Has a movie ever given you nightmares? For me, it was the huge monster release from 1975, Jaws. My folks and I lived in Port Hueneme, California, at the time, and a large group of teens went to catch the show at the local drive-in.
"Hey, bring the kid."
"Really? He's only 5."
"Pfft. Yeah. He'll be fine."
I saw Jaws as a 5 year old, up close and personal, as that magnificent great white chomped its way through beach goers on a 100 foot screen. Every nuanced scream was piped into the car through the speaker box, along with that incessantly ominous soundtrack. I hid my eyes behind my hands as the blur of teeth, blood, and severed limbs was paraded in front of me.
For weeks, possibly months, afterward, I slept in the absolute, very center of my bed fully buried under the covers. If I woke up and a limb had strayed over the edge, there'd be a moment of utter panic as I quickly retreated to the perceived safety in the center of the mattress. Floor made of lava? That was nothing compared to being stalked by an unseen great white.
Vampires and ghosts. Mummies and ogres. Frankenstein's Monster. And sharks. Creature features are great entertainment, but they're easy. You know who the bad guy is. He's the one wrapped in bandages or the one with all the teeth. It's when their dark side is hidden, when they're more than what they appear, that's a recipe for major creep factor.
Warren Zevon, a Rock-tober alumnus, pays tribute to one of the greatest stealth monsters of the big screen. An ordinary joe rocking a 9 to 5 gig during the day, he becomes a brutally efficient, throat slashing, disemboweling, predator on full moon nights.
You're already singing the chorus, aren't you?
No comments:
Post a Comment