5FFF: Horror Classics II

Psycho
My farts smelled so bad when I watched this. I don’t know what I ate (nothing particularly tooty) but the farts were extremely frequent and rancid. Emily told me I had to stop farting because it was making her sick— that’s how nasty it was. I was able to hold them in for a while, and when I did let one squeak out I tried my best to trap it underneath the blanket. But one wrong shift of my body and the scent came billowing out. How my farts got so smelly is truly one of the great mysteries of my life.
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All this while I watched Psycho (which features the very first instance of a toilet flushing on screen) for the first time! The irony!

The Exorcist
This felt familiar in the best way possible. I’ve seen so many movies inspired by this one, I’m glad I finally got around to seeing the real thing. The performances and score are really magnificent, and I found the visual language of the film incredibly compelling (especially those first 15 minutes). Will definitely rewatch by next Halloween, if not before.

The Shining
Didn’t realize the cut I watched was 30 minutes short until afterwards. 🤦‍♂️
I feel like a fool, but I guess I’ll just have to rewatch it, huh?

The Thing
~Kurt, Perturbed~

Snowy horror movies are a real primo vibe. Horror is a genre that makes me cold, so I love it when they include anything "wintery" in the plot or setting. In this case, the setting and plot pair perfectly.

I wouldn't say The Thing blew me away, but I certainly enjoyed it more than Halloween. The practical effects and creature design were the clear highlights, but I also appreciated Morricone's score, Russell's performance, and that dog. I mean seriously, that dog was only in it for like 15 minutes and he still had the best performance in the film.
The plot machinations were a bit overt for my taste, but I still enjoyed the ride. Would LOVE to see this on the big screen someday. Perhaps being in a movie theater would do it justice.

A Nightmare on Elm Street
believe. women.

This was a great way to close out October. Now that I've delved a little deeper into the history of horror, I can safely say that A Nightmare on Elm Street is my favorite "franchise" horror flick of this era. I was lukewarm on Friday the 13th and only mildly impressed by Halloween, but Nightmare really did it for me. I loved the the performances, pacing, effects and (of course) Freddy fuckin' Krueger, a villain who easily bests both Michael Myers and Jason in terms of pure awesomeness (though admittedly I have not seen Freddy vs. Jason). The whole idea of someone trying to murder you in your dreams is just cool.

I'm actually looking forward to watching all the unnecessary Nightmare sequels... maybe next Halloween!

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What is 5 Film Film Festival (5FFF)?
In short, 5 Film Film Festival is an ongoing personal project to help me watch more classic films. For each mini “festival,” I will choose a random theme (be it a genre, actor, director, etc.) and curate five movies that fit that theme to watch for the first time. When I started this journey, I posted my brief, unpolished thoughts on Letterboxd. I like this more informal, less pretentious mode of watching older movies, so as I begin documenting the project here on the site, don’t expect a lot of in-depth analysis— every “review” will read more like a “first reaction.”

​If you’re like me, and you have more than a few blind spots in your cinematic knowledge, then consider joining me on this lifelong endeavor. Watch along, recommend themes, and organize some mini festivals of your own!