Film Review : "Nosferatu"

 

Eggers remake of the 1922 silent film finds him keeping the mood of the original film and building off it to create his own gothic vampire story that like the original is another retelling of the Bram Stoker story, though where the original would depict Orlok as a different character from the Dracula we would later come to know from 1931 "Dracula" as a suave seductive gentleman to Orlok's creepier monster persona. The first elephant in the room is the fact I had seen promotional pictures from the movie that showed Bill Skarsgard in makeup much closer to the original portrayal of Orlok, than what would appear in this film. I can appreciate keeping him in the shadows, but this new persona made him a more shambling wreck of a creature, perhaps to create more of a contrast and make Deep's relationship with him more shameful.  But I kept waiting for him to shed the mustache and emerge as the classic Orlock which did not happen. 

The film's strength was in its visually striking cinematography and the world that Eggers created. There were few shots wasted and even less than were not stunning to look at. Eggers said that he did not want the film to be contaminated by other cinematic vampire portrayals. He succeeded in doing this , though he comes closest to Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula from 1992. Both stick close to Stoker's book, though Egger's takes the slant of Orlok's arrival bringing a plague to the city. Willem Dafoe and Raph Ineson give the film's two strongest performances, with Dafoe stretching himself the most, while Ineson pretty much does what he does, it just falls into place here. Skarsgard serves as a body for make-up to be applied to and pantomimes his way through the film. Considering the original was a silent film this might be for the best. 

Deep looks good in the costumes and once again serves as a body holding the place of a character who is walking through life in a dream-like trance. Her experience as a model comes in handy, as she sells the look more than tapping into an emotional connection with the role, and does not have any chemistry with anyone, though Dafoe carries the scenes with her. But perhaps this is intentional, as she could not connect to anyone so called forth a spirit to be with her, which is the crux of the movie, though it feels more told than shown despite that is how the film opens, a little more interaction with Orlok might have sold this fact better, but it worked well enough. I can understand where fans of the original are going to complain, this movie is more of a art piece based on concepts from the original. I enjoyed the bleak miserable mood it creates, and the darkness that envelopes it. It's not a happy Hollywood ending, which I also value in horror movies. A great experience to look at even at the cost of the high expectations that come with the source material. 

Film Review- "'The Substance"

 There is a lot to like about this movie. It is tense, as the characters fall down their spirals in what would be a tragic manner if it was not driven by the ego-driven madness that is Hollywood. Things take a turn for the aging fitness icon, so she turns to a shadow corporation to make her young again. This is where the twist in the film is as it goes in a more Jekyll and Hyde direction, though Hyde is not a distorted monster version of herself but a younger hotter one. It is sadly being hailed by some as a feminist masterpiece when it is about narcissism taken to gruesome extremes. 

Being famous is a choice, and rather than being thankful she made it to where she did Moore's character shows where self-obsession will take you and how Hollywood is the perfect echo chamber to bring it to a boil. The cinematography is pretty breath taking, its artfully delicious, with vibrant colors paying homage to Stanely Kubrick. Hyde is not the only classic monster it gives a wink at as John Carpenter's Thing, can be seen in the way the body horror goes to twisted extremes. There is also influence from both "Carrie" and the Hunchback Of Norte Dame. But you are less sympathetic as the characters only suffer the consequences of their own actions making this a cautionary tale. 

All the eye candy makes this a fun ride, but while you are being dazzled by it you forget this is not that original concept just many mashed together Dorian Gray being who this story lifts most liberally from. By the end, you can tell where it is going, and it all falls apart with blood splatter that is hardly justified as there is little actual violence in the film aside from a showdown of sorts between the older and younger self. Until the end, the gore works well, as mutations from breaking the rules set it. It is a dark movie despite the bright lights is find's itself which might be its best quality. The writing and dialogue are lackluster, but the distraction works until the very when it just settles for a stylistic wandering. It is still recommended as it is technically brilliant even if the script needs substance.

Film Review : " I Saw the TV Glow"

 We might as well get the biggest elephant in the room here out of the way... this movie is NOT horror. There is nothing or unsettling about it, if you found the plot thread of the main character's 'friend" wanting him to go off to the TV world dimension scary, then you need to get your diapers changed and go back to watching Nick at Nite. There are those of you who also just want to support the movie because it's almost completely shot in bi-lighting, and that is great, but when it comes to what actually makes a movie worthwhile, key elements like acting and storytelling, it falls pretty flat with the acting being the worst offender here. I had a feeling they were trying to make the main character on the spectrum and that fell flat, aside from his uncertainty with social cues. 

At the end of the day you never had a stake in the game they were boring perpetual adolescents who I could have cared less if anything happened to them, thus eliminating any tension that could have developed, if the story went anywhere, which it did not so we do not have to worry about that. Here is where the chorus of Why can't you just let people enjoy things comes in whenever people shatter the social bubble of what the narrative is supposed to be and excuse shoddy art. It is not gatekeeping horror by saying this is not horror, no more than it would be to complain at the fact someone put a box of Capt Crunch Cereal where the box of croutons is supposed to be at the grocery, they are both edible, but one you pour milk on and eat for breakfast, the other you put on a salad. In fact, it's just good marketing as this film might have had a bigger box office if it was marketed as an art house teen drama because people who do not like horror movies might go see this and like it since it is not a horror movie. Simple business. 

Genres and labels exist to help the audience find the art. This art works better in theory than execution. I guess if you are super high out of your mind you might like it, and it has a solid message in questioning the nature of reality, they do not go as far as saying it's a simulation but introduces those concepts, not scary concepts they just are thoughts worth exploring. Directors like David Lynch and David Cronenberg explore this kind of surreal filmmaking but done with more depth and better execution, compared to those guys this is trash. It's also an hour and a half of my life I wish I invested differently, there are actual horror movies I could have been watching with that wasted time. The only worthwhile part was when King Woman was on stage.

 

Film Review : "Terrifier 3"

It's great that a movie like "Terrifier" usurped "Joker 2 " giving Hollywood the middle finger it deserves. But the franchise is developing its own hype machine, trying to push this as extreme gore. Hoping to gain momentum by creating the urban myths about people walking out of the movie. To the point that the kids at the ticket booth felt the need to warn me about the gore. I was wearing a Slayer shirt at the time, so I don't know how that made me look like someone who is easily squeamish. Not only is this film a more accessible take on their proven formula, but it is not even the goriest movie I have seen this year, as both "In a Violent Nature" and "The Substance" can go toe to toe with the third film of this series.

Rather than comparing it to the first two movies, which is really a matter of budget and the actors settling into the characters, let's weigh it against other 2024 horror movies. "In a Violent Nature"  is a slasher movie as well. At times it tries to create a more realistic point of view, white Terrifier goes for less realism and works off its own mood, which has more in common with the "Nightmare on Elm Street. Art the Clown is a big personality, much like Fredy Kriger, while the killer from "In a Violent Nature", was a 3-D killing machine. 

If you compare it to a movie like "The Substance" it is clearly outmatched when it comes to writing and cinematography. But it does a good job of capturing what they are trying to do here, The writing has some holes in it, but the characters are more developed than the previous movies. They made some smart choices like a gender-flipped kill shot that replicates the more infamous moments of the first movie. The only thing I did not like was the off-screen kill of a major character that was implied. They leave the door open to explore the more supernatural story arc in this movie. Overall it delivers what you be expecting from the movie. It delivers most of the thing you want from it. 

Film Review : Alien -Romulus

 The first two films of this series are classics, one of the few cases where the sequel rivals the original. From there the results have been spotty. This film is supposed to take place just before the first film in the canon. It does not have the benefit of the quality of actors the previous films had as most of the budget went into special effects. Aside from "Prometheus" it might have the most CGI of any of the films but that is just where the industry is heading. With some slow-motion sequences looking like cut scenes from a video game. This leaves the writing and tone of the film as some of it stronger points, though one of these aspects does fall apart in the rushed ending. 

Is the commentary of the movie more about the dangers of AI or how big corporations spit people out with little regard for their lives with the sub-text being the military-industrial complex, which Hollywood takes stabs at without realizing their side of the fence are the main enablers of this. While the face-huggers are the main monsters of the movie, things move fast enough for the audience to see a wider range of varied evolutions of creatures that want to pay homage to all of the movies. It stays true to HR Giger's designs and the almost Lovecraftian mythos behind the aliens. 

It is entertaining when they first explore the abandoned space station it feels like wandering in a haunted house in space. It works off tension more than jump scares. The aliens are always lurking in the periphery. It was entertaining until the pace sped up into a rush cramming special effects and morphing of monsters that did not make sense. The suspension of disbelief was already taxed and they rushed things past the point of what works in the world they created. It was fun until it sped past you. 

Film Review : "Longlegs"

 If the clever trailer had you looking forward to this movie you should not be disappointed as it deviates from the standard Hollywood horror formulas. The premise of a young female FBI agent is tracking a serial killer whose involvement in a series of murders spanning decades might seem like a riff off of "Silence of the Lambs' but aside from the investigative nature rather than being a slasher the similarities end there, and the movies has some twists and turn to keep it in it's own corner of the genre. It looks great, the acting is solid with Nicholas Cage being as bat-shit as the role calls for, and it's smart they kept him out of the trailer, as there is a mild similarity to Buffalo Bill. Though the makeup department has him almost unrecognizable makes him look more like a blond Marilyn Manson. 

One of the film's strengths is the atmosphere it creates, right from the jump. There is a lingering eerie feeling of unease that shows the protagonist's awkwardness with her job. She is almost depicted as being autistic. The creepiness is stronger as this is not a movie that tries to use jump scares, chase scenes, or gore to put you in the uneasy emotional spot that horror movies should. There is a bleakness to this film that is tangible, rather than shocking you into submission, or keeping you at the edge of your seat, though you do become invested in the labyrinth they lead you into. Director Osgood Perkins is the son of Anthony Perkins of "Psycho" fame, so horror is in his blood. I really like 'Gretel and Hansel" and while this film is not devoid of supernatural elements, it's more grounded in reality than his take on the folk story. 

I would not say Nic Cage steals the show, but he adds the perfect color of crazy this film needed, as well as immerses himself in the role in a way where you do not see him as Nic Cage, but as the character he portrays which might make this the best role of his career. But all of the acting his strong. Is this movie perfect, no but it is better than anything else that has come out this year so far, with "In a Violent Nature" being the next closest film in the running for the top spot. The more realistic manner of violence in this movie is what elevates it from 'In a Violent Nature" which was also visually interesting. If you are tired of Blumhouse dumbing things down to the younger audience they are aiming for, then this movie is refreshing, as it is a grim affair with an ending that leaves no one unscathed by darkness the ambiance casts around it. 

Film Review - "In a Violent Nature"

 If it has not been a reboot or remake of an already established legacy character, not much new blood has really been shed in the slasher genre of horror. There have been note-worthy serial killer films, but not slashers in the vein of Friday the 13th or Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  The puritanical tone of Western Culture plays a part in this, as toxic masculinity is railed against in the court of public opinion, it makes the sensitive people pleasing souls of Hollywood capitulate. Canadian Film Maker Chris Nash, boldly leaves his thumbprint on the genre, with a different take that manages to be savage, yet introspective enough not to ruffle feathers. 

Nash went about making the movie as if he was shooting a nature documentary. This film's title reflects how nature has nurtured the waking machine of violence that rises from the earth to go on the kind of rampage that is more familiar to horror fans. The pace at which this revenge is pursued is where it brings something new to the table. The scenery is often the focal point, and things come full circle to point to how the vast forest is scary in its own right with its isolating breadth. There is a hyper-realistic quality about the pacing and how everything is shot, the lack of tension built by a creepy score, yet when it gets time for violence, it's like they brought in the FX crew from "Terrifier". Some it I wish they had just read an anatomy book, rather than some of the absurd manner they try to contort a human body. This is not a deal breaker, but it keeps this from being a flawless master class in taking chance in horror to a very tasteful cult classic

At the halfway point of the year, this is likely the best horror movie so far, though there is not much competition with 'Late Night With the Devil" the only movie that comes close, and it is done in such a different manner the only thing the two films have in common is the fact they both fall within the horror genre. The movies with the biggest buzz like 'I Saw the TV Glow' just outright sucked, so much so I could not even bring myself to waste any more time thinking about it by reviewing it..  What this movie does right is doing something different that you can take seriously, and the willingness to indludge in sadism. 

Film Review - "Late Night With the Devil'

This homage to the 1970s and the tone of horror back then is appreciated even when the execution might be questionable. The camp factor and suspension of disbelief compensate for a great deal in terms of what the budget might have restricted them to. This is aided by the found footage nature of the movie.  I think a big strength of the film is that it does not try to be another A24 or Millenial Teen Horror movie. It does not care about your feelings. Sure some of the concepts including the possessed girl might be well-worn horror tropes but they are approached from a fresh perspective. 

The movie ie might not take itself seriously but never crosses over into comedy, which it's unsure if that is, in fact, its intention. The humor comes across as an awkward diversion to avoid feeling the tension. This might be the most realistic part of the film. You never really care about the characters that much to become invested in their impending demise. You also can not say this movie has a happy ending, which is another plus in my book, as I prefer horror to be as bleak as possible, with no hope, which is horrifying in the emotional sense.  The movie plays with darker concepts, but never plunges you firmly into them, but still works for what they are going for. 

The best thing about this movie is so far this year Hollywood, as leaned in on remakes and rehasing movies rather than offering the audience a choice of picking fresh new content. This feels like when it comes to horror this has been worse, as "Immaculate" and the Omen prequel were almost the same movie, I did not review both because it would have been redundant, at least this is not a remake, and feels like some creative chances were taken, I think the very fact they did so made this work perhaps even more than the reality of what was committed to film as I was relieved to at least have the option of something new even if it was winking in the direction of a particular era, making that easily forgivable.  

Film Review : "Immaculate"

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 The terrors of motherhood. Antichrist babies. Church conspiracies. All themes started showing up on both big and small screens. This may have bubbled up from the collective unconsciousness. This is not director Micheal Mohan's first time working with lead Sydney Sweeney as she was also in his recent thriller for Amazon 'the Voyuers".  Sweeny earns her top billing as her acting pretty much carries the movie. Thematically nothing is new here, except for the fact it is set in a convent. 

Visually this movie is heavily influenced by both Hammer Horror and Mario Bava. The movie is a slow burn that works off a building creepiness and sense of paranoid unease that fuels movies like "Rosemary's Baby".  The script is not airtight, but the slow burn allows you to get to know Sweeny's character. This is not unlikable, a great deal of newer horror movies have terrible Millenial protagonists who are not only brats but so annoying you are hoping they did slow deaths. Speaking of which, this movie is not super violent, but enough blood is spilled for it to be worthwhile. There is a torture scene I did not expect but there is a very 70s Spanish Horror movie feel to it , as it makes no attempt to look realistic. 

The Church as the antagonist and some nefarious priests, who are secretly worshipping the devil, are pretty realistic. In fact the Church has the largest collection of occult books in the world, so much so that there was a widespread underground book market that thrived in New York in the 60's. Some little details like that might have worked well, as there is little occult mythology built into the motives so that this plot would have made more sense rather than being a knock off of other horror movies, but for what it is things work well enough to have kept me entertained and Sweeny makes a great scream queen. 

the Top 10 Horror Movies of 2023

Horror had a decent year in 2023. However contrary to popular belief it is not all A24 of Blumhouse, Shudder brought some strong indie fare. Social Media certainly shapes the way horror is marketed to us now. Most of the movies that got all the buzz were either hyped around concepts like the bear themes of a  bear on cocaine or Winnie the Pooh as the killer, While in other cases they got word of mouth from younger audiences who ignored the finer points of things like character development.  The key to horror is it has to somehow make me feel uneasy. Just gore is not enough, in fact, the new "Saw" movie bored the hell out of me. This year the things that went bump in the night included witches, cults, demons, Aliens, goblins, massive monsters, and the twisted minds of just fucked up people. 

These might not be the movies that got the best Rotten Tomatoes score, though they all did pretty decent, nor are they the most popular as the most mass-marketed movies tend to be for the lower common denominator. If your favorite movie is not on the list, it is not because I did not see it as I saw most horror movies that graced small screens and the inner webs this year, it is because in some cases your favorite movie was unimpressive or trying too hard, in other's well it was not that scary. So, these are movies that proved to engage me in some way more than the other horror movies not on this list. Here are the top ten horror movies of 2023

10 -"Unwelcome" 

This folk horror yarn set in Ireland lives up to the studio pitch of being "Straw Dogs" meets "Gremlins" , though the creatures look like they are from Labyrinth, and the home invasion elements could have been more invasive. 

9-No One Will Save You 

Aliens are an underused theme in horror, this movie is better than the more obtuse '"Nope", despite not having a killer chimp. It also lacks the bouncy house ship but is better for it. Well made though nothing to take all that seriously. 

7-Suitable Flesh 

This movie has a great deal going for it. Heather Graham, who is now popping up in a bunch of horror movies, steals the show. It's more of an homage to Stuart Gordan than HP Lovecraft., despite being an adaptation of "The Thing at the Doorstep". All of which adds up to being great, not the biggest budget, but that helps capture the Stuart Gordon feel, we have Barbra Crampton in it, who does not look 65, to add to the Gordon legacy. It would have ranked higher if everyone's acting lived up to Heather's. 

6-Skinamarink 

This bizarre film feels like a found footage film. I think where I found it particularly disturbing is the presence that drove the children to hurt themselves. Not fond of that idea, but for them to make me uncomfortable le with it means they were effective at what they were doing. Not sure that this is a movie worth multiple viewings as it loses the effect, but works well for the lack of budget, and the creative vision that brought this to life.

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6-Malum

This remake of 2014's "Last Shift", benefits from great costuming, and design work that gives it the edge over the original despite falling into a few plot holes here and there the bleak mood of the movie keeps the story fresh.

5-Hellhouse llc Origins : the Carmicheal Manor

I do not have the aversion to found footage movies like some people do. In fact, if they are well done I like them a great deal and enjoyed the bulk of the "Paranormal Activity" films. This takes that formula and makes a mockumentary of it. I binged all of the Hellhouse franchise during Halloween and while this installment feels like a more distant sequel to those films I appreciate how they kept the mythology going and reframed things.

4-Huesra- the Bone Woman This "Rosemary's Baby" like take on pregnancy has been done several times already this year, including the most recent session of American Horror Story.. This is less about a devil baby, but the struggles of being pregnant from a psychological perspective and the witchcraft here is the cure. One of the best takes on witches and one of the most realistic even with some of the movies more nightmarish surrealism.

3-Godzilla  Minus  One 

Where most Godzilla movies are monster movies that present the title character as more of a superhero, this Toho film made him the clear-cut antagonist. Sure it is a cautionary tale against weapons of war, but he presents a real menace against the most fully formed supporting cast of humans we have seen in a Godzilla film yet, it was not just a great horror movie this movie stood shoulder to shoulder with any action or science fiction film taking you back to the classic age of cinema in many ways, it is however not as disturbing or dark as the top two films putting here at number 3.

https://nastiferateau.blogspot.com/2023/12/file-review-godzilla-minus-one.html

2-When Evil Lurks 

This timely film captured an apocalyptic feel, and if you were not paying attention you might assume this to be a zombie flick, but it is actually about demons, and the depiction of the possessed parties is one of the more unique perspectives. Along with characters you care about, even when horror movie decision-making comes into play. The feeling of unease it captures is impressive, making it one of the top horror movies of the year.

1-"Infinity Pool" 

This movie is horror but not in the ways you think of horror. The concept is equal parts sci-fi in the concept of cloning. The body horror twisting the sense of identity was something also explored in director/ writer Brandon Cronenberg's last film "Possessor" Here it is taken a step further. It is bleak and disturbing enough to be horror, in the way it asks questions about the human condition. Each answer to this question is grimmer than the next. 

https://nastiferateau.blogspot.com/2023/01/film-review-infinity-pool.html