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[Exhumed & Exonerated] ‘Cape Fear’ (1991)

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Every decade has its ups and downs when it comes to cinema, no matter the genre.  Horror fans love to loft on high the output of the ‘30s & ‘40s, the ‘70s & ‘80s, and the more recent decades.  More often than not, however, the 1990s are labeled as the worst decade for the genre.  Not only that, but ‘90s horror tends to be written off as a whole, beyond a handful of undisputed classics.  The purpose of Exhumed & Exonerated: The ‘90s Horror Project, is to refute those accusations by highlighting numerous gems from the decade.  Stone cold classics will be tackled in this column from time to time, but its main purpose will be to seek out lesser-known and/or less-loved titles that I think deserve more attention and respect from fans.  Let the mayhem begin!

Cape Fear

Directed by Martin Scorsese
Screenplay by Wesley Strick
Adapted from the original screenplay by James R. Webb
Based on the novel “The Executioners” by John D. MacDonald
Produced by Barbara De Fina, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Robert De Niro, and Steven Spielberg
Starring Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Joe Don Baker, Illeana Douglas, Robert Mitchum, and Fred Dalton Thompson
Released on November 13, 1991

Almost a decade and a half ago, public defender Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) was so appalled by the crimes of his client, Max Cady (Robert De Niro), that he intentionally buried information that might have kept Cady out of prison. After he is released, Cady sets out to enact a terrible vengeance upon Bowden’s loved ones.  Can Bowden find a way to end Cady’s biblical vendetta or will all succumb to his wrath?

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Remakes are always a tricky thing. Change too much and people cry foul, wondering why you didn’t just make an original project out of it instead. Change too little and people wonder why you even bothered in the first place. Re-envisioning an existing film is a delicate balancing act and one which will ultimately never please everyone who loved the original.

Is Scorsese’s version of Cape Fear a better film than the 1962 original by J. Lee Thompson (The Guns of Navarone, 10 To Midnight)? No, but it’s still a great film in its own right. Outside of plot and source material, they are actually quite different from one another. Whereas Thompson’s take on the MacDonald novel is a very classical thriller, Scorsese’s is an exercise in pure style. In fact, it goes so over-the-top with its Hitchcockian stylings that it is perhaps one of the most De Palma-esque films in existence not directed by Brian De Palma himself.

This is, of course, instantly off-putting to many fans of the original and understandably so. After all, I’m sure it came as a bit of a shock when this movie first arrived in theaters. Once you realize the fact that Scorsese was aiming for over-the-top cinema from the get-go here, however, it’s hard not to be utterly enthralled by what’s unfolding on the screen.

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Utilizing Bernard Herrmann’s fantastic original score (albeit reworked by Elmer Bernstein) again here was also a bit of a risk, but thankfully it fits just as well with this bombastic take as it did with the more grounded original. In the past decade, I have seen remakes and reboots reuse music from their original all too often in ways that do not fit the new film at hand. Rob Zombie’s remake of Halloween certainly comes to mind, with reworked versions of Carpenter’s cues never properly gelling with the images on screen.

Matching Scorsese’s operatic visuals and Bernstein’s thundering score are the majority of the films performances. Robert De Niro’s take on Max Cady borrows not only from Robert Mitchum’s original incarnation, but also from another classic murderous Mitchum turn: that of serial killer Reverend Harry Powell in The Night of the Hunter. Powell’s twisted religious beliefs are fully ingrained within De Niro’s take on Cady, right down to the “Love” and “Hate” knuckle tattoos that he sports. Toss in a thick Southern accent and you’ve got an unforgettable performance by De Niro that often borders on caricature, but never fully crosses that dangerous line.

Some have argued that a more saintly actor would have been a better choice for lead character Sam Bowden, but I think that Nolte does a fine job in the role. This take on Bowden is not a lily white one. In addition to his sabotage of his own client’s freedom, he’s also a man who has not only cheated on his wife (Jessica Lange) once before, but is on the verge of doing so again with a younger co-worker (Illeana Douglas). As a character with a morally gray sense of right and wrong, a sweaty and scared Nolte absolutely fits the part.

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The aforementioned Jessica Lange, who most horror fans now know best from her various roles on American Horror Story, is just as excellent as ever here. Leigh Bowden is an unhappy woman living within a broken down marriage and trying to make the most of it, both for herself and for her daughter Danielle (Juliette Lewis, who is also great here). Backing them up are esteemed character actors such as Joe Don Baker (a sketchy private investigator) and Fred Dalton Thompson (Bowden’s increasingly annoyed boss).

I’d be an idiot if I didn’t bring up the fact that three of the original Cape Fear’s four male stars actually returned in supporting or cameo roles. Robert Mitchum, our original Max Cady, shows up the most, appearing as morally-gray cop Lt. Elgort.  Gregory Peck, our original Sam Bowden, cameos as a righteous attorney named Lee Heller and Martin Balsam (the original’s police chief) also cameos as a judge. Scorsese reportedly sought Telly Savalas (the original’s P.I.) for a role as well, reportedly for Bowden’s boss, but it didn’t pan out.

Speaking of history, the project was almost wholly different. In the earliest stages of development, Cape Fear was set to be directed by Steven Spielberg. While there’s no way of knowing if he would have ever secured them for it, Spielberg’s pie-in-the-sky choices for the leads were Harrison Ford (Sam Bowden) and Bill Murray (Max Cady). Spielberg reportedly ultimately decided against directing the project, partially due to its violent nature, and traded it to pal Martin Scorsese in exchange for Schindler’s List. A truly odd trade, but ultimately an historic one. Spielberg remained on board this film as a producer, albeit it an uncredited one.

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Martin Scorsese’s take on Cape Fear is not often listed among the best remakes in existence, let alone the best horror/thriller ones, but it should be. While not an instant all-timer like Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Carpenter’s The Thing, or Cronenberg’s The Fly, it is nonetheless a wonderfully thrilling piece of terror cinema that deserves more love and attention. The fact that it hails from one of our greatest directors is also a nice bonus!

Up Next: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

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Cape Fear

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

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Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

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Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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