Dir - Kevin Phillips
Overall: MEH
The full-length debut from director Kevin Phillips, Super Dark Times sets up some intriguing ideas with a disturbed scenario before unraveling wildly in a finale that comes off as more awkwardly arbitrary than satisfying. That may have been intended though as Phillips teases that a sinister aura is hovering over the film's setting, even opening things with a never explained, mortally-wounded animal found inside of a school. This heavy atmosphere of, (possibly spontaneous), dread runs throughout, which makes it a gripping experience until it is revealed that screenwriters Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, (who have continued to have a career penning screenplays exclusively in the horror genre), have nowhere substantial to go with their story. It could all be saying something about how traumatic experiences cast a permeating cloud of unease over us that certain people are likely to violently spiral out of. Yet instead of having that unfold naturally while focused on characters who are believably struggling with a profound loss of innocence over an extended period of time, the movie goes for a shocking finale that warrants a would-be false sense of paranoia. Some audiences may be intrigued by such an outcome while others may be scratching their head in disapproval, but the sloppy conclusion seems unwarranted and its final, uplifting tag undeserved.
Dir - Rainer Sarnet
Overall: GOOD
A highly evocative and occasionally funny fantasy art film, November, (Rehepapp), sees Estonian writer/director Rainer Sarnet delivering a singular genre work full of grime, spells, spirits, romance, and all things otherworldly. An adaptation of Andrus Kivirähk's novel of the same name, the story is set sometime in the 19th century where the people in a desperately impoverished village community scheme to survive the impending winter, stealing from each other while trying to trick both the plague and the devil by various means. In this universe, the supernatural is completely commonplace where kratt servants are made from snow and household items, witches perform magic as a dutiful courtesy, the dead sit and visit with their loved ones, disease is personified as a beautiful woman, then a goat, a wild boar, and one of the lead characters can turn herself into a wolf. A tragic love story first and foremost, the mystical, folklore elements are so prevalent that the entire thing has a highly surreal vibe, emphasized by its haunting soundtrack and excellent, black and white cinematography from Mart Taniel. While it is certainly gritty and never portrays its fantastical landscape romantically, the film is persistently spell-binding to look at and many humorous, sometimes even off-color moments are dashed about which make all of the inherent strangeness go down with an odd chuckle or two.
Dir - Joko Anwar
Overall: MEH
The first horror remake as part of Rapi Films resurgence with the genre was Joko Anwar's take on Satan's Slaves, (Pengabdi Setan). Loosely connected to the original 1980 movie and serving as a soft redo/prequel, it is a mostly formulaic, slow burn affair. While the mood setting is expertly handled with minimal comedic beats, (treating every time that night falls as an anxiety-fest for the audience to witness some spooky stuff), unfortunately said horror-tinged set pieces are almost entirely made up of predictable, loud jump scares. Even during the more drawn-out bits, the soundtrack department never once resists the urge to bust out the screechy noises and conventional scary music to redundantly slam home the point and ruin the otherwise naturalistic and intensely creepy atmosphere. Even with this contemporary, stylistic detriment in tow, the actual story is quite silly when one sits back to contemplate it. Elements such as arbitrary ghost activity and a massage-loving occult expert telling people to read his magazine articles instead of just properly explaining things to them are impossible to take seriously, despite what the eerie and ominous tone otherwise dictates. Rapi's next re-imagining of one of their beloved, 1980s exploitation film's in 2019's The Queen of Black Magic is far superior, (as is said film that it is based on), but this one almost impresses with its dedication to giving you goosebumps.
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