Horror Short: Vincent (1982)

Directed by Tim Burton
Narrated by Vincent Price
Director of Photography Victor Abdalov

Vincent Malloy isn't like other kids, he stays inside, reads Edgar Alan Poe, and slips into macabre fantasies where he envisions himself as Vincent Price. The only thing stopping Vincent from getting lost in his daydream is his mother, who dislikes her son's strange behavior. Vincent is very much Dr. Seuss meets Tim Burton in a poetic and epic short film. There's so much homage to Vincent Price's career in young Vincent's play story of Price as a mad scientist who creates a demon dog, losses his wife, and slips into a bit of insanity that only Price could master in such films. And the subplot of Vincent being different than other kids is reference to Burton's childhood as he grew up reading Edgar Alan Poe and watching cartoons.

Lately Burton has been receiving the hate for his recent films, as Alice in Wonderland was awful (in my opinion) and Dark Shadows equally lacked the charm of his early works. Everything is still Burton-esque (i.e. crooked trees, weird plot) but doesn't have the black warped heart of his prominent films. Vincent has revived my faith in the director though as something this fantastic has to be hidden within him somewhere still. If I was to compose a list of my favorite Burton films The Nightmare Before Christmas would of course be first as it is his best work, but Vincent is a close second. As with Edward Scissorhands it only glimpses into the possibilities of collaboration between Price and Burton. As it is though Vincent is a marvelous, beautiful and twisted piece that is Burton's signature. A definite watch for fans of Burton's older work.

Vincent is available to watch on The Nightmare Before Christmas DVD and also in a less that decent quality upload on youtube. Again if you have a short film you'd like me to view you may contact me on Twitter or at my email bleedingdead22@yahoo.com.

The Human Centipede 2: The Full Sequence (2011)

In this meta-horror film Martin is a disturbed loner who's long suffered from mental abuse from his mother and sexual abuse from his father. Martin works an imaginably boring job in a parking garage where most of his down time is spent in bondage type masturbation to Tom Six's infamous horror film The Human Centipede. Martin's love of the film goes beyond that of the typical insane horror fan (shout out to myself and others) and he has a dream of creating a human centipede of his own, using twelve people. It isn't until Martin kills his mother though that he seeks out to pursue his dream and in a ghastly attempt captures twelve random strangers. Where Dr. Heiter had the surgical skills and operating room to achieve his dream all Martin has is an empty warehouse and Heiter's kindergarten drawings from the film. In a brutal, graphic, and explicit final twenty minutes Martin creates a human centipede in a grisly conclusion.

Please, excuse me for the socially inept term but this film is retarded. Interesting how it reflects that of its main character Martin, it's a little tragic, a little disturbing, a little boring but ultimately is challenged. Tom Six's sequel to his infamous first film is in likes to nature of being a social commentary, it's about the fans of the first who called to derogatory comments of masturbation and obsession but also to the skeptical horror fans who felt it was too tame for it's hype. Six isn't shy in showing you everything, and then some. Maybe it was the poor use of special effects or the spoilers I read beforehand but I felt I saw through the grim of the film and saw for what it really was, nothing. That's not to say it wasn't graphic and unneccessary and I have no shame in saying I looked away for a good portion of the shit scene but it was all just...well fake. In that it holds to its tagline, 100% Medically Inaccurate, as besides the amateur approach to the medical stuff which I'm sure would kill most from shock he hits all his victims hard enough with a crowbar that I'm sure they'd die, if not then the second hit.

There's not much to say in casting as of the twelve people only a few stand out, Ashlynn Yennie returns and of course being meta it is as herself. She's not in it much and as a favor to us all again Martin rips out her tongue so even as the A piece she doesn't have to speak. The pregnant lady sticks out because of what her fate entails, which I'll say is more horrible than people defecating in each other mouths. The rest get a few lines that are mostly useless or campy, my favorite being "He's going to sew us ass to mouth!". That just leaves us Martin, now if Six knows how to do anything it's how to cast his villains. Laurence R. Harvey is really terrifying as Martin, his lack of dialogue and large eyes are very effective in creating a man unhinged. Scenes where he cries or laughs adds to that human quality to the character and you get a sense he could exist. Very worthy with Dieter Laser. Again, pre final twenty minutes, Six's strongest aspect in film making is his camera work and visual choices. His decision to shoot the film in black and white gives it a nightmarish visual overlay. The ascension of bright lighting in focus creates a surreal feel to the build of Martin's world and obsession. As well as a lot of other cleaver shots to master that loner and warped mindset feeling. For a brief moment you do live inside his head.

Yet it is effective. I felt wrong and nauseated after its ending. It resembles the creed of a homemade snuff film and even now I feel unease having it on my blog, as if it's tainting it or making it dirty. While I found The First Sequence to be good, only in originality and camera work, I find that The Full Sequence to not be good but had the potential from the first simple thought. Maybe my biggest issue with Tom Six as a director and writer is he has the ability to create horror films with depth and an artistic touch but goes for the shameful gore and tits show. The Human Centipede 2 is just one of those films that I cannot tell you to watch but it is iconic, it's part of this generation of horror, and it does what those who bitched about what the first film didn't, it goes there. However no plot and a single character developed doesn't surpass the grotesque latter half which isn't horror but rather just shoddy. Maybe its to say that you can achieve your dreams with a little duct tape and a staple gun? I don't know, it's not something I can recommend but it is what it is. Your decision.

Black Sunday - Le Masque Du Demon (1960)

I'm starting a new feature to this blog. No it's not another post a week (that be the day) but a feature. At the last Thursday of every month I will be reviewing an Italian horror films. I realize my love of Argento is absurd but I haven't taken all the much notice to the other legends such as Bava and Fulci, I still haven't seen Zombi 2...please don't kill me. I'm going to be expanding my love of the Italian horror films at the very least once a month and my first is of Mario Bava's Black Sunday.

In sixteen hundreds Russia a witch, Princess Asa Vajda, and her servant are being executed for practicing the sacrilegious craft. Asa death is one of the most famous horror film moments as she is tied to a stake and a mask with nails lining the inside is hammered to her bare face. In an grisly moment, even for a black and white film, Asa dies but not before vowing revenge on her executor, who also happens to be her brother. Buried in a tomb with a cross sealing her coffin the Vajda family believes that they've seen the last of their shunned relative. Until two hundred years later that is when two doctors stumble into the tomb and break the coffin that encrypts Asa. Now awaken and intent on her revenge Asa seeks to posses the body of her descendent Katia, who eerily shares the same features as her. As Asa begins to gain strength the only person to save Katia is Dr. Andre Gorobec, one of the doctors who broke the cross and Katia's new lover interest.

A hint of Poe hidden beneath the surface Black Sunday takes to the macabre, surreal Gothic imagery and religious symbolism (the reoccurring presence of the serpent, the Griffith, etc). A witch with vampirism manners is a bit of controversy in the film as Princess Asa bites and drinks the blood of her victims only to offer them a trance in death where they're under her control. It sounds more in likes to the vampire myths than it does the spell casting witch myth, but in my opinion the film calls her a witch without so much of a hesitation on the other word in that it is a witch film, despite the similarities. The dialog is no more odd than an Argento script and the dubbing no better so be cautious of that. The effects probably outstanding at the time still work for now, the witch's transformation is subtle enough that I only noticed when it took full form. Bava as a director is stunning, and brave for the time. As said the first scene is the most horrific in the entire set but so effective in that Bava shows no fear in disporting the graphic execution, blood and all. Having been released the same year as Hitchcock's Psycho which also had a profound impact at exposing gore on camera.

The acting has it's inevitable cornball moments. The priest actually stood out to me as the actor who played him in a calm and confident manner, despite not really having a contributing part in the film. Barbra Steel's career resulted as of this and its understandable. Though she tends to the chew the scenery as of Katia she has the creep factor for the witch. Her gorgeously large eyes when properly wielded can create a daunting stare. Even the professor notes how even eyeless they seem to bare into the soul. Not to entirely throw away the damsel of Katia she has her mysterious moments as well to probe whether she's in on the murders. John Richardson plays Andre and he's alright, there's not much to his character so there's not much to play. Though enriched in black and white film I was genuinely grossed out at moments. The human bodily fluids and the revealing of the witch still have a sovereignty over the films technical work and appeal to its lasting age.

I'm not sure what captivates me about Black Sunday as I'm even tolerant towards the melodramatic love between Andre and Katia. Its almost feels like an inexplicable phenomenon when I love a film at first viewing. Rarely does it occur as films have to sit and marinate, if you will, before I account them as exceptional. Black Sunday is the most recent of phenomenons. Back to being objective though, while this Bava's first piece and the one that crowned him as an Italian horror bravado not all consider it his best. And as mentioned if you hate bad dubbing why consider the country's genre films. I hate dubbing so I wish I was able to watch it in Italian with subtitles, but I'm able to take it as it is. The same goes for acting, its not great in all places but I'm more forgiving as I hold certain things over others. Black Sunday is a classic watch for Italian horror fans and a great introduction to those just starting in the sub-genre.