‘Tis the season to watch horror films for free from under a mountain of fleecy blankets. Is there any other way to watch a creepy movie? This is a special Halloween edition of Checking out the Film, short reviews of recent library check-outs.
Title
Demon
Director
Marcin Wrona
Format
Streaming (Hoopla)
Review
Nothing’s more fun than a wedding, right? Wrong–in so many, many ways. Especially so when you’ve recently uncovered a body (and rapidly buried it again) on the plot of land where you’re building a house for your bride-to-be. Worse still when this land belongs to her family, so you have very literally discovered the skeletons they were hiding.
For Piotr, his wedding in small town Poland goes from bad to worse when the spirit of the deceased possesses him in this tale of a dybbuk from Jewish mythology. The concept works chillingly well as the spirit is that of a Jewish woman who mysteriously vanished from the village long ago in the late 1930s. This is very much a slow burn that could have used a bit more intrigue early on, but quite an original concept for a horror film.
Who Should Watch
People who can’t imagine anything worse than the last wedding they attended. It can always be worse.
Title
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Director
Jack Arnold
Format
Streaming (Hoopla)
Review
It’s that time of the year for a holiday classic about a swimmer in a fish man costume. After scientists take a trip down the Amazon in search of wildlife there, they encroach on the natural habitat of a creature who hasn’t changed in thousands of years. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the creature is less than stoked when the humans hang around and chuck a few spears in its direction, though it’s quite ok with essential lady assistant Kay hanging around.
I’m going to be honest–to me, this doesn’t hold up as a horror classic. It’s not even campy or melodramatic enough to be entertaining. There are just endless shots of dudes swimming around underwater, which was probably quite advanced at the time, but isn’t visually thrilling in black and white. And for all of the classic posters of Kay being abducted by the creature, she’s in its clutches for less than a minute of this film’s run time. Is that an odd complaint about a film–not enough abduction? I do appreciate the aquatic take on Frankenstein here, and the early environmental messages.
Who Should Watch
Al Gore.
Title
Child’s Play (2019)
Director
Lars Kievberg
Format
DVD
Review
In this 21st century update of the horror franchise, Chucky is a smart doll who controls electronics and learns from the world around him. Surely nothing could go wrong when a refurbished model of the doll sits through The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and listens to pre-teen Andy talk about his hatred for his mom’s boyfriend…right? Aubrey Plaza, kindred spirit and horror star of my dreams, plays Andy’s mom, who has terrible taste in men and struggles to make ends meet. Her life is about to get much more difficult when Chucky develops a mind of his own.
While quite fun, this film feels like an extended episode of Goosebumps, but with more swearing. The concept for the update is a good one, but Chucky is never going to be as gleefully gory as in the days when he was the spirit of a serial killer trapped in the body of a doll. I honestly think some of the recent films in the Child’s Play franchise of old have been more entertaining in their willingness to embrace B-movie absurdity. Not a bad use of time, but not especially memorable.
Who Should Watch
People who can stomach a significant amount of violence against cats.
Title
Hereditary
Director
Ari Aster
Format
Streaming (Kanopy)
Review
Following the death of her emotionally abusive mother, Annie’s life begins to unravel in unexpected ways. After a horrific accident, Annie’s worst nightmare comes true: she behaves more and more like her mother. Seeking to connect with the dead, Annie turns to a kindly member of her support group who claims to speak with her deceased grandson regularly. When she manages to communicate with spirits, it’s unclear whether Annie is experiencing an otherworldly power or the same delusions that tortured her mother.
As noted many times, Toni Collette gives a brilliant, genuinely chilling performance here; in fact, I don’t think you can fault any of the performances. The disturbing images and experiences of the characters match the film’s ambitious messages about the curse of genetics and family inheritance. Though I find the end to be a bit too clever in its attempt at a dramatic twist, the conclusion has a horrific sensation of inevitability. Truly one of the good ones.
Who Should Watch
People who have ever considered having children of their own. Rethink this IMMEDIATELY.
What horrors have you witnessed this month? Ideally on film, but feel free to share your truth.
Header photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
The Pink Panther Snipes Again 
I’m so bloody stoked you liked Hereditary! Phew. It’s one of my faves. Have you caught Midsommar yet? I’ve just got the Director’s Cut which weighs in a a hefty 3 hours (approx). Lovely. Great post! Love you! x
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Yes–Toni Collette’s performance alone is enough to make Hereditary a horror classic in my opinion! But the creepy vibes were brilliantly done and the genuine terror of inheriting your family’s insanity made it close to perfection.
I haven’t gotten around to Midsommar yet. You know how I feel about excessively long films, so there will be no Director’s Cut for me! But if it comes with your recommendation, I will get there…eventually.
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