The Nightmarish World of Maya Deren

Those of us who appreciate the eclectic programming on TCM Underground are in for a real cinematic treat on Saturday, March 29th. At 12am (PST)/2am (EST) TCM will be airing Pip Chodorov’s 90 min. documentary FREE RADICALS: A HISTORY OF EXPERIMENTAL FILM (2010) followed by two hours of groundbreaking, experimental and avant-garde short films made by some of the mediums most accomplished directors including Maya Deren’s seminal classic, MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON (1943).

I was first introduced to MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON (1943) during a film studies course in college and was immediately taken by Deren’s imaginative and macabre vision. Her 14 minute 16 mm film appeared to embrace the eerie languid imagery found in silent horror cinema but it also seemed incredibly modern. If I hadn’t been told the film was made in 1943 I would have assumed it was made in the 1960s. I quickly realized that Deren’s work had significantly influenced many of my favorite horror film directors who had been incorporating and repurposing her ideas into their own films for decades. My professor wasn’t particularly interested in my observations and the conversation about Deren in the classroom centered on feminist theory and the director’s personal history, which intrigued me. Deren’s preoccupation with ritual, magic, witchcraft and voodoo was evident in MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON and suggested to me that although she may not have set out to make a horror movie with her husband (Alexander Hammid), her vision was probably informed by the esoteric nature of horror cinema. Today Deren’s influence can still be felt and countless better known directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Roman Polanski, Andrzej Zulawski, Dario Argento and David Lynch may have been inspired by her work.

MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON appears to take shape within the troubled mind of its doom-laden female protagonist. It’s propelled by dream logic without any familiar narrative structure but it contains elements and visual metaphors found in countless horror movies beginning with a locked door that leads viewers into a vacant house that seems alive with apparitions. The phone has mysteriously come off the hook and a record plays without assistance. Shadows take on a life of their own while faceless figures wearing dark robes roam the grounds. And throughout the film vacant mirrors as well as very large and unforgiving knives keep appearing at the most inappropriate times until the film ends with a surprisingly gruesome twist. This is the stuff of our shared nightmares and our darkest fantasies, which have been defining horror cinema for decades. In the words of Dan Aykroyd from TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE (1983), “Do you want to see something really scary?” Then tune into TCM on Saturday night to catch Maya Deren’s MESHES IN THE AFTERNOON. She may not be a name that’s often bandied about by my fellow horror film enthusiasts but what follows are a just a few examples of how her work may have drawn inspiration from horror and fantasy cinema as well as influenced it. But be forewarned! This gallery of stills could chill you to the bone or set your teeth on edge.

Top: NOSFERATU (1922)
Middle: MESHES OF THE AFTERNOON (1943)
BOTTOM: PSYCHO (1960) & THE BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA (1971)