Horror
Noah’s Barks pages relating to the horror genre.
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Rabid
From a director known for his unrestrained writing and penchant for controversy comes an inconsequential zombie flick that a David Cronenberg fan may want to believe is a little more clever than it appears. It’s not, though. That was Shivers, which came out before this. Rabid lacks both Cronenberg’s intelligence (the science of the horror… (read more)
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Dawn of the Dead
Dawn of the Dead is an almost unique horror movie. It’s the rare type that succeeds at being simultaneously tense and fun. The mall setting supplies a sort of “private clubhouse” wish fulfillment that makes it easy to root for the reasonably intelligent and competent cast, and George Romero divides the action and slow segments… (read more)
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Tenebre
Tenebre is the most thoroughly competent Dario Argento film I’ve ever seen. That is to say, it’s one of the dullest. Argento usually finds success in absurdity, so he never really grasps it in this straightforward murder mystery. The killings are full of gore but generic slashings and stabbings, and the mystery isn’t very enthralling… (read more)
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Halloween
I don’t think I’ll ever understand what makes a man a slasher fan. Is it the tension? The tension that exists for less than 50% of every one of these “classics?” It can’t be the teen movie fluff that inadequately bridges the gaps with an awful uninspired script and mediocre acting. You can tell everyone’s… (read more)
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Inferno
Inferno could get any Suspiria fan excited, being a semi-sequel and all, but now I wish it was never related. It feels like Suspiria with its spine ripped out. The same colors are used but the lighting is extremely dim and passive, the soundtrack is barely there (and the choral theme is awful), the murders… (read more)
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Castlevania: Bloodlines
While ‘Super Castlevania IV’ radically changes series mechanics, ‘Castlevania: Bloodlines’ refines the classic formula. Which prevails? (read more)
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Opera
The most frustrating Dario Argento film I’ve seen yet, and that’s saying something. The premise of Opera is fantastic, but that’s almost as far as it gets. There’s the potential for a horror masterpiece here, so Argento’s usual quirks bring the everything down rather than give it more appeal. With an opera theme you’d expect… (read more)
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Carrie
The imagery of Sissy Spacek as Carrie bug-eyed, drenched in blood as she walks through the flames is as powerful as ever. But Carrie’s tragedy is castrated by incredibly hammy performances that border on a cartoon’s depiction of high school students, as well as a lack of intensity due to the era the movie was… (read more)
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Phenomena
I’m writing this after seeing Phenomena for the first time and all I can think about is one of the most wild, insane final acts I’ve ever seen in a movie. I can’t go into detail and ruin it, but I have so little words anyway. I liked the pulp-horror vibe of the movie before,… (read more)
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Deep Red
It’s a bizarre world when Suspiria‘s more popular than Deep Red. It may not have the intoxicating visual design of Dario Argento’s more successful thriller, but Deep Red overall comes out on top by giving more attention to the thing Suspiria neglected: its script. With an immediately psychologically interesting killer (and thus interesting mystery), great… (read more)