(2014) The Possession of Michael King

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The “Possession of” movies are a mixed bag and despite this one in particular being really low-budget, they did a great job at creating scary visuals.

I loved the psychological torment, specifically this idea with flies that’s legitimately creepy as fuck. They take it to a level where I think right at the end it dips off into the ridiculous but not in a way that’s awful, just not to my personal tastes.

It’s not perfect but I can actually recommend this one.

6/10

 

(2017) Lost Child

Lost Child wasn’t quite what I was expecting, which in some ways, was the only thing I enjoyed about it. They keep the mystery going for a long time and to their credit, I was never exactly sure how things were going to play out.

Unfortunately though, it’s just really boring and there’s no huge payoff. I liked a few of the characters and as far as production and acting goes, it was just fine. It’s kind of one of those mid-movies that doesn’t do a whole lot wrong but also doesn’t do a whole lot right.

I could have done without seeing this and I have to assume most would feel the same.

5/10

(2019) The Lighthouse

This film is among the few that I felt compelled to watch it again almost immediately. It’s so incredibly rich in every aspect that can make a movie successful.

The visuals are jaw-dropping; almost every single frame of this film is photographic. The soundtrack is stripped down to just these haunting sounds of fog horns and piss buckets. The package everything is delivered in, from an artistic standpoint, is so memorable.

The performances by Pattinson and Dafoe are both some of the best I’ve seen this entire year and really, the decade…possibly of all time. They deliver this brilliant script’s dialogue with such passion, humor and intensity.

The story in this film is shrouded in mystery but the clues and tools needed to decipher it do exist and with a rewatch, finding them felt so rewarding. It’s the kind of movie that I want to make my friends watch, simply so I have someone to discuss it with.

It’s one of the best horror films I’ve ever seen.

9.5/10

(2020) Palm Springs

So this movie is listed as a comedy/romance and the description is vague enough to not really give anything else away. I tossed this on randomly because I love Samberg and within 10-minutes I was thinking “what the fuck is this?”, because the film was strangely dark.

It doesn’t take long to catch on that, while this is a romantic comedy, it’s also a sci-fi horror film and a specific subset of sci-fi that makes me anxious. So in some regards, at least to genre placement, there’s my bias.

The movie is seriously a treat though. It’s a new spin on an old formula and it’s genuinely funny, suspenseful and endearing. Even if you disagree that it shouldn’t be discussed in the horror circles, you won’t regret watching it.

8/10

(2013) Boar

Is it weird I attach the “monster” tag to these movies?

Yeah I don’t even really know what to say. It’s a killer boar movie.

The setup is very strange because it seems like this film is split into two parts. It established the killer boar then in a completely separate aspect, it starts the movie.

The gore is good. I liked the killer boar or whatever as much as I possibly could.

I mean, shit…it’s a well paced, monster movie?

I don’t even really know what to call this thing.

Whatever.

6/10

 

(2007) Timecrimes

I loved this movie when I first saw it but upon rewatching it, I can’t help but stress its influence in the time-loop horror sub-genre. Sure films like Primer definitely helped pave the way but Timecrimes really manages to focus less on the science fiction and more on the horrifying consequences that come with time travel.

I really enjoyed Karra Elajalde’s performance, his character’s physical and mental degradation throughout the film is really a high point to me. Almost all of these films on paper would seem predictable in concept but Timecrimes is just another one that manages to pull you in despite that.

A part of me knew exactly how this was going to play out but a bigger part of me was too engrossed to be sure.

8.5/10

(2014) The Last Showing

Robert Englund sort of lends his talents to a b-movie of sorts here but the end product isn’t that bad. Outside of him, the acting isn’t bad either. Chris Geere from You’re the Worst is actually in it and he’s such a hilariously miserable cunt.

It entertained me enough but in the end, felt really bland. I’m feeling pretty eh on this one.

5.5/10

(1986) Little Shop of Horrors

Okay to keep things real, I’ve never been a big musical dude but this movie is fun as hell. Rick Moranis is as goofy as ever and good god…the practical effects are mind-blowing.

You’re watching this giant plant movie and it just melts your brain thinking about how it was accomplished. I had to look it up and after finding out it took sped-up footage, vocal matching with said footage and 60 men to operate this giant…puppet(?), I couldn’t be more impressed.

It’s wonderful.

8/10

(1979) Nosferatu the Vampire

This film not only embodies and celebrates the original in terms of structure as well as substance, but in its restrained filmmaking methods; its ability to let shots live without intervention. It’s atmospheric, well-trimmed and just an all-around, exceptional film.

Klaus Kinsi as Nosferatu is perfect; I loved the makeup design. His character is so out in the open that the shots have to be perfect in order to avoid the sillier pitfalls of films in the same vein attempting to achieve the same results. It still contains small doses of the eras beloved campiness, which I can appreciate to some degree, as it feels balanced within context.

Dracula’s takeover of the town is anything but some violent, typical horror spectacle. Rather, Werner Herzog decides to portray it in a fever-dream-like fashion, elevated by the very minimal but well-used soundtrack.

8/10

(2020) Relic

I hear a lot of people comparing this film to Hereditary but if you even trust my opinion in the slightest, let me just say, it’s nothing like that movie. I think someone described it as “metaphorror”, which is a hilarious term, but almost everything is laid out from the start here. This movie is about dementia and that’s not a spoiler.

Robyn Nevin is fantastic here and all the supporting roles are great but not only does this woman make the movie, she is the movie. Her dialogue, her delivery and her body language, at least to me, are a huge chunk of the entire plot.

I just found this movie to be gentle until it isn’t, which makes for the most tense moments. It’s a very claustrophobic film; I think it does justice to a very serious and frightening illness.

8/10