Alas this year October turned out to be more packed with regular everyday life activity than usual so I didn't get to do a huge marathon like I've pulled off in previous years. I did manage to squeeze some in at the last minute though so behold my thoughts on the following horrific delights...
The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)
A faux documentary slash found footage horror film detailing the manhunt for a twisted serial killer. An assortment of talking heads from law enforcement and media discuss the vast tape collection the fleeing killer left behind in his wake and well, then there's the tapes themselves. A document of the killers efforts as they escalate from random horror to something more purposeful and horrific
This was a decent effort that got a lot out of a little. I mean looking at it I suspect the budget wasn't vast but this often works to the benefit of films like this. Grainy low resolution VHS footage obscures as much as it suggests, bringing the terror of the victims to life as they fall victim to an absolute sadist who drinks in the terror he inflicts on others. If there's fault here I feel like there was still room to elaborate on the killer further and embellish the mystery a little more but as it is, it's a fine effort. Three and a half awful home movies out of five!
Barbarian (2022)
Seem to recall this being lauded as something of an indie darling a few years back. A tale that begins with a double booking at an AirBNB in a rundown area of Detroit and an awkward period of making do with a less than ideal situation escalates into a battle for survival against the nefarious forces of the spoiler alert. Naturally not all is as it appears to be, least of all the house itself. Some on the nose gender politics here, a twisted sense of maternal love there, you know the usual.
I'll give it this much, whilst it ends up feeling like very traditional horror fare, I thought the acting and direction was pretty strong here ven if the pacing was a little uneven. I can't quite see why there was such hubbub around this film but it's a fine film even when separated from hyperbolic praise. Parts of the plot, the who and why remain elusive and underdeveloped and all in all, the first half of the film was rather more well developed than the latter half. Still it's a solid three instances of dire urban decay out of five!
Longlegs (2024)
Nicholas Cage you do not disappoint me. I am of the age and generation where I can remember a time where we didn't associate Nicholas Cage with wide eyed insanity. I appreciate that was now a long time ago and for a whole generation or two, the man has been synonymous with a certain brand of unhinged energy on-screen. Such is the case here with our man Nic playing an unsettling serial killer who, on the surface at least, doesn't appear to be actually doing the killing himself.
Families are struck down in mysterious episodes of madness as out of he blue, fathers kill their families before ending themselves as well. Enter a fresh faced psychic FBI agent with a troubled past and an intuitive knack for knowing when something is not quite right. Much like Mandy, this film had a kinda sorta fever dream quality about it. It often lingers on the unsettling before suddenly jarring you into something horrific. It's an effective mood piece and the ending hits hard when it arrives. Four unsolicited toy dolls out of five!
The Purge (2013)
One from the backlog here as I've meaning to get around to this one for a while. Still no time like the present or a decade after release, how was The Purge then? A decent tightly paced little thriller in low key dystopian future America. For those more out of the loop than I am, all crime is basically legal for one night as chaos and anarchy reign. Mass societal catharsis is the idea, give everyone a free pass for wanton acts of violence for a single night and the country is all the better for it for the rest of the year.
Of course it's not so good an idea when rampaging hordes of killers are storming your house in search of victims to beat, maim or otherwise end in sudden and violent fashion. Can't say it's the finest thriller I've ever seen but a packs a lot into it's relatively slender runtime, the atmosphere is tense and the inevitable final confrontation pays things off quite nicely. I will definitely need to check out the rest of these when time permits. Four legally sanctioned murderous mobs out of five!
Terrifier 2 (2022)
Last stop on this year's October horror fest is everyone's favourite homicidal demon clown mime. Art The Clown seems to be very much in vogue this horror season with the man himself looming large on my various social media outlets. No doubt it will be the Halloween costume of choice this year. Everyone really seems to be embracing the character in a feel good way that seems to happen to most beloved horror movies villains. So what did I make of the sequel?
It's bloody, it's violent but the absurdity feels a little more pronounced this time out. The original had some of it to be sure but it also felt rather bleaker than this. Here a lot more is played for obvious absurdity and humour as a deliberate counterpoint to the stomach churning violence that's always close by. There's an heroic arc here that works rather nicely and all the cast are well on board with what is needed in a film like this and what's is needed is buckets of gore with ridiculously over the top death scenes. There's also hints of backstory here that will no doubt pay off in a future film. Anyhow it's four sinister clown girls out of five from me.
And that is pretty much that for this year. What I lack in quantity was made up for in quality I think with no real duds among them. I mean I could watch more horror films when it's not Halloween or even October but that just might be crazy talk. I don't know, I still feel the urge to check off a horror franchise or two off my to-waychlist so we'll see. Until next time folks, behold the dark fates that will surely consume us all MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Comments
Post a Comment