It has been three years since I read the book and saw the movie, and I have still not forgotten it. "Lord of the Flies" is one of the most harrowing film expiriences I have ever seen.
You don't need Hannibal Lecter to make a movie scary, and this movie proves it. Actually, a film is most scary when it provokes fear on a most basic level. This is not a story that is scary because of plot twists or original characters. This film is scary because it uses techniques that will scare anyone in the deepest way.
The plot is simple. School boys crash land on a remote island with no adults. The boys set up their own government, with Ralph in charge. But things start to fall apart very quickly.
The set up is perfect. All the boys are perfectly cast, and their performances are strong all around. All the characters are likable in the beginning, which is important because as Roger Ebert (I think) said, a person is scarier when the viewer knows more about them.
The directing is perfect. Even though the film is in black and white, the imagery still retains a sense of wonder and awe. Each shot is perfectly used to create the optimum effect. Pacing is key here, because if it is too slow, the film gets boring, but if it goes by too fast, the film feels rushed. The director nails it perfectly. He starts out slow but even, but as the story degenerates into madness, the intensity grows, which magnifies the fear.
You don't need Hannibal Lecter to make a movie scary, and this movie proves it. Actually, a film is most scary when it provokes fear on a most basic level. This is not a story that is scary because of plot twists or original characters. This film is scary because it uses techniques that will scare anyone in the deepest way.
The plot is simple. School boys crash land on a remote island with no adults. The boys set up their own government, with Ralph in charge. But things start to fall apart very quickly.
The set up is perfect. All the boys are perfectly cast, and their performances are strong all around. All the characters are likable in the beginning, which is important because as Roger Ebert (I think) said, a person is scarier when the viewer knows more about them.
The directing is perfect. Even though the film is in black and white, the imagery still retains a sense of wonder and awe. Each shot is perfectly used to create the optimum effect. Pacing is key here, because if it is too slow, the film gets boring, but if it goes by too fast, the film feels rushed. The director nails it perfectly. He starts out slow but even, but as the story degenerates into madness, the intensity grows, which magnifies the fear.