The scene below is a major spoiler for the film 10 to Midnight so don’t watch if you haven’t seen the film yet. And, to be honest, you probably shouldn’t even read the rest of this post, as the post itself is probably a spoiler as well. There’s no way to truly talk about this film without talking about the ending. 10 to Midnight is a film that’s been on my mind a lot this year, largely because Charles Bronson plays a character who reminds me of my Dad. Bronson’s relationship with his daughter (played by Lisa Eilbacher) also reminds me of my own relationship with my Dad. I doubt there’s many people who get sentimental over a relatively unheralded vigilante horror film from 1983 but, as I’m still processing losing my Dad earlier this year, I am one of those people.
If you have seen the film, you know that this is one of the best endings that Charles Bronson ever filmed. Indeed, in today’s chaotic world, there’s some very satisfying about both Bronson’s final line and his no-nonsense style of dealing with problems. And indeed, with all the bad vibes that seem to have been unleashed on the world over the past few years, this scene feels like an exorcism of sorts.
Serial killer Warren Stacy (Gene Davis) thought he could game the system. He thought he had everything figured out. He smugly assumed no one could stop his reign of terror.
Well, Bronson disagrees.
And with that one wonderful final line, Charles Bronson brings this year’s Horrorthon to a close.
While the rest of us were watching horror movies, the Oscar race was finally starting to take shape. It’s a race that still doesn’t have any frontrunners but which does now have some definite contenders.
Well, as another horrorthon draws to a close, it’s time for another Shattered Lens tradition! Every Halloween, we share one of the greatest and most iconic horror films ever made. For your Halloween enjoyment, here is George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead!
In 2021’s Chloe’s Mountain, teenaged orphan Chloe (Kenzie Mae) moves to her grandmother’s farm.
Grandma (Donna Bristol) has white hair. Chloe has blue hair.
Chloe is an aspiring singer who like her music loud. Grandma hasn’t listened to anything since Glenn Miller died.
Grandma is big into church. Chloe is not.
Chloe smokes weed with her friends. Grandma really likes her neighbor’s biscuits.
Chloe and Grandma don’t have much in common and, at first, Chloe doesn’t want anything to do with her grandmother. But Grandma wins Chloe over through the power of her unconditional love. But then, on Chloe’s 18th birthday no less, Grandma dies. Chloe is heartbroken. Grandma leaves Chloe her house, her farm, and all of her money. If Chloe goes to a Christian university and graduates in four years, she’ll get the house when she’s 22. If she doesn’t go to a Christian university or if she fails to graduate, she’ll have to wait until she’s 35 to collect her inheritance.
Knowing that this was a faith-based film, I was not surprised when Chloe agreed to go to the Christian university. In many ways, the movie feels like a commercial for going to a Christian college. Sure, the movie says, the rules are a little bit goofy and you have to spend a lot of time memorizing hundreds of bible verses but you will eventually get a good education …, maybe. And yes, you’re roommate will probably really be into stuffed animals and the color pink but why can’t you just shut up and conform?
That said, the movie lost me as soon as it explained all the college’s rules. Chloe learns that she can earn demerits for breaking the college’s rules and, if she ends up with too many, she can be expelled. Talking too loudly? That’s a demerit. Late for class? Demerit. Loud music? Demerit. Public displays of affection? Huge demerit right there. Wearing revealing clothing? Demerit.
Uhmm …. okay, isn’t Chloe 18 years old? Aren’t universities supposed to give young adults an education so they can go out into the real world? Chloe’s an adult. The viewer may or may not feel that Chloe always acts like an adult but, the fact of the matter, 18 year-olds are considered to be adults. Telling an adult what she can or cannot wear, especially when she’s the one paying to attend your school, is beyond insulting. “You wore a belly shirt,” the Dean says at one point while looking over Chloe’s demerits. And? I mean, a lot of people do. I’ve certainly worn my share over the years. You’re going to kick someone out of college because they wore a slightly revealing piece of clothing? Seriously, Chloe, get out of there! Drop out and go to a real school. Grandma’s farm wasn’t really that nice to begin with.
Anyway, as for the rest of the film, Chloe does eventually make a friend, Nechelle (Shalayne Janelle). Nechelle helps to change Chloe’s cynical outlook. It’s a standard low budget, faith-based movie, full of jokes that fall flat and performers who give amateurish performances. I thought Kenzie Mae actually gave a pretty likable performance as Chloe but she’s sabotaged by filmmakers who have no idea how to tell a story visually or how to make one scene flow into the next. By the end of the movie, I felt as if I had been watching for four years. Still, I stuck with the film and I didn’t quit, no matter how much I was tempted to do so. So, seriously, where’s my farm?
Filmed in 1957 for a television program called Westinghouse Studio One, The Night America Trembled is a dramatization of the night that Orson Welles terrified America with his radio adaptation of War of The Worlds.
For legal reasons, Orson Welles is not portrayed nor is his name mentioned. Instead, the focus is mostly on the people listening to the broadcast and getting the wrong idea. That may sound like a comedy but The Night America Trembled takes itself fairly seriously. Even pompous old Edward R. Murrow shows up to narrate the film, in between taking drags off a cigarette.
Clocking in at a brisk 60 minutes, The Night America Trembled is an interesting recreation of that October 30th. Among the people panicking: a group of people in a bar who, before hearing the broadcast, were debating whether or not Hitler was as crazy as people said he was, a babysitter who goes absolutely crazy with fear, and a group of poker-playing college students. If, like me, you’re a frequent viewer of TCM, you may recognize some of the faces in the large cast: Ed Asner, James Coburn, John Astin, Warren Oates, and Warren Beatty all make early appearances.
It’s an interesting little historical document and you can watch it below!
This short, animated film is from 1953 and it features James Mason reading a story from America’s first master of suspense, Edgar Allan Poe!
Here, for your listening and visual enjoyment, is The Tell Tale Heart! Along with featuring the voice of James Mason, the film was directed by Ted Parmlee. It was the first animated film to ever be given an X rating by the British Film Board of Censors.
Vincent Price was born, at the start of the 20th Century, in St. Louis, Missouri. When he first began his film career in the 1930s, he was promoted as a leading man and he was even tested for the role of Ashley Wilkes in Gone With TheWind. (Imagine that!) However, Price would find his greatest fame as a horror icon.
Among the fans of Price’s horror films was a young animator named Tim Burton. In 1982, Price and Burton would work together for the first time, with Price providing the narration for a short, stop motion film that Burton had written and directed. Called Vincent, the film was about a seven year-old boy named Vincent who wanted to be — can you guess? — Vincent Price! The six-minute film follows Vincent as he gets involved in all sorts of macabre activities. Of course, as Vincent’s mom points out, Vincent isn’t actually a monster or mad scientist. He’s just a creative child with an overactive imagination. (To say the short feels autobiographical on Burton’s part would be an understatement.) The animation is outstanding and full of wit but it really is Vincent Price’s wonderful narration that makes this short film a classic.
Both Price and Burton would later call making this film one of the most creatively rewarding collaborations of their respective careers.
Released in 1958, How To Make A Monster is a clever little horror satire from American International Pictures in which the stars of Teenage Werewolf and Teenage Frankenstein are hypnotized into believing that they actually are the monsters that they played! The main culprit is a movie makeup artist (Robert H. Harris) who has been deemed obsolete by the new bosses at AIP.
The 2021 film, Break Every Chain, tells the story of a cop with a problem.
Struggling with the memories of his own troubled childhood and also with the responsibilities of having a family of his own, Jonathan Hickory (Ignacyo Matynia) throws himself into his work as a member of the police force. He’s considered to be a good cop, one who is given important assignment and who can be trusted not to abuse his authority. At one point, when it appears that a drunk man is pointing a rifle at him, Jonathan is smart to realize that opening fire on the man is not the way to deal with him. Jonathan, in many ways, seems like a throwback to the days before the American police force became the militarized behemoth that it is today.
Jonathan is promoted to riding a motorcycle and it must be said that the motorcycle that he receives is pretty badass. Jonathan investigates accidents. He gives speeches about the important of not driving drunk. To the world, he’s the ideal cop. But, secretly, Jonathan is falling apart. Haunted by the things that he’s seen as a member of law enforcement, Jonathan has turned to drinking and has been neglecting his family. Soon, Jonathan is full-blown alcoholic and it’s only a matter of time before his drinking catches up to him.
Break Every Chain is a pretty simple film but it’s effective. Matynia gives a good performance as Jonathan and the film doesn’t try to force some sort of cure-all solution on the audience. Jonathan does get help for his problems and he does turn to his church for support. And, yes, it’s not all surprising when it turns out that Jonathan’s pastor is played by Dean Cain. However, the film itself is not particularly preachy, at least not by the standards of most faith-based films. It suggests that, for Jonathan, devoting himself to religion gives him another way to deal with life that doesn’t involve getting drunk and neglecting his family. The movie isn’t incorrect about that. Regardless of whether one agrees with Jonathan’s religious beliefs or not, he is correct to believe that the human mind needs something else to obsess on beyond its addictions.
I should admit that films about addiction, especially alcoholism, always tend to effect me more than other social problem films. My family tree has its share of drinkers, some of whom could handle their alcohol better than other. I know firsthand the trauma that can come from seeing a family member struggle with their addictions. One reason why I don’t drink is because I know that I have certain compulsive tendencies. I tend to channel those tendencies into watching and writing about movies and, of course, making lists. The way some people are about having that glass of wine before bed, that’s the way I am about making sure that my To-Do List for the following day has been written out and it’s ready to go. Some people are addicted to drugs. Some people are addicted to booze. I’m addicted to making out lengthy To-Do Lists. That said, there’s no greater feeling than crossing something off of your To Do List. For instance, I just crossed reviewing this film off of my list and now, I’m feeling great!
Seriously, I’ve been to West Virginia. It’s a beautiful state and the majority of the people that I met while I was there were just lovely. And before anyone trots out all the usual stereotypes about rural communities, let me say that one of the nicest used book store that I’ve ever been to was in West Virginia. It’s a nice state, one that feels like a throwback to a less cynical universe. Even all of the bridges and the streets named after the loathsome Robert Byrd added to the lovely quaintness of the place.
And yet, when it comes to the entertainment industry, West Virginia is rarely portrayed in a positive light. The coastal elite has never had much use for West Virginia or the surrounding states and that’s something that comes out in the films and television shows that are made in New York and California. Whenever anyone says that they’re from West Virginia in a movie or a television show, you can be sure that they’re either going to be a meth cook or a villainous redneck. West Virginia is one of those regions that’s never given much respect in Hollywood and that’s a shame.
Take Wrong Turn, for instance. First released in 2003, the original Wrong Turn taught an entire generation that West Virginia was full of cannibals and blood farmers. If you’re going to go for a drive in the wilderness of West Virginia, this film tells us, keep an eye out for barb wire booby traps. If you’re going to hiking in the mountains, notify your next of kin because you probably won’t be coming back. Wrong Turn follows a group of friends as they are tracked by a family of cannibal hillbillies and the main message seems to be, “For the love of God, stay out of Appalachia!”
(When I first started writing for this blog, I caused a mini-controversy when I said that no one would pay good money to see a film called The Vermont Chainsaw Massacre. My point was that Texas has a reputation, albeit one that has more to do with fevered imaginings of out-of-staters than anything rooted in reality, that made it the only place where that film could really be effectively set. The same is true of Wrong Turn. It’s a story that people wouldn’t buy if it was happening anywhere other than in Appalachia. Nobody would care about cannibals living in Minnesota, for instance.)
West Virginia slander aside, the original Wrong Turn holds up well. It’s a slasher film from the era right before slasher films started taking themselves so seriously. It’s a throwback to the rural horror films of the 70s, with an attractive cast getting picked off in various gruesome ways. The cannibals are frightening and the victims are all likable without being so likable that you can’t handle seeing them killed off. Jeremy Sisto and Lindy Booth both bring some comic relief to the film before their characters are dispatched. Desmond Harrington is a sold-enough lead. When I first saw Wrong Turn, my main reaction was that Eliza Dushku kicked ass and that was still my reactions when I rewatched it. The film is bloody, shameless, and fully willing to give the audience what it wants without scolding them for it. In short, it’s a perfectly fun slasher film and, watching it, it’s hard not to miss the era before horror films started taking themselves so damn seriously.
Wrong Turn‘s a fun movie. But West Virginia is a lovely state and that should never be forgotten!
Through the Shattered Lens 