TWIXT

US, 2011, 88 minutes, Colour.
Val Kilmer, Bruce Dern, Elle Fanning, Ben Chaplin, Joanne Whalley, David Paymer, Anthony Fusco, Alden Ehrenreich, Bruce A. Miroglio, Don Novello, Lisa Bailes. Narrated by Tom Waites.
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Twixt was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola made quite an impact in the 1960s after working with Roger Corman and being initiated into horror films and small budget expertise. He then moved into bigger films with Finian’s Rainbow but, it was with The Godfather, that he made his name, winning an Oscar for the sequel. He also made a significant impact with Apocalypse Now. His career varied after this making such striking films as Bram Stoker’s Dracula but experimenting with a different range of stories including a version of John Grisham, The Rainmaker. In the 21st-century, he concentrated on other interests including winemaking.

In the first decade of the 21st-century he made Youth Without Youth, Tetro and Twixt.

With Twixt, he returns to something of his Corman period – even with a link to Corman’s film versions of Edgar Allan Poe.

Tom Waites narrates the introduction to the film, a rather burnt out author coming to a small town to sign books, where there is no bookshop. However, the sheriff, Bobby La Grange (Bruce Dern) is a fan and wants to co-author a book with the novelist, Hall Baltimore (Val Kilmer). The sheriff has a body in the morgue with a stake in it and is condemnatory of a group of seeming hippies across the lake accused of all kinds of behaviour, including satanic.

While the novelist is interested, he is plagued by calls from his wife who is angry with him after the accidental death of their daughter while he was drunk. She is played by Joanne Whalley. But, there is a mystery in the town, an old hotel where Poe stayed in the 19th century and which was a scene of the killings of a group of children. One of them, Virginia (Elle Fanning) appears to the author leading him to explore the story. These aspects appear in his dreams and when he is unconscious, especially his meeting Poe himself, played by Ben Chaplin, very serious but guiding him through the story and its meaning, the death of the children and his coming to deal with the death of his own daughter.

In the meantime the sheriff behaves suspiciously, is severe with his awkward assistant, Arbus (Bruce A Miroglio) and, as might have been expected, is the contemporary serial killer.

An intriguing experience.

1. The title? Between reality and fantasy?

2. Francis Ford Coppola, his reputation, awards, writer, Dir? The background of his work in horror films in the 1960s, with Roger Corman?

3. The visual style of the film, the use of colour, black-and-white for the dreams with particular colour focuses? The effect?

4. A horror story, the background of vampires, the mass murder, the serial killer, the 19th century and Edgar Allan Poe, 1955 and the children’s deaths, the contemporary serial killer?

5. The narrator, his tone, telling the story, the explanation of the town, his introduction to Hall Baltimore?

6. Baltimore as a writer, his career, successful books? The focus on witchcraft? The alienation from his wife, the Skype calls and their arguments, the memories of his daughter and the accident and his being drunk? His wife threatening to sell his Walt Whitman book? The book signing in the town, no bookshop, the few customers interested? His conversations with his editor, wanting loans? Promising a new story?

7. The town, its atmosphere, the atmosphere of mystery, the hotel and its Gothic look, the deaths? The couple and the bar? Their being at the hotel, playing the music, the proprietor and his swinging dance? The tower and the seven clocks, all at different times? The bells?

8. Baltimore, the encounter with Virginia, her age, appearance, mysterious? Talking with her, her wanting to warn him? Her vanishing? The couple denying her presence – yet her biting the woman, the blood?

9. The story of the hotel, the vision of the children, coming out to play, the teacher, Virginia, taking them back? Baltimore and his research, the 1955 events, the newspaper headlines filling in the story and atmosphere?

10. The children, considered vampires, the teacher killing them, cutting their throats, burying them under the floor of the hotel? His religious background, sexual behaviour? Hanging himself?

11. Bobby La Grange, the sheriff, the mortuary, the corpse with the stake in her body? His making wooden toys? His proposal about the book, co-authorship? Baltimore and his saying ‘from an idea by’? Co-authorship? Argus, clumsy, the assistant? Baltimore contacting him, his attitude, asleep at his job?

12. The young people across the lake, Flamingo and his appearance, his reputation, the young people and their behaviour? Bobby La Grange and his condemnation of them, their reputation, something satanic? The attitudes when more met them?

13. Baltimore and his dreams, encountering Edgar Allan Poe? Poe, m& serious, as a guide, his appearance? The explanation of the story? The women in his own works, all a variation on his wife, whatever their name? The discussion about Nevermore, The Raven, the explanation of how to write a poem, the horror, death?

14. Baltimore, contacting his editor, wanting the loan, exciting the editor, prospects of success?

15. Baltimore, in the town, the bills, his falling, unconscious, further dreams? Imagining his daughter, the accident and her death?

16. Poe advising him that the dreams were his way of dealing with his dark past and his daughter?

17. Virginia, Flamingo and his rescue, the bike?

18. Bobby, the discussions with Baltimore, audiences suspicious about him? His killing arbours and hanging himself?

19. The information given afterwards about Baltimore and his career?