Movie Review: Werewolf By Night (2022)

15 Saturday Oct 2022

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As the Halloween season begins it is inevitable that the various streaming platforms will inundate us with a plethora of horror themes to satisfy the needs of the frenzied genre fans. What I didn’t expect was to see a Marvel / Disney+ production with a supernatural love song to the golden age of horror.

Werewolf By Night is a Marvel Studios Special Presentation, the first in a series of short features to tie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It holds what has now become synonymous with the full-length features adding a dash of humour to buddy dialogue scenes. What elevates the movie however is the directorial vision; a passionate and dedicated view of 1930s horror including using black and white cinematography to set the scene but adding a modern twist.to the narrative.

The thrust of the piece follows a dark and stormy night (of course) where five experienced monster hunters gather after the death of Ulysses Bloodstone to participate in a ritualistic competitive hunt and wield the sacred bloodstone to become their new leader. 

Among them is the timid, yet astute Jack Russell (Gael Garcia Bernal) who not only has ulterior means for being at the hunt but also harbours a secret of his own, which if unleashed could spell a different outcome for all involved.

The Prognosis:

The appeal of Werewolf By Night comes through not just with its endearing characters, namely Bernal’s Jack Russell and Laura Donnelly’s Elsa Bloodstone, playing with an underlying chemistry embroiled in the survival and turmoil that they are presented with, But its cinematography is so rich and lush that you are instantly transported to a specific time in celluloid history, and i simply love the way that it plays with the fourth wall, applying texture to our field of vision. 

It does fall into the trappings of a Marvel / Disney production however and lack in scares, but what makes up for this with a gloriously fun and engaging tale that hooks you in and packs it all neatly into a 53 minute running time.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Halloween Ends (2022)

13 Thursday Oct 2022

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Back in 2018, the writing team of Jeff Fradley, Danny McBride & David Gordon Green did the unthinkable and brought Michael Myers back to life and stalked the big screens once again.

With a strong focus on the long lasting effects that trauma has on us all and who better to champion this cause than ultimate survivor, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis – who turned out a phenomenal performance in that role).

Movie review: Halloween (2018)

Fans both old and new alike were lapping up this brutal the on a 40 year old franchise, so it was inevitable that  further two movies would arise. However…

People (myself included) felt let down by the directorial path that was chosen. Halloween Kills felt like a fluff piece, a filler if you will to bring about the conclusion and along with it the end to the franchise??

Despite this, there were some faithful to the resurrection (ooh, bad choice of word. I’m still having my own trauma counselling over that movie :p) and were keen to see how the trilogy would play out. Again I would include myself in those who waited with anticipation.

Movie review: Halloween Kills (2021)

But before we get to my thoughts on this, let’s view the trilogy through the trauma lens and the five stages of grief, as I personally find that this ties in with the central theme and our understanding of the creative mindset.

Halloween (2018) would set up the premise of trauma and its unshakeable hold on the victims with stage 1 – Denial. Most of the characters are in a state of denial, with the exception of Laurie, who is so immersed in the state that she is on a deeper level and knows that the shape of evil will always be there as long as Michael is alive. This is her mantra and never waivers across the three movies.

Moving into Halloween Kills (2021) and we traverse through stage 2 – Anger with our rising vigilantes and stage 3 – bargaining as those who try to lure Michael to his death end up bargaining with their own.

So, now we come to Halloween Ends (2022) which must then face the final two stages: Depression and Acceptance. The former of the two does not bode well to focus on for the feature but go there it does. 

The feature picks up with two of our central survivors Laurie and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) and the remnants of Haddonfield. Among the residents is Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell) a boy who accidentally kills the kid he is babysitting and is forever tarnished among his community. It is here that he is quickly thrust into comparison with Michael, and the new face of evil. As much as Corey struggles to reassert himself, he is further quashed and forced to ask whether he should just concede to his fate. 

David Gordon Green continually likes to dabble with the whole nature vs nurture idea and with it starts to lose the kernel of a Halloween franchise movie; namely Myers on a killing rampage. By shifting the core perspective to Corey and away from Myers, the more we question the true heart of the movie. In fact, Myers has been left residing in an abandoned sewer beneath the Haddonfield streets to lick his wounds, like a paltry Pennywise wannabe,

The silver lining of hope comes with Allyson who develops a romantic interest with Corey; a moth to the flame of violence. The other kindled romance is between Laurie and Deputy Frank Hawkins (Will Patton); is there still a chance of happiness for Laurie?

As we build to the films’ climax, the characters must ultimately face acceptance. Do they acknowledge their past, shake off the shackles of accusations and character assassinations, or let trauma (Myers and his myth) win?

The Prognosis:

You play with fire and you’re gonna get burned.

David Gordon Green and Danny McBride struck gold when they first brought Myers back to our screens and the subject of trauma.

But by continually going back into the frey, the strength of their initial premise wanes. By sidelining Myers in their quest to scrutinise the impact of grief and trauma, they lose the essence of Halloween, With it they have inadvertently killed off the franchise, perhaps forever. Those devoted to Halloween must now go through their own 5 steps of grief but it’s debatable if we will ever reach acceptance.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Project Wolf Hunting (2022)

08 Saturday Oct 2022

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I can just picture myself now, sitting in the room when this movie was pitched.

“Okay, so picture the worst criminal degenerates known to humankind, being transported from Manilla in the Philippines to Busan in South Korea on a boat”

:So,,, an aquatic equivalent to Con Air?”

“Yeah… yeah! Only bloodier… and bigger. These crims are seriously fucked”

“Okay. sure. What else have you got?”

“Well these guys turn the tables and take command of the vessel…”
“So, a bit like Under Siege?”

“Kind of, but don’t forget, it’s gory as hell. So, anyway, just when you think things can’t get more fucked up, the passengers find out that there is something much darker and disturbed lurking in the ships bowels. Human experimentation of epic proportions on a war veteran that made him superhuman and relatively indestructible”

“So, something like Universal Soldier meets Resident Evil”

“Will you stop with the movie references and remember? This movie is gonna be bloody violent and pushed to the extremes of sensationalism purely for the entertainment value.”

“Yeah I get it. Sounds perfect for the midnight crowd wanting to be pushed to the edge. I’ll buy it.”

That’s essentially Project Wolf Hunting in a nutshell. It’s extreme because it can be. And it doesn’t hold back on going beyond the realms of reality for the sake of balls to the wall action. There are those that may find the nonsense approach to ramped up storytelling, a huge turn off. But then again, they’re probably not the right audience for this kind of film.

With supposedly 2.5 tons of blood used in the production of the movie, you can cement a picture in your mind of the tone that director Hongsun Kim was aiming for and he definitely doesn’t hold back. 

The film doesn’t paint a pretty picture of the characters involved either, with most of them blacker than black, crooked or corrupt and willing to bend the rules to gain the upper hand in this volatile world. Even those with slightly redeeming characteristics aren’t spared the grace of survival, leaving one to question just who or what deserves to thrive in this landscape?

When push comes to shove though, this is immaterial as only the fittest and the smartest will rise out of the quagmire of fury and even then, their chances of living to tell the tale is slim. The audience will care little for this though, as it is the relentless action that they would have paid money to see, and this is where the director doesn’t fail to produce.

The Prognosis:

Strap yourself in for a bloody, insane and gory ride on a boat filled with criminals on a war path to destruction and damnation.

This film is jam-packed with mindless fun with kills coming from every direction.

I’m a sucker for insane action flicks and Project Wolf Hunting is ridiculous to the extreme without falling short of pleasure on every level.

The adrenaline will propel you to the film’s conclusion and is the most entertained I’ve been in some time. 

  • Saul Muerte

Project Wolf Hunting is due for theatrical release in Australia from Oct 13th courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

Movie review: Dark Glasses (2022)

08 Saturday Oct 2022

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Movie review: Dark Glasses

There has been a 10 year absence since “The Master of Horror” Dario Argento stepped behind the camera to call the shots. That feature was the much maligned adaptation to Bram Stoker’s gothic masterpiece, Dracula… in this case in the 3D variety.

Apparently stirred into action when Argento’s daughter Asia discovered the script, Dark Glasses bears a lot of the hallmarks to what made this directing auteur great. Tapping into the giallo scene that built his name, Argento weaves a narrative around Italian escort Diana (Ilenia Pastorelli) who is attacked and pursued by a serial killer. She manages to escape but in her flight she is involved in a car crash, resulting in her loss of sight and the death of two of the occupants in the other car. They were the parents of Chin, who manages to survive the wreck and becomes the subject of Diana’s guilt and road to recovery. 

At first Chin is reluctant to receive her care but soon warms to her maternal protection. The issue and conflict arises with the serial killer still on the loose and hellbent on finishing off what he started,

The Prognosis:

Dark Glasses imbues the heightened sexuality and psychological trauma that is oft’ a part of Argento’s cinematic playground. 

Pastorelli produces a compelling and sensual-yet-damaged protagonist in distress, but the narrative falls in numerous places and loses structure as result. 

This patchwork of Argento’s formative years has moments of success and is still visually arresting at times, but it struggles to string together a cohesiveness worthy enough to allow these notes to sing.

  • Saul Muerte

Dark Glasses will be streaming on Shudder Anz from Thurs 13th October.

Movie review: Monstrous (2022)

06 Thursday Oct 2022

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Christina Ricci will always have a close association with the horror genre, namely for her child role as Wednesday from The Addams Family. Sleepy Hollow, and Cursed. As her roles matured, it would be inevitable that she would take on more maternal roles and this is where Ricci finds herself in her latest feature. Here she takes on troubled mother Laura, who is escaping with her son, Cody (Santino Bernard) from an abusive relationship. 

Monstrous is set in 1950s America at a time that comes with all the trappings of a ‘housewife’, so when Laura tries to take up a new life in a lakeside town in California, she has to overcome all the obstacles that a male-dominated world would bring.

To make matters worse, Cody is struggling to fit into this new life and is ostracised from his school peers. Laura does her best to push Cody out of his comfort zone, but with little effect. 

What director Chris Sivertson adds to the fold however is a much darker layer, lurking beneath the facade of Laura’s troubled woes. One that she has subconsciously buried to hide the ‘monstrous’ truth. And when some unknown entity starts to make its presence felt from the lake, Laura must find a way to protect her family or lose it all.

The Prognosis:

The trouble with Monstrous is that it falls too easily into predictability with the supposed reveal, all too easy to spot. 

The narrative is a little too dry as well and feels flat, especially considering the subject matter.

On a positive note however, Ricci still proves she has the A game and adds plenty of weight to a deeply troubled character. 

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Deadstream (2022)

03 Monday Oct 2022

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Deadstream is more than your average found footage horror film, as it is packed to the punch with so much energy, zest and macabre humour that it’s no wonder that it has been likened to something from The Evil Dead franchise.

It also tackles and in my humble opinion succeeds in making its unlikeable lead protagonist likeable.

The guy in question is Shawn Ruddy (Joseph Winter), a disgraced internet personality from his online prank show, Wrath of Shawn. Shawn tries to reanimate his audience and draw them back into his life by challenging himself to spend the night in a haunted house and livestream the whole event. Unfortunately he ends up royally pissing off a vengeful spirit and must do all he can to escape and survive the night.

The low budget aesthetics is part of the features appeal, utilising real effects to capitalise on the gritty realism of the supernatural and paranormal events that unfold. Keeping the location to a minimum, primarily at said haunted house, essentially a dilapidated building is also a smart move, allowing the creativity to run loose without being tied down to constantly having to relocate. It also allows time for the ambience to build and have fun when unleashing their vision.

The Prognosis:

The writing is witty and clever in that it plays it straight, so when the macabre mayhem unfolds, it is pure joy to watch.

Winter also writes and directs alongside his partner Vanessa, which indicates not only do they have a firm grasp of the material, so when delivered feels flawless, but this is clearly a labour of love for them and this oozes through every scene.

  • Saul Muerte

Deadstream is currently streaming on Shudder ANZ.

Movie review: My Best Friend’s Exorcism

03 Monday Oct 2022

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Grady Hendrix has made a name for himself in the teen horror novel genre and added his penmanship to recent features for Mohawk and Satanic Panic. His popular novel My Best Friend’s Exorcism has received a feature treatment and is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Marked, rightfully as The Exorcist meets Heathers, MBFE utilises the nostalgic feels of the 80s through music, American high school issues, and the verbal language and cusses that wouldn’t see the light of day if set in current times. It’s excellently handled by director Damon Thomas, combined with the cinematography by Rob Givens who offer a film that looks retro whilst still resonating with a modern audience.

Part of its appeal comes from the friendship between Abby (Elsie Fisher – Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)) and Gretchen (Amiah Miller – Lights Out), a tighter than tight unity where they laugh at each others jokes, the love for Boy George, The Thorn Birds and ET, cookies and cream frozen yoghurt and all the small things that bind them are put to the test. 

Once the scene is set, addressing Abby’s awkwardness against Gretchen’s confidence in an angsty environment, where outsiders are treated with contempt; our lead protagonists venture into an abandoned summer house under the influence of LSD, get separated when Gretchen gets violated and consumed by a demonic presence. 

Now Abby must find her own confidence in the face of adversity and tackle the turmoil of high school trauma and address conflicts both inward and outward and rescue her best friend along the way. This all comes with a test on her own presence, where both friends must exorcise different kinds of demons to reach a well fought out conclusion.

The Prognosis:

The 80s nostalgic vibe with nods to the horror elements of the time deserve high praise and hook you into the narrative with relative ease. It’s not groundbreaking stuff but the fun elements outweigh any concerns here, My Best Friend’s Exorcism is an enjoyable teen horror that will appeal to a wide audience.

  • Saul Muerte

My Best Friend’s Exorcism is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Movie review: Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (2022)

02 Sunday Oct 2022

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Halina Reijns’ follow up feature to her confrontational drama Instinct taps into the darker comedic vein and delivers a modern equivalent to the vacuous nature of Bret Easton Ellis’ Less Than Zero mixed with some serious slasher vibes. Like the 1980s novel, the screenplay to Bodies, Bodies, Bodies by Sarah DeLappe  flirts with the hollow void of the youth, searching for something to fill their lives through sex and drugs, but finding the emptiness still resides. Here the narrative sets the group of misguided adolescents buker down together in a mansion during a hurricane (itself a metaphor for the turmoil that surrounds them the outside world forcing them to look inside themselves) and play a murder game similar to wink murder, but with drastic consequences.

At first it all feels typical of a party where rules are inconsequential; the liquor flows and the lines of illicit consumption begins, plus the dalliance of emotions ripple beneath the surface as old friends play out familiar roles to settle in for the night. 

New to the group is Bee (Maria Bakalova), introduced by her girlfriend Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and at first struggles to find the comfort spot amongst an already tight batch. What may seem a united camaraderie soon comes unstuck however when the secrets or quashed emotions rise to the surface and the true feelings bubble over amounting to a sea of carnage and mistrust. 

The shift in tone amounts when David (Peter Davidson), who lives in the mansion and is a childhood friend to Sophie is found dead with a slash to his throat caused by a kukri, All eyes turn on each other, starting with Greg (Lee Pace) the boyfriend to Alice (Rachel Sennott) and like Bee an outsider to the collective. Suspicions soo escalate further among them as old wounds are addressed and the body count rises. 

The Prognosis:

Bodies, Bodies, Bodies is another strong delivery from A24 Films, which delicately plays with a murder mystery in an incestuous minefield of youthful emotions. Rejin constantly questions the role that the Gen Z have in finding their place in the world. Where do loyalties lie? And what happens when trust is no longer apparent?

It’s a fun and enjoyable ride, which may not necessarily tread new territory in the realms of horror but don’t let that deter you.

  • Saul Muerte

Retrospective: The Land Unknown (1957)

02 Sunday Oct 2022

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As Hammer Films were reinventing Gothic horror with The Curse of Frankenstein and awakening old myths with The Abominable Snowman, Universal Pictures were still venturing into humanity striving against gigantic creatures in the sci-fi adventure films. This time around, the exploration would take them into the heart of Antarctica to unleash the fears upon our central characters. 

The Land Unknown, directed by Virgil W. Vogel from a screenplay by László Görög would suffer immensely from its low budget, putting men in  dinosaur suits or shots of monitor lizards to subject our audience with fear. The result would have a poor effect and the film struggles to lift out of the realms of quality, shifting our ability to connect with it. Even retrospectively speaking, there is little substance here of worth.

In essence we join an expedition crew consisting of Commander Harold Roberts (Jock Mahoney), helicopter pilot Lt. Jack Carmen (William Reynolds), machinist Steve Miller (Phil Harvey) and reporter Maggie (Shirley Patterson). Maggie is the token female in the movie and is symbolic of the times playing the reporter, as it gave women a hard-boiled, intelligent edge whilst still needing to be sexually alluring, something that doesn’t go amiss among the male members of the crew, particularly the Commander. Often, there are comments in the script about the differences in the gender of each species they encounter, where each plays a significant role in the survival of their terrain. When the helicopter is forced to make an emergency landing this is put to the test when they find themselves in mysterious volcanic land beneath the icy surface and one that is rich in jungle life, including the aforementioned jungle.

Not only do they have to manage this unknown topography, but they soon discover another living soul who has adapted to life there since they crashed there. Dr. Carl Hunter was the sole survivor and has been used to life on his own, making him a gruff and unapproachable man, His intimidating demeanour softening only towards Maggie.

The rest of the film centres more on these conflicts, along with the volatile land and its inhabitants to play through to the conclusion. One that is a neatly tied bow and as such fails to flicker with the audience. Looking through the retrospective lens, this is definitely one of the lesser films that Universal produced at the time and much like the land in which it is set, has been forgotten over time.

  • Saul Muerte

Retrospective: The Abominable Snowman (1957)

25 Sunday Sep 2022

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Hammer Films trio of features to be released in 1957 would be complete with The Abominable Snowman. The heightened success of The Curse of Frankenstein and Quatermass 2 had made people sit up and take notice of this British film production company. TAS would see Director Val Guest team up again with one of his lead stars Peter Cushing, a formula that would be successful for this fictionalised expedition in search of the snow dwelling yeti. 

Nigel Kneale would once again take on writing duties that would pen Cushing as botanist John Rollason who agrees to join the party led by Tom Friend (Forrest Tucker), only to discover that the true intentions behind the enterprise is to capture the ape-like creature for commercial gain. 

The group are attacked by a yeti one night but one of the trappers is able to kill it, and in turn they try to use the creature to lure others of its kind to them. All of this goes against Rollasons’ moral integrity and he soon comes to believe that the yeti may indeed be of vastly greater intelligence to humankind. It is possible that they are hibernating in the mountains, waiting for humanity to reach its natural decline, before taking over as our planet’s chief primate.
The narrative will now see a turn of the tables, and the expedition must try to survive their ordeal before the terrain or the yeti’s bring about their ruin.

For a feature set in the vast open spaces through sets created by Bernard Robinson based on existing photos of shots taken in the French Pyrenees and built in the now famous Pinewood Studios, there is enough eeriness conveyed. This despite the lack of fear from the little seen yetis. It’s a strong movie with a decent plot that deserves more attention and a chance to rise out of the shadows left by The Curse of Frankenstein. The next horror feature to be released would forever cement Hammer Films’ place in the genre movie scene…

  • Saul Muerte