BONUS REVIEW: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984)

THRILL SCALE 1-10

9

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Yes, a few times

BEST SEQUENCE

I'll talk about a couple of other scenes in the "Best Kill" category later, but for "Best Sequence" I'll go with the iconic bathtub scene. The shot of Freddy's glove rising out of the water is unforgettable

BEST LINE

"Whatever you do, don't fall asleep"

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

94%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"Wes Craven's intelligent premise, combined with the horrifying visual appearance of Freddy Krueger, still causes nightmares to this day."

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"Teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life."

DIRECTOR

Wes Craven

MAIN CAST

Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Johnny Depp, Ronee Blakley, John Saxon, Amanda Wyss, Nick Corri

THOUGHTS

• As some of you may recall, for the past few years now, I've been reviewing the Friday the 13th franchise every time a Friday the 13th rolled around. In my last Friday the 13th review I decided, this is all well and good, but we're missing out on some other famous slasher franchises, namely Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street, and I would consider these three properties to be the Slasher Trifecta. And now, here we are! From this point forward, with every Friday the 12th, I'll review another Elm Street movie (and Halloween movies on every Friday the 14th)
• Given the nature of this, comparisons may be hard to avoid, but I'll try to focus on each franchise as its own thing. I will just say, though, Halloween and Friday the 13th both started out fairly grounded, adding more supernatural touches as time went by (especially Friday the 13th, which basically turns Jason into a magical zombie), but Nightmare was supernatural right from the jump, and it's this flavour of scares that really sets it apart from the others
• Director Wes Craven really let his imagination run wild with Freddy Krueger, a killer who can attack you in your dreams, and Craven's creativity and inventiveness are a lot of fun in this movie, even aside from how effectively he uses the lack of real-world constraints to scare us. Moments like Nancy's phone turning into Freddy's mouth and tongue, or his arms crazily stretching out while stalking Tina, or the aforementioned shot of Freddy's glove reaching out of Nancy's bathtub, all of these moments are not just scary and shocking, but also incredibly memorable
• Speaking of Freddy's glove, certainly not the most practical movie weapon, but maybe the most iconic?
• Which brings us to Best Kill: Johnny Depp getting dragged into his own bed, and a geyser of blood flooding his ceiling
• Second-Best Kill: Tina getting thrown around the room and dragged across the ceiling
• There are some fairly melodramatic performances in this movie, especially from Ronee Blakley as Nancy's mom, and while there's a kind of fun scrappiness to Heather Langenkamp's performance as Nancy, she's not great. In fact, I think Baby Johnny Depp probably gives the best performance. He was 21 or so, and this was his first on-screen performance ever
• I did like Langenkamp setting a bunch of traps for Freddy, a sequence that gave very strong Home Alone vibes
• Especially in comparison to other slasher villains, Freddy would come to be known as the one with a strong personality and morbid sense of humour, but we actually don't get a whole lot of that in this first movie. Which is probably just as well as a starting point, since we need to be scared of him first
• Finally, even without factoring in Freddy as the killer, I find the whole premise of this movie incredibly effective - the idea that you can't let yourself fall asleep, or you'll get killed. When you really stop to think about it, the whole idea of sleeping is really kind of strange, and the fact that the human body requires it, and you can't delay it forever, adds a lot of tension to Nightmare. Eventually Freddy will get his chance to get you, and hey, if you don't sleep, you're going to end up dead anyway. You only have so long before your body forces you into a dangerous situation
• And that's our first Nightmare! We'll be seeing Freddy again in 2027, on Friday, February 12th

#31: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)

THRILL SCALE 1-10

9

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Yes, once, probably in high school

BEST SEQUENCE

The abduction of Barry, the little boy

BEST LINE

I'd have to sing it for you, but if you know solfège, it's "Re - Mi - Do - Do (down an octave) - Sol"

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

91%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"Close Encounters of the Third Kind is deeply humane sci-fi exploring male obsession, cosmic mysticism, and music."

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"An Indiana electric lineman finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches."

DIRECTOR

Steven Spielberg

MAIN CAST

Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Bob Balaban, Teri Garr, Cary Guffey

THOUGHTS

• Movie thrills can come in various forms. Sometimes we're reacting to terrifying monsters or sadistic killers, sometimes to frantic shootouts or death-defying stunts. Other times, however, thrills can come from pure spectacle and movie magic, when our jaws drop in wonder and amazement. That's largely the case here. Referring especially to the last half hour of the movie, the meeting between humans and aliens, it's simply wondrous. It's not action packed, it's not even really scary, just eerie at most. And yet, I was enthralled and, yes, thrilled. In fact, while typing that out, I just convinced myself to bump the Thrill Score up by a half point
• I've reviewed other movies that maybe could have benefited from the same argument, movies like The Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and even Spielberg's E.T. (which absolutely shares a lot of the same DNA as Close Encounters), but there's just something really special about what Spielberg does here. He doesn't rush, he takes his time with showing us this colossal mothership, and we end up feeling just like the characters in the movie must have felt. When I reviewed 2001 I saw it in the theatre shortly after, and I'm definitely going to keep my eyes open for a big screen showing of Close Encounters as well
• This also contains some of the best uses of light and darkness I've ever seen in a movie, from the very effective shots of whole city blocks going dark (something that's easy for us to imagine, but no less effective to see), to the vibrant and otherworldly beams of light that come from the UFOs. In fact, my pick for the best sequence, Barry's abduction, is the only really scary part of the movie, and it's pretty terrifying. It's entirely done with light, though. We never even get a glimpse of the aliens themselves until very close to the end
• You do kind of need to buy into the visual appearance of the aliens a little bit, especially the short ones wandering around (who were just a bunch of tweenaged girls in costumes), but this didn't bother me so much because Spielberg had already pulled me in by that point so it was easy to suspend my disbelief
• Even though I'm largely focusing on the special effects, the actors are all very good and convincing at making us believe they're seeing what we're seeing, a skill that's much more necessary these days in the age of CGI than it was back in 1977. It's also interesting to note that Close Encounters was Spielberg's direct follow-up to Jaws, a much less fantastical movie
• As always, John Williams' music played a big part in making this movie work so well, and once you've heard it you'll never be able to forget the famous 5-note sequence. Another favourite scene was the one in the Indian village, with massive crowds of people joyfully singing the melody
• Finally, I want to shout out Devils Tower, which looks so bizarre that you might think it was just another special effect Spielberg invented, but which is in fact a very real monolith in Wyoming. It's such a cool setting, and I loved the scenes of Roy constructing his replica, especially when the same landform is shown on the TV right beside his model

Up next: The Deer Hunter, 1978's Best Picture winner

#32: STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951)

THRILL SCALE 1-10

10

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Never

BEST SEQUENCE

Both sequences at the carnival, but especially the earlier one, watching Bruno stalk his prey and pounce

BEST LINE

"Each fellow does the other fellow's murder. Then there's nothing to connect them. Each one has murdered a total stranger. Like you do my murder, I do yours."

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

98%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"A provocative premise and inventive set design lights the way for Hitchcock's diabolically entertaining masterpiece."

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"A psychopath tries to forcibly persuade a tennis star to agree to his theory that two strangers can get away with murder by submitting to his plan to kill the other's most-hated person."

DIRECTOR

Alfred Hitchcock

MAIN CAST

Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, Leo G. Carroll, Patricia Hitchcock (Alfred's daughter), Kasey Rogers

THOUGHTS

• I thought this movie was fantastic. Terrifically thrilling, and entertaining all the way through, it's my favourite Hitchcock movie that I've reviewed so far, by a long shot. Despite this, I debated giving it a 9.5/10. I figured, I still have a lot of Hitchcock movies left to go, so I wanted to leave some room just in case there ends up being a movie I like better. But then I thought, to what end? Strangers on a Train is a perfect thriller with a brilliant premise and great performances. Even if there does end up being a Hitchcock film I like better, it wouldn't take away from how much I enjoyed this one, so I'm happy to give it the 10/10 I think it deserves
• Remember, I've reviewed three Hitchcock movies so far (Notorious, Dial M for Murder and Rebecca), and Dial M for Murder was my favourite before this one, at 7.5/10. There are still five more to go, and three of them are in the top ten. I do even think there might be a chance that Strangers on a Train could end up being my favourite of the bunch
• I knew about the general idea: two guys meet on a train, and they consider swapping murders to avoid suspicion. This happens in the first ten minutes of the movie. But what I didn't realize, and what really ratchets up the tension, is the fact that only one of the men is actually fully onboard for the plan. Not only does this add layers to the intrigue and tension, but it also gives us a distinct hero and a very distinct villain
• And what a villain! Robert Walker is incredible as the sociopathic, manipulative Bruno. His icy, nonchalant demeanour is chilling, and I love the way his eyes flit back and forth while he's talking to someone. Sadly, Walker's mental health was not good at this point in his life, and he died only a couple months after the movie was released
• Farley Granger is also good, if slightly less memorable, as the protagonist, Guy. Granger had previously appeared in Hitchcock's movie Rope, released in 1948, a movie that I had seen before and remembered liking, and even thought about adding as a supplemental review. In fact, I rewatched it last night, and it's very good! Famous for telling its story in real time, and for Hitchcock making it seem like it was filmed all in one shot, give or take a cut or two. Some critics found this trickery distracting, but I thought it worked very well and added to the tension, including some very effective camerawork. That's about all I have to say about Rope, though, so I don't think a full review is necessary. I would probably give it an 8/10 for thrills
• Back to the movie at hand, though! Watch Strangers on a Train. Undeniably one of Hitchcock's best, and it may wind up being my favourite at the end of this project of mine

Up next: Speaking of directors that are well represented on this list, it's another movie from Steven Spielberg: 1977's Close Encounters of the Third Kind

#33: THE FUGITIVE (1993)

THRILL SCALE 1-10

9

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Yes, once. And it was a lot better this time than I remembered

BEST SEQUENCE

I have to go with the iconic jump off the dam

BEST LINE

"I didn't kill my wife!"

"I don't care!"

Runner-up: "The guy did a Peter Pan right here off of this dam, right here!"

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

96%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"Exhilarating and intense, this high-impact chase thriller is a model of taut and efficient formula filmmaking, and it features Harrison Ford at his frantic best."

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer while being the target of a nationwide manhunt led by a seasoned U.S. Marshal."

DIRECTOR

Andrew Davis

MAIN CAST

Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Joe Pantoliano, Andreas Katsulas, Jeroen Krabbé (and I'll include Julianne Moore, even though her role is very small)(also Jane Lynch, with a tiny role)(and Neil Flynn, the janitor from Scrubs, with the tiniest role of all)

THOUGHTS

• I think I was biased against this movie at first because it was based on a TV show, a bias that, in hindsight, makes absolutely zero sense. It was an intriguing concept for a TV show in the '60s, so why wouldn't it still be an equally intriguing concept for a fantastic action/thriller movie in the '90s? Hell, it's still an intriguing concept today, but no need for a remake, this movie really doesn't need to be improved upon (and yet, a remake is apparently in development)
• Harrison Ford plays Kimble's desperation very well, and I love his quiet nobility when he goes out of his way to save people, even when doing so puts him more at risk to be caught. And Tommy Lee Jones is a lot of fun as a man who starts out by doggedly doing his job until eventually he starts to see that there may be more nuance than expected
• The strength of the two leads kind of reminded me of Die Hard, in a way, especially the fact that Jones as the (ostensible) villain might be even more fun to watch than the hero. An appropriate comparison also, as Die Hard and The Fugitive were both cowritten by the same guy, Jeb Stuart
• This movie really doesn't waste much time before it starts cooking, and the first 40 minutes are probably the strongest part of the film, including the most memorable sequences in the bus and train crash and the dam jump. Those were certainly the parts of the movie I remembered most, but it does stay very exciting throughout. Jones chasing Ford down a staircase in a government building was also a great moment. I would say, however, that your mileage may vary with the medical corporate espionage and intrigue. I thought it was a fine catalyst for the movie's plot, but definitely not the most memorable part of the movie
• It struck me as a great Chicago movie, too
• Finally, The Fugitive was an absolute sensation when it came out. It was the 3rd-highest-grossing movie of 1993, behind Mrs. Doubtfire and a little movie we talked about recently, Jurassic Park. It was also nominated for seven Oscars, including a win for Tommy Lee Jones as Best Supporting Actor, and it was a somewhat rare example of an action movie getting nominated for Best Picture. It also holds an even rarer distinction: it's the only example of a Best Picture nominee that was adapted from a TV show, so hey, maybe there was some logic behind my previous bias

Up next: Hitchcock's back, and it's another one that I haven't seen, Strangers on a Train from 1951

#34: THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955)

THRILL SCALE 1-10

8.5

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Yes, once, and I didn't remember liking it as much as I did this time

BEST SEQUENCE

The scene of Willa's untimely demise, followed by the shot of where she ends up, which is an absolutely haunting image

BEST LINE

"Leeeeaning, leeeeaning

Safe and secure from all alarms

Leeeeaning, leeeeaning

Leaning on the everlasting arms"

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

93%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"Featuring Robert Mitchum's formidable performance as a child-hunting preacher, The Night of the Hunter is a disturbing look at good and evil."

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"A self-proclaimed preacher marries a gullible widow whose young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the $10,000 he'd stolen in a robbery."

DIRECTOR

Charles Laughton

MAIN CAST

Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, Billy Chapin, Sally Jane Bruce, James Gleason, Evelyn Varden, Don Beddoe, Peter Graves

THOUGHTS

• Without really expecting it, and based on the strength of just two movie roles, Robert Mitchum has become one of my favourite portrayers of villains. He was chilling in Cape Fear and he's equally chilling in The Night of the Hunter. In fact, it was hard to choose a favourite line because nearly every line delivered by Mitchum is memorable. The "H-A-T-E and L-O-V-E" sermon is especially noteworthy, and it's been referenced in Do The Right Thing and The Simpsons, to name just a couple
• Ultimately I had to go with Mitchum's repeated singing of his favourite hymn, however. It's a pretty impressive feat to make a bland hymn so spine-chilling, especially when Mitchum actually has a fairly pleasant singing voice, but every time we hear it we know evil approaches and we know he won't stop until he gets what he's searching for. The whole movie has a very effective sense of dread and impending doom
• I'm fascinated by the way this movie makes religion seem so ominous and threatening, used as the justification for preacher Harry Powell's crimes. I also wonder how much of Powell's belief system is bullshit and how much he truly believes. Is he simply a murderous conman, using God to get close to his victims and protect himself from suspicion? Or does he truly believe what he says? The fact that we do witness Powell speaking directly to God, even when no one else is around, might lead us to believe that it isn't an act and he's really this delusional
• With that said, it's also only fair to mention that eventually we meet Rachel Cooper, a woman who uses religion for good, and who protects those who need helping, a very important juxtaposition to Harry Powell
• I've complained about child actors before, and The Night of the Hunter isn't going to make me change my tune. These kids aren't the worst I've ever seen, but they're not great - some very exaggerated reaction shots and just general obnoxiousness. I also wonder if I'm being unfair to the child actors, though, because surely a lot of that also has to do with how they were directed
• Speaking of the director, I've briefly mentioned Charles Laughton before - he had a supporting role in Spartacus. Coincidentally, I've also mentioned his wife, Elsa Lanchester, who played the Bride of Frankenstein. The Night of the Hunter was the only movie that Laughton ever directed, which is a shame. While it wasn't received very well when it was first released, it's now considered an absolute classic
• Finally, I wish to let you know that this movie includes a character named Icey Spoon, which is a dumb name. That is all

Up next: Harrison Ford's back! And we'll be talking about him a few times more after this. From 1993, it's The Fugitive

#35: JURASSIC PARK (1993)

THRILL SCALE 1-10

10

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Yes, many times now, although I don't remember when the first time was. I do know that I remember it being released because I was too scared to see it at the time (I was 6). If I had to guess, the first time I saw it was probably in high school

BEST SEQUENCE

There are many good options, but the T. rex jeep attack is an absolutely perfect scene of action and tension. One of the greatest ever

BEST LINE

I was tempted to pick Jeff Goldblum's incredibly strange and delightfully weird laugh/growl, but instead I'll go with a line that I've quoted many times:

"Clever girl"

"Hold on to your butts" is also pretty evergreen

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

91%

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"Jurassic Park is a spectacle of special effects and life-like animatronics, with some of Spielberg's best sequences of sustained awe and sheer terror since Jaws."

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"An industrialist invites some experts to visit his theme park of cloned dinosaurs. After a power failure, the creatures run loose, putting everyone's lives, including his grandchildren's, in danger."

DIRECTOR

Steven Spielberg

MAIN CAST

Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, Jeff Goldblum, Wayne Knight, Bob Peck, Samuel L. Jackson, Martin Ferrero, B.D. Wong

THOUGHTS

• You know, sometimes I come to a big movie like Jurassic Park and I get a little anxious about getting all my thoughts down and saying what needs to be said about such an important film. But then I think, well, really, what does need to be said? It's Jurassic Park. We've all seen it. We all know it kicks ass. So, if it seems like I don't have as much to say as you may have thought, just know that it's because I trust that we're all on the same page here
• It hasn't been that long since we last talked about a Spielberg movie, and it won't be much longer before we do it again - Close Encounters of the Third Kind is four movies away. If I had to guess, without putting too much thought into it, I'd say Jurassic Park is probably my third-favourite Spielberg ever. Without giving too much away, my favourite and second-favourite will be coming up on this list eventually. Having said that, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Jurassic Park is the favourite for a lot of people out there. In a lot of ways it's a perfect blockbuster. It's thrilling but not too scary, it's funny and exciting. It shows us something new with revolutionary special effects that still hold up today. Especially for a lot of people around my age, I'm sure it was also a seminal movie-viewing experience that made an early impact
• Back to the special effects, man are they great. This movie revolutionized CGI, and it's used well, but I especially appreciate the effects that were done practically when they could be. In fact, with a few exceptions, I often couldn't tell what was practical vs. what was CGI, and in a way this helped immerse me in the movie even more. It helped me believe all of the effects, even the ones that I might usually deride as obviously computer generated
• The first half of the movie kind of luxuriates in the special effects and the novelty of showing us the dinosaurs, in a way that kind of surprised me how long it took to get to the really exciting stuff. It's not a flaw in the movie, but Spielberg really takes his time showing us a gentler, more majestic version of Jurassic Park, before the power goes out and one big pile of shit hits the fan. It makes for a very effective shift in tone because it introduces the park and the dinosaurs, and it lets us get connected to the characters before their lives become endangered
• Wonderful score by John Williams, I do think a lot of the movie's power comes from his music
• And the cast is all fantastic. I also sometimes forget that Samuel L. Jackson is in this in a relatively small role, but remember, this was still a year before his breakout role in Pulp Fiction
• As we all know, Jurassic Park started the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World franchise, most of which I've seen. None of the other movies have quite the same impact, novelty or pure movie magic as the original, though, so I didn't feel the urge to review any of the sequels alongside this one
• As I mentioned in my E.T. review, Jurassic Park claimed the title of highest-grossing movie of all time from E.T., and it would hold the record for five years until the release of another movie that's coming up before too long, Titanic (#25 on the list)
• Despite the box office success, Jurassic Park didn't make a huge impact at the Oscars that year. It won the three awards it was nominated for, but they were below-the-line awards for Sound Effects Editing, Sound, and Visual Effects. Don't feel bad for Spielberg, though, because he had a pretty remarkable year. Believe it or not, Jurassic Park, this monumental box office success and brilliant achievement in special effects, was not the only movie Spielberg released in 1993. Six months later Spielberg released Schindler's List, which would go on to win Best Picture, Best Director, and a slew of other awards

Up next: The Night of the Hunter from 1955

BONUS REVIEW: FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI: JASON LIVES (1986)

THRILL SCALE 1-10

6

HAVE I SEEN IT BEFORE?

Yes, once, in September of 2019

BEST SEQUENCE

I'm gonna go with the RV sequence. The RV bathroom kill is great, and the shot of Jason standing on top of the overturned RV is epic

BEST LINE

"So, what were you gonna be when you grew up?"

- Small talk between one endangered kid to another

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE

56%

- Second-highest score after the very first one, by the way

ROTTEN TOMATOES CRITICS CONSENSUS

"Friday the 13th: Part VI - Jason Lives indeed brings back ol' Vorhees, along with a sense of serviceable braindead fun."

IMDB SYNOPSIS

"Tommy Jarvis exhumes Jason Voorhees to cremate his corpse, but inadvertently brings him back to life instead. The newly revived killer seeks revenge, and Tommy may be the only one who can stop him."

DIRECTOR

Tom McLoughlin

MAIN CAST

Thom Mathews, Jennifer Cooke, David Kagen, C. J. Graham

THOUGHTS

• I didn't remember much about this movie, so in looking it up before rewatching it, I was surprised to see that it's ranked pretty highly among fans and critics alike. Some even call it a precursor to the Scream franchise, and it definitely has a fun level of self-awareness, with some very meta jokes that generally land
• That said, and possibly related, it also didn't entirely feel like a part of the same franchise that I've been rewatching. I was surprised to see that this was rated R, because it feels more PG-13. There are some good kills, but it still feels a little tame. I generally liked the change in tone, but when a movie breaks the fourth wall like this one does it also undercuts the scares because it makes it more obvious that this is all fake and not really happening (and incidentally, I'll be reviewing Scream eventually, and it's one of the best examples of a self-aware horror movie that's also still pretty scary)
• Also unique about this movie, and kind of jarring, this is the only one so far to have children campers present at the camp. They're not really in danger at any point, but still
• Best kill: I do like the RV bathroom kill I mentioned above, but I think I have to go with the sheriff getting folded right in half by Jason
• Again, I watched this with friends, and these are their one-sentence reviews:
• Analisa: "Uh-oh"
• Ashley (my wife): "Needs more boobs"
• And speaking of Ashley and Analisa, the group of us decided that it's very fun to have a regular viewing of the Friday the 13th movies every time a Friday the 13th rolls around, but it would be nice to incorporate some other long-running slasher franchises as well. So, with that said, I'm happy to announce two new traditions: every Friday the 12th will be Nightmare on Elm Street day, and every Friday the 14th will be Halloween day. I'll probably write up reviews for them as well, and maybe eventually we'll get to other long-running horror franchises, like Scream and Saw
• But, back to the man of the day, Jason Voorhees. Happy to see you again, fella, welcome back from the grave, and looking forward to catching up with you in November