I can't imagine someone going into this film blind without knowing about the vampire angle. I bet that would be one of the biggest cinematic shocks someone could have as the first half of this film is an amazingly detailed character study focused on two very separate brothers trying to make it to the Mexican border while escaping the law. If vampires had never entered the fray, I honestly believe "From Dusk Till Dawn" would still be a magnificent cinematic achievement. George Clooney was one cool customer and Quentin Tarantino's twitchy neuroticism plays superbly off his silver screen sibling. Harvey Keitel brings the right degree of stoicism to match Clooney's increasing agitation as events spiral out of his control. Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu are strong enough actors to add weight to their roles as Keitel's daughter and son, and don't just feel like they're being dragged along for the ride.
When Salma Hayek comes out to dance with the snake, there's a distinct tonal shift that announces the tense dramatic masterwork is about to become . . . something more. The rampaging blood 'n' guts yarn that this movie evolves into is equally as impressive as the electrifying human drama at its start. In fact, the amount of all around badassery in this film is staggering. Fred Williamson and Tom Savini sink their teeth into a pair of meaty roles and it's always nice to see Danny Trejo grace a film with his presence. However, it's probably Cheech Marin who's having the most fun with his triple character appearances - you can tell he's loving every minute of screen time he gets (particularly when luring potential bar patrons into the "Titty Twister"). I'm a sucker for the old gothic-style vampire films that Universal and Hammer used to release, but for modern bloodsucking butchery, none can top "From Dusk Till Dawn!"
This is another blind "first time watch" for me and
[Show spoiler]if this one has someone living undetected within the walls of a house I'm going to shit. The title of this film is doing nothing to dissuade my worry in the slightest.
I love the cold, bleak winter wasteland images that open this film. I believe it was just one week ago during my review for the original "Child's Play" film when I said I wished there were more winter time terrors to enjoy. Much like "From Dusk Till Dawn," "We Are Still Here" is very much a film cut into halves. Now, when people call some films "slow burns" what they mean is it rises slowly to a boiling point. When I call the first half of this film a "slow burn," what I really mean is it moves sloooooooowly. It's less than eighty-five minutes long and yet very little happens before the forty minute mark. Don't get me wrong, it's not that the start of this film is boring, but with its short length I guess I just expected more of a fast-paced thriller. Still, the little moments of tension that crept around celluloid corners to furtively peak in my direction (particularly the electrician in the basement) kept my attention glued to the screen.
I enjoyed the interactions between Andrew Sensenig and legendary scream queen Barbara Crampton. However, I personally believe that Larry Fessenden is one of the most underrated actors working in film today.
[Show spoiler]Once invaded by the violent spirit of the house, he manifests a psychotic vision slightly more extreme than that of Jack Nicholson in "The Shining," though it doesn't contain as many of the subtle shades Nicholson introduced in his performance.
Between this, "Brooklyn 45" in 2023, "Jakob's Wife" in 2021 (also starring Crampton), his directorial work on "Depraved" in 2019 and a few other scattered smaller motion pictures, Feesenden is having a pretty decent decade. The enchanting Lisa Marie, as Fessenden's wife, competently rounds off the main foursome of the film. I really enjoyed the idea of a house
[Show spoiler]that needs to kill its inhabitants every thirty years so its evil won't have to search elsewhere for victims.
It made for a fairly brief but very fun little film and I can see myself watching this again in the near future.
"If you look in the mirror and say his name five times . . ." Clive Barker gave us one of my favorite horror icons of the eighties and all we had to do was open a decorative little puzzle box. In the nineties, he gave us an even easier way to conjure up nightmarish evil and delivered another icon that rivaled his first hellish monstrosity. Born from forbidden love, and death at the hands of a lynch mob, Candyman cuts a startling figure as an urban legend who stalks the streets on the north side of Chicago. This is without question one of director Bernard Rose's three greatest masterpieces (along with 1988's "Paperhouse" and 1994's "Immortal Beloved") and features a score composed by Philip Glass which is perhaps the most haunting I have ever heard.
Virginia Madsen is incredibly understated - compared to other performances she's given - as the graduate student who gets sucked into the legend while Xander Berkeley is deliciously scummy as her husband. However, even though he has limited screen time, this is Tony Todd's show all the way. Once he slipped into the shoes of the titular symbol of terror, it was hard to associate him with any other role. The finale is
[Show spoiler]a mixture of horror and heartbreak watching Madsen crawl her way through a raging bonfire that envelops her as she tries to save a woman's baby. Having her become the next urban legend was the icing on this cinematic cake.
"Candyman" will forever be one of my favorite horror films of the nineties.
GREAT SONG TO OPEN (AND CLOSE) "FROM DUSK TILL DAWN:"
GREAT SCORE FOR "CANDYMAN" (FULL SOUNDTRACK ALBUM):