As I mentioned elsewhere in this blog, these mood pieces are the movies that steal my heart. The lighting, score, set colors, camera angles, etc. are one with the script, actors and director, and you have that exquisite quality — one that runs the length of the film, start to finish — that lifts ghost stories, monster movies, gore fests, etc., from the level of scary to true horror.
A couple of fairly recent films that could have been given this moody treatment and achieved those heights but didn’t were “30 Days of Night” and “Right at Your Door.” I liked “Door” much better than “30 Days,” but the predictable ending — and I don’t quibble with that — was dragged out sooo looong that it’s power was robbed, then beaten up and left for dead.
For me, “Alien” is the movie by which other atmospheric movies should be judged.
The fear is greatly heightened in “Alien” by the realism crafted by how the characters interact and by their overlapping dialogue (I’m reminded of Robert Altman’s “M*A*S*H”), and notable lack of cutaways. (I’m sure there are film-school terms for these techniques, but I’m a mere movie watcher and don’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ films.) Those aspects are critical to building tension and the increasing sense of “trapped” inside the Nostromo space ship — and especially enhance the buildup to The Scene. You know the one. I love John Hurt.
Another atmosphere-rich film is “The Sixth Sense.” I usually want kids in horror movies to be preyed upon, act scared and, you know, shut up. Haley Joel Osment is a fine exception. I also really liked Bruce Willis; the pacing and the whole feel of the movie is perfectly suited to his trademark performance: the pauses before speaking, the deadpan demeanor. This is one of those M. Night Shyamalan horror movies that’s actually a horror movie. But I’ll gripe about “The Happening” later in the week.
“The Exorcist” has everything going for it: Story and script, fine performances (I thoroughly believed Ellen Burstyn in her role of little possessed Regan’s frightened mother), direction, lighting, sound/visual effects. Evoking real horror in an audience — that realm beyond the “jolt,” shock or simple gross-out — is an art, and in “The Exorcist” class is in session, in spite of the cheesy subliminals. In the extended version, a conclusion of a scene that was excised from the original has Regan doing something especially creepy. You’ll know it when you see it. I wish that were in the original release.
“The Exorcist” also has the distinction of being followed by the most disappointing horror-movie sequel ever. The third “Exorcist” film is only watchable because of George C. Scott, and I don’t even want to talk about the dumb and dumber 2005 Dominion/2004 prequel mess.
I think “The Shining” is one of the very few movies based on Stephen King’s novels that rises to the challenge of taking what King does best off the page and putting it on the big screen. Every scene is ominous and the movie oozes dread. Everything about the Overlook just creeps you out. And Jack Nicholson’s descent into madness is stellar. There was a lot of criticism about using him for the role — he comes off as more than a little nuts anyway — but I think it’s unfounded. His early scenes are well-restrained with just the right amount of hint as to what depths his character is capable of sinking, and the downward spiral is well-defined each step of the way.
“Blair Witch Project”: No CGIs, no known actors, no music, almost no gore, not even an on-camera appearance of an antagonist — rarely has so much been accomplished with so little. I got a little impatient with the long set-up, but I was totally caught up with the “you are there” suspension of disbelief by the time the three aspiring documentarians got lost in the woods, and I felt their fear. Shot realistically and solely from the actors’ POV, the filmmakers wisely left open many questions and much to the imagination. Fear of the unknown is a scary, scary thing, and it’s exploited in “The Blair Witch Project” to the max.
Can you imagine pitching this script? “No, no wiches. Or black magic. Or human sacrifice. But there is this bundle of twigs…”
Other atmospheric films you should check out are Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” “The Others,” “The Re-cycle” (Chinese with English subtitles), and Guillermo del Toro’s “The Devil’s Backbone” and “Pan’s Labrynth.” The latter is more of a dark fantasy, but it’s trappings, the Spanish Civil War, make for a pretty horrifying sidestory. There’s also the most recent one, “The Orphanage,” produced but not directed by del Toro.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
