Editorials
‘Darkman’ Deserves to Be Recognized as One of Universal’s Greatest Monsters [We Love ’90s Horror]
The ‘90s often get a bad rap with horror fans. After the numerous successful slashers and creature effects films of the ’80s, the ‘90s offered a different variety of horror fare. Though there were plenty of hits, hidden gems, and misunderstood classics, the ‘90s usually don’t get the kind of love that other decades get when it comes to horror. It’s time to change that.
It’s impossible to overstate how game-changing Tim Burton’s Batman was to the landscape of popular cinema. We now live in an era where superhero action films are the norm for blockbuster movies, but the success of Batman had movie studios going in a different direction. Instead of fast-tracking projects based on recognizable comic book superheroes, the takeaway from Batman seemed to be, “Let’s make adaptations of pulp action heroes!” This led to films like Dick Tracy, The Rocketeer, The Shadow, and The Phantom in the ‘90s. But, the other takeaway from Batman seemed to be a willingness to allow filmmakers to get a little darker and edgier with their heroic stories.
Enter Sam Raimi. Before he delivered his own landmark Spider-Man films, Raimi got a chance to create his own original hero with Darkman, the story of scientist Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson) who runs afoul of a vicious mob boss (Larry Drake) and is burned alive. Disfigured and left for dead, Peyton undergoes experimental medical processes that leave him numb to pain and tactile sensation. It also makes him susceptible to intense mood swings and enhanced strength due to adrenaline overload. Determined to get revenge and reunite with his girlfriend Julie (Frances McDormand), Peyton continues his work on a synthetic skin in the hopes of replacing his disfigured face. At the same time, he uses this invention to assume the identities of the thugs that attempted to murder him in order to seek his revenge.
Raimi and his co-writers took inspiration from the classic Universal monster stories like The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera – appropriate as this is a Universal picture – in order to craft their unique blend of monster movie and superhero story. Darkman is viciously original while also feeling rooted in classic horror stories where the monster is both frightening and somewhat sympathetic. This balance makes Peyton a truly piteous character who is also capable of being genuinely scary when his rage takes over. Simply as a concept, Darkman is so one-of-a-kind that you’ll never forget it once you’ve seen it.
Part of the reason for that has to do with the uniformly excellent cast Raimi assembled. Liam Neeson is a household name today, but back in 1990 this was a breakout leading role for him. And Neeson is perfect as Peyton. He plays the material as operatic as it needs to be, understanding a tonal balance that could easily tip over into being too over-the-top or too sappy. Many folks will immediately point out the more (intentionally) ridiculous moments in Neeson’s performance, but it’s the moments of heartbreaking despair that stick out most in the movie; scenes of him crying in his destroyed laboratory or huddling under a cardboard box in the rain for shelter. These are the moments where Darkman tempers its zanier energy with earnest melancholy.
The rest of the cast is equally on point. Frances McDormand is one of our greatest living actresses and she treats the script with total sincerity. Larry Drake is doing some of the best work of his career as the sadistic crime lord Durant. Between this and Dr. Giggles, Drake is one of the heroes of ‘90s horror. You’ll also get to revel in delightful performances from Raimi regulars like Ted Raimi and Dan Hicks. And the Bruce Campbell cameo is one of Raimi’s best.
Speaking of Raimi, this is a high watermark for his directing prowess. This was Raimi’s first big budget studio movie and he showcased exactly why he was fit to join the big leagues. Darkman is a gorgeous and singular piece of action filmmaking. Raimi would go on to produce John Woo’s American debut (and American masterpiece), Hard Target, and he clearly cut his teeth on crafting stellar action from his work on Darkman. Darkman takes all of Raimi’s stylistic flair and puts serious money behind it, allowing for a level of polish and finesse that remains as one of Raimi’s best showings. The scale of the practical action is still impressive and thrill-inducing to this day. If the big helicopter chase sequence doesn’t get your heart rate going, you might be dead already.
Another necessary mention is the special effects and makeup work. Tony Gardner’s design and execution are just a perfect blend of comic book and horror. The entire look of Darkman draws inspiration from characters like the Invisible Man and the Shadow while tweaking things in key ways to make it something fresh. It’s telling that the marketing for Darkman could sell itself solely on the mystery of this character and his striking design. It’s difficult to come up with a superhero look that feels new and iconic, but Darkman more than succeeds at that.
And to boil things down to the most simplistic read ever, Darkman is just COOL. When we talk about comic book cinema, we’re almost pigeonholed into only discussing adaptations. Darkman is easily one of the best comic book films ever made, and it does that by honoring the style and spirit of its inspirations while still managing to craft a brand new hero. The fact that Darkman can act as a bridge between the Universal monster films and superhero movies is miraculous and awesome.
Darkman is unquestionably one of the best blockbuster films of the ‘90s. It’s only become more powerful and exciting over the years and it deserves to be discussed when we talk about the legacy of Universal monster movies. And honestly, if you just want to watch a damn good movie, you can’t go wrong with Darkman.
Side note: Universal released Darkman and Tremors in the same year. Hell yeah, 1990.
Having grown up in a religious family, Christian movie night was something that happened a lot more often than I care to admit. However, back when I was a teenager, my parents showed up one night with an unusually cool-looking DVD of a movie that had been recommended to them by a church leader. Curious to see what new kind of evangelical propaganda my parents had rented this time, I proceeded to watch the film with them expecting a heavy-handed snoozefest.
To my surprise, I was a few minutes in when Denzel Washington proceeded to dismember a band of cannibal raiders when I realized that this was in fact a real movie. My mom was horrified by the flick’s extreme violence and dark subject matter, but I instantly became a fan of the Hughes Brothers’ faith-based 2010 thriller, The Book of Eli. And with the film’s atomic apocalypse having apparently taken place in 2024, I think this is the perfect time to dive into why this grim parable might also be entertaining for horror fans.
Originally penned by gaming journalist and The Walking Dead: The Game co-writer Gary Whitta, the spec script for The Book of Eli was already making waves back in 2007 when it appeared on the coveted Blacklist. It wasn’t long before Columbia and Warner Bros. snatched up the rights to the project, hiring From Hell directors Albert and Allen Hughes while also garnering attention from industry heavyweights like Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman.
After a series of revisions by Anthony Peckham meant to make the story more consumer-friendly, the picture was finally released in January of 2010, with the finished film following Denzel as a mysterious wanderer making his way across a post-apocalyptic America while protecting a sacred book. Along the way, he encounters a run-down settlement controlled by Bill Carnegie (Gary Oldman), a man desperate to get his hands on Eli’s book so he can motivate his underlings to expand his empire. Unwilling to let this power fall into the wrong hands, Eli embarks on a dangerous journey that will test the limits of his faith.
SO WHY IS IT WORTH WATCHING?
Judging by the film’s box-office success, mainstream audiences appear to have enjoyed the Hughes’ bleak vision of a future where everything went wrong, but critics were left divided by the flick’s trope-heavy narrative and unapologetic religious elements. And while I’ll be the first to admit that The Book of Eli isn’t particularly subtle or original, I appreciate the film’s earnest execution of familiar ideas.
For starters, I’d like to address the religious elephant in the room, as I understand the hesitation that some folks (myself included) might have about watching something that sounds like Christian propaganda. Faith does indeed play a huge part in the narrative here, but I’d argue that the film is more about the power of stories than a specific religion. The entire point of Oldman’s character is that he needs a unifying narrative that he can take advantage of in order to manipulate others, while Eli ultimately chooses to deliver his gift to a community of scholars. In fact, the movie even makes a point of placing the Bible in between equally culturally important books like the Torah and Quran, which I think is pretty poignant for a flick inspired by exploitation cinema.
Sure, the film has its fair share of logical inconsistencies (ranging from the extent of Eli’s Daredevil superpowers to his impossibly small Braille Bible), but I think the film more than makes up for these nitpicks with a genuine passion for classic post-apocalyptic cinema. Several critics accused the film of being a knockoff of superior productions, but I’d argue that both Whitta and the Hughes knowingly crafted a loving pastiche of genre influences like Mad Max and A Boy and His Dog.
Lastly, it’s no surprise that the cast here absolutely kicks ass. Denzel plays the title role of a stoic badass perfectly (going so far as to train with Bruce Lee’s protégée in order to perform his own stunts) while Oldman effortlessly assumes a surprisingly subdued yet incredibly intimidating persona. Even Mila Kunis is remarkably charming here, though I wish the script had taken the time to develop these secondary characters a little further. And hey, did I mention that Tom Waits is in this?
AND WHAT MAKES IT HORROR ADJACENT?
Denzel’s very first interaction with another human being in this movie results in a gory fight scene culminating in a face-off against a masked brute wielding a chainsaw (which he presumably uses to butcher travelers before eating them), so I think it’s safe to say that this dog-eat-dog vision of America will likely appeal to horror fans.
From diseased cannibals to hyper-violent motorcycle gangs roaming the wasteland, there’s plenty of disturbing R-rated material here – which is even more impressive when you remember that this story revolves around the bible. And while there are a few too many references to sexual assault for my taste, even if it does make sense in-universe, the flick does a great job of immersing you in this post-nuclear nightmare.
The excessively depressing color palette and obvious green screen effects may take some viewers out of the experience, but the beat-up and lived-in sets and costume design do their best to bring this dead world to life – which might just be the scariest part of the experience.
Ultimately, I believe your enjoyment of The Book of Eli will largely depend on how willing you are to overlook some ham-fisted biblical references in order to enjoy some brutal post-apocalyptic shenanigans. And while I can’t really blame folks who’d rather not deal with that, I think it would be a shame to miss out on a genuinely engaging thrill-ride because of one minor detail.
With that in mind, I’m incredibly curious to see what Whitta and the Hughes Brothers have planned for the upcoming prequel series starring John Boyega…
There’s no understating the importance of a balanced media diet, and since bloody and disgusting entertainment isn’t exclusive to the horror genre, we’ve come up with Horror Adjacent – a recurring column where we recommend non-horror movies that horror fans might enjoy.
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