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‘Congo’ – A 1990s Camp Classic That’s Begging for Rediscovery

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The “guy in a gorilla suit” is synonymous with cheap genre film quickies. If you had a budget of pocket lint and pennies, you could knock out a low rent schlockfest where your monster was some variant of an ape in no time flat.

Hell, John Landis did just that in the early 1970s with his film, Schlock.

The ape as a monster/antagonist/friend/hero has one hell of a cinematic legacy. Nowadays the Sharksploitation flick is the subgenre that gets all the attention for how outrageously endless it is. But apes did it first.

Cinema of the 90s is experiencing its moment of nostalgic rediscovery of late, and with that comes the opportunity to dig into films of that decade and view them through a modern lens. The 90s also had its fair share of ape-centric genre entertainment. We had the (rather good) remake of Mighty Joe Young, the baseball flick Ed, and the based-on-real-shit-that-actually happened period film, Buddy – where a rich lady played by Rene Russo attempts to raise a gorilla.

And then you have the movie Congo, the subject of this article. In the wake of the earth shaking success of Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, Hollywood began adapting the works of Michael Crichton with the zeal typical of Hollywood when something makes it big. 1995 produced Congo – a big budget production directed by Frank Marshall.

Become the next Jurassic Park it did not, but it at least doubled its budget despite poor critical reception.

For those not in the know, Congo is a movie about a group of scientists from a communications company who set out on an expedition into the, you guessed it, Congo to find out what happened to their field team looking for a rare diamond mine. The team died suddenly and violently, possibly at the hands of mysterious, yet unidentified apes. Dr. Ross (Laura Linney) brings along primatologist and animal trainer Dr. Elliot (Dylan Walsh) and his ape, Amy, who he has trained to speak using sign language and sophisticated technology that verbalizes the words she signs.

Amy also drinks martinis.

Thrills and chills abound as the team run afoul of hostile governments, hungry, hungry hippos, and yes, those violent apes that took out the initial ground team.

Age does funny things to films. Films that were once absolute gems can lose their luster. And films that seemed like goofy misfires can accrue charm as they mature over time. Congo is one of the latter movies. I can’t say I was too fond of the film back when it was first released. I don’t know what I wanted, but it was probably something along the lines of Jurassic Park…but with gorillas. Having recently rediscovered the film, after not having seen it since it hit cable back in the 90s, I can say the experience was like seeing it for the first time all over again.

This film is wacky, guys. Like, really wacky. No expense was spared with the sets, locations, and especially the Amy effects – which of course were handled by Stan Winston Studios. Despite the money on screen, there is an odd sense of artifice to the film that can’t be ignored.

While location shooting did take up a big part of production, reality was not a goal when depicting the jungles here. In a way, it harkens back to the visual language of classic adventure films of this ilk where sets and matte paintings dominated the frame. This makes sense considering Crichton himself conceived the story as an homage and update to King Solomon’s Mines. Congo definitely taps into that pulpy spirit. This is an old school adventure for the modern day. Modern by mid-90s standards, that is. I’m rather convinced Marshall had his tongue planted firmly in cheek while directing the film, because it’s just too over-the-top for it to be accidental. The man is no stranger to humorous thrills; he did direct the total classic that is Arachnophobia, after all.

Congo movie tim curry

The pulp adventure tone is only accentuated by a fantastic cast absolutely hamming it up in the best ways. Ernie Hudson walks away with the whole film as the field guide Monroe Kelly. Hudson sinks his teeth into the park with effortless charisma.

Tim Curry is also along for the ride as the treacherous Herkermer (get it? Like a Herkimer diamond?) Homolka. No stranger to accents in his career, Curry summons one of the most over-the-top Romanian accents I’ve ever heard in a film. He’s completely gonzo here, and Curry alone is pretty much half of the camp appeal that Congo offers.

Also, Bruce Campbell shows up for the first 10 minutes or so, making you wish he was the lead instead of Walsh. No offense to Walsh…Linney and Walsh are serviceable as the heroes, but they can’t keep up with their co-stars having the scenery for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The final act of the film is when the action/adventure and sci-fi shenanigans really kick into high gear. We have hidden temples and caves. All kinds of overly-designed 90s movie tech is on display. We have lasers, motion guns, and enough computer displays to fill two movies. The killer apes make for genuinely intimidating foes. Winston and Co. knocked it out of the park with everything they did, and Congo deserves to be mentioned alongside Winston’s more famous movie accomplishments.

Time has been kind to Congo and it is begging for wide rediscovery in my opinion. It’s got a certain colorful, campy charm oozing out of every frame. Despite its PG-13 rating, it also has a handful of gnarly images for all the gore-hounds out there. Where else can you find a film with a talking, martini drinking gorilla named Amy and Tim Curry using the most outlandish accent imaginable?

In the 90s, my friends. Only in the 90s.

Congo movie amy

Editorials

The 10 Scariest Moments in the ‘Ghostbusters’ Movie Franchise

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WARNING: The following contains mild spoilers for the Ghostbusters franchise. 

Yes, Ghostbusters is a horror movie – gateway horror to be exact. Setting aside the fact that the title literally contains the word “ghost,” a foundational element of the scariest genre, the franchise follows a group of paranormal researchers who battle entities attacking from beyond the grave. After countless rewatches, the classic films and newer sequels may not scare us much anymore, but how many times have we as genre fans asserted that a film does not have to be “scary” to be considered horror?

Genre classification is nebulous and any film that centers on ghosts has a place in the sprawling house of horror. Yes, it’s true that most viewers over the age of thirteen will find more to laugh about than scream while watching a Ghostbusters film, but each entry contains a handful of terrifying moments. With Gil Kenan’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire uniting three generations of the parascientific warriors, perhaps it’s time to highlight the most frightening moments from each phase of this legendary franchise. 


Ghostbusters (1984)

A Haunted Library

scariest Ghostbusters movie

Ivan Reitman’s original film begins with a campfire tale come to life. We follow an unsuspecting librarian as she ventures deep into the stacks to reshelve a book. With her hair blowing from a spectral breeze, we watch a hardcover float across the aisle to the opposite shelf. A second book follows, but the librarian remains unaware. She finally notices the disturbance when card catalog drawers open on their own spewing cards into the air like literary geysers. She flees through the maze of narrow stacks only to come face to face with a mysterious force who blows her back with a powerful roar. We won’t see the Library Ghost (Ruth Oliver) until a later scene, but this introduction firmly positions the film that follows in the world of horror. On first watch, we can only speculate as to the ghost’s malevolence and whether or not the librarian has survived the encounter. It’s the perfect introduction to a world in which ghosts are not only real, they will pounce on unsuspecting humans at the drop of a … book. 

Shaky Ground

The original finale may not be the film’s most terrifying moment, but it has become the franchise’s most iconic image. When faced with choosing a form for Gozer (Slavitza Jovan), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) inadvertently conjures up an image from his childhood. Moments later, a set of once-cheery eyes peer through the skyscrapers. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man towers over the city, stomping and destroying everything in its path. While there’s definitely something terrifying about a jovial mascot turned deadly killer, what happens moments before is arguably scarier. 

The Ghostbusters arrive at the luxury apartment building to throngs of adoring fans. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) plays into this hero-worship and promises an easy solution to a supernatural problem. But before they can enter the building, lightning strikes the upper floors sending massive chunks of brick and cement raining down on the barricaded street. The ground begins to shake and a giant fissure swallows the entire team. It’s a destabilizing moment made all the more terrifying by its shocking reality. Speculation about the existence of ghosts may vary from person to person, but there’s no doubt that sinkholes are very real. It’s entirely possible that the ground we’re standing on right now could spontaneously begin to crumble, sucking us down into a seemingly bottomless void beneath the earth. 


Ghostbusters II (1989)

Runaway Baby

Ivan Reitman’s sequel begins with a sly update on the life of a beloved character as Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) pushes a baby carriage containing her infant son Oscar (Henry and William Deutschendorf). When last we saw the attractive cellist, she was kissing Venkman in the wreckage of Gozer’s demise and the thought of this loveable lady’s man becoming a father may be more nerve-wracking than anything contained in the first film. We never learn much about Oscar’s real father, but we do discover that fate has a sinister plan for the adorable child. While Dana chats with her landlord, Oscar’s carriage rolls a few feet away. Dana reaches for the handle, but the buggy begins speeding down the sidewalk careening through the busy crowds. As if guided by unseen hands, the carriage twists and turns, then abruptly swerves into oncoming traffic. Cars honk and veer out of the way, but the racing carriage marks a collision course with an approaching bus. The wheels screech to a halt moments before what would surely be a deadly crash and Dana rushes to embrace her vulnerable child. This harrowing scene is likely to terrorize any parent who’s experienced the fear of trying to protect a baby in an unpredictable world.  

Sewer Screams

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While investigating the second film’s primary villain, Vigo the Carpathian (Wilhelm von Homburg), three of the Ghostbusters venture into the sewers hoping to find a growing river of slime. Ray, Winston (Ernie Hudson), and Egon (Harold Ramis) trek down an abandoned subway line while speculating about the hordes of cockroaches and rats they hear scurrying behind the walls. These vermin may be scary, but there are more malevolent monsters lurking in the dark. Ray and Egon both amuse themselves with the tunnel’s echo but Winston’s “hello” goes unanswered. Moments later, a demonic voice bellows his name from the dark end of the corridor. Waiting behind him is a severed head floating in the empty tunnel. As he tries to retreat, the team finds themselves surrounded by dozens of ghoulish heads that disappear faster than they materialized. Moments later, a ghostly train hurtles towards them, swallowing Winston in its spectral glow. Egon theorizes that something is trying to keep them from reaching their destination with effective scares designed to frighten the Ghostbusters and audience alike.  


Ghostbusters (2016)

Haunted Basement

Like its predecessor, Paul Feig’s remake opens with a spooky vignette. Garrett (Zach Woods) gives a tour of the Aldridge Mansion, a 19th century manor preserved in the middle of the busy city, and walks visitors through a troubling history of excess and cruelty. Hoping to inject a bit of excitement, he pauses near the basement door and tells the horrifying story of Gertrude Aldridge (Bess Rous), a wealthy heiress who murdered the house’s many servants. Hoping to avoid a public scandal, her family locked her in the basement and her restless spirit can still be heard trying to escape. Garrett triggers a trick candlestick to fly off the shelf, hinting at the spirit’s presence, but a late night incident shows that the deceased murderess may actually be lurking in her ancestral home. While closing up for the night, Garrett hears ominous noises from behind the barricaded door and watches the knob rattle against the heavy locks. An unseen attacker hurls him through the house and eventually drives him down the basement stairs to a sea of green slime pooling on the floor. The stairs crumble leaving the tour guide hanging on to the door frame for dear life as a spectral figure glides toward him with menacing hands outstretched. Once again, we won’t see the fully revealed ghost of Gertrude Aldridge until later in the film, but this terrifying opening sets the stage for a dangerous showdown with an army of the dead.

Mannequin On the Move

The scariest moment of the 2016 remake is arguably the vicious online hatred sparked well before the film’s release. In response to brutal comments posted to the first official trailer, the cast returned to film an additional scene in which they react to dehumanizing negativity. But another sequence may cut closer to the heart of this upsetting experience. The Ghostbusters respond to a call at a concert venue and split up to cover more ground. Patty (Leslie Jones) enters what she calls a “room full of nightmares” and immediately reverses course to avoid a multitude of mannequins stacked haphazardly in the dark. As she walks out the door, one of the faceless creatures turns its head her way. Walking on its own, this sentient prop follows her down the hall, pausing the moment she turns around. Eventually breaking cover, the mannequin chases Patty down the hall to the rest of the team. They unleash their proton packs and make quick work of the gargoyle-like ghost. Though this connection is surely unintentional, it’s a terrifying parallel to a faceless monster sneaking up to attack a woman simply trying to do her job. 


Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Smoke and Monsters

While Ghostbusters: Afterlife is nowhere near as scary as the horror films playing in the local summer school science class, Jason Reitman’s legacyquel does contain its share of frights. The film opens with a harrowing scene as we join Egon (Oliver Cooper) in the last moments of his life. Racing away from a sinister mountain, Egon’s truck collides with an unseen force and flips upside down in a field of corn. The elderly scientist races back to his crumbling farmhouse with a trap in hand, intent on ensnaring this invisible being. Unfortunately, the power fails and Egon has no choice but to hide the trap under the floorboards and wait. He sits in a comfortable old chair as a horrifying cloud of smoke drifts in behind him, momentarily forming the shape of a fanged beast. Demonic hands grab him from within the chair, likely causing the heart attack that will be listed on his death certificate. But his abandoned PKE meter below the chair activates, reminding us that Egon may be deceased, but he is far from gone.  

The Terror Returns

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Ghostbusters: Afterlife turns out to be a touching tribute to Harold Ramis as his friends and family unite to complete the beloved scientist’s heroic mission. In addition to a tearjerker ending, Reitman also includes a bevy of callbacks to the original film. Not only do the Spenglers square off against the team’s first enemy, Gozer (Emma Portner), the nonbinary entity brings back the Terror Dogs that once possessed Dana Barret and Louis Tully (Rick Moranis). These demonic beasts first rear their ugly heads while Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) stops by Walmart to buy a midnight snack. While the horde of mini marshmallow men are eerie in their gleeful self-destruction, the ghostly canine that chases him through the store is the stuff of nightmares. Early iterations of this fearsome creature are hindered by ’80s-era special effects, but Reitman’s version feels frighteningly real. While Gary frantically tries to find his keys, this Terror Dog snarls at him from atop his car dashboard, leaving the endearing science teacher with no way to escape. 


Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

Frozen Dinner 

After a film set in a small mountain town, the opening of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire takes us back to New York circa 1904. We see the fire station in its early years as a horse-drawn carriage responds to a call. Arriving at the scene, a fireman tests the door for heat and watches in horror as his hand instantly freezes. Inside, they find jagged shards of ice surrounding and piercing a frozen dinner party. Guests are posed in various states of ice-covered surprise while an eerie record skips in the corner. A figure covered in brass armor we will come to know as a Fire Master is crouched in the corner clutching a mysterious orb. When the fireman touches this rippling sphere, the frozen diners’ heads begin to explode, an ominous precursor to the chilling threat awaiting the newest Ghostbusting team. 

Lights Out

If Ghostbusters: Afterlife featured the lo-fi gear of the 80s, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire hurls us into the future. Wealthy financier Winston Zeddemore has been surreptitiously building a new containment unit to relieve pressure on the original model along with a secret lab designed to study ghosts and haunted objects. In addition to fancy new gadgets and gear, this facility contains several captured spirits like a fanged Wraith and a speedy Possessor. Lab techs assure the astonished Spengler team that they are perfectly safe, but it seems they’ve overestimated the facility’s security. Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) and Lars (James Acaster) are studying the aforementioned orb when the power goes out, leaving them stranded in the dark with a cache of haunted objects. Not only does the ancient sphere hold a deadly spirit, the proton fields containing the captured ghosts have just been disabled. These terrifying creatures begin to drift through the walls toward the defenseless lab techs, perhaps at the bidding of an evil commander. Thankfully the generator kicks on in the nick of time, drawing the ghosts back into their cells. It’s a tense moment reminding us that no matter how charming the Ghostbusters may be, they still spend their days with evil spirits just waiting for an opportunity to wreak havoc.  


The Ghostbusters franchise excels at mixing humor and fear, practically setting the blueprint for the modern horror comedy. Moments from the original two films terrified a generation of gen-xers and elder millennials and newer iterations are currently scaring their kids. The fifth franchise installment effectively passes the proton pack torch to a new generation of Ghostbusters and we can only hope additional films will continue to induct future generations of Ghostbusters fans into the horror family as well. 

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is now playing in theaters. Read our review.

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