VERSUS THE SCARECROW EPISODE 3: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE PSYCHOTRONIC. I decided to challenge myself and really open the doors of my film knowledge and take on “The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide”. It’s 808 pages of movies and movie reviews from some of the most knowledgeable movie people you don’t know. It’s a book put together by a staff that praises, and destroys, some of our favorites and not so favorites. You can read the rest of my series here.
Just a quick refresher: each episode, I’m going to tackle three films from three different categories. Two films will be films I’ve never seen before and one will be one I’ve seen before or own. For the new films, well, new to me, I’m going to review them like a typical FTS review using the TOAST Rating system. But, for the films I’ve seen, I’m going give a quick paragraph or two about why I like or don’t like the film. We’ll try to include the poster and trailer for each film. “….and here. We. Go!”
What is “Psychotronic”? It’s what Scarecrow Video defines as a combination of Horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy. First up was The Dark Crystal, then Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter and finally the classic…
Alien (1979) Directed by Ridley Scott. Written by: Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett. Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt and John Hurt. IMDB says: “A mining ship, investigating a suspected SOS, lands on a distant planet. The crew discovers some strange creatures and investigates.”
I didn’t see Alien until recently (and by recently I mean 7ish months ago). I had always wanted to because the film is known as a ‘masterpiece’ and a ‘classic’ amongst many film nerds, cinephiles, and movie buffs in general. I borrowed a DVD copy from Lindsay and sat down with anticipation. Even already having a general idea of what happens (face hugging and chest explosions) there were still a few surprises the film had in store. (But I won’t give them away incase you haven’t seen the film yet). Not only did this film meet expectations, it surpassed them. I looked upon this film as a true masterpiece indeed and upon watching the directors cut, I found even more reason to call this a masterpiece. I found myself more and more mesmerized by the film. Even when months later when I got the Blu-Ray Alien Anthology Box Set for Christmas, I was beyond excited and re-watched the film and the series as if it were my first time. Even in the amazing clarity and high definition that graced my screen, Alien was able to stand up and stand out. It looked gorgeous, almost like it was made yesterday as a period piece. The film holds up no matter what decade you play it and from beginning to end it is absolutely gorgeous.
I’ve grown to love this film (and Aliens and Alien 3, but not so much Alien Resurection) and to me, that’s been a surprise. I enjoy science fiction for sure, but the film is marketed and played up like a horror film. We all know I don’t hang out in the horror section of Blockbuster. Actually no one hangs out at Blockbuster. Well, we all know I tend to distance myself from horror. When I saw the film however, it hit me as more of a Sci-Fi Thriller. The film, which runs at just about 2 hours, flies by cause I’m so enthralled in everything. If you want Sci-Fi done right, check out this flawless film.
You can read the rest of episode three where I reviewed The Dark Crystal and Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter. If you’re interested in more, you can find the rest of the Versus The Scarecrow series here.