While “Hocus Pocus” is a Halloween favorite, Daniel Steinhart, head of Melnitz Movies and the event’s programmer, encourages the UCLA community to try something new this Halloween. Melnitz Movies is screening “Videodrome” and “The Fly,” both David Cronenberg films, tonight at James Bridges Theatre.
While these are not Halloween films, Steinhart says they will definitely spur the Halloween spirit.
“These are really interesting horror films. They get pretty disturbing and disgusting,” he said.
Steinhart worked alongside Ben Sher, vice president of the Crank Film Society, to select these two films from the UCLA Film and Television Archive and is excited to screen Cronenberg’s films. “He is a great but unusual filmmaker,” Steinhart said.
As one of the first directors to use body horror, Cronenberg focuses on the fear of body transformation, mutation and infection. In both “Videodrome” and “The Fly,” the transformation that occurs is not only physical, but also psychological.
Film critic and Cronenberg expert, Amy Taubin, explains that Cronenberg became famous for making films that incorporate the idea of body mutation. “Cronenberg’s films are about the human body and its capacity to mutate in ways that we might not find attractive or progressive,” she said.
Taubin also explains that Cronenberg films, while horror films, do not focus on ghosts and goblins, the supernatural, or the afterlife. “David Cronenberg is profoundly atheistic and he will not make films about the supernatural,” Taubin said.
This definitely separates his films from most other horror films. Sher says that the typical horror film has been overdone, and audience members know what to expect, which often takes away some of the excitement. He explains, however, that “Videodrome” and “The Fly” do not follow these predictable plots and themes, leaving plenty of room for a good scare. Sher explains that these films step out of the box and says students who have not yet seen the films will be pleasantly surprised with their originality.
Steinhart says viewing these films in an authentic setting contributes to the overall experience. He describes both films as visually incredible and emphasizes the importance of seeing them on the big screen and with a big audience. “These are weird films, and their weirdness becomes much more palpable when seen with an audience on the big screen,” he said.
Steinhart also says that seeing these films with an audience elevates the element of fear. “It is great to see “˜Videodrome’ and “˜The Fly’ with a big audience that is squirming and screaming collectively in their seats,” he said.
Purposeful about selecting films from the UCLA Film and Television Archive, Steinhart believes that the quality of the prints will also contribute to viewers’ overall experience.
“Videodrome” will be screened first. Steinhart says that while it is the stranger of the two films, it is less horrific. “”˜Videodrome’ deals with the notion that we are a part of technology and technology is a part of us,” Taubin said.
It deals with a global conspiracy, which uses a snuff broadcast to alter people’s perceptions of the world.
“”˜Videodrome’ shows how we mutate through our relationship with technology,” Taubin said.
Steinhart describes “The Fly,” a remake of a famous American horror movie, as the gorier of the two films and explains that it is about a teleportation experiment that goes horribly awry.
Taubin says that while the film is about an overachieving scientist and his matter transportation experiment, it is really a love story. “In a relationship one person always dies before the other. Watching the person you love die before your eyes is an inevitable parody.” Do not be fooled, however. As the film that coined the popular saying, “Be afraid, be very afraid,” it is sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
Though some of Hollywood’s favorite leading ladies will not be flying on vacuum cleaners and little boys will not be turned into black cats, the Melnitz screening of “Videodrome” and “The Fly” provides an excellent alternative for the traditional Halloween movie.