Gus Van Sant's Elephant

[StanleyK]

Does anyone agree with me that it's a horror film?

I say this because this movie scared me more than any other I've seen (except maybe The Shining), including more conventional horror films. The first hour is really unsettling, with the camera just following the characters around, like it's a creepy stalker, and then you get to the two kids plotting their shooting and the athmosphere is filled with dread. And then there's the last 20 minutes, which are probably the scariest thing ever put to film (that shot with the killer Alex just slowly walking into focus gives me the creeps just thinking about it).

Yet, I don't recall any reviews calling any attention to this, and IMDB lists this simply as a drama. Was anyone else scared by this film?

[Raiders]

Absolutely. Imdb goes for the obvious in its characterization. I think the film's horror comes mainly from the fact that we know what is going to happen. Van Sant shows us high school and the routine, then promptly rips a hole in that routine.

[Spinal]

I can see that. I definitely remember having a lingering sense of dread for an extended period of time while watching the movie. Van Sant certainly is knowing in regards to horror conventions during this film, but somehow, once the killing starts happening, he is successful at stripping away any sense of 'thrill' that we might get while watching a more conventional kind of horror film. I'm not exactly sure how he does that. Maybe the gravity of the real-life connections do the heavy lifting for him, but I remember finding the film to be chilling yet non-exploitative.

Welcome to the site. Always good to hear from a new voice.

[eternity]

You're right, Stan.

[Qrazy]

Does anyone else agree that Van Sant's Psycho is a horror film? Because of how bad it is I mean.

[trotchky]

The remixed shower scene and that other scene he fiddled with spooked me more than anything in the original Psycho.

However I concede that the movie doesn't work on anything but an academic level. Which, hey, probably makes it a terrible movie, but I can't help defending it--it was all wonderfully exciting from my analytic viewpoint. And at least it's intelletually honest, unlike the truly insulting and aesthetically not unsimilar Twentynine Palms.

[Qrazy]

The remixed shower scene and that other scene he fiddled with spooked me more than anything in the original Psycho.

However I concede that the movie doesn't work on anything but an academic level. Which, hey, probably makes it a terrible movie, but I can't help defending it--it was all wonderfully exciting from my analytic viewpoint. And at least it's intelletually honest, unlike the truly insulting and aesthetically not unsimilar Twentynine Palms.

I wouldn't call it intellectually honest but I agree that Twentynine Palms is fairly poor as well.

[Ezee E]

Is this StanleyK the Stanley of RT?

[Wryan]

I like Elephant a lot.

And if this Stanley is the Stanley of old RT, we'd have just gained a great member. :)

[StanleyK]

Is this StanleyK the Stanley of RT?


And if this Stanley is the Stanley of old RT, we'd have just gained a great member. :)

No, sorry. Although I did post the same thread on RT, and the response was less favorable.


I can see that. I definitely remember having a lingering sense of dread for an extended period of time while watching the movie. Van Sant certainly is knowing in regards to horror conventions during this film, but somehow, once the killing starts happening, he is successful at stripping away any sense of 'thrill' that we might get while watching a more conventional kind of horror film. I'm not exactly sure how he does that. Maybe the gravity of the real-life connections do the heavy lifting for him, but I remember finding the film to be chilling yet non-exploitative.

I agree completely. I think Van Sant helped prove François Truffaut wrong. There's nothing thrilling here, just disturbing.

And thanks for the welcome.

[balmakboor]

Nice comments. I assume you know, by your reference to The Shining, that it is one of Van Sant's major influences, as is A Clockwork Orange. (I assume naming a character Alex in both Elephant and Paranoid Park relates to this.)

And one can drown in everything on the Net that's been written comparing Elephant and The Shining. Lot's of good stuff too.

Welcome aboard.

[Qrazy]

I agree completely. I think Van Sant helped prove François Truffaut wrong. There's nothing thrilling here, just disturbing.


Don't really agree. For instance those POV Doom-esque shotsare in my eyes specifically meant to convey the thrill experienced by the killers. It's also meant to be disturbing but I don't think Van Sant has succeeded in the same way Klimov did. Also a horror film is not a war film unless you want to ride the extended metaphor train.

[StanleyK]

Nice comments. I assume you know, by your reference to The Shining, that it is one of Van Sant's major influences, as is A Clockwork Orange. (I assume naming a character Alex in both Elephant and Paranoid Park relates to this.)

Strange how I never thought about it, but now that you mention it, it's true. Those long tracking shots to evoke ambience are really similar to The Shining.


Don't really agree. For instance those POV Doom-esque shotsare in my eyes specifically meant to convey the thrill experienced by the killers. It's also meant to be disturbing but I don't think Van Sant has succeeded in the same way Klimov did. Also a horror film is not a war film unless you want to ride the extended metaphor train.

I only recall one POV shot of the killers, and it's more like a quick flash while they're discussing their plan. It's too short to be thrilling, IMO.

[Qrazy]

Strange how I never thought about it, but now that you mention it, it's true. Those long tracking shots to evoke ambience are really similar to The Shining.



I only recall one POV shot of the killers, and it's more like a quick flash while they're discussing their plan. It's too short to be thrilling, IMO.

The tracking shots themselves are also there to build tension and in a certain sense thrill.