Monthly Archives: October 2022

Movie review: House of Darkness (2022)

24 Monday Oct 2022

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It’s been well over a decade since Neil LaBute plagued audiences with his remake of The Wicker Man. Not that I’m biased, mind.

His latest endeavour, House of Darkness boasts two strong leads in Kate Bosworth and Justin Long in what could be described as incredibly long foreplay but the question is who is playing who?

There is more than sexual interplay going on here though as something dark is lurking beneath the surface tipping the balance of power.

Hap (Long) believes that he has scored big time when escorting the beautiful-yet-mysterious Mina (Bosworth) home after hooking up with her at a local bar. After fumbling with the kind of uncomfortable dialogue that comes with trying to impress and not offend in order to make some kind of headway, they head back to Mina’s place which just so happens to be a glorious mansion.

This gives Hap some bragging rights to his mate over the phone during one of the moments of lull between him and Mina. This point in time signifies a window into Hap’s character, not so clean cut and innocent as he portrays to be. What draws you into House of Darkness is the clever use of seductive interaction with two characters willing to walk the line of flirtation but harbouring secrets that may or may not arise. These characters are embellished by the knife’s edge of pleasure and pain, and as an audience not knowing which way we are being lead nor how the night will end.

The prognosis:

There’s fun being directed here with the awkwardness that comes with dating or hooking up with someone. It’s always a dalliance of desire but where LaBute leads the seductive dance is through a sinister playground where manipulation is always afoot. The power dynamic between Long and Bosworth is mesmerising, luring the audience in with every beat of dialogue.

If you have the patience, let it run its course, because the climax to House of Darkness has a  beautiful send off to a well crafted script.

– Saul Muerte

House of Darkness is currently available via Defiant Screen Entertainment across home entertainment outlets* listed below:

DIGITAL PLATFORMS – Apple TV App, Foxtel Store, Fetch,
Google TV, Prime Video, Telstra TV Box Office, YouTube Movies
DISC RETAILERS – JB Hi-Fi, Sanity, Big W, Amazon.com.au

*Title availability may vary.

Movie review: American Carnage (2022)

23 Sunday Oct 2022

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During President Donald Trump’s inaugural address he made a speech pledging an end to what he termed as American Carnage; a reference to guiding the United States out of a crumbling society, ravaged by crime and a broken economic system. This is directly referenced in the opening credits of the film and the impetus to draw the narrative from.

In this dystopian world Director Diego Hallivis and his writing partner Julio Hallivis, craft a tale where an American Governor leverages this viewpoint to issue an executive order to arrest the children of undocumented immigrants. The plan is about serving the wider American public and have these youths sent to provide care to the elderly, but unbeknownst to them, there is a darker plot at play that involves an ageing process, and cannibalism. 

There are a number of clicks that the youths go through before the really unsettling stuff starts to happen, essentially a lot of exposition to go from deeper levels of disturbing and vile human behaviour. 

The central plotline is told from the perspective of JP (Jorge Lendeborg Jr), a wise-cracking teen who is happy to drift through life with a care-free attitude. That is until his sister announced that she has been accepted into a University far from home town. Now, he can no longer rely upon her to help him out of scrapes. He must step up and prove his worth, menial stuff that gets real when the Government busts down their house during a house raid and deports them to the detention centre. 

It is here that he is then escorted with other “immigrants” including Big Mac (Allen Maldonado) and Camilla (Jenny Ortega in what would be another horror feature for her following Scream (2022), X, Studio 666, and The Babysitter: Killer Queen, surely marking her as this generations scream queen). Whilst at the elderly facility, they soon learn the true intent of the horrors that await them.

The Prognosis:

There is plenty of promise behind American Carnage to draw from some real life horrors. The issues arise from its delivery with a lot of weight behind a worthy subject. With such a convoluted storyline, it takes an age to get to the true horror as it unfolds. Ironic considering the outcome of our protagonists, by which time we’ve lost connection with the storyline and the care factor

  • Saul Muerte

American Carnage is currently available via Defiant Screen Entertainment across home entertainment outlets* listed below:

DIGITAL PLATFORMS – Apple TV App, Foxtel Store, Fetch,
Google TV, Prime Video, Telstra TV Box Office, YouTube Movies
DISC RETAILERS – JB Hi-Fi, Sanity, Big W, Amazon.com.au

*Title availability may vary.

Movie review: Matriarch (2022)

22 Saturday Oct 2022

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Firstly Jemima Rooper deserves more recognition for her on screen performances and hopefully her upcoming role as Olivia Winfiled Foxworth in the series Flowers In The Attic: The Origin will lift her to loftier heights. Here she is ably supported by Kate Dickie (Game of Thrones, Raven’s Hollow) in a mother/daughter relationship that has turned sour across time. When these two actors combine, there is potential for strong calibre in the characters they portray.

It’s clear that Laura (Rooper) has unravelled beyond any hope of piecing things back together. Surviving on self-medication, be it alcohol or cocaine she tries to conceal the trauma band aid beneath her business-like veneer. Laura tries to connect with the outside world through a feeble attempt at a relationship but her advances are rejected as the mask slips away, revealing a darkness below. As she spirals out, Laura has an overdose but a mysterious black goo brings her back to life but for what purpose?

When she comes too, Laura believes gets a call from her estranged mother Celia (Dickie) and is compelled to return home. What she finds upon her return is something deeply entrenched in her small childhood town that oozes from British folklore and sinister occult practices.

The Prognosis:

Ben Steiner (director) tackles a paganistic tale about childhood trauma through an occult lens. 

There is plenty in the mix here from a vindictive, overbearing and narcissistic mother; an old flame; and the struggles of religion against pagan beliefs to tempt or sway the soul.

Whilst the story itself doesn’t offer anything new, both Rooper and Dickie bring weight to their roles, grounding the small town folk phenomena.

It is through their characters that the audience is pulled into the quagmire of tragic upheaval, where the mental scars run deeper than humankind can contain.

  • Saul Muerte

Matriarch is currently streaming on Disney Plus.

Movie review: Your Love is Mine (2022)

22 Saturday Oct 2022

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Some people are born into this world and they don’t fit.

Your Love is Mine is a delightfully macabre and haunting tale of loss, abandonment, and mental health. Society will constantly enforce positivity into the world and forsake the importance that the negative emotions have in order to find equilibrium. If we continue to bury these darker emotions and impel them, we essentially provide no outlet, suppressing it to the point that something or someone will crack.

The idea that love can be possessive and that one can claim ownership or believe that to be in love will answer or solve or life’s problems is challenged here. This is highlighted further when Sam (Lester Ellis) declares his love to Violet (Senie Priti), he struggles to specify what it is he loves about her when questioned beyond exterior qualities.

The story opens with Sam and Violet in this happy place in their relationship; a place of comfort between them but as the narrative unfolds so does the exposure around Violet’s wellbeing; and perhaps is looking for a way out of the dead end town to break the psychological cycle, but will that be enough. The trappings of their environment is a reflection of Violet’s state of mind. One that despite Sam’s efforts, he will not be able to rectify. So when tragedy strikes, the essence of love is pushed to the test. Will it prevail above all? Or is there a line that can never be crossed?

The Prognosis:

The writing/directing partnership of Luke J.S. and Luke Wijayasinha-Gray have crafted an eerie portrayal of instability of the human mind. When confined to the trappings of a dead-end town, how can fragility be set free?

A complex subject is given the means to be explored through beautiful cinematography and solid performances.

The hauntingly emotional journey of the leads are supported by these visuals and is viscerally captured through a soundtrack provided by Keepondancins.

All of the elements elevate these two creatives as names to watch out for.

  • Saul Muerte

Your Love is Mine will be screening at A Night of Horror Film Festival on Sunday Oct 23 at 5pm including a Q&A with writer/directors Luke Wijayasinha-Gray & Luke J.S.

Movie review: Grimcutty (2022)

21 Friday Oct 2022

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As mentioned in my article on Werewolf By Night, Disney Plus’ horror content is beginning to be stretched across the bases of sub-genres to draw a broader audience into its terrain. Where Werewolf By Night tapped into the buddy banter and humorous dialogue that we’ve come to know and love from the Marvel universe, and Hulu’s Prey ventured into new terrain for our favourite mandible-featured Predator to wreak havoc upon; Grimcutty attempts to delve into the teen-horror scene through the lens of internet memes that stir the human psyche into panic and fear.

Grimcutty sets the scene from the perspective of the Chaudhry family. When daughter Asha (Sara Wolfkind) starts to show signs of self-harm, her parents Leah (Shannon Sossamon – Sinister 2) and Amir (Usman Ally) instantly begin to believe that she has fallen victim to the latest internet meme challenge that leads to people cutting themselves. Fuelling this is a figure called Grimcutty, a fable created but brought to life by the parents’ fears of the unknown.

The answer, they feel, is to deprive the kids of any form of technology. Naturally, this leads to revolution from the younger generation, angered by their parents’ misunderstanding. Until we come full circle once more with the older generation angered by their daughters’ betrayal. With each step further pushing them apart, the more dangerous Grimcutty becomes.

The Prognosis:

Grimcutty feels like it’s come too late in the game to instil any sense of fear. The notion of something lurking in the cyber sphere to sap the life of the unexpected youth is a tired and stale notion. The manner in which the parents try to place restrictions on their children feels forced in order to tie in with this loose thread of an idea. We’re never really faced with a threat but run through the motions in order to get to the conclusion. A conclusion that is just as predictable as the scenes that precede it. 

  • Saul Muerte

Grimcutty is currently screening on Disney Plus.

Movie review: After She Died (2022)

21 Friday Oct 2022

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It’s no mean feat to transition from short films to feature length stories, but Sydney-based writer, director, producer, Jack Dignan has taken the bull by the horns with his first foray, After She Died. Billed as part of A Night of Horror International Film Festival’s line up, Dignan has the opportunity to showcase his talents before a genre-loving audience.

The tale he has chosen to tell is one of grief, loss and heartache. Jen (Liliana Ritchie) has always had a strong bond with her mother Isabel (Vanessa Madrid), so she is thrown into a world of misery when her mother dies. What Jen doesn’t fully comprehend though is that things are going to get steadily worse. 

Jen is already estranged from her father, John (Paul Talbot) whom she believes was an abusive husband, but through their grief they will share an intense pain. One that is solidified through a curious, paranormal event; namely the arrival of John’s new girlfriend, the spitting image of Jen’s mother. Is there more to this uncanny likeness than meets the eye? And has Jen’s father dabbled with the dark arts to keep his suffering at bay? Whatever the answers, there is a festering wound that will only amount to a sickening torment, simmering to the surface where it can no longer be contained.

The Prognosis:

This may be Dignan’s debut feature length movie as a director, but he manages to carve a well-structured, pot-boiler of a movie, slowly wrenching up the tension along the way. 

The performances from his two leads, Ritchie and Madrid are solid, drawing out the angst felt by both parties. A mother, daughter relationship, ripped apart and trying to heal in the most unusual of circumstances. Above all else though, Dignan casts a light on grief and how it can tear up the soul, damaging any essence of light right to the core of hope. It’s a subject well-trodden but ventured into a terrain that allows the topic to resonate and leave questions about the roles we play in accepting one of humanity’s most natural-yet harrowing experiences. It’s not about the healing process, it’s about how we heal and what remains of us at the end of the experience.

  • Saul Muerte

After She Died will have its Australian premiere at A Night of Horror International Film Festival on Saturday, October 22, 7pm.

Movie review: V/H/S/99 (2022)

20 Thursday Oct 2022

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It’s been 10 years since Brad Miska, co-founder of horror themed website Bloody Disgusting launched the found footage anthology film series V/H/S. Its concept would have five short stories that were located from a bank of VHS tapes and would be a collaboration of cutting edge film makers such as Adam Wingard (You’re Next), David Bruckner (The Ritual), and Ti West (X). 

Now in its fifth instalment V/H/S/99, the franchise is once again hitting an annual stride with another due to be released next year. The format is still the same with five unique stories interwoven throughout the running time, each with a compelling narrative drive to get the audience hooked. 

First up is Shredding, (Directed by Maggie Levin) a skater punk influenced tale that follows a rock band as they break into the basement of an abandoned art building and last resting place of another rock band. Will their fates be entwined?

The second story Suicide Bid (Directed by Johannes Roberts – Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City) is a playful tale that sheds light on thr tortourous ordeal of trying to get into a sorority house. An audition prank goes horribly wrong when she is convinced to spend the night buried in a coffin.

The third instalment, Ozzy’s Dungeon comes from the macabre and beautifully twisted mind of Flying Lotus – Kuso. A girl is horribly disfigured in a sleazy tv show and her family seek vengeance on the host by dragging him through a similar ordeal. 

Next up is The Gawkers (Directed by Tyler MacIntyre) a group of teenagers that get more than they bargained for when they begin perving on the girl next door.

And lastly, To Hell and Back (Directed by Vanessa Winter & Joseph Winter – Deadstream) where this writing team once again taps into the zany underworld antics, blending horror and humour with little effort. This time around we follow two filmmakers who document a ritual, only to be transported to a hellish dimension where they are forced to battle demonic beings in a desperate bid to find their way back home.

The Prognosis:

The franchise has really hit its stride with V/H/S/99 blending an eclectic mix of stories from an eclectic group of filmmakers. I feel like the selection on show bends itself into an enjoyable array not yet bested since its original feature was released.  

  • Saul Muerte

V/H/S/99  is currently streaming on Shudder ANZ

Movie review: The Possessed (2021)

20 Thursday Oct 2022

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I have something of a love/hate relationship going on with the works of Australian film director Chris Sun. While I loved the brutality of Charlie’s Farm, I struggled to connect with modern ozploitation flick Boar, namely for the poor dialogue and weak acting.

His latest effort The Possessed boasts Wolf Creek’s John Jarratt as its lead, playing exorcist Jacob Chandler. The character of Chandler is based on a real life accidental exorcist and the inspiration behind the movie.

Jacob has been using his paranormal powers to rid the locals of unwanted demonic spirits, and is helped by his nephew Liam (Lincoln Lewis- Bait) to carry out this dark deed. The trouble is that these possessions are growing in number and seem to have a vested interest in Jacob, becoming stronger with each cleansing.

Throw in the mix, Liam’s girlfriend, Atalie (Lauren Grimson – Wyrmwood: Apocalypse) who also has the ability to see demons; and her friends Carissa (Simone Buchanan) and Orion (Jade Kevin Foster) and we have a team of untrained, inexperienced demon hunters to try and rid the town of evil.

The Prognosis:

The premise is an interesting one, and the growing menace that is plaguing Jacob and those he loves with the based on real events aspect grounds the film into a realm of watchability.

The issue however is one that appears to torment Chris Sun’s filmography; on-screen talent and weak scripting.

He continues to deliver a strong concept and in this case, some amazing effects, but beneath the surface, the old production scars run deep. Too often the audience is left drifting from one scenario to the next without any clear narrative to tie it all together. For this, The Possessed will always leave you wanting.

  • Saul Muerte

The Possessed is currently available to buy on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

Movie review: Barbarian (2022)

17 Monday Oct 2022

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“BARBARIAN”

It’s a dark stormy night and a young woman in town for a job interview arrives at her Airbnb, only to be greeted by a strange man. The place has been mistakenly double-booked and with no alternative but to ignore her better judgement she decides to stay there too.

So, with this kind of set-up, you’re probably thinking this will be a colour-by-numbers horror, right? Helpless female in the dead of night, strange dude that just has to be a serial killer… right? Right?

WRONG!!!!

And frankly that’s about all I’m going to say about the plot. 

This, I promise, is a SPOILER FREE ZONE… no SPOILERS to see here, none, not one, absolutely no SPOILERS allowed, heck they’re barely even tolerated here in the zone.

I went in blind with this one. After seeing the teaser trailer about a month ago, I made a conscious effort to avoid any semblance of a spoiler…and that my reader, is the way you too should go into this.

Whilst this movie has an absolute blast playing with various horror tropes, most notably the incessantly bad decisions all horror protagonists make. It’s the twists, rug pulls and absolute batshit insanity that makes “Barbarian” a must watch.

The Prognosis:

Director Zach Cregger, usually an actor known for more comedic roles (“The Whitest Kids U Know”, “Wrecked”), gleefully dances between the genres of comedy and horror. There were times I found myself gripping my seat in terrified anticipation, only to be laughing my absolute ass off seconds later.

*The director even liked my tweet… now we’re best friends, obviously.

The actors are all fantastic too. 

Brit actor Georgina Campbell, from the excellent “Hang the DJ” episode of “Black Mirror” & the apple+ series “Suspicion”, absolutely shines.

There you have it… an attempt at a review that gives absolutely nothing away.

So now I’ve kept my side of the bargain, all you need to do is go see “Barbarian.” 

Then dear reader, let’s discuss… you can catch me on Twitter with my new bestie Zach… Zach Cregger the director… Creggers… Creggsy… actually, I don’t know him.

  • Myles Davies

Movie review: She Will (2022)

16 Sunday Oct 2022

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The sheer presence of Alice Krige on screen will always draw me in such is the weight of performance that she is guaranteed to bring to the numerous roles she plays. In horror circles she came to light in 1981’s supernatural flick Ghost Story. My own personal journey into the horror celluloid history would cross paths with Krige when I first watched Sleepwalkers to fuel my passion for all things Stephen King and was struck by the gravity and sensual portrayal of matriarch villainess Mary Brady.

For her latest venture, She Will Krige plays beautifully to age as fading film star Veronica Ghent who goes to a healing retreat in Scotland to recover from a double mastectomy. The central theme of defeminisation runs rapidly throughout this feature with most male characters using their false privilege status to choose every avenue to assert power over the female gender. Veronica’s physical scarring is the most obvious feature. There is more lurking beneath the surface however with a mental trauma hinted at and disclosed later in the narrative. 

Veronica is joined by Desi (Kota Eberhardt) who also falls prey to male assertiveness when she is hit on at a bar, and then things turn south fast when they try to force themselves upon her.

A bond is formed between Veronica and Desi that is cemented by the land in which they have come to; once a place where women were burnt as witches but through which a power is harboured by those who will vengeance.

The Prognosis:

Director Charlotte Colbert makes a worthy entry for her first foray into feature length filmmaking. With weighty performances from Krige, Eberhardt, and veteran screen actors Malcolm McDowell and Rupert Everett, she has crafted a mystical film that captures an eerie and haunting presence. This is further enhanced by Cinematographer Jamie Ramsay’s visual eye (one that has him fast rising up through the ranks behind the camera with See How They Run and Strangers) who manages to build a visceral feeling to support the characters hardship and turmoil with each frame shot.

She Will may be a slow burn, but there is enough charisma here to fuel the intrigue to a well developed narrative to fan the flames of a theme that warrants more attention.`

  • Saul Muerte

She Will  is currently streaming on Shudder ANZ.