In the interest of broadening my horizons or some such nonsense, I have recently been exposed to three horror films.
House (dir. Obayashi Nobuhiko, 1977). Like Dario Argento's Suspiria, House is an intellectually lightweight film with impressive if overbearing visuals, incomprehensible characters, absurd situations, and a ridiculous non-resolution. It's hard not to be affected by Nobuhiko's obvious passion for what he's committing to celluloid, but this is clearly not the forgotten post-modern horror masterpiece its re-discoverers wanted it to be. By the way, the DVD cover art looks like an evil Totoro from hell. C-
Dawn of the Dead (dir. George A. Romero, 1978). Can a zombie movie effectively frame thoughtful social commentary? With this film, Romero's assertive answer is Yes. Unfortunately, though, Romero lacks the technique and discipline to make the film he would like to make, and Dawn of the Dead merely entertains (if it does that) when it wants to provoke discussion. Between the painfully obvious satirical digs at consumerism and the tiring scourge of flesh eating zombies, I'll take neither—though the soundtrack, I must admit, is rather cute. C-
Halloween (dir. John Carpenter, 1978). More troubling than the sheer number of terrible movies this film has inspired is Carpenter's disturbing insistence on super-naturalizing, mythologizing, objectifying, and personifying Evil as the masked figure Michael Myers, presumably because deconstructing evil is too cumbersome a task. Cinematically, Carpenter's much-touted mastery of suspense falls as flat as his characterizations and the embarrassing line readings of his actors (sic). F
