A NIGHT AT THE DRIVE IN

David Lorensene and Nik McGrath

Lunar Drive In, S Gippsland Hwy, Dandenong, 26 June 2020

We’ve missed the cinema over the past three months. Last film we saw at the cinema before the first lockdown was National Theatre Live: Frankenstein (Boyle, 2011) on 15 March, with MHFS regular, talented musician and artist, our friend Matt. Little did we know that it would be months before we saw a film again on the big screen. As Melbourne goes into its second lockdown and Lunar Drive In closes its doors again for the next 6 weeks, we reminisce about a night at the Drive In on 26 June.

At the start of June Drive Ins began to open around Melbourne. We were excited to hear this news, missing the big screen, we thought the Drive In ideally setup for COVID-19 end times. They remained open for a month, before closing again. When they reopen, Drive Ins will need our support. 

Dancing hot dog classic Drive In ad from 1957

The first Drive In opened on Crescent Boulevard in Camden in New Jersey, USA on 6 June 1933. Two decades later the first Drive In opened in Australia, the Skyline in Burwood, on 18 February 1954 (closed June 1983). Lunar Drive In opened on 4 May 1956, closed in 1984, then reopened in 2002. Over 330 Drive Ins opened around Australia, Victoria alone had over 50. Drive Ins have struggled to attract audiences over the years, especially with the popularity of the VCR in the 1980s and 1990s. However, Drive Ins found creative ways to bring in the crowds including live music, BBQs, and introducing the double feature in the 1970s and 1980s, which created a market for B grade genre films. Horror fans can thank the Drive In for some of their favourite horror films from this era. 

DAVID’S HISTORY WITH THE DRIVE IN

My first Drive In experience was seeing E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Spielberg, 1982) with my Dad and sister, I was 10 and don’t remember it much. I still have the movie book/magazine that I presume my Dad bought for us. The next adventure was a lot more memorable for me, and it was about 2 years later when I went to the Drive In with my Uncle and cousins to see The Terminator (Cameron, 1984) and Lone Wolf McQuade (Carver, 1983). I didn’t know anything about either film and didn’t know who Arnie was. As you can imagine, I loved The Terminator and can’t remember Lone Wolf McQuade (which I have never got around to rewatching). The local (for me) Drive In closed not long after I went with my Uncle. Sadly I only went twice. :(

NIK’S HISTORY WITH THE DRIVE IN

Mum worked at the Toorak Drive In around 1971 or 1972, she made donuts and worked in the kitchen for about a year. I used to love hearing Mum’s stories about making donuts, skillfully pouring the donut batter into the hot oil, and watching the donuts form. Sadly Toorak Drive In is long gone, it closed in 1984. 

As a teenager I went to the Drive In a few times in Brisbane in the 1990s. It was an event - something nostalgic from the old days which attracted me. I enjoyed the double feature - sometimes enjoying the second film more than the first. I remember Reality Bites (Stiller, 1994), was one of those films shown after the main feature, I can’t even remember what was shown first. 

Lunar Drive In, S Gippsland Hwy, Dandenong, 26 June 2020

HORROR MOVIE MARATHON

The moon was a bright slither in the sky and the clouds threatened rain as we excitedly arrived at Lunar Drive In on Friday 26 June. Scream (Craven, 1996), Nightmare on Elm Street (Craven, 1984), and Friday the 13th (Cunningham, 1980) brought out the horror fans, queued up on S Gippsland Hwy, steam coming off the cars as we waited to buy our movie marathon tickets. 

Drew Barrymore as Casey Becker in the famous opening scene of Scream (Craven, 1996)

It is interesting to see Scream and Nightmare on Elm Street back to back as the main characters (Nancy and Sidney) of both films are quite similar. They are both Final Girls and their struggles are overcome by being smart and resourceful. Nightmare on Elm Street’s Nancy (played by Heather Langenkamp) - what a brave, smart, awesome young woman. Another strong brunette, much like Neve Campbell’s Sidney in Scream. Both studious, independent, not easily swayed by peers, brave, smart, and beautiful brunettes. Both miss their mothers, one brutally murdered, the other alcoholic and a little AWOL at times. Both also had to grow up fast. Nancy and Sidney are strong female characters, perhaps inspired by Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie in Halloween (Carpenter, 1978). 

Sheriff Burke (Deputy Dewey’s boss) in Scream is played by Joseph Wipp who played Sgt Parker in A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Robert Englund as Fred "Freddy" Krueger in Nightmare on Elm Street (Craven, 1984)

The choice of screening these three films was quite unique, as both directors, Wes Craven and Sean S Cunnigham, worked together in the 70s on Last House on the Left (Craven, 1972). Wes was the writer-director, and Sean was the producer. Both went on to have long careers in the horror genre.

Opening credits of Friday the 13th (Cunningham, 1980)

Not long after the opening credits of Friday the 13th (Cunningham, 1980), the rain that had threatened all night finally came, much to our delight as it rained on screen. Guess one of the things that makes Drive Ins so special is that feeling of being in the film, or in a space watching the film. It rained at the Drive In while it rained in the film, making us feel like one of the characters, but luckily without the bloody end.  

HORROR MOVIES SET AT THE DRIVE IN

Need some inspiration for what to watch during lockdown, here are some films set at the Drive In. Imagine watching one of these films at the Drive In. I wonder if we can make a recommendation to Lunar Drive In for when they reopen?!

Ruby (Harrington, 1977) - Ruby Claire owns a drive in where a series of brutal murders take place.

Targets (Bogdanovich, 1968) - The last half of the film is set in a Drive In as they are showing Boris Karloff’s latest film, playing Byron Orlock, and possibly his last film. It is the directorial debut of Peter Bogdanovich.

Drive In Massacre (Segall, 1976) - Well the name pretty much says it all! Fun little low budget slasher film.

Dead End Drive In (Trenchchard-Smith, 1986) - Not really a horror film but an Australian dystopian action film. Story based on Crabs by Peter Carey. 

LINKS

Drive-Ins Downunder 2020, Drive-Ins Downunder, viewed 10 July 2020, http://drive-insdownunder.com.au/

History.com editors 2009, First drive-in movie theater opens, viewed 20 July 2020, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-drive-in-movie-theater-opens 

Lunar Drive-In 2020, Lunar Drive-In, viewed 6 July 2020, http://lunardrive-in.com.au/

National Theatre Live 2020, Frankenstein, viewed 6 July 2020, http://ntlive.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/ntlin4-frankenstein

Pond, J 2018, The 7 Best B-Movies; How the Drive-In Turned Horror Trash to Treasure, viewed 6 July 2020, https://nofspodcast.com/the-7-best-b-movies-how-the-drive-in-turned-horror-trash-to-treasure/

Simpson, M 2016, Remembering Australia’s Drive-ins, viewed 6 July 2020, https://maas.museum/inside-the-collection/2016/02/09/remembering-australias-drive-ins/

Smithsonian Magazine 2020, Dancing Hot Dog, viewed 6 July 2020, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/category/arts-culture/dancing-hot-dog/

The Dead Don’t Die - a review

David Lorensene and Nik McGrath

Do you have a warped sense of humour and enjoy a slow-zombie paced film? The Dead Don’t Die (Jarmusch, 2019) will have you chuckling. The film is slow and shambling, just like a zombie from the film. So is the score, which is static, slow and atmospheric.

Carol Kane as Mallory is hilarious. “Chardonnay!”

Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, in his signature style of long silences and dry dialogue, well-established in his previous work such as “Dead Man” (Jarmusch, 1995), “Coffee and Cigarettes” (Jarmusch, 2003), and “Only Lovers Left Alive” (Jarmusch, 2013). Interesting word choice for the title, especially the use of the word ‘die’ when you consider this is a film about zombies and the end of the world. Sister piece “Only Lovers Left Alive” (2013), use of the word ‘alive’ in the title, is a film about vampires and immortality. We wonder if Jarmusch plans another in this series, perhaps about werewolves?!

Jarmusch pulls together an incredible cast in this low budget indie film, perhaps because he has worked with many of these actors before. Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tom Waits, Chloë Sevigny, Tilda Swindon, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, Rose Perez, Larry Fessenden, Carol Kane, and Iggy Pop.

Left to Right - Adam Driver as Officer Ronnie Peterson, Chloë Sevigny as Officer Mindy Morrison, and Bill Murray as Chief Cliff Robertson.

Something interesting to note is the use of groups of three. Three police officers - Chief Cliff Robertson, Officer Ronnie Peterson, and Officer Mindy Morrison. All three have a surname ending in ‘son’. Three juveniles in detention - Stella, Olivia, and Geronimo. Three hipsters from Cleveland - Zoe, Jack, and Zack. Jack and Zach rhymes. Three regulars in the diner - Lily, Fern, and Hank. Lily and Fern have plant names. Not sure if that’s significant or not.

Left to Right. - Lucka Sabbat as Zack, Selena Gomez as Zoe, Austin Butler as Jack, and Caleb Landry Jones as Bobby Wiggins.

Another interesting correlation is between characters Ronnie and Bobby. They are both geeks, similar age, have impressive knowledge about zombie films, especially “Night of the Living Dead” and “Dawn of the Dead”, and warn everyone they can that zombies are coming and to “kill the head”. They also thrive in the post-apocalypse world.

Tilda Swinton as the Scottish-katana wielding-mortician Zela Winston, does not disappoint.

This film is so meta. The fourth wall is regularly broken, to the audience’s amusement. For instance, a reference to the theme song “The Dead Don’t Die” by Sturgill Simpson, amusing conversations between the Chief and Ronnie about the script, and Bobbie exclaiming proudly, “I’ve nearly seen every zombie film”... Although zombie films are referenced often, The Dead Don’t Die is unique in its reasoning behind the zombie uprising. Not many zombie films have an explanation, exceptions include 28 Days Later (Boyle, 2002), Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (Grau, 1974) and Brain Dead (Jackson, 1992).

Tom Waits as Hermit Bob really ties the film together and his scenes that bookend the film are fantastic.

The Dead Don’t Die was quite dividing amongst reviewers and fans of zombie films when it was released. It is not for everyone, but if you have a quirky sense of humour and like a slow burn then this film is for you.

Here are a few zombie films we recommend (besides the obvious)...

• Living Dead at Manchester Morgue [aka Let Sleeping Corpses Lie] -  Spanish/Italian production

• Nightmare City [aka City of the Walking Dead] (Lenzi, 1980) -  Spanish/Italian production

• Brain Dead [aka Dead Alive] - Peter Jackson’s third feature film; highly recommend if you enjoy the Evil Dead films

• Dellamorte Dellamore (Soavi, 1994) [aka Cemetery Man] - Italian production; Ruppert Everett stars in this crazy time jumping humorous zombie film

Morbid Curiosity: Horror films with Infection and Isolation.

Samuel Dougherty

So it’s been a while since I did the last one of these and quite frankly it’s well overdue. So I thought with the madness of Covid-19 what better time than now to have some fun and look at horror films from the safety of our own homes. I’ve compiled a list of films based around both isolation and infection, two ideas that flow through horror films on a regular basis while being something that people from all walks of life can relate to. Here’s 12 films to watch in self-isolation, feel free to bring a friend… just remember your social distancing.

Isolation is something that can drive us all crazy, and what’s the term we all go to when we’ve been cooped up for too long? Cabin Fever! Eli Roth’s 2002 directorial debut is a perfect look at infection and the insanity that goes along with it. Following a group of friends and their haphazard weekend getaway we get a nice dose of reality when the crew starts to become infected with a flesh-eating virus. Full of gore, and a little bit dated by it’s early 2000’s setting, at the very least this films shows us all why social distancing and self-isolation should be followed in times of infection.

Following along in this vein of infection is The Ruins (Smith, 2008). Starting in a similar arc we watch a group of friends travelling through Mexico on holiday and stumbling along an ancient Mayan ruin deep in the jungle. When the Group tries to leave they are forced back into the ruins by a group of locals who will stop at nothing to keep the horrors within from escaping. Screened by the society in 2016, and with a climax sure to make you weak at the knees, this film is a slow boil full of twists and turns that will make you squirm for weeks after and never let you think of plants in the same way again.

The Ruins 2008

Up next is a double feature for the ages, combining both infection and isolation, REC (Balagueró, Plaza 2007) & REC 2 (Balagueró, Plaza 2009). Exploding out of Spain in 2007/2008, at the height of the found footage renaissance, the first two REC films are a force to be reckoned with. I highly recommend watching them back to back for the best viewing experience. Screened way back in 2010 by the society, the first film follows novice reporter Angela, and her cameraman Pablo, as they follow the local firefighters on their average night out. Things as you may have guessed become much less than average when they take a call to help an old lady in an apartment building after residents hear screams coming from her room. All hell breaks loose and soon the military and police have quarantined the whole building to stop anyone or anything escaping.

One of the better sequels in modern horror history REC 2 picks the action up right where we left off in the first film. This time we follow an elite team equipped with cameras sent into the apartment building from the first film to investigate the situation and assess the quarantine efforts. The film gives a deeper insight into the mythos of the infection seen in the first film while leaving us all feeling just as isolated as before in an environment we thought we knew. REC was remade in 2008 as Quarantine and while many may be familiar with the remake the originals shine through with a greater sense of dread held throughout.

REC 2007

Moving on from isolation and infection on Earth we move to, what is in my opinion, an underrated Sci-Fi-Horror Life (Espinosa, 2017). A big Hollywood cast resides within this film including Ryan Reynolds and Donnie Darko himself Jake Gyllenhaal, but don’t let the star power trick you into thinking this is another lifeless blockbuster. Life puts us in the international space station as the crew aboard examines a new soil sample from Mars that might contain evidence of life. We all know what happens next, they find life and it sure as shit isn’t happy with us. This movie is arguably the best Alien film since, well, Alien (Scott, 1979). We watch as the crew struggles to contain what they have unleashed while feeling the effects of every bone breaking decision made by the crew.

Meanwhile back in the comforts of your local supermarket we can bring you the societal breakdowns and horrors of The Mist (Darabont, 2007). Screened by the society in 2015, Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s work is a harrowing experience. Masterfully showing glimpses of the monsters and horrors that lurk within the mist, we must also suffer though small town paranoia, rumours, expiation, and the breakdown of sanity while stuck in isolation. If you are yet to watch this film I recommend doing the first pass in colour, then re-watching the black and white version if you can get your hands on it. The black and white version harks back to the 50’s and 60’s anti-communism films and has a whole new level of intrigue attached.

The Mist 2007

With most office workers being able to work from home let’s all be thankful we don’t have to be stuck inside with anyone from Greg McLean’s The Belko Experiment (McLean, 2016). While straddling the line between thriller, and horror, this movie takes an old scientific theory of locking different individuals in an enclosed space together and observing what happens, like Big Brother or the Stanford Prison experiment. The exception of this experiment being that if the group doesn’t kill 30 of their workmates within a set time frame then double the amount will be killed by the overseers of the experiment. Balls-to-the-wall insanity ensues as groups are decided and power struggles break out from the ground floor to the roof.

The isolation experiments keep coming with a film screened by the society in 2017, Cube (Natali, 1997). Cube is a psychological thriller revolving around a group of strangers locked inside a labyrinthian prison trying to escape while evading deadly traps. Being stuck with people you don’t know is difficult enough when you can leave the room, but when your only means of escape is trying to overcome each others differences and work together it’s a whole different ball game. This film is a late 90’s gem, and spawned 2 sequels in Cube 2: Hypercube (Sekula, 2002) & Cube Zero (Barbarash, 2004) as well as directly or indirectly inspiring the laser grid sequence from the first Resident Evil (Anderson, 2002).

Cuce 1997

Sticking with the isolation theme is a little New Zealand horror-comedy to lighten the mood, Gerard Johnstone’s Housebound (Johnstone, 2014). NZ are masters of the horror comedy genre and Housebound is no exception. We meet Kylie, a petty criminal, as she fails in her theft of an ATM before being arrested and sentenced to house arrest. Locked in with her mother and stepfather, Kylie soon believes there is a ghost in the walls of the family home that is out to get her, but is this a case of cabin fever or something more sinister? With help from security enforcer/paranormal investigator Amos Kylie will find out what is causing the disturbance in her home.

From the same year is one of the best infection themed movies of the last 10 years, It Follows (Robert Mitchell, 2014). If you’re yet to see this movie due to the hype or uncertainty of what “IT” is then you’re missing out. Part psychological horror, part infection movie, this indie horror is one for the ages. The brooding and unrelenting force that follows teenager Jay after being infected is truly terrifying. Accompanied with an incredible score It Follows is one of those movies where the less that gets said the better. So if you’re in the mood for something creepy this is the movie for you.

Housebound 2014

Last but certainly not least are two classics in horror. You probably already know what they are but let’s put them on the list anyway. First is a film that needs no introduction and one that I mentioned earlier in this piece Alien. We all know it and we all love it, but for those who don’t here’s a little something to spark your imagination. When the Spacecraft Nostromo intercepts a distress signal from planet LV-426 the crew sets out to investigate and finds an alien ship full of an infectious dangerous cargo. In space no one can hear you scream and with Facehuggers, Xenomorphs, psychotic androids & acidic blood dripping there probably won’t be much time to anyway.

Number twelve is The Thing (Carpenter, 1982). It’s on every list of horror films, and for good reason too. What is there to say about this movie that hasn’t been said already? The visual effects are incredible, the cast is amazing, the score is classic. Antarctica is about as isolated as it gets on this planet. To throw in an alien slowly infecting an isolated crew where anybody could be the next host, that’s terrifying. Carpenter’s rendition of John W. Campbell’s novel ‘Who Goes There?’ will remain a staple of the horror genre long into the future, and it’s the perfect movie about isolation, infection and insanity.

The Thing 1982

So there you have it. A list of twelve movies about isolation and infection to get you through this crazy time we’re living in. Special mentions and shout outs to the godfather of the cabin in the woods genre Evil Dead (Raimi, 1981), body horror legend David Cronenberg’s Shivers (Cronenberg, 1975), modern zombie/infection film 28 Days later (Boyle, 2002), George A Romero’s masterpiece Dawn of the Dead (Romero, 1978) and recent society screened film Pontypool (McDonald, 2008). I hope you have enjoyed the list, feel free to add your own or let us and others know about what you think the best isolation and infection movies might be.

Stay safe out there people. 

Remember to keep the social distancing up, at least 1.5 meters, keep washing those hands and stay inside where you can, apart from getting the essentials or exercising. The horror community is strong, and we’ve all seen enough films to know what happens if we don’t listen to the experts, so let’s stay sane and keep each other healthy.

In Fabric - Introduced by MHFS

This is Arcadia and Lido Cinemas have invited MHFS to introduce writer-director Peter Strickland's latest film "In Fabric" at a special screening.

David Lorensene will be saying a few words before the screening about the director, his films, and where "In Fabric" sits within the genre.

"In Fabric" is a story of a cursed dress sold at a London department store to Sheila, played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste. Once Sheila has possession of the dress and wears it, her life is altered in horrifying and hilarious ways.

Please join us for this original take on an old theme - haunted objects - and come have a chat in the foyer after the screening.

Book your ticket to see “In Fabric” with MHFS introduction on Friday the 13th of March at 6:30pm at Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn.

March Screening: RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3

Join us on Tuesday, March 24th (please note, it's the second last Tuesday of this month rather than the last) for the final instalment for 2020 that I (Mel) am focusing on iconic female performances in Horror.

Long before she was the amazing Julie Cooper in The O.C. (if you haven't seen the OC, I'm not being ironic, she / it really was so good), Melinda Clarke played Julie Walker in Brian Yuzna's 1993 film, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 3. Even if you didn't see the movie, anyone that was scouring the local video store shelves in the 90's saw the cover and never forgot her iconic look!

And now's your chance to see the film behind the cover!

We'll be kicking off at 7.30pm in the cinema room, out the back of LongPlay but as usual, you can join us for a drink / bite to eat from around 6/6.30.

Memberships will be available on the night - a mini pass will only set you back $10 and gets you into 3 screenings.

**all proceeds from this night will be donated to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal, so bring extra cash if you'd like to make any further contributions**

We hope to see you all there!

- David, Mel, Adam, Sam & Bob.

Women in Horror Month - Regarding Smoczynka’s The Lure

Terri Berends

The debut feature from Polish director Agnieszka Smoczyńska, The Lure (or Daughters of Dancing) is the story of mermaid sisters Golden and Silver who fall in love with rock and roll then try to make their way in the human world.  Drawing on Smoczynka’s own upbringing in a Soviet era club and on centuries of Mermaid lore, the film touches on themes of transformation, ambition, patriarchy and romance.

Across centuries and cultures mermaids (or variations on the form) have been capricious creatures living beneath the waves.  In the version most people are familiar with they seem to exist only to lure sailors to their doom on long voyages (really not sure what’s in it for the mermaids) or to occasionally shepherd a ship out of danger. See?  Capricious. The most well-known version of this tale (to western ears at any rate) is The Little Mermaid. A fairy tale published by Hans Christian Anderson in 1837 it was popular with children and adults, so much so that the Little Mermaid herself became a symbol of Copenhagen commemorated in a statue in the harbour.

Walt Disney began sketching out a film version of the tale in the 1940’s but war got in the way.  In the late 1980’s Disney again looked at the story and the 1989 release of Disney’s The Little Mermaid is hailed as the beginning of the Disney Renaissance.  Disney’s Little Mermaid is probably the most familiar version of the story to most Westerners.  There are certainly shades of that story in The Lure as well as shades of the original fairy tale.

The lore is similar in both - young mermaids who fall in love with the human world, magical singing voices and the desire to not just live in the human world but to be human, no matter the cost.  

In Disney’s version, Ariel sacrifices her voice in order to get legs, to become human.  In Anderson’s version, the cost is much higher.  Our little mermaid must not only sacrifice her voice but every step she takes it will be like walking on daggers. At the point of transformation, the Sea Witch tells her  “Your tail will then disappear, and shrink up into what mankind calls legs, and you will feel great pain, as if a sword were passing through you.”   The Lure takes things in a slightly different direction.

The lore is common that a mermaid loses her voice when she falls in love with a man.  That, if he marries another, our Mermaid heroine will turn to sea-foam at dawn on the day after his wedding unless she kills him.  

The Lure takes all this history and more and turns it into a coming of age story of two sisters trying to navigate careers, humanity and men.  Many versions of the Mermaid legend depict the mermaids as irresistible, similar to the Sirens of Greek mythology.  Their voices luring men to a watery grave, their enchanting and problematic forms alluring to men and women alike.  The sisters at the heart of The Lure are irresistible as performers and as sexual objects. Everyone is enchanted by them, wants them in some way, wants the ideal, impossible mermaid.  How baffling and traumatic it must be to be wanted by everyone but only as an ideal, never as yourself. The story of The Little Mermaid, the story of The Lure, is what happens when a woman tries to become the Ideal, only to be faced with the fact that even the ideal is somehow not enough.  That her sacrifice will never be enough, that the Ideal is impossible and that the moment reality bleeds through (sometimes quite literally), it all goes horribly wrong.

The Lure will be screened on Tuesday the 25th of February as part of Women in Horror Month. Details can be found here.

MHFS at FFFA: Achoura

Fantastic Film Festival Australia (FFFA) has invited David Lorensene from Melbourne Horror Film Society (MHFS) to introduce and host a Skype Q&A with creator-director-producer Talal Selhami for the Australian premier of his Moroccan-French creature-feature film Achoura (2018).

FFFA is at the Lido Cinemas in Hawthorn from 20 February to 4 March 2020. Festival Director, Hudson Sowada, describes the festival as: “A home for mind-breakers, trend-setters, razor-walkers, loose-wires, truth-talkers, trailblazers and envelope-pushers”. Check out the program here.

Achoura deals with childhood trauma and how it resurfaces in adult life. Memories are distorted as well as minds, and past friendships are reunited. It wears its influences on its sleeve, echoes of Stephen King’s novels and film adaptations of his work. The story follows four children who encounter a creature who is so horrific it alters their lives forever. Filmed around Casablanca, this is the first Moroccan creature feature!

Book your ticket to see Achoura and Q&A with Director Talal Selhami on Monday 2 March at 7pm at Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn.

Women in Horror Month Pt 2: THE LURE

Think comedy, think horror, think romance, think musical.

When special guest presenter, Terri Berends tells us the film she'll be screening this year for Women in Horror Month involves murderous mermaid sisters, and is a retelling of The Little Mermaid, set in 1980's goth rock Poland, we know it's going to be an unmissable night!

Back for her fourth consecutive year presenting for us as part of Women in Horror Month, librarian and lifelong horror aficianado, Terri Berends, will be screening 2015 Polish film, THE LURE, directed by Agnieszka Smoczyńska.

We hope to see all of you there!

David, Mel, Adam, Sam & Bob.

As usual, you'll find us in the second room at LongPlay from around 6pm, then official kick off will be at 7.30 in the cinema room out back.

**All proceeds from this screening, and the first three months of 2020 will be donated to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal**

Flesh, nubile or gnarled: on Marina de Van's In My Skin

Nik McGrath

Still of Marina de Van as Esther, In My Skin (2002)

Marina de Van wrote, starred and directed Dans ma Peau, English title In My Skin, in 2002. A film from the New French Extremity movement, the body horror in this film will make your stomach do backflips. In case you didn’t see the trigger warning on the event page, there are disturbing scenes of self-harm which may be upsetting for some viewers.

In an article entitled “Flesh & blood: sex and violence in recent French Cinema” published in ArtForum in February 2004, ‘New French Extremity’ was first described as, quote “...a cinema suddenly determined to break every taboo, to wade in rivers of viscera and spumes of sperm, to fill each frame with flesh, nubile or gnarled, and subject it to all manner of penetration, mutilation, and defilement”. In My Skin is included in the article as an example of New French Extremity, compared to other films with, quote “extreme vision of women driven to limits of compulsion, sexuality, or violence in their rejection of a world that attempts to constrain or degrade them”. I think In My Skin, 18 years on, is a film just as relevant for contemporary audiences, because it explores the relationship a woman has with her body, something women of all ages and eras can relate.

Still of Béatrice Dalle as Coré, Trouble Every Day (2001)

I chose to screen In My Skin this evening to celebrate Women in Horror Month because it was a stand out film amongst 31 films directed by women that I watched for 31 Days of Horror. The list of films are on the Melbourne Horror Film Society website, if you would like to check them out. Amongst the other 31 films I watched another New French Extremity, a visceral film with little dialogue, Trouble Every Day came out a year before In My Skin, in 2001, directed by Claire Denis. The victims are mostly male, lured for sex to a violent death by a woman who appears to be addicted to sex and blood lust. Trouble Every Day didn’t do well at the box office, perhaps because of one particularly disturbing rape and murder scene, and because the story unfolds sometimes confusingly at a slow pace. Personally I enjoyed the pace of the film, and the gorgeous cinematography. This is a sexy and at times disturbing film. Similarly, In My Skin is erotic in it’s potryal of blood lust and body parts, however the pleasure the heroine receives is from self-inflicted pain rather than inflicting pain on others.

Still of Marina de Van as Esther, In My Skin (2002)

Have you ever picked a scab off and watched the blood trickle down your skin? In My Skin is a film about the morbid fascination Esther, played by Marina, has with her body. The imagery in this film is powerful. Some of the most disturbing scenes are when Esther is alone. When she becomes so obsessed by an injury to her leg, that she cannot stop making herself bleed. 

De Van was asked in an interview if her film is about teenage girls and self-harm. De Van was offended stating the film is not about a teenager, it’s about a woman, and it’s not about self-harm. She wrote In My Skin to ask, quote - “Does this body really belong to me?”; and “what is my relation with it?”

Self-portrait, Herbert Bayer, 1932 / Souce: Tate

There is a surreal scene of Esther out to dinner with clients from her work. Esther’s lost control of her hand which keeps messing about with the food on her plate. Then an extremely surreal moment when Esther looks down at the table and her arm is disconnected from her body. This shot made me think of a black and white photograph by Herbert Bayer taken in 1932, a Self-portrait, where the photographer looks in a mirror at his reflection holding a piece of his arm, thus leaving his other arm hovering and disconnected. 

Still of Esther’s detached arm, In My Skin (2002)

Esther’s clients and her colleague from work do not seem to notice Esther’s distress or see what she sees, i.e. her arm disconnected from her body lying on the table. The scene is almost dream-like, if you’ve ever had a dream when you feel out of control of your body, exposed, embarrassed, and open to ridicule. Have you ever felt disconnected, almost like you’re having an out of body experience? Have you ever felt disconnected from yourself when talking to a group of people? I certainly felt empathy for Esther and her struggles with conforming in society.

Still of Sophie Marceau as Jeanne and Monica Bellucci as Jeanne/Rosa Maria, Don’t Look Back (2009)

From 1993 to 1996 de Van studied cinema at FEMIS in Paris, one of the top international film schools. Before directing her first feature, In My Skin, de Van made six short films, and worked as an actor and writer. Throughout her career, she has continued to direct shorts and feature films, and worked as a writer and actor. The next feature she directed following In My Skin, was Don’t Look Back in 2009 starring Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci. A horror film about a woman whose body begins to transform into someone else. An idea created by de Van and co-written with Jacques Akchoti. Feeling alienated from her body is a theme throughout her work.

Still of Missy Keating as Niamh, Dark Touch (2013)

In 2013 de Van wrote and directed her next horror feature, Dark Touch, set in Ireland about a young girl who makes objects move when she cries. The girl’s parents and baby brother are massacred, but nobody suspects the girl. De Van writes strong female characters, breaking stereotypes, telling stories about girls and women who are complex, flawed, and capable of harming themselves and others in brutal ways. 

Still of Marina de Van, My Nudity Means Nothing (2019)

My Nudity Means Nothing is her latest work in which she wrote, directed and starred, a feature film released in 2019 and screened at the Sydney Film Festival. Lines are blurred between truth and fiction in a self-portrait in which de Van answers her own questions about self-image in a digital age while sitting at home naked and emotionally exposed.

REFERENCES

Media Funhouse 2003, Interview with Marina de Van on her film “In My Skin”, https://youtu.be/tcV1vfrrOec 

Quandt, J 2004, ‘Flesh and blood: sex and violence in recent French cinema’, ArtForum, https://web.archive.org/web/20040810004736/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0268/is_6_42/ai_113389507

Sydney Film Festival 2019, My Nudity Means Nothing, https://www.sff.org.au/program/browse/my-nudity-means-nothing

Women in Horror Month: lists and revelations part 3

Nik McGrath

This article concludes Nik’s 10 stand out films from 31 Days of Horror last October.

American Mary (2012)

Canadian twin sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska wrote, directed, produced and acted in their body horror American Mary (2012). They wrote the role of Mary Mason for Canadian horror queen Katharine Isabelle. Mary is a med student, who desperately needs money and falls into the world of body modification surgery.

Soska Sisters wrote American Mary about their experience in the film industry. “I feel very naked with this new story - which is silly because very little of the script is literal from our lives, but I feel after watching this movie, you will know everything about us” - Sylvia Soska

American Psycho (2000)

“There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman; some kind of abstraction. But there is no real me: only an entity, something illusory. And though I can hide my cold gaze, and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable... I simply am not there” - Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale, American Psycho (2000)

Based on ‘American Psycho’, a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991, screenplay by Mary Harron and Guinevere Turner, directed by Harron. Set in 1980s New York, it highlights a shallow, vain and narcissistic world of investment bankers, and the hollow entrapment of their lives. The cut-throat lifestyle attracts sociopaths, and masks a serial killer in their circle.

Among Friends (2012)

Among Friends (2012), directed by Danielle Harris, screenplay by Alyssa Lobit, who also played one of the lead characters. This indie film is raw, gripping, had me from a few minutes in, then I couldn’t look away. The tagline, ‘This dinner party’s gonna be KILLER’ says it all, really.

Blood & Donuts (1995)

Canadian vampire love story with the sweetest kooky characters, Blood & Donuts (1995) is about a vampire, Boya, who meets taxi-driver Earl on a ride to the cemetery. Later they bump into each other again over coffee and donuts where the bookworm Molly works.

Boya is extremely sensitive and nostalgic for the past, he also protects his new friends Molly and Earl from the local bad guys. Molly doesn’t need protecting. She is not only smart but ready to defend herself with a baseball bat or flick knife... Molly is one cool character.

Canadian director Holly Dale has since made a whole lot of TV, which has kept her consistently in work since the 90s. Sadly Blood & Donuts was the last feature film Dale made.

Suspense (1913)

Lois Weber wrote, directed and starred in short silent film Suspense (1913). Weber was the first American woman to direct a full-length feature film. Phillips Smalley co-directed.

Weber’s character ‘the wife’ is home alone with her baby and notices a man trying to break into her house. Wife calls her husband at work, an early example of split screen is used effectively. Then a car chase, another early example.

A print of the film is held at the British Film Institute archive.

Weber has been credited as having made between 200 to 400 films, however sadly only 20 have survived.

Women in Horror Month: lists and revelations part 2

Nik McGrath

I’ve selected 10 films that stayed with me, that I would recommend, from watching 31 horror film directed by women as part of 31 days of Horror last October. These are all films that I would love to revisit, and even better, see on the big screen. I’ll be screening In My Skin on 11 February for WiHM. I can’t wait to see it on the big screen with an audience!

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

Sublime. The beauty of black and white photography and film - the world seen in tints and tones. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) uses black and white in the most sublime way. A work of art.

The Girl played by Sheila Vand wears black when she’s ‘bad’, and white at home when she listens to her American pop vinyl collection and is ‘good’. Arash wears white when he’s ‘good’, but when he starts going ‘bad’ he wears a black Dracula costume. This symbolic use of black and white, good V bad, is subtle enough that it only occurred to me when I really started to think about the film. I need to see this film again and again and again.

Ana Lily Amirpour wrote, directed and had a small acting part in her film. A short in 2011, this story needed to be told in feature length.

Credit to cinematographer Lyle Vincent for this fine piece of work.

I’ve purposely not mentioned the story or the commentary around the film and the genre, because if you can you should come in dark and let the story reveal itself to you.

Kiss of the Damned (2012

Xan Cassavetes was inspired by Gothic vampire horror films of the 70s in writing and directing Kiss of the Damned (2012). The film poster is clearly inspired by 70s art and design, illustrated by Akiko Strehrenberger and designed by Gravillis Inc.

A story about forbidden love between the beautiful and mysterious vampire Djuna who lives a solitary life, and Paolo, a man who can’t stay away. Things are further complicated when Djuna’s sister Mimi comes to stay bringing danger, temptation and chaos wherever she goes.

This is a beautifully shot film with lovely use of composition and gorgeous subject matter. A feast for your eyes.

The Babadook (2014)

What a tour de force Essie Davis is as Amelia Vanek, widowed mother of Samuel (Noah Wiseman) in The Babadook (2014). Written and directed by Jennifer Kent, based on Kent’s short Monster (2005).

Kent builds the tension and creepiness so much so that I was watching late at night alone, and had to stop. The story feeds off our fear of what lurks in the corner of the room, the creeks in your house at night, and grief... Amelia is grief-stricken, raising Samuel who is considered strange by other children and adults alike. They are isolated by society for being the ‘hysterical grieving woman’ and strange little boy. Really, they are just the most beautiful two souls you would ever meet, who are unique and splendidly strange in their own ways. Who cares what society thinks.

Alexander Juhasz, book designer, illustrator and paper engineer, created the design of the character The Babadook and the pop-up book for the film. Juhasv worked with Kent to create a Babadook that “sufficiently disturbed” them both, as Juhasv explains on his website. The pop-up book was hand crafted and painted. Such fine and complicated work to create the mechanisms of the pop-up.

“It’s finger-lickin’ GOOD!” - Bill Paxton playing Severen, licking the blood off his fingers.

Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark (1987) came out the same year as another vampire movie The Lost Boys but sadly didn’t do as well at the box office. This is a fun film, written by Bigelow and Eric Red, coming out the year after Aliens (1986), which also starred Lance Henriksen and Jenette Goldstein. This was no coincidence as Bigelow and James Cameron we’re dating at the time. I liked the western farmer boy twist to this vampire story, and refreshingly no fangs. Not that I have anything against vampire tropes.

Dans Ma Peau (2012)

This film leaves you with her staring eyes looking straight through you... Marina de Van directed, starred, and wrote Dans Ma Peau (2002), English title In My Skin. Come along to the screening to hear my thoughts on the film.

So this February, make sure to catch a film directed by a woman and share it online using hashtag #WiHM and #womeninhorror, and let me know what you think of my list, and if you have any films to add! Hope to catch you at a WiHM screening at MHFS!

Women in Horror Month: lists and revelations

Nik McGrath

About WiHM

Women in Horror Month (WiHM) celebrates its 11th year in 2020! The international movement is about acknowledging, sharing and celebrating works by and featuring women in the horror genre. It’s also about creating a database of WiHM events and projects in February. 

I first became aware of WiHM thanks to Mel’s brilliant work at the Melbourne Horror Film Society (MHFS)! Her screening of Goodnight Mommy (2014) in February 2017, written and directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, was the first WiHM screening at MHFS. I found something in horror that I could truly relate to and feel passionately about, horror directed by women featuring stories about women. 

Goodnight Mommy (2014)

This inspired me to create a list (I’m an archivist, we love lists!) of Horror Films Directed by Women on Letterboxd. So far I have 131 films listed. I’ve only seen 29% on this list! I’ve found many of these films are really hard to come by, but the challenge makes the discoveries all the more sweet.  

My History with Horror

I’ve become a horror fan over the past 3 years or so through my exposure to many brilliant films at MHFS, and the passion of horror fans. Before I became a regular at MHFS, I dabbled in horror films. 

One of the biggest impacts a horror film had over me from a very early age was seeing Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) possibly a decade after it came out. I saw it late one night on TV, refusing to go to bed, I was captivated by the soundscape, the screams, and the suspense. Mum would put her hands over my eyes every time the shark appeared, but that only further ignited my imagination. I think I was about 5 years old. Fast forward to the first year of high school and I used a sample of John Williams’ iconic score in a drama class interpretive dance with a group of classmates. I’ve seen Jaws so many times now, it has become part of my psyche. I love this film.

Another iconic horror film which left a big impression on me at high school was Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960). I had a friend who was obsessed with Anthony Perkins. Then I had an English teacher who would roll the TV and VCR into the classroom, and rather than teach, she would put on a vampire film then leave the room. We saw so many vampire films. I remember seeing F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922) and Joel Schumacher’s The Lost Boys (1987).  

Why do I mention all these men when I should be talking about women in horror? I wanted to make the point that historically women have not had the same opportunities to direct and feature in films as men, and this is especially prevalent in horror.

31 Days of Horror

So, to further my horror education, last year I decided to watch a horror film every day of October, all directed by women. In alphabetical order, here are the 31 films I watched:

1. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014), director Ana Lily Amirpour

2. American Mary (2013), directors Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska

3. American Psycho (2000), director Mary Harron

4. Among Friends (2012), director Danielle Harris

5. Blood & Donuts (1995), director Holly Dale 

6. Blood Diner (1987), director Jackie Kong 

7. Blood Punch (2014), director Madellaine Paxson

8. Carrie (2013), director Kimberly Pierce 

9. Faust et Méphistophèles (1903), director Alice Guy (world's first female director)

10. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), director Rachel Talalay

11. Honeymoon (2014), director Leigh Janiak

12. In My Skin (2002), director Marina de Van

13. Jennifer’s Body (2009), director Kathryn Kusama

14. Kiss of the Damned (2012), director Xan Cassavetes 

15. Mirror Mirror (1990), director Marina Sargenti 

16. Near Dark (1987), director Kathryn Bigelow

17. Pet Sematary (1989), director Mary Lambert

18. Pet Sematary 2 (1992), director Mary Lambert

19. Ravenous (1999), director Antonia Bird

20. Razor Tooth (2007), director Patricia Harrington

21. Silent House (2011), directors Laura Lau and Chris Kentis

22. Slumber Party Massacre (1982), director Amy Holden Jones

23. Slumber Party Massacre II (1987), director Deborah Brock

24. Slumber Party Massacre III (1990), director Sally Mattison

25. Suspense (1913), director Lois Weber (first American woman to direct a full-length feature film)

26. The Babadook (2014), director Jennifer Kent 

27. The Being (1983), director Jackie Kong

28. The Bye Bye Man (2017), director Stacy Title 

29. The Last Supper (1995), director Stacy Title 

30. The Mafu Cage / Don't Ring the Doorbell (1978), director Karen Arthur

31. Trouble Every Day (2001), director Claire Denis

Watching horror directed by women every day for 31 days led me to make an observation about myself. I enjoy films directed by women, because women often have to fight to have their stories told. Many of the directors of these films also wrote the story, and produced. I can’t say I loved every film on this list, but I was happy to watch all of these films and support the work of female filmmakers.

Nik can be found on Instagram @bleedingheartprints and Twitter @n_l_mcgrath

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This is the first of a 3 part article by Nik McGrath, who will also be screening Dans Ma Peau (2002) as part of Women in Horror Month on Tuesday the 11th of February. You can find the event details here.

Part 2

Part 3

Interview David Pether, director of Ashburn Waters

With the upcoming screening of his award winning Australian horror film Ashburn Waters at IMAX on the 4th of February, we sat down with director David Pether to discuss his inspirations, the state of independent film making in Australia and memories from on location.

Tickets to the IMAX screening are available to purchase here

So, first things first, what got you into the horror genre?

Funnily enough, I never liked horror movies as a kid. Jaws scared the absolute bejeezus out of me and I still have vivid, horrifying memories of watching Halloween: H20 at a birthday party sleepover and having to continuously find excuses to leave the room so the other boys wouldn’t judge me for being so terrified! It wasn’t until I saw Freddy vs. Jason in cinemas in 2003 that I realised that horror could be fun, as well as scary. I then went on a horror binge, and found that I enjoyed the adrenaline rush that comes with a good scare, and have been chasing it ever since. 

Besides the obvious, what films inspired Ashburn Waters?

The obvious being the Friday the 13th series, which after seeing Freddy vs. Jason, quickly became my favourite horror film franchise (team Jason all the way!). When coming up with ideas for a feature horror script I decided I should stick with what I know well, the camping horror film. But also, at the time the Paranormal Activity films were huge, and I really admired how they could give this demon such a presence without actually ever showing it. Jaws is also a great example of this, you barely see the shark until the end, and that makes it so much scarier. Your imagination is always going to present you with a much more terrifying image than I can ever show you, so I wanted to play with that idea for the majority of Ashburn Waters. You could say we tried to make Jaws in a campsite!

As an independent film maker, what is your favourite part of the production process / or favourite role?

Definitely the moment that everybody starts to gel on set. Usually a few days into the shoot, when everybody hits their straps and the shots just start flowing. You become a little family, and its beautiful. As a director, it’s the best feeling when everybody believes in you and your vision.

What inspired you to make a feature length film?

We had made a few short films and they weren’t really getting us anywhere. We might make it into a few film festivals here and there, then eventually we would release it online and it would just fade in obscurity. Plus, it’s really hard to make any money with a short, so we thought why not try for a feature? We felt like we had enough experience and dedication that we could pull it off. It took a lot longer than we expected, but we did it!

What’s the best memory you have from working on Ashburn Waters?

The production of Ashburn Waters has become a bit of a blur over the years, there were a lot of ups and downs. But I have to say my most cherished memory now is when I was finally able to screen the completed film for friends and family that have been asking for years ‘When can I see your movie?’ Their reaction nearly brought me to tears, it was so vindicating.

Working with your brother, was it easier or harder than working with non-related actors / did you treat him differently?

Working with Adam was an absolute treat. In a lot of ways, it was easier because I already know him well and know how to talk to him. I did have him doing things that I never would have asked the other actors though! But only because I knew he would do them! He did his own stunts without the luxury of pads, there’s a scene where he rolls down a hill and he rolled his ankle pretty bad during that shot. But he just shook it off. There was one time though where I had him jump into the river to check for sharp sticks, so the other actors wouldn’t get hurt. Haha that was a bit rough. There were no sharp sticks, so all was good! He might tell you differently…

Having worked on this film for nearly a decade, what’s kept you motivated through the ever-changing horror landscape?

The main thing that was spurring me on was the fact that we had come this far and I refused to give up. Too many people had put their, time, passion and talent into Ashburn Waters to let it die off. The timing of the film’s completion has actually turned out to be quite fortuitous for us though, as horror is pretty hot right now. Where is when we filmed it, horror wasn’t really selling well.

If you could pick one icon from movie history to work with, who would it be, and why?

I would love to work with Rob Zombie. I’m a huge fan of his movies and his music and think he’s living the dream being able to do both at such a high level. If I could pick his brain and pick up a few of his tricks and techniques, I’d love to bring that to my next film.

What do you think the state of independent horror film production is like in Australia?

It’s getting stronger and stronger because filmmakers like myself are just going out and making these movies ourselves, rather than waiting for someone to tell us we can. Film equipment is becoming so much more financially accessible and making horror on the cheap can make it more appealing. The cheaper and nastier the better, I say! But we could do with more support from governing bodies and investors. There is some great talent in Australia, we just need the chance to show what we can do.

In turn, what has your experience been like with the Australian horror fan community during your showings and promotion of Ashburn Waters?

The Australian horror fan community is strong and hungry. Once they became aware of our film and the fact that it’s an Aussie creature-feature, a lot of fans really got behind it. Especially you guys at the Melbourne Horror Film Society, you’ve really taken me in and believed in my film. Another happy little family, I love it.

Do you have plans to make another film, and are you wanting to stick with the horror genre, or would you like to diversify into a different area?

I have an idea for an action/horror film, that instead of the slow burn type of horror that Ashburn Waters is, would be more of a balls-to-the-wall gratuitous, gorefest. I just think that would be so much fun to make! But in sharp contrast, I’m also working on a supernatural love story script. And before you go ahead and judge me saying ‘Aww like Twilight?’ I’d say… yeah, kinda. But more on the horror side of things. I’d also love to make a comedy! 

Now, you’ve had a young boy, Kit, recently. Do you think being a father will change your writing or filmmaking?

Absolutely. Ashburn Waters is a film about a guy getting over is ex-girlfriend when you really boil it down. That’s because I was going through a break up when I wrote the script. I’ve found that since Kit was born, I’ve really started to lean towards more family-based stories, especially in horror. I know this is kind of blasphemy as a horror fan, but I never really dug Stephen King’s work until I found out I was going to be a Dad. Then I saw the latest Pet Sematary movie, and something clicked. I think my writing will reflect those priorities in my life now.

Have you got any tips for aspiring film makers in Australia?

If you want to make a movie, go out and do it. Know that it’s a lot of work, but if you really want it, you can do it. Make friends with people who want to make the same kinds of movies that you do and then back each other to do it. It’s not impossible, you just have to be patient and know it won’t happen overnight. I certainly learned that! But I couldn’t be prouder now.

MHFS Excursion to IMAX: Ashburn Waters

Melbourne Horror Film Society invites everyone on an excursion to IMAX Melbourne to see award winning, Aussie indie horror film, ASHBURN WATERS (2019).

David Pether, a regular, and good friend of MHFS, is the writer, producer and director of ASHBURN WATERS. It has been a 6 year journey for David and his crew at Shadow Fish Pictures in making this film. Filmed on the Gold Coast, premiered at Bayside Film Festival in October, now it's going to be at IMAX!

Winner of best foreign film at Upstate NY Horror Film Festival, winner of the best feature film at the Bayside Film Festival, and screened at the Toronto Indie Horror Fest! This film has been around the world!

When Brett agreed to join his friends on a high school reunion camping trip, he thought the height of his worries would be dealing with his ex-girlfriend and her new flame. But little did he know that the campground, Ashburn Waters, had been closed due to unexplained murders and now his friends are falling victim to the campground's curse, one by one.

What is killing the campers at Ashburn Waters?

After the film, you'll also get to enjoy a Q&A with David Pether, and hosted by Mark Santomartino from Channel 9.

We'd really like to get as many people there as possible to support local talent and to ensure events like this happen again in the future! Tickets are available now on the IMAX website at a special discounted price of $25 a ticket, and we'll organise pre and post screening catch ups closer to the date!

Looking forward to seeing you there. Bob, David, Mel, Adam, Sam.

Women in Horror Month pt 1 - Dans Ma Peau

After running a killer screening in 2019, archivist, complete horror convert and glue of the MHFS community, Nicole McGrath joins us again as guest presenter for part one of our Women in Horror Month screenings for 2020.

Have you ever picked a scab off and watched the blood trickle down your skin?

Marina de Van directed, starred, and wrote DANS MA PEAU (2002), English title IN MY SKIN. A film from the New French Extremity, the body horror in this film will make your stomach do backflips.

As with many body horror's, the content can be quite confronting and there will be absolutely no judgement if people need to look away from the screen, let out shrieks, or find it a bit too much but we still urge everyone to come along and atleast listen to what will be an informative introduction.

Facebook Event here

This first of our Women in Horror screening will be on Tuesday the 11th of February. As usual, we'll be hanging in the second room at LongPlay from around 6pm and everyone is invited to come along for a pre-drink / eat before kick off at 7.30 in the rear cinema space. **All proceeds from this night will again be donated to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal to help those in need** Hope to see you all there. David, Mel, Adam, Sam and Bob.

December Screening _ The Blair Witch Project

Join us on the 10th for our final fearful adventure for the year.
We'll revisit a film that was released 20 years ago but tapped into our timeless fear of what we can't comprehend.

We'll be chilling in the second room of Long Play and discussing what we have watched over the last month from 6'ish - come and say hi!

Bob, David, Mel, Adam & Sam

PS Society membership is required to attend the film screening, memberships can be purchased on the night starting at $10.

November Screening - The Brood

Horror is often the practice of ingesting our collective anxieties and regurgitating them back at us in a more palatable form. With The Brood, David Cronenberg stewed his own mental anguish from a recent relationship breakdown in a broth that included a dollop of his usual fascination with the human body. Into that he mixed contemporary societal anxiety about psychiatry driven by tragic outcomes from experiments with psychopharmaceuticals such as those at Oak Ridge in Ontario. Having aged for 40 years, this stew is ready for another tasting.

Join us on the 26th and decide for yourself whether or not Cronenberg succeeded in the kitchen.

We'll be chilling in the second room of Long Play and discussing what we have watched over the last month from 6'ish - come and say hi!

Bob, David, Mel, Adam & Sam

PS Society membership is required to attend the film screening, memberships can be purchased on the night starting at $10.

July Screening - Pontypool

Starting a 3 part series looking at films which intersect ideas of infection and possession comes the Canadian Film Pontypool. Based on the novel Pontypool Changes Everything a shock rock DJ is alone in the booth as calls start coming in about strange behaviour, murder and infection.

Trailer in the comments and remember, kill is kiss.

Join us on the 3th, we will be having dinner in the second room of Long Play and discussing what we have watched over the last month. We will be around from 6 pm. Facebook event here

Bob, David, Mel, Adam & Sam

Memberships are required to attend our screenings and will be available to purchase on the night.
Mini memberships give you access to 3 screenings for $10.
Full memberships cover you for 12 screenings and will set you back $30

**PLEASE NOTE** LONGPLAY BAR SEATS A MAXIMUM OF 25 PEOPLE, SO GET IN EARLY!

WOMEN IN HORROR MONTH: THE BIRTHDAY PARTY AND OFFICE KILLER

Nik McGrath

Still of Carol Kane as Dorine Douglas in OFFICE KILLER, 1997

Women in Horror Month turns 10 this year! On 12 February I screened short film THE BIRTHDAY PARTY directed by Annie Clark, co-written with Roxanne Benjamin, from 2017 all-female horror anthology XX; followed by 1997 feature OFFICE KILLER, directed by Cindy Sherman, story by Sherman and Elise MacAdam. I think it’s interesting to compare these films, made 20 years apart. Both films at their core have a relationship between a mother and daughter. THE BIRTHDAY PARTY is from the mother’s perspective and OFFICE KILLER is from the daughters. That’s not why I chose to show these films together, they share something else in common. See the films, if you haven’t already, I’m interested in what you think. 

Annie Clark, aka St Vincent, made her directing debut with THE BIRTHDAY PARTY. St Vincent is a musician based in New York, who says she’s “really caught the bug” and hopes to direct again in the future. 

St Vincent prescribes to the Nick Cave method of making music, working from 10am to 7pm, experimenting and writing until something good comes out. She’s a gifted guitar player. She started playing when she was 12 years old. St Vincent listens to a Bowie track every day. Check out the J Files - St Vincent podcast from 2017, it doesn’t cover her film, but has interesting insights about her creative process.

Still of Melanie Lynskey as Mary in THE BIRTHDAY PARTY, 2017

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY stars Melanie Lynskey, who Clark chose for this role. Clark said, "She’s truly one of my absolute favourite actors of all time.” XX features 3 out of 5 stories about mothers and their children. Lynskey plays a mother, Mary, who is trying to make a perfect birthday party for her daughter Lucy, until things go horribly wrong.

Shock Waves interviewed 3 out of the 5 directors of XX in episode 38. Can’t rave about this episode enough - it’s a true insight about the challenges female filmmakers face in a male dominated industry. Clark wasn’t one of the 3, but Roxanne Benjamin who co-wrote THE BIRTHDAY PARTY is. Clark was a bit of a wild card as a musician who had never made a film. Clark was excited to make something creative, even on a small budget. Interestingly, Clark is not a horror fan.

OFFICE KILLER is directed by one of our greatest living photographers, Cindy Sherman. Sherman’s work as a photographer is cinematic, featuring herself as the model, using costumes and dramatic lighting, often in her home studio, to create subversive female characters. Her work as a photographer translates beautifully to film.

Untitled #122, Cindy Sherman, 1983

I discovered Cindy Sherman’s photographs in high school. I was obsessed with photography, I spent lunchtimes in the darkroom - it was one of my favourite place to escape. Sherman was an inspiration because her work commented on the portrayal of women in mass media. 

If you’re interested in learning more about Sherman’s work, I recommend a doco, Nobody’s Here But Me from 1994 available on YouTube. Sherman states: “Movies are one of my biggest influences. Many of my favourite movies are horror movies. I just like being scared, I guess. It creates an adrenaline rush that’s like being on a rollercoaster ride. Terrifying on the one hand, but you feel this ride eventually stops and you can get off and go home. It was a movie, and it was all fake blood. There’s something calming about it. Something that makes you feel secure with your life cause you can experience this horror that perhaps we all have about death and violence, and somehow come to terms with it”. Sherman became obsessed with death and violence after moving to New York. 

My introduction to Sherman’s photographs was around the time her film was released back in 1997. Sadly the film didn’t reach Australia, which is a shame, because I would have loved to see this in the cinema, especially at a time when I was just beginning to learn about Sherman’s work. The film didn’t receive much attention by critics until a book was published in 2014, CINDY SHERMAN’S OFFICE KILLER ANOTHER KIND OF MONSTER by Dahlia Schweitzer. Schweitzer’s analysis of the film includes some interesting observations. She argues that OFFICE KILLER is a mix of three genres - horror, noir, and comedy. She blames the fusion of genres for OFFICE KILLER’S lack of commercial success. 

Sherman doesn’t like art historians and critics dissecting her work. She says that she works intuitively. She’s not interested in theories about the intentions behind her photographs, but finds it amusing how far critics will go to make their theories fit her work.

Carol Kane stars in OFFICE KILLER as Dorine Douglas, a magazine editor. I find her eyebrows unnerving, they add to her performance. Costume designer Todd Thomas created Dorine’s costume, but Sherman drew on Dorine’s eyebrows.

Still of Carol Kane as Jill Johnson in WHEN A STRANGER CALLS, 1979

Carol Kane was not new to horror when she played Dorine Douglas in 1997. In 1978 she starred in THE MAFU CAGE, also directed by a woman, Karen Arthur, and in 1979 she starred in WHEN A STRANGER CALLS. Her big eyes are perfect for horror, they are so expressive. 

Molly Ringwald plays Kim Poole. In a recent interview at The Broad, an art museum in LA, Ringwald said the budget for costumes was $15 per character, so she bought her own wardrobe of black office wear to the set. Sherman said, “no no no, Kim is all colour”. Ringwald went on to say that “most of the direction I got from her was visual. We were a photograph come to life; because of Cindy’s eye, and because she is an artist, it became a piece of art.”

REFERENCES

Art History Babes (8 June 2018), Cindy Sherman, [podcast],  https://www.arthistorybabes.com/episode-89-cindy-sherman/ 

BBC Arena (1994) Cindy Sherman - Nobody’s Here But Me, [documentary] https://youtu.be/UXKNuWtXZ_U 

Loughrey, C (2017) St Vincent interview: Annie Clark on all-female horror anthology XX, plus Danny Elfman’s dead cat, https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/xx-annie-clark-st-vincent-interview-dvd-release-date-the-birthday-party-directorial-debut-melanie-a7717906.html?amp

Pike, G (10 August 2017) The J Files - St Vincent, [podcast],  https://www.abc.net.au/doublej/programs/the-j-files/st-vincent/10274468 

Schweitzer, D (2014) Cindy Sherman’s Office Killer Another Kind of Monster, Intellect, Bristol

Shock Waves (10 February 2017), Episode 38: The Directors of XX, [podcast], http://podbay.fm/show/1109880594/e/1486728000?autostart=1 

The Broad (n.d.), Molly Ringwald on the Office Killer film, [podcast], https://www.thebroad.org/content/office-killer-molly-ringwald 

Women in Horror Month: The Birthday Party & Office Killer

As part of Women in Horror month Nik McGrath will be screening short film THE BIRTHDAY PARTY directed by Annie Clark and co-written with Roxanne Benjamin from all-female horror anthology XX (2017) followed by feature OFFICE KILLER (1997) directed and co-written by Cindy Sherman. THE BIRTHDAY PARTY stars Melanie Lynskey, who plays a mother, Mary, who is trying to make a perfect birthday party for her daughter Lucy, until things go horribly wrong. Carol Kane stars in OFFICE KILLER as Dorine Douglas, a magazine editor who is underestimated by her co-workers with murderous consequences.

We'll be around from 6pm.

Bob, David, Mel, Adam & Sam...and Nik!

Memberships are required to attend our screenings and will be available to purchase on the night.
Mini memberships give you access to 3 screenings for $10.
Full memberships cover you for 12 screenings and will set you back $30

**PLEASE NOTE** LONGPLAY BAR SEATS A MAXIMUM OF 25 PEOPLE, SO GET IN EARLY!