Temporary Diversion

A little break from my morbid entries. I just wanted to share a small opinion that I think everyone should keep a diary. I've kept one on-and-off since I was about 8 years old. I am now 20 and I still can't believe the stupid ramblings I thought were important in 3rd grade. Watching how I've changed through the years is weirdly fascinating, and you wouldn't believe how much my handwriting fluctuates. I often think about how amazing it would be if my ancestors had kept diaries that I could read (my great-grandmother left one, but her handwriting is nearly indecipherable), to understand more about them and in turn about myself and where I come from. I don't have that gift, so now I put these diaries together as a gift to all who come after me. I realize (perhaps through my repeated viewings of such gruesome movies) that I must die one day, but just like those before me and those who will come after me, I don't want to be completely lost, gone, and forgotten. I plan to leave something of myself behind on this planet, besides children of course. I also understand a lot more about myself through writing down my feelings, events, and most importantly for me, my dreams.
You may think it's weird that I have written down nearly every dream I've had (and remembered) for about six years now, but even thinking about all the information I've gathered about my dreaming gets me excited. (Not like that, you pervert.) Not only do I leave behind the gift of my life, but I leave behind what happened to me when I slept, in the hope that perhaps someday dreams will be understood, or at least laughed at because I have messed up dreams. I'm realistic, I know I can't change the world by writing a diary, but I know that it makes me feel a little safer having written everything down.
So I challenge you, the reader, if you exist and if you so choose, to begin writing an account of your life, whether it focuses on your waking life or your dreams. And really, what have you got to lose?

Posted by Cassie at 8:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I cannot stress this enough: I love 80's teen vampire movies. Yes, they are cheesy as can be, but what's life without a little humor? Who says horror has to take itself seriously? In fact, I argue that horror should not take itself seriously because there is a very fine line between horror and comedy, and to walk this line is to make a truly fine horror story. When you take the emotion and the humanity out of fear, it becomes despair. There are so many modern horror films that take out the real challenge, because the main characters have no escape, they aren't being punished for past deeds, they just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Everyone loves to be frightened (admit it), but when you can't relate to a story or its characters, what's the fun in that? Where's the real, true fear?
Maybe I included this little comparison in the wrong review, because Fright Night is absolutely not frightening. At all. But it does contain quite a bit of comedy, some of it intentional. The 80's were such a carefree time for horror, because it wasn't all about amazing special effects. (Hell, it couldn't be, they didn't have them.) So they used what they had: Roddy McDowall, a puppet left over from Ghostbusters, and a great send-up of the classic Hammer films and Vincent Price. The best thing about this movie is its heart, the way it shows the nerdy outcast main character Charley Brewster as a sort of hero, but also kind of an idiot. The way it showcases a powder-wigged Roddy McDowall as a lovable, yet selfish failing horror actor. And the way it tries to make you believe (it was a good try, too) that Chris Sarandon is a sexy vampire.
You might be getting the wrong impression of me with this review, so let me clear up a few things. I'm sure when you think of horror fans, especially vampire fans, you think of some greasy haired goth girl who wants to be a vampire and makes up a silly name for herself and writes on fanfiction.net and keeps a blog (okay, so I do keep a blog, but still...), and says big words to confuse people. But I'm not like that at all! Actually, I'm fairly normal for having been raised on such inappropriate movies. I never had any problems in school, no nightmares, I have friends, I have a boyfriend, etc. I just happen to have a little side interest that involves gore, blood, and the smell of fear.
While Fright Night is not the king of the 80's teen vampire flick (that honor goes to The Lost Boys, if only for the Coreys and the best ending line I've heard in a long time), it is an essential part of a horror fan's collection, because it showcases what a horror film should strive for (but in much smaller doses): emotion, humor, intelligence, and heart.

Posted by Cassie at 8:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm doing a bit of a backtrack today, to show my taste in horror movies. I know this movie came out in 1984, but that doesn't mean it's not a great horror gem. Plus it provided us with a super-sexy Johnny Depp, who people seem to forget stars as the unable-to-stay-awake boyfriend. He also proves that even with a gruesome and memorable death scene, Johnny can still be incredibly sexy.
Let me just start off by saying, I love this movie. I really, really love it. I think I've seen it 20+ times, and it's the first old school horror movie I suggest when people want to watch a slasher. This movie is what all supernatural slasher flicks try to emulate. Not only is Freddy Krueger genuinely frightening, but he has a sense of humor on top of it all. Although this seemed to be his downfall in the sequels ("Welcome to prime time, bitch."), in the first movie, it really worked ("I'm your boyfriend now, Nancy!") Yes, most of my generation will not appreciate this movie because, I know, the effects are seriously dated, and the acting is truly atrocious, but the concept is just too good to pass up. A killer who gets you in your dreams? It's brilliant, because everybody sleeps, therefore there is no escape from Freddy.
Some of the scenes are just brilliantly done. A few of my favorites:
Tina showing up in a body bag during English class, with Nancy following her into the hallway. The hall monitor dressed in Freddy's sweater is so scary, and Heather Langenkamp saying "Screw your hall pass!" is so stupid, that it's possibly my favorite scene of the movie.
The infamous and classic bath tub scene. This still scares me. The sexual connotations and bottomless bathtub are so perfect, and I think they really show the true terror of the movie.
The fact that Nancy always calls her mom "Moth-er." Always gets me.
Tina's death, and her boyfriend reaching ridiculously to the ceiling and yelling, "Nooooooooo!" He's such an idiot.
I know it's stupid to review a movie that's been out for over 20 years, but it holds such a special place in my heart as a great genre-starter and wonderful Friday night date movie. (I know, I'm weird.)
The thing I love the most about this film is that you can see its influence on many, many horror movies and how the style has changed since it came out. But honestly, I could watch this movie a hundred times and not get bored with it.
In conclusion, if you haven't seen it, please do. And if you have, see it again.

Posted by Cassie at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Don’t give me crap for going to this, I expected it to be bad. But my sister- who will watch any movie and love it- wanted to go, and I decided that once in my life I should be a good sibling and spend time with my little baby sis.
Now don’t get me wrong, I have seen a lot of terrible horror movies. Thousands upon thousands, in fact. I think they must actually have a quota of terrible horror movies they have to make each year because they know stupid teens will go to slasher flicks just to see hot sluts get killed at a summer camp. And this time I find myself among these stupid teens (although I myself am not in my teens...)
Besides giving you the stupid parts (I know you can't wait), I will at least be fair and give you what I liked about the movie. So here goes: Um...Liv Tyler is pretty, I guess. And... Well I'm sure there were other things about the movie that didn't totally suck.
And now to the main argument for the crappiness of this movie, and the downfall of the horror genre and Western civilization as a whole.
I guess I can understand why in the 70's and 80's, slasher movies were really scary and had some sort of real relevance and true fear. Ever since Psycho, the idea of a strange, creepy villain who randomly kills twenty-somethings has fascinated the general public and presented a good argument for abstinence, since everyone knows the virgin always survives. And I love (some) slashers, such as Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, etc. But how many different ways can people be killed for no reason at all? And really, think about it: what reason do any of these slashers have to kill people? I mean, Freddy Krueger was getting revenge for being burned to death, but what was his excuse in the sequels? Just for giggles? And why did Michael Myers keep killing even after he got rid of all his family members?
This is why people hate horror movies. As I sat watching this movie, the only thing I could think of was: what is their motivation? Why are these random, apparently angry young killers even bothering with such a ridiculous plot? I mean seriously, if you can give me an explanation for any of the events of this movie, please, for the love of all that is good, tell me. I just don't understand how you can make a movie with no plot. And it's not like the boyfriend couldn't have taken that guy with the bag on his head and those too bitches with stupid masks. He had a GUN. I don't know much, but I do know that guns beat knives. And honestly, there are just so many questions I can think of, I don't even want to bother. We aren't even rewarded with a glimpse of their faces for sitting through this crap.
The filmmakers then feel the need to show some young Mormon boys discover the apparently dead body of Arwen. Oh, and the killers get away and say, "It'll be easier next time." Yeah. No. It will never get any easier to sit through this crap.
People, if we keep going to these films, they will keep making them. I know, it's a hard concept to understand, but stay with me here. This is an evil that needs to be stopped. I know, I know, I know they are planning a sequel for this piece of overblown crap, but don't see it! I'm begging you. Because the more crappy horror movies they make, the less good ones. I'm so sick of watching awful films like The Grudge, the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Freddy Vs. Jason, or whatever the hell else they've been churning out over the past few years.
So yeah, in conclusion, don't see this movie.

Posted by Cassie at 8:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another set-up and explanation: My one and only true love in this life, the thing I turn to any time I have a problem, I need entertainment, or I need something to do, is horror movies. This is one thing I can't stress enough: I am absolutely enamored with horror movies. Do I have a problem? Yes. Do I mind? Absolutely not.
Since 5th grade, when I first accidentally watched The Shining (which undoubtedly scarred me for life), I have loved the very idea of a scary movie. Every birthday party since that time has been devoted to pizza, gossip, and scary movies. At my 6th grade party, we watched The Blair Witch Project. 7th grade: Carrie and Friday the 13th. 8th grade: A Nightmare on Elm Street. And on and on.
I've seen all (or most of) the classics, I have seen The Exorcist 20+ times, and I have actually written a ten page literary criticism of feminism in classic horror. So I guess you could say I'm a nerd.
I don't know what it is, but the idea of being scared has always appealed to me. But I guess in other ways it has really made life harder. For example, I sleep with the hallway light on. I can't go camping or boating without thinking of Jason Voorhees. My sister is pregnant and I think of Rosemary and her evil baby. I've had dreams about Freddy Krueger. But however scared I get, I seriously can't stay away from the horror section. I've watched so many of the damn movies that I've had to move on to foreign horror just to find something I can watch. So here are some suggestions I have for anyone who may not love horror the way that I do. In no particular order: The Exorcist, The Evil Dead Trilogy, Dead Alive, The Host, The Descent, any incarnation of Dracula, The Lost Boys, Fright Night, The Silence of the Lambs, Psycho, Shaun of the Dead. Okay so I cheated, some of them are horror comedies (figure out which ones!), which I also love. But still, I love blood and gore, etc. I can't think of half the movies I've watched, and honestly I've seen a lot a bad horror. To really love scary movies, you must wade through the swamps of terrible schlock and shock-and-awe murder-a-thons to find a true gem of horror, like The Sixth Sense or the original (yet hilarious) Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Some may disagree with my opinions of horror and say I don't understand it, but they aren't reading this blog, so really, who cares?
Over the course of this blog, I would like to offer my own perspective on a few horror movies, new and old, and where I think the horror genre is moving in the future. So enjoy!

Posted by Cassie at 8:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, since this is my first post, I suppose I should really set the tone for what this blog will be all about. But since I don't know that yet, I guess I'll just make stuff up as I go.
I'm writing this blog because I lead a boring life, and I need something to do. What this means for me is that I will have something to do. What this means for any alleged readers is that you will be bored out of your mind and probably have already given up reading this blog after the first, overly-obvious sentence.
The main reason my life this summer is boring is that I have a summer job. Not usually a great reason in and of itself for such epic bouts of boredom, but this is not just any job. I work at an insurance company. See, I almost fell asleep just typing that. All I do all day is issue insurance policies. (Since a lot of information I deal with is sensitive, I can't go too in depth, but I can be general.) Honestly, the most depressing thing about my job is that I have to read what the insurance agents write about clients. It's so sad to read what they say about these people, as though they aren't human, just so they can see whether they should approve the policy. When you're debating whether a person who had cancer in the past should be granted life insurance as though he was just a dog who needs to be put down, I'm pretty sure you're going to hell. I know I'm being too harsh on these people, it is their job after all, but whatever, I hate my job so I might as well hate theirs too.
So that's my first post, I guess, and I hope you enjoyed it. I think it was too whiny. I don't owe you anything.

Posted by Cassie at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)