Mitch & Nic's 8th Annual Horror/Halloween Film Bonanza (2021)
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- DirectorBarry SonnenfeldStarsAnjelica HustonRaul JuliaChristopher LloydCon artists plan to fleece an eccentric family using an accomplice who claims to be their long-lost uncle.09/17 (Preseason)
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsAlec BaldwinGeena DavisMichael KeatonThe spirits of a deceased couple are harassed by an unbearable family that has moved into their home, and hire a malicious spirit to drive them out.09/18 (Preseason)
- DirectorWes CravenStarsNeve CampbellCourteney CoxDavid ArquetteA year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.09/18 (Preseason)
- DirectorWes CravenStarsNeve CampbellCourteney CoxDavid ArquetteTwo years after the first series of murders, as Sidney acclimates to college life, someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.09/18 (Preseason)
- DirectorIvan ReitmanStarsBill MurrayDan AykroydSigourney WeaverThree parapsychologists forced out of their university funding set up shop as a unique ghost removal service in New York City, attracting frightened yet skeptical customers.09-24-21 (Preseason)
- DirectorRichard KellyStarsJake GyllenhaalJena MaloneMary McDonnellAfter narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.09-24-21 (Preseason)
- DirectorElza KephartStarsRomane DenisBrett DonahueSehar BhojaniWhen a possessed pair of jeans begins to kill the staff of a trendy clothing store, it is up to Libby, an idealistic young salesclerk, to stop its bloody rampage.09-25-21
Obviously a movie about killer jeans is going to be silly, silly, silly. Slaxx is straight up "how-did-this-even-get-made" bad, and that is probably why it somewhat works. Slaxx gets what it is, it even has some filmic style; a slight of vision...over-the-top nonsense: a monster film about super sleek blue jeans!
Slaxx clearly has something to say about the fashion world and big-retail in general. The clothing industry can be toxic, and Slaxx exploits that to the extreme--i.e., clothes are literally killing people. The film gets funny with the Hindu/Bollywood music as the jeans dance, no body in them, just a good ol' pair of sexy blue jeans rockin' its ass to some Bollywood Indian music. The social commentary is there, it's pointed: white people use asian labor for goods! It's a fact, it's terrible, and good films can bring light to it and make people think about it. Slaxx isn't a great representation of that issue, but it at least tries to divert our attention while interlacing a real issue in ethical clothing resourcing.
The murder of Lord (Kenny Lord) is outrageously terrific, enough honestly to give this a 6.
Slaxx gets its point across but doesn't provide anything truly special. It's okay, it's watchable, and it's kinda well made for its pedigree. Slaxx has monster gore pants, but it lacks an ultimate bite. - DirectorJames WanStarsAnnabelle WallisMaddie HassonGeorge YoungMadison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.09-25-21
Malignant is not as good as I'd like it to be. James Wan has delivered at least two or three better horror films before this--including one of the most successful horror films ever with The Conjuring (spawning a whole universe of its own). So Wan's reputation precedes him here.
Malignant isn't scary, but it does exude a certain B-horror style. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to take that B-horror awareness far enough--as in, Wan plays everything so straight, like he might want us to take this all seriously. I don't think he really does, but there are too many moments that feel like he just might. That is until the ending, the wild, totally goofy, gory ending.
The parasitic twin concept inverts the whole "it's a ghost thing" which Wan is known for. The fact that Gabrielle (the parasitic twin) literally is the backside of our protagonist, popping out of the backside of her head in icky fashion, is so dumb that it almost feels genius. The way the protagonists face drops out of life and appears like an empty Halloween mask, as Gabrielle takes over from her backside--inverting limbs and all--is wickedly fun to watch. Wan goes all in on this finale, turning the slow, spook house antics of the beginning into a frantic action film. So creature feature! I've seen worst monster films, at least Wan can deliver on his twist by taking an extreme left turn here. Monster-parasite brain-washy thing with a splash of The Matrix, spinning camera and stunts galore. It's hilarious and absolutely Looney Tunes, and Wan is full in on it, piling on ridiculous take downs with gore. It's a shame the finales final moments are so poorly acted and turgid in their pale dramatics.
Wan has made a crazy hybrid kind of thing (Wan has also made big budget action films before with Furious 5 and Aquaman), but he spends too much time with weak drama and bad dialogue here, and basically it feels too self-serious to actually be fun. But there totally is a rather fun film buried in here. Kudos for trying at least.
NOTE: Gabrielle's voice is absolutely not scary, and actually pretty hilarious in its attempt to be. - DirectorDavid CharbonierJustin PowellStarsEzra DeweyRob BrownsteinTevy PoeA mute boy is trapped in his apartment with a sinister monster when he makes a wish to fulfill his heart's greatest desire.10/1/21
The Djinn is both a bastard, and also kind of an idiot of a spirit. While not scary, The Djinn redeems itself with a tight narrative construction. But ambitious The Djinn is not. I also didn't jump at all. Where's the jump scares!? But the standard vision about a ghost haunting a boy home alone has added texture thanks to solid directing and at least one killer needle drop. A vision as tightly constructed as The Djinn (it all takes place in one tiny, pretty spare apartment) could go wrong if the director didn't understand how to utilize space and sound so well. The sad part is that The Djinn is not that scary, but it does have flashes of directorial craft!
A good jump scare seems hard to find this year so far. Give me a creepy moment! The Djinn even goes Evil Dead for a while and I both loved it, and thought: why, this film isn't that. The combo is jarring but kinda welcome given the staid, limited space and range of the narrative.
Still: no good jump scares. I fundamentally need that in a ghost story these days. The Djinn still provides style, and a kid I almost feel for if he were not so slow and timid--and fuck me, really kid, you need to read all the text about summoning a spirit! Also, do not hover over a dead ghost possessed dead body for so long. I haven't been confronted by a ghost or demon or djinn/sadistic genie! What do I know? But this kid just is not super savvy. By the end he'll definitely want to read all the footnotes next time he tries the black magic summoning book! But something tells me he'll never touch that book in his apartment. The ending is a welcome surprise, sealing the deal that this truly is a cautionary tale of "beware of what you wish for." Again, the kid didn't read all the details and missed the final part of: the djinn might take something in return for the wish. This demonic genie is like inverse version of the blue genie from Disney's Aladdin. You really "won't have no friend like me!" It's nice we get to see the djinn in its natural state at the end, because most of the movie has the spirit possessing bodies--because it has to if it wants to kill the kid. A whole hour he has to survive, and that hour seems to wind on forever. Something tells me this djinn is just fucking with the kid, banging him up a little, tormenting him. I feel like this djinn is stronger than it lets on sometimes. In the end, I think the djinn was saving up its real trick for last. That finishing note is striking and it leaves a good taste for this film. The kid will survive, but things will end on a sour note. And it really works for this film.
The Djinn is well made, and the music is fire. I even like the subtle 1989 references, which are small, but well deployed nonetheless. For being not as scary as I'd hoped for, The Djinn has quite a few likable elements. - DirectorNia DaCostaStarsYahya Abdul-Mateen IITeyonah ParrisNathan Stewart-JarrettA sequel to the horror film Candyman (1992) that returns to the now-gentrified Chicago neighborhood where the legend began.10-1-21
Nia DaCosta has made a sleek thriller here. The shots of Chicago from upside down, looking upwards at the iconic skyscrapers while the opening credits roll is tremendous. The sharp imagery, solid performances, and strong editing choices elevates Candyman to an 8 rating. But watching it a second time--it was better on the big screen the first go around--I feel that the films message might be a little reductive, and the mythology of becoming Candyman and using Candyman for some agenda is a little confusing.
Centering the premise around generational racial violence and how that has marked and haunted a community is a fascinating angle for a horror film to take. There is also something to be said here about the projects and gentrification (though that commentary isn't fully explored). This having Jordan Peele's name attached as producer obviously meant this was the kind of social thriller/horror film more akin to Get Out and Us versus your average slasher sequel. I never really cared for the first Candyman film. But this one delivers intrigue and polish in a way that lacking for me from the first film. Having successful black characters as the protagonist and a swankier sheen to the proceedings is a nice shift from the originals focus on a white woman and the grungy mood of 90's Chicago.
I really love how Candyman is summoned by saying his name 5 times in a mirror. The killer exists in reflection only, a kind of invisible force in many scenes. The first true kill scene (a dual kill) in an art gallery after hours is quite well done, and the films best slash scene by far.
Where Candyman de-tracks for me on this second viewing is how its message of gentrification and violence on innocent black people, is summed up by killing a bunch of cops. The film makes it out that all cops are pretty much racist and going to shoot you if you're black on the spot. I know this is a hot button issue, and I know these inequities and crimes continue to persist against the black community. I am pro-BLM, but I'm also weary of saying ALL cops are bad. And listen...Candyman is a supernatural murderer...he kills whoever and doesn't care about your politics, or if you're a good cop or bad cop. In a sense, the ending muddles whether we're supposed to be rooting for the newly christened Candyman or not. He's clearly protecting Brianna, even though she's the summoner of him and--as the rules of the myth goes--should die. But is he saving her because she's his former lover? What is Candyman's function really? Candyman is ultimately a vengeful spirit that lives on through continued black men getting wrongfully murdered, and in the end it seems Nia DaCosta wants the entity to represent some sort of social justice ghoul. But I think the ending fails to clarify if there is a point here. The film builds up this social narrative, but it doesn't really land anywhere significant. The ending to me is rushed, maybe even a little messy, and this is a shame because so much leading up to it is solid, compelling stuff.
The film could also go further in actually being scary. I guess I'm cheap and want some solid jumps, or at least more creep-out moments. There are one or two solid creepy moments, and the idea of summoning Candyman is a spooky concept. But the film could really deliver better scares. If this new reincarnation/sequel was a bit spookier, maybe a little gnarlier even, and if it stuck its social commentary landing, than this new Candyman might have been the kind of elevated horror we've been fortunate enough to have been getting these past few years.
Note: as with most horror film clichés, the "othered" characters--like gay characters, typically get killed off. But the gay couple don't even get tormented or even visited by Candyman in this film! It's a really huge win for the gays here. - DirectorAlfonso Gomez-RejonStarsAddison TimlinVeronica CartwrightAnthony Anderson65 years after a masked serial killer terrorized the small town of Texarkana, the so-called "moonlight murders" begin again. Is it a copycat or something even more sinister? A lonely high-school girl may be the key to catching him.10-03-21
A last minute addition. Nic watched the 1979 original and decided he wanted to check this modern sequel out. The original was based on true event serial killings in Texarkana, and this meta-homage to that original film is kind of wildly styled, and even kind of brutal. All the canted angles, the quick cuts and intercuts of the super low budget original film, and the overall unconventional approach to many shots, makes for an uncommonly watchable slasher. This thing is also pretty aggressive, with kills that can nearly be felt in one or two scenes.
The motel kill scene, where naked sex girl may-or-may not see something out the motel window is ferocious. The bag head killer smashes her hot-beaus severed head against the window and blasts into her room, she then jumps out the second story bathroom window just before getting snatched by the madman, and she lands right down on her foot, splitting open her leg, bone bursting out and all! She then get sliced--blood splatter all over the windows--in her car as she fails to escape. The scene is clearly in the running for best kill scene this year, so far!
The protagonist and other cast (including some random B-actors and veteran actors) are mostly bland and rote. The final girl seems to move on from her murdered bf kinda quickly--I mean Halloween to Christmas and she's putting out again, but this time for Nick. I feel like she would be a little more upset, a little more freaked out. I think she takes all this pretty well considering what she's witnessed and been through, left alive as some sort of messenger. She does have some haunted dreams, which are well constructed visually, if brief. She also jumps right into investigating this towns history of horror when she should be getting the fuck out of town! Which grandma finally does decide is best at the end--when it's too late! I'm not sure though that there is anyone to really care about here. But such is this kind of fare sometimes, so it's not at all surprising that none of the characters really mean much of anything to me.
The film moves and looks unlike other slashers. The real cinematic flourishes really stand out for me here, as if they are trying to be experimental at times. Even the lighting is brazen and adds a kind of artificial ethereal quality some scenes. The recreated trumpet/knife kill from the first film--this time with two gay boys in some abandoned sign graveyard--is another brutal double kill. (The gays are not as fortunate here as the gays from Candyman).
The two killer reveal is a nice twist, think Scream, but it makes less sense. They're just two crazy ass psychos I guess. The ending feels rushed and underwhelming and I wish it could have gone further. If there was a stronger ending I would have bumped this up to an 8. But still, this film is a little surprising, I knew nothing about it, didn't watch the original, but found this surprisingly good in both its unique visual stylings and it's handful of nasty kills. - DirectorJim CummingsStarsJim CummingsRiki LindhomeRobert ForsterTerror grips a small mountain town as bodies are discovered after each full moon. Losing sleep, raising a teenage daughter, and caring for his ailing father, officer Marshall struggles to remind himself there's no such thing as werewolves.10-04-21
Jim Cummings is a madman. And he is a genius. And I'm also very attracted to him. The Wolf of Snow Hollow is manically good, the first true 9 this year from a new offering, and from a film that wasn't even on our lists.
The film is not really scary at all. I was also worried we wouldn't actually see the werewolf, but we do...and it's freakin' tall! What's amazing about Cummings' writing and direction--not to mention acting--is the balance between comedy, creature feature, and straight up character pathos. Cummings main character, Officer John Marshall, starts to become totally unhinged, drinking again, blowing up at every turn. His anger over not being able to catch the killer-wolfman led us to believe he was probably the creature itself: the wolf being the manifestation of his addiction or some shit. One scene towards the end even teases his fangs if your paying attention. Or, this is all a misdirect.
I almost don't care that this is not really horror in any traditional sense, that the dark comedy components outweigh any genuine scare-thrills. This film is tightly constructed, expertly edited and filmed, and all the performances--especially Cummings--are perfectly matched for this material. The offbeatness really makes this run-of-the-mill narrative quite original, what could have been another werewolf whodunit feature is turned into a film with real energy and surprising psychological underpinnings.
The final reveal isn't quite fantastic, but it isn't totally bad either. When the hunched man finally stands up straight in the sliver of a doorway, I couldn't help but smile. It's not a great reveal, but it's not a cliché twist either, and Cummings has directed and written the hell out of this little gem that there are hardly any complaints about its final business. This is a film that is way more whip smart than your average horror-comedy-monster flick, and even with the "okay" wolfman reveal at the end, it's still one of the best werewolf films I've ever seen--if only for all the added character layers and the unusual angles that Cummings comes at the material with. It's a tiny, brilliant little film that walks a tight rope between genres. - DirectorNicolas GessnerStarsJodie FosterMartin SheenAlexis SmithA thirteen-year-old girl, who lives with her absentee father, befriends a disabled teenage amateur magician and invites him, gradually, into her tenuous struggle against a predatory local neighbor.10-04-21
A totally unexpected, and totally blind entry from Nic, this young Jodi Foster flick is bizarre, and not at all really "scary."
It starts on Halloween night, but isn't really a Halloween movie, so much as rainy autumnal one. The films 70's aura, right down to that groovy score that cuts in from time to time, makes this a certain kind of time capsule film. I liked the vintage vibe, but what really stands out here is Jodi Foster's Rynn, a teenager, and wise beyond her years here. There is definitely something off about her--no parents home, she's hiding something as she tells visitors varying tales about her fathers whereabouts: "oh he's up stairs sleeping," "oh he's away for business." The mystery abounds.
If there is horror to be had here, it's in the form of the absolute creep that is Martin Sheen's character--a sleek molester if there ever was one. Jodi Foster apparently doesn't look back kindly at this picture. I could see why, she's too young to be getting naked (which she appears to be doing in one scene where you see her butt and basically her breasts--although in actuality it is her 20 year old sister doubling for her) and to be getting felt up by the much older Sheen. Foster is supposed to be 13 in the film (which she really was in real life at the time), though she acts 20+, living alone, savvy, self-sufficient: she has taken on the role of an adult. The films ickiness, dealing with pedophilia and a homicidal child, is probably how this gets its "horror" association. I'd call it more of a thriller, a somewhat twisted tale of a young--"little"--girl who does some very adult things. Her secret life cannot last forever though. Enter Mario, a probably a little older, but not adult at least, love interest. Rynn and Mario play out this kind of weird alternate life together in her empty New England house, like kids playing "house," but in a kind of real way.
I was a fan of Mario. He's a good guy--or, boy, if you will. Their supposed adulting together gets real when they have to face the facts that they are hiding a body in the cellar (which they bury behind the house). In one scene you wonder if Rynn has actually poisoned Mario, like she unknowingly did to her mother. It's a small, but perfect way to put the idea that Rynn's truly muderous in our heads.
You know creepy Martin Sheen will return, and he does. The final moments of the film are frustrating because the credits role before we know if Rynn has poisoned Sheen's tea or not. I'm assuming she did, her icy stare tells us that (the way the camera holds on her face in close up while blue credits roll across the screen for some reason reminded me of Call Me By Your Name). Sheen's slime-ball character cannot live. The writing and directorial choice here is subtle, but I'll say it's effective. The frustrating thing is that I like the way it just concludes without the payoff of the action, but I also just really want Rynn to stand over Sheen's character who is gagging, gasping for air, struggling for life. That payoff that she kills the older man preying on her--the guy that killed her hamster and threw it in the fireplace--would have been more satisfying as a viewer. But the cliffhanger of that small, crucial moment between them on the couch, fire cracking in the background, is actually more chilling.
I guess in the end I had a lot more to say about this film than I thought. It's not a good "horror" film, but it's an interesting film nonetheless. There is something quaint and unusual about this thing, it's hard to peg. There is something just shy of special in this. It's the kind of film that feels like it wouldn't exist--at least not in this time capsule-y way--today. It's odd how disquieting the film feels in reflection, how queasy some of its moments are, all without blood or gore, too. And they are mostly quiet moments, but moments where something dangerous is taking place on screen. I think this feeling after viewing the film has made some put it in horror rankings. However, it's better suited in the mystery-drama category. I think there is a solid argument for putting this in the horror category though. For me, when I stopped thinking about the film as a genuine horror film with a capitol H, it actually wasn't a bad film--it's just an odd, intriguing experience, and Foster really holds it all together.
Note: The most horror imagery this movie has is the cellar door in the living room slamming up and down, and when Sheen's molester character comes out of it dressed like Mario in his magician outfit; his silhouette all in shadow as he tricks Rynn in the dark of her house. - DirectorPatrick BriceStarsSydney ParkThéodore PellerinAsjha CooperThe graduating class at Osborne High is being targeted by a masked assailant, intent on exposing the darkest secret of each victim, and only a group of misfit outsiders can stop the killings.10-08-21
This new Netflix movie has a likable cast of teens and offer two or three solid kill scenes. The 3D printed mask of the victims that the killer wears is mildly creepy. The first two kills--the helix getting slashed in the opening, the blade through the mouth in the confessional at church--are solid. I also felt bad for but enjoyed one teens death at a party that ends with a taser and a fountain full of white pedals.
The issue with TSIYH is that I'm not sure what the message is...white privilege kills, maybe? This is like a woke Scream, but not as good as Scream. I also feel the script is trying too hard to be "current" somehow instead of just giving us an effective slice and dice thrill ride. The diverse cast and moments of humor make for redeemable qualities. But I also guessed the killer early on. The film obviously tries to misdirect and of course we were all guessing at who the killer was. But the whodunit reveal--in a flaming corn field finale--is a little bit of a let down, and if you think about it, obvious. It also doesn't make a ton of sense, his motives are flimsy and a stretch. For that, this sleek, mostly well acted slasher-thriller, ultimately rings hollow. - DirectorKeith ThomasStarsDave DavisMenashe LustigMalky GoldmanA man providing overnight watch to a deceased member of his former Orthodox Jewish community finds himself opposite a malevolent entity, in writer-director Keith Thomas' electrifying feature debut.10-08-21
The Vigil never scared me. It offered maybe two good scenes of creepiness, but ultimately, the director never goes far enough, and kind of drags when it should sprint. The old woman upstairs knows what's up, and she provides a little eeriness: what's up stairs? The scene where the old lady appears at the top of the stairs in the dark, running quickly, and her body appears to be twisted backward. The image is certainly the creepiest moment in the film, we can't make out the woman, but it has her clothes on, and its quick movement is not human. The demon that has latched on to the dead jewish man is interesting in concept and theory. It is a shame it doesn't do more, or appear in more creepy fashion like this brief staircase moment, or an early scene where a pair of dark legs appears in the kitchen down the hall, where its toes twist and the nail snaps off.
The budget of this thing doesn't seem to permit much for creativity or striking imagery. But hell, I've seen the first The Evil Dead movie, and having no budget shouldn't stop one from going all in on their demon. We do see the thing at the end, long gnarly fingers, its head twisted backwards such as the myth described. But the film feels a little cheap, it is made cheap, yes, but the scares also feel weak for the most part, the horror imagery occasionally is blurred or not shown. Scenes are too slow at moments too, and the demon is easily killed. This feels like a less fun The Djinn, and the Djinn ended with a better sting.
If there is one thing that saves The Vigil, it's the jewish faith trappings and narrative that adds a unique spin to this standard setup. The protagonist used to be a Hasidic jew, doesn't know how to talk to woman, and there is this sense of guilt in him, and in the old jewish lady that pops up unexpectedly from time to time. The sitting "shomer" aspect and deep jewish folklore elements makes this film at least have a unique--not average "faith"--perspective. For that, it gets a 7. I just wish it were scarier and had a sharper sense of editing and pulling through with more and creepier imagery where it should. - DirectorJoel AndersonStarsRosie TraynorDavid PledgerMartin SharpeStrange things start happening after a girl is found drowned in a lake.10-09-21
Like a longer, better crafted episode of Unsolved Mysteries, Lake Mungo is full of surprises, from format, to tone, to narrative--'Mungo slyly (and maybe a little too slowly) unnerves. Nic and his mother weren't big fans, the overall consensus this year is that nothing has been scary, or so bad it's good (although Malignant came close to that). But Lake Mungo, I think, is a risky gambit that I feel delivers for the most part, if not entirely on the promises of the supernatural/scary elements.
The mockumentary format really works here, most convincingly because the cast delivers it in a nuanced, realistic way, and the director commits throughout, slowly building and piecing together a story of Alice and her drowning that goes to some unexpected places. No one saw the dark turn of Alice and her relationship with the neighbors, taking this from a ghost story to a kind of--almost--true crime moc.-doc. But the film brings back that creeping sense of supernatural dread: digging into photos and video imagery that sometimes is difficult to decipher, and other times is pretty eerie in its subtle, ghostly stillness. There is a lingering chill here, one that is more confounding when we realize what Alice saw or encountered out in Lake Mungo on a school trip. Here, the image of a figure from out of the dark, face distorted and mangled, provide the biggest scare, and a minor jump scene in its clever editing.
'Mungo may take its time to unravel its mystery, but the impact is probably better for it. The emotional undertow of a family grieving after the loss of Alice is smartly deployed as we get interviews with each remaining family member and how they dealt with the aftermath of Alice's death and subsequence secrete life coming to light. The peripheral characters--including a radio psychologist--round out the mockdoc. setting to sell it as real, or could be real. That consistent "could be real" aura elevates Lake Mungo into an intriguing drama, one that just so happens to have a creeping, chilly, ghostly vibe. If there is one complaint, and reason I didn't push this into 9-rating territory, it's because the ghost stuff could have gone just a smidge further--maybe one or two more jump scenes, something a bit spookier sprinkled in here or there. But overall, Lake Mungo pulls off its mockumentary/found footage gimmick with plausibility and some low-key disquieting effectiveness. - DirectorRose GlassStarsMorfydd ClarkCaoilfhionn DunneJennifer EhleA pious nurse becomes dangerously obsessed with saving the soul of her dying patient.10-09-21
Morfydd Clark as Maude is stupendous in a breakout performance of subtlety, pathos, and maniacal unhinged-ness. The Swedish-Welsh actress delivers Maude as cloistered and increasingly unwell until the point the movie finally pulls the plug on Maude's total derangement. The supposed "Lord" speaking to her offscreen in Welsh is eerie, in that, this is either a delusion of corrupt pious vision, or a bodily/mental take over by a demonic force (possibly both, as one begets the other here). But it's definitely not the true "Lord and Savior." Not knowing what takes Maude over (herself, demon, or her own creation combining both: a mental demon, if you will) is beside the point.
Debut director, Rose Glass delivers a taut, mean little machine here. The filmmaking itself is superb, the best direction I've seen this season so far next to Jim Cummings 'Snow Hallow, but this film is sharper, darker, more crisp and cold that one (no pun intended given 'Snow Hollows wintery tableau). Visually, Maude excels, Glass knows how to shoot a film and stage a scene, point in case, Maude imaginary levitation moment with fireworks bursting outside her subterranean feeling apartment/cell (are those real fireworks?). Or the image that gives Maude angel wings at the end, or her seemingly floating out of Amanda's house hands up in holy position, smiling, covered in Amanda's blood. What about the repeated sparkle of the exterior of a Coney Island building, or that giant moon towards the end? There are images here that are strikingly visceral and well framed.
Speaking of the character Amanda, Jennifer Ehle gives the cancer-ridden character Maude has to care for--and lust for?--class and Meryl Streep like panache (seriously, is this Meryl Streeps doppelgänger?). I enjoyed her secondary performance too, her lesbian lifestyle clashing morally with Maude's devote Christianity, possibly stirring emotions and feelings the uptight nurse has never thought or felt before. This clearly awakens something, something she responds to with insanity. It will all circle back to dying Amanda, and the final scene she confronts her in has a devilish turn, as we'd hoped.
While the film is never truly scary, the single best horror moment is when Maude gets hoeish and sows some oats by fucking this random dude at a bar. She's on top, starts getting a bizarre sensation, then starts to give the guy CPR before his chest caves in all bloody, and he starts spitting up blood from his mouth, jolting Maude off the bed in a shriek. It's sudden, horrific, and a little funny. Another vision of Maude's quick unraveling psychosis, but it's one of the most wicked little moments in a mostly restrained film. Glass gives into the macabre just enough in the end here, and her craft on display with two fine performances throughout makes Saint Maude a worthy 8 in my book. I'll definitely check out another film from this new director. - DirectorJaume BalagueróPaco PlazaStarsManuela VelascoFerran TerrazaJorge-Yamam SerranoA television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside with something terrifying.10-10-21
This film increasingly builds tension and unease to the point that it nearly feels suffocating in its hysteria. One apartment building gets quarantined while it slowly slips under siege by a virus that turns people into zombies...or so we think. Using the found-footage, shaky cam motif mostly works to the films benefit, as the news reporter final girl says to her camera guy: "film everything." And so he does, even when it becomes clear he really shouldn't as it might be to his detriment. Although, in the end, that camera night vision element allows them to see in the dark, and what they discover is truly horrifying. I'm not lying, the final scene is creepy AF.
At just over an hour long, REC makes a nice addition to the found footage sub-genre, mostly because it goes for things found-footage don't typically go for: virus infection/zombies! Until the very end that is, when it's revealed these are necessarily zombies from an infection in the typical zombie-trope tradition. The reveal makes it much worse actually: these are zombies of the demonically possessed due to a cursed girl on the very top floor! Woof, wouldn't want to be trapped in this building. But REC is so good because it manages to actually try to trap you in the building with these frantic tenets and the two person film crew and the firemen they are following for "standard" night of calls. It's the wrong night to report on this, and the wrong call for the firemen to take, as everything goes awry. The building tension gradually escalate into all out chaos and terror, and the crew constantly have to go back up the flights of stairs for rescue and what not as more and more derangement infects the building downward. And no one is allowed out.
REC has some truly nerve racking moments of terror and chaos, and the final images of that tall, naked, deformed monster-woman thing (is it a demon?) is the creepiest thing I've seen on screen this year so far.
Note: I watched this dubbed, which was okay, if a little cheap in that English-dub way. Maybe the original Spanish version would have been even creepier as it would have made it more "authentic." - DirectorTate TaylorStarsOctavia SpencerDiana SilversJuliette LewisA lonely woman befriends a group of teenagers and decides to let them party at her house. Just when the kids think their luck couldn't get any better, things start happening that make them question the intention of their host.10-17-21
I've never watched a horror movie during Nic and I's horror bonanza without Nic and with a friend, at a friends house. But it sure counts! Ma was my friends choice, and it was listed under "horror" although it teeter in being more a thriller. Still, It did have one jump scare I actually jumped at, and it provided unexpected violence and two good kills. It's difficult to take Oscar winning Octavia Spencer as a crazy scary person. But Spencer does an admirable job playing a whole range of emotions, going from innocent middle-aged veterinarian in scrubs being taken advantage of by some teenagers, to totally off her rocker, deranged stalker killer.
There is this totally uncomfortable nature between these teenagers and Ma, who is supplying these minors with booze, and a basement to party at. She's just too old be trying to play cool, even trying to act like she's one of the young crowds pose. Ma has other motives clearly, her stalkery nature coming out as flashbacks reveal a larger narrative of shame and trauma for Ma. She would be a sympathetic character if she weren't so outright nuts. The places Ma goes is actually quite fun. For me the turning point for the film is when Ma floors her pick up truck to mow down a mean girl that wronged her from high school. I was actually kind of shocked by it, an audible gasp came out of my mouth. It's not that it was gory or particularly scary, but it was just outrageous in its unexpected, almost out of the blue shift into Ma's "okay, no more fucking around." It's a moment I should have seen coming, but for some reason under estimated and it felt out of the blew.
Ma is not particularly scary at all, it's not even particularly original. But the cast is solid (Juliette Lewis is in this thing!), and Spencer delivers a web of shifting demented states of play, and I think the actress is having fun with it, even though she's totally above this material. We thought for sure Haley would get killed, and while she gets her mouth sown shut, she actually lives--my friend I watched this with is named Haley as well, and she figured for sure Haley was gonna die. But the film doesn't always do what you think it will do. Albeit, I would have liked this to have been creepier on the whole--maybe have made Spencer a little scarier in moments--the film still has some nasty tricks up its sleeve, one good surprise, one scene I jumped at, a finish that I wasn't certain about who would make it out alive, and one of my favorite kill scenes of the year thus far. For that, along with the decent acting, I gave Ma an 8. It is mostly a fun little thriller.
Note: The girl that always pretends to be asleep at the parties is the only one that gets the axe in the basement showdown, where a fire engulfs the place, including this unconscious girl, and literally no one else says a thing or seems to notice it. Probably a plot hole, but a funny omission: that bitch was truly in the wrong place at the wrong time. - DirectorDavid Gordon GreenStarsJamie Lee CurtisJudy GreerAndi MatichakLaurie Strode confronts her long-time foe, Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.10-20-21
"Is it scary by today's standards?" one character asks early on in the film. The truth is, it isn't. Nothing will compare to that 1978 original in all it's simplicity and haunting imagery of seeing Michael Meyers' expressionless composure in that blank mask from afar--across the street--for the first time. But David Gordon Green has crafted a sharp, well crafted "definitive" sequel. I still teeter between this and H20, but I like this versions truly traumatized Lori Strode, warn and aged, compared to that films Lori Stode--who comes off more as a moved-on individual with a brand new life and identity. They're both good really, but this one speaks more truly to the victims trauma than that sequel. Also, the original Michael Meyers actor is back in this one--old and warn as well, but no less lumbering and terrifying, and also more brutal in his old age (see: stomping a mans face in). While the mask will never look as scary as the first two Halloween films, this is the first time Michael "feels" like himself since those first two films: none of that mask-mockery from H20 (it's cardinal sin in trying to alter the mask via CGI is a low point for that film and all the sequel masks).
Michael walking around the houses to the back doors of unsuspecting Haddonfield residents to murder them during a franchise best scene is this movies highlight. All those people running about on Halloween night, going places, trick-or-treating, all those pumpkin lined front porches...this looks more Halloween than Haddonfield 1978 Halloween did. And Michael is just walking openly, running into more kids, not killing at every whim--but killing at total random, no rhyme or reason to it at all. When a baby's cry comes from another room after he sleighs a woman in her kitchen, Michael trades a hammer for a kitchen knife and walks to the room with the crib, breathing heavy. It's about as tense as the film gets until the end, and it's a masterful moment. The baby lives, as he stops a moment and then continues on out the front door, back to the Halloween littered streets of our dreams--or nightmares if you imagine Michael on those streets.
The kid getting babysat is the true standout here besides the titular Jamie Lee Curtis as tormented Lori, a moment of real levity that still feels unexpected, but welcome nonetheless. The music this time around stands out a little more to me...it's not as stripped down as Carpenters original, but there is a nice added synthy texture and little added melodic tweaks and beats that work for the most part. But the best moments are when the original score hits at just the right Michael-y moment: looking through a window at at a soon to be victim, or Lori spotting the masked menace in a mirror on the top floor of a house. Those minor touches and musical cue callbacks are still the best.
The motion sensor gimmick a small but one of my favorite Michael moments here. "Have you ever liked a girl you just couldn't have?" A boy asks Michael, unknowingly, whose standing off in the distance in a backyard. The moment is now a classic Michael moment.
The new Dr. Loomis "twist" is unneeded, I mean the whole character is unneeded really.
I'm surprised at how much you almost see of Michael's real face, old and grizzled for sure, this is the closest to seeing it full on next the first original film, and I guess Zombie's Halloween II, when the mask was literally disintegrating off the husk of a man.
The nostalgia callbacks work here, especially when they invert the Michael and Lori imagery. But I hope they don't use a lot of callbacks with the follow up, Halloween Kills. The ending works, the emotional beats really add to the narrative, and Michael feels like himself again--even if he's a whole lot older underneath that weathered mask. This is the second (teetering on third, because I do love H20) best sequel to the original, and its if nothing else, the next best directed entry in the series.
Note: Michael looking blankly up from the "cage" at the three generations of Strodes as flames roar around him is a great final image of the monster man. (And clearly it's not the death sentence Lori was hoping for). - DirectorDavid Gordon GreenStarsJamie Lee CurtisJudy GreerAndi MatichakSurviving victims of Michael Myers form a vigilante mob and vow to end his reign of terror.10-21-21
There is a unique angle that director David Gordon Green and his writing team (again including the left-of-center-choice that is Danny McBride) try out with this sequel to their 2018 sequel-reboot hit. The perspective tries to reflect the current mood--the misdirected mob, started by Tommy Doyle, kinda mirrors the misguided mob mentality of the January 6th riots at the capitol this last year. Coincidence, I think not. But this really detracts from anything scary, making 'Kills a far less scarier film than its immediate predecessor, and even its predecessor wasn't THAT scary. Get back to Michael, get back to Lori...But hey, they tried something new here, and that hospital riot kind of moment leads to a surprisingly sad moment, as a mostly innocent mentally ill man jumps to his death, a man just asking for help and no one to listen--the blind angry mob chanting "Evil dies tonight," which they should have retitled this film entry to.
H-Kills is a middle act for certain, a messy one that makes its predecessor feel tight and taut in comparison. But I do appreciate--to an extent--the larger perspective of Haddonfield, which definitely has more of a voice here. Learning about what happened that fateful night back in 1978 from another perspective, the cop Frank Hawkins, is actually an engaging switch, widening the scope of that singular night in a fascinating way. The opening takes us back to that night and manages to somewhat replicate the look of the late 70's, and Michael's old self (the mask just almost matches the original), not to mention Dr. Loomis makes an appearance (and it convincingly looks like him, without CGI, but instead a look-a-like film crew member). Also, Jim Cummings makes a cameo as a cop here again! A nice little tie-in to a previous movie on this list that I love.
The expansion of perspectives from that night in 1978 is a pretty good idea, and it doesn't totally fall flat as the Strode families shared trauma seems to evolve beyond them. The whole Michael infecting the town of Haddonfield takes the terror of Michael Meyers from an intimate, insular horror event, to a kind of shared, collective event. One could say, a minor epidemic if you will. At the same token, this widening detracts from the core focus of Michael and Lori Strode. I hate to see Lori sidelined again in a hospital. This is the first Halloween film where Jamie Lee Curtis' Lori Strode doesn't encounter Michael at all. That would be even more disappointing if it weren't for the knowledge that there will be a concluding act film next year: Halloween Ends.
The moments with Michael aren't bad here. Some good kills come in the form of a busted light bulb to the throat, a knife in the eye, and a neat little trick where Michael kicks a car door open to smack a victims hand who is shooting at him, making the gun in her hand ricochet backwards, inadvertently shooting herself in the face. One of the gay "Johns" gets stabbed in the armpit and then gets his eyes smashed in. Allyson's bf also gets it bad--after living through the first film and this one a surprisingly long time. But back to the John's, I liked that there was a gay couple here, but I fucking loath the "Lil' John, Big John" names they always call each other. Are the writers trying to be funny here?
In the end, Michael gets confronted by the mob, and one wonders how the serial killer will escape his way out of that, because: "Evil dies tonight!" But from Lori's voice over to Hawkins in the hospital, with each kill Michael "transcends." And so Michael takes on the mob in bloody fashion: heels sliced, arms knifed, throats slit. Michael can no longer be human here, there is no way after being shot, beaten, and stabbed this many times without repair that he could humanly withstand all this. So this is the point where Michael becomes superhuman/beyond human. Michael wipes out a whole crew of firefighters with axes and a chainsaw-like blade (which obviously gets used against the firefighter wielding it), this would not naturally be an easy feat for a single killer man, and I wonder continually why these groups of people--including the firemen--don't all attack at once! They take turns like that is somehow more effective than all swinging and shooting at once. And speaking of shooting: how come that mob at the end doesn't all have guns a-blazing? It seems like more people--why not all!--should have a gun on them at this confrontation. It is usually futile to question the logic of horror (especially slasher) film characters, but there are some stupid choices here for sure! Why does Allyson sit and stare at those dead gay John's for so long, needlessly pulling a knife out of one of them, all while her bf gets smashed up out in the hallway? And why does said bf even go off without her to "explore-the-dark-of-the-upstairs" alone? Choices people!
Judy Greer gets her moment here, thank god, as her "gotcha" moment in the 2018 film was a great moment. The final scene is a bit of a shocker, is Greer's Karen done for? I truly didn't know where the film was going to cut off, I certainly did not see Michael slipping out from behind her, in the much mentioned sisters bedroom, where Michael likes to peer out. The reflection of his famed mask--not only weathered here but also a little charred--intercuts with Lori peering out of the glass window of her hospital room. A nice cliffhanger I suppose.
The last mention I have here is of the score. Again classic motifs are interspersed nicely, and some of the 2018 films added synth and beats are brought back into play. But there are also even more new elements that highlight tension and emotion, the attack in the park in the car scene adds some music notes I hadn't heard before, and the scene where the mental patient jumps from the hospital window almost feels like a totally other score altogether. The minor additions are welcome I'd say, but we're definitely miles away from the simplicity of Carpenters original score. Still, those original cues still pop up in classic fashion, if less effectively than in the 2018 sequel before this one.
Halloween Kills is both larger and dumber, but it is not without its ideas and attempts at fresh narrative POV's. Gordon Green's direction is less masterful here as he lets the narrative get out from under him. Still, he knows how to shoot Michael and edit strategically where it counts, I just feel like this movie's story wobbles in trying to open things up. The intentions are admirable, but they also loose sight of why the original 1978 film is so classic: it's in its simplicity, its airtight building and moments of release. 'Kills delivers in the "kills" department (it's got the largest body count for a Halloween series film), but a lot of it feels weakened by not building better, more lasting tension and suspense. No singular moment felt as righteous as the showdown in Lori's bunker-like house, or the masterful tracking shot sequence of Michael stalking the Halloween streets of Haddonfield again, broth from the previous film and both are two high points for the entire franchise. But I suppose H-Kills does deliver something a little different in taking on the town itself as a kind of character--bringing back old players from 1978, it tries at least to expand on the lore and voices of the film(s), even if it loses some of the straight forward thrills and scariness that I so desperately want from these films. Here's hoping 'Ends knows how to straighten things up and gets back on track for a thrilling conclusion, and maybe that revealed time jump will help with that, as there is no way there are more hours in the night for this Halloween 3-parter. - DirectorDavid BrucknerStarsRebecca HallSarah GoldbergVondie Curtis-HallA widow begins to uncover her recently deceased husband's disturbing secrets.10-22-21
Nic calls this type of film a "grief horror." Yes, I could sub categorize this into that "type" of horror film. But The Night House also takes some wild and creative turns with a script that slowly unfolds into unexpected places. First off, the direction is sharp and sophisticated, and Rebecca Hall is terrific in the titular role of a grieving widow left with a nice lake house that may-or may not have secrets buried within it.
A couple scenes genuinely sustained suspense, and the narrative does a solid job at keeping the viewer off balanced...what is really going on here? Something with mazes and "tricking it," whatever "it" is. The muffled, somewhat distorted voice that Hall's character Beth keeps thinking is her dead husbands, is a little creepy. One truly great moment comes at the end, when she embraces the invisible spirit she believes to be her lover, and then the voice says: "I'm not Owen." All along she's thought her husband has been haunting her, but it is clearly not him with this reveal. There is also the interesting way in which this spirit--which is probably like death itself, or the grim reaper in essence--appears in the exact framing of the interior of the rooms itself. If you look just right, you'll see the outline of a person, a shape that is there, but invisible outside of these framed angles. That, I thought, was a unique choice, creatively showing this supernatural force in a way I've never quite seen before.
The mood and building here may be deemed a little slow, the pacing not as thrilling as some might expect from a ghost story. But that's not what this film is. Part of the thrill here is that slow build, the character ticks and setting of the location, the atmosphere, etc. So when the spooky stuff does come (is it a dream or not?) there are some great elements of unease and uncertainty and as things unravel, the standard ghost stuff twists into something altogether more original, if a little confusing. One of the first spooky scenes features random strange woman running through Beth's yard, running and then jumping over the cliff into the lake below, and then she looks up and a house is aglow across the lake, a house that looks just like her's from afar. The reverse house element creates a kind of parallel dimension or "Upside Down" aspect that throws the whole story into a kind of mystery that I found truly engaging...I had no idea what was going on, and part of the fun here is how the narrative allows for the viewer to suspect and try to piece together the bizarre happenings.
With it's gradually unfolding mystery plotting, a few creepy moments, strongly crafted imagery, editing, and a general aura of unease and uncertainty, and finally the fantastic lead performance from Hall, The Night House is a strong brand new film entry on this list--and in general cinematic terms it holds up as a thriller outside the horror/halloween trappings of the theme of this list. Sure, on the whole the film could have been scarier and featured more jumps, but the twisty nature and craft on display here counts for a lot here. - DirectorScott DerricksonStarsEthan HawkeJuliet RylanceJames RansoneA controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.10-22-21
This is technically the third time I've seen this, the second full time I've watched it myself--the first all the way through with Nic. Sinister is truly "sinister." The videos Ethan Hawke's character refuses to stop watching are genuinely disturbing! That pool scene, where the Bagul, or "Mr. Boogie," walks underneath the pool water surface is one of the creepiest images in all of horror cinema I think. Bagul in the background, creepin' off in the frame of the imagery is haunting--certainly one of my favorite demon/supernatural entities created in the 2000/2010's.
Sinister is elevated by its performances and general sense of dread and darkly lit scenes that consistently keeps things spooky. But Ethan Hawke's central character makes idiotic choices early on and throughout, putting his family and himself in increasingly dangerous supernatural terror. He truly ruins his credibility and has viewers ultimately saying throughout: "get out," "leave," "don't watch another freakin' video dude!" But he always throws caution to the wind until its ultimately too late. The twisted ending leaves a chill, but I kind of think Hawke had it coming! He totally brings it on himself. Too bad for the kids and the innocent wife, played with realism and likability by Juliet Rylance--who should be in more films if you ask me.
Sinister's title character can be pretty dumb, but the film is overall pretty eerie, decently crafted, and the Bagul is truly "sinister." - DirectorHerk HarveyStarsCandace HilligossFrances FeistSidney BergerAfter a traumatic accident, a woman becomes drawn to a mysterious abandoned carnival.10-23-21
What an off-kiltered oddity. I dug the dreamlike strangeness of several scenes, the imagery and tonal offness is the kind of thing I think could have inspired David Lynch--and it probably did for all I know.
Nic and his mom didn't like the strange beats of this 1962 cult horror film. For me it was that unusual aura of the filmmaking, offbeat dialogue, eerie slow-grade organ music, black and white cinematography, and the overall 1962 time capsule quality really transports. Clearly I was alone in that "transporting" feel, but if you let 'Souls, the film has the possibility of putting you in a trancelike engagement. I think that's the point, the weird head space compliments the narrative ambivalence of organ-player, Mary Henry. She is dead after all, which isn't really a spoiler, though I'm sure it was surprising back in 1962--I suppose M. Night Shyamalan wasn't that original with The Sixth Sense. The surreal images make this film. The souls rising from the Salt Lake water, staring square into the camera, the strange shots from afar of that abandoned Coney Island like fair, haunting in its emptiness. The characters also all act strange, with an overall sense that something is amiss. Mary Henry is seeing a strange man with black lined eyes--a ghoul for sure. In the first moment of genuine "horror," Mary looks over at her reflection in the passenger side window of the car she's driving and sees the man-ghoul floating beside her car, looking in at her. The man appears and vanishes, as do visions of the abandoned carnival structures, which seems to exist in some strange limbo land, in salt flats near the lake, nothing but desert valley and hills around it.
In two scenes, Mary cannot hear or be heard or seen--a truly frustrating feeling and sensation that anyone whose had a realistic nightmare could relate to.
Carnival of Souls exists in that kind of space where it is so old and so cheaply made that is can come off laughable in several scenes, but also retains a kind of chilling eeriness that only a film of its time and lo-fi quality could capture. Some of the images here are strikingly haunting. I'd say if the film would have cut to its conclusion a little sooner, and maybe would have added more actual carnivalesque nightmarish imagery, than I would have considered giving this film a 9! But this is a little gem I think Nic and his mom kind of didn't appreciate for what it is.
Note: The boarding house guy across the hall from Mary is creepy and comes on way too strong. And Mary even seems to be into it! Good thing she's dead and doesn't know better. Also, "take as many baths as you want, I don't mind!" wtf do you keep meaning by this boarding house owner/lady? If David Lynch would have been making films in 1962, this would have been it. - DirectorMike FlanaganStarsJohn Gallagher Jr.Kate SiegelMichael TruccoA deaf and mute writer who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.10-23-21
This second viewing of Hush reminds me just how excellent Mike Flanagan really is as a modern day horror director. His sharp visual sensibilities and thoughtful character moments are on somewhat of a quieter, more constricted narrative scale here. But that is also why Hush is so great, it waste no time getting thrilling, and it deploys rich little character details early on to establish a unique perspective for a film that seems to have been done a million times: it's a home invasion film, and a trapped in a cabin in the woods film! But Hush somehow feels elevated by Flanagans crisp visuals and editing choices. He knows just how to play the viewer here, and gives them a great little thriller by giving us just what we expect from this setup, plus fun, occasionally nasty little surprises.
Brute, but not grotesque, Hush can be hard hitting in the best way. We are constantly rooting for deaf writer, Maddie, and the killer man reveals his not-so-scary face way earlier than typical slashers would ever fathom. That aspect takes away the "Michael Meyers" scariness of the killer, but that doesn't make this man any less psychotic or evil--in fact it might make him more psychotic...this average-joe guy is doing this without a known motive, a bow and arrow that makes me wonder if he's just hunting people. He has no lick of remorse, and what's weird is that us, the viewer, can see this in the characters face verses a typical masked killer, who we don't typically see any facial reactions. Sure, the mask is ultimately creepier, but it doesn't make the situation throughout its lithe runtime any less suspenseful or terrifying for our trapped protagonist.
Masterfully taught and expertly crafted from start to finish, Hush is a home invasion-slasher done so right, a perfect new classic of the sub-genre.
Note: the tie in to Flanagan's new Netflix series, Midnight Mass is a brilliant full circle moment for the director, and how cool that he got to adapt his own made up book from his own original debut screenplay! It's a wonderful meta-moment rewatching this having the characters discuss Maddie's book, "Midnight Mass"--once a fictional product that now exists as its own real product! It's official: Flanagan-verse is brilliantly alive and well!