My nonexistent relationship with Sam Raimi:

[wednes]

I've mentioned several times that I, unlike almost every horror (and especially zombie-horror) fan in the known universe, I do not care for the Evil Dead movies. None of them. Many people have tried to convince me otherwise, noting the quaintly small budget and modest but creative production values. I do appreciate that aspect of it, but that doesn't mean it's something I want to sit down and watch, let alone own. I do enjoy Bruce Campbell, but the character Ash is annoying as hell. Yes, he's a parody but he's--maybe I just think he doesn't have a full appreciation for or reverence to his situation. Maybe I just take zombies a lot more seriously than Ash does. Maybe I'm offended by the campiness of it all. Also, bad dialogue makes me want to die inside. If you can't write the way people talk (I'm looking at YOU, Dan Brown!) you shouldn't be writing dialogue. I'm still trying to pinpoint exactly what bothers me about Raimi's horror. I may even watch Evil Dead again in an attempt to really figure it out. As a horror person, knowing what you hate is just as important as knowing what you like.
I'm not anti-Raimi as a rule. I love Spiderman, and honestly think that Willem DaFoe elevates that movie from merely good to truly great with his performance. He's fantastic to watch, and much of that comes from careful direction. I also think Ted Raimi is just adorable in stuff. Plus, they're from Michigan, like me!

I adopted a firm wait-and-see attitude about Drag Me To Hell. It looked like a cool premise. Certainly, the whole Lamia thing is pretty creepy. Early internet buzz was strong. A few people on my flist posted that they liked it. Rotten Tomatoes went down from 95% to 93%, but that's still remarkably high for a horror movie. So, I went Saturday night with absinthofheart. We went someplace cheap so two tix only cost $18. I snuck in a big bottle of Evian and some granola bars. ;-] I know, I suck.

The opening scene was very strong and scary. So far, so good. They used stock characters for this type of film: the beautiful young heroine, the sympathetic but disbelieving boyfriend, his demanding parents, the co-worker who's a prick, the old gypsy woman who lays the curse, the exotic medium who joins the fight. Not a big deal, but still derivative. What starts out as cool sound design quickly becomes shrill, annoying and overused. A healthy combination of practical FX and CGI is used to good effect, until it becomes a very Evil Deadesque gross out fest of gratuitous slime and ooze. By the end, we've seen some cool things, had some genuine scares, and are fairly interested in how it all turns out. However, the end is obvious and predictable, negating what should have been a very powerful and pivotal confrontation scene. Although I must admit, it had exactly the kind of result I like in a horror movie. They were just a bit lame in getting there. I'm all about suspending my disbelief, but please, stay out of the realm of complete ridiculousness (*spoiler* a talking goat, for example *end spoiler*). I didn't hate it; but Raimi's horror style really didn't work for me, yet again.


On a completely unrelated topic, here is the White House Correspondent's Dinner address by The PC himself, John Hodgeman. Considering that I almost called it the White House Correspondence Dinner, I can safely say that Hodgeman is far more articulate, witty, and hilarious than I would have been. I guess that's why they haven't asked me to do it yet. Anyway, sorry if this appears on your flist 30 or 40 times, but I really, really enjoyed it and assumed you would too!

Comments

[hellamama.livejournal.com]

I don't even really think of the Evil Dead movies as horror movies. They seem more like comedies to me:)

[groovesinorbit]

That's how I see them, too, especially the last one.

[uterdic.livejournal.com]

I have to comment publicly that you liked "the happening" which has the worst dialog in the history of movies. You liked the remake of "the hills have eyes" which is nothing but a gross-fest of slime and ooze (I don't know for sure as I won't watch it, but c'mon, every horror movie has overdone blood goo and gross stuff).

The first evil dead was intended to be a horror movie, but it was so cheaply made that it had more of a camp factor than serious side. However many of the moments in that movie were really really well done. There were some truly horrific times and gruesome imagery there. Evil Dead 2 was where the comedy began. Army of darkness, one of the best movies ever made.

Otherwise, I am just giving you a hard time because of someone who seems to like anything with horror in the genera description. It's a shame you don't like these.

I love the Evil Dead movies...But:

[squee1973.livejournal.com]

I can see where you're coming from. I don't really even consider them 'Horror' movies, per say, but more along the lines of a dark comedy, with Horror elements.

Same as Dead Alive, (Aka: Brain Dead), which is gross, and hilarious, but in no way scary.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

I can certainly see that mindset. They do contain zombies, violence, and icky icky "gore" though.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

I can concede that the dialogue in The Happening is not very interesting. But in the "slice of life" style of expression, being realistic is more important than being interesting. I maintain, as we have discussed, that I find it to be a truthful and realistic portrayal of what would happen during the proposed events.

The remake of the Hills Have Eyes in incredibly intense. While it is very bloody, it does not have the proliferation of green or yellow ooze that Raimi seems to love so well.

For the record though, I'm picky about horror. I did just post a pretty negative review of Canadian zombie movie Pontypool. And I'm totally poised to hate the new Jekyll and Hyde.

Re: I love the Evil Dead movies...But:

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Dead Alive is another great example of a really popular horror (as described and marketed) movie that I really can't stand. I'd rather watch Ed and his Dead Mother than that one!

[maxverbosity.livejournal.com]

Not only are the Raimis from Michigan, like you, they're from practically around the corner from you in Royal Oak there ;-) That's where they grew up too, I believe....

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Really? I thought they were from further up north.