Tag Archives: Ti West

Killapalooza 41: VHS

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Alice Thirteen
Killapalooza 41: VHS

V/H/S films 1-4. Breaking down every single segment of every single VHS movie in under an hour! The names behind each and every VHS film. Bonus Adam Wingard announcement – Alice Xandra Thirteen’s new documentary on the look of The Guest called Light and Fog. Creativity birthed through the fear of comparison. One word loglines for each V/H/S short. The alternative, darkwave, goth, post-punk & emo kids of Adam Wingard films. VHS segments, one by one. The VHS spin-off called Siren. The lost VHS segment. When the cheap look of an era moves from worst to chique. Repeat producer Roxanne Benjamin! Which is the lightest VHS segment? Which is the heaviest VHS segment? Michael makes a call for techno-horror. What ultimately makes V/H/S work. Continue reading →

In a Valley of Violence + The Devil’s Backbone

Posted on April 27, 2017 by Alice Thirteen
In a Valley of Violence + The Devil’s Backbone

From the Spanish Civil War to the 2016 Valley. But the other way around. Also, probably not 2016. Ti West returns, and inevitably there’s going to be some conversation about horror. The term ‘slow burn’ is sort of getting annoying. Ethan Hawke, John Travolta, and some other people your parents would recognize. Jakup’s imprisonment in The Devil’s Backbone. Wait, the Devil’s Backbone isn’t entirely in the Spanish civil war is it? Guillermo del Toro strikes back, but more like before. The constant reminder of peril. Also, drones! Continue reading →

Rogue + The Innkeepers

Posted on August 9, 2012 by Alice Thirteen
Rogue + The Innkeepers

Splat time at Graceland Cemetery. Greg Mclean, Dimension Extreme. Movies in the cloud! Giant crocodile as the slasher. Television and horror. Adam Green and Rob Zombie have TV shows. Creating red herrings through overwhelming exposition. An unexpected cast has something unexpected happen to it. Coming up with your own problems when the killer won’t do it for you. Getting to know your characters as they make life harder for each other. Trigonomical death. Who is Ti West, really? The Innkeepers alongside The House of the Devil. What actually happened after Cabin Fever? The worst kind of horror movie. Alice and Michael have this skill. The 90’s aesthetic. Another use for humor. Oh hey skepticism! The unfalsifiable. Doing something different in the context of doing the same old thing. So glad to have that Ti West back. Continue reading →

Hatchet 2 + Cabin Fever 2

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Alice Thirteen
Hatchet 2 + Cabin Fever 2

Blood and sex feature! Old School American Horror Blasphemy. Alice’s horrible, horrible confession. Hatchet 2 after the first Hatchet. Danielle Harris replacing Tamara Feldman as Marybeth. The ending of Hatchet. Who comes back and how? Supernatural: bear or no bear! Joel David Moore. In-world references. Hatchet 2’s unrated release. The return of the belt sander. Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever. The first impression moment. This is really Ti West! The animated credit sequence. Super wide angle fisheye lenses. Giuseppe Andrews is at it again. Expanding on Deputy Winston. Cum – the ultimate cinematic taboo? More on the Cabin Fever rabbit. Fight for the quarantined? Continue reading →

Stuck + The House of the Devil

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Alice Thirteen
Stuck + The House of the Devil

City dangerous vs suburb dangerous. Two films, each a play on the trapped-in-one-place mechanic. Michael Koester is not actually an exorcist. Based on actual events? Zeitgeist contributing to a movie’s success vs basing a movie on the current zeitgeist. Stewart Gordon and new homeless. Intentionally flat characters. Reactions to brutality. Director masturbatory slow motion. Dissection of slow motion violence. Brandi Boski is the worst human being alive (but Mena Suvari is a wonderful person). If you drive drunk, you are the worst human being alive. An example of Stuart Gordon at his best. Another way Ti West’s The House of the Devil could have ended (and why). What is city danger? What is a suburb? The devil. You don’t need any evidence to be based on a true story. You don’t need a true story to be based on a true story. You don’t need a story to be based on a true story. Groups of five. Bring on the tannis! Power plays. Tom Noonan as Mr Ulman. Ti West improves on the throw back. Resisting the urge. Continue reading →