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The Transfiguration (2016)
Masterful and chilling
Almost a modern reimagining of George Romero's Martin meets Let the Right One In - both of which are referenced by name in the film - this goes real deep into childhood trauma and poverty through the lens of being a young Horror movie fan. I think a lot of Horror fans relate to the genre to deal with the trauma of the world, to some degree, and this is a moving exploration of that (as well as themes of self-loathing and social isolation).
Trash Fire (2016)
Southern Gothic Noir
I went into this blind, and I'd suggest doing the same, as it never lets you really get a handle on where the unorthodox story and genre structures are going, which keeps it highly engaging. Dark black humor, some real Horror, and great performances. I'm surprised this didn't get more attention, as it's very well made, and lives up to its name on a few levels. It kind of reminded me of Garth Ennis's early Preacher comics in tone, even moreso than the TV adaptation of that does.
Death Note (2017)
Incoherent.
While I was unfamiliar with the manga, I do have a generally good impression of Adam Wingard, but this was just awful. Very similar to the excellent book Lullaby (which I see predates the comic), and trying to coast by on being kinda Final Destination-y, its far ranging plot never congeals into anything entertaining or particularly comprehensible. Easily the worst film I saw in Oct. 2017 (even though Willem Dafoe was fun, as ever).
Stoker (2013)
Understated and captivating
After watching Park Chan-Wook's Vengeance Trilogy films in the 00s (Old Boy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance), I'm just now getting caught up on his more recent work. This is a sort-of erotic thriller with a lot of Hitchcock overtones and just gorgeous camerawork that embraces its atmosphere and sense of mystery with the director's distinctive tone that's most dream-like and immediate, in turns. Really good, if you like this sort of thing.
The Skeleton Key (2005)
Not nearly as similar to Get Out as you may have heard.
This film has been brought up a lot in the last week - often as a vector of 'unoriginal!' attack by people with some sort of political gripe with Get Out - and so I figured it was worth revisiting. While there are some passing similarities to Get Out in the general Tales From the Crypt-like plot devices, The Skeleton Key doens't have any of the subtext, any of the sociopolitical commentary, or any of the sparkling dialogue that made the newer film a critically-beloved bit of genre filmmaking. This is a decently-shot and fairly shallow experience that reminded me of how bad the jump scares were in the last decade - it's a tedious parade of unearned false startles that completely undermine the first hour of the film - and the competent conclusion doesn't quite redeem it.
They Remain (2018)
A Mesmerizing Nightmare
Compelling performances, often-gorgeous cinematography, and a persistent sense of unease and alien eroticism, make for a hypnotic Horror film that opens itself up for you get lost in its rich textures and existential dread. Think 'Picnic at Hanging Rock,' but with a touch more paganism. It's pretty great.
They Remain is, to my knowledge, the first cinematic adaptation of a Laird Barron story (this one being rooted in -30- from the Occultation short story collection), and it does a wonderful job of evoking the unsettling world-behind-the-world that is the persistent undercurrent of Barron's work. Readers of story might note that the setting has moved from a California desert to a chilly forest - a move I think really works to the film's advantage, letting the internal confusion of the characters manifest externally, and - importantly - providing an environment that feels ancient and alive, brimming with cycles of life and death, decomposition and rebirth. For me, at least, it gives it much more of a 'folk horror' atmosphere that I really connected with.
Separating this film from other works adjacent to this stripe of dream-inflected natural Horror is the strong work by the two lead actors. They largely carry, and solidify, the narrative by skirting between both alienation and dependence, keeping the audience enthralled in the acrimony bubbling under the surface within the tight confines of the field research lab, as the ebb and flow of needing a home to come back to conflicts with the compulsion to taste the reckless freedom of just being lost in nature, and the price that is paid for both.
It's a really excellent film that, for the right audience at least, is going to be a deeply compelling and unsettling experience.