Cure

Cure (1997)

Runtime: 112 mesmerizing minutes

Directed by: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Starring: Koji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa, Yukijiro Hotaru

From: Daiei 

Not only had I never seen Cure before... this is my first Kiyoshi Kurosawa film! Some will take great umbrage at this admission but at least a request was made a little earlier in the year to check this out; I was happy to have fixed this grave error & finally viewed this mesmerizing picture.

Beforehand, I only knew the premise... random people have no memories of brutally murdering someone then carving an X into their upper torso. After that, it was all fresh for me. “The Devil made them do it” is offered as an explanation by the partner of our police detective lead Kenichi Takabe. That does seem like the best explanation early on... I'll try to be vague the rest of the way so I don't ruin Cure for anyone that wishes for their initial viewing to be a fresh experience. I can say that Takabe's wife Fumie experiences what we'll likely call “mental health struggles” now.

The movie does take its time in presenting the story, yet my attention never wavered. The beginning is a police procedural where the duo attempt to rationalize what seemed inexplicable. The story itself was engrossing, alongside the film-making craft on display, the score, the performances, the sound design during certain moments, the editing (which was especially key in a psychological horror like Cure), the finale... the movie had an uneasy, unnerving feeling from the opening minutes but this increased in intensity until it's a real pressure-cooker by the final act. Cure's the sort of movie that gets under your skin, one whose vibes will never be forgotten by me.

While not everything I hoped (or even announced) I will end up seeing this Spooky Season, Cure is one of a few films that's been in my virtual queue for years until the trigger was finally pulled. For certain, while it may be months before my next Kiyoshi Kurosawa, I'm certainly down for eventually checking out motion pictures like Pulse.

 

Jeepers Creepers (No, Not That One!)

Rather, this is a 1939 Looney Tunes cartoon: 

Why not view a spooky Looney Tunes cartoon in late October? In Spooky Seasons past, I've watched various Halloween-related cartoons from the likes of Disney and even a Betty Boop one year. However, Looney Tunes is new in the time I've been on Letterboxd... almost FOURTEEN years now!

Porky Pig is a cop—I know, some will want to make the obvious joke... go ahead if you wish! To steal a line, in this universe apparently it's against the law to be a ghost in an abandoned old house. No kidding, Porky's called to deal with said ghost, who sounds quite a bit like Goofy. The expected shenanigans occur where the ghost trolls his swine foe.

Note that this short ends with... a BLACKFACE gag. That bore no impact on my rating. I don't even know what the ghost said once its covered in soot. One YouTube video has the audio muted and another video (the one I watched due to it being in 1080p) abruptly ends right before you see it's a blackface gag. That sort of humor is an unfortunate relic of its time but as a dumb white guy, that did not ruin Jeepers Creepers for me when I don't even know what was said by the ghost while covered in soot.

While this is no The Skeleton Dance (or its unofficial color remake Skeleton Frolic) or Lonesome Ghosts or Swing You Swingers-in terms of Halloween flavor and entertainment-this was still fun, featuring various iconography of late October, & chuckles throughout. This is a cartoon, so “putting frogs in shoes” is the best gag.

The Devils, Revisited

Yes, I'm referring to the 1971 film: 

As always, not everything I was hoping to see during a particular Spooky Season will have actually be watched. Thankfully, I was able to see the uncut version of The Devils; who would have thought in the past that this cut would receive an official release in mainstream American cinemas? I never would have thought this, or that two films from Ken Russell (no relation) would be seen at an AMC Cinema this year-the other was Tommy, back in March-or that I could use the chain's A-List app to view them both without paying extra for either.

I did view The Devils almost a decade (!) ago & reviewed it on Letterboxd; that was an edited version on Shudder. Seeing it in full now-along w/ a decade of having seen more movies & the theatrical experience perhaps influencing me also-makes me rate the film even higher than I did beforehand. Loosely based on actual events, this was a searing, unflinching look at actual events—the downfall of the charismatic priest Urbain Grandier in 1630's France.

It's a wild tale of how horny hunchbacked nun Vanessa Redgrave-what a phrase to type-was part of hysteria where Grandier was accused of witchcraft but according to this film, he had the wrong enemies in the church. There's plenty to love in what's not always an easy movie to watch due to its frank sexuality & violence; the frequent female nudity wasn't titillating in context. The direction, the music, the great sets that brought this world to life, the plot—it was all engrossing. The cast all did a swell job.

However, it was the performances of Redgrave and Oliver Reed that anchored the film. It was easy to despise her Sister Jeanne des Anges and not just for her destroying a priest's life because she sinfully lusted after him. Meanwhile, Reed was naturally full of charisma and was a fascinating, flawed character whose flaws didn't look so bad once the viewer saw the worst in humanity in those who conspired against him.... “this may be cinema's most damning indictment of humankind,” to steal a phrase from film critic Tim Lucas.

The film also showed the worst in Christianity, how it could be perverted by evil people to persecute and destroy innocent lives. There were Inquisitions in more than just Spain during the era, and there were witchcraft trials in many places other than Salem, Massachusetts, to list two of many examples. The full cut's most shocking moments are still outrageous 55 years later; IMO, they did serve some sort of purpose in presenting the hysteria-among other things-of certain characters. They weren't shock scenes in an attempt to elevate a mediocre or worse film... or to gain attention because otherwise the film doesn't have any noteworthy merits.

It's no small feat that this is the most controversial movie of '71... even more so than A Clockwork Orange or Straw Dogs. I'm glad this special release did so well that they added an additional week-that's why I saw it this past Sunday evening rather than earlier. It's a blessing that there's been more releases of older films in mainstream chains as of late; I wouldn't mind it happening even more often, especially if it's movies as challenging, transgressive and/or hard to track down like The Devils.

As mentioned in my review of Tommy, I should seek out more movies from my non-relative.

Wildwood

I watched the new Laika movie, their magnum opus... and I don't love it like most others do!

Why did Laika have to commit those modern movie-making sins?

Yes, it's the return of Hot Take Blair, when I had no idea this wouldn't be a film I love, given its strong reception (at least on Letterboxd) so far. I saw no films on Saturday but Sunday was a double-header at the cinema; the other flick will be reviewed the next day.

Elsewhere, there's been negative chatter due to the plot not being as sophisticated or complex like a Miyazaki picture... that wasn't even my beef, as it was still a rousing flick which was more than just a girl (named PRUE; I really hope it's short for Prudence) looking for her missing toddler brother after he's kidnapped by crows. For some reason, the alleged “demonization” of crows also made some upset! That wasn't my beef either, nor how this is bizarre version of Oregon where everything outside of Portland is a fantasy forest world full of talking animals—although that last detail WAS rather jarring at first. Is this what the people of Portland think the rest of Oregon is?

Rather, I am a little mad at myself as there should have been more concern for the director of Wildwood given that this year's Masters of the Universe was one of the worst movies ever seen at the cinema! That said, I've seen Kubo and the Two Strings before and didn't recall it having any aggravating moments, so why should I have thought this would have-especially for a project evidently in development for a decade and a half:

a) Too much “humor”/”humor” that isn't necessary & ruins a scene

b) Idiot characters being “funny” by babbling nonsense/acting stupid

c) A bumbling buffoon male protagonist sidekick to the leading female character. I REALLY did not like Curtis for much of the film, in other words

Of course I've never read the book this is based on but this didn't seem to take a dump on the source material like Masters did... where they CONSTANTLY crapped on the property and turned it into a pathetic joke. At least Wildwood didn't do that.

There's no shortage of modern movie-making sins, as I am discussed in length on a frequent basis. However, I am massively disappointed that this studio fell into such a trap. There's still no complaints about giving my money to support such a studio—as you've heard already, the stop-motion is stunning. As you might have heard, the score was nice and while the long finale was rather bombastic, it at least had some nice action beats.

It took a long while but I finally did get invested in the story somewhat and started to support Prudence. I'm glad most others love this movie far more than me, who “liked” rather than “loved” what is Laika's magnum opus. The movie is every bit its PG-13 rating considering all the death & destruction; at the same time, it's nice for the older kids to see such a rousing tale based on classical ideas as they probably don't get enough of those ideas in modern entertainment. It was nice to see something made for both adults & children, plus the minimal amount of crass humor was welcomed by me.

While Wildwood ultimately did disappoint, it's far from the biggest disappointment at the cinema in 2026, which has been the worst year of film I can recall in my lifetime. While the other Laika I've seen I'd rather revisit than this (including Kubo and Coraline), thank heavens Wildwood is not in the “bad” category, despite itself.

The Pit and the Pendulum (The Roger Corman Version)

The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

Runtime: 80 minutes

Directed by: Roger Corman

Starring: Vincent Price, John Kerr, Luana Anders, Antony Carbone, Barbara Steele

From: AIP 

Even more so than viewing an Edgar Allan Poe story in October, or a movie made by Roger Corman, or Barbara Steele's presence, Vincent Price is a must this time of year. I knew selecting this was the right choice in the opening minutes... this begins with multicolored gel on the screen, then a creepy score-Les Baxter, who I predominately know for his contributions to the awesome exotica musical genre-then an awesome matte painting as our lead Francis Barnard visits a castle, which of course features exactly the sort of Gothic interior you'd desire for such a chilling tale.

Many know how Mr. Barnard visits the castle upon news that his sister Elizabeth has passed away, or how this is set during the time of the Spanish Inquisition, which no one ever expects... there's ghosts, a torture chamber, cobwebs, and other details that permeated the walls of the castle, the “miasma of barbarity” that was the atmosphere. There's also flashbacks tinted various colors, which show the misfortune that befell on the life of Price's character, Nicholas. 

This isn't the initial time I've thought it a mistake that not all of Corman's Poe Cycle films have been viewed, but the thought has never been stronger in my mind than now. Of course, Price was awesome as the tragic figure yet the rest of the cast also delivered... Steele, John Kerr, Luana Anders, Antony Carbone. There's the great sets and the direction, but it's the Richard Matheson plot (which has little to do w/ the original Poe tale, aside from the titular pendulum) which made this a ghastly delight, the sort of atmospheric horror movie I wish was around today.

 

West of Zanzibar

West of Zanzibar (1928)

Runtime: 65 minutes

Directed by: Tod Browning

Starring: Lon Chaney, Sr., Mary Nolan, Warner Baxter, Lionel Barrymore, Tiny Ward

From: MGM

I was glad to have some silent horror to talk about this month, along w/ a film from Lon Chaney, Sr., directed by Tod Browning. This belongs in the category of late silents that featured a score alongside various sound effects (including laughter + applause) but there are still intertitles displaying all the dialogue. 

What an opening act this has. Chaney is a magician who is paralyzed from the waist-down after a dispute with the dude (Lionel Barrymore!) who steals his wife. They flee, but a year later she returns w/ baby... she dies in a church and father/daughter head on over to what is now the country of Tanzania; after a time-jump of 18 years, he rules the “superstitious natives” via his magic tricks.

This is all in the first 10 minutes. To address the elephant in the room, the depiction of Black people is as dated for a 98 year old film as you'd expect. Alas... Lionel Barrymore is now an ivory trader (wild if you only know him as the evil SOB Mr. Potter from It's a Wonderful Life. If you want a mind-trip, view Barrymore in Browning's The Devil-Doll. He spends long stretches dressed as an old woman!) while Warner Baxter is Chaney's personal doctor who loves the booze.

What a sordid tale this is, a heated story set in the jungles which involves revenge, prostitution, other taboos, and a tale where Chaney is the true villain of the piece with his behavior. I mean, he truly played the long game with his plan. This was remade a few years later as Kongo; now, that apparently was a really wild Pre-Code effort, with a lead character that was far more vile than what Lon, Sr. presented here.

I dare not reveal more except that a key moment involved a human skeleton. Apropos, given that just a few hours ago when I was on the road, I viewed a first... a random dude in an old Volkswagen Jetta had a human skeleton in his passenger seat! Was he doing it as an HOV scam?

Corpse Bride

Yes, I've finally watched this movie: 

Hopscotch!

This isn't the only request I've had to see a film this Spooky Season (hopefully I'll get to them all) but I chose this first. Everyone will be FLABBERGASTED I hadn't viewed this before... not just for it having over 2 million ratings on Letterboxd, but that I dig The Nightmare Before Christmas. Of course, Tim Burton moving on from just producing Christmas to co-directing Bride & including all his muses (Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny Elfman) meant that this was mainly what I was expecting—compliment.

A plot synopsis surely isn't needed; thus, I'll mention that having romance at the forefront was the most obvious change from Christmas. It was easy to feel sympathy for both Victor Van Dort (at the rest of offending some randos on Letterboxd, resembling Timothee Chalamet!) and Victoria Everglot; they were likable while both having awful parents in a monochromatic Victorian England who are forced to be in an arranged marriage. Emily the titular corpse bride is also a character you like. The colorful Land of the Dead is much more appealing, not just because it's literally more colorful. The undead are much livelier than the drab jerks “upstairs.”

As expected from Laika animation, the stop-motion was stunning; also unsurprising was the quality voice cast and catchy songs the audience sometimes hears. Like w/ Christmas, Bride is a ghoulish, macabre delight, featuring mild yet funnily morbid humor. Even the supporting characters were a hoot; my favorite was the maggot who was a homage to Peter Lorre. Thankfully, this charming romantic musical comedy film was a swell recommendation, although it was still something I should have watched many years ago.