31 Horror Films in 31 Days Challenge: Film Twenty Eight: The Evil Dead(1981)

OK so you know how this goes: I'll be raw blogging along with the film as I watch it. This is the first time I've seen The Evil Dead. I know, I know! But hey - isn't this what the challenge is for?

Ok so a raw blog is a blog that I just write whatever I think and feel at the time as I go along with the film and then upload the post without editing. For me it just saves time. WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.

One of the actors reminds me of Liam Kyle Sullivan.

I feel like this film was essential viewing before watching Cabin in the Woods. Like... I've seen plenty of cabin centred slasher/horror flicks but this, I'm assuming, is the archetypal cabin horror.

Adorable daisy cups.

Is that a The Hills Have Eyes poster in the basement?

I live near a forest and I've never seen weird mists like this when I walk around at night.

OK. So I've come to the scene with the tree. Is that honestly necessary? Has violence against women in film become so accepted that we need to put them through new horrors like being raped by a tree? I'm not pleased. That's one of the most uncomfortable film scenes I've ever had to watch.

This film is full of creepy, gross effects that add up to create some excellent Halloween viewing. It's particularly good for the experimental use of sound throughout the movie. I love old school movie effects. So much is done with CGI and digital technology now. I like to see someone transformed into a zombie or someone covered in wounds using only man-made prosthetics and make-up.

How To Tell If You've Found "The One": Halloween Edition

There are points in our relationships that solidify one humble and solitary truth: this is the person that I am meant to be with.

It's not something we always realise instantly. It often takes a foundation of love, trust and respect. Along the way there are several important discussions. We discuss our responsibilities within the relationship. We discuss whether or not we want marriage. We discuss whether or not we want to have children. Once we know that we're on the same page as the person we've chosen to share our life with, it feels like a bridge has been crossed and we're now on the same page and we can peacefully continue our relationship. There is, however, one crucial discussion that all couples need but somehow forget. Once this all important conversation has arisen and been thoroughly discussed in depth it will reveal whether or not you and your partner are compatible...

This conversation in particular is, of course, the ever crucial zombie apocalypse survival discussion.

Yes.

How do you know if you and your sweetheart are meant to be if you don't know your plan for when the undead begin to walk the Earth?
I mean surely the conversation starts with where you in the event of a rage virus outbreak. Do you move into your home together? Do you move into their apartment? How much clothing do you pack? If you live together do you stay there in that home or move elsewhere? Should you fix that slick crack in the window now to prevent zombie breakage later? Which side of the bed do you sleep on and under which pillow do you hide a handy axe?

You then have to discuss the rights and responsibilities of the situation. Who takes on the role of zombie lookout? Who is better at firing a gun? Is your shared home/location big enough for a large supply of weaponry and long-lasting canned goods? You need to discuss your tactics because no one wants to be slowed down by a partner with lousy survival tactics that will ultimately land them, and possibly yourself, in the position of becoming zombie food.

Then we come to the most crucial part of the discussion: what happens if one of you becomes infected. If you're truly in love there should be a pang of sadness in your heart at the very idea of your beloved becoming a member of the living dead but it's also a good idea to discuss what you do in the situation. Anyone who has watched a zombie film probably knows that gut-wrenching moment when the realisation hits: there isn't much time and this person is infected and soon to turn into a zombie. You have to take action and you need to do so very quickly. Now there are two really good options. The first is that you agree to do the humane thing for you both and you kill your partner so there's one less zombie in the world and you at least have a higher chance or survival. The second, and arguably more romantic route, is to stay by the side of your darling and become their food source and hopefully become infected with the same virus. This way you can continue your life together as you run around eating all the humans and causing general global terror but hey - at least you're doing it together!

If you both have a coherent zombie apocalypse survival plan and can agree on tactics and life-saving decisions, you're sorted because if you've got your relationship planned from this point until the dawn of the zombie apocalypse, you know you're set for life. Don't forget: a couple that slays together stays together.

31 Horror Films in 31 Days Challenge: Film Nineteen: Night of the Living Dead (1968)

This is yet another blog-along post where I'll be blogging along as I watch another horror film as part of the 31 Horror Films in 31 Days challenge. 

 Warning: Since I'm blogging my thoughts whilst watching the film THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.

These are raw blog posts. I start and I write until I finish without any editing afterwards. I just post the raw thoughts from the film as they occur. I enter this film with absolutely no prior knowledge. Enjoy, 

I can't believe I haven't seen this film before. I know I've neglected a classic. I've seen clips, but not the whole thing. Something about black and white films just comes across as really classy regardless of the content...

Doing this challenge I've realised that I'm not really scared by horror films. Of course there are films that I've watched and had some sort of emotional response. Some have left me feeling offended and angry or pensive but I never really feel too unsettled afterwards. 
This is probably due to the fact that I've watched so many horror films that I can very easily detach from the horror on screen and tell myself it's just a film. The most recent films I watched that left me feeling shaken were Rosemary's Baby last year and, a few years before, Don't Look Now. The old ones are the best, right? I think maybe watching so many horror films in one month also leaves you a little desensitised because you get so used to it.
"Oh look, another death..."
"Oh, it was behind you..."
"No... don't go in there. That's really not a good idea.... Oh, you did it regardless. Go figure."

I like that these early zombies seem spooked by fire much like depictions of Frankenstein's monster. 

Grabby hands through the boarded up window reminds me of the opening scene of 28 Weeks Later which I watched last night.

The scene with the truck explosion feels very Final Destination. I'm having horror film deja vu.

Ahh. Considering how early a zombie film this is it all seems so innocent and fresh. It's really forging the genre whereas other films come with preconceived ideas and familiar conventions because now we're so aware with the tropes associated with zombie lore.

Ha! Lights out. Yes, my exact fears for this point in time. I swear, if the storm knocks out my electricity and I'm plunged into darkness I shall be rather annoyed.

Death by trowel.

Ugh. What a tragic ending. 

Though this film may seem slow to a modern audience familiar with the evolution of the on-screen zombie myth then this film still stands as a sharp political comment on contemporary racism along with a great deal of social commentary often interpolated into zombie films. It must be remembered that this film paved the way for zombie films that came after and therefore deserves a great deal of respect. For the time when it was released this film is candidly gory and sprinkled with nihilistic, violent and emotional moments. The suggestion that the zombies or, as the film calls them, "ghouls", are a result of radioactive contamination on a returned space probe resonates from cultural contemporary anxieties since, at the time, space travel was still relatively new and society was coping with the fear of what lies beyond the world we know. It's really interesting to see an exploration of zombies in this circumstance rather than aliens. 

Also, if you'd like to watch the movie I seem to have found a copy of it on YouTube so you can watch it for free!

Song of the Day: Zombie by the Cranberries

Well it's not the first "zombie" related spooky song of the day we've had this month.
Enjoy,