Craig J. Clark
@hoodedjustice.bsky.social
Film, masks, film, hoods, film, werewolves, film, inquiries, film
I'm puzzled by the decision to specify that the character known as the Man in the Mask in THE STRANGERS and PREY AT NIGHT is a Scarecrow in CHAPTER 1. I never thought he had to have a specific identity. He's a man in a mask, and he carries an axe. He doesn't need to be a scarecrow to be scary.
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes is so good. That was the first one I pulled out and watched.
You should check them out. This one hits harder in context. (Also, the second part, MADONNA AND CHILD, is my favorite.)
Oh, hey. I forgot to mention that these arrived yesterday, so… These arrived yesterday.
Letterboxd/Filmsky Last Four Friday
This week has been spent catching up with New World’s Nurses and women-in-cages movies in memory of Roger Corman (the one before these was 1971’s PRIVATE DUTY NURSES), with one theatrical outing sandwiched in between that lacks their verve.
In the sequel, 2018's THE STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT, the Man in the Mask is given a variety of things to do. I was particularly taken with the scene where he gets in the passenger seat of a car that has just been crashed and toys with the driver, who is trapped. It's as gripping as the pool sequence.
With THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1 in theaters tonight, here are some views of the Man in the Mask from the 2008 original.
Will there be a sequence as good as PREY AT NIGHT's pool scene in THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1? I guess I'll have to find out.
The Man in the Mask gets playful in 2018's THE STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT.
With THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 1 in theaters tonight, here are some views of the Man in the Mask from the 2008 original.
Sheesh. It’s like they’re in a race to roll back Reconstruction.
- When the last track on the soundtrack is titled “Finale”
Agreed on all points. MOTHER was the first Brooks film I saw in a theater, so it was great to have that communal experience. REAL LIFE is next-level, though.
A good follow-up is Nigel Kneale’s MURRAIN, which is a half-hour television film that bridges the gap between THE STONE TAPE and BEASTS.
Sound the Albert Brooks Klaxon! Criterion is releasing REAL LIFE /and/ MOTHER in August!
Writers post something random from your backlist.
From 2015: My review of the Warner Archives release of WHITE COMANCHE for The Dissolve.
thedissolve.com/reviews/1414...
Writers post something random from your backlist.
From 2012: "Shoot To Kill: The new—and very scary—use of found footage in the horror movies 'V/H/S' and 'Sinister'."
slate.com/culture/2012...
Watched New World's THE BIG DOLL HOUSE this afternoon -- a film I've long had it in mind to see -- and was rewarded by the appearance 26 minutes in of this hooded figure, who oversees the tortures carried out in the film's jungle prison.
That’s the one. It was August, so it was swelteringly hot, but I was glad to be under the roof.
At the risk of being accused of looking a gift horse in the mouth, I would have been fine with a live-action Spider-Man Noir film starring Cage. Not everything needs to be a series.
At the risk of being accused of looking a gift horse in the mouth, I would have been fine with a live-action Spider-Noir film starring Cage. Not everything needs to be a series.
My show was in Camden, which AA’s singer mistakenly referred to as Philadelphia during his between-song banter. Papa Emeritus IV got it right, though.
What a coincidence. I saw Amon Amarth open for Ghost last summer.
I’ll never forget that this was Roger Ebert’s last Great Movie.
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What about a roll of paper towels? Sure, aim would be a challenge, but again, there is precedent.
Nice write-up. I'm a big fan of the first film, and I've come around on the sequel after initially being somewhat cool on it. I'm still planning on seeing the new one this weekend, but if it does too much to dispel the Strangers' mystique, I'm prepared to tap out.
As primitive as they unquestionably are, I like the psychedelic skeleton effects in Roger Corman's X: THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES. On his commentary, he talks about the possibility of remaking the film with better effects, but I don't think that would result in a better film.
Franco is the one who brought the Franco one down. He seemed disengaged throughout, as if the whole enterprise were beneath him.
I’ve actually been thinking about which Corman film could be released by Criterion, and I’ve come to the conclusion that THE INTRUDER would be a perfect fit for them. Plus, Shatner is still alive. Sit him down and interview him. Get me to write the booklet essay. Let’s do this!
The selection in the second volume didn’t grab me, so I never picked it up. I do have the standalone Blu-rays of TALES OF TERROR, THE RAVEN, and THE TOMB OF LIGEIA that Kino put out, so I’m most of the way there.
The selection in the second volume didn’t grab me, so I never picked it up. I do have the standalone Blu-rays of TALES OF TERROR and THD TOMB OF LIGEIA that Kino put out, so I’m most of the way there.
That’s the version I rented from my local video store. It has a whole area in the cult section dedicated to Corman.
I’ve seen THE STUDENT NURSES. I’m guessing Shout! Factory released that by itself.
A very appropriate choice. My journey through Corman’s incredible career (after only knowing him as one of MST3K’s perennial punching bags) started when I found this at my local library. I was inspired to seek out his other, less riffable films. That was 17 years ago. I haven’t stopped seeking.
The challenge is to choose 20 books that greatly influenced you. One book per day, for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews. Just covers.
BookSky 💙 📚
Day 12
I’m also thinking about his wife, Julie. I met her and Roger when they came to campus a decade back and managed to score an invitation to lunch with them one of the days they were here. (I was introducing that evening’s screening of THE INTRUDER.) They complemented each other perfectly.
I’ve occasionally wondered how I would react to the news of Roger Corman’s passing. Now that it has happened, I don’t know how to react in the slightest.