Retro Movie Thoughts Bundle #1

In this collection of short reviews, we’ll explore a few horror classics from decades past where slashers and supernatural-horror titles were beginning to set new standards and expectations for the film industry. And with every studio making an attempt to ride the new wave of groundbreaking horror movies, audiences were simultaneously being smothered with a dime a dozen copycats to films that were being widely recognized. So without further ado, let's dive into some familiar and perhaps unfamiliar titles that were meant to send shivers down audience's spines. 

1. The Sentinel - 7/10

A decent enough 70s era supernatural-horror flick with strong notes of Rosemary’s Baby, The Shining, Suspiria, and House on Haunted Hill (the remake). If you just look at the cast on its own, you'll immediately spot some pretty well established and iconic faces which makes The Sentinel surprisingly quiet within the horror cinema pop culture. With a fairly intriguing enough concept, and a final act that dips into visual nightmare fuel (ignoring the questionable behind-the-scenes creative decisions made for said horror imagery), I'd say there is something quite profound and intriguing on the surface here. 

That being said, the movie isn't without its notable flaws which is why I believe this title sank down away from the mainstream genre zeitgeist. Moments of cartoony body horror confrontations and controversial swings with discomforting character scenarios could've benefited from a different directional angle. Performances that leave much to be desired (though not necessarily bad) results in the material feeling lackluster overall with no one being able to elevate what's on paper to screen. Well...outside of Burgess Meredith of course (of Penguin fame via the 60s Adam West Batman series). 

I believe what The Sentinel needed was a bit more energy and different directional sensibilities injected throughout to help boost its engagement and re-watchability factor. This could’ve been easily achieved with the help of a few more standout performances, more engaging character interactions to help build up the story (like the freaky couple living next door...but less profane), and a few more scares inserted that rely on atmosphere and creepy imagery teasing that final act’s landscape. As opposed to the outlandishly directed body amputating spectacle that we see in one particular sequence, there's a much more subtle and brilliantly suspenseful nightmare-inducing film hiding beneath the surface here. Look no further than what is arguably the most memorable segment from the film involving a a ghostly visitation that initially centers on effective cinematic lighting, building anticipation, and a creepy silhouette. That's the movie that we should've gotten.

2. The Old Dark House - 6/10

I was originally excited to do a review for this film prior to watching it due to its strong enough positive reputation, but now that I've seen it in its entirety (thank you Shudder), I can honestly say that it's rather unremarkable. Well...except for a standout make up job and physical performance by the late, great Boris Karloff. For a character that hardly has any semblance of dialogue whatsoever, he ironically ends up being the best thing about the entire viewing experience for me here. Every scene that highlights Karloff's character as this physically imposing, disfigured, and eerily silent butler, the intrigue and suspense factor immediately rises up. 

Unfortunately, aside from that component and a somewhat notably tensed climax where several of the characters are thrown into a life threatening conflict, there really isn't much that I can praise about this film. As influential as I'm sure it is as a classic, to my utter surprise, I find it to be rather forgettable. Keeping in mind that this is coming from a guy who has constantly geeked out about classic horror/mystery films since childhood. I'd say watch The Old Dark House for a standout performance by Boris Karloff and nothing more. The entire ensemble of characters minus the butler feels like they're all setting the stage for something huge that doesn't quite fulfill its build up in the end. 

The storytelling, in all of its twists and turns, never really had a big impact on me in its execution. It just feels like something amazing lies at the foundation of its idea, but either the production team missed the opportunity completely or a much better film got lost on the cutting room floor. This is by no means a bad film as the direction overall is solid enough to enjoy (albeit on a barebones level compared to other films of this era). On a side note, there’s a mysterious character that the story builds up as being terrifyingly dangerous which immediately peaked my interest. And though I did enjoy the way in which they visually teased him by just showing his hand next to the butler with a maniacal cackling behind it, his full reveal was...well...sort of like the film overall. Unremarkable. 

3. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - 9/10

After so many years of curiosity building, I was finally given the opportunity to see Invasion of the Body Snatchers (thank you Shudder) and boy was it worth the watch. This movie offers just about everything that I could ever want out of a science-fiction horror film of this type. The central characters are solid enough to follow along with a great cast overall, the sci-fi elements surrounding the idea of alien pods showing up on Earth duplicating human beings was both equally intriguing and downright creepy. And infamy, the overall scope of what is essentially a mass scaled alien invasion felt genuinely unnerving considering the pacing of the movie.

The ending twist segment of Invasion of the Body Snatchers has for years been an iconic piece of horror cinema history pop culture, but just in case someone out there has not seen the film or  come across that famous character image, I won’t dive into any details here. What I will say is that despite knowing what the ending twist was for years now, the moment in question still managed to have a powerful sense of dramatic weight behind it due to the brilliant direction. I can't speak enough about the film’s superb sense of pacing and direction as there’s hardly ever a dull moment to see here and the invasion element itself plays out like one giant escalating rollercoaster of terrifying realizations. 

I absolutely loved the way the story gets you comfortable with the characters to a point only to eventually toss a giant wrench at that connection once all hell starts breaking loose and trust becomes questionable. Very much in the same vein as John Carpenter’s The Thing, this is an alien horror movie that builds on the paranoia of not being able to comfortably trust the ones closest to you more so than just space ships blasting through cities or some generic mass murdering monster running around. I do have to say that the special FX hold up fairly well even by today’s standards and the overall thriller aspect of watching our main characters try to navigate an increasingly intense and mentally baffling widespread takeover is very well executed. Overall, I highly recommend giving this classic a watch.

4. Inferno - 5/10

Aside from the great visual direction (which Argento is well known for with films such as Suspiria to which this film acts as a loose sequel to), a legitimately eerie scene that takes place in a classroom involving a mysterious woman with a cat, a suspenseful underwater bit involving a corpse, and an artistically eye catching scene where a witch emerges from a mirror as a tall skeletal figure, Inferno is shockingly...dull. Pretty crazy, right? Considering that short list of enticingly crazy events? Honestly, once the ending credits started to roll, I literally started thinking to myself "Wait a second...what was I watching again? What was I supposed to be invested in?". So, why is that exactly?

Here's the thing about Inferno. It's not necessarily a terrible film as I've mentioned some positives already in the form of specific scenes, but it's also not particularly worth watching as an overall cinematic viewing experience. The characters aren't really engaging enough to desire following along nor is the storytelling as a whole which was rather poorly paced out in my opinion. If you wanna see a visually stunning film involving witches with a killer score by Goblin then watch the original Suspiria or perhaps check out the 2018 remake which also dives into the concepts being tackled here. You won't be missing out on much if you skip this entry in regards to entertainment value, compelling storytelling, or scares. 

The "Three Mothers trilogy" as it's called (incl. Suspiria, Inferno, and The Mother of Tears) was something that excited me when I first came across the fact that it existed years after my initial viewing of the original Suspiria. Sadly, if Inferno is any indication as to what the other sequel will be, then I'm not so sure that I even want to finish this loosely connected trilogy of supernatural horror witch movies. I'm starting to see a pattern here with [some] of Argento's films. I tend to love or at the very least be dazzled with what I'm watching on the surface thanks to his eye popping visual style, but once I dive just a little deeper into the more important components (characters, storytelling, performances, pacing, etc.), I end up feeling as if I'm just watching horror eye candy with occasionally great background music.