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Reviews
Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (2019)
Important story to tell-I hope everyone has a chance to watch it.
The information has been circulating for years but we finally hear the truth in this excellent documentary that gives insight into A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge. It can now be laid to rest. Never a more pertinent time in American history than right now to understand how oppression affects individual lives and society as a whole. I enjoyed seeing Mark Patton being so honest as well as getting to know what an amazing man Robert England is. Thank you for this documentary. I hope everyone has a chance to watch it.
The Greasy Strangler (2016)
Big Ronnie and Big Brayden discover love as a greasy killer strangles his way through the town
There are not enough pearls to clutch or words to be written that can adequately describe the dirtiness I felt while watching The Greasy Strangler. Alarmingly, the optimal moment arrived when I turned the film off after 15 minutes as I finally felt like I could breathe unpolluted air once again.
The Greasy Strangler (from what I gather) is about a father and son duo named Big Ronnie (Michael St. Michaels) and Big Brayden (Sky Elobar) who while giving a walking disco tour both fall head over heels for their curly haired customer, Janet (Elizabeth De Razzo).
In between lewdness, nudity and random acts of grotesquerie that can make any viewer wish to become blind or at the very least celibate, a killer who is obsessed with greasy food, dresses in a suit made of grease while killing random people while they portray the ultimate in stereotype.
The Greasy Strangler strives to compete with the early works of John Waters like Pink Flamingos and Mondo Trash. Whether it succeeds is up to you. The only question remains...can you make it through the entire film?
Lost Child (2017)
Lost Child
Lost Child is most effective when it is watched as a Sunday afternoon, TV movie. If you go into it with that it in mind, you most likely will find it enjoyable.
Climax (2018)
A group of professional dancers move to a chaotic and energetic LSD-fueled dance that mesmerizes and destroys
Take two Excedrin and call me in the morning. You may need them if you are unaccustomed to long hours of thumping club bass, EDM and a discernible room full of cigarette smoke, so aptly depicted you begin to smell the thick of it wafting through your television. This is Gaspar Noé's highly debated film Climax-the movie that transpires in a single location and sometimes even in a single 42 minute-long shot.
The French filmmaker is best known for creating experimental and demanding bodies of work-all of which strive to inform a kind of hell to varying degrees of success. For those unfamiliar with his 2003 film Irréversible-Roger Ebert called it "a movie so violent and cruel that most people will find it unwatchable."
As for Climax, the extreme violence we have come to associate Noé, is shed for a less tactile subject furthering his experimental style while exploring drug use. This is not to say the horror of incessant screams won't make the person in the next room over wonder what the hell you are watching.
Climax begins with an interview of a group of professional dancers. They are introduced through an open-ended format of questioning then a rough cut transports us to the next scene, a dance studio where we linger for the remainder of the film. It is here we witness a dance so chaotic and energetic it can only be said to mesmerize.
This is the best of Climax. And once it is over the best is gone too.
At the completion of the dance, the members hang around to celebrate their successful choreography with a sangria punch, lewd conversation and more dancing. Unbeknown to anyone or most anyone-the sangria is spiked with a ferocious hallucinogenic.
For the summation of the film we witness the effects of the drug and its unraveling of the dancers making them paranoid, belligerent and even dangerous to themselves and others.
You will find buried messages throughout the film-messages that are an important part of the dialog today. Credit where credit is due, Gaspar Noé is not afraid of experimenting with intriguing concepts even in the face of failure. But sometimes it is the failure staring us down at the end. That does not mean we should ever stop trying.
Beckoning the Butcher (2014)
Creepy found footage film surprises with eerie moments and a manicured scary story
Beckoning The Butcher is a bare bones, low budget Australian gem, that while obvious of its budget, didn't stop director Dale Trott from using all the resources at his disposal to create a successful found footage horror movie.
In the US the film was released under the title The Butcher Possessions, and can currently be viewed on Amazon without additional charge for Prime members.
Beckoning The Butcher is the story of Chris Shaw (Damien E. Lipp), a social media personality who performs rituals he finds on the web. Wanting to increase his viewership, Chris invites four friends to a weekend gathering in a desolate countryside home where together they will participate in a ritual called Beckoning The Butcher.
For the ritual, participants must write their name on a piece of paper, dab a drop of their blood next to their name and then burn the slip of paper while chanting a Latin phrase. The completed steps are said to then conjure the butcher.
With two video cameras recording at all times; one set up in the house and the other carried for POV, Chris's hope of capturing even just a small moment of paranormal activity becomes more than he bargained for when the butcher shows up with a plan of his own.
The main moments of Beckoning The Butcher are bookended with a backstory via sit down interviews by a family member, a psychic and a sheriff-all of whom add a well rounded linear structure to the narrative.
Beckoning The Butcher (or The Butcher Possessions, depending on where you live) is the perfect party night or Halloween night scary movie.
The Wretched (2019)
A crafty witch casts a spell making townsfolk forget their children-and her meal less a battle
In writer/director duo Drew T. Pierce and Brett Pierce's coming of age horror movie The Wretched, 17-year-old Ben (John-Paul Howard) busses into the quaint, boat-slipped town where he and his dad Liam (Jamison Jones) are spending the summer.
As Ben tries to acclimate to his new summer digs-complete with the 'warming up to dad's new girlfriend' and 'trying to fit in with the local townies' tropes he begins to observe strange occurrences coming from his next door neighbor's house.
Unbeknownst, a witch has made the house its new quarters and begins to cast a spell over the townsfolk, causing them to forget their children so that it can easily devour the forgotten ones without a tussle (smart).
When children begin to go missing though, Ben's suspicions turn real and he must devise a plan to stop the witch and save the children. However, with a checkered past including drug use and stupidity-jumping from a second floor window-resulting in a broken arm, Ben is up against a wall as he finds it increasingly difficult to find people who believe in him.
With elements of Fright Night and The Lost Boys-meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers-all while on a snoozy summer vacation, The Wretched replaces vampires and aliens with a pagan root-like witch that prowls the woods and makes pit stops into peoples homes and eats their children.
There are no bad shots in The Wretched. Kudos to the Pierce Brothers for being natural born purveyors of horror. They know how to tell an effectively scary story. The dialog too, thank god comes off as natural and the acting is good-all of which creates a solid foundation for a decent creepy summer movie.
As always, there will be naysayers whom gloss over the accomplishments and only focus on the flaws. And The Wretched is certainly not without flaws. But follow through and you may be pleasantly surprised that more than a little thought went into making this film, and it shows.
Blood Quantum (2019)
A zombie flick with social awareness that would make George Romero proud
"Just like the dog. Just like the fish." The dead are coming back to life in Jeff Barnaby's socially aware zombie flick, Blood Quantum. As an impressive ode to the legacy of George A. Romero, Barnaby has given us a tale of the end of the world-where only indigenous peoples are spared as the world burns in chaos.
Six months after the apocalypse, those who have survived now reside on Mi'gMaq reserve of Red Crow, where they have regrouped and implemented new rules to live by. Along with mostly indigenous people, a small handful of non-indigenous survivors have escaped the dead for now.
Joseph (Forrest Goodluck) and Lysol-yes that was the character's name well before Covid introduced surreal anecdotes regarding disinfectants, (Kiowa Gordon) are two brothers who have arrived at fundamentally different understanding as to why the dead keep coming back to life.
The relationship between the two brothers is in constant flux as they try to grasp the fact that their father; town sheriff (Michael Greyeyes) was never around for his first born, Lysol, but was seemingly always present for Joseph, to dire consequence for the two brothers.
Just as the community of survivors comes to find practicality in their new reality a war is waged and a final battle begins, pinning the walking dead and humans alike of one belief system against people of a different view. In the third and final act the depravity of men becomes worse than what Mother Earth has unleash.
With a little tightening of the wrench, Blood Quantum could compete with the best of 'em. It is an entertaining zombie film; those of us who love the genre will especially dig it. The movie's message is spelled out clearly and it plays out well as the metaphor that all of our decisions will come back and haunt us. Had the dialog used a little fine tuning, Blood Quantum could soar.
Bloodline (2018)
Good Acting But That's About All
Bloodline stars Sean William Scott as Evan, a first time father who has a dark and abusive past. In flashbacks we learn of Evan's physically abusive father who pleads with both his son and wife to right his wrongs but unfortunately winds up dead and buried in the family garden.
As Bloodline unfolds, in more flashbacks we see the events that lead to the deadly day when Evan's father is murdered and discover the family secret in all its twisted glory.
While Director Henry Jacobson's film is beautifully shot, sleek and portrays strong acting by all, the plot is lacking which makes for a bland ride. While the gore is plenty, it is not enough to save Bloodline from being flawed.
As Evan tries to deal with his emotions he consequently becomes a serial killer, murdering all the dysfunctional fathers of his students. But one cannot wonder how a detective would not immediately put this together leading to a swift arrest. The connection between all the victims is Evan.
Aside from the nature of the film, there is no element of fear or horror which makes me describe this film as more drama than horror. It unfolds as a straightforward story with a little twist in the middle which is not enough to save this film from the boring bin.
Dale Dickey stars as Marie; Evan's dysfunctional mother who as per usual enhances the story with her superb acting.
Welcome Home (2018)
Aka The Getaway
American couple Ryan and Cassie (Aaron Paul and Emily Ratajkowski) attempt to enjoy a week long trip in Italy hoping to repair their strained relationship. When an alluring yet sinister local named Federico (Riccardo Scarmarcio) begins to get too cozy with Cassie, the couple must unite to figure out what is going on and how they can stop it.
The Getaway (also released as Welcome Home, although I'm not sure why) is a tightly wound movie, with clear direction by George Ratliff. The movie accomplishes what it sets out to say although, it does not go above or below that line. It is a successful film in the genre where Fatal Attraction meets 13 Cameras.
Seeing Aaron Paul depart from his Breaking Bad character Jesse Pinkman feels fresh and exciting and strong performances by all, including Emily Ratajkowski and Riccardo Scarmarcio keeps The Getaway moving quickly.
The Invisible Man (2020)
Elisabeth Moss Is Unstoppable
This weekend the first ever major studio movie; Universal Films The Invisible Man, was released direct to the consumer by way of video on demand, after movie theaters were shuttered along with everything else in the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic, became available to download at a cost of $19.99 for 3 viewings over a 48 hour period.
The steeply priced VOD may have turned some would-be viewers away as the, at-home versus in-theater value has not yet caught on fully. I decided to take the plunge and rent the film to help you decide for yourself if you'd like to also participate.
The Invisible Man stars Elisabeth Moss; head of Hulu's smash hit, The Handmaid's Tale, as Cecilia the victimized wife of optics genius Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) whom a la #metoo, valiantly decides to take her life back by leaving her abusive husband after drugging him in the middle of the night.
As Cecilia hides out of sight with her friend James (Aldis Hodge) and James' teenage daughter Sydney (Storm Reid), strange occurrences begin to happen forcing Cecilia into a state of panic. Questioned at first and then shut out by her sister and best friend, Emily (Harriet Dyer), Cecelia takes a hardcore ride into the mouth of madness.
As bizarre occurrences escalates, those who once believed in Cecelia's sanity diminishes in beautifully crafted suspense and friction by mastermind director Leigh Whannell; suspense which is reminiscent of the Great Depression noirs, with their Hitchcockian vibe and slow burn to frantic climax.
The Invisible Man will be a favorite of cross genre fans including seekers of the thriller and suspense experience but will also appeal to the horror film base. For those of you who are keen on a drama, The Invisible Man will tickle your fancy with its strong backstory brought front and center-as long as you don't mind some edge of your seat, nail biting.
So grab the folks you're quarantined with and pop the corn. You deserve a break from the worrisome pandemic. And remember-it could be worse; an invisible man could be stalking you while you're quarantined during a pandemic.
Again, the first ever major studio movie to be released direct to the consumer after movie theaters were shuttered along with everything else in the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is available to download at a cost of-a very enjoyable 2 hour reprieve from pandemic life.
El hoyo (2019)
The Platform Delivers
In an eat or be eaten world, director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia's TIFF Midnight Audience Award winner, The Platform presents a slice of life inside the pit; a hellhole where prisoners at the top of the food chain have carte blanche to all the food they desire while prisoners below them eat only the scraps the upper level prisoners throw down.
It may be the new zombie craze which came after the vampire craze; a tale of inequity amongst the classes. And while this topic has been picked over many times before, it is now prevalent enough to be considered horror. Here in Gaztelu-Urrutia's hands it is done horrifyingly well with a fresh new twist.
In the grimmest way possible, The Platform tells a literal tale of consumerism. We all know what works for the greater good yet we waste when there is excess, then pray to god when we have too little.
When Goreng (Ivan Massagué), volunteers to enter the prison system hoping to quit smoking while reading a book (each prisoner is permitted one item of their choosing), he is unprepared for what awaits him. Goreng learns the rules and ropes of his new life on the inside, in trials and tribulations with his pragmatic cell mate Trimagasi (Zorion Eguileor).
In the following months when food becomes scarce to none Goreng must learn how to protect his life while adapting to different levels of starvation. His beliefs are shattered and decisions must be made quickly if he is to survive. All that he has ever known will be tested.
The Platform's message is clear, however we never feel that we are being preached to. We receive the message and we can do what we want with it. The Platform is not for the faint of heart. It is a horror film at its core. It is bloody and violent and hellbent on making its message clear. But we still can and we will take we want from it and discard what does not fit our narrative.
And that is the point of The Platform.
Ghost Stories (2017)
A Different Kind Of Anthology
Ghost Stories, written and directed by Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson, takes us along the path of Professor Philip Goodman (Andy Nyman), an investigative writer and talk show host who specializes in debunking the paranormal, spiritual and psychic experience. As a faulty and conceited man by nature, we have little empathy for Goodman when his fixation on proving others as frauds hurts innocent people along the way.
When Goodman is notified of three unsolved incidents by the mysterious recommendation of his long time idol and peer skeptic Charles Cameron (Leonard Byrne), Goodman learns that the man who had inspired him years before as a child, now believes he made a grave error in judgement concluding some cases cannot be disproved.
While Ghost Stories is an anthology tale, it removes the typical plotline we have become accustomed to. Each of the three creepy stories is interwoven with its main character and has actual affect on his life. As Goodman searches for answers, he becomes even more deeply connected to the questions.
The three interwoven anecdotes bring traditional horror to Ghost Stories without the use of cheap tactics like gratuitous blood and jump scares-but you will jump. In the first, a nightwatchman (Paul Whitehouse) is terrorized by an entity in an abandoned asylum. The second features a skittish young man (Alex Lawther) lost in the woods as a demonic creature hunts him. The third tale features a wealthy ex-banker (Martin Freeman) whose home becomes invaded by evil spirits just as his pregnant wife battles distressing childbirth.
As Ghost Stories enters its final act we discover the connections between the characters. For those of you who hate movies that leave many questions to the viewership, Ghost Stories does a complete job at summing up the whole. This effective, slow burn suspense leads us to a twist so grand, it produces a literal gasp amongst viewers; a sure sign the director has gotten it right.
Carriers (2009)
Carriers: A Zombie Film Better Suited For Today
David Pastor and Álex Pastor's superb, 2009 zombie apocalypse film Carriers, teeters on horror but at its core is a drama that explores the collective conscience, as people navigate the worst possible scenarios. What does self righteousness mean, and how can a clear conscience matter, if you don't to survive the night?
Brian and Danny Green, (Chris Pine and Lou Taylor Pucci) along with their companions (Emily VanCamp and Piper Perabo) set out on a trek across country hoping their destination; a beach town of their childhood memories, will be a safe haven for them to set up a new life- far away from the mayhem of the inflicted world ravaged with a painful and deadly virus that is easily transmitted through breathing and other forms of contact.
The rules are set. There are only a few, but if followed they can keep you alive. As their journey unravels the travelers learn; encounters with the infected will be many and non-infected people with various needs can easily destroy them too.
The dead do not return in Carriers but the disease that attacks the human body is just as scary as the torment associated with the pain and eventual death is what we all would remember as our last experience when the lights go out.
Carriers is not the zombie film consisting of fast chases and blood splatter that we are used to from the time it was created. Sadly, it's better suited for the world today as we know we are no longer safe from a Pandemic. And bet your bottom dollar, we are going to see more zombie films like this in the coming years.
Housewife (2017)
A Stay At Home, Housewife
In a public restroom with the door guarded by friend Valerie (Alicia Kapudag), Holly (Clémentine Poidatz) squats in the sink to relieve herself. This is not the first time in Housewife we've seen Holly use a sink instead of a toilet, even when a toilet is right next to her.
As a child Holly witnesses her sister's murder at the hands of her mother; drowned in toilet water until limp. Later that same night as young Holly hides behind curtains, grasping onto a pointy umbrella, she then witnesses the stabbing of her father.
And mother shouts "Go away visitors!"
Where there is only metaphor and nothing else grounding a plot in reality, viewers easily become confused as they are not in the mind of the creator. Director Can Evrenol knows this but does not care to expand upon it. Here we find Evrenol's signature; one that was effectively in control when he brought us his freshmen vision, Baskin.
Present day Holly and husband Tim (Ali Aksöz), and their relationship to friend and ex-roommate Valerie, unfolds quickly when Valerie arrives unannounced at Holly and Tim's house on the eve of much anticipated seminar called ULM (Umbrella of Love and Mind).
After little convincing the trio sets forth to the seminar where they meet up with another couple who is also intrigued by its leader Bruce O'Hara (David Sakurai). Here we discover those in attendance desire to be part of "the family" an intimate group of O'Hara's closest devotees.
Before long as all in the crowd clap, cheer, hoot and holler their praise for their dreamy cult leader, we see Bruce turn his attention to one special guest who is apparently garnering all his energy. This energy of course is directed at Holly who appears stunned and nervous.
As Bruce speaks in riddles, Holly understands she must decide whether or not she'd be willing to revisit her painful past but is told in order to mend it she must take the entire journey or risk being lost in it forever. While Bruce's words tell Holly she has a choice, we can't help but to feel as though there is no choice at all.
If the story was ever linear to begin with, it is here in Housewife that chaos and confusion set in. Reality and nightmares align leaving Holly unprepared to distinguish between the two.
As I sat watching the first half of Housewife I thought I knew something others would not pick up on quickly. I was pulled in by Holly's background story and giddily watched the slow burn play out. The second act I thought to myself, will surely blow us all away. This is the Can Evrenol signature of storytelling I knew!
The second act began and ended still holding fire to its slow burn. Maybe the boom is in the third and final act, I thought to myself. It will be short and sweet but obviously it's going to leave me jaw-dropped.
Needless to say the frantic energy Evrenol created in Baskin, where he so beautifully changes course from a creepy slow burn to a nightmarish frenzy, easily contrived by the twisted mind of Clive Barker himself, unfortunately never materializes in Housewife. That's not to say the movie doesnt pick up and get more chaotic. It does. The payoff however doesn't offer enough bang for the slow burn we patiently wait through.
The Midnight Man (2016)
The Midnight Man
The Midnight Man stars horror legends Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street) and Lin Shaye (Insidious) in this remake of the 2013 Irish horror movie Midnight Man and presumed inspired by The Midnight Game, the 2013 film adapted from the creepypasta of the same name. Our legendary icon's portrayals are not at their best, however it's not the acting that disengages the audience, but rather writer and director Travis Zariwny's bland script. Zariwny successfully creates a few moments of tension throughout but the missed opportunities are too many.
In the well-maintained attic fully furnished with a curious male mannequin and a gun with three bullets, a sealed box containing the pieces needed to play The Midnight Game, is discovered. The cursed pagan game awaits innocent curiosity to thus bring forth a demonic spirit, The Midnight Man-an evil so smart, its strength lies in its savvy to trick players to their demise.
Follow the rules and you will be safe, don't and you will die! Only problem with the 'rules' of this game is that time and time again we observe, the Midnight Man does not like to follow rules as he "does not like to lose."
Decades before in the very mansion Alexandra (Gabrielle Haugh) now resides as caretaker to her declining grandmother Ana (Lin Shaye), The Midnight Game was played with dire consequence. Once again the box is finally opened by Alex and her friend Miles (Grayson Gabriel), who will wager everything for a few hours of trying to stay alive. Although one can't help but wonder "why on earth would anyone would want to play this 'game'?"
Suspend your disbelief as we may for even the best of horror films, but unfortunately The Midnight Man still falls short on scares. Contributed to bland CGI, the monster's lackluster appeal mixed with its obvious Halloween store allure, and The Midnight Man is a bore. The fact that the imminently endangered teens have full sentence conversations with the raspy voiced Midnight Man himself takes away from the suspense at once.
Quite possibly the most absurd aspect of the film happens when in the midst of fighting off The Midnight Man, Alex and Miles find themselves answering a knock on the door by a third friend, Kelly (Emily Haine) who we discover is well versed on the Urban Legend and therefore remains in the house to help her friends. "You can get out now," Alexandra tells Kelly. "I wouldn't desert my friends," she replies. (She probably should have heeded the warning if you catch my drift.)
The Midnight Man is a glossy, commercial looking film that will keep viewers tuned in from start to finish. As a background movie or out of desperation, the film will suffice. The biggest crime though that The Midnight Man has commited is that you will likely not remember much of it after a short time.
The Clovehitch Killer (2018)
Clever As A Clovehitch, Killer
In a refreshing take on the serial killer subgenre and in particular, a very loose interpretation of real life serial killer Dennis Lynn Rader, commonly known as the BTK Killer (Bind, Torture, Kill), director Duncan Skiles is at his best as he invites us to view a slice of Americana without exploiting the issues he depicts.
When Tyler Burnside's (Charlie Plummer) life is rattled after finding evidence leading to the discovery that his father; the outgoing, community leader Don (Dylan McDermott), may be the notorious Clovehitch killer (named after the telltale knot which he leaves at the location of each victim), he and his outcast friend Kassi (Madisen Beaty) begin a search that may unravel young Tyler's life to its core.
The plot glides over the small Kentucky town both eerily and quickly. As a drama and suspenseful mystery, The Clovehitch Killer remains consistent until its second act where the POV shifts and the movie becomes a true nightmare.
Without the use of gratuitous blood, Skiles relies on the story's built-in-suspense to create the mood. In the same mode that Summer of '84, perpetuates a feeling of terror as adolescence and innocence is lost, The Clovehitch Killer, at its core is a story about Tyler more than it is about a killer. Strong acting by Plummer, McDermott and cast carries the film more than its actual script.
In choosing to inform us rather than dwell on the facts, Skiles tactfully holds back on sharing his own opinion regarding the tight-knit, Baptist community his characters live in. The Burnside family is devout, somewhat trapped in the 50's and display a slight awkwardness toward each other, however they are also a loving and outgoing family that possesses a lighthearted side, which shines through.
If you are a person who finds it hard to suspend your disbelief, the middle and end of The Clovehitch Killer may become a little more than you bargained for, especially after its strong first act. But if you can go with the flow, you will find a clever film that is satisfying to the most hardened horror fan. I'm quite frankly surprised this film didn't get a stronger release.
Nightingale (2014)
Nightingale
It's not easy to call Nightingale horror. But then again if Nightingale isn't horror, what is? David Oyelowo stars in the 2014 film from Executive Producer Brad Pitt's entertainment company Plan B, helmed by Director Eliot Lester (Selma), as the tormented Peter Snowden, a man who is on the downside of a lifelong battle with mental illness. In this context the film solely relies on one-sided conversations on the telephone along with pitifully accurate vlog entries and their summonsed yet unsolicited comments.
The sparse production and singular location serves as a look into Snowden's lacking support system and also paints a picture of what loneliness truly looks like.
As we follow Snowden's descent into madness Lester feeds us the pieces of Snowden's life we need to begin to understand the psychosis that brings him to this moment in time. In doing so Lester reminds us that mental illness is comprised of two parts; the first being the genetic makeup of an individual which makes it more likely to being susceptible to the illness and the second being the environment a person develops in, which plays a large role in a person's growth-or lack of.
At one time relatable and almost silly David Oyelowo's character work as Peter Snowden is complex; it almost appears too simple until we realize we've been fooled. Why do we question every interaction Snowden has with his acquaintances? Is he even speaking to another person on the other line or is every conversation living only in Snowden's mind? Viewers will know the answer to that question as concretely as Snowden himself knows for certain the difference between reality and psychosis.
All the weight of Nightingale rests on its very conclusion where the very talented David Oyelowo serves a lifetime of pain and then a way out. It's a bleak film, with an even bleaker ending. Then again, how many people do you know who suffer from severe mental disability who actually have their happy ending?
The Lighthouse (2019)
The Lighthouse
Indie giants Willem DaFoe and Robert Pattinson team up in a two-man cast (plus mermaid siren) to bring us Director Robert Eggers second feature film The Lighthouse; a small movie lush with grandiose feels.
When Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) lands a month long job as lighthouse keeper to foreman Thomas Wake (Willem DaFoe) the two instantly clash as they bring out the worst in each other. But as the conditions at the lighthouse worsen the two become more reliant on each other for grounding; with dire consequence.
It is no insult to say Robert Eggers replicates his genius storytelling skills in the same fashion he did when he brought into our lives horror movie visionaire, The Witch. It's no insult as Eggers thus far knows success.
As one would imagine The Lighthouse explores the effects of isolation and grueling natural conditions on the body, mind and soul. It begs the question, if you had nothing except a small parcel of land on a rock then infinite ocean, what would be your basis for reality? Late 1800's New England serves as the backdrop for The Lighthouse. The time and location are equally important as the characters themselves.
Fans with a specificity for the horror genre payoff will not find it as black and white as was laid in The Witch; when against all odds we gazed in awe as Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) flies ecstatically into the night sky with her coven. (Balenziaga times a thousand!)
If you are seeking to feel enlightened and uncomfortable in your own skin; you will become voyeur to debauchery and madness of both the mind and the body as The Lighthouse serves you a dish you might not want to eat.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
What A Horror Movie Should Be-The Autopsy of Jane Doe
Norwegian film director André Øvredal (Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark) creates an almost-perfect, truly frightening scary movie with his careful handling of The Autopsy of Jane Doe.
Tommy and Austin (Brian Cox, Emile Hirsch), a father/son duo consisting of coroner and mortician, receive a late evening dispatch of an unidentified body from a curious crime scene. Town Sheriff Burke (Michael McElhatton) requests that the team complete an emergency autopsy so that he can report a cause of death in the morning press briefing. Teetering on twilight, The Autopsy of Jane Doe begins.
As the multi layer examination commences the physical uncovers that while the corpse of Jane Doe (Olwen Catherine Kelly) is immaculately preserved, the internal system presents with multiple fractured bones, eyes that are greyed-over, a missing molar and a missing tongue. All of these signs are indicative that the corpse should appear bruised and bludgeoned on the outside. During the exam, incidental and strange supernatural occurrences begin to happen in the embalming room.
The second phase of the examination; the internal evaluation, produces unnerving results when ritualistic items are discovered inside the digestive organs. The missing molar, a shroud with unknown symbols on it and more are recovered from inside Jane Doe's perfectly preserved body. Further questions arise when the internal organs appear burned and scarred with no indication the body had been altered on the outside. The discovery coincides with supernatural experiences becoming stronger and more dangerous in the mortuary, culminating in the first of several creepy encounters.
Øvredal's execution of the autopsy is done with utmost respect throughout the film. Even the explicitly gory scenes are carefully handled. In doing so, Øvredal dreams up an exceedingly eerie atmosphere formed in reality compared to the many low budget horror movies who otherwise would treat the detail with abandon. When the supernatural events become fully realized, the contrast is that much more defined, creating a truly scary experience.
The cast of The Autopsy of Jane Doe is stellar. Brian Cox (HBO's Succession) is at his best as is Emile Hirsch (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Into The Wild). The casting, the set design, the lighting and sound all contribute to make this one hell of a scary film, truly worthy of a watch.