Sunday Bloody Sunday

Shallow Ground

Borderland

Scream

Babysitter Wanted

The Cottage

Random Observations About Psycho II

 I just can't get enough Psycho.  And in honor of the post I wrote over at The Lightning Bug's Lair today, I had to "get my Psycho on" again.  Except I am heading over to Psycho II, revisiting it yet again to make some random observations. 

Beware of spoilers.  If you haven't seen it (and who the hell are you that you haven't seen it?), you need to!   Then come read this.
Anyway...

*I always found it fantastic that this sequel actually came along 22 years after the original, and Norman had been in jail all that time.  What a concept! None of this 'two years with good measure' bullshit that goes on these days when studios need to resurrect someone to make a few bucks.

*What is up with Lila Loomis (Vera Miles)?  She married Sam?  Whaaa? 
Slut.

*Hm... let's see.  What does Norman have in his cupboard?  Lots of product placements, that's for sure:  Quaker Oats, Minute Rice, Lays Potato Chips, and Lipton Tea Bags.  Love it that he still has the cojones to drink tea after his...troubles.  I see he bought cereal as well.  Looks like Corn Chex in the cupboard. I was thinking more like Grape Nuts or Corn Nuts. Rude, I know.
He does mention that he has cookies for dessert, but we never see them.  Wonder if they were Nutter Butters?

*The inside of the Psycho house reminds me of something.  Now maybe it's because I've seen these movies one too many times and it is burned in my brain, but for some reason it seems so familiar.  I actually think perhaps it is a lot like one of the abandoned houses we used to hang out *cough cough PARTY cough cough * in when I was a teenager.  In fact, that particular house still stands and I so want to head out there and check it out, just for old times sake.  The staircase, upstairs hallways and rooms, and especially the cellar.  SO much like it. 

*I love how many of the same phrases from the original are used here in the sequel.  For instance, when he tells Mary "it's only sandwiches and milk" - exactly the same thing he gave Marion.  And when he shows Mary the bathroom he once again can't seem to say BATHROOM, and she finishes the word.

*It amazes me that people would put butcher knives within Norman's reach.  There's no way, even after 22 years, that the folks in town wouldn't have total recall about just who Norman is and what he did.  Mary hands him a knife to cut a sandwich, his boss at the diner has him cutting lettuce, he has full access to a coconut cake with a giant knife right on the plate... Duh.

*I hate Meg Tilly's hair. 
On a similar note:  imagine how different the film would be if Jennifer Tilly played Mary? Sexah!

*Speaking of the diner, waaaay back in 1982, a hamburger costs $1.75, an order of fries is $.45 and a Pepsi is $.45.  So, thinking back to math class in the fourth grade - if you got two hamburgers, two orders of fries, and two Pepsi's, what would your bill total be?  Now I totally hated those 'story-problem' kind of math puzzles, but I'm pretty sure that total would not be $3.70.  Which is what it says as the balance due on one of the orders at the diner.  Hm... Maybe it's the "old math".  Maybe you don't need to be able to add to be a set designer.

*Dennis Franz makes a really good slimebucket.  Yikes.  I especially like his pseudo-Hawaiian shirt with the turquoise bolero.  Stylin'.

*Would you take a shower in the Psycho house?  Would you?  Seriously?  Well Mary does, with seemingly no qualms whatsoever.  One look at the freaky-ass wallpaper in there and I'd already be looking for peepholes, maybe stick some Q-tips or the top of the toothpaste cap in any holes I find.  Then again, would I even be naked in that house?

*I love it that Norman plays piano.  And he's playing Moonlight Sonata.  Awesome.  Better yet it actually looks as though Perkins is playing the tune. Probably was.

*Music?  Um, yeah.  Speaking of - I love love love the score for this film.  Jerry Goldsmith was a righteous human being.  Word.  He created some of the most memorable scores in the film world (Alien, Poltergeist, and The Omen, just to name a few) and the music of Psycho II is wonderful.  I searched for years to find it.  Even went so far as to buy it off eBay from someone out of the country...on cassette!  Thankfully I have it on CD now - and I won't say from where I got it.  But I have made two copies, one of which is in my fire safe with the score from Ghost Story.  Yes, I said they are in my fire safe.  Just. In. Case.

*I like the curtains framing all the doorways.  Cool retro-antiquey look.  Want that, please.

 *Those kids that sneak into the house through the basement and into the fruit cellar?  That was SO me.
Oh, and I used to have a pair of canvas Nikes just like that dude was wearing.  Very 1982.

*Anthony Perkins is so spot on in this performance.  The stuttering and stammering nervous-nellie is so flawless.  Makes me love him all the more. 

*What are on the pins on Meg Tilly's terribly outdated raspberry cowl neck sweater?  I paused and paused and still can't make it out.  One of them looks a bit like a yin/yang motif.

*Are those bird pictures on the wall upstairs the same ones from Psycho, like one of the ones that falls off the wall outside the bathroom of Room No. 1 after Marion's murder?  Even if it's not, it's sublime that there are bird pictures on the wall, right?  Great homage to the first film.

*I would KILL to have that stove in Norman's kitchen.  Wait, did I say kill?  I'm under the influence of Mr. Bates, sorry.

*How can Mary sleep with Norman in the room with her, and the knife?  And when he tells her about the nice toasted cheese sandwiches, she so should have went down and made him a few.  I saw the bread on the counter, no doubt he had some cheese in that fridge.  It would have made him feel so much better.  Even better with some tea, right?  Though he does finally make himself one at the end of the film. 

*Two words:  Robert Loggia.

*Ah, Mrs. Spool... Could you possibly purse your lips any more in the like, three scenes you have? 

*When Mary pulls that knife through Norman's hand it is one of the single-most disturbing things I've seen, it just looks so damn painful. Ouch!

*Does anyone have this magazine (at left) or know where I can get it? 

*And on an extremely random note:  my cat likes Norman Bates.  He has a strange habit of sitting up like a human in his little rocking chair and staring at the tv when Psycho or any of the sequels are on.

I take that back, he's not as fond of Psycho III. 
But then, neither am I...

Mindless Movie Monday: The Resident

Haven't I seen this film before?  No?  I haven't?  Hm... I just don't know, it seemed pretty familiar.
Probably because even though it didn't lack star power, it was unforgiving in the "been there, done that" category.

Brought to us by the famous Hammer Studios, The Resident (2011) is a direct-to-video (which says it all, I think) release that tells the tale of Juliet -why no X on your last name?- Devereau (Hilary Swank), an ER doc dealing with the death of a bad relationship and a intense dislike of her current living situation.  She chooses to move and quickly seems to find a new apartment, which turns out to be a spacious beast of a rental for an unbelievable price for the city. ( Those of us living in the suburbs could possibly have a heart attack if told it would cost $3800 a month to hang your hat! Quite honestly I could pay my monthly mortgage payment MANY times over for that bounty.)
She isn't the least bit deterred when told that 1) the super is still renovating the place 2) there isn't anyone but him and his elderly grandfather living in the big-ass building and 3) cell phone service is really shoddy. (Um, she's a doctor.  Does she never get calls from the hospital?  Never chosen to come in on a day off or fill in for someone?  Never called about a patient?  I work for a doctor and that's bullshit.)

Has your super ever looked like this?

Anyway, she moves into the fixer-upper, assisted by said building owner/super.  Does anyone know a super who would actually help you move into your place?  And would you actually want him setting up your bed? But on the other hand,  let's be truthful, this building super is hot.  Super hot.  (See what I did there?)

Played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, MaxTheHotSuper helps her carry furniture in and the two make googly eyes and exchange longing glances at each other.  He then introduces her to the only other person living in the building, his grandfather August (Christopher Lee!).

Lee agrees it's Hammer time.

How lovely to see Lee and Hammer reunited after all these years.  Unfortunately, his role here is limited and really not much to speak of.  He does still manage to continue to creep me out, though.   Playing the grandfather to Morgan's character, he is a brittle diabetic who depends on Max to keep him going.  As is expected, he gives off a weird vibe, as in - so is this guy just the eccentric old gomer next door or possibly just a red herring?

No wonder she sleeps in...

Meanwhile, Juliet is drinking copious amounts of wine, taking lots of self-pleasuring baths, leaving windows open for curtains to whisp in the wind menacingly, prancing around in her underwear, and sleeping through her morning alarm every day.

♫ ...I want you to want me...I NEED you to want me...♫.

Quicker than you can say Boys Don't Cry, Juliet is making a play for Max, while still attempting to keep that 'I just came out of a bad relationship so I don't want to go too fast' facade.  Too bad it seems like she wants to jump his bones.  Max however, counters her move with a 'I don't want to take advantage of you so I'll act all uninterested' play.  I swear to god I've not only seen this move a thousand times in every bad rom-com I've ever seen (and most good ones, truth be told) but I've also read it in dozens and dozens of books.  Please...something new.  How about he just throws her up against the wall and they make sweet love amongst the fresh paint and the precariously positioned ladders?  Bah.  Doesn't happen.

Cue Blondie's 'One Way Or Another'... ♫.

But Max warms up.  And this is where it gets interesting. 
Nah, not really.

I don't think I'm spoiling too much here (just check out the DVD case for proof) when I say it turns out Max is a swarmy perv with less than honorable intentions.  Oh yeah, and there is a method to his madness.  He has reasons, albeit redundant over-used ones, for doing what he is doing.  But he's still a creep deep down, made blatantly obvious by all his Psycho-esque peephole glancing, Single White Female stalking, and downright unsettling When A Stranger Calls nighttime perversions.

Once Juliet finally catches on (which in all honestly takes her waaaaay too long to figure out) to how repugnant and insidious Max is, it's too late.
Wow, am I still discussing this? 

Better chemistry, better booze.... (P.S. I Love You)

There is absolutely nothing fresh and exciting about this film.  Apparently Hilary must have her two Oscars out of sight at her house and fired or screwed her agent, because to agree to do this film - assuming she read the script prior to signing on - was well below an intelligent move for someone of her acting status.  Ditto that for Morgan.  I've always liked everything he's done.  Heck, these two even starred together in the sappy P.S. I Love You - in which they actually had better chemistry than she did with her other co-star (Gerard Butler).  They've worked together before so they should have an easy-going feeling about them, but instead it just seems forced.  The scenes in which they are seemingly falling in love work, but once Max turns into Peeping Tom, it doesn't flow at all.  Maybe it's just that difficult to imagine Morgan as the bad guy, I don't know.
All I know is that I truly wanted to like this movie, and it disappointed me on so many levels.

So I thought, in conclusion, I would leave you with THE RESIDENT, in pictures.  Chronologically, in case you haven't guessed.  Fair Warning:  spoilers ensue.

And so there you have it.  Now you don't actually have to watch The Resident.  I've saved you an hour and a half of mundane mediocrity, and you should be thanking me.  Perhaps I should have just posted the pictures...

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Meat Grinder

Hammerhead:  Shark Frenzy

Dead End

Pumpkinhead

American History X

Now I know my ABC's.... and so do you!

When Andre over at The Horror Digest recently participated in a meme that caught my eye and interest, I couldn't help myself but to get in on it as well.  After all, I am the world's biggest list-maker (okay, at least the biggest one in the tri-state area here) and can't help myself in these situations.

The rules?  There is but one.  Just list a movie for every letter of the alphabet.  Supposedly you can pick from any genre, any time period, your favorites, whatever the hell you please.  Naturally there was no choice for me but to pick horror movies, because duh!, this is a horror blog in case you haven't noticed. 

So these may not be my absolute faves but I am quite fond of each and every one.  Some are extremely obvious, like "F", "H", and "J", and I had a bit of trouble with "K" - because quite honestly, Killer Klowns from Outer Space doesn't exactly turn me on - but I feel I succeeded after all, when my "K" film just suddenly popped into my head.  The rest of the letters came pretty quick.  Even "X", which turned out to be the same as Andre's, but I have such fond memories of that film I couldn't not include it.  (Even though I am a huge fan of The X-Files, it didn't make the cut.)

Hence,  I present to you my ABC's of horror.  And I encourage all who can to do the same.  It's fun, healthy, and you can still do it while eating a ho-ho.  Or while watching Hines Ward on Dancing with the Stars.  (Not that I do that, mind you....)
Rock on. 

Angel Heart

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Carnival of Souls

The Dark

The Evil Dead

Friday the 13th

Ghost Story

Halloween

IT

Jaws

Klute

Lake Mungo

My Bloody Valentine

Night of the Living Dead

The Orphanage

Psycho 2

Queen of the Damned

The Resurrected

Session 9

Tenebrae

Urban Legend

Vertigo

The Woman in Black

Xtro

Young Frankenstein

Zombie a.k.a Zombi 2