Something Old, Something New

So, the past week I have watched over five movies. 6.5 to be exact. We'll get to that .5 a little later on. I watched newer movies like Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I stumbled upon two movies I had never heard of: Dim Sum Funeral and Wristcutters: A Love Story. Last night I revisited an old classic that was a favorite of mine when I was a child. A classic that had recently been remade. Clash of the Titans.


I remember the first time I saw the original Clash of the Titans. I was only 9 years old and at the beginning of my life long Star Wars obsession. My parents took me to an old movie theater where I became engrossed in the mythical tale Perseus, Medusa, Bubo the gold owl, and the Penguin from Batman. I remember being in awe of the creatures, the story, and the partial nudity.


I remember going home to cut out pictures of the movie from the newspaper and taping them to my wall. The movie must have made a big impact on me, because as the years went by the scenes slowly faded from my mind yet I chose this movie to honor with a big movie poster in my basement. It is framed and hanged with a selected few other movies to become part of our grown up idea of a playroom.


When I heard they were remaking Clash of the Titans, I thought "Oh, we have to see the original again." When I read that the remake was complete, I said to my DH (dear husband) "We really need to watch the original." And when I saw the trailers making their rounds on t.v. I said to my kids "You should really watch the old one."


The kids did not get a chance to view the old Clash of the Titans because they were already in bed when I discovered it was going to be on. So, last night I revisited the Gods and Goddesses, Perseus, Andromeda, Pegasus, and that stupid gold owl, and of course the little old guy from Rocky.


First off, I could not believe how much I remembered. Once the movie started I remembered it all. The vulture with the golden cage. The new mother with her infant being placed in a coffin and sent to their death at sea. The transformation of Calibos from human to horror that is only seen through an animated shadow.


I realized why I had loved this movie so much as a kid. The acting is mediocre. The plot is weakly written. Most of the special effects is awful. And the editing from scene to scene doesn't always flow. But those creatures. Those dated, stop-motion, animated, clay creatures. They were as creepy as all hell. And I got some sort of a sick, twisted thrill from the freaky, creepy, and sometimes horrifying abominations.


The evil Calibos has to be one of the scariest characters to ever grace the screens. He's not like most movie monsters. He doesn't do anything to make you jump, scream, then laugh weakly at your silliness. He doesn't wear a sports mask or carry an axe. He doesn't stalk promiscuous teens or haunt their dreams. He just stands there and looks...well, nightmarish.
In shots that were filmed from the waist up, Calibos was played by Neil McCarthy. And he was made up to be as ugly as sin. A face that would give a 9 year old nightmares for years. When Calibos was in a full body shot, he was made from the magic of stop-motion animation. At that was even creepier. Seeing him move with that jerky, slow movement. His thick tail switching from his blue onesie. It was so unreal. So nonhuman. Ugh! The horrors!

And if Calibos wasn't bad enough, Medusa was added. Another stop-motion creature who is half woman, half snake and has a head of little snakes for hair. It's the way she first appears on screen that is awful. Again, that unreal slow movement appears as she pulls herself along on her arms.

The hero Perseus battles Medusa, trying to avoid looking her in the face because her stare can turn any living creature into stone. And of course he wins the battles, slicing her head from her body with his Godly Sword. This is another scene that I remember vividly. The thick blood that slowly pours from her headless neck. It looks like ketchup. Thick and slow. And it's eerie.

I'm not much of a remake fan, but I am curious to see how the advanced computer graphics will hold up to Harryhausen's claymation. I don't think it can. I realize that computer graphics are meant to make the impossible seem possible. Make the unreal look real. But that is what made the original 1981 version of Clash of the Titans so creepy. It looked unreal. It's like watching toys come to life and have souls of their own. Imagine, if you will, Play-Dough inching along with a will of its own. It's unreal and that is what scared me as a 9 year old and as an adult today.

So, revisit those movies you loved as a child but seem so dated and perhaps even cheesy. Remember that it must have been pretty good the first time around if they want to remake it again. It'll make you feel like a kid again as you remember exactly where you saw it and with who the first time around. And you might discover something new through your adult eyes. I know I did. I'm pretty sure my phobia with snakes has something to do with Medusa. And Harry Hamlin has more in his claim to fame than being Lisa Rinna's husband.