Two 19th century wickies, lighthouse keepers, find themselves stranded by the weather on an island that tests their sanity and identity. I did not realize, until watching the behind the scenes video after the film, that Robert Eggers, director of The Witch, was behind this one. It makes sense though as it has his dark
A poor young student, "collegiate level", and excellent swordsman named Balduin (Paul Wegener) falls for a sorcerer's trick and unknowingly promises a piece of himself that he cannot replace. This early German (Weimar Era) horror, deal with the devil, tale is full of early film camera tricks, use of color filters, and narratives that require
Continue reading ➞ Student of Prague, The (Der Student von Prag) (1913)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a 1920 silent horror/thriller out of Germany's Weimar era. A young man reminisces about how he met his fiancé and their encounter with a somnambulist, sleepwalker. The mystery that unfolds is loaded with bizarre set designs, heavy handed makeup, creative editing, and murder. The German Expressionist style of the
When I started watching the oldest films in film history, I of course came across The Birth of a Nation. A three-plus hour long silent film glorifying the KKK with absurd and demonizing depictions of African Americans and slaves is not only a horrible portrayal of a horrible situation, but a rough film to get
Local DJ, Zack (Waits), pimp, Jack (Lurie), and Italian tourist, Roberto (Benini) all find themselves locked up in a New Orleans jail, with their own varying level of guilt and responsibility. All three of them are in states of isolation prior to going into prison and the camaraderie they build helps break them out. The
