Camp Sunningdale, Part 2

It's the dead of winter in New England. Snow and ice cover pretty much everything. Parking bans are in effect every couple of days for new snowfall. Cars are coated in salt. Everyone's breath is showing.

It may be time to warm my thoughts a bit. A while back, I showed some photos of Camp Sunningdale, a run down and rotted summer camp in the middle of the woods in Maine. I said I would have some photos of the inside of the cabins and of the Rec Hall. Well, here they are.

If you also are suffering from the condition popularly referred to as "winter," I hope these summer shots help.

Here are the cabins from a front view. I think there are six in this row.

There are no stairs into any of these cabins. Climbing is the only option, but it's not high enough to keep anyone out.

The rope for the shutters is all rotted, so the only light comes from a broken window in the bathroom in the back of the cabin.

Here's a 3/4 view of one of the cabins. All the cabins in this row are the same.

The cabins are broken up in half. This is one side of the cabin, presumably where a group of campers would sleep.

This is the space between the two camper rooms. It looks like a bathroom and changing area.

The bathroom... and the only source of light in this cabin.

A closer view of the changing area between the camper rooms, opposite the bathroom.

This is the outside view of the Rec Hall. It's a large one room building with a pitched roof and a covered porch.

Again, no stairs into the building. Years ago, when I first visited this camp in all it's disrepair, there were stairs here, but they were terribly decayed.

There is a set of stairs onto the porch from the right-hand side of the building.

There is almost no light into the Rec Hall. I shot what I could. There is an old piano in here that is terribly detuned. There are a couple basketball hoops, though the building's rafters are in the way of making any shots. There is a stage on one side of the hall with a storage area underneath. The floors are all broken and uneven from roots trying to grow through them.

The flash on my camera helped a bit, but still it did nothing for my crappy photo-taking skills...

After exploring the insides of the buildings it was time to go. This is the path that leads back to my car, back through the woods.

So, that concludes my visit to Camp Sunningdale in the late summer of 2007. I hope this journey remedied a bit of your winter blues, at least for a while. Now, where did I put my ice scraper?

John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) Entered As Part Of The Horror Canon

So, this is the third inductee into The Horror Canon. Was there any doubt that it would end up here? I hope not! It totally deserves it's place among the great horror films of the 20th century. In my opinion, it just gets better with age.

Halloween is one of those films that everyone knows about. Even those who are not into horror films will recognize the main theme, or the Myers mask. John Carpenter's third directorial outing was made relatively cheaply (estimated at $320,000), but I'll be damned if every penny wasn't put to perfect good use!

Donald Pleasence stars as Dr. Sam Loomis, in a wonderfully over-the-top performance. Jaime Lee Curtis plays virginal babysitter Laurie Strode. Both actors are perfectly cast. I can't think of anyone who could best these actors here.

I won't bore you with the storyline, as it's pretty well known these days. But I will hit some of the highlights of the film, the parts that make it so special.

It's almost impossible to get the full impact of this opening scene nowadays: In the viewer's mind the stalker outside the house becomes a burglar entering the house, then becomes someone the victim is familiar with, then becomes a murderer, and ultimately becomes...

...the 6 year old Michael Myers that horror fans will never forget! That's pretty shocking stuff when no one was expecting it. It's still amazingly watchable after all these years.

After 15 years in an asylum, Michael escapes and plans to return home to continue killing this Halloween Night, 1978.

Michael continues the pattern he started in the opening of the film. He stalks....

He kills...

To finish his killing duties, as they may be, he ends with Laurie. Michael chases her...

...and gets a knitting needle in his neck for his efforts.

Michael's not a quitter, so he chases Laurie some more...

...but this time gets a wire hanger in the eye...

...AND a knife in the chest!

Laurie is certain she has vanquished The Boogeyman.

Michael decides to give it one more shot. He chases Laurie...

...but this time he gets Loomis! And it's the final showdown!

Loomis shoots Michael right out of the house and off the balcony.

Loomis sees Michael lying on the ground, and turns to console Laurie.

When Loomis turns back to Michael's body, it's gone.

The Aftermath...

Now, having made light of the final showdown between Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, I don't want to belittle the film. It's still and extremely effective horror film. The stalking scenes are perfection throughout the film. The end of the film is as tense a film as you are likely to see. The film looks dated by today's standards, what with the fashions and vehicles, but with the cinematography, direction, and level of acting in this film, you will not have a chance to let that bother you. This is film perfection, nevermind horror film perfection.

And with that I give you John Carpenter's Halloween, officially canonized in the world of horror cinema.

Almost Horror...

I've certainly been neglacting this little corner of the interwebs. For that I appologize. As a bit of a peace offering I give you a video that I've recently been introduced to. I don't think it's new, but it's new to me.

Those poor spiders...

The Halloween Season 2010 Begins...

It's now September, and that means my favorite time of year. For the next 3 months, things are perfect in New England. The weather's a little cooler and the pumpkin ales start showing up in stores, the foliage shows its impressive colors and General Mills monster cereals are now available to fill my stomach, promises of Halloween specials litter the TV Guide channel and the "Spirit of Halloween" stores show up and leave almost as quickly as a traveling carnival. There's so much to like.

Anyway, in the spirit of the season, here's a twist on the now classic song "This Is Halloween" from the perennial treat "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

The Halloween season if finally here. Enjoy it...

The House Of The Devil (2009)

Stacie over at Final Girl has invited us, once again, to join her in watching something grand. Or maybe it's not the movie that is grand, but rather that we are all watching it together that is grand. We are the world. Or something...

This month's pick was the 2009 Ti West flick "The House Of The Devil." And I have a new crush. Samantha Hughes (Jocelin Donahue). Just look at her. How could you not want her to triumph over evil?!

Samantha, or Sam as she prefers, is bettering her situation by moving out of the dorm room she shares with her, let's say "less than desirable" roommate. She's found the perfect apartment with the perfect landlady, but she may have a problem coming up with the money for the first month's rent. So she goes job hunting.

College job boards are the perfect solution to any financial woes you may have and Sam knows it. Sam answers the call of Mr. & Mrs. Ulman. They are seemingly in immediate need of a babysitter. Even though the situation seems weird, Sam is going to see it through. I mean, the Ulman's are willing to pay a huge amount of money for a few hours of her time. What could possibly go wrong? The movie revolves around the timing of a full lunar eclipse, and the unnamed Satanic cult that is willing to do anything to see their mission through.

This movie is not perfect, but it is hugely entertaining. I found myself staring at the screen as we see lingering camera shots. I found myself holding my breath as the characters were investigating things that needed investigating. As plot points were slowly revealed to the characters (and sometimes exclusively to the viewer) I found my mind wandering to see where this film might be taking me. There are lots of "big reveal" scenes in this film, some where pieces of the puzzle are answered, and some where a twist in the plot would cause us more questions.

Two of the reasons this film worked so well were the performances of Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov. These two were perfectly cast as Mr. & Mrs. Ulman. Tom Noonan is pitch perfect in his role as he is timid, yet at the same time, sinister enough to command your attention.

Mary Woronov is charming as Mrs. Ulman. She is disarming and seems genuine, yet you know there are things that she is hiding.

At the end of the film, when almost all of the Satanists' intentions are known, there is a ritual scene that is quite disturbing. The introduction to this scene is shot with all quick cuts and loud music, and would feel more at home in a Saw movie than in this one.

I assume that this is the Grandmother who shows up. It's not really made clear who it is, but that is my guess.

Overall, this movie is great. There is an immense feeling of nostalgia that will make you feel right at home. While the story is nothing new, the way that it is presented is indeed spectacular. There are certain elements that feel out of place, like the aforementioned quick cut scene, but I also had a problem with the actor who played Victor Ulman. His look didn't seem to match the time period the film was trying to portray. It's kind of a strange complaint, but his scenes took me out of the movie.

Those are truly minor complaints. This movie was created as an homage to the greatest age of horror movies that I know. I had a blast with it. There are many, many great scenes that will have you jumping out of your seat, or sinking into the couch. At the end of the day, isn't that why we watch these things?

(One more picture of Sam to wash that horrible Grandmother picture taste out of my mouth.)