Targets

On a recommendation and a whim I watched;

Targets (1968).

Unusually for this blog I'm actually going to spoil small parts of this movie, there is simply no other way to talk about it. I won't ruin the ending, so don't worry about that.

Targets has two storylines that merge in the end, but until then, they have nothing to do with each other, which is a slightly unusual setup.

In Storyline A we meet aging horror icon Byron Orlok. He is a veteran of countless old-school Gothic horror movies, but times are changing and he's had enough. His brand of horror feels so bland and silly compared to the real life tragedies he reads about in the paper every day. So after completing his latest movie, he quits. This causes quite a problem, because he has engagements he won't fulfill and the director of his latest movie, Sammy Michaels really wants him for his next movie.

The Orlok character is a clear homage to Boris Karloff, and the kicker is, he's actually played by Boris Karloff! Orlok is however pretty different than the real Karloff who never considered quitting. He loved the movie business. The director, Sammy is played by Peter Bogdanovich, who also directed the entire movie for real.

In Storyline B we meet Bobby Thompson (Tim O'Kelly) a normal wholesome young man. He has a good job in insurance. He's married to a great girl, and they live with his parents in their nice suburban home. He even gets along with his parents and likes to go hunting with his dad. The other side of Bobby is a bit darker. He collects guns and has quite an arsenal most of which he hides in his trunk. We quickly realize something is very wrong with him and before you know it, he embarks on a brutal killing spree, which he himself assumes can end only with his own death.

Bobby is inspired by Charles Whitman, who in 1966 committed the University of Texas shooting. In what was essentially a suicide note, Whitman asked to have his brain autopsied, and it showed he had a large tumor. This explained his sudden tendency to violence, his horrible headaches and the vicious killing spree.

In Targets we get no actual reason for Bobby's behavior, but at one point he complains about a headache, so I think we can guess what the reason is.

Targets is produced by the legendary Roger Corman who was impressed with Bogdanovich and told him he could make any movie he wanted but with two conditions. First, the movie had to contain footage from Corman's The Terror (1963) and he had to use Karloff for two days, since he owed Karloff two days of work. Turns out Karloff had so much fun he stayed on for five days for no extra pay.

So, do I recommend this movie? Yes, I do. Targets is not in my opinion a great movie but it was interesting and pretty suspenseful at times. I do think the two separate storylines confuse the tone of the movie, with the Orlok one being charming and pretty funny, while storyline B is sad and violent. The two parts don't mix well, but the ending works and brings the movie to a satisfying conclusion.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time and until then, have a great week!