I watched Prince of Darkness after I watched this, but while it had a couple of really creepy scenes I didn't feel like it held together as well. The creepy stuff is very good, though—the scene with the guy made of bugs is gonna haunt me.
Yeah I feel like it has so many good ideas -- teams of scientists from different disciplines investigating the paranormal, transmitting messages from the future into dreams via tachyons, Alice Cooper -- but it never really comes together.
yes! and the broadcasts are soooo good… I feel like ultimately the movie is too long, maybe. The first half feels like it never gets going and the second half is too packed.
I also felt like the movie had this interesting idea of the Catholic Church being a cover up organization, but one that dealt with a real supernatural thing—kind of like the X-Files episodes that suggest the government does fake UFOs to discredit real UFOs—but then it was like it didn't really know where to go with that twist and it didn't seem to matter much to the actions the priest ultimately takes.
-Things becoming always having been that way-- that's kind of what the comic The Department of Truth is about, possibly worth a look on your ongoing engagement with comics
-The section above on the degree to which this whole movie is lovecraftian, and its particular themes, reminds me of the intro to the collection "The Hastur Cycle," by some lovecraftian scholar, whose name escapes me, but whom, I believe, did eventually go insane (?). The basic argument he put forward was that Lovecraftian fiction entirely is a misnomer, and instead of the "Cthulhu mythos," all that stuff should be called "the Hastur Mythos," because Hastur is the central figure in the fiction of Robert Chambers, and Lovecraft et al were very heavily building on Chambers' style (and his mythology). Anyway, the movie feels very King in Yellow to me, on a literal level because fiction is affecting reality and making people go insane, but on a thematic level in how author/ audience takes on cosmic importance.
Regarding Stuart Gordon, I really like Re-Animator and don’t remember it being rapey in that way, though it’s been a long time and I could be forgetting something. Castle Freak is absolutely unpleasant in this way. I’ve never seen From Beyond and only know that someone gets skeletonized by bugs
Re-Animator for sure has weird sex stuff and iirc it was definitely kinda rapey. Source: I watched it not super long ago with my husband and we were both uncomfortable enough to fast-forward through most of the scene in question, lol.
yeah I would enjoy something that's an investigation into why Lovecraft movies tend to be incredibly horny when his stories are almost pointedly not.… But I do not think I want to be the one to write it.
incredible Balto pull
thank you for appreciating it
Great post! Any chance you could be persuaded to do Prince of Darkness?
that said if I rewatch Prince of Darkness it might pop up in the capsule reviews (but probably not its own post)
I watched Prince of Darkness after I watched this, but while it had a couple of really creepy scenes I didn't feel like it held together as well. The creepy stuff is very good, though—the scene with the guy made of bugs is gonna haunt me.
Yeah I feel like it has so many good ideas -- teams of scientists from different disciplines investigating the paranormal, transmitting messages from the future into dreams via tachyons, Alice Cooper -- but it never really comes together.
The bug guy is great and so is the mirror scene in the finale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMWQ3STAlak
yes! and the broadcasts are soooo good… I feel like ultimately the movie is too long, maybe. The first half feels like it never gets going and the second half is too packed.
I also felt like the movie had this interesting idea of the Catholic Church being a cover up organization, but one that dealt with a real supernatural thing—kind of like the X-Files episodes that suggest the government does fake UFOs to discredit real UFOs—but then it was like it didn't really know where to go with that twist and it didn't seem to matter much to the actions the priest ultimately takes.
-I'm very glad you finally got to see this!
-and I'm more glad that you did not die
-Weird Studies is excellent!
-Things becoming always having been that way-- that's kind of what the comic The Department of Truth is about, possibly worth a look on your ongoing engagement with comics
-The section above on the degree to which this whole movie is lovecraftian, and its particular themes, reminds me of the intro to the collection "The Hastur Cycle," by some lovecraftian scholar, whose name escapes me, but whom, I believe, did eventually go insane (?). The basic argument he put forward was that Lovecraftian fiction entirely is a misnomer, and instead of the "Cthulhu mythos," all that stuff should be called "the Hastur Mythos," because Hastur is the central figure in the fiction of Robert Chambers, and Lovecraft et al were very heavily building on Chambers' style (and his mythology). Anyway, the movie feels very King in Yellow to me, on a literal level because fiction is affecting reality and making people go insane, but on a thematic level in how author/ audience takes on cosmic importance.
I will get that collection! And I'm bookmarking The Department of Truth.
Regarding Stuart Gordon, I really like Re-Animator and don’t remember it being rapey in that way, though it’s been a long time and I could be forgetting something. Castle Freak is absolutely unpleasant in this way. I’ve never seen From Beyond and only know that someone gets skeletonized by bugs
If somebody else vouches for Reanimator I’ll consider it but if you’re wrong I will exact TERRIBLE REVENGE
Re-Animator for sure has weird sex stuff and iirc it was definitely kinda rapey. Source: I watched it not super long ago with my husband and we were both uncomfortable enough to fast-forward through most of the scene in question, lol.
yeah I would enjoy something that's an investigation into why Lovecraft movies tend to be incredibly horny when his stories are almost pointedly not.… But I do not think I want to be the one to write it.
Ahh! It’s been too long and I don’t know if I vouch for it that strongly. Also the first thing they reanimate is a cat :(
coincidentally my revenge also involves a cat (sending your cat a giant box of lizards)
Lmao okay now I’m scared
Did you ever see Sam Neill in the old BBC series Riley Ace of Spies? He's only sort of crazy there, but there are a few good instances of that grin!
Such a great series.
I have NOT but now I'm investigating its streaming options…