Editorials
[Exhumed & Exonerated] ‘Cape Fear’ (1991)
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?
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.
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.
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.
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)
Previously On…
Species | Mute Witness | Popcorn | Wishmaster | Alien 3 | Cast A Deadly Spell
Disturbing Behavior | The Sect | The Addams Family | The Ugly
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer | Arachnophobia | Ernest Scared Stupid
Cape Fear
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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