Repulsion: Quiet Perfection

I'm not even 3 minutes into Repulsion and I already know that I'm going to love it. I know this because it takes its time and lately I feel like I need to take mine. I feel like I've been pushed into this fast paced, high adrenaline type of movie watching lately. I feel like I just keep watching and watching movies---and barely take them in. When was the last time I felt true meaning coming from the TV screen? In those quiet and strangely tense opening moments, I suddenly felt like being silent. Repulsion forces you into this bubble of deep focus almost immediately--- and it does it literally, by focusing on Carole's eye.

I don't usually get so embarrassingly poetic when I talk about movies but here I can't seem to help it. I just can't get past that opening moment.

Carole sits calmly, rigidly and peacefully holding a woman's hand. Everything about it screams sadness. Is the woman dying? Is she already dead? It's filmed in such a beautiful way. And then suddenly....we are pulled into reality. Carole is a beautician who has fallen asleep while performing a manicure. It's the kind of scene that makes me wish I had thought of it first. So simple, so surprising, so oddly remarkable. The scene was attacked with slowness. It takes its time establishing its beauty instead of forcing it on us in a miraculous instance. Even my favorite film--Suspiria rushes into the beauty by splaying it across our eyes while here, it's like waiting for the dust to settle.

Repulsion is the first film in Roman Polanski's "Apartment Trilogy", where Rosemary's Baby and The Tenant follow respectively. It follows Carole--an oddly quiet and distant young woman who falls down a winding and confusing path to madness--one very small step at a time. After her sister goes away on holiday, Carole's psyche takes a turn for the worst and we become trapped in the apartment with her, unsure of what is real and what isn't.

There is so much good happening in Repulsion, that I'm finding it very difficult to know where to begin. The entire film for me could be a study in perfection. With every shot, I find myself getting more and more excited about how much I love it. For a film that has a rather simple plot---there is so much complexity involved.

I'll start with the quiet. The film is so unbelievably quiet. This nature of the film seems to identify clearly with Carole--who barely seems to say more than 20 words in the film. What makes me so interested about the often silent nature of the film is that there are noises and even some instances of music. These however are intrusions and annoyances that seem to occur.

Throughout the film there are these repeated sounds and noises that start to affect us. These repetitions of sound almost start becoming characters of their own. Each with this weird sense of depth. We have the ringing of the school bell that clangs relentlessly. The sound of dripping water, the ticking clock, the unusual sound of the elevator, the nuns laughing, the person that plays the piano, the footsteps and the sound of the buzzing flies. Each of these sounds becomes so aggravating for some reason. I felt like the real reason Carole was going mad was because of all these intrusive noises.

Then we have the closeness of the film. Repulsion takes us to the extreme in terms of how close we get to Carole. I mean this literally as some of the close ups to her face feel like the camera must have been hitting her.

I viewed this as another importance trait of the film. The closer we get to Carole, the closer we get to her madness. It's like for that hour and 40 minutes or so, we are put front and center into that apartment with her. It's like we start becoming Carole---that's how close it gets.

I noticed the film was pushing this closeness when I kept seeing a lot of this.

Do you see it?

There are all these shots of the back of Carole's head that kind of align with us. Because we can't see her face, and because the other people interacting are staring straight at her, it's kind of like they are looking at us....like we become Carole--or we at least become part of Carole's vantage point.

Then there are of course the more obvious things, like the symbolism of the cracking of the apartment's walls,

the cutting of things like the telephone cord, the potatoes growing more and more mutant looking,

and the very repulsive rotting corpse of the rabbit.

All these things in some way symbolize the degradation of Carole's mind. Cracking away, being cut off from reality, and rotting away.

Good god I love this film, and I've barely gotten to know it. It's whore-ish of me, I know but I can't help it. I just want to keep watching it. I love just becoming lost in that world of Carole's, where sexual gratification is repulsive and sickening. I want to vanish in those soft walls and get sucked into one of Carole's silent rape nightmares....wow, I never thought I would say that.

There's just so much to get sucked into. I love how we aren't ever told outright what is wrong with Carole. Sure, we can make connections about past traumas and perhaps the possibility of her being molested as a child, but are we ever really sure? It's like the judging of the old family photo that we see. Some say Carole's eyes are fixated on the man to her right, looking terrified. Is this the man that caused her trauma?

I personally just see a girl in that picture who has always been distant and strange. To me it seems as though she isn't looking at anyone, she's looking into nothingness. It's not hard to tell which one she is, since she possesses that same exact trauma filled look now. But if she's been that way for so long, why wouldn't anyone notice sooner?

My descent into Repulsion marks a landmark in my movie watching career because for the first time, I have not rushed off to IMDB to get some clarity on things I didn't understand. This isn't because I don't have questions however--it's more because I'd rather just keep my views and thoughts to myself. It's a film that can stand on its own without being 100% explained. It's a movie that I will probably think about for a very long time and it's a movie that I'll probably end up comparing to others in terms of its greatness factor. "Yeah it's good but is it, Repulsion good?"

I think what I need to do is just sit in a dark room somewhere and think about it. Remember how perfect our time was together and how great things will be when we meet again. I don't buy a lot of DVDs (Read: any) but I would seriously consider purchasing this immediately. Repulsion is a truly beautiful film, filled with the most amazing sense of quietness I've ever witnessed. It makes me wonder if the world we are presented with is so quiet---what is going on inside of Carole's mind? I imagine, screaming.

The Terrifying World of Little Monsters

Isn't it funny how when we think back to movies we watched as kids, we find that almost everything we watched was the most terrifying thing we ever saw? Nowadays we are in uproar over CGI monsters and blood that looks more like Kool-Aid than the real deal, when back in our youth we were traumatized by claymation demons.

What is it about our young impressionable minds and our brain's insatiable desire to completely scar us for life?

Having gone back and watched several of the films that caused me grief, I have realized many of my errors in naming what I thought was pretty terrifying. Little Monsters, a PG gem starring Fred Savage however is one that I continue to go back to. Despite it obviously being geared towards kids, I can't ignore how certain aspects of the film remain etched in my head, and how after all these years I still find so many of the images to be scary.

For starters--Little Monsters isn't your typical hunky dory kid comedy. Fred Savage stars as Brian, who has recently moved to a new town against he and his younger brother's (played by real life brother Ben Savage!!) wishes. Their parents are often heard fighting, and witnessing the father's temper is more than a little startling. Aside from the fact that having Daniel Stern has a father would be healthy for nobody,

the life and times of Brian Stevenson are anything but pleasant. The constant over hang of parent's soon on their way to divorce seems outwardly realistic in this movie about fictional monsters.

On top of that, one of the more terrifying moments comes when we get a glimpse into what Brian's favorite sandwich is.

Yes, peanut butter and onion. I admit to never having tried it, but I'm pretty sure it would taste something like what I would imagine dysentery smells like.

When Brian first meets his soon to be best friend, Maurice (played by the always annoying Howie Mandel) I can't help but notice how terrifying he truly is. I know we are suppose to like Maurice, but I could never get past his disgusting outer image.

His constant need to burp and make gross and annoying jokes doesn't help the situation either. Still, despite how Maurice is actually on our side, there is something so scary about how monsters are portrayed here. By taking the age old tale of monster's hiding underneath beds, Little Monsters creates an entire world hidden beneath where we go to sleep each and every night.

Brian's first run in with Maurice is spine tingling in a most curious way. Shadows on the wall, and a very literal bump in the night--this scene did little to make me want to sleep with the door closed.

Once Brian enters the monster world, we are met with a steady stream of what can only be described as the most oddly terrifying display of monsters known to man.

Maybe it was my constant disgust of mismatched clothes, or the overly 80s vibe of the costumes that rubbed me the wrong way--whatever it was these monsters scared the crap out of me. I couldn't understand for the life of me why Brian would willingly be friends with such terrifying "kids". On top of that, the world of the monsters, was like a labyrinth of Popsicle stick hell, straight from one of my very darkest nightmares.

I think I may have once compared the set up of wooden ladders and steps to that of the underworld in Nightbreed, but there is something so strangely unnerving about this land of monsters.

None of these images however top the ultimate scare factor that occurs near the film's conclusion. After Brian's brother is kidnapped, he ventures to leader of the monster world, Boy's room and is met by a very alarming presence.

Frank Whaley, dons the uniform of a well seasoned school boy, and speaks to Brian and his friend's in a sickeningly sweet manner, all the while exposing his hands which seem to be an indication of Boy's true self.

Words cannot express how insanely eerie this scene is. Boy's room is at once a lair of hell and a toy store after closing hours. A place where the facade of a room filled with toys, is broken when a teddy bear tries to drill through Fred Savage's sneakers.

And then we reach a pivotal moment, when the camera focuses on Boy as he continues to deliver his attempt at convincing Brian to remain a monster, and we pan around to the back of Boy's head---his disgusting monster brain seeping out from what appears to be a mask much too small.

If we weren't already creeped out by Boy to begin with, this reveal causes a paralysis. A feeling that persists until we are finally presented with what lies behind the mask.

Even now with my highly attuned sense of horror, I find that the atmosphere in this scene is a different ball game altogether.

Sure the scene may only be scary because I judged it as so when I was little, but something tells me Little Monsters knows something that we don't. Could it be perhaps that we can try to escape the fears from our childhood, the monster's hiding underneath the beds and the threat of our parent's divorce--when really, the slightest hint of our past can send us reeling all the way back to childhood. With that smallest hint, we remember how scared we once were, and still are in some ways--because fear is more real than we sometimes want it to be. Fear, the kind of thing that is very, very hard to forget.

Revisiting the Sentinel

The Sentinel is one of those movies that seldom gets brought up and gushed about. I have no idea why that is because I love it- and although it is slow in parts- I just can't get enough of the overall concept and that completely unsettling ending. The Sentinel was one of the first movies I ever reviewed and I feel that it in my early days as a horror blogger I just did not do it enough justice. So I'm back!

First off, if you've never seen it- I suggest watching it asap- it's on Netflix instant. Yes it's one of those "religious" horror movies- but since when have religious horror movies not been grossly entertaining? Sure no one gets possessed and vomits pea soup but naked fat people are copulating in bed while eating birthday cake!! Plus there is the best cat birthday party in history run by the coolest crazy cat old man neighbor ever. What's not to love?

The Sentinel does one of those things with the plot that interests me- and it actually reminded me a bit of Them! It starts off by making you think it's just another ghost story. A lonely yet unusually successful model in a big apartment where the rocking chandelier rouses her from sleep on a nightly basis. But we also know that it may not be a typical ghost story and we know this because of one simple fact, and this fact changes everything and takes it from a ghost story to a religious horror movie. The first resident of the hotel we "see" is a mute/ blind priest who looks out the window all day and night. He's not a ghost- but the fact that he is a priest suddenly makes things wildly interesting. So what is a sentinel anyways? Why it's a person who keeps watch or guards something of course. Hmmm.....keeps watch....a blind priest sitting by the window like he's watching something....I found the sentinel! But is that all there is? Of course not!

For starters the idea that the priest is blind but is a sentinel is very intriguing to me. An idea that becomes even more interesting when we get a good look at his eyes much further into the film.

Yes, white eyes indeed. Potentially when you are blind you see nothing or blackness. An eye that is white potentially "sees" while a black blindness is devoid of everything. I don't want to diverge off into a science lesson about the color spectrum but let's just say that those white eyes are very important when you think of what the priests actual job ends up being.

Now secondly- what would a priest need to keep watch on? What is the Church's main concern really? Keeping the evil out? The all too familiar battle of good vs. evil, the Devil vs God-Black vs. White! These are our first inklings for sure- but is that really the priests job? When we find that the priest is meant to be a guardian who guards the gates of hell, our idea of the priest and his job changes a bit. It's like the idea of Cerberus the 3 headed dog who guards he gates in hell in Dante's Inferno. He is not meant to keep anyone out- but to keep people in. To me this concept is extremely thought provoking- because it makes you wonder about the unity of heaven and hell and the working unity that the devil and God must have. Think about it- having Cerberus guard the gates of hell makes sense because he is a part of hell- and one of the devil's minions. But a priest on the other hand is essentially part of God. Sometimes I laugh because I imagine the devil shelling out some cash to God for letting him use one of their guardians. But it does make me wonder if the Devil and God secretly are friends! What else could it really mean? Is the Devil just being lazy? Possibly. Also- not only that but each Sentinel would have gone to hell if they did not consent to become the next sentinel due to their attempted suicides. By becoming the sentinel they are guaranteed a place in heaven- so the Devil is losing out on a potential member of hell. Sounds to me like the Devil is being seriously ripped off! Someone should let him know...

Anyways that is just a gigantic, mind twisting thought I had while re-watching the Sentinel last night and something I could never quite understand. I also finally understood that Alison's sudden suicide attempt in her teenage years completely makes sense.

If I came home one day- and found my father doing this---

And this woman was laughing at me and stuffing cake in her mouth

I would feel like this too--

When I first saw this I thought- well jeesh that was a little dramatic. But in all seriousness that would be one scarring experience! Poor Alison.

Upon my second viewing I also noticed something really really interesting. But before I get talking about it I have to talk about that wacky neighbor, Charles Chazen. If the first neighbor I ever met rang my door bell and it was this guy--

I would be extremely excited. Not only does he love cats, but he's as kooky as they come! He says the funniest things and he's one of those old men that I just can't get enough of. Of course that little thing about him being a demon or whatever is just a bit unfortunate but nevertheless he's still the best character in the entire movie. And I can't get enough of that cat birthday party.

Emmy Doomas and I tried to get a party hat on Monkey for my birthday- and it was the best thing in the world period. She kept it on for a whopping 3 seconds but it was still the best 3 seconds of my life so don't worry. Jezebel here has amazing patience however- and I'm obsessed with this picture....hahaha it really is the best thing ever. Now onto the thing I noticed!

Here is Jezebel the cat's birthday cake--and it's the EXACT same cake that her father was eating with those two whores. Scroll up and see for yourself if you don't believe me. The funny thing is- Alison certainly doesn't notice and attention is never brought to it throughout the rest of the movie. The only thing I can think of is that it was an attempt to get Alison to think once again back to that day- and then she would try to kill herself again. But it's just so curious- as to why A. they would ever think Alison would remember what the cake looked like and B. that it's never brought up or questioned. A very interesting observance if I do say so myself.

And now for your viewing pleasure; Beverly D'Angelo masturbating in front of company!

She is just so wild sometimes. Yikes that scene is almost too much for me to handle- it's way too uncomfortable and awkward....

And now to end this little talk of a movie I just love so much. An obvious similarity to another one of my favorite movies- Freaks.

Yes the director was under quite a bit of heat for using people with real deformities to use as demons during the film's climax. Whoops! It is pretty wrong when you think of it, I for one was not aware that people with physical deformities weren't allowed in heaven- or maybe I was but I blocked it- out who knows these days. Regardless, it's certainly a very old and outdated concept and is pretty horribly un PC to say that anyone who isn't physically pure is not granted access to heaven. All the more reason for me to believe that Heaven is full of a bunch of stuck up ninny's.

Anyways that's really all I can say after my thirdish watching of The Sentinel. The ending is one of the bleakest I have seen- but for some reason it still causes such great unease. Probably because Alison is really in a lose lose situation. Sure she gets one free pass to heaven- but just look what she gets to do for the rest of her life! Bit of a gyp if you ask me!

Deep Red: A Study of Color and What Snooki Will Look Like When She's 50 Years Old.

If you caught me twittering today than you may have heard me mention that Deep Red was my second favorite Argento film. Behind Suspiria and before Phenomena. Today's version that I have watched unfortunately is not one I have seen- but I do believe it is the one I've heard many people refer to. It's an extended Italian version in which there are many scenes that suddenly switch from being dubbed in English to being subtitled in English over Italian actor's with much more interesting voices. Have you ever heard Daria Nicolodi's real voice? It's actually quite pleasing- compared to the awful dub she usually gets. It's a pity than that they only chose to do that on this version because to be honest it's just too long! All longness aside, I was still able to grasp the very idea of why I love this film so much; which of course is because it's so RED.

Since I'm obsessed with the beautiful colors in Suspiria and the way that the color red gets splashed violently and beautifully across the picture- it should be no surprise that I get the same feeling when I watch a movie called "Deep Red". The color red is present in sort of a different way than it is in Suspiria. I'd say the color was certainly more prominent and overpowering in Suspiria, while in Deep Red- the color red is usually confined to one specific area- which almost makes it's appearance "cut" across your senses. Take a look at some pristine examples...

Now wasn't that just a delight? Red, although a simple concept of a color to use in a horror film, really does wonders at jumping out at you. And Argento knows just how to use it. Now this isn't to say that he doesn't use red liberally in this film. He actually does much more than use it liberally but foreshadows it's very use in each and every murder scene. Check out this awesome little gem I found....

Notice the intense way Lady GaGa here is putting on her bright RED lipstick.

Think she has enough on? Now remember the way the red looks splashed on her lips as we take a look at each of the murder victims.

Pretty nifty huh? Sure these murder victims may not have been as exact when applying their lipstick but it's till pretty uncanny. This my friends is the very proof of beauty in blood, and beauty in horror and film making. Say what you will about his story work and plot holes- but Argento can make a picture happen.

The other very moving thing I find with Deep Red- is that I believe a large part of why the color is so significant has to do with the traumatic experience our murderer has- or the witness to the initial murder perhaps. Seeing a "deep red" blood like that has to terrify you. The red in this movie works the same way that it does in Hitchcock's, Marnie- except it is the audience that is more affected by it than the character. Due to this it makes sense then that all the red is "deep" since it remains so deeply engraved into our minds and into the witnesses mind.

Now the other reason I love this film has to do with those damn creepy dolls. Can you honestly think of anything creepier than coming into your house and finding this?

Yeah didn't think so. Oh wait except coming home to find this doll RUNNING at you.

Sweet Jesus this scene and this doll will never be fully out of my head. How does it run like that? What is the meaning of this atrocity?!

Alright so even though the film is packed to the brim with fantastic imagery there are still some confusing scenes, plot holes and just all around strangeness that we often find in Argento's films. But like I've said before when I watch an Argento film, I'm watching it for the artistry and the imagery rather than a plot that makes sense. I believe this is the trouble people get into when they are looking for love with Argento. They want to love him but can't get past those often strange plots that don't seem to make sense. My suggestion is- ignore most of the plot- and focus on the beauty!

Why else do I love this movie? Let's see... The super creepy opening of the film, the intentional gender mix up when showing close ups of the killer, the bathtub murder, the opening murder and the glass in the neck, the creepy little girl who sticks needles in lizards, the killers fascination with dolls, that damn creepy song, the killers fantastic death scene, the way the window eerily opens up and makes the steam in the bathroom disappear, and the death of Carlo- that happens right after this amazing picture of his face is shown to us.

Oh and look what I found.....a flash forward into Snooki's life.

This picture only proves my prediction that by the time she reaches 60 her self tanner will have absorbed into her skin killing all pigmentation and rendering her grey. Oh boy I can't wait!

Buy Deep Red at Horror Movie Empire!