Write Back Weekend "Don't Disturb This Groove"
There's a saying that goes, "Some people just pass through your life... others, come in, leave footprints on your heart, and you are forever changed..."
I thought of this saying with today's answer to the TITMT question only my abridged version would be the following, "Some movies just pass through your life... others, come in, scare the crap out of you and make your heart beat out of its chest, and you are forever tainted..."
Today's post is all about those movies that are so out there and disturbing that you didn't sleep right for weeks after the fact, you were that bothered by the imagery, subject matter or a combination of both. It should be said that the kinds of movies that have done this to me haven't been horror films in the "traditional" sense. That's because for the most part when you watch a horror film, it's very easy to laugh off what's going on. They are rooted in unbelievable premises and even less believable acting. No, the movies that stick to my ribs are the ones that, for the most part, have some element of reality in them. These things, no matter how outrageous, could happen. If it's real and possible, no matter how plausible, the scary factor ups a few notches in my book.
1. Deliverance- Believe it or not, I had never seen this movie until a few weeks ago. I hadn't been living under a rock though so I knew a few things about the movie. First I knew about the classic, banjo playing song that was made famous in conjunction with this film. Second, I knew it starred Jon Voight who, perhaps inexplicably to some people has scared the hell out of me for years. And third, I knew that people who have seen it say they never looked at a weekend alone in the wilderness the same way since. Other than I don't want to give much more away. I will say though that it's a perfect example of how less can be more in film making and be far more effective in creating fear in the viewers, too.
2. Alive- This is the story of rugby team members that survive a plane crash, only to land in the cold, snowy and isolated Andes. One important detail that adds to its scariness is that it is inspired by a true story. It makes movies like Castaway and tv shows like Lost seem like child's play, especially when you consider there are people out there that actually lived through this. The crash itself is one scene that forever will stay with me as completely frightening and horrible.
3. Kids- Do you really want to find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real? Well forget MTV's Real World. Check out the streets of cities like New York where street kids come of age in movies like Kids. While the movie itself was not based on real life, the cast of actors, then mostly unknowns, had a very real quality to them. You knew that if they weren't representing themselves and their own lives, they were representing other kids out there that really existed and were just like this. Kids is a disturbing movie because it portrays a generation of seekers who don't know what they are looking for. They get by with decadent drug use and extreme sexual behavior. Watching actual kids act this out was very disturbing to me since I was just about that age at that time. Even more disturbing is that it probably lost some of its shock appeal considering such shocking behaviors are becoming more and more commonplace, not less.
4. Natural Born Killers- I have to be
honest and say that I never saw this movie in its entirety. But I know enough to know that it's scary and disturbing. After all, it's written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Oliver Stone and it stars Juliette Lewis who back then was the queen of acting whacked out and weird. She has calmed down considerably, but if anyone ever needs to cast a crazy bitch whose off her rocker, Lewis is your woman.
5. A Clockwork Orange- Another one that I'm not sure I saw from start to finish, A Clockwork Orange still earns a place on this list because it is a film that has permeated culture outside itself with it's disturbing imagery. This is a film that plays with the psyche, often matching up awful images with music that evokes opposite emotions. It also needs to be said that it's a film that was made in the 70's. For me, that adds to the scary factor considering any film like this from this time period, a time period in itself which scares the hell out of me, instantly earns extra bonus points.
6. Tommy- Just like I stated above, this movie automatically scored scary points because it was an "out there" musical from the seventies. It's the story of a deaf, dumb and blind boy who becomes a master pinball wizard. It's a classic, but it's also classically creepy. I think I saw the whole movie, but one scene that has stayed with me all this time is what I like to refer to as the infamous "bean scene". It stars the actress formerly known as the prim and proper Ann Margaret presumably going off her rocker. But don't take my word for it. Watch it here for yourself.
7. The Fly- This movie is probably the least realistic one on the list and therefore breaks my rule of supposed scariness. But let me just say in my defense that the idea that Jeff Goldblum, a man who already looks like a fly without makeup, could possibly turn into one somehow, someway, completely creeped me out. Perfect casting then can be blamed for making this movie so completely scary in my mind. Oh and the fact that flies themselves are disgusting and ugly creatures doesn't help matters either.
8. The Exorcist- One of very few horror films to make the list in my mind, it's scary for all the obvious reasons. One, once again let me point out it was filmed in the seventies. Two, watching an actual little girl devolve in front of our eyes was disturbing in itself, especially considering that Linda Blair says that she has back problems to this day due to the way they flung her around back then. Nice, huh? Third, the occult and possession are very real concepts to me. Call it the unknown, but the portrayal of such possession has been attempted many times since. This one was ground breaking though and thus the one that sticks with most of us, unlike most of it's direct or indirect predecessors.
9. Crash Not to be confused with another film from the nineties with the same title, this Crash starred Holly Hunter, James Spader and Elias Koteas. What's scary and unique about this film is the premise itself. In fact, you don't even need to actually see it to know that it's wrong, just wrong. It's a movie about people who get turned on by having sex with people who've been seriously injured in car crashes. Plus, as anyone who has ever witnessed classic James Spader knows, he can creep the hell out of you with his patented smarmy ways. In fact, if any casting directors are out there listening I hope you get Spader back into that. I still feel that's the type of role he plays best.
10. Scanners- This movie was highly unrealistic, and even a bit humorous (intentional or not) but that didn't stop it from making the list. I think this is because of the quality of the film itself. Science fiction in nature, it's the story of a small percentage of the population who have scanning abilities that can control and kill other people. Silly in premise, yes but disturbing in it's execution? Absolutely. I decided this is attributed to late night viewing, a haunting score and the complete creepiness of actor Michael Ironside who truly takes staring to the next level. Interestingly enough, David Cronenberg directed three different movies to make my list, Scanners, The Fly and Crash. Perhaps it's the man himself who I'd fear instead of his body of work.
11. Poltergeist Series- In my mind this movie makes the list not so much for the film itself, but for the cursed events that surrounded its filming. Teen actress Dominique Dunne was strangled and killed by her boyfriend in 1982 while adorable child actress, Heather O'Rourke died in 1988 at the age of twelve due to intestinal problems. Both might have been weird coincidences, but such young and premature deaths that involved two actors on the same shoot were freaky enough for me. Incidentally, they are both buried in the same cemetary, too. This coupled with the fact that its such a legendary supernatural franchise spooks me out considerably.
12. Saw- At present time, there have been four Saws so far. I think I "saw" two of them. That's really besides the point. I've seen enough of the series to know that a horror film in nature, it's still highly disturbing. Mainly because there is a psychological element to it. It's not mindless killing that is going on in Saw. It's well thought out on the part of the killer and involves the solving a puzzle in order to survive. Of course the viewer knows the puzzles themselves are not going to be solved, but that doesn't make watching the person going through the torture sequences any less wince worthy.
13. Open Water- To me this, is like the little engine that could of scary film making. That's because it's a small film with unknown actors and a minuscule budget, and yet it proves that you don't big money or big names to make a big impact. It also should be said that this film is inspired by a true story which again, adds to the eerie feeling of the film. Simply shot, it's the story of a couple that go out on a scuba diving excursion only to be left behind by the boat that takes them there. The film in large part only follows these two actors as they stay afloat in the water, praying someone will come rescue them. Adding to the realism was the fact that the actors were actually in water with sharks during the filming and wore extra protection because of this.
14. Silkwood Silkwood is the story of Karen Silkwood, a small time employee of a nuclear facility, who begins to suspect there are safety violations at the plant she is working in, exposing workers to dangerous levels of contamination. The further she gets into her investigation, the more of a target she seemingly becomes. The subject matter itself, inspired by true events is horrific. The scenes where they are forced to decontaminate Karen are highly disturbing in nature and exceptionally powerful making me feel sick to my stomach, even more so when you think that she actually went through this scary process in real life.
15. Requiem for a Dream- Not only is this movie disturbing, it's also very sad. It's a cartoonish depiction of four different drug addicts downward spirals into the depths of their addictions. They all arrive at the same place for different reasons and their individual stories are just so overwhelming. The story of the older lady however, played beautifully by Ellen Burstyn, takes the cake. It's incredibly heart breaking to watch her destruction. Even if you know what's coming, it doesn't make the process any easier to watch.
The only bad thing about writing about all of these movies is why I wrote about them to begin with, because they are all so damn disturbing. Thankfully I finished this post in the morning and not right before going to bed. Hopefully if you read this, your timing is the same.
I thought of this saying with today's answer to the TITMT question only my abridged version would be the following, "Some movies just pass through your life... others, come in, scare the crap out of you and make your heart beat out of its chest, and you are forever tainted..."
Today's post is all about those movies that are so out there and disturbing that you didn't sleep right for weeks after the fact, you were that bothered by the imagery, subject matter or a combination of both. It should be said that the kinds of movies that have done this to me haven't been horror films in the "traditional" sense. That's because for the most part when you watch a horror film, it's very easy to laugh off what's going on. They are rooted in unbelievable premises and even less believable acting. No, the movies that stick to my ribs are the ones that, for the most part, have some element of reality in them. These things, no matter how outrageous, could happen. If it's real and possible, no matter how plausible, the scary factor ups a few notches in my book.
1. Deliverance- Believe it or not, I had never seen this movie until a few weeks ago. I hadn't been living under a rock though so I knew a few things about the movie. First I knew about the classic, banjo playing song that was made famous in conjunction with this film. Second, I knew it starred Jon Voight who, perhaps inexplicably to some people has scared the hell out of me for years. And third, I knew that people who have seen it say they never looked at a weekend alone in the wilderness the same way since. Other than I don't want to give much more away. I will say though that it's a perfect example of how less can be more in film making and be far more effective in creating fear in the viewers, too.
2. Alive- This is the story of rugby team members that survive a plane crash, only to land in the cold, snowy and isolated Andes. One important detail that adds to its scariness is that it is inspired by a true story. It makes movies like Castaway and tv shows like Lost seem like child's play, especially when you consider there are people out there that actually lived through this. The crash itself is one scene that forever will stay with me as completely frightening and horrible.
3. Kids- Do you really want to find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real? Well forget MTV's Real World. Check out the streets of cities like New York where street kids come of age in movies like Kids. While the movie itself was not based on real life, the cast of actors, then mostly unknowns, had a very real quality to them. You knew that if they weren't representing themselves and their own lives, they were representing other kids out there that really existed and were just like this. Kids is a disturbing movie because it portrays a generation of seekers who don't know what they are looking for. They get by with decadent drug use and extreme sexual behavior. Watching actual kids act this out was very disturbing to me since I was just about that age at that time. Even more disturbing is that it probably lost some of its shock appeal considering such shocking behaviors are becoming more and more commonplace, not less.
4. Natural Born Killers- I have to be
honest and say that I never saw this movie in its entirety. But I know enough to know that it's scary and disturbing. After all, it's written by Quentin Tarantino and directed by Oliver Stone and it stars Juliette Lewis who back then was the queen of acting whacked out and weird. She has calmed down considerably, but if anyone ever needs to cast a crazy bitch whose off her rocker, Lewis is your woman.
5. A Clockwork Orange- Another one that I'm not sure I saw from start to finish, A Clockwork Orange still earns a place on this list because it is a film that has permeated culture outside itself with it's disturbing imagery. This is a film that plays with the psyche, often matching up awful images with music that evokes opposite emotions. It also needs to be said that it's a film that was made in the 70's. For me, that adds to the scary factor considering any film like this from this time period, a time period in itself which scares the hell out of me, instantly earns extra bonus points.
6. Tommy- Just like I stated above, this movie automatically scored scary points because it was an "out there" musical from the seventies. It's the story of a deaf, dumb and blind boy who becomes a master pinball wizard. It's a classic, but it's also classically creepy. I think I saw the whole movie, but one scene that has stayed with me all this time is what I like to refer to as the infamous "bean scene". It stars the actress formerly known as the prim and proper Ann Margaret presumably going off her rocker. But don't take my word for it. Watch it here for yourself.
7. The Fly- This movie is probably the least realistic one on the list and therefore breaks my rule of supposed scariness. But let me just say in my defense that the idea that Jeff Goldblum, a man who already looks like a fly without makeup, could possibly turn into one somehow, someway, completely creeped me out. Perfect casting then can be blamed for making this movie so completely scary in my mind. Oh and the fact that flies themselves are disgusting and ugly creatures doesn't help matters either.
8. The Exorcist- One of very few horror films to make the list in my mind, it's scary for all the obvious reasons. One, once again let me point out it was filmed in the seventies. Two, watching an actual little girl devolve in front of our eyes was disturbing in itself, especially considering that Linda Blair says that she has back problems to this day due to the way they flung her around back then. Nice, huh? Third, the occult and possession are very real concepts to me. Call it the unknown, but the portrayal of such possession has been attempted many times since. This one was ground breaking though and thus the one that sticks with most of us, unlike most of it's direct or indirect predecessors.
9. Crash Not to be confused with another film from the nineties with the same title, this Crash starred Holly Hunter, James Spader and Elias Koteas. What's scary and unique about this film is the premise itself. In fact, you don't even need to actually see it to know that it's wrong, just wrong. It's a movie about people who get turned on by having sex with people who've been seriously injured in car crashes. Plus, as anyone who has ever witnessed classic James Spader knows, he can creep the hell out of you with his patented smarmy ways. In fact, if any casting directors are out there listening I hope you get Spader back into that. I still feel that's the type of role he plays best.
10. Scanners- This movie was highly unrealistic, and even a bit humorous (intentional or not) but that didn't stop it from making the list. I think this is because of the quality of the film itself. Science fiction in nature, it's the story of a small percentage of the population who have scanning abilities that can control and kill other people. Silly in premise, yes but disturbing in it's execution? Absolutely. I decided this is attributed to late night viewing, a haunting score and the complete creepiness of actor Michael Ironside who truly takes staring to the next level. Interestingly enough, David Cronenberg directed three different movies to make my list, Scanners, The Fly and Crash. Perhaps it's the man himself who I'd fear instead of his body of work.
11. Poltergeist Series- In my mind this movie makes the list not so much for the film itself, but for the cursed events that surrounded its filming. Teen actress Dominique Dunne was strangled and killed by her boyfriend in 1982 while adorable child actress, Heather O'Rourke died in 1988 at the age of twelve due to intestinal problems. Both might have been weird coincidences, but such young and premature deaths that involved two actors on the same shoot were freaky enough for me. Incidentally, they are both buried in the same cemetary, too. This coupled with the fact that its such a legendary supernatural franchise spooks me out considerably.
12. Saw- At present time, there have been four Saws so far. I think I "saw" two of them. That's really besides the point. I've seen enough of the series to know that a horror film in nature, it's still highly disturbing. Mainly because there is a psychological element to it. It's not mindless killing that is going on in Saw. It's well thought out on the part of the killer and involves the solving a puzzle in order to survive. Of course the viewer knows the puzzles themselves are not going to be solved, but that doesn't make watching the person going through the torture sequences any less wince worthy.
13. Open Water- To me this, is like the little engine that could of scary film making. That's because it's a small film with unknown actors and a minuscule budget, and yet it proves that you don't big money or big names to make a big impact. It also should be said that this film is inspired by a true story which again, adds to the eerie feeling of the film. Simply shot, it's the story of a couple that go out on a scuba diving excursion only to be left behind by the boat that takes them there. The film in large part only follows these two actors as they stay afloat in the water, praying someone will come rescue them. Adding to the realism was the fact that the actors were actually in water with sharks during the filming and wore extra protection because of this.
14. Silkwood Silkwood is the story of Karen Silkwood, a small time employee of a nuclear facility, who begins to suspect there are safety violations at the plant she is working in, exposing workers to dangerous levels of contamination. The further she gets into her investigation, the more of a target she seemingly becomes. The subject matter itself, inspired by true events is horrific. The scenes where they are forced to decontaminate Karen are highly disturbing in nature and exceptionally powerful making me feel sick to my stomach, even more so when you think that she actually went through this scary process in real life.
15. Requiem for a Dream- Not only is this movie disturbing, it's also very sad. It's a cartoonish depiction of four different drug addicts downward spirals into the depths of their addictions. They all arrive at the same place for different reasons and their individual stories are just so overwhelming. The story of the older lady however, played beautifully by Ellen Burstyn, takes the cake. It's incredibly heart breaking to watch her destruction. Even if you know what's coming, it doesn't make the process any easier to watch.
The only bad thing about writing about all of these movies is why I wrote about them to begin with, because they are all so damn disturbing. Thankfully I finished this post in the morning and not right before going to bed. Hopefully if you read this, your timing is the same.
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