Retrospective: The Tunnel (2011)

19 Friday Apr 2024

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It’s hard to believe that it’s been 13 years since The Tunnel was released and broke new ground in the process. It’s been well documented how the creative team were seeking new ways to both fund and distribute their feature film. It was a bold enterprise that would be distributed through BitTorrent, exposing the film to millions for free, which some people in the industry found reprehensible. Furthermore, writer/producer partners Julian Harvey and Enzo Tedeschi would venture into enterprising means to seek funding by selling individual frames of the film for $1 before the cameras had even started rolling.

What is clear and fundamental to their success however was the passion, dedication, hard work and talent that was on display. All of which was the driving force for success as Tedeschi states, The Tunnel would provide him with the means to build his career upon. And while that declaration stands true, the fact that  each crew member was able to lean into their talents, whether it is Harvey and Tedeschi’s skills as not only storytellers but a deft hands in the editing room to spin a yarn with descent effect; or utilising a camera guy as one of their performers, Steve Davis, a talent in both areas; one he would leverage off a collective group of equally talented actors, Bel Delia; Andy Rodoreda; and Luke Arnold, each with their own unique take on their characters, and the collaboration of the troupe to support and strengthen one another lifts their performance off the screen. There’s also Julian and Enzo’s knack at keeping an eye on the bigger picture, combined with a focus on the finer details to work alongside Tedeschi plus keeping the film on track, especially when it started to escalate and gain traction fast.

It helps that The Tunnel also had a proficient director in Carlo Ledesma to provide the glue and unite all these elements together in order to make the film a reality.

What they established together was a defining moment, not just for Australian cinema but on a global scene too. They fought against the odds in what was deemed a controversial move at the time. The resistance was great, but they stood strong in their quest and produced a film that still stands strong today.

Yes, there have been advancements in technology in a relatively short space of time since its release, and in many ways the landscape remains the same, but the breakthrough The Tunnel created was a significant shift in filmmaking mentality and provided opportunity for other creatives to think outside of the box and seek alternative ways for their creativity to shine through.

– Saul Muerte

The Tunnel is currently streaming on Shudder and thankfully you can also get an insight into how the creative team pulled together and embarked on their intrepid journey with a fantastic behind the scenes documentary, The Tunnel: The Other Side of Darkness; also currently streaming on Shudder.

Movie Review: Abigail (2024)

18 Thursday Apr 2024

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Okay, so we’ve all seen the trailer by now.

And if you haven’t then pfft, call yourselves horror fans.

Anyways, the premise is: a group of criminals kidnap the daughter of a very powerful underworld boss. Holed-up at a spooky, and isolated, mansion they’re directed to wait it out till morning unaware the little girl is no ordinary little girl.

She’s a vampire.

Sorry a spoiler but not a spoiler.

It’s in the damn trailer.

Anyways, going into this you know you can expect some gory blood-drenched fun and it bloody delivers. To be perfectly honest, at times you can actually see the numbers blatantly etched into this paint-by-numbers monster horror, but I was actually beyond caring. I was having far too much fun with this.

Brought to you by the makers of the latest “Scream” incarnations and the awesome and not too dissimilar “Ready or not” – as it has the same trapped-in-a-mansion-with-someone/something-trying-to-kill-you vibes.

They’ve also clearly got enough weight to bring along an A-grade cast for the ride, including: Melissa Barrera (The new “Scream” movies), Kathryn Newton (“Freaky”), Dan Stevens (“Legion” and “The Guest”), and the supremely talented Alisha Weir (“Matilda”) as Abigail, as well as an assortment of others including the late Angus Cloud (“Euphoria”).

The Prognosis:

Look, I’m not going to go into this too deeply, nor does it warrant it. It’s just a very polished popcorn-horror for those who want just that. There’s jump-scares, there’s laughs, there’s gore, and the leads are completely drenched in dyed-red corn syrup by the end. Exactly what it says on the tin.

A must see for any horror fan.

  • Myles Davies

Movie Review: Late Night With The Devil (2024)

18 Thursday Apr 2024

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Australian sibling directors Cameron and Colin Cairnes have been meticulously crafting a distinctive voice from behind the lens and with their third outing, Late Night With The Devil they have tapped into the horror zeitgeist on a global scale. Their first feature, 100 Bloody Acres was a more straight up narrative, leaning heavily into macabre humour starring Angus Sampson and Damon Herriman as struggling brothers in the meat industry who add a secret ingredient into the mix with over-the-top comical results.

Upon closer scrutiny though, it would be their second feature, Scare Campaign that is more closely aligned with the direction that LNWTD would take, with a TV show venturing into the occult investigation that goes horribly wrong. Although it missed the mark to a degree in its execution, the Cairnes brothers have learnt from this previous outing and produced a creative and decisive tale with Late Night With The Devil. 

The premise pits David Dastmalchian in his first leading role, as late night talk show Night Owls host Jack Delroy. Delroy embarks on a last ditch attempt to pull back the ratings through a marketing stunt set on Halloween 1977, and books a psychic Christou (Fayssal Bazzi), a sceptic, and a parapsychologist (Laura Gordon) who claims that her surrogate daughter Lily is possessed by the devil. 

The look and feel of this feature is so sweetly on par, it is easy to drift into the era that it is set and be lured in by the spectacle; one of the many tricks that the Cairnes team perform well. The decade of choice is no mere accident either with America rife with violence and horror that has put society on the brink of sanity, exposed to the likes Son of Sam, David Berkowitz and Charles Manson, and with the breakdown of freedom, comes the exposure to occults and satanism, leaving everyone questioning to what end can humanity be exposed to? It is this playground that the directors’ choose to play in and through the medium of television, force this evil into the homes of every suburban household.

The Cairnes also have perfected their craft in storytelling, by slowly eeking out the threat of danger in their chosen format of late night television; each guest that is introduced is a snag on the tooth of the viewer, to pull them deeper into the world they have created, until the final act is revealed with the not so sweet Lily (Ingrid Torelli). The role of the critic, Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss) is a smart storytelling device too by constantly asking the questions that audiences will naturally come up with. How much of this is real? How much is performance? And how deeply can we keep probing for the truth before we get our cat-like curiosity scorched?

The breadcrumbs that are left along the way, adds to the weight of the journey, and the torment that is exposed by the film’s conclusion. The performances are solid and none more so than Dastmalchian, who’s character Jack is the character truly under scrutiny. How much has he had to sacrifice in order to keep up with the likes of fellow late night presenter Johnny Carson? Is there more to the history behind his wife’s mysterious and fatal illness? These questions can only be dealt with through the meticulous direction and the strength in Dastmalchian’s performance; oozing charm one minute before serving a backhand of depravity the next. We’re guided on a trail of human decline where the end is nowhere to be seen with ruin at every turn.

The Prognosis:

The American Dream is served up on a plate here and scorched beyond recognition. The Cairnes Brothers capitalise on their previous efforts to expose the frailty and deprivation through a stylised lens that is fresh, inviting and delightfully disturbing. 

This is an example of an idea executed so adeptly that every creative player involved brings their A-game to the fold and delivers.

While there are some subtle flaws, the fact that they hold fast to the look, feel and strong performances, allows them to flourish and produce a solid, entertaining feature.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie Review: The First Omen (2024)

08 Monday Apr 2024

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You ever see a movie and think, who directed this?  Not in an incredulous “who the hell made this shit?” but in a genuine “why is this so good and suddenly not?” sort of way?

So much so, you immediately contemplate: “Did more than one person direct this?”

Thus we come to The First Omen.  The prequel (when is it NOT a prequel these days?) to the all-time 1976 classic The Omen.

Any feature film director, let alone a relatively new one, knows that the first few minutes of a film are incredibly important.  Impact is important.

And the best directors achieve Impact by directing well.  Subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) lens choices, camera angles, camera movement, framing, acting direction, editing decisions, sound design, music cues – the list goes on.

And the first thing The First Omen does is make good choices.  And when I say first thing, I mean the first things we see.

From the get-go the opening scene invokes the feel and tone of the first film.  The bleak overcast, almost oppressive pitch that made Richard Donner’s masterpiece a quintessential 70’s horror is replicated well here, and the Impact Moment that soon follows hits the mark with a promise that this could be more than a paint-by-numbers cash grab.

So what happens after that?

Well for one thing is starts to get a little too 70’s, in that after such a good start, you soon find yourself wondering where is this going?  In an attempt to set up tension (like all good horror films should) it delves into a usual set of characters that you spend valuable minutes deciding whether or not they’re a good-guy in disguise, or a bad-guy in disguise (FYI, you’re guesses will be right).

But the thread the film weaves as we follow its lead – a nun in waiting called Margaret Daino (played by Nell Tiger Free) as she bounces from one character interaction to another, is less rollercoaster and more nomadic.

And a lot of this has to do with direction.  Not that it gets terrible after the first scene.  In fact, it’s quite creditable.  BUT fine is a far cry from great.  And after a number of ok scenes, you do start to wonder “where are the cares and where are the scares?”

Now some of this may not partially (or even solely) be the fault of the director – production company and studio politics (read: interference) is a genuine thing.  But the good action callers know that once out of the blocks, you don’t let up.  Especially for this sort of film. 

Hence my opening tender: “Were different parts of this thing directed by different people”?

This is especially felt during one of the films more tentpole horror moments that the makers were no doubt hoping would be iconic, but is so over the top on paper, it was always going to require a deft hand to ensure it doesn’t fall into farce on screen.

But it does.  And so too the next scene, and the scene after that!  All are so unsubtly on the nose, it’s disappointing.

Having said that, there is a decent enough twist regarding the motivation of the antagonists (the people who want to see the Anti-Christ born) that lies outside of the moustache twirling motive “We are Satanists, so we are evil bahaha.  Derr”.

And the films end dovetails neatly into the events of the 1976 Richard Donner movie.  And when it does, it closes out with an interesting character still alive that promises much for The (presumably) 2nd Omen.

Mind you, how they’ll get that storyline to work without mucking up the timeline or logic of the current existing “sequels” is anybody’s omen.  Sorry, guess.

The Prognosis:

Promises much at the start, but lacks the strength of a true single-minded auteur at the wheel to guide it.  Still, it will be interesting to see if there’ll be an anti-anti-Christ installed for the next chapter.  Such an interesting idea would be a good sign.

  • Antony Yee

Movie Review: The Exorcists (2024)

27 Wednesday Mar 2024

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When The Exorcist: Believer was released by David Gordon Green courtesy of Blumhouse Productions it intended to ride the coattails of one of the greatest horror films of all-time for a modern audience, but go “bigger”. This proposal would include two possessed kids but furthermore, three exorcists of differing backgrounds to take on the demon at hand. Needless to say, it bombed.

Now comes The Exorcists which too arcs back towards William Friedkins’ iconic feature and tries to go bigger with a trio of exorcist experts, the elite of their field, brought together by a father who needs their help to purge his daughter of the demon that has consumed her. 

What the exorcists uncover though is a far darker entity lurking beneath the female frame which it currently hosts. To add some more supposed weight to the mix, there’s even a quartet of kids that have broken into the mausoleum to awaken the dead through a spiritual seance. This decision would also lead them on a dangerous path that would weave with the exorcists’ plight. With the ante dialled up to 666, the trio of exorcists must now unite along with Doctor Olivia Beckett (Kayla Fields) and Sister Caroline (Denise Duff) to oust the demon, but they may not last their ordeal.

The Prognosis:

The Exorcists struggles to gain any momentum in its search for an identity. This is all the more evident when tied to the shackles of its inspiration. The grip is loose and the details are equally left to drift without any real focus other than to keep on coasting on a lacklustre cleansing. Its saving grace is casting Doug Bradley aka Pinhead from the Hellraiser franchise as the wisened Father Patrick Ryland, who is compelled to help one last time and amend the past from a failed exorcism. As great as Bradley is, he can only be as good as his counterparts and the script to support his talent, both of which fail him. Instead we must settle on his deliverance and pray for the ending to come.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie Review: Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2

27 Wednesday Mar 2024

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One of the most hyped movies of 2023 came in Rhys Frake-Waterfield’s horror re-imagining of the classic children’s story Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne. This quite frankly butchered take would see the beloved honey loving bear join his friend Piglet on a bloody rampage through Hundred Acre Wood having been abandoned by Christopher Robin all these years and turning feral with extreme consequences. Despite the buzz, the film was critically panned receiving five Golden Raspberry Awards including Worst Picture. This did not stave off the masses though who were swarmed up by their own curiosity to see this version, making a significant profit, do much so that not only has a sequel been released but the promise of a universe of warped retelling of classic children’s tales has been thrown into the mix entitled Poohniverse. Already there has been titles such as Bambi: The Reckoning; Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare; and Pinocchio: Unstrung.

So what of the sequel?

Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 was promised to be a crazier, more extreme take with a bigger budget to ramp up his vision.

One of the smarter decisions was to replace the actor Nikolai Leon with Scott Chambers (who recently impressed in Hammer’s Doctor Jekyll) as Christopher Robin bringing a lot more weight and vulnerability to the role.

If I have understood things correctly too, there’s a slight meta shift in perspective where although the events in the first film were true, it  is presented as a film within a film for the sequel here which picks up in the aftermath of that films success and the impact it is having on Christopher Robin’s social life. The people of Ashdown have turned against him and believe that he was responsible for the Hundred Acre Wood Massacre. Like Pooh, he has been ostracised from society and struggles to hold down a job as a result. He does however have a girlfriend, Lexy (Tallulah Evans) who willingly stands by his side throughout, and devout parents who share the burden of his struggles. What does come out in the tale is the disappearance of his brother some years ago which serves as a backdrop to his psychological breakdown and questionable character which added a little more depth to the proceedings.

And then there’s the neglected Pooh, who having lost his friend Piglet in the last movie, is joined by Tigger, a frenzied and wild beast; and deviously maliciously wise Owl who is the brains of the macabre outfit (another descent change from the predecessor). The trio have also been impacted by the first films release and are being hunted as a result. They want to seek revenge and destroy the citizens of Ashdown and embark on a bloody rampage.

The Prognosis:

It’s bigger, bloodier and unhinged as Frake-Waterfield endeavours to expand upon and lift the lid on his newfound success. In some ways its smarter too with its directorial choices but too often we’re left in swampy territory as the storyline trudges along. It’s almost like the score composer realises this too, delivering anarchic, pulsating sounds whenever Pooh and the gang go on atrack, as though to wake the audience out of their slumber.

Bigger does not necessarily mean better, as the movie still rests on the premise of the bloody re-imagining without focusing on the bones in which to form a descent structure.

– Saul Muerte

Movie Review: Control (2024)

25 Monday Mar 2024

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The subject of control from which this film holds its name is one certainly set for scrutiny. What happens when control is taken away from us? Can the shift of balance be pulled back in our favour when all hope seems lost?

This is the dilemma that British Home Secretary Stella Simons (Lauren Metcalfe) faces when she steps into a self-driving car to escort the Prime Minister’s daughter home, only for it to be hijacked by a mysterious assailant (Kevin Spacey) who is calling all the shots and seems to know everything about her.

It’s the type of story that has been told before, with our protagonist held against their will and directed by a human voice, such as Phone Booth and Buried, or even more so in comparison to Haritz Zubillaga’s feature The Glass Coffin starring Paola Bontempi. In the latter’s case it is done remarkably well, primarily due to Bontempi’s captivating performance. Unfortunately, this can’t be said about Metcalfe’s portrayal, which is significantly underwhelming. It’s a hard task to carry a movie at the best of times, something that she struggles with throughout, but it’s emphasised more so by the voice on the other end belongs to someone of high calibre, Kevin Spacey.

And there’s the elephant in the room of course when it comes to Kevin Spacey, who was at the height of his profession and sexual misconduct allegations that have surrounded him. There’s no doubt about the extent of Spacey’s talent as an actor, but his name will forever be marred by the indictments that were laid against him. So when it comes to Control, the lines between fiction and reality are blurred, especially when it comes to Spacey’s character who at one point blazes at the lack of direction and support against the British Government after spending most of his life working there. It is this murky area that unfortunately takes you out of the picture. It is clearly an area close to home and his need to proclaim his innocence and get back to doing what he does best is on show here, albeit an incorporeal one. In spite of this, Spacey is still the best thing about this movie, by a country mile. His presence and intonations, no matter how slight, lift off the screen and provide what feels like some meaning to what is essentially a pointless enterprise by all else involved.

The Prognosis:

Spacey headlines this feature for good reason. He is the only decent thing about it. His charisma is one that can elevate any script, but as he only provides the voice to the antagonist, the rest of the movie relies on that of his counterpart. This is part of Control’s downfall along with a tired and predictable plot that has you envying the Prime Minister’s daughter who remains passed out in the back seat of the car for the majority of its running time.

  • Saul Muerte

Control is available to available to watch on home entertainment from April 2024 thanks to Eagle Entertainment.

Movie Review: Immaculate (2024)

25 Monday Mar 2024

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When Director Michael Mohan was asked to collaborate with rising star Sydney Sweeney to make a horror film, he wanted to ensure that it not only suited Sweeney’s status but also to make a movie that was ‘genuinely terrifying”. It’s clear as the story unfolds that Mohan is inspired by other high profile psychological, religious horrors by significant auteurs of the field such as Friedkin, Kubrick and Polanski. The latter of which is abundantly clear with whispers of Rosemary’s Baby trickling throughout, but instead of a New York apartment, we’re presented with a remote convent with an Italian countryside backdrop to lay the scene.

When Cecilia (Sweeney), a devout nun and the picture of purity is invited to join the convent, which also serves as a hospital for elderly Sisters, following the collapse of her own religious community, she believes this is a calling from on high. Upon arrival it soon reveals that this is not the sanctuary that first appeared, and a growing malevolence slowly draws forth and her meek and withdrawn demeanour begins to unravel.

The Prognosis:

Mohan steps through the horror genre door with bold proclamations and high hopes. It serves him well to aim high as he certainly delivers a thought provoking and in some places shocking narrative from Andrew Lobel’s screenplay. 

This is a film that has three very clear acts and while the first act could have added some more depth to the character and to set the scene, the slow distribution serves as a strength to what Mohan has in store. The second act shifts through the tumultuous gears that allows Sweeney to explore Ceclia’s character and valour, whilst exposing the patriarchal hold the convent holds over her, before the cord is ripped in the final act in a crescendo of cataclysmic proportions.

  • Saul Muerte

Immaculate is currently screening in cinemas nationwide.

Movie Review: The Jester (2024)

23 Saturday Mar 2024

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The masked, silent assassin has always been a prominent feature in the horror genre albeit through numerous guises along the way. Since the introduction of Art the Clown in The 9th Circle, Damien Leone has set the benchmark for dialing up the visual senses with mute, macabre mayhem.

While Art has been enjoying the limelight of hyperbolic, sadomasochistic sensationalism, there has been another fool waiting in the wings and filled with promise.

The Jester was introduced by its creators Colin Krawchuk and Michael Sheffield in the 2016 short film and has had two follow up shorts in which  this malevolent being with magical, paranormal abilities seeks pleasure in terrorising victims who don’t appreciate his tricks.

With the option to stretch out the character with a full length feature to enact his will upon the world, it felt right to challenge Art in the horror arena.

The opener sees The Jester’s first victim John attempt to reconnect with his daughter, Emma (Lelia Symington). When he fails to do so, he becomes a puppet for The Jester’s stage and is forced into an apparent suicide.

The narrative picks up with the estranged Emma attending her father’s funeral when she meets with her step sister, Jocelyn (Delaney White). Their differences become all too obvious however, and they go their separate ways, only for The Jester to resurface on Halloween night to wreak havoc on them both.

The Prognosis:

The Jester could have been a contender, to challenge the horror scene with a disturbingly maniacal approach with a transcendental twist.

While it basks in the beauty of extreme brutality, the moments in between leave you meandering in mediocrity.

This is a patchwork job that definitely shows that Krawchuk and Sheffield know how to raise an eyebrow when they lean into the darkness but need to spend some more time working through the lighter moments to keep their audience engaged.

A missed opportunity to take the horror crown with a promising premise but instead they are mere pretenders to the throne.

– Saul Muerte

Movie Review: Desperation Road (2024)

21 Thursday Mar 2024

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Straight from the outset, Desperation Road lets us know that it is not going to be an easy road to travel and the hardship that the two leads must endure is not only going to be a rocky one, but one that will test you to see if you can endure the longevity set between the beats of depression, fatigue and failure among the drama and heart of the movie.

Nadine Crocker doesn’t shy away from wringing out every ounce of anguish in her sophomore outing and has some hard hitters to support bringing Michael Farris Smith’s screenplay through her creative vision. Garrett Hedlund (The Marsh King’s Daughter), Russell, is a man trying to turn his life around but still haunted by his past following a drink-driving accident. While the town is not willing to forgive, his father (Mel Gibson) will always feel the heartache for his son. When Russell crosses paths with a woman, Maben (Willa Fitzgerald – Scream: The TV series) who is on the run with her young daughter, Analee (Pyper Braun).

When these lives intertwine, the reality of the past becomes apparent and their shared pain becomes one that will forever connect them, bound in a lawless future that may never heal.

The Prognosis:

This is a hard slog without fault from its leads who wallow in the depth of their depraved characters’ lives. The more entrenched they are, the more difficult it becomes for the viewer to drift when the river of pain is so unsettling. Despite this, we coast along to the harmony of strong performances on show towards the final act. Some may not wish to stick around until then, but for those who do, the burden of the narrative road that has been travelled is felt with every step and as with any hardship, the catharsis is rewarding once we find ourselves at the other side of the carnage.

  • Saul Muerte