Comments on: Horror Roundtable Week Eighty-Six

By: Sam J. Miller

Sam J. Miller — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 22:56:41 +0000

Alien 3: i find this film very moving, and not just because i have your standard gay boy crush on ellen ripley. the ending makes me weep. Also her speech to the prisoners, where the film’s AIDS metaphor becomes most explicit… “they don’t give a fuck about one friend of yours that’s died.”

By: Jeff Allard

Jeff Allard — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 03:46:05 +0000

Hey, I’ll cop to some real blubbering here. The Exorcist is a real tear-jerker for me. Besides the scene already mentioned by Arbogast with Dyer reading Karras his last rites, the scene that always destroys me is when Dyer comes by to say goodbye to the MacNeils. Chris McNeil tells Father Dyer that Regan has mercifully forgotten about her entire ordeal but when Chris introduces Regan to Father Dyer, Regan looks at the crucifx around Dyer’s neck and immediately embraces him without knowing why. Even though Dyer is devestated by the loss of his friend, Regan’s impulsive show of gratitude is touching proof that in some deep part of her mind, she will always know that someone of faith made a sacrifice on her behalf.

Another scene that never fails to leave me in tears is from The Birds, when Mitch and Melanie go to get Cathy from Annie Hayworth’s house. As they pull up, they see Annie’s lifeless body on the front steps of her house (just the way Annie’s body is sprawled out is overwhelmingly sad to me - like Marion Crane in Psycho slumped over the side of the tub, there’s just something so heart-breakingly real and vulnerable about her body’s pose in death). Mitch rushes over and sees Cathy inside the house, crying. He retrieves her and leads her out to Melanie, steering the sobbing child around Annie’s body.

Despite the looming threat of the birds, Melanie begs Mitch to move Annie’s body into the house (”Please Mitch, don’t leave her like that.”), which would be enough to break me down but it’s Cathy’s tearful account of Annie’s final gesture that gives this scene so much emotion, as she can barely get out the words - “When we got back from taking Michelle home, we heard the explosion and went outside to see what it was. All at once, the birds were everywhere. All at once, she pushed me inside and they covered her. Annie…she pushed me inside!”

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 04:36:03 +0000

This week’s participants were all men. Very ’90s. We should start a drum circle in the woods and get in touch with our feelings.

Mine is King Kong. The ending wrecked me as a kid. Non-horror would include Captains Courageous and assorted Canadian Heritage Minutes.

I really enjoyed Ginger Snaps right up the ending, which ruined the entire movie for me to the point that I’m still building up the strength to give it another crack. Sorry, JA.

By: Gary Wintle

Gary Wintle — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 10:43:48 +0000

Why do always think of an answer for these after the fact?

The Fly (w/ the Goldblum). When he gets all extra fly-like at the end and leads the shotgun being held by his woman to his noggin. Those puppy-dog fly eyes always get me. Now I’m kinda sad… the Goldblume…

Oh hey, anyone else see the slashdot.org article about China banning horror movies? I smell forbidden fruit!

By: pax romano

pax romano — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:05:04 +0000

In the film Carrie. When Tommy and Carrie are dancing at the prom, and the camera just spins around them and it is obvious they are falling in love with each other.

That scene always gets me, because the viewer understands that this happy moment is shortly going to go to hell.

By: lancifer

lancifer — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 17:42:41 +0000

The ending of CANDYMAN made me cry but hard and I think more than once and It will happen again the next time I watch it. The score is relentlessly beautiful and If Virginia Madsen crawling out of the bonfire all burnt up with the baby was not enough all the folks appearing at her grave in an endless line is like a 2X4 to the heart. Jeez, I’m ferklempt just thinking about it!!!

By: Neil

Neil — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 22:14:12 +0000

In Return of the Living Dead, James Karen in the crematorium, Roky Erickson playing. The care with which it all plays out. Him taking off his wedding ring and setting it aside…

By: Kimberly

Kimberly — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:09:50 +0000

A minor computer meltdown stopped me from sending my response in earlier but I wanted to say that I would have mentioned the dramatic opening of Don’t Look Now, which always manages to shake me up. The child’s death is really handled well. Sad and very moving, as well as deeply disturbing.

By: Ivan Lerner

Ivan Lerner — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:06:49 +0000

The Bride of Frankenstein, when Elsa rejects Boris. Umphf! It gets you right in the heart, that look on Boris’ face…

By: The Mutt

The Mutt — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 07:14:54 +0000

When Shaun’s mum died in Shaun of the Dead, it just tore me up.