Author Archives: averizuech

Carnival of Souls and Horror

This week we changed how we start the week. We first started with our screening and then the readings and I personally think it flowed a lot better. This week we watched Carnival of Souls. I actually really enjoyed this movie and the concept behind it. I think it was very well made and showed what cinema could do during the time it was made. The main girl who escapes the car crash at the beginning or so she thought was Mary. Really, we were just watching her move in and out of actual life throughout the movie, such as when the she would was not able to be heard in certain parts like at the dress store, as she was not actually alive. Throughout the movie Mary, is attracted to this old carnival that was abandoned. Here at the end of this movie she is met by many souls and the soul of the guy that was haunting her the whole time she was living this other life. This movie had a budget of $33,000 and I think they used what they could with the budget that had very well. I could see why it would have an influence on many other directors and has gotten that cult status in the horror film industry. The director of the film, Herk Harvey did what he could with the things he could afford to change how horror was looked at.

This week we also talked about horror in general. One thing that was said in our discussions was along the lines of that cult horror films are not classics and never will be. Zane said he disagreed with that and I would have to agree with him. I am someone that grew up loving horror films. I know many people who don’t like horror films but I think that they are something that has changed the film industry. Many people don’t appreciate the horror film industry because they don’t like being scared or don’t like the gore. I think horror films have come a long way since some of the very first ones however. Cult horror films will be classics because they started such a different type of genre that nobody wanted to get near until they were made. Cult horror films also gave people at the time what they wanted to see and was something new. Cult horror films may follow that certain formula of what we know always happens in these movies but, they will always be classics because of how they changed many ideas in the film industry.

Something that also stuck out in the readings this week to me was the talk about crackhour. One thing that was said was that many movie goers could be compared to worshipers. People are said to use movies and film as a form of escape. I know myself that sometimes when I just need time to myself I will turn on a movie. A movie helps me to get distracted by what I don’t want to think about and what may be on my mind. Many people who are into film to most likely feel the same way. It is easy to get distracted by a movie when you are really involved in it and love it in a special way. This is how these cult movies get their cult status because so many people run to that movie and get distracted by it, eventually falling in love with it because of the glitz that movies now have to offer.

A Work of Art in Detour

1 Reply

This week we discussed many things. One thing that I really enjoyed that we talked about however was the reading of The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. When we think of movies, sometimes we get so caught up in them that it is insane to think that other people may relate to them on a level of how you do. At least that it is how it is for me. Film is constantly being made for the masses. It is made for many people not just only in America but shown to people all around the world. One thing that is mainly discussed in this is the term aura. Many movies are so widely and mass produced that we don’t even know which was the original one. This got me thinking too there are so many reworks of movies of things cut out or added in and then produced for people to see that they are constantly changing. These movies then lose their uniqueness that they had from the very first copy that was ever made. It is sad to me that sometimes we never know what was the original and first copy made of a film.

We also talked about how you can get a lot of different experiences from cult movies. We all see these movies in different ways whether that is physically or mentally. We can see films in the comfort of our home, at a theater or even at a drive-in, if they still have those around you. I remember some of my favorite movies I have ever seen were at a drive-in theater. One of these movies was Talladega Nights. Was I old enough to be able to be watching that? Probably not but my parents didn’t seem to care as they were the ones taking me to it. I can still remember that night and still get a laugh out of that movie as stupid as it is. One thing we talked about too, is how midnight movies are losing their place in theaters. So many people used to dress up and go to these movies to watch their favorite film series. I think that a reason for this is that people aren’t as invested into movies as they once were. Sure, we have our cult classics but people don’t get as invested and want more from a movie series or they don’t live up to the potential of what people were wanting.

Sometimes the films Dr. Schlegel picks for us to watch I question what is going on inside his head. No offense to you Dr. Schlegel. But, by the end of these films I get why he shows them to us so we can get a better understanding of what he wants us to learn. Detour I thought was a crazy ride, literally. The director Edgar Ulmer developed a film that had many twists and weird turns in it. The movie started off with Al Roberts falling in love with his girlfriend Sue while playing piano at a bar. Sue decides to chase her dreams of singing when eventually Roberts decides to hitchhike back to her in LA after her move. When Roberts meets Haskell it turns to the worst. Haskell dies by falling out of the car but really we all know it was just those pills he kept taking. When ditching Haskell and taking on his identity he ends up picking up Haskell’s ex lover Vera, by accident where eventually she holds Roberts hostage until the ends up strangling her by accident with the telephone cord. All I could say after was yikes at the bad luck this man sure did have. Did I enjoy this movie? Yes, it gave me many things to think about while watching it. Was it the best movie I have ever seen? No, not at all. It was said that the movie was to have been shot in 6 days. I find that very interesting and for that give credit to Ulmer for getting a movie done in such a short amount of time. I think this movie helped set a tone for film noir. The film was very much dramatic and over the top that it was too much in some cases, but it wasn’t one of the worst things I have ever seen.

What Makes Cult Movies, Maniac, and American Grindhouse

1 Reply

This semester I am excited to learn the history of cult films and what they have offered to film history. We have already watched two very interesting pieces to say the least. We also have discussed some of the history behind it. In the readings we talked about this week we discussed what could be considered a cult film. A cult film may consist of a very bad script or a very good one. People however, still latch onto these films making them cult classics. Cult films become a cult film because so many people can relate or love what the movie may have to offer. From the reading, The Cult Film Reader, it discussed how a cult film is defined as having Anatomy, Consumption, Political Economy and Cultural Status. All of these things play some type of role in a cult film. They may not all be equal however though. Many cult films flourish because of what they project, how they are perceived, when it relates to the time period and just being the film itself and how it is defined. There are many elements behind anatomy, consumption, political economy and cultural status that make up the film. Things such as how good or bad it is, the money in the economy and how they are promoted and how they progressed over time. They are often just movies that aren’t promoted widely but then end up getting this massive following.

Last week, we watched a movie called Maniac. In my words I would describe it as interesting in a weird way I guess? But also not the greatest. While watching this film it made me question many things such as why were all the cats always different and what happened to the crazy guy and the dead girl who came back to life? The film was directed by Dwain Esper and released in 1934. This movie was just the start of exploitation films. I would say the film was good in a funny way if that makes sense. It wasn’t actually good but was funny because of all the random shit that happened throughout it.

We then watched American Grindhouse. I thought this documentary was very interesting it. I loved how it covered the history of exploitation films. Many films like this were very taboo and they started early. The films also relate to film noir. These movies both consist of adult themes that are similar. These exploitation films also changed drastically over time until now. Many teens were watching them and were aimed to the viewing of teens, which lead to drive in theaters. At one point these films also got very violent which projected a different kind of viewing that wasn’t necessarily something everyone wanted to see. We then began to see more gore movies too, like Psycho and Blood Feast. But all in all, exploitation films really just lead up to pornography. People were seeing these films because of what they showed and eventually they weren’t enough so pornography came about. It is interesting how much they changed over time but how I think now we as a society wouldn’t accept what they did back then. The topics of those movies were something out of the ordinary and now people would think they are odd or not right.