So many horror and sci-fi films, hell, films in general, are mushy-headed messes. I love the success of the film District 9, and while it has its flaws, this summer's sci-fi offering is a cut above most recent sci-fi films. I like a fair share of crap that I can't quite explain, but the cultier films like Buckaroo Banzai or A Boy and His Dog are fun without having the strained personalites of middling actors or scripts that could have been scrawled on the back of placemat. So many of today's blockbusters blow their creative wad on set pieces, stunts, car chases and explosions. They spackle in bits of plot to connect those high-dollar explosions to the nude scenes or the CGI effects. They create a film that barely breaks even and has the shelf life of fresh strawberries. I know classics are as much a fluke as anything. Having the talented cast, the right director, the great script and still have it come out great in the end without the studio noodling with it-- a good deal of that is luck. But when we get a film like Alien, or Aliens, the Excorcist, or the Thing, it amplifies the hollowness of most of Hollywood's silly offerings.
I still remember the first time I saw the Excorcist. The makeup, the musical score, the atmosphere and special effects all scared the crap out of me, but even then a scene that sunk into my mind and stayed there was the party where Regan comes downstairs in a daze and tells the astronaut "You're gonna die up there." I knew then exactly what kind of evil the characters were dealing with, and it didn't involve one head spin or a half a pint of pea soup. The hackles on the back of my neck didn't come down until late that night. If you want to attract sharks, by all means, chum the waters. Go for the cheap thrills ( I havent' seen a cat jump out of a closet in a few years) but please, try occasionally to give me the good old fashioned scare. I'll pay good money for that and I'll keep coming back.
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