Horror – Page 2 – We Are Movie Geeks

HEART EYES – Review

For many people, the perfect Valentine’s Day date movie is a horror one. For others, it is a rom-com. So naturally someone decided to make a movie that combined them, HEART EYES.

Directed by Josh Ruben from a script written by Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy, HEART EYES focuses on the “Heart Eyes Killer,” a serial killer who murders couples on Valentine’s Day, who pops up suddenly in various cities. The silent killer wears a mask with glowing red, heart-shaped eyes as he stalks and kills couples in love, in a variety of gory and creative ways. How the police, or the media that reports breathlessly on every attack, know he wears this heart-eyed mask isn’t clear, since everyone who sees him, not just the romantic couple, gets murdered. But logic isn’t the aim in this Valentine’s Day-themed popcorn movie.

HEART EYES isn’t very scary and it isn’t very romantic, but it does try to have a bit of fun, of the silly, gory type, with both the horror movie and rom-com genres, and it does have some nice special effects. How much you enjoy this holiday-themed popcorn offering will depend on how much you love movies that pile on genre tropes and references, some of which are clever and others less so. Still, there should be an audience for this genre hybrid, particularly for those who do love seeing how many tropes from each genre it can cram in. And, boy, does it try.

The main focus of other story are a pair of co-workers, played by Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding. They just met, don’t really like each other, and certainly aren’t a couple, but who the killer mistakes them for one. It’s the ultimate meet-cute twist, mixed with the horror movie trope of strangers thrown together who have to find a way to survive.

The movie opens with a gory murder, of a couple at a winery for an overly-planned marriage proposal, complete with camera man hidden in the bushes to capture the moment. But the carefully staged and scripted romantic moment is interrupted by the appearance of our colorful wordless killer, with his knives and his un-cupid-like arrows.

With news reports of the killer all over the TV, Ally McCabe (Olivia Holt) pitches her latest advertising campaign to her hypercritical boss. But Ally is still getting over her break-up with her boyfriend, and her campaign is more romantic tragedy – think Romeo and Juliet – than romance. Not going to sell much perfume with that.

She doesn’t lose her job but her boss does bring in a specialist contractor to revamp the ad campaign. Handsome and charming, Jay Simmonds (Mason Gooding) wants to meet with his new co-worker Ally to discuss the work – over dinner. Ally resents him and resists the meeting but, of course, he persuades her. He arrives late at the restaurant, and then seems more interested in her than the work, or maybe it just seems that way to the broken-hearted Ally. She is put off by the over-friendly approach of this outsider who is essentially taking her job.

The meeting doesn’t go well, and to make things worse, when they leave the restaurant early, they runs into her ex and his new girlfriend. To cope, she pretends her new co-worker is her new boyfriend. Unfortunately, the Heart Eyes Killer is lurking nearby.

So now the two co-workers, who just met, find themselves on the run and continually repeating they aren’t a couple. A team of homicide detectives, who just happen to be named Hobbs and Shaw, played by Devon Sawa and Jordana Brewster respectively, add a surprising amount of tongue-in-cheek fun to the mix. Gigi Zumbado plays Olivia Holt’s character’s best friend, and their conversations, often by phone, allow Holt’s character to discuss her shifting feelings.

HEART EYES leans more into the comedy than any real romance or scares, although it is plenty gory. Again, how much enjoyment you get depends on how much you like piling on the tropes of both genres. Director Ruben also adds a little fun with the music choices, one of the best parts of the movie, along with the fine horror effects.

The problem is that both the film’s horror and romance are a bit too predictable, stiff even, despite the movie’s well-crafted special effects. The attacks rarely take you by surprise and even jump scares are rare. Another problem is that there is no detectable romantic chemistry between the stars, as attractive as each may be. In fact, there is more chemistry between the police detective couple than between the not-a-couple leads. With a little more originality in the horror parts and maybe different casting for the romantic part, this horror/rom-com might have been more of a SHAWN OF THE DEAD romp classic.

Rom-com/horror movie hybrid HEART EYES isn’t non-stop hilarious, nor it is very scary or romantic, but it is kind of fun, as a bit of light, popcorn holiday entertainment. Those who will enjoy it most are fans who love movies that play around with both genres’ formulaic elements.

HEART EYES opens in theaters on Friday, Feb. 7.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

NOSFERATU – Review

Before Bela Lugosi created the image of an elegant Dracula in Todd Browning’s film DRACULA, F.W. Murnau made the brilliant silent film NOSFERATU, the first film adaptation of Bram Stoker’s eerie novel. Stoker’s estate refused to let the legendary German director use the book’s title but Murnau made the film anyway, renaming the vampire Count Orlok and re-setting the latter part of the story in Germany rather than England. Director Robert Eggers’ NOSFERATU is an outstanding film that both honors and recreates Murnau’s great classic, while also adding a modern horror edge as well.

Fans of Murnau’s incredible silent horror film will delight in Eggers’ new NOSFERATU, which faithfully recreates several of the striking scenes in the original. NOSFERATU is visually astounding, with gorgeously eerie scenes and set pieces, often using the central, symmetric framing typical of the silent movie era. Scene after scene opens with either a perfect recreation of Murnau’s atmospheric composition or a sternly creepy vista that sets the tone for the horror to come. The dark, brooding scene of a coach wending its way through stark looming mountains, to enter the sinister castle, which is featured in the movie’s trailer, is but a small taste of the visual delights to come. Leaning into the visual power of the silent is the perfect choice.

Although there have been countless Dracula movies, only a handful have gone back to Murnau’s great silent, with his Count Orlok. Those exceptions have included SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE, a chiller about the making of Murnau’s silent, and Werner Herzog’s NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE, with the great Klaus Kinski.

While Eggers’ based his script on Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and Henrik Galeen’s screenplay for the first NOSFERATU, there are a few changes. The source of the vampire Count’s fascination with his real estate agent’s fiancee (his wife in this tale) is different and references to Vlad the Impaler, the blood-thirsty Eastern European Medieval prince who was Bram Stoker’s partial inspiration for the vampire in his novel.

The cinematography and the script are near flawless in this homage to the brilliant original, and the modern horror elements added by director Eggers, including leaning into the psycho-sexual aspects of the story, help bring the story into the current era without violating its late Victorian gothic setting. However the pacing is a bit slow for modern horror fans. Further, Bill Skarsgard’s Count Orlok, after his first appearance, looks more like a bulky if decaying Prince Vlad than Max Streck’s skeletal Orlok, making Orlok seem more intimidating than truly scary.

The cast includes a splendid Willem Dafoe as the Van Helsing-like Prof. Albin Eberhart von Franz. Nicholas Hoult plays Thomas Hutter, the first victim to aid Count Orlok’s escape from the castle, and Lily-Rose Depp plays his wife Ellen, who in this retelling is the reincarnation of Orlok’s former lover. Lily-Rose Depp’s performance is bold and over-the-top, sometimes veering into the absurd, but Nicholas Hoult’s more grounded, sincere performance helps balance things. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Emma Corrin do fine work as the Hutters’ friends Friedrich and Anna Harding, but the other supporting actors give the horror tale its real fire, with outstanding work by Ralph Ineson as Wilhelm Sievers and Simon McBurney as creepy Herr Knock.

This remake/update NOSFERATU is a treat in particular for fans of Murnau’s original, but may not connect for all horror fans not familiar with the silent classic. Hopefully, they will remedy that by seeing the Murnau film, ideally on a big screen with live music.

NOSFERATU opens Wednesday, Dec. 25, in theaters.

RATING: 4 out of 4 stars

SMILE 2 – Review

*Naomi Scott stars in Paramount Pictures presents A Temple Hill Production A Parker Finn Film “SMILE 2.” Courtesy of Paramount Pictures*

Usually an infectious smile is a good thing but not if you are in a SMILE horror movie, where a creepy smile is the last thing you see before a contagious form of deadly of madness infects you. The first SMILE scared audiences, with an actress sporting one creepy smile in the poster and trailer, even before they saw the movie. In the original hit horror movie SMILE, that creepy smile was the signal that this infection about to jump from one person, as the smiling victim commits suicide in front of a hapless soul who becomes the next victim. In SMILE, we followed the path of the horrific infection as it jumped from victim to victim, but in SMILE 2 we concentrate more on one person.

Writer/director Parker Finn never really explains what causes this infectious madness as we follow the trail of carnage, although the film suggests some possibilities – a demon, a contagious madness, an evil being from another dimension. It really doesn’t matter anyway, as it’s a kind of horror MacGuffin. If you see that creepy smile, you’re next, and then you’re dead.

In SMILE 2, the smiling, um, thing, continues to spread, but the sequel switches to mostly following one person. After an opening sequence tied to the last film, which seems to end things with a twist, the film takes a turn, towards an international pop star, Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), who is trying to restart her career after recovering from addiction and a horrific car accident that left her scarred inside and out, and killed the other person in the car, her pop star boyfriend Paul Hudson (Ray Nicholson). Skye is off drugs but still struggling in many ways, under the pressures of fame, of preparing for a world tour and doing rounds of publicity, while haunted by her experiences and still in pain from her injuries. Skye seems both fragile and driven, supported by her manager mother Elizabeth (Rosemarie DeWitt), and eager-to-please assistant (Miles Gutierrez-Riley).

After lingering pain from her injuries is aggregated by rigorous training for acrobatic dance sequences for her upcoming tour, Skye reaches out to a friend from high school, Lewis (Lukas Gage), looking for some pain killers. That visit goes all kinds of wrong, sending Skye running back to her posh apartment with more trauma.

Meanwhile, Mom has encouraged Skye to reach out to her childhood best friend Gemma (Dylan Gelula), to ask if she’d be willing to join her on the tour, as emotional support. But Mom seems unaware that Skye had alienated her friend during her addiction crisis, and now Skye is unsure Gemma will even want to hear from her now.

When Skye starts having nightmares and shows signs of extreme stress and possible breakdown, it is hard to tell if what is happening is the result of all the pressures she is under or if something else is in play. No matter the cause, a series of increasingly bizarre and frightening events ensue. What’s real and what’s not gets pretty blurry.

First, full disclosure: this reviewer is not really a fan of gore-fest horror like this film and its predecessor. Although I have a fondness for classic horror, in the Vincent Price and Frankenstein vein, and I do like a good head-twisting psychological or science fiction thriller – think “Under the Skin” – but generally, suspense, mystery and psychological thrillers are more to my taste.

On the other hand, for those with a higher tolerance for gore who do like this kind of film, SMILE 2 does a pretty good job of scaring audiences throughout and delivering regular doses of gross-out effects. SMILE 2 does deliver on plentiful jump scares, shocker twists and nightmarish sequences to scare the bejesus out of you.

The pop star theme lets the film showcase British singer and actor Naomi Scott, who performs several songs and gets plenty of chances to go through a wide range of emotions. Scott does well in the film, as does the rest of the cast, and the whole production is well-crafted and effectively terrifying.

While we never learn what is causing this fatal infectious madness, it really doesn’t matter anyway. In this sequel, writer/director Parker Finn seems to hint at a link between the pop star’s own inner demons and the “demon” or whatever inhabiting her. Or maybe it’s just an excuse for a lot of fairly effective jump scares and abundant buckets-o-blood gore.

Using a pop star as the lead character, especially one in recovery from addiction, survivor guilt and more, allows another level of tension that makes the scares a bit easier to conceal as they creep up on us, and also opens the door to some commentary on the price and pressures of stardom, although it says nothing new.

If you liked the first SMILE film, or like that kind of horror generally, SMILE 2 seems to tick all the boxes for a gory good nightmare ride.

SMILE 2 opens Friday, Oct. 18, in theaters.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

SPEAK NO EVIL – Review

*L to R: (from left) Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) in Speak No Evil, directed by James Watkins. Courtesy of Universal*

In the chilling thriller/horror drama SPEAK NO EVIL, James McAvoy delivers another striking performance as character who shifts between charming and aggressive. No one does this like McAvoy, who has played roles from sweet heroes to madmen, a range that means audiences are never sure which McAvoy they will encounter, creating an edgy tension from the start.

In this story, two couple meet on vacation and hit it off. One couple is American, Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben (Scoot McNairy) who have an 11-year-old daughter, Agnes (Alix West Lefler), and live in London. The other couple are British, Patrick (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi), and their shy, mostly mute son Ant (Dan Hough), who live in scenic, rural west England. The Brits are fun, lively, and adventurous, particularly Patrick, who goes by Paddy, a breath of fresh air for the Americans. The two families have a great time in Paris, and the kids seem to hit it off too, despite the age difference and the fact that the boy has difficulty speaking, due a problem with his tongue. “Congenital aglossia,” says the British dad, who tells the Americans that he’s a doctor. When the British couple later send the London-based Americans a postcard with a photo from that trip, and invite them for a weekend visit at their home in the west England countryside, it doesn’t take much to persuade Ben and Louise.

SPEAK NO EVIL is an English-language remake of the Danish horror drama of the same name. In the Danish original, the couples are Danish and Dutch, and meet in Italy instead of France, but the Dutch couple lives in the country and invites the Danes one the visit. Like many such remakes, it varies from the origin – for example, in the original the children are about the same age – but in this case several scenes early on follow the original closely, even down the the dialog, although the last portion diverges.

One thing that is different – very different – from the start, and that is James McAvoy’s character. Rather than a harmless-seeming fellow, very like the other couple, McAvoy’s Paddy is alternately charming and a bit unsettling from the start, put us much more on edge from the start. No one does this kind of character like the talented Mr. McAvoy.

McAvoy is a big reason to see this film, which once it diverges from the original morphs into something that plays on a lot of horror tropes. But McAvoy always keeps us off-balance, being unhinged at times, while even touching at others, charmingly persuasive and rational, but always exuding power and a sense he’s in control – even when he’s not. It is thrilling just to see this actor work.

The tension develops slowly, apart from McAvoy’s character’s occasional flashes of scary. In the original, the couples feel more alike, which is a bit part of the appeal for the Danes. In the remake, it is the differences, the hints of excitement and adventure in the British couple, that is part of what draws in the Americans. Chalk it up to cultural differences.

This remake diverges significantly from the original, so they end up as very different films, although starting from a common premise. In both, the first half of this film feels more like psychological horror but finishes up in more taut thriller territory. For one thing, there are more weapons in this one, although not more gore. The original Danish film is more philosophical, more nihilistic, but this remake adds more rationale motives for what happens. It also adds more complicated relationships for the couples, and how those dynamics interact heightens interest, even when the newer film makes a turn into more conventional horror film territory, with a siege reminiscent of the classic STRAW DOGS. The last half is more rational, and the resolution is different, with the characters in American couple undergoing changes that are the opposite of what happens in the Danish film.

What lifts the film in this turn towards more typical horror is the cast. James McAvoy is splendid but the rest of the cast bring it too. Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy as the American couple struggling in their marriage deliver fine performances as their relationship dynamics shift under the challenges they face. Likewise, the kids are both very good, particularly newcomer Dan Hough who plays a larger role in this version despite his near-muteness. Aisling Franciosi is also good as Paddy’s seemingly harmless wife, and she and McAvoy bring a complexity to their relationship too, none of which appears in the first one.

Ultimately, SPEAK NO EVIL is less groundbreaking and unconventional than the Danish original but it is still a well-made, nail-biting, satisfying thriller, that is mostly elevated by its psychological thriller set-up and the strong performances of the cast, who are good on all levels.

SPEAK NO EVIL opens Friday, Sept. 13, in theaters.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

THE BECOMERS – Review

*A scene from THE BECOMERS. Courtesy of Dark Star Pictures*

Start with the classic, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. Flip the perspective to that of the aliens who take over human bodies. Then tell the story from the ETs’ point of view in a darkly comedic package. Now you know what you’ll be getting in THE BECOMERS.

The film is narrated in a dreamy, romantic tone by a male voice (Russell Mael), rhapsodizing about its great love for its partner who has also come to Earth, both landing somewhere in the Metro Chicago area. We don’t know what they look like, since they must take over a human’s body, killing the original occupant in the process. The result is a new mind in an old body, with the only visible difference being bright colorful lights emanating from their eyes. Their goal is to blend into that person’s life without being noticed, which is complicated by not acquiring their individual memories or general knowledge. That need for on-the-job training makes it hard to maintain stability in any given flesh bag long enough to find each other.

The host’s age and gender don’t matter to the visitors. They mask their ocular glow with colored contact lenses or dark sunglasses. Most of the comedy comes from trying to cope with what they don’t know in convincing others they are who they seemingly were. Some of the personae come with surprising complexities. And bits of gore, here and there. As Deadpool said through the fourth wall in his first feature, it’s a love story despite all the mayhem about to ensue.

We don’t sense malice in the visitors, but also are kept in the dark about who they really are and why they’re here for most of the running time. Spearheading an invasion, or escaping from some personal danger back home? Among the cast, Molly Plunk gets most of the screen time as the narrator’s temporary host. Writer/director Zach Clark gets admirable mileage from an obviously small budget and a cast of relative unknowns. He also maintains a droll tenor by having most of the gory stuff occur off-camera. I imagine that was a creative choice, not just a way to save money on fake blood and viscera.

Disclosing more would spoil your viewing. I’ve provided the mind-set for optimal enjoyment. The rest is up to you. Now that UFO sightings have been formally acknowledged, this may have become essential preparatory viewing. Insert your own low, eerie moan here.

THE BECOMERS opens in select theaters on Friday, Aug. 23, and on Video on Demand Tuesday, Sept. 24.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

BLINK TWICE – Review

Naomi Ackie stars as Frida in director Zoë Kravitz’s BLINK TWICE, an Amazon MGM Studios film.
Photo credit: Carlos Somonte. Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios. © 2024 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut BLINK TWICE starts out with a great deal of promise but ultimately fails to live up to its promise. The target Kravitz appears to be aiming for is a GET OUT-style smart horror thriller, with a set-up the recalls both KNIVES OUT and THE MENU, where a select group of beautiful people on a private island with wealthy types, an island where things go very wrong. In this case, the island is owned by tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum), who invites a pair of waitresses who have dressed up to crash his posh cocktail party, Frida (Naomie Ackie) and Jess (Alia Shawkat), to join him and his friends for a couple of days on his private island. It’s a dream come true for Frida, the reason she had dressed up to crash the party to catch the billionaire’s eye.

What starts out like a Disney-ish meet-cute romantic fantasy, with Frida and Jess whisked away on a private jet, plied with champagne, and then ensconced in little bungalows filled with clothes and luxurious supplies, has some creepy foreshadowing. There is some scandal around Slater King, dealing with something that happened at parties with a #MeToo vibe followed by a unconvincing public apology. Nonetheless Frida is enamored with the handsome billionaire, although when Frida is introduced at the cocktail party to King’s therapist, played by Kyle MacLachlan, she jokingly says “blink twice if I’m in danger” and the therapist pauses before he smiles. On the island, they are expected to give up their phones, and Jess jokes about whether the human sacrifice is before or after dinner.

Despite all that, the women quickly settle into a pattern of lounging around the pool, night spent dinning on fine cuisine and never-ending champagne, as host Slater King asks “Are you having a good time?” to which they invariably reply “I’m having a great time.”

And that’s where the film bogs down, going through iterations of that party scene a few too many times without any thing much happening. It works less to build suspense than to dissipate the little threat that had been created. When the horror/thriller finally gets underway, the events that unfurl are far-fetched and it really doesn’t make sense, or even hold one’s interest. Yes, horrible things happen but we see them coming from far off, which dispels any suspense, and the explanations really don’t hold up, sometimes in eye-rolling inducing fashion.

Naomie Ackie plays the central character, Frida, and on screen most of the time but the character is surprisingly underwritten, with little if any backstory and a romantic innocence that seems more fitting for a teenager. Ackie works hard to make the most of this thin material, while Alia Shawkat as Jess provides comic commentary, as well as an every-present yellow lighter whose true purpose is eventually revealed, to balance Frida’s romantic view, a view that circumstances upend. Channing Tatum is charmingly oily as the tech billionaire hosting this sinister party.

The film features a good supporting cast that includes standout Geena Davis as Slater King’s sister and assistant Stacy, his high-strung assistant, who combines a hyper-competency with a tendency to drop things as she runs around handling all the practical matters of having an island full of guests and more. Christian Slater plays Slater King’s right-hand man Vic, while Haley Joel Osment plays Tom, a bitter, washed-up star and gourmet meals are prepared by chef-guest Cody (Simon Rex). On the female side of the guests, another standout is Adria Arjona as Sarah, a “Survivor” winner who is a beauty with a special set of skills, while Trew Mullen plays stoner-girl Heather, always up for smoking fat blunts. Liz Caribel plays Heather’s pal and Levon Hawke plays handsome Lucas.

Adam Newport-Berra provides stylish cinematography heavy on quick cuts, visuals supplemented by heavy-handed sound design.

Zoe Kravitz deserves credit for aiming high, for a stylish, high-concept thriller with a have and have-not commentary, blended with a feminist one. The film is certainly stylish to look at, with great costumes and sets. While the cast is good, the script, co-written by Kravitz and E.T. Feigenbaum, just doesn’t achieve its ambitions.

BLINK TWICE opens Friday, Aug. 23, in theaters.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

TRIM SEASON – Review

If you’re in the mood for a splatter flick with more gore than logic, TRIM SEASON might be your ticket. We first see a woman in the woods killing herself as if driven by an unseen force. Cut to a city, where we meet a couple of twenty-somethings, Emma (Bethlehem Million), who is strapped for cash; and her big-sisterly pal Julia (Alexandra Essoe). At a bar, they’re introduced to a guy who offers them temp jobs trimming marijuana plants. It’s quite lucrative, paying $5,000 for two weeks of seasonal work. The recruiter drives them along with a few others to a remote forested region miles from the nearest paved road. Though the year isn’t specified, it seems to be set shortly before weed growing was legalized.

They’re met by armed guards, followed by the farm’s creepy owner (Jane Badler) and her two sketchy sons. Badler is gracious and hospitable, yet with an underlying chill in her bearing. The latter will, of course, come to dominate the proceedings. Emma, who started with more doubts than the others, soon learns they were not groundless. Her more adventurous friend Julia tries to keep her calm to make the best of their situation. When the plot’s essential bad things start happening to the ladies, it becomes apparent that there’s no escape from Badler’s turf and that something supernatural is in play. Not in a recreational sense of the last word before this sentence.

The cast is an assortment of the requisite personality types, played by relatively unknown actors, other than Badler. That’s a plus in these gore-fests, whether they’re comedic or suspenseful. There’s less predictability about who will die, and in what order, since that usually correlates with their relative fame levels. Deaths occur in a variety of icky ways, as the genre must generate. Little visual or auditory detail is spared. Ain’t nobody gonna be dyin’ quick and easy, no how.

The story is almost as sketchy as the baddies’ character. Questions will remain unanswered for those who concern themselves with the cerebral more than the visceral. But if blood lust is your motivation, dive right in.

TRIM SEASON opens Friday, June 7, in theaters and on demand.

RATING: 1.5 out of 4 stars

*A scene from TRIM SEASON. Courtesy of Blue Harbor Entertainment*

ABIGAIL – Review

An old saying goes that “You can’t keep a good man down”. Well, despite the meager box office returns for last year’s big Dracula flicks, RENFIELD, and THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER, this weekend’s new monster movie believes that “You can’t keep a good vampire down”. Really, they just keep popping up, just check out those Christopher Lee Hammer Film classics (seriously, they’re loads of frightful fun). Ha, “down for the Count”…and enough of the “groaners”. Although this new flick’s working title was “Dracula’s Daughter”, this chiller isn’t officially connected to the Bram Stoker creation. For one thing, it’s set in today’s world, so a speedy beaten van replaces the horse-drawn carriages. Oh, and it’s got elements of a crime thriller. This tale concerns a “snatch and grab” crew who get more than they bargained for when their target is ABIGAIL.

The film’s opening moments introduce us to the title character (Alisha Weir), a preteen lass indulging in her passion for dance as she performs “Swan Lake” in an empty theatre. Ah, it turns out that someone else aside from the family driver is waiting for her to head home. Six black-clad adults in an old commercial van follow her towncar through the night, past the city, and into her gated mansion. As one of the crew hacks into the estate’s security system, a trio swiftly moves in. Young Abigail believes she’s safe in her bedroom, until the invaders burst in, and one injects her with a powerful tranquilizer. She’s placed in a large duffel bag, and the trio sprints back to the van just as another vehicle with Abigail’s father shows up. The van speeds away, far out into the country, and pulls up to another gated mansion, although this one has seen better days. They’re greeted in the library by the mastermind who has put them together for the “job”, the suave Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito). He explains that they will hide out there with Abigail for 24 hours until the ransom is met (plenty of food and drink are provided along with beds). He insists that they don’t reveal their own names, deciding to bestow “code monikers”. The surly leader is “Frank” (Dan Stevens). The slightly baked driver is “Dean” (Angus Cloud). “Sammy” (Kathryn Newton) is the loopy punk-rock “hacker”. The boozy “muscle” is “Peter” (Kevin Durand). “Rickles” (as in the the insult comic king, ya’ hockey puck) is an ex-military sniper (William Catlett). And the “druggist” who put Abigail to sleep is “Joey” (Melissa Barrera), who will be the one to check on her, though Joey will be masked. Lambert departs, as most of the gang hits the bar. Joey forms a bond with the now fully awake Abigail, though the the little girl makes an odd icy threat while putting out a creepy “vibe”. This alarms Frank who visits their prey and is more rattled when she reveals the identity of her powerful papa. He tells the crew they need to split just as steel plates slide over the windows and barred gates appear over the doors with a loud “clang”. Could the kidnapping have been an elaborate “set-up” to trap them? Then panic engulfs the criminals as something lurking in the shadows begins to strike…

Though she’s not the title character, the story’s main focus is the conflicted, tragic ex-combat medic played by the soulful Barrera. We find out some of her motives in taking the “one last crime gig”, which are also the reason Joey forms an intense almost immediate bond with Abigail. Barrera’s both tender and very tough as she clashes with her cohorts when they try to “lean on the kid”. Speaking of, the ads have let the “cat” (or is it bat) out of the “bag” on the “tiny dancer” (the crew’s codename for her). Weir switches from sweet innocence to murderous menace at the flutter of her tutu. Her dance moves turn “death stalk” remind us of the pre-murder “mamba” of “last year’s demon doll” M3GAN. And somehow Weir conveys that longing well after she reveals her true form. Much like Stevens who is the all too human monster in the story, a bullying blowhard who’s always looking out for “#1”.He’s engaging even as he sounds as though he stepped out of a late 40s noir crime caper. Stevens appears to be having almost as much fun as Newton whose Sammy almost becomes the audience surrogate as she is quick to bolt when things go too weird. Her funky free spirit lightens things considerably. Newton gets almost as many laughs as Durand’s Peter, the confused lunkhead who’s not used to responding with his brain rather than his fists, which are usually clutching a bottle. Catlett is more of a mystery as the tightly-wound triggerman, while Esposito is a terrific sarcastic snob as the effete master planner Lambert. However, the film’s real breakout star may tragically be Cloud as the hustling streetwise getaway man, who passed shortly after wrapping his role.

After jumpstarting the SCREAM franchise with the last two entries, directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett try to put a new spin on the old bloodsucker on the loose in a haunted house genre but mixing in a criminal team much like those bickering, but still cool RESERVOIR DOGS, and assorted other “heist” flicks. And it does indeed inject some fresh blood into the genre, while also exploring the idea of an immortal killing machine trapped forever in a child’s body that was a big part of NEAR DARK and INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE. Plus the filmmakers surprise us with the amount of humor generously sprinkled in (something that many newer terror tales lack). The gang can’t quite accept the supernatural, then try to recall the “rules” from pop culture (how to kill them, powers, etc.). And this movie’s take on the classic monster is interesting, especially in the look of the vamps, eschewing the twin fangs and opting for a row of jagged choppers that shred throats. Unfortunately, this becomes part of the problem with the flick, as the settings and characters are constantly drenched in the sticky crimson fluid. I kept thinking about the actors rushing to the showers after they wrapped for what must have been a looong day. This indulgence adds to the unneeded length of the film, as characters engage in double and triple-crosses when not tossing each other in the walls and antique furnishings (we get that vampires are strong…move on). And the action doesn’t even adhere to the “new rules” they have for the undead. Perhaps the plot is spinning its wheels to establish the time passage from the wee hours to dawn and back to dusk again. It’s a shame since there are lots of original flourishes on vamp lore, though the finale result isn’t nearly as engaging and graceful as the dance moves of that bloody ballerina ABIGAIL.

2.5 Out of 4

ABIGAIL is now playing in theatres everywhere

LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL – Review

Being an avid fan of “old school” horror (almost a “monster kid” since I devoured “Famous Monsters of Filmland” magazine, built the Aurora model kits, and scooped up the Super 8 Castle Films abridged versions of the 30s ad 40s Universal classics), I try to keep an open mind to the newer films, even the “sub-genres”. One of those is the “found footage” chiller that probably established itself with its biggest hit THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. It opened the floodgates for jittery, shakey phony home video slightly “tweaked” via software trickery. The multiplexes are so bombarded that I almost dread a new one. Oh, but an Aussie filmmaking duo has come up with a new “twist’ that keys right into another bit of nostalgia: classic TV not from the “golden age’ of the 50s, but the often “schlocky” stuff of the 70s. Plus it’s not from daytime or prime time (8 to 11 PM EST). I mean what kid 47 years ago wouldn’t try to sneak downstairs to the massive 19-inch console TV, sit close to the screen so you can keep the volume low (and not wake up the parents), and gaze at the “forbidden fruit” of LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL? Oh, the night school day is going to be rough…

The big “conceit” is the existence of a talk show host who tried to topple the “king of late night” Johnny Carson and his “Tonight Show” on NBC. In the opening prologue, we learn of a seedy “upstart” syndicated network, UBC, and their “jewel”, the live show “Night Owls with Jack Delroy”. Its host (David Dastmalchian) is a slightly awkward Chicago DJ who’s now the headliner in the network’s NYC hub. Naturally, there’s a band and a dweeby stooge/sidekick, Gus McConnell (Rhys Auteri). It hit the airwaves in 1971, and soon…made no headway at all against Johnny. Jack’s constantly on the verge of cancellation, despite the influence of his membership in a private secretive millionaire’s club “The Grove”, until he interviews his wife, Madeleine (Georgina Haig), who is in a losing battle with breast cancer. After she succumbs, Jack leaves his show… temporarily. When he returns Jack decides to set the show apart from the landscape of late night by tackling controversial, often exploitive topics and courting confrontation (telling several guests to “hit the bricks”). This all sets the stage for the unaired Halloween show of 1977. After a twitchy monologue Jack brings out a “speaker for the deceased” Christou (Fayssal Bazzi) whose segment takes a truly dark turn when he’s rushed away to a hospital. Perhaps his exit was spurred on by a heated exchange with magician and paranormal debunker Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss). But this is nothing compared to the night’s “big get” as Jack brings on scholar/author June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon) and the subject of her book “Conversations with the Devil”, teenager Lilly D’Abo (Ingrid Torelli), the only surviving member of the Abraxas satanic cult. Actually, a demon they worshipped, Lilly calls him “Mr. Wriggles”, can speak through her. Soon the show goes completely “off the rails” when Jack pressures June to set up a “session” with Lilly and Mr. W, mostly to humiliate Haig. From then, the Neilsen Ratings are the very least of Jack’s troubles…

One of the busiest character actors, bouncing in and out of several franchises and genres (he’s in the MCU, the DCEU, Dune, the recent Dracula spin-off, even OPPENHEIMER), Dastmalchian truly gets a chance to shine in the lead role as the in-over-his-head Delroy, employing his comic “chops” in the TV monologue sets before settling into weasily desperation and the dread of his plunge into televised Hell. Perhaps Jack was most comfortable riffing into a radio mike since Dastmalchain conveys a near-constant “flop-sweat” making it clear that this guy would never dethrone Carson. He’s certainly not helped by Atueri as the cringyly awkward “second banana” who is easily rattled and demeaned. One of his main bullies is the producer of the show, Jack’s manager and “right hand” Leo Fiske (Josh Quong Tart) an arrogant, unethical opportunist. Much of that is true for Bliss as Haig, a pompous gasbag who fancies himself as a modern Houdini, though he’s playing his own “con” while flaunting his righteous superiority. Gordon is quite good as the morally conflicted doctor who truly cares for her patient despite the blatant exploitation of her trauma. And as that patient, Lily, Torelli effortlessly goes from a sweet helpful young woman to a taunting harpy who could be the conduit for fiery chaos.

Oh, the Aussie duo I mentioned earlier are the Cairnes Brothers, Colin and Cameron, the film’s writing and directing “tag team”. They truly score a “hat trick” with their third feature as they tread a fine line between satire and terror. Working with their artisans they carefully recreated the tacky period from the polyester suits (and massive neckties) to the TV set furnishings complete with multi-color graphic backdrop walls, and even the “stay tuned, we’ll be right back” art card “bumpers” (supposedly made with AI). Once we settle in and stifle our nostalgic giggles, the story shifts gears into nightmare territory as we become invested in the often caricatured “guests”. There’s even a nice nod to horror flicks of that era with the use of practical effects involving puppetry, prosthetics, and mood lighting (when they go to “commercial” the backstage footage is in docu-style handheld monochrome). Sure, we’re kind of stuck in the studio, but it never feels claustrophobic or “stage” as the feeling of dread increases By the final denouncements, we’re left to ponder the fate of the principals and how or who put everything “into motion”. It all makes for a most interesting exploration of TV talk show terror in the imaginative and audacious LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL.

3 Out of 4

LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL is now playing in select theatres.

NIGHT SWIM – Review

You know might feel really great, and completely relaxing, after surviving the often stressful end-of-the-year holidays? Why a refreshing dip in the pool of course! Oh, but you’re not near an indoor facility, so you’ll have to wait out the long frigid winter until the temps are near ninety or so. Well, how about making a virtual splash at the multiplex? And this “cement pond” doesn’t shut down with the sunset. But doing “laps” alone in the fluorescent lit waters can be pretty spooky. And that’s the inspiration for the first new horror flick of 2024, which may just make you “swear off” any notions about taking a NIGHT SWIM. Marco…Marco…

This tale of soggy terror begins with a flashback to the early 1990s. Late one night a girl of eight or nine spies her ailing brother’s motorboat doing circles in the deep end of the family pool. When she can’t raise her folks, the youngster decides to try and “fish” it out with the cleaning scoop, causing her to fall in, and disappear…and we’re in the present day. Former pro baseball player Ray Walker (Wyatt Russell) is checking out a possible new home with wife Eve (Kerry Condon) along with kids Izzy (Amelie Hoeferle) and Elliot (Gavin Warren). They’re not impressed with the “accessible” (Ray’s sidelined due to MS) townhouse that their real estate agent has shown. But on the drive home, they spot a gorgeous two-story house with a big swimming pool. Thinking the pool will be great for his physical therapy, Ray, along with Eve, makes an offer…which is quickly accepted. After they’ve unpacked, the family begins fixing up the pool until an odd dark brown bile oozes out of the drain. A “home aquatic ” expert informs them that a natural spring is just under the pool floor, and his crew can fix any potential seepage issues. Soon after the whole family enjoys the relaxing waters until…the weirdness really begins. Cider, the family cat, vanishes leaving his kitty collar floating under the diving board. Then Ray begins having memory flashes while underwater which leads to his health miraculously improving. But when things take an ugly turn at a big neighborhood pool party, Eve does some digging. She learns of the young girl in the flashback, and of other disappearances over the previous seventy or so years. Will her family become the latest victims in the pool’s twisted history?

Following up her stellar work in 2022’s THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN (she won a coveted St. Louis Film Critics Assoc. award), Condon provides a strong family matriarch, who’s ready to do the research and the legwork to get to the bottom (or deep end) of this mystical pond. Her Eve wants to be encouraging to her family, especially her stricken hubby, while trying to keep the peace, especially with her squabbling siblings. Condon even gets a chance to hone her action “chops” in the truly breathtaking finale. She’s a good parental partner with Russell, who gets to show his easy-going warmth as the father who may need as much nurturing as his kids. Ray’s frustrated as he recalls his “glory days’ until something “in the water” gives him renewed hope. And Russell builds on Ray’s underdog status making his turn to his darker impulses in the third act terrifying and heartbreaking. Hoeferle is quite effective as the big sister yearning to pursue a first love, while uneasy about her new surroundings and those eerie nights practicing for the school’s Christian swim team. As the somewhat timid and awkward kid brother, Warren projects a real vulnerability as he struggles to follow in his dad’s cleats and navigate his new environs. The film also sports a couple of nifty supporting turns by Nancy Lenehan as the loopy, clueless real estate agent and Jodi Long as the creepy, nearly unhinged former owner of the house.

Expanding on his 2014 short of the same name director and co-writer (with Rod Blackhurst) Bryce McGuire strives to establish an engaging family dynamic to fuel the story’s moments of deadly danger and mystery. Unfortunately, the domestic sequences feel sluggish, making viewers frustrated as they wait for another spooky “soaking” of suspense. The pacing also lets us ponder the more absurd and illogical aspects of the plot. The opening incident happened thirty years ago and nobody in the neighborhood, or the suburb, remembers. Wouldn’t the police, or at least one of the former owners, have shut down the pool after so many have vanished? Then the pool’s loopy secret is slowly revealed with elements of the 80s COCOON along with some biblical riffs. Finally, the last act payoff is amped up with another scary-possessed parent targeting the kids (done more effectively in last year’s EVIL DEAD RISE). Plus many of the terror “shocks” feel “watered-down” to get an inclusive PG-13 rating (maybe an unrated home video version is in the works). Ultimately the movie upholds a tradition of starting the new movie year with a “quick buck” chiller to fill the multiplex at post-awards time (at least last January’s M3GAN had a sly satiric bent). It’s an easy cliche, but NIGHT SWIM just doesn’t float, but slowly sinks. Alright, everybody out of the pool…

1.5 Out of 4

NIGHT SWIM is now playing in theatres everywhere

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