Well as most of you know, I am taking classes in Film-Video at Columbia College of Chicago. In my Development and Preproduction class, our teacher asked us to pick some clips from our favorite movies and show them in class. Well, I picked a clip from THE 'BURBS (favorite Tom Hanks comedy ever) and showed the trailer of Luigi Cozzi's CONTAMINATION (1980; U.S. Title: ALIEN CONTAMINATION).
I first showed THE 'BURBS; I actually did it as a small bet that I would bring it in and show a clip. The whole class just went in uproarious laughter. It was definately the saving grace of the entire class. Then I turned on the trailer of CONTAMINATION: let me just say that I heard some "Wow's" when the scenes of victims chests explode on-screen. Other than that, again we laughed. Hey, it was some great fun. One girl in my class, after viewing CONTAMINATION trailer, exclaimed, "Did this film really get released?"
We laughed when we talked about the exploding-chest sequences. They were the saving grace of the entire trailer. But it was just hillarious to show both THE 'BURBS and CONTAMINATION in the same setting. Just hillarious.
I did something similar in a mass media class my senior year of high school. We were talking about media violence and could bring in an example for a few points of extra credit. One guy brought in Tombstone and showed the ending gunfight, talking about how amazingly violent it was. Then I showed the massacre at the end of Day of the Dead with the evil military guys getting torn in half and spread all over the floor. Several people ran from the room sick. A couple of them told me after the class that I was sick and needed help because I told them I watched this stuff as entertainment on a regular basis when they asked. One of the highlights of my high school career.
I also showed the American Werewolf in London transformation scene in a speech class last year in college as part of a speech on makeup effects. Nearly all the comment sheets came back with some variation of "I was disturbed by your movie clip" on them. I can't wait for my chance to show something from Cannibal Ferox or I Spit On Your Grave....
Brother R
It's unbelievable that Mr. & Mrs. John Q. Public would say that we're disturbed for liking the types of films that we do.
If Day of the Dead made them sick then they're pansies!
Like Brother R. said....let them watch Cannibal Holocaust, Cannibal Ferox or I Spit on Your Grave and then they'll really see what true gore, horror & human suffering is all about.
These people are afraid to look at the dark side of life as shown in these films.
But you know what?
It's EXACTLY what they need.
Not every film is supposed to be fun and lighthearted.
Post Edited (05-22-03 03:29)
In college I wrote a paper on a horror film - one comment I got was "You should try studying a better quality of film." Guess the social subtext of The People Under the Stairs just wasn't all it was cracked up to be. :-(
I watched Day of the Dead one Thanksgiving, and it made my wife throw out. Oh, boy. I don't think I ever really got her to fully accept my heart felt apology for my error in viewing judgment that day.
Still getting the Day of the Dead super disc version from Anchor Bay for my birthday, from guess who?