Rent Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Snow Maker - Edward Scissorhands review by Steve

Aside from the mild body horror... this is most like a late Victorian gothic fairytale. It seems an oddity it originated in 1990. Tim Burton's signature film is the story of a sad boy who grows up alone in a scary castle with scissors for hands... but is rescued by a kind Avon lady... and given a home among the more familiar absurdities of suburbia...

But his novelty to the community as a sculptor gives way to suspicion and then fear. And finally leads to the angry mob which winks at the other main influence; Universal horror. The outré ideas are enhanced by the impressive craft of the production, with the expressionist art design and Danny Elfman's haunting, hyper-romantic score.

The commonplace is distorted to emphasise its weird artificiality, but still provokes a real emotional response; deepened by Johnny Depp's sensational performance as Edward, nearly silent, mostly acting via his scared, inconsolable eyes. Yet Dianne Wiest escapes his shadow as the compassionate but bizarrely conventional saleslady.

There are reflections on loneliness, disability and suburban orthodoxy, and the unusual storyline surely lends itself to allegorical interpretation... maybe that only the true artist can live a pure life free of the corruption of the mortal world; yet may elevate us all... It's also an eternal romance. And a classic of both US cinema and gothic fiction.