The Best of the Genre: Horror

I can't believe I haven't watched this film sooner, it is just fantastic. My favourite horror film of all time is Saw but now that I have seen this masterpiece, I may have to rethink some things.

Jack Nicholson is at his very best here, he gives a chilling performance who multiple raised eyebrows and creepy speeches. Some of the scenes including one with an old woman that is the first one in a while that has truly scared me.

I have to agree with a couple of other people who say the pacing is uneven at parts (especially towards the end) but that doesn't matter because the rest of the film is just so well done.

This film has restored my faith in the horror genre and I will seek out more 'classics' An absolute masterpiece. Well done Mr Stanley Kubrick, well done.

Edit: THE best horror film of all time (although not necessarily my favourite)

One of the scariest horrors of all time the first time you see it. Not only is the film scary enough with you being paranoid and feeling claustrophobic but another element comes into the story (I don't want to ruin it) and totally scares the hell out of all over again.

Neil Marshall didn't impress me too much with his other film Dog Soldiers and I am glad to see he has learned a few lessons and picked up a few things since then and made such a better film. Really well executed in terms of atmosphere the whole way through.

I thought it was very interesting to only have females in this film which allows the usual macho-bullshit to be kept out; I couldn't see the other film working with any lead men.

A very well made and extremely scary film. Neil Marshall has created something that most horror directors nowadays can't; something actually scary. Well done.

I finally get to see this film which is referred to everywhere I look as "a masterpiece" and "a classic." But is it really? Absolutely and more.

Alfred Hitchcock is always referred to has a "master of suspense" and here I can see why. Never have I seen such a suspenseful and chilling film. From the opening credits to the meeting of Mr Norman Bates (played either really badly or extremely well by Anthony Perkins), some if it truly does send a shiver down your spine.

I loved the way Hitchcock made the film about one character for nearly half the film, then totally flipped it around (as a result of the memorable shower scene) to be about a totally new character. Very well done indeed.

Everything in this movie from it's suspense and chilling atmosphere to it's great acting and very well done ending this movie ultimately (in my eyes) is a masterpiece. Maybe not a total classic to me yet but give it time.

Full Review

Previous opinion:

What the hell? Can someone please explain to me what the big deal is about this film? Extreme horror fans have said that this is, well the last half hour anyway, is some of the most disturbing things you are ever likely to see. What a load of bullshit. Audition is the first MAJOR disappointment from the Asian side of cinema, and just a generally not a very good film.

Up-to-date opinion:

I thankfully and wholeheartedly regret what I previously said about this film, I have changed my mind after watching it from a general point of view instead of under the weight of it's reputation.

Watching Takashi Miike's Audition from a general movie point of view has changed my opinion of it dramatically. When you are told by everyone that a film is the greatest of it's kind you inevitably expect an amount of quality that the film is never going to live up to. And subsequently the first time I watched this film I expected perfection and was understandably dissapointed. But watching the film in the normal way I watch a film I have come to the opinion that this is one of the most effective horror films I have ever seen. Chillingly effective from the absolute get-go, despite nothing even resembling on-screen horror actually occurs. There is an eary hollowness and even silence at points that builds tension and apprehention unlike any other film I have ever witnessed. The very fact that nothing happens leads the mind to wonder why this is so, and forces you to build up your nerves to an almost unbearable level as you are waiting for something to jump out from around every corner. And yet Miike stretches out this feeling, keeping you absolutely hooked and on the edge of your seat until eventually venting all that scary tension that has been building up for over an hour in a last half hour sequence that is almost unbearable to sit through.

It is this way because you are left to imagine most of what is happening. Although as intricate and horrific as the things are that are taking place on-screen a lot of it takes place off-screen and you are left to imagine what exactly might be happening. It's hard to explain if you haven't seen the movie but if you have you will no doubt be in-tune with what I'm trying to say.

The film obviously has it's downfalls. Even though I enjoy the slow, hollowness and subsequent tension-building that the first hour or so of the movie has it is after all very slow paced. And in turn it isn't the most "entertaining" film for the most part. I am a patient person but there comes a point where you wish you could cut chunks of the movie out and just get on with it. It's really strange what I feel about this film, but especially the first part. For what I like most about it I also dislike the most. Again a viewing of the film will make you better understand what I am saying but for now make of what I have said what you will.

This is a film that you are better going into knowing absolutely nothing about. So sorry if I have ruined it for anyone interested in seeing it. It is a film that slowly gets under your skin, grabs onto your nerves and refuses to let go until after the credits have rolled (and even then you are still thinking about it). It is amazing what a repeat viewing and a refreshed and open mind can do for your opinion of a film. I applied the mentioned things to Audition and it has really paid off.

Now let me just start of by saying that this film is definitely not for everyone. Similar to a lot of Asian films, this is an acquired taste. And just to be clear, for those of you who don't know, this is three short films in one. Each of them done by a different director, each has their own very unique style but still manage to tie together, maybe not in plot but in the overall feel. Since this is a special type of film I am going to do a special type of review. I will review each of the films on their own.

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Dumplings

First up we have Dumplings, a food based, gross-out flick by director Fruit Chan. Now for what this film sets out to do, that is to completely gross you out, it suceeds in spades. Never have I squirmed and winced and almost gagged so much at a movie in my life. I am not joking this is some seriously sick shit from a seriously sick minded director. How the hell Chan thought this idea up is beyond me and why in hell did he want to make a movie about it? Was it just to gross you out, because to me that seems a bit pointless. But if you take for just what it is, and if you enjoy squirming and feeling really uncomfortable then you should be at home completely with this. As the most effective of the three films that make up Three Extremes I applaud it for accomplishing what it set out to do. But this is not a film that I want to revisit any time soon.

Cut

Now we proceed onto the second part of this film, the short film Cut by director Chan-wook Park. Let me just say that this was by far my favourite out of the three films. It was the most interesting, the most comprehensible and in the end the most enjoyable by far. At least in this one I actually had half a grasp on what was going on, even though it still does have the confusing elements that bind the three films. And although when it comes down to it this is just a torture film, it was done in such a way that it didn't gross you out but was very effective in making you want to keep watching. Maybe I just wasn't grossed out in comparison to Dumplings (which I will be stressed to find a more gross out film than). Cut is probably the only film within Three Extremes which I will be tempted to revisit pretty soon, just to catch things I maybe didn't the first time round.

Box

And here we have the third and final part of this film, Box by director Takashi Miike. Now before I saw this I was on the fence when it comes to Miike. I really liked Ichi the Killer but highly dislikedAudition. So I was half and half on whether I liked him as a director. But when I saw Box my mind is effectively made up. I dislike Takashi Miike I am sad to say. Box was one of the most boring and pointless horror films I have ever seen. It has the exact same problem as Audition does, it is far, far, far too slow paced. At least in Auditon there was a bit of a pay off but here it has no pay off what so ever. Just 40 minutes of a completely boring, completely incomprehensible and completely pointless storyline and frankly I culdn't wait for it to end. Uusually it's the language barrier that holds people (including me) back from completely understanding everything that is going on in a foreign and particularly Asian film. But here I couldn't understand what was going on, not because of the foreign language, but because it was just totally convoluted and indecipherable. The only merit I can give this film is that it is technically and stylistically well done, but that's the only remotely good thing I can say about it, which I am very sorry to say. Needless to say this was by far my least favourite of the films that make up Three Extremes and it is a short film that I never want to have the displeasure of sitting through again.

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Overall this wasn't the most enjoyable Asian film that I have seen but it is still worth one look. It is extremely unique and all of the three films will be enjoyable to somebody. Unfortunately I would only really want to watch one again any time soon. The others I could most likely do without.

An incredibly well done sci-fi/horror flick that I can't believe I took so long to see. John Carpenter and Kurt Russell team up to bring us one of the most atmospheric and creepiest alien films out there.

I have always been a fan of Carpenter and Russell (seperately and together) since I saw the all time classic Big Trouble In Little China (one of my favourite films when I was younger) and I finally got round to seeing The Thing. And although it is not all it's hyped up to be by many-a-movie fan and critic alike it is still an excellent film in many respects.

The main thing I enjoyed about this film is it's nack of keeping you in suspense and in fear the whole way through; mainly because of the "who is it?" mentality that so many films have used. But since this was one of the originals to do so, that fact is a strength rather than a weakness.

Kurt Russell is one of the all time best action icons and since the 80's he HAS lost his touch a bit. And although this may not be my favourite performance of his (my favourite is in the aforementioned 'Big Trouble...') but it is still a fine one at that.

The ending will leave you both thoroughly satisfied and genuinely curious (you'll understand once you see it).

You should feel fear the whole way through this film as well as enjoying some of the fine performances and shockingly disgusting moments. Why oh why haven't I seen this film sooner?