2021 Horror Part Ten

BENEDETTA

Dir - Paul Verhoeven

Overall: GOOD

 

As a modern day nunsploitation epic, Paul Verhoeven's Benedetta has a throwback charm to the Euro-horror heyday when trashy spectacles of such an ilk were dished out by various studios well into the video nasty era.  This is not to say that Verhoeven's work here is strictly in adherence with the campier aspects of The Devils, Satánico pandemonium, Killer Nun, or inquisition sleaze like Mark of the Devil, but there is certainly a boundary pushing element already inherent in the real life account of the title character; an Italian nun who was excommunicated after being convicted of engaging in fornication with one of the Sisters in her convent.  The fact that Benedetta Carlini also claimed various mystical visions and manifestations, (including stigmata, speaking in tongues, resurrection, and being the betrothed wife of Jesus himself), gives this film plenty of blasphemous material to work with and the script from Verhoeven and David Birke even throws in a wooden dildo carved out of the Sister Mary which is gleefully used by the title character and her farm girl lover.  Such elements are assuredly ridiculous on paper, but there is a profound sincerity to the actual production which ultimately showcases religious fervor, mental illness, ambition, and sexual fulfillment with a clear nod and a wink to its lack of supernatural authenticity.  Again, considering that the historical source material is bombastic enough, (and ripe for a cinematic interpretation), the director behind RoboCop, Total Recall, and Showgirls proves ideally suited to bring it to violent, decadent life.

 

THE MEDIUM

Dir - Banjong Pisanthanakun

Overall: MEH

Another in a now tradition of problematic horror mockumentaries, Banjong Pisanthanakun's The Medium, (Rang Song), blows its intriguing set up on a bombardment of found footage cliches in the finale, throwing serious doubt as to whether or not such a format was the correct one in taking with such material.  The script by Chantavit Dhanasevi and Na Hong-jin seems richly detailed in its exploration of ancient Isan religious practices and whether or not the specifics are wholly the creation of the screenwriters or actually authentic, they create a compelling backdrop.  Pisanthanakun's instincts for dreadful mood setting are on point as are the performances, yet as is unfortunately almost always the case with contemporary works in the genre that take such an approach, it is simply too much to ask of the audience to suspend disbelief when traditional cinematic tactics are abandoned for a completed, conventionally edited "documentary" showcasing harrowing, undeniably supernatural events with scary music and screen text in tow.  This does allow for expository information to be conveyed with characters being interviewed on camera, but when the typical horror movie motifs start taking over with reckless abandon, buying into the validity of it all becomes a fruitless exorcise.  Taiwanese filmmaker Kevin Ko's Incantation from the following year suffered an identical problem with even more similarities in its subject matter and though both movies have various redeemable qualities, they also cannot dig themselves out of their own holes.

HELLBENDER

Dir - John Adams/Zelda Adams/Toby Poser
Overall: MEH

The Adams family of dad John, daughter Zelda, and mom Toby Poser, (with their other daughter Lulu also appearing on screen), returns with Hellbender; another flawed yet partially enjoyable indie horror outing.  Filmed at the family's own home in Catskill, New York during the COVID-19 pandemic, the concept of a mother/daughter rock band stemmed from their own real life musical project H6LLB6ND6R, here contrived as a story about a bloodline of witches living an isolated existence as to not wreak unchecked demonic power on the populous.  As is usually the case with their cinematic output, there is a clashing combination of B-movie camp and grittiness, so the film rides a razor-thin line of trying to balance such a complicated tone.  Both Zelda and Toby have a wonderfully refreshing dynamic on screen, making light of their disturbing, often gross magical prowess.  Though the songs themselves are not bad, scenes of them performing their own music in full-blown pagan Goth attire are a bit cringe-worthy, as are numerous supernatural montage sequences that scream "student film with costumes from Hot Topic".  The story itself which uses its over the top subject matter to deal with how one traumatized parent tries to break the cycle with their own offspring is quite inventive and thankfully forgives many of the other silly attributes.  It is far from a slam dunk, but it is hard not to rally for the family's DIY genre worship that does in fact throw a few unique ideas into the mix.