DISASTER FILM - Analysis [Part 4]

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the Disaster Film Rules accurate?

The results for the rest of the rules for Disaster Films.  (Continued from Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3).

CHRISTMAS MOVIES - A Christmas Story (1983)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do Christmas movies follow those formulas?

"Christmas was on its way.  Lovely, glorious, beautiful Christmas around which the entire kid year revolved."

A Christmas Story (1983) is a film about a child's view of Christmas in the 1940s.

SLASHER FILM RULES - Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the slasher film rules true?

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) the fourth Friday the 13th film.  Does it follow the rules?

SLASHER FILM RULES - Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the slasher film rules true?

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) the third Michael Myers film (Halloween III: Season of the Witch was an unrelated film.)  Does it follow the rules?

The following may include spoilers for

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

and possibly

Halloween (1978) & Halloween II (1981)

DISASTER FILMS - Analysis [Part 3]

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the Disaster Film Rules accurate?

The results for the rest of the rules for Disaster Films.  (Continued from Part 1 & Part 2).

DISASTER FILMS - Analysis [Part 2]

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the Disaster Film Rules accurate?

The results for the rest of the rules for Disaster Films.  (Continued from Part 1).

DISASTER FILMS - Analysis [Part 1]

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the Disaster Film Rules accurate?

The results for the large cast of characters in Disaster Films.

MULTI-GENRE FILM - Imagine Me & You (2005)

Films have formulas and rules, but can one film fit two sets of film rules?

Imagine Me & You was a 2005 romantic comedy about two women falling in love.

VARIOUS RULES - Why Rule #2 [Nudity]

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Why do the nudity rules exist?

For every set of rules I've made Rule #2 about nudity.  Also see 10 ways film nudity can be more than gratutious titillation

DISASTER FILMS - Into the Storm (2014)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do Disaster films follow those formulas?

Into the Storm is a mostly "found footage" film about a large number of tornadoes hitting a rural town one day. 

DISASTER FILMS - The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do Disaster films follow those formulas?

The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 film about climate change causing a freezing event in the northern hemisphere.

DISASTER FILMS - Deep Impact (1998)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do Disaster films follow those formulas?

Deep Impact (1998) a disaster film about a comet coming to hit the Earth.  And not the similar competing film from the same year.

DISASTER FILMS - Dante's Peak (1997)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do Disaster films follow those formulas?

Dante's Peak (1997) a disaster film about a volcano.  That's it really.

DISASTER FILMS - Daylight (1996)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do Disaster films follow those formulas?

Daylight (1996) is about the collapse of a tunnel under the Hudson River, and the survivors trapped in it.

DISASTER FILMS - Airplane! (1980)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do Disaster films follow those formulas?

Flying High! (1980) is the Australian title of the US film Airplane! (also 1980) because at the time Australia was still fighting the US usage and instead official used the term "Aeroplane." Of course, that doesn't explain why "Airplane!" was used in the UK.  I guess the important thing is they kept the exclamation mark.

DISASTER FILMS - Jaws (1975)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do Disaster films follow those formulas?

Jaws (1975) is, as if I have to tell you, a film about a shark attacking people.  I did it as a Slasher Film to see how well an animal attack film fit those rules.  Now I'm doing it as a Disaster Film to see how well it fits these rules.

MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL - Why Rule 1 [The Man]

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Why do the Manic Pixie Dream Girl rules exist?

Why are MPDG films about a man?  Can't they be about the MPDG?  Or share the film's focus?  Or even be about a same-sex couple?

DISASTER FILMS - Airport 1975 (1974)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do Disaster films follow those formulas?

Airport 1975 (1974) is the second film in the "Airport" disaster film series.

DISASTER FILMS - The Towering Inferno (1974)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do Disaster films follow those formulas? 

The Towering Inferno (1974) is an Irwin Allen disaster film about a fire in a very tall building.

DISASTER FILMS - The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do Disaster films follow those formulas? 

The Poseidon Adventure (1972) is an Irwin Allen disaster film about a ship capsized by a giant wave and the handful of passengers who survive.

DISASTER FILM RULES - The Rules

Film genres have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?

Disaster films, an ongoing and recurring genre.

LESBIAN ROMANCE RULES - Why Rule 1 [Coming Out Story]

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?

I looked at 10 rules the Lesbian Romance films followed, tested 10 films against them and analysed the results, but I never looked at the rules themselves, so let's look at the first Lesbian Romance film rule...

SLASHER FILM RULES - Analysis: List 2 [Part 2]

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Why do the Slasher Film rules exist?

Although I'm calling these Slasher Film Rules, the can apply to a range of horror sub-genres.

Ten films were tested:

• And Then There Were None (1945)
• Peeping Tom (1960)
• Jaws (1975)
• Halloween II (1981)
• Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
• Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
• Leprechaun (1993)
• Saw (2004)
• Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Of course, these films say nothing about the genre as a whole.  Certainly things can be said about the films, though.  They are usually bigger name films, smaller low-budget or less successful films may rely on the rules more.   One is a post modern film in which the characters know the rules.  About half may not be purely "slasher" films and may not need to follow the rules.

See here for part 1.

SLASHER FILM RULES - Analysis: List 2 [Part 1]

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?

Although I'm calling these Slasher Film Rules, they can apply to a range of horror sub-genres.

Ten films were tested:

• And Then There Were None (1945)
• Peeping Tom (1960)
• Jaws (1975)
• Halloween II (1981)
• Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
• Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
• Leprechaun (1993)
• Saw (2004)
• Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Of course, these films say nothing about the genre as a whole.  Certainly things can be said about the films, though.  They are usually bigger name films, smaller low-budget or less successful films may rely on the rules more.   One is a post modern film in which the characters know the rules.  About half may not be purely "slasher" films and may not need to follow the rules.

POLL Results

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?

The third place in the poll so far.  This blog will continue on Wednesdays.

~ DUG.

SLASHER FILM RULES - Why Rule 1 [The Warning]?

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Why do the Slasher Film rules exist?

I looked at 10 rules the Slasher Film genre followed, tested 20 films against them and analysed the results, but I never looked at the rules themselves, so let's look at the first Slasher Film rule...

POLL

I do way too many blogs to follow, so I'm going to cut down.

Big Screen Screener.

Film Reviews.

• Competing Film Showdown - Two similar films released at the same time compared.
• Special Events - Things like horror films at Halloween or Ozploitation films on Australia Day.

Comic Book Stepping On Point.

Helping new readers get into comics.

• The Comic Code - Comic book jargon.
• Comic References - References in TV shows and films.
• First Issues - Upcoming #1's.
• Not Just Super Heroes - Lists of comics not about Super Heroes.
• Universes - Explaining the difference comic book universes.

Doctor Who: Time Crash.

Classic Doctor Who (and other) references in new Doctor Who.

• Episodes of new Doctor Who.
• Episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures.
• Episodes of Torchwood.
• Information (from classic Doctor Who) about The Doctor, his foes and allies.

The Film Rules.

Looking at different sets of rules that certain genres of film follow.  Previous rule sets include:

• The Slasher Film Rules. (Tested twice)
• The Rom Com Rules.
• The Lesbian Romance Rules.
• Manic Pixie Dream Girl Rules.

Recommend to Me...

Items recommended to me on social media.

• Any One Album.
• Any One Film - A list of films recommended to me on social media.

Super Villain Advice.

Advice from a super villain for super villains.

• Ask A Super Villain - 
• Diary of the Super Villain - 
• Super Villain Classifieds - 
• Super Villain Reviews - 

Top X Topics.

Things to do with online lists.

• Best of the Top X Lists - Comparing similar lists.
• The Reviews on Comics - Comics that became films.
• Films From Comics - Films based on comic books.
• Top X Thing You Didn't Know Challenge - Looking at a list and seeing if it's true.

Truly Fiction.

A bunch of blogs about popular culture.

• Cue the Horror Theme Music - Real life events that sound like the first few minutes for a horror film.
• The Evil Overlord List - A look at the old "If I was an Evil Overlord" list and the problems it has.
• The Extras Completist - A list of shorts related to films and TV shows.
• The Film Series Guide - Lists of films and their order in long running film series.
• Real Life Super Villains - Real people who could be considered super villains.
• Simpsons Did It - Things that happened in the Simpsons before they happened in real life.
• 10 Short Films - Ten films on a topic.
• 10 Short Stories - Ten stories by an author.
• Why Isn't This A Film - Real life events that should be films.

The TV & DVD Completist.

• Breaking the Completist - Things I don't want to own even to complete a set.
• The Complete Series - Reviews of TV shows.
• The Incompletist - Things I want to own on DVD but can't get.

Unmade Speculative Fiction.

Unamde films, TV shows and episodes of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror.

• Unmade Films.
• Unmade Series.
• Unmade Episodes (By Series).

Complete the survey.

~ DUG.

NEXT RULE SET POLL

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  

All ten films have been done for the second batch of Slasher Rules.  The next month will see the results of those (and combined with the original lot)... but what happens after that?  Well, do this poll to choose the next set of rules tested:

At the moment "Disaster Films" is winning and "Bond Films" is losing (the loser will be removed from the list).  To help - or stop - either of those happening, have your say.

~ DUG.

SLASHER FILM RULES - Saw (2004)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the slasher film rules true?

Saw (2004) is considered torture porn or gorno film.  But is it also a slasher film?

SLASHER FILM RULES - Leprechaun (1993)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the slasher film rules true?

Leprechaun (1993): the touching tale of a leprechaun who goes on a killing spree because someone stole his gold.  The first of a series of films, but does it follow the slasher film rules?

SLASHER FILM RULES - Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the slasher film rules true?

"Jason's body's disappeared from the morgue." ~ Rob Dier.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) is as the name suggests the final ever film in the Friday the 13th franchise.  Unless the title is lying and they make more.  Whatever happens this is the fourth film in the series.  Just assumed I've asked the regular question about it following the slasher film rules.

ROM COM RULES - Why Rule 1 [The Characters]?

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Why do the Rom Com rules exist?

I looked at 10 rules the Rom Com genre followed, tested 10 films against them and analysed the results, but I never looked at the rules themselves, so let's look at the first Rom Com rule...

SLASHER FILM RULES - Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the slasher film rules true?

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, is a part-mockumentary post modern homage to slasher films, does it follow or just reference the slasher film rules?

SLASHER FILM RULES - Jaws (1975)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the slasher film rules true?

Jaws (1975) is an animal attack horror film.  Probably the ultimate animal attack horror (possibly The Birds rivals it).

THE FILM RULES - Intermission

Film genres have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  

With 5 of the 10 second batch of Slasher films done, and after Friday's special Friday the 13th postt, I thought we'd take a little break... and look at how things work here:

SLASHER RULES: Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the slasher film rules true?

Friday the 13th Part III (1982) is a sequel to Part 1 and Part 2 (pretty obvious, huh?) but is it, too, going to follow the slasher film rules?

SLASHER RULES - A Nightmare on Elm St 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the slasher film rules true?

"Fred Krueger! He's inside me, and he wants to take me again!" ~ Jesse Walsh, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge.  

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2 - Freddy's Revenge (1985) is a sequel to A Nightmare on Elm  Street (the title is a give away) but is it, too, going to follow the slasher film rules?

SLASHER FILM RULES - Peeping Tom (1960)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the slasher film rules true?

Peeping Tom (1960) is a serial killer film, called by some a precursor to slasher films, but does it follow the slasher film rules?

SLASHER FILM RULES - And Then There Were None (1945)

Films have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?  Are the slasher film rules true?

And Then There Were None (1981) is a murder mystery (based on the Agatha Christie novel) but as a film where people get killed off one-by-one, does it follow the slasher film rules?

SLASHER FILM RULES - The Rules [2]

Film genres have formulas and rules, but how well do films follow those formulas?

Like the killer from the a Slasher Film the Slasher Film Rules aren't as dead as people thought... and has returned to kill again (not that it killed anyone the first time, the deaths the first were just a coincidence.)  Once again, these are Horror Film Rules or Slasher Film Rules films that Slasher films follower and that a lot of horror films do. These are rules about films in which a small group are killed off one-by-one and who (if anyone) will survive.