The Omen (Donner, 1976)

 

It's time for a delve into some classic old-school horror, with Richard Donner's 1976 suspense horror The Omen. Gregory Peck plays Robert Thorn, US Ambassador to Great Britain, and his wife Katherine (Lee Remick) gives birth to a son who dies shortly after birth. Not wishing to upset his wife, Robert agrees to take on an orphaned baby boy to 'replace' their dead child, and the couple name the boy Damien. However, Damien begins to demonstrate signs that he is no ordinary little boy. After a warning from Father Brennan, who dies shortly after, and events intensifying, Robert joins photographer Keith Jennings (David Warner, sporting possibly the best seventies hairdo in film...), who also senses trouble after seeing marks on his photographs pre-empting Father Brennan's death. The pair seek to uncover the truth - that Damien is in fact the Antichrist - the devil's child.

Kids in horror films are creepy, period. And young actor Harvey Stephens surpasses any other creepy young'un in the role of Damien Thorn. Just four years old when picked for the part, he demonstrates poise and incredible acting talent for his age - either that, or he was naturally a very, very creepy kid. His chilling stares and sense of underlying menace are what drives the film. This is further amplified by the contrast when he seems playful, trundling about on his tricycle - the ability to switch between childlike innocence and demonic knowing is spot-on.

The Omen demonstrates the traditional old school values of horror. Very little blood and gore is needed, as the focus is on menace, terror and suspense. Even when Katherine falls from the upstairs landing, it's the build up to her fall that makes it horrifying, with editing betwen her fixing the plants, Damien cycling and an eerie close-up of ominous nanny Mrs. Baylock (Billie Whitelaw)'s eyes - and then the dead silence and her twisted body after the fall. Although vaguely unsophisticated at times, the camerawork is perfect, with jilted angles and a hand-held feel at moments of intensity where the music builds to a jarring climax perfectly mixed with static long-takes and silence to build tension between these. The music itself is intrusive and disjointed with Latin (I believe...) phrase and religious-type singing/chanting over haphazard instrumental noise.

The film deals interestingly with issues of religion - dealing with prophecy about the rising of the Antichrist. Religious figures are often presented as vaguely fanatical - Father Brennan's desperation to warn Robert about his child's true identity results in a crazed, maniacal persona. Churches and places of religious importance are given an intimidating, ominous feel, large and bleak-looking. The Omen is a true classic, with all the elements of classic horror that make it just that - classic. I've yet to see the remake, but I may well check it out for a comparison (if you've seen it - let me know!). For a chilling, original horror, you can't do much better than this. It may be all about the unholy, but it's certainly a 'wholly' (sorry...) engaging watch.

8/10

Halloween (Carpenter, 1978)

This could well be the most pointless review in existence - chances are, you've all seen it (if you haven't, shame on you!). And read umpteen million reviews about it. But tonight, for the first time in quite a while, I rewatched one of the movies that will always have a lasting impression on me - and memories of hiding behind a pillow whilst watching it in my early teenage years. So take this as more of an appreciation, rather than a review, if you will. And it'll also be quite short. And would have perhaps been more appropriate a few days ago. But I'm rarely appropriate, even at the best of times.

The film opens with a young Michael Myers killing his older sister - all shown from his POV, without knowing the viewpoint is that of a six year old boy, which makes it all the more disturbing when he is revealed. And, a horror film staple, we even get to see some boobies before the movie's even properly started. Hooray! Fast-forward to fifteen years later, Dr. Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), Michael's psychiatrist, is on his way to the institution Michael has spent the last decade and a half in, but finds that his patient has escaped. Michael makes his way to Haddonsfield, his old hometown, and begins to stalk local teenager Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her friends. On Halloween night, whilst Laurie is babysitting, Michael watches...

The film may not exhibit the most perfectionist style of filmmaking - with notable continuity errors and general goofs (how many did you spot?). However, there are some brilliant choices made with the shooting - from the shaky camerawork, to the POV shots, giving a genuinely creepy, voyeuristic feel...and the way Michael appears and disappears seamlessly in the background of shots...eerie as fuck. One thing every true classic horror movie needs is a score - check! The repeated Halloween theme is a perfect contribution to the tension-building moments.

Taking inspiration from Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), Halloween competently builds tension - in a similar way to the former, through subtleties rather than the constant, in your face jumpy moments commonplace in many modern 'slashers'. Although it has all the elements seen in your common slasher, it goes beyond that, and is far, far scarier than the gorefests that followed. Despite being over 30 years old, it hasn't become dated and stands the test of time as a true classic horror. At fourteen, I hid behind my pillow - and now at twenty two, I was still tempted to do the same...

10/10

The Honeymoon Killers (Kastle, 1970)

Possibly my favourite place to buy movies is the CeX chain (and not just because I call it 'the cex shop'...). And one of my most recent purchasing sprees included this 25p bargain. The Honeymoon Killers is based on the true events of a notorious duo of 'lonely hearts killers' in the 1940s.

Martha Beck (Shirley Stoler) is an overweight, lonely nurse, but when her friend signs her up to a lonely hearts club, where she corresponds with Raymond Fernandez (Tony Lo Bianco). The pair embark upon a relationship, despite the discovery that Ray makes a living conning women by seducing them. As the pair pose as brother and sister to draw in the lonely spinsters, Martha's jealousy at seeing Ray with other women grows. When Ray marries a pregnant woman who attempts to sleep with him, Martha gives Ray some pills to give her, which result in her death (and a hilariously cheesy 'dead face'. I love 'dead faces'.). 

Little time is spent focusing on the building of the pair's relationship, by 20 minutes in, Beck has decided to leave her elderly mother and move to New York to be with Ray. Much is left out, with the story skipping between women very quickly - no sooner has one target been left or killed, Ray seems to have another lined up - meaning much more focus is given to Ray and Martha. Their relationship is tumultuous, to say the least. Seemingly, all Martha wants is Ray's love, but he seems more interested in conning the women than giving her attention - and tries to drown herself when she believes he is truly interested in another woman. Although her hapless swimming is pretty amusing, the moments where she is actually drowning are quite disturbing, especially the vocal sound collage.

The quick turnover of victims is understandable, as similarly with 1967's Bonnie and Clyde (Penn), the viewer is set in a position to identify with the couple, mainly Martha, rather than the victims - something less common within the horror genre. Stoler has an incredibly creepy face, and as Martha she provides some real menace, all driven by her love for Ray. It's only after Martha's attempted drowning that Ray shows a softer side towards her, and tries to appease her by fulfilling her wish that they move to the suburbs - but, unsurprisingly, their life on the straight and narrow doesn't last long. As for Ray, he's the kind of character that has no real likeable qualities other than when he saves Martha from a watery death. Plus, Lo Bianco's accent combined with bad articulation makes it sometimes hard to make out what he's saying.

Compared to the aforementioned Bonnie and Clyde, The Honeymoon Killers gives a much less glamorous perspective on a criminal relationship - Martha is needy and psychotic, and the couple are often at each other's throats over one thing or another. The black and white, high contrast style gives a gritty, dark feel and the casting of Stoler, a large, unconventional looking actress is a far cry from beauty Faye Dunaway as Bonnie Parker. The kills are a little underwhelming, especially the clunky hammer to the head of

Things get an extra dose of fucked-up with the murder of Daphne Delphine, and the drowning of her young daughter - pretty harrowing stuff. At times, The Honeymoon Killers is creepy and unnerving - but its downfall is the inability to keep the tension up. The building of suspense that shines in some moments doesn't manage to continue throughout the narrative, and gets dull at times. The story itself is an interesting one, and the films Lonely Hearts (Robinson, 2006) and Deep Crimson (Ripstien, 1996) are also based on the same story. Unfortunately, the execution is flawed. A few disturbing sequences make it watchable with hints of greatness that could have been, but the end result seems more melodrama than menace, with a less than believable love story and the odd scattering of black humour. But never mind, it cost less than a Dime bar.

5/10