After myriad flawed takes on this legend, here we have something genuine. This is an intelligent film taking the trappings of the original tale and telling an haunting story of political inhumanity, guilt, and vengeance. This film is disquieting in its depiction of current realities, augmenting themes of complicity and injustice upon the innocent and making the folklore update feel relevant. There are well executed moments of dread and atmospheric disquiet but traditional horror elements are rather minimal. The horrors that this film depicts are more of the human variety, and the capacity for humanity to inflict atrocities upon each other. The writing is quite excellent, serving to twist the original la llorona tale while still amazingly true to the source. The filmmaking is a touch languid in its pacing, but the cinematography is quite excellent, with excellent framing and precise shots. The performances are uniformly excellent, with the acting always feeling very genuine. There are twists and turns and all sorts of moments that will stand out, but what will linger long past is how effectively and elegantly the filmmakers updated and reinvigorated the folk tale’s themes and framework for a contemporary tale where screeching spectres pale in comparison to the true horrors of humans being inhuman.
Vampires Vs. The Bronx (2020)
So, the initial analogy of vampires for gentrification is absolutely hilarious and plays so very well, getting funnier the more one thinks about it. This movie starts tongue-in-cheek and never quite takes itself entirely seriously, offering numerous in-jokes and fun genre references. This film apes the film Attack the Block, but doesn’t quite have the originality, cleverness or performances of that film. This film is a modernized amalgam of Monster Squad and Lost Boys, aping the latter film verbatim atimes. The film doesn’t offer anything particularly new, but has fun with its premise with a charismatic cast that feels like they are enjoying themselves. It plays off of old vampire tropes and certainly offers some meta commentary on how vampires are exhausted in all their variant forms and tropes. While not particularly original or frightening, this film is not afraid to have fun, feeling almost like an old-fashioned throwback to earlier genre films of the type.
C+
Warning: Do Not Play (2019)
A paint by numbers entry in asian horror tropes, with a disjointed and incomprehensible last act. The film indulges too many nightmarish dream sequences before getting to the bulk of the story, still providing a decent visual or two. The story likewise takes a while to kick into gear, following similar patterns to films like Ringu or The Grudge:origins where a central investigation begins a supernatural curse. The main characters aren’t particularly likable or sympathetic, although we do get to learn a bit about them, they still come off as rote. Takes a while for the investigation to actually provide some payoff, but once it does things begin to escalate nicely, yet there’s this meta disjointed nonlinear madness happening in the second half that I suspect the filmmakers thought was clever, but comes off more confusing than anything else. I suspect the filmmakers were also attempting some commentary on the filtered and isolating nature of living existence behind a camera phone, or a lens in general, but again the message gets disjointed and messy. At the end of the film, it is impossible to accurately tell you exactly what occurred, what the core theme or message might have been, other than the possible advice: ghosts hate selfie takers.
D
The Invisible Man (2020)
This is a fascinating subversion of the original HG Wells tale where a chemical concoction renders a scientist transparent but indulging amorality. For its flaws, 2000’s the Hollow Man is likely the best modern adaptation of this tale, but this contemporary update is interesting on myriad levels and no doubt the better film. For film called the Invisible Man many critiques leveled at it are that the titular character is barely present for a good chunk of the film, but I’d argue otherwise. The character is always present, haunting Elizabeth moss both on metaphorical and literal levels with hints the character is present far earlier than one might suspect. The victim focus allows for all manner of analogies for domestic violence, stalking, gaslighting and provides an excellent visual representation or the type of psychological echoes and hauntings victims might endure. There’s all sorts of fascinating psychological issues and framework, with shocking moments and an excellent twist on the original concept that’s both creepy and entirely plausible. Unfortunately, the last act sacrifices the excellent mood and subtlety in favor of a presumably studio-mandated bombastic last act, in which the film’s carefully laid messages and themes get muddied and ultimately divisive. Regardless, this kind of imaginative reinvention of a classic take is wholly welcomed in the hands of excellent acting, script and direction.
B+
Z (2019)
This is a dark take on a simple notion: what if a child’s imaginary friend was real. While not particularly original, this movie manages to provide a number of very effective jolts and shocking moments, along with a nicely pervasive atmosphere of dread and ominous vibe. There are a number of severely jarring moments and scenes, both of a mundane and supernatural variety There are numerous metaphors for parenting struggles, mental illness, inherited trauma and familial specters. While the film skirts with deeper themes and larger messages, it fails to follow through with many of them. There’s a tonal shift between the first act and the second act where subtle messages and insidious building dread gives way to easily telegraphed jump scares and questionable character decisions. The second act also manages to destroy any of the momentum and insidious atmosphere the film had been building. Overall, an average take on an old nation with above-average performances and production values, and one or two genuinely creepy moments, let down and squandered in a tonally disjointed last act.
C+
Monsterland (2020)
Last year Hulu teamed with author Nathan Ballingrud adapting his novella The Visible Filth. Despite being dense, unpleasant and surreal, the adaptation Wounds ended up accurate to the source, maintaining themes and subtext intact and one of the better horror entries of the year. Here they re-team for an anthology series based upon his short story collection, North American Lake Monsters, and the result is exceptional and impactful. The best description I might give is of ‘slice of life’ contemporary horror, examining individual stories across the country, where life, choice and circumstances have rendered myriad lives a wasteland. The series focuses on damaged and desperate people, all to a different degree wallowing in their own damnation, on metaphorical and literal levels dependent on the tale. The horrors in this series occur less from supernatural threats or terrors, which linger in the periphery and shadows, rarely at the forefront, but are never truly the focus of the episode. Each and every monster is used only a vehicle to examine the darkest elements in contemporary society: mental illness, suicide, environmental disasters, class warfare, radicalization, etc.. Each topic is given a powerful and uniquely effective vehicle by which to examine the wreckage and damage of the daily grind upon lost souls in the aftermath of shattered dreams. The stories themselves are beautifully told tales of sorrows and choice, of dependence and obsession, of abuse, scars and damage upon the mind, body and spirit. Powerful, heart-wrenching, horrifying and tragic, each segment comes with its own narrative twists and often a powerful coda that feels resonate, earned and utterly thought provoking. This series is often hard to watch. It covers difficult subject matter that goes into very dark places about the human psyche and human condition. I cringed while watching it, both from the visceral skin-crawl of grotesque visuals, but mostly the cringe of watching something truly horrible unfold, unable to predict entirely where it may go, but knowing it will inevitably end up worse. Nathan Ballingrud understands the mundane aspect of horror: the existential hells of being trapped in a self-made purgatory, by the choices, by the external machinations of fate, by betrayals of values, ideas… Manipulated and puppeteered into hells of your own creation through simply the soul-whithering Sisyphean grind of daily life. The tarnish and stain left upon our souls by pressures and compromises bringing us to choices we make, live with and the monsters we inexorably end up seeing in the mirror.
A+
The Lodge (2019)
Quiet and psychologically insidious, this movie does a remarkably effective job of portraying a harrowing mental breakdown. Cult psychological trauma and survivor’s guilt is often covered similarly, utilizing hallucinatory nightmare sequences often layered with symbolism and subtext in a slow burn approach. This movie does very little that differs from similar fare, there’s only so many ways to cover the same ground, and this movie manages to subvert expectations although not quite as clever as it wants to be. It is clear the filmmakers were looking to emulate Ari Aster in terms of pacing, storytelling and cinematography. While it succeeds in looking great, and maintaining a fairly languid and slow burn pace and tone, it fails to connect on a narrative level. There’s little to connect with on a character level, although this movie did play to some of my existing biases. While the movie is honestly a long and arduously paced film were not elevated by an absolutely tour de force performance by Riley Keough. This is her show and it is riveting to watch as her grip on reality unravels. The cast is sparse, yet each performance is decent, even the kids although their role doesn’t require them to be particularly sympathetic. The script meanders, setting things up quiet effectively, but losing a lot of build and momentum in the last act. However, the film ends on a fantastic note and great payoff for viewers patient enough to endure its exhausting pace.
C+
Underwater (2020)
Far more enjoyable than was expected, with an unrelenting pace, decent performances and excellent moments of creature fright. Tightly claustrophobic and intense, with very few moments of breathing room, this movie starts with a literal bang and barely slows throughout the slim runtime. There’s not a lot of depth or plot, just sketches of some character development and quick exposition dumps to explain why the characters need to get from point a to point b. Main complaints are that the film's underwater segments are very muddied and it is often difficult to discern the action or details, especially with much of the action taking place from the character's perspective and behind a helmet. However, this simultaneously places the viewer in a tighter fame, claustrophobic and more relatable to the plight of the characters. Stewart is passable, the material playing to her particular strengths of long sullen stares and wooden emoting. The last act is kind of a hoot for genre fans, although nothing in this film is particularly scary, it moves fast, looks decent, and follows through for a pretty bombastic last act. A pretty good B-movie that briefly riffs of similar 80-90's fare like Deepstar six, Alien, Leviathan and The Abyss, while being unique enough. While on the whole, the premise and plot kind of break down in the face of logic this is a welcome return to solid creature features by major studios.
B
Impetigore (2020)
Another Indonesian argument for why that country is currently producing the best horror on the market. This film reminded me of an earlier 2020 entry: Death of Me, but… Good. Competently and sharply executed, this movie is effective where that movie was awful while overlapping in tone and theme. While there are moments of visceral and physical horrors, these are fleeting and often only briefly glimpsed, with most gore and grotesqueries saved for the viewer’s imagination. The majority of the film’s intensity comes from paranoia and pursuit in a strange location, with some effective performances and use of location. The film takes the opportunity to showcase the natural splendor of rural countryside, before embracing the alienation and unsettling nature of being in a strange location surrounded with potentially dark motives. There are scenes in this film with an absolutely perfect buildup of atmosphere, tension, and payoff, but unfortunately this film can’t maintain the level of horror consistently. The major issue is one of pacing: watching this film feels like watching someone learning to drive. Things lurch forward, then settle back, then jolt forward again while everyone within the ride incurs whiplash. The opening is jarring and promises intensity, then the next act unwinds a sluggish pace. The tone wavers throughout, as does the tone and feel, but this becomes particularly jarring in the last act where every bit of momentum drops for repeated flashbacks of increasing duration amidst exposition dumps. These moments detract severely from the last act’s revelations and moments that should have been impactful lose effectiveness. Regardless, this movie demonstrates a willingness and commitment to exploring dark corners hollywood studios wouldn’t dare shine a light.
B
Don’t Look Back (2020)
The selling point here is that this film was produced by the same team responsible for the Final Destination series, which is often underra ted because of the gratuitousness of later entries. One can see an initial overlap with the notion of personified cosmic forces seeking out individual transgressors, and there’s a sharp bit of social commentary on desensitization and bystander indifference to violent acts. There was an excellent kernel of an idea at the core of this script, but every promising notion is quickly squandered in bland regurgitation of tired tropes and predictable patterns. It is unfortunate to see this potential squandered as there are decent production values, and in the hands of better screenwriters, might have produced something memorable. The lead actress does her best carrying the film upon her shoulders, her co-actors doing absolutely no favors. Everything is uninspired and overly blue-saturated, with ham-fisted and telegraphed deaths and a peppered number of jump scares. There will be no surprises, thrills, scares or interest for the vast majority of moviegoers and it is my sincere hope the filmmakers can balance the karmic scales and produce something better with their next endeavor.
D
2020 Werewolf Special
I was tasked by special request to review a decent werewolf film this year, however pickings were slim. Not just slim, but the worst in a genre brimming with horrible films. I can easily count the number of good werewolf films on both hands with leftover digits, which is unfortunate. The werewolf as a cinematic monster seems to be relegated to the dregs of the worst of bad films, and it has been ages since a good werewolf entry, the 2014 Late Phases being the last that comes to mind. With that in mind, devoted myself to the attempt of finding a good werewolf film and failing miserably:
A Werewolf in England (2020)
This is bad, but with a campy horribleness to the sheer levels of bad. I am normally not a huge fan of the concept of ‘its so bad it’s good’, and that is certainly not the case here. This is so bad, it’s bad. But the levels of overacting, the horrible framing, bad direction, hilarious acting, ridiculous dialogue and goofy plot might inspire some to engage with this film, on ‘The Room’ levels or perhaps as a drinking game.
F
High Moon (aka: Howlers) (2018)
I feel the original title is far superior, and wish the film itself could live up to that camp potential. The idea sounds like it should be ridiculously awesome: a pack of western werewolves and their gunslinging nemesis are resurrected in the modern day to continue their feud. Doesn’t that sound like the potential of horrible greatness? The poster itself would indicate a western Wolfcop, which would have been phenomenal. Unfortunately, and confusingly, given the subject matter, this movie takes itself somewhat seriously, despite understanding what a ridiculous concept and limited budget they have, the cast overacts with an earnestness befitting cancer-stricken amnesiacs on a daytime soap-operas. Squandered potential of a ludicrous premise, and punny title, but with some slightly higher production values than would be evidenced.
D
A Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)
So this is the closest to a decent werewolf movie and still manages to fail on numerous levels including the most basic. More of a methodical, slow paced murder mystery, there’s several fragments of decent films hiding inside this mess, but none of them actually come together decently. Overall, there’s some pretty good humor, acting, production values and execution; however, if this is the best werewolf entry 2020 has to offer, the lycanthrope delegation should certainly protest.
C
Ratu Ilmu Hitam (The Queen of Black Magic) (2019)
Boy, this film is intense. Shocking and horrific, a benefit to Indonesian filmmaking is that they unabashedly go to places american studios will never dare. A remake of a 1981 film playing off localized lore on black magic and folk horror, it is refreshing watching cultures where supernatural elements are never questioned. The movie spends a modicum of setup introducing several couples and planting story seeds before hitting the 20 minute mark and escalating into an unrelenting roller coaster of terrors. The story itself ends up being a hodge-podge of tropes, complete with mysterious revelations, a haunted orphanage, and dark backstories, but there’s no pause to explore in any nuance or depth any of the revelations. To be fair, the story and mystery are the weakest elements of this film. They merely serve as flimsy backstory for an unrelenting malevolent and harrowing entity to commit myriad creative atrocities. The filmmakers do not shy away from showing shocking and horrific visuals, as one of the characters declares in emotionless affect: ‘I do not know if there is an afterlife, so I have to create hell here.’ This movie will present some of the most squeamish, grotesque and cringe inducing moments of body horror, alongside with supernatural terrors and torture imagery. Not simply for the sake of being gratuitous, it plays quite into the story that is being told, but doesn’t make the events any less appalling. There are some issues of pacing and characterization and some of the poor CG will distract in a couple of scenes, but complaints are few on a film front. There’s a sudden and rather glaring tonal shift in the ending, but not enough to detract terribly. While this is fairly typical fare for Indonesian horror, this is still the most effective horror film I have seen this year and highly recommended for those with strong stomach and iron will.
B+
We Summon The Darkness (2019)
A film blatantly banking on being 80’s nostalgia bait, but worse than most of the worst 80’s satanic panic entries. After a certain point, the only real appeal is if you have a particular kink for watching gorgeous women in blood-drenched white shirts (no shaming here). The film offers one decent twist, and then everything gets increasingly ludicrous and unintentionally hilarious. There are parts they were certainly going for hilarious, but those were not the funny parts, although the lead actress is committed to camping it up exponentially. The dialogue is excruciating, the motivations nonsensical, and there is so much better fare, even amongst the fetishized niche of ‘ironically post-modern’ retro 80’s nostalgia bait from the last 2 years. While there are certainly worse movies out there, wait for the twist and then go watch something better.
D
Gretel and Hansel (2020)
This is an atmospheric and genuinely eerie take on Grimm fable, heavy with themes of abuse and power. It is gorgeous to look at, taking visual cues from 2015’s Witch, and attempting a period pseudo-accurate depiction of folk witchcraft and occult imagery. This film drips atmosphere and style in each and every frame, even when displaying some grotesque visuals. Many elements are quite horrific, but more from a sense of disquiet and eeriness than any particular frights. The fears in these movies are more along the lines of the cost of power, and the sacrifices required, delivered often with metaphorical totems. Witchcraft in film often serves as an analogue for female coming of age and empowerment, and this movie retreads familiar ground while stunning in presentation. The story is simple, but expands beyond and tangents away from the original tale with twists in the narrative and some nicely subverted tropes. The major issue is pacing, as this film moves lethargically, augmented by sequences in which time slooooows, taking lethargy into the lands of comatose. At the same time, the effect achieved is often dreamlike and this works in a number of scenes to surrealistic effect. Overall, there is a very hypnotic allure to the film, augmented by a pair of excellent performances from the leads. Overall, the movie is not quite as deep as it pretends to be, especially in the last act: sacrificing much of the building eeriness and tension in favor of spectacle even if it still moves at glacial pace. Despite issues of pacing, this is an eerie, stunning and well told story that serves plenty of creepy visuals and atmosphere where it might lack in frights.
B
The Mortuary Collection (2019)
There were relatively few anthology entries in the past year, which are a personal favorite. This collection had potential, obviously campy and a bit over-the-top but it appears fairly obvious the filmmakers were having fun trying to execute some ‘TWIST’ in each particular anthology segment. The wraparound segment is actually kind of amusing with Clancy Brown absolutely hamming it up to 11. The storytelling segments vary in terms of content and quality of script, but there are certainly some production values involved. Everything looks pretty good, from the sets to the computer generated Back in the day, this would be direct to video fare, with some of the later segments highly reliant upon gross-out humor and immature antics. There is nothing beyond surface level antics here, garish and alternatively juvenile and moronic. The nature of this production would probably be quite fun for teenagers and drunken revelries, but should be avoided by mature minds without the aid of inebriants.
D+
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
Haunting carries layers of potential meaning with creator Mike Flanagan exploring a different haunting from the series’ precursor and his extensive filmography of haunted characters and malevolent specters. Those seeking the same scares and frights from Bly Manor will be sorely disappointed, and indeed, my initial impression was one of disappointment. Not that this is bad; au contraire, this is an excellent production, sometimes brilliant, gloriously produced, amazingly acted but with few frights to be found. Within each episode, there is a singular character focus examining what haunts each particular character. While there are literal ghosts haunting Bly Manor, what haunts these characters are memories and personal demons, manifesting in visibly menacing apparitions. There are two standout episodes that come to mind, each focusing upon a particular haunting in Bly manor and the traumas that brought them to their current wretched state. While Hill House’s overall theme was of familial trauma, the characters of Bly are haunted by love, as the characters state this explicitly in one of the more unsubtle moments the series has to offer. Unfortunately, the series is full of similarly ham-fisted moments of exposition, and unlike the precursor series, none of the overlapping perspectives contribute much to the core narrative. The main story itself is an adaption of The Turn of the Screw, whose seminal adaptation The Innocents is still the high bar by which most haunted house films are held, and certainly remains the best adaptation of that story. Despite that, this is still a gorgeous and stunning adaptation on most every front, with special accolades demanded for the casting of the children in this series. Those familiar with Flanagan’s work, know he has an aptitude for child casting, but the child playing Miles drops the kind of unnerving, age-weary performance that drops the jaw and staggers the mind, alternating between moods, persona and menace on a dime. This performance is worth the price of admission alone, with everyone involved giving excellent performances. Unfortunately, where it was easy to relate to the struggling Crain family of Hill House, there are few situations or relatable characters present in Bly Manor, possibly due to the fact updating victorian gothic themes, characters and settings of the source to contemporary times doesn’t necessarily adapt relatability. My major other complaint comes with the last episode, which acts as a coda to the series, but demands far too much unearned sentimentality from the viewers. The majority of the episode is mired in the mundane aspects of an enduring relationship, but coming off far more saccharine than genuine. However, the last episode also delivers an emotionally satisfying closure and wraparound to the series that still manages to hit the heartstrings and satisfy even the most irritated viewers. Despite these complaints, Bly Manor is certainly a glorious adaptation of Henry James’ work, true and keeping to the themes and source material, while serving as a decent if slightly disappointing followup to a truly amazing first season, but at this point, I would be more intrigued should Flanagan and crew chose to abandon gothic romantic literature for something more chilling.
B
The Cleansing Hour (2020)
This was fun and apologetically so. Some of it is ludicrous but unashamed to go full-out crazy starting with the pretty simple premise of a faux-exorcists confronted with the real deal. On the possession front, there’s absolutely nothing new presented, pretty much every possession trope is regurgitated along with the filmmakers working out some deep entrenched issues with catholicism. But most everything clicks, the cast has excellent charisma together, and the script is lean and fairly streamlined. They manage to pull off one or two effective plot moments, and they achieve quite a bit character-wise in a limited runtime. While the movie has crazy epic global ambitions, the sets and effects are kept fairly restricted and mostly practical to the film’s benefit. All of the practical effects and wizardry look great, the CG looks ridiculous in comparison. There are heavy echoes of John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness, unafraid to let budget stand in the way of ambition. There are a large number of cringe moments involving body horror, and one or two jump scares, but nothing particularly chilling or particularly frightening. In fact, I’d argue this film has one of the more hilariously genuine reaction moments of any character confronted with potential horrors. On the whole, entertaining and fast-paced, with excellent practical effects, an efficient script and committed to taking the premise to a fun last act.
B
Black Box (2020)
This is a pretty budget production based on a premise that feels it would be better suited as an episode of Black Mirror. There are plenty of interesting themes and threads wrapped up in a predictable plot and shell. The main character initially comes off as sympathetic, but as events proceed we start to lose track of why. There’s a precocious child, who likewise comes off fairly likable, but begins to irritate before too long. While concepts of digital consciousness and malleable memories carry some inherent existential terror, the only real frights come from nightmarish hallucinatory sequences featuring contortionist Twisty Tony. There’s a very disjointed and confusing plot gap that makes little sense but doesn’t entirely derail the plot, as it is. Most of the movie’s beats are telegraphed pretty far in advance, and while this is a decent thriller, it could easily be condensed into an hour without missing a beat. There’s nothing particularly notable or memorable, and I can feel memories of it already fading which seems sadly ironic for the subject matter.
C
The Beach House (2019)
Another indie film illustrating how a keen eye and decent script are of infinite more importance than big budgets and cg monstrosities. This is a film that will likely only appeal to the devoted genre fan with enough patience to endure a meandering first act, but for a directorial debut, this is remarkably well done. While minimalist in budget and direction, there are some truly excellent shots and cinematography throughout. There are many thematic and directorial influences on display, with a strong affinity for John Carpenter’s Lovecraft overlap. This movie gets quite good, but it takes excruciatingly long to get there, and the viewer is forced to endure some agonizing conversations and interactions. The entire first act feels like a miserable holding pattern that may be intentional, as it reflects the relationships of the main characters. But we spend far too long luxuriating in the sourness of their relationship to feel any genuine investment in their survival when the second act goes apocalyptic. For a miniscule budget and isolated location, this film manages to convey the sense of global apocalyptic events quite effectively. There have been many Lovecraft inspired entries this year, but this film is arguably the best in capturing that feeling of cosmic existential dread, even if it does degenerate into comfortable zombie fare for a moment or two. This movie manages to incorporate pandemic horrors, ecological terror, instances of grotesque body horror along with existential dread and cosmic indifference. There are some somewhat disjointed surrealistic sequences and strange asides throughout with an ending that will likely alienate most viewers, but this movie is worth a watch and certainly worth the time of genre fans.
B
Sea Fever (2019)
A decently made, if exceedingly derivative tale of ecological and parasitic horror at sea. There will be few surprises or scares to seasoned viewers, but effective moments of body horror and general existential dread permeates. The isolated and claustrophobic setting of a single marine vessel provides a very effective setting for a horror film, especially one centered on infection scares. There is also the ever present fear of abyssal ocean depths, the potential unknown horrors lurking just below the surface and out of sight to land-based bipeds. The centering character for this film is a marine biologist, used to deliver scientific exposition dumps to keep the viewer informed about the nature of the threats the crew will face. Overall, the direction is sound, atmospheric and managing to frame some very close and tense shots. There is nothing particularly memorable about the acting or characters, who are beyond rote and not particularly engaging. There’s not much new or exceptional, and the ending is telegraphed fairly early. However, this is a nicely made slow burn with some Lovecraftian overtones and worth a watch.