The Revenant Review

Movie Review – The Dunwich Horror (1970)

**Movie Review – The Dunwich Horror (1970)**

In the 1950s Daniel Haller met low-budget horror producer-extraordinaire Roger Corman who persuaded him to become an art director for his pictures throughout the 1960s. In 1965 he tried his hand at directing and made Die, Monster, Die! for American International Pictures, a very early adaptation of an H.P. Lovecraft story. In 1970 he returned to the genre to make another Lovecraft adaptation, The Dunwich Horror.

The Dunwich Horror is a B-movie starring Dean Stockwell as the occultist Wilbur Whateley, who steals the Necronomicon from Dr. Henry Armitage, played by Ed Begley in his last film role – he died of a heart attack three months after the movie was released. Whateley deceives and draws under his influence Nancy Wagner – played by Sandra Dee in a role that sheds her squeaky clean teen image – who he plans to use as a vessel to summon the Old Ones.

The film reflects the fascination with the occult that was being experienced at the time. The 1960s were a time of turbulence and upheaval, and the combination of a society that felt like it was perhaps seeing the end of their civilization with hippie counterculture, whose “Dawning of the Age of Aquarius” suggested pre-Christian models for living, meant a mixture of occult and witchcraft in popular media. No movie embodied this more than the classic Rosemary’s Baby, released in 1968, and the seduction and dreamlike rituals to which Nancy succumbs are very much reminiscent of that film’s rape scene.

The Dunwich Horror is a low-budget affair that can move at a snail’s pace, though it gets creative with its limitations through point-of-view attacks by the supernatural creature in the woods, relying on sounds and colors to signify the assaults. The camera moving through the woods is a technique Sam Raimi would adopt in The Evil Dead (1981). Nevertheless, the movie has not aged nearly as well as some of its contemporaries, such as the previously mentioned Rosemary’s Baby. The ending is especially awkward and the actors appear confused as to the actions which they are meaning to convey.

Haller would turn to television the following year, having a fairly successful run up through the 1980s. The Dunwich Horror is interesting as a curio of its era, but there is not a lot that will whet the appetites for modern horror fans.

Grade: D

January 5, 2016 0

Movie Review – Antichrist (2009)

**Movie Review – Antichrist (2009)**

When Lars von Trier’s Antichrist (2009) was shown at Cannes in 2010 it divided opinions immediately. While many praised the film’s artistic merits, its explicit violence and sex caused some to walk out of the viewing and the ecumenical jury, composed of Christian filmmakers, to grant it an “anti-award” for its perceived misogyny. Von Trier’s rather arrogant and abrasive personality, naturally, did not help matters.

Antichrist is an experimental horror film, heavily reliant on symbolism and disturbing images, that seeks to generate strong reactions from its audience. Basically a two-person play (starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe), it begins with a couple having sex while their toddler son climbs out their apartment window and falls to his death. It is shown in gut-wrenching slow motion while one of Handel’s arias plays dreamily over the scene. We are then shown the grief of the parents as they try to cope with their loss. The wife is especially distraught, and the therapist husband decides the best way to treat her is to bring them to their woodland cabin where she had spent the previous summer alone with their son while writing her thesis.

For Antichrist, the forest is not a place one goes to to feel at one with nature. Thoreau be damned. One must defend against it as nature is cruel and self-consuming. The death of their child is reflected in their surroundings, from a hatchling falling from its nest to acorns raining down upon their roof. As the story slowly progresses we add witchcraft lore and learn that deeper troubles are brewing beneath the wife’s already cracked surface.

Truly, the film is an adult one, and not only in the sense that the sex is graphic. The themes dig into the fears of adults and particularly of parents – we have not only the fear of losing a child but also of failing as a parent, that we will not act as nature should demand when our child needs us most. We also have the fears of lovers, that when we are naked before another, exposed and vulnerable, we trust that that confidence will not be betrayed. All these and more Von Trier exploits with an impressive artistic hand.

But is it, as the ecumenical jury proclaimed, misogynist? No. The film deals heavily in misogynist themes, but just as a film can deal with racism without being racist, Antichrist explores the history and reality of misogyny without itself being misogynist. However, it is not for the faint of heart and certainly not a movie meant for date night. Though we see a lot of sex, it is never sexy. This is the type of movie that leaves you feeling weighed upon after viewing, even if it does give you a lot to think about, and perhaps even more that you wish you could unsee. Nevertheless, it is a unique experience that the brave among us should experience at least once.

Grade: B-

December 22, 2015 0

Movie Review – Big Ass Spider! (2013)

**Movie Review – Big Ass Spider! (2013)**

2013’s Big Ass Spider!, a comedy sci-fi with horror-gore elements, is a campy B-movie creature feature that’s a cut above the usual offerings like The Asylum’s Sharknado, which was released the same year. Director Mike Mendez adds a cinematic weight that those other films can’t match, making the movie ultimately better than its simple plotting requires.

The story follows Alex, an exterminator played by Greg Grunberg who teams up with a security guard named Jose, played by Lombardo Boyar, to stop an alien-spider hybrid which is growing exponentially, killing people and wreaking havoc across Los Angeles. There is great comedic chemistry between Grunberg and Boyar and their banter is often hilarious, particularly with regard to Boyar who steals most of the scenes he’s in. At times the character of Jose threatens to devolve into an overly simple stereotype but thankfully his proactive good nature saves him from coming too close to a racist caricature.

The CGI in the film is serviceable, though sometimes shoddy, which is to be expected from movie of this type that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and generally serves to add to the fun campiness. Nevertheless, the animators are able to infuse a bit of much appreciated personality into the spider and give it an intimidating creature design. The practical effects are also notable, particularly an amazing face-melt that is a terrific update on what we saw in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).

Big Ass Spider! pays homage to the rampaging creature features which came before, including the one that started it all, King Kong (1933). Likewise, the movie is self-aware of its B-movie roots, featuring a cameo by the king of Z-movies himself, Lloyd Kaufman of Troma Entertainment, as a park jogger.

Despite these strengths, the movie still suffers from many of the usual shortcomings of B-movies like it. There isn’t a lot of character development and the plotting is thin and obvious, hitting the usual marks we’ve come to expect from movies like this. Big Ass Spider! doesn’t do much new, but it does tend to do it better than many others. Given the title, viewers will know if this is the film for them.

Grade: C+

December 20, 2015 0

Movie Review – The Host (2006)

**Movie Review – The Host (2006)**

I first saw 2006’s The Host (known in South Korea as Gwoemul, meaning “Monster”) shortly after its release. The reputation which preceded it was impressive: it won numerous awards, critical acclaim, and became up to that time the highest grossing South Korean film ever. With such a pedigree, one cannot go into the film without high expectations. Unfortunately, the copy I watched at the time was dubbed, which can make the experience of watching a foreign film almost unbearable for me (unless it is an old martial arts movie – in that case, it’s part of the charm). It distracts me from the plot and diminishes the acting on screen. In fact, I haven’t watched a dubbed film since. I found the movie enjoyable, though nothing special, yet I vowed to revisit the film at some point with subtitles to see if my impression would change.

Directed by Bong Joon-ho (who would also do 2013’s well-received Snowpiercer), the story begins with a large creature emerging from the Han River, rampaging and destroying and taking a middle-school-aged girl whose flawed, dysfunctional family attempts to save her. Meanwhile, the authorities believe the creature is host to a viral outbreak and begin quarantining areas. Bong Joon-ho’s script hits many emotions effectively, making the audience laugh in one instant before hitting them with a scare or tragic character moment in the next. Watching it the second time these years later I quickly realized I didn’t remember how the latter half of the film went or how it ended, so many of those tragic moments were still able to strike me undiluted. I certainly was able to better appreciate the performances, especially by Go Ah-sung as Park Hyun-seo, the young girl. The scenes with her and the creature in the sewer are absolutely stellar.

In 1954 Japanese filmmaker Ishirō Honda introduced Godzilla to the world. The big lizard’s first appearance is unlike his later incarnations where he’s seen as some kind of hero. Instead, he was meant to symbolize the destruction of Japan by nuclear weapons which the country had experienced first-hand less than a decade prior. He embodied the fears and resentments of the Japanese stemming from the detonations over Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the firebombing of Tokyo by the United States. Similarly, The Host is a metaphor for American intervention and the South Korean government’s habit of continually acquiescing to U.S. will. In the beginning we see an incident based upon a real account which occurred in the year 2000, and we are given it to be a possible origin for the Han River creature. We see a U.S. army coroner telling his South Korean assistant to dump dozens of bottles of formaldehyde down the drain because the bottles are dusty. The coroner is more concerned about his little personal space than about the effects his actions will have on the environment and the populace, and the assistant is willing to comply even though he knows the chemicals will end up in the river system. Similarly, controversy continually arises in South Korea regarding U.S. bases and their effects on the local populations. In the next scene we see a man commit suicide, leaping from a bridge into the Han River, and he becomes the creature’s first human meal (that we know of). South Korea had seen many such suicides in the early part of the new millennium as the nation was racked by financial troubles, and it’s perhaps symbolic that the first victim is a South Korean man literally throwing his life away. Put these two scenes together and the creature is, in essence, the result of American pollution and arrogance and the failure of South Korea’s willingness to stop it.

The second half of the film becomes more of an outbreak narrative, where we see news reports of the United States (accompanied by footage from the Iraq War) and the W.H.O. blaming the South Korean government for their ineptitude and proclaiming their need to take direct intervention action. They devise a plan to release a chemical called Agent Yellow (an obvious nod to Agent Orange with a satirical flair) which will effectively poison the area, again taking little regard for the local populace. It makes one wonder if the true “host” is actually South Korea housing an American infection.

The film is not entirely anti-American. It shows the bravery of the U.S. military and seems to give an appreciative acknowledge to its proactive approach toward danger. Nevertheless, it appears to be a film about South Korea’s need to wake up and assert itself more effectively. There are those we love and respect who nevertheless need to be put in their place at times. Yet these geopolitical themes aside, The Host is a fun monster movie that both embraces and defies the big creature-feature narratives of the 1950s. It’s smart, suspenseful, and not afraid to be ponderously sad.

Grade: B

December 16, 2015 0

Movie Review – Witching & Bitching (2013)

**Movie Review – Witching & Bitching (2013)**

2013’s Witching & Bitching, known in Spain as Las brujas de Zugarramurdi, is a horror-comedy co-written and directed by Álex de la Iglesia. José and Tony are two dimwitted, misogynistic men who rob a pawn shop at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol with José’s young son in tow. In their escape they kidnap a taxi driver and the three men bond over their grievances with women, who they claim have emasculated them and broken them down little by little. Unluckily for them, they become the target of a coven of man-hating witches who want José’s son for a sacrifice.

The film is light-hearted and energetically shot, never taking itself too seriously, and succeeds in creating a distinct visual style. Some scenes are genuinely funny and the gross-out humor is used effectively. The characters are colorful if not fully fleshed out, the result of a fairly thin plot that is stretched to its limits. Really, not a great deal happens in this film, and the middle of the movie is mostly the guys running from wall-climbing witches throughout the corridors of a huge Gothic mansion. There is also a love subplot that is terribly forced and entirely unbelievable.

The misogyny of the men is cartoonish and meant to be satire; however, the film never does the job of convincing the viewer that it does not ultimately hold their view. All but one of the females in the film, and there are many, are manipulative, misandrist, evil creatures with no redeeming values. The men may be buffoonish, but they are the clear victims in this battle of the sexes. The only woman to be by the end considered a heroine is still depicted as emotionally unstable and needlessly violent. It’s a message that can’t be shaken after watching the film, and it can’t help but taint one’s perspective of the movie as a whole. The English title doesn’t help matters.

Despite this problem, Witching & Bitching is enough of an entertaining ride that most viewers will likely enjoy it regardless. After all, it won the most awards at the 28th Goya Awards, which honored the best Spanish films of 2013. Admittedly, there are things to admire the audacity of, such as a giant Venus of Willendorf walking around like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. That’s something you don’t unsee.

Grade: C

December 16, 2015 0

Movie Review – Antiviral (2012)

**Movie Review – Antiviral (2012)**

For genre fans, the name Cronenberg is synonymous with body horror, tales where the body betrays the host through disease, deformity or ethical reasoning. David Cronenberg perfected the style, especially in films like 1986’s remake of The Fly. So it was with great anticipation that I watched his son’s debut film, 2012’s Antiviral. Brandon Cronenberg shows us a near future in which celebrity worship has gone to extremes, where obsessed fans pay huge money to be infected with their favorite stars’ diseases. As the movie progresses, like a true pox, the obsession grows deeper and more distasteful.

Cronenberg fills his beautiful shots with white sterile spaces, making the blood stand out when it is introduced. We see many shots of needles piercing arms and the main character, played effectively by Caleb Landry Jones, growing weaker as his body is overtaken by infection. We’re never truly sure how much he buys into the celebrity obsession until the final scene. The script is smart and the younger Cronenberg has shown that he is a worthy successor, and not simply a duplicate, of his father. The direction shows a confidence and clear vision that is the work of a promising filmmaker. Where Antiviral is lacking is largely in character development. We never learn much about the characters, and they generally serve as tools to move the plot along rather than to take on lives of their own.

Regardless, the movie is thought provoking and serves as a disturbing metaphor for the lengths to which people will go to fill their lives with meaning. They live vicariously through the famous, no longer searching for meaning in their own lives, no longer looking within for answers and direction. At one point an accomplished doctor says he’s always regarded belief in God as infantile, but expounds the meaning he’s found in grafting celebrity skin onto himself, effectively replacing one deity with another, the former which is invisible and esoteric, the latter which he can physically see and caress. It’s not enough for people to admire celebrities: they must own them, consume them, and dominate them. It’s celebrity worship heightened to zealotry and frightening fetishism. It’s a sickening vision, and one that someone is not likely to forget the next time they pass the tabloids in the supermarket or their channel surfing pauses on E! Entertainment.

Grade: B-

December 12, 2015 0

Movie Review – Zombie Lake (1981)

**Movie Review – Zombie Lake (1981)**

French director Jean Rollin had made a name for himself in the 1970s as a maker of low budget fantastique movies such as The Rape of the Vampire (1968), and The Nude Vampire (1969), and for directing sexual exploitation films and pornos under various pseudonyms. When production company Eurociné’s scheduled director for Zombie Lake (1981) walked off, they called upon Rollin on short notice to try to salvage the project. This, perhaps, only partly explains why the movie turned out so poorly. Behold, amateur hour.

Known in France as Le lac des morts vivants, Zombie Lake is almost unwatchable if not for the bevy of beautiful nude women who were somehow persuaded to appear in the film. The story involves a small French village which during WWII had ambushed and killed a group of Nazis and tossed their bodies into a local “lake” (which is actually a muddy pond). They place a sign that warns against disturbing the water, but a buxom skinny dipper disregards this ill omen and is dragged down by zombie Nazis (which are actually men in atrocious green makeup). These reanimated fascists then repeatedly go into town, by some amazing coincidences find nude or scantily clad females, and inexplicably overpower everyone they meet with their slow, lumbering movements. There’s another subplot involving a Nazi’s daughter, but who really cares at this point?

The laziness of the movie can make one’s eyes glaze over. We find out that the story is supposed to take place in the 1950s despite there being no effort to make it look like anything other than 1980, when filming occurred. The acting is, well, not to be found here. The action appears done in single awkward takes and the sound quality, too, is terrible. Even Rollin was embarrassed by the film, and for years afterward refused to acknowledge he had had any hand in it. For a more competent Rollin film, which mixes sexuality and horror more effectively, see 1979’s Fascination.

Is there anything worth seeing in this film? That answer is simple: nude women, full frontal. I’m at a stage in life where that doesn’t do much to keep my interest. However, the younger, budding pubescent me would have loved to have gotten his hands on a VHS copy of this movie. Unfortunately, I’m a few decades too late, but for that insatiable horndog, I’ll give the film a…

Grade: D-

December 10, 2015 1

Movie Review – Starry Eyes (2014)

Starry Eyes (2014), written and directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer, was partially funded by Kickstarter and made a big splash at film festivals in 2014. The film follows Sarah, played by a very talented Alex Essoe, whose desperation to become a Hollywood starlet leads her to the influence of movie studio Satanists and a dark, especially gory transformation. We meet her as she teeters on the edge, having fits of self-loathing anger and yanking her hair out, and follow her down as she falls ever deeper.

Starry Eyes is well-cast and displays some impressive cinematography, and has an electronic score that is reminiscent of John Carpenter. There is a lot to admire about the film, particularly its striking visuals and its use of metaphor. Sarah’s transformation is itself a metaphor for the ugliness of Hollywood made flesh. As her occultist producer tells her, “Ambition: the blackest of human desires. Everyone has it, but how many act on it?” He goes on to say, “This industry is a plague, Sarah. A plague of unoriginality, hollow be thy name. Yes, it’s a plague all right… You cut through the fog of this town and you get desperation, plastic parishioners worshiping their deity of debauchery. But that’s what I find interesting, Sarah. That’s what I want to capture in this film – the ugliness of the human spirit… This world is about the doers, the people who don’t just talk about what they’re going to do, they just do it! And that’s you.” This speech is key to understanding the changes in Sarah that come after, especially in how she views the mostly supportive friends which surround her. She is told that if she wants to succeed she must kill her old life and be reborn, not realizing yet just how literal this recipe is. The film takes a graphic, brutal turn in the final act, which employs some very impressive practical effects.

The film as a whole is strong, though some aspects could have been better represented to strengthen it further. The influence of 1960s and 70s Satanist films, seen clearly in the design of the opening title as well as in various plot points, is underutilized. Sarah’s physical transformation, while compelling to watch, stalls the storyline instead of invigorating it. Also, we never really sympathize with her, our central character. We also don’t get to know the friends that surround her and how far back their connection with her goes, so when the story takes a dark turn towards them we’re left to simply marvel at the gore instead of feel emotionally affected. Also, we never see the filmmaking process even though it’s widely referenced – or do we? It’s difficult to discern if Sarah is preparing for a role or already starring in it, or both. Admittedly, this last point may not entirely be a weakness.

Starry Eyes has many strengths and its perceived weaknesses are likely to be more subjective to the individual viewer. It is certainly good filmmaking which comments effectively on the underbelly of its own industry, and it should undoubtedly be praised for that.

Grade: B-

December 9, 2015 0

Movie Review – Madhouse (1974)

**Movie Review – Madhouse (1974)**

Madhouse (1974) is a collaboration between American International Pictures, whose horror films were often recognized by their vibrant colors and odd lenses and angles, and Britain’s Amicus Productions, which specialized in contemporary horror (leaving Hammer to pursue the period Gothic). Directed by Jim Clark, the film features two of horror’s giants, Vincent Price as Paul Toombes and Peter Cushing as Hebert Flay. In addition, Robert Quarry stars as Oliver Quayle, who played the titular Count Yorga, Vampire (1970), and is at one point seen at a costume party looking very much like the count (Peter Cushing is also seen in a vampire costume as an ironic nod to his portrayal as Van Helsing in Hammer’s 1958 Horror of Dracula). Quarry was originally set to succeed Price as AIP’s main horror star, but the declining favor of period Gothic films meant that this never came to fruition. Adrienne Corri nearly steals the show as the damaged and creepy Faye, who resides in Herbert’s basement with her spiders, which she calls her “babies.”

The plot of Madhouse is intriguing in its conception, but largely frustrating in its execution. We meet horror icon Paul Toombes at a party where he announces his engagement to the much younger Helen, who he then finds out from Quayle had previously done adult films. He reacts expectedly poorly to this news and Helen retreats to her room where she meets a masked killer. Toombes goes up to her room to apologize, only to have her head fall off and to have Price give a priceless reactionary scream. Placed into a mental asylum, Toombes is released and asked by his friend Herbert Flay to revive his popular role as Doctor Death for a new film. Of course, more bodies start piling up and Toombes goes between fits of declaring his innocence to suspecting that perhaps he is the one to blame.

The first half of the film is actually quite strong. The plot is clear and the kills are stylistic. However, by the second half the narrative becomes jumbled and unbelievable. There were inklings of a great premise, promising psychological complexity, which ultimately becomes too bogged down in literalism. The film’s unimaginative commitment to have everything on screen taken at face value ultimately stilts the experience and strains the audience’s ability to suspend disbelief. More examination of alternate perspectives and of our faulty notions of reality would have quickly compelled this movie into another league. Heavily influenced by Italian giallo films, the literalism creates far too many plot holes, not the least of which is that the person who is revealed to be the killer is very clearly in a different place when one of the killings is being committed. With a more psychologically nuanced script, what comes off as campy and uncontrolled would quickly become creepy and compelling.

All this is not to say that Madhouse is not an entertaining film. Seeing Vincent Price and Peter Cushing sharing the screen is reason enough to watch and derive enjoyment from it. This would be the last AIP film for Price, and the movie is in many ways a goodbye love-letter to Price celebrating his horror career with them. We see clips of Price’s earlier AIP movies throughout the film, played as clips of Toombes’s Doctor Death films (this also accounts for the odd opening credits which read: “With special participation by Boris Karloff [and] Basil Rathbone,” both of whom were dead by this time but who appear in the film clips). Also, the song heard over the end credits is sung by Price.

Fans of Price and Cushing will have plenty to keep themselves entertained throughout Madhouse, even if it is not an especially good film, despite its potential to be so.

Grade: C

December 7, 2015 0

Movie Review – It Follows (2014)

**Movie Review – It Follows (2014)**

David Robert Mitchell’s second film, It Follows, inspired by a recurring nightmare which the filmmaker experienced, made a big splash with both fans and critics when it was released in early 2015. Filmed in the Detroit area, the movie follows Jay (Maika Monroe), a teenage girl experiencing sexual awakening who contracts a supernatural sexually transmitted disease. The boy who gives it to her, Hugh (Jake Weary), informs her that the entity will follow her wherever she goes, always walking slowly toward her, and if it reaches her will kill her. It can appear as a stranger or someone she knows. All she can do to save herself is pass it on to another. On the bare surface, the film appears like a teen’s cautionary tale about sex, and the complete lack of prophylactics would support that reading, but like a real STD there appears to be more going on beneath the surface.

Horror films, especially slashers, are often described as inherently moralistic cautionary tales. Teens are butchered for sexual and chemically-induced transgressions, and the slasher is God’s wrathful hand. However, I feel this misunderstands the purpose of horror and misinterprets its methods. Horror doesn’t seek to instill new fears into viewers, but rather to examine and exploit those already present, if sometimes unrecognized. It doesn’t say “don’t do this or this will happen,” but rather “here’s where your fears and insecurities lie, now get ready to confront them.”

Jay and her friends are in a transition period, confronting the realities of sex and entering adulthood. Jay believes the act of coitus will be freeing, but instead she finds it is a rather banal part of the human experience. Sex is neither celebrated nor condemned in the film – it simply is. It becomes another element of their mundane existence, just as taxes will one day be. Nevertheless, its introduction into their lives marks a loss of innocence, and the film’s mood emits a somber gloom regarding this. Hints of it abound: the first victim is seen apologizing to her father on the phone for being so difficult; when Jay asks Hugh who he would like to trade places with he chooses a young boy, happy and without adult worries; when Jay runs from her home the first time by riding a bicycle, she seeks the refuge of a nearby playground – a symbol of a more innocent time. The pool we see Jay floating contentedly in at the beginning, also symbolic of her childhood, is dried up after she may or may not have seduced three boaters to pass on the disease. Even though the characters are sexually active, the plan they hatch to kill “it” is the sort a child might come up with after taking too many notes from Scooby Doo, Where Are You?

Sexual anxieties are also explored in various forms. Jay and her friend Paul (Keir Gilchrist) reminisce about finding porn magazines as kids and not understanding them. Later, Paul finds porn magazines in the abandoned house and thumbs through them, understanding them all too well, surrounded by discarded tissues. Will they too be used and discarded sexually by another? When we see what “it” does, in an especially Freudian manner, those fears are confirmed.

Loss of innocence is also explored in terms of class. As Yara (Olivia Luccardi), another friend, states, “When I was a little girl my parents would not allow me to go south of 8th mile. And I did not even know what that meant until I got a little older. And I started realizing that. That was where the city started and the suburbs ended. And I used to think about how shitty and weird was that. I mean I had to ask permission to go to the state fair with my best friend and her parents only because it was a few blocks past the border.” They live in a middle class neighborhood in the suburbs and, to escape, go either to the dilapidated neighborhoods of Detroit, whose abandoned decrepitude serves as a reminder of their own privilege and probable fate, or to the comfort of nature which, be it a cabin or the lakeshore, is a place associated with childhood memories. However, their escape to these settings, especially to nature, is partly out of practicality. Despite their relative economic privilege these are latchkey kids whose parents care only when they take the rare opportunity to notice. They have no adult guidance to assist them through their transition. Jay’s mother is mentioned but scarcely seen and is not viewed as a figure upon which to depend. When we see Jay drive off to the lakeshore and sleep on the car hood we are reminded that she is without income – there are no hotels to stay in, no plane tickets to buy – and she must eventually return to the comforts of the suburb.

Aside from being rich in subtext and symbolism, It Follows is also beautifully shot with an effective electronic score reminiscent of the synth scores from the early 80s or of John Carpenter’s early work, and which will likely be running through the viewer’s head long after the movie has ended. The era is purposefully indiscernible, mixing visual cues from the last few decades in a manner that keeps the viewer off kilter while allowing audiences who were born in different decades to relate in some way to the world which Mitchell has created. Yara reads off a technologically modern clam-shell e-reader, but we see the teens passing time watching old movies on an old television set or playing cards – the kinds of activities typically seen engaged by teens in movies of the late 70s or early 80s.

Another strong element which Mitchell uses is the camera’s gaze, which is decidedly male, lingering on the girls to emphasize their blooming sexual nature and, at times, unconscious desirability. As Hugh says of Jay, “It should be easier for her, she is a girl. Any guy would be with you.” Here he is openly acknowledging Jay’s physical desirability to those around her. Also, at one point the camera lingers on Yara’s legs, a character who throughout the film appears to have not viewed herself as particularly attractive. Ready or not, these girls are sexual objects.

The movie succeeds on many artistic levels, giving the viewer a lot to ruminate upon long after the movie has finished, and it is effectively creepy. It’s certainly one of the smartest films to come out of the genre recently. Personally, I appreciated the ambiguous ending, which may frustrate those viewers looking for concrete closure. Whether or not It Follows has the strength to maintain its longevity only time will tell.

Grade: A-

December 2, 2015 2

Movie Review – The Canal (2014)

**Movie Review – The Canal (2014)**

Ivan Kavanagh’s The Canal (2014) is an Irish production about a film archivist named David, played by Rupert Evans, who finds 1902 crime scene footage which took place in his current residence. Shortly afterwards his wife, who he discovers is having an affair, goes missing. He becomes convinced of a supernatural connection to the 1902 murder and his wife’s disappearance and tries to save his son from the malevolent entity he sees stalking them. Of course, as has become cliché with these types of films, we are meant to wonder if the haunting is real or a manifestation of his disturbed psyche.

The Canal has some striking imagery, especially in the final fifteen minutes, and there are obvious influences from The Ring (2002) and many other films which the seasoned viewer will recognize. Unfortunately, much of the film lags on its way to get to the ending and when it finally does, it’s difficult to care. The middle act stretches thin, feeling more like disjointed vignettes than a cohesive narrative. Granted, this is perhaps the filmmaker’s attempt to place us in the main character’s confused and paranoid state, but it quickly becomes apparent that the plot isn’t progressing. The script structures itself as a mystery, but even a casual horror viewer will see the results coming long before they are finally revealed.

There are also some excellent elements introduced into the plot which the movie does not delve deeply enough into, such as the 1902 film or the use of the antique turn-crank camera. (Additionally, as someone who has watched a great deal of silent films, the crispness and clarity of the unrestored turn-of-the-century film was utterly unrealistic, but that is perhaps a personal nitpick.) In a beginning scene David is showing an old film to high school students and refers to the screen actors as ghosts because they’re all dead. This could have served as an intriguing plot device or an analogy but ultimately it all seems to go nowhere. It is left dangling like many other threads whose potentials go unsewn.

With a tighter or more unique script The Canal could have been something notable, but its impressive finale at least allows it to pass with a recommendation, albeit an unenthusiastic one.

Grade: C

November 25, 2015 0

Movie Review – Bedevilled (2010)

**Movie Review – Bedevilled (2010)**

2010’s Bedevilled, the feature directorial debut of Jang Cheol-soo, is a South Korean horror film which won numerous awards upon its release. It stars Seo Young-hee in a terrific performance as Kim Bok-nam, a woman living in a small community on an under-developed island who is treated as little more than a slave by those around her. Her husband beats her, his brother rapes her, and the old women of the island glorify these men and heap mental hardship upon her, bullying her into submission and exhausting her with the most physically demanding chores. They’ve all conformed to a cruel pack-mentality which I wish I could say is unrealistic.

There are two strings of hope upon which Bok-nam tentatively grasps, the first being the 15-year-old promise of a childhood friend, Hae-won (Ji Sung-won), to bring her to Seoul but who has been ignoring her letters for years and who has now returned for a short stay. The second is the well-being of her young daughter who she begins to suspect is being sexually abused by her husband. When she resolves to escape with her daughter things go from difficult to unbearable, and Bok-nam’s sanity is pushed to the limits, at the end of which is a blood-soaked sickle.

It’s difficult to watch Bok-nam’s abuse, which never seems to be in a hurry to be done with, and the movie moves at a glacial pace. This is all as it should be, given the gravity of the torment. Nevertheless, Cheol-soo’s direction, the cinematography, and especially Young-hee’s performance make for an eminently watchable experience. The sexual abuse, while shown, never devolves into exploitation. The script is more than a straightforward I Spit on Your Grave (1978) woman-scorned-style rehash, but is interwoven with its own symbolism and some deep psychological character study. It’s not just male misogyny that is to blame, but female indifference or acceptance of it as well. In particular, Bok-nam’s relationship and history with Hae-won is slowly revealed, and we come to understand both women in unsettling ways to the extent that, when Bok-nam turns to stalking Hae-won, we aren’t sure who we should be rooting for. For their part, they seem unsure as well.

Bedevilled, which is also known by the English translation of its Korean title, The Whole Story of the Kim Bok-nam Murder Case, is raw in its violence, but also in its emotion – a rare combination, unfortunately – and it is one of the best of its kind in the “Day of the Woman” revenge subgenre.

Grade: B+

November 20, 2015 0

DADDY DREADFUL – Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman (2000)

This review is part of the Daddy Dreadful review series.

**Daddy Dreadful Review – Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman (2000)**

As I wrote in my review for Alvin and Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein (1999), the Chipmunks were a staple of my 80s childhood and the two comedy-horror direct-to-video films put out by Universal in 1999 and 2000 are the last appearances of that incarnation of “the boys”. In their first film I mostly enjoyed their antics with Frankenstein but found the experience generally uneven and unfocused. Nevertheless, I was interested to see what they would come up with in their meeting with the Wolfman.

After the film was over I still had a smile playing on my face. Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman (2000) has a lot for horror fans to enjoy. The script is funny and smart – it had me laughing aloud several times – and it shows knowledge of and respect for the genre. Those who know the classic Universal monsters will pick up on the names, references, and visuals used throughout the movie. Additionally, like the werewolf and Jekyll/Hyde movies that came before, the dual nature of man is the theme, reflected in the timid Theodore discovering through lycanthropy that he has other sides to himself. Whereas the previous movie derived its humor from Hollywood clichés and jokes about celebrity, this time the writers looked directly to the horror genre for inspiration and managed to mine some gold. The music, also, is of the top-quality Chipmunk variety.

My son enjoyed the film, especially the songs, but the feature-length run-time left his attention straying towards the second half. Of course, the more nuanced elements went right over his head. However, my interest never wavered. Whereas Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein felt disjointed and unpolished, Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman truly feels like a squeaky-voiced love letter to the genre’s early film history. Perhaps due to this, the horror elements may be strong for more sensitive young children, but they’ll certainly keep their parents’ attention.

Recommended Age: 5+
Final Thoughts: Strong recommendation, especially for Universal monster fans. Kids passed the toddler stage will likely have the attention span to follow the plot without difficulty.

November 18, 2015 1

DADDY DREADFUL – Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein (1999)

This review is part of the Daddy Dreadful review series.

**Daddy Dreadful Review – Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein (1999)**

As a very young kid I cherished two albums in my slim vinyl collection above all others: The Best of The Monkees and 1982’s Chipmunk Rock, which just so happened to have the first mention of the Chipettes. Beginning in the mid-1980s Alvin and the Chipmunks became a regular part of my Saturday-morning cartoon line-up. Naturally, as I got older I stopped following the squeaky-voiced trio but managed to somehow see the 2007 live-action movie on television and wasn’t at all impressed. I was unaware until recently of the two horror-comedy direct-to-video movies that were put out by Universal in 1999 and 2000, and which effectively showcased the last appearances of the 1980s version of the Chipmunks that I grew up with – characters with a surprising amount of depth which was unfortunately lost in their later re-imagining.

Universal’s first release was Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein (1999) which sees the trio performing at an amusement park which is an obvious stand-in for Universal Studios. The park unwittingly hires the real Dr. Frankenstein and his creation at first runs amok but eventually befriends the Chipmunks. The angry mad scientist tries to get revenge on the boys and antics ensue.

My son cracked up at the slap-stick humor but from an adult perspective the overall film is disjointed – it feels like three different movies were crammed into one, especially when Alvin is transformed into a Looney Tunes-style cartoon and Frankenstein’s creature is all but forgotten for a large portion of the film. The story has a tendency to lose focus and go on long tangents and some of the humor feels like Hollywood in-jokes that don’t translate terribly well to a general audience. It has its moments and the songs are decent, but parents will likely find their attention tried even as their kids are having a blast watching the movie. In my opinion, the following year’s Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman (2000) is the superior film.

Recommended Age: 3+
Final Thoughts: Innocent fun and catchy Chipmunk music. Recommended for the kids.

November 18, 2015 1

Movie Review – The Black Sleep (1956)

**Movie Review – The Black Sleep (1956)**

1956’s The Black Sleep feels more like a 1940s Gothic monster mash than most of its contemporary films. Directed by Reginald Le Borg, who was known for his low-budget horrors from the 1940s, the film features an all-star cast of genre greats.

Basil Rathbone plays Sir Joel Cadman who puts victims into a death-like coma and operates on their brains. Rathbone is best remembered for his turns as Sherlock Holmes throughout the 1940s but found fame in various genres. Lon Chaney, Jr. (1941’s The Wolf Man) and Bela Lugosi (1931’s Dracula) once again reunite. They had been featured in movies together many times and this, unfortunately, would be Lugosi’s last feature film role – one in which he does not even have a speaking part. Lugosi’s career sputtered through the 1940s and 50s, being relegated to bit parts in poverty-row horror movies, and he would die the year of this movie’s release, being buried in his Dracula cape.

John Carradine, who took over Lugosi’s role of the Count in House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945), has a small part. The bald, hulking Swedish wrestler and micro-budget horror actor extraordinaire Tor Johnson also stars, looking much like he would in Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) and 1961’s The Beast of Yucca Flats, which even for schlock fans can be a test of endurance.

The Black Sleep takes its time and can occasionally lull, though Rathbone’s magnetic presence draws the audience in and makes even the most dialogue-heavy scenes engaging. The viewer feels his absence from the screen like an uncomfortable draft, save for Akim Tamaroff’s scene as Udu the Gypsy where he seduces a vain woman to her own demise. The finale, however, is entertaining, as it can only be when a woman is running through the halls with her back aflame.

Grade: C

November 18, 2015 0