Tuesday, February 5, 2013

365 Days- Day 28

movie: Highlander
starring: Christopher Lambert, Clancy Brown
genre: Sci-fi
year: 1986
format: VHS

plot: Immortal beings have been fighting each other for centuries, always taking the lifeforce of each other in order to stay alive and gain strength. We see the final few as they battle in modern day New York in what they have called the Gathering, for the ultimate prize.

So we have here, immortal creatures that get stronger by destroying each other and absorbing their life energy, and the only way to destroy them is to decapitate them with silver.   Classic vampire.
They get the knowledge, skills, memories and strengths of the other Immortals after they've feed off of their energies. And they are unable to reproduce.
You almost have to wonder if the original idea was taken from pieces of folklore or what?

Add to it, Clancy's character looking like Frankenstein and the quickening being a lightening, and you really can not help but see the resemblance to classic horror stories.
Dead but unable to die, as they don't get "activated" until they have first died (as long as they are not beheaded) much like the idea that a vampire isn't activated till after it's died. 
I liked the little nod to the vampire mythology when Connor is standing in the doorway of  Brenda waiting for her to invite him in. We then see a shot of him staring at himself smirking in the mirror, showing that he has a reflection. (folklore has many myths about vampires actually having a reflection but which seem to move onto themselves)

what do i think i learned from this film?
Clancy Brown can be truly frightening.

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