Behind the Screen – ‘No One Can Hear You Scream’
Alien and Poltergeist Screenings
I don’t know about you but am I am crazy about all things supernatural and paranormal; ghosts, possessions, haunted houses, aliens and everything that goes bump in the night. So when the opportunity arose to see two of the most well know supernatural flicks out in the open at Somerset House and talk to horror experts and noted writers Anne Billson, Christopher Fowler and Alan Jones about their love of horror in a discussion called ‘No One Can Hear You Scream‘, I couldn’t resist the occasion.
When it comes to the horror genre, what is it that we love so much about it? What makes the films so terrifying, enjoyable and enthralling that no matter how frightened, shocked and disgusted we are by what we see, we cannot help but continue to watch. For the three mentioned horror fanatics above, the genre played such a large part in their lives growing up that they made careers out of discovering more about it.
For internationally renowned reporter on all things horror and science fiction Alan Jones, like many of us, it was the first horror film he saw that “embalmed” him into the genre and encouraged him to seek out similar films, to the disapproval of his parents. “My parents hated me to see horror films. Back then they couldn’t understand it. I have seen so many landmark movies like Rosemary’s Baby that I’ve had life changing experiences. I love the sadistic side of horror.” For distinguished journalist and film critic Anne Wilson, it was the TV showings of horror films and magazines that first grabbed her attention. “I grew up watching TV through the 1960’s. The first time I saw Dracula was on an episode of Dr Who. I read a lot of cinema magazines to find out about horror.” Novelist Chris Fowler found his first love of the genre through sequels, the thing dreaded by many nowadays. So whether your first taste was on the big screen, small screen or through the pages of a magazine the one thing we all have in common is that once we see a film and fall for the genre, we desperately need to see more.
When looking at what makes the genre so attractive and compelling to watch, and discussing our favourite horror film and the reasons behind why we adore the flick there are usually so many different answers. Some typical responses would be that horror films need just the right amount of blood, just enough violence, the occasional twist to keep viewers interested as well as credible and appealing characters. Most importantly, horror films need to be able to make a viewer feel something; whether it be making us scared, anxious or for Alan Jones, a film should be able to “bring back emotions forgotten” like Martyrs did for him.
Anne believes horror films should be able to give you goose pimples, like the Asian horror films did for her, while Chris believes a good tragedy is always effective. He also feels the locality of a film can be meaningful, something happening on your own doorstep. When Raw Meat first met his eye “I had to go to Russell Square Station“. It is films like this and Creep that bring the horror elements a little closer to home.
Like many of us, Alan wants “to see things I’ve never seen before“. This is something that is getting harder to accomplish in the film market. Yet according to Anne, Let The Right One In was able to do this for her. No matter what factors it is about horror that you adore and cannot get enough of, more often than not you have to see ten bad horror movies to be able to enjoy one extremely worth while good one.
We all appreciate films in different ways and Anne is one critic that can understand this better than anyone. “The Thing was the first film in ages that terrified me. I thought I would have to leave the cinema. I wasn’t a full time critic at the time, but had to ask myself if I had seen the same film as the critics as they hated it.” But that is the great thing about horror fanatics, and Alan agrees “what separates horror fans, is that if someone says it’s (a horror film) horrible, we still have to see it for ourselves.” The great thing about horror is that what may appeal to one person, will not necessarily be the aspect that someone else is looking for. Some of you may love a good torture flick, others want surprises and jumps, others the gore factor is what will satisfy your appetite.
When discussing one of the films from the screening, Ridley Scott’s Alien, we were all in agreement that this was a film of its time. Upon its release back in 1979 it became a sensation, spawning a successful Hollywood Sci-fi franchise. Chris explains, “even though I worked on it (on set), I didn’t know anything about it. They withheld everything. You went to a screening knowing only that it would be a sci-fi film“. Alan continues by explaining that it “shocked everyone. It’s regarded as a movie landmark. I knew the producer and was desperate to see it. The expectations were staggering.” At the time of release, Anne considered seeing it as a “right of passage. There was an amazing buzz. The trailer was terrifying and never gave anything away.” Alien proved to be pioneering, as it was the first of its kind to feature a strong female heroine, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). The depiction of this character as fearless made a significant impression, particularly in futuristic science fiction.
Poltergeist was the second film of the evening and was produced in the 1980s, in part by Steven Spielberg. Back when it was first released, it was a film that gave an audience a fright through something spectators hadn’t seen before with a mix of scares, shocks and scenes that were a little gross. Even after all the horror that we have seen in today’s cinema, bones and rotting corpses jumping out from underneath your house and such a young child communicating with another plane of existence still sends a shiver down your spine. For those of you, like myself, that believe in ghosts, we all know that they come in all shapes and sizes. Most are pleasant and wouldn’t hurt a soul. They are beings that like to play small tricks on people, just to let everyone know they are there. Then there are malevolent spirits, poltergeists, which aim to be spiteful and vicious towards anyone in the surroundings; this is the case with Poltergeist.
This event at Somerset House in conjunction with Bafta as part of Film4’s Summer Screen program is one experience that cannot be described. The ‘No One Can Hear You Scream‘ talk was a great opportunity to discuss a genre I adore and the reasons why so many other people adore it. You come to realise how the genre has changed over the years, and if it has made such an impact on you as it did for Alan Jones, Anne Billson and Christopher Fowler, you can really make a name for yourself discussing and writing about things that you love.
As for the screenings, sitting outside in central London on a summer’s evening is the only way to watch horror films, and in the company of some many others makes the experience even more memorable, and an experience I certainly recommend for next year. If horror doesn’t tickle your taste buds don’t worry as other evenings look into other films and genres so there will always be something to entertain.
To be a fan of films that deal with the supernatural, you don’t have to believe in other worlds, spirits and evil beings; you just have to have an open mind. If you are desperate for more horror than your stomach could handle, Frightfest is back this year running from 27th to 31st August 2009. You can find out more here.
Michelle Moore