Awaken from Your Dark Night: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

It’s pure horror. The shadows that play on the walls of our subconscious.

In a short form, it’s an exquisite mind fuck, but this is one of those movies that doesn’t deserve a short-form right-off.

Everything about it is visceral, with a strong emphasis on the visual: sets, costumes, title cards, filters, make up, actors. The version I watched had an updated score by Rainer Viertblock, a kind of twangy, discordant jazz that roots around and picks up all of the bizarre overtones of the film, bringing to the audience the need to sit up and pay attention.

While being extraordinarily different, there are pieces of it that fit into the usual movie scenario: The hero, a villain, an idyllic maiden.

It plays with your emotions, suspicions and expectations. It changes the perspective and the mood with painted shadows and grimly costumed characters. While touching on the Victorian Gothic, it also envelops Europe, post-WWI during the time of expressionism and Dadaism. If anyone ever doubted that film is art, sit them down and show them this movie.

It is part romantic Victorian novel and part trip into the hell of the mind, the entrapment of insanity and the escape of reality. It is dark and riotous and bizarre, a sleepwalker’s dream on the crooked streets in a surreal German village.

How is it pure horror? While the sets are highly designed, the horrific aspect of the film is simple compared to horror from later years. It is the fear of murder and of death– stripped down bare and unexpected. It is also the fear of no control, whether as a puppet in the hands of a cruel master or loss of control in one’s own mind.

It explores dark imagination, obsession, and the darkness of scientific exploration. Beautiful and frightening, it is not only a must see before you die, it is a film that haunts our nightmares.

A Post on Music

Happy Holidays everybody! It’s the day after Christmas, which the Brits have dubbed “Boxing Day” to utter confusion to most Americans.

And I am sitting, in my house, with a stack of awesome music that I got for Christmas (because I didn’t get any movies this year, boo hoo).

City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, “Music from the Films of Tim Burton”

I actually got this weeks before Christmas, but I wanted to share it now, on the appropriate group post for Music.  It sets up a fairly good selection of Burton films, missing, unfortunately, a selection from Big Fish and Planet of the Apes.  The first four songs are Suite versions of the more popular songs from Sweeney Todd.  The album almost moves backward in time for Burton’s films, with this start of his latest from 2007.  Ultimately, it is a well structured album.  The Batman suite is a little too lengthy, but it is saved with a fast pace flourish from Batman Returns.  What impresses me is that music from all different films manages to flow together very well, even from The Nightmare Before Christmas/Christmas Eve Montage into the piano music from The Corpse Bride to Sleepy Hollow.  For me, the treasure comes from the chosen selections from Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood, which contrasts the haunting use of choirs that Danny Elfman had for Scissorhands with the surreal theremin Howard Shore used in Wood.  A brilliant choice for Burton fans.

The Dresden Dolls, “No, Virginia…”

From one listen, I can already say that this album will be loved by fans.  It could be a great introduction into the band for Dolls Virgins, but be prepared for the experimental and the weird.  This is the B-Side to the 2006 release of “Yes, Virginia…”  Both albums are very unique from the other, but there are common themes of the end of innocence, fame, betrayal.  I’m listening as I go, which is a little sad to say.  The album art is fantastic, especially on the CD where an arm has “I WAS YOUNG I NEEDED THE MONEY” written on it.  Must listen: “Night Reconnaissance.”

Trans-Siberian Orchestra, “The Lost Christmas Eve”

I like it when TSO creates stories with their CDs.  I feel like the story in “The Lost Christmas Eve” is stronger than “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” but not quite as strongly crafted as “Beethoven’s Last Night.”  These being the three albums of their’s that I own/listened to all the way through.  The unfortunate part is that TSO is a spectacle, really.  You have to see them in concert, is what I’m always hearing, but I’ve never been.  What’s nice about “The Lost Christmas Eve,” besides the heartbreaking story is “Wizards in Winter”.  Yeah, that song from the guy who set up his house lights to play along with the music.  The grand tradition of Spectacular, Spectacular Trans-Siberian Orchestra continues… Must Listen: “Wizards in Winter” and “Christmas Nights in Blues.”

Creature Feature, “The Greatest Show Unearthed”

More album art gushing: I absolutely love Gris Grimly.  I was so excited to see that he did the album art for Creature Feature, who has crafted an excellent first album.  This is for the rocker fan in your life who needs a new band that no one’s ever heard of in order to show off to his/her friends.  Well, they are an excellent band.  Fans of cult horror movies will also find something to enjoy themselves with while listening, with tracks such as “Aim for the Head,” reminescent of Night of the Living Dead and “Look to the Skies,” for Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  The Good Gothy Times keep on rolling with “A Gorey Demise,” a tribute to the wonderful Edward Gorey and a fun way to teach the alphabet to the Addams’ family children.  Must Listen: “Buried Alive,” “Aim for the Head”

I hope that you all had a very happy holiday and merry blogging away!

Somehow, this led to a Bookclub Discussion

So I watched the original House on Haunted Hill last night.  Everything was going great until my brother entered the room, and then I just wavered from consciousness to unconsiousness for the last forty minutes or so of the movie.

I couldn’t help but notice though:  Hugh Laurie and Vincent Price… look alike.   Yeah, okay, one plays a hot American doctor with serious problems and the other is something like the master of horror and Tim Burton’s childhood hero, and yet

1) They’re about the same height.

2) They hold themselves the same way when walking.

3) Same shape of the head. 

4) Both have rather intense eyes (it’s been awhile since I’ve seen anything in color with Vincent Price in it though).

5) Distinct voices (this is a good thing.  It’s different for both, but I have the feeling that if I was put in a dark room and someone had a recording of either Laurie’s or Price’s voice, I could tell who it was).

Anyway, there was a lull at book club today, and I bring this up:

Me: I couldn’t help but notice that Hugh Laurie looks like Vincent Price.

Lauren: …what?!

Me: Well… yeah.

Lauren: I’m sorry, you’re comparing hot old guy to Vincent Price?!

Me: *gives reasons from above*

Matt, Lauren’s Friend: yeah, I can see it.

Lauren: No!

Me: *shrug*

Lauren: I’m not convinced Vincent Price even died.  He’s probably hiding out somewhere.

Me: And only Tim Burton knows where.

*headdesk*  Gah, I’m tired.

That movie actually freaked me out though, but I don’t like the remake much either.  It’s that idea of being trapped that gets to me.  Trapped, and no one outside would know what actually happened, so it could just continue. *shiver*

Great start to Halloween Week, I have to admit.

Memories of Van Helsing

For some strange reason, I love this movie.  I hate it and love it, in that I recognize that it is a bad movie. 

I have good memories associated with it though.  I saw it in theaters with best bud Natelie, and we adored it.  I think we were about thirteen and edging our way into the weary world of film at this point.  Also: Anything with vampires, we latched onto.  Particularly, Dracula (this might be around the same time I watched Bram Stoker’s Dracula for the first time, too, now that I think on it).

Anyway, I caught the last thirty minutes or so of Van Helsing while I was channel surfing and realized that this is further proof that I will watch anything with vampires or Hugh Jackman in it (and I didn’t even know that I liked him that much).  And yet, it follows.

This movie makes me want to go to Transylvania in the 19th century.  Everything looks rather weird and creepy, which is what I expect from movies with some sort of gothic aspect about it.  Scenery must follow suit, and it does.  I don’t know if Transylvania actually looks like this.  Because I haven’t watching the Anthony Bourdain Romania episode yet.  Somehow, I doubt that it does.

But oh, that crazy Action Flick, Poorly Thought Out Plot of it all…  It reeks of wanting a sequel or prequel, doesn’t it?  What with that possibility of Van Helsing, going out to fight evil in other areas of the world (or at the very least, Europe).

So, my first memory of seeing Van Helsing:  As I said before, I was maybe thirteen at the time.  My friend calls me up, randomly and out of the blue because that is her style, in order to see Van Helsing and I jump on it.  We are Action Movie Hors at his moment, going to see movies because the trailer looks cool.  No other reason is good enough.  My mother gives me a brief look when I mention what we’re going to see. 

“I heard it was bad.”

“I do not care.”

And then, we’re off, and only slightly late for previews.  The seats we snag in the crammed theater are close to the front, nay, the only two seats we could find in the dark comfortably.  Around us are guys and their girlfriends or best friends, and maybe some other shady characters of the preteen sort.  And then the movie rolls, and we are reminded what made that trailer look good.

To this day, I can’t remember.

Occasionally, Natelie and I will look at each other and whisper things like “So cool!”, etc etc.  And the lights come on, and we have come to the agreement that it was a Very Good Movie and that we will buy it ASAP.  Maybe a year or two later, I go to Suncoast and pick it up because it occurs to me to do so.

Moving on, my Van Helsing DVD does not go to waste.  Instead, it is used at many sleepovers for late night fodder, whereupon I promptly fall asleep because I’ve seen it too many times already for it to keep me awake.  My friends and I discover Van Helsing in 15 Minutes and come to our senses, a little, over how bad a movie can be. 

A few months ago I thought that I might as well try selling my DVD, or give it away to someone who would make better use of it.  Then I see a clip on TV, and I remember how much cracky Goth-Action fun is in Van Helsing.

Mock, if you will, but this movie somehow became important to me, in a very weird way.