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Chronogrl's entry -

I choose the film Crazy Eights (2006)

Why?

Initially I misread the challenge – I looked at the iconic films of the 1940s and thought to myself, “Crap – I need to find a film of the 2000’s that will fit into this sequel-obsessed mess.” I toyed with the idea of painting Let the Right One In as a “Dracula’s Daughter” (until I found out that there actually was a Dracula’s Daughter… and, oh yeah, I had also misinterpreted the challenge).

So – Why Crazy Eights? I wanted to diverge from Monster- and sequel-obsessed trends of Universal in the 1940s and instead look to movies like RKO’s Cat People, which focused more on the psychological aspects of fear instead of the physical aspects of fear as well as Paramount’s The Uninvited, whose focal point of fear is both the unknown and apparitions, as opposed to physical monsters.

Quite frankly, I think that Universal could have benefited from diverging from monster movies into the psychological noir films – They would have become ahead of the curve when noir started to become popular in the 1950s.

The plot of Crazy Eights is simple – Six people are brought together at the funeral of a childhood friend. While settling the estate, they discover a map, which leads them on a search for a long forgotten time capsule, at the request of their dead friend. What they discover reawakens repressed childhood traumas and leads them on a journey through their long abandoned childhood home: a home with a terrible secret and a mysterious dead girl who will lead them to their strange fates. (source: IMDB). What is deliciously simple will unravel quite well on film as our characters start to disappear while the mystery of their childhood is slowly revealed. This is a murder mystery with a juicy secret – The “Crazy Eights” (it is revealed that that’s what they called themselves on the ward) were subject to experiments as children and vowed to escape the hospital – When they finally did escape, they decided to hide the youngest in a chest in an old barn – All with the best intentions – To come back for her – But she died in the chest… And it’s her spirit that is haunting our characters within the house that they find themselves in.

Genres – This movie will appeal to the 1940s audience because not only is it a simple haunted house film ripe with suspense, but this guise is also a vehicle to allow the characters to psychologically unravel. We also have a wonderful mystery on our hands, which will appeal to the fans of noir and whodunits. Not to mention, it’s different enough to be distinguished from the Universal Monster films, yet can be molded to be suspenseful, yet tasteful (changes will have to be made to make the film less bloody – Characters will disappear instead of being mangled).

Director: Jacques Tourneur (Cat People), for his ability to create a successful psychological thriller

Cast (I looked for 1940s film stars who would have been around their 30s in the 40s – they need to be all the same age):

• Jennifer Jones: Simone Simon (Cat People)
  Gina Conte: Anne Nagel (Black Friday, Man Made Monster)
  Beth Patterson: Ellen Drew (Isle of the Dead, The Monster and the Girl)
  Father Lyle Day: Robert Paige (Son of Dracula, The Monster and the Girl)
  Wayne Morrison: John Carradine (House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula)
  Brent Sykes: Dick Foran (The Mummy’s Hand, The Mummy’s Tomb)

Judge #1's verdict -

I like the creative aspect of making a thriller. Would have liked more details.

GRADE C

Judge #2's verdict -

I give ChronoGrl an A.

Crazy Eights works very well for a Universal movie. And, of course, she shows that she gave it quite a bit of thought. And I love her choices for the cast and director.

Judge #3's verdict -

Grade C

The work is there, as usual. The premise of the movie is reasonably interesting and it does go pretty well with the 40s. I'm not excited by this, though. Push yourself creatively. Next time, show me something really imaginative. Ingenuity is as important as effort.

OVERALL GRADE - B-