A Teenage Bet and a Movie Called "Poltergeist," Directed by . . . Steven Spielberg

Jay here.

Once, in high school, Matt and I were playing a trivia game and the question came up, "Name the director of the 1982 film, Poltergeist."

I immediately said, "Steven Spielberg."

"Nope," he replied. "That is incorrect. It was Tobe Hooper."

"Bullshit."

"No, it's true," he laughed. "Tobe Hooper directed Poltergeist."

These kind of geeky movie games were common between Matt and I. Yes, we spent our times arguing over movies and wondering why we didn't have girlfriends. I know . . .

"Are you sure we aren't talking about Poltergeist II?", I asked. "You know, the one with the old, creepy preacher?"

"No," Matt persisted. "Tobe Hooper directed the original Poltergeist. I promise you, it's true."

This didn't sit right with me. I knew this movie pretty intimately. It was the first horror flick my mother had let me watch when I was in grade school. Full disclosure though, she did make me cover my eyes when the researcher's face peeled off in the bathroom mirror. I peeked anyway, mom . . . . you lose.

But, I was certain that this was Spielberg's movie. His name was plastered all over the opening credits. I'd seen it dozens of times. It even felt like one of his films. Takes place in the Southwest? Check. Strong mother character? Check. Gratuitous Star Wars merchandising in the kids rooms? Check. Check. Check.

There was no way I was wrong, but I knew Matt possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of movie trivia. His command of useless film knowledge was even greater than mine. Could he possibly be right? No fucking way . . . .

"You're wrong on this one. It was Spielberg. I'd bet on it," I smugly persisted.

"Ok. Let's bet."

Well, like most teenagers we were broke, so there would be no money on the table. What we settled on was bragging rights. The winner of our bet would have to proclaim that the other "knows everything about movies and I know nothing." It sounds pretty ridiculous now that I remember but you have to understand that Matt and I were pretty competitive when it came to this kind of thing.

Next, we had to get our hands on a copy of the movie. Don't forget this was the mid 90's and the internet was a few years away for us. We couldn't just pull up IMDB and settle this in a few seconds. No, we needed to procure a copy of the VHS and actually watch it. The closest video store was called Sharkey's and it was located near an intersection known as the "Five Points". It was about 10-15 miles away from the small town in Delaware we lived in, Milton. We drove there in Matt's green Ford Tempo, found the tape for rent, and brought it all the way back to his house to settle the score once and for all. I mean, what else were going to do? We were teenagers growing up in Delaware.

On the way home I boasted how dumb my friend was going to feel when he sees Spielberg's name on that screen. I had no doubts at all about assuredness of my memory of this picture.

Of course, if you haven't already guessed it, when we played the movie I was shocked to find I was wrong. The final proclamation at the end of the opening credit sequence solidified Matt's assertion that it was indeed Tobe Hooper that directed Poltergeist. Spielberg had only written and produced the picture.

Son of a bitch! My first reaction was to accuse him of shenanigans. I determined that this VHS copy must be some made-for-tv version of the film that Hooper must have been brought in to alter for the smaller screen. But, no, that wasn't true either. After some some yelling back and forth and quite a bit of maniacal laughter from Matt, I relented and said the words:

"Matt knows everything about movies and I know nothing."

Twenty years later I wonder if I really lost that bet. Allow me to explain . . . . . .

It's the Monday before Halloween and Poltergeist is playing at the Arclight in La Jolla, California. My girl and I love going to the Arclight. Its certainly one of the nicest cinemas in the San Diego area. It has reserve seating so you get to pre-select where you're going to sit and they have certain showings where you can purchase a cocktail, beer or wine to enjoy during your movie. They also show old movies as well, hence our decision to go see one of our favorite horror films.

Seeing Poltergeist on the big screen was certainly a blast. Its that rare breed of movie that doesn't really show its age. Sure, there is no mistaking that is a product of the 1980's. It absolutely is brimming with a Reagan-era sensibility. Hell, in one scene Steven Freeling, the father (Craig T. Nelson) is even reading a book on the 40th President called "Reagan: The Man, The President". He and his family have live in a recently built house in the suburban neighborhood of Cuesta Verde. His wife, Diane (JoBeth Williams) and three children, Dana (Dominique Dunne), Robbie (Oliver Robins) and Carol Anne (Heather O'Rourke) are enjoying life in middle class America, having achieved their small piece of the Dream. But, things turn real nasty when a malevolent force descends on their house and rips the young Carol Anne out of their plane of existence and into the spectral one ghosts like to call home.

Strange things are happening at the Freeling's house.

 

As I sat there in the theater I remembered the argument and subsequent bet I had made with my friend all those years ago, I smiled and again had that nagging feeling that something was amiss. There is no way Tobe Hooper is responsible for making the movie I am watching right now, I thought. Every scene of Poltergeist feels unmistakably like Steven Spielberg was behind the lens. Thematically it fits right in there with his filmography. A suburban family is assaulted by supernatural forces that threaten to tear them apart. They must unite in order to survive. There's also a healthy dose of fear-of-technology thrown in there for good measure.

The Freelings turn to psychic, Tangina (Zelda Rubenstein) to help them find their missing daughter and exorcise the restless spirits from their home.

The special effects were state-of the-art for that time and they were utilized liberally. How much experience did Hooper have with that kind of big budget filmmaking? Next to none is the answer. Don't get me wrong, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a great film, one of the greatest in the horror genre, and a testament to Hooper's ability to craft something so gritty and disturbingly real. One could argue it is even better than this 1982 blockbuster he is supposed to have directed. But when you look at the rest of his career, most importantly after the huge hit he had with Poltergeist, you cant help but wonder - what happened to this guy?

I decided to go home and read a little bit about the making of this classic of my childhood. I found out that I am a little late to jump on this bandwagon because a lot of people already have written about what I was surmising.

In 1982 journalist, Dave Pollock visited the set of Poltergeist to do a piece on the production for the L.A. Times. What he reported was chronicled in an article on May 24th titled "Poltergiest: Whose Film Is It?". It was pretty revealing and caused a bit of stir throughout Hollywood. The article claimed that it was Spielberg who was on set directing the shots, not Hooper. It also contained a pretty controversial quote from the Academy Award winning uber-director:

"Tobe isn't what you'd call a take-charge kind of guy. He's just not a strong presence on a movie set. If a question was asked and an answer wasn't forthcoming, I'd jump up and say what we could do. Tobe would nod agreement, and that became the process of the collaboration. I did not want to direct the movie - I had to do E.T. five weeks after principal photography on Poltergeist."

Spielberg and Hooper on the set of Poltergeist.

The article and his quotes resulted in the DGA (Directors Guild Association) beginning an investigation. In a response that reeked of damage control Spielberg published an open letter to Hooper in the June 2nd, 1982 edition of Variety. Here's an excerpt:

"Regrettably, some of the press have misunderstood the rather unique, creative relationship you and I shared throughout the making of Poltergeist. I enjoyed your openness in allowing me, as producer and writer, a wide berth for creative involvement, just as I know you were happy with the freedom you had to direct Poltergeist so wonderfully. Through the screenplay you accepted a vision of this very intense movie from the start, and as the director, you delivered the goods. You performed responsibly and professionally throughout, and I wish you great success on your next project."

Anyone else think that sounds like a man backpedaling pretty quickly?

Steven Spielberg directs Craig T. Nelson and James Karen in the climactic scene of Poltergeist. Where is Tobe Hooper?

The rumors began to swirl. Did Spielberg bring in Hooper to "ghost direct" his script? At the time he was also in pre-production on E.T., contractually obligated to what would become one of his most beloved pictures. He would have been forbidden from directing Poltergeist concurrently with it. Bringing on a filmmaker like Hooper, someone who had scored a cult hit in the 70's but had struggled to recreate that success, might allow him to make the movie he wanted to without actually having the title of director. That would go to Hooper who would acquiesce to Spielberg's leadership and creative vision. It isn't that far-fetched.

You only need to read some of the feedback from certain members of the cast and crew to get a clearer image of Spielberg's role in the production:

"I can tell you Steven directed all six days I was there. I only worked six days on the film and Steven was there. Tobe set up the shots and Steven made the adjustments." - Zelda Rubenstein to Ain't-It-Cool-News in 2007.

"It was a collaboration with Steven having the final say. Tobe had his own input, but I think we knew Steven had the final say. Steven is a strong-minded person and knew what he wanted. We were very lucky because we got input from two very imaginative people." - JoBeth Williams to the L.A. Times, May 24, 1982

It also is pretty transparent that Hooper had next to no involvement in post-production on the film.
"He [Tobe] dropped by one or two times, but he had no input whatsoever as far our (sound) work was concerned. Basically, Tobe didn't participate at all." - Bill Varney, Sound Mixer.

"Did he [Tobe] direct the film? Not that I saw." - Mike Fenton, Casting Director.

Composer, Jerry Goldsmith claimed that he had only worked with Spielberg on the score. He was quoted in the Times piece as saying this was "unusual because 99% of the time I work with the director."

It's difficult to find anyone involved in the film who says that Tobe Hooper was the creative force behind Poltergeist. According to various sources Spielberg created all of the storyboards himself, though Hooper himself has claimed that he had his hand in half of them. So, how did Hooper respond to this article and the assertion by so many that he was not the main man at the helm?

"I don't understand why any of these questions have to be raised. I always saw this film as a collaborative situation between my producer, my writer and myself. Two of those people were Steven Spielberg, but I directed the film and I did fully half of the story boards. I'm quite proud of what I did . . . I can't understand why I'm being slighted. I love the changes that were made from my cut. I worked for a very good producer who is also a great showman. I felt that was a plus, because Steven and I think in terms of the same visual style." - Tobe Hooper.

Every quote I read from Hooper on the matter smacks of defensiveness and indignation. That would be understandable if his contributions were being ignored. Imagine you get an opportunity to make a movie like this with a producer and writer who was at the pinnacle of his own career. Then lets say that said producer/writer, with his clear creative vision and take-charge personality, assumes the leadership role over the project. Wouldn't you feel slighted? Poltergeist stands out on Tobe Hooper's filmography like a sore thumb, or maybe its better to say a shining star. I am sure it has been difficult to have to constantly defend his work on possibly his most accomplished film.

I think it is a fascinating little piece of movie history and as you can see the collective information that is out there only serves to support a popular theory that Poltergeist is a truly a Steven Spielberg film. Maybe not in name but when you take the stylistic and thematic similarities combined with the fact that Spielberg wanted to direct it but couldn't due to his role with E.T., one has to concede that he was co-director at least locked in mutually beneficial partnership with Hooper.

This Halloween, if your looking for a classic horror flick to sit down to watch with friend and family you could do a whole lot worse than Poltergeist. It still holds up as one of the pinnacles of the ghost story genre, has fantastic performances from all involved and, despite who may have actually directed it (*cough* Steven Spielberg*cough*), it remains a classic 80's movie that will be cherished for all time.

Matt Reviews "Rudderless"

            By this point in this year, I usually would reserve my praise for a film until the end-of-the-year picks for Jay's and my “Top Films” of the year article. However, after viewing the directorial debut from actor William H. Macy, Rudderless, I can’t withhold such a truly great film from moviegoers any longer! I have not seen such a wonderful, well-crafted film and story centered around music since 2007’s Once. In the film, Sam (Billy Crudup) is a successful advertising executive who is driven and addicted to his job, but loves his son, Josh (Miles Heizer). When tragedy strikes in the form of Josh’s untimely death, Sam is left heartbroken and lost. And, in the usual plot device of these types of films, Sam spends most of his nights in a drunken haze, trying to escape and hide from a past too heart-wrenching to face.

            When his ex-wife, Emily (Felicity Huffman), gives Josh’s music recordings to Sam, Sam takes a trip to the local bar and drunkenly performs one of the songs (“Home”) before a small crowd. The next morning, a young local timid musician named Quentin (Anton Yelchin), impressed by Sam’s song, visits him to try and convince him to play more of Sam’s songs together. Sam reluctantly agrees and the two become a local hit. However, there is more to the story. I could tell you what more there is, but that would be robbing the audience of experiencing the importance of the story themselves. What I can say is that this film (and story) has a lasting effect on the viewer; well, it did on this viewer, anyways! It makes you question people’s (and maybe your own) preconceived notions of judging others.

Sam (Billy Crudup) sings one of his late son's songs to try and find a way of connecting to him.

           The beauty of the story is that it starts off somewhat predictable and light, but then turns into something all the more dire, and the way this aspect is revealed within the film is well done by Macy, who may have a future as a director. The story is a testament to the healing and uniting power of music, and it entices the viewer to want to see how the story of these two misfits will turn out. The acting is very impressive – particularly from Crudup, who proves here why he is one of the best underrated actors today and why he was so damn likeable in the 2000 hit Almost Famous. Yelchin also wows as Quentin, and Huffman takes a role which is small in terms of screen appearance but is paramount to the film, nonetheless. I was not impressed with Selena Gomez as Kate, and felt that any no-name actress could have played that part; although the role is important to the story, I felt like having Gomez play the part was merely a chance to have a noticeable celebrity name on the bill.

The band Rudderless (l. to r.: Ben Kweller, Crudup, Anton Yelchin; and foreground drummer: Ryan Dean) soon become a local hit with the songs from Sam's son.

            Of course, in a film that revolves around music, it is detrimental to the film to have great music, and Rudderless does that in spades. From the original score by Eef Barzelay to the original music as performed by the band Rudderless (consisting of Crudup, Yelchin, Ryan Dean, and real professional musician Ben Kweller), written by Charlton Pettus and Simon Steadman. Songs such as “Stay With You” (featured in the trailer), “Over Your Shoulder,” and “Sing Along” are better than anything I’ve heard on contemporary mainstream radio! The lyrics to the songs also correlate to the plot as Quentin becomes more confident and Sam sings the song as catharsis to deal with the loss of his son.         

Rudderless is in select theaters now and available to rent or purchase through iTunes and Amazon Instant, which means it most likely will not be noticed this year, it won’t win any awards, and it will hardly be noticed by movie audiences. In fact, I doubt most people who see the post of this review won't read it simply because they haven't seen it advertised on TV a thousand times or because they "don't know what it's about" ... because it's not based on a book, “true life” story, cartoon, comic book, toy, video game, etc. (which most major-released films are these days). And that is a real shame because I would take one Rudderless over ten Transformers Part 4s or twenty Hunger Games! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Sometimes, the best films are the ones where the story is rather seemingly simplistic. In other words, less is more. The original story of Rudderless – no matter how simplistic – is a more welcomed cinematic work in today’s age when all the major film releases that seem to be made are sequels, remakes, and adaptations (as previously mentioned). As this film critic gets older and takes in all the cinema he can (clocking in over 2,700 films), it’s difficult to impress me much nowadays as the films of today’s stories all seem to be knock-offs of other films made 10, 20, 30, 40, even 50 years ago. I hate to admit that I’ve grown rather cynical with mainstream cinema, even though I love my comic book adaptations (as long as they’re good) as much as the next film- and comic book-geek. But with films like Rudderless, there is proof that there are still filmmakers out there whose material can impress a cynic by having great, original material, just yearning to be watched … just so long as it can find an audience. And I’m more than happy to be that cynic who makes that discovery. While the end of Rudderless is not some major revelation or epic closure, what is revealed is one man’s awakening to a journey he had to take and it's that small, simplistic journey the viewer is privy to which definitely makes this one of the best films of the year … if not, at least, of the past five years!

Jay Reviews David Fincher's "Gone Girl"

Jay here.

It's tough to write a review of Gone Girl without giving too much of the plot away. A lot of what makes it enjoyable is dependent on how much or how little you know about the story and the book it is based on. I have not read Gillian Flynn's best selling novel of the same name, but I know quite a few people who have. In this particular instance, after seeing the filmed adaption of the book, I am glad that I went in blissfully ignorant.

So, without giving too much away, Gone Girl starts off as your typical whodunit. Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) comes home one morning to discover that his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike) is missing and there are signs of foul play. What starts off as a simple missing persons case turns into a nationwide media frenzy as the public latches onto the case of the missing woman and the guilt or innocence of her unassuming husband. Meanwhile, local detective, Rhonda Boney (Kim Dickens) tries to piece together all of the evidence surrounding the crime while Nick hires a famous New York lawyer, Tanner Bolt (Tyler Perry) to help defend him from the mounting suspicions of the police and public alike.

Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) faces tough questions from the police and his in-laws concerning the whereabouts of his missing wife.

Fincher's movie is captivating and lots of fun. There are twists and turns throughout as Nick's secrets are peeled back one by one and like the thousands of people watching him on television we are taken on a roller coaster ride of doubt as to his involvement in his wife's disappearance. Affleck's certain smugness and Boy Scout looks lend a lot to the character and he was well cast.

Much of Gone Girl concerns the complicated relationship of Nick and Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike). It is a cynical look at a marriage gone very, very bad.

The movie expertly deals a lot with the media's obsession with cases like this and how, when put in this precarious position, someone like Nick will try adapt to what the public wants to perceive him as in order to try a convince them of his guiltlessness. It is also a sharp and deeply cynical critique on marriage and how the battles for control in a relationship can often define it.

Its tough to write any more without spoiling it. Everyone in it is amazing. Pike, in particular, gives a virtuoso performance that could possibly land her some attention come Oscar time. It stands up as one of Fincher's best films. He has always been a good filmmaker, capable of greatness but sometimes falling short. For every Gone Girl there is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I would rank his top 5 movies as follows:

5. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
4. Gone Girl
3. Seven
2. The Social Network
1. Zodiac

Yes, I know, you don't see Fight Club there. For me, it has always been a flawed movie. Sure it has moments of greatness but the end falls very flat. Zodiac is his best work, a sprawling yet intimate portrayal on how the obsessive hunt for one killer changes three men's lives.

Gone Girl is certainly one of the smartest and most polished of his movies. I would assume fans of Flynn's book will not be disappointed by this adaptation. It is one of the best movies of the year, so far, and with its surprises and deft observations on the dynamics of a troubled marriage plus media voyeurism, it is sure to please.

"Wanna See Something Really Scary?": The Scariest Movies of All Time

Jay here.

Man, I love a good horror flick. It's one of my favorite genres of film and with Halloween fast approaching there are so many to pick from when creating the ultimate list of scariest movies. But, Matt and I are up to the challenge. So here they are:

Jay's Picks

The Thing

Directed by John Carpenter

Starring Kurt Russell, Wilford Brimley, Keith David, Richard Masur, and Donald Moffat

Neither a box office smash or a hit with critics, John Carpenter's masterpiece of alien terror was never considered such until it recently became universally acclaimed over twenty years later. Most folks will point to the original Halloween as his crowning achievement as a filmmaker, but. for me, The Thing is Carpenter at his finest. Taking paranoia and isolation to the highest extremes, an American research team in Antarctica encounters an alien with the ability to mimic any living organism it encounters after killing and assimilating its cellular structure. It's an effective plot device that allows for some seriously suspenseful moments as each member of this team begins to distrust the others, not knowing if the man standing beside him might be the creature waiting to strike. Also, the creature effects were astounding for their time and even today, that scene in the dog kennels is still jaw dropping. When you stop and think about it, The Thing is a movie about one monster's desperate attempt to survive after being trapped for hundreds of thousands of years in a block of ice it didn't ask for. Shit, he was just trying to build a ship to get off this fucking freezing rock, then Jack Burton and the Pork Chop Express had to screw it all up. Oh, wait, wrong Kurt Russell movie! They're all so good!

The Shining 

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd and Scatman Crothers

Kubrick's grand, gothic ghost story has the distinction of being the first horror movie I remember seeing. I had to be four- or five-years-old when it was on HBO. The babysitter plopped us kids in front of the TV while she gossiped on the phone. Of course, I had no idea what the story was about or really anything that was going on in the film but that image of the river of blood exploding from behind the elevator doors was burned into my subconscious so strongly that I had nightmares about it for years without knowing where it came from. That's the power of an image. Now I both respect and blame Kubrick for its creation and the subtle childhood trauma it caused me. Now, when I watch The Shining, I see that goddamn window in Stuart Ullman's office and wrack my brain to try and figure how Kubrick could have made such a mistake in continuity to place it there and I realize . . . . he didn't make a mistake. He put that window there on purpose. Why? To mess with our minds, that's why. Go back and watch it - trust me - the window in Ullman's office. Anyway, The Shining is cinema's most artful ghost story. From the legendary steadycam work to the unhinged performance by Nicholson, it's a movie, for me, that succeeds on every level. The director smartly saw the family dysfunction as the real horror in this story. The Overlook Hotel was merely the push Jack Torrance needed to go over the edge. Nothing is as frightening to a small child as the father who should love him most that now wants to kill him.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Directed by Tobe Hooper

Starring Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, John Dugan and Gunnar Hansen

Now, this one I didn't see until I was in college. It hit me about as hard as that hammer hits that poor bastard that first wanders into Leatherface's hallway looking for his girlfriend. This is a brutal movie that is unsympathetic and violent beyond anything else of the era. Hooper gave the movie a rough, documentary-like feel. The style makes it feel like something you shouldn't be watching -- like a snuff film born from the Manson Family and Ed Gein murders. Five teenagers on a road trip in the early 70's pick up a disturbed hitchhiker in the summer heat of rural Texas. After kicking him out of their van when he cuts one of them, they finally make it to the house where they planned to vacation. It's unfortunate they didn't have Trip Advisor back then. The rating would have had to have been no more than 1 1/2 to 2 circles and at least one of the reviews would have warned them about the family of cannibals living next door. But, alas, this group of hippies has to be nosey. I mean, seriously, who enters a strange house full of animal/human bones, cages and feathers? Of course, they all fall one by one to Leatherface until only one girl, Sally, remains. Her night of terror with this demented family is really harrowing stuff and disturbing to say the least. A remake in 2003 starring Jessica Biel and R. Lee Ermey tried to recreate the visceral shocks of the original, but, while entertaining, fell short for me. The original felt much more gritty and real . . . like it really happened.

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Directed by George A. Romero

Starring David Emge, Ken Foree, Scott H. Reiniger and Gaylen Ross

We are currently living in what I would call a zombie renaissance. For the last ten years or so the zombie genre has exploded in pop culture mostly due to the popularity of movies like 28 Days Later and World War Z and TV shows like The Walking Dead. Well, they all owe a debt of gratitude to Romero, who is the granddaddy of the zombie flick -- going back to his legendary classic, Night of the Living Dead in 1968. Ten years later, he would finally make his sequel and it would join that rarefied company of films that builds upon -- and surpasses -- its predecessor. Dawn of the Dead is so good at what it does -- putting 2 hours and 7 minutes of badass apocalyptic, flesh-eating zombie goodness in your face. Are the make-up and gore effects dated now? Most definitely. But you know, I'm sorry you live in the 21st century and need your zombies to bleed CGI blood. I do not, and I can appreciate a classic when I see it. Of course, it wouldn't be Romero if he didn't mix in a little social commentary as well. Trapping our survivors in a shopping mall, where they are provided all the comforts to live their lives safe from being eaten, Dawn of the Dead is a commentary on our innate materialism and self-absorption which was prevalent in the 1970's. Tom Savini deserves serious props too for his groundbreaking make-up effects which were inspired by his time fighting in the Vietnam War. Check out the 2004 Zack Snyder-directed remake starring Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames, which did a great job of capturing the themes of the original while also adding its own flair to the story.

The Exorcist

Directed by William Friedkin

Starring Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Lee J. Cobb, Max Von Sydow and Linda Blair

When a lot of people watch The Exorcist, most of them get bogged down in the profanity and projectile vomit. They fail to really look beyond the spinning heads and genital-mutilation-with-a-crucifix, and see the dynamic drama being played out on the screen. Ok, I give up, yes, it is the shocking moments of Regan MacNeil's possession that made this 1973 film a pop culture phenomenon. Every time someone enters this little girl's bedroom, you are left wondering what seriously messed-up shit is going to go down now.  It is the performances that really elevate this movie, though. Ellen Burstyn is desperation incarnate as she tries to understand what is happening to her daughter. Jason Miller gives one of the best portrayals in any horror film as Father Karras, a psychologist and Catholic priest in the middle of a crisis of faith, who must confront the demon inside Regan. The Exorcist, taken as a whole, is really a parable concerning faith and could also be interpreted as the church's repression of a girl's budding femininity. There is just a lot going on here and today there have been countless movies that have emulated the possession plot line (The Possession, The Possession of Emily Rose, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah). None come close to the genius that is on display here. I don't know why they did scary movies so much better in the 70's. I just realized that the most recent movie on my list was made in 1982. Maybe it's because so many horror movies today are just trying to recreate the brilliance of what has come before and struggle to show anything truly original. There's a reason these pictures I've selected are revered to this day.

Matt's Picks

I would also add Jay's picks of The Thing, The Shining, Dawn of the Dead, and The Exorcist to my list, and I completely agree with everything he said about those films, but I'd like to add some picks that were not previously mentioned. So, here are my picks (in no particular order):

 

Halloween (1978)

Directed by John Carpenter

Starring Donald Pleasure, Jamie Lee Curtis, P.J. Soles, and Nancy Loomis

Forget the remake! While Rob Zombie's 2007 Halloween was nicely done, it still was not as visceral nor as scary as John Carpenter's original. One of the main problems with Zombie's was that it explored Michael Myers' backstory and how he came to be the way he was. That aspect takes away the fright. In the original, there is no explanation for Myers' thirst for killing. He's simply an unstoppable machine who keeps coming back until you're dead. Unrelenting and scary -- just like the infamous theme, also penned by Carpenter. This film also paved the way for Jamie Lee Curtis to take her place in the halls of scream queen fame. The best thing about this film -- for a slasher film -- is that the film's antagonist Myers was merely a ruthless, psychopathic killer on the loose. Pretty chilling when you think about it ... and before the movie studio transformed him into some immortal boogeyman (a la Freddy Krueger and Jason Voohees).

30 Days of Night

Directed by David Slade

Starring Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster, and Mark Boone Junior

Based on the comic series by Steve Niles, this is not the vampire lore that classic horror fans are used to. When I was a kid, I would always want to be a vampire for Halloween because I thought there was nothing creepier than a monster who looked like a person and could suck out your blood until you died. Unfortunately, with the introduction of Anne Rice's famous "Vampire Chronicles," Hollywood -- and most writers -- have de-fanged a once-great monster. While it's true that Bram Stoker's original creation, Dracula, was a sexual, Romantic-era creation, he still had roots of fearful horror (see the 1922 classic German film Nosferatu). But since Rice's writings, vampires have become a bunch of sparkling, attractive, whiny wusses geared more toward drama and romance rather than sheer terror and blood! Fortunately, Nile's 30 Days of Night marked the gore and horror of the true vampire. The vampires in here look evil -- from their black eyes to their shark-like teeth. The thought of one of these things biting you doesn't give you the romantic fuzzies like some young adult novel. Thanks to this comic book and film, the vampire is slowly making a comeback as a horror icon.

Poltergeist

Directed by Tobe Hooper

Starring Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O'Rourke, Beatrice Straight, James Karen, and Zelda Rubinstein

For any kid growing up in the 1980s, I think this film needs no explanation or justification as to why I chose it. The clown alone is probably responsible for all the "clown fear" spread throughout the country nowadays! But, what I most remember about this film is that when I first watched it (when I was about 10-years-old), I was scared shitless of the idea of some spirits coming and trying to take me away just because I was a kid. I grew up going to church every Sunday and so the thought of supernatural hauntings and possession scared the shit out of me. It's hard to imagine that such a story was written by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg. The moments of innocence mixed with the horrific moments are balanced just right. But when those dreadful, horrific moments come, they come out fast and hit hard. When the youngest daughter (O'Rourke) first goes missing, the parents frantically search all around the house, first thinking the entire thing is a game, before panic sets in. Then, that scene where JoBeth Williams masterfully builds her terrifying shout to a screaming crescendo, repeating, "The swimming pool! The swimming pool! The swimming pool!" That is such a powerful scene that works on so many levels of terror -- not just the horror aspect of the daughter being abducted (by a vengeful spirit) -- but mostly the mundane, routine stomach-dropping concerning nightmare of a young child drowning. With all of this, plus so many wonderful scenes full of spooky, eerie moments, the film is great and unlike any film made since.

Silent Hill

Directed by Christophe Gans

Starring Radha Mitchell, Laurie Holden, Deborah Kara Unger, Sean Bean, Kim Coates, and Jodelle Ferland

 

I don't know if I was scared so much as I was freaked out by this film. It's a mental mindf@&* of a movie! Based on Konami's 1999 video game, and written by Roger Avary (The Rules of Attraction; Killing Zoe; co-writer of Pulp Fiction), Silent Hill is one seriously messed-up place. For those who don't know the story, it begins well enough: a nice couple, Rose and Christopher (Radha Mitchell and Sean Bean) and their innocent daughter Sharon (Jodelle Ferland) have their nice lives interrupted by Sharon's extreme sleepwalking and shouting out of the town Silent Hill. To try and cure the girl (and satiate their curiosity), Rose and Sharon set out for Silent Hill. Once arriving in town, creepiness ensues before all hell breaks loose. One of the best -- and creepiest -- parts of the film is when the haunting fire siren sounds and Rose (as well as the audience) know that she is in a shitload of trouble. Tortured souls, immolation, sheer terror -- it's all in here!

Evil Dead (2013)

Directed by Fede Alvarez

Starring Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, and Elizabeth Blackmore

When I heard about this remake coming out, I was skeptical more than overjoyed. To me, horror films are already a difficult film to make really well ... let alone a remake of a horror film. But this remake of the 1981 Sam Raimi film does not disappoint. The original was considered a bit of a joke; however, it was also a trailblazer in that two stereotypes of the horror genre were dashed: first, it is not the female virgin who survives the evil; and, second, the group of teens do not stupidly awaken the evil by reading from a book (unfortunately, like in this version) -- they play a recording in which a doctor reads the text (veeerrry clever, Mr. Raimi). Unfortunately, this remake does not carry on those traditions. But the film does not suffer for it either. When I saw the trailer for this film, it was one of the most disturbing I'd seen in I-don't-know-how-long. So I had to check it out. And I'm happy I did. It's got all the gore, blood and violence that should be in a horror film -- but it also has a story. Unlike the original (in which the five friends are merely going to the cabin for a getaway), this one has the friends assembling for good reason: Mia (Jane Levy) is attempting to quit heroin cold turkey. I'm not sure I like how the writers remade the ending, but I can see why they did it ... when in relation to the "addiction" side plotline.

A Culture Cave List: The Greatest TV Heroes of All Time

Matt here! To accompany our top 5 picks for the best TV villains of all time, Jay and I agreed that we had to pick our favorite 5 from the opposite side of the spectrum. So, here are our picks (in no particular order).

WARNING: THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD!

Matt's Picks:

Buffy Summers

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The WB & UPN

Portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar

I know Jay would agree. Joss Whedon's heroine Buffy Summers (first introduced in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which Joss did not consider to his liking the way the film was handled) is one of the best heroes (let alone, female heroes) to ever grace the TV screen! In fact, I almost feel sorry for those who laugh off the show as merely some teen fantasy show about monsters. The show is so much more! Gellar's performance as Buffy is one of the best portrayals of a person presented with many obstacles throughout their life. For those not in the know, Buffy is the one Slayer, the one girl who is chosen to fight and destroy vampires and demons -- a job which has no reward, recognition or peace. She is the perfect blend of tough and vulnerable that makes a great hero. But, what's more, Buffy -- although a leader -- is not always right and it takes her closest friends to show her that. She admires and loves her friends, treats them like family, but makes the difficult choices when she has to -- even if it means dying for the greater good. When Whedon created Buffy, he broke the mold and set a standard that many have not been able to capture in a long time ... if ever since!

Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds

Firefly - FOX

Portrayed by Nathan Fillion

Sure, the show may have only survived 14 episodes but they are the best TV has offered in a long time and has not been matched since, as well as spawning a feature film, Serenity. Another notch in creator Joss Whedon's oeuvre, Firefly features one of the most unlikely groups to be a surrogate family. And at the head of the table is flawed hero Malcolm Reynolds. He is completely his own worst enemy as the ghosts of his past keep him from enjoying his present. But don't go thinking he is some brooding, tortured soul. Quite the contrary, Mal is happy and content with what he does for a living: a thief and smuggler (think as if Han Solo had his own series). Nevertheless, he does things like naming his spaceship, Serenity -- a Firefly-class freighter ship -- after the final battle he and his soldiers lost in the war for independence: The Battle of Serenity Valley; and as many badasses as he faces down, he can't quite utter his true feelings to the woman he loves. But he is loyal to his crew/surrogate family, and has no qualms about killing a bad bounty hunter. My favorite thing about Mal is that even though he is tough, he's not the toughest around, and he is a funny-yet-serious character who I'd love to hang out with!

Sarah Manning

Orphan Black - BBC America

Portrayed by Tatiana Maslany

Orphan Black is, hands down, one of the best shows on TV right now! Show creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson found a hidden talent when they cast Tatiana Maslany as the lead. Maslany stars as Sarah Manning, a troubled young woman who returns to her hometown city (shot in Toronto, Canada) to get back her young daughter and start a new life together with stolen money from her drug dealer ex-boyfriend. However, she sees a woman who looks identical to herself commit suicide by walking in front of a moving train, and steals her identity with the hopes of gaining some additional cash. What comes with stealing the dead woman's identity is a journey down the "rabbithole," discovering a conspiracy in which she is a part of a genetic cloning program, meaning she has several clones of herself -- albeit, all with different personalities -- all throughout North America and Europe. Manning is another flawed hero but a hero nonetheless. With the help of her foster brother, Felix, and two of her clones, Manning attempts to keep her daughter safe as well as get to the bottom of who cloned her and why. The best thing about the series is watching Manning's transformation from a selfish character to one who selflessly helps others, all while trying to get to the bottom of who's truly after her and her daughter, and why. The show has so many twists and turns that it is difficult to figure out who is on Manning's side and who is the enemy.

Jack Bauer

24 - FOX

Portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland

Jack Bauer is the closest thing to a real-life hero on the screen than we have seen in a long time. When the series begins, Bauer seems like a normal cop-like character with a wife and teenage daughter. And what starts off as a night searching for his runaway daughter soon turns into the day from hell as he most prevent an assassination attempt on a presidential nominee. From that season on, Bauer must overcome many terrorist plots as well as the betrayal of many colleagues he once considered friends -- even his own family! The great thing about Bauer is that he does what needs to be done to do what's best for the country. However, he has no political motivations behind his actions. He simply is good for the sake of being good. He sees the "big picture," often having to sacrifice himself or those he loves for the greater good of the country ... even if he does what some believe to be wrong; he makes mistakes (many of them); he laughs; he cries; he cusses (DAMNIT!!!); he has relationships -- good and bad (mostly the latter). In other words, he's human -- in every sense of the word. And there's no one else you'd rather go on the ride of continuous nailbiting, cliffhanger episodes/seasons with than with him!

Sam Beckett

Quantum Leap - NBC

Portrayed by Scott Bakula

"Theorizing that one could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. He woke to find himself trapped in the past, facing mirror images that were not his own, and driven by an unknown force to change history for the better. His only guide on this journey is Al, an observer from his own time, who appears in the form of a hologram that only Sam can see and hear. And so, Dr. Beckett finds himself leaping from life to life, striving to put right what once went wrong, and hoping each time that his next leap will be the leap home …"

The thing I find most heroic about Dr. Sam Beckett is his humanity. Sure, he's a scientific genius who creates a time machine with which he can randomly leap through time as different people. But in no way is he really a tough guy nor does he possess any special skills. The greatest thing Beckett does have throughout his travels is his ability to do the right thing. He selflessly gives of himself "to put right what once went wrong" even though he is put in some of the most inconvenient situations ... and people. Watching Quantum Leap, I remember always feeling this grand sense of accomplishment from doing good -- even though it wasn't me doing the saving and merely a TV show. But I felt like watching Beckett and taking in his moral lessons made me a better person. And when I recently re-watched the series, I still felt that same emotion! Beckett does what's right not because of the particular way a person is, but because they are a person. He sees beauty in all humanity and does not grow jaded despite all of the ugliness he often sees. If anything, it only makes him appreciate life and his outlook even more.

Jay's Picks:

Buffy Summers

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - The WB & UPN

Portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar

Matt is right, I do agree. Buffy is one the most compelling heroes that has ever graced the small screen. When he created her, Joss Whedon said he was thinking of all those typical horror/slasher flicks where the monster/killer is chasing the bubbly blonde cheerleader through the dark alley while she screams for her life. He thought what if that stereotypical girl turned and faced her attacker and fought back, kicking his ass for good measure? The Slayer was born. One girl in all the world with the strength and power to fight the vampires and other "creatures of the night." But, besides all of that, what the show was at its heart was a realistic portrayal of a girl's coming-of-age, through friendship, loss, love and everything else a normal teenager experiences. Just throw in a lot of demon slaying. Gellar was perfect in the role, giving Buffy both a vulnerability and a strength that is an inspiration to young girls everywhere. She never sacrificed what made her feminine in order to be the hero.

Raylan Givens

Justified - FX

Portrayed by Timothy Olyphant

I am often drawn to the flawed hero and I would argue that there is no other protagonist on TV that is more so than U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens. Forced to return to his hometown of Harlan, Kentucky, after he guns down a Miami mobster, Raylan is very good at what he does. To call him a bad-ass would be an understatement. But in his personal life he is a mess. Friends and lovers alike are often let down by him. He manages to break up his ex-wife's new marriage and get her pregnant as well. She ends up leaving him again anyway. His dad, a local lowlife himself, cooperates in an attempt on Raylan's life. His boss and fellow Marshalls are frequently frustrated by his actions. But when it comes to dealing with fugitives and other bottom feeders, there is no one better. Season 2 of this show is one of the best story arcs you will ever see in any show. If you haven't checked it out, what are you waiting for?

Special Agent Dale Cooper

Twin Peaks - ABC

Portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan

I know Matt is not a fan, but at its peak, Twin Peaks was a cultural phenomenon. Much of its success has to be attributed to the fantastic performance by MacLachlan as FBI Agent Dale Cooper. Sent to the small town of Twin Peaks to investigate the brutal murder of a local popular teenager named Laura Palmer, Cooper is not your normal detective-on-the-trail-of-the-killer. He is eccentric, quirky, highly intelligent, goofy, spiritual and absolutely obsessed with a good cup of coffee and a delicious piece of pie. David Lynch and Mark Frost created a show that straddled the lines between police procedural, supernatural horror and prime time soap opera and Cooper was the guy that anchored the whole show. From talking into his mini cassette recorder to the never-seen "Diane," to looking awe-struck at the brilliant Douglas Firs that populate the landscape, to facing down the darkness that threatens to engulf more citizens of this idyllic community, Dale broke the mold for what most consider to be the typical hero.

The Doctor

Doctor Who - BBC

Portrayed, in the rebooted series, by Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi

For over 50 years, the Doctor has been saving Earth and in many occasions the entire universe on the BBC's long-running show, Doctor Who. While I do not claim to be a devotee of the classic series, I have become a big fan of the rebooted series started by Russell T. Davies in 2005. The last surviving Time Lord, a race of aliens that attained mastery over time and space, the Doctor travels across eons of time with his ship, the TARDIS. It is a time machine that is supposed to disguise itself as something unassuming but through a malfunction it is stuck in the shape of a blue police box. The Doctor also has the ability to regenerate if he ever dies, which is why so many different actors have played him over the years. My personal favorite Doctor was David Tennant who played the Time Lord for three seasons before giving way to Matt Smith's 11th Doctor. What I love about this hero mostly is his relationships with his companions, the human friends he takes with him on his journeys. He's a lonely man who has lived for hundreds of years and his need for a personal connection is one of the things that drives him the most. He never uses a gun, but instead always manages to outthink his adversaries. I'm sure he will continue to defend the universe for many years to come.

Will Graham

Hannibal - NBC

Portrayed by Hugh Dancy

Hannibal has been one of the biggest surprises in television for me. I had very low expectations for another rehash of what I felt was already covered ground. But show creator Bryan Fuller has proved again why he is one of the most unique show runners in the business by infusing the series with a wholly unique visual flair and a deeply psychological plot. Dancy's portrayal of FBI behavioral profiler, Will Graham, is certainly a revelation. His take on the character, which had already been performed by both William Peterson in Manhunter and Edward Norton in Red Dragon, is much more unhinged. He is clearly a man that is gifted with an almost preternatural ability to get into the head of a killer through examining a crime scene. But this gift comes at a price as he slips further and further into a psychosis that makes the viewer believe he is almost capable of the same atrocities that his quarries are. Graham does have a strong moral code, though, and his revulsion of the things he sees comes through, despite how unbalanced he is. The cat-and-mouse game he plays with his psychologist, Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelson), is the core of the show and while he often is clearly outmatched by the clever cannibal, he knows that the doctor's ego and insanity will eventually lead to his capture.