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Four Halloween
Films to Meet Your Mood
by
Jonathan S. Walker
Halloween is
an interesting time of the year for cinephiles, especially if you
happen to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints. The logical movie genre for this time of year would be horror
films, but on the whole the genre is godless and dark which is antithetical
to what we believe. Additionally, since the advent of the MPAA rating
system, it has almost entirely been moved to the R-rated camp. It
has become too easy to make violence realistic and many filmmakers
can't resist the temptation. Indeed, they are not even aware that
they can still choose to turn the camera as we choose to turn our
heads from the gory sights.
Nevertheless,
you can find an occasional horror film that-in terms of content-is
still appropriate for members of the church. Many of them come from
the classic Hollywood era, but not exclusively. However, the real
problem I have with the genre is not its availability to me, but
its inclination to disregard theme.
Halloween and
movies usually conjure up images of slasher films with people being
subject to the most hideous deaths that debased humanity can imagine.
It doesn't have to be as bad as all that. This Halloween you may
want to be scared by a film without fearing gory images, or you
may choose to laugh at the whole monster tradition, or you may like
a fantastical children's story about witches. If so, I recommend
these "horror" films.
The Creature
from the Black Lagoon (1954)
A palaeontologist
has uncovered a remarkable fossil that might prove the existence
of advanced, intelligent aquatic life eons before humans came on
the scene. The prospects are much too tantalizing for a collection
of scientists and they head up the Amazon to find the proof. Before
long, they find that this fossil belongs to a species that still
exists-and it isn't friendly.
The Creature
from the Black Lagoon can be rather unsettling and sometimes
startling. It's a great horror film for those who want to simply
enjoy a fright without gore or the feeling of evil.
Abbott and
Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Chick (Abbott)
and Wilbur (Costello) deliver a couple of very large mysterious
packages for a local fright museum. Abbott refuses to believe that
Costello has seen the living Frankenstein monster (Glenn Strange)
and his master Dracula (Bela Lagosi). (That's right, Dracula is
his master). Costello insists on getting to the bottom of things
just to ease Abbott's mind. Through their efforts, they find help
in the form of a panicked werewolf (Lon Chaney Jr). What follows
is a collection of gags that pokes fun at the horror genre.
For those of
you who don't particularly want to be scared at all, Abbott
and Costello Meets Frankenstein is a great "Halloween" film
for you. It makes fun of monster films without having any significant
danger coming to the characters. (Though, you might split a side.)
The Witches
(1990)
Luke's grandmother
(Mia Zetterling) convinces him of the existence of witches. They
are grotesque, loathsome, and evil. What's more, they despise children.
While staying in a hotel, Luke (Jason Fisher) stumbles on a witches'
convention where the Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston) proposes
a plan to eradicate all the children in England. After the witches
catch Luke eavesdropping, he is somewhat disadvantaged by being
turned into a mouse. But, Luke is unsinkable and he feels he must
find a way to stop the witches.
The Witches
is a fun little film that will not likely scare children, especially
if you watch it with them. The witches certainly pose a threat,
but Luke never acts like he is in mortal danger and so will not
likely cause a young audience to feel it either.
Little Vampire
(2000)
Tony Thompson
(Jonathan Lipnicki) has moved to England and has no friends. Soon,
he befriends a young vampire who was running from a vampire hunter
(Jim Carter). Tony uncovers a way in which the vampires can become
human again, but the hunter is out to eliminate them. (There is
one instance of profanity in this film.)
The Little
Vampire, on the other hand, makes the vampires enemies of humanity,
but not because they are evil. They are merely misunderstood. They
would love to shed the "undead" and be welcomed into real society.
In that way, Little is really about accepting people for
who they are. A warning, though: the make-up for the vampires is
actually quite disturbing and will likely frighten young children.
Little is not a great film, but your kids may enjoy it.
Anyone who reads
our Meridian reviews knows that we believe theme to be at least
as important as any other film element. Identifying what the film
is saying (not necessarily "preaching") is vital in understanding
how the story might cause us to look at the world. The horror genre
is far more concerned about style-or put another way, about how
the story will affect us immediately.
The affects
of the films-one "scare," "close call," or shock after another-is
all about manipulating the audience to fear. The whole genre wrenches
a sense of security away from the audience. It doesn't want you
to use your mind. It wants you to be caught up in the panic for
survival. A hallmarks of the horror genre is a very real possibility
of death.
When there are
thematic ideas in horror films, they are so detached from the true
story that it would be more accurate to call them motifs or even
morals. A good example is The Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Throughout the early part of the film, we are graced with harangues
about how little we really know as human beings and how much science
has yet to teach us, but when danger sets in, the ideas give way
to film style.
Whether you
want to just sit and enjoy a good scary film or light fare with
your kids, this Halloween watch a film that will fit your mood.
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