleeper that has ever been born into this world- son of the devil or not. Who sleeps through their Dad pulling their hair and cutting off a giant piece of it to reveal your sacred 666 scar on your head?!

Buy The Omen at Horror Movie Empire!

Village of the Damned: Aw Man Not That Creepy Kid Again!

I can't believe I didn't realize the really scary kid from The Innocents is the same really scary kid in The Village of the Damned. I cracked up when I read the IMDB forum where people complained that his voice being dubbed was distracting. Yeah obviously you haven't seen The Innocents or else you would know that that kid just naturally has one of the creepiest voices on the planet.

So Village of the Damned centers around a village- obviously, and one quiet day the entire village passes out- for a good couple of hours. They awoke later in a daze and did not remember a single thing that happened. A few months later all women capable of child birth become pregnant, and a few months later each child is born- bearing similar traits of blonde hair, scary eyes, and weird finger nails. The children grow and development at an alarming rate and the village soon realizes that these aren't children....they are aliens!

I will start off by saying that I loved loved loved the beginning of this movie. I was so pleased and excited that all the action happened right away and that I didn't have to pick my nose until something weird happened. The images of all the townspeople passing out is really amazing. The guy on the tractor, the woman ironing, and of course the bus were really creepy and unsettling.

Now lets get to the these children.

What a bunch creepers. First of all they all wear black pea coats. Second of all, their hair is exactly the kind of blonde hair that I HATE. No offense if you have that color hair and again no offense if I scream out loud if you have that color hair and I see you. Their eyes and the way they walk around in a pack and just stare at people....yikes. Then there's also that little issue of how they drive people to commit suicide by using their mind control powers! Pretty awesome super power if you ask me. I can think of a few people I would like to try that one out on...

Overall, a classic movie with some truly creepy and memorable scenes and images. I love the idea of the whole village fainting at once- and how some time during that- aliens impregnated the women! A true while you were sleeping moment! As creepy as it was it really makes me appalled at Bravo's decision to not include The Innocents on their 100 scariest moments list....what a bunch of whores.

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The Innocents: Is Strangely Terrifying

I just finished watching this and I'm amazed at how creepy and even scary this movie is. I wasn't expecting it at all! But I was honestly cowering in my bed. There are so many disturbingly creepy things going on in this movie that it boggles my mind.

Deborah Kerr's character has recently become the governess for two parent-less children named Flora and Miles. Upon arriving all seems well until Kerr gets a letter from Miles' boarding school saying that he was expelled due to certain unmentionable circumstances. Miles makes his entrance and he is alarmingly kind and proper. He talks like he is 50 years old and it's really really scary. Kerr soon starts seeing two ghosts whom she soon finds out were lovers that used to do improper things in broad daylight. One can only guess what those improper things may be, but Kerr is convinced the two ghosts are somehow possessing the children and that only she can save them.

The plot may seem confusing and you may be wondering why I found this scary at all but I'm telling you. Something is going on in this movie that I can't explain. It may start with the very beginning of the film. Against a black screen a child sings the creepiest song I've ever heard and it goes on for about 30 seconds. THEN the fox logo comes on....AFTER 30 SECONDS! In some theater's they thought this was a mistake and started the film only when the logo appeared. But this is no mistake. So then the creepy song continues and Deborah Kerr's voice is heard babbling something about it has to be done to protect the children...the children she says over and over again. The trivia section on IMDB confirms may assertion that this song is extraordinarily creepy because IT'S THE SONG FROM THE RING. You know the part when we see Samara standing by the well? You hear a bit of song right in the beginning and this is that song!!!

So anyways the children sing, and play this song throughout the whole movie and it really only gets creepier. Other really frightening things are the presences of the ghosts. And let me be clear there are no giant crescendo's when ghosts appear like in the Sixth Sense. My fear in seeing the ghosts was real because it wasn't influenced by anything. The creepiest by far is the woman in the black dress sitting across from the lake. It was just so unexpected and so terrifying to see that woman there I just can't explain it.

The list of creepies only gets bigger; the children in general are just creepers, the little girl smiling to her doll, the kiss that Miles delivers to Kerr, the dead pigeon under Miles' pillow, the bobbing clown head in the attic, it really seemed that there was never a point where the creepiness ended, and that is extremely impressive to me.

Then there are the dark undertones of the film. What is implicated by the end of the movie is very, very unsettling. It has been hotly debated by critics and I can honestly say I have no idea what to think. It's one of those did she or didn't she things where there is no real right answer. My minds was going nuts after watching this and I'm sure it will probably take me days to really figure out what I think is the truth.

Hands down this is a truly powerful movie. It's an adaption of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James and the same concepts are debated with the book. If you are an avid horror movie fan and adore classic movies please watch this and tell me what you think. I'm dying to know if I am just being vulnerable or if this is really as creepy as it seems.

I'm posting the beginning of the movie so you can understand what I mean by this is the creepiest beginning to any horror movie I have ever seen.

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Don't tell me that isn't creepy.

Ok here is where we see the lady across from the lake.



What do you think?