13 Nights of Shocktober: Interview With the Vampire

 by A.J.

Night 6: Vampire Night

“I’m going to give you the choice I never had.”

Interview With the Vampire

There are only a handful of vampire movies that are so influential that they change the way people think about the undead creature and how they are portrayed in future movies. Among them are F.W. Murnau’s silent classic Nosferatu, Tod Browning’s Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi, Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), and the 1994 big screen adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel Interview With the Vampire.

Anne Rice’s novel, first published in 1975, not only had the vampire as the main character, but the vampire wasn’t a villain. These vampires have complex personalities: moody, brooding, and profoundly sad. The novel and movie are best described as drama rather than horror; the characters undergoing an existential crisis just happen to be vampires. 

As the title would suggest, the story is structured as an interview taking place in the present day (early 1990’s) between a radio journalist (Christian Slater) and a mysterious pale man who claims he is a vampire. Perhaps the journalist is putting together the most macabre episode of This American Life. The vampire is Louis (Brad Pitt) and he tells the story of his life as a vampire. This was a major role for Pitt that would help launch him to superstardom, but it is Tom Cruise as the charismatic, dastardly vampire Lestat who gives the standout performance. The casting of Tom Cruise as Lestat caused uproar and controversy at the time, which was quite a feat in the pre-internet era. His movie star persona seemed at odds with the character of Lestat who is more or less a villain in this story and anti-hero in later Rice novels. Rice was very publicly against the casting of Tom Cruise. She went as far as advocating for fans of the book to boycott the movie and saying that casting Cruise as Lestat was like casting Edward G. Robinson as Rhett Butler. However, after seeing the finished film she would publicly retract her protests and even took out a full page ad in the New York Times praising Cruise’s performance. In Cruise’s career, this performance really does stand out. It’s one of the few times he's played a villain and one of the few times he’s really gone broad with a performance, which is just what the movie needs. Lestat shows the appeal of being a vampire: he embraces having no remorse, overindulging in luxury and the superiority he feels as an immortal. Pitt’s Louis bears the weight of conscience and remorse and the disadvantages of immortality. Each character is overbearing in their own way, but since Lestat is the more lively of the pair his impatience with Louis feels surprisingly welcome, and adds some humor.

In a moment of weakness Louis attacks and feeds on a small girl and Lestat turns 12 year-old Claudia into a vampire child. Kirsten Dunst’s performance as Claudia is brilliant, proof of her innate abilities as an actress. They form a vampire family and these scenes are amusing in a dark comedy sort of way. These happy times are short lived and Louis and Claudia leave for Paris in search of other vampires and answers to their questions about their own existence.

There is a strong and blatant streak of homoeroticism throughout the film between Louis and Lestat and later between Louis and the old world vampire Armand (Antonio Banderas). A newer adaptation would explore this more, in fact, the recent TV series, very loosely based on the book, does just that. However, here the subtext is so loud that a more explicit or direct portrayal does not seem necessary. It’s obvious that Louis and Lestat are in a relationship, however toxic. When Lestat turns Claudia into a vampire it comes across like having a child to save a failing marriage; this turns out to be a mistake for both humans and vampires. 

There is a fair amount of violence and horror effects, but because of the overall tone of the movie they hit differently than in a straightforward horror movie. They are usually punctuated by humor or sadness. Only in the climax, which almost feels like an action scene, are the horror effects played for shock. Special effects master Stan Winston (whose other credits Terminator 2, The Monster Squad, Batman Returns, and Jurassic Park) created the vampire effects and makeup. When Claudia attempts to murder Lestat by poisoning him and slitting his throat, Winston and the effects team built an emaciated animatronic Tom Cruise that writhes dying on the ground. This effect remains impressive even today. 

This is a brilliant movie worthy of the lasting influence it has had on vampire stories and horror in general. You can watch it with a horror hesitant viewer since it is more of a drama than outright horror. Thanks to the well-played, deep emotions on display it has a great effect on a wide swath of people. No matter how many other versions or remakes, even if they are good, Interview With the Vampire will stand alone, unchanging and forever captivating.

Interview With the Vampire is available to stream on Max and free on Tubi.

13 Nights of Shocktober: The Witch Who Came From the Sea

by A.J.

Night 5: Serial Killer Night II

“Why did she come out of the sea?”

The Witch Who Came From the Sea

I must admit that I was completely unaware of The Witch Who Came From the Sea before coming across it randomly on the streaming site Tubi and was only interested because of the outrageous title. I was more than surprised by what I saw. This low budget proto-slasher film from 1976 qualifies as a horror movie because of its bloody violence and cerebral imagery. However, two more things separate and even elevate this movie from other serial killer and slasher movies. The first and most obvious: it flips the gender of the killer, so the psychologically damaged killer is a woman. The second: the screenplay focuses on the troubled emotional and psychological state of the killer, turning this would be exploitation movie into a compelling character study, even though the psychology is fairly basic. 

Millie Perkins stars as Molly, an average working class woman who lives by the sea. She adores her two nephews and despises how few “heroes” there are for young boys. She idolizes her deceased father, but remarks from her sister hint at a less than ideal father. Disturbing flashbacks reveal his true abusive relationship with Molly.

By 1976 there had already been many films, especially Italian giallos (mystery films) that, inspired by Hitchcock’s Psycho, were about a killer who was driven to kill their intense and conflicted feelings of attraction and repulsion to women stemming from abuse suffered as a child. Molly is driven by the same conflict but from the perspective of a female character it feels fresh and revealing. The screenplay by Robert Thom provides a great showcase for the talents and skills of Millie Perkins, Thom’s wife at the time, by making Molly a multifaceted character who draws our sympathy or at least our understanding as she murders. 

To be sure, this was created as an exploitation movie. There is a lot of sex and nudity and violence; though not all of the sex and nudity is sexy and not all of the violence is sensational or fun. Molly seduces two very muscular football players and drugs them. One passes out. She ties down the other and he realizes too late this is not a sexual game and he is in trouble. She grabs at his Achilles tendon and fretting over having only a small safety razor and complains, “this is going to take forever.” There is some squirting blood but most of the violence is off screen and we are thankful for it. 

There is also humor too: intentional, unintentional, and awkward. The oddball tattoo artist Jack Dracula reveals that people call him that because that’s his real name. The opening sequence has Molly with her nephews at the beach but she is distracted by ultra muscular men exercising nearby. The camera cuts to close ups of their speedo clad bulges then back to Molly in the throws of desire and disgust. This movie isn’t afraid to turn on a dime from humor to horror. 

The stylistic choices by director Matt Climber pay great attention to Molly’s complex emotional and psychological state. In one scene, a handsome mostly nude man in a TV commercial talks directly to her. There are flashes shown in psychedelic colors of a woman tied to a stake on a raft adrift at sea with dismembered body parts all around her. These surreal touches are captivating and put you in the same bewildered headspace as Molly.

The psychology is simple, perhaps even too simple by even a common understanding today, but unlike slasher movies before or since, this movie cares about its antihero/killer protagonist. Her backstory and past abuse and trauma are more than just an excuse for murder. This movie cares more about Molly’s peace of mind than sensational kills. The ending, like the rest of the movie , is unconventional for the genre, but it is fitting for this story and character.

The Witch Who Came From the Sea is available to stream for free on Tubi.

13 Nights of Shocktober: John Carpenter's They Live

by A.J.

Night 4: John Carpenter Night

They live. We sleep.

John Carpenter’s They Live

John Carpenter’s They Live is a little bit of everything: science fiction, action, horror, comedy, even socio-political commentary. It vacillates from mystery to comedy to sci-fi weirdness to working class drama. Somehow, it does all of this very well. Carpenter fully meant They Live to be a satire of the consumerist culture of the 1980's and a reaction to the effects of the Reagan era on America as a whole. So much about the themes of They Live is relevant today that there’s no need for an updated version. Nearly every line of dialogue about class and economic inequalities and the elite upper class exploiting and benefiting off the work of the lower class feels relevant today. Yet, this is not merely a dressed up diatribe. Carpenter made a thoroughly entertaining and interesting sci-fi film with an important message that never loses its way. 

The plot is pretty simple but also pretty strange. A drifter arrives in Los Angeles looking for work and stumbles across an alien plot for world domination. That’s the simple part. The strange part is that the aliens are broadcasting oppressive subliminal messages through every form of media: TV, billboards, magazines, etc. There are also already numerous aliens living on earth in disguise. The only way to see the aliens or their messages is with special sunglasses that the drifter finds in an abandoned church. The glasses reveal a world in black and white where advertisements of any kind, even labels on food in a grocery store, are actually messages like: OBEY, MARRY AND REPRODUCE, SUBMIT, NO INDEPENDENT THOUGHT, STAY ASLEEP.

Carpenter named the drifter Nada to not so subtly emphasize that though he has skills and his own tools and is more than willing to work for his fair share, society at large sees him as nothing (nada). He looks at a wall of job postings at the unemployment office but when he finally meets with a case worker he’s told that there is nothing for him. Nada is played very well by wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper. Physically of course, Piper is more than up to the task of being an action movie star, but he does a very fine job with the dramatic side of this character too. He starts out as pretty much a blank with practically no backstory. He also has an innocent optimism about his situation, even though he is homeless. He tells his only friend, Frank, played by the great Keith David, “I just want the chance. It’ll come. I believe in America. I follow the rules.” Piper says these lines with a realistic sincerity that is hard to believably deliver. Piper’s time as a professional wrestler came in handy in perhaps unexpected ways, like having to deliver some pretty ridiculous dialogue. When Keith David asks where these creatures are from, Piper replies with “They ain’t from Cleveland.” His most famous line of dialogue in the movie, which he came up with, is without a doubt, “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubblegum.” And he does this without making the movie silly; instead he makes it fun. 

Carpenter wrote the role of Frank for Keith David, which was something of a relief for David who had not had a film role since John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), his first film. If Piper plays the beat down but optimistic side of the American worker, David plays the beat down cynical, or pragmatic, side. His character says things like, “They put you at the starting line. The name of the game is ‘Make it Through Life’ only everyone’s out for themselves and looking to do you in at the same time.” Like his role in The Thing, he is the supporting character to a stand out leading man, but he is no less memorable. It certainly helps that his character’s comments about economic inequalities and social commentary are delivered in his memorable, authoritative, and booming voice. Arguably the most famous moment from They Live is the extended fight scene between Piper and David in an alley. You’ll hear that this scene has no purpose and that’s why it is memorable, aside from the stunt work and fight choreography. The counter argument is that it is meant to represent how difficult it is to get someone to change their mind, or even listen to a different opinion, since the fight starts when David refuses to put on the special sunglasses. Carpenter has said that the scene is an homage to the 9 minute fight scene in The Quiet Man between John Wayne and Victor McLaglen.

With They Live, John Carpenter both modernizes and pays tribute to science fiction films of the 1950’s. The look of the aliens, designed by Sandy King, Carpenter’s creative partner and later wife, is clearly evocative of sci-fi aliens of the 1950’s and even the EC horror comics that inspired Creepshow (1982) and the Tales From the Crypt HBO series. They might look cartoonish but they fit the heightened satirical tone. Due to the low budget, stunt coordinator Jeff Imada played nearly every alien with a different voice dubbed in afterwards. This explains why certain aliens might seem awkwardly tall compared to Roddy Piper since the short Imada was standing on a box or walking on crates. 

Nothing about They Live is subtle and that is by design. To quote Roger Ebert, “If you have to ask what something symbolizes, it doesn’t.” That the message and the action do not hinder each other but together create an entertaining movie is a testament to John Carpenter’s skill as a filmmaker. 

They Live airs on TCM on Friday, October 25th at 12:30AM CT. It is also available to stream for free on Tubi and Peacock (w/subscription).

13 Nights of Shocktober: Cape Fear (1962)

by A.J.

Night 3: Thriller Night

“You still don’t get it, do you, counselor?”

Cape Fear (1962)

The original classic Cape Fear is a thriller, not a horror movie, but there is enough suspense and deep dread to make it a great alternative to bloody slashers or graphic horror movies. Little about it is dated; there are scenes that will make your skin crawl. The two elements that make Cape Fear so effective are the powerful, ominous score by the legendary Bernard Herrmann and the chilling performance of Robert Mitchum as one of the screen's most sinister and dangerous villains: Max Cady. 

In the same year that the great Gregory Peck played the upstanding, righteous southern lawyer Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, he also played another upstanding, righteous southern lawyer, the admittedly less memorable Sam Bowden, in Cape Fear. Seemingly out of the blue, Sam finds himself and his family stalked and menaced by Max Cady, who recently completed an 8 year prison sentence and blames Sam for testifying against him. Even though Cady is a violent man, his revenge is slow and insidious and skirts the edges of the law. As Cady’s menace grows, so does the question of how far Sam will go–whether or not he will break the law–to protect his family.   

In the making-of featurette on the Blu-ray, Peck says, "I played a good guy. More or less a predictable guy… When [Cady] walked into a scene everyone was on guard, so to speak, wondering what he might do next." He knew that even though he was playing the hero, he was not really the lead of the movie. Whoever was cast as Max Cady would be the lead and Robert Mitchum really is the star of the movie. He plays Cady as someone who is a brute and is also clever. He enjoys the psychological torment he inflicts as well as physical violence. His menace and danger grows subtly until at the climax when he more or less becomes a primordial force emerging from the waters of the Cape Fear River. Mitchum gets to show off with low key scenes and also in more confrontational scenes but he never goes over the top. The scariest thing about this character is how believable Mitchum makes him. 

It seems that Cady lives for only one reason, which is to take revenge on Sam. Despite never directly stating it, because of Production Code censorship, director J. Lee Thompson still makes it clear that Cady’s revenge plan is to torture and rape Sam’s wife and young daughter. By far the most uncomfortable scene in the movie is Cady standing on a pier eating ice cream and watching Sam's daughter clean their boat. Cady tells Sam that his daughter is almost as juicy as his wife. Sam punches him but Cady does not fight back and there is now a whole pier full of witnesses to Sam hitting him first. In another scene, shocking only because it is in a movie made in 1962, Cady uses his sinister charm to seduce a woman who he later rapes and beats (offscreen) knowing that she won't file charges or testify because it would mean recounting and explaining the details of the assault publicly. Cady does this merely to demonstrate what he is capable of. Thompson walked a tightrope with the censors with scenes like this in addition to scenes of actual physical violence.

Early in his career, Thompson worked with Hitchcock and often approached a scene by asking himself what Hitchcock would have done. He makes great use of suspense, letting the audience know what the characters do not. He also includes some fake-out jump scares, like Sam's wife being startled by a hatrack in the shadows late at night. A much more consequential fake out happens later in the movie. 

When Thompson was asked if had any objections to hiring Bernard Herrmann to compose the score, his response was, "I should think not!" Herrmann, who had already composed memorable scores for Hitchcock's Vertigo, North by Northwest, and Psycho, created another ominous and evocative score. It still packs a punch with its powerful horns and suspenseful strings. Like Herrmann’s most famous scores, there's a good chance that you've heard it even if you haven't seen the movie. When Martin Scorsese remade Cape Fear in 1991, he reused much of Herrmann's original score. 

This might sound like a pro-vigilante or “extra-legal” justice movie. After all, the law keeps failing the upstanding citizen and protecting the outsider instead, but ultimately this is not a cynical movie. I must admit I was reminded of the idealistic duel played by Batman and the Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight. The Joker and Cady essentially have no goal other than to cause pain and destruction and goad their opponents into breaking their moral codes. If Batman or Sam breaks their code to defeat and punish their antagonist, then they have lost. Of course, Peck's Sam is much less exciting than Batman. 

Peck also worked as a producer on film and even chose the source material, a pulp novel by John D. MacDonald titled The Executioners. He chose a new title by looking at a map until he found an interesting name because sometimes, he said, “geographical titles” were successful like Casablanca or Dodge City. I think only the Coen brothers with Fargo have had as much success with picking a random city as the title of their movie.

Cape Fear (1962) is airing on TCM on Sunday, October 27th at 1AM CT. It is also available to stream on Prime Video.

13 Nights of Shocktober: American Psycho (2000)

 by A.J. 

Night 2: Serial Killer Night

This is not an exit.

 

American Psycho

American Psycho is surprisingly watchable (and even rewatchable) and very entertaining given its violence and dark, disturbing subject matter. Like the novel by Brett Easton Ellis, the film drew controversy and protests. Even now it still retains an aura of controversy and danger. The main protests against the novel and film were accusations of misogyny, the scenes of graphic violence against women, and seeming glorification of the lifestyle of the killer. I admit that at first I was surprised when I learned that two women were the principal filmmakers: director Mary Harron and screenwriter-actress Guinevere Turner. However, this makes total sense; only female filmmakers could see completely through the façade of 1980’s Wall Street executive Patrick Bateman and even the writing and opinions of Brett Easton Ellis. They are also not intimidated by Patrick Bateman or the violence and deliver a dark satire of 1980’s consumerism, masculinity, male aggression, and performative conformity. 

This movie is also very funny. There are scenes of humor in the book but the movie’s humor works so well and really comes through because of Mary Harron and Guinivere Turner’s screenplay and the excellent performance of Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman. At different points throughout the 1990’s Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio were interested in playing Patrick Bateman. Bale was Harron’s choice because he seemed to be the only actor who not only saw Patrick Bateman as a pathetic, shallow, and actually dorky character but was willing to play him that way and without an artificial redemption. My favorite comedic touch is the weird hyper dance Bale does while preparing a murder scene and explaining the nuances of Huey Lewis and the News’s “Hip to Be Square.” In a subtle but brilliant choice, the sound of the sword being unsheathed can be heard whenever the Wall Street guys take out their business cards. Bateman proudly explains the minutiae of the front and texture and paper of his card only to be upstaged by his colleagues’ cards. Justin Theroux, playing one of Bateman’s interchangeable colleagues, hesitates to show Bateman the business card of a rival because it is just too great a business card. Of course, all of the cards look the same.

When I say this movie is darkly funny, I don’t mean to suggest that the scenes of violence are funny. These scenes are sometimes elaborate, sometimes cruel, and though very bloody there is never much gore on screen. Whether it is the humorously embarrassing scene of Bateman having a threesome with two sex workers and being more interested in checking himself out in the mirrors or the scene of him killing a homeless man and his dog, there are scenes that will be uncomfortable to watch no matter how many times you watch the movie. Is this a misogynist movie? No. Does it have misogynist characters disgustingly comfortable in their lifestyles? Yes. Maybe the only likable or relatable characters are Matt Ross as Bale’s closested coworker, trying extra hard to fit in with his "macho" co-workers, and Chloe Sevigny as his put upon secretary.

There is a question of whether or not all of the murders are purely in Patrick’s mind. This would explain the logistics of the chainsaw scene. The scene where Patrick is confronted with this possibility is quite cryptic and unsettling. However, the chance that the murders are not real does not make the film any less disturbing or Bateman any less dangerous. Harron and Turner show that the real horror is that Bateman lives in a world where he could kill and get away with it if he wanted; the entire system has been designed to benefit men like him, killers or not. 

American Psycho is a great movie but it is also an uncomfortably misunderstood movie, not unlike another movie critiquing and satirizing masculinity, Fight Club. In the making-of special features on the DVD, screenwriter Guinevere Turner says that she's met men (and only men) who tell her, "You wrote American Psycho? I think that movie's so cool. I am Patrick Bateman." Her response: "Really? So, are you saying you're a dork or a serial killer? or both?"

American Psycho is available to stream on Netflix and Paramount+.

13 Nights of Shocktober: Grindhouse (2007)

 by A.J.

Night 1: Double Feature Night

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are back! But this time they’re Back to Back!

Grindhouse

13 Nights of Shocktober 2024 is starting with double feature night and there’s only one movie that fits the bill: the epic length Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez collaboration, Grindhouse. “Grindhouses” were rundown movie houses that would show low budget exploitation movies (horror, action, crime, even kung fu), usually as a double feature. The idea behind this film was to recreate the experience so Rodriguez and Tarantino each made their own modern “grindhouse” movies with Edgar Wright, Rob Zombie, and Eli Roth contributing fake trailers to play before each movie. After Grindhouse did poorly at the box office, the studio behind the movie, The Weinstein Company, split the movies up for the home video/DVD release with extra scenes added to each feature. This is the most common way to find Planet Terror and Death Proof, but the theatrical combination version of each movie eventually made its way to Blu-ray. So, you can play each movie back to back, track down the full Grindhouse version, or only watch whichever one sounds more appealing. The great thing about Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror and Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof is that they work together and separately, so whichever way you choose to watch you’re in for a great time. 

First up is Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror, a special effects heavy gross-out zombie movie about a virus that spreads over the course of a single night. The key phrase for this movie is “over-the-top.” The dialogue is ridiculous and there are a lot of things that just don’t make sense, but that’s part of the fun. The most ridiculous thing is also the movie’s signature image: Rose McGowan with a machine gun leg. How does it work? Doesn’t matter. Freddy Rodriguez plays the role of a mysterious former government agent with an intensity and seriousness that might seem out of place, but are actually perfect for the overall comedic tone. My favorite scene is when he’s finally given guns and twirls them with such ferocity that all the other characters are shocked and mesmerized, causing Jeff Fahey to say, “That boy’s got the devil in him.” Unlike a real grindhouse movie from the 1970’s, the special effects in Plant Terror are very well done. They are also very gross. The virus causes people to decay and develop pulsing boils that only get bigger and grosser. So, if the first time a patient shows up at the hospital with a bloody sore and you don’t like it, know that the movie will only get grosser, but also funnier. 

Tarantino noted that grindhouse double features never paired similar movies, even if they were in the same genre. So because Rodriguez already had his zombie movie written, Tarantino decided to come up with a horror movie that could actually happen. Death Proof is Tarantino’s version of a slasher movie but instead of wearing a mask and killing girls with a knife, this killer wears no mask and kills girls with his car. The villain and star is Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike, who stalks two groups of girls throughout the movie. The first group and the first half of Death Proof are located in Austin. We get to know the Austin girls who just hangout and drink, just like characters in the first part of a slasher movie. Then Stuntman Mike actually becomes a big character. Russell brings all of his rugged charm to the role but he also conveys a thinly veiled menace and aggression. Just like Freddy Kruger, he really enjoys toying with his victims and, of course, the ultimate kills. Without giving away a potential spoiler, about halfway through,  Death Proof resets. This is a major weakness if you’re watching Grindhouse because when the second group of girls is introduced you feel like yet another movie has started. Now we have to get to know those girls, all crew members of a movie production, but this is also when Death Proof becomes something special. Again, without giving away too much, this group (Zoe Bell, Rosario Dawson, Tracie Thoms) turns the tables on Stuntman Mike and show that they are not just the final girls; they are badass protagonists. Stuntman Mike’s personality flip makes for an even better performance from Russell. It’s clear that the second half of Death Proof is what Tarantino was really interested in; all of the grindhouse gimmicks (artificial scratches, missing scenes, color saturation) from Planet Terror and the first half of Death Proof are gone. 

You’ll usually hear that Death Proof is the better movie and I would not argue. However, Planet Terror is a very entertaining and lively experience on every viewing. The jokes still land and the gimmicks still work. When placed before Death Proof , Planet Terror might even top Death Proof since it is clearly the more action packed of the two. However--on its own with additional scenes, or as part of Grindhouse--Death Proof offers a slightly different experience on each viewing. The amazing and ultra thrilling car chase and unexpected ending make up for any lulls in pacing, and if you’re watching Grindhouse it's a great way to close a 3 hour movie. So whether you watch them together as Grindhouse or separately, you’re in for an incredible one of a kind experience.

Planet Terror and Death Proof are available to stream for free on Tubi.