Films You're Not Supposed To See - Part 1

In the first of a two-part blog I'll be commenting on three movies which gained reputations for themselves early on, thus gaining must-see feels in spite of controversy and contextual buzz.

Let's be honest - we've all seen stuff at some point which we were told we really shouldn't. It's only natural.  With these, and in the part that follows, I waited until early adulthood.  Thank goodness, too.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

This is film gore at its best, or worst depending on how you view it.  Crudely made even by 70's standards, it was entirely shot on a low budget and it shows.

There is a story to this and it sees a young girl kidnapped by a masked lunatic who barbarically kills her brother and friends with a live chainsaw.  Oh and he brings her home to meet his family, who happen to wear facial apparatus made of human flesh - during which she faints and horrifically wakes up again during 'dinner'.... It therefore falls on our heroine to make an escape with her life.

'TCM' takes the horror genre to a new extreme, unfit for the squeamish!  Filmed in temperature between 95 and 100 degrees, the southern summer heat adds to the car crash-like tension.  Naturally this became a cult hit and inspired a few sequels - including one with Dennis Hopper - and a remake, each made to capitalise on, as well as attempt to sanitise, the original's legacy.


The Exorcist (1973)

Having grown over time within it's own mystique of possession and disgust, at the heart of The Exorcist is a story between good and evil.  Author of the book, William Peter Blatty took inspiration from a reported real-life child exorcism some decades before.  Director William Friedkin, of The French Connection, took his vision to the screen which was allegedly made with a cursed production.  Cast and crew members died during the making, as well as a fire apparently at one point starting on set.

Banned for years from home video, the film was re-released to mark it's 25th anniversary and subsequently hit the shops not long after.  A string of sequels would also follow, including the infamous 'Exorcist II: The Heretic' - a film so bad its comical - as well as the acclaimed 'The Ninth Configuration', written but also directed by the original's same author.

Set in Georgestown, Washington, the film made a star out of 12-year old Linda Blair and brought Mike Oldfield's score of Tubular Bells to international success. 

Watch in the dark if you dare!  But leave a lamp on if you don't.


A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Here we see a stark if unpleasant narrative of young Alex's journey from being a ruthless thug in to his own tough therapy while incarcerated.  Based on Malcolm McDowell's novel of the same name, the film's strengths lie in the strong visuals, with imagery and the enticing soundtrack providing a colourful backdrop to the pro/an-tagonist's story.

What could be argued as an unofficial advertisement for gang violence against both men and women links to subsequent real-life copycat attacks, with director Stanley Kubrick eventually withdrawing this flick from public viewing.

Kubrick's direction is evident through his trademark camera work and graphic depiction of the central character's adventures.  It's legacy ranges from a new audience in McDowell's writings to art to even influencing the presentation of popular music acts like David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars and, much later on, electronic-pop duo Moloko.