Horror Roundtable - Week Four
Name a living director who you believe is a Master of Horror but hasn’t contributed to the television series of the same name, and explain your reason for choosing him or her. Bonus question - Name a director who is on the list who you feel least deserves to be there.
At first I thought I should go with someone who has directed a legendary horror film in the past, like William Friedkin or Steven Spielberg, but their body of work is too varied and outside of the genre to even be considered for the title.
Besides, my vote goes squarely to Rob Zombie. I’m not a fan of his music (or his hair), but I’ve been completely (even surprisingly) impressed with his two horror films to date, HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES and THE DEVIL’S REJECTS. The fact that the two films use the same characters but are diametrically opposed in tone, style and intent is impressive enough, but either demonstrate that this man is a born filmmaker with a real vision and making movies for horror fans. Scoff all you want, but I can’t wait to see what he does with HALLOWEEN 9.
As for least deserving to be on the list, that’s easy: Mick Garris. I know if not for him, we wouldn’t even have the show, but he’s: a) generally a TV director, b) carved a career simply by hitching his name to Stephen King’s, and c) done nothing remotely scary.
I guess if I just list the following flicks, you’ll know my man: Brain Damage, Frankenhooker, and the three Basket Cases.
Frank Henenlotter. Unique. Interesting. Fun.
I’d like to see Henenlotter tackle a carny serial killer. Maybe he’s the twin, deformed brother of the cop who’s after him? Could be good for 60 minutes of freaky mayhem.
I dunno, there’s just something about Henenlotter’s humor that isn’t the slick, self-referential post-modern bullshit that has to hang like a limp, hammy hand on every horror movie/short film made nowadays.
There’re reasons that b-movie and cult horror blogs are out there. Henenlotter’s one of them. William “Snoozefest” Malone is not…
I’m actually working with him right now on a new project - Herschell Gordon Lewis. Despite being a 70-something he has more energy (and more myspace friends) than all of the others on the list combined. He’s always coming up with new ideas and ways to make them better. I would love to see him get behind the camera again on a well-financed MOH shoot and really kick ass. He is not nicknamed the “Godfather of Gore” for nuthin’. It has been one of my dreams to work with him as I’m sure it would be for a lot of horror fans out there.
His movies - a combination of quirky, dark humor and gore ushered in a new era in horror - brutal realism. He didn’t just talk or imply the horror - He SHOWED it. If it hadn’t been for Herschell’s classic movies like BLOOD FEAST and WIZARD OF GORE, George Romero wouldn’t have been able to do the things he did in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.
So that’s what’s missing on this list - a bit of the old Lewis “Oh my God! Did I just see that?” magic.
Overall, most of my favourite horror directors fall into the list of people who’ve already taken part in the Masters of Horror series. However, there are a few that I think i’d like to see take a stab at it.
Steve Miner - His early involvement in the Friday the 13th series is noteworthy. His latest project, helming the Day of the Dead remake, has Miner going back at his horror roots. But it’s House, the comedy horror classic that makes me think he’d be bring us an interesting episode.
Sean S. Cunningham - As a director, he launched one of the biggest horror franchises of all time, Friday the 13th. He also directed Deep Star Six, the bottom on the list of the late eighties/early nineties underwater films (the others being The Abyss and Leviathan) As a producer, he’s worked on many classics…House, The Last House on the Left, Freddy vs. Jason, The Horror Show…I think he’s a worthy contender.
Lamberto Bava - For two reasons…Demons ruled and his Dad is currently unavailable.
Frank Henenlotter - Director of the ‘Basket Case’ films, Brain Damage (featuring the voice of Zacherley as Aylmer the brain leech), and most importantly Frankenhooker! Great mix of comedy and horror.
Honourable mention - Dan O’Bannon
I haven’t bothered to watch the Masters of Horror series. There are a few directors that I’d like to see direct a future episode [The Pang Brothers, Sam Raimi, Eli Roth, Rob Schmidt] but if I had to pick just one to do the job, I’d pick Alexandre Aja. Aja’s remake of The Hills Have Eyes was brutal and intense. I was never a fan of the original so I didn’t expect much from the remake. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Aja’s first major film, High Tension. I know that a lot of fans had problems with this film but I think Aja does an admirable job of building tension and suspense. He has a bright future admit of him and I hope he’ll start directing original features from here on out.
If I had to pick one director who least deserves to be on the list, it’s quite simple: Mick Garris. Why is Mick Garris still getting work? He’s definitely one of the most mediocre directors on the face of the planet. I thought the first half of the Stand was actually quite good but Garris ultimately fucked it up [just like he does with every other Stephen King project he directs]. Would I call Garris a “master of horror”? I don’t think so.
My pics for the Masters of Horror series would be the Polonia twin brothers and Jon McBride working as a team, as they often do when producing their best material. These guys have pumped out about 25 videos, none of which have been well recieved by the masses or even the fans, but it certainly puts them ahead of Lucky McKee who has made only one movie that anybody has seen and one movie that has been pushed back time and time again, obviously because it sucks.I heard that the Polonia’s Feeders was the number one independent film rented at blockbuster in 1997! How about Holla! If I Kill You, Mark and John Polonia do urban horror? Peter Rottentail? It was the first Easter horror movie, brought to you by the Polonia brothers. Ok, I have never seen any of these movies, but their reputations speek for themselves. Check out the imdb reviews.Jon McBride brought us Woodchipper Massacre, Blood Red Planet. The House That Screamed 2: Hellgate. Most Polonia/Mcbride movies did come out on VHS and they now can frequently be found on Brentwood DVD bundles that sell for six or seven dollars at Best Buy.You will probably hate the first Polonia brothers movie that you see and you might not like the second, but by the third you will feel like a member of the Polonia family - which means you might end up in a movie because Polonia and McBride family members often make up the cast!One time a Polonia movie even had CGI in it. Wow! Anyway, these guys will not stop making movies no matter what the critics say and you have got to admire the spirit. I think they have earned a shot at making something with a budget instead of a camcorder. I would give them a Masters of Horror episode.
Well, I’m going to have to say Rob Zombie even if he is new. I feel he shows a depth of knowledge about the genre as well as an instinct for how best to make a horror movie that goes beyond pure gross out or scream inducing to bring about a real story with real characters you can care about even if you find despicable. Not to mention he goes beyond just directing, yet manages to keep with the horror vibe. Sure he’s newer to the game than some but talent’s talent and Devil’s Rejects proves it. I’ll pass on the bonus question until I make a few masterful films myself.
I’m going to start backwards and answer the bonus question to help qualify my choice. Lots of good directors here, though when I hear the word “Master” I think of someone that has spent a long time learning the craft of whatever the skill may be working at. Some of the participants must have very MASTERFUL agents…and one of the directors I had to look up on IMDB to see who they were! But, I’m not going to slam anyone, since horror is pretty much ignored in the mainstream this rather high profile (and shown around the world) series is a plus-no matter who is directing. By the standard set on the list, I’d nominate Frank Henenlotter get a shot here. Frank is not only a guy who contributed several very unique films to the horror world (Basket Case, Frankenhooker) and one bonafide classic (Brain Damage and don’t make me fight you on this one)-but he also LOVES the genre. His work with Something Weird Video in putting together the Sexy Shockers line many years back was very influential on me, and interestingly those films have remained popular with SWV with DVD re-issues, which are sadly minus any FrankOmmentary. His mixture of humor, sleaze and gore carved him a niche that he is truly a master of. And as a project (hey, I’m playing dream producer here), howzabout a totally FrankHennenStone-ian version of Sexy Shocker #1… THE CURIOUS DR. HUMPP? I owe him for making the movie one of my favorites and introducing me to Emilio Vieyra and Argentinian horror… and I think he would re-invent and bang that one right out of the park.
For my pick, I choose Kinji Fukasaku who is the guy who directed Battle Royale. Although not a horror director per sé, I really enjoyed the way that movie was done. I think if you challenged him to make a horror movie, you would get an absolutely fantastic film. In fact, I would be so bold as to say that if you challenged non-horror directors to make a movie for this series, that is where you’d get your best ones from. Horror directors I think are more apt to fall into their bag of tricks whereas other directors would have to make up new tricks because they’ve never done it before.
Editor’s Note - Billy was informed that Fukasaku had passed away three years ago and that his contribution would be disqualified. The following is his response.
Jesus christ man. We call in the re-animator and bring that fucker back from the dead. Who better to do horror than a crazy undead japanese director?!?!?!
Editor’s note - Touche!
Steven - The Horror Blog
It seems that the majority of horror film directors, even most of the Masters, start off in the genre with every intention of getting out someday but never do. John Carpenter would rather be doing Westerns. Tobe Hooper is interested in comedy. Rare is the director who makes a string of horror films that escapes completely.
Bob Clark is one of the lucky ones. I think it’s time to reel him back in.
For those unfamiliar with Clark’s horror work, he’s also been responsible for comedy classics such a Porky’s, A Christmas Story and, um, Baby Geniuses. He got his start with Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things, a groovy early 70’s zombie trip-out and a movie which Clark is in the process of remaking. Things became darker when Clark filmed the first fictional film to deal negatively with the war in Vietnam with Deathdream. Clark finished off his terror trilogy with my third favourite horror film of all time, Black Christmas. His horror filmography may only be comprised of three movies, but two of them are excellent studies in horror, and one of them is an absolute classic.
He may be lacking in quantity, but Clark’s batting average is probably better than anyone who did make the list. For that reason alone, I “choosed” Bob Clark.
Thanks once again to the Masters of Horrorblogging for participating. If you like what you see, don’t hesitate to click the links.
And if you have your own recommendations, please share them in the comments below.
July 21st, 2006 at 12:46 pm
Holy Crow… I am thrilled to see some much Hennenlove. 3 mentions in such a short space of time is amazing. Someone forward this to Showtime!
July 21st, 2006 at 2:44 pm
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems odd that he’s remaking his own movie…Just seems weird to me….I’ll see it though, don’t get me wrong!
I’d like to see the original first though…
July 21st, 2006 at 3:05 pm
Evil Dead 2 was basically a remake of Evil Dead 1.
July 21st, 2006 at 6:54 pm
Which movie is Henenlotter remaking? And yeah..ED2 is a remake of 1 and weren’t they toying with remaking it AGAIN with Raimi producing. Well, as long as it is good and not a strict remake I’d watch that.
July 22nd, 2006 at 5:36 am
I must say that Rod Lott fellow is brilliant! ;-)
Also, are any of you guys up for link swapping? If so, hit me up and I will. Maybe we could start passing traffic around, yanno?
July 22nd, 2006 at 6:29 am
Sorry I didn’t get a chance to post this week, had a lot on my plate, as it were. My recommendation for the Masters of Horror series would be Takashi Shimizu, writer/director of the Ju-On/Grudge series, as well as my favorite of the Tomie series. I’d like to see what he can do on the show, as I’ve seen he can handle more than just croaking ghosts.
July 22nd, 2006 at 10:25 pm
I was surprised by the mutliple mentions of Henenlotter, myself.
I’m not positive, but I think Crazy DJM may have been referring to my mention of Bob Clark remaking his own Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things, not any of Henenlotter’s work. In an interview Bob Clark said that Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things was the only one of his horror films he would even consider remaking, since the other two turned out remarkably well.
And anyway, Hitchcock remade his own The Man Who Knew Too Much, and if it was good enough for the Master, I imagine it’s alright for anyone to do the same.
July 24th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Thanks Steve….I actually WAS talking about Bob Clark…
Not a knock on the guy by any means, just seems odd…
And I’ve gotta go with Jay C on Evil Dead, once again not a knock though ’cause that’s probably my FAV horror series of all time…
July 26th, 2006 at 9:38 am
It’s good to see all the Rob Zombie love going on! His movies kick my ass, even with the small flaws in the first one.
Henenlotter is a great choice as well. I still think of Basketcase and smile an evil smile.
July 26th, 2006 at 12:02 pm
“His movies kick my ass, even with the small flaws in the first one.”
I would substitute “small” for “unbearable”, all of which made The Devil’s Rejects such a pleasant surprise.
I’m surprised Eli Roth didn’t make the cut. He was on my short list.
July 30th, 2006 at 4:46 am
Interesting responses. I couldn’t agree more about Mick Garris being the most unworth, as several respondents chose. Personally, before they die, I’d like to see Jess Franco or Jean Rollin get a shot at something like this, though. Both of them have truly unique styles. Rollin definitely has the better batting average, but when you’ve cranked out around 200 flicks like Franco has it’s hard to maintain high standards. Still, when he has a decent budget and a script he feels passionate about, I think he does a great job. Hennelotter, Clark, Zombie, and Lewis are all good picks as well.
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:59 am
I was surprised more directors from outside North America didn’t make our informal list. In the most recent Rue Morgue, Garris states that he is in negotiations with three overseas directors for the next season of Masters of Horror. I hope he pulls it off.