Horrorvember 2024
Horror watched in Nov 2024
November ended up being a very full month for me— watching another 50ish films since I was on a roll. I enjoyed the 24 hour marathon - there’s something appealing to the genre of horror in a world of absurdity. Part of my exploration of the horror genre was that I never really liked it. I’d watch the “greatest” films, but always eschewed most of the typical horror films because a lot of the well known films are shoddy slashers that I never liked- whereas films like American Psycho, Aliens, and The Shining seemed to deliver scares as well as work as good films. This was also in the early 2000s when the genre didn’t really have a lot of good films either- which is part of why I wanted to go back and rewatch the classic B-movies of the Saw franchise to see if it redeems itself. At the very least Hollywood seems to have some moments now that they’re respecting a genre that deserves its own reward category— congrats to Demi Moore for The Substance! There’s a whole discussion to be made for cinema being a great place for getting away from stylistic “realism” that’s so prevalent in acting style and films made today.
Worth Watching:
Dream Demon (1988): This is a fun surreal nightmare film that incorporates decent practical effects and scenery. It’s very much a wandering through some night void, seeing the fears bubbling up through reality set in a house that seems to be connected to some demonic realm. The connection between the two female “friends” can be read with some of the terror of coming out and anxiety around a marriage that feels off.
Death Game (1977): I watched this film not knowing that Eli Roth remade it with Knock Knock (2015). For me this is another example of a lot of how Roth’s whole career tried to emulate Tarantino’s copycat tendencies, but without having any of the zing or interesting point of view that made Roth’s inspiration’s fantastic. It’s exploitation cinema, but by twisting the victim to a mediocre white male from suburbia there’s a fascination with the typical dynamics of horror. There’s a great unhinged quality to how the girls create fear and sadistic whimsy in this version.
Daisies (1966): Watching Death Game lead me to this - while this isn’t a horror film like Death Game, it’s shares much of the vitality of female perspectives breaking beyond the typical social norms. They trick men into having dates with them and gleefully lead them on- leading the old men heartbroken along the way. They abstract everything, and finally break the storytelling conventions along the way. It’s a punch in the face to Socialist style formality that still resonates today- and reminds me of the burden of socialization that requires sterile lawns.
Mute Witness (1995): This isn’t really a horror film- they really messed up with the cover art for the poster- but it’s an excellent thriller- even with some shades of Giallo and obvious inspiration from De Palma and Hitchcock. Basically involving a mute woman having to face some conspiracy around shady films that are being investigated. Worth it for some decent humor and effective atmosphere.
Hellbender (2021): A good lo-fi horror film setting for some witches that create metal in the woods. It does lull a bit in the sequencing, but I liked the final burst of energy.
Identikit (1974) Elizabeth Taylor stars in this odd mystery of her zonked out trying to find some unknown purpose that everyone’s afraid of. It takes some bit to get there, but I liked the leadup and how fully in Taylor is with the performance.
Galaxy of Terror (1981): This may be a bit of an Alien ripoff- but it does so with such pulpy weirdness and enough grotesque sequences that it stands on its own as a campy B-movie version.
Exte: Hair Extensions (2007) Sion Sono makes a movie about gross-out hair extensions and fetishism that is equally creepy and B-movie entertaining. It’s enough of a visual to stick in your mind even as the manga type horror feels ludicrous.
Straight-Jacket (1964) Joan Crawford plays on some of the Psycho energy here- although it’s not very scary it ends up being a decent enough psychotic killer twist for the era. Stay for the campy melodrama.
Arabella Black Angel (1989) I liked this sleazy erotic horror nightmare- involving a woman who is suspected of multiple murders but having to go through some dreamlike sequences where the mystery unfolds. The pacing is off too, but I could see this being a great after midnight movie.
Rapture- ‘Arrebato’ (1979) More of a film about the addictive qualities of an artist. Slowly devolves into a self suffocating film - which is halfway the point, but also makes parts drone on to boredom. There isn’t much of a plot outside of this obsessive contemplation, and obvious connection to heroin use. I feel like Driller Killer does this in a more horrific way, but I liked some of the staring into the yawning void existentialism of this one.
The Devil’s Bath (2024) Less of a horror film than a telling of a macabre tale of the struggles of women in Germany in the 1700s. She’s unable to adjust to the expectations of being the wife of the house, and is seen as mentally unwell because of it. Slowly depressing as a film- Some of it felt like it could have been trimmed down, but it’s an effective film.
Clearcut (1991) A white lawyer tries to help a First Nation Reserve in Canada block a papermill from clearcutting the natural forest. His own angst in failing to help them is acted out with a violent kidnapping via a piercing portrayal by Graham Greene. The whole perspective of the “helpful” white lawyer is confronted by the real strife that the Native Americans have to live with. A much better film to watch for Thanksgiving than Roth’s awful Thanksgiving (2023).
Luz (2018) If Lynch would direct a whole film about possession this is the kind of mood I’d expect. Odd and surreal, following a hypnotic sequence of events that leave the viewer wondering where to connect the total experience. Cuckoo (2024) is also directed by Tilman Singer, but I think this has a stronger focus for a film. Perhaps better watched at 3AM.
Flux Gourmet (2022) I wouldn’t really call this horror, but it has enough of gag inducing body fetish/weird element I suppose. Mostly this is about the auditory experience of cooking and eating. An art collective is given a space to do their work as a food-art band. Has some moments of eccentric charm and comedy and crudeness. Strickland also directed In Fabric which is another interesting quirky horror movie I watched earlier in the year.
Footprints on the Moon (1975) Another Giallo mystery more than a horror film- a woman wanders an island trying to retrace what brought her there. There’s enough of a hazy quality as it meanders in a trippy experience- chasing a conspiracy without knowing how it will resolve. Could have used some more plot to hold it together, but an interesting movie.
Calvaire ‘The Ordeal’ (2004) This French New Extremity film delves into the “ordeal” of a singer that performs for small gatherings— he gets stranded in the middle of nowhere and finds himself being treated as a caged bird. The French title also references Calvary as where Jesus was crucified, and also a play on a curse word. The moody piece of this set around an almost apocalyptic landscape make for a twisted Christmas torture tale.
Other films that were ok to bad:
Saw Franchise: Watched all the films through Spiral (9 films). I would say the torture porn element is still very much the perspective of these movies- creating elaborate traps to show some maximal amount of squeamishness from the audience. The first film still has some exploitative moments even while mostly showing the aftermath of the deaths, leaning into Seven (1995) dark cop conventions. Especially endearing was seeing Michael Emerson do his creepy best in those scenes. The edgelord splicing and frenetic signature cinematography gets a bit old though, as does Tobin Bell’s monologues that try to retcon some meaning behind the torture. After the second film the series goes even more convoluted with copycats and mentored killers- but perhaps the series should have stopped at the third with finishing Amanda’s arc with enough of a gut punch that Jigsaw still wins. Unfortunately they string that into a few other movies — Saw 3D (Saw 7)? At least starts to become a bit more fun with the silly contrivances of the series. Cary Elwes and Danny Glover are still highlights from the original, but Spiral didn’t really add anything to make Chris Rock more believable or interesting in his cop role.
The Collector (2009): This is a pretty meh Saw clone that asks what if Jigsaw just set up traps like in Home Alone?
In a Violent Nature (2024): I guess we’re getting into the mumblecore genre of horror now. Slash, Thud Thud, Glomp .Bored walk in the woods with no tension and from the killer’s point of view doesn’t really even make this a horror movie. More like a bad sappy drama with thrown in mythology and bad acting from the camper victims. There’s an alright gore shot with practical effects, but even if you’re a gore enthusiast doesn’t really make up for the boredom either.
Suitable Flesh (2023): I really wanted this to be an amazing Heather Graham film, but it falls flat even with the body twisted psychological thrill.
Elizabeth Harvest (2018): The setup story is alright- modernist take on creating wives to suit the evil creator’s taste. However it doesn’t quite land as the scenario is drawn out too long.
Rob Zombie’s Halloween Movies (2007/2009): There’s a lot here about shitty parenting and circumstances to create the monster. The first film is still following the thread, but I disliked the character of the Doctor for this version. The whole creation of a monster family and horse imagery makes the second film seem more within Zombie’s vision, but doesn’t really feel that fulfilling for what amounts to another thudding slasher series.
The Devil’s Candy (2015): This has some fun occultism and metal fandom that makes it fun, but also has some underwhelming moments that seem to defy common sense with the killer. More interesting for the mood of some evil that seems to take over an artistic mind.
Abigail (2024) I wanted to like this one- another film like M3gan that sets up a demented girl villain. This time she’s a vampire, but there’s not much of a plot here beyond the setup. I honestly wish it got beyond the reveal sooner as it didn’t add much to the film and was given away in the trailers.
Alice in Terrorland (2023) Is this really a movie? Or just some really badly shot student film? The zero budget and acting really makes this a forgettable movie.
The Brain (1988) Sure this is a campy B-Grade movie, but at least it has some style with an animatronic head. There’s a lame story here about highschoolers finding out what’s taking over society too with brainwaves, but it’s not one I’d revisit.
Crazy Desires of a Murderer (1977) Giallo that has some fuzzy plotting and not fully realized and convoluted. Some sexpot energy with Scooby-Doo level storytelling.
Vicious Fun (2020) A horror movie about a horror movie journalist finding a group of serial killers does feel a bit too logically off. They throw in typical genre fodder, but the effects were simply ok and much of the humor was force fed. Ok for a silly movie.
Divinity (2023) All of the staples of this film about immortality and fame seem to have been done better in The Substance this year. I liked Stephen Dorff, but there wasn’t enough about this whole infinite beauty serum made from evil means that didn’t become a bit boring. The odd clay finale kind of broke the narrative too-
Primal Rage (1988) A rage virus outbreak from a monkey starts to make others bite and infect— a bit of 80s version of 28 Days later, just campy and nothing that stands out aside from a finale involving a high school Halloween party and 80s aesthetic.
A Blade in the Dark (1983) I liked the whole sound editing for horror film setup, but the killer of this is pretty lazy - typical gender panic tropes and generally convoluted story.
Don’t Panic (1988) Boys play with a Ouiji board and he tries to escape the hellish consequences- Honestly the most fun in this movie is the goofy boy running around in dino pajamas. There’s just not much in the way of a decent story or memorable parts otherwise.
Demon Wind (1990) A convoluted story involving Demons taking possession of people in a town, with out of towners coming in and having to deal with the evil that’s taken hold of the place. The effects are ok, and the ending transformations come out of nowhere. Silly.
The Curse of the Necklace (2024) For a free to watch Tubi movie this isn’t bad, but certainly has some silly horror tropes in there. An evil trinket. It has some moments that feel like Insidious, but could have carved out more of the mythology around the evil being.
Azrael (2024) Action horror around a mute commune that seems to want to conjure some demonic entity. Most of it is focused around revenge and getting away from the group, but has some twist towards the end. I didn’t really care about the characters though, and that made me disconnect from the film.
Humane (2024) Caitlin Cronenberg has a setup for a movie about the health of the environment and class within a world of overpopulation, but there’s not much to hold on to a real narrative. Showing some pushback to the political nature of government programs- making it a bit half of an idea that could be more fully fleshed out.
Smile 2 (2024) The smile is back…. and unfortunately after a nice opener the movie fizzles out following a pop star being taken by the smiling entity. The theme is at least better represented than Trap (2024) as I could see a chain letter like entity really wrecking havoc on an audience, but it took a bit too long to get to an obvious ending.