Month: February 2022

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Ranking The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise from worst to best

texas chainsaw massacre film list

With any great movie comes a barrage of sequels, requeals, remakes, prequels, you name it… One of the most daring franchises has to be The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Over the years the series has been there, done that — recreating Leatherface’s origins just to knock it back down in the next film. With that being said, there have been some great genre staples to come from this wild franchise, so lets rank them and see who will be the undefeated champion.

*From worst to best*

 9- Texas Chainsaw 3D (Directed by John Lussenhop, 2013) 

Texas Chainsaw 3D is a true stinker! Considering that the gap between the start of the TCM franchise and this film is nearly 40 years, it is nonsensical that this is the best the creators of Texas Chainsaw 3D could come up with. The film is an accidently hilarious sequel that is painfully generic. Being a direct sequel from the original, the essence of backwoods Texas gone rogue remains the same, thus allowing for some redemption when it comes to the dusty setting and the grimy aesthetics. Nevertheless, although director Jon Luessenhop nailed the aspect up a small town loaded with seedy no-gooders, the execution was flawed as a result of every single character being totally unlikeable; yes, even the characters that we are supposed to be rooting for are simply written as pieces of meat for Leatherface to carve his way through. 

8- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (Johanthan Liebesman, 2006)

Coming in as a strong second-to-last entry is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. This film, directed by Johnathan Liebesman, is a prequel to the 2003 remake which intended to wipe the entire franchise slate clean and start afresh. The successful remake (we’ll get on to that later) sparked a wide interest in developing a backstory behind the film’s events, leading to this prequel. However, any hope of igniting a spin-off trilogy died a tragic death, mainly due to how formulaic this paint-by-numbers film candidly is. The entire premise follows this sequence: chase scene, hide and seek, jumpscare, chase scene, hide and seek, jumpscare, and so on and so forth. It’s not necessarily that Liebesman does not expel talent, in fact he efficiently puts on a great show, the pacing is frenzied leading to a tense ride, but it feels as if this film has been made a million times before. Unfortunately, the originality factor is certainly lacking. 

7- Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Directed by David Blue Garcia, 2022) 

Not only is David Blue Garcia’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre the newest film in the franchise, it is also the most opinion dividing one out of the entire series. To pinpoint exactly why this film bares a fued-fuelling reception is difficult. There is plenty of disdain over the pointless plot devices that are thrown out such as gentrification and mass violence, only for the themes to be buried away *very* soon after their abrupt introduction. There is a general understanding amongst viewers that a horror film doesn’t have to be seeping in politics to be meaningful, sometimes wicked kills and tense climaxes are more than enough to obtain a rocking reputation. This is where Texas Chainsaw Massacre ultimately withers. The award for brutal ferocity has to be handed to Garcia, he pulled some epic punches when it came to creative kills. Yet, the lack of attention to detail, particularly surrounding the characters mind-boggling decision making and the overthinking of Leatherface’s motives is what makes the film number 7 out of 9. 

6- Leatherface (Directed by Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, 2017) 

Moving on to the second prequel is Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo’s Leatherface. Maury and Bustillo previously released the standout French horror Inside (2007), meaning that the then-latest entry into the franchise would be in good hands. And considering the daunting pressure, the duo did pretty well. Unlike the previous prequel, the background story of how Texas’s number one torture family came about was not shallow, nor was it reliant on surface levels of childhood trauma as an excuse for violence. Alternatively, they explore this territory of trauma and flesh it out with themes such as family ties, neglect, and abandonment all amalgamating to create a monster. Yet, all of this expansion would not have been the same without the driven performances from every central character, leading to a personable story that dares to provoke a deeper level of engagement from the viewer. 

5- Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (Directed by Jeff Burr, 1990)

New Line Cinema saw copious success with Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), audiences were craving scares and as with any production company, they saw the potential in buying the rights to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The film was plagued by production disruptions and pesky critics who enforced multiple cuts, dishevelling any chance of creating a coherent story. Despite the initial reception, over the years a small but powerful cult fanbase has emerged, ensuring that this film doesn’t get lost amongst the massive franchise. The fan reaction is truly deserving as the chaotic display of gratuitous mayhem and bizarre interactions are far more entertaining than what mainstream media gives it credit for. Besides the film being a total blast, it also excels in the subject of meaningless gore, ensuring its place alongside underrated slasher classics such as The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) and The Mutilator (1984). 

4- Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (Directed by Kim Henkel, 1994) 

It’s safe to say that horror films surpassing the twenty-year mark are retrospectively favoured, albeit in ode to the somewhat vintage nostalgia effect, or simply due to the lack of overly seasoned CGI. And although the TCM franchise has a rocky reputation, there is one entry that has never garnered much praise or recognition- Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation. Matthew McConaughey and Renée Zellweger may be busy lugging around a suitcase brimming with Academy Awards and Golden Globes, but back in the day they both starred in Kim Henkel’s take on a group of teens who encounter Leatherface and his crew on the most important night of their adolescent lives (prom!). Henkel already had a bloodline within the franchise after co-writing the original 1974 hit. Together Hooper and Henkel crafted this masterful script that dared to employ exploitation as a medium to dissect cultural ideologies within America. Whilst the allegorical form cemented the film’s rich success, Henkel renounced this earnest path in honour of ensuring that Next Generation would helm to a tongue-in-cheek style of humour that boasts ridiculous dialogue and messy scenarios that are so bizarre they verge on the side of surrealism. Despite the consensus, there is a real beauty hidden amongst the madness. Nothing really makes sense, everything is a bit of a charade, but one thing’s for sure, you are guaranteed a wild fun ride that will stand out amongst the rest for a very long time. 

3- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Directed by Marcus Nispel, 2003) 

The art of perfecting a remake is akin to a boxing ring, where the audience raises an original piece of work against a retelling to see who’s the winner; and Marcus Nispel’s 2003 remake of Hooper’s classic undoubtedly puts up a fight. What allows Nispel’s take on The Sawyer’s to be quite the triumph is the endless brutality that begins within minutes of the film’s opening, Nispel aims to expel as much vile and volatile content as he possibly can. The ‘full steam ahead’ narrative did not sit well with critics at all. Complaints ranged from the excess of shock, to the brutish manner in which the subject is handled. Although it’s true that Nispel isn’t delicate within his portrayal, that doesn’t mean that the film is any less entertaining. The early 2000s saw a rise in splatter films (also dubbed torture porn) that had no qualms in going full throttle on gore. Whilst Saw (2004) and Hostel (2005) garnered a lot of recognition in rebirthing the subgenre, it was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (03) that belongs to that initial dive into ‘bloody for the hell of it’ horror. And for that reason, alongside the excellent final girl portrayal from Jessica Biel, Nispel deserves the third spot on this list. 

2- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (Directed by Tobe Hooper, 1986) 

D’you know what works a treat in horror movies? … chainsaw wielding maniacs. Guess what also works great in a horror movie– seeing Dennis Hopper and Caroline Williams battle against the most enjoyably preposterous version of The Sawyer family you’ll ever see. Every single second of this sequel is exciting and thrilling, not at any one moment do you know what direction you’re heading in, ensuring a crazy trip for both hardened horror fans and genre rookies. Tobe Hooper was a cinematic legend, partly due to his ability to take dark subject matter and develop it into serious cinema, but that success was also a consequence of his aptness to create eccentric films that dared to be different and go against what studios demanded.

When this sequel was made, Hooper found it difficult to secure funding, no one wanted to take a chance. Even once the film was fully completed, producers were unhappy with the dark comedy results. Makeup artist Tom Savini also received backlash regarding Leatherface’s appearance, apparently it was too polished! Over the years critics praised the 1974 original, and so they should, but there was always that certain charm missing from reviews because the film was defined as a ‘horror’. The mainstream criticism about the sequel regarded Hooper’s lack of socio-political commentary. And in the knowledge of that, this film takes any form of allegorical reading and throws it in the trash as an indirect comment to pretentious media outlets who think that horror cinema (unless symbolic) is not worthy of fame. His message wasn’t in vain as the film now has a beyond impressively large cult status, and has since gone on to be one of those most beloved films out of Hooper’s entire career. 

1- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 1974) 

It would be criminal to not place The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) as the number one spot on this ranking. To this very day (a whole 48 years later) this film still has the viewers on the edge of their seats, nail biting over what happens next. What transcends the film into an even higher level of achievement is its independent background. Hooper was employed as an assistant director at Austin University, whilst doing documentary camerawork on the side. Together with Henkel, he took inspiration from the cultural landscape at the time. The issues explored revolved heavily on America’s coverup of worldwide conflicts, hence the film’s fake narrational warning that the “film you are about to see is true”. From this point, a series of additional affairs came to light, such as the embodiment of technological advancements making rural society obsolete. Hooper and Henkel delve into creating a hefty framework with ease, but that is certainly not the film’s only winning factor. The aspect of less is more rings entirely true within the film. The censor boards in many countries saw TCM as a threat to society, banning it almost immediately. However, the film is far from a bloodbath, with the implication of the characters’ deaths taking control. To succeed in creating a sense of visceral dread amongst the viewer, all whilst limiting the actual ‘telling’ of events is still commendable to this day.

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Review- Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

Fede Álvarez and Rodo Sayagues are the talented squad behind the triumphant Evil Dead (2013) and Don’t Breathe (2016), thus when the news broke that they would be writing the latest installment in the labyrinth that is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise movie-goers were buzzed for this upcoming bloodbath. The director, David Blue Garcia was the cinematographer in the innovative meta-horror Bloodfest (2018). The trio have proven themselves to be eminently superior in their spector, so why was Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) so anticlimactic?

It has been nearly fifty years since Leatherface’s killing spree, and he is still nowhere to be found, leaving the area on edge. Entrepreneurs Melody (Sarah Yarkin) and Dante (Jacob Latimore) decide to travel to the Texas ghost town of Harlow to auction off the properties in hopes of modernising the old town. Joining them is Dante’s girlfriend Ruth (Nell Hudson), and Melody’s sister Lila (Elsie Fisher) who is reluctant to move after a traumatic incident occurred in her past. Everything is going to plan, until they find an old woman, Mrs. Mc (Alice Krige) who claims to still own one of the properties. An argument ensues and Mrs. Mc has a heart attack. Little do the group know that her now grief-stricken son is Leatherface (Mark Burnham) who vows to get revenge. 

First things first, fortunately the film is only 81 minutes long, any longer would be treacherous. Within this short frame of time, every opportunity to thrust the film into a noble territory is brushed under the carpet in favour of attempting to mold Leatherface as an anguished villain. He is shown more than once idling over his loss, longing for that sense of ‘home’ to come back. Through a melodic tone, contrasting his hideous demeanour against lamenting tones of heartache could be a harrowing analogy for how the monstrous harbours delicate emotions underneath, but no, instead they’ve opted for lazy filmmaking that genuinely had me audibly laughing out loud at any scene that aimed to be touching. 

Speaking of ruining potentials, the biggest gripe seen across the board for this film is the exploitative commentary-or lack thereof-regarding very real, and very serious subjects. We have essences of racism, school shootings, gentrification, and survivor’s guilt all being chucked in your faces within the first twenty minutes. Lila is seen with a gunshot scar in her chest and is scrolling through anti-gun posts on social media, clearly indicating a previous trauma, and even a flashback of her lying amongst her dead fellow students in the school is shown. Considering the current climate, this sort of topic shouldn’t be used as a quick quip at ‘realism’, in fact, it’s ignorant in how Lila’s rickety manner towards weapons is shaken off as soon as Leatherface appears. The time wasted on her arc could have been used a lot wiser, possibly the minutes could have been spent on making the return of the iconic Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré) less negligible. Accompanying the film’s main events is the subplot surrounding Sally’s reign as the local Leatherface survivor and how she’s been searching for him ever since, waiting to put an end to the evil. 

Halloween (2018) brought back Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in style to tackle The Boogeyman. After all those decades spent planning she brought her A-game and delivered one hell of a whooping. I don’t blame the producers for wanting to recreate what Halloween did, the film was a roaring success at the end of the day. It was a dream to see Strode back at it, whereas Sally Hardesty’s return is a shambles. When we first see her she’s in a disused shack gutting a pig, looking badass, let’s just say that I was thankful to see some action finally happen. However, her arrival to Harlow is so brief and lackluster that her presence within this film was not necessary at all. Sally’s inclusion was pointless, which means that surely the focus would be on the rest of the new gang, nevertheless, they weren’t important either. 

Horror films tend to write the characters just for the sake of disposing of them soon after meeting. When we go to watch a film we know that three-quarters (if not all) of the characters will eventually meet their demise. In the case of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I wasn’t rooting for anyone to survive, clinging onto the edge of my seat in case the lead died, instead I couldn’t wait for them to pass on. They were unlikeable and the performances were shallow, not necessarily due to the actor’s abilities, but because of how cringy the dialogue was and how many brainless choices were made. 

Everyone believes that they’d be the Lara Croft of horror, but in reality, death is more likely than survival for all of us, especially those who believe they’d stand a chance. In this film’s case, I could not fathom some of the fatal decisions made. The mistakes truly floored me!

Despite all the hurrah over the negatives, there are glimmers of hope throughout. One of the most commendable factors is the pacing. The action starts fairly quickly and lingers for long, the lack of lollygagging around ‘who’s who’ was a great decision. And thanks to the fast pace the violence has time to shine. Unlike Sally, Leatherface is back, hardcore style. Once he starts his bloody vengeance there’s no going back and the town of Harlow turns into complete hell. The anarchy really kicks up when Leatherface takes over a bus full of annoying gen-z’s, slicing and dicing his way through with his good ole’ chainsaw. 

I’m aware of my remarks regarding the characters, but there was one redeemable persona- the chainsaw. The chainsaw was transformed from a weapon into a whole antagonist. Leatherface begins his rampage using his bare hands, before rushing to get the chainsaw, leading him to return to his metaphorical stomping grounds. Multiple shots hone in on the chainsaw with a bright light surrounding it, framing the weapon as a being rather than an object.

 With Garcia having an extensive background as a cinematographer, the film was technically stunning. A plethora of visuals were captivating, allowing the film to have some beautiful moments of relief before the horror resumed. In essence, the visuals alone save the film from being dreadful, I’d even go as far to say that the aforementioned bus scene will go down in horror history for being bloody iconic. 

This film is a sequel, so I can’t compare it to the original. What made Hooper’s vision groundbreaking was the dirty, sweaty atmosphere that made the viewer uncomfortable and on edge, especially when you combine this aesthetic with the fleshed-out symbolism surrounding the seedy underbelly of America and the glorification of violence. Everything in Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) is glossy, even the dusty ghost town of Harlow seems like it came straight off of a Hollywood studio set. There was no grit or immersion, I just watched the events unfold. 


The entire franchise can be messy and confusing, just like every horror franchise’s timeline, but they sincerely missed an opportunity to create something suspenseful that gets under your skin. Whilst a sense of doom and gloom surrounds my judgement over this film, I could see myself rewatching it for easy entertainment, similar to how Friday the 13th (2009) is a quick watch when you fancy a bit of slashy gore. And that’s all this film is.

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Original vs remake Reviews

Original vs. Remake: My Bloody Valentine

“Roses are red, violets are blue, one is dead, and so are you…” 

Heart-shaped chocolates, fuzzy teddy bears, and crimson roses all encapsulate that over-bearing gushy feeling that sets hearts racing across the world all in ode to Valentine’s Day. Whilst I can’t say that I’m not a fan of hopelessly romantic films such as The Notebook (2004), there really is something special about Valentines-set horror’s that ooze bloody appeal. Without a doubt, one of the most reputable Valentine’s thrillers has to be My Bloody Valentine (1981), and as with any rocking slasher, this movie has been remade, leaving just one question- which one is better? 

Let’s find out in the latest edition of Dead Northern’s Original vs. Remake…

The scene is 1981, within the last few years rising classics have dominated the horror market, including Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th (1980). The genre is very much alive, gaining interest amongst younger viewers rapidly. During this time we’ve had decent Christmas horror’s (Black Christmas [1974]) and of course a plethora of summer flicks, including Tourist Trap (1979). It became clear that seasonal horror was indefinitely a growing trend, leading to studios to pick up newbie-director George Mihalka to create the future classic that is My Bloody Valentine. 

Amongst the cheery atmosphere of Valentine Bluffs, a Canadian mining town, a dark history is fostered. Twenty years previous two supervisors in the mines abandoned the rest of the miners to attend the annual Valentine’s Day dance. In their haste they forgot to check the methane gas levels, resulting in a tragic explosion where the only survivor, Harry Warden, was left to rot, falling back on cannibalism to survive. The year after the incident Warden went on to hunt down the two supervisors, gutting out their hearts and placing them in Valentine’s gift boxes warning the town to never hold another Valentine’s dance ever again or else. Considering decades have passed many of the townspeople have buried his threat and decide to hold another dance, but whilst the residents are hanging up paper mache hearts and red balloons, the mayor and the police chief receive that same old heart shaped box containing a bloody human heart. 

Launching My Bloody Valentine’s celebrated reputation is the full bodied plot basis that refuses to succumb to customary genre archetypes. Screenplay writer John Beaird and writer Stephen Miller established a story rooted in the mythos of tall-tales and the recklessness of jovial youths. The film is far from being a formulaic story, there is no summer camp monster, nor are the characters ridden with stupidity, making all the wrong turns at a risky time. The killer’s ethos may still be entrenched with a revenge based quality, yet the apt pacing and added love triangle element fuse together to concoct a balanced parable. 

Further forgoing simplicity in favour of rich storytelling is the established production values that unfortunately are rather rare in 1980s slashers. The town of Valentine’s Bluff couldn’t get any more theatrical and audacious if it tried. Theming the town to be like the inside of a soppy Valentine’s card works wonders for the subject matter, it’s even somewhat gutsy. As overused as ‘juxtaposition’ is within horror analysis, in the case of My Bloody Valentine it’s entirely fitting. Seasonal horror universally benefits due to its own eccentric use of timely gimmicks. Without jack-o-lanterns and trick or treaters, many horrors set on All Hallows Eve wouldn’t have that same sentimental texture that drawers viewers in; just as My Bloody Valentine wields cupid tokens and sugar-coated characters to sweep the audience of their feet. The overt heart decorations and cozy atmosphere force an endearing streak of emotiveness, meaning that when someone meets their demise a grievous blow is delivered straight to the viewer. 

It’s not just Warden that slashes the town to shreds, the vicious censorship that the film suffered also rips away at Mihalka’s work. When the film hit censors, the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) was less than bemused over the gratuitous brutality. A total of nine minutes were cut and it wasn’t until 2009 when Lionsgate released the film that only an extra three out of those nine were restored. My Bloody Valentine is pretty gruesome with the kills being unmatched amongst many films at the time, but the graphicness that was removed from the film could have made Warden more of a threatening force to be feared, lining him up with genre greats. 

Well, this is where the remake drastically differs. A feast of gratuitous nudity, explicit kills, and powerful stylisation all are put under the spotlight in Patrick Lussier’s 2009 retelling of a small town killer.

Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles), son of the Hanniger Mine’s owner accidentally causes an explosion, caving in multiple miners, except for Harry Warden who whilst waiting to be discovered killed his fellow workers to conserve oxygen. One year later Warden awakens from his coma, murdering anyone he can at the hospital. Whilst Warden is preoccupied, Tom and his girlfriend Sarah (Jaime King), and their friends Axel Palmer (Kerr Smith) and Irene (Betsy Rue) attend a party in the mines as if a tragedy never occurred, but it’s not long until Warden makes his way to the mine vowing revenge. Sarah, Axel, and Irene escape but Tom is left to battle it out. Luckily for Tom, Sheriff Burke (Tom Atkins) shoots Warden before he can kill again. 

Ten years have passed since the incident, and all seems forgotten; that is until Tom returns to the town of Harmony where he intends to sell the mines. Unfortunately, losing the tunnels is not the town’s only demise as it seems that a pickaxe wielding killer is on the loose yet again. 

Having a 3D film basically does the marketing itself. Audiences crave immersion, the feeling of being one with the screen, the ability to be fully engrossed within the beauty of cinema. 3D cinema is exciting, especially when you add gory hits and blood spurts into the mix, then you’re in for a real treat, and the results really do show. Within the opening weekend alone over $24 million was grossed. Across the years the film has both raked in over $100 million at the box office and has received a cult status amongst horror fans. 

The film is certainly not perfect, but the acclaim is truly deserved. 

Kicking off the positives is the ruthless homage to crazy 1980s horror that doesn’t hold back on anything, almost like a rendition to B-movie aesthetics without the cynicism. There’s more than enough gore, crude language, and bare flesh to go round for everyone, with the film’s most redeeming quality rooted within the immodest finish that Lussier brazenly brings to the screen. With this being said, the violence was not overtly slapstick and gross, it was instead genuinely horrifying, it made Harry Warden a more iconic figure to be feared. The kills within the original were terrific, but his nature of being this damaged soul forced into revenge is slightly shallow within the execution. Although this is not necessarily Mihalka’s fault, alternatively the blame falls on those pesky censors. Rather than play tennis over which film is more graphic (bear in mind that the time the remake was made the threshold for violence was much higher) it’s vital to focus on how the remake’s gritty aesthetic is thoroughly entertaining and beyond rewatchable, which is aided by the film’s R-rating typicalities. 

The remorseless brutality meant that not a single soul felt safe. Similarly, the way the slate was wiped clean after the exposition based opening meant that throughout the rest of the film every person was a suspect. Whilst Valentine Bluffs is cheery and wholesome, brimming with bubbly charisma, the remake’s town named ‘Harmony’ sweeps away the original’s dreamy atmosphere in favour of bestowing aloof locals who seem stuck in the dead-end town, and that’s just the background folk. The main characters are far from innocent, having affairs and backstabbing one another. To make matters even more complex, the whole whodunnit aspect is dialed up to 100 as the cryptic killer seems to not have a directly clear motive. 

Speaking of the town’s unruly natives, the intertwining character dynamics coupled with the stellar performances propel the film into unfamiliar territory for mainstream slashers. I am a major raver for slashers, the good, the bad, and the ugly all reign supremely in my books, but that’s not to say that over the years the poor acting within a few select films tarnishes the overall effect. Within My Bloody Valentine the performances from Ackles, King, and Atkins definitely make the film a standout feature that begs to not be swept under the remake rug. 

The entire premise of an unknown assailant cutting their way through a small town is the primary likening between both the original and remake. The plots are not separate. Lussier adapts the remake to be more of a companion piece, allowing for a sense of freedom. One of the most noticeable differences actually lies within the set design. Whilst Valentine Bluffs drenched itself in lovey-dovey iconography, in the town of Harmony the killings just so happen to take place around Valentine’s day, rather than the events being a direct correlation to the festivities. In fact, if you took away the odd notion towards the holiday the film could take place at any other point in the year. Although this aspect allows for a lot of flexibility regarding the viewer, for me it took away a certain level of charm that Mihalka honed in on. 

To align both films together is a losing battle as they are entirely individualistic- a quality that is so precious to a successful remake. And whilst the kills in the remake are righteously barbaric, it is vital to remember those epic scenes found in the 1981 version, including the one and only laundromat kill, who doesn’t want to see a charred body lifelessly spinning in a bloody tumble dryer? 

In other words, comparing two slashers that were made decades apart is trivial. Audiences have matured, many fans have seen it all, becoming desensitized to good old-fashioned carnage. The callousness that Lussier exhibits is only natural for a modern-day slasher, but then at the same time the original still holds up with every single watch, never becoming diluted or worn. 

When it comes to this battle of ‘Originals vs. Remakes’ it’s certainly a tie. 

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Oujia boards, planchette’s and the dead: Top seance horror movies

1- Witchboard (Directed by Kevin Tenney, 1986)

At a party a group of friends use an Oujia board in the hopes of harmless fun, but the connection between the afterlife and reality becomes blurred when an evil spirit unleashes a world of chaos. 

Witchboard was notably shunned by many audience goers and critics after its 1986 release, leaving a sour reputation in its wake. Many years after, as with most 1980s cinema, the film received a cult status, with devotees rewarding the over-the-top storyline alongside the flamboyant characters. Witchboard dares to stand out from the rest of seance-based films, partly due to the lack of sterness regarding contacting the dead, but also in how it tiptoes the fine line between being a horror comedy without becoming a mocking parody. 

Movies that delve into supernatural territory, particularly those who use an Ouija board as the tool to talk to spirits, don’t gel well with touches of comedy. Yet, director Kevin Tenney has this unique ability to fuse outrageous plot points with sizable spooky visuals. Speaking of Tenney, it can be said that the brazenly wild dynamics of Witchboard created a stylistic backbone for his future work, especially Night of the Demons (1988), everyone’s favourite Halloween popcorn movie.  

2- The Haunting in Connecticut (Directed by Peter Cornwell, 2009)

In hopes of relieving the journey travelling to and from hospital for their son Matt’s (Kyle Gallner) cancer treatments, the Campbell’s move into a nearby rental where the family begin to experience terrifying hauntings and violent outbursts from the ghosts occupying the house. 

Before everyone knew The Conjuring’s (2013) Ed and Lorraine Warren’s names, there was The Haunting in Connecticut, which is based on a “supposed” true story (the word supposed being used operatively) that the Warren’s investigated in the 1980s. From the outset, the film’s reliance on tropes that horror habitually uses is noticeable, the whole idea of a family moving to a haunted house is not unfamiliar, nor is the notion of the apparition affecting the young in the house, but the execution of such familiarities pushes the film into refreshing depths that creep up slowly on the viewer.

Through a magnifying glass, deeper themes such as the fragility of morality is abundantly clear, mostly owing to Matt’s condition, but also in relation to the house’s history that is unearthed from a terrifying on-screen seance. The seance scene reveals that the previous occupant had some truly sinister intentions up his sleeves. What allows all of these dense threads to disperse is the ultra ominous vibe that is composed by the classic supernatural elements, that no matter how many times they’ve been done can still be a good’un. 

3- Host (Directed by Rob Savage, 2020) 

A group of six friends host an online seance to relieve some boredom, little do they know that they accidentally lured in a deadly demonic presence. 

Though 2020 was a quieter year for cinema, independent filmmaker Rob Savage took the entire world by storm with his spine tingling feature debut, Host. Co written by Gemma Hurley, Jed Shepherd, and Savage is this regenerative effort in injecting an adrenaline boost into found footage and the rising trend of desktop horror. The premise was sparked from a viral prank that Savage pulled on his friends during a zoom meet-up, in which he claimed that strange occurrences were happening in his attic, leading him to ‘inspect’ the site and find a demon. Of course, the unknowing zoom attendees freaked out, and screamed in terror over the charade. With all the viral attention studios quickly became interested in this entirely unique and timely story, leading to the streaming giant Shudder picking up one of the 21st century’s most raved about films.

What’s so special about Host is the personable impression that it holds. The cast and crew were already acquainted, infusing the film with a creepy level of realness. Those brave enough to watch Host actually feel like they’re in the call, taking part in the terrifying action. Across the entire film the seance plays out rather realistically in terms of character reactions. There are those who take the medium seriously, appreciating the threat that the dead can hold, and then there are the others who can’t make it more than two minutes without laughing. Belief isn’t necessary to feel a part of something ‘higher’, and Host uses this sceptical notion to guide and control what the viewer feels. Yes, we may laugh along at the beginning over the *very* precise jargon used within this seance, but by the end it is impossible not to feel provoked by the mysterious art of spiritual channeling. 

4- The Changeling (Directed by Peter Medak, 1980)

After a tragedy, composer John Russell (George C. Scott) begins to experience strange phenomena at his stately home. To confirm his suspicions he holds a seance with sinister consequences. 

Although The Changeling has long garnered gleaming praise, it isn’t held up alongside the genre’s heavyweights such as The Shining (1980) and Rosemary’s Baby (1968), despite the film’s creative and nerve-jangling execution. Driving The Changeling is the sense of existential dread that ceases to remain contained in one space. This terror stems from the emotive connotations of trauma, which we are led to believe is solely confined within the house and its history, but in reality director Peter Medak thematically implies that the hell being unleashed within the building has the potential to grow and grow until it becomes so enriched in evil that nothing will stop the torment.

With such an elaborate backstory it could be easy to become muddled in its own eccentricity, yet any disarray is diffused as a result of the eerie seance scene where the presence of the ‘other’ becomes so heightened and serious that even seasoned horror fans will experience an eerie level of fear. 

5- The Exorcist (Directed by William Friedman, 1973)

When 12-year-old Regan (Linda Blair) becomes possessed by an evil entity, her mother enlists the help of two priests to perform an exorcist. 

It would certainly not be appropriate for a seance movie list to exist without the presence of William Friedkin 1970s showstopper The Exorcist. Many have said that the film is overrated, and maybe they’re right (questionable, I know), yet there is simply no denying the cultural phenomenon that is associated with The Exorcist. To have people fainting in the audience during screenings is extreme enough, let alone the outcry it caused amongst media censoring offices across multiple countries, which is the consequence of the harrowing depiction of Regan’s monstrous descent.

The idea that an innocent little girl could wreak havoc upon religion and humanity all thanks to an ouija board is beyond unsettling, especially considering the depths of hellish behaviour she experiences as a result. The medium of spiritual connection has always been alluring, society is naturally drawn to the idea of a spiritual realm. Regardless of general attitudes towards seances, they are not necessarily meant to provoke evil, nor are they meant to prompt devilish behaviour. Quite refreshingly The Exorcist is aware of this, and instead focuses on creating a narrative that rehashes cinema’s treatment of catholicism; generating a whole new interest and inspiration for audiences and filmmakers to explore. 

6- Verónica (Directed by Paco Plaza, 2017)

In 1991 Madrid, teenager Verónica (Sandra Escacena) begins experiencing the presence of a sinister being after playing with an Oujia board. 

Verónica is a first class extravaganza of nightmarish scares that ignites a surge of panic amongst those who are fearless enough to sit through the entire film. The slow beginning takes its time in building up the world around Verónica. By the time the action starts we have become so well connected with her situation, forcing the stakes to be raised. Rather than sitting back and watching the torment go down, we fear for the characters well being and the consequences of such events.

With this bond that Paco Plaza forms a running surge of originality is created, refusing any scene to slip into normality, instead the trepidation always arrives when it is unexpected. Joining the fierce narrative is the evocative ‘true story’ that inspired the events. Verónica is based upon the real case of Estefanía Gutiérrez Lázaro, who engaged in a seance at her strict catholic school using an Oujia board to contact a spirit. However, a nun interrupted the session by breaking the board, supposedly triggering an ancient anger which led to the death of Lázaro. The story may not be the first one of its kind, but where the case of Lázaro stands out is from the presence of the law. Spanish police ended up becoming involved due to the mysterious circumstances of the situation, leading even them to report of unexplained activity. 

7- Seance (Simon Barrett, 2021)

At an elite boarding school a group of friends play a prank on a fellow student pretending to summon a ghost through a fake seance. But when they find her dead shortly after they suspect that they have awoken something evil. To make matters worse, when new girl Camille (Suki Waterhouse) arrives, a string of mysterious deaths occur. 

Seance melds together two components of a great horror movie, an isolated setting and threat of the supernatural. Simon Barrett, who has written some stellar films such as You’re Next (2011) and The Guest (2014), tiptoes around the concerns of the supernatural through making the audience second guess the harrowing occurrences at the school. Not once do we know what direction we’re heading in, one moment the film is a whodunit puzzle and then the next he grapples with the idea of the occult. However, not once does the buffet of themes become messy, alternatively, it’s refreshing and totally absorbing to witness the complex enigma that is Seance. 

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Twenty years on: A deep dive into The Ring’s (2002) legacy

the ring 2002

A nightmarish videotape has begun making the rounds, leading to the unlucky viewer’s receiving a mysterious phone call warning them that they will die in seven days. After investigative journalist Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) learns that her niece and several other teenagers die mysteriously after watching the video, she attempts to track down who made it and why. The investigation soon takes a sinister turn after her son Aiden (David Dorfman) watches the tape, causing her to contact her ex-husband Noah (Martin Henderson) to help her untangle this curse once and for all. 

Upon discovering the dark secrets that the tape beholds, it is learnt that the content is not the cause of a typical urban legend, but instead a treacherous story about a young girl named Samara (Daveigh Chase) and her vengeful spirit. 

Hideo Nakata’s 1998 horror sensation Ringu could be defined as an ubiquitous feat of fragile relationships, infestation of the home, and anxieties over the ever booming spec of technology. All of the above radiate nothing but the truth, yet to condense Ringu’s spine-tingling allegories to mere themes and societal reflections is simply reducing how evoking the film is on an affective level. Even those with nerves of steel will inevitably feel an eerie whisper of fear whilst viewing the film’s terrifying climax, which will not leave your thoughts until long after watching. With any groundbreaking media, there will be those who want to see it go further, to push the interest and increase profits. The most prolific case to date of Japanese horror being remade is Gore Verbinski’s The Ring (2002) which will celebrate its twentieth birthday this year. 

Whilst the remake at hand would not win in an original vs remake battle, what The Ring does deserve praise in is its capacity to attract viewers to the genre, influence a string of filmmakers, and allow international cinema to flood the market, enriching horror cinema for the better. 

The crash that 1990s horror saw was retrospectively quite damning. Besides a few standout films such as Scream (1996), the market was overwhelmingly flooded with uninspiring films, that was until the early 2000s came and a whole new tidal wave of creativity rushed in. The shift that the millennium film market saw was largely helmed by Verbinski. His previous credits at the time were scarce, hence the reason why he was not the producer’s first choice. Luckily enough David Lynch turned down the offer to direct The Ring, clearing up that spot for some new raw talent. From the very first point, it was made clear that The Ring would not be a grand guignol display of bleeding wounds and tedious jump scares. In contrast, the result is a brooding voyage that meshes both a sense of linear passiveness, akin to a false sense of stillness and a fantastical descent, rife with tangled backstories that pivot the film into unique supernatural territory. 

Catalyzing the film’s premise is the infamous cursed tape that is making the deadly rounds. Verbinski folds in layers of symbolism through using smouldering surreality that can come across as slightly ‘film-school-y’, what with all the grainy footage, melding together a heap of Rorschach-esque imagery. Nevertheless, the presence of the tape remains to be nothing less than disturbing, particularly the scenes which mimic the now infamous experimental film Begotten (1989). Permitting shock value is not the tape’s only purpose, the texturized visual scenes of ladders, burning trees, darkened eyes, and most importantly glowing rings are inducing awareness of how Samara’s life mirrors Rachel’s own relationship with her surroundings. Through giving the tape a symbolistic consciousness a deeper meaning of explanation is adhered to.

There is a clear level of juxtaposition between divulging into elaborate character arcs, whilst remaining coherent and uncluttered. In a similar way, the anatomy of the original material and Verbinski’s re-envisioning both make the choice to expose familial-based issues, except the two filmmakers’ methods are rather oppositional. Verbinski has an archetypal take on the tape’s origins, quite bravely he’s not afraid to lean in heavy and get down to the story’s bones. Whereas Nakata conservatively creates a simple backstory of why the events were occurring. If you were to dissect the film with a fine-tooth comb there are major confusions, but it’s fairly obvious that the nonsensical mystery is purposeful. Not everything needs to be untangled, especially when it comes to horror which innately blooms through enigmas. It’s possible that this is the reason why The Ring resonates so well with many, there is no labyrinth of answers to fumble about with, the mystery is fully decoded for you. 

Western produced cinema tends to heavily expose and reveal every little crumb through plenty of exposition, like a story being read out to a child. Yet, Verbinski’s fattening of Samara’s sensibility comes across as a valid attempt at painting a picture that tells a sorrow-ridden story. Rachel, Noah, and Aiden all have distant relationships with one another, causing Aiden to have an unusually sensible manner about him, allowing his parents to slightly take the backseat. Quite refreshingly, Verbinski does not suggest that Rachel should forfeit her career to create a meaningful bond with her son.

Instead, an emphasis is put on Noah who abandoned his own son, leaving Rachel to raise a child alone. Rachel’s career and access to certain technologies actually benefit her in solving the case of the cursed tape, diffusing any stereotype that a person cannot both have a family and a riveting profession. Within the subplot involving parenthood lies the true essence of the narrative. Samara’s wrath stems from the lack of humanity she endured, reflecting Aiden’s bond with his parents. He is now in danger, and it is up to Noah and Rachel to bandage together the tape’s context to save Aiden from a harrowing fate, facilitating themes of unification and regret. 

Accompanying the film’s impassioned pathos is the distinct style that allows for The Ring to stand out amongst the rest. 

It may be basic to revert back to colour theory. Reds and pinks are warm, thus presenting a passionate tone, with blues and green summoning a cold, bleak mood. But alas, Verbinski takes these elementary principles and maximises them to their full advantage. Nakata’s work across the board thrives in its minimalism, that placidity. In comparison American blockbusters relish in their vividness. The colour grading of The Ring defines the entire film, it can even be claimed that the final result would not be the same without it. Dull greys, murky blues, and waterlogged greens catapult the already gloomy Seattle concrete-jungle atmosphere into a horribly dark environment where horror breeds.

The Ring understands the rich history that preludes it. The film’s horror motifs all derive from fantastic 1990s Japanese cinema- the presence of an onryō, cruel technology, cityscapes, distant relationships, the delicacy of time, and an overarching emotion of loss. Presenting these tangible strands of dread through an Americanised light proved to be an exceptional profit builder and genre booster. Twenty years on, The Ring still holds an almost unattainable reputation that remakes find it hard to do- become integrated as a valuable, vital piece of cinema.

Major names such as Takashi Miike, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Takashi Shimizu, and Kōji Shiraishi are all honourable within Japanese horror, but prior to their work that propelled J-horror, there were many older films that are under-appreciated on a mainstream level. Work’s such as Tales of Ugetsu (1953), Kwaidan (1964), and Onibaba (1964) kickstarted the trend of positioning societal matters through a supernatural lens. The underlying contemporary issues that Japanese horror explores are entirely compelling, forgoing trivial circumstances, and that is entirely thanks to the above cinema. Without these films, Ringu and the book that acts as its source material (Ring, [Koji Suzuki, 1991]), let alone the remake, would not have been the same. 

The Ring acknowledges that the marketed audience expectations would result in the film needing to adapt its cultural conjectures, hence the heavy background story and subplots. In a bittersweet way the conformity to a westernised forecast resulted in the aforementioned success, but at the same time, the film triggered a string of almost insulting remakes from J-horror classics such as Ju-On: The Grudge (2002), One Missed Call (2003), Apartment 1303 (2007), Pulse (2001), and Dark Water (2002). In trying to continuously adapt culturally-rooted stories a sense of villianisation against these major studios is created. Reimagining plots that belong to Japanese folklore without recontextualizing or appreciating their origins is rather unjust. The Hollywood system is known for its ruthless, remorseless stretches, and the influx of capitalising on East Asian cinema can be viewed as questionable. I highly doubt that Verbinksi created The Ring with the premise of fashioning a recycled meaning of Japanese horror in the west, and considering that Nakata openly admires this adaptation, it’s safe to say that The Ring is actually one of the few remakes that deserve acclaim. 

Despite all the doom and gloom, there is a comforting prospect to come from J-horror’s influence. As with many people old enough to watch these films, I didn’t have a smartphone growing up to research world cinema, nor were there streaming sites that worked on importing foreign language horror for people to adore. Instead, I would watch The Ring or The Grudge (2004) in hopes of experiencing a film that ventured outside of the UK or the USA, seeing a new world. It was Verbinski’s work that helped spark my interest in world cinema. As I became older and had easy access to the internet I was enthralled to learn that The Ring was in fact not an original and that I now had an epically long watchlist from films across the entire land to sink my teeth into. Luckily enough with sites such as Netflix and Youtube, potential horror fans can experience films such as Audition (1999), Visitor Q (2001),  Battle Royale (2001), and Marebito (2004) with ease. 

It is a tricky one to fully decode my thoughts on The Ring. Without a doubt, it is a moving film, brimming with touching connotations that work on sympathising with Samara’s motivations. But the most novel part of bringing this Japanese spirit story to life is the widely sparked interest for a section of cinema that is beyond deserving of international attention.

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