Month: June 2023

The Art of the VHS

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Horror never looked so beautiful

I don’t mean to come across as the crotchety old man waving his cane while proclaiming how much better things were back in his day. But there were some things that were objectively better when I was younger. The most obvious being the beauty of VHS cover art.

I cannot tell you how many times a movie, especially a horror movie, caught my eye because of its cover art. Hell. I distinctly remember sneaking over to the horror section of my BlockBuster Video just so I could check out all the creepy imagery on display. It was fun. As a kid, I was not allowed to watch scary movies. So looking at VHS covers was the closest thing I could get to watching the movie.

Now you see, there were 2 kinds of cover art. You had ones that used live-action photographs of the main characters. And you had ones that had hand-painted artwork. The live-action ones were still pretty cool. I remember Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child’s VHS cover. It was simple but effective.

This VHS cover had a blue background with Freddy Kruger kneeling over a gothic, bone-like stroller. He was holding one claw up to his lips to hush the audience. And while his expression wasn’t scary, the stroller sure as hell was! It looked to be a combination of bone and blackened flesh. It always stood out to me.

The other movie that stood out was Hellraiser. Again, a simple design but I found it to be quite menacing nevertheless. Pinhead was standing in the center of the image. He was holding a partially solved Puzzle box and it looked like he was offering it to you.

Hellraiser VHS

But what struck me as scary about this VHS cover was his expression. Freddy usually had some kind of smart-ass expression on his face whereas Chucky would be laughing maniacally. Pinhead, on the other hand, looked PISSED. His lips curling back in a quiet snarl. His eyes narrowed and filled with rage. The hooked chains in the background dangling with deadly intent; this was a VHS cover that stuck with me all throughout my childhood.

On the other side of the coin you had the artistic cover art. These were painted images meant to capture the spirit of the movie.

HouseVHS

The movie that springs to my mind every time I talk about cover art is the 1985 horror comedy HOUSE. The VHS cover was absolutely terrifying for a young me. It showed a severed hand ringing a house’s doorbell. It was super detailed – with the veins and muscles showing. You could see the bones in between the rotted out sections of flesh and beneath it were the words “DING DONG, YOU’RE DEAD.”

Another cover that I enjoyed was Chopping Mall. A simple design but so much fun to look at. It shows a robotic claw clutching hold of a red shopping bag. Through the several rips and tears of the bag we can see various body parts sticking out. Eyes, fingers, an ear; even a screaming face. Like the Dream Child VHS cover, this was simple and effective. It you everything you needed to know about the movie. It was a horror film that takes place in a shopping mall.

What was fun about these artistic designs, however, was that they rarely involved a scene from the movie itself. There is no shopping bag full of body parts in Chopping Mall. In fact, the robots that movie don’t have hands to begin with. House, also, does not include a floating severed hand that rings the doorbell.

Dead Alive does not have a woman peeling off her face to expose a skull beneath. Wax Works does not have a little person opening a door to a melted mass of horrible faces. And Evil Dead does not have a woman being dragged underground by a zombie hand.

But you know what? It didn’t matter if the art matched a scene from the movie. It was still very eye-catching and fun to look at.

Unfortunately, as time went on, VHS and subsequently DVD cover art began to change. They focused less on the showing the concept of the movie and more on the actors who star in the movie. You can see this a lot in the late 90s to early 2000s. Cover art changed thanks to the reemergence of the slasher genre. Live action photos of the main cast posing in front of the killer became the norm. This style would, sadly, replace the hand-drawn or stylized live-action posters of the 90s.

Scream, I Know what you Did Last Summer, Soul Survivors, The Faculty, Final Destination, The Curve – the list goes on and on. Of course there are exceptions to the rule. We still have some fantastic stylized cover art but it’s not like it used to be.

I understand that it costs more money to produce something unique and special for your DVD cover but there was just something special about the way cover art used to be. Luckily there exist websites that work to preserve this art. Websites like Critical Condition that provide an extensive list of obscure movies (and not just from the horror genre). They include reviews, cover art and variants, and brief histories on the movies. The Internet Archive has their own archive of cover art – again not just limited to horror movies. I highly recommend checking them both out if you are a fan.

So tell me. What is your favorite horror cover art? Which movies stood out for you the most? Let us know in the comments!

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[Review] Magic (1978)

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Magic did something I never thought possible; it elevated Anthony Hopkins beyond that of Silence of the Lambs.

Magic Review Title Card

Silence of the Lambs, Jim Carry, and Chicken Skin.

The Silence of the Lambs and I have an interesting relationship. Not only was it my first Psychological Thriller, but it was also the movie that introduced me to the acting abilities of Sir Anthony Hopkins. Funny enough, my introduction to this movie came from a very unusual source.

I, like most teenagers of the 90s, was a huge fan of Jim Carrey. And in 1996 he starred in the Dark Comedy The Cable Guy. I saw it by myself (my dad was working and my mom disliked Jim’s movies) and I remember not being that impressed with the movie. It was not like Ace Ventura or The Mask. This was something else and I didn’t quite understand it at the time. However there was one scene that stuck with me well after the credits rolled.

That scene is when Lloyd the Cable Guy is having dinner at Medieval Times. He peels the skin off his roasted chicken and spreads the skin across his face. In a deranged voice he says “Look, Silence…of…the Lambs.”

Now, being thirteen years old, I didn’t get the reference. However that didn’t stop me from recreating the joke months later.

You see, my parents took my brother and me to a very fancy restaurant; one that required us all to dress up in suits and ties. I ordered a chicken dish and when it arrived, I noticed that it had the skin still attached to it. I cut the skin off and, while channeling my inner Jim Carrey, held it up high while repeating the line from The Cable Guy. “The Silence…Of The Lambs!”

I do not remember how my father reacted, but I DO remember the look on my mom’s face. She practically dropped her fork onto the table. Oblivious to the reference but proud of her reaction, I repeated myself. “Look! Silence of the Lambs!”

My parents were quick to stop me although I did not understand why.

Throughout the entire dinner, I kept asking “What’s Silence of the Lambs? What’s wrong with Silence of the Lambs?” much to the embarrassment of my poor mother. She finally informed me that she would explain what it was once we finished dinner. My curiosity sated, I shut up and we finished our meal in peace.

When we got back to the car, I excitedly chirped; “So what is Silence of the Lambs?” to which my mother shouted back to me; “It’s about a man who EATS PEOPLE! And he cut a man’s face off and WORE IT LIKE A MASK!”

And that was my introduction to The Silence of the Lambs.

I did not get around to seeing the movie until four years later when I turned seventeen. I had just started getting into horror movies and saw The Silence of the Lambs at my local BlockBuster. Remembering the dinner incident, I decided to rent the movie and see what all the fuss was about.

I am happy to report that the movie lived up to its reputation. Even though the movie featured Anthony Hopkins for only sixteen minutes, those sixteen minutes left an everlasting imprint on my mind. I had never seen a movie like this before and it quickly became one of my all-time favorites. I not only became a fan of Anthony Hopkins but of the thriller genre as a whole. It opened the doors for such movies as The Machinist, In the Mouth of Madness, and Se7en.

Funny enough, I’ve haven’t watched Anthony’s other movies. The only others I’ve seen him star in are Hannibal, Red Dragon, and RED 2. It’s not as if I have been avoiding his work; I just never got around to it.

After all. His portrayal of Hannibal Lecter is widely considered to being his best performance. There cannot exist a movie that surpasses that role.

Right?

Wrong.

This brings us to Magic.

Fats and Withers talking to someone. Magic (1978) movie review.

The Synopsis

Magic is a 1978 psychological thriller starring Anthony Hopkins as an inspiring entertainer named Charles “Corky” Withers. After failing as a magician, Withers decides change things up by becoming a ventriloquist. He introduces the audience to his puppet (eerily enough modeled after Anthony himself), named Fats.

Fats is a foul-mouthed, crass little sonovabitch whose one-liners and quick wit proved to be an instant hit with audiences. So much so that Withers is offered his very own television show. But the contract requires Withers to take a medical examination – something that he refuses for fear of the doctors discovering his declining mental stability. You see, he has grown so dependent on Fats that he can no longer function without the dummy at his side. To avoid the examination, Withers decides to retreat to the Catskills where he grew up.

While in town Withers reunites with his high-school flame, Peggy Ann Snow (played by Ann-Margret). The two quickly bond over Withers’ ventriloquism and magic tricks. Fats, who Withers had brought along with him, is not pleased with this new arrangement. He begins to belittle, manipulate, and berate Withers; going as far as pushing Withers to attempt suicide.

With his grasp on reality slipping, Withers finds himself stuck between Fats’ influence and the love of his life. Will he be able to pry himself free from Fats and live happily ever after or will he continue his descent into insanity?

Magic Movie Review

Magic did something that I never thought possible; it elevated Anthony Hopkins’ beyond that of The Silence of the Lambs. This is not him portraying a charming psychopath who uses flowery language and sudden violence to manipulate and subdue his victims. This is him playing a simple man who is on the verge of a psychotic breakdown.

There are two specific scenes in the movie that stand out. The first involves Fats and Withers getting into a verbal argument. During this, Withers begs for Fats to leave him alone – that he would do anything Fats wants in exchange for his freedom. This leaves us with a scene where Anthony Hopkins is barking like a dog, rolling around on the floor, and pleading to an expressionless dummy.

It is uncomfortable to watch – almost voyeuristic as we, the audience, watch this man descend deeper and deeper into madness. This is only made better by Anthony’s dedication to the role. He is playing against a puppet, a piece of wood that is not animated like the puppets in Puppet Master or possessed as in Child’s Play. He is just screaming, ranting, raving at an inanimate object that, off-camera, continues to verbally abuse him.

The second scene involves a visit from Withers’ agent, Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith). Without spoiling too much, Greene visits Withers to check up on his mental state. He orders Withers to “Shut Fats Up for 5 minutes” – meaning that Withers is not allowed to speak through Fats whatsoever (A coping mechanism that Withers had developed throughout the movie). We watch as Anthony Hopkins begins squirm and sweat in his chair, constantly shifting his attention to the dummy. He tries to make small talk; tries to act normal but is unable to do so.

This would be intense on its own but when Withers begins to break down; that is when we finally see just how far he has fallen.

Whereas the previous scene is a show of madness, this is a scene of quiet desperation. Like a man addicted to smoking, Withers is unable to function without the use of Fats. I have never seen Anthony Hopkins’ act in such an undignified manner and it is frightening.

But the movie is so much more than these two specific scenes. It is a journey. One that keeps you engages from start to finish. And it is not just Anthony Hopkins that does a wonderful job but the other cast members as well.

Ann-Margret as the love interest is the perfect blend of sweet and sympathetic. We are torn between wanting her and Withers to get together and wanting her to discover the truth and run away.

Ben Greene wants desperately to help his long-time client and friend. And while he does not have a lot of screen time, we are still rooting for him. We want him to help Withers. We want Withers to be free of Fats’ control.

On the flip-side we have Peggy Ann’s husband Duke (Ed Lauter) who acts as our foil. Suspicious of Peggy’s involvement with Withers, Duke becomes an obstacle for not only Withers, but Fats as well.

I cannot believe that I had slept on this movie for so long. If I am being honest with you, I didn’t even know this movie existed until I found it while browsing through the movie app Tubi. I chose Magic on a whim and I cannot express how happy I am that I did. Not only has this movie become one of my all time favorites, but it has also elevated Anthony Hopkins’ acting ability in my eyes. Because of this, I will be making it a personal point to watch more of his older films.

I cannot recommend this movie enough. If you have time on your hands and are looking for a new thriller, please give Magic a chance. You will not be disappointed. 

Magic is currently streaming on Tubi

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“It is only a game. I like scaring myself.”

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taptap

My introduction to horror didn’t come from a dream demon or a zombie in a hockey mask. It did not have a puzzle box nor did it come from the depths of hell.

No.

My introduction to horror came from a children’s book. A book that was written to help children overcome their fear of the dark. It was called “The Flat Man” and it was published in 1988. Written by Rose Impey and illustrated by Moira Kemp, the book is a short story about a little boy who is afraid of a ‘Flat Man’ who hides in the shadows. The man can stretch his body up to the ceiling, and flatten itself against the floor. He can slip under the crack of a closet door and can crawl along the floor like a snake. The Flat Man wants nothing more than to smother and terrify the little boy.

Now the story on its own is creepy enough but nothing prepared me for the illustrations. The Flat Man was this paper-like entity with a wide, bald head, broad nose, and a pair of angry eyes. Throughout the book we see him creep and crawl towards the boy; bending and folding his body in impossible shapes to remain in the shadows. The worse came when he reached the boy in his bed – twisting his body so that he could wrap his thin arms and spindly fingers around the boy’s body. Looking back on it, I guess you could find this to be a metaphor for fear itself – how it can envelop you, suffocate you; bury you in anxiety and terror.

The book has a happy ending. The boy fed up with the monster, flings it off of his bed. He finds his flashlight and uses to it stun the Flat Man before finally turning on the lights to his room. The Flat Man, weak and helpless, crumples up into a ball and flies out the bedroom window.

But it doesn’t stop there. For what is horror without a twist?

As the boy lays back in bed, he notices a paper bird hanging from the ceiling of his room. It was a present his parents bought him. He then pretends that the bird is a monstrous vampire – ready to swoop down on him at a moment’s notice.

And that’s how the book ends.

As a six-year-old, that was pretty scary. The idea that everything and anything could become a monster? That no matter what I did, there was another monster waiting for me around the corner. Talk about intense.

I still have this book. The original from my childhood – with its ripped dust cover and worn pages. It was just one of those books that I could never get rid of. Every once in a blue moon, I would take it out of storage and flip through its pages; wondering if the illustrations and story still creep me out.

They do.

However, I look at the book differently now than I did back then. You see, as I sat down to write this journal, I took a moment to download a digital copy of the book to get a refresher on the story and its artwork. It’s been quite some time since I sat down and read the book. And, having re-read it as not only an adult, but as someone who loves horror, I can say, with confidence, that this book influenced my life more than I had originally thought.

You see, what I hadn’t realized back then was that the child created the Flat Man. It was not some blood-thirsty monster that lived in the shadows. It was a figment of the boy’s imagination.

At the start of the book, the boy recounts how his room would transform whenever the lights were shut off. How the shadows would make his toys, clothes, and desk look like terrifying creatures. The Flat Man was created when he heard tree branches tapping upon his window. He liked to think of the branches being the fingertips of a monster; drumming its claws against the glass wanting to get in.

The following is a passage from the book.

“But I like to pretend that

It is the Flat Man, trying to get in.

His long, bony fingers

Tap on the glass.

“Let me in,” he whispers softly.

Tap, tap, tap.

It is only a game.

I like scaring myself.“

How apropos. What betters describe the horror fanbase more than this quote?

“It’s only a game. I like scaring myself.”

Isn’t that just the truth? We know that it’s fake; the movies, the books, the comics, the tales around the camp fire. But while we read, watch, or listen to the stories; for those moments, we like to pretend its real. We let go of reality and pour ourselves into the world of terror that these creatives have conjured. A world where zombies feast on human flesh. Where demons possess housewives, poltergeists terrorize suburban families, and dolls come to life.

But what happens when the movie ends? When the last page of the book is flipped or when the story teller finishes their tale? Well, we find ourselves cast back into the real world but not without consequence. The horror sticks with us, lingers on our bodies like a smell. We cast glances over our shoulders least the masked killer be right there, raising a knife over their heads. We monitor the dark corners of our bedrooms as if waiting for the glow of a monster’s eyes.

And thus, the game begins.

The game of scaring ourselves.

Like I said. We know it is fake. But we like to pretend it’s real.

Because we like scaring ourselves.

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