Eggshells (film)
Eggshells is a 1969 American independent experimental film directed by Tobe Hooper in his directorial debut. Hooper, who co-wrote the film with Kim Henkel, also served as one of the film's producers. The film centers on a commune of young hippies, who slowly become aware of an otherworldly presence that resides in the basement.
| Eggshells | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Tobe Hooper |
| Written by | Tobe Hooper Kim Henkel |
| Produced by | David L. Ford Tobe Hooper Raymond O'Leary |
| Starring | Ron Barnhart Pamela Craig Allen Danziger Sharron Danziger Kim Henkel |
| Cinematography | Tobe Hooper |
| Edited by | Robert Elkins Tobe Hooper |
| Music by | Spencer Perskin Shiva's Headband Jim Schulman |
| Distributed by | Watchmaker Films (2009) |
Release date | 1969[1][2] |
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $40,000[3] |
Plot
A group of young hippies, having recently moved into an old house in the woods, slowly become aware of an otherworldly presence residing in the basement of the house.[1][2]
Cast
- Mahlon Foreman as Mahlon
- Ron Barnhart as Ron
- Amy Lester as Amy
- Kim Henkel as Toes
- Pamela Craig as Pam
- Jim Schulman as Jim
- Allen Danziger as Allen
Production
Hooper reflected on the film later when recounting his first efforts as a filmmaker: "It's a real movie about 1969. It's kind of vérité but with a little push. Like a script on a napkin, improvisation mixed with magic. It was about the beginning of the end of the subculture. Most of it takes place in a commune house. But what they didn't know is that in the basement is a crypto-embryonic-hyper-electric presence that managed to influence the house and the people in it. The influences in my life were all kind of politically, socially implanted."[4]
Reception
In 2017, Zane Gordon-Bouzard of Birth.Movies.Death stated that the film "lay[s] out its rambling vision of hippie life in Austin, Texas in a series of acid-splashed reveries". Gordon-Bouzard also noted that the film displayed many of the themes and motifs that would become a staple in director Hooper's later films.[5] Louis Black from The Austin Chronicle gave the film a positive review, stating that the film very much emulated the works of Jean-Luc Godard. Black also praised the film for its capturing of 1960s Austin attitudes and lifestyles, as well as the psychedelic visuals and Hooper's direction.[6]
See also
Citations
Sources
Books
- Macor, Alison (February 22, 2010). Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids: Thirty Years of Filmmaking in Austin, Texas. University of Texas Press. ISBN 978-0-292-77829-0.
- Towlson, Jon (March 20, 2014). Subversive Horror Cinema: Countercultural Messages of Films from Frankenstein to the Present. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-7469-1.
Websites
- Black, Louis (March 13, 2009). "SXSW FILM - Found Film: The rehatching of Tobe Hooper's 1969 debut, 'Eggshells'". AustinChronicle.com. Austin, Texas: The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- Bloom, John (November 2004). "They Came. They Sawed". TexasMonthly.com. Texas Monthly. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- Gordon-Bouzard, Zane (September 14, 2017). "The Psychedelic Illumination Of Tobe Hooper's EGGSHELLS". BirthMoviesDeath.com. Birth.Movies.Death. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
Further reading
- Earl, William; Nordine, Michael; O'Falt, Chris; Ehrlich, David; Kohn, Eric (August 28, 2017). "Tobe Hooper's Best Films: An IndieWire Tribute to 'Texas Chainsaw,' 'Poltergeist,' and More". IndieWire.com. IndieWire. Retrieved May 13, 2020.