We’ve all been there right? Coasting aimlessly through life with no set direction, happy to drift into oblivion with no real aim to find or improve our lives for the better, only to be dropped by your girlfriend for apparently having no prospects. Then you’re left ruminating and wondering if there is anyway to win back your love’s heart, but get hoodwinked by a real estate agent and his family to move into a house as a means to sacrifice oneself for a demon, just so that they don’t have to deal with the crap themselves? You’ve been there, right? Right?
Such is the premise of this horror comedy from writer, director Emily Hagins (VHS, Scare Package) who is fast making a name for herself in the off kilter genre scene. And with Jon Michael Simpson as her muse to enact the downbeat, hapless romantic character, Will, she is able to tap into a rift that is entertaining albeit hit and miss in the humour department. Oh the irony in a name, to be called Will when you have no will of your own.
Simpson (Scare Package) is ably supported by Jeff McQuitty (more known for his work behind the lens) as the faithful best friend Patrick. When Will’s girlfriend Amy (Paige Evans) ditches him as he clearly struggles to commit to anything including her, Will once again plunges headfirst into another project, by moving into a huge house and great living costs. The catch? It’s possessed by a demon. But we’ve all had that one flatmate to share an apartment with yeah?
If you haven’t, you probably were that demonic housemate.
Anyway, I digress. Now stuck with this problem, Will has to face up to his problems, one that another Aimee (Olivia Decayen), who just so happens may be able to rid the house of the demonic spirit. Can he amount himself to anything and find his place in the world or will he lose it all to the detriment of all those closest to him?
The Prognosis:
Sorry About The Demon has some moments of delight in this absurd horror comedy to make one grin, but these aren’t laugh out loud flickers of gold. There’s enough there to entertain and the performances are solid, but the characters and humour doesn’t always hit the mark.
If your looking for something to pass the time, and go in with low expectations, then you’ll be pleasantly delighted. The magic is a little lacking, and much like its lead character, happily coasts along in its own sphere, unaware of just how savage life is on the exterior when we don’t pay mind to the small details.
Saul Muerte
Sorry About The Demon is currently screening on ShudderANZ.
Those who know me, know of my aversion to the Western genre in cinema. As a cinephile I indulged in the classics especially the Ford era of which we are supposed to marvel at the sweeping landscapes, but send me into a state of lull. That’s not to say there aren’t exceptions that have lit a fuse in my love of the celluloid art, and there is intrigue to be found in blending this genre with a vampire sub genre twist.
With some of the townsfolk falling prey to a mysterious illness, and the reveal of two punctures in the neck of the latest victim we pave the scene of a nosferatu in the mix.
The Western influence throws mistrust and turmoil among a neighbouring family, where all must find a way to unite in order to rid the town of the foul fate that lay before them.
There’s the obvious love scenario two between the mysterious Drake Robey (Michael Pate) and Dolores (Kathleen Crowley), plus the hope and steadfast clergyman in Preacher Dan (Eric Fleming). All the ingredients are there to provide a somewhat entertaining tale.
All too often though I found myself drifting off and disconnecting from the content, with a lack of depth in the characters and both genres telling a tale too often told to stimulate the mind.
It was a bold approach from writer, director Edward Dein to try and merge what should be successful film categories but there’s no style or substance for that matter, so for that Curse of the Undead slips all too easily into forgettable terrain.
It’s been a far cry since Casper Van Dien declared revenge on those bug creatures in Starship Troopers for what they did to Buenos Aires, but it’s great to see him on the screen in a different guise as the misguided patriarchal figure in his latest feature Daughter.
Presented as a cult-like, claustrophobic thriller, this directorial debut from Corey Deshon has enough tension built up to fuel the oppression for Van Dien’s Father character to channel the hatred and desire for control that he upholds. And he doesn’t hold back on delivering such a taut and highly strung person; a tirade of manipulation that ripples with devastating effect through the makeshift family dynamic.
With the titular daughter (Viven Ngô) brought into the household to fulfil the requirements of a sister to the precious Brother (Ian Alexander) to play out this misogynistic and outdated answer to salvation.
Rounding out the quartet is Mother (Elyse Dinh) who also cuts a fine performance of the restrained, and fear driving matriarch, a character who shifts through the motions of obedience, self-protection, and salvation with effortless and minimal motions. Dinh along with Ngô are the pivotal characters in propelling the slowburn of a narrative through to its conclusion and serve as the juxtaposition to Van Dien’s Father. With the seemingly compliant Brother in the mix too, it’s hard to know when or who will break, as like a tightly wound clock, the springs are going to snap and all that tension will come pouring out swift and fast.
The Prognosis:
While some will feel that the pace is too restrained, and that the payoff is all too hasty, in my mind Deshon is able to craft out a painful picture of suppression through the gaze of male-dominated world. All the performances are subtly executed and deftly supported by a tightly shot sequence of events on 16mm footage thanks to cinematographer Hana Kitasei helps amplify the claustrophobia instilled throughout. You’re either going to resist the flow or glide along, but one things for sure, Deshon has made a fantastic impression in wielding his vision.
Saul Muerte
#Daughter is Available on all major Digital platforms, including Apple iTunes / Google Play in Australia & New Zealand, from February 22nd.
There is enough talent in front of the screen in what is essentially a labour of love mixed with pangs of nostalgia over Britain’s celluloid history of lycanthrope horror. There is a healthy mix of nods to Hammer Films and the Gothic films produced under their banner and the Peter Cushing style veteran performing yet another battle against evil to satiate the hounds of the genre past. The most notable homage comes in arguably the greatest werewolf feature, An American Werewolf In London, with numerous quotes and references throughout the movie.
Set in a quirky village town where a film crew has set up in an abandoned house to shoot a vampire flick, Wolf Manor takes a turn when they decide to hang back one more night to do some extensive reshoots. It just so happens that the night in question should fall on a full moon and with it the awakening of a lycanthrope appears to disembowel them one by one.
While the creative team of Director, Dominic Brunt, and writers Joel Ferrari and Pete Wild have a deep passion for the field in which they paint their narrative, it is evident that it lacks the killer punch that made these pioneer movies so great. There are moments where they try to ignite that instinctive attraction through the British wit upon which the nation has produced some comedy gold, but no matter how hard the talented James Fleet taps into that humour, it is often served cold and the tumbleweeds drift by with ease.
Despite the obvious tweaky script and gaps in depth of character, Wolf Manor does boast some nice special effects; a combination of prosthetics, make up and visual effects weaving together and grounding the supernatural elements.
The Prognosis:
I had high hopes before watching this, such is my love of the doomed lusus naturae, but it falls foul of trying to live up to and replicating werewolf features of yester-year rather than creating an identity of its own. Sometimes, you have to break free of rigidity for creativity to be unleashed. Unfortunately it took its inspiration literally, staying on the road and keeping clear of the moors. Just imagine what could have happened if it dared to stray into the wilderness.
Going from “The Next Spielberg” to being box office poison and then beyond, M. Night Shyamalan has had one of the most interesting career arcs of modern hollywood. No one else has experienced the sheer number of highs and lows as him, and going into one of his films these days comes with a hefty anticipation. Knock at the Cabin continues Shyamalan’s recent slew of high concept low budget thrillers. The film is based on the award winning novel Cabin at the End of the World (a much better title) by Paul Tremblay and follows roughly the same plot with a couple of big differences.
While on holiday at a cabin in the woods, family of three (Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge & Kristen Cui) are assailed by four mysterious strangers (Dave Bautista, Rupert Grint, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Abby Quinn) who put an impossible choice before the family, testing their love and their faith: one of them must be sacrificed or the world will end. Throughout the story we flashback to little moments in Daddy Andrew (Aldridge) and Daddy Eric’s (Groff) life together and all the moments that have led to here. It’s a great chewy moral decision that is incredibly engaging.
The film is a taut and strongly performed twist on home invasion and end of the world genres. Dave Bautista is particularly haunting in this film, managing to ground the odd-Shyamalan dialogue in intense commitment and emotion. The film begins with Wen (Cui) catching grasshoppers when she spots a foreboding strange man, Leonard (Bautista), who approaches and engages the little girl in a game; it’s a deeply chilling and ominous opener. The cinematography by Lowell A. Meyer (who worked on the Shyamalan presented The Servant) and Jarin Blaschke (Robert Egger’s DOP) creates intense claustrophobia and heightens the emotionality of all these great performances, at certain moments punching in closer and closer to their faces until we can’t take it anymore. This film is up there with the best looking of his filmography, with probably the smallest scale of the lot.
The script was one of the hottest screenplays on the Blacklist a few years ago, by Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman, two newcomers in the industry. M.Night is a credited writer as well and it absolutely shows. When Shyamalan’s dialogue is in the right actor’s hands it creates a dream-like quality that fits perfectly into the worlds he creates and when it’s bad it’s Mark Wahlberg asking about What’s Happening with these frickin’ plants? In this film it’s all working on the right side of that spectrum and at only an hour and 40 minutes it’s like an oasis in an Arrakis-sized wasteland of 2 hour and 40 minute plus films everywhere you look.
The Prognosis:
I welcome this third act of Shyalaman’s career, where he’s leaning smaller, pulpier and more personally invested. He has been partially funding his films since The Visit (2015) after getting swallowed up by the Hollywood system with the colossal bombs of After Earth and Last Airbender.Knock at the Cabin fits the bill when it comes to a great Shyamalan Film; questions of faith, great performances from children, the dedicatedly unnatural dialogue, and a pitch at home in an elevator. He might not have ever reached the heights of Spielberg but he seems to have truly found the place he loves to make movies and I think the landscape is better for it.
It’s been an interesting time for Hollywood horror films. And by that we mean scary films with proper studio backing, budget, and distribution. The first two immediate examples being Smileand Barbarian, their financial success matching (if not exceeding) their critical praise. And whilst 2 such films is nicely eyebrow raising, a 3rd means when we start compiling our “Top 10 horror films of the past 12 months” we won’t be scratching our heads as we lament it has been a “thin season”. And that’s thanks – in part – to M3gan. When the trailer first came out, it looked very Hollywood generic. But here’s the thing with the age in which we live. On reddit chats and the like, there are countless examples of Influencers scamming their way through life, expecting free products and services in exchange for “exposure bucks”. But the extra kick in the balls about all that is, exposure – the right kind and the right amount – does have power. And in the case of M3gan, it was a simple TikTok video of the robot doll in question doing a murder dance. People LOVED it. Then they copied it. And then they meme’d it. And bam, just like that M3gan entered the mainstream consciousness. Even before the movie came out, people were noticing the one thing other people (ie: people familiar with the uncanny valley and/or Real Doll enthusiasts) have known for years. And that is, lifelike dolls are creepy AF. Which is interesting, because as a sub-genre, Doll Horror, isn’t that well regarded here at Surgeons
Mainly because the dolls are usually possessed (which is always a bit hokey) and smaller than your average human. And they may look unsettling (Anabelle) but for the most part they are cartoonishly ridiculous (Chucky) with their kills often played for laughs. In fact, in recent memory the last good Doll Horror was The Boy, and that was twisty in that (spoiler alert) the doll in question was just an actual doll and nothing more. And lord knows there’s been plenty of robots in movies where said robot can kill because it has a circular saw attachment, or shoots lasers or sum such. But an android with superhuman strength (why do they always make these things so much stronger than us? They just need to be physically strong enough to mimic humans in the real world, why give them the power to tear a baby’s head off!?) and has the complexion of a sex doll? That’s new. Mainly because “realistic” androids in movies and tv shows are usually portrayed by real people with (sometimes) slightly pale make up. So the unsettling/creep factor with M3gan is strong, but that alone a movie doesn’t make.
Is it any good? Well two words, Chekhov’s Gun. But to explain what that is, and a whole lot more, with his take on the movie, here’s Chris Dawes…
Ah yes, Chekov’s Gun – the age-old theatrical trope that if a prop (in this case, an incomplete boxing robot) is mentioned in the first half of a story, it must be integral to the story’s final moments (and everybody was bot-fu fightiiiing…). So all in all, is this a movie worth watching? Absolutely. Great dialogue, tight plotting, with enough gore and laughs to be both light and dark in all the right places. A solid night’s entertainment and well worth the price of cinema admission. However, my criticism is this (AND MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD). In the back of the film, M3GAN doesn’t so much turn on her creators as go full moustache twirling bond villain. Which, don’t get me wrong, makes for some hilariously snarky lines, but it is a very jarring character transition for a robot that was to this point, fairly HAL-like in the build up to her evilness. And I am pretty sure the reason for this dramatic shift is because James Wan and Co. accidentally made the bad guy way too sympathetic compakela ared to everyone else in the opening half of the film. Because here’s the thing – EVERY ADULT IN THIS MOVIE ABSOLUTELY FRACKING SUCKS, ESPECIALLY THE PROTAGONIST. Gemma (played quite masterfully by Allison Williams) is an emotionally repressed, myopic computer nerd who, despite showing no desire for any kind of family life, inexplicably demands that her recently orphaned niece (the child of her estranged sister) stay with her instead of her grandparents; makes no accommodations to her living situation to fit her niece in, neglects her while she goes through the worst possible kind of trauma, and only starts to see her as worth paying attention to when it’s clear she can serve as an in-house focus group for M3GAN’s (a children’s toy designed with the combat prowess of John Wick, mind you) commercial prospects. Off the back of that, once she makes the classic psycho-robot programming error of giving orders with ambiguous parameters (ie: protect the niece from all forms of physical and emotional harm) you absolutely understand why M3GAN goes the full death machine on the raging band of jerk-offs that are Gemma and her employers at the Funki Toy Company. Frankly, you are cheering her on. But that of course would make M3GAN’s inevitable defeat (or is it? DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!!!) unsatisfying for a popcorn picture vibe (The bad guy can’t be the good guy! What is this, a European film???). So M3GAN, who is to this point the only character who has shown the niece any kind of emotional support (in a gut-punch of a scene that got some genuine sniffles out of the audience), suddenly becomes Chucky, and it took me out of it a bit. Having said that, it’s still a hell of a ride. And Chekov’s boxing bot is kickass! And now back to Ant Yee for the prognosis…
The Prognosis:
M3gan is a fun film. For horror buffs it’s not at all scary or gory, and as a hook, the premise and descent (into “madness”) of the titular character isn’t all that original. But it works and is very enjoyable, and a lot of that is thanks to the remarkable performance of the 2 actors Amie Donald (body) and Jenna Davis (voice) who bring her to life. That and the animatronics and the design work that went into her. That was a home run too. Worth a short victory dance in fact.
i NB: In no way does M3gan actually resemble a sex doll – apart from being made up of the same weird rubbery silicon skin. (Surgeons of Horror legal disclaimer fulfilled).
Surgeons of Horror 