Movie review: The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw

03 Saturday Oct 2020

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The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw is embedded in folklore horror, with a fractured community already outsiders from the common world striving to live the lives of good Protestants and reap the land and prosper.
The seed of doubt is always prominent however and amplified when the crops begin to fail during harvest season, all except the land at the Earnshaw family.
As the villagers predicament grows increasingly dire, panic soon sets in and escalates to a pandemic state, something that director Thomas Robert Lee didn’t initially intend to resonate so deeply with his audience but certainly reflects the mindset of the modern world at large.

The kernel of the town’s plight stems from a particular eclipse that occurred 17 years ago and coincides with the birth of the titular Audrey Earnshaw. What is it about this strange child? Who was the father? And what pact did her mother Agatha make in order to flourish so greatly in her crop production? 

The ingredients are all there to provoke the fear and trepidation in the heart of the most stolic of people with the practice of occultism in the soul. When the wind blows foul, it destroys the mentality of those that come into contact with the Earnshaw’s execution.

All of which can only be produced with the masterful direction of Robert Lee and the strength of the performances from its cast.
Notable standouts for me came from the matriarchal Agatha Earnshaw played by Catherine Walker (A Dark Song) who has clearly made some dubious choices but is slowly becoming engulfed by her equally enigmatic daughter, Audrey (newcomer Jessica Reynolds).
Likewise some of the village folk draw the audience’s gaze through the deeply troubled Bridget Dwyer (Hannah Emily Anderson, who is amazing in her portrayal and fluctuations of emotions that her character has to traverse throughout the films’ narrative); the steadfast husband Colm Dwyer (Jared Abrahamson) whose faith is probably tested the most; and the instantly recognisable Seamus Dwyer (Sean McGinley) as the patriarchal member of the community and never fails to deliver a solid performance. 

The Prognosis:

It’s a slow burn which allows the fear to sink deep into the recesses of the villagers minds. 

The strong performances definitely resonate and help to deliver Thomas Robert Lee’s vision and the cinematography captures the beautiful landscape on scene. 

If there is a flaw to be found is that the focus is so intense that it can become overwhelming with the way it’s directed.

At times the pace is painfully slow and the emotions are slowly pulled through the mangler that every ounce and weight of the characters’ turmoil is felt to the detriment of the audience who have to endure this burden until the films’ conclusion.

The Curse of Audrey Earnshaw is currently screening in selected theatres and will be released on VOD and Digital on Oct 6th 2020.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Sputnik (Спутник)

30 Wednesday Sep 2020

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For a directorial feature debut, Egor Abramenko is able to inject a thrilling, psychological piece that despite not necessarily offering anything new, does deliver a solid dramatical experience. This Russian entry into symbiotic alien invasion, creature feature horror plays its strength through grounding the fantastical elements into something that feels real. 

Whilst most people would associate the name Sputnik with one of Russia’s finest achievements in space as the first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth, it’s literal translation into the English language can mean ‘travelling companion’, both interpretations can be closely connected with this film. The film is set in 1983, towards the end of the Cold War, when two cosmonauts encounter a strange experience on their return journey back to Earth; an encounter that leaves only one human survivor, Konstantin (Pyotr Fyodorov). His partner Averchenko is revealed to have had his skull ripped open and Konstantin clearly inhabiting unspeakable ills with an unknown entity harbouring inside his body. At this stage it is unclear if Konstantin is possessed or something far more sinister, but his ‘travelling companion’ will definitely become more clear as the story unfolds. This creature too, could spell a new world for the Soviet Union, with the first human encounter with an alien species. 

What extent could this finding have on the country and the world is part of what fuels the narrative, and we’re led through this paranormal investigation through physician neuro-scientist Tatyana Klimova (Oksana Akinshina), and her controversial hard-hitting approach that brings her before Colonel Semiradov (Fyodor Bondarchuk), the man in charge of finding out what exactly is lurking inside of Konstantin’s human frame. Tatyana is instantly likeable despite her cold demeanor, thanks to Akinshina’s performance offering a glimpse of humanity and frailty beneath the tough exterior. 

Much like Konstantin’s condition, Sputnik holds a cool exterior but buried beneath each character is a warren of emotions and in some cases when unleashed can herald some darkly disturbing truths. Konstantin himself is troubled by abandoning his son to an orphanage and therefore feels that the alien infestation is no more than what he deserves for his past actions. Semiradov also likes to keep things close to his chest and the more we learn about his motives, the more shadowy his methods appear. This is Tatyana’s story though and the biggest twist in her character arc doesn’t rise to the surface until the film’s epilogue, but is worth the wait.

Sputnik must rest on its depiction of the alien and with some incredible visual effects brings a stunning creature that invokes a combination of fear and vulnerability that spreads dread through the hearts of all those that interact with it. Fueling this animosity is much like the human fear of the unknown is that our own interpretations foster at night when we too are at our weakest. 

Sputnik deserves high praise and is worth your time and attention, a journey into the core of humanity, ripping it apart the soul and unleashing cortisol from which fear and our base animalistic minds can feast upon.


IN CINEMAS NATIONALLY OCTOBER 1
*Excluding Victoria

  • Saul Muerte

Podcast: Season 7 Ep 15: John Carpenter’s In The Mouth of Madness

28 Monday Sep 2020

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“Do you read Sutter Cane?”

This episode looks at John Carpenter’s In The Mouth of Madness starring Sam Neill, a film that was considered a box office failure but went on to receive cult status.

Does it deserve high praise?

The Surgeons team dissect and discuss the movie to find out. Check out our thoughts in the ep below.

https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode?id=738384

Retrospective: The Mummy’s Tomb (1942)

27 Sunday Sep 2020

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Yes this movie is reaped in formula and shuffles along a predicable path to its mortal conclusion, and yet it boasts some strong choices for a third instalment. Namely it’s decision to kill off its lead protagonists from the previous film, The Mummy’s Hand.

Bold in that it’s something you may not necessarily identify with a film from the 1940s, and in doing so, Universal Pictures once more indicates how readily it is to move away from the old and make way for the new despite only a two year gap between both movies.

The film like it’s predecessor delivers an exposition in the form of a flashback so that audiences can be brought up to speed with the franchise narrative. This tale is told from the perspective of Steve Banning (Dick Foran), the hero from The Mummy’s Hand, albeit now an elderly Gent who speaks to his sister, his son John (John Hubbard) and his son’s long term girlfriend Isobel (Elysse Knox). Essentially potential victims in the mix. At the same time we see another passing of the baton with Andoheb (George Zucco) guiding his protege Mehemet Bey (Turhan Bey) to reek revenge by restoring Kharis to destroy Banning and his family.

Stepping into the bandaged shoes that were once worn by horror legend Boris Karloff and Tom Tyler comes another legend in horror, Lon Chaney Jr, who had made a name for himself playing the tragic character Larry Talbot in The Wolf Man.

From here on in the film plays with a paint by numbers tale as Kharis is sent to enact revenge and killing off people one by one, starting with the first shock death of Steve Banning. Director Harold Young does a great job of amping up the tension as we the audience can see that Banning’s time is up and fate slowly wields it’s deathly hands around his throat.

In addition the demise of Babe Hanson (Wallace Ford) returns to add to the mythology and serves as a spanner in Bey’s plan and so has to be dispatched in, by the forties standards, gruesome fashion.

The storyline does try to throw in an added element with Bey falling for Isobel and his stunting his trajectory but for the most part it trudges along and delivers an all too predictable ending and underusing Chaney Jr serving as the prototype monster which is a shame.

– Saul Muerte

Movie review: The Last Wave (1977)

16 Wednesday Sep 2020

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Peter Weir is one of the most accomplished directors not just in Australia, but also on the global scene.
Many would know his name in relation to his involvement in the Australian New Wave cinema movement or his high profile American films, such as Witness, Dead Poets Society, or The Truman Show, but back in 1977, sandwiched between Picnic At Hanging Rock and Gallipoli he released a forgotten gem.
The Last Wave is arguably the boldest movie that Weir directed with its apocalyptic tale spun through an Indigenous Australia’s connection with nature and the land, infused with both the positive and negative relationship of the ‘white’ settlers. 

Ever litre of sweat, blood, and tears oozes onto the screen with harmonious energy, rippling through every crevice of the narrative, to explode in a maelstrom of emotion and torment. 

At its heart, the film is deeply grounded in reality and over the course of the story, the emotional weight of our dream-like state breaks through from the human core to reveal an unstoppable force and an ambiguous ending – a message to the viewer of how we’ve lost our souls in an ethereal state, far removed from our ancestral beings.
It’s opening scene is a stark metaphor for this overview, as the familiar barren and dry Australian landscape is suddenly the victim of nature’s wrath as an unforeseen storm descends upon a small remote town, unleashing torrential rain and hail upon a school playing field.

From here, the story unfolds through the gaze of Sydney lawyer, David Burton (Richard Chamberlain), hired to defend four Indigenous Australians accused of murder, following the mysterious death of an Aboriginal man outside a pub.
In accepting the case, Burton finds himself in a world, removed from his own, opening up a parallel existence that he is inadvertently connected to through his dreams.
It is through this alternant state that pulls Burtons professional and personal life apart, and once caught in the rip, he has no option but to give in to the power of water, confront the kurdaitcha tribal elder and be spat back out into the world to confront the remnants of his life in the face of devastation.
Has he awoken, or will he be engulfed with the impending doom, to be washed away with the gulf of humanity?

The respect that Weir pays towards Indigenous Australian culture is its strength and appeal.
Casting Indigenous Australians in their respective roles, among them David Gulpilil as Chris, one of the accused, forced to give up some of his tribal secrets. Gulpilil’s performance is deeply engaging and one of the key reasons that the film is so grounded in reality, serving as a conduit for the audience to connect with the culture and in a way that leaves us questioning our own wake of life.
What does it mean to be tribal?
How can we separate our way of life and re engage with the world? Questions that are so pertinent today more than ever and casts The Last Wave at the forefront of must watch movies. 

Thanks to Umbrella Entertainment, this has become possible and remastered on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD. Its Blu-Ray release boasts some insightful featurettes with Richard Chamberlain, Producer Jim McElroy and  Director of Photography Russell Boyd that are incredibly engaging and further support just how integral this movie is in cinematic history and why it deserves your time.

  • Saul Muerte

Podcast: Season 7 – Ep 14: John Carpenter’s They Live

14 Monday Sep 2020

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The Surgeons team continue to dissect and discuss the films of John Carpenter with the last film he would direct in the 80s and cult classic, They Live.

But does it still stand up and is it relevant today?

Check out our thoughts in the episode link below:

https://player.whooshkaa.com/episode?id=732766

Retrospective: The Mystery of Marie Roget (1942)

12 Saturday Sep 2020

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Based on a short Edgar Allan Poe story and often touted as a sequel to The Murders in the Rue Morgue, Universal would produce this film noir mystery during the early forties. Directed by Phil Rosen, a man who would end up with over 140 films to his credits as a director. 

Patric Knowles (The Strange Case of Doctor Rx) returns once again for the production giant cutting a fine figure as an amateur sleuth, Paul Dupin.
Dupin is hired for his medical know-how to identify a female corpse that has been found, her face mutilated beyond recognition.
There are suspicions that it may be the infamous Marie Roget, a notorious musical comedy star who has been missing for the past 10 days.
This all falls south, however, as Marie suddenly reappears, without a thought nor care for those worried about her absence and throwing further mystery around the identity of the corpse.

A lot of this film is convoluted and shrouded in confusion, a mask that it relies upon to hide the obvious killer from the audience, especially as it never clearly labels any other notable suspects into the mix. 

There is a subtle sub plot beneath the surface insinuating a possible romantic interest between Dupin and Marie’s sister Camille, but this is often swept aside by the need to amp up the thriller aspect.

It is only when Marie disappears again, quickly followed by another disfigured corpse that things begin to get more sinister and with a modern filmmaker’s gaze could really switch things in an incredibly dark direction, but the forties were a very different era.

Knowles feels more in his comfort zone this time around carrying a weight of confidence in his methods that leaves one thinking at least someone knows where the plot line is going.

The film has a lot of premise, but unfortunately it all gets lost in creating an atmosphere embedded once again between a murder mystery, and screwball comedy that it never quite hits the mark in either of these areas. 

It does still have a decent underlining, which feels like it warrants another look today as a remake with the right director attached. 

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: The Babysitter: Killer Queen

11 Friday Sep 2020

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It’s the sequel we never knew we wanted.

Back in 2017, Director McG (Charlie’s Angels) released The Babysitter with its distinctive 80s vibe, injecting a buttload of energy into a mediocre storyline with a pretty decent cast. Chief among them, was said babysitter, Bee played by Samara Weaving who has since gone on to killer success, notably last year’s Ready Or Not. Unfortunately her presence in the film is minimal and its noted as the film struggles to have the same kind of appeal that Weaving brought to the screen.

This time around the cult members have been resurrected including Bella Thorne returns as cheerleader Alison, Max (Robbie Amell) and John (Andrew Bachelor), given another chance to spill the blood of virginal Cole (Judah Lewis). 

Despite only two years passing since we last saw Cole, he’s certainly grown up now and attending high school, but still carries the social awkwardness and is heavily reliant on the medication that his parents insist that he takes. Unfortunately for Cole, his misfit demeanor is not the only thing that ails him. Having survived his ordeal as against the demonic cult, no one believes his tale, subject him further down the ranks of ridicule. The only person who believes him is his friend Melanie played once again by Emily Alyn Lind (Doctor Sleep) and thank God, as she is probably this film’s saving grace. Lind has grown in confidence on screen and it shows, commanding every scene that she is in.

Melanie persuades a downbeat Cole to join her and her friends for a weekend away at the lake, which at first he is reluctant to do, but when it appears that his parents are hellbent on sending him to a psychiatric school, he swiftly changes his mind.

Here the film takes a slight detour from its predecessor. Instead of being holed up at home, Cole has to pit his wits against the cult members, (who have had a few additions along the way) out in the open.

Speaking of comparisons, some of the problem that this sequel offers is that it continues to deliver the same notes from the first film only a little bit more amped up. Also, some of the characters just come across as annoying. Having said that, the film still ticks along at a steady pace and while it does so manages to entertain.

The Prognosis:

Like most sequels, this film never quite matches the energy that the first film laid out, but let’s face it, neither film was setting the bar high. 

What Killer Queen does deliver is pure popcorn. If you give in to its sins, and accept it for what it is, strangely, it comes across as a fun and enjoyable little flick.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Becky

09 Wednesday Sep 2020

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For some, this movie will be hard to get past the casting of Kevin James as its lead villain, a man synonymous with lukewarm comedy, but given that fellow comedian, Simon Pegg had been initially touted the role for, one can start to see that the filmmakers never intended this film to be an out and out horror/thriller and would have their tongues firmly planted in the black comedy buccal. The fact that Community’s Joel McHale is also attached to the film only supports this notion further.

There are the subtle comparisons to Wes Craven’s Last House On The Left with its home invasion at the hands of some escaped convicts, but perhaps the better differentiation is that of Home Alone with the DIY skills wretched up to some gloriously gory and macabre moments.

The premise of the film rests solely on the darkly disturbing Becky, a character that relies on the strength of the performance from Lulu Wilson (Ouija: Origin of Evil, Annabelle: Creation, House On Haunted Hill), who’s calibre of movies alone should tell you that she’s no stranger to mayhem and dread. Wilson owns this film and appears to relish her turn as bratty, teenager with a broken heart, and flipping to ‘seriously don’t fuck with me’ menace. I’ll admit that I had my reservations, especially for a time when the film appeared balanced on her grief and pain from the loss of her mother. So easily it could have walked the path of predictability, but the killer switch comes from that ‘eye for an eye’ moment in the film when everything turns on its head and you believe her inner rage and turmoil as it is ejected to the surface. 

From there on in, you’re along for the ride and just want her anarchy to reign supreme.

The premise of the film has Becky going away with her estranged Dad (McHale) to her old family lake house retreat, only to be welcomed by her Dad’s fiance, Kayla (Amanda Brugel – Jason X) and her son, Ty. Let’s just say that Becky isn’t a fan of the suggested idea of a blended family, but that’s the least of her troubles when escaped prisoner and Neo-Nazi (as if to make James’ role more intimidating), Dominick and his crew come knocking for some hidden trophy.
There are some great moments towards the beginning of the movie where the captured images portray Lulu’s life in juxtaposition to the life of an inmate, suggesting her imprisonment from the world around her. It is this wall that she has placed around her to protect her or isolate her from everything that will be torn down, bit only in the wake of some devastating ordeal.

It’s the anarchic moments that truly lift this film from revenge flick doldrums however, as directors Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion amp up the special effects and bring home the gore, and with it unleashing Becky’s zealot for death and destruction, serving as an outlet for her inner rage. Peppered with Nima Fakhrara’s kicking score, these moments are a mix of camp and gross out horror, the pick of the bunch going to a certain outboard motor. 

The Prognosis:

Don’t necessarily judge the book from its cover.

Becky may appear to be your usual revenge home invasion flick but its pulse is beating pure mayhem and delight that will suit fans of gore.

Kevin James may not fit the bill as the film’s villain, but this is Lulu Wilson’s movie and she owns her titular role as the teenager on the brink of rage and turmoil.
When she is unleashed, there is no holding back.

  • Saul Muerte