It's Fear Friday time again. This week we're pulling out one of The Lounge's favorite movies. A lesser know movie that had a limited release in theaters. If you missed this one check it out now.
"May"
Directed by Lucky McKee (The Woods and Red) and released on June 6, 2003 by Lions Gate Films. May (Angela Bettis) has always been "different" and has trouble finding friends. Her best friend is Suzy a creepy old doll kept inside a glass box. May tries so hard to connect with the people around her like Adam (Jeremy Sisto) the boy she likes and Polly (Anna Faris) the girl she works with. But no one seems to understand May and no one sticks around for long. As May's mother once told her "If you can't find a friend make one".
This is a wonderful movie. It's so much more than a horror film. Angela Bettis is so good in her role as May that you can't help feeling for this character. We can all see a little bit of ourselves in her. The wanting to be accepted, trying to get the attention of a certain boy, wanting someone to like you for who you are and all the other insecure feelings we all have. May just happens to be a little closer to the edge of sanity then most. It's both sad and scary to watch her slide into madness.
The look of the film and the music work well. There is some blood but it's not over the top. It's just used effectively. The scene with the blind children, Suzy and May it just hard for me to watch but wonderfully done. The best scene here will come at the very end of the last scene. The first time I saw it I was creeped out. It is so unexpected and so wrong on so many levels!!! It's subtle but very effective. You should really go check this one out.
Make sure to listen to "When He Calls Me Kitten" by The Kelley Deal 6000. It's a favorite from the soundtrack and it's number one on the Lounge jukebox. You'll find it at the top of the right sidebar.
Some trivia about the movie...
1. Director Cameo: [Lucky McKee] The man with his girlfriend in the elevator, both times.
2. Originally the film opened with a lengthy introduction to May as a child. But when the film appeared to be taking too long to get to its point, most of those scenes were cut. The opening with the adult May, specifically the first scene with her and her doll, were shot quickly and only to make the point that May was lonely as quickly as possible.
3. The scene where Blank and May meet was a re-shoot. In the original scene, May was not cold and vague, but angry, and insulted people as they walked by on the street. The scene ended with the two of them in the park. That scene is still in the film but entirely replaced and reedited. It is now the scene where Adam and May meet and have there final talk in the park. The scene is told only through close ups, with both May and Adam glancing off camera. They were originally looking at Blank who was sitting beside her. But he was edited out of the scene completely.
4. There is a movie called "Roman" which is directed by Angela Bettis and stars Lucky McKee. A reversal of roles.
Custom designs are always welcomed at The Lounge. Here are a couple of the latest.
This one was just done for a customer. Spike from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Just love the new itty bitty bottles of blood. Look for lots of new designs with different sized bottles with lots of colors inside.
Supernatural Custom Charm Bracelet. Lots of new Supernatural designs coming in September. Just in time for Season Six.
Custom X Files Charm Bracelet.
Custom Predator Charm Bracelet. Really love the colors on this one. Very fun and unique to make!
Custom Lucy and Ethel Bracelet. Look for a very similar design in the shop soon.
Let us hear what you think. Looking for something special or have an idea? Comment away 8)
The Lounge is happy to bring back "Fear Friday" to the blog and what better day to start then Friday The 13th! Fear Friday will be a weekly post celebrating a different movie, TV show, etc. from the lovely world of horror. Don't fret, even if you only wade in the shallow end of the genre, I cover a broad range of horror. Scary, creepy, gory, thriller, cheesy, classic, old black and white. It's all here. So I hope you'll stop in each week and enjoy a little taste of movie goodness. Maybe it will inspire a frightful night at home curled up in front of the TV set.
In honor of today's date I present to you.... The "Friday The 13th" Collection
May 9th 1980 a low budget slasher film is released and helps shape the face of the horror genre. The setup is simple, a group of kids out in the woods with one shadowy figure out for revenge. Just the right amount of blood with a creepy atmosphere makes for a fun ride and start one of the most successful franchises in horror history. The people behind Friday The 13th, looking to cash in on the success of "Halloween", shopped the movie around strictly on the title alone. They had no story yet just a great title. 12 movies later it's still a favorite of many horror fans.
I remember back in the sixth grade my friend Mary and I begging my mom to let us rent it. We wanted the original because Kevin Bacon was in it and Footloose was all the rage at the time. In those days the local video store rarely had more than one copy of a title so we had to settle for chapter 3. Problem was it had been filmed in 3D, as was the craze at the time, but looked a bit silly on a regular TV. Lots of holding things out close to the camera for extended periods of time. Not that Mary or I would have noticed much as we spent most of the time with our heads hidden behind the afghan. And yes, we made my mom watch it with us. It truly scared me and is why these movies, especially the old ones, still creep me out completely.
Being a teen in the late 80's I remember going to the theater to see many of the later ones. At one point I believe they were going to release one a year until they hit 13. Unfortunately the story was worn thin and the chapters became increasingly silly to the point of unwatchable. I mean really, "Jason Takes Manhattan"? In 1993 "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday" was released. It's one of the few times I thought about walking out of a movie. A once scary feel had turned into a laughable parody of itself.
Then, in 2002, came a revamp of the series with "Jason X". OK, so Jason in space sounds absurd but I actually quite enjoyed it. It was something different for the series and Jason was back in fine killing form. Long gone was the truly creepy feeling of the originals, but this was a fun slasher film none the less. Then, in 2003, came "Freddy vs. Jason". This made me sad at first but my nephews where old enough to see horror films and they begged me to take them. It was fun. Just a bit sad to see these two franchises go from scary to completely campy.
In 2009 a new modern "Friday The 13th" was released. Not really a remake since they acknowledged the happenings of the original movie. I like to think of it as the next chapter in the series. Lots of people didn't think much of this one. I went and saw it at a midnight showing and really liked it. It had a creepy atmosphere, classic "stoopid pretty people in the woods" setting and was just fun. One thing I really liked was down in Jason's creepy underground dwelling he had mementos of his killings. There are camp councilor's whistles hanging on the wall. A wheelchair is noticeable in one scene which recalls one councilor in chapter 2. It gave an extra creepy feel to the character.
Jason Voorhees...little boy drowned
Jason was not even in the first chapter. It was his mother, Mrs. Voorhees, seeking revenge for her son who drowned in Crystal Lake while councilors where not watching him. Jason appears, all grown up, in the second chapter as the killer but does not sport his infamous hockey mask until the end of chapter 3. For the first part of the movie he wears an old gunny sack on this head. Blaaah ick yuck! That was way creepier to me and I was happy when he traded it in for the hockey mask. He is killed in chapter 4 by a machete.
Chapter 5 leads us to believe Jason's back but ends up not really being him (rip off). He is zapped back to life by a bolt of lightening in chapter 6 and is pretty much invincible after that. Just goes to show you can't keep a good man down!
Stars that appeared in the series...
Kevin Bacon (ch 1), Corey Feldman (ch 4), Crispin Glover (ch 4), Tony Goldwyn (ch 6), Steven Williams (ch 9), Erin Gray (ch 9), Jason Ritter (FvsJ) and Jared Padalecki (ch 12).
Interesting tid bits...
1) Composer Harry Manfredini has said that contrary to popular belief, the famous "chi chi chi, ha ha ha" in the film's score is actually "ki ki ki, ma ma ma". It is meant to resemble Jason's voice saying "kill kill kill, mom mom mom" in Mrs. Voorhees' mind. It was inspired by the scene in which Mrs. Voorhees seems to be possessed by Jason and chants "Get her mommy....kill her!" Manfredini created the effect by speaking the syllables "Ki" and "Ma" into a microphone running through a delay effect.
2) The movie was filmed at Camp Nobebosco in New Jersey. The camp is still in operation to date, and they have a wall of Friday the 13th paraphernalia to honor the fact that the movie was set there.
So let us all know what your favorite Friday The 13th memory is. Favorite chapter, favorite scene or favorite memory that goes along with the movies. Leave a comment below and voice your opinion. I'm old school and will go with the original and Kevin Bacon's death scene as favorite kill. Here's a collection of kills to give your Friday a little scare! Enjoy 8)
This Vixen is a "Sucker" for True Blood. So how could I resist a quiz that made me feel 13 again? Click below and find out "who's your True Blood Boyfriend". Make sure to come back and share your results with us here. And yes, I did my best to get Sam. He can sleep at the foot of my bed anytime! Ha! 8)
*****Contest Closed*****
Gather round hep dolls and ghoulish gals. It's that lovely time of year again. Laughing Vixen's Birthday. What does that mean other than I'm just another year further down the road? Well for all of you it means it's time for the best giveaway of the year.
Today you can enter to win anything from the shop. That's right ANYTHING! It only happens once a year so don't miss out. There are many pendants and bracelets to choose from. Here are just a few examples.
How To Enter
*Mandatory Entry - Visit Laughing Vixen Lounge and let everyone know what item is your favorite. Leave it as a comment below. *Extra Entry - Become a Lounge Vixen by following this blog. If you already follow go ahead and take the entry. *Extra Entry - Follow Laughing Vixen Lounge on Twitter. If you already follow go ahead and take the entry. *Extra Entry - Tweet this message - Happy Birthday To Me Giveaway. Chance to win ANYTHING from @LaughingVixen Ends 8/4 Info here-> http://bit.ly/1En6Va - One tweet per hour. Max 3 tweets! *Extra Entry - Follow Laughing Vixen Lounge on Facebook ***Make sure to leave each entry as a separate comment. If you put them all in one it will only count as one entry. Make sure there is a way to contact you from your comments***
Fine Print
Contest ends August 4th, 8:00 pm PST. Winner will be selected at random. Contest open worldwide. Winner will be sent an email. If winner does not responded in two days another winner will be selected.
