This might be the greatest film of this generation. Lou Garou is an alcoholic cop who gets cursed with lycanthropy, leading to wacky hijinks as he struggles to balance his duties as a public servant with his new need to wolf out. This is a film utterly ridiculous in premise, setup, acting, etc. but works so well as a zany horror-comedy because it takes itself only seriously enough to add stakes to an otherwise unfettered goofball film. This is a movie that revels in its B-movie trappings, gleefully having its wolf-ed out protagonist uttering ridiculous tag-lines such as "here comes the FUZZ!". The werewolf effects are surprisingly good, reliant on practical make-up work that seems far better than the budget should allow. While the werewolf itself looks purposefully goofy, its not a bad costume either, and looks better in motion than any of the stills. Now admittedly, this movie will not be for everyone. It's raunchy, silly, violent, bloody, goofy, and unashamed of any of this. But there's actually a decent back-story as to why Lou's been targeted, why the curse of the werewolf, etc... But that's assuming you care between bales of laughter.
Channel Zero: Candle Cove
Unreservedly, this is the best piece of creepy horror I've seen this year. I was hooked from the pilot episode and my anticipation has only increased since. Imagine someone took Stranger Things and increased the 'creepy' factor by about 64%. Instead of paying homage to Spielberg by way of Stephen King's Firestarter and Carrie the creators decided decided "It" and the "Tommyknockers" were far more interesting and terrifying by way of David Lynch. Yet this series oozes atmosphere without needing to ape other directors, infusing the entire proceeding with a haunting aura of increasing disquiet. The writing and acting is top-notch too, something utterly surprising to me from the SyFy channel, giving just enough dialogue and just enough emoting to sell every scene. The mysteries are enduring and enigmatic, leading to constant speculation on what is going on and how much is real and how much imagined. What connection is there between a sequence of child murders from the late 80s, a child psychologist haunted by recurring nightmares, a terrifying entity roaming around, and exactly what does it all have to do with a children's program "Candle Cove" that no one can actually prove ever aired? With only three episodes aired and three more remaining, I have to trust the answers will come and that series will cement itself as one of the creepiest shows I've ever watched.
A
Krampus
Ho boy this movie was fun. I started giggling approximately 30 seconds in, as the sharp skewering of holiday celebrations started, and didn't stop until after the credits finished. Mike Dougherty, the creator of Trick R Treat, has created another perfect holiday horror-comedy ode to the pagan spirit of a holiday. While not a perfect movie, there's both a sincere love and mischievous spirit infused into every frame. resulting in an effort just fun to watch. While, admittedly, some parts of the film can just be mean, and several of the characters exist as mockery straw-men, there's just so much wicked fun to be had, I was willing to overlook minor flaws. This isn't anything very gory or scary, but there are certainly some very creepy moments, and a beautifully animated sequence more than justifying price of admission. The ending gets a little surreal, but I found it satisfying, and I loved the imagery during the credits. So much fun.
B+
Southbound
I've mentioned before I love anthology horror, and this movie does a decent job in presentation and execution of five overlapping tales. This movie doesn't have much of a linking narrative, as we simply drift from one tale to the other over the course of a day on a small stretch of highway. There are quick reveals that the setting is 'off' as there are supernatural guardians at the borderlands, and radio sermon playing between credits that seem to both speak personally to the characters and to fill in the blanks for the audience. Not that all the blanks get filled in as this movie never comes out and overtly answers questions, but the viewer can certainly draw their own conclusions. Like with any anthology, the themes and quality of each tale varies, with one going for tension and suspense, with another more about body horror and gore. There's an obvious connection between the tales that will be quickly apparent if you've ever seen a horror movie before, but this was quite well executed.
C+
Bone Tomahawk
Horror and Westerns mesh together remarkably well, with this movie as one of the better examples. The first acts of this piece are a traditional western story and character study, in which a group of characters are on a rescue mission through a great expanse of the old west. There's a lot of love for the traditional western here, the vistas, settings, and tropes are handled with reverence, helped along by a stirring performance by Kurt Russell's mustache and a cast of quality actors. Then the horror kicks in which becomes one of the more brutally horrific and shocking scenarios I've seen this year. Gorehounds will be quite satisfied, but this is far from an Eli Roth film, in that you actually learn to like and love the characters as they're forced to endure atrocity. There is plenty of horrific gore, but it isn't necessarily gratuitous or over-the-top, instead servicing the horror of the scenario rather than solely to make the squeamish squirm. There's an eerie plausibility to this story and is arguably a more grounded take on an "Eaters of the Dead" idea. The villains of the piece are routinely described as monsters, and when they finally do appear, the description is apt but exaggerated and understated simultaneously. These are human monsters, but any single one of these creatures is more savage and horrifying than coteries of supernatural beasties. This is a genuinely horrific film, while simultaneously an excellent western and character study with fantastic performances and great writing.
B+
The Devil's Dolls
This is a very bad movie.
F
Flight 7500
The studio made this film in 2014 then sat on it for two years thinking it would be received poorly. While not an original film, or even the best example of its like, this is not a bad movie although I can see it being divisive. Some people are going to be able to ride this train all the way to its conclusion, others will probably get pissed in the last act. Movies like this will only work if you come to like and care about the characters, and I'm pleased to say this movie does not skimp. The characters are well defined and written, and the movie spends a good amount of time getting to know and learn about them. There's a strong focus on the script and writing, because the movie is very low budget. Despite containing quite a few recognizable while "C" list actors, the film doesn't have a lot of money for effects or extravagance. External shots of the plane are some CG, but are used very sparingly because of their cheap look. For the most part, this entire film is contained to one or two sets and rely upon the actors to sell the tension and plight. Supernatural shenanigans are sparing, but very creepy. As this is a film by a Japanese director and writer, some cultural clues might be lost, but on the whole the movie is consistent with its premise and commits. On the whole, a mediocre film propelled slightly higher by the strength of a genuinely earnest cast.
C+
Summer Camp
10 minutes into this movie I was going to write it off as insipid, lazy, uninspired, unoriginal, etc. All the egregious offenses for every bad horror movie I've seen condensed into a 10 minute snippet of bad exposition, unlikable characters, and clichéd setup. But watching 10 more minutes I found myself surprised that movie actually has a lot more going on for it than the first act would hint. This movie lingers too long in the set up, which is normally nice in defining characters and setting, but there's very little unique in this aspect of the film and one jaw-droopingly stupid sequence of behaviors I just wanted to smack all the characters involved. But past the setup, the movie starts to kick up in intensity and doesn't relent until the credits roll. At the same time, there's a very dark humor interspersed throughout this movie, not detracting from the intensity but adding some much needed levity and breathing room. The movie never loses its 'serious' tone, but there are moments you get the impression the filmmakers have tongues firmly in cheek. There is an actual mystery behind the infection that is turning the camp counselors into ravening hyper-violent, black-goo spewing monsters and there are actually original aspects to the 'not-zombie' scenario here, including the fact, these are genuinely not zombies. They demonstrate intuitive and problem-solving behaviors, vocalize, and somewhat uniquely: can revert from their infected state over time. This movie delights in taking you down paths filled with red herrings and speculation, but it delivers on actual answers by the end, and all the various 'Chekov's guns' pay off. I won't say that elements aren't predictable or the characters ever likeable, but this is better and more fun than it should be.
C+
The Mind's Eye
There's an adage stating imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but were I David Cronenberg, I'd be far more insulted than flattered here. This movie is a poor-man's remake of Scanners (with shades of The Fury) with less interesting characters, storylines, visual effects and actors. Not that Scanners is sacrosanct, but it is a masterpiece in comparison to this pale imitator. The direction, synth-music, styles, effects, settings, look and feel come across as an intentional 80's throwback, wearing its influences and love for the original on its sleeve. But unlike similar 80's retro throwbacks (Stranger Things, Almost Human), this film doesn't attempt injecting anything new into the equation, instead covering the same ground, while neglecting and limiting the scope and ambition of the original films (sacrificing plots of global psychic espionage in favor of a by-the-numbers mad scientist). The last act goes for gross-out thrills, and finally goes over-the-top with the insanity of its premise with psychokinetic superpowers going head-to-head. While this last bit is fun, slogging through the rest of the film to get to it is a chore, and honestly not really worth the time. I might be unfairly critical here, as the film does actually accomplish what it intends, both in look and feel and with its story, its just not that engaging or entertaining, and with not much likeable about the characters or the actors playing them. To be fair, as a spiritual sequel to Scanners, this movie is far better than all four of the actual Scanners sequels, but as a tepid rehash of the original ideas, you're far better off renting the original.
D+
Friend Request
I will admit, I was tempted to turn this film off very early in. The first scenes plays as behind-the-scenes montage of one those obnoxious Facebook people who post every nuance of their existences set to some excruciatingly bad music. I am not entirely sure I regret the decision to keep watching, as I've certainly seen worse, but that's not an endorsement. This film is like a mashup between Single White Female, The Ring, and Unfriended, that is to say, this film seems like an unholy chimera of far better films. There's nothing particularly offensive about this film, but there's nothing particularly good either. It's an amalgam of horror movie tropes and cliches, attempting to add a social media gloss atop a very played out foundation. There might have been a good movie in here, with three more drafts at the screenplay stage, but whatever interesting idea this movie wants to present, its executed in the worst possible way. It has one tool in its repertoire, and spams its use like someone spamming erectile dysfunction cures. That would be the jump scare. Expect jump scares around every corner, in every scene, in every possible variant. Fake-outs, discordant musical cues, peepholes, static-y screens, background spooks, etc to the point of nauseum. I appreciated the design on the witch, which reminded me of the creature from "Bite" but with better CG, and there are some interesting animated sequences. But on the whole, this movie is a pretty dumb rehash of far better fare.
D
The Purge: Election Year
It’s amusing to see this franchise continue to double down on its insanity. We're now three movies into this ultra-violent social satire, and this one is pretending it has something relevant to say about our current political cycle. It doesn't really, but its still a fun ride. Three movies in, the characters are still stock stereotypes, the villains silly caricatures, but the production values are actually pretty high, and everything looks pretty good in setup and execution. The movie works to riff off current socio-political events, big surprise in a film subtitled "Election Year". There's some very unsubtle propaganda and a lot of surface level social commentary uttered with the conviction of stoner profundity. What I find most surprising about these movies is that they actually seem to be getting better. While the first movie mostly served to set up the premise and world-building, the subsequent films have been all about expanding the universe and advancing a narrative. To some degree, this movie is an extension of the second film "Anarchy", but can stand alone. Now these movies are not a great vehicle to examine philosophical concepts and moral complexity, as they're patently absurd in their premise and execution. But if you are willing to ride the crazy train and aren't easily offended by political jabs, this movie can be surprisingly fun.
C+
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
Horror/comedy tends to skew in one direction or the other. Given the premise, I was surprised that PP&Z skewed further horror than comedy, although not far enough to my liking. Everyone in-front and behind the camera is committed to the ridiculousness of the setting and premise, resulting in a pretty film filled with pretty people acting seriously in a period zombie film (with the exception of Matt Smith who appears is just having an goofy time). There's quite a good cast here, with even less famous faces giving enthusiastic performances. I get the impression this was a fun movie to make, that being said, its not a particularly good film although far better than it has a right to be. Unfortunately, its not really funny, not scary at all, and reliant on action sequences that are recycled from far better films. There's some clever and tongue-in-cheek writing which probably plays better on the page than onscreen, some excellent makeup and visual effects, and some fun action sequences, but it all doesn't add up to anything. There's some half-hearted attempt to play with gender roles and class warfare in Victorian London, with a strong message of female empowerment. But it all breaks down in favor of the goofy action fighting sequences, that aren't particularly great or memorable. The creators have added one or two new notions to the classic zombie setup, which I'd be interested in seeing explored further with a director actually invested in making a straight-up horror film. But at the end of the day, this is a horror-action-comedy, where the comedy isn't that funny, the action is lackluster, and the horror is non-existent.
C
Viral
There are so many variants on the zombie movie filmmakers try anything to distinguish themselves from the shambling horde, but all too often fall into the same tropes. Viral tries to be a 'different' zombie film, because... Worms. Worms with a side helping of character development and sibling relationships. But that's about it. Like Maggie, or other melancholy zombie fare, this movie focuses upon slow deterioration of relationships and loss and grief between family members, using the 'not-zombie' zombie scenario as an exploration of wasting illness and death. Which certainly can work as a film, and be thought-provoking, heart-wrenching, and often provide introspective moral examination. But... this is not that film. This movie makes a valiant attempt to be all these things, but is unfortunately hampered by poor acting, weak characters and mediocre execution. The movie meanders a bit, hints at bigger ideas, abandons aforementioned ideas to focus on dumb character decisions, rushes the ending, and ultimately goes no where. To be fair, this movie honestly isn't that bad, but it's far from good. Its a movie I've seen a hundred different times in myriad different forms and variations, and this one simply goes on the pile of mediocre and quickly forgettable 'not-zombie' zombie fare.
D+
Baskin
This Turkish movie starts out very strong, quickly establishing the characters and relationships between the leads, before going down the rabbit hole of bugshit insanity. While nothing particularly original, I will commend this film on its use of practical effects and imagery to create a very surreal and nightmare-esque experience throughout. Much of the last act is reliant upon actors with very real physical deformities to help sell the disquieting scenes and imagery. Unfortunately, this film is a prime example of style over substance, as it goes over-the-top with its spectacle, but none of it really adds up at the end. The photography and direction is great, the imagery disturbed, but the narrative doesn't really make a lot of sense, and there's a last minute twist that is downright nonsensical. The last act alternates between torture and body-horror, with some disquieting imagery and notions fluttering around as almost a secondary afterthought. I spent a bit of time wondering whether what I was watching was a hallucination, staged or actually part of the film as depicted. While there is ultimately an answer, the entire conclusion and last act is a letdown. This movie seems very proud of its presentation, but sacrifices the script in favor of going over-the-top with horrific imagery.
C
The Wailing
This movie is by design perplexing and obfuscated, the best description I can give is it is a supernatural mystery in which victims are being manipulated in some inscrutable agenda. As this is a Korean film, doubtless some of the cultural/regional specific elements were lost on me. However, thematically there are clear, and rather resonant messages in this movie: do not embrace prejudice at the expense of due process, blind faith without evidence, or abandon doubt and hesitation in the face of blind certainty. These are examinations of religious faith and religion, but considered without condemnation or conclusion. If anything, this movie seems to propose no one has any particular or definitive interpretation, and we all exist in the same state of doubt and confusion. None of the main characters of the movie are clear about what is going on, with this confusion extending to the audience. As confusing as this film is, it is also excellently made, wonderfully directed, acted, and executed. It also goes off-the-rails bugshit crazy on more than one occasion, as this movie throws in exorcisms, ghosts, demons, zombies, plagues, etc. Its rather fascinating to observe the different cultural attitudes and ceremonies evidenced by the characters in this film, while all seem to demonstrate everyone exists in the same human condition. The confusion is intentional, the ambiguity intended, and this is a film that will get deeper the more you ponder it.
B+
Don't Breathe
Boy, this film is intense. Another twist on the home-invasion genre, this one having three unsuspecting burglars breaking into the home of a blind army vet. The setup is clever, in that the morality of all parties involved is ambiguous at best. A lot of the characters are awful people doing awful and sometimes stupid things so its hard to be sympathetic. The direction is stunning, each shot; be it wide drone affairs, intimate close-ups, or transitions showcasing dark corners and hidden shadows, adding volumes to each scene. There is little wasted fluff as this is a scalpel-lean, well-polished film without any excess indulgence and a masterclass in tension-building. There is not one unearned moment of tension, no silly jump scares, nothing but taught nerve-wracking intensity. The camera is wielded like a character in these events, each shot perfectly framed and lit for maximum tension. Sound like likewise wielded as a tension-building weapon, as every single noise the characters make is highlighted and accentuated, to better attune the viewer with the blind character's range of experience. i will admit not expecting quite a bit of the scenes in this film, but it all made sense and I never felt 'cheated' by a scene or explanation. My only complaints are that the cast looks like a bunch of baby-faced extras from a CW show and they're hard to root for.
B+
The Alchemist Cookbook
This is one of those no-budget films where the overall meaning of the film is probably decipherable to the filmmaker and his close friends (all of whom are probably in this movie). There is some effective use of sound effects, and one or two shots approaching competence, especially with such an obviously frugal budget, but there's nothing that makes even remote sense or narrative cohesion in this film. This happens when your main focal point is someone mentally unhinged, but if this is a film attempting to showcase mental deterioration, it doesn't take itself seriously enough. The main character alternates between sullen, disturbed, and absolutely wacky, but he's consistently unlikable. There's no clue to his personality, motives or mental state until too far into the film to actually care. Not that there's anything thing to care about.
F
Hush
Simple premise, great execution. Mike Flannagan's modus operandi, and my admiration for his work grows. I am not normally a fan of home invasion films, as they far too often degenerate into torture porn, but this really was quite good. Kate Siegel is excellent while barely speaking. Her character is deaf-mute, and while this might have come across as a gimmick on the standard home-invasion fare, the execution is anything but. Its essential to every aspect, and the means which the director integrates her deafness into the proceedings exponentially increases overall effectiveness, from character-building to nerve-wracking tension. There are extremely horrific and brutal moments, but they are disciplined and somehow more shocking for this. The villain of this piece is equally mundane and terrifying, which also somehow makes events more plausibly horrible. Definitely one of my favorite horror films this year.
B+
The Remains
Stop me if you've seen this one: a family moves into a creepy rural home filled to the brim with supernatural nasties. After a promising opening, this movie degenerates into played-out tropes, bad clichés, and ongoing stupidity. Its like they had a checklist: dolls, demons, ghosts, shadows, nosy neighbors, possession, slutty teens, creepy children, unhinged father, discordant sound effects, tense music, bad acting, etc. There's attempts to ape 'good' horror movie tension building, but as there's not one single solitary scare to be had, its just wasted time. Boring time. One of the child actors may actually have some skill, which is literally the only item I can compliment in this whole endeavor. This movie is a mess, just poorly made. It lingers in shots that go nowhere, focuses on elements that never pay off, introduces plot elements that just get dropped, and in general goes hurtling towards one of the stupidest endings I've seen in any film. Ever.
F
Mercy
I have to admit something... I hate this kid Chandler Riggs. I hated him in the Walking Dead, and I hate him here even more. Maybe its not his fault. Maybe its the conditioned response I have to constant poor delivery of atrocious material in poorly lit and badly directed conditions. Maybe he's just horrible. The only other actors in this film seem like the sincerely wish they were attending any other engagement than making in this film. I was surprised early on to recognize this as an adaptation of Stephen King's Gramma, but with recognition also came trepidation. It's not often wise to take a very short story and expand it to feature length. Sometimes it can work, other times you get this film. I wish it had been good. The story was good. The movie is a wreck: padded out, muddled and inconsistent, cliched, poorly shot, acted directed, take your pick of poison, the only thing this movie doesn't have going for it is actual scares.