2011 Horror Part Two

HUSK
Dir - Brett Simmons
Overall: WOOF

The After Dark Film series has offered up some incredibly terrible films such as Gravedancers and Frontier(s) and though not as unwatchable as either of those, Brett Simmons' Husk is easily still in the "terrible" realm.  Scarecrows are naturally creepy, comparatively not that overused in horror movies, and ergo one would think that they would be close to idiot-proof to do well.  For the first twenty or so minutes here, this is indeed the case.  The main problem though is that the film embraces nearly every cliche in the book and has protagonists that consistently, scene after scene, do the most illogical things possible.  The laws of physics are also ignored where characters have been hacked to pieces and pierced with sharp things only to be granted spontaneous stamina and "I'm not dead yet" bouts of not being dead.  Elsewhere, a car crashes, cell phones do not work, a creepy farm house is surrounded by corn, the phone there also does not work there are ghostly flashbacks, tons of boo scares exactly and always where you expect them to be, lights do not work, cars do not start, and every character is unlikable and a moron.  This basically sums up the game here and even if you like to watch horror films where you can eat popcorn and laugh at how stupid it is, this takes itself seriously enough to just make you anxiously await for it to be over instead.

THE TUNNEL
Dir - Carlo Ladesma
Overall: GOOD   

A crowdfunded, Australian feature-length debut from Filipino-born director Carlo Ledesma, The Tunnel was done on a very modest, $36,000 budget, which is nearly $100,000 less than they were originally going for.  Ladesma and his crew nevertheless make splendid use of their funds while plunging their four actors into the real-life underground tunnels of Sydney.  The film only has a few minor problems with it, namely that is is yet another found footage movie presented as a finished documentary.  So once again, we at least know that the interviewed characters are all going to end up OK while the ones not interviewed are not.  Also, the last few minutes here do not work so well, coming off as a little underwhelming.  The actual holy-shit creepy parts though are quite memorable, rather in spire of or because of the fact that they take awhile to get to and are somewhat few and far between.  It is flawed by design, but for the forgiving viewer that champions getting genuinely freaked-out above anything else, it more that suffices.

MARIANNE
Dir - Filip Tegstedt
Overall: GOOD

The personally funded film debut from Filip Tegstedt is one of those psychological dramas that merely disguises itself as a horror movie.  The concept is plenty excellent in that it contemporizing the Mare from Swedish folklore into a story of a father and husband who is crumbling at the seems.  The film spends very, very little time on the actual spooky stuff, which perhaps makes said spooky stuff that much more effective when it does emerge.  Comparisons can be made with this and Guillermo del Toro's work as both filmmakers do not seem exclusively interested in scaring us for ninety-ish minutes.  Instead, they are more concerned with slamming home an individual, relatable narrative.  Sweden is not known for producing many horror movies, (death metal yes, horror no, perhaps oddly), but it would be nice to think that films like this can show what truly can be done in the genre.  It is certainly deserving of carrying the torch in such a manner so here is hoping more traditional folklore can be delivered in films, both creepy and compellingly like it is here.