The Devil's Muse

Category: horror cinema trivia

  • Horror Cinema Trivia: Freddy Snake

    The original “Freddy Snake” unintentionally came out looking too phallic. The crew only had one hour to film the scene, so they didn’t have enough time to paint it. So, it was covered in a green goo substance to overcome the “pinkish hue.” The scene involving the “Freddy Snake” attempting to swallow Kristen was also filmed backwards and then played in reverse, due to the gums on the puppet being too flexible, and were folding over themselves.

    From IMDb Trivia: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

    https://www.enuffa.com/2019/09/awesomely-shitty-movies-nightmare-on.html
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  • Horror Cinema Trivia: Only Lovers Left Alive

    Only Lovers Left Alive is a dreamy tale about vampires that, interestingly, never uses the word “vampire” in the movie. I really enjoyed how this story made me reflect on the passing of time and the feeling of being connected to the past. I liked this tidbit about the movie related to British literature:

    Christopher “Kit” Marlowe (Sir John Hurt) mentions writing Hamlet, and ghostwriting for William Shakespeare to have an outlet for his work. The real Marlowe died under mysterious circumstances at the age of 29, a few weeks before the publication of Shakespeare’s first known play. The Marloweian theory, which is considered fringe by a vast majority of scholars, suggests that he faked his death, and adopted the nom de plume “William Shakespeare.”

    I loved the mix of moodiness and drama in this story.

    Source: IMDb Trivia: Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

    Jarmusch, Jim. Only Lovers Left Alive, Soda Pictures, 2014.

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  • Horror Cinema Trivia: Hatchet

    I can’t get enough of the Hatchet franchise. I rewatched Hatchet III this past week, and it stood up as one of my favorites. But, any time I rewatch one of the Hatchet movies, I remember how much I love them! Great combination of lore, urban legend and slasher counts!

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  • Horror Comedy Trivia: High Spirits

    I am a long-time devoted fan of High Spirits. I can’t count the times I have watched it throughout my life. It is one of those movies I go to when I need cheering up, and it stands up as a great and perfectly silly movie each time I watch it every decade I grow older.

    I learned from IMDb Trivia that writer and director Neil Jordan maintained that the released version of the film was very different from the one that he shot. He was more or less excluded from the editing process of the final cut. He insists that his version is still locked away in a vault.

    I am not sure how I would react to seeing the director’s cut of High Spirits, but I would be curious to find out! I hope that version still exists somewhere to be shared one day.

    Image from Film on Paper
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  • Horror Cinema Trivia: Night of the Living Dead (1968)

    The original idea for George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead was for an alien comedy.

    In early 1967, Romero, along with writer John A. Russo and actor Rudy Ricci, were working together at the Latent Image, their Pittsburgh-based commercial film company, when they decided it was time to try their hand at making a feature film. Though the effort eventually produced Night of the Living Dead, early concepts were very different. Russo initially thought of making a horror comedy about “hot-rodding” alien teens who would visit Earth, meet up with human teenagers, and generally cause mischief with the help of a cosmic pet called “The Mess.” The group’s budgetary constraints made this concept impossible, so Russo instead dreamed up an idea about a boy who runs away from home, only to discover a field of corpses under glass, which were rotting to the liking of alien creatures who would eventually consume them. Russo presented this idea to Romero, who latched on to the flesh-eating angle.

    Find more insights on Romero’s zombie classic at 10 Facts About George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead on Mental Floss.

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  • Horror Cinema Trivia: Friday the 13th

    Did you know that, originally, Friday the 13th was intended to be an anthology series? Each movie would have taken place, presumably, on Friday the 13th.

    From 10 Jason Voorhees Facts You Never Knew Until Now

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  • Pennywise (2017)

    Bill Skarsgård wanted to make sure that his performance as Pennywise was convincing for audiences. He states, “In order for this movie to be as effective as the book and the series, I have to scare a whole generation. My take was that Pennywise functions very simply. Nothing much is going on in terms of what he’s thinking – he’s animalistic and instinctive.”

    From IMDb Trivia: It (2017)

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  • Horror Cinema Trivia: Annabelle

    I never made the connection between Annabelle and Rosemary’s Baby, but, once it was laid out before me, I cannot believe I missed it. Might explain why I enjoyed Annabelle so much.

    ScreenRant explains Annabelle‘s homage to Rosemary’s Baby:

    “Several references to the classic horror film Rosemary’s Baby are alluded to in Annabelle. For instance, the protagonists are named John and Mia after John Cassavettes and Mia Farrow, the stars of the horror classic. John and Mia also name their daughter Leah, the same name as one of the neighbors in the 1968 film.

    “In addition, the plot closely resembles Rosemary’s Baby. Both films center on a couple living in an upscale apartment while expecting a baby, as a host of satanic neighbors plotting to overtake the mother and her child. Moreover, the sound cues of the neighboring apartment are directly taken from Rosemary’s Baby.”

    Find more facts about the Annabelle series at The Annabelle Series: 10 Creepy Facts About The Conjuring Spin-Off.

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  • Horror Cinema Trivia: New Nightmare

    In Wes Craven’s 1994 New Nightmare, Freddy Krueger is depicted much closer to what Craven had originally intended for the character, much more menacing, much less comical, with an updated attire and appearance.

    Image from bloody-disgusting.com

    However in 2015, before his death, Craven would admit he regretted changing Krueger’s appearance and said: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” which was why he kept Ghostface’s mask the same in every Scream movie.

    More behind-the-scenes facts at IMDb Trivia: New Nightmare (1994).

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  • Happy Mother’s Day!

    According to Piper Laurie, she honestly thought her character in Carrie (1976) was too over the top fanatical to be taken seriously. Director Brian De Palma had to take her to the side and personally tell her it was a horror film and not a “black comedy” as she thought it was. Even so, she would constantly burst out into laughter between takes because not only was her characterization and wardrobe laughable in her eyes, but the dialogue itself was humorous for her. To this day, she still refers to and maintains the movie as a black comedy.

    More behind-the-scenes facts at IMDb Trivia: Carrie (1976).

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