kindertrauma

Month: December 2013

Traumafession:: Dustin in Minnesota on The Water Babies (1978)

Posted on By unkle lancifer

Greetings, fear fans!

I had a memory trigger today that reminded me of one of my childhood fear films—1978's The Water Babies, a half live action/half animated tale of a chimney sweep who jumps into a river to avoid accusations of theft—and discovers an underwater world there.

The part that always creeped me out was this floating face of this woman who would pop up in different parts of the film, always in different roles. The face was live action, superimposed over whatever else was going on at that time. I believe she played six different roles in the film, the creepiest of which was near the beginning. As Tom, the hero, was running from people falsely accusing him of theft, her face pops up in black and white and whispers, "Run, boy—run!"

To a young mind, disembodied floating faces can always give chills.

Dustin in Minnesota

UNK SEZ: Ack! I found the offering scene! It happens about 30 seconds into the segment below. You're right, that lady is creepy as hell. She kinda acts like a whispering witch accuser and how dare she break the fourth wall and stare at me directly! Thanks Dustin! You always have interesting traumafessions!

Lake of the Dead (1958)

Posted on By unkle lancifer

I'm terribly sick and I have an awful cold. No, I don't. I'm totally lying so that I can hide in a bed with a blanket on my head. I don't want to do anything but read today because I'm in the middle of STEPHEN KING's DOCTOR SLEEP! The world really should just grind to a halt until I'm done. Is that too much to ask? The problem is, I'll feel like a rat if I don't post something so here I am, can you tell that my mind is elsewhere?

I have an idea! Let us talk for a moment about a movie I watched late the other night on the greatest invention known to man, YouTube! It's called LAKE OF THE DEAD, it's in black and white and it's from Norway circa 1958. In it, a group of chums travel to a lake that has a dark reputation where they freak each other out trying to figure out why the guy who was supposed to meet them there is missing and his dog is suspiciously dead.

LAKE is rather talky and houses stories within stories, some more intriguing than others. I probably would have been happier with a few more things left unexplained but I sure can't fault LAKE OF THE DEAD on its atmosphere. It's got such a haunting, lyrical, dreamy quality and one scene, depicting a transparent ghost guy crawling out of the lake, chilled me right to the bone. If you are a fan of 1945's DEAD OF NIGHT or even 1979's SCREAMS OF A WINTER NIGHT, you should get a kick out of this. I don't know, I'm just an absolute sucker for that cabin by a lake setting and LAKE OF THE DEAD really knows how to take advantage of it. You can watch LAKE below or better yet, wait until later tonight to do so. Sorry this is so short but LAKE OF THE DEAD, at 70 minutes, isn't exactly long either. Plus I gotta get back to my book! And I'm sick! I have the flu! Just take a look at this thermometer I was holding next to a light bulb for twenty minutes! It says my temperature is 150!

Sunday Viewing:: Iced (1988)

Posted on By unkle lancifer

Today's viewing selection ICED, (1988) was recommended by our old pal Amanda By Night of MADE FOR TV MAYHEM fame. It's an eighties slasher flick that takes place in an isolated ski cabin so how can it not be good? But it's not good! In fact, the first death, the catalyst for all the bloodshed to follow, involves a guy lamely falling on some rocks! Falling on some rocks is no way to die in a slasher movie! This did not bode well. I began to wonder if Amanda was in her right mind recommending ICED. She has been a little overworked lately. Maybe she needed a vacation in a ski lodge and that explained her attraction to this abomination! I decided to watch on regardless and have some faith in my friend and I'm glad I did. ICED is like skiing itself, you have to slog up a steep hill but once you get to a certain point, you can just let go and let gravity do the rest. I suppose you have to wait for ICED to reprogram your head and dismantle your defenses. Once you get it into your brain that logic and reason are far from welcome ideas in the world of ICED it is a non-stop party…a joyride even! You do not change ICED, ICED changes you!

There's no point of me telling you the plot because you already know it and it would be folly to attempt to list this film's crimes against reason because they are legion. You may be thinking, "Hahaha, another campy cheesefest how cute!" No, no, no. You do not understand ICED. This movie is gloriously, joyously, spectacularly inept and lives on a level all by itself. Nobody can even talk like a normal human for one second in this move. The dialogue will tattoo itself upon your heart and stay there until the day you are dead. Even more bizarre than the movie's inanity is the uncomfortable fact that its prerequisite chase finale is actually rather rousing! How is that possible? I dunno. It shouldn't be. I blame the score and what a score it is!

Let me add too that here are some real stand outs in this cast and its very difficult for me to pick a favorite but I'm heavily leaning toward "Jeanette" (THE ADDAMS FAMILY's LISA LORING) who has some major relationship issues and Carl (RON KOLOGIE) who has a tiny, tiny, ponytail. It's too bad that Carl feels the need to sexually assault poor Jeanette but I guess it's okay because she relaxes in a hot tub afterward. I could go on and on and on except I can't because frankly, I'm a touch hung over having stayed up too late last night with some whiskey watching ICED for a second time! Is there any better testament to its awesomeness than that? Oh, Amanda I shall never doubt you or trust a snowman ever again.