Okay, so while I was searching the almighty Internet this past weekend, I stumbled upon a trailer for an upcoming film known as Rubber. For those who do not know what this movie is about, let me inform you:
Rubber is a not so heart-warming tale of a lone car tire named Robert (yep! it has a human name) that suddenly comes to life after being abandoned in the bleak, hot desert. As if this movie doesn’t sound strange enough, “he” soon realizes that he has the power to telepathically kill anything that he wishes without even having to roll their way.
When he rolls upon his new-found ability, Robert begins to destroy small creatures or animals he finds during his travels, along with more random, non-living objects as well. But, like any run-of-the-mill, homicidal tire that we’ve seen in the past, Robert cannot stay focused on the smaller things so he turns his attention to humans with his main focus being on a specific woman.
While the plot alone sounds absolutely ridiculous, I am extremely impressed with what I saw in the trailer. We are living in a world where the horror genre is being dominated by remakes. Fans are starving for original ideas that find new and exciting ways to scare and captivate. With very few horror flicks that have been doing that lately, Rubber shows signs of hope for the future.
Its over-dramatic, retro, grindhouse-type style is something I think movie-goers can appreciate now. Retro is in and many young, independent filmmakers are capitalizing on that.
Look back to 2007. Robert Rodriguez and and Quentin Tarantino released their own grindhouse-inspired double feature with the films Planet Terror and Death Proof. To me, those two movies resurrected the originality in the horror genre; taking it back to what it used to be.
Director Quentin Dupieux seems to be attempting to do the same thing with this film. The horror genre has never been about keeping realistic integrity, so a story about a murderous, living tire is not something that should be dismissed right away.
There has always been a type of novelty value to scary movies that I believe is what makes them so enjoyable. So, I suggest watching this trailer. It’s fun and interesting and maybe you’ll be surprised by what you see.
Interesting. I’m not sure I would spend money to see it right now, but it could gain a cult following.
I have recently seen the film and I must say…it is original and I can see it developing a cult-like following. Many of those grindhouse-style horror flicks have developed a religous following because of the outlandish originality that went into them. That is how I feel about this movie. In retrospect, the film sounds and even looks stupid. I can’t blame you for feeling that way; I said I wouldn’t spend money on seeing it either. But, after seeing it, I was impressed with the original story and concept and I can respect the filmmakers for doing something outside of the box. I’m tired of guys in masks. A killer tire with telepathic powers is new and exciting.