It's a Horror to Know You: Pax Romano of Billy Loves Stu!
1. What is the first film that ever scared you?
"The Blob". Watched it with my dad when I was, maybe, six years old, and then asked him to move my bed that night (as it was right under a heat vent, and I was sure that damn mass of grape jam was going to get me).
2. What is the last film that scared you?
"Paranormal Activity". Sorry haters, but that movie scared the Bejesus out of me. I did not see it at the theaters, but I got a copy of the DVD and watched it alone one night and pretty much jumped out of my skin several times.
3. Name three Horror movies that you believe are underrated.
"What Lies Beneath" – such a great combo of Hitchcock and horror. I love that movie.
"The Exorcism of Emily Rose" – First off, Laura Linney can do NO wrong. Secondly it was such a compelling and engrossing film. I have a soft spot for legal dramas, and since this one included demonic possession – it was the best of two genres.
"The Mothman Prophecies" – Laura Linney (again) and Richard Gere in one terribly odd and disturbing movie that, for some reason, got under my skin.
4. Name three horror movies that you enjoy against your better judgment.
"Friday the 13th" – Yes, it was only made because of "Halloween", that said, it was a great movie that sort of reminded me of a low budget version of "Ten Little Indians" . As for the rest of the series – pure unadulterated shit.
"Bride of the Monster" – Ed Wood's masterpiece (in my humble opinion). I love this movie with every fiber of my being! Bela alone is worth watching it (as well as all of the stock footage) – and yet, it's much more coherent than "Plan 9 From Outer Space". Plus I love Tor Johnson as Lobo, "…he's as gentle as a kitten"
"Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things" – A dreadful film, but, if memory serves, this was probably the first film that borrowed Romero's version of a zombie and ran (or shambled) with it. I do think that the last ten minutes of this one are pretty good (all things considered).
5. Send us to five places on the Internet!
Ob.Scene in South Jersey (my photo blog celebrating everything that is South Jersey)
My New Plaid Pants (been reading Jason's blog for ever!)
The Daily Beast (how I stay "in the know")
The Church of Ed Wood (my kind of religion)
Fascination with Fear (I love Christine, and I lover her blog – you will as well)
Hell yes to both “What Lies Beneath†and “The Mothman Prophecies†– they really are underrated.
I'll admit to a certain fascination with John Keel's theories about the supernatural, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well his theories and themes were adapted in Mothman. This film takes the academy award for "Most Creepy Utterance" with "Chapstick".
“What Lies Beneathâ€. PR is right – this film has a healthy dose of Hitchcock. Incredibly suspenseful. I never could understand all the hubbub about Michelle Pfeiffer until I saw this film – she is outrageously sexy in her role as a devoted wife who may or may not be possessed by the spirit of a coed seductress.
Thanks Pax! Love that you brought up Mothman Prophecies! I had no desire to see that one from the TV spots and then it fascinated the hell out out of me when I finally caught it. I had to read the book too and I enjoyed that as well!
I can't agree about the entire Friday series (I heart them all with the lone exception of Jason Goes To Hell) but I'm with you 100% that the first movie is seriously underrated. The gritty tone of it still works for me and I can't help responding to the location. It may have followed Halloween but I think it had a comparable impact all its own. I love Betsy Palmer and I always get the creeps when Marcie talks about her bad dream right before the shit starts hitting the fan.
I haven't done an official count yet but I think "Paranormal Activity" and "Insidious" are neck and neck with each other as films that have recently scared people with "Lake Mungo" taking the overall lead. If these IAHTKY's are any indication it looks like when all is said and done it's the supernatural movies that have the biggest impact with audiences. Very interesting!
Thanks especially for sharing "ob.Scene in South Jersey" with us. I didn't know you were such a talented photographer! Great stuff, I really dig "Forgotten Mailbox"!
Mothman Prophecies definitely creeped me out (and still does at times, especially when I'm home alone at night and hear something outside).
The blob was definitely one of my first scares as well. The scene that always got me is when the old man pokes it with a stick and it leaps onto his arm. Freaks me out even now.
Aww…thanks Pax for the plug for my blog, and you know I love you too!
I myself love the first three F13 movies and hate all the rest, generally. The first one is a film I can watch over and over and I've always considered it "comfort horror" in my book. Much as I love Halloween, I think F13 is different enough from it to be counted as many a film director's inspiration.
And Unk!! I am always creeped out by Marcie's story of rivers of blood too! Seriously, we have to be related.