Denouement Renouement

Category: Hooptober

  • Hooptober 13: Carnival of Souls (1962)

    Film #5 — 1/3 Wildcard Films

    By C. Ramsay

    Opening immediately with a road race that spirals out of control over a bridge, leading to a bad accident in which a young woman named Mary Henry is the only survivor from her car, Carnival of Souls starts big before settling into a simmer for the rest of its run. The aftermath is what matters most, emphasizing Mary’s state of mind as she tries to get her life back on track after moving to a new town to start over. Plagued by visions and struggling to socialize, she teeters somewhere between madness and enlightenment, seemingly terrified of whichever way she might end up falling.

    Running off an extremely small budget, perfecting the atmosphere of the film was a necessity to counterbalance the limited options available for presenting the story. Cuts are often used at irregular moments to help convey the fractured sense of time that Mary keeps during her mental and social recovery, and liquid is sometimes poured over the lens mid-shot to visibly warp the world as Mary sees it. Many shots are also used to either play with scale or capture the background, foreground, and Mary in ways that begin to look like they’re blending together, heightening the agoraphobia that she experiences after the crash. The audio is creatively mixed in order to blur what can be heard by both the characters and the audience, or simply the audience. Rhythmic sound effects—the chiming of a store entrance, the sounds of car trouble, creaking doors, and wind—are used at regular intervals while also being interspersed with sudden vacuums of silence. Accompanying these more commonplace sounds is an organ score that’s both eerie and lulling, at times overlaid and at others diegetic, allowing the viewer to sonically identify with Mary’s worsening distress.

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  • Hooptober 13: Peeping Tom (1960)

    Film #4 — 1/1 Meta Horror Film; 4/9 Decades

    By C. Ramsay

    Mark Lewis spends his days working as a focus puller on a film production while also doing freelance pin-up photography, seeing the people in the world around him only as subjects for the work that he does, and in effect objectifying them. In his free time, he obsesses over filming and reviewing the next sequence in a documentary he’s making, a snuff film, in which he captures the fear on his current dying victim’s face while he kills them. A quintessential title in the psychosexual horror canon, Peeping Tom uses a meta approach to question voyeuristic complicity, conflating audience members as subject and object alike, and was so ahead of its time in these considerations upon its release that it virtually ended the career of its director, Michael Powell.

    From the opening minute, the viewer is subjected to peering through the perspective of Mark’s rolling camera as he murders a sex worker. There is no time spent concealing or building up to revealing who Mark is; to proceed with watching the film for any amount of its runtime entails agreeing to be paired for its entirety with a perverted murderer with full knowledge of his capabilities and desires. “The morbid urge to gaze” is questioned as much for us as it is Mark, who has made himself such an essential part of his own cinema that it even occasionally projects over himself, alternatively stretching to encapsulate the people in his life, warping and melding place and time within the film and beyond. As we move with Mark, the audience risks being caught: at one point a flashlight shines directly on us, revealing our hiding spot through the screen, and at a couple others Mark chances a brief glance our way, an acknowledgment of our presence and inadvertent support in the actions he takes. In creating a film with the contents and focus that Peeping Tom has, Powell seeks—with the help of the viewer—to identify the line between exploitation and the artistry of perverse subjects such as pornography, violence, and death.

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  • Hooptober 13: Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957)

    Film #3 — 2/2 Bela Lugosi Films; 3/9 Decades

    By C. Ramsay

    “God help us in the future.”

    Widely, though unfairly, considered to be the worst movie ever made, Ed Wood’s indie sci-fi horror project was pieced together in full sincerity around a multitude of obstacles, resulting in an unintentionally campy feature-length work which has since gained the reputation of being one of the ultimate cult classic titles. Opening with a talking head of The Amazing Criswell—a popular but wildly inaccurate American psychic active in the mid-20th century—who also provides ongoing melodramatic narration throughout the film, Plan 9 indicates its atmosphere from the moment it begins, regardless of this atmosphere being inadvertent.

    Financed with the help of a Baptist organization under the conditions that the cast and crew be baptized if not already, that the title be changed from Grave Robbers from Outer Space, and that the organization maintain some degree of creative veto power over other elements found to be blasphemous, Wood’s team completed the film on a measly budget. With an amusingly outlandish score, flat line delivery from many of the actors, and the use of existing military stock footage for some of the more elaborate shots, which stick out compared to the quality of the rest of the film, the low production value is obvious but not without charm. Production faced difficulties that included an overall lack of time, the plot still being written as filming was taking place, and attempting to center pre-existing, unrelated silent footage that Wood had shot of Bela Lugosi before the latter’s death into the story to be able to market Plan 9 as Lugosi’s final film. This footage was limited and its use had to be stretched, as did the military stock footage, which led to multiple shots being used more than once. The film is a little slow-paced for its runtime and may have unfolded a bit more smoothly if duplicate shots were removed or some of the walking shots weren’t left to run for quite as long, though in the case of Lugosi’s footage this would have resulted in a much lesser part or even simply the inability to use it. Possibly due to the rushed writing, characters sometimes narrate every internal thought they have as if doing so is a regular form of conversation, adding a sort of stream-of-consciousness flow to the movie that contributes to keeping it lighthearted. On the whole, the film is stitched together and choppy to an extent that can’t go unacknowledged, yet the earnestness that went into finalizing the project and getting it to work as cohesively as it does is what stands out the most.

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  • Hooptober 13: White Zombie (1932)

    Film #2 — 1/2 Bela Lugosi Films; 2/9 Decades

    Also filed under: A-One

    By C. Ramsay

    With film quality that constantly flickers through a rainbow of colours and has elements seeping in and back out of the depth of shadows, White Zombie, widely considered to be the first zombie movie, is dreamlike in how its horror washes over you. Eerie sound effects at poignant but unexpected moments, dirge-style music flowing through the background, and beautiful gothic sets blend as the film runs, yet each has a knack for standing out after the fact, seeming at times like the only remaining pieces of a fading reverie.

    Central to the story is Vodou, a syncretic religion that was initially developed among the African diaspora in Haiti from which the original concept of the zombie began. Typically, a living person would create a zombie from a corpse using Vodou practices, and the corpse would then be physically enslaved without self-determination to the re-animator. Zombie folklore in Haiti was often used by white slave traders and plantation owners to try to prevent enslaved people from committing suicide, which was sometimes seen as the only means to escape enslavement, by threatening perpetual servility even in death. Bela Lugosi’s character of ‘Murder’ Legendre, a white man living in Haiti, adopts Vodou practices to zombify different types of people for different reasons. A few choice white men, considered to be Legendre’s enemies on the island, are zombified for the purposes of providing physical protection and to eliminate any social, economic, and juridical consequences that they may have previously had the means to enact against him. Madeline, a white woman visiting Haiti with her fiancé, Neil, ahead of their wedding is zombified to be romantically and sexually exploited by Charles Beaumont, a plantation owner who becomes obsessed with her and seeks Legendre’s help in making her his. Beaumont in turn is made into another white zombie by Legendre for the overt reasons of keeping Madeline for himself and tying up the erratic loose ends that a criminal partner can bring, though there’s a hint of homoeroticism behind the decision as well.

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  • Hooptober 13: The Cat and the Canary (1927)

    Film #1 — 1/1 Haunted House/Building/Room Film; 1/9 Decades

    By C. Ramsay

    Adapted from the 1922 stage play of the same name, The Cat and the Canary is a melodramatic comedy-horror film that finds a group of relatives—distant in familial relation, personal relation, or both—congregating at the estate of their deceased patriarch for the reading of his will. This document and others associated with it are used to open the story, catching the audience up at the same time as the family members and establishing parameters around the inheritance that make obtaining it dangerous. Enmeshed in the domestic drama is the added stress of an alleged escaped lunatic from a nearby asylum supposedly hiding somewhere on the mansion grounds, leading to increased paranoia and opportunity for sabotage.

    Some of the ambience of a stage production is maintained throughout the film while other aspects, unique to the medium of photography, are harmoniously incorporated to distinguish director Paul Leni’s adaptation from simply being a filmed reproduction of the original work. Multiple-exposure shots and superimposition are implemented at various points , effects that a stage play would not be able to accomplish in the same way. In-camera effects and some creative point-of-view camerawork are also relied on as a means to better immerse the audience in the setting and atmosphere, tying our viewpoint to that of different characters and forcing our involvement in the mystery coursing through the night. These same effects further function to disturb the scale of the scenes, adding a touch of nonsensicality that better informs the overall mood.

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  • Hooptober 12 (2025) — Ranked

    By C. Ramsay

    31. 哭悲 (The Sadness) (2021) | ★

    • Primarily follows a separated couple attempting to reunite, as well as multiple peripheral characters, as a mysterious illness breaks out and rapidly spreads. The infection draws out a gleeful indulgence in sadistic violence, but where this poses a threat both physically and sexually is for the most part only utilized to stylize and progress the current set piece rather than serving to analyze the dominant social structures of modern society. Fantastically gruesome practical effects are mostly dampened in favour of shock value, and issues of misogyny and sexual violence are regularly evoked without any attempt at commentary.

    30. Wolf Blood (1925) | ★★

    • A higher-up at a logging company is attacked by members of a rival company and given an emergency transfusion of wolf blood, leading to him believing he is experiencing lycanthropy. One of the earliest werewolf films and possibly the oldest to still survive. Beautiful locations are full of untapped potential for creating a more immersive atmosphere, and the pacing is slow and often feels like it emphasizes the less interesting or important parts of the film. Never commits to in-depth exploration of the themes it sometimes hints at.

    29. Panic in Year Zero! (1962) | ★★½

    • A family leaving Los Angeles for a vacation witness it being destroyed by a nuclear attack and must suddenly adapt to surviving amidst anarchy. Commercializes on the nuclear paranoia of the 1960s to dissect the fear of the Other, of societal fracturing, and of isolation. Moral hypocrisy runs rampant and contributes to the further decay of civilization as it was once known. Never quite gets as interrogative as it could or should, and suffers under conflicted atmosphere and surface-level writing as a result.
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  • Hooptober 12: [REC] (2007)

    Film #31 — 5/5 Zombie Films; 6/6 Countries (Spain)

    By C. Ramsay

    Opening on a reporter and cameraman covering the night shift at a fire station, the viewer is dragged with them on a call to help an elderly woman trapped in her apartment, an excursion that culminates in the lockdown of the building due to the spread of a rabies-like virus that is contagious to humans. We stay within the point of view of Pablo, the cameraman, for nearly the entire film, forcing the viewer into the center of the action along with every other frantic character. The sense of helplessness experienced by the audience is made worse through having no choice but to move with Ángela, the reporter, and Pablo to keep up with the professionals who were meant to be captured in the first place, but not being able to contribute anything except for witnessing and documentation. The group we’re placed with has no expertise for the crisis and is constantly struggling to remain calm—even those with authority completely lack in the ability to do anything that might matter, though they try.

    Manuela Valesco, who plays Ángela, is extremely charismatic in her role, developing a combination of naivety and initiative that rounds out her characterization in places where others might remain stereotypes or caricatures. The makeup and practical effects are great, and though we see a lot, it’s constantly fragmented due to the camerawork, making us crave more. It helps that the colours of the building and most of the clothing are muted, allowing any blood to stand out.

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  • Hooptober 12: 哭悲 (The Sadness) (2021)

    Film #30 — 4/5 Zombie Films; 5/6 Countries (Taiwan)

    By C. Ramsay

    Another film from the peak era of COVID that examines illness, how we choose to respond to it, and who we choose to protect. With the introduction of the “Alvin virus” and its highly transmissible mutated form that initiates the pandemic, a young couple named Jim and Kat become separated. The audience is given time to follow both as they must suddenly fight to survive in an attempt to reconnect before settling more consistently on Kat and her plight.

    Though not immediately fully evident, after the first couple of encounters we learn that the infection draws out a gleeful indulgence in sadistic violence, both physical and sexual, with copious levels of misogyny thrown in for victims who are women or feminized. Aside from some facial expressions showing shock or fear from people at risk of attack, this element is never given deeper consideration than being needed as a component to progress the current set piece. The film also lacks a deeper exploration of its minimal bureaucratic focus, to its detriment as this angle could be used to help analyze the dominant social structures of modern society and better round out the focus on misogyny and sexual violence, in particular.

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  • Hooptober 12: Mandy (2018)

    Film #29 — 3/3 Cult or Conspiracy Films

    By C. Ramsay

    A hallucinatory phantasmagorical nightmare of a film that cycles through the stages of grief and their inciting incident in its 2-hour runtime, Mandy is mean-spirited but not without sympathy. There is not enough praise that can be given to its stylization—it’s hard to find fault in how the cinematography, soundtrack, score, costumes and makeup, and even the title and chapter cards come together to make something as uniquely metal as this. 

    Though much of the film features a strong degree of absurdity and outlandishness, the weight of the circumstances is always felt. There is a process to how things work, and a flow in how they’re affected and what they influence in turn, that grounds the story progression in comprehensibility. We see just enough of the mechanics of this microcosm to accept it for what it is and follow along for the ride.

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  • Hooptober 12: We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (2021)

    Film #28 — 3/3 Wildcard Films

    By C. Ramsay

    Jane Schoenbrun has a knack for capturing such a specific melancholic type of nostalgia in their films, with World’s Fair ramping it up uncomfortably high. Centered on a teenager named Casey, we quickly learn she spends most of her time in isolation in her attic bedroom with no friends to really speak of and a neglectful father who seems to find her presence a frustration. Like many kids who have found themselves in the same circumstances, Casey turns to seeking community through unsupervised Internet access, diving too deep into niche rabbit holes of horror-based subcultures and exacerbating untreated mental health struggles in the process. After taking part in the initiation process of the “World’s Fair Challenge,” we stay with Casey as she lives day by day, continuing to record videos of herself possibly experiencing post-initiation changes, and striking up a relationship with another World’s Fair participant who goes by “JLB” and happens to be a middle-aged man.

    There is such a deep sadness surrounding Casey. Her depression and loneliness are palpable to viewers, especially those who can relate more explicitly to the specifics of her experiences, but all of it is rooted in empathy. The film also capitalizes on more deeply immersing the viewer through exploiting what can be accomplished via multi-sensory experiences, and the format of including videos within videos makes the audience feel involved through the sense that we’re accessing videos of Casey the way she is of others. 

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