FINAL GIRL explores the slasher flicks of the '70s and '80s...and all the other horror movies I feel like talking about, too. This is life on the EDGE, so beware yon spoilers!

Nov 19, 2008

briefs

As we continue on our slow, inexorable march toward death, there are a few things we can be sure of. Pizza will remain delicious, Paul Reiser will remain irritating, Demon of Paradise will always be a terrible movie, and on Wednesdays I'll have a new column up over at AMC. This week, I posit thusly: What Ever Happened to Hag Horror?. Now, more than ever, it's a question of extreme pertinence.

In a show of solidarity with my column, last night I watched What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice? and I was wildly entertained. I must say, however, it's extremely difficult to watch someone beat the crap out of Ruth Gordon (my beloved Maude!) with a telephone, even if that someone happens to be Geraldine Page.

Onto other pressing matters! It's time to choose a Film Club Choosie! This time, it's up to you...sorta. I'm putting a poll up over yonder in the right hand column, and come Monday we'll have a winner. The nominees are...

A face from the past shatters a young figure skater's marital bliss in director Pete Walker's grisly shocker. Samantha Gray (Lynne Frederick) is ecstatic about her upcoming wedding … until an unwelcome guest shows up to begin a crusade of terror: her mother's ex-lover (Jack Watson), who killed Samantha's mom 15 years ago as she watched. With Samantha's friends getting picked off one by one, can she stop the madman before becoming the next victim?
Pete Walker! 1976! It was in the running the last time I had a Film Club poll and it didn't win, so it's in the running again. Schizo is totally like Joslyn, who was on America's Next Top Model this cycle after auditioning more than 30 times. I'm not sure if that's admirable or wackadoo, but it's worth mentioning.


Yes, folks, I mean a Final Girl Film Club twofer: both Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror:
El Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) and his ex-girlfriend Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan) fight an army of zombies infected with a biochemical weapon unleashed by a psychotic Army lieutenant (Bruce Willis) and an opportunistic scientist (Naveen Andrews).
and Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof:
Popular cult filmmaker Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed this high-octane thriller that stars Kurt Russell as a serial murderer who uses his revved-up car as a killing machine. After transforming his Dodge Charger into an indestructible weapon, Stuntman Mike climbs behind the wheel to terrorize a group of women on the road. Rose McGowan, Rosario Dawson, Jordan Ladd and Vanessa Ferlito also star in the ultimate road rage film.
Yes, I realize that everyone except me has seen Grindhouse. Mayhaps this will influence your voting, or mayhaps not.

So what will we watch? The choice is in your hands!

The film: ??
The due date: Monday, January 6

Go get your vote on! If not for me or for yourselves, then do it for Briefcase Woman.

14 comments:

Rhubarb said...

Tough choice. I hated, hated, HATED Planet Terror and kept meaning to slag it off in a public forum but I'd have to watch Death Proof as well.

They should totally bring back hag horror. I can't be the only one who wants to see Olympia Dukakis in a knock-down, drag-out fight with Angela Lansbury (I hope they're both alive or this is even more tasteless).

bill r. said...

Oh, c'mon, everybody, pick Schizoid! I wanted to take part in this one, and I'm so sick of Grindhouse!

Unknown said...

griiiiiiiiiiiiindhouse! i want to read your review/opinion! yay yay yay!

Margarita said...

Grindhouse Grindhouse Grindhouse! I too want to know what you think of it. And I actually need to watch them again because I don't think I was very fair to Death Proof last time around.

rob! said...

Schizo! Schizo! Schizo!

...Schizo.

Anonymous said...

GRINDHOUSE is totally overrated - too much money spent in trying to look cheap, and trying way too hard to be 'cult'. The only worthwhile thing in it is the MACHETE trailer.

spazmo said...

Arghh! God help me, I can't decide.

Briefcas Lady's shoulders are screaming "Schizo!", but her knees are pleading with me to pick "Grindhouse".

If only her shoes would speak up and break the tie...

Anonymous said...

Neither have anything as awesome as this clip from the unappreciated DEMON OF PARADISE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmhRCLej8YA

Zombie Cupcake said...

I say Schizo!

Unknown said...

Much as I love Planet Terror and believe that Death Proof is ripe for a re-evaluation (I hated hated hated it in the theaters, but felt that there was something sublime there I might be missing), it's been overtalked.

Schizo all the way.

Goose said...

Grindhouse,
Love to see your special views on this movie.

Fred [The Wolf] said...

I'm picking SCHIZO because I've never seen it. I already seen GRINDHOUSE in the theaters and reviewed it. I'm all for something different, especally if it concerns a film I know nothing about.

Anonymous said...

Gonna have to go with Schizo. I love both halves of Grindhouse and I've seen them both multiple times. Problem is, you're losing part of the experience viewing them separately (and without the faux trailers in-between... unless you spring for the Japanese DVD release) so I don't it's fair to judge it that way. Plus, I'm way too objective about the film.

But don't let that stop you from seeing it, even if/when Schizo wins out.

Anonymous said...

Grindhouse!!!