26 October 2005

Yuzna (closing thoughts)

Like Wes Craven, Brian Yuzna is a pretty uneven director: he has his good films and his bad films and it's hard to predict which type will come next. However, he still produces interesting movies consistently enough that he's definitely worth keeping up with. Here's what he's good at:

Ignoring previous movies and forging his own, unique path with sequels (Initiation: Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 and Return of the Living Dead III).

Horror-romance. Maybe I'm alone, but anytime Yuzna takes a romance in one of his movies seriously, it lifts the entire film up a level (Return of the Living Dead III's Julie and Curt, Rottweiler's Dante and Ula, and, to some extent, Progeny's Sherry and Craig).

"Kicking it up a notch." Especially when he's got Screaming Mad George on board, Yuzna can be counted on to push things a little bit further than your average horror director. From the fleshy ending of Society, to the grotesquely beautiful Bride, to a Wolverine clone that actually, for once, chops people up with his claws onscreen, Yuzna delivers great visuals.

Beneath Still Waters, I'm looking forward to. I actually own a signed copy of the novel, though I've never read it. I think I will, in preparation for the movie.

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