I really like the long single shot scene that pans around the underground dwelling in this film. It is really creepy. Full marks to the director for doing this as it is very original and unusual. My favorite horror film scene ever. What does everyone else think about this scene ?
shareI totally agree, this has to be one the most unsettling scenes ever filmed for a horror film. The length of the shot, the different elements (especially the guy slumped blinking is just class!), the music (or heart beat), the lighting, the props, everything is perfect to unsettle us! Another similar unsettling/disturbing scene is the opening of Herzog's Nosferatu (1979)
shareI am glad you agree beyondhorror. It truly is an unsettling scene. I have not seen anything like it before. I have not seen that Nosferatu film either. I will check it out.
shareSo glad to see other people echo my own view on this shot/scene. It's extraordinary. I've never - that's never - seen anything quite like it. It's entirely convincing and genuinely disturbing. And it was that very scene, which I first saw one night on the BBC nearly 20 years ago, that ensured that the memory of the film would continue to haunt me until, many years later, I finally got hold of a copy of this gem of a movie (and, as a rule, I loathe horror films).
The lion and the calf shall lie down together, but the calf won't get much sleep.share
I thought an infamous shot from Fulci's "House by the cemetary" was trying to emulate this one…
shareI think the long panning shot in Alien terror(AKA Alien 2 on earth) was inspired by this, with the same dripping and heartbeat sound effects.
It's nowhere near as effective as the panning shot we're talking about though.
The panning shot in death line slowly builds up the tension with it's use of sound effects and music to create atmosphere.
I think it's actually one of the creepiest and effective shots I've ever seen.
I liked it a lot, first because it's so rare to see a big, long reveal shot like that, but also because the atmosphere it provided did a LOT for the creepiness of the whole flick.
shareHow did they get the camera and cameraman through the square hole that leads from the pantry?
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Also very effective was the ending. Long shot there. Excellent.
The camera just stays there looking down that tunnel.
I *really* enjoyed the starkness of this movie. Regarding the scenes with the mutants, one gets the feelings of lonliness and isolation, especially, with the single shot. As many have already said, the sound choices in the movie drive it. The quiet accompanying this shot adds to the intensity.
Off topic: I just wish they spent more time with the couple. We didn't get a chance to really "care" about them.
"I was never the girl next door" - Bettie Page
I totally agree and was similarly impressed by this shot. When I saw this scene, I realized this film was a whole lot better than I was expecting.
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