I like how good disaster movies are now found far away from mainstream Hollywood and the 90s heyday of the disaster movie. There was The Quake and The Wave from Norway (both really gripping) and now thereās this Danish film.
The ācutterheadā of the title is some kind of underground chamber our main character (a journalist or PR worker of some kind) is visiting as the workers (a mix of nationalities) are working on a Metro tunnel. Stuff goes wrong. Itās all filmed in a very realistic, documentary-like style, and admirably sticks to this realistic approach when shit hits the fan. Itās less about action set pieces and more about harrowing survival. It really nails the claustrophobia as well, with some distressingly visceral sound design and a cool score from techno producer Sos Gunver Ryberg.
I enjoyed Bones And All. Iām surprised itās an 18 because the cannibalism aspect isnāt shown TOO much on screen and the filmās as much about the romance between the characters as it is the cannibal aspect. About 3/4 in I started to wish there was a bit more on the horror side but it has an ending which seems to have got a bit of scorn but I thought really worked. First time Iāve seen Mark Rylance and heās properly good in it, and the lead couple were convincing, if a bit actory at times. I would like Guadagnino to make an all out horror film - I seemed to be in the minority of really liking his Suspiria and this shows he is adept in it. Thereās a great scene with David Gordon Green in a cameo which reminded me a bit of the opening to Barbarian - really cleverley done.
Sweetie, You Wonāt Believe this - hated this. I thought it was going to be a āwacky and frenticā horror, which I find a synonym to be āannoyingā and it was. Just a film that was in love with itself and I completely switched off during it. It wasnāt funny or scary
Overlord - always got this mixed with Upgrade which I didnāt like so was a bit unsure going in but I had a blast. Thought the setting worked well and it was a nice throwback to the sci-fi exploitation horrors of the day. Wyatt Russell is a properly underrated actor
Finished yesterday: The Rutting Season by Brian Keene. I got this because earlier in the year I got another of Keeneās novels, Ghost Walk. It was only when I got that one home that I realised that it serves as a sequel of sorts to The Rutting Season, aka Dark Hollow. This is a fucked-up novel. Itās not really a spoiler to say that the main plot of this sees an unreasonably well-endowed satyr hypnotising the women of a small Pennsylvania town into servicing him. A lot. The menfolk of the town are understandably not super OK with this development and set out to learn why this is happening and how they can stop it. In many respects, I liked this. Itās full on horror (although it does take quite a while to get horrific in its descriptions) and it makes for a short, engaging read. Because Iām a nerd, I loved the connections made to the writings of a certain late 19th century Welsh writer of weird fiction. Definitely donāt go into this expecting a subtle read. This is mass-market early 2000s American horror - subtlety is not a concern. But if a story about a horny satyr getting its comeuppance for having committed all kinds of sexual travesties sounds like your thing, I say give this a go!
Really canāt decide if I want to see Bones and All. I loved Suspiria but thereās something about this that looks like it might not be super satisfyingā¦
Iād say give it a go, but donāt expect an out and out horror film. I was undecided too so had a quick look online and there was a lot of talk about the gore which is really quite minimal. Think if you liked Suspiria you might like it too
Cool. Iād been hoping to talk my wife into checking it out as she liked Call Me By Your Name. But as soon as she found the word āhorrorā associated with it, she bailed.
I rewatched Dog Soldiers last night which was the first horror I sat in a cinema for. Like Aliens I think they did a great job not just treating the soldiers as fodder, I really liked these guys, thought they were believable, that they cared for each other, everything very natural between them. I always like seeing Sean Pertwee pop up, his sergeant and his flying cow interrupted spooky story might be my favourite scene. Great use of the house set which gets wrecked every way you can imagine, the practical effects are decent too, low budget but it still looks good. A hoot.
Watched last night: His House. Had been meaning to watch this 100% on Rotten Tomatoes-rated refugee horror for a while and finally sat down with it last night. For the most part, this was really solid and deserves most, if not all, of the acclaim itās received. For those that havenāt seen it, the story unfolds in two halves. The first part sees a refugee couple arrive in the UK from Sudan. They are told that under no circumstances are they to leave the house that they are given. So instantly, weāve got a solid answer to the question of why folk donāt just leave haunted houses when the shit hits the fan ā in this case if they leave, they risk jeopardising everything thatās got them this far. Once the scares arrive, theyāre nothing we havenāt seen before: lots of jump scares and shadowy figures moving across the camera while the soundtrack does eerie things. Still the scares land effectively and the fact that the cultural underpinning to whatās going on is massively under-represented in western horror kept me intrigued. Then just after halfway through, the plot switches focus and we learn the truth of what brought the couple to the UK and arguably, this is far more horrifying than any supernatural threat. We get a glimpse of their lives fleeing Sudan and itās exceptionally grim. Thereās one scene in which a character wanders slowly onscreen, with his entire back engulfed in flames. He drops to the floor and thatās that. Itās undoubtedly one of the most horrifying images Iāve seen in any film for a long time. My only real problem with all this is that Iām not sure that the ending does a great job of bringing the two halves together. Yes, itās all wrapped up in a way that stays true to the spirit of the film, but the ending just felt a little too easy. Then again, itās really not that easy when I think about it and fuck knows, these characters deserve a break after everything theyāve been through. So, if like me, youāve slept on this, Iād definitely give it a go. Thereās a lot here to enjoy and any issues I have with it are probably me just being a wanker.
Iāve seen the first two but not the last one. This looks like an amazing night, Iād go in a heartbeat if I lived anywhere in the vicinity. Perfect festive viewing.