Final Girl turns 20!

It is absolutely crazy to me, but one of my favorites corners of the Web, the Final Girl blog, turns 20 today! 

Stacie Ponder and her blog were a huge inspiration to me and a large reason why I started pounding the keys myself here at The Horror Section. Her interactive posts like the Final Girl Film Club kept me active in the early days, breaking up all my gushing over VHS coverbox art. 

The best part? She didn't just let this huge milestone roll by unannounced, No! With Gaylords of Darkness sadly defunct and, possibly even more sadly, The Detective and the Log Lady Twin Peaks (re)watch podcast approaching its end, there was about to be a Briefcase Woman-sized hole in the pod-verse.

But have no fear, Final Girl After Dark is here!

Congrats Stacie!

Shocktober 20.

Hello all! Happy October! I know my posts have been anemic of late, but I've been dealing with some shit so blogging has fallen by the wayside. However, I saw that Stacie over at Final Girl was doing another Shocktober 20 Favourite Horror Films  this year.

I had the pleasure of finally meeting Stacie in person over the summer and we had a delightful conversation about Twin Peaks, Messiah of Evil and Toronto horror movie locations she should visit the next time she is in town. Her blog has always been an inspiration to me - I can safely say THS would likely not exist without it - and I'm glad almost twenty years later, it soldiers on.

So, yeah, the Fave 20 list. FG has done them before, but I believe this will be the first time I have participated. Here they are below, favourite being the distinction, over “best”. I tried to keep the titles as intrinsicly horror as possible, which is why adored titles like Alien, Black Swan, Fire Walk With Me, Mulholland Drive, Seven, Silence of the Lambs and Under The Skin didn't potentially creep in there.

I also kinda broke it down to sixty-percent classics, thirty-percent contemporary and ten-percent guilty pleasures. Ranking would be impossible so here they are alphabetically.

An American Werewolf in London (1982)

My favourite horror comedy and one that is absolutely intertwined with my childhood. It includes my favourite werewolf transformation and a bevy of quotable lines I still use to this day.

Black Christmas (1974)

The granddaddy of all slashers that gets better every time I watch it - which is annually. Terrific CanCon, and ahead of its time in so many ways.

The Brain (1988)

A movie I have become obsessed with over the last decade-and-a-half. I love everything about this film, including that all of its locations are within an hour drive of my house. This is the kind of bonkers low budget filmmaking that really makes my heart sing.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

It was a tough choice between this and its predecessor Night of the Living Dead, but I just went with the one with more bang for your buck. A quintessential apocalypse movie and the catalyst for long office chair daydreams about my escape plan.

Deadly Eyes (1982)

Another delicious piece of Canadian tax shelter gold. Even if this wasn't based on one of my favourite books, the fact someone had the idea to dress dashchunds in rat costumes is God-tier excellence. Also another movie where the shooting locations are within my grasp.

The Descent (2006)

This still remains one of my favourite theater-going experiences. Witnessing a packed house collectively have their nerves shredded was euphoric. The one-two punch of intense claustophobia falling into visceral monster madness absolutely kills. I would have no problem crowning this movie the winner of the aughts.

The Evil Dead (1981)

I said there would be no rankings, but gun to my head, inevitably Sam Raimi's debut would be my #1. He's my boy, and inspired countless filmmakers to pick up a camera.

The Exorcist (1973)

A true classic in every way, and one of my faves to watch YT reactions of. This film has such range switching from legit family drama to unhinged chaos that it almost feels unsafe to watch at times. 

Halloween (1978)

A film so ingrained in my DNA that I am surprised I don't bleed orange. As a kid, Michael Myers was my spirit animal. Though it may seem redundant because Black Christmas is also on here, let's be honest, Halloween was the true template for all that came after. A Top 3 movie for sure and another annual tradition.

High Tension (2003)

One of my favourite Midnight Madness screenings, and my proper introduction to the New French Extremity. While 2006's Inside is admittedly just as deserving of this spot, Tension has the distinction of being the only piece of physical media I own that I paid over a hundred dollars for (if you count the all-region player I had to buy to play my UK import of the alternately titled Switchblade Romance).

It Follows (2014)

Perhaps a controversial pick, but I adore this movie. It's lore, combined with its timeless visual style and unforgettable score really felt fresh and cemented it among the best this decade had to offer. Also the start of a promising career for its lead, Maika Monroe.

Jaws (1975)

Another formative movie for me. A perfect man versus animal movie that birthed a thousand clones. While The Legacy and Alligator brought on my fear of water, my fear of sharks no doubt started with this movie. Terrific filmmaking all around.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Wes Craven took slashers to a new level and made the monster something you couldn't escape. Michael was my first bro, but I really responded to Freddy in my teens. Robert Englund deserves even more  credit that he already gets for his performances in this series, and the reason he would likely be the Washington of the slashers' Mount Rushmore.

The Orphanage (2007)

A beautiful and tragic film from Spain. This film has so many wonderfully chilling set pieces and gut wrenching performance from Belén Rueda. The image of Tomás standing in the courtyard while children play oblivious around him is one of my all time faves. 

[REC] (2007)

Another Spanish gem. This would have to be my favourite found footage movie, just edging out The Blair Witch Project after much deliberation. Though Blair may have had more of an impact on my life at the time, there is no denying the technical perfection on display in Plaza & Balaguero's opus. It is also one of the most unfaltering examples of escalation I have ever seen put to film.

The Shining (1980)

No surprise here. Kubrick's take on King material is a masterpiece. The setting of The Overlook Hotel is so soaked in disorienting dread that essays (and documentaries) have been written on what it all means. I adore every frame of this film.

Suspiria (1977)

I realized early on that I'd only be able to put one Italian title on this list and after much debate, I had to go with Argento's seminal piece. It is the Mona Lisa of horror films. Dream-like, abstract and kaliedoscopic, it was the sound choice.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

I assert that there is no more powerful horror film viewed on the big screen that Tobe Hooper's horror debut. The sound of that chainsaw mixed with Marilyn Burns' screams will cut through even the most stalwart. The last act is so unrelenting that it takes multiple viewings to see the underlying comedy of it all. Another Top 3 movie for me.

The Thing (1981)

John Carpenter is only director on this list to have two movies on it so that should indicate how dear his work is to me. The amount of sheer effects wizardry on display - that still holds up today even after multiple restorations - is absolutely ridiculous, especially when you consider effects lead Rob Bottin was fucking 22 years old! But even without the effects, the film stands on its own as a paranoia pot boiler.

The VVitch (2015)

The newest film on the list that I instantly fell in love after seeing at TIFF. Robert Eggers delivers such a grounded and authentic period piece bouyed by fantastic performances led by future A-lister Anya Taylor Joy.

Okay, that's it. No takebacks! This was not easy. In addition to those outliers I mentioned before, I wasn't able to fit in any Asian horror titles or any others that are near and dear to my heart like Paperhouse or Blood and Black Lace. All that said, I'm chuffed to see where all these placed on Shocktober's list when all is said and done. Will I be the only cheerleader for The Brain and Deadly Eyes? Will Halloween reclaim its place as #1 after being unseated by the Suspiria remake?  We shall see!

Girl Power.

I'm popping in during my hiatus to post about Grady Hendrix's new book, The Final Girl Support Group.

I'm a big fan of Hendrix's work. He has a tremendous talent for breathing new life into standard horror tropes as evidenced in his previous titles like Horrorstör and My Best Friend's Exorcism. When I heard he was writing a novel about final girls, I was immediately excited because they are perhaps my favourite concept in all of horror. My childhood was filled watching such plucky and resourceful heroines as Laurie, Alice and Nancy fight their way out of danger. Hendrix did not disappoint.

The Final Girl Support Group was a terrific read. Even more than his previous books, this story moves at a break-neck pace. Once the players are established, it immediately throws the protagonist – and us along with her – into chaos.

I think what most surprised me about this story was how meta it was. I guess I was expecting something straightforward, but there's some fascinating world building here based on pre-established history horror fans will instantly recognize. I suppose this is a mild spoiler, (though it's literally set up in the first few chapters), but the book's conceit is that all the slasher franchises we all hold dear – boasting alternate titles like Summer Slaughter and Babysitter Murders etc – were all based on real events and these actual survivors have spent their lives haunted not only by PTSD, but the media and Internet stalkers.

Take for example, our protagonist Lynette. Imagine if you will, that Linnea Quigley's character in Silent Night, Deadly Night had survived being hung up on those antlers. Hendrix offers up some really interesting alternate scenarios for classic slashers in an entangled ball of horror lore that is equal parts familiar and fresh.

I also appreciated that Hendrix threw a sobering slant on the realities of surviving a mass murder, not only from a mental health perspective, but also how they're treated by the masses, how their would-be murderers are fetishized and their ordeals end up being commodities to be ranked on Internet all-time lists.

Hendrix has a very visual style to his writing so it is not at all surprising this story has already been bought by HBO Max with the Muschettis (of It fame) and Charlize Theron already attached. I don't know what it will look like when it eventually hits the small screen, but I will definitely be there to watch because I know as well as anyone that you can't keep a good Final Girl down.

I'm Into Survival.

Last Tuesday night, The Black Museum held its third debate, this one featuring a quartet of pairs arguing the Greatest Final Girl. It was a rather contentious affair that saw the closest contest yet.

This one was a little different for me, as two weeks out I became a part of it after debate regular Steve Kostanski had to drop out. This involved me doing a shit-ton of research and when the time came, I actually forgot to record the damn thing. So, alas I won’t have any quotes this time around, but I can still give you the gist of what went down.

This iteration of the Debate Club saw some more new faces in addition to my own. Here were the teams fighting for their chosen character's honour.

Returning champions Alison Lang (writer, Women With Guts) & Simon Borer (musician, Entire Cities) were Team Thomasin from 2015's The Witch.

I was partnered with Tal Zimmerman (filmmaker Why Horror?) as Team Sally from 1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Joshua Cross (film programmer, Queer Fear) & Cameron Crookston (horror academic) made up Team Nancy from A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Alicia Faucher & Larissa Thomas (co-creators, Allie & Lara Make a Horror Movie webseries) comprised Team Gale from the Scream series.

Left to right, Team Sally, Team Thomasin, Team Nancy & Team Gale.

Taking over judging duties from Stuart “Feedback” Andrews was another Rue Morgue alumni in Liisa Ladouceur. After some event housekeeping, the opening statements got underway.

Team Thomasin came out strong right of the gate. Due to their unorthodox choice, they had to immediately convince everyone that she was indeed a Final Girl. To do so, they went about listing all the ways she met the criteria laid out by the originator of the term Carol J. Clover. They then put forth the clever idea that Thomasin’s family in the film were the oppressors and the rejection of their puritanical ways was her particular triumph over adversity.

Thomasin from The Witch

Team Sally took a more literal approach. We had to lean on the fact that Sally was the pioneer and also cribbed passages from Clover’s tome to back up she was the truest definition of a Final Girl. Mainly we argued that Chainsaw was the most dramatically potent, and Sally endured the worst of all the characters being discussed.

Sally from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Team Nancy had the valid point that she actively fought back against Freddy. She pro-actively investigated and challenged him while her friends rejected or ignored that they were being stalked.

Nancy from A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Team Gale took things up a notch with their presentation. Having baked cookies for everyone beforehand and streamed the event using a selfie-stick camera dubbed “Kenny”, these two took over the whole stage and posed that Gale's take charge attitude and willingness to run toward danger instead of away from it made her the best.

Gale from Scream.

After the video presentations (which gotta say wreaked havoc with my neck as it is a lot harder to watch them when you are actually onstage), Team Thomasin & Team Nancy led the way. Next came the rebuttals.

Having the least evolved Final Girl of the four, Team Sally knew we had to bring it here. Thankfully, we crushed it and made some headway. Again, a lot of it was adherence to the literal meaning of the term – two final girls in Scream, only one qualifying character in The Witch and the fact that Nancy ultimately dies disqualifies her etc – but Tal did slay with the crowd with a joke about Nancy being held back a few grades because canon tells us she was actually a nineteen-year-old high schooler.

The other teams all suitably shot down each other’s arguments, but fortunately the judge came down in favour of Team Sally this round. After the closing arguments, Team Thomasin & Team Nancy were still battling for the top.

Fortunately, there was trivia. Tal had won this round at the previous two debates and I fancy myself fairly knowledgeable so we racked up points here and again got within striking distance.

It all went to hell (for us) during the audience vote though when the crowd largely got behind Nancy & Thomasin. In the end, a tie-breaking lightning round was needed to declare a winner – Team Nancy!

Joshua and Cameron walked away with the coveted Golden Tentacle Trophy and in hindsight, Nancy does seem like the obvious choice. However, I was surprised by Team Thomasin’s game. I guess the fact that The Witch can be interpreted two completely different ways just speaks to how fantastic the film really is.

For me, it was a surreal experience for two reasons. First, I have seen perhaps hundreds of movies at The Royal Theatre, but looking out from, instead of looking at, the stage this time was a trip. I'm glad I had so many facts swirling around in my head that night to keep my anxiety from getting the better of me. Second, it's counter intuitive to argue against films that you adore. Four important titles representing four decades of horror were showcased that night and the debaters were constantly saying “I hate to say this because I love this movie, but…”

At the end of the day, it was fun. I got to re-watch some movies I cherish and also did a lot of book learnin’. I believe the Debate Club will be returning in the Spring and I’ll be there – in whatever capacity – for certain.

Black Tuesday.

Tonight's the night! My compadre Tal & I will be participating in the latest Black Museum debate, arguing that Sally Hardesty is the Greatest Final Girl.

It should be a bloody affair and when the dust settles I will attempt to give you a blow-by-blow as impartially as possible -- no promises.

Wish me luck and I'll see you back here at the end of the week.

Girl #2

Toronto's Black Museum is having its latest event tomorrow featuring a heated debate about who is horror's greatest Final Girl. In a bizarre twist of fate (really it was just competitor Steve Kostanski got a gig) I have been called upon to fill in and fight for Team Sally.

Today though, I wanted to focus on horror females a tad more unsung. The Girl #2's -- the ladies that almost made it through their respective movies. Most characters in slasher flicks are just fodder, archetypal meat to up the body count, but sometimes there are ones that you are sad to see go.

Growing up, slashers were (still are to a certain extent) my bread and butter and with it being the home video era, I would often watch them several times. With some particular titles though, I'd wish scenes would somehow turn out differently. Maybe Brinke Stevens won't go back for her textbook this time in The Slumber Party Massacre. Or perhaps Lesleh Donaldson will decide to stay home at the beginning of Happy Birthday To Me. Insane I know, but those thoughts arise every time I re-watch those movies.

She seems like a nice kid. #ihatewhentheycallthemkids

They were unfortunately among the first to go in their respective movies, but the women below almost made it to the credits or some cases did, only to die in a subsequent sequel.

Phyllis from Black Christmas (Andrea Martin)

This film is arguably the first North American slasher and features some of the most well-drawn and fleshed out characters in horror. Phyl was a genuinely nice person. She was loyal and her concern for her friends is ultimately what led to her death when she went to check on Barb. I've always been glad her death was off-screen.

Marcia from The Initiation (Marilyn Kagan)

The Initiation still remains one of my favourite slashers. It puts you at ease to start with a first act feels more like Animal House featuring a bunch of likable goof-offs. Among them is Marcia, the stereotypical prude. However, it isn't until deep into the film you find out she was molested by her music teacher when she was young. It's a scene that catches you off guard, but always came off to me as sincere. Later, when she commits the mortal sin of sleeping with her best friend Ralph, she sadly becomes fair game to the genre Gods. The image of her being pulled back into that elevator is burned into my brain.

Kirby from Scream 4 (Hayden Panetierre)

There are several characters in the Scream franchise I didn't like to see get killed (Sarah Michelle Gellar in Part 2 and Parker Posey in Part 3 for instance), but Kirby is the one that irked me the most. She was genre savvy and did everything right, but her desire to help someone in distress was her downfall.

Violet from Friday the 13th Part 5 (Tiffany Helm)

Violet wasn't the last girl to die, nor was her character particularly established – I'm not even sure what she was doing at Pinehurst; she wore bracelets to cover up wrist wounds maybe? - but she was the one I lamented the most in that movie. Thinking on it, I'm sure that my late-eighties infatuation with Samantha Fox probably had something to do with me taking a shine to her.

Kristen from Nightmare on Elm Street 4 (Tuesday Knight)

Kristen was a great final girl who was unfortunately written out of the series. I was pretty smitten with Patricia Arquette's replacement though, again probably due to that aforementioned crush – I definitely had a type back then. When I recently re-watched the Nightmare movies all in a row I was glad to see the fourth part was just as good as I remembered.

Lastly, the Entire Halloween series.

I don't think there is any series that is as unforgiving as the Halloween franchise.

Though she was a jerk and often selfish I always, always hate seeing Annie (Nancy Loomis) die in that car. She reminds me of that friend you have when you are young who's a bad influence on you and inevitably lose touch with when you get older, but those times shared were some of the funnest ever.

Halloween 4 was a significant film in the series for me as it was the first one I was able to watch in the theatre. Rachel (Ellie Cornell) embodied all the best characteristics of the Final Girl which is why I was really put off by Part 5. The number of reasons that movie was shit are legion, but the way she was dispatched in that movie was so lame, it actually made me angry.

However, there is no greater offense than how the quintessential Final Girl of all time Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) gets unceremoniously killed off in Part 8. It was a big fuck you to the fans and I hope this new one coming in 2018 is first and foremost and apology for that abomination.

Ugh.

Whew, I wasn't actually expecting that piece to be so personal, but there you have it. I hope to see some of you at The Royal tomorrow for the debate. Who Will Survive and What Will Be Left of Them?

DKTM 302

Hello all. I've been enjoying my Victoria Day Weekend with some vintage cartoons, video games and Nice Guys. Here's what I've got for you on tap today.

Slasher PTSD.

I came across a trailer for a horror indie that making the festival rounds currently called Last Girl Standing.

The Final Girl is a tried and true horror trope, but the concept of aftermath is not often explored. Save for a few titles like H20 and the Scream sequels, we usually just see our victorious heroine carted off in an ambulance to safety, so I'm intrigued.

Dark Visions.

This week, I discovered a cool artist by the name of Aaron Nakahara through Bloody Disgusting.

You can check out his Deviantart gallery here. Nakahara's sensibilities lie in that sweet spot between horror and fantasy, so it's not a surprise they caught my eye.

Camera Obscura.

Recently, I came across a cool fiction site called Peopleholding.com. Basically, the idea is that someone will write a short story based on a selected photograph of someone holding a random object. Click on the images below to see what I mean.

“No Matter Which Way We Turned” by Brian Evenson.

“The Best Solution” by Shya Scanlon.

“Pentagram” by Bud Smith.

I love this idea, and some of the stories are super creepy. The site, edited by Morgan Beatty & Corey Kuebler, looks to be about a year old and also includes a podcast.