Frame by Frame: Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Frame By Frame

Year – 1968
Decade – 1960s
Cinematographer – George Romero
Director – George Romero
Aspect Ratio – 1.37
Genre – Horror, Zombie
Camera – Arri 35 IIC (More on the Arri 35 II series of cameras)
Format – 35mm; Black and White
Production Info – Budget of $114,000 and shot in 30 days, which were spread out over seven months as Romero took breaks to tend to his Pittsburgh commercial production company
Key Words – Close-Ups

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The Movie
A group of bickering survivors hole up in an isolated farmhouse besieged by the undead in George Romero’s immeasurably influential Night of the Living Dead. The film redefined not only the zombie movie but the horror genre itself, drawing a clear line of demarcation between the genre’s history of gothic monsters and enlarged radioactive creatures and the more angry, violent and transgressive contemporary horror of the 1970s. In commemoration of Night of the Living Dead’s 50th anniversary, I’m looking back at some of my favorite frames from Romero’s directorial debut.

Tags:

31 Days of Horror - 2018, frames 1.33, frames 1960s, frames 1968, frames 35mm, frames Arri 35 II, frames black and white, frames close-ups, frames george romero, frames horror, frames zombies, George Romero, night of the living dead

Frame by Frame: The Stepfather (1987)

Frame By Frame

Year – 1987
Decade – 1980s
Cinematographer – John Lindley (imdb link)
Director – Joseph Ruben (imdb link)
Aspect Ratio – 1.85
Genre – Horror
Lenses – Spherical
Format – 35mm

Key Words
Shot-by-Shot Scene Breakdowns                    Camera Moves

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The Movie
A seemingly bland suburban realtor (Terry O’Quinn) marries into a widowed family and reacts violently when the clan doesn’t live up to his ideal of family values.

A link has frequently been drawn between the violence in the horror films of the 1980s – particularly the slasher flicks of the era – and the decade’s shift toward moral conservatism. When characters flaunted the tenants of the religious right that flourished under Reagan, their demise was swift. Have sex and you die. Take drugs and you die. Joseph Ruben’s clever low-budget thriller The Stepfather is one of the few films to intentionally and explicitly make that connection, presenting a portrait of unhinged patriarchy raging against the white middle class male’s dwindling influence that still feels relevant 30 years later.

Check out the movie while it’s streaming on Amazon Prime.

Tags:

frames 1.85, frames 1980s, frames 1987, frames 35mm, frames camera moves, frames horror, frames john lindley, frames joseph ruben, frames scene breakdowns, frames spherical

Frame by Frame: Friday the 13th (1980)

Frame By Frame

Year – 1980
Decade – 1980s
Cinematographer – Barry Abrams (imdb link)
Director – Sean S. Cunningham (imdb link)
Make-Up Effects – Tom Savini (imdb link)
Aspect Ratio – 1.85
Distributor – Paramount
Genre – Horror, Slasher
Lenses – Spherical
Format – 35mm
Other Key Words
Point of View
Shot-by-Shot Scene Breakdowns

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Tags:

frames 1.85, frames 1980, frames 1980s, frames 35mm, frames barry abrams, frames horror, frames paramount, frames point of view, frames scene breakdowns, frames sean s cunningham, frames slasher, frames spherical, frames tom savini

Frame by Frame: Night Train Murders (1975)

Frame By Frame

Year – 1975
Decade – 1970s
Cinematographer – Gabor Pogany
Director – Aldo Lado
Aspect Ratio – 1.85
Genre – Horror
Lenses – Spherical
Format – 35mm
Other Key Words – Video Nasties; Color (Blue); Zooms; 180 Degree Pan; Shot/Reverse Shot; Phone Calls

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“Every seat in this theater becomes a coach seat to hell!” – tagline from the Night Train Murders trailer

Tags:

Frame Grabs, frames 1.85, frames 180 degree pan, frames 1970s, frames 1975, frames 35mm, frames aldo lado, frames color blue, frames gabor pogany, frames horror, frames phone calls, frames shot/reverse shot, frames spherical, frames video nasties, frames zooms, Last House on the Left, movie frames, movie stills, Wes Craven

Frame by Frame: Possession (1981)

Frame By Frame

Year – 1981
Decade – 1980s
Director – Andrej Zulawski
Cinematographers – Bruno Nuytten
Aspect Ratio – 1.66
Genre – Horror
Lenses – spherical
Format – 35mm
Other Key Words –Video Nasties; Close-Ups; Phone Calls; Shot/Reverse Shot

Tags:

frames 1.66, frames 1980s, frames 1981, frames 35mm, frames bruno nuytten, frames close-ups, frames horror, frames phone calls, frames shot/reverse shot, frames spherical, frames video nasties, possession