Ten More Horror Movies For Kids

By Paul Casey

Read the introduction and the list of the first ten movies.

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Ten Horror Movies For Kids

By Paul Casey

Poltergeist, 1982

Age ratings—whether from state censorship or from voluntary censorship outfits like the MPAA—remain an irritation in my life. They are, at best, an imprecise attempt to prevent ideas and images from reaching individuals who are not able to process them in a reasonable fashion. I do not trust anyone who claims that they were better off in their early years by adhering to such restrictions. Those who do not step over to have a look at what they are told is sure to scar them for life are not only invariably dull people, but also those who end up a blubbering stain when confronted with ideas which do not conform to the guiding hand of the censor. Such people become greater sexual deviants and violent criminals and are a drain on the resources of our fine society.

This fear of cinematic behavior seems to forget how horrifying even an average, moderately resourced human being’s life can be. Genre movies, particularly those on the lower end of credibility, suffer worst. Of these lower genres, none suffer so badly as Horror. Horror, we’re told is the thing from which children should be kept from at all costs. Children and teenagers though can benefit greatly from an early entry into the genre, for it is in Horror that life’s most awkward and disturbing issues can be tackled in relative safety. For those things a person is likely to experience in life, or perhaps already has, Horror can help address them in a way which the safer genres cannot.

There are many Horror movies that children should watch that don’t fall under my selection criteria. Of course you should watch Psycho, the original Dawn of the Dead, and John Carpenter’s The Thing. To qualify for this list though, movies had to be oriented towards the younger viewer. This meant focusing on those films with young protagonists, movies that had something important to say about growing up or the parent/child relationship.

Additionally, any movie with harsher violence or sex had to have a helpful resolution that a younger person can use. Though there are plenty of happy endings here, few are easy or safe. There are also some decidedly unhappy endings. The hope is that these movies will serve as a primer for the adventurous child or young teenager. I also hope that the movies are of benefit in a way that the parade of IT WILL BE ALRIGHT REALLY mush cannot offer. There are horrible things waiting for you. It is worth preparing for them.
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Unconditional Musical Love

By Paul Casey

Enniscrone Beach

We traveled a lot in the car. Ireland is a small country but we made the most of it. It was common to be inside of our diminutive Toyota Starlet for five hours at a go. Trips back and forth to Enniscrone, Sligo, were an annual event. Once we were there, we would travel to the Céide Fields or up towards Donegal on long road trips. Being the youngest member of the family, I would call the backseat home. My brother and mother up front, talking about some sight or other, I would be happy to occupy myself with Calvin & Hobbes or The Famous Five. A little bit later it was Star Wars.

Usually the car was in immediate need of repair, or all-out replacement. Fear of breakdown was high, and there were more than a few times when we had to get out and push. When it ran, though, and the window could be pulled down—only halfway in the backseat—things would get a feel to them. My father was there on the first trip, and maybe the second. His presence was an aberration. He was not meant for this place. This was a three-person operation.

My uncle was a secretive sort, at least from the lowdown perspective of a six-year-old. He lived in the garage of my grandmother’s house and hoarded all kinds of wonderful things. Seinfeld came from his collection, as did anything to do with The Beatles. We arranged a cunning switch one year, where we managed to copy all of the White Album and the entire Anthology onto 90-minute cassette tapes. That summer was full of good sound. Skewed takes on well-known songs would sit beside the genuine articles. I got used to Paul McCartney asking, “Is it rolling?”

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Random Rant: Delerium Tremens

By Paul Casey

If I could speak for my nationality, I would say this: Christy Moore’s song “Delirium Tremens” and the differences between its live and studio versions account for all significant space between the assumptions about Ireland and the realities which are suffered from living here. A look at the differences between these songs also gives insight into the nature of the man who created them. It displays the capacity of Traditional Irish music to express a more complex reality than craic and stompy dancing.

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Mourning The Loss Of James Gandolfini, 1961 – 2013

By Paul Casey

In The Loop, 2009

James Gandolfini is one of those people who didn’t need to do anything else following his most famous role. The range of his performance from the start of The Sopranos to its end was incredible, particularly his ability to make the audience really care about a character who was so despicable. He brought the most insightful human elements to the kind of character who is so often played for simple cathartic thrills or to make dubious Sticking-it-to-The-Man crowds whoop it up. He never let you forget the kind of person Tony Soprano was, but the loss of what remained of his humanity and the perversion of all around him still made you cry.

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Game Review: Bioshock Infinite

By Paul Casey

When Science Fiction reaches a large, mainstream audience it frequently stumbles. There are those out there, we are reminded until we expel body liquid, who are not particularly enamored with the idea of bizarre imaginings or Dystopian re-purposing of real events. These unreal things must be shrouded or hidden or compromised to meet the exacting standards of a public that drives Michael Bay pictures to earn hundreds of millions of dollars. They simply will not accept things that cannot happen, unless they get something tangible in return. “Gimme that walking arse shot or allusions to ear-fucking Megan Fox, whatever; just make sure that those grinning mugs don’t get their sense of reality altered! We’re running a business here. Don’t go abstract. Don’t make bold statements.”

When Irrational Games did Bioshock, it seemed to me, and some other folks, that here was a legitimate, big-budget step towards a new philosophy in video games. One that did not insist that the bare mechanics were the only thing worth evaluating. It made a powerful argument for world building, art direction, and quality writing and acting being able to do more than give finely tuned aiming and shooting a pretty wrapping. In Bioshock these things impacted the player’s experience to such a degree that evaluating one without the other seems foolish. That game had its issues, but its issues were a result of its ambition.

Bioshock Infinite is what happens when that ambition finds larger public, creative, and financial support. There is a storytelling depth here that very few games have approached. More importantly, it is a braver and more challenging piece of work than any of the other narrative successes in recent years. Its politics are not easily identifiable—though I am sure there are some lining up to suggest it fails because it contradicts some ideology or other—and its examination of human flaws leads the player to bad, honest places. If there is any clear message to be taken, it is probably that people who seek power are invariably the people who should not possess it, regardless of how righteous they appear.

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Music Review: Wendy & Lisa, Wendy and Lisa

By Paul Casey

Wendy & Lisa have put out five albums and one EP of original material during the years they have worked as a duo. For such a talented pair this does not seem like nearly enough. The benefit of having so few albums is, however, there is no off period. Their debut, Wendy and Lisa, came out in 1987 and started a (short) string of great albums. It is a classic of the 1980s, and unavoidably a document of what Prince lost when he fired Wendy, Lisa, and Bobby Z. (who co-produces the album).

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Music Review: Old Man Markley, Down Side Up

By Paul Casey

Old Man Markley’s second album, Down Side Up, is certainly more Bluegrass than Punk. The tempo is up there but the vocal approach is quite apart from, say, The Dropkick Murphys’ mixture of traditional and hard rock influences, or indeed Shane MacGowan’s Johnny Rotten sneer pushed through the balladry of Luke Kelly. While their first album Guts n’ Teeth does have some of the growl and shout and knock back pirate chant quality to it, there are more similarities with how The Decemberists or Okkervil River approach Traditional music. Even when the lyrics get colorful and the band gets fired up, the vocals remain gently emotive. Even live, they retain much of this quality. From viewing footage of their live act, it is clear that they are a tight outfit. As a delicious stew of influences, they recall the flavor of Hot Buttered Rum.

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Editorial: Tropes Vs. Women: The Damsel In Distress

By Paul Casey

Anita Sarkeesian has released the first video in her twelve part Tropes vs. Women series, which will look at the representation of women in video games. You should watch it. Not least because you can see how something so uncontroversial can cause so much phony outrage. There is little here that should surprise anyone who has been aware of their own existence for more than a few years. There is nothing that could be considered in any way “extremist.” Sarkeesian is sober, clear, and fair. She also possesses the required humor needed to make this subject palatable to a wide audience.

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The Redemption Of Jake “The Snake” Roberts

By Paul Casey

Jake “The Snake” Roberts, for those who do not know, was one of the greatest bad guys in wrestling. One of the most gifted talkers in the business, Jake made you believe more than most. As with other legendary heels like Ric Flair, to work with Jake meant nearly instant credibility for a good guy. He not only inspired genuine hatred, but also fear, especially from younger members of the audience. Inside the ring, Roberts was a creep, a sneak, and a cheat. Outside of the ring he wasn’t too different.

Over his shoulder, he would carry a large black bag containing his pet Damien. A gen-u-ine Python who would come into play during or after a match. Roberts also had one of the best finishers around: The DDT, as elegant a move as has ever been used in professional wrestling. Starting from a front face lock, Jake would throw his body back, planting his opponent face first into the mat. While today the move has become as common as the suplex, Jake did it with great ceremony. The opponent would not flip over as they do now. They would go straight into the mat, or concrete, if Jake was feeling particularly serpentine.

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