Scary Movies and Series Archives

Nicholas Cage, for better or worse, is an enigma. The closer he comes to pure genius, the more obscure and confusing the slew of throwaway schlock he frequently indulges in appears. For every Mandy (2018) we are permitted to gleefully enjoy, so are we forced to endure a Willy’s Wonderland (2021) or Kill Chain (2019). He is an actor who seems eager to show off his chops and bask in his own talent, while also perfectly happy to fund his more artistic endeavors by screaming maniacally through one cheap, talentless production after another. In 2021 he starred in Prisoners of The Ghostland.

Prisoners of The Ghostland (2021), the latest film by Japanese director Sion Sono, oddly lies directly in the middle of these two known Cage archetypes. With a distinct gonzo vibe, and a sense of humor that ranges from the campy to the downright absurdist, this latest experiment in Cage-rage feels like a hyper-vivid mashup of Mad Max (1979) and surrealist neo-western, all through a filter of feverish b-movie grit. Insane choices abound in production, the actors being forced to take a script seriously that sounds as though it was written by a film-obsessed, adhd-riddled pre-teen. If that sounds like fun to you, you’ll probably love this one. I am personally on the fence.

Prisoners of The Ghostland has a rather grandiose feel, as though we are viewing a classic epic from an alternate, altogether weirder, timeline. Taken for what it is, it can be a fun ride, though a lot of time is given to slow, sombre scenes that cut tiresomely into the film’s energy. We are forced to watch, on repeat, the tragic incident that led Cage’s character into his explosive predicament, without being offered much more information each time we are shown it. These particular scenes detract heavily from the campy, tongue-in-cheek edge that films of its ilk thrive on, leaving doubtful its ascension to cult classic status.

Prisoners of The Ghostland scene featuring a man with a spear arm fighting a man with a sword

Sion Sono has a penchant for the weird and seemingly random, and his teaming up with Cage should have been a match written in the stars. Sadly it more serves as proof that more than visual flair and an abundance of oddities are needed to make even a b-movie great. All the ingredients are there, though something in the execution is simply lacking in any kind of real engagement. Through awkward and drawn-out conversation we never learn enough about any one character to allow any kind of development, and most interactions seem to be intended to confuse rather than enlighten. It is the kind of picture one could watch at least five or six times before realizing the deeper meaning they were looking for is actually not there at all.

For those who can bask in strange without feeling the need to look much further, the vibrant and colorful visuals of Prisoners of The Ghostland coupled with its eccentric cast and true attention to madness should provide ample entertainment for a late-night viewing.

Joe Clements

Joe first knew he wanted to write in year six after plaguing his teacher’s dreams with a harrowing story of World War prisoners and an insidious ‘book of the dead’. Clearly infatuated with horror, and wearing his influences on his sleeve, he dabbled in some smaller pieces before starting work on his condensed sci-fi epic, System Reset in 2013.Once this was published he began work on many smaller horror stories and poems in bid to harness and connect with his own fears and passions and build on his craft.
Joe is obsessed with atmosphere and aesthetic, big concepts and even bigger senses of scale, feeding on cosmic horror of the deep sea and vastness of space and the emotions these can invoke. His main fixes within the dark arts include horror films, extreme metal music and the bleakest of poetry and science fiction literature.
He holds a deep respect for plot, creative flow and the context of art, and hopes to forge deeper connections between them around filmmakers dabbling in the dark and macabre.

linktr.ee/Joeclements

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movie Props That Instill Existential Dread

The flesh-wearing, chainsaw-wielding horror movie slasher, Leatherface, loves to accent his kills with some of the most horrifying objects and tools. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies feature a number of unique advantages for including a variety of interesting props. The Texas Chainsaw plot involves a collection of victims’ vehicles, personal belongings, and skeletons…and this collection has apparently been occurring over time. This means nearly anything could be found in the Sawyers’ house or a Texas Chainsaw graveyard, even a speak-n-spell!

Some of the Most Dreadful Texas Chainsaw Props

Although there are plenty of spooky items found in a Texas Chainsaw movie, some of the props are much more realistic and terrifying than others. These are some of the subtle and no so subtle scary props used.

Decrepit, Rotting House

Setting the scene is important in delivering a truly fearful experience. While Leatherface is prone to pop out anywhere, giving the impression he actually stalks his prey like a hunter…providing him a scary place to live is also important. Many horror films utilize a decrepit home that may be caving in on itself..but few horror movie slashers live in a home littered in rotting human and animal remains. It is almost as if they are collecting disease!

Meat Hooks

Probably one of the most obvious props that terrify throughout a Texas Chainsaw movie, are Leatherface’s meat hooks. Being hung on a meat hook would be catastrophic to one’s chances of survival. Many characters have tried to pull themselves off, and there is little success to be had there. In the event one does make it off a meat hook, they are severely injured, likely suffering a punctured lung, damaged heart or other unsustainable injuries. And then there’s the bleeding…a trail that leads the killer right to them.

Immobile Vehicle Graveyard

A lot of horror movies feature vehicles that stop working, giving the owner trouble or leaving them stranded. However, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre features vehicle graveyards, filled with immobile vehicles. Additionally, the vehicle that brings the group into danger to begin with, generally becomes disabled one way or another (either the Sawyers disable it, someone crashes it, or the keys are located on a dead victim). Disabled or otherwise immobile, abandoned vehicles are a notable part of the fear that is felt during a Texas Chainsaw movie. They instill the inevitable hopelessness the victims will ultimately experience.

A Chicken

Leave it to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre creators to make something as simple as a chicken and chicken bones scary. The live chicken and scattered chicken bones are probably so terrifying because they are next to, and among, human skulls and human bones. The subconscious idea that the audience absorbs from seeing these bones together, is that the owner of the property views human beings in the same sense as a chicken: food. It is also really unsanitary.

Wheelchair

Being stuck in a wheel chair during an encounter with Leatherface is a special kind of nightmare. It would become absolutely impossible to survive in a wheelchair, thus the prop of the wheelchair is used to highlight immobility as a weakness. Unfortunately, Franklin dies within seconds of meeting Leatherface largely due to his inability to escape.

A Meat Freezer

In the original film (1974), a victim is stuffed into a coffin-sized meat freezer, later to briefly emerge in terror only to be stuffed back inside. Being that a meat freezer is a rather cold, dark place to be, it is reasonable to understand the terror one must feel when stuffed inside. This freezer of horrors was being used to keep the meat fresher (victim still alive). Leatherface’s apathy to humanity may the intangible horror prop here.

Human Face Lamp

Leatherface is notorious for his meticulous leather working of human flesh. Similar to “Ed Gein” the grave robber, Leatherface and his family outfitted their home with a variety of furnishings made from human flesh. One particularly eerie prop that is terrifying in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) dinner scene is the human face lamp hanging over the dinner table. It is often so bright that people overlook it is an actual face…however, it adds a touch of raw horror that surpasses the skeleton in the room!

Last Notes About Texas Chainsaw Props

Although many people immediately assume the scariest props in a horror movie are the masks or weapons, in this one a chainsaw..the truth is a horror movie requires much simpler props to design a terrifying setting and realistic feel. As seen in the Texas Chainsaw films, even the simplest prop can become a terrifying horror movie asset. It is almost as if Leatherface could make anything scary!

Prisoners of The Ghostland – The Enigma

Props That Create Dread in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Movie Props That Instill Existential Dread