There's definitely something about Carpenter that taps into a lot of people. I'm not sure what it is, but I guess I'm always looking for whatever that is from other films and directors too. Thanks for sharing!
I love your movie choices. I found many are the same as mine! The Fog became a favorite while it was on Criterion. And I'm glad you included Basket Case! I saw it in the movies long ago and I remember it! Thanks!
Thanks, Anne! Yeah, for some reason I never get tired of movies like The Fog and Basket Case, even though I know what's going to happen. It's all part of the journey! Thanks again!
Oh, man, Andy I've been waiting for this for years! Through my entire film journey I have always wondered why I wasn't a fan of horror like many other people that I admired, and I have consistently avoided it and thought of it as, frankly, a lesser and gratuitous part of the art of cinema. Having said that I ALSO thought The Thing and Alien were great films, so... *shrugs* I probably will continue to draw the line at slashers, though! Thank you and I look forward to more musings about horror!
Jeffrey, thanks for adding to the discussion! I'll be talking about it in an upcoming post, but you might consider being a part of Hooptober in October. Participating in that helped me determine what I liked and what I didn't as well as subgenres and international horror I didn't know about. So keep enjoying what you enjoy, and maybe try to figure out why something connects with you. But hey, I'm still figuring out this stuff, too! Thanks again!
This is a solid list you have here. As a long time horror fan, I believe that the genre is a space where fans can work out their anxieties. Horror flicks from the late 60s and 70s (Night of the Living Dead, Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, The Exorcist, Halloween) were an expression of the societal disruptions of that era (the Civil Rights movement, Women’s Lib, Vietnam War protests, and a generation of rebellious teenagers.) Laurie is the good girl in Halloween, and while her friends are too busy drinking beer, smoking pot, and having sex, she’s the only one who notices the weird guy with the mask standing behind the hedge (aka “The Boogeyman.”) Horror stories give us a narrative where we can sit with those anxieties and nightmares, experience the catharsis, and understand how to conquer them.
I am not a horror fan either, but Carpenter always spoke to me. And I'm very fond of both The Thing and Halloween.
There's definitely something about Carpenter that taps into a lot of people. I'm not sure what it is, but I guess I'm always looking for whatever that is from other films and directors too. Thanks for sharing!
I love your movie choices. I found many are the same as mine! The Fog became a favorite while it was on Criterion. And I'm glad you included Basket Case! I saw it in the movies long ago and I remember it! Thanks!
Thanks, Anne! Yeah, for some reason I never get tired of movies like The Fog and Basket Case, even though I know what's going to happen. It's all part of the journey! Thanks again!
Oh, man, Andy I've been waiting for this for years! Through my entire film journey I have always wondered why I wasn't a fan of horror like many other people that I admired, and I have consistently avoided it and thought of it as, frankly, a lesser and gratuitous part of the art of cinema. Having said that I ALSO thought The Thing and Alien were great films, so... *shrugs* I probably will continue to draw the line at slashers, though! Thank you and I look forward to more musings about horror!
Jeffrey, thanks for adding to the discussion! I'll be talking about it in an upcoming post, but you might consider being a part of Hooptober in October. Participating in that helped me determine what I liked and what I didn't as well as subgenres and international horror I didn't know about. So keep enjoying what you enjoy, and maybe try to figure out why something connects with you. But hey, I'm still figuring out this stuff, too! Thanks again!
This is a solid list you have here. As a long time horror fan, I believe that the genre is a space where fans can work out their anxieties. Horror flicks from the late 60s and 70s (Night of the Living Dead, Rosemary’s Baby, The Omen, The Exorcist, Halloween) were an expression of the societal disruptions of that era (the Civil Rights movement, Women’s Lib, Vietnam War protests, and a generation of rebellious teenagers.) Laurie is the good girl in Halloween, and while her friends are too busy drinking beer, smoking pot, and having sex, she’s the only one who notices the weird guy with the mask standing behind the hedge (aka “The Boogeyman.”) Horror stories give us a narrative where we can sit with those anxieties and nightmares, experience the catharsis, and understand how to conquer them.