Author Archives: surgeons of horror

Escape From New York (1981)

04 Tuesday Oct 2016

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THIS DYSOPTIAN VIEW of a troubled America, where crime rate has risen to 400% is the setting of our sixth instalment of the John Carpenter Early Years discussions on Surgeons of Horror.

It would mark a massive turning point in Carpenter’s career where he would stride onto iconic movies such as The Thing, They Live, and Big Trouble in Little China.

It would also prove fruitful for its lead star, Kurt Russell taking on Snake Plissken, a character that has stamped itself into film legend, such is the power of his presence on screen.

It’s setting of the President of the USA (Donald Pleasance) being jettisoned onto Manhattan Island after Air Force One is hijacked, the island in question has been transformed into a giant prison, (Think Alcatraz but on a much larger scale) tips this adventure into an adrenaline-fuelled ride. Even more so, with Plissken’s life is on the line. If he doesn’t retrieve the President in time, the toxins in his system will be released, killing him in the process.

So many things went right for Carpenter in the making of this movie. The ensemble cast all look there having a breeze and produce some memorable characters,

And the film crew, most of whom had been working alongside Carpenter since Assault On Precinct 13 / Halloween have certainly found there stride at this point.

All of which made our podcasts discussions on Escape From New York, such a fun one to take part in.

Check out what we had to say below.

The Blair Witch franchise (1999-2016)

20 Tuesday Sep 2016

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WHAT DEFINES A successful modern day horror film?

Can The Blair Witch Project lay claim to this prestige or does the myth that surrounds it cloud our perception?

One things for sure, it was a landmark movie in not only the style in which the movie is delivered which effectively launched found footage horror to the forefront of the movie mainstream but also in the mode of establishing a new style of marketing that connected with audiences worldwide.

It had a pulse and substance to it that resonated on a massive scale and it was for this reason that USA Today went on record to state The Blair Witch Project was the first movie to go ‘viral’.

A trend was then set with numerous movies hoping to follow suit and creature a hit with a low budget feel.

What does that mean today though?

Does the movie still stand the test of time?

There have been books released, a rushed-to-production “unofficial” sequel released the following year in 2000 with Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2.

And just recently an “official” sequel has been released, Blair Witch, which all lend weight to the mythos of The Blair Witch legend for good or ill.

Join our discussions on The Blair Witch franchise in a Surgeons of Horror Special podcast below.

  • Paul Farrell

The Fog (1980)

20 Tuesday Sep 2016

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JOHN CARPENTER’S FOLLOW up to Halloween would come in the guise of The Fog.

Whilst it didn’t come close to success that Halloween would generate, it did generate enough of a following to push Carpenter’s career along and propel him further as a bankable director.

It would reunite him with co-star Jamie Lee Curtis albeit in a smaller role amongst a fairly strong ensemble cast.

Leading the way is Stevie Wayne played by the amazing and beautiful, Adrienne Barbeau pulling out a strong performance as the radio DJ ushering out the warning of the killer fog with those sultry tones……

Whilst on paper, this movie had a great premise and all the hallmarks of a classic horror,  with the classic ghost camp fire story brought to life of ghost pirates out to seek vengeance on a community that did them wrong 100 years ago.

The Surgeons of Horror podcast team pay close scrutiny to the movie and delve into our fifth subject of The John Carpenter early years sessions to find out by asking all the important questions.

Does it live up to its promise and deliver a classic ghost story?

Can fog actually be scary on film?

And more importantly. Are you weird?

Listen to the podcast below to find out our thoughts.

  • Paul Farrell

Halloween (1978)

13 Tuesday Sep 2016

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Four films into his career and John Carpenter hits one out of the park and creates the slasher horror genre in the process.

And yet it’s hard to recall from a personal perspective when exactly Halloween entered my consciousness.

Released the same year that I was born, one could argue that this movie and I were intrinsically connected, if you were that way inclined.

I for one have found myself constantly drawn to the dark arts of the silver screen and it only seems natural that a movie of this pedigree would enter my periphery at some stage in my life, coupled with my growing love of Carpenter’s movies that stayed with me throughout my childhood, a connection would be inevitable.

Looking back, it’s hard to see the world of horror movies without this as part of its canon.

It’s a movie that started a whole new genre of film (some may argue that 1974’s Black Christmas was the film that started it all, but it’s impact would never be as great) and it has been mimicked and repeated ever since.
Without it, Friday the 13th may never have existed. Victor Miller may have been guided be a completely different movie when coming up with the ‘horror movie template’ and the movie world would be a very different place indeed.

I think you get the point that I’m driving at, that this was a defining moment in cellular history and I’ve relished it ever since.

It’s the kind of movie that, when I first set up Surgeons of Horror, I knew that I wanted to discuss with my fellow surgeons and it was indeed the original impetus for putting together the podcast. Fate would have us steer down a completely different path however with Wes Craven’s untimely passing refocusing our directive for Season 1.

Now though, we are halfway through the John Carpenter: Early Years Sessions and finally at a point to talk about this much-heralded movie, but where does one begin?

Hopefully the following podcast will be of worthy listening, we certainly had fun discussing it. We hope that you do too.

– Saul Muerte

https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode?id=150388

Someone’s Watching Me (1978)

06 Tuesday Sep 2016

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Someone's-Watching-Me OUR THIRD ENTRY into the John Carpenter Early Years discussions is little known TV movie, Someone’s Watching Me.

The fact that this movie has fallen by the wayside in Carpenter’s canon of work is know real surprise, but for enthusiasts, this is definitely worth a visit.

Despite heavy nods and influences from another legend, Alfred Hitchcock, there are early indications of what was to come infused throughout.

Carpenter himself would admit that he learnt his craft in the making of Someone’s Watching Me and keen observers would note that there are a lot of similarities to his next movie, (and the one that would pave a fine selection of movies in arguably one of the best runs in film history) Halloween.

A now much-recognised trait is used here with the stalker POV, as the camera observes the victim or intended victims from afar, and the overall framing and flow of the movie would be repeated in the slasher flick.

It must be a subject that intrigued Carpenter as he once quoted, “Everybody’s a voyeur.”

A simple premise that plays on us the audience, allowed into the world of the killer, with a sense of guilty pleasure and would go on to influence many directors and writers to come.

So with that in mind, The Surgeons of Horror team lift the lid of this little-known movie to discover if it really is a hidden gem or best left forgotten.

Listen to our thoughts and opinions in the podcast below.

 

The Shallows (2016)

04 Sunday Sep 2016

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The-Shallows JOIN THE Surgeons of Horror team in our first ‘reaction’ podcast, dissecting the recent Blake Lively vehicle, The Shallows.

Get our gut reaction and comments and of its entry into the killer shark universe.

Will it prove to be out of its depth, try to stay afloat and attempt to tread water, or prove to be a bombora pioneer?

Check out our thoughts and views in the podcast below.

 

LINKS:

The Jaws Franchise (1975-1987)

The Jaws franchise (1975 – 1987)

04 Sunday Sep 2016

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Jaws WHERE DO YOU begin when attempting to dissect Jaws and the franchise that it spawned?

It is so iconic, so embedded in the psyche of fans of film and the culture that it hails from.
Hell, it pretty much gave birth to the modern film and created what is now known as the summer blockbuster.

To say that it’s huge is a gross understatement.

Director, Steven Spielberg was only 26 when he made this movie and from the success of this went on to become one of the most successful directors in the industry.

But the final product could have been very different.

Its troubled production has been well reported upon from its lack of script, last-minute casting, and a mechanical shark that didn’t work.

It should have taken 55 days to film but it went on to take 159 days to complete running significantly over the production schedule.

So why and how did this film become so successful?

Its success would inevitably lead to similar themed movies and inspirations; chief amongst these was Joe Dante’s Piranha. A film that doesn’t shy away from the fact that it was a blatant rip off.

The Surgeons of Podcast team had a tough assignment before them in order to tackle such a subject as this.

One could say that we’re gonna need a bigger podcast session in order to carry this thing out. [Sorry, I couldn’t resist]

Either way, the team gathered our thoughts and opinions and tried to suppress them into the below discussion, hopefully for your hearing pleasure.

Take some time to listen to 3 individuals crammed into ‘The Cabin” in order to convey the impact that this movie had on us as individuals and the bragging rights over who was the most affected by it.

Have fun.

 

Links:

The Shallows (2016)

Don’t Breathe (2016)

01 Thursday Sep 2016

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CATAPULTING ITS WAY to the top of 2016’s best horror list is this movie by director Fede Alvarez (Evil Dead) who appears to be making all the right moves in the genre.

But why are people raving about this film so much?

Well, it appears to be for good reason as Don’t Breathe not only enters the genre with a new twist to home invasion but in doing so breathes fresh new life into this world with a unique approach to horror.

Ask any of my fellow Surgeons about my thoughts on the trailer when it was released and they’ll tell you that I wasn’t exactly glowing with high expectations.

Well, I had egg well and truly on my face when I finally watched the movie, as it was gripping and tense with all the emotions to keep you hooked and on the edge of your seat as the drama unfolded.

Centred on the story of a trio of thieves who usually only take on a heist when they are 100% sure of victory. 

There are doubts but the thought of robbing a blind man of a vast fortune pulls them in with disastrous results.

Hats go off to the cast, with particular nods to Jane Levy as Rocky, the woman hoping that this robbery will be her ticket out of hell, as she goes into the bowels of hell to get that reward.

And also Stephen Lang as the blind man who is not as susceptible as he seems and makes one of the best villains seen in recent years.

All of the ingredients work so well and you can’t but look forward to whatever Alvarez serves up next, which from all accounts could well be this films sequel.

I for one will be waiting with baited breathe to see how and when it will transpire, especially if Alvarez keeps up the pace of his recent outings.

  • Paul Farrell

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)

23 Tuesday Aug 2016

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JOHN CARPENTER’S SOPHOMORE feature and realistically his first in the ‘professional’ circuit (as his debut, Dark Star, was a University project that received success beyond his wildest dreams) would catapult the film auteur into one of the best successes in the film industry with countless movies resonating with a wide audience.

In many ways, Assault On Precinct 13 reflects the very kernel of his following movies, with themes and compositions that steered Carpenter on his cinematic journey.

A self-confessed lover of Westerns, this movie would serve as a massive nod to Rio Bravo, the John Wayne feature that inspired Carpenter to create that storyline in a modern, urban world, taking the core ingredients of a siege mentality to drive the plot line of this action thriller.

Much of the tension is lost these days however, such is the changing landscape in storytelling on the celluloid canvas, but at its heart is a story that still resonates and pulls at the nostalgia strings for those with their heart still bent towards classic plot lines, memorable characters and cheesy one-liners…
”You Got A Smoke?”

The premise of the movie injects our protagonist in a volatile situation when he is called upon to look after a now defunct police station that is in the last stages of closing down.

All appears well until a father on the run from a group of vigilantes seeks refuge. The officer has to rely on his wits, minimal arsenal, a secretary and a couple of convicts to aid his survival through the night.

As I said, it’s classic storytelling at its best and would be the start of a fantastic career for Carpenter, and would be only a couple of years away from producing one of cinema’s classic slasher horrors, Halloween.

For more thoughts and observations on Assault On Precinct 13, click on the audio podcast below.

Dark Star (1974)

16 Tuesday Aug 2016

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AFTER DEDICATING OUR last podcast season to the early works of the late great Wes Craven, we now switch our attention to another horror film auteur in John Carpenter.

Much like in our last season our method is to look back at his early work and to dissect these movies with great analysis and with a bit a friendly banter along the way.

The first subject to ho under the knife is Carpenter’s first feature, Dark Star, a university / pet project in which he would team up with Dan O’Bannon (Alien) to write, produce, and direct a movie that would gain significant attention from like-minded students and wind up as a classic among sci-fi fans.

Whilst this doesn’t fit among the canon of work that Carpenter would go on to direct, Dark Star certainly has its elements that lift the movie above many of its counterparts.

It must be said though, that this movie plants itself well and truly in comedy territory despite this not being its original intent.

Certainly not worthy of close scrutiny but Carpenter delivers a fun, light-hearted movie all the same.

For more thoughts and opinions head over to our podcast discussion below.

 

EXTRAS:

DARK STAR OST