Editorials
31 for 31: Through the Decades Challenge – Week One
It’s that time of year! Halloween is only a few brief weeks away. For the time being, for most horror fans, in October it’s as if the rest of the world is finally on our spooky wavelength. Fright flicks flood the multiplexes and our VOD services. Creepy decor of cut-out witches and stringy spider webs adorn every store we frequent. Pumpkin manages to find its way into EVERYTHING, and all is well in the world. Halloween season is also the perfect opportunity to take our favorite pastime of watching horror films and crank it up to 11. A lot of people do variations on 31 films for the 31 days of October, but I like to mix things up a bit. Or, you know…more specifically, make shit difficult for myself.
What do I mean by that? Last year for my “31 for 31,” I assigned a theme for each day of the week that I had to adhere to. For example, Witch Wednesdays meant the film I watched had to be – Yeah, you get it. This year I wanted to branch out a bit. I realized that most of the films I watch are generally from the 80s (with a sprinkling of late 70s). To push myself outside my norm, I’m donning this year’s adventure “31 for 31: Through the Decades Challenge”. Simply put, each day will correlate to a specific decade, and I must watch at least one film a day. No exceptions! Of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone. I had to make a further set of rules for myself to ensure I’m getting lots of variety. Those rules as follows:
- One film must be watched from each decade (50s – 10’s)
- One film must be watched from a major horror franchise.
- One film must be watched from one of our late-great masters (Craven, Romero, or Hooper).
- One film must be watched that deals with witches or witchcraft.
- One film must be watched that deals with the undead.
- One film must be watched that stars either Christopher Lee or Vincent Price.
- One film must be watched that contains sci-fi/horror elements.
- One film must be watched that is a remake.
- One film must be watched that is from Italy.
- One film must be watched that takes place during Halloween.
There you have it! That’s my unnecessarily complicated guideline for October viewing! If any of you guys want to accept the challenge, feel free to start from today, stick to the rules, and get to watching some scary movies! Let me know what you come up with in the comments below.
October 1st – The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)
Rules Met: 1, 7
“Three astronauts are launched into space aboard a rocket designed by Professor Quatermass, but the spacecraft returns to earth with only one occupant, Victor Carroon (Richard Wordsworth). Something has infected him during the spaceflight, and he begins mutating into an alien organism which, if it spores, will engulf the Earth and destroy humanity.”
The Quatermass Xperiment (released in the US as The Creeping Unknown) is an early Hammer Films production, before they’d hit gold with revamped updates of the Universal monsters. Hammer is a HUGE blind spot on my genre history watchlist, and I’m aiming to squeeze a few of their films into this year’s challenge. Quatermass was a great way to start. I knew next to nothing about this film going into it other than it was an adaptation of a hit BBC serial from 1953 (Note: as an adaptation of a TV show, I did not consider this a remake to meet the requirements of Rule #9). The film has wonderful atmosphere as panic and mystery surround the landing of the spacecraft and the one surviving astronaut. The plot slowly builds and morphs in unexpected directions, and an eerie “found footage” sequence is sure to crawl under your skin. This is high on the list of recommendations for fans of B&W horror.
October 2nd – Witchfinder General (1968)
Rules Met: 1, 4, 6
“A disturbing tale of evil set during the English Civil War. When Matthew Hopkins is appointed Witchfinder General by the Puritans under Cromwell, he is empowered to travel the countryside with his henchmen and collect a fee for each witch from whom he extracts a confession – a policy which is exploited to the full.”
Vincent Price in an uncharacteristically nasty role is a highlight for those fascinated by witch trials of the 1600s. The film is loosely based on the real life historical figure, Matthew Hopkins, and feature various scenes of intense torture and persecution of “witches”. Witchfinder General (aka The Conqueror Worm) feels very much in spirit with a lot of the Corman pictures of the time but with a sharper edged mean streak and a total downer ending.
October 3rd – Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972)
Rules Met: 1, 9
“A reporter and a promiscuous young woman try to solve a series of child killings in a remote southern Italian town that’s rife with superstition and distrust of outsiders.”
I was so excited to receive in the mail Arrow’s gorgeous new release of Lucio Fulci’s lesser known giallo, Don’t Torture a Duckling, that it almost immediately got flung into my bluray player. It’s a beautiful transfer of a film that has not been treated that well in the past. While this is far removed from the director’s later intestine-munching efforts, it’s clear here that he is beginning to experiment with effects and extreme violence. The mystery is fairly obvious but even having seen the film before, it’s remarkable how effective the story remains. The paranoid villagers afraid of the things they don’t understand and the subtext of the murders/murderer still carries with it substantial meaning all these years later.
October 4th – Pet Sematary (1989)
Rules Met: 1, 5
“Behind a young family’s home in Maine is a terrible secret that holds the power of life after death. When tragedy strikes, the threat of that power soon becomes undeniable.”
In recent years I’ve seen much ado about how terrifying this adaptation of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary is, especially the kinder-trauma that was Zelda. I remember catching this when I was younger on MonsterVision with Joe Bob Briggs. It played as a double feature with the sequel. I also happen to remember not caring for the film but thinking the much-maligned sequel was far more entertaining. Considering my recollection must have been clouded by the ignorance of youth, I decided to revisit Mary Lambert’s adaptation. Well, all I can say is Zelda is pretty creepy. Everything else just felt like a huge mess to me with some of the worst acting I’ve seen in a major Hollywood production. Maybe I’ll give the sequel another chance? Of course, some memories are better left buried.
October 5th – Jason Goes to Hell (1993)
Rules Met: 1, 2
“The secret of Jason’s evil is revealed. It is up to the last remaining descendant of the Voorhees family to stop Jason before he becomes immortal and unstoppable. This is the final (?) battle to end Jason’s reign of terror forever. “
I’ve been a staunch defender of Jason Goes to Hell for some time. I get that it’s not really a Friday the 13th film, but much like the similarly despised A New Beginning, I’ve always felt it functions as a fun, gory slasher flick. Voorhees be damned! That said, this viewing didn’t tickle my fancy as much as I remember in the past. Part of the problem was the version I had available was the R rated theatrical cut. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to seek out the unrated version. For a slasher film, gore is as integral to the entertainment value as the punchline to a joke in comedy. Cut out the punchline and what are you left with?
October 6th – The Toolbox Murders (2004)
Rules Met: 1, 3, 8
“A historic Hollywood hotel houses a supernatural evil. It’s been subdued for decades, but when renovations start, a series of murders take place.”
Tobe Hooper’s The Toolbox Murders is the type of film that we don’t get enough of. Upon its initial release, I recall thinking it was a perfectly entertaining slasher movie with heaps of style and a strong final girl performance from the always reliable Angela Bettis. Upon rewatching the film the other night I realized several things. One, this is truly Hooper’s last great film, and it’s basically Hooper doing a cover of Argento with his own fetishistic flourishes on display. Two, this is exactly the type of film that will be looked back on fondly years from now. Just like us horror fans get excited today about the re-release of some random 80s slasher on bluray, The Toolbox Murders remake will eventually be re-discovered and cherished. It won’t be because it’s revolutionary or wholly unique but, instead, because it takes simple genre conventions and does what it sets out to accomplish perfectly. This is a roller-coaster ride of gory kills, suspenseful chases, and tongue in cheek black humor.
October 7th – Tales of Halloween (2015)
Rules Met: 1, 10
“Ten short stories revolve around ghosts, ghouls, monsters, the devil, aliens, and ax murderers who terrorize a suburb on Halloween night.”
Tales of Halloween is the type of anthology film that will leave some fans ecstatic and others cold. It’s the definition of a mixed bag. Ultimately, there’s something for everyone, from comedy to slow burn horror, Tales has it all. It’s certainly worth a watch, and Neil Marshall’s segment begs for a feature rendition for itself. For me, I found Tales to be a load of fun worth the tradition of an annual Halloween screening.
BONUS WATCH: The Bad Seed (1956)
This was my first viewing of this killer tot thriller. It manages to oscillate between uncomfortable tension, wrenching drama, and high camp. Simply put, I loved it (minus the mega cringe-worthy credits sequence).
There you have it! Week one and done! Are you doing 31 for 31? Do you want to take the “Through the Decades Challenge?” Sound off below, fiends, and Happy Early Halloween!
Editorials
Before ‘The Blair Witch Project’, ‘Alien Autopsy’ Showed How Real Found Footage Could Feel
The line separating artist from con man is a lot thinner than you might initially believe. While I think we can all agree that lying for the sake of profit is actively malicious behavior, isn’t it also true that the faux documentary aspect of The Blair Witch Project is half the reason why that film became such a cultural phenomenon? After all, if there’s one thing filmmakers have in common with stage magicians, it’s that misleading and misdirecting audiences is simply part of the job.
That’s why I’ve developed a habit of mostly ignoring the moral quandaries behind many of film and television’s biggest “hoaxes” in favor of appreciating the narrative elements that drive productions like Mermaids: The Body Found and even Animal Planet’s highly underrated The Cannibal in the Jungle. However, if there’s a definitive case of a highly publicized broadcast fooling the world into taking it seriously, it has to be Fox’s infamous 1995 TV special Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction.
It’s been over three decades since that eerie footage first haunted television screens right at the peak of the ’90s ufology craze, and in that time, the video has taken on a life of its own. From countless parodies and references in everything from The X-Files to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (as well as John Dower’s recently released tell-all documentary The Alien Autopsy Scandal, which I’d highly recommend to genre fans everywhere), there’s no denying the legacy of the Alien Autopsy video. However, I rarely see the tape discussed as what it truly is: a highly convincing found footage film directed by a passionate stage magician and brought to life by masterful practical effects work.
That’s why I’d like to invite readers to join me on a deep dive into one of the most infamous broadcasts of all time in an attempt to reevaluate the footage as a fascinating narrative experience rather than a complete hoax.
The TV Special That Convinced Millions It Was Real
Ray Santilli next to Extraterrestrial replica in ‘The Alien Autopsy Scandal’
For starters, regardless of whether or not you believe that there was in fact an extraterrestrial crash in Roswell during the summer of 1947 and that some form of autopsy was performed on the victims, the producers behind the black & white recordings, Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield, insist that their video was a “restoration.” Though I’d argue that the proper word is “remake”of genuine footage that was too damaged to air on television. That’s why the duo went on to recruit filmmaker and eccentric magician Spyros Melaris and sculptor/monster designer John Humphreys to bring their version of the autopsy to life and sell it to the highest bidder.
This is where the story of the Alien Autopsy as a narrative experience really begins. Melaris claims that his approach to the faux recording consisted of striving for extreme period accuracy in both shooting equipment and setting while also planting subtle details that would initially seem like mistakes but could later be revealed to actually fit the time period. That being said, the filmmaker was under the impression that the short would be released for free as a PR stunt, with the team later producing and selling an informative documentary chronicling exactly how the footage was faked and commenting on how easy it is to manipulate public perception with a good old-fashioned magic trick.
This obviously isn’t how things went down, and that’s likely the reason why Melaris has since distanced himself from everyone else involved with the project. Yet, no amount of behind-the-scenes drama can undermine the genuine effort that went into making the short as impressive as it is. From the sourcing of real animal organs from a local butcher to make the organic part of the creature more lifelike to the highly detailed sculpt that made use of a hollowed-out underlayer that could be filled with fake blood and assorted viscera, there’s a reason why so many Hollywood specialists are still impressed with the artistry on display here.
Of course, the believability is only half the story, as I think that the best part of the autopsy is how Melaris builds on the existing tension by obscuring certain details and often embracing the chaos of what a real examination of extraterrestrial life could feel like. The camera often goes out of focus at just the right time to make certain effects hit even harder, and we can only speculate as to what the hazmat-suited doctors are gesticulating about during the operation. There’s a real air of mystery to the whole thing that almost makes it feel like a cosmically terrifying, cursed film containing forbidden knowledge that civilians were never meant to see.
So when Fox’s Fact or Fiction brings in the specialists to comment on the film and its otherworldly subject, it’s no surprise that we end up with one of the most memorable mockumentaries of all time – albeit one where the participants are unaware that the footage they’re commenting on is basically a large-scale practical joke. A joke that the network was obviously in on, as many participants claim that the TV special cut out significant portions where guests point out that they believe the footage to be an elaborate hoax.
The Lasting Impact of the Hoax Turned Cultural Event
Regardless, I remember going to bed terrified after watching reruns of the special and thinking about the respected pathologist who claimed that the body was almost certainly inhuman, with even effects maestro Stan Winston commenting on how difficult it would be to recreate some of these visuals through practical puppetry. That’s not even mentioning Jonathan Frakes’ dramatic hyping up of the disturbing imagery as if he was talking about the tape from The Ring, with his spooky demeanor here likely being responsible for his later role as the host of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction a few years later.
Personally, I’d argue that the Alien Autopsy phenomenon had just as much of an impact on me as a horror fan as The Blair Witch Project, a film that was almost certainly influenced by the success of this immensely popular hoax (to the point where they even produced their own TV special commenting on Heather’s found footage). Even if Fox didn’t intend to produce a narrative feature about the aftermath of the Roswell crash, the end product still holds up remarkably well as a highly entertaining mockumentary exploring the idea that we may not be alone in the universe.
While neither Santilli nor the rest of the production team has ever commented on this, I also think it’s very likely that the idea of a faux Alien Autopsy could have been influenced by Dean Alioto’s The McPherson Tape/UFO Abduction. I’ve already written about how this granddaddy of found footage was co-opted by rogue ufologists who began selling bootlegs of the tape at conventions as if it were real evidence of a close encounter, so it’s not that much of a stretch to imagine that Santilli and company could have heard about this phenomenon and been inspired to come up with their own highly profitable hoax.
At the end of the day, it’s unlikely that the Alien Autopsy film is recreating any real footage from Roswell, but I can still appreciate the short and the accompanying television event as a standalone horror story that still influences the way we see found footage to this very day.
After all, the possibility that something could be real is often much scarier than finding out for sure – and that’s why I think Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction is still worth revisiting three decades down the line.
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