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guystr09
Reviews
Eraserhead (1977)
The things dreams are made of
This is not so much a movie I like, it's a movie I feel compelled to endure once in a while. True story:
Eraserhead--A Dream of Dark and Troubling Things (always thought it was necessary to include the subtitle) used to come around to theaters in my area just about every Halloween. On two different occasions, in two different theaters an identical thing happened in the audience: just as the movie ended, an anguished voice from the back of the theater shouted "Good! It's over!"
Same person? Perhaps. But it really could have been the reaction of a lot of people: "I didn't want to keep looking at this but I did anyway and now I'm glad I don't have to look any more."
Is this the description of a good horror movie? Partly, but it isn't over yet...
Many people, probably the theater-goer among them, can't escape this movie by just not looking any more. Once you've seen the images, they stick with you for days. It's like recalling--a troubling nightmare! There's something awful about it, but I can't quite say what... and also something funny about it, but...
Why do some people, myself included, want to have this feeling once in a while? I don't know exactly, but I think it has something to do with finding a different way to enter a dream experience. It also re-arranges your head almost in the way that a potent drug can. You feel different afterward. Something HAPPENED.
If you don't know what people mean when they say that something literally makes their "skin crawl," and you'd like to find out what they're talking about... or if you enjoy that kind of visceral reaction once in a while, this is the movie that will deliver it. If not, don't watch it.
The Car (1977)
Less is More
The Car is a good example of how restraint in the horror genre can work. It honors the tradition of real suspense movies by hinting at more than it shows, and inferring more than it explains. From the cryptic opening quote by Anton Le Vey to the ending in which the two main characters disagree on whether this is really the end, this "demon car" film keeps asking more questions than it answers. For some, this will bring frustration, for others, it makes the movie that much more fascinating. The "body count" is a total of 10 people, with no explicit scenes. And there are no "anonymous" killings. Each victim is named and acknowledged as a real human being and a loss. This is a refreshing departure from gore-fests. I'd rate it a 7 1/2.