Contracted Or I Just Watched A Zombie Movie

Seems like horror fans fall into two buckets these days: zombie lovers and zombie haters. That dividing line just keeps getting deeper and darker the more zombies gain "mainstream popularity".

I currently fall into the "I am so tired of zombies I could puke" bucket. I haven't stopped watching zombie movies so much as I've started avoiding them at all costs, literally watching every other subgenre offering I stumble onto, regardless of how terrible it is.

I seriously re-watched Wishmaster this past week. That's how far out of my way I've been going to avoid the significant number of zombie movies flooding Netflix.

Then I accidentally watched one.

Contracted - 2013

I'm sure it was partially due to the really terrible movie synopsis that Netflix provided, which I'm prepared to admit that they may have nothing to do with and that I likely didn't read it very well.

In a strange twist of events, the movie cover actually helped persuade me to watch it. I know you typically read my complaints about movie covers and how the bad art made me skip a movie multiple times, so this was a nice change.

I think I harp on movie art so often because I love great horror art and I believe that strong design speaks well of your product. I find it disappointing when people scrimp on their cover art - it's a missed opportunity to generate more interest in their movie, create more merchandising opportunities, and to foster respect for their craftsmanship.

Thus ends my business rant and begins my content write up.

Aside from some sub-par acting, Contracted offers amazing, Cronenberg level body horror within an interesting story that just happens to turn into a zombie movie - without anyone ever saying the word "zombie".

The gist of the movie goes something like this: young, beautiful lesbian is date raped by a man whose face you never see and catches "something" from him. Her sordid past comes back to haunt her as the "something" rapidly turns her into a zombie and no one wants to help her.

There is unmistakeable subtext kicking around in this movie: Rape victims often encounter disbelief about their attack, especially if they are "slutty". Unprotected sex with strangers could kill you. Drinking and using drugs could lead you into trouble. So on and so forth, as is appropriate for the history of the horror genre.

Never seeing the rapist's face is an interesting plot device.
You never see his face but you do see him more than once in the movie. None of those times does he seem to be turning into a zombie. This is immensely powerful in that it builds fear around not knowing if or when he'll attack again, but it is also a misdirection. You don't easily put together the pieces that what he's given to her is "zombification" as he remains unaffected.

For me, more importantly, the effects were great and some were disturbingly creative. I've rarely seen such a fantastic use of maggots in a movie before. We'll let the fact that they were actually meal worms slide.

Wrap up time.
If you're sick and tired of zombie movies, but you love gross-out horror, give Contracted a try.

You can watch the trailer here:

Rebuttal: 17 Disturbing Horror Movies You Will Never Watch Again

When I'm not watching movies, I'm reading about movies. I stumble across all kinds of articles, blog posts, book excerpts, etc. in my quest to absorb as much movie knowledge as possible.

Now, I'm snotty and loud-mouthed and opinionated but I'd never begrudge another human their opinion. Seriously. You're absolutely welcome to have any opinion about any thing you want. However, I must warn you, if I think your opinion is stupid, I'm absolutely going to say so.

I've recently stumbled on an article completely brimming with so many idiotic opinions that I'm actually compelled to craft a response.

Here's the gist of the original article: there are some horror movies out there that are so disturbing, you'll only ever want to watch them once. I've have taken her original list and refuted her claims without pulling her entire article over. You can read the original article here.

Let's start at the beginning, with her opening statement:
"Hor…

"I live, I love, I slay & I am Content."

Let me tell you a little about myself; something real about the home I grew up in. There were lots of people around all the time. I was the only child. And, thankfully, I wasn't treated as such. Much like today, I was just the shortest member of the household.

But what's that really mean? Above and beyond it means that I had many influences growing up. For this entry, my father's influence is the most important.

My father loves arms and armor. He loves history and mythology and the art of warfare. And as any good father would, he shared these passions with me as a kid. I remember him making me wooden swords to play with. We played chess together. And I remember him reading me Greek myths and comic books before bed. He also shared his nerdy love of scifi, fantasy, and horror movies with me.

For all of this, I am grateful. And I am now passionate about the same things.

Spoiler alert: the following statement is not a dick joke. I have a love of swords. And barbarians and slay…

But The Flesh Is Weak: Cronenberg's Body Horrors

Body horror; something that effects each one of us as we are made of squishy, fallible, and finite flesh. Tackled many times in many ways throughout the years, body horror will stick with us until we finally learn to lose these weak, human bodies and begin existing in some other form.

There are many lenses through which to view body horror, lets talk about a few quickly before talking about some specific films in this genre.

Science and Technology
We depend on technology, especially in regards to our flimsy, fleshy bodies. Hip replacements, new hearts, brain surgery, iron lungs, cheek implants, etc. We have limited abilities and a limited lifespan, so we lean on technology to increase both. But what happens when we take that melding of mechanical and organic too far? Horror and scifi have taught us that going too far can lead to frighteningly devastating consequences and monstrous creations. (Species, Robocop, Frankenstein, etc.)

Gender
Much of body horror is related to or revolves arou…

i'm kael's ghost

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