Rubber
This week at Horror Camp we open up our November Camp-A-Thon (our celebration of Horror Flicks too silly to be taken seriously) with Rubber. Rubber is the type of film that can't be categorized easily. Filmed in the avant-garde ( life imitating art, imitating life) style of a foreign french film, it contains highly stylized cinematic elements. The Film's movie within the movie take on storytelling leads to moments of great comedic value. Ultimately though, the film is about a sentient rubber tire that decapitates many, many people, which in my opinion puts this film in the Horror Camp, so to speak.
The French will make movies about anything.
Rubber opens up in the middle of the desert, where a montage of seemingly random events paves the way for a local police man to deliver an impassioned speech to a group of spectators. He goes at length to explain that seemingly arbitrary circumstances happen within movies, and are taken as fact for no reason or explanation what-so-ever. He goes on to tell this group that they are about to see a film that celebrates this phenomena of "no reason". The speech is not only interesting but absolutely necessary in order to enjoy this film. Because to accept what you're seeing with no explanation, is exactly what this movie is bringing to the table.
The man departs and the spectators are given binoculars and are instructed to look out into the desert. Now the film can begin. We focus in on a rummage pile where a lone automobile tire begins to stir. After some time the tire digs itself out of the ground, and sets itself upright. After some failed attempts at rolling it sets out upon it's way. Along the tire's path, it encounters a plastic bottle, which it decides to crush. Then it encounters a desert scorpion, which it decides to squish. It finally encounters a glass bottle. Rolling over it isn't going to cut it. So the tire, in the movies surprising turn of events, breaks the glass bottle with it's psycho-kinetic powers, pretty out there, right? If that wasn't cool enough, the rubber tire then encounters a rabbit, and proceeds to give him the same psycho-kinetic treatment. The rabbit is thoroughly decimated in a rain of rabbit guts and gore. After this encounter the tire finally makes it to the road and encounters man.
You're not being paranoid, It IS looking at you!
From there the movie gets pretty amazing as the tire pops the heads off of just about everyone who wrongs him, with the exception of one lone travelling french girl who becomes the object of the tire's affections. The fact that the spectators are in the desert, watching all of this happen, plays an intricate role in the film as well. The interplay between the "actors" and the spectators who watch them provides some of the films most memorable and comedic moments.
Rubber is a pretty great film. I really had no idea what I was getting into when I first started to watch it. Based off the premise, I just assumed it was a modern day over the top unrealistic horror flick. Funny thing is, that is exactly what it is, but I had no idea it had so many levels of thought or artistic direction. So anyone wanting to view this film on the merits of being a stupid over the top horror film, might find themselves surprisingly disappointed. The film may not have you fearing for your life, and questioning the sentience ( and psycho-kinetic prowess) of the common everyday objects around you, but you will have a good time watching it. So until next time make sure your tires are thoroughly bolted to your car, where they belong. This is horror camp's Head Counselor, signing off.
Tags: Campy Horror, Movie Night at the Rec Hall, Rubber, Horror Camp, Foreign Film
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