The Dark Crystal
A constant fixture at Portland’s dwindling number of second-run theaters, Jim Henson and Frank Oz’s trippy fantasy from 1982 is about two creepy, childlike burn victims who traverse a haunted land of hideous mutated freaks as they bravely look for a pink rock. Visually remarkable and narratively serviceable, it’s worth a rewatch if you’re planning to check out Netflix’s upcoming Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance series, which is made with many of the same painstaking puppeteering techniques as the original, but starring a whole new batch of creepy, childlike burn victims.
by Erik Henriksen