Movie News and Discussion

The original post: /r/movies by /u/doyoulikemyladysuit on 2024-12-25 21:34:58.

Is it just me or were the movies those of us born 1970-1985ish grew up on insanely dark? Here were my favs, what gnarly films twisted your mind?

I have spent all xmas eve and so far today watching my recent favorite holiday movies, as well as pulling up some of my childhood favs. I don't know if it was just MY fucked up childhood, or if this was universal for the late GenX/early millennials but I realized my xmas/overall movie experience has been WILDLY dark. How it got from light hearted cheer to seeing a clear cry to Mom and Dad for therapy at the ripe old age of 6 years old.....

1. "Rudolph" - the obvious. He is barely born before his father is recoiling in disgust at his deformity; Santa is walking into the family cave like he owns it to scope out the newly enslaved community member; Rudolph is ridiculed and outcast for his physical deformity; Herbie is cast out for his ambition; there exists a prison colony for unique and imperfect toys and a creature is assaulted and removed of his ability to nourish himself without his consent, then leashed and domesticated against his will.

2. "A Charlie Brown Christmas" - not much needed to be said: the amount of abuse, disdain, teasing and flat ridicule this child endures would prime him to become a school shooter these days. Let's be real.

and this is where the turn for me begins...

3. "'Twas the Night Before Xmas", 1974 animated: A story about a town whose letters from Santa are returned because of an anonymous letter to the editor signed "from all of us" that declares its disbelief in Santa. The child who wrote it expresses his cynicism and disbelief based on logic and reason, of Santa's magical abilities to visit every house in a single night. That child is then ultimately made to feel guilty and have the burden of ruining xmas for the whole town because he dared used critical thinking.

4. "Babes in Toyland", 1986 film with Keanu Reeves and Drew Barrymore. Wizard of Oz style where Barrymore hits her head and ends up in a fantasy land where an evil Baron seeks to take over Toyland, marry a young girl who is in love with Reeves' character, and generally be gross old and evil. Come to find out, the only obstacle in the way of saving Toyland is Barrymore >! who realizes at 11 years old, she has had to grow up too fast and never felt she was able to really be a kid and enjoy/believe in toys and it's only until she believes in toys again that they can save Toyland.!<

5. "A Christmas Memory" (1997 Hallmark channel version) based on the autobiographical story by Truman Capote. When his parents split Buddy is sent to the Depression-era South to live with distant and aging cousins. One is strict and joyless; the other is intellectually challenged and becomes his closest friend. After living with them for a few years, they share their last xmas as he is sent by his parents to military school. Over the year his aunt's letters become more confused, forgetful of who he is and she dies before they can share another xmas together.

6. "A House Without a Christmas Tree", made for TV in 1972, set in 1946. A widowed father lives with his mother and daughter, his wife having died shortly after the first xmas they shared with their daughter. She is 10 years old and has never been allowed to have a xmas tree and the movie centers around her fight to have one this year. She expresses to her grandmother she does not believe her father even likes her, let alone loves her; that he won't even look her in the eye or hug her, or even talk to her. It takes her giving away a tree she is given for free by her school for her father to realize he's been a cold, cruel and withholding father her entire life to actually give in, get a tree and talk to her for the FIRST time about her mother.

7. "Prancer" - I'm sure this is one many are familiar with - but in case not...Another widowed father is caring for his 8 year old daughter and older son at xmas. His business is struggling and is making plans to send his kids to stay with his sister for awhile. Meanwhile, Jessica, daughter, still believes in Santa, his reindeer (which gets her ridiculed and in turn causes her to dump her best friend for being "agnostic") and when she runs into a reindeer multiple times after the breaking of a decorative one in town, takes him in to nurse his injuries. She believes this is Prancer and in the end, while trying to free Prancer from the cage he ends up in, busts her head open which is what makes her father decide he loves her too much to get rid of her, essentially.

...it was around then I realized it wasn't just confined to holiday movies. Some of my other favorites movies I watched on repeat were about as equally, if not moreso, fucked up.

8. "Savannah Smiles" was about a young girl, neglected by her politician father, decides to run away and leaves a note on the park bench her aunt is to pick her up at. She instead slips into a nearby car that happens to belong to two escaped convicts. She befriends the men and her dad burns the note about her running away for fear of public embarrassment. Instead, he offers a $100k reward for anyone that would return her safely. The convicts see this is a great opportunity to make some money, but have to scheme how to do it without bringing attention to themselves and getting sent back to prison. Before they get the chance, she gets lost in the Utah mountains and they go searching for her, ultimately finding her, exposing themselves and getting caught for the sake of her safety.

9. "Man on the Moon", a coming-of-age tale of a 13 year old girl who feels forgotten by her mother, held to too high of a standard by her father (and occasionally physically abused), left behind by her older sister and too responsible for her younger sister. She meets the new family in town that summer and develops a crush on one of the sons. The summer ends in tragedy, though, when her crush dies in a farming accident.

10. "When the Whales Came", about two children who live hard, rustic lives on the Scilly Isles during World War 1 and befriend and odd old man called "Birdman". He lives on a secluded island that is considered cursed by the residents of the isles. When narwhales begin beaching themselves en masse, the children and Birdman work together to save them and uncover the island's secret history while doing so, breaking the supposed curse.

11. "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen", a 1988 box office flop that my Dad totally took me to see in the theater at the ripe old age of 5, written (in part) and directed by Terry Gilliam centered on the tall-tales of an 18th-century German nobleman that is loosely based on the reali-life baron Hieronymus Karl Friedrich Freiherr von Münchhausen, while fighting against the Ottoman Empire.

12. "The Threepenny Opera" - though not the 1931 not the 1989 version. Nah, my mom played one of the prostitutes in a summerstock version in 1986 (I was 3) and she got a recording of the performance. It was my second favorite from the time I was 3 to 5.

13. "Godspell" - again, a summerstock production recording (same summer from Threepenny). Mom played the role of Sonia/ Mary Magdalene. Y'know, the prostitute in Jesus' posse. I didn't care so much about the god stuff, I just really dug the music and the whole liberal leaning, give charity, take care of each other, do unto others attitude was my pops whole thing. (Not Mom's so much, but she was about that music). This was my favorite from 3 - 7.

14. The Last Unicorn, A lonely unicorn, believing she is the last of her kind. This animated movie explores THE existential topic of mortality and what it is to live a mortal life/die.

15. The Dark Crystal, this dude thinks he is the last of his kind and decided to go find the shards of the dark crystal. This gem was supposedly what once brought balance to the universe, but once the gem was broken an evil race explored its shards. Dude figures if he can find the final missing share, he can bring peace back. Talk about ego, amiright?

16. Labyrinth - I think we all know this, but a girls dad and stepmom go on a night in the town and force her to babysit when she had plans. Her fantasies of the goblin King get his attention (in an unfortunately illegal way) and the 40 something man kidnaps a toddler to trap the girl in a fantasy land to manipulate her into marrying him. He fails, but the whole thing is creepy af, even if Bowie makes man tights sexy as hell.

So, what weird-ass movies did you grow up watching that you look back now and think "dude, parents - how the FUCK did you not see the years of therapy and/or outright rejection coming?!?!

On that note....Merry Xmas, ya filthy animals!