There has been a resurgence of the Vampire as a monster in recent years. Far too often vampires are portrayed as ‘cursed with awesome’, down to superpowers and immortality. But the life of a bloodsucker is one of eternal night, hunger, and pain: abandoning or lamenting a lost humanity one can only parody. This series manages to effectively portray this gulf with opposing camps, each pursuing their own agenda tied to the legacy of an ancestral manor called Chapelwaite. This series is an amalgam of Stephen King stories set in Jerusalem’s lot (I strongly suspect there will be an eventual tie-in to the recently announced Salem's lot remake), but with barely any actual reflection of the stories themselves. Regardless, this is a high production value period piece, where the recently arrived Charles Boone inherits the Chapelwaite estate and immediately falls under its dark auspices even as a darker conspiracy maneuvers to take advantage of his increasingly wavering sanity. Adrien Brody might be the perfect actor for this series, as he constantly has the air of pure moroseness, the look of a man who once had a puppy, and while the fate of the puppy is unknown, we can be assured nothing good happened to it. He carries the series with a world-weary suffering, beginning the series besieged by tragedy and which is only augmented as the series goes on. Across the board, the acting is quite good, with some standouts, although few bother to feign an era-appropriate accent. There is some surprisingly good commentary, making resonant points about prejudice and racism, social status and familial trappings and curses. Honestly, the series is quite good, and only stumbles in the last episode, where a rushed finale and some nonsensical choices bring down the entirety of the series. A personal peeve in media, is when morose characters lament ‘the only way’ and ‘only choice’ offered is one where a thinking person might immediately offer half a dozen more sensical options and outcomes. Were it not for these final moments, this series would be trumpeted as exceptionally well done, well acted, gorgeous to look at, and a triumphant return to vampiric horror along with some rather high stakes and cosmic repercussions for humanity as a whole. Despite stumbling in the finale, the series is quite highly recommended and likely worth at least one repeat watch.
Boys from County Hell (2021)
An Irish vampire film playing off of the fact Bram stoker was Irish, and a community more than happy to exploit the localized legend for personal gain. The filmmakers engage in a little retcon of the history behind at all to present a somewhat different take on vampire mythology. I will admit, I love the Irish sensibilities, humor and effortless banter, and there are some creative moments of writing and banter throughout the series that strengthen the weaker moments of the story. It’s initially pretty fun, with a lot of very tongue in cheek nods and winks to prior vampire stories, and at least attempting something new with exhausted genre conventions. However, the series goes into more serious emotional fare, never quite abandoning the tongue-in-cheek, but never quite delivering on the tonal shift. While the dark humor of this series is legitimately its greatest asset, there are some genuinely good moments of horror and tension that end up shortchanged by the effort to inject levity. At the end of the day, despite some unique elements and some fun humor, this movie doesn’t quite deliver on either front and never elevates itself beyond promise and potential.
C+
Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)
The seventh film and seemingly reboot of the paranormal activity series thankfully abandons the gimmicks from the last few entries and strips down the convoluted mythology. However, the basic template remains the same: approximately 80 minutes of very little occurring, and then a high-octane rush of increasingly crazy events in the last act. Much of the creepiness one might derive from this particular entry is contingent upon two questions: How creepy do you find the Amish culture, and: Did that scarecrow just growl at the characters? If the former gives you the creeps, then you might enjoy this entry as the first two acts focus almost exclusively on ‘fish out of water’ weirdness centered around such a community. The last act just goes balls-out crazy, and will probably provide one or two moments of interest for the more devoted viewers, but there’s little that hasn’t been seen before. The ending leaves off with a ‘hook’, obviously intending to continue this particular thread into future installments, but while executives might have hoped this to be a triumphant return to the franchise, this is one of the weaker entries and please: mercifully, let it be the last.
D
Lair (2021)
Bad. So very bad. Unlikable and unsympathetic characters. Ridiculous twists and setup alongside nonsensical motivations and a garbage plot. There is quite the body count and some cartoonish amounts of gore, but this occurs after withstanding an endurance trial of arduous character dynamics and annoying dialogue. The more I try to find a redeeming aspect, the more nebulous this ideal becomes and the more willfully suppressed memories of a really bad movie begin to reassert themselves and haunt me in a far superior manner than the entity in this film.
F
The Deep House (2021)
Pitch: It’s a found-footage haunted house, but… UNDERWATER! Which... might actually have delivered a decent film, utilizing a relatively untouched setting for a horror movie. The main characters explain early the dangers and terror involved with diving, establishing their reasons, toys and tools involved in their ghost hunting agenda. There have been a ton of ‘influencer’ based plots in the last several years, and admittedly: it never fails to amuse when horrible things happen to them. The movie does a decent job of establishing baseline characterization for our main duo before an entirely not mysterious and sketchy stranger suggests a trip to a submerged locale, and its off to the tropes. Oh we got it all here. Jump scares (replacing traditional cats with fish), strange dolls, shadows behind curtains, discordant sounds, a wall of murder articles, strange occult symbols, hidden chambers, etc. Every traditional haunted house cliche is present, just soggier. There are a couple of well executed moments of creepy sights and sounds, but any action occurs in a ludicrous blur of bubbles that renders moot any notion of actually figuring out what’s occurring. The plot hinges upon dumb characters making dumb decisions, and everything plays out as predictably as one can expect if you’ve seen any non-submerged haunted house film. It is a shame, as the pitch is great, there’s some decent direction for the low budget, and if the filmmakers had made much of an effort beyond the pitch, this could be a worthy addition. As it stands, there are better films out there, even films taking place UNDERWATER.
D-
Seance (2021)
It is impressive a supernatural slasher taking place in a gothic boarding school of lesbian schoolgirls manages to be dull and uninteresting. The gory elements are tame, jump scares land flat, kills uninspired and mostly offscreen, and you’re failing with your villain when the slasher from ‘Happy Death Day’ is more iconic and memorable. Major beats are predictable, red herrings are glaringly red and obvious, and major twists are… Nonsensical. Not that the twists avoid predictability in that, you know there’s going to be a twist and you’ll know when a twist is coming, but the nature of the twists seemingly come out of nowhere, by characters you barely recognize and from motivations never hinted. The best I can say is the film is aggressively generic and tepid right up to maybe the last 10 minutes which exponentially increases the intensity and violence, albeit absurdly. It looks very pretty, as the direction and framing is decent, the actresses are committed adults playing cliches of high school students and the initial setup was worthwhile, as the rest this could have been if the script had any quality behind it.
D-
Know Fear (2020)
This movie is not great, the budget, script, acting and presentation are all sorely lacking, yet there are positives to be mined. The beginning and setup to this film startt at 11 with some high-octane demonic shenanigans. This is not the type of trolling demon that stacks chairs and bangs pots and pans, this is the type of entity that goes for souls and jugulars, not necessarily in that order. If the film had maintained its initial momentum throughout, I might have much higher opinions, however, beyond the opening act the script degenerates into nigh parody levels of cliches and tropes. There is a family, and they move into a home that's filled with odds, ends, and supernatural knick-knacks (personal note, I feel a little shafted… At most I’ve moved into homes with pest infestations, not a veritable treasure trove of occult home furnishings). There’s some decent potential in the script, that never unfortunately quite approaches fulfillment. No one informed the cast, who over-act with gusto to the limits of their questionable skills. However, the movie manages to deliver some very decent practical effects and atmospherics on its limited budget, avoiding cheap masking techniques and demonstrating how well done practical effects will always be more effective than gratuitous CG. On the whole, this movie is not worth your attention, but could serve as a good object lesson for the more inspired.
D
The Medium (2021)
A Thai-Korean production, once more demonstrating the asian continent produces the best horror. Presenting as a pseudo-documentary on shamanic practices in the region, the movie mines a wealth of unique folklore and perspective before beginning overtures to a possession plot centered around a shaman’s niece. There is pointed commentary about individual family dynamics, along with disturbing insight into those on a self-destructive streak, wrapped in the skin of a possession story. There is a lot of material info-dumped very quickly, which demands a very slow first act as we learn about the shamanistic history behind one family, the quirks of the individual members, and their personal histories. The second act delves into a mystery, as the shaman attempts to uncover the nature and history of what afflicts the possessed while the darkness and intensity of manifestations are increasing. What starts as creepy behavior and disturbing patterns quickly evolve into full blown violent episodes, and by the last act, things have moved into abjectly horrifying. While initially following predictable story beats, the localized rituals and setting allow for escalation into a last act of absolute pandemonium. While the first half of the movie is somewhat methodical and leisurely, the last act becomes an absolute roller-coaster of horrific sights, thrills and gore. Issues with the found-footage format persist here, as there are numerous instances that make no sense for the filmmakers to be present or still filming and we get no real sense of the documentary crew’s investment or motivation. Despite a slow first act, familiar beats and tropes, and the inherent limitations of the found-footage format, the last act of this film over-delivers on the most horrific sights and sounds 2021 has to offer.
B+
Werewolves Within (2021)
Out of obligation, I had been seeking a decent werewolf movie this year, but the pickings are beyond slim. The only other memorable werewolf film this year is an entry called Amityville Moon, and I sorely wish I could forget it. That being said, this movie is a lot of fun, skewing far more comedy than horror, but there are a fair number of well done horror elements present. Sam Richardson is consistently hilarious as an actor, no matter the role and he has an adorable and easy chemistry pairing with Milana Vayntrub, who also possesses remarkable comedic talent. There’s a decent cast of fun actors, and there’s a surprising amount of individual characterization for all of them. The film is fairly predictable as a mystery, you could probably guess the endgame a quarter into the first act, but the ride is a lot of fun. There are one or two moments of genuine tension where characters are being stalked, and the gore is plentiful, if mostly played for camp. On the whole, this is just a goofy film, but a fun time and arguably one of the few decent video game adaptations committed to film.
C+
The Vigil (2019)
A contemplative religious horror film from a rather refreshing and unique perspective of Hasidism, steeped in heavy Jewish lore and mysticism. The movie centers around a crisis of faith from one who has left this extremely insular community, and a dark night testing faith, conviction, and sanity. This is a proudly low-budget film, wielding limitation as strength through quality direction and writing. Mostly confined to a single location and actor, the movie excels at creating an unnerving atmosphere through effective sound, set and lighting. The character perspective is also unique as the mental state of the protagonist is highly questionable, leading to fascinating instances where reality and delusion blur. The movie is a slow burn, quiet and intimate throughout much of the first act before the terrors begin to manifest. Once the scares begin, the intensity escalates nicely, barely relenting through the duration. Many of the usual tropes and scares are lifted from similar demonic films, sometimes too reliant upon jump scares and shock tactics, but everything is given a refreshing folk overhaul that makes up for familiar ground. Unfortunately, some of this wears by the last act and retreads some of its earlier scarees, before ending on a quiet and without much impact. Despite its flaws, this is an extremely impressive directing debut by Kieth Thomas, and I will be quite interested to see any future films he crafts
B
Midnight Mass (2021)
Throughout his body of work, what Mike Flanagan tackles best are the haunted. Be it by specters, guilt, regret, prejudice, potential, or literal monsters: exploring the myriad means and meaning of hauntings are his forte. With Midnight Mass, he arguably presents a look at an entire town that is haunted: dead without knowing, withering spiritually, mentally, physically, festering a rot slowly consuming within and without. In this spiritual abscess comes a visitor, offering renewal and rebirth for the beleaguered townspeople, with miracles and madness to follow.
Horror veterans will find little new here, likely grasping what approaches moments into the first episode. Flanagan lampshades the sources of his inspiration, and is not shy or subtle about the subject matter he intends to explore. Visually, he mimics the look and feel of a Stephen King novel, complimenting the feeling of characters trapped in amber. Each character is harboring secret shame and hidden depths, and there is no shortage of brilliant characterization.
The opening of the series is its most impactful, with some truly harrowing moments and masterfully executed frights. He is an impressive writer and director, easily wielding metaphors and subtext that would confound lesser talent. The series is overall short on frights, each episode providing a few jolts at best, but each a masterclass in execution. There are phenomenal practical effects and the last two episodes go all-out in a frenzied blood-drenched free-for-all that is certainly worth some initially plodding pace. But the darkest horror from the Midnight Mass comes not from external specters and demonic visitations, but the willingness and capacity for individuals to justify atrocity and horror to serve self-interest. There are some overt parallels to contemporary society, but Flanagan strives to present these themes more broadly.
The acting and performances are excellent throughout; employing familiar faces and adding several quality additions to his regular stable of actors, however Flanagan’s continued insistence of making his wife front and center of his series comes as a detraction. The focus of the series should be elsewhere, as there are far more intriguing stories, actors and insights present. Of particular note are performances from Hamish Linklater and Samantha Sloyan, each of which deliver exceptional, mesmerizing performances hinting at depths of character and experiences the series barely covers.
The series is certainly not without flaws, an entire episode could easily be whittled away without detracting from the whole. An editor would be well served here, as there are entire sequences of dialogue in which characters wax poetic with sophomoric takes on philosophical concepts. None of it is quite as profound as Flanagan might hope, and the show is not as intelligent as it might aspire. Moments of the last episode seem shortchanged with glaringly horrible moments of omission in the last act that make me wonder if they simply ran out of money. However, beyond these issues, Mike Flanagan once more confirms here why he is unreservedly my favorite working horror director and I will watch each and every work he presents with fanaticism befitting the themes of this series.
B+
The Seventh Day (2021)
The pitch for this movie is Training Day with exorcists. Predictably paint-by-numbers and trope-tastic, the movie reeks of squandered production values and wasted potential. There is an initial moment where the movie might have delved into interesting notions and deeper subjects, but it is quickly abandoned. There is at least one amusing moment, but each and every scare is tepid at best, often more unintentionally hilarious, which might serve towards some kind of camp drinking game. The acting is all over the place, the veteran performers have a bemused air about them, a slight self-awareness of how goofy the movie presents. The main actor is earnest, but far from good and unlikely to star in many more major studio films. Hilariously the endgame for this movie hints at the potential for some kind of franchise potential, but any self-respecting producer would burn any subsequent script and condemn this film to the perdition of forgettability.
D
Gaia (2021)
Another pandemic inspired humanity versus the mycological apocalypse, presenting more of a straight up ecological horror tale, but with deep ambition and contemplative undertones. As appropriate to the fungal inspiration, there are numerous psychedelic visuals, sequences, and moments of high-octane body horror. An inspired combination of practical and CG effects produce some stunning visuals that are exquisitely grotesque and linger hauntingly. While the main creatures are lifted directly from “the last of us“, the more horrific notions in this film derive from the twisted inevitability of being subsumed by an entity: physically, mentally and far more interestingly: spiritually. There are characters in this film presenting a perspective of religious devotion in cult-like isolation, offering a skewed perspective that might just be sympathetic, rational and the lessons worth passing and carrying forward into a changed world. The pace is rather methodical, a bit languid in places and there are far too many moments of nightmarish fake-out, but again your perspective may vary with regard to how this reflects the philosophical and psychedelic undertones of the film. As is often the case, the last act abandons a lot of subtlety and nuance, but maintains a riveting presentation all the way through to a nicely executed finale.
B
Son (2021)
This low budget film begins with a fairly intriguing setup but follows predictable threads through to its inevitable conclusion. You’ve seen this movie before, possibly several times under different guises. It is not horrible by any stretch of the imagination, in fact there are quite entertaining moments and copious amounts of gore and mayhem. Unfortunately this film never gets the opportunity to provide real scares or frights, focusing more upon parental fears and the sacrifices associated with motherhood. It feels like there are numerous places the film could expand upon that would elevate this film, but none of the more intriguing notions are ever broached beyond superficially. The acting is quite good from the son and mother, the outlier characters being an unfortunate weak link in this regard. Again, there’s nothing egriegiously bad or exceptionally good worth mentioning, this is the perfect definition of a perfectly serviceable and completely average entry.
C
In the Earth (2021)
The pandemic has inspired a number of movies examining humanity’s place in the aftermath of an extinction level reset. Right at the onset, those familiar with Ben Wheatley’s work best strap in for a heavily psychedelic assault with folk horror overtones: mixing pandemic and body horror into a fascinating experiment. This is a film that does not easily offer description or easy explanation, an arthaus film that will severely divide, and likely alienate the majority of audiences. Parts of this film are an attack on a majority of senses simultaneously, a combination of strobing sounds and nightmarish visuals that leave one staggering. Your mileage may vary as to personal psychedelic experiences, but Wheatley has certainly consumed the lions’s share, and likely enough for an entire pride, capable of conveying the associated disorientation, confusion, dissonance and an epileptic affront to every visual notion. The script borders nigh incomprehensible, but there are nuggets and notions of deeper concepts and understanding at play that may make sense to the more attentive and intuitive viewer. There are no real answers or closure, this is more akin to the boat ride in Willy Wonka, surreal, possibly nonsensical, but unnerving nonetheless. Only recommended for the more surrealistically inclined, but those who have followed the director’s body of work will find another example of the director’s triumph here. All others will likely loathe the ambiguity with a passion.
C+ (YMMV)
The Night House (2020)
A powerful study of grief centered around a mesmerizing performance by Rebecca Hall. In the aftermath of sudden tragedy there are gaps, holes and questions that may never be answered. In these spiritual abscesses, we strive to bridge the gaps, fill the emptiness, find our answers. But how much reflects reality, and how much is our own projection? From the perspective of one wallowing in the agony of incomprehension, isolated and left in perpetual existential torment, we find our protagonist Beth. This movie illustrates a heart-wrenching degree of personal horror through excellent writing but then there are the manifestations, which are unrivaled. There are the usual hauntings: strange sounds, invisible entities, echoes and shadows, but when Beth’s tormentor makes itself known, landscape, perspective, architecture all twist and shape themselves into moments of amazing. The visual trickery and direction involved is unsettling and haunting, and I have genuinely never seen anything quite like it. For the most part, this movie is far more psychologically unnerving than concerned with scares, there is an argument that all the portrayed events are psychological manifestations, and the ambiguity works. The coda is powerful, the statements and depiction of its subject matter utterly haunting, and this is another instance where this movie approaches exceptional in its execution. Unfortunately there are twists in the script and turns in the story that don’t quite land and plot points could use elaboration. One more rewrite on the script to tighten some elements would have catapulted this movie into the tiers exceptional, but regardless it is powerful, resonant and stunning. B+
B+
Halloween Kills (2021)
An earnest appeal to the producers of this film and the creators of this series.
Stop.
Please stop.
There’s nothing left, and I know this is intended as a bridge to a third in this pseudo-remake trilogy. But… Don’t.
Just Stop.
Please.
F
Don't Breathe 2 (2021)
Those expecting any sort of legitimate followup to the events of the first movie will be sorely disappointed. The first movie was a surprisingly taut home invasion thriller spearheaded by an amazing performance by Stephen Lang, excellent writing and murky morality. There were enough threads left by the finale to justify a sequel, but they are ignored within the opening moments of this worthless follow up. Instead of the shifting morality and motivations of the previous film, this one opens presenting the Blind Man as a villainous character, which mandates everyone else in the film be ‘worse’. This results in a cartoonish gallery of reprehensible characters without any redeeming factor, and forcing the audience to ‘root’ for a truly horrible character. To that end, there are certainly entertaining moments of horror to be had, as the blind man ruthlessly dispatches his opponents in increasingly gory and creative ways. Lang is fun to watch, and commands a truly intimidating presence onscreen, but there is little sympathy or investment in his mission beyond the trope-tastic ‘save the precocious child’. On the whole, this movie doesn’t detract or insult the original film, but adds little and provides less than its running time in worth.
D
No One Gets Out Alive (2021)
Somewhere out there is the novel, that may or may not fill in the numerous gaps and nigh infinite questions this movie leaves unaddressed. The film looks very pretty, with some beautiful sets and decent direction. The acting is serviceable, but a personal gripe is a very wobbly accent from the main character that only appears for brief moments to demonstrate character is mexican. There is decent commentary on the plight of the exploited immigrant classes, and as frustrating as it might be to watch characters make poor decisions, there’s a horror and discomfort at the understanding, the choices were barely choices and these characters are forced into circumstances they cannot possibly prepare for. There is a continued demonstration that spooks, spectres and entities are far less horrific than the atrocities humans commit to each other. The ghosts are sufficiently creepy, if voyeuristic, but again thematically: most of them cannot help but to be trapped by their circumstances. But the movie is unfortunately agonizingly predictable, up to the ludicrous appearance of the final reveal. Don’t get me wrong: some type of reveal was expected, but… this… Wretched CG gloriously, garishly lit all to better demonstrate the absolute nonsensical and incomprehensible creature design. I get they were going for some kind of surrealistic mesoamerican Bosch monstrosity, but I’ve seen better animation and design out of the Playstation era. It comes across laughable and non-threatening, which then gives way to another deluge of unanswered questions and an unresolved ending. I suspect the novel would have provided a far better experience or at the very least provided a single satisfying answer about what the hell is going on and maybe why this production was green-lit in the first place.
D
V/H/S 94 (2021)
As is the nature of anthologies, this film is a mixed bag with extreme “your milage may vary”. The fourth entry in the V/H/S series foregoes the prior entry’s building mythos and lingering plot points in order commit fully to a 90’s VHS setting and aesthetic, down to soft cameras and constant glitches, flutters and video tracking issues. The aesthetic commitment is complete, down to the fashions and commercials that honestly are retreads of better Oats studio parodies, with self-aware pokes at how far technological society has come. Honestly, for me the gimmick wore off rather quickly as the particular quirks might make sense for one or two of the segments, but didn’t make sense to be featured front-and-center throughout. At best it covers up the seams of some rather questionable CG, but at worst it creates compromised visuals and annoyance. The subject matter diverges wildly from supernatural shenanigans and cult terrorism to wild scifi scenarios, with a wraparound segment that tries to tie the segments together but without any real connective tissue. Even by standards of an anthology, everything feels more disjointed than usual, but there are still moments of clever twists and shocking moments (My personal favorite segments were the first and the last). Gripes aside, the series is a wildly fun and enjoyable slock-fest and as a fan of the franchise, I hope the next entry abandons gimmicks and commits more fully to better quality segments.