2020 Horror Part Six

THE RENTAL

Dir - Dave Franco

Overall: GOOD

 

Actor-turned-director Dave Franco crafted a somewhat textbook though expertly done semi-slasher with his debut The Rental.  Co-scripted in part by fellow actor Joe Swanberg, (The Sacrament, V/H/S, You're Next), the story certainly has its foreseeable beats, but it is also unusually tight.  The minimal cast does admirable work and the dysfunction between each of their characters is believably portrayed.  It is a testament to both the writing and performances that the film manages to stay engaging before things kick into inevitable cat-and-mouse gear, which does not happen until a good ways into the third act.  For his first time behind the lens, Franco maintains an admirably suspenseful tone.  Sinister activity is teased throughout, but never in a pandering way and once it does go full-tilt thriller, it frighteningly delivers that much more as so much time was previously spent authentically building up the circumstances.  A bit nihilistic for some tastes maybe, but there are few faults to be found in its effective execution.

BLOODTHIRSTY

Dir - Amelia Moses

Overall: MEH

 

For her second full-length Bloodthirsty, filmmaker Amelia Moses once again teams up with actor Lauren Beatty, this time in collaboration with fellow Canadian singer/songwriter Lowell Boland who co-wrote the script and provided a handful of songs.  The result is rather clunky in the plot and dialog department to say the least, but the premise itself has some unique details present to off-set its more familiar horror tropes.  Played devoid of apparent humor, the movie could honestly afford to lighten up a bit as things eventually get a bit too absurd to take as seriously as they are presented.  It does not quite work as a whole, but its production aspects are well in place with excellent performances, unassuming cinematography, Boland's convincing music, and a persistently sinister tone.  A tighter script is the missing ingredient to properly elevated it, but its bloody, heavy-handed heart is in the right place at least.

 

LUCKY

Dir - Natasha Kermani

Overall: MEH

Things go oddly awry in director Natasha Kermani and actor/screenwriter Brea Grant's Lucky.  On paper, it is a bold and challenging move to exclusively dwell in social commentary with one's feature, non-documentary film.  Here, the message of women feeling hopelessly threatened by men's most violent, passive aggressive, manipulative, and neglectful attributes manifests itself as a quasi-parody of slasher movies.  The intention to make such themes as persistent as possible is impossible to miss, yet the film becomes detrimentally frustrating in its awkward presentation.  Undeniably surreal, the dialog and performances, (including that of Grant who is perpetually on screen), are so annoyingly unnatural that the (very) unnatural chain of events taking place becomes impossible to come to terms with in a cinematic sense.  Again, this is most likely purposeful, but various moments appear to be going for disturbed laughs while the execution of it all seems so ridiculous at times that virtually no tone whatsoever is maintained.  It could be seen as both a dark satire of simplified feminist empowerment and a simplification of male chauvinism in general, yet it is neither funny nor particularly thought-provoking in its off-putting, borderline pretentious form. 

2020 Horror Part Five

MEANDER

Dir - Mathieu Turi

Overall: MEH

 

The ambitious, quasi-Cube re-working Meander, (Méandre), by writer/director Mathieu Turi has some clear detriments though it manages to remain predominantly nerve-wracking at least.  Carrying virtually the entire film on her lonesome, Gaia Weiss is excellent as a terrified yet determined woman trapped in a brutally unforgiving maze.  The production design is quite effective as well, creating a chilling, otherworldly environment.  Turi maintains a relentlessly tense atmosphere with set pieces that rear close to torture porn territory without succumbing fully to unwatchable miserableness.  While the movie assuredly succeeds in the suspense category, (with plenty of gross out moments for horror genre purists as well), the story is quite hackneyed.  The premise easily recalls the aforementioned Cube series as well as Shinya Tsukamoto's short film Haze, but the emotional link of Weiss' character overcoming the traumatic loss of her daughter is quite pedestrian and undercooked.  It is a shame that the film's overly-simplified narrative and somewhat derivative concept undermine the elements that do indeed work, yet for those simply in the mood for a deliciously claustrophobic, nintey-minute nightmare, this one will easily suffice.

THE STYLIST

Dir - Jill Gevargizian

Overall: MEH

 

With several short films under her belt, (including the one for which this is expanded and based upon), Jill Gevargizian unleashed the tensely odd full-length The Stylist.  Centered around a severely unhinged introvert, the film is disturbing in its very nature even as it never bothers to delve very deep into the origins of Najarra Townsend's alarming behavior.  She is attractive, well-dressed, lives in a large house by herself, has a hip job, appears quiet yet friendly enough in social encounters, yet her devastating struggles in keeping such upward appearances seem arbitrarily in place.  The same goes for her obsession with one of her long-term clients, which more or less springs up out of nowhere. This narrative aloofness keeps the movie from being as engaging as it otherwise would be since the focus is on a character so impenetrably off that it is more of a voyeuristic experience for the viewer and one that borders on frustration.  Still, Gervargizian's vision is remarkably stunning as the movie is wonderfully shot and as a thriller, she pulls off a number of nail-biting moments that are worth taking note of.  The pay-off may be a bit standoffish, but then again, this may be intended as that seems to be a primary theme here in general.

MY HEART CAN'T BEAT UNLESS YOU TELL IT TO

Dir - Johnathan Cuartas

Overall: MEH

 

For his first full-length, writer/director Johnathan Cuartas takes a sobering and dour look at one of the horror films most abundantly used "monsters" and a handful of its tropes.  Shot with virtually zero flash and utilizing a screenplay with virtually zero humor, My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To has a deliberately stark quality to it.  The characters dwelling here exist in a perpetual state where their humanity continues to be drained away.  What joy they do experience is found purely out of desperation, (a pawn shop karaoke machine, the by-the-hour attention of a prostitute, celebrating Christmas multiple times a year, etc), yet such sanity-maintaining measures have all but completely failed them by the time they are introduced to us.  The movie is relentlessly depressing because of this and very often difficult to sit through.  The minuscule cast does admirable work with such heavy material and there are no stylistic genre cliches anywhere to be found, both of which are good things on paper.  What mild comforts it may offer are persistently dampened though and it all comes with an overbearing aura of life being brutally unforgiving and hopeless.  It is as far from a feel-good movie as you can get then and such a warning should probably be given to those who wish to venture here.

2019 Horror Part Ten

VFW

Dir - Joe Begos
Overall: GOOD

Boasting an ideal premise for veteran tough guy actors, (plus George Wendt), VFW delightfully fuses "back in my day" boomer posturing with gore-ridden mayhem.  Director Joe Begos was approached by producer Dallas Sonnier with a script from Max Brallier and Matthew McArdle that pays respect to the American veteran's code while giving them a justifiable enemy in for the form of an opioid crisis that has ravished their community with gang violence while simultaneously reducing its addicts to the equivalent of rage-fueled zombies.  Stephan Lang heads a cast of macho thespians from yesteryear including William Sadler, Fred "the Hammer" Williamson, Martin Kove, and David Patrick Kelly, all playing aged-out military men who instinctively jump right back into action when both their safe haven bar and a millennial with a valid vendetta are threatened by doped-out hordes and drug-dealing scumbags.  Isolated to a single, red and purple-tinged location and following a standard structure where one character gets picked off at a time as the stakes grow that much more dire, it becomes monotonous after awhile, but Begos handles the heady subject matter admirably while still keeping a deliberately campy and ultra-violent tone.

THE QUEEN OF BLACK MAGIC

Dir - Kimo Stamboel

Overall: GOOD

Indonesian director Kimo Stamboel's remake of the 1981 movie Ratu Ilmu Hitam, (The Queen of Black Magic), is a pretty nasty and effective updating, produced by the same exploitation-focused company that did the original, Rapi Films.  Largely focusing on a number of gruesome, self-mutilating set pieces such as a woman slicing her body fat off, a guy stapling his mouth shut, another woman puking up crawling insects, and numerous characters smashing their own heads open, the film plays such arbitrary, supernatural components quite seriously.  Such a schlock-less approach could otherwise be detrimental considering how borderline ridiculous much of this seems on paper, but Stamboel maintains an effectively dark, eerie tone that undermines any potential, unintended chuckles.  The script is not particularly tight nor chock-full of originality and the occasional CGI is pretty lousy, but the handful of narrative cliches never become particularly insulting.  Instead, they are knowingly unsettling and for what is essentially a ninety-nine minute excuse to gradually indulge in over-the-top, ghastly creepiness, it succeeds quite swimmingly.

LA LLORONA

Dir - Jayro Bustamante

Overall: GOOD

The third feature from Guatamalian filmmaker Jayro Bustamante La Llorona, (not to be confused with Michael Chaves' more genre-pandering and schlocky The Curse of La Llorona from the same year), takes a very sobering approach to the Latin American folklore from which it loosely draws upon.  The majority of the film adheres to virtually zero horror tropes of any kind and centers around the family of a disgraced, former General who has been tried and convicted of orchestrating the Guatemalan genocide of 1982-83.  Bustamante weaves the story's supernatural components into the proceedings both sparingly and solemnly.  Comprised largely of long, single takes, a very deliberate mood is created where both the dread and heartache suffered by the characters escalates at a barely decipherable degree.  Even with those unfamiliar with the mythology surrounding the "Weeping Woman", no real mysterious elements seem to be at play.  Instead, it is a meticulously slow pondering on those who are put in the position of remaining complacent towards the horrendous acts of their loved ones.  In the case here, such otherworldly vengeance seems both an inevitability and a relief and the heavy-handed tone is quire admirably appropriate.

1990s John Carpenter Part Two

IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS

(1994)

Overall: GOOD

For his third entry in the broadly described Apocalypse Trilogy, John Carpenter goes full Lovecraftian insanity with In the Mouth of Madness.  Studio executive/producer/screenwriter Michael De Luca provided Carpenter with his script several years prior, though the director only became interested and on board after two other filmmakers dropped out.  The end result easily remains the oddest work in his filmography, delivering one mind-melting set piece after the other as the plot goes deliberately off the rails.  Once again collaborating with composer Jim Lang whom he had done Body Bags with the previous year, the "Enter Sandman" inspired main theme goes along with Carpenter's usual synth music and helps set the loud, over-the-top tone appropriately.  The story of a man trapped in a surreal, film-within-a-film loop where the written word becomes horrified reality is all quite difficult to follow.  Considering though that this is the exact point and the numerous H.P. Lovecraft, (with a side of Stephen King), references are no accident, it comes about as close as a movie can to portraying the unspeakable, macabre lunacy that Lovecraft's works almost exclusively explored. 

ESCAPE FROM L.A.

(1996)

Overall: MEH

 

Well deserving of its lukewarm reputation, Escape from L.A. is essentially the same movie as Escape from New York except not good.  A quasi-vanity project for Kurt Russell, (who besides returning as Snake Plissken, also co-wrote and co-produced), he and John Carpenter make an attempt at striking lighting twice, an attempt that comes off more desperate than successful.  The plot follows the structure of the first film so closely that Carpenter could theoretically sue himself for plagiarism, except this time the set pieces are prominently more ludicrous than bad-ass.  Whether Russell is hang-gliding into action, surfing with Peter Fonda, or shooting basketball against the clock, it all comes off as a cringe-worthy parody of schlocky B-movies instead of a cool B-movie itself.  Speaking of cringe-worthy, this is a solid contender as having the worst digital effects in any theatrically released film and worse yet, there are quite a number of such effects.  Practically every character is easily bamboozled, least of all Plissken who looks like a buffoon more often than not.  The same can be said for all parties involved who may understandably be embarrassed by having such a crud rock on their resumes.

 

VAMPIRES

(1998)

Overall: GOOD

After two duds and two more duds on the way before unofficially retiring, John Carpenter got to make the flawed though mostly fun and enduring Neo-western horror hybrid Vampires.  Based off of John Steakley's book Vampire$, the project was set to go into production with director Russell Mulcahy and Dolph Lundgren in the lead, both of whom would instead make Silent Trigger after disputes with Largo Entertainment fell through.  Carpenter's version cobbles together elements from two different scripts and he brought on James Woods who makes a more convincing, action hero bad-ass than one would expect.  Hardly any of the characters are oozing with likeable qualities and the film balances its quasi-grim, misogynistic tone with schlocky plot points, groan-worthy dialog, (Wood's incessant boner jokes become more grating as they go on), and some scenery-chewing performances, particularly from Thomas Ian Griffith as the head undead.  For what is essentially a loud, silly, conservatively budgeted B-movie, Carpenter shows off his well-honed skills within such a framework.  It is well-paced, has plenty of gruesome gore, and works as a popcorn action movie above all else.  Considering that it seems hell-bent on delivering such a thing, it can fairly be labeled a success.

1990s John Carpenter Part One

MEMOIRS OF AN INVISIBLE MAN

(1992)

Overall: GOOD

 

Returning after a four year break, (in which time a number of projects fell through), John Carpenter jumped on board the Chevy Chase-led vehicle Memoirs of an Invisible Man.  Based on H.F. Saint's novel of the same name, Ivan Reitman was originally set to direct, but Chase disapproved of original screenwriter William Goodman's more comedic script as he saw the film as a chance to step into more serious terrain.  The end result has noir-like narration and a predominantly serious tone, yet it still has plenty of humor scattered throughout as Chase cannot completely ditch his usual sly, smart-ass charm.  There is also some funny mileage gotten out of the invisible premise, including a visual ode to the classic, Claude Rains look.  While the cat and mouse chase plot is not necessarily remarkable, it does shy away from the more romanticized and narratively overused tropes with other similar movies.  This is to say it emphasizes the traumatic, day-to-day inconveniences and loneliness of no one being able to see you, including yourself.  An additional plus is that the prominently featured special effects have also aged quite adequately, yet a mere technical showcase it thankfully is not.

BODY BAGS
(1993)
Dir - John Carpenter/Tobe Hooper
Overall: GOOD

 

Originally devised as Showtime's answer to HBO's Tales from the Crypt, Body Bags was ultimately put out as a mere, standard anthology film instead.  Centered around John Carpenter's ghoulish Coroner, (clearly meant to be a Crypt Keeper stand-in), who introduces each segment from the macabre comfort of a morgue, Carpenter himself handles the first two "The Gas Station" and "Hair" with Tobe Hooper's "Eye" wrapping everything up.  Each story is loaded with familiar cameos and has everyone from Wes Craven, to David Naughton, Sam Raimi, Tom Arnold, and Roger Corman making an appearance, naming but a few.  "The Gas Station" is a pretty standard, predictable slasher entry, "Hair" is the most weird, "Eye" is generic yet effectively gruesome, and the linking segments with Carpenter provide a wonderful amount of campy glee.  While nothing here is overtly memorable per se, the tone stays pretty consistent and all parties involved seem to be in on the morbid fun.  This helps elevate it perhaps slightly above mediocre and if for anything else, seeing Carpenter drink formaldehyde and joke about mortuary cabinets being unable to accommodate women with breast implants is easily worth the price of admission.

VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED

(1995)

Overall: MEH

Besides the wretchedly disappointing The Ward and the tired Ghost of Mars, Village of the Damned probably stands as John Carpenter’s weakest link in his otherwise more-than-watchable to wholly fantastic filmography.  As an uninspired remake to a classic, (the 1960’s version of the same name), this has an uphill battle waiting for it right out of the gate.  At this point, Carpenter had been pumping out so many movies that it is understandable that they not only began slipping in quality, but also that he would resort to taking another stab at another well respected sci-fi/horror gem, with The Thing of course being his first crack at it.  This one hardly comes close to the superior re-imagining of said, aforementioned remake though.   There are some typical Carpenter-esque moments, generally the gory death scenes, (Kristy Alley on the table and that guy on the BBQ grill come to mind).  The entire “impregnating” scene is actually very well done as well.  Really though, once the sinister offspring come of age and start barking orders, things fall apart rather quickly in both the pacing and logic department.  Mark Hamill is also oddly cast as Rev. George, coming off unintentionally schlocky in all of his scenes.  This could be said about the entire movie really, one that simply does not offer up many exciting moments to warrant its existence.

1980s John Carpenter Part Two

CHRISTINE

(1983)

Overall: GOOD

 

Little time was wasted with John Carpenter's adaptation of Stephen King's Christine as the film went into production mere days after the novel was released.  Carpenter was hot off the financial and critical disaster that was The Thing, taking the director for hire job here while he was working on, (and ultimately got dropped from), Firestarter, yet another King-based project.  While the source material is one of several from the author that proves a bit difficult to take all that seriously, the resulting movie has enough fun with the concept of a demonically possessed, 1958 Plymouth Fury.  Several rock songs are used for on-the-nose, comedic effect and it is always nice to see scumbag bullies getting their comeuppance in such an over-the-top fashion.  Keith Gordon is ideally cast as the picked-on nerd turned obsessive sociopath and despite his highly questionable behavior, the story still manages to make him sympathetic since it is quite clear that his inevitable demise is entirely the evil automobile's doing.  On that note, Carpenter effectively toys a bit with the audience, shifting the behavior of Gordon's Arnie Cunningham rather abruptly while focusing more on the supporting characters.  This makes the teenager/malevolent car dynamic more creepy and unsettling, at least as much as can be allowed with such a borderline silly premise.

 

STARMAN

(1984)

Overall: GOOD

 

In 1984, John Carpenter was well on his way in establishing himself as a go-to horror director which is one of the many things that makes the science fiction love story Starman such a welcome departure.  In development for a number of years with numerous screenwriters and directors attached, it finally got off the ground after E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial became the biggest grossing movie ever and this acts as a more subdued, emotionally-driven counterpart to it.  Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen carry the entire film and both turn in rather superb performances.  While Bridges convincingly pulls-off a somewhat standard and benevolent fish out of water alien, Allen's trauma-induced attachment to him is genuinely heartfelt and her character's arc of being terrified, confused, and eventually in love with a being from another world is just as believable.  Noted film composer Jack Nitzsche delivers a somewhat Carpenter-esque synth score that plays prominently throughout and the movie's relatively small number of special effects shots have aged better than many from the period.  For a simple enough story with many well-established "alien from another world visits primitive, violence-prone earthlings" tropes in place, its focus is primarily in a far more interesting, compassionate place.

 

PRINCE OF DARKNESS

(1987)

Overall: GOOD

Part two in John Carpenter’s “they have nothing at all to do with each other” Apocalypse Trilogy, Prince of Darkness is another slightly above average outing in the man’s repertoire.  As a direct follow up to Big Trouble In Little China, it has a notably darker tone, execution, and premise, adhering strictly to straight horror.  The concept of physics, religion, cryptic messages from the future in dream form, zombie-like possession, and Satan made flesh all mesh together and are served up with very minimal humor.  Dennis Dun, (Wang from BTILC), pretty much carries the comic relief all by his lonesome, but it comes off very out of place with the dread-fueled seriousness of everything else.  Considering that it is a mess at times then, it still manages to be surprisingly successful.  There are some solid moments, including one of the greatest devoured-by-bugs scenes you are likely to ever find.  Similar to Carpenter's The Fog though, most of the leads are rather snore-inducing and the grand finale falls flat.   Even at his most average though which this fairly can be described as, Carpenter produces some compelling and inventive genre fare.

1980s John Carpenter Part One

THE FOG

(1980)

Overall: GREAT

 

After revolutionizing the slasher film with Halloween, John Carpenter was given the chance to stick within the horror genre in a more overtly supernatural manner with The Fog.  The premise is plenty creepy, the score is the usual Carpenter-level excellence, and the slow, moody build to our ghostly visitor’s arrival is expertly done. Yet things also get a bit clunky along the way.  There is a little too much backstory which is only problematic since the characters are rather droll.  Even with this being the case, Jamie Lee Curtis still comes off as underwritten and rather useless.  While the final confrontation that bounces between church and lighthouse does have some impressively eerie visuals, it does not quite hold up compared to the earlier tension Carpenter had been building towards.  A bit underwhelming perhaps, but far from a failure with memorable set pieces and spooky atmosphere in spades.

 

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK

(1981)

Overall: GOOD

One of John Carpenter's dream projects for several years before it was finally made, Escape from New York arguably remains his most well-regarded non-horror film.  It was initially written in 1976 after the Watergate scandal pushed much of the country towards more cynicism regarding their elected officials than ever before.  After the success of Halloween, Carpenter eventually got around to developing the project further with Nick Castle, (the original Michael Myers), contributing to the script.  Shot in part in East St. Louis with a relatively small budget, the dank, post-apocalyptic world is convincing despite the meager production values.  The whole film balances its contemptuous premise with plenty of humor and has a fun, knowingly B-movie tone.  It also stands as Kurt Russell's first foray into action and he does a solid, deliberately humorous Clint Eastwood anti-hero impression as the now iconic Snake Plissken.  The cast is entirely recognizable from top to bottom, with voice work from Jamie Lee Curtis and matte paintings from James Cameron as well.  As always, Carpenter and Alan Howorth's score is excellent and underplays the action quite deliberately which contributes to the movie's overall, somewhat oddball charm.

 

THEY LIVE

(1988)

Overall: GOOD

 

The bubblegum line, the epic, five-plus minute, South Park inspiring Keith Davis vs. Roddy Piper brawl, the quite iconic monster design of "they"...  As a follow-up to the quite sinisterly toned Prince of Darkness, John Carpenter keeps things pretty much on the sly, humorous side with They Live; another in a slew of the director's memorable works from the decade.  Though it has a heavy-handed, anti-commercialism theme unmistakably apparent, the tone balances the laugh-out-loud satire quite well with something like Piper first putting on the subliminal, X-ray messages glasses and wondering from street, to store, to bank.  Just as Big Trouble in Little China had that perfect blend between fun, 80s action and comedy, They Live replaces all the mystical kung-fu with social commentary.  Carpenter's script cleverly plays its messages just serious enough to notice while keeping the atmosphere from getting too heavy.  Another of the director's hallmarks is the excellent synth score between he and collaborator Alan Howarth, which further gives the film its auteur style.