Checking into a hotel room can be a scary thing. You don't know who was there before you, what they did while they were there, nor how well their mess was cleaned after they left. I mean, if you're reading this from a hotel room, you could be sitting on, or worse, lying on...you know what? Never mind. Just know that's why I decided to go with all horror flicks for this week's Thursday Movie Picks hosted by Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves. The topic? Movies set in a hotel. And no, I didn't pick THAT horror movie set in a hotel.
The Wicker Man
(1973)
Police officer Sgt. Howie (Edward Woodward) is sent to a nearby, but secluded island in search of a missing girl who lives there. When he gets there, the locals tell him she doesn't even exist. To make the experience all the more torturous, he's a devout Christian and these folks are into pagan worship and orgies. Since he's determined to find the truth, he sticks around and ventures deeper and deeper down this bizarre rabbit-hole with much of the action taking place in and around the hotel where he's staying. It's an oddball mix of horror, dark comedy, and music that somehow works brilliantly. See this to catch up on your 70s horror classics. If you just feel like seeing Nic Cage go Nic Cage in an unintentionally hilarious craptacular wreck, see the remake.
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
(1998)
Speaking of craptacular wrecks, we have the sequel to I Know What You Did Last Summer. The story picks up a year after the events of that first film, I think. Might be two years. It's final couple, Ray and Julie (Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt, respectively), have gone on an island vacay with their college buddies. So yeah, lots of stuff happens at their hotel. Since this is a slasher flick, that stuff revolves around the aforementioned college buddies getting gored to death with a fish hook...one by one. Yup, it's bad. And that's why I love it. To be more specific, this is the film that let me know that Jennifer Love Hewitt may not be the best actress in the world, but she certainly has a huge pair of...ahem...mitts. Similarly, I learned that R&B singer Brandy Norwood is okay at this acting thing, too, but possesses a perfectly round...um...mass. Yeah, that's it.
Bug
(2006)
Speaking of mitts and mass, the frequently naked Ashley Judd stars as the down-on-her-luck Agnes in Bug. Makes sense considering that most of it takes place within the confines of her
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Bug is a big yes!! I still haven't seen the original version of The Wicker Man though I'm sure it's not as unintentionally funny as its remake. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.... one of the worst fucking films ever. I remembered that they said that the capital of Brazil was Rio de Janeiro. It's Brasillia. I was hoping they would kill J-Love because she just flat out sucks. She's been a cocktease for too long and I despise cockteases.
ReplyDeleteThe original to The Wicker Man is weird, but works much better than the remake. Lol, about J-Love.
DeleteBug is so creepy! I love it. I've never seen the original Wicker Man, only the hilarious remake. I know I've seen IKWYDLS2, but I don't remember anything from it.
ReplyDeleteHope you check out The Wicker Man. Very curious what new watchers think of it because it is such an odd film.
DeleteOh, I remember something from it. In fact, I remember it often (re: I Know 2).
DeleteI'm curious.
DeleteWhat interesting and unusual choices!
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to see The Wicker Man for years after catching a little of it once and being intrigued, so of course I've never seen it shown anywhere again. And I love Diane Cilento so I'll have to go on the hunt.
I didn't hate I Still Know What You Did Last Summer because I knew what I was going to get walking into it. Don't get me wrong, it was stupid and forgettable but since I didn't expect anything else I took it for what it was.
A friend warned me off Bug saying it was the worst thing she's ever seen, with the exception of Vinyan, and our tastes run along similar lines so I took her advice.
Like that you went for a theme within the theme, always fun when the subject lends itself to that but I didn't go that route this week. So many choices, here's what I came up with.
Bobby (2006)-Intermingling stories set in the Ambassador Hotel on June 4th and 5th 1968 as several groups prepare to attend the Democratic presidential primary rally at which Robert F. Kennedy will speak and will ultimately have a tragic outcome, his assassination. Filmed at the actual locations that events occurred just before the hotel was demolished.
Evil Under the Sun (1982)-In an absolutely gorgeous island hotel in the Adriatic a group of wealthy people sun themselves and bitch at each other until one of them turns up murdered. Thank goodness Hercule Poirot is among the guests and can put the "little gray cells" to use solving the crime. Hugely enjoyable version of Agatha Christie's mystery with Peter Ustinov a perfect Poirot-clever, urbane, canny and sly. The entire cast seems to be having fun with a brilliant Diana Rigg and Maggie Smith making great sparring partners with dialog dipped in venom. Amazing costume design.
Dear Heart (1964)-In New York for a postmaster's convention Geraldine Page, a single kind hearted postmistress meets traveling salesman Glenn Ford who is staying in the same hotel. Tired of the road he’s become engaged to a pushy woman more out of a longing to put down roots than passion. Now an unexpected spark ignites between the two strangers, what to do? Sweet, gentle comedy/drama of two lonely souls slowly realizing they are meant for each other. Great supporting cast includes Angela Lansbury and both the actresses, Alice Pearce and Sandra Gould that eventually played Gladys Kravitz on Bewitched.
Honorable Mention-Week-End at the Waldorf (1945)-Glossy remake and relocation of Grand Hotel (which I purposely didn't chose because I was sure it would turn up somewhere but so far it hasn't) to New York's Waldorf-Astoria. Slick and well-acted by a star studded cast, Ginger Rogers, Lana Turner, Walter Pidgeon, Edward Arnold and Van Johnson among them, but missing both the grit and pathos of the original.
Please check out The Wicker Man. Of your choices, I have seen Bobby. It seems to have been forgotten, but deaerves much better. It is a very intriguing film.
DeleteLOVE Bug. Such a great play on the stage, too. Possibly Ashley Judd's best performance. The Wicker Man is so weird. I Still Know... I barely remember outside of the tanning bed incident. But then, that's the way of craptacular slasher sequels: you remember one good kill and nothing else.
ReplyDeleteJudd was definitely all in for Bug. Yup, The Wicker Man is weird. And gotta love those craptacular slashers.
DeleteI have not seen any of these and do want to see The Wicker Man....the original not the Cage remake. The Summer film makes me giggle since they seem to be showcasing gore and T & A-typical scream flick. I have not seen Bug which looks a little nutty just from the pic you show here
ReplyDeleteBug is way nutty, but so is The Wicker Man. Why not try them both? As for I Still Know, you either like slasher flicks or you don't. If it helps, the T&A is always covered.
DeleteMitts and mass. Sounds like my next blog title.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Dell. I gotta see me some Bug, asap.
And a great blog title it would be. Now, check out Bug.
DeleteThese are weird picks, Wendell. I like your theme within the theme.
ReplyDeleteWeird? I resemble that comment.
DeleteI feel a horror theme here. I've actually only seen half of The Wicker Man - it unnerved me, especially as I know the ending.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing you saw the second half.
DeleteDude! Thanks so much for reminding me of Bug. I so wanted to see that when it was out. Still Know... is a good one. I don't remember it quite as well as the first, but those movies were huge when I was in high school. And I like when Nic Cage goes Nic Cage, so I might actually try his version.
ReplyDeleteBug is an interesting experience. Hope you like it. There is certainly some fun to be had watching Nic Cage lose his shit, so go for it. Though, I still recommend seeing the original first.
DeleteI haven't seen any of these but I want to see The Wicker Man - the Cage remake was pretty bad but the plot was interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe remake was plenty interesting, but for mostly the wrong reasons.
DeleteThe Wicker Man is great and the remake is soooo awful. Nic Cage can't do anything good the last decade or so.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say Nic Cage can't do anything good over the last decade. He's proven time and again he is quite good at straight up losing his shit.
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