PaleyFilms

The fantastic opening scene of Halloween depicts a young Michael Myers, as he brutally stabs his sister to death. Flash forward fifteen years to Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), a high school girl living in Haddonfield, Illinois. Laurie and her friends are calmly anticipating the arrival of what is to be a quiet Halloween, but unbeknownst to them, the psychopathic Myers has recently broken out of Smith’s Grove Sanitarium, where he has been held for the last decade and a half. Upon discovering the escape, Myers’ psychiatrist, Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), heads toward Haddonfield, where he believes the murderer is headed. Sure enough, Loomis’ hunch is correct. Myers’ return to his home town beckons a deadly and terrifying holiday, one that neither Laurie, nor the town of Haddonfield is likely to forget.

Ok, so the film has mostly poor acting, and a mediocre screenplay. One never buys the fact that any of the girls are actually in high school, as they all look to be in their 20s. Though Pleasence gives one of the only good performances, his subplot is pretty unnecessary, and could have easily been excised from the story. Overall, there a number of faults present, yet Halloween is still a truly great horror movie. How can a fundamentally flawed film still be really good? Easy, just have a brilliant director at the helm.

John Carpenter, the mastermind behind movies such as The Thing and Escape from New York, turns what could have been an utterly campy film, into a horror classic. His direction here is wonderfully unsettling, by showing the audience only what it needs to see. Right from the opening scene, we get a point-of-view murder, shot from Myers’ perspective. However, the camera does not tell us who is climbing up the stairs with a knife; it is only at the end of the sequence, that the audience realizes what has actually happened. Much of the film is directed as such, to create bristling suspense. One of Carpenter’s best decisions is to keep Myers hidden, far more often than he is shown. This makes for a slasher movie that relies more on atmosphere and creepiness, than it does on cheap scares.

Other frightening highlights of the film include the piano score, and the open-ended finale. The score contributes to the movie’s overall eeriness, quite a bit; this is perhaps, due in part to the fact that it was written by Carpenter, himself. Likewise, the ending amps up the scare factor to eleven, by adding an additional layer of horror to the story. I will not give the final series of events away, but rest assured, it will make you want to cover your eyes.

This is an enduring film, not because of originality or great screenwriting; rather it is an accomplishment for being greater than the sum of its parts. Carpenter, who is as good here as he has ever been, propels the narrative forward with his very strong directing. What could have been a forgettable film, is now a holiday horror movie, one that ranks among the best of its kind.

After finding an online invitation for sex, a group of teenagers drives into the country to meet up with a woman (Melissa Leo). They drink some beer that she gives them, then suddenly pass out. When they awake, the group finds itself tied up and gagged in a church, whose homosexual-hating congregation is led by Abin Cooper (Michael Parks). Cooper begins a series of extreme acts, starting with a hate-filled sermon, and continuing with murder. Pretty soon the authorities get involved, led by Agent Joseph Keenan (John Goodman), and a high-stakes bloodbath ensues.

Generally associated with raunchy comedies, such as the Clerks movies, or seriocomedies, like Chasing Amy, Red State is an enormous departure for director Kevin Smith. Besides for the new stylistic choices he employs (which I will explore in a bit) the film’s subject material is very surprising. The movie is essentially an exercise in subverting genre and narrative conventions. It cannot be expressly classified as a thriller, horror movie, action movie, or drama, yet contains elements of each. Instead of following a standard and predictable narrative, events happen that the viewer would never expect. Seemingly important characters are killed off without a second thought. We are presented with an overtly vicious church community, and listen to a sermon from hell. This is not just unconventional ground for the director, it is unconventional, period.

Smith, whose films tend to be nearly completely dialogue driven, has never shown his directing hand as much as he does here. There is real action: chases, guns drawn, and bloody shootouts. Surprisingly, the direction is very solid, and the visual style creates a frenetic feel that suits the tone of the movie. Whatever project Smith does next, he should keep experimenting with his directorial skills, sorely neglected skills that are finally being put to good use.

While Red State‘s large ensemble of actors is nothing special, there are a few notable standouts. Leo and Goodman are both terrific, and give memorable supporting turns. Parks, who gives the film’s best performance, is great here. His preacher character is both scary and disturbing, as he leads the community like sheep following a shepherd. While the film is not particularly deep, it does bring some insight into the psyches of mob mentality, brainwashing, and organized religion. Much of this is due to Parks’ charismatic performance, coupled with Smith’s blatant social commentary.

Whereas most of the film is very good, the ending is a huge disappointment. Smith’s script ends on a whimper, rather than a bang, which is a shame because it has been kinetic throughout. The ride of a movie comes to a sudden halt, turning an electric story into a slog. This is the screenplay’s biggest mistake, and the film’s overall worst detriment.

Problems aside, there is enough adeptly made film here to make this an interesting, albeit flawed, exercise in “anti-genre.” It is the director’s boldest move as a filmmaker, yet, and perhaps the strangest movie he will ever make. A perfect way to sum up Smith’s directorial departure is to ask, “where the hell did he pull this one out of?”