Monthly Archive: October 2020

Day 12

Tremors (1990)

Directed by Ron Underwood

When a pair of handymen get fed up with their lives in the city of Perfection, Nevada (Population 14), they decide to strike out and achieve greatness, unaware of the giant monsters lurking nearby that will soon complicate their lives. Tremors is a wonderful schlocky monster movie that plays perfectly well as either a straightforward story of a town under siege by monsters or as a campy tongue-in-cheek parody of/tribute to the goofy monster movies of yesteryear. In terms of a straightforward movie, the monster design is awesome and I don’t want to reveal too much about it but it is so simple and clean and sensible and scary and goofy all at once. The people we meet are similarly enjoyable; a collection of mildly quirky folk you’d expect to find living in the desert in the middle of nowhere who are all sympathetic enough so that we care when they start getting eaten.

There’re only two issues that really come to mind when discussing Tremors, the first one is a minor flaw that is the first act of the film is a bit slow. There is a ton of establishing our two heroes and while they are a likeable duo there could have perhaps been a bit trimmed so we could get to the monsters a little quicker. Another issue that may or may not come up for viewers is related to the comedy. The jokes may not connect with everyone’s sense of humor. I thought it was hysterical but my wife did not, so your mileage may vary as far as that goes. Overall though this is a great example of a horror-comedy done right and I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a campy monster movie.

Day 10

Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987)

Directed By Bruce Pittman 

Prom Night II is the story of a young woman in high school, Vicki Carpenter, who accidentally unleashes the spirit of a student who died many years ago at her high school. Free from imprisonment, the spirit of Mary Lou gradually possesses Vicki, changing Vicki to be more like she was in life while also getting revenge on those responsible for her death. And before you ask, no, there is no connection between this movie and the slasher film starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Prom Night. What’s interesting about this movie is that instead of being similar at all to the first Prom Night movie, this film feels highly influenced by a slew of other popular horror movies. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II feels like someone took Carrie, The Exorcist, and Nightmare On Elm Street, threw them all in a blender and put it on maximum power for an hour and a half. Now this could be good or it could be bad, and I am happy to report that this was good because I really enjoyed Prom Night II!

What makes Prom Night II work is that it isn’t a direct ripoff of any of these movies, and it manages to create its own identity as a darkly comic take on the nightmare of high school. The characters are generally believable and understandable, the setup for the main story is tragic and relevant, and the ghastly kills are imaginative and surreal. By doing all these basic things correctly, Prom Night II sets itself apart from many of the ripoff movies of the era and manages to create a unique and fun mythology for the villain while at the same time dipping its toes into the kind of fun surrealism that I can get behind. It’s a shame that there are many parts of this movie that haven’t aged particularly well. Many of the characters in the movie are real jerks and there are several scenes that feature really uncomfortable sequences that I won’t entirely spoil but you need to know going in that this movie is a bit off-color. If you’re okay with that, and you want something a bit weird and out there, I’d recommend Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II!

Day 8

The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)

Directed By Adam Robitel

The Taking Of Deborah Logan is a found footage movie (woooooooo!) with a unique premise. A small film crew is shooting a documentary on the effects of rapid onset dementia, so they’re filming what happens to and around Deborah Logan, an elderly woman who is beginning to succumb to the awful disease. Very early into the filming it becomes apparent that something worse than dementia is inflicting Deborah Logan, as she begins exhibiting increasingly strange and erratic behavior. There’s a lot to like about The Taking of Deborah Logan, one of the best things being the acting, which is all around great but the performance that really sells the movie is that of Jill Larson, who plays the eponymous Deborah Logan. Everyone’s performances feel real but Larson manages something truly special, which makes the movie extremely uncomfortable at times, especially for people who have loved ones with some form of dementia.

Additionally, there’s an excellent sense of spooky atmosphere that makes this perfect viewing for this season, particularly in the first half of the film. Where the story ends up going is where our problems with the movie kind of start. No spoilers, but the plot goes to some weird out there places, with plot details that, in my opinion, don’t match up with the original style and tone established in the beginning of this film. I’m sure some people really liked that about this movie but it didn’t work as well for us. Regardless of that, there are a ton of great visuals, and even if the story and pacing threw us a bit, this is still a good movie that we would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a creepy possession movie that isn’t afraid to go to some dark places.

Day 7

The Crucifixion (2017)

Directed By Xavier Gens

The Crucifixion is the story of an American journalist who travels abroad to Romania to investigate a death that occurred during a controversial exorcism. Once she arrives in Romania, the journalist learns that *gasp* not everything is as it appears! Now our journalist friend, who of course is not just an atheist but who is actively anti-religion, must contend with superstition and faith as her own soul is on the line! This movie was aggressively average. The premise is neat, though I am not usually a fan of “based on a true story” premises because I find them exploitative. 

The idea of investigating an event that may be a human crime or super natural is pretty standard but can be executed well, in this case it was watchable but not exciting. This is a movie everyone has pretty much seen before but some of the acting was decent. It was weird that everyone spoke English in deep Romanian country. And the day is saved by the power of faith, so there you go. Overall, this is the most bland movie in this list yet, the only reason we didn’t hate it is because that would require having some kind of emotion and that wasn’t happening.

I would only recommend this movie if it was playing in the background while other things were happening. Maybe at a Halloween party where you don’t want the background noise to distract from the good time you’re having?

Day 6

The Last Exorcism (2010)

Directed by Daniel Stamm

I’ll be honest, movies like The Last Exorcism are why I started this annual marathon, finding great movies I haven’t seen is always awesome. Anyway, this film is a found footage-style mockumentary about an Evangelical pastor who, although he started his career in the church at a young age and has performed countless exorcisms, has lost his faith and now seeks to help shine a light on how exorcisms are performed in modern times and how they may not have any spiritual benefit beyond the placebo effect. The film crew takes us to a rural community in Louisiana where a father is convinced that his daughter is in need of an exorcism, one that our pastor is more than fit to deliver. I’m not a huge fan of possession movies, and I’m even less of a fan of exorcism movies, but The Last Exorcism is a damn fine movie that I’m so happy I watched. If I can pull back for a second, the purpose of these movie marathons was always to find movies that had slipped by me and that’s exactly what The Last Exorcism was, a tense, character driven horror romp that manages to keep its ambiguity just long enough to get you completely hooked before it goes in for the kill.

There’s so much I liked about this movie that it’s hard to articulate everything going on but I will try. The Last Exorcism perfectly takes advantage of the found footage style, giving us a cast of believable and sympathetic characters who all feel like real people in a weird situation, while at the same time being interesting people in their own right. Something this film does amazingly is how it both world-builds and foreshadows, establishing so much and setting up so much without giving it all away off the bat, it’s clever and makes for a rewarding viewing experience that I’m sure will hold up for subsequent viewings. The only thing that gives me pause is the ending. While I like the ending visually and it definitely feels foreshadowed, I can’t help but feel a little weird about the last scene. I can’t say more without spoiling the movie so let me stop there and say that yes, I recommend the movie and even the bits that I wasn’t as fond of make for an interesting discussion. Track this down!

Day 5

Metamorphosis (2019)

Directed by Kim Hong-sun

Metamorphosis is the story of a family forced to relocate because they’re related to a Catholic priest who was recently involved in an exorcism that went terribly wrong. The family is understandably not thrilled about this move, but try to make the best of it, unaware that their new neighbor hides some disturbing secrets that indicate that the demonic presence from earlier may not be done with this poor family. As you may be able to tell, this isn’t the most unique setup for a possession film, but it’s a time tested method of introducing a well-rounded cast of characters with their own hopes, dreams, and flaws. In addition to solid characters, there’s an amazing sense of atmosphere in Metamorphosis, helped by the incredibly creepy and imaginative visual style. There’s one shot in particular of a uniquely decorated cliff face that is seriously haunting.

Unfortunately, Metamorphosis suffers from many of the same problems that other possession films succumb to. As per usual, we have no idea what the demon can do and we both found that terribly distracting. Sometimes it can do whatever it wants, sometimes it is limited in strength, I don’t know why either of these things happen when they happen, and the plot suffers for it. There are also pacing issues where, at 1 hour and 50 minutes Metamorphosis seems a bit overlong, you could probably cut 20 minutes out of this movie and not really change anything. Especially because so much of the great foreshadowing doesn’t really add up to anything in the end. Still though, when it works, Metamorphosis hits hard, bringing great visuals and atmosphere to a familiar genre. If you’re a fan of exorcism or possession movies, we’d recommend giving this one a watch.

Day 4

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

Directed by André Øvredal

A father/son duo run a mortuary that has been in their family for generations. The father, a seasoned mortician, is teaching his son the tools of the trade when they encounter a corpse that they have trouble discerning a rational cause of death for. From beginning to end, this movie is filled with great atmosphere and is truly creepy. There is a lot of wonderful foreshadowing for the frightening scenario that befalls this pair, which makes the inevitable escalation feel even more intense and claustrophobic, especially because this movie is mostly set in one location.

It is important to note that this is not a feel-good movie. Murder investigations are brutal and so is this film, and many disturbing concepts and details are brought up. None of these ideas are shown, but even discussing some of these details is pretty intense. Beyond that though, there is a ton of great low-key character development and a bold ending that we think will be pretty divisive. Even with a third act twist that doesn’t quite work, this is still a solid horror film for people down to feel bad. Would recommend for someone ready for a bad time (in a good way)

Day 3
100 Tears (2007)
Directed by Joe Davison

A pair of tabloid journalists find themselves in over their heads when they start investigating a serial killer who is lurking closer to home than either of them anticipate. The first movie in this review series to get an NC-17, 100 Tears stands out with its unapologetically brutal violence which, by micro-budget film standards, looks good enough to get the job done. Even though the acting can be spotty sometimes, the performance of the lead journalist is able to keep you invested while the story introduces some believably colorful Florida carnival folk.

Before I forget to mention, the serial killer is a clown (which at times seems incidental to this movie) and I am quite a fan of the look and performance of the clown whose identity I will not mention so as to avoid spoilers. One critique of the movie is that the clown theme is never fully explored; it functions as more of a backdrop than an integral part of the story. The serial killer could have worn any other costume and the story would not need to be changed. If you are looking for corny jokes and campy clown kills, this movie fails to deliver anything but brute violence.

I’ll be honest, this is a low budget movie. You need to be aware of what that means going in if you decide to watch 100 Tears. The technical side of the film can be a little rough around the edges. I liked the general gore effects but sometimes the limitations of the budget shine through. Generally, the cinematography is pretty decent, although sometimes there was an odd filter placed over the footage to make it look grittier, I assume, and that’s a bit more distracting than I think the filmmakers realized. The story itself is fine, nothing wrong with a murder investigation, but the devil is in the details and 100 Tears trips over itself a lot when the police are involved. No detective would allow tabloid journalists access to a crime scene for a bribe of $50, and when things in that vein happen, the movie kind of loses itself. However, it is always great to see a low budget film succeed and when it works, 100 Tears is a goresoaked mystery with some fun villains. Also it has a wonderful post credits stinger. Recommended for fans of violent low budget cinema.

Day 2

The Last Circus (2010)

Directed by Alex de la Iglesia

Following in the footsteps of his father, sad clown Javier joins up with a down on its luck circus but quickly finds himself wrapped up in a toxic relationship between the brutish and domineering Sergio and the masochistic Natalia. Part Spanish Civil War-Era political satire and part twisted love triangle between 2 circus clowns and a seductive acrobat, The Last Circus manages to weave a darkly comic tale about the absurdity of government and organized religion while at the same time offering commentary on the connection between humor and violence. This was not what we were expecting, but as soon as we realized what direction this was going we were 100% here for it.

The narrative stretches over a course of decades without seeming flabby or indulging in unnecessary detail, a feat that is helped by the fairy-tale nature of much of the story. Everyone seems larger than life, as much a metaphor or allegory for people as they are fully fleshed out characters. But the beauty of it is that all the characters do feel like real people with realistic wants, needs, and struggles and are all trying to make sense of an insane world. It’s very human, and a clever way to make a satire about a specific point in time applicable to the general human experience. It’s funny, it’s tragic, it’s absurdly violent, it’s as close to a perfect satire of the absurdity of life as I’ve ever seen. Strongly recommended.