It is interesting to note that films
which receive mediocre reviews at the time of their release often, at a later date, come to be viewed as classics. I'm thinking of Stanley Kubrick's The
Shining in relation to this
statement, but there are many other examples. What is it in a film
that has received middling reviews at time of release that makes it
appeal to subsequent generations of horror fans? One of the
elements for me is the subtlety
of its horror. I will go out on a limb here and nominate the 1998
film Fallen as a
future classic in the horror genre. Only
forty percent of the reviews of this film were positive, but I think
it is an unpolished gem in the realm of horror movies. I have seen
this film at least three times, and it still sends chills up my back.
The basic premise of the movie is that evil does not die, but instead can be
transferred from one carrier to another with the innocent victim's
body used as a host. There are no slasher scenes or gore in this
film. The horror is conveyed through the senses: the singing of the
Stones' “Time Is On My Side” as an indicator of infection, or the
chance touch of a stranger on the sidewalk. A passerby or your closest friend is
suddenly your enemy.
If you
haven't seen this film, give it a look and tell me what you think. .
. .
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