ABSENTIA - a "Campbellesque" film... Log Out | Topics | Search
Moderators | Edit Profile

RAMSEY CAMPBELL » Discussion » ABSENTIA - a "Campbellesque" film « Previous Next »

Author Message
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Zed (Gary_mc)
Username: Gary_mc

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 82.5.43.148
Posted on Sunday, May 20, 2012 - 03:35 pm:   

For anyone who's interested, there's a great little indie horror film called ABSENTIA due out on DVD next month.

I've just watched and reviewed the film, and to me it seemed to nail a certain Campbellesque mood - that queasy, brilliant mix of urban and cosmic horror that Ramsey has been giving us for decades.

I'll post my review here when it goes live, but in the meantime I highly recommend the film to anyone interested in Ramsey's work.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Simon Bestwick (Simon_b)
Username: Simon_b

Registered: 10-2008
Posted From: 213.106.77.123
Posted on Sunday, May 20, 2012 - 04:24 pm:   

OK, I'll check this out.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Mick Curtis (Mick)
Username: Mick

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 86.185.225.55
Posted on Sunday, May 20, 2012 - 06:19 pm:   

I saw this quite some time back - loved it; very unsettling and quite Lovecraftian as well as Campbellesque!
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Tony (Tony)
Username: Tony

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 217.42.48.249
Posted on Thursday, September 13, 2012 - 02:28 pm:   

I quite liked it too - but it does lose steam towards the end. I must say, the first shots of the girl leaving the tunnel and looking round the other side really got my imagination going; what if there was a whole world out there, different to where she'd come from? It was an 'Oz' moment, and one I sort of wish they'd pursued.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

David Lees (David_lees)
Username: David_lees

Registered: 12-2011
Posted From: 2.216.164.11
Posted on Monday, August 18, 2014 - 08:10 pm:   

I just noticed this is on tonight (Monday) on Film4 at 11 as part of their Frightfest season. Silent House is on tomorrow night, I'm pretty sure they're both premieres.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Patrick Walker (Patrick_walker)
Username: Patrick_walker

Registered: 01-2010
Posted From: 86.170.25.107
Posted on Monday, August 18, 2014 - 10:41 pm:   

Strange that I should just spot this thread, as I've just been thinking over the past few days about "Campbellian" films and was going to ask folks here about anything that could fall in to that category.
The first (and if I'm honest, only) thing that immediately springs to mind is 'Baby' from Nigel Kneale's Beasts, which struck me as being very Campbellesque when I saw it ealier this year.

Any thoughts or suggestions?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 85.255.232.134
Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 12:01 am:   

'Martha Marcy May Marlene' reminded me very much of the paranoid psychological strand of Ramsey's horror fiction. I've always found 'Peeping Tom' to be a particularly Campbellian psycho horror as well. I'll suggest more as they come to me...

'Possession'!! There's another one. Again, it has that intense urban paranoia I always associate with Ramsey.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 12:10 am:   

I read but haven't seen MMMM - it's a chilling read! Very Campbellian. Must get around to seeing the film.

Absolutely would be high on my list, though, is Il Profumo Della Signora in Nero (The Perfume of the Lady in Black) (1974). Beautiful film, and that ending's a nightmare crescendo right out of Ramsey!

Others might be Robert Altman's disturbing Images (1972), or Polanski's unsettling The Tenant (1976).
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 85.255.232.134
Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 12:21 am:   

Thanks for drawing my attention to Altman's 'Images', Craig. I've never seen it before and it sounds exceptional! I agree with you about 'The Tenant' and would say 'Repulsion' is decidedly Campbellian as well.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Craig (Craig)
Username: Craig

Registered: 03-2008
Posted From: 99.126.164.88
Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 12:51 am:   

It's a great nightmare of a film, Stevie, worth catching.

(Btw: For any truly rabid Altman fanatics out there [like me], the long unavailable film Heal+h (1980), still unavailable I believe... someone put the whole thing up on youtube recently... get/view it while you can!...)
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Patrick Walker (Patrick_walker)
Username: Patrick_walker

Registered: 01-2010
Posted From: 86.170.25.107
Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 06:34 am:   

I've seen MMMM, Repulsion and Peeping Tom, and, while each are exceptional films, none are like what I'm looking for or hoping to find.
The Tenant I've still not seen but if that's the movie adapted from the Topor novel then it could be very promising!
The other films I don't know of but shall investigate immediately!
Thanks.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Patrick Walker (Patrick_walker)
Username: Patrick_walker

Registered: 01-2010
Posted From: 86.170.25.107
Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 06:36 am:   

Sorry, I know of Possession too, of course. I've had it right at the top of my Watchlist for a while.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message

Stevie Walsh (Stephenw)
Username: Stephenw

Registered: 03-2009
Posted From: 194.32.29.1
Posted on Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 11:46 am:   

If we're talking supernatural Campbellian horror then I agree Nigel Kneale's "Baby" fits the bill, Patrick. It's a type of horror that is quite rare in cinema and television. 'Possession' is probably the closest I've seen to his style on screen.

I recently picked up Jaume Balagueró's 1999 adaptation of 'The Nameless', which I've heard Ramsey was happy with. Looking forward to watching it. I've long been complaining about the dearth of Ramsey Campbell film adaptations. For such a psychologically intense author his writing is still thoroughly cinematic, imho.

Add Your Message Here
Post:
Bold text Italics Underline Create a hyperlink Insert a clipart image

Username: Posting Information:
This is a private posting area. Only registered users and moderators may post messages here.
Password:
Options: Enable HTML code in message
Automatically activate URLs in message
Action:

Topics | Last Day | Last Week | Tree View | Search | Help/Instructions | Program Credits Administration