Unseen Terror 2020: Day 1 (+ a 2019 capper)

Ten years.

Jesus christ.

I honestly did not expect to keep this silly thing going for this long of a time period. I started this (now) yearly tradition just for fun and in hopes that I could expand my list of favorite pieces of cinema. With the amount of time that has seemingly flown by, I can attest to that becoming a reality, but I also wonder why the hell I even bother to do this anymore. My love for horror has never waned, but I've kind of lost my passion for even bothering to maintain a blog that I only seem to update every year or so (especially now that letterboxd exists and I can connect with more people over there). But hell, I might as well give this at least one more go.

Oh, and for those who don't follow me on Facebook and give a damn about what I thought of my final batch of films from last year's marathon, they are:

The Exorcist III- It's a shame that this picture had the name of "The Exorcist" slapped onto it, as it initially had fuck-all to do with that classic film. Flawed and somewhat messy as this might be, it's still worth a watch for the great performances (Brad Dourif in particular) and one hell of a great jump scare.

Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich- I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the same admiration for this franchise as others do. The original film is ridiculously slow, and arguably the highlight of this series is when they decided to start killing Nazis in the third entry. This serves as a soft reboot and unlike the aforementioned films, the dolls are the creations OF a Nazi war criminal that start killing people at a hotel. It's nice to see Thomas Lennon of Reno 911! fame in a starring role and I'm always down for anything featuring Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, From Beyond), but outside of some pretty outrageous blood and guts, it's just kind of...there. It also could not have been released during a more uncomfortable climate than now.

The Hills Have Eyes Part II- An utter abomination that even Wes Craven himself has denounced and trashed. There is far too much stock footage being used, and even the dog from the first film has its own flashback sequences. Do not waste your time.

Asylum- This British anthology was one of the best surprises from last year, and one that I am genuinely bummed that I can't talk about more. The plot revolves around a young psychiatrist who while interviewing for a position at a mental asylum, undergoes a test which has him talk to four different inmates. The catch is that one of these individuals is the former head of the asylum, and in order to secure this job he must determine who it is. While not a very grisly picture at all, this is still a fascinating and wonderful slow burn that features a DAMN fine list of performers (Peter Cushing and Charlotte Rampling are immediately recognizable). Seek this one out if you're in the mood for some underrated 70s gems.

Monster House- I'm always down for a good horror movie for younger generations, especially if it's about a sentient haunted house that eats living creatures. This one had been recommended to me by quite a few people and I can see why. Outside of some very janky and dated animation and some pretty dumb potty humor, it's very dark for a film that is primarily catered to children. If you like kids' movies that don't treat them like idiots and have about $5 to spare, you can snag this bad boy real cheap.

Hocus Pocus- I cheated with this one, as I had not seen this in its entirety since I was very young. Because of that, I don't have anything to add that you don't already know. I do think that without Bette Midler this wouldn't work nearly as well as it does, but maybe that's just me. Also, Sarah Jessica Parker is uber BAE in this film. Don't @ me you punks.

Black Christmas- Yet another one I regret waiting on to finally watch. It's one of the slasher genre's grandparents, and while it is slow, it's so masterfully done. The characters are great, the kills are unnerving (and not very bloody either), and the whole thing just has this underlying sense of dread. It still surprises me that this came from the mind of the man who gave us A Christmas Story. Perhaps those exist in the same universe?

Anyway, let's fast forward to 2020's marathon now. I assure you that the first entry will elicit a response akin to that of "Dude. How have you not seen this until now?!"

Look, I know. I KNOW OKAY. I legitimately had never seen 1974's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in its entirety until this year. I have no valid excuse for this either, especially when you consider how influential and important it is to the genre. It's the horror equivalent to never having seen E.T. or Close Encounters of the Third Kind and calling yourself a fan of Science Fiction. Along with motion pictures like Psycho, this helped birth the slasher genre and set up the idea that horror cinema can also be used as great social commentary. Beneath the surface of what appears to be a simple "kids get terrorized and dispatched by crazies" story is a very fascinating encapsulation of everything going on during the time period and what feels like a very rude awakening to the "flower children" of the 1960s.

The plot is very basic: Sally Hardesty, her brother Franklin, and their friends are driving on their way to visit her grandfather's grave (which they suspect has been vandalized or desecrated). Along the way, they have very strange interactions with a couple of peculiar characters, which eventually leads them to a seemingly abandoned house. Without going too far into spoiler territory, let's just say that there's a reason for the film having such a grim-sounding name.

One thing that immediately hit me after I pressed play was how incredibly filthy TCM looks. The picture is shot in a way that almost makes you feel as though you're watching something your friend discovered as a "forbidden" tape. I can only imagine how uncomfortable audiences back in the day must have felt when they first saw this on the big screen (kudos to those behind the scenes who managed to trick some audiences into thinking this was all based on a true story). The awkward moments of silence that precede some of the killings only add to the atmosphere and make you feel as though you've traveled to an undiscovered part of the country that's ripe with the kind of horrific violence that you blissfully ignored throughout your precious little life. This is somewhat ironic when you take into account how most of TCM's gore is more imagined than actually shown. Leatherface, who I feel STILL does not get enough love from genre fans, does absolutely brutal things to our protagonists, but most of it is played out in your mind and never actually shown (John Carpenter would do something similar with Halloween several years later). It also parallels what happens in slaughterhouses, which is fitting considering what we discover later on about the villains, and if you pay close enough attention, there is an assortment of pig squeals and unnerving sound effects peppered in during some of the movie's more intense moments. I don't know if it will convince you to go vegetarian, but there is a small chance that you may reconsider eating pork again after the credits roll.

More noted horror historians have studied The Texas Chainsaw Massacre better than I could ever hope to, but I am so happy that I finally watched this. It's an outstanding, uncomfortable, and vital piece for not just the horror genre, but pop culture overall. I look forward to revisiting this several times and pulling more and more from it after every watch. As of this writing, you can view it on Shudder, though it is also very easy to buy physical copies online.