2023 Horror Part One

INFINITY POOL

Dir - Brandon Cronenberg

Overall: GOOD

For his third straight victory lap in a role, Brandon Cronenberg has concocted an unsettling essay on the grossness of weakness and privilege or more to the point, how there is a barely decipherable line between the two.  An international co-production shot in both Croatia and Hungary, Infinity Pool fits right in with Cronenberg's now established modus operandi of shining a stylistic light on some of the uglier aspects of human behavior in a contemporary setting, with science fiction ideas that seem almost palpable to the era that we are living in.  Such technological emphasis is more underplayed here compared to the filmmaker's previous two works as it merely serves as a stepping stone into the exploitation and downfall of Alexander Skarsgård's pathetic, low-rent novelist who gets caught up in a bourgeoisie clientele at an upscale resort that takes deplorable advantage of both him and the third world customs of their setting.  Skarsgård and Mia Goth could not be better, the latter furthering her trajectory as a horror scream queen of the most beloved variety.  Aesthetically, the film is extraordinary with disturbed, acid-cooked visuals and an intoxicatingly dread-fueled tone, so even if the subject matter is too nihilistic for one's tastes, (which is a fair criticism as the movie is anything but an uplifting crowd-pleaser), one cannot deny that Cronenberg has blossomed into a genre auteur to take respectable note of.

 

MISSING

Dir - Will Merrick/Nick Johnson

Overall: MEH

 

The stand-alone sequel to 2018's Searching follows an identical structure which will please those wanting more of the same while slightly disappointing those who are sensitive to redundancy.  Writer/director team Will Merrick and Nick Johnson had worked as editors on the previous film, with Missing serving as their first full-length behind the lens.  Outside of the screenlife gimmick, the main selling point hinges on increasingly rug-pulling twists and in this capacity, the movie is ingeniously plotted to maximize gasps from the audience.  Things cruise along up until a point where similarly to Searching, the plausibility factor is stretched too far which in all fairness, can be seen as an essential part of the fun.  Unfortunately, the final reveal here is disappointing in its nastiness, pushing things into convoluted melodrama that is difficult to take as seriously as intended.  On top of that, the computer screen framework is not utilized as smoothly as before, with the structure indulging in more conventional cinematic tactics than are necessary.  There are still plenty of clever moments here and Storm Reid turns in a wonderful performance in the lead, but the movie ultimately suffers the sequel curse of remaking the first installment while biting off more than it can chew in the route to "go bigger".

CONSECRATION

Dir - Christopher Smith

Overall: MEH

One of director Christopher Smith's more unfocused efforts, Consecration delivers some muddled Catholicism horror despite having an interesting premise and a quality, British-accented lead performance from Jena Malone.  Smith and producer Laurie Cook, (given his first co-writing credit), play the usual card of presenting the church as the bad guys, with devout nuns and Danny Huston's priest going about their own scheme that may or may not be on the up and up, depending on one's point of view.  Unfortunately, the more layers that are unveiled as to the tragic past and supernatural abilities of Malone's character, the more that the script loses its footing.  By trying to deliver the chills with talk of the fallen angel, darkness personified, and a holy/unholy relic, the movie ends up saying not much of anything as it paints everyone in such broad, neutral shades.  It is one of those stories whose mystery is more intriguing than the payoff, which is a common faux pas in a genre that is hellbent on having a profound reveal, even in an ambiguous fashion which is the case here.  Visually though, the Isle of Skye setting is gorgeously presented and Smith finds a way to make a century-old convent unsettling without resorting to cliched, Gothic grime.