Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma

Courtesy of Mubi

 

Its been an interesting year for horror so far with two unknowns crashing onto the scene with stories that haunt us in familiar and terrifying ways. Exploring liminal spaces and the dangers that one selfish wish can bring. The other two big horror films, yet to grace the UK screens but have been talked about extensively, that explore dark entities that take the form of those you desire the most and the film about horror remakes that step way beyond the realms of reality. Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, the third feature from Jane Schoenbrun is, much like their previous films, is a film that defies the one genre of horror. And they certainly have a way with coming up with fantastic titles. Camp Miasma has horror elements, but there is more of a mystery and magic to the storytelling throughout.

Queer filmmaker Kris is hired to shoot another reboot of the cult slasher, Camp Miasma. She becomes hyper focused on casting Billy Presley, the star of the original film. As the two women becomes closer and work together, they descends into a frenzied world where their reality melds with the film series itself.

There is an urgency, an explosion of queer love and passion all while looking at this through a slasher lens. Camp Miasma is a film that needs to be experienced rather than just watched casually. Miss and details, as layered as they become and you may just lose your way. Our guide through this maze of memories is Kris, who feels like she was created a little too close to the heart of Schoenbrun, played by Hannah Einbinder, who anchors the film and therefore a safe pair of hands to be in. Gillian Anderson is mesmerising as the mysterious movie star and final girl of the original film, Billy. Playing it off as a much more fun Norma Desmond, residing in the original film set of the original film, oozing sexuality with every word.

Having a new voice direct another reboot in an age-old franchise, as pointed out in the film, is a trick studios pull all the time. But Kris is not going to just make any old film, this franchise, these characters are special to her and she wants to honour them. The layers of homage within the film for a series of films we haven’t seen, doesn’t matter, we already feel like we lived through and say through all the iterations and sequels of Camp Miasma that have come before. Schoenbrun makes us yearn for films and a place that doesn’t exist. But seeing Kris frolic with Billy through the snow, covered in blood is strangely magical rather than terrifying. We welcome the famous icon we’ve never seen, Little Death with open arms. We want more Camp MIasma and we want to see Kris create her vision.

Thrash

 Shark movies have long been considered a sub-genre, whether its action, thriller or horror, sometimes even reducing films that aim to be something more substantial to just another shark film. Thrash is a survival thriller, bringing in severe weather and focusing on various characters in peril, but once the sharks start to appear the film very quickly enters the sub-genre as characters not only have to contend with mother nature on the weather front but also from vicious sharks taking advantage of the situation.

In South Carolina, when a Category 5 hurricane is predicted to hit coastal towns, residents evacuate. A few people remain behind, either because they believe they can ride out the storm or just too late to escape the wrath of the hurricane. Dakota, a young woman who has become agoraphobic since her mother died decides to stay home., Lisa, a heavily pregnant woman left by her fiance tries to leave town only to be swept up in the initial wave of damage and young siblings Dee, Ron and Will are forced to shelter by their foster parents.

With most survival stories, we usually focus on one or two people and watch them struggle to make it through whatever disaster is thrown at them. But here, Thrash follows various people through the storm and later, the sharks. This could have worked if the characters had been linked somehow or eventually ended up in the same place together, at least. Instead we get a disjointed fractured story, that is predictably surrounded by deaths of smaller characters that only provide blood and gore. The little information we have on each character also isn’t really enough for us to care who makes it to the end. Everyone is reduced to a stereotype, resulting in a lazy set up and making our real concern the sharks.

Aside from a very basic storyline, the effects are quite impressive and the stress factor is turns up to the max, especially during a rather horrific birth scene. As the water rises, so does our anxiety but at the back of our minds, we already know how this ordeal will end. Rescue is on the way, a predictable conclusion with no worry of a sequel looms.

Sweetness

Courtesy of Saban Films

 

If films (and books) such as Misery and The Fan (1996) have taught us anything, we know as soon as someone declares themselves as someone’s biggest fan, we know they’d literally do anything for the object of their admiration and we can assume bloodshed to swiftly follow. This set up of a famous person meets an obsessive fan usually shows us that its the average person who is the delusional one and that the famous person was just unlucky to encounter said fan. Sweetness tries to slightly switch this well worn dynamic by throwing in some extra unpleasantries, but does inevitably fall into familiar story territory.

Teenager Rylee is a devoted fan of Payton Adler, singer and songwriter for the band Floorplan. By chance she gets to meet him after a show, only to realise the recovering addict has relapsed. Her obsession with the singer becomes even more intense as she believes she can save him from his demons, even if it means handcuffing him, trapping him in her house.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Swordfish

 

The early 2000s were a wild time, in reality but most definitely in the cinema. With the classic 90s blockbuster being ever so slightly being moved aside for the more bombastic stylised, heavy on the CGI and a much bigger emphasis on technology version of the blockbuster. Computers, hacking and cyber crimes were becoming more popular themes and almost all had a touch of The Matrix about them. Combing action with thrills and a computer screen with that impossible code that only that one special person could crack, Swordfish takes it’s place amongst the collection of titles that have this familiar set up. Finally, enough time has passed we can look back at these films with fond memories. Move over 90s nostalgia, the 2000s are having their day. Again.

Full review over at Filmhounds. 

Julie Keeps Quiet

 

Julie is one of the most promising players at an elite tennis academy. When one of the coaches falls under investigation for inappropriate conduct and is suspended, the players are encouraged to speak up. However, Julie, remains quiet.

Premiering at Cannes 2024, chosen as Belgium’s entry to the Oscar’s but not nominated, co-produced by the legendary filmmakers, the Dardenne brothers, Julie Keeps Quiet already speaks loudly as a film to be taken seriously. Coupled with the subject matter where there is a lot to be said, its interesting to see director and co-writer Leonardo Van Dijl, take a different approach. Van Dijl delves beneath the surface of Julie’s quiet and often serene exterior, channelling her emotions into her tennis and keeping her dialogue to a minimum.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Drop

 

Although Drop has a very enticing hook, there is more bubbling beneath the surface of our heroine. With a somewhat simple plot, that could very easily be slid into the ‘dumb premise’ category, gradually becomes an edge of your seat thriller with an actual three-dimensional character. The technology used in the film does play a major part and follows along the trend of other recent horror-esque thrillers, but again, thankfully, Drop manages to stand apart and offers a little more than what we’ve seen before.

Violet, a widowed mother, has finally decided to go on a date with photographer Henry having met him on a dating app. During their date a very up market restaurant, Violet is plagued with messages from an anonymous person. But as the evening goes on, the messages turn into increasingly violent instructions otherwise her young son and sister will be killed. All she has to do, is kill her date.  

Full review over at Filmhounds. 

Opus

 

Comparing worshipping or to a lesser extent, being a fan of someone to being in a cult is usually fun to explore. You can expect the same commentary and bizarre acts of service in the unnerving lead up to the climax of Opus, and overall, the film has a tone we’ve seen before. However, while the conclusion may feel expected, it’s the journey, the mystery, and the music that keep you entertained.

When legendary pop star, Moretti, resurfaces after having disappeared for 30 years, he not only drops a new album but invites a select few to listen to it first. Amongst those invited is budding young journalist Ariel. Once the group arrives at the Moretti compound, they are surrounded by his cult like followers and bizarre rituals and Ariel soon started to suspect there is far more to Moretti’s plan than anticipated.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

The Last Stop in Yuma County

 

The film easily sets up the parameters, creating a near impossible situation, where we are all just waiting to see who cracks first. Mostly strangers make up those ‘trapped’ in the diner, with one or two narrow windows of opportunity, this tension filled thriller has you hooked at what will happen. Reminiscent of films that take place in one location and slowly builds tension, The Last Stop in Yuma County is similar to a low-key Free Fire, except instead of a constant shoot out, it’s the calm before the storm.

At a remote desert rest stop, a knife salesman and waitress become entangled with two bank robbers plans to escape. As the group anxiously waits for the gas truck to arrive to fill up the pumps, a few more strangers with their own plans, arrive, adding to the tension. With few options and everyone in possession of a gun, the knife salesman is woefully ill-equipped for what’s to come.

Full review over at Filmhounds. 

Conclave - London Film Festival

 

When it comes to stories set in or centred around the Catholic Church, there is an expectation. Either a horror, cheap or classy or a story about faith. Conclave touches upon the crisis of faith but it is never delves too deep. Instead, and most refreshingly, Conclave is a thriller with elements of a murder mystery, except with no murder, but intense one the less. 

When the Holy Father dies, there is a vacuum left behind. Cardinals scrabble to secure votes who they believe is the right candidate. It is left to Cardinal Lawrence, the Dean of the College, to organise Conclave, where all the cardinals are summoned to choose the next Pope. But through secrets and sabotage, Lawrence discovers the favourites each have something to hide. But will it be too late to before the wrong person to chosen to be Pope. 

From the very start, there is a sense of loss and ambition in the air. As some cardinals close to the late Pope grieve, others have already rallied votes in preparation of Conclave. This very clearly establishes the tone of the film, this is not about religion, thankfully. The intrigue and suspicion is set and it is left to Lawrence, played with absolute reverence and stability by Ralph Fiennes, to investigate along with his colleague, Monsignor Raymond O’Malley to find out exactly what the cardinals are planning. Each cardinal represents a faction of the church, each vying for control, wanting change or waiting to continue the late Pope’s work. It is continuously noted by several characters, these men are not perfect, they are all flawed.

Unit 234: The Lock Up

 

Storage units can offer a wealth of surprises, usually of the unexpected variety, or those that will haunt you for weeks. For such a mundane location, films that heavily use or are set in storage units need to have one hell of a narrative to keep the story going. Usually a horror or a thriller, you’d never have a rom-com set exclusively at a storage unit, with fair few unscrupulous characters and a twist that you may see coming, but at least you were entertained. Unit 234: The Lock Up is just entertaining enough that you can forgive its benign location. 

Laurie, owner of a remote storage facility, once run by her parents, ends up working the night shift after her plans fall through. After becoming suspicious of a very persistent man, claiming to own a unit, Laurie discovers an unconscious man locked in Unit 234. The man, Clayton, is chained to a gurney and missing a kidney. Laurie finds herself having to fight off a dangerous gang who are determined to retrieve Clayton, by any means necessary.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Subservience

 

It is a tale as old as time, when a man, struggles to cope with day-to-day life, taking care of his family while his wife is sick, he seeks out help. In this case, he buys a robot which ends up malfunctioning and terrorising said man’s family including his sick wife. Humanised robots is by far not a new concept and amongst the countless stories out there, Subservience doesn’t try to reinvent the AI dangerous narrative but merely tell us a story which we have seen before.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Orca

 

Strangely enough, Orca actually had some minor success at the box office, but was critically panned as it was deemed too similar to the blockbuster hit, Jaws released two years earlier. Orca is a straight forward cash in. If shark attacks are bringing in an audience, then the, presumably lesser-known orca will bring them in too. Sadly, for the killer whale, it would experience a very different life on screen as seen in Free Willy and such documentaries as Black Fish. Orca has an exciting story and holds the promise of being entertaining at the least, but the comparison with Jaws is woefully exaggerated. The only element thar connects the two films, is that there is a sea creature out for the kill.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Blink Twice

 

Originally called Pussy Island, a title that may have given the game away, Blink Twice on the surface seems like one of those glitzy mystery thrillers with hot cast and story that is expected to be full of twists. Not to say Blink Twice isn’t this, but even from the release of the trailer, there is a darker undercurrent running through this shiny film. With Zoe Kravitz in the director’s chair, she goes full force in her directorial debut, willing to show grim truths, no sugar coating and showing that this film won’t be a one from her. 

At an exclusive event held by billionaire tech mogul, Slater King, two friends Frida and Jess who are part of the catering staff, decide to crash the party. Subsequentially getting invited to Slater’s private island with a group of his associates. The island is paradise, followed by amazing dinners, wild partying on repeat for several days. But when Jess asks to leave, disturbed by something, Frida begs her to stay a little while longer. However, by the next day Jess is missing and no one remembers her even being there. 

What feels like a ‘Lady Vanishes’ type plot very quickly spirals out to be a far more sinister yet basic plot. Not necessarily a negative thing but the disturbing element is more than just a missing person. As Frida connects pieces of a puzzle that actually began the moment she arrived, some might theorise even before that, we watch her going from having the time of her life to literally surviving through hell. At the core, Blink Twice is a deep disturbing thriller that unfortunately surprises no women, when it comes to the behaviour of men. The light exploration into trauma and the discussion around reliving trauma and whether its better to forget is an interesting element to the film but it barely scratches the surface of the subject. 

The cast assembled is impressive and everyone makes their mark on screen, but the stand outs here are most definitely Naomi Ackie as Frida, our guide bringing us into this hellscape and Adria Arjona as Sarah, former reality TV star and who equally finds herself in a unbelievable situation. 

Blink Twice is a welcome addition to the long list of films with the theme of ‘eat the rich’, even if it presents itself slightly differently. For a directorial debut its impressive and as thriller mysteries go, its highly entertaining.

Birthday Girl

 

To celebrate her daughter Cille 18th birthday, her mother Nanna, pays for her and her friend Lea to go on a cruise. At first the trip is filled with laughter, dancing, and drinks, but on the first night Cille is found on the upper decks of the ship alone with no underwear and bruises. Claiming she has no memory of what happened but sure she was sexually assaulted; Nanna becomes determined to find out the truth and find the attacker.

The film very much rests on the shoulders of Trine Dyrholm who plays Nanna the mother desperately trying to find answers. Dyrholm is captivating in her role, acting as our guide through a parent’s nightmare. She very easily slips into the irresponsible mother who just wants to celebrate with her daughter to being on a mission she knows she might fail; she carries the film and does it well. But despite the great performance, the film does, at first, feel like a paint by numbers story. Young girls acts recklessly, its discovered she was raped, but she is blamed for putting herself in the position, mother takes action to find out the truth. It is the last story beat where Birthday Girl picks and becomes far more intriguing to watch.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

5lbs Of Pressure

 

There are some emotional punches thrown throughout but the bleakness of the final act that makes it difficult to see a silver lining in any of the chaos that proceeded it. Betrayal, redemption, hope are all expressed throughout 5lbs of Pressure. Consequences from actions long in the past and immediate future play out side by side as each character tries to get by and make better choices.

Adam, about to complete his parole, returns to his old neighbourhood to start over and to finally meet his son he missed growing up. When hearing about Adam’s return, Eli, the brother of the man Adam killed, plans his revenge as his own life falls apart.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Love Lies Bleeding

 

Love stories can appear in any genre and love coupled with revenge makes for one passionate bloodbath. Director (and co-writer) Rose Glass’ much anticipated follow up to religious horror Saint Maud (2019) has had audiences all geared up for what set to be a hot, sexually charged, bloody chaotic story. Glass absolutely delivered on the promise all the trailers and posters had set up. 

When small town gym manager Lou meets body builder drifter Jackie, there are immediate sparks. But after one violent incident threatens to tear the two apart, they are set on a path of chaotic revenge, each doing anything they can to protect the other.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Dogman

 

The opening sequence of man in drag, bleeding, driving a huge truck with a pack of dogs in the back, sets up the film to be one hell of story, but very soon turns into a very melancholic tale that never really seems to quite fit together. Dogman, the latest film from genre director Luc Besson, is, on the surface an intriguing story, highly character driven full blood, sweat and tears. But delve deeper and the plot falls apart, with just great performances to hold it all together.

Full review over at Filmhounds.

Mean Streets

 

Martin Scorsese has been known for his gangster films, as well as a foray into other genres, but his third film, Mean Streets was the one that pushed him into the spotlight. A gangster film about violence, crime and fraught friendship, Mean Streets not only showcased Scorsese's talent, this was Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro's first appearance together in a film, as well as the first in a long line of films, the latter worked on with the director. It could be said that Mean Streets was the start of something special.

Following a group of 20-somethings as they each try to make a name for themselves in New York city, going from small time criminals to aspiring gangsters. Charlie, trying his best to avoid crime but working for his mafia boss uncle, dreams of opening his own restaurant. Along with Tony, who runs the local bar and Michael, a loan shark who runs small dodgy deals, Charlie spends his time cleaning up the messes of his sometimes friend, Johnny Boy, a petty thug who rips off loan sharks for a living. But sooner or later, Johnny Boy's bad habits will catch up with him.

Full review over at Filmhounds HERE.

Saltburn

 

The film has divided audiences, one side disgusted, the other mesmerised but also, quite disgusted. Inspired by and somewhat a homage to Brideshead Revisited, The Talented Mr Ripley and with a smattering of Kind Hearts and Coronets, Emerald Fennell’s second feature goes further than you’d think and finally twists the knife in your side, but you can’t help but be entertained.

 

With explicit visceral sex scenes and gag inducing moments involving bathtub water and rain drenched grave, the characters that accompany these memorable parts are just as fascinating. Following Oliver, as he attends Oxford, a lonely outsider, who strikes up an unlikely friendship with the popular wealthy upper-class Felix. After becoming such good friends, and feeling sorry for him, Felix invites Oliver to stay with him and his family over the summer at his manor house, Saltburn. Oliver, desperate to stay close to Felix and be part of this life, manipulate his way through each family member until his own secrets are revealed and he makes some drastic choices.

 

If Promising Young Woman was retribution, Saltburn is obsession and entitlement. The Catton family are in privileged positions and on several occasions express the fact they feel entitled to have things their way. They want for nothing, except maybe cousin Farleigh, who is in a precarious situation. Oliver feels entitled to the same lifestyle he has partaken in through his friendship with Felix. After having a taste of this privileged existence, he believes he is entitled to take it from those around him. The argument that the film tried to make us sympathise with the upper-class characters as they come across as kind, welcoming and overall, the ‘nicer’ people is just a thin veil of what lurks beneath. Each member of the family has an underlining mean streak that appears at some point. As much of their dialogue, particularly Elspeth, comes across as absurd and comical. Making this film about class and class alone rather ruins the overarching point of the story. This isn’t about the Catton family; this is Oliver’s story and how he decides what he will become.

 

Oliver is indeed the interloper and rarely seems like a genuinely good person. From the start he pretends to be from a poor background with a difficult home life and upbringing but when it is revealed that he is from a relatively average middle class home, it reveals that Oliver is far more twisted. His lies know no end. The film begins with him insisting he wasn’t in love Felix and as the film goes on, we start to question is Oliver has told a single truth throughout and whether his opening statement was also a lie. In some ways, Oliver is an unreliable narrator who doesn’t narrate. It is his story but we don’t know how he really feels or thinks, just that he craves Felix, his family, Saltburn, his obsession grows as he starts understand himself what he really wants.

 

Femme

 

Revenge stories always have an intriguing angle, whether we see it from the victim or the perpetrator or from somewhere in between. There is always a new angle to take and Femme delivers us something that we haven't seen in a while, an actual British thriller that has on the edge of our seats throughout. Based on the short film by writers and directors, Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, the feature film is tense emotional revenge story that feels relentless. So brilliantly executed, razor sharp characters and compelling performances from Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and George Mackay.

Full review over at Filmhounds.