“TOM HOLLAND”
Tom Holland is a man who has given us some iconic films over the years, and for some reason I find that casual film fans aren’t even aware he’s the man behind them. I speak of Fright Night and Child’s Play, two staples of the 80’s horror genre and trendsetters for films to come. I can’t imagine what the genre would have been like without their influences, and I strongly believe that without Fright Night we wouldn’t have had The Lost Boys and so forth. He’s an interesting filmmaker, so let’s venture into the world of Mr. Holland.
BEST WORK
In my humble opinion as a critic and as a horror fan, I sincerely believe Tom Holland has an impressive body of work. But as good as everything has been, there is one that stands above the rest, Fright Night. Oh yes, I speak of the mid 80’s vampire classic! The film marked Tom Holland’s directorial debut, as he had previously worked as an actor and a writer. And what a debut he made! Fright Night works on so many levels because Holland successfully mixes genres and while not taking things entirely seriously. The film does have a few scares, as well as a few laughs, and it entertains its audience from beginning to end. Now really, what more could you ask for with any film? Fright Night pulls its audience in from the very first scene, with Roddy McDowall as Peter Vincent Vampire Killer on our main character Charley’s (William Ragsdale) television set. It is such a great introduction to the vampire topic and our main characters. The film’s story is pretty simple:
Charley lives in what we imagine to be a quiet suburb with his mother. New neighbours show up, and Charley notices something weird going on with them. Nobody believes him, and things get even stranger when he sees his neighbour Jerry (played so wonderfully by Chris Sarandon) grow some fangs and bite a lovely woman in the neck. Craziness follows, as Jerry is not happy with someone knowing his secret, aside from his right hand man Evil Ed (Stephen Geoffreys). There are some amazing scenes in the film, from something so simple as Charley meeting Peter to the seductive nightclub scene. Tom Holland directs each frame perfectly, giving us a memorable film in the process and characters we will not soon forget. Forget Twilight, this is where it’s at.
WORST WORK
After watching Tom Holland’s filmography, I can safely say while he’s had a few average films, nothing can compare to the horror that is The Temp. I have no idea what this film was meant to be, but it is a fail. I think from what I can gather, this film wanted to be Fatal Attraction set in the office. It is never clear though, and the story does not make much sense, either. From what I could pick up a company is being taken over and the employees are in fear of losing their jobs. One day, executive Peter Derns (Timothy Hutton) gets a temp assistant Kris (Lara Flynn Boyle), who seems to be too good to be true. It isn’t long before accidents and dead bodies start piling up in a race to get to the top of the company. That’s the basics of the plot (or what I could make of it). We know nothing about the characters, nothing about the company and there are pretty much no real motivations for the actions of each character. On the acting side, Timothy Hutton tries, and as such he is the best part of the film. Lara Flynn Boyle is pretty bad as the temp, and hamming it up on the sidelines is Faye Dunaway. I am not too sure what Tom Holland intended or was thinking with this one, as it’s not a well-directed film. It has far too many flaws, and a black spot amongst his work.
TRADEMARKS
I have four names for you, Chris Sarandon, Brad Dourif, Tales From The Crypt and Stephen King. These three names are common occurrences in Tom Holland films. He directed two Stephen King adaptations, Thinner and the TV movie The Langoliers. Stephen King had a cameo in both films, and in my opinion they were both pretty decent adaptations, which is not an easy task. He has directed a number of Tales From The Crypt episodes, each featuring unique stories and memorable performances. Notable amongst them were performances from a young Patricia Arquette and a freaky Amanda Plummer. Brad Dourif has made a few appearances for Tom Holland, but none were more memorable than his turn as Chucky in Childs Play. In turn, Dourif has returned to reprise that role in all of the sequels. Then we have the awesome Chris Sarandon, whose performances in both Fright Night and Child’s Play are the ones people remember the most. Tom Holland has a great visual style; he has an amazing ability to create such beautiful scenes. You can see his influences in his films. For example, Terminator was definitely a film he took inspiration from, as well as using composer Brad Fiedel to score the films.
HIDDEN GEM
Tom Holland has quite a few obscure titles, however I do think one stands head and shoulders above the rest. That film is Thinner, which was the second Stephen King adaptation he did. I remember seeing this in my video store with that awesome cover art and I made sure I rented it out as soon as possible. As a 12-year-old kid, this film was so much fun and I had a blast watching it. The film still holds up pretty well today, and the special effects used on Robert John Burke are just as good as anything that we see now. The story is an affective one, and Holland injects a very dark sense of humor throughout it. You wouldn’t think that the dilemma presented in this film would have any kind of horror to it. However by telling the story in the way that he has, getting thinner has never been so frightening. My hat goes off to Mr. Holland for a fantastic film and adaptation. If you missed this one, check it out, I promise you won’t regret it.
NEXT PROJECT
As far as I can tell, Tom Holland doesn’t have anything currently in the works as a director. He has been hitting the acting scene recently, having had a starring role in Adam Green’s Hatchet II. He will also bear witness to a remake of his most iconic film. Yes, the remake of Fright Night will be hitting theatres later this year. Recently he spoke out about what he would like to do, and he expressed interesting in making a Cloak & Dagger remake, as he wrote the original script. Whatever happens, I really do hope we get to see another Tom Holland film in the near future.
OVERALL
No matter what he does, Tom Holland is certainly an interesting director. Whether he is entertaining me immensely with Fright Night, or confusing the hell out of me with The Temp, one thing’s for sure, there’s never a dull moment. He is a very versatile director, able to make films of all genres and expanding his product to television. While I’ll always appreciate his genre efforts, I don’t mind seeing the other things he has to offer. Tom Holland is a true trendsetter, and a director that will definitely be remembered.