THANK YOU FOR THE SCARES, MR SPIELBERG
A severed leg glided to the depths. Geysers of blood spew from a child being attacked by a shark. Faces melting. Hearts ripped from chests. Images that terrified me from my childhood all came from family-friendly PG-rated films. All directed by Steven Spielberg. And I LOVED every one of them.
The scenes out of context warrant an R or 18 ratings, but surrounded by the sheer verve of visual mastery, the deftness of tone and strong family values, they seem, for want of a better word, fun.
And Spielberg enjoys doing it. We know this from his post-test screening of jaws reaction, where he thought it needed ‘another scare’. Thus creating one of the greatest cinematic jumps of all time with Ben Gardner's head popping out. Spielberg is terrifying and teasing us the same way he played tricks to scare his sisters growing up. We, the audience, are an extension of Spielberg’s childhood, tormenting his siblings. But it is not done with malice. It is done with love. And that is why I have enjoyed being terrified by Spielberg so much.
I was 6 when we all raced inside to watch the British TV premiere of JAWS. The opening Chrissy attack grabbed me. Clawing me closer to the screen.
That was terrifying, do I leave the room?
No way.
What’s next.
Sure enough we are thrown into the Brody family like a warm hug after being terrorised. Chief Brody is like a Dad, saying, ‘it is okay kids I’m here'. I felt safe and ready for the journey. By the time the movie ended, I was sad. And although the scares and suspense are the elements that grabbed me and would not let go, it was the fact I was in the company of Brody, Hooper and Quint. Spielberg’s skill was scaring the living hell out of me, but it felt good. Spielberg had worked his magic, had watched a huge adventure, with some of the scariest scenes I had ever seen.
Jaws was not my first Spielberg. I had seen Raiders of the Lost Ark. A swashbuckling action adventure with a playful annihilation of Nazi’s. Spielberg enchanted me with his visual flair and raw viscera, by splattering a swastika with the blood of a Nazi soldier, having a swastika supernaturally burn off the ark crate and then proceed to melt faces off nazi hence men before blowing Belloques head clean off. An explosion that could easily sit alongside Cronenberg’s Scanners, if it were not for the fact this was a family adventure film.
So Spielberg did not suddenly arrive and taunt me, I was already in on his fun scares… and wanted to see more.
DUEL (1971)
Luckily my Dad would be like, ‘hey, the director of Raiders of the Lost Ark directed this film called DUEL it’s on tonight’.
Being scared by Spielberg was now part of our relationship. ‘Ok Steven, what you got next?’
Temple Of Doom (1984)
Well, Raiders of the Lost Ark had a sequel coming out. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. That was my first Spielberg in the cinema. And to this day my favourite Indiana Jones movie.
Temple of Doom is quintessential Spielberg. Nothing sums up his cinematic traits more than this film. Who else could start with a toe-tapping Busby Berkeley crowd-pleaser of ‘Anything Goes’ (in Mandarin) but then follows it by plunging us into the second act of chilled Monkey brains, Thuggee Cults, human sacrifice, heart-ripping and a possessed Indy going evil! I LOVED IT! But just I am thinking ‘I can’t take much more’, Spielberg masterfully switches gears. Short Round breaks Indy’s spell, and Indy unleashes a crowd-pleasing, ‘I’m alright kid’, with a knowing wink, like he is saying it directly to me. The music switches from macabre to march and BOOM! Spielberg unleashes a non-stop 25-minute action-packed finale of fist punching moments. A sweet reward for enduring his torment. I remember being sad for days after this film, I just wanted to experience it all again.
Something Evil (1972)
Luckily my parents were listening to my Spielberg obsession. I was overjoyed when my Dad said there was a TV Movie on called Something Evil. Yes, a little known Spielberg movie made after Duel. It is an odd curiosity of film, that I remembered little about and was somewhat underwhelmed.
This feeling was short-lived as we went to the video store that week.
Poltergeist (1982)
On the shelf was a VHS cover with bold letters that read A STEVEN SPIELBERG PRODUCTION… POLTERGEIST.
And yes my parents let me watch it! It is Spielberg after all, how scary could it possibly be?
I adored Poltergeist, so much so I spent the following day watching it, rewinding, watching again until we had to return the tape. I mean this was a film that put me off my dinner the previous night, you see when the parapsychologist ate the maggot-infested chicken leg it churned my stomach. Spielberg was laughing, while I was looking at my chicken dinner and refusing to eat it.
Can you believe Spielberg produced this film while making ET? It is like ET, although excellent with its mix of haunting imagery (ET white and left for dead in the stream anyone?) did not have enough of Spielberg’s inbuilt desire to ‘scare us’ so needed this outlet. And that outlet involved an avalanche of torturous tricks; the face-ripping being a standout. This actually came from Spielberg’s childhood, where he put wet toilet tissue on his face, and proceed to peel it off, much to the dismay of his younger sisters. He knew that trick worked, so thought, I will do that to my younger sibling audience. It worked a treat. As did the scary clown sequence.
Spielberg knows instinctively how to get us. But how did my 8-year-old self survive such scares? It was The Freeling family. Following the combination that works so well across all Spielberg's films, he places a group of characters we love and trust. Craig T Nelson is fantastic, they were like surrogate parents guiding me through this film. I was scared, but like taking the ghost train with your parents, nothing bad can happen because your parents are there. So I enjoyed the scares.
I was lucky enough to work with Jobeth Williams on a movie I directed. She was a delight and has a huge fondness for Poltergeist. I even took a location scout just to stand outside the famous Cuesta Verde house. The question of who directed Poltergeist has always been a debate. Its construction of shots and tone is pure Spielberg and having spoken with key people on the film, I know Spielberg was very prominent in calling the shots. It makes sense, Spielberg’s vision is entrenched in this film, the face-ripping, the dead canary, all Spielberg’s childhood experiences, including the ominous approaching storm clouds.
I love Spielberg storm clouds.
A visual trait we see in Raiders, Close Encounters and Poltergeist. Those ILM produced approaching storm clouds, signalling impending doom. This is very much a Spielberg memory of when he used to sit with his sisters and watch approaching tornado from their window.
When I saw those clouds approaching above the isolated farmhouse in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, I knew I had to prepare myself. Spielberg practically started the home invasion tropes with this sequence. Turning children’s toys into creeping terror, when they beep into life. Watching the screws slowly unscrew from the air ducts. The blazing orange light penetrates through the blinds (another Spielberg visual trait). Seeing a Mother’s fear of protecting her son before Barry is kidnapped. It is a breathtaking and scary as hell scene in a movie full of awe-inspiring uplifting feel-good moments.
In this sequence not only are Spielberg’s visuals through the roof amazing, ringing every last drop of fear and tension, Spielberg also has his other ace up the sleeve. John Williams. I can not mention Spielberg without John Williams. Not only do I see Spielberg I can hear Spielberg with John Williams’ scores. And as a child, I became an avid soundtrack collector, because hearing the film, brought back the amazing memories and feelings of watching the film. And it was John Williams score to Jaws that started my soundtrack collecting obsession. He perfectly encapsulates everything that makes Spielberg work. It is a scare you, hug you dynamic. Jaws has its famous Der Dum shark theme, but that is in stark contrast to the seafaring adventure we get from ‘Out to Sea’ or the ‘Barrel chase’ themes. It is the playful flip flop between scares and smiles.
The Spielberg of Jaws and Indiana Jones went away for a while on other films that I loved, but his return to this kind of filmmaking with Jurassic Park was an absolute treat. Jurassic Park was like Jaws for another generation of filmgoers. I felt it as I watched it, jet legged from arriving in Florida on holiday, I dragged my tired parents to the cinema. My Dad fell asleep and was not a fan as he did not think there were enough dinosaurs. Little did he know he missed most of it. Including Spielberg showing me his return to why I love him. The T-Rex attack. No score. Just sound effects and Spielberg visuals. The water ripple. The leg of lamb falls on the window, scaring the girl. The T-Rex eye ball dilating. All ending with a man being eaten alive on the toilet. Oh yes, Steven Spielberg had returned. By the time Laura Dern went into the bunker and a severed arm falls on her, I was just so happy that Spielberg had not lost his love to playfully scare and thrill me.
Over the decades Spielberg has matured into more historical drama, but his mastery to evoke such visceral fear is played masterfully in the real world horror of World World II in Saving private Ryan. No other filmmaker could have made me feel the abject terror it must have been for those young men storming that beach. Those first twenty-five minutes pulverised me to the core and that feeling never went away for the rest of the film. And I get it, this is no family film, Spielberg was not going to let me off the hook this time. And by the time he made me witness the Ghetto sequence in Schindler’s List, I was being fully immersed in what real-world terror is.
Spielberg jumped back into big screen ‘family’ adventure with War of the Worlds. Which, I truly believe is the closest to a straight horror film we will ever get from the master. The imagery post 9/11 has a real-world terror with no escapism. The first tripod attack, the ferry boat sequence, the river of bodies, the bunker with Tim Robbins going psycho. It is Spielberg’s horror at eleven. Oh yes, Spielberg does give us his family dynamic and Tom Cruise to make the terror more bearable, but it still feels like a movie where my big brother had grown up and was scared himself by the world we now live in, and I am now questioning; is this for fun?
…and just when I am thinking, ‘have I seen the last of Spielberg’s family movies that will terrorise me?’ He makes Ready Player One. And recreates The Shining for an entire sequence. As a Spielberg and horror fan, it was a joy, and you can feel Spielberg’s youthful scare silly self having fun. With that film, I know Spielberg will never lose that youthful desire to scare his younger siblings and in turn scare his younger sibling extension, us, the audience.
There is no greater Director, that can combine cinematic majesty with commercial appeal that connects with an audience like Steven Spielberg. His use of the camera is a gift beyond. And is without question the greatest filmmaker we have ever been lucky enough to witness. Spielberg is often irritatingly criticised for being ‘an over sentimental’ filmmaker, but what resonates most fondly for me about Spielberg, is not the sentimental tears of E.T, it is his ability to terrify me that I remember him most fondly for. And I know he did it because he loves us. He has left me with memories and movie moments I will treasure and share with my children. Thank you for the scares, Mr Spielberg.
Words by Phil Claydon
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Phil Claydon is the author of ‘Giant Fin: The Tale Of A Shark Who Wanted To Fit In’
Have you heard the tale about the shark with a GIANT FIN?
It made him feel like the odd one out.
So he set off on a quest.
To find another shark that looks like him.
A rhyming story about discovering we are all unique and different.
