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| courtesy of Fantasia IFF |
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Murder mysteries will never die. There will always be another gruesome death, a new case, a new set of suspects, and of course a detective to solve the crime. Although A Haunting in Venice is very, very loosely based on Agatha Christie’s Hallowe’en Party, basically only using some character names and the extremely bare bones of some of the plot, it makes for an exciting new prospect. With such a loose adaption, you have no idea what to expect, making this a fresh take on Christie’s classic.
There are simple rules you need to follow to ensnare an audience into your horror film. Start with a shock to entice them in, introduce an item that invites the horror in and give as little information about it as possible and finally, forget the jump scares, you will win your audience with prolonged terrifying moments instead. Directors Danny and Michael Philippou have followed these rules and have created something truly spine chilling with some images that stick in your mind long after the end credits roll.
Full review over at Filmhounds HERE.
Escaping a supposed abusive husband, Laura and her son Cody move to a small town in California. Renting a large beautiful house situated next to a lake Laura tries to make the best of things but Cody immediately feels the presence of something sinister in the lake. After several unexplained happenings in the house and Cody wanting to leave, Laura starts to slowly break down, coming to a shocking conclusion.
Ghosts are real. At least that that is what we have to accept in Martyrs Lane. As the apparitions we witness are no actually named as ghosts. It is clear from the start that something haunts this family at the centre of the story but never setting in stone that this is a supernatural focused story. Never getting the whole picture with explanations to certain actions, no matter how small, coming a lot later in the film.
Full review and coverage over at Filmhounds HERE.
Haunting occultist period dramas have a way of grabbing you by the throat and not letting go until the heart stopping end. I’m thinking of such British horror from more recent years such as Apostle and His House. The British are known for their Hammer horrors and low-grade indie horror films, when it comes to this very specific genre. Although over the years, British horror films are creeping out of the woodwork and the genre is becoming a staple on streaming services. Successes like Saint Maud, getting a cinema release and recognition is a stand out, but the smaller films are getting a chance too, thanks to Shudder and Netflix.
A short time after a gruesome death and suspicious activity at Morely Rectory, a new vicar, his wife and their adopted daughter move into the village. Almost immediately Marianne, the young wife feels a presence in the house, as does their daughter Adelaide who was Marianne’s deceased sister’s daughter. Linus, placed in the village by the Bishop instead of being sent to a missionary abroad, is beholden to the Bishop and tries to appease him, especially as he does not approve of Marianne. Further hauntings continue, making the mother and daughter seem like they are going mad. But when Marianne meets the mysterious Harry Reed, he informs her of all the missing pieces of the house’s history and what the intentions of the Bishops really are.
There are moments of ominous terror which are always welcome in these types of stories. Not giving away everything straight away creates an intriguing mystery. But the added Nazi threats in the background, make the film feel overcrowded. Is this a conspiracy or is this occult or is this both? It just makes it very confusing and at time difficult to stay focused. The wanton woman trope is also over used and seems a bit pointless. Linus doesn’t want to have sex with his wife but also is jealous at the thought of her seeking pleasure elsewhere. This aspect of the story also doesn’t feel resolved by the end and focuses more on the disappearance of Adelaide which should have been key all along.
The Banishing, although not strong in story or character, it does create an unnerving atmosphere, with acting talent trying their best to make this film more than what was given to them to work with. This is more like a starting point to a story, rather than the main event. With fine tuning of the script and a few more ominous notes rather than hitting all the usual genre beats, The Banishing could have been one the stand out horror films of the year.
Anytime someone says there’s an inanimate object that comes to life and creates chaos and goes on a murdering rampage is usually a ‘must see’. These sort of films, as there are more than you’d like are usually accompanied by a vague story or a group of characters that are equally as weird as the premise of the story, aside from all of this, you are meant to be guaranteed something entertaining and hopefully funny. However, Slaxx, decides to do something completely different but doesn’t quite pull it off.
New employee Libby is excited to be part of this trendy clothing brand, a clothing company that claims to make everything in an ethical way and is fair trade. On the eve of a huge launch of a new line of jeans that adapt to any body type, things don’t quite go according to plan. A pair of jeans comes to life and begins to pick off employees one by one, but there is something more sinister going on behind closed doors in terms of how ethical the company actually is.
Inanimate objects coming to life or being possessed in this case screams horror or comedy or both and to be fair the first act of the film, there is plenty to enjoy. An uptight manager who refers to areas of the store as ecosystems, a surely long-time employee who you just know will be the key to things later on, upbeat naïve character who is our guide into this story and dodgy idealistic company and the mean girls who don’t last long in the story, it’s all there. There are plenty of digs at companies who claim to pay above living wage, no sweat shops and all ethically resourced blah blah blah but really, they’re lying about how they conduct business. There is also space to make fun of influencers and how these big companies reward them with free swag, just for the likes and views. Most importantly the character of Libby, who is the wide-eyed girl starting a job at her dream company because of what it stands for and how great it is for the environment, is played off as the biggest stereotype and it works perfectly. The film is filled with stereotypical characters and genre cliches that are amusing and disgusting at the same time but the film tries to subvert these horror trends but trying to be, serious.
The jeans are undoubtedly the star of the film and are given ample screen time and even character development (at a push). They are lethal and supernatural, as they are actually possessed rather than come to life. The jeans are given a backstory at which we are given an insight and the predictable reveal that this ‘cool’ clothing company is not as ethical as it pretends to be. This is where the film loses its edge and heads down the ‘too serious for this genre’ path. Trying to become a warning about what could happen if we as consumers continue our terrible ways, the film also tries to use Libby as a beacon of hope. But she is quickly called out, thankfully, for her real reason for the joining the store, discount on the clothes. Essentially, no one comes off as particularly amazing, not even the jeans who are in fact wreaking revenge for what happened to them. With a bleak ending, to match its bleak third act, the silly fun of the slasher jeans film is long gone. If the film has started as a serious film, this would have been very different.
Spending too much time trying to tick all the progressive boxes, The Craft Legacy woefully misses the mark in what a sequel needs to follow a cult classic. This is such a shame as the first half had potential and lost its way completely by the end.
Full review over at Filmhounds HERE.
Missed at LFF last year, this story about a cult group that lives in the woods under the control guidance from a man named Shepard, his followers colour coded by their position, wife or daughter, is filled with dark visions making this film stand on the edge of becoming a horror, supernatural and low key thriller. Another hit on Mubi's hands.
Full review can be read HERE over at Filmhounds.
