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21RS
MONDAY
OCTOBER 30, 2000
5A
Do YOU LIKE SCARY MOVIES?
Lock your doors: Daily Arts ia counting
down the 10 greatest horrorfilms of all time
Whole lotta Tevya:
'Fiddler' vet charms
Detroit audience
*Lyle Henretty
ia Arts Writer
As the leaves in ole Ann Arbor begin
to crunch under your shoes and the
chill of impending winter begins to fes-
ter in the wind, Halloween looms as
large as the Ohio State game. While
many will fasten in some vampire teeth
to suck the life out of some miniature
Wxes of Good 'n' Plentvs or wolf
n a few beers at some haunted frat,
others will celebrate Halloween the
way our forefathers did: Sitting in front
of the tube. Assuming that you're look-
ing for something other than your
midterm grades to chill your bones, I
offer you this short list of the scariest,
the goriest, the grimmest visions ever
put on celluloid. Plus a transvestite
with an Oedipus complex and an owl
fetish.
10) "Phantasm": The story of a
Ong boy who stumbles on an other-
worldly undertaker (known only as
"The Tall Man," even in the film's cred-
its) who is stealing cadavers and turn-
ing them into soulless mutants retains
its creepiness to this day. The Tall
Man's arsenal of choice, a series of
floating silver balls that brandish both
blades and drills, rank with Freddy's
glove as the coolest slasher death toy of
all time. Yeah, the white guys with
Afros and the three-dollar special
effects keep this movie a little dated,
but it remains one of the most satisfy-
ing, story-driven horror flicks of the
'70s. Classic line: "C'rnere,
Boooyyyy!"
9) "Psycho": You don't have to be a
film student to admit that Alfred
Hitchcock was the master and that
"Psycho" is his masterpiece. How
many other movies kill off their star
before the halfway point? Forty years
after its release, and with an astonish-
ing lack of blood, a night with Norman
Bates in the VCR will keep you out of
the shower for months. Classic line:
"Well, a son is a poor substitute for a
lover."
8) "The Silence of the Lambs":
The only horror movie ever to win an
Oscar for Best Picture. Clarice Starling
must get inside the mind of Hannibal
"The Cannibal" Lecter in order to catch
a killer who is making a dress out of
human skin. It just makes him feel
pretty. While this is more of a suspense
thriller than an out-and-out horror
movie, this has more gasps than all
nine "Friday the 13th" movies put
together. Wonderfully intense verbal
word play between the incarcerated
Lecter and newbie FBI agent Starling
is so full of sexual tension that you
almost expect them to end up together.
I dare you to breathe during the terrify-
ing climax in the killer's dark base-
ment. Classic line (say it with me): "I
ate his liver, with some fava beans and
a nice Chianti. Fllluppppt"
7) "Dead Alive (aka Braindead)":
The first 20 minutes of this gem from
New Zealand run like a bad romantic
comedy. Then, suddenly, poor Lionel's
mum is bitten by the infamous "rat-
monkey" and dies. The next day his
dead mother hosts a luncheon for some
local dignitaries. During lunch her ear
falls off, and one of the dignitaries eats
it. The movie only gets better from
there. This bizarre zombie flick has the
distinction of being the bloodiest movie
I have ever seen, and possibly ever
made. As the whole town slowly turns
into zombies, Lionel tries to hide all
this from his newly imported Spanish
love. He does this by strapping a lawn-
mower to his chest and doing battle
with his mother, who has now evolved
By Jaimie Winkler
Daily Arts Writer
DETROIT - After 1,650 perfor-
mances of "Tevye" in "Fiddler on the
Courtesy or Ancrlay Entertainment
Rumor has it that the Michael Myers mask
used in "Halloween" was just a Captain
Kirk mask with the hair dyed brown. Spooky.
into a giant rat-monkey with breasts
like deflated lindenburgs. This one
truly ,has to be seen to be believed.
Classic line (from a priest about to
make good): "I kick ass for the Lord!"
6) "Halloween": The first and best
slasher-exploitation film. Michael
Myers just likes to kill people, espe-
cially teenagers about to have, or
maybe just finishing, sex. Only the
strong and virginal survive. Even the
consummate movie watcher will veil,
at least once "Look behind you!"
Everything about this movie is classic,
from the amazing music to the abrupt
ending that leaves almost nothing
resolved. This is the movie that put
Jamie Lee Curtis on the map, and
effectively took Donald Pleasence off
it. Old-fashioned scares take the place
of g-ore, but this does not lessen the
impact. You will never look at the inno-
cent sheet-with-eveholes ghost cos-
tume the same again. Classic line: "I
realized what was living behind that
boy's eves was purely and simply ...
EVIL!"
Roof," veteran actor
could have become
matzah, but instead
Fiddler on
the Roof
Fisher Theater
October 27, 2000
r Theodore Bikel
as stale as old
he has used that
time to perfect
the character
and his perfor-
mance.
"Fiddler on
the Roof"
opened last
week at the
Fisher Theater.
The familiar
storyline fol-
lows Tevye as
hardships fall
upon him and
his Jewish vil-
lage in the
Ukraine. A devout man who often con-
verses with God, Tevye and his wife
Golde watch the first three of their five
daughters defy the traditions they hold
dear as the future of their village grows
unstable.
Set in a time of turmoil and change in
Russia and the Jewish faith, the emo-
tional and beautifully written story
comes alive on the Fisher stage with a
truly amazing cast.
This "Fiddler" begins its 40-week
U.S. tour in Detroit and plans a three to
six month stint on Broadway.
The 76-year-old Bikel is funny and
charming, but after 1,600 perfor-
mances, he's probably heard all that.
Never before has an actor seemed so
comfortable on stage, his lines flowing
like casual conversation among friends.
Bikel has the amazing gift of making
intimate moments for himself and each
audience member.
"If I Were a Rich Man," delivered in
Bikel's deep and powerful voice, is
comedic and heartfelt in its search for
the little things in life. Watching Bikel
perform this song is like watching a
child dance in the rain. His smile and
delicate movements embody a simplici-
ty and joy of life unrivaled on stage. In
a nutshell, he is amazing to watch.
The entire cast is a bundle of appeal-
ing voices and electric energy. Together
they create a feeling of community. The
true to life and natural characters bring
home their tears and pain, easily trans-
ferred to an involved audience.
Tevyc's three eldest daughters, played
by Elieen Tepper, Tamra Hayden and
Dana Lynn Caruso, are sympathetic and
convincing in their attempts to persuade
their father to allow each girl to marry
the man of her choice. The trio shines in
"Matchmaker" where each displays her
gorgeous voice.
Susan Cella as Golde, Tevye's wife, is
equally convincing and marvelous.
Celia's versatile character brings
urgency, conscience and humor to the
stage.
The choreography, color and set are
quoted from the original designs. While
overly colorful and at times unrealistic,
they add to the production by reflecting
the optimism and emotion of the char-
acters.
The bottle dance, the wedding dance
and the Russian number, choreo-
graphed by Sammy Dallas Bayes arid
executed with precision by the flexible
cast, are not only fun to watch but are
also inspiring.
The lighting design swirls with bright
warm and cool colored scenes. The
combined force of the lights and sex
design offset the dreary, bleak costumes
of the peasants and allow the audience
to look into the cheer in their hearts.
Even though their small homes look sad
and unwanted, the bright slivers of color
woven into the frames provide yet
another reminder that this family looks
for the silver lining on the dark cloud.
- Fiddler on the Roofruns Oct.:24
through Nov 12 tt the Fisher Theater
in Detroitf r tickets call
248-645-4444
CHECK DAILY ARTS TOMORROW FOR
THE FINAL FIVE SCARIEST HORROR FILMS
OF ALL TIME.
HAPPY DEVIL'S NIGHT, YOU HEATHENS.
Courtesy of Unvversal
Rumor has it that "Psycho" was based on the strange relationship between
Alfred Hitchcock and his mother. Double spooky..
. I