#randy steckle aesthetic

[slater-selfships]

“I did not come to medical school to murder my classmates, no matter how deranged they might be!” - Randy Steckle

[hot-boy-autumn]

[space-pirate-alex]

Randall Steckle aesthetics

Flatliners 1990

[brokehorrorfan]

4K Ultra HD Review: Flatliners

While the 2017 Flatliners reboot proved to be dead on arrival, the 1990 original still has life in it. Director Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys, Batman Forever, Batman & Robin) brings the candy-colored visuals with which he was synonymous to a medical school’s gothic architecture. He and cinematographer Jan de Bont (Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October) use neon blue lighting as a bad omen, while warm colors are reserved for more uplifting emotions; a stark contrast to the reboot's glossy, modern science fiction aesthetic.

In the film, ambitious-to-a-fault medical student Nelson Wright (Kiefer Sutherland, The Lost Boys) convinces four of his brightest classmates - pragmatic atheist David Laccio (Kevin Bacon, Tremors), the brooding Rachel Mannus (Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman), womanizer Joe Hurley (William Baldwin, Backdraft), and the humorously bookish Randy Steckle (Oliver Platt, Lake Placid) - to assist him in a reckless experiment in the pursuit of scientific advancement and fame.

With the aid of his friends, Nelson is clinically dead for one minute “to see if there’s anything out there beyond death” before being resuscitated. It miraculously works, leading them to attempt to outdo one another by going longer and longer before being revived. Although they return in fine physical health, they begin to suffer from nightmarish visions in which physical manifestations of those they wronged in the past come back to haunt them - literally.

Flatliners never quite achieves the full potential of its ingeniously simple premise, although it's not difficult to understand why Peter Filardi’s (The Craft) well-researched spec script caused a bidding war before selling to Columbia Pictures for $450,000. It becomes a tad redundant, but like the characters in the film, a desire to glimpse at the afterlife sustains viewers' intrigue. The compelling story is bolstered by the star-studded cast, kinetic direction, and hyper-stylized visuals.

To make the film more dynamic, Schumacher and de Bont smartly opted to shoot it as if it was an action movie. Schumacher also moved the story from its original setting of Boston to Chicago. On-location filming lent the city's baroque architecture and gritty aesthetic, while Eugenio Zanetti (Last Action Hero, What Dreams May Come) adds salient production design.

Although more of a thriller than a horror movie, Flatliners' genre elements are strong in the visions that the characters experience once revived, occasionally bringing to mind the likes of A Nightmare on Elm Street. But at the core of the story is drama - exploring themes of karma, atonement, and redemption - with a rather life-affirming message. The emotionally resonant score, composed by James Newton Howard (The Hunger Games, The Sixth Sense), traverses between the film’s exploration of beauty and horror in the afterlife.

With all five actors electrifying the screen in the primes of their careers, the ensemble cast feels like an extension of the brat pack. (Sutherland jokingly referred to the film as The Breakfast Club Dies and St. Elmo's Funeral.) Sutherland is as perfectly arrogant as he was in his previous Schumacher collaboration, The Lost Boys. Roberts had already filmed her breakout role in Pretty Woman but it hadn't come out yet (it would release five months prior to Flatliners). Bacon credits the film with reviving his career, as he had a string of underperformers following the success of Footloose.

The supporting players include child actor Joshua Rudoy (Harry and the Hendersons) as the boy who haunts Nelson and Hope Davis (About Schmidt) in her film debut as Joe's fiance, along with Kimberly Scott (The Abyss), Patricia Belcher (Jeepers Creepers), and Beth Grant (Donnie Darko) in small roles. Although not on camera, screen icon Michael Douglas served as a producer on the project; the first effort from his Stonebridge Entertainment.

Flatliners has been newly resuscitated in 4K from the original negative, approved by de Bont, for Arrow Video's new 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray editions. The 4K UHD disc features Dolby Vision and Lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 surround audio options. Schumacher and de Bont were already a perfect pairing, but Arrow's flawless restoration allows their bold visual palette to really shine.

Critics Bryan Reesman and Max Evry contribute a new audio commentary in which they dissect Schumacher's work and examine Flatliners in the context of its contemporaries (which made me eager to double-feature it with Jacob's Ladder). Schumacher passed away in 2020 and the cast members were not available for interviews, but Arrow tracked down a variety of crew members for new, in-depth interviews, offering several rare perspectives that are likely to give viewers a new appreciation for the production.

Filardi details the experience of selling his first movie, being on set during the production, and seeing the final product. De Bont and chief lighting technician Edward Ayer provide a fascinating breakdown of the visuals, with De Bont discussing his approach while Ayer explains how they pulled it off. Howard, orchestrator Chris Boardman, Zanetti, art director Larry Lundy, costume designer Susan Becker (True Romance, The Lost Boys), and first assistant director John Kretchmer each give their unique insight into how they added to the tapestry of the film as well.

The theatrical trailer and an image gallery are also included, alongside a 35-page booklet (exclusive to the first pressing) featuring new writing on the film by historians Amanda Reyes and Peter Tonguette. Reyes provides a historical overview of near-death experiences and how they compare to Flatliners, while Tonguette explores the film's surprising spirituality. The release carries new artwork by Gary Pullin, with the original poster on the reverse side.

Flatliners is available now on 4K UHD and Blu-ray via Arrow Video.

[slater-selfships]

Made another moodboard for my favorite Taft medical student and his metalhead boyfriend 🩺🤘

[hot-boy-autumn]

[slater-selfships]

The Med student and the Metalhead

🏳️‍🌈selfship post is about two men🏳️‍🌈

[slater-selfships]

Posting this moodboard here too

[space-pirate-alex]

“I did not come to medical school to murder my classmates, no matter how deranged they might be!” - Randy Steckle

[space-pirate-alex]

Some Flatliners Polaroid edits!

[space-pirate-alex]

Autumn moodboard

[space-pirate-alex]

“Halloween morning. Rotting pumpkins. Burning leaves. Black cats mating like rats in the alley. It was as if … it were as if we felt no fear, as if we were already dead and had nothing to lose by dying.”

Randy Steckle Aesthetic

Flatliners 1990

[space-pirate-alex]

“Halloween morning. Rotting pumpkins. Burning leaves. Black cats mating like rats in the alley. It was as if … it were as if we felt no fear, as if we were already dead and had nothing to lose by dying.”

Randy Steckle aesthetic

Flatliners 1990

(I made one with a different center picture because I couldn’t decide)

[brokehorrorfan]

Blu-ray Review: Flatliners

While the reboot of Flatliners proved to be dead on arrival, the 1990 original still has some life in it. Mill Creek Entertainment makes its first foray into the SteelBook market with a new Blu-ray/DVD combo pack release of the film, complete with sleek, The Creation of Adam-inspired artwork. The high-definition presentation is the same (descent) transfer from previous releases, and no special features are included.

In the film, ambitious-to-a-fault medical student Nelson Wright (Kiefer Sutherland, The Lost Boys) convinces four of his brightest classmates - pragmatic atheist David Labraccio (Kevin Bacon, Tremors), the brooding Rachel Mannus (Julia Roberts, Pretty Woman), womanizer Joe Hurley (William Baldwin, Backdraft), and the bookish Randy Steckle (Oliver Platt, Chicago Med) - to assist him in a reckless, unsanctioned experiment.

With the aid of his friends, Nelson is clinically dead for one minute "to see if there's anything out there beyond death" before they revive him. It miraculously works, leading them to attempt to outdo one another by going longer and longer before being revived. Although they return in fine physical health, they begin to suffer from nightmarish visions in which their pasts literally come back to haunt them.

While the reboot adopts a glossy, modern science fiction aesthetic, the original Flatliners is a visually dark picture with some grit to it. Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys, Batman Forever) brings the stylish visuals with which he has become synonymous to the medical school’s gothic architecture. He and cinematographer Jan de Bont (Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October) use neon blue lighting as a bad omen, while warm colors are reserved for happier times.

The simple yet intriguing premise comes courtesy of Peter Filardi's (The Craft) well-researched script. The story becomes a tad redundant, but interest is retained in wanting to see each person's glimpse at the afterlife, as it proves to be different for everyone. The genre elements are strong in the strange visions they experience once revived, bringing to mind A Nightmare on Elm Street at times, but it also has its fair share of drama and a rather uplifting message.

All five actors that make up the ensemble cast were right around the primes of their career, so it's exciting to watch them share the screen. While he's not on camera, Michael Douglas served as a producer on the project. The score, composed by James Newton Howard (The Hunger Games, The Sixth Sense), traverses between the film's exploration of beauty and horror in the afterlife.

It's unfortunate that the release of a remake didn't yield new special features for Flatliners, but Mill Creek's SteelBook release is a nice consolation prize. Despite it’s star-studded cast, the film is not a classic even by genre standards, but it's not difficult to see why Sony and Columbia believed in a remake: its plot remains compelling and potent for exploration.

Flatliners is available now on SteelBook Blu-ray/DVD via Mill Creek Entertainment.