THE HORRORS OF TV

This week I chose a movie and TV show that are not in your face horror but are still horror in my opinion (Ed Note: We’ll see about that), where the monsters are everyday people.

Flowers In the Attic is a novel by V.C. Andrews published in 1979 and adapted for film twice. The first incarnation was in 1987 and was missing a key element of the story which was the sexual relationship between Cathy and her brother Christopher. I’m glad I missed that piece of garbage.

The second incarnation was released as a Lifetime movie on January 18, 2014. The story revolves around a family of six who fall apart when the father dies suddenly in a car wreck. After a few months, the mother moves her children to her parents home in Virginia because she can not afford to raise her children alone.  Once the family arrives there the children are informed they are the product of their mother and her father’s half brother. It is that which makes the children’s grandmother hate them while their grandfather does not know they exist. The children’s mother promises they will leave once she is back in the good graces of her father and back into the will.

Flower In the Attic is the story of child abuse and incest through several generations of the same family. This film was not as dark as the book or as dark as I had expected it to be (Ed Note: It was on Lifetime), but was still decent adaptation. The film stayed fairly true to the book and even added a bit at the end that I liked. Ellen Burstyn did a wonderful job as the abusive and cruel grandmother and while I do like Heather Graham I’m not sure she was the best choice to play the mother Corrine. She certainly looked the part but she didn’t come across cruel enough.

I am a reader. It is my true love so I am always going to prefer the book to the movie. However, I would be very interested in the opinions of anyone reading this blog who have not read the book and have only seen one or both of the films. It is worth a watch if you have nothing to do on a Saturday afternoon but I wouldn’t count it among my favorite movies. I am not convinced there is any point to making books into movies (Ed Note: The Shining, Shawshank Redemption, Wizard of Oz, Jurassic Park, Silence of the Lambs and The Godfather all disagree with you) but there is an audience for them.

LITTLE MISS HORROR NERD’S RATING: 3 out of 5

I have also been watching the new HBO anthology series True Detective starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. The story revolves around two characters, Rust Cohle and Martin Hart, who are Louisiana cops on the hunt for a ritualistic serial killer. This show is amazing! It is gem in the sea of crap that is television today. I liken this show to Red Dragon or Silence of the Lambs (Ed Note: You mean two movies based on books?). In my opinion, while this shows appears to be a sort of crime story it is actually intelligent horror.

A character study of not just the monster and the victims but also of those hunting the monster. This show demonstrates the horror that can be the everyday lives of some very ordinary people. The casting is genius. I have never paid a lot of attention to Matthew’s acting abilities. He has always just seemed adequate (Ed Note: Generous)  in the roles I have seen him in. Perhaps he has improved or maybe he is just getting better roles but he has me glued to the TV in this role. I have not seen an actor play dark, disturbed, and lost this well in an extremely long time (Ed Note: James Spader says hello). His character makes you feel sorry for him and fear him at the same time. I do like Woody. I think he is a talented actor but Matthew is the star of this show.

While there are many supporting characters the only other main character is the filming location of the state of Louisiana. She is one one dreary looking place.  The locations chosen for filming lend a feeling of dread that just settles on you as you watch the show. True Detective is just eight episodes long. There is not much gore but there is some of everything else including a very naked Alexandra Daddario, murder, a little humor, and superior writing. From what I understand, Woody and Matthew will not be back for next season as it will be a different story and unlike American Horror Story will not use the same actors each year.

If you are not watching you are missing out. Prepare to be depressed and disturbed during and after watching (Ed Note: Like I need a TV show to be depressed and disturbed!). This show stays with you and forces you to think about it. In closing, I predict Matthew McConaughey will win an Emmy and perhaps even a Golden Globe for his role in the show. He is that good.

LITTLE MISS HORROR NERD’S RATING: 5 out of 5