VERSUS THE SCARECROW EPISODE THIRTEEN: Unlucky Me. I decided to challenge myself and really open the doors of my film knowledge and take on “The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide”. It’s 808 pages of movies and movie reviews from some of the most knowledgeable movie people you don’t know. It’s a book put together by a staff that praises, and destroys, some of our favorites and not so favorites. You can read the rest of my series here.
Just a quick refresher: each episode, I’m going to tackle three films from three different categories. Two films will be films I’ve never seen before and one will be one I’ve seen before or own. For the new films, well, new to me, I’m going to review them like a typical FTS review using the TOAST Rating system. But, for the films I’ve seen, I’m going give a quick paragraph or two about why I like or don’t like the film. We’ll try to include the poster and trailer for each film. “….and here. We. Go!”
It’s horror film time! This episode I get a jump on my new years cinelution of seeing more horror films. This episode I’ll be taking a look at Black Sabbath, the classic The Amityville Horror, and I’ll be reflecting on a film that terrifies me every time I watch it, The Shining.
The Amityville Horror (1979) Directed by Stuart Rosenberg. Starring: James Brolin, Margot Kidder, and Rod Steiger. IMDB says: “Newlyweds move into a house where a murder was committed, and experience strange manifestations which drive them away.”
So I assumed wrong when thinking this was a film to start with. It’s a classic in the horror genre, but, to me, I didn’t get what was so scary about it. I was caught off guard by a cat yelling but, that was about it. Everything else felt tedious. The voices in the walls lead nowhere, the dog was losing his marbles, and the flies in the room were just annoying. The priest overacted in every scene, especially when he would touch the phone. If anything, the little girl with the invisible demo-esque friend was concerning, but… little else spooked me.
I’m jumping ahead, the film is about newlyweds that buy a possessed house where a murder had been committed. Those opening scenes set a tone to me that said, get ready, it’s gonna get weird and violent. But what I got was more “oh no, look over there” “help, I’m locked in a closet” “where did all these flies come from”. It just felt funny to me after awhile, and I feel that losing that connection with the film didn’t allow me to really feel the tone of eminent danger they were throwing out. This is the first time I’d seen James Brolin in a role and that was interesting to see him carry a role and in my mind compare it to his son Josh and where Josh got his style from. Having Margot Kidder in the film helped because, let’s be honest, she’s an attractive woman, and every horror film needs one of those.
There are some cool establishing shots of the house, but, again, nothing in the film really pulls you into it and gets you feeling the way it wants you too. I’m sure if a more focused setting like a theatre, it might be easier, but, as a home viewer, the film lost my interest and then dragged to an unsatisfying ending. I wouldn’t recommend it, but if you’re interested in seeing it, don’t go out of your way.
Check back tomorrow for my thoughts on The Room and if you’re interested in more, you can find the rest of the Versus The Scarecrow series here.