Guillermo del Toro has written, directed and produced some beautiful dark fantasy films such as “Pan’s Labyrinth” and comic-based movies such as “Blade II” and “Hellboy,” but his most recent producer project, “Mama,” is straight up horror movie. The film, which premiered Friday, eviscerated the competition at the box office to kick off the weekend, with a $10 million opening day. It also happened to be the second week topping the box office for star Jessica Chastain, who reigned supreme in earnings last weekend with her Oscar-nominated performance in “Zero Dark Thirty.” Not to mention that whole Golden Globes Award last week for Best Actress.
What a showoff that one is, don’t you think?
And she’s at it again with her performance as a brunette, garage-band bassist turned guardian angel in “Mama.” The film centers on two little girls who are abandoned in a cabin in the wild after a family tragedy, and have to survive on their own a few years.
Well… almost on their own. Enter the aforementioned “Mama.” And this is one bad mother.
Mama adopts the two orphan girls and doesn’t take too kindly when their uncle’s search team finds them, and takes them off to a psychiatric institute. And while the older girl seems to be adapting back to civilization, the younger one… not so much.
They eventually go home with their uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his other half, Annabel (Chastain) creating some friction in their formerly childless relationship. But they don’t come home alone, as Mama tags along, which creates a bit of another problem, such as Mama coming through the walls to play with the little girls when Chastain isn’t looking or hiding in the closet. And that rather nasty bit when Mama decides to push Lucas down the stairs to dispatch him to the hospital for awhile.
Someone did not learn to share or play nice with others in school.
Then Chastain incurs Mama’s wrath when she starts winning over the eldest daughter, and things start to really go downhill from there. Likewise, the relationship between the two sisters becomes strained when they begin to polarize into different camps of “Team Annabel” and “Team Mama.”
“Mama” has some genuinely creepy moments, and of course, those moments that’ll make you jump out of your seat a little. Hey, it’s mandatory for horror film to go for the quick scares. But there is certainly an artistry in the more subtle moments of the film, as well, with a dare-I-say-it “tearjerker” ending?
Hey, there’s no crying in horror movies — that’s just not right. But it is, for this movie anyway.
And that’s the quality that separates this film from many horror films, unfortunately. Most lack a real grasp of the human element, and real emotion, but instead, go for cheap “jump-out-and-go-BOO” thrills. Thankfully, “Mama” bucks that bad trend. Of course, it doesn’t hurt when have top-rate acting with the likes of an Academy Award nominee, and a great cast to fill out the rest of the roles. (It’s amazing the job Isabelle Nélisse does playing a feral six year-old that’s just too far gone to bring back from the wild.) But, sure enough, early reviews of the movie focus mostly on Chastain and are already hailing her performance, deservedly so.
But the primary critique of the film would be the CGI animation of the main character, which is not a very good example of the art, to say the least. And as any horror aficionado knows, there will be audience members who laugh inappropriately during horror movies under any circumstances, and bad CGI just encourages them and gives them an excuse.
But bad horror film etiquette is a whole other topic… don’t even get me started on that.
It’s particularly ironic about the bad CGI as producer del Toro began his career as a makeup artist, and this film screams for a more organic monster, made in real life with makeup. It begs for a monster with as much substance — and humanity — as its actors.
In that regard, “Mama” falls short. But it’s still a whole lot better than the usual horror fare.
The Horrorfind Weekend Convention and Film Festival is now accepting submissions for the 2012 Film Fest. This is the 14th Annual Horrorfind Weekend convention and the 3rd year with the addition of the Film Festival. The dates for the event are August 31, 2012 – September 2, 2012 at the Gateway Gettysburg Complex in Gettysburg Pa.
The convention attracts thousands of people and the film festival is quickly becoming popular with fans and filmmakers alike. All films selected for the film fest are shown in real movie theaters on the same property as the convention hotel and are open for viewing by all convention attendees at no additional charge.
Get your films in early to take advantage of discounts and to get ahead of the flood of submissions that come in later.
For more information on the Horrorfind Weekend Convention and Film Festival go to their website.
Oh, I used to love vampires, back in the days of Christopher Lee, and have watched them done, and re-done, and re-done again over the years — each incarnation increasingly whiny, emo, and pathetically annoying. It’s been sliding downhill since the angsty Lestat and Louis, to the current … well, I shall not even utter the dreaded “T word.” But it’s pretty much remained a variation of the same old thing, vampire meets girl (or boy in Anne Rice’s case), vampire falls for girl, girl almost falls for vampire but is saved from turning at the last minute or turned back by some miracle. Vampire possibly or possibly not killed, depending on if the studio wants a sequel. I would have sworn no one could find a new twist.
I was wrong.
In “Daybreakers” the credits open with a desolate, apocalyptic cityscape, setting an all too familiar mood we’ve seen many times. But then the shades come up as the sun falls, and the city starts swingin’… this is a world where vamps rule the roost, and damn, they got style, baby, if in a rather cold, neo-noir kind of way. I was expecting “Blade,” but this is far more “Bladerunner,” right down to their glinty eyes.
Right away I knew this was going to be eye candy, but would it have substance, even with a heavy hitter like Willem Dafoe? And despite Ethan Hawke, who I have never been particularly moved by?
Hawke plays Edward Dalton, a somewhat angsty vampire (sigh) who also happens to be a hematologist shackled with the enormous responsibility of finding a blood substitute to save both vampires and humans alike. And, oh yeah … they need that by, like, next week. ‘Cause otherwise, if they drain the last of the human blood supply, not only do humans go extinct, but vampires get to mutate into some decidedly un-stylish, bat-crazy creatures that scare even the vamps. And with good reason.
Of course, Edward is sensitive and sympathizes with humans, and is a vampire vegetarian – he doesn’t do human blood, dammit! But then, being a vampire is a bit of a touchy subject with him, as he was turned against his will by his brother Frankie (Michael Dorman), a (little too) gung-ho soldier in the vampire military, who now specializes in hunting humans. There’s some dynamic tension for you.
After Edward gets tangled up and sympathetic with a group of humans, you get the usual romantic sideline, but unlike other vampire films, instead of him turning her, she is intent on helping him turn back to human form. And finding a cure for that whole vampire plague thing.
What does make this film different from most vampire movies is not only the noirish styling, but that someone finally explored on film the idea of vampires in crisis at the risk of running out of human blood. It is still a somewhat romanticized version of vampires, at least the non-mutated ones, but with a bit more of an edge than their frou-frou Victorian counterparts. And those nauseating emo teens falling in love. So maybe part of the reason I liked the movie is because I have to admit I set the bar pretty low for expectations as soon as you say the “V word.”
As expected, Willem Dafoe is a bit of a scene stealer, as a former vampire with a redneck drawl and a love of vintage hotrods. His name is Lionel, but you can call him Elvis – that sort of says it all, don’t you think? And Hawke is okay, which sounds like a slight, but my neutrality toward him is a step in the right direction. His performance isn’t Oscar material, but I didn’t particularly dislike it either, save the odd moments here and there.
“Daybreakers” is certainly one of the most stylish vamp flicks to roll around in a while, with a little dark humor, and a fresh twist in the usual vampire flick plot lines. I’m not sure of it’s long term place in the grand scheme of the genre, but maybe it will usher in a new neo-noir vampire trend. That would surely make the whole genre visually exciting again, and hopefully teen-free.
Let’s just hope if there’s a “Daybreakers 2″ it doesn’t star Robert Pattinson.
Let’s face it, monsters and screaming chicks just go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Most are one-time screamers, but some keep coming back for more, earning the title “Scream Queen.” Some even use their scream queen status to launch a mainstream career, like the queen of the queens, Jamie Lee Curtis. Who’s your favorite of the scream queens?
Janet Leigh – Alfred Hitchcock’s Queen of Scream
FILMS:
Psycho (1960)
The Fog (1980)
Halloween H20 (1988)
Janet Leigh made us all afraid to get in our showers, in the classic “Psycho” murder scene. Tame stuff by today’s standards, but quite shocking in the day. And a great study in how to be scary without gratuitous
gore – watch it closely…it isn’t as gory as you think. Such is the artistry of a master filmmaker like Alfred Hitchcock.
Barbara Steele
FILMS:
Black Sunday (1960)
The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
The Horrible Dr. Hitchcock (1962)
The Ghost (1963)
Castle of Blood (1964)
Night of the Doomed (1965)
Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968)
Shivers (1975)
Piranha (1978)
Silent Scream (1980)
Despite a role in Fellini’s “8 1/2,” Barbara Steele is best known for her horror films, especially Mario Bava’s classic “Black Sunday.” She also found herself featured in Roger Corman classic horror movies as well as the TV series “Dark Shadows.”
The Women of Hammer
While most people think of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing when they think of Hammer Horror films, the studio kept a bevy of babes on hand to make their leading men look good. Ingrid Pitt, Caroline Munro, Veronica Carlson, Hazel Court, Barbara Shelley, and even big names like Ursula Andress and Raquel Welch.
Jamie Lee Curtis – John Carpenter Discovers A New Talent
FILMS:
Halloween (1978)
The Fog (1980)
Prom Night (1980)
Terror Train (1980)
Halloween II (1981)
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Virus (1999)
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Jamie Lee Curtis didn’t use the star power of her parents to launch her film career, but a low budget horror film by a then unknown director named John Carpenter. The rest, as they say, was history.
Linnea Quigley
FILMS:
Post Mortem, America 2021 (2009)
Dead End (2010)
Strangers Online (2009)
Night of the Demons (2009)
Vampitheatre (2009)
Spring Break Massacre (2008)
Each Time I Kill (2007)
Hoodoo for Voodoo
Voices from the Graves
The Naked Monster (2005)
Wolfsbayne (2005)
The Rockville Slayer (2004)
Frost (2004)
Zombiegeddon (2003)
Corpses Are Forever (2003)
Scream Queen (2002)
The Monster Man
Horrorvision
Kannibal
Venice Beach
Curse of the Lesbian Love Goddess
Mari-Cookie and the Killer Tarantula in 8 Legs to Love You (1998)
Fatal Frames (1996)
Jack-O (1995)
Vampire Hunter (1994)
Beach Babes from Beyond (1993)
Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1993)
Innocent Blood (1992)
Blood Church (1992)
Guyver (1991)
Witchtrap (1989)
Deadly Embrace (1989)
Blood Nasty (1989)
Night of the Demons (1988)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988)
Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama
Creepozoids (1987)
Nightmare Sisters (1987)
Treasure of the Moon Goddess
The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)
Savage Streets (1984)
Psycho from Texas (1975)
Linnea Quigley isn’t exactly a household name…unless you are a diehard horror fan. If you are, you know this cult legend.
Heather Langenkamp
FILMS:
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Shocker (1989)
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
Danielle Harris
FILMS:
Halloween 4 (1988)
Halloween 5 (1989)
Urban Legend (1998)
Halloween (2007)
Halloween II (2009)
Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet (2010)
The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond (2010)
Stake Land (2010)
Out of all the starlets trying to be the new quintessential Scream Queen, Danielle Harris is clearly the frontrunner, with a resume that includes appearing in the original series, as well as being recruited by Rob Zombie for his new versions.
Angela Bettis – Not Your Typical Scream Queen
FILMS:
May
Toolbox Murders (2004)
Scar (2007)
There is something wonderfully off-kilter about Bettis, and not your typical horror film “babe.”
Sarah Michelle Gellar
FILMS:
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Scream 2 (1997)
The Grudge (2004)
The Grudge 2 (2006)
The Return (2006)
Scout Taylor-Compton
Wicked Little Things (2006)
Halloween (2007)
April Fool’s Day (2008)
Halloween II (2009)
Guillermo del Toro has written, directed and produced some beautiful dark fantasy films such as “Pan’s Labyrinth” and comic-based movies such as “Blade II” and “Hellboy,” but his most recent producer project, “Mama,” is straight up horror movie. The film, which premiered Friday, eviscerated the competition at the box office to kick off the weekend, with a $10 million opening day. It also happened to be the second week topping the box office for star Jessica Chastain, who reigned supreme in earnings last weekend with her Oscar-nominated performance in “Zero Dark Thirty.” Not to mention that whole Golden Globes Award last week for Best Actress.
