Monthly Archives: November 2016

Podcast: The Exorcist (1973)

29 Tuesday Nov 2016

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OFTEN VOTED best Horror film on some fan bases, The Exorcist has become a fixed entry in the genre and yet it’s makers and stars would taut the movie as a theological thriller, not a horror as it is perceived.

So why is it classified as such?

It’s certainly a film that resonates after viewing and stands firm today in part due to its strong direction and performances to match.

Along with it comes a crew that were dedicated to capturing a believable scenario, in the days when CGI wasn’t around as a device.

Hard to imagine these days, when it has become so intrinsic to the art form.

There are images that have inspired.

There are lines that are all too readily quoted by those swain by the material.

There were talks of a curse that had fallen upon those involved in the making.

And there have been numerous conversations on the lengths that director, William Friedkin would push his performers in order to achieve the results he desired.

All of which have kept The Exorcist in the limelight.

So how does it fair under closer scrutiny?

Check out The Surgeons of Horror podcast below as we take it under the knife and dissect the movie.

– Paul Farrell

Podcast: The Halloween franchise: The Return of Laurie Strode

21 Monday Nov 2016

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OUR PENULTIMATE PODCAST in the Halloween franchise discussions combines both Halloween H20: 20 Years Later and Halloween: Resurrection.

The former picks up the story 20 years after Michael’s killing spree in Haddonfield, 1978.
Laurie is now the head mistress of Hillcrest Academy, a boarding school where her son, John resides.

We learn that she faked her own death in a car accident, a knowing nod to comments made in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers.

However, despite the original story treatment involving mention of Laurie’s daughter, Jamie, the writers removed any mention of her in the final treatment, thus rendering parts 4, 5, and 6 as obsolete and not part of the official canon.

A move that would scorn the wrath of certain hardcore fans of the franchise. Apparently this was to allow more room for Laurie’s character to breathe on screen.

The majority of the movie takes place in said school as Myers goes in search of his blood-kind, killing off a couple of teenagers along the way.

Resurrection became something of a mess, which not only sore the demise of a much-loved character, but arguably saw the destruction of the franchise too.

Looking at the film at its lack of success, one can’t but feel inclined to look a the director, Rick Rosenthal, whose film credits seem a little lacklustre, but is he solely to blame?

Another musician would step into the fray for Resurrection to try and draw some interest from the youth, Busta Rhymes and and an unforgettable cast alongside him, Bianca Kajilich, Sean Patrick Thomas (Save The Last Dance, Cruel Intentions, and Dracula 2000), Thomas Ian Nicholas (Kevin Myers in American Pie, and child star in Rookie of the Year) and notably Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck in the new Battlestar Gallactica, Longmire, and Occulus)

So, what do the Surgeons make of the these instalments to the franchise?
Click on the podcast below to find out.

Podcast: Halloween: The Jamie Lloyd movies

14 Monday Nov 2016

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THERE’S A SLIGHT change in this week’s surgery podcast as not one, but three movies go under the knife.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, and Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers.

The reason for combining these three movies from the Halloween franchise together is due to the shift in focus for the movies.

The bold attempt to turn the franchise away from the Michael Myers storyline and launch it into an anthology series would prove to be way ahead of its time.

Halloween lll: Season of the Witch may have its core fans but ultimately it would fall foul of dumping its much-loved villain.

The people spoke and the producers listened.
Bringing Myers back was the easiest part in resurrecting the franchise.

The tricky part was to encourage its writers John Carpenter and Debra Hill back into production. A task that would be too great as no amount of persuasion could encourage them to do so.

Not only that but their lead protagonist, Laurie Strode aka Jamie Lee Curtis turned down the chance to return, citing other commitments.

Laurie would be written out (at this stage), killed in a car crash.
So what is an antagonist without its protagonist to hunt down and kill?

The writers would have to come up with something fast if the game of cat and mouse was to mount to anything on screen.

The answer was to bring in another Myers relative to continue the bloodline in the form of Laurie Strode’s daughter, Jamie Lloyd played in the next two installments by 8 year old, Danielle Harris.

The only trouble was that being a kid, Jamie Lloyd was no match for Myers.

So another nemesis would be brought back from the ashes, Dr Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance once again taking on the role) to outwit Michael.
The series owes a lot to Pleasance’s gravitas on screen – a legend in his time.

Throw in a cult and Paul Rudd and you have a mixture of twisted storylines to keep the beating heart of the Halloween franchise going.

But what do the Surgeons of Horror make of this round of movies in the franchise.

Does it take too many twists and turns on its journey?

Listen to the podcast to catch our thoughts and opinions.

Podcast: Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1983)

07 Monday Nov 2016

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ALTOGETHER NOW…
“Happy, happy Halloween, Halloween, Halloween.
Happy, happy Halloween, Silver Shamrock!”

And so the ad goes throughout the movie to promote Silver Shamrock Halloween costumes.

But this tune may be the only thing that truly haunts throughout the movie as it struggles to make its mark.

Let’s get the elephant out of the room straight away shall we?

Yes this is a Halloween film, and no, it doesn’t have Michael Myers in it.

Some of you not familiar with the journey that the Halloween franchise took, may be scratching your heads and wonder how that can possibly be.

Can you imagine a Nightmare On Elm Street movie without Freddy Krueger?

Well, apparently writers John Carpenter and Debra Hill wanted to shift the format away from the slasher genre that the franchise had been so closely associated with.
In their mind, the world of Michael Myers had been explored and tried.

So their intention was to turn the franchise into an anthology series, taking on a different theme with each movie.
This has been both its strength and its Achilles heel.

Many fans of the series so this change of direction as a big let down in their expectations, but others have found a new love of the movie and in some cases has been described as a cult and much more appreciated in more recent years.

So, does the movie tarnish the franchise?
Can it really be described as a cult movie?
The Surgeons of Horror team takes on the challenge to answer these questions in our latest podcast, which you can listen to below.

– Paul Farrell