A chilling feeling has crept into the air lately, caused by more than the precipitous drop in temperature. And so it is in the spirit of the season that Chelsea and I wish you a very eerie… Fine Line Friday!
Okay, the Fall feeling is admittedly not as chilling, nor as eerie, when the frightful fun is offered up by The Simpsons. The show began its very first Treehouse of Horror Halloween special way back in 1990. Not only does this segment from the original episode include a unique execution of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven (pretty sure the phrase “eat my shorts” isn’t in Poe’s actual poem), the show set the bar high by having the segment voiced by the late, great James Earl Jones.
Outside of animation, visual devices have been used for decades to up the ante in frightening films. Among the most popular of tools is the Dolly Zoom, analyzed elegantly in this short video essay from Now You See It. Its use in so many classic movies makes it clear that the Dolly Zoom is not a cheap trick, but indeed a delicious treat.
And speaking of classic movies…
This is a good time to squeeze in a shout-out to one of my favorite directors, Quentin Tarantino. Back in 2009 he shared this list of his 20 favorite films produced since he started helming pictures himself in 1992. If you’re also a Tarantino fan looking to add to your watch list, it’s a prophetic index, including one director who went on to win an Oscar more than a decade later.
Back to that eerie vibe I mentioned earlier…
As rich and coarse as Johnny Cash’s voice is, there’s no doubt it has a haunting quality to it. And that characteristic comes through loud and clear in a seemingly unlikely duet he recorded with Joe Strummer. When the two covered Bob Marley’s Redemption Song, Strummer was a big fan, simply hanging out in the studio to watch Cash record. Producer Rick Rubin had the idea of making the song a duet, the haunting quality of which was only enhanced shortly after, when Cash and Strummer passed away less than a year apart.
Lest we leave you on such a dark… ahem… note…
I also discovered the backstory of a song with a happier ending—the most streamed song in the Beatles’ catalogue. Love, Love Me Do? Hey Jude? Yesterday? Nope, it isn’t even a song penned by Lennon and/or McCartney. It’s George Harrison’s Here Comes the Sun, which got its beginnings in Eric Clapton’s garden and ended up as the first song on Abby Road’s side two. As a bonus, check out this beautiful performance by Harrison and Paul Simon on SNL in 1976.
Chelsea and I hope that bit of sun keeps you warm as winter approaches. And until next time, may you keep… Feeling Fine!
