Fool's Views Reviews (W)

	*Walking Dead, The* (1936) A real disappointment, even for Karloff fans. Boris is an ex-convict framed for murder who is then put to death in the electric chair. But as his innocence becomes apparent, semi-mad doc Edmund Gwenn brings him back to life…with a Lindburgh heart? (There’s a mildly amusing bit with Gwenn uttering, “He’s ALIVE.”) But then Karloff develops some sort of extrasensory ability to recognize those that railroaded him, and begins to show up at their places in the middle of the night. But does he exact any kind of firsthand revenge? Nope, he just stands there while his victims freak out and fall out of windows or under trains or what have you. It’s as though the filmmakers (including director Michael Curtiz) didn’t want to dirty the character’s image as a victim. I’m all for suspension of belief, especially when it comes to the older genre flicks, but even a Fool has his limits.
	*War of the Worlds, The* (1953) George Pal’s first-rate production, while taking a few liberties with H. G. Wells’ original 1898 novel of invading aliens, still holds up fifty years after it first blasted its way into theatres. When a meteor lands outside of a small California town, scientists Gene Barry and Ann Robinson quickly discover that the “meteor” is really a spacecraft carrying Martians who do not come in peace (the ill-tempered E. T.s illustrate the point by instantly vaporizing several dumbfounded humans into silhouettes of dust.) Soon, the splashy green Technicolor cylinders are landing all over the globe, laying waste to mankind in stunning displays of destruction. Combining Oscar-winning visuals with terrific use of sound, the distinctive swan-like crafts prove increasingly indestructible, armed with animated death rays and protective force fields. A landmark science fiction film, filled with memorable images of the prowling ships and the long-fingered, three-eyed interlopers themselves. The scenes of Barry searching wildly for Robinson through the ruined streets of L. A. are particularly vivid, with the panicked dog-eat-dog ugliness of humanity on full display. Conversely, the film is not without its flaws, such as a laughably limp nuclear explosion, Robinson’s stiff acting, Barry’s distracting red-framed spectacles, and the heavy-handed religious undertones throughout Barre Lyndon’s screenplay. Inspired a multitude of similar-themed invasion-from-space movies, including 1996’s smash Independence Day.
	*Web of the Spider* (1972) Mildly entertaining haunted house fare from Italian cult figure Antonio Marghetti (credited here as Anthony Dawson), remaking his own Castle of Blood. When American reporter Anthony Franciosa arrives in England to interview Edgar Allan Poe (Klaus Kinski, more deranged than usual), the enigmatic author challenges him to stay a single night in the haunted Blackwood estate. What follows is a mishmash of traditional spookfest goings-on: clocks and watches stopping, ghostly piano music emanating from empty rooms, mysterious guests who may or may not be of this world, etc. There are a few unexpected twists and turns, but what will keep you engaged more than anything is Marghetti’s excessive use of quick zooms and extreme closeups (a drinking game just waiting to happen.) The story is convoluted in the extreme, but manages to weave just enough sense into the nonsense to allow ambitious viewers to follow along. With his wide, toothy smile Franciosa is an admirable square-jawed hero, and luscious Michele Mercier (of Angelique fame) makes for a most diverting ethereal paramour. Kinski, on the other hand, crams an entire film’s worth of madness into his five-minute cameo. Fine Gothic production design.
	*Wes Craven’s New Nightmare* (1994) Wes Craven returns to the Elm Street director’s chair, creating an intelligent, worthy sequel that manages to stimulate more brain cells than gag reflexes. Ten years after the release of the original, actress Heather Langenkamp, star of NOES 1 and 3 (played by Heather Langenkamp), is approached by New Line producer Robert Shaye (played by Robert Shaye) to recreate her role of “Nancy” in a new sequel written and directed by Wes Craven (played by—guess who,—Wes Craven). Problem is, Langenkamp and her son (Miko Hughes) are being plagued by nightmares of Ol’ Filet Fingers himself, nightmares that are beginning to exhibit increasingly corporeal symptoms. It seems that Freddy Krueger is really an existential form of evil held captive by the films, and now that the series is over, the cinematic boogeyman is attempting to cross over into the “real” world through Hughes. Craven’s clever, self-referential screenplay blurs not only the lines between dreams and reality, but also between the movie world and the real world, with alumni John Saxon and Robert Englund playing both themselves and their onscreen alter egos. For the first time in many a Nightmare moon, the focus is given to characters and suspense rather than effects and ghastly one-liners, and while there are a few stellar scenes of bloodletting, they do not overshadow the dramatic tension of the story. Sadly, the innovative film failed to capture an audience at the theatres, too chatty for the gorehounds and “just another Freddy flick” to the general public.
	*When Worlds Collide* (1951) “This will be the most frightening discovery of all time!” exclaims an astronomer at the top of this sci-fi classic, letting us know that subtlety is not the order of the day. The titular worlds in question are Earth (naturally) and Bellus, a huge planet whose altered trajectory spells doomsday for our planet’s inhabitants. Our top scientists decide the only course of action is to build a modern day Noah’s Ark, a rocket ship designed to transport a few humans and animals to another planet. This film, along with The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Thing From Another World (also released in 1951), is almost single-handedly responsible for the heyday of sci-fi that blasted onto movie screens in the 50’s and 60’s, and its influence is still felt today. While Gordon Jennings’ special effects won the first Oscar ever presented in that category, they appear more quaint than thrilling to today’s audience, with all-too-obvious matte paintings, models, and ships on wires. The acting is capable and the story is efficient, if a little oversimplified. Perhaps less time could have been spent on Richard Derr and Barbara Rush’s romance, and a little more on the rest of the world’s fate. Still, if one just gives over to the ride and doesn’t think too hard, this grand little gem from producer George Pal and director Rudolph Mate is a terrific rocket blast of nostalgia.
	*Whisper in the Dark, A* (1976) A lyrical Italian ghost story told in a similar vein as The Turn of the Screw, with a young boy and his imaginary playmate Luca. However, as strange events begin to cause freaky (and sometimes fatal) accidents, suspicions begin to be raised. Is it our lad creating the havoc or is Luca real? And what is the dark secret that the boy’s parents hide from the rest of the world. And who knew that Joseph Cotton looked so good with a goatee? It moves a little slow at times, there isn’t much in the way of sex or violence, and it certainly doesn’t rise above such classics as The Haunting or The Innocents, but if you like ghost stories, you might like this one.
	*Wicker Man, The* (2006) Even without comparing it to Robin Hardy’s brilliant and striking 1973 masterpiece, this is a shockingly inept effort from star/producer Nicholas Cage and writer/director Neil Labute, both of whom claim to be huge fans of the original. If this is true, then one has to wonder how things got so badly bungled. After Cage’s policeman character is called to an isolated Pacific Northwestern island to investigate a former lover’s child’s disappearance, he discovers that the island is filled with strident feminist pagans who might have designs that run to human sacrifice. Labute does no favors at all to his misogynist reputation, painting Ellen Burstyn and her followers as man-hating estrogen cases with whom the only reliable means of communication is a good punch in the mouth. Cage is forehead-slappingly bad, but his moment of pulling a gun on a bicyclist (complete with “Step away from the bike!”) has to be one of 2006’s high points of unintentional comedy. Criminally awful, and to be avoided with extreme prejudice.
	*Wilderness* (2006) A fine example of what a low budget film can be with solid, gritty acting and excellent use of an outdoor setting. Sean (Dog Soliders) Pertwee plays a tough-nosed prison official who oversees an outing to an isolated island location, attempting to bring unity and team-building skills to his delinquents. When a group of female prisoners is discovered, having coincidentally come to the island for a similar purpose, the tension thickens. But when the group discovers someone else is also in the woods – armed with a bad attitude and lethal aim with a crossbow – their character-building exercise becomes savage battle for survival against their mysterious assailant, the elements and each other. A bit clichéd at times, to be sure, but much better than its humble slasher trappings would indicate. Directed by Michael J. Bassett, who showed his mettle directing ensemble horror with 2002’s Deathwatch, and scripted by first-timer Dario Poloni.
	*Woods, The* (2006) After loving Lucky McKee's quirky May so much, this felt like a big ol' Hollywood sell-out, with WB-looking leads, mucho CGI and a really convoluted storyline that revolves around a witches coven at a girls school (Suspiria, anyone?) Unfortunately, while Argento’s effort is a triumph of personal (and over-the-top at times) style, this is exactly what I felt The Woods was missing. Everything felt very glossy, very slick and very conventional. The acting (headlined by Agnes Bruckner and Patricia Clarkson) is solid, but uninspired, with everyone having picked their one note and doggedly sticking to it throughout. There were some decent touches (such as the piles of leaves in the girls' beds), but overall I just couldn't get into it. May felt original and personal, whereas this felt like just another “new millennium ghost flick.” Overall, a serious step backwards for Lucky. I might be inclined to buy the whole "tweaking horror conventions" defense that many fans of the film seem to raise, but if that is the case, I wish that McKee had chosen to tweak them harder. As it stands, The Woods never rises above the tropes, with the waters too muddied for his commentary to stand out. On a side note, having Bruce Campbell show up in a supposed-to-be-serious film where trees attack people seems to call attention to a joke that isn't there.
	*Wrong Turn* (2003) A competent time-waster covering all-too-familiar terrain as a group of attractive twentysomethings find themselves being picked off one by one by a trio of mutant mountain men. There is nothing really new about this throwback to the films of the 70’s and 80’s, but what is refreshing is its straightforward approach to the material, handling the events with a degree of seriousness rather than the smart-ass irony of the post-Scream era. Desmond Harrington provides the necessary gravity in the male hero role and is equally matched by Eliza Dushku, who kicks butt while nicely filling out her white tank top. Of the remainder of the antagonized crew, only Jeremy Sisto’s performance as an engaging fiancé leaves a lasting impression. Effects whiz Stan Winston produced, with his studio cronies creating some truly gruesome makeup work for the inbred psychos. Director Rob Schmidt paces things so well that the audience may not realize that they have seen it all before. Some intriguing original touches are thrown in, including a wow of a decapitation and cringe-inducing use of barbed wire. Still, when its all said and done, its all been said and done before, and better. The film also loses points for its lame “it’s over…or is it?” ending, included only to justify a possible sequel.