by Ryan Lewellen
The Archivist
Welcome to the Archive. Following the infamous “Format Wars” (R.I.P. VHS), a multitude of films found themselves in danger of being forgotten forever due to their admittedly niche appeal. Thankfully, Warner Bros. established the Archive Collection, a Disc On Demand & Streaming service devoted to some of the more idiosyncratic pieces of cinema ever made. Being big fans of the label, we here at Cinapse thought it prudent to establish a column devoted to these unusual gems. Thus “The Archivist” was born — a biweekly look at some of the best, boldest and most batshit motion pictures the Shield has to offer. Some of these will be recent additions to the collection, while others will be titles that have been available for awhile. With over 1,500 pictures procurable on Warner Archive (and more being added every month), there’s no possible way we’ll get to all of them. But trust me when we say we’re sure going to try.
Congratulations everybody! It’s almost October! That means two things: I am getting really itchy trying not to dip into my stockpile of pumpkin ales, and this issue of The Archivist will be buried by the far more interesting coverage of Fantastic Fest! If you should, by some miracle, find yourself reading this (thank you!), do start poking around the site for reviews of the soon-to-be released genre films Ed, Jon, and others are seeing this week at the Austin, TX festival, once you have finished reading me! This week, it’s my second adventure in specially selected Archivist horror, which yields two discoveries of Brits in terror! A host of Hammer Studios regulars appear in From Beyond The Grave, and Julie Christie is cybernetically assaulted in Demon Seed!
FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE (1974)
Peter Cushing is the owner and sole purveyor of Temptations Limited, a creepy antique shop. Four troubled souls enter the store, most of them cheating Cushing’s character out out of some capital, and each of them ending up cursed by their swindled trinkets. David Warner becomes the murderous slave of a mirror-bound spirit. Cowardly Ian Bannen steals a coveted military honor, and is targeted by Donald Pleasance and his [real life] daughter, Angela Pleasance. Ian Carmichael unleashes an “elemental” (a kind of spiritual goblin) from an ancient snuff box, and must be saved by the medium, Margaret Leighton. Lastly, but not at all least…ly, Ian Ogilvy has installed a creepy carved door into his home office, only to discover it was created by a wicked old statesman for the purpose of harvesting souls through space and time.
If that last premise doesn’t catch your interest, I wouldn’t bother searching this one out. That is certainly the coolest of the bunch, but the whole anthology offers a respectable sum of creepy pleasures. Unfortunately, the film is back-loaded with the good stuff, so one must muscle-through the first two lackluster vignettes, neither of which is all-together worthless. If you dig anthologies, Beyond is absolutely worth your time if only for Margaret Leighton’s hilarious performance as Madame Orloff battling the invisible elemental, and for the eerie visuals rendered by the final story. Good, old school fun, and chills all-around.
DEMON SEED (1977)
Julie Christie, recently separated from her husband, a brilliant scientist played by Fritz Weaver, who is experimenting with artificial intelligence, finds herself trapped at home with Weaver’s most advanced computer mind, Proteus. Easily insinuating himself into her mansion’s automated security system, he attempts to brainwash Christie’s character and coax her into… mating with him. Christie must find a means of escape, or submit to the bizarre act of future-love and create the next level of human life.
There are some movies which transcend relevance based on qualitative judgment. Demon Seed (based on the Dean Koontz novel) cannot be recommended, or even reviewed, based on terms of “good” or “bad”, and therefore, any person with functional sets of eyes and ears must witness it. Its very existence is the entire rationale for its pertinence. This movie happened, so it deserves an audience. Sure, the performances are good, the effects and design are insanely cool (and dated… especially considering this premiered the same year as Star Wars), and the story basically works, but it is so bizarre, and creepy, and kind of startlingly funny, that I can’t believe it hasn’t achieved cult classic status.
So, see it so it can go down in history.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
