Swallow your Soul: demons

Showing posts with label demons. Show all posts

Saturday, June 1, 2024

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.

Monday, June 11, 2018

Film Review : "Hereditary"

I would tell you not to read this review since reviews are part of the problem here. seem to always fall for the movies that are supposed to be the most disturbing film ever. But it is unlikely that those reviews come from fans of the horror genre. This movie got a buzz at festivals like Sundance so it drew in critics who wanted to see it for it;s artful guise, So I might be a little jaded with 35 years of watching horror movies under my belt.The threshold for what I need to be scary is high. This one benefited from a smoke screen of clever marketing . I was well made. Well written? that's another story, since it follows some pretty predictable “hollywood witch” troupes Now the scariest film of the year ...so far, mmm I might have argue "the Strangers : Prey at Night" was more intense.Based off the trailer I would have told you the movie was going to be about a little girl who plays with weird dolls and makes things happen. This could not be farther from the truth. There is magic. The little girl plays more of a role off screen than on. The little model houses look like the are going to play a bigger role in the plot than they actually do.

When the movie begins to pick up it’s stride , the depressing tone is very tangible. I would have liked to have seen this played off of more.It could have captured the same kind of heavy bleakness “It Follows” had. Instead the tone sometimes doesn’t take itself as seriously. Now this movie also served as an interesting test of how the demographics of where you go to see the movie influences the experience. This is not the first time I have seen a horror movie in an urban theater where they talked and laughed when they became uncomfortable. Though I think the movie played off a few beats of comedic relief for similar reasons.

>Hereditary has a great deal in common with the VVitch in terms of pacing. The end found the occult themes thickening, but not what I would call climatic or scary. I think this was done more effectively in how things were brought to a boil in “Rosemary’s Baby”. This was foreshadowed, to the point that some of the reveals felt more like the “Paranormal Activity” sequels. Toni Collette’s acting pretty much carried the movie as she became a Shelley Duvall level basket case. I also liked the fact that this movie doesn’t have a happy ending .It also used a real demon from the Goetia, so maybe it will inspire a trend of people trying to summon him. This is not the kind of movie that needs a sequel. So I was disappointed that would could have turned into a very uncomfortable and gut wrenching tale of a family being torn apart like the “the vvitch” was turned out to be art house horror for the “Final Destination” Generation. The first thing I said when the movie ended was “Well that could have used Black Phillip”.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

The Exorcist- Tv Show

This is impressive for Fox. Some of the story lines get a little muddle in their attempt to tell the back story in a more maze like manner. The emphasis is on the Priest, who begins having visions of an exorcism in Mexico. Geena Davis plays the concerns mother who is afraid something is brewing in her home. With the movie Reagan was the focal point so you got to see more of what she was like. Here they throw you a curve ball, so when the big reveal is made as to who is actually possessed then it just seems like a conniving big bad.

I think the scene at the end when this possessed person is looking out the window is pretty creepy and effective because the demon is mocking the priest. I hope they don't default to all the contortions and typical things we have already seen from all the movies that took inspiration from the original movie. I think the most effective thing they have done is when the mom comes into the attic to see what is going on the possessed person just acts normal and says the Priest just killed a rat. This can in turn create tension between the Priest and the family who would want him to talk to the most obvious problem child. Plus it seems like the demon is smarter than just throwing hellish temper tantrums and by hiding like this can do more damage.

It doesn't seem to me that this is a re-boot or remake and it's only using the title and theme song to help draw people in. Granted we are dealing with a similar theme, but hopefully the glimpses of what seem to be new elements introduced in this horror sub-genre will devolves into the same old same old we have gotten from Hollywood over the course of the past decade. Geena Davis is really selling me on her concerned mother role? The mentally challenged father could be a dark horse, and he is a former "Farris Bueller" alumni. The demon has some contact or influence with him, I think it was oppressing the house at the beginning, but the end seem to ellude to the fact it's now found a home and ready to let the games begin. The first episode is worth checking out and has me hopeful, though on FOX I can't expect for no survivors and a grim ending.

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Deathgasm

You would think a metal horror movie would win me over without problem. It had some enjoyable moments, most of these in the front end of the film when the characters were being developed, but once things hit the fan, then it became almost the equivalent of a zombie movie , but with eyeless demons running around. I don't like comedies so this movie had that going against it. There was lots of senseless blood spaying every where, like something from the Tokyo Gore Police. But for me gore is more effective when it makes you squirm and when it is in such an over top manner than it loses this effectiveness. This is not nit picking is this just looking at what makes good horror movies or doesn't. If someone told me they like Deathgasm I am going to assume the prefer comedy. It takes a sharper writer than the one who wrote this script to make comedy and horror work in the keen manner it does on a movie like "Cabin In the Woods".

Sure they name dropped both King Diamond and Slayer, but so did the Clerks movies and than is not horror. Truth be told "River's Edge " is a better heavy metal movie, and even for all it's 80s cheese, you pretty much have to say the same for "Trick Or Treat". This movie lacked an effective big bad, a few ere hinted at and killed off, then the buddy movie took a sour turn, which had been set up via the tension with the love interest. I like how she was converted into a metal head, but the tension between her and the protagonist with not substantial. I'm over thinking this you say? Why can't I just let this movie be dumb fun. I am all for horror movies being fun, it's the dumb part I have a problem with. How about a grim serious heavy metal movie? Obviously this is going to come from a movie called "DeathGasm".

The acting and effects were lacking and the winks they did at black metal and the 80s horror movies were more effective in some places than others. The movie started off with a lot of heart that made me return to it but once it got bogged down in the tired running around town with zombies or demons taking over things then it felt stale. If all you need is monsters getting killed with dildos, then you must be under the age of 17 as that must be this movie's demographic. It could have been smarter and that would have made up for the low budget blues. Maybe one day I'll get that serious horror movie or make it myself.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

The Possession of Michael King

It's been a minute since I posted on this blog, and truth be told there hasn't been much going on in theaters worth writing about, aside from the Only Lovers Left Alive. So the fact this film inspired me to blog about it after a hiatus here, well it says something. A depressing ending makes for a good horror movie. Laughs are cheap. To make some one uncomfortable, claustrophobic or depressed is more of an achievement. This film takes the formula used by the Paranormal Activity films and spins it around in a way that works. Even if you don't normally like found footage films this one is worth a shot. While the acting varies, and some of the effects make the budget appear slightly skimmed, the film some how still manages to work.

Michael King isn't a likable character. He is a jerk, who acts like a dick tracking mediums and occultist down to disprove them. He is a guy with a obvious chip on his shoulder. The typical haunted house element are in place in terms of cast as part of the setting since we have the child and the dog. You would think that when things take a turn against King, it would be a moment you applaud, so they manage to turn that around on you. The documentary element is not new. They way it's handled is smart and works with the final product.

This is not an exorcism movie. He does try to exorcise himself and goes to a priest, but gets a door slammed shut in his face. Not to say it doesn't play off of some of the recent exorcism staples, such as the contortionist bone cracking, but this is done after he hand cuffs himself to the bed in order to get some sleep. In some ways this reminds me of the depiction shown in the Amityville Horror sequel, an under rated movie, even with the Flowers in the Attic elements. Though he does have a good creepy scene with his girl friend who is asleep in bed.

There is minimal what I would consider gore, he does some self mutilation and people die, most of the violence is off screen leaving the damage psychological. Sure they go for some jump scares, that are loud electronic noise and jarring static manipulations to the film, but cgi is minimal for the most part. As far as this sort of thing goes, and I am a big fan of this sort of thing, I would say it falls short of the Last Exorcism, but is better than it's sequel. Not as tense as the Last Exorcism, but you do fear for his family, particularly when shit goes down at the end. Not all the scares are saved for the end, they don't linger to long on the build.

The only flaws in the movie really came from budget issues, but when has that not been a problem with the genre as a whole, I don't really place the blame on the producers of this film as they worked with what they were given and made the best of it. Sure, some of the occult elements are over blown and ridiculous, but if you are looking to horror movie for accuracy in that department, you are much more likely going to find it on the History Channel.

There could also be an argument either for or against Shane Johnson's acting in the lead role. His resume boasts more t.v. than film, but I think he got the job done and really went for it even if it might have come across as over acting at times. The character struck me as coming from that guy you have to hate because he is a cocky jerk, not unlike Micah from the Paranormal Activity films. In the end you kind of feel for him when he see's he has bitten off more than he can chew and is getting doors slammed in his face as his karma becomes the real demon that is haunting him.