boo humbug ... what to watch that's smart and scary

My guy Nathan B. has totally totally obliged me here.  RIGHT now, this is what I LOVE; i love Nathan's writing and i like when he tells me to watch something.  and his recommendations always work out, no matter how random or elite ist or low brow.  and how often do we get a personal heads up from one of NY Post's finest arts & entertainment editors?!  it's like our very own AO Scott -- but handsome r & funnier.  without further ado, i present his words of wisdom on what to
watch tonight.  or any night you want to be "smartly scared" .... (i didn't even know there was such a thing.  one of the many reasons I luv this man.)  thanks nathan for "guest" posting here ! xo

(a big PS:  ok, i just went to try to find a "pleasing-enough" visual to pair with this tasty bit of writing and i couldn't.  like, all the pictures associated with the film look scary & I just don't think RNL does un pretty visuals.  it looks like there is an attractive & bang sy brunette but she had blood on her neck in all the photos.  all to say, no visual for this post.  but read on, for nathan & his idea of a spooky night. )

At the risk of sounding judgmental, what is wrong with you people?

I'm addressing myself, in this specially themed Halloween post, to the bloodthirsty hordes who make huge hits out of slasher flicks and "torture porn," the latter of which is surely one of the most odious cultural innovations of the past decade.

First, a digression: I acknowledge, in this guest-writing gig, that I am a snob - one of those effete, overeducated coastal liberals who deserves death by stoning, at least according to Michele Bachmann's Bible. But in my defense, I'm aware of this, and realize that not everyone shares my vaunted tastes. So while it depresses me that "Two and a Half Men" is a gigantic success and that the Kardashians have turned their vapidity into a fortune, I accept these things. I realize that "Community" isn't for everyone and that some people just don't like subtitles on their movies.

That said, it genuinely gives me the creeps that so many people are into slasher movies. Yes, as humans we are all constitutionally obsessed with sex and death; all the same, I object to the fact that so many people take pleasure in the graphic suffering and dehumanization of others, even when it's just make-believe. When a movie has a broader purpose - such as to portray a real event, or to say something about the human experience - I can understand the use of violence, even if I personally am squeamish about it. But the fact that so many people enjoy the sadistic, shrieking bloodshed of the "Saw" and "Hostel" films is deeply unnerving - I think it reflects badly on us as a species.

In other words, I am not a fan of slasher flicks. So I was surprised not just to tolerate, but actually to admire, "Rabies," a killer-on-the-loose movie that screened at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year.

"Rabies" is unusual for a number of reasons, the most obvious being that it is Israeli (and in fact was promoted as the first Israeli horror movie). But even if you have no familiarity with the Middle East, it quickly becomes clear that this is not a typical slasher movie. The talented writer/directors are obviously having fun with the conventions of the genre - the film is a smart satire of the sexual politics and narrative cliches of the form. (For example, the preppy foursome driving around in the SUV: no one in the Middle East has ever dressed that way, and I can only assume that the clothes were specially brought in from an Abercrombie or J. Crew thousands of miles away.)

I almost turned the movie off before the opening credits because it was obviously going to involve lots of stabbing and bludgeoning and people being scared out of their minds. Not being a sicko, I don't enjoy watching these things.

Happily, the movie is not that violent - in contrast to its Hollywood counterparts, most of the bloodshed is implied, rather than graphically portrayed. But what makes the film notable is that it only appears to be a slasher flick - in actuality, it is an existential fable mixed with incredibly black humor. Unbeknownst to most of the characters - who include a good cop, a rapey cop, a brother-sister duo and a dog - the psycho killer actually spends most of the movie unconscious, and so their actions and reactions are all triggered by a scenario that they have fundamentally misunderstood. (Existential statement: even when we think we know what's going on, we really have no idea what's going on.)

Most of the characters are good, or are at least trying to be good (an accurate reflection of humanity?), but they respond to perceived threats in ways that aren't rational, and which harm rather than help them. Lust and jealousy also play a role, as does a landmine.

It occurs to me that I am writing this for a blog that is principally about food, fashion and interior design. This is what is sometimes referred to as "writing for the wrong audience." So I will simply conclude by saying that "Rabies" is a surprisingly redemptive experience because it makes you realize that, with a little creativity and wit, you can subvert a genre whose practical effect is desensitizing us to violence by feeding off people's creepy enjoyment of pain and anguish inflicted on others. It shows you can transform cheap, ugly cinematic exploitation into something that could almost be interpreted as a philosophical statement. It is amazing to finish the movie and realize you're thinking about the characters' fates not in terms of how many limbs they lost or how vividly they were disemboweled, but in terms of what their situation and responses suggest about the world.

And so, I say, check out this obscure movie that will probably never make it to U.S. theaters! Check it out and ponder the nature of human frailty and evil! Check it out in the pre-stomach-ache stage of your annual Halloween binge. Long live Skittles and Snickers! Long may ye reign.
 
see the trailer for this scary smart movie ...  if you dare.  boooooo :) ash