Category: Horror
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Anything for Jackson
“You can’t win a moral argument with me –I’ve made a deal with the devil.” Anything for Jackson (Justin G. Dyck, 2020) Starts out strong and then degenerates into the typical, boring paranormal horror fare. I love the genre because of how malleable it is and how playful you can be with it. This is…
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Possessor
“It makes her do things…predator things.” Possessor (Brandon Cronenberg, 2020) A great idea for a near-futuristic, corpo-crime story. Cronenberg shares his father’s penchant for world-building and technological speculation. I first saw Andrea Riseborough in Mandy but have now seen her in several films, and I’m convinced that she is the next Tilda Swinton. Christopher Abbott…
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Smile
“I’m a PhD candidate, I’m not some lunatic.” Smile (Parker Finn, 2022) The Ring meets It Follows but bad. It gets points for having a solid hook, but it deserved a better script. If you’re susceptible to mainstream horror creepiness or jump scares, then this could be a fun time for you. If you’ve spent…
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Werewolf by Night
“Those who do not survive will be honored appropriately.” Werewolf by Night (Michael Giacchino, 2022) One of the best ideas conjured up by the MCU…perhaps ever? Starts off strong with an old Universal-era classic monster tone and excellent pacing. Not what I was expecting but in a great way. While the first half of the…
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The Viewing
“I have seen things that will make you shit your mind, Kemosabe.” The Viewing (Panos Cosmatos, 2022) A shorter and more dialogue heavy outing for Cosmatos, who still manages to stay true to his aesthetic. I’m starting to notice a trend in how he ends things which I won’t spoil here, but it makes me…
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Beyond the Black Rainbow
“The trappings of the mortal world are but a distraction.” Beyond the Black Rainbow (Panos Cosmatos, 2010) Not as good as Mandy but still innovative and unabashedly ambitious. Cosmatos knows how to use the mechanics and chemistry of photography to help tell his stories. He moves from an impeccably composed shot to a scene with…
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Near Dark
“The night has its price.” Near Dark (Kathryn Bigelow, 1987) Very surprising how much better of a filmmaker Bigelow becomes in the four years between this and Point Break. The main problem with the movie is the script, which fails to establish characters let alone develop them, and behaviors get muddled from there. The only…
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Possession
“Goodness is only some kind of reflection upon evil.” Possession (Andrzej Zulawski, 1981) Touted by filmmakers I love and respect as a classic of the horror genre. Nonsense. It’s incoherent drivel. I literally booed the movie when it ended.
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Mandy
“A psychotic drowns where the mystic swims.” Mandy (Panos Cosmatos, 2018) 1980s synth-metal psychedelia wrapped in vengeance horror and tucked into a solo D&D campaign. I love every molecule of the world in which this story takes place. This movie is an acid-laced adrenaline shot directly into the eyes.
olde zoetrope 