Chloe's Not Scared

My dearest Criterion– 

I am embarrassed to admit how much I love you. I love your thesis, your passion, even your Instagram. I love your critical essays that come in a little book tucked into the beautiful DVD packaging with eye-catching covers. My first Criterion film was My Dinner With Andre and over the past decade, my collection has grown to 33 films with no signs of stopping. No one else does it quite like you when it comes to remastering and championing international or independent cinema. I have just one request, and I feel like you know what I’m going to say, as this is a horror blog after all…

For a while, I wondered how you choose the films in your collection. Luckily, the handy Frequently Asked Questions tab on your website answered it for me: 

We try not to be restrictive or snobby about what kinds of films are appropriate. An auteur classic, a Hollywood blockbuster or an independent B horror film has to be taken on its own terms. All we ask is that each film in the collection [must] be an exemplary film of its kind. Of course we can’t just pick movies and put them out. The process of getting the rights to release a film can take years…

-Criterion Collection FAQ

It is completely understandable that you cannot release a film that does not issue you its rights. For example, I’m certain that you would’ve released Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971) or Possession (1981) by now, if this was the case. But certainly not every movie is so strict. Something else catches my eye in your statement. I notice that you specifically call out independent B horror films as films that you want to highlight. However, a quick search of your database (I’m talking about the actual Criterion Collection here, not the streaming service) reveals that this statement is not reflected in your choices except for one: The Blob (1958). Out of 1501 films, only 65 are tagged as “horror.” Unsurprisingly, out of those 65 movies, 3 are Del Toro, 3 are Cronenberg, 2 are Polanski, 2 are De Palma, and 15 of them are Godzilla or kaiju. No Black directors here, and only one is directed by a woman– thank you for recognizing that The Lure (2015) is a masterpiece. You once released Rosemary’s Baby, Don’t Look Now and Blue Velvet (all three appearing on Robert Eggers’ and Ari Aster’s favorite horror movie lists). Where did they go? 

Lucky for you, I have some recommendations. If I’m understanding correctly, you’d like films from production companies with an existing relationship, favoring independent and international features. Choosing films that are “an exemplary film of its kind” can be tricky, because it is a subjective qualifier, so I’m going to consult the great filmmakers of today to see which horror movies inspire them. [TLDR list of films at bottom of post]

It seems like you have a good handle on horror made during the Golden Age of Cinema. You’re missing William Castle, Hammer Horror and Hershell Gordon Lewis, which are all horror canon, but I understand that they may lack the subtlety that you crave. However, after watching the phenomenal documentary Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched on Shudder, folk horror seems right up your alley, The Wicker Man (1973) being the obvious choice. Aside from being one of the best horror movies ever made, The Wicker Man deals with “the old ways” as being a negative supernatural force. Many versions of the film exist, including several restorations and a cut that contained lost footage. A Blu Ray was released in the UK in 2013, but that’s the last edition that has been released. I also want to shout out a favorite: Ganja & Hess (1973) by director Bill Gunn, which premiered at Cannes with much acclaim. Filmmaker Spike Lee has called it one of his favorite films (and even remade it as Da Sweet Blood of Jesus in 2014), and director Karyn Kusama also loves it. Adam Piron (Director of Indigenous Programs at Sundance) recently started that he revisits Ganja & Hess every year, and that it “was ahead of its time and still beyond our own.”

The 1980’s were the Golden Age of Horror, and it seems like you already know this to some extent. But where are John Carpenter, Dario Argento, and Wes Craven? You don’t have any in your collection and while this may be due to rights, I would be remiss to not mention them. Each filmmaker named here defines a subgenre of horror; Argento popularized Italian giallo in 1970’s, Carpenter (alongside Cronenberg and DePalma) shook up the 1980’s with their creature features, while Craven pioneered meta-horror in the 1990’s. For Argento’s entry, I recommend The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) for skyrocketing the giallo subgenre, a gnarly version of Hitchcock’s mysteries. Though Mario Bava and Luico Fulci were making giallos long before Argento, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is what really gave critical and popular acclaim to giallo. A remastered Blu Ray was available for a short while, but became out of print in 2010.  I recommend John Carpenter’s They Live (1988) because it is a little more obscure but equally as great as his bigger films. Author Jonathan Lethem even cites it as one of his favorite movies, writing a lengthy article in Vulture about its influence on his work. I also think that They Live has interesting parallels to cinema today, not only in its political statement but in its casting of wrestlers in leading roles. I’m also recommending Wes Craven’s The People Under the Stairs (1991). Craven shows his interest in themes of class and race, as well as reviving the backwoods unhinged family trope (a la Texas Chainsaw Massacre) in a suburban setting, positioning the married serial killers as a stand-in for the Reagans. Scream Factory put this film out on a Blu Ray, but I think many people would like to see this one get the Criterion treatment. 

As for modern movies*, It Follows (2014) by David Robert Mitchell is a masterpiece in nostalgia. Premiering at Cannes in 2014, the film is technically under the Weinstein umbrella (problematic for so many reasons) but it would be a nice one to include as many people enjoy it and can speak to it (Julia Ducournau and Edgar Wright included). Film critic Mike Pieria even gave it a perfect score, calling it “a classical horror masterpiece.” I recommend identifying small to medium production companies in which you’d like to build a relationship with, including Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, SpectreVision, and Oscilloscope. A good way to do this is show interest in a film from their company and give it the Criterion treatment. Of course, Get Out and Us don’t need the hype but they absolutely deserve it more than most movies on this list. Plus, there are so many filmmakers who would be willing to speak about his work. Moving on to SpectreVision, I think A Girl Walks Alone Home at Night directed by Ana Lily Amirpour is one of the best films that this production company has released. A Girl Walks Alone Home at Night is a stylish Iranian vampire western which premiered at Sundance in 2014 to critical acclaim, as Amirpour was called “the next Tarantino” by the creative director of Vice. Speaking of women directors, The Love Witch (2016) would be a nice addition as you do have Anna Biller’s short film already on your site. A.O. Scott from the New York Times said that The Love Witch’s screenplay was worthy of an Academy Award, and I heartedly agree. Both of A Girl…Night and The Love Witch are very stylish and have a large presence on social media, potentially drawing in new audiences.

I want to reiterate that these requests may be ones that you agree with, however, you can’t just choose any films; you must first obtain the rights. I suppose I’m asking you to fight for them. Because horror as a genre is exemplary of its kind (the inclusivity! the themes! the SFX!) and while your existing audience will like these titles, you will gain even more patrons (horror fans who stereotypically love to purchase limited-release collectables). Plus, these are phenomenally influential films. Without The Wicker Man, there would be no Midsommar. Without The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, there would be no Sisters or Dressed to Kill. Without Let’s Scare Jessica to Death, there would be no The Lighthouse. While excellent in its own right, indie horror is far more than Godzilla and Cronenberg. This Valentine’s Day, out of immense love in my heart, I beg of you to consider adding more of these honorable gems to your collection. 

Love, 

Chloe 

TLDR: horror films that you should consider adding/re-releasing into the collection:

1. Let’s Scare Jessica to Death
2. Possession
3. Rosemary’s Baby 
4. Don’t Look Now
5. Blue Velvet
6. The Wicker Man
7. Ganja & Hess
8. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
9. They Live
10. The People Under the Stairs
11. It Follows
12. Get Out
13. Us 
14. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night 
15. The Love Witch

*Notably missing from this list are films from the production company A24. They do a great job at producing some interesting horror, but they often release their own BluRay collector’s editions, so I’m omitting them here. I also want to acknowledge J-horror in the 1990’s/2000’s. most notably with Ringu and Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-On series but again, like Hammer et. al., I’m not sure if it falls into your brand.