hooptober 11 #27

i'm such a sucker for anything my guy romero makes, and this was fantastic. first story was GREAT, loved adrienne barbeau as usual. she's literally the best. second story was enjoyable but went a bit too far at points for me. i did yell "DROP HER IN THE MONONGAHELA" when he had that cat in a trash bag, though. martin balsam don't go up those stairs!! also hi tom savini for genuinely 10 seconds of film 😭 anyways these two guys rule. good job 👍

hooptober 11 #27

i'm such a sucker for anything my guy romero makes, and this was fantastic. first story was GREAT, loved adrienne barbeau as usual. she's literally the best. second story was enjoyable but went a bit too far at points for me. i did yell "DROP HER IN THE MONONGAHELA" when he had that cat in a trash bag, though. martin balsam don't go up those stairs!! also hi tom savini for genuinely 10 seconds of film 😭 anyways these two guys rule. good job 👍

I love that you can tell one of the two directors cared so much more about Edgar Allen Poe than the other

I love that you can tell one of the two directors cared so much more about Edgar Allen Poe than the other

Hooptober 12: #11/34

I appreciated all the Poe references, especially in the Argento segment. I felt like that Leo pointing meme every time an Easter egg popped up. The central idea of the Romero segment was so fun - I am obsessed with the idea of a liminal space between the living and the dead. This notion of being trapped in limbo and unable to move on after death is genuinely one of the most horrifying concepts, and it’s deployed in a fun albeit slightly nonsensical way here. I had a good chuckle at all the “ghosts” reflected in the patio door that looked like a bunch of PAs standing around in morph suits.

The Dario Argento segment was surprisingly focussed and much less overindulgent than the fanciful giallo flourishes I’ve come to expect from the man’s oeuvre. I really loved the cat POV shots near the beginning, a cheeky swap out for the typical killer POV shots we expect in a Argento film. The main issue I had with this one, is Keitel suffers from a bit of Jack Nicholson-itis. He’s slightly unhinged from the outset, so his descent into madness feels less shocking to the viewer, and much more inevitable- much like Nicholson as Jack Torrence in The Shining. I think the impact of the segment could have hit so much harder if an actor with a much less aggressive presence had been cast as Usher. I wanted to see the black cat literally drive him over the edge, not push him off a ledge he was already teetering on. 

Overall though, a fun time was had! This was another big win for my practical effects loving heart!

Hooptober 12: #11/34

I appreciated all the Poe references, especially in the Argento segment. I felt like that Leo pointing meme every time an Easter egg popped up. The central idea of the Romero segment was so fun - I am obsessed with the idea of a liminal space between the living and the dead. This notion of being trapped in limbo and unable to move on after death is genuinely one of the most horrifying concepts, and it’s deployed in a fun albeit slightly nonsensical way here. I had a good chuckle at all the “ghosts” reflected in the patio door that looked like a bunch of PAs standing around in morph suits.

The Dario Argento segment was surprisingly focussed and much less overindulgent than the fanciful giallo flourishes I’ve come to expect from the man’s oeuvre. I really loved the cat POV shots near the beginning, a cheeky swap out for the typical killer POV shots we expect in a Argento film. The main issue I had with this one, is Keitel suffers from a bit of Jack Nicholson-itis. He’s slightly unhinged from the outset, so his descent into madness feels less shocking to the viewer, and much more inevitable- much like Nicholson as Jack Torrence in The Shining. I think the impact of the segment could have hit so much harder if an actor with a much less aggressive presence had been cast as Usher. I wanted to see the black cat literally drive him over the edge, not push him off a ledge he was already teetering on. 

Overall though, a fun time was had! This was another big win for my practical effects loving heart!

sleeping… I am sleeping… I am dead

sleeping… I am sleeping… I am dead

"To Edgar Allan Poe, whose stories have inspired this motion picture."
Firstly, that Romero segment was pretty fun. Very Creepshow-esque minus the super fun style, but that's ok. It was still good. I was also so shocked and excited to see Tom Atkins. It caught me totally off-guard, but it was great seeing him, especially after meeting him in August.
The Argento segment felt classically him, very stylish. As always, I dig it. Killer effects at the end of the segment from Tom Savini too. Also, is it just me or was that a bizarre performance from Harvey Keitel? There are absolutely no circumstances where that meowing would be normal.
Overall, Two Evil Eyes is some great work from some great directors that captures the spirit of Poe pretty well (I'm looking at you The Black Cat (1934). I'm being so honest, the only connection to the actual story is the presence of a black cat and maybe some dead wife shenanigans if I'm being generous).
Anyways, happy spooky season!!!
I'm sorry for how much I'll be flooding your feed this October.

"To Edgar Allan Poe, whose stories have inspired this motion picture."
Firstly, that Romero segment was pretty fun. Very Creepshow-esque minus the super fun style, but that's ok. It was still good. I was also so shocked and excited to see Tom Atkins. It caught me totally off-guard, but it was great seeing him, especially after meeting him in August.
The Argento segment felt classically him, very stylish. As always, I dig it. Killer effects at the end of the segment from Tom Savini too. Also, is it just me or was that a bizarre performance from Harvey Keitel? There are absolutely no circumstances where that meowing would be normal.
Overall, Two Evil Eyes is some great work from some great directors that captures the spirit of Poe pretty well (I'm looking at you The Black Cat (1934). I'm being so honest, the only connection to the actual story is the presence of a black cat and maybe some dead wife shenanigans if I'm being generous).
Anyways, happy spooky season!!!
I'm sorry for how much I'll be flooding your feed this October.