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If you’re any sort of film fan, then I’m sure you’ve seen some Oliver Stone movies.
On a basic level, you’ve likely seen one of the best war movies of all time, Platoon. Or, if you’re not into war flicks, then you’ve probably seen his historical drama, JFK. Hell, if you want to get into some deep cuts, then you might even know that Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay to one of the best ‘80s movies, Scarface.
But, did you know that like many prominent directors, Oliver Stone cut his teeth making horror movies? His directorial debut was 1974’s Seizure, which was fine. However, his sophomore release, 1981’s The Hand, is actually an excellent psychological horror picture, and one that I think that every comic book fan should check out. Here’s why!
It’s About A Comic Book Artist Who May Or May Not Be A Killer. What More Could You Possibly Want?
Based on the Marc Brandel novel, The Lizard’s Tail, The Hand is about a comic book illustrator (Played by Michael Caine) who, after a disastrous incident, ends up losing his hand (and it’s the one he illustrates with, to boot!). After trying to cope without it, his agent suggests that somebody else continue the series that he was working on, but you slowly see his descent into madness, as weird things start to occur in his life.
To get away from it all, he travels to a remote community college where he goes to teach comic book illustration, and once there, he strikes up a relationship with one of his students. But then, she suddenly goes missing, only for us to see several black and white shots of… A SEVERED HAND!
Yes, it sounds a bit silly (and it is!), but it’s also super effective in that we’re never quite sure until the very end whether any of these events are actually occurring, or if they’re just in the comic illustrator’s mind, sort of like the ending to American Psycho.
In fact, American Psycho is a good comparison to this film, as it’s very psychological, and moves at a gradual pace, only to build toward an extremely dramatic conclusion. Plus, the whole comic book angle was a bit ahead of its time back in 1981, as it’s actually taken quite seriously here as a genuine form of artistic expression.
So, while it’s definitely not an actual comic book movie (It instead uses comic books as a backdrop, sort of like my favorite Shyamalan movie, Unbreakable), I still think comic book fans would really appreciate it, given its lead character. And, speaking of which…
Even Better, It Stars The Dark Knight Trilogy’s Alfred As Said Possible Killer
I briefly mentioned who stars in this movie, and yeah, it’s Michael Caine, who played Alfred Pennyworth himself in The Dark Knight trilogy. And, let me just tell you, he’s amazing in this movie.
If you’re only familiar with Michael Caine from Christopher Nolan movies, then you likely won’t be prepared to see such an unhinged performance from him, as he really does fly off the handle at a moment’s notice. This Michael Caine will yell about how you “don’t cut the balls off of Superman!” and will even scream at his wife, even though she’s just trying to help.
It’s also the kind of performance where you can totally buy that he could possibly have killed his mistress and hid her some place where the cops can’t find her. But, since it’s Michael Caine, he also comes with his own sort of gravitas, and you can totally buy that the blackout headaches that he’s frequently getting are just that. Blackout headaches. In that way, Michael Caine walks a tightrope of being both a scary character, but also one who we feel sympathy for.
He also does an excellent job of slowly showing his mental decline, and it’s a fully three dimensional performance, which seems like it might be a bit too good for a flick that’s essentially a B-movie, but we’re all the better for it.
The Story Feels Like It Actually Comes Straight Out Of A Comic Book
One thing I absolutely love about this movie is that it actually feels like it could come right out of a comic book. And while yes, I suppose it could come from something like Marvel or D.C., I’m thinking more along the lines of something like EC Comics, which specialized in horror (and is probably most known for its Tales from the Crypt series of stories).
There aren’t any superpowers here, but there is definitely a supernatural element involved, especially after Michael Caine’s character, Jon Lansdale, starts searching for his missing hand out in a field, only to find the signet ring that his wife gave him right on his pillow.
That’s where the psychological trip begins. When asked to provide new work in the series that he illustrates for, it turns out that all of his work is covered up in angrily scratched in lines. He blames his daughter since he doesn’t remember ever doing it, but we’re never quite sure if he was blaming the right person or not, since his mental breakdown takes its time.
In every way, even though The Hand operates as a horror movie, it still very much feels like the origin story to a supervillain, which is definitely a nice touch.
Comic Book Fans Don’t Get Enough Horror Movies Centered Around The Medium, And This Is A Great One
You know what comic book movie I really love? Blade. In fact, the first Blade is probably just as good as you remember it being, and maybe even better. Blade is definitely more of an action movie than a horror movie, but it also swerves into that horror lane quite effectively, and I wish more comic book movies would do that.
Constantine (which is finally getting a sequel!) is another example of a comic book movie that also moonlights as a horror flick, and it feels wholly unique in the medium. There’s just something about comic book films fitting into the universe of horror that we really don’t get enough of.
And, as I said earlier, even though The Hand isn’t a comic book movie in the traditional sense, the fact that it deals with comic book illustration, and is also a first-rate B-movie is super refreshing.
In fact, I’ve honestly never seen another movie like it, as it almost feels like a scary, psychological version of American Splendor, if you’ve ever seen that movie before. There isn’t any comedy here, but it goes deep into the psyche of a creator (this time an illustrator rather than a writer), and delves into the madness.
Honestly, when it comes to horror movies about comic book artists, The Hand is really the best example that I can think of. As I said before, I’ve never seen any other movie like it.
It’s a super unique film, and if you’ve never seen it before (And especially if you’re an Oliver Stone fan, or a comic book lover), you definitely should. You likely won’t be disappointed.
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