What's the last movie you saw?

[Mjolnir]

Day 26 felt like a good day to visit Dario Argento, but just watching Suspiria again felt too easy, so I went ahead and checked out a later film of his, Tenebrae. I could talk about the plot and story being nonsense despite being framed as a serial killer narrative about a guy who kills based on a book called Tenebrae that involves its writer and how its apparent attempt to comment on violent media's perceived effects on people is shallow and throwaway, but who goes to Argento for substance? The man is all about style, but sadly, that's kind of lacking here. Not absent, mind you, for it's a well shot film with a great soundtrack and some nasty violence, but the presentation only pops when its ill-fitting, mostly in the wild misuse of the music, and overall just doesn't do anything that hasn't been done better elsewhere at that point, certainly not well enough to overcome how skin deep it all is. Maybe this wasn't the best place to go next, but if this is at all representative of his other work, I'm starting to see why you typically only hear about Suspiria.

[metalcrypt]

"Lucky," the one with Brea Grant (who is also the writer, and is a writer in the movie). Kind of a weird one where a man comes to their house every night to kill them. She kills him every time and he disappears and comes back the next day. Can't say much more without divulging the plot, if you can call it that, but what I took away from it was that it was a metaphor for violence against women. I've seen it described as a "reverse slasher."

I still got 3 or 4 days left on my Shudder subscription, so we'll see what else I have on my watch list.

[Mjolnir]

For Day 27, I went with what I hold is the best found footage film to date, Noroi: The Curse. Framed as the recovered footage from the documentary itself, it's about a documentation named Kobayashi investigating an alleged supernatural disturbance in a neighborhood that leads him down a path to unraveling a string of connected incidents that appear to involve some ancient supernatural force. A big part of what makes this stand out is how it incorporates news reels and in-universs television broadcasts to really sell this being a movie made with research and effort, which makes the genuinely chilling horror all the more believable and disturbing. Expertly placed, very well acted, and menacing and bleak in a way few films in the style really go for, this film is proof that the format exists to do more than build excuses for sloppy film making and instead can deliver horror in ways no other styles can. Masterful film, this

[metalcrypt]

"The Power." This is a 2021 movie, I think, that takes place in 1974 London. A newbie nurse is assigned to work in a hospital and this is a time where "trade unions are at war with the government" and there are basically blackouts every night to conserve power (I haven't checked to see if that was a real thing at the time). Of course the hardass head nurse assigns her to work the night shift on her first day. The nurse is afraid of the dark, childhood trauma. Also they moved the vast majority of the patients elsewhere, so the hospital is almost empty. She can feel a presence following her and eventually things get nasty. I can't say I found it all that scary, but it does keep you on your toes. Eventually we find out what this was all about, and I didn't expect that ending.

[Mjolnir]

After a lot of darker films this month, I decided Day 28 needed something lighter, so I put on Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, the hillbilly slasher film where the joke (made very clear early on) is that the hillbilly's aren't psychotic killers and are just trying to enjoy their vacation in their new cabin when a turn of events leads to college kids mistaking them for killers. It's a decidedly simple premise, but strong comedic timing and likable main characters do it serious justice, as do the believable stupidity of the stock characters, and it even has some real heart to it. I don't have a lot more to say about it simply because there's not much to say when a comedy works other than it's funny and good, only I'd call this funny and great.

[metalcrypt]

The Cellar. A family moves into a large, secluded house they bought cheap at auction and on the first night, their teenage daughter disappears while going down to the cellar, with her mother talking to her on the phone. They look for her (included police-led search party) but no joy. The mother notices some markings throughout the house and eventually finds out what's happening (I don't want to say too much). Basically there's some satanism involved.

The mother is played by Elisha Cuthbert, who I think became known for playing the role of Jack Bauer's annoying daughter in the series 24. I don't think I had seen her in anything other than The Girl Next Door (2004) and Old School (2005), sexually charged comedies. It was quite a different role in The Cellar, and she did a really good job portraying the mother obsessed with finding her daughter and not being afraid to push forward, no matter what.

[Mjolnir]

For Day 29, I revisited an old classic with Poltergeist. I don't have a lot to say that isn't obvious (amazing effects, iconic scares, etc.), so I'll just say I'm always caught off guard by how funny it is and with how well it switches tone from 80s family movie to borderline Cronenberg style horror. No notes, great film, thank God they didn't try to milk it with awful sequels.

[metalcrypt]

I think I haven't seen Poltergeist in some 40 years.

I watched Black Cab last night. This starts off interesting enough. A couple has an argument at a restaurant and they get into a cab, still arguing. The cab driver is chatty and even sympathetic until they realize that they are locked in the cab. I won't say much more than it's a ghost story. It's not very good, though there were some creepy moments, but the story is off a bit. I thought of stopping it halfway through, but Nick Frost, as the cab driver, is really great in this, so I kept going.

[Mjolnir]

For Day 30, I decided my penultimate film in this run should be one that genuinely distresses me, so I went with the Austrian cult classic Angst, sometimes called Schizophrenia in other regions. It's as straightforward as home invasion movies get as we follow the perspective of a lifelong criminal recently released from prison after serving ten years for murder go out and do more murder. What makes it frightening rather than gratuitous is how how it relies on practically every element of film making to create unease and tension, from the often frenetic and impressive cinematography to the droning, almost industrial soundtrack to the deliberate pace of the story to the excellent physical performance from Erwin Leder. There is some clumsiness to the editing, and some sequences could be accessed of dragging on, but I'd argue it all adds to the experience of watching a monster carry out heinous actions with little rhyme or reason, and it makes for a chilling and unique horror film that's certainly not for everyone, but arguably a masterwork of craftsmanship for those who can face the fear it brings.

[Mjolnir]

For the 31st and final film, what movie is more fitting than John Carpenter's classic, Halloween? Can't say much that isn't already said about the film that largely codified the modern slasher other than, outside a few awkward performances, it holds up thanks to great lighting, atmosphere, and iconic characters like Michael Myers and Doc Loomis. Stands the test of time, have a happy Halloween.