In this month’s “Finding the Sacred Among the Profane” column, Film Editor Sean Woodard explores the themes of hope and spiritual righteousness in Frank Darabont’s adaptation of the Stephen King classic, The Shawshank Redemption.
All tagged Horror Movies
FILM / Finding the Sacred Among the Profane: Orca / Sean Woodard
Film Editor Sean Woodard discusses the moral dilemma in Orca for this month’s “Finding the Sacred Among the Profane” column.
FILM / Finding the Sacred Among the Profane: The Exorcism of Emily Rose / Sean Woodard
Film Editor Sean Woodard explores the intersection of doubt and faith in The Exorcism of Emily Rose for this month’s “Finding the Sacred Among the Profane” column.
FILM / Finding the Sacred Among the Profane: The Passion of the Christ / Sean Woodard
Film Editor Sean Woodard explores the gratuitous violence in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and equates it with torture porn in his latest Finding the Sacred Among the Profane column.
Sean Woodard analyzes the Argento horror flick The Church
Sean Woodard takes a look at the religious structure of one of the most popular horror films of all time.
Sean Woodard analyzes the religious horror elements of the theme for The Omen.
Sean Woodard’s column Finding the sacred Among the Profane, which explores religious themes in horror films, returns with a look at the Vincent Price classic Witchfinder General.
You don't have to be a fan of the original Halloween series in order to enjoy the new sequel; you really only have to like the first one, because everything after that is disregarded. Even a couple missteps and a strange bowl of party pudding (I mean what?!) don't detract from what is a pretty solid addition to the franchise, with plenty of gory nonsense to get you excited for the spookiest season of all. Jamie Lee Curtis is a treasure. We don't have to protect her, though; she's got it under control.
What may have begun as an interesting concept has devolved into repetitive ilk. I don’t think anyone who wanted another Purge movie, and yet people flocked out to see it this week. I don’t know which was weaker: the characters, the social commentary, or the thrills. The film explores how the Purge evolved from a social experiment on Staten Island, where participants would receive a monetary stipend for their participation. I feel the cast and crew did the same when Hollywood asked them to make this film. The film’s one redeeming quality is that it emphasizes the importance of community.
Hereditary seems to have a huge fan base on twitter, and I'm trying very hard to figure out what movie these people saw. Taking cues from films like Rosemary's Baby and with camera tracking that establishes the hell out of every shot before getting to the story, Hereditary is two hours and six minutes of uneasy dread and creepy vague ideas that, for me, left far more questions than satisfying conclusions. And someone give Ann Dowd a role where she's not involved in some nefarious religious bullshit for God's sake. Can't she play, like, a kindly coworker?
Sean Woodard explores the religious themes of film in his new series Finding the Sacred Among the Profane. First up: The Strangers franchise.
I would tell you not to go see this movie, which is a very disappointing and unnecessary sequel to a very amazing original film, but by the time you read this it probably won't be in theaters anymore. The only thing saving it from an F is the pool scene and that's only because of the use of a Jim steinman song. Don't waste your money. Not even worth 100 words to be honest.
Brian O’Malley’s (Let Us Prey) sophomore effort cements his reputation as a horror director with old school tendencies. Like Ti West’s The Innkeepers, The Lodgers relies heavily on character, deliberate pacing, and atmosphere, even though the payoff is poorly executed. Set in 1920s Ireland, twins Rachel (a standout Charlotte Vega) and Edward’s family estate is haunted by a presence which imposes three rules upon them: be in bed by midnight; never let a stranger enter; don’t try escaping, otherwise the other’s life will be endangered. Viewers demanding visceral, bloody thrills will be disappointed; others, like myself, may be briefly entranced.
It’s a miracle how effective The Housemaid remains after being at the mercy of Vietnam’s film censorship board. Set on a 1953 Indochina rubber plantation, a young woman named Linh is hired as a housemaid but falls in love with the owner, Captain Laurent, whose dead wife haunts the plantation. Some writing and pacing issues thankfully don’t detract from its strong acting, set design, and chilly atmosphere. Currently, director Derek Nguyen is arranging a remake set in America’s Reconstruction-Era Deep South, which will potentially feature an entire African-American cast and crew. Now that is a remake I want to see.
Winchester commits the ultimate horror movie sin: it’s boring. So, so, so, so, so boring. I walked out at the end of the climax because I couldn’t bare to sit through any more of the film. Nothing can save it, not even Helen Mirren herself. I’m not going to talk about the movie anymore because it’s terrible and I feel asleep trying to write the synopsis. Go read about the Winchester Mystery House on Wikipedia, then watch any other Helen Mirren movie (except RED2) and pretend Winchester never happened. You’re welcome.