The New Millenium
1999 - ?

INTRODUCTION

I am loathe to prognosticate about the directions that the horror cinema will take in the coming decades, what trends will emerge. A very few can see the artistic elements of their time which will coalesce into the most significant themes and stylistic directions. It is far easier to look back. And how many directions the cinema of dark fantasy has taken in the last 30 years! When I note threads of evolution, these things are simply those that strike a chord within my psyche. There are doubtless others of equal importance.

Were I to offer my guidance for the new millenium it would be this: to turn away from a dependence upon special effects (however understated) and technological devices for inducing a quick thrill, away from cliched characterization and plotting of the "monster-on-the-loose" variety, away from attempts to meld horror and tasteless humor, away from self-serving ideologic soliloquys and the all too frequently encountered mantras of the self-righteous (read Stephen King's examination of the horror story as an expurgation of the non-conformist in society in Danse Macabre), away from pathetic remakes of classics. My hope is for films which pursue the things that genuinely create fear, not the sudden shock but the creepy growing unease, by the development of characters which we both identify with and care about (not regard with disdainful antipathy and experience some perverse homicidal pleasure in their demise), by withholding the revelation of what is feared, by internalizing the dynamic (action spoils fear) and by effective cinematography and direction.

Independent film efforts have recently experienced tremendous success while many expected blockbusters have proved to be financial disasters. There is reason to believe that this trend may lead to a revival of good filmmaking as a matter of necessity (as budgets shrink). At the same time, there is a strong sense of nostalgia for the classics of yesterday resulting in a trend toward big production remakes of "sure hits" which generally lack substance and can't hold a candle to the originals.

Most of the above was written ten years ago. At the close of the first decade of this new millenium, the strongest emergent trend is that foreign films dominate the genre. Imported horror films from Japan, from Europe and even from South America have proven to be far superior to the efforts of Hollywood and, despite their relatively low budgets and straight-to-video distribution, have engendered a strong following among US viewers. That a couple of these have been remade (and made well) by Hollywood is perhaps the most damning evidence yet that the American film studios are by and large bankrupt of original imagination. Given the dearth of creativity, it seems a natural inevitability that comic treatments of horror would thrive and indeed spoofery is on the rise.

Another lamentable trend already in evidence as this first decade of the new millenium wears on is that of the torture-sadism film. Also known as torture porn, these films are typified by not only graphic depictions of violence, but the psychological aspects of torture ranging from the creation of terror in a victim to the infliction of mental cruelty. What makes these exploitation films different from a stock horror film is that (as with many slasher films) the audience is permitted to identify and sympathize with the torturer, rather than the prospective victims. These are vicarious explorations of human barbarity and the popcorn munching legions adore them, as witnessed by the flurry of sequels in the Saw series, as well as Hostel and others. Saw was a film with much promise, a great cast and clever plot that was spoiled by a gimmick ending that required a suspension of disbelief more profound than a typical supernatural film; it was just incredible. The sequels are mere profit vehicles. The 1960s saw a sub-genre of this sort of thing among the films of Hershell Gordon Lewis and other cult films. Perhaps this fad will pass as well.

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	1999
Produced by:	Haxan Films
Directed by:	Eduardo Sanchez & Daniel Myrick
Other:

Cast of Characters

Heather Donahue	Heather
Joshua Leonard	Josh
Michael Williams	Mike

Synopsis and Commentary

Three college students explore the township of Burkittsville, Maryland and surrounding woods, investigating the legend and folklore of the Blair Witch. The sleeper hit of the summer of 1999, this will probably enter cult status. As an example of artfully-crafted cinema-verite, The Blair Witch Project surely is one of the finest efforts. However, as a horror film it falls short of what it easily might have been. The unexpected irony is that the website and the SciFi Channel special (The Curse of the Blair Witch) were far more fascinating, engrossing and well-conceived. The film just lacks substance. If you didn't know the title and caught it in the middle, you would never guess it was a horror film. Considering the impromptu dialogue, Mike's observation (quoted below) is quite poignant. Comparisons to Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead, a much better film, immediately spring to mind. About the best thing that one can say about this film is that it is surprisingly well acted and evokes genuine emotion in the audience. Unfortunately the emotions I felt were not conducive to terror. There is one scene at the end which is truly effective, when Heather turns the videocam onto her own fear-filled eyes. Another moment, entirely serendipitous and perhaps the most effective in the film, occurs very early on when a small child - not acting, but genuinely fearful - tries to silence her mother when she speaks about the legend of the Blair Witch. Raimi's film was not as well acted and at times cheesy, but one feels watching this jerky descent into dissolution that it is mostly about being carelessly lost in the woods and losing control under stress. In fact the most frightening thing about this film is its stark depiction of the moral and psychological infortitude of the current "Y-Generation". Thank God these were not the stuff our country was made of when World War II broke out!

"You're making a documentary about a witch, not about us getting lost!"

THE HAUNTING

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	1999
Produced by:	Dreamworks & Amblin Entertainment
Directed by:	Jan DeBont
Other:

Cast of Characters

Liam Neesom	Dr. David Marrow
Catherine Zeta-Jones	Theo
Lili Taylor	Nell
Owen Wilson	Luke

Synopsis and Commentary

A psychiatric researcher lures a group of insomniacs to a brooding and isolated mansion to participate in an experiement in fear, unaware of the house's very real malevolent presence. What happens when you team a highly successful director of disaster / action films with a cast of extremely talented actors in a remake of a classic of horror? A new sort of disaster film results. Although DeBont's The Haunting achieves a few genuinely chilling moments (most notably the brilliant camera work as something enters Lili Taylor's bedchamber), the film takes an abrupt dive into a death spiral by resorting to action driven sequences, shock gimmicks, and ultimately a Twister-inspired whirlwind of destruction inside the manor that simply numbs the audience with excessive special effects. And that says nothing about the fatal departure from Shirley Jackson's story into a completely unbelievable plot twist and a melodramatic appeal to maternal virtue. The only really good thing that I can say about this film is that Catherine Zeta-Jones was well cast and put on a sterling performance in Clair Bloom's footsteps. Lili Taylor might have given Julie Harris's performance a very powerful contender - had she been given a decent script to work with. The best scenes are between these two. I will also concede that the set was extraordinary. Remember though what I said about big production remakes that can't hold a candle to the originals? Go watch Robert Wise's film and see what a really scary movie is about.

THE SIXTH SENSE

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	1999
Produced by:	Hollywood Pictures / Spyglass Entertainment
Directed by:	M. Night Shyamalan
Other:

Cast of Characters

Bruce Willis	Dr. Malcolm Crowe
Haley Joel Osment	Cole Sear
Toni Collette	Lynn Sear
Olivia Williams	Anna Crowe

Synopsis and Commentary

A gifted child psychiatrist takes on the case of a disturbed young boy whose bizarre and erratic behavior is caused by a terrifying secret he will not divulge. Wow! What an awe inspiring way to start the new millenium in the horror genre! This is the kind of film I was trying to describe in my introduction. We are terrified because we become close to the characters and their fear is both believable and profoundly disturbing. Although there are some shocks in this film, the lasting effect is a subtle one of brooding unease, anticipation of the unknown, a haunting sense of the the boy's own nightmarish world. There are also some of the most heartfelt moments in recent films of any genre. Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment deliver Oscar quality performances and it will be a shame if they are not at least nominated (Update: I was gratified to see that Osment was nominated for Best Supporting Actor). Everyone raves about the ending (and it is rare that I am surprised anymore!) but the whole film is brilliant. The script is flawless and the direction never takes a false step. The Sixth Sense is the best genre film of the year, maybe the best of the last decade, a stark contrast with the disappointing remake of the classic 1963 version of The Haunting.

SLEEPY HOLLOW

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	1999
Produced by:	Mandaly Pictures (Paramount Pictures)
Directed by:	Tim Burton
Other:	Musical score by Danny Elfman

Cast of Characters

Johnny Depp	Ichabod Crane
Christina Ricci	Katrina Van Tassel
Christopher Walken	The Hessian Horseman
Christopher Lee	Magistrate
Michael Gough	Notary

Synopsis and Commentary

An eccentric, scientifically minded constable is sent by a New York magistrate to investigate a series of grisly murders in a lonely Upstate hamlet. Tim Burton, the creator of such dark delights as Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Batman, delivers a brooding, atmospheric film certain to become a classic. In less capable hands, this might have been nothing more than a period slasher film, Freddy Krueger in a tri-cornered hat, but Burton casts the whole landscape into a surreal, otherworldly twilight realm where goblins seem more natural than the frightened Old Dutch countryfolk and makes the experience creepy and fun in all the right ways. Hammer and Amicus veterans Christopher Lee and Michael Gough lend Sleepy Hollow a classic touch. Burton pays homage to the Disney cartoon that thrilled us all as children in a re-enactment of the scene on the bridge as Ichabod attempts to escape the Horseman on his sluggish steed Gunpowder. However, this is not one for the little kiddies.

FINAL DESTINATION

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2000
Produced by:	New Line Cinema
Directed by:	James Wong
Other:

Cast of Characters

Devon Sawa	Alex Chance Browning
Ali Carter	Clear Rivers
Kerr Smith	Carter Horton
Tony Todd	William Bludworth
Kristen Cloke	Valerie Lewton
Seann William Scott	Billy Hitchcock

Synopsis and Commentary

A group of high school students and their French teacher escape death due to a premonition, but find that death is stalking them to reconcile their destinies. While I generally pass on the teen pop horror flicks, I have to confess that this is a very clever film that managed to keep me on the edge of my seat expecting the next grisly end. That is remarkable considering that the inevitability of the plot is made plain from the outset. It is achieved by a series of near misses, each presaged by a darkly humorous musical cue. The accidents that befall these unfortunates of fate are wickedly clever and uncanny. The filmmakers are true genre fans; as evidence, several characters have last names that are famous in the genre: Chaney, Lewton, Murnau, Hitchcock, Browning, Dreyer, Schreck.

THE NINTH GATE

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2000
Produced by:	Artisan Entertainment
Directed by:	Roman Polanski
Other:

Cast of Characters

Johnny Depp	Dean Corso
Frank Langella	Boris Balkan
Emmanuelle Seigner	The Girl
Lena Olin	Liana Telfer
Barbara Jefford	Baroness Kessler

Synopsis and Commentary

An unscrupulous collector of rare books is plunged into a world of mystery and menace when he is entrusted with a notorious incanabulum by an eccentric expert on the occult and sent to determine its authenticity by comparing it with the only other known copies. Returning to the genre which launched his career in the late 1960s (notably with Rosemary's Baby), director Roman Polanski lives up to all expectations by creating a film (based on the novel El Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte) replete with tight plotting, ample mystery and allure, suspense, intriguing character studies, and a number of subtle details (such as the mention of Jean Bodin's classic work: De la Demonamanie des Sorciers) revealing that he took the time to research the subject matter enough to satisfy even those familiar with occult arcana. The film has much of the flavor of H. P. Lovecraft's work, but is rooted in a very real tradition of European Renaissance fascination with the supernatural and satanism in particular. Laced with delicious black mirth (Langella's disruption of the Sabbat Noir is an instant classic) and wry cynicism, The Ninth Gate develops the style that gave Hitchcock's films their panache and lasting reputation. It is also pleasingly understated in its depiction of violence, a virtue not often encountered any more. The musical score was written by Wojciech Kilar, who also wrote the score for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Many reviewers do not like this film, but these are the same people who raved about how scary The Blair Witch Project had been (never heed a film critic who fundamentally dislikes horror films). This film is not meant to be scary; rather creepy and disturbing, and at that it excels.

SCARY MOVIE

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2000
Produced by:	Dimension Films
Directed by:	Keenan Ivory Wayans
Other:	Written by Shawn and Marlon Wayans, et. al.

Cast of Characters

Anna Faris	Cindy Campbell
Shawn Wayans	Ray Wilkins
Marlon Wayans	Shorty Meeks
Jon Abrahams	Bobby Prinze
Shannon Elizabeth	Buffy Gilmore
Dave Sheridan	Doofy Gilmore

Synopsis and Commentary

A group of teens is stalked by a murderer one year after they accidentally killed a man and covered up the deed. This outrageous spoof of Scream (itself a spoof), I Know What You Did Last Summer and a host of other teen horror flicks requires the viewer to be familiar with the recent crop of chillers as well as pop culture generally to catch its sly references. If you are, then its really hilarious and delicious revenge for having sat through I Know What You Did Last Summer, one of the silliest attempts at horror I have ever seen.

SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2000
Produced by:	BBC Films / Delux Productions
Directed by:	E. Elias Merhige
Other:

Cast of Characters

Willem Dafoe	Max Schreck
John Malkovich	F. W. Murnau
Cary Elwes	Fritz Wagner
Udo Kier	Albin Grau
Catherine McCormack	Greta Schr�der
Eddie Izzard	Gustav von Wangenheim

Synopsis and Commentary

An filmmaker obsessed with realism persuades a real vampire to star in his adaptation of Dracula. Inspired by the apparently true oddities of director F. W. Murnau and German character actor Max Schreck, Shadow of the Vampire is a bizarre, yet fascinating fantasy take on the production of the silent horror classic Nosferatu. Cary Elwes, who never receives his due recognition for dramatic parts, gives a characteristically intense portrayal of Murnau's cinematographer. Malkovich is brilliant, perhaps at his finest and Dafoe is uncanny as the vampire coaxed by the mad director into appearing on film.

THIR13EN GHOSTS

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2001
Produced by:	Dark Castle Entertainment
Directed by:	Steve Beck
Other:

Cast of Characters

Tony Shaloub	Arthur Kriticos
F. Murray Abraham	Cyrus Kriticos
Shannon Elizabeth	Kathy Kriticos
Matthew Lillard	Dennis Rafkin
Rah Digga	Maggie Bess
Embeth Davitz	Kalina Oretzia

Synopsis and Commentary

A financially challenged family suddenly inherits an estate from an eccentric, estranged relative, only to dicover that its a clockwork nightmare filled with malevolent spirits. Of all the recent big budget remakes of old classics (The Haunting, House on Haunted Hill), I judge this the best. Granted, the original is a B-movie by William Castle that was as much camp as serious thriller, but Thir13en Ghosts manages to be cleverly inventive (if predictable) with derivative material and retains a good humored heart just like the original, unlike the unremittingly dark remake of House on Haunted Hill. As an aside, cute attempts at clever title creation by mixing numbers with letters (as in Se7en and Thir13en) are annoying.

28 DAYS LATER...

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2002
Produced by:	DNA Films / Figment Films
Directed by:	Danny Boyle
Other:

Cast of Characters

Cillian Murphy	Jim
Naomie Harris	Selena
Noah Huntley	Mark
Brendan Gleeson	Mr. Bridges
Kim McGarrity	Mr. Bridges' Daughter
Christopher Eccelston	Major Henry West

Synopsis and Commentary

Animal rights activists unwittingly unleash a highly contagious viral menace on the world that causes humans to become violently enraged maniacs within seconds of exposure. One of the most brilliant genre films ever made, Danny Boyle's interpretation of the zombie film is both classic and more frightening than its antecedants, not least because Boyle's film is disturbingly possible. Where Romero's zombies move with the lethargy of the living dead, Boyle's infected are galvanized for violence. This is a film of kinetic fear. The violence is not less shocking for being masked by shadow and blinding action, indeed Boyle evokes more terror in his scenes of violence than I have felt in many years. 28 Days Later has the same convincing air of reality that marked Dawn of the Dead. But not all moments are racing terror. Boyle achieves his effect by keeping us on edge for the unexpected and his scenes of a deserted London following the awakening of Jim are among the most surreal ever filmed, with an artfully constructed musical undercurrent that works to amplify the resonance of a growing panic. This independent film by the director of Trainspotting is the epitome of what I had hoped for in the coming years. One can only pray that other talented auteurs will make an outing in the horror genre.

JU-ON (The Grudge)

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2002
Produced by:	Nikkatsu, et al
Directed by:	Takashi Shimizu
Other:	Written by Takashi Shimizu

Cast of Characters

Megumi Okina	Rika Nishina
Takako Fuji	Kayako (Ghost Woman)
Yuya Ozeki	Toshio (Ghost Boy)
Misa Uehara	Izumi Toyoma
Yui Ichikawa	Chiharu

Synopsis and Commentary

Ghosts of a murdered woman and child inhabiting a modern house place an implacable curse upon anyone who invades the place of their haunting. The second of the recent Japanese horror films to reach these shores in the last decade (behind the original Ringu (The Ring)), this film also inspired an American remake, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. Ju-On is truly frightening, with one of the most ghastly apparitions on film. Unfortunately, we see this ghost too many times and for too long. Even the most horrific experiences can be overcome with practice. This is a mistake made by many films and its too bad that this one makes it, because it otherwise would be nearly perfect. The other problem, at least for American audiences, is that its presented in a non-linear sequence, chronologically speaking, and that makes it something of a confusing muddle at times, as we try to keep up with the unfamiliar Japanese names and follow the subtitled dialogue. The story is told in the form of a series of interrelated vignettes, condensed apparently from a much longer made for TV version, and that may well account for the confusion. All that said, this is genuinely creepy, with a pervading mood of bleakness and dread, and it may be the best example of the Japanese concept of the vengeful ghost, a reccurrent theme in almost all Japanese ghost tales.

QUEEN OF THE DAMNED

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2002
Produced by:	Village Roadshow Pictures / Warner Brothers
Directed by:	Michael Rymer
Other:

Cast of Characters

Aaliyah	Akasha
Stuart Townsend	Lestat
Marguerite Moreau	Jesse
Paul McGann	David Talbot
Vincent Perez	Marius
Lena Olin	Maharet

Synopsis and Commentary

Rock star, The Vampire Lestat invites retaliation when he openly portrays himself as a real vampire and awakens the ancient Queen of all vampires, who threatens to destroy both humanity and her vampire offspring. A cinematic compilation of both The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice, this film is a better realization of the style and character of the vampire world created by Rice than was Interview with the Vampire. Not to slight Tom Cruise or the earlier film, but Stuart Townesend's Lestat is more recognizably the literary anti-hero of the vampire series. Aaliyah, an odd casting choice at first blush, is really quite good. Despite her youth, she carries off the eerie, otherworldly manner of the psychotic Akasha magnificently, evoking a sort of macabre dance of mayhem in her serpentine gestures and making her brief appearances on film as dramatic as they should be. While the film falters at points, mainly owing to little explanation of which actors are playing which characters and the assumption that everyone has read the books (even having done so, a few years lapse made some scenes a bit hard to follow), Queen of the Damned is a very effective modern gothic tale.

THE RING

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2002
Produced by:	DreamWorks SKG
Directed by:	Gore Verbinski
Other:

Cast of Characters

Naomi Watts	Rachel Keller
Martin Henderson	Noah Clay
David Dorfman	Aidan Keller
Brian Cox	Richard Morgan
Jane Alexander	Dr. Grasnik
Shannon Cochran	Anna Morgan
Daveigh Chase	Samara Morgan

Synopsis and Commentary

A journalist investigates an urban legend that watching a videotape filled with bizarre nightmarish images curses the viewer to die in seven days. A remake of the equally sensational Japanese original Ringu, this film has a premise that seems so absurd that it couldn't possibly work - yet it does. One of the most frightening and inventive films I have ever seen, The Ring should be watched on a stormy afternoon. Broodingly disturbing, the film draws its effect from the unknown and the growing conviction of inexorable fate. There are thematic elements reminiscent of Lovecraft. It also gives new meaning to the old expression "a ghost in the machine", as it is essentially a ghost story for our times. Just when you think you understand what is happening, it takes one more horrifying turn, providing one of the most awful, chilling endings ever.

SIGNS

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2002
Produced by:	Touchstone Pictures
Directed by:	M. Night Shyamalan
Other:	Written by M. Night Shyamalan

Cast of Characters

Mel Gibson	Rev. Graham Hess
Joachin Phoenix	Merrill Hess
Rory Culkin	Morgan Hess
Abigail Breslin	Bo Hess
Patricia Kalember	Colleen Hess
Cherry Jones	Officer Paski

Synopsis and Commentary

A widowed pastor must rekindle his lost faith and courage to save his family from a mysterious menace stalking their rural home during a global crisis of seemingly unearthly origin. I did not see this film for many years after its release. I guess I had no idea what it was about and the premise of crop circles did nothing to inspire me. But a number of people insisted that it was good and scary, so I finally watched it. It is good and its scary. One friend described it aptly as "Independence Day as experienced from an isolated farm house". Instead of an adventurous science fiction epic, this is truly a horror film built on suspense and growing fear in a family cut off from aid and surrounded by weird and threatening beings, amplified by terrifying glimpses of events in other places, with the sense that the world is succumbing to a deadly alien menace. Director Shyamalan expands his usual Hitchcockesque cameo into a crucial (if brief) role in this one, but his best talents are behind the lens and he makes genuine fear out of very simple material, while deftly avoiding absurdity. If the resolution is a trifle too improbable or too poignant, it is nonetheless original.

THEY

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2002
Produced by:	Dimension Films
Directed by:	Robert Harmon
Other:

Cast of Characters

Laura Regan	Julia Lund
Marc Blucas	Paul Loomis
Ethan Embry	Sam Burnside
Dagmara Dominczyk	Terry Alba
John Abrahams	Billy Parks
Jay Brazeau	Dr. Booth

Synopsis and Commentary

When a childhood friend kills himself out of fear of something coming for him, a psych grad student has a revisitation of the horrific night terrors that she experienced as a child. I include this film more to speak of what it might have been than because of what it is. They comes very close to being a truly great horror film. It has an excellent premise, which is that childhood night terrors can be real, it is well acted and generally well plotted. The mistakes come from an early and frequent revelation of the cause of the night terrors, which properly ought never to be seen at all, or only glimpsed, seen as a shadow or only in part. While some reviewers have complained about not seeing enough monster, once this film exposes the threat it immediately loses force and seems too much to be merely a pest control problem. That is because the other major mistake is an insufficient development of the basis of the fear. We never really know, until the very end, why we should be afraid. Is it death, being devoured or dismembered, having one's soul taken, to be spirited away, madness? We don't know. A little suggestion or exposition along the way and some development of that sort would have tremendously improved this film. The ending is truly fearful and original, but is poorly executed owing to the lack of groundwork and a pointless shock moment that grossly violates one of the essential premises of the film (worse yet, the alternate ending included with the DVD overturns the entire film and is anything but original - obviously there wasn't a clear vision or cohesion to the story). Allegedly, this film went through ten writers and innumerable edits that may account for the unfulfilled treatment of an excellent concept and its weakened effect. Director Robert Harmon also made the original version of The Hitcher with Rutger Hauer, a cult classic of psycho horror. He includes a neat homage to the swimming pool scene in Val Lewton's The Cat People. This is sometimes marketed as "Wes Craven presents...", but he had nothing to do with it. This is one that warrants a more studied remake.

FRANKENSTEIN

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2004
Produced by:	Hallmark Entertainment
Directed by:	Kevin Connor
Other:

Cast of Characters

Luke Goss	The Creature
Alec Newman	Victor Frankenstein
Donald Sutherland	Capt. Walton
William Hurt	Prof. Waldman
Nicole Lewis	Elizabeth Frankenstein
Dan Stevens	Henry Clerval

Synopsis and Commentary

The scion of a landed Swiss family becomes obsessed with the secrets of life and death and embarks on a fatal path of scientific investigation into the creation of life in inanimate matter. Certainly, the most faithful adaptation of Mary Shelley's marvellous novel, this film in the Hallmark Entertainment series of classic literature may well be the best version yet brought to the screen. Frankenstein lacks nothing; it has thoughtful scripting (laced with references to Milton's Paradise Lost), solid acting performances, and good production standards. Though made for television, this film is by no means a B-movie. Luke Goss, in particular, evokes an articulate and tragic pathos, attempted but previously unrealized, in the Creature. Alec Newman and William Hurt, who worked opposite each other previously in the brilliant Sci-Fi Pictures adaptation of Frank Herbert's Dune, deliver fine performances here as well. What criticisms that I have of this film are so slight as to be trivial. This is precisely the kind of effort that I expected Kenneth Branagh to produce 10 years ago.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2004
Produced by:	Andrew Lloyd Webber (Warner Brothers)
Directed by:	Joel Schumacher
Other:	Adapted from the stage play of Andrew Lloyd Webber

Cast of Characters

Gerard Butler	Erik, the Phantom
Emmy Rossum	Christine Daae'
Patrick Wilson	Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny
Miranda Richardson	Madame Giry
Minnie Driver	Carlotta Guidicelli, Prima Donna
Ciaran Hinds	Monsieur Firmin

Synopsis and Commentary

A disfigured and deranged musical genius haunts the Paris Opera House and becomes obsessed with a young soprana, whom he teaches to become a great singer. The film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage version of the novel is a success both as a musical (despite the daring casting choices) and as a faithful rendering of Gaston Leroux's tale of tragedy and dark obsession. Director Joel Schumacher is the man who ruined the Batman franchise, but he manages to do justice to this material I think (though purists will doubtless scoff). I appreciate that most fans of the horror genre will cringe at the inclusion of this film in my compendium of best horror films, but if you are a fan of the story (as I am) and you can get past the medium of a musical, this is a very powerful film and the photography is stunning. You do not have to be a huge fan of the show, Webber's music or a lover of musicals to enjoy this film. I am none of those things and I still like it. If I have a complaint it is that the revelation of Erik's disfigurement at the climax is simply not horrible and weakens the story of his life as a feared and reviled outcast - but that is an artifact of Webber's stage production; it just doesn't translate well to film where things seem more real, despite all the singing. Gerard Butler, who seems to be good at anything he tries, does a surprising job in this role, while Minnie Driver lends comic outrageousness to the role of the imperious prima donna.

SHAUN OF THE DEAD

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2004
Produced by:	Studio Canal & Working Title Films, et al
Directed by:	Edgar Wright
Other:	Written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright

Cast of Characters

Simon Pegg	Shaun
Nick Frost	Ed
Kate Ashfield	Liz
Bill Nighy	Philip
Lucy Davis	Dianne
Dylan Moran	David

Synopsis and Commentary

A man is torn between his friendship with his best mate and his girlfriend who wants him to break his old habits -- while the world is going to hell and overrun with flesh eating zombies. Billed as "A Romatic Comedy. With Zombies.", this is a loving send up of virtually all of the zombie sub-genre (as well as most catastrophe films) and a really funny film. Essentially an independent film helmed by Wright and Pegg, this launched Simon Pegg as a comic actor, culminating in his being cast to play Scotty in the 2009 re-spin of Star Trek. Replete with all the right nods to the classics of zombie films, including a "Grave Scientist", surprise transformations, last stands, breakouts and a scene in which the beleaguered survivors mimic the living dead in order to move among them (admit it, we've all thought "why couldn't you just...?"), Shaun of the Dead is one of those rare spoofs that evinces both familiarity with and genuine affection for its subject.

DARK WATER

Rating

Film Production Credits

Release Date:	2005
Produced by:	Pandemonium Productions & Touchstone Pictures
Directed by:	Walter Salles
Other:	Based on the book by Koji Suzuki

Cast of Characters

Jennifer Connelly	Dahlia Williams
Ariel Gade	Ceci Williams
Dougray Scott	Kyle Williams
John C. Reilly	Mr. Murray
Pete Postlethwaite	Mr. Veeck
Tim Roth	Jeff Platzer
Teacher	Camryn Manheim
Natasha Rimsky / Young Dahlia	Perla Haney-Jardine

Synopsis and Commentary