Terrifier (2016)

His lack of empathy lacks empathy

By: JWBM

This killer-clown-on-the-loose horror film feels more surreal than based in any reality you have experienced. It is a wet fantasy for all the villains out there: from the target-practice victims, to the gory, right-up-in-your-eyeballs shots of when blood and flesh intertwine into its own morbidly creative sideshow. If you ever had any venomous—I mean, RAGING—hate towards bug exterminators, New York pizza makers, or pretty young mini skirts out on the town, then this is a blessing in disguise for that cruel and sadistic side you have hopefully suppressed by this point in life. Heck, even the poor, unsuspecting toilet got its comeuppance if that lends credence. 

The kills are as savage as trying to cut a straight line through burnt toast with your left hand in a cast while using a twenty-pound-too-heavy soup ladle. Any old school gore hound will get their rocks off in that department no doubt. However, any logical movie-goer might give an out loud "What a minute!" when the victims are lured like a Bob Barker "Come on down!" welcome for a rodent into a mouse trap. What does help are the moody settings that rapidly grow sicker and more desperate. Giving off that desolate feeling of the last meat ball that was so full of life till it fell helplessly trapped in between the counter and refrigerator; now cold and soiled, and ready to be senselessly toyed with by something else more fiendish and predatory. 

Our maniac clown—who brushes his teeth with a jagged broom stick slathered in the tears of your suffering—is silently playful and oozing with sinister surprises that could make even the most stoic Greek flinch. Right when you think he's let his guard down... BAM!... a grinning Jack-in-the-box comes a swingin' till the last brain cell is smashed—tethering on obliterated. It gives a leaning-closer-to-the-screen feeling of which direction the carnival-like show on the modern streets is headed next. The filmmakers prime focus here was setting up a foul mood, grabbing your attention by the collar with both hands with their new horror icon, and simultaneously attempting to toss your breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a mixed bag of gore effects. 

What makes "Art the Clown" effective is he becomes a 'What if' contrast to your typical masked bad guy who would boringly look the part with a single, predictable agenda. "Give me your money, or I'll shoot" sounds about as tame as sipping water behind locked doors on a Sunday afternoon compared to what the viewer is in store for here. The climax of certain scenes are about as memorable as taking a smoldering hot brand to the frontal lobe. However, you can noticeably tell that the acting, dialogue, or any shred of backdrop story as to how these people came together had amnesia.

Besides surface tensions, there is nothing to read in between the lines about with "Terrifier." This can either distance some to shrug and move on, or cause others to elaborate on the drive home for themselves the whos, whats, or why-in-the-hells leading up to. To be fair, that pretty much sums up every other slasher from the '80s with punishment in the form of a blunt or sharp object that conveniently collides with cardboard cut-out meat bags ready for the slaughter. 

"Terrifier" was never the whole package you'd want to take home to mom, but it does manage to go beyond certain personality traits that may be admirable in, say, the stone age with its knack for casual violence that gets the job done... and then some. You can count on our boy Art for that. He's a keeper that gives new meaning to the phrase "Home is where the he(art) is."

7/10

Fear of the unknown in real life

By: JWBM

"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." 

Love? What about all those heartfelt and sad songs and poems, guys? I digress.

The great H.P. Lovecraft, known for his short stories and creative mythos in the earlier part of the 20th century, made infamous his opening phrase—from a larger essay—"...fear of the unknown" that gave ominous, who's-that-behind-you presence throughout his work. Countless artists have capitalized on it, such as the wave of modern Japanese horror films relying on superstitions and ghostly apparitions appearing and disappearing before you can say hello or sayonara. Going away from the unnameables and creatures from beyond that might suddenly require you to make a snap decision to fight or run for cover, my question is: What does it mean to have fear of the unknown in real life and not just in an anything-can-happen world?

Let's take the example of going hiking and camping in an uncharted terrain of woods with someone who has always lived in the city, or has a sheltered life that is oblivious of the potential dangers. Would that be fear of the unknown in this context? Would this person just suddenly become irrational and conjure up their own horrific scenarios because it's unknown to them? It's possible. The jitters and anxiety get the best of some. Though, let's say someone is about to go hiking and camping in an uncharted terrain of woods but they've previously watched a few animal attack videos or they read an article about that thing you lug around called a human body only being able to last so many days without food and water. Now, this set of woods is unknown to them but they have a prior set of separate circumstances that they have to fall back on. A partial experience and a partial knowing.

What I want to know is: do you need at least some knowledge prior to be afraid of an unknown situation? People do questionably unsafe things with a dab of innocence and no fear all the time; just ask any ranger at a National Park when someone toys with a bison, or stands too close to a cliff edge. That exact situation sparked the thoughts behind this piece. These people might be intelligent in other contexts of day to day life, but got put into a situation where their instincts didn't kick in or they simply had no alarm bell going off in the back of their head. So, is a blank slate of unknown still terrifying because you can't grasp your head around it? Or is it just because you're unable to control the outcome when throwing out the dice? Is it sacrilege to question H.P. Lovecraft? Will he rise for revenge from the grave? These are the kind of questions that keep me up at night. Well, maybe the first few.

Here's another that puts it into perspective more: "The ignorant and the deluded are, I think, in a strange way to be envied. That which is not known of does not trouble us, while an imagined but insubstantial peril does not harm us. To know the truths behind reality is a far greater burden." - H.P. Lovecraft

Hold the Dark (2018)

Rage; isolation; canines

By: JWBM

"Hold the Dark" takes place in a particular area of Alaska that becomes a character in itself. It's cold, it's harsh, it's remote: it attracts a variety of different types that adapt to a degree, or transform into something else entirely. The sleepy town gets turned up side down when a researcher gets called to look into a local woman's child who was recently visited by wolves.

At the forefront of this feature, the atmosphere and pacing has a certain grip that squeezes tighter and tighter. It's intense, somber, and transfixing—wanting to see more and be involved with these particular people and this particular place. It's as dark, moody, and violent as a thriller at select times, while also being heavy on the mystery, and sporadic with knives-raised, guns-drawn action. It's full of bizarre behaviors and motivations that'll make you cock the head to the side, and then possibly lock a few doors just in case. On the one hand your brain has a hundred and one questions, but on the other you feel the sheer ferocity and emotional impact of the moment. The film has so many bizarre aspects going on as to be its own form of an alternate reality that goes back and forth between rightfully teasing your sense of disbelief to making you question its take on rational viewpoints. The story is layered in enough elusive directions that it might take two viewings and some clever discussions with your friends to unravel it all.

"Hold the Dark" comes across as a mix of mental illness, supernatural hints, animalistic behavior, and forgotten/neglected locals who've lost their way. There are times where you have something to follow; there are other times where you are led astray to have a surprise that hits you broadside. The film is methodical and carefully paced—crafting and developing a certain scene before moving on to the next sensation. The story isn't going to take the place of other features with richer character development and more dramatic moments you can sympathize with. Though it took something you've probably seen before and gave it a unique, more aesthetic spin. In other hands it could have been a complete, convoluted mess from so many angles and tone shifts.

What's interesting is with or without the mystery angle, it still works as a cold-blooded, unmerciful revenge thriller involving the woman's husband who's returned from war with a cold, unflinching demeanor and a dangerous set of skills. As often seen, the person goes through a transformation, but there's never a clear cut winner on either side. Just fragments of emotions with jagged corners that still manage to cut and sting when reflected on.

Rating: 7.5/10

Director: Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin; Green Room)
Actors: Jeffrey Wright; Alexander Skarsgard
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link

What Still Remains (2018)

One person's freedom is another's prison

By: JWBM

With the population dwindling from a decades past event, human interaction has taken on another life of its own. It comes down to having enough strength and defensive tactics to make your own choices, or having choices made for you by those in a position of power.

"What Still Remains" is a post-apocalyptic drama along the lines of "The Walking Dead" meets "The Handmaid's Tale" that follows a young woman named Anna living on her own in the wilderness. She befriends a kind and hopeful man named Peter who welcomes her to his community to escape her solitude.

The film deals with a mix of emotions: from loneliness, mistrust, control, fear, and hope. Despite more open spaces to roam and lack of laws and government, those still standing become more vulnerable from predatory types lurking at every corner. The story shows us one person's freedom is another person's prison.

The lead character, Anna—played by Lulu Antariksa—feels like she doesn't always strike a balance between her tough, untrusting nature, to looking at the brighter sides of things, to then losing control when the situation gets out of hand. Her role is more show than tell, but her face and body language is often a mask, and doesn't always make you feel the hardships of what she's going through. Some of that could be excused if this were a gritty, hard-boiled action film, but as progressively paced as this film is it's not as commanding as it could have been with a more dramatic involvement. The character of Peter—Colin O'Donoghue—has more of a consistent driving point and duality to his role, but starts to come apart at the seams towards the finale.

What holds the film back from being more powerful is the direction and pacing feels like a formulaic television drama that steadily gives you bit by bit to lure you on. Then due to the shorter length of a feature film, some of the nuances are grazed over and feel rushed for a conclusion. This is not a film that's going for colorful creativity, explosions, gore, or terrifying jumps, but instead the human condition. However, it could have benefited with some more scenes to create its own unique mood, or to actually get the heart racing. If it's any consolation, the story isn't confusing and it moves with you, but without some more thrilling moments, or some break out performances to back up those complex ideas and emotions, the overall experience feels middle road.

Rating: 4/10

Director: Josh Mendoza
Actors: Lulu Antariksa, Colin O'Donoghue
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link

Haunting on Fraternity Row (2018)

Can be watched with the lights on

By: JWBM

A rowdy, life-is-one-giant-joke-and-party fraternity is throwing a luau to end all luaus. The drinks are bottomless, dancing is all night, and as a safety precaution pledges are there to keep things in order for what's going to be one heck of a cleanup. Oh, right, the horror portion of it. The story throws in some secrets uncovered at the same time. Soon enough, buzzes and sex drives are squashed when some strange ghost like stuff starts to feed on the festive energy.

This is filmed as a moment-by-moment, shaky camera mockumentary with both a raw and measured take. You get a flashy feel one moment, random shenanigans over here, and then some loose shreds of a story over there with a human element for some character to character connection, and then also a supernatural side for mystery's sake. It's up to a paranoid pothead to weave back and forth from the party to research what should have stayed locked away.

The film feels like it's trying to pull the loose vibe of, say, "Dazed and Confused" meets an amateur YouTube compilation meets a haunted house experience. You get a crazy collection of hopeful, young people with little direction and more energy than they know what to do with up against an unmatched entity. It ends up coming across as a clash of tones from jumping back and forth and having little to show for itself other than a few creative ways to have fun and some skin in the mean time.

The horror portion is pushed to the wayside in order to gear up for a finale, but feels like it was thrown in as an after thought. You get your standard pop-ups and did-you-see-that CGI scares that are so vague and lazy in build up as to be more head-scratching than anything remotely terrifying or even cinematically gripping. You could watch this with the lights out, with black candles burning, and the worst-of-the-worst tarot cards laying on the coffee table and the mood still wouldn't be set with how this constantly pulls you out of it.

"Haunting on Fraternity Row" doesn't come full circle. You get characters that either suddenly flee, or die at random with little fight. It desperately tries to be diverting with your typical, brainless college age revelers, but never ends up overcoming its superficial characters and story that doesn't require a second thought as soon as the credits roll.

Rating: 2/10

Director: Brant Sersen (Blackballed; Sanatorium)
Actors: Jacob Artist, Ashton Moio, Shanley Caswell, Molly Tarlov
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link

Family Blood (2018)

Mothers to depend on; mothers with dependencies

By: JWBM

It's disappointing how certain aspects in life can come between a potentially hopeful and happy family. Especially where the bond starts to split at the seams from something as trivial as a few man-made pills at the bottom of a bottle.

"Family Blood" is a drama/horror that mixes pharmaceutical addiction with another more supernatural kind. It deals with the chaotic, distrusting environment of two teenage kids living with an addict for a mother. Except, this is every kid's nightmare times two when something more sinister enters the family portrait.

The mother goes through this pull and tug dynamic of chemical dependency and living a normal life as an enveloping wing that swoops in to provide for and protect her kids. As the tables turn to the supernatural portion of the film, it begins to lose that inner struggle that made the story start out strong. It then turns into a kind of Stockholm syndrome angle with the villain's shadow taking over every crevice of their household till survival is the only option. It makes it feel like it had a great, wide-open premise but then wrote itself into an ordinary box.

The villain is supposed to come across as a powerful, commanding entity that makes stern, matter-of-fact statements, but he ends up feeling stiff, forced, and emotionless. It could have made him a key element to a true mental and physical struggle between the mother and her kids, but it instead gave him this more primal, black and white facade that made decisions and outlooks more clear cut.

With little more to show for itself, the subtle, careful tone and direction starts to drag its feet with a trailing driving point. It makes it feel like the story and characters lost their tragic struggle and turned more into a lost cause. It's a shame as this could have been much more powerful of a film and experience to dissect the layers.

Rating: 5/10

Director: Sonny Mallhi (Anguish)
Actors: Vinessa Shaw, Colin Ford, James Ransone
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link

When Angels Sleep (2018)

Crossing the line

By: JWBM

This Spanish made thriller is essentially about a perfect storm of events leading up to someone getting hurt from one bad choice after another. It doesn't outright lay its cards on the table, but it instead requires you to individually process the situation by leaving room for interpretation to some debatable aspects: from an over-worked society, trying to be everywhere at once for your family, to not accepting responsibility. No one in this film is capable of listening, asking for help, or following the rules. It's like watching a preventable, horrific train wreck from a little thing called stubbornness we often succumb to.

What's different over your typical story is it blurs the lines between good and bad. There is no hero or better person, though there may be a villain in some form of the definition. There may be someone to root for, or nothing they may do may be relatable in the slightest and get on your nerves. It depends on your patience, morals, or stand points to analyze and pick apart the layers. Sure, the police and the courts would have something to say about it, but it's at a gray point where things turn into a tangled mess. It reminds me in some ways of the beginning of "Breaking Bad," though with different people in different circumstances. Specifically where the character initially crosses the line, and then after is locked into creating his own framework that's at a complete 180 from the societal norm for the sake of his family.

The majority of the film takes place in rural areas at night, so attempting to watch this with any shred of light in the room and you may end up squinting. Its mode of action starts to shuffle itself back and forth with driving this way, running that way, or fighting over here. The performances—I'd recommend the Spanish language version over the dubbed—from the two leads gives this a certain divide, where oh-crap-I-messed-up desperation meets I-took-some-scary-drugs panic. Some of the latter was amped up to the extreme to further the narrative. While possibly true to the state of confusion and distortion of reality, it still can come across as about as fun as attempting to argue logic with your aggressive, drunk friend.

While not a perfect execution of its more action oriented scenes or its more complex themes, the film—while also not a pleasant or appeasing experience in the normal sense—is still worth a go if you're looking for a challenging debate between your friends.

Rating: 6/10

Director: Gonzalo Bendala (Asesinos inocentes)
Actors: Julian Villagran, Ester Exposito, Marian Alvarez
Info: IMDB link
Trailer: YouTube link