The close up has been a powerful device in horror films for nearly a century now. The close-up shot is used in horror to create atmosphere and increase the audience’s fear by zooming in on facial expressions of the characters at hand. Conversely, close-ups are an equally effective tool used to emote objects, from Freddy …
This could either be a very interesting experiment or it could go horribly wrong. Eli Roth joins the remake of his 2002 directorial debut, Cabin Fever, as executive producer, Variety reports. Cameras start rolling this weekend and this time around the film with be directed by Travis Zariwny, who has a feature in post-production called Intruder …
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was at the time of its release a most unusual feature. Why the movie still resonates today though, why it still has such a strong cult following, and why it remains one of the genre’s greatest entries, is for many of the same reasons it was so groundbreaking in 1974.
For some of the oldsters out there they may recall the 1973 Gamble & Huff-produced R&B hit single “I’ll Always Love My Mama” by the musical group The Intruders. This musical anthem was certainly a lyrical tribute to caring mothers and how their sacrifices shaped our childhood and adulthood. This finger-snapping song definitely captured the …
I would like to tell you about a monster, our final monster in our month of great monsters of the screen. The monster is the modern, American family.
After more than 50 years since first shocking the film industry and audiences’ psychological inadequacies, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is still marveled as being the archetypal foundation for modern-day horror films, as well as the driving force behind today’s censorship standards. Since its release in 1960, Psycho’s mass appeal undoubtedly comes from its atypical iconic elements. …
Marko Manev’s Blade Runner print is to be released for sales on Tuesday, August 20th at www.BottleneckGallery.com at around 12pm eastern. The Giclee print from Marko, titled Mother, and inspired by the Alfred Hitchcock movie Psycho, also goes on sale at the same time.
Bates Motel Season 1, Episode 8 “A Boy and His Dog” Directed by Ed Bianchi Written by Bill Balas Airs Monday nights at 10pm ET on A&E As we close in on the end of the first season of Bates Motel, its apparent that the series is trying its best to develop a few new plot …
The Grandmother Written by David Lynch Directed by David Lynch USA, 1970 Mrs Bates lived on inside Norman’s fractured psyche. Her continued residence compensated for the guilt her son felt following her murder. Ever present, her spectral presence kept watch in the guise of a maternal superego overlooking the Bates motel from close quarters. Psycho …
Hitchcock Directed by Sacha Gervasi Written by John J. McLaughlin USA, 2012 It is, perhaps, odd to consider the thought of Alfred Hitchcock in love. Lusting after women, blondes especially, was one of his specialties, as expressed in such classics as Vertigo and To Catch a Thief, though the desire was expressed by far more …
A Fantastic Fear of Everything Directed by Crispian Mills and Chris Hopewell Written by Crispian Mills UK, 2012 A Fantastic Fear of Everything is a film that Wes Anderson would make if he didn’t give a flying sausage about storytelling. It has many of his auteur signatures (a twee pop-art sensibility, creative and meticulous set …
Sinister Directed by Scott Derrickson Written by Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill USA, 2012 Voyeurism is at the heart of most great horror films, a virus pervading protagonists like Norman Bates in Psycho or Mark Lewis in Peeping Tom. The basic idea of featuring characters who watch ghastly acts onscreen serves to mock, condemn, …
With the notion of film canonization once again at issue, we thought it might be an appropriate occasion to check in on our staff’s collective opinion of the greatest films of all time. We had no idea what to expect; our contributors come from all over the world and come from vastly different backgrounds and …
In the ensemble tour de force that is John Luessenhop’s Takers, Idris Elba masterfully says, without a hint of irony, “We’re takers, gents. That’s what we do for a living. We take.” Apparently, along with being a competent actor by day, Elba also moonlights as Captain Obvious by night, but in addition to being heavy …
Every month the Sound On Sight staff bands together to tackle a specific filmmaker, event and/or some sort of movie related theme. This month our focus shifts towards the “Master of Suspense”, Alfred Hitchcock. The Trouble With Alfred ’I don’t exactly hate women…’ Once you know those words came from the mouth of Alfred Hitchcock, …
Every month the Sound On Sight staff bands together to tackle a specific filmmaker, event and/or some sort of movie related theme. This month our focus shifts towards the “Master of Suspense”, Alfred Hitchcock. The Birds 1963, Directed by Alfred Hitchcock Screenplay by Evan Hunter, adapted by a novel by Daphne du Maurier. Upon seeing …
Throughout the month of December, TV Editor Kate Kulzick and Film Editor Ricky D will review classic Christmas adaptions, posting a total of 13 each, one a day, until the 25th of December. The catch: They will swap roles as Rick takes on reviews of television Christmas specials and Kate takes on Christmas movies. Today …
At the time of it’s release in 1960, Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho was not warmly received by film critics, perhaps because it was too daring for the time. The consensus nowadays is that Psycho is a classic and cinematic art, and admired by just about every cinephile around the world. One of the film’s most essential …
Well it’s a new day and here is yet another montage, the second in two days. Lucky for us, it’s just as great. Yesterday we showed you A Brief History of Title Design. This time however, it’s the work of youtuber Hatinhand. He brings us a montage sequence of amazing movie ending spoilers. Overall there …
Put together to compete in the SXSW Title Design Competition, Ian Albinson has edited a large mix of some of the greatest film and television titles ever made. Slashfilm reports that the websites mission is: A compendium and leading web resource of film and television title design from around the world. We honor the artists …
More than any other filmmaker, Alfred Hitchcock is the quintessential 20th century movie director. He began his career in the days of silent pictures and continued all the way until 1976, with Family Plot. During his long career, he directed over 40 features and once said that any movie director could surprise his audience by …
5 – The Ring (2002) Considering I didn’t find the original scary, it’s impressive that I was thoroughly creeped out by the nearly shot-for-shot remake. There is always something a little more interesting in the exploration of the unknown, so if your senses have been dulled by the formulaic slasher film, then its quieter take …
The definition of a slasher film varies depending on who you ask, but in general, it contains several specific traits that feed into the genre’s formula. Every slasher has a killer whose identity is often concealed (or at least his face in cases of characters such as Michael Myer and Jason Voorhees) and for no …