2000's American Horror Part Nine

SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE

(2000)

Dir - E. Elias Merhige

Overall: MEH

 

While certainly entertaining in parts, E. Elias Merhige's Shadow of the Vampire is more curious than anything.  Co-produced by Nicolas Cage for his Saturn Films company and written by Steven Katz, it is never quite clear what the true motive behind the movie is which can be seen as either a detriment or part of the charm.  As a film about a film, it offers up a compelling look into the silent era, particularly German Expressionism and the obsessiveness and pretentiousness of movie-making in general.  Choosing one of the most lauded works of its time period in F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu to look at, the behind the scenes dramatizations are legitimately intriguing.  It is when things step outside of this into its own horror movie terrain that it falls apart or at the very least becomes puzzling and mildly uncomfortable because of it.  Willem Dafoe's eccentric performance as Max Schreck via an actual member of the undead is wonderfully fun, but the story never seems to find a strong enough footing for his place or even purpose in being such a thing in the presented context.  If it was a bit more penetrable, then the humor could have connected more effortlessly instead of challengingly.

SLITHER
(2006)
Dir - James Gunn
Overall: GOOD

 

Troma alumni James Gunn with his full-length writer/director debut Slither chose to throwback to the good ole "alien menace takes over a small town" days.  While it is purposely similar to known, cult-followed works such as The Blob, Night of the Creeps, Society, and Shivers, Gunn's script is routinely funny if not particularly concerned with being all that fear-inducing.  It does have skin-crawling charm in spades though and the entire cast is thankfully very much in on the nasty fun.  The always likable Nathan Fillion and Elizabeth Banks make solid leads, but Michael Rooker was rarely funnier than as a mutated, horned-up hillbilly who kick-starts the whole slimy, bug-infested zombie fest.  Both the dialog and gross-out gore benefits wonderfully from the R rating as the movie incessantly goes for and gets laughs amongst all of its slimy filth and leisure vulgarity.  Naturally, the CGI effects are awful compared to the practical ones, but there are enough of the latter to forgive the former, particularly in the globby, splattery finale.  As far as horror movies being knowingly derivative with a solid nod and wink, this is about as adequate as they get.

SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET
(2007)
Dir - Tim Burton
Overall: MEH

 

Tim Burton's third musical in a row and another in a long line of adaptations and/or remakes of other works for the increasingly stagnant director, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is the dark, dreary, mega-budgeted cinematic version of Stephen Sodenheim's stage musical of the same name.  Both the most sing-songy and most gory of Burton's works, the film will be a near torturous chore for those appreciative of either.  Likewise, for those who have long grown tired of the filmmaker's lack of original scripts, whimsically Gothic indulgences, and now comical insistence of working exclusively with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, this will also sit as uncomfortably as ever.  Burton takes his penchant for gloom to extremes here as the movie's color pallet is saturated to look a stone's throw away from Ed Wood.  The liberal amounts of splattery, crimson blood and Sacha Baron Cohen's circus performer-esque wardrobe are about the only exceptions to the depressing, muted tones and Depp and Carter look like Hot Topic emo kids donning period costumes for Halloween.  On the plus side, the music from the celebrated play is strong as are the vocal chops of the cast, even Depp who had to undergo singing lessons to catch up to his contemporaries here.  Otherwise, it is mostly a bombastic pass though.