Hello dear reader, December has come and gone and here’s some reviews of what I’ve been watching. My reviews are spoiler free.
His House (2020) 9/10
Remi Weekes’ feature debut is a scary, moving and timely British haunted house movie exploring survivor’s guilt, the difficulties with assimilation and the UK’s nightmarish asylum process. A South Sudanese refugee couple Rial and Bol, played outstandingly by Wumni Mosaku and Sope Dirisu, must prove they are one of the ‘good ones’ to their bigoted case worker whilst dealing with the trauma of losing their daughter and the increasingly strange goings on in their new ‘home.’ Weekes creates an incredibly tense and foreboding atmosphere with clever uses of space and time to express the terror of being in an unknown place and the necessity of coming to terms with the past. I also really appreciated the complexity of Weekes’ characters and the unexpected narrative turns which were a real punch in the metaphorical dick. Hot on the heels of Relic, it seems like 2020 turned out to be a massive year for mould-based horror too. As you can imagine I am extremely excited to see Weekes’ next project and I was pleased to hear about his BIFA nominations, surely a BAFTA nomination is also not too much to ask?
The Invisible Man (2020) 8/10
Director Leigh Whannell transforms H.G. Wells’ classic science fiction tale into a cracking horror thriller with strong feminist leanings. In a welcome update to the original story, the film focuses on Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) a woman pursued, seemingly even after death, by her controlling, tech dickhead ex-boyfriend. I’d heard a lot of hype about this movie and to be honest I was worried the #MeToo dimension would be handled clunkily, especially considering the dodgy gender politics of Whannell’s debut feature Insidious: Chapter 3. But, to my relief, it thoughtfully explores the themes of toxic relationships and gaslighting without being too heavy-handed, largely aided by Elisabeth Moss’s incredible performance. Moss forgoes a hammier interpretation of the role and delivers an understated and nuanced performance which largely nails the complexity of abuse survivor’s emotions. It also blends some unbelievably suspenseful sequences with a couple of well-earned jump scares and effective, sometimes shocking, gore.
The Corruption of Chris Miller (1973) 9/10
I know giallo movies can be an acquired taste, but I love them and Juan Antonio Bardem’s fascinatingly enigmatic horror thriller is certainly no exception. The film centres around Ruth and her stepdaughter Chris who welcome an itinerant, hilari-handsome handyman into their secluded countryside home all the while a serial killer is on the loose. It is a visually sumptuous movie with a beautifully lush Waldo de los Rios score, and the fashions are frankly iconic. But it is also a tale about the consequences of male violence (both physical and mental), a survivor’s complex and often ambiguous relationship to their own sexuality and the evils of internalised misogyny. The Spanish actress Marisol poignantly portrays the PTSD-afflicted Chris, and given the recent revelations about the abuse she suffered as a child actress, it adds even more pathos to her performance. As Ruth, Jean Seberg is as incredible as you’d expect her to be and I’m still thinking about that purple dress. Like most giallo films it has proto-slasher sensibilities and there’s a definite whiff of I Know What You Did Last Summer in some of its imagery. I’m actually gutted that it’s taken me this long to see the movie, but I’m hoping its rotation on Shudder will bring it a much-deserved wider audience.
Extra Ordinary (2019) 7.5/10
This is a brilliantly bawdy and deadpan Irish comedy horror which has Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace firmly within in its DNA. The film centres around the supernaturally gifted Rose, played adorkably by Maeve Higgins, who gave up her paranormal calling after the accidental death of her ghost expert father. However, her gifts are desperately needed once again after Christian Winter, a pompous American musician and Satanist, attempts to sacrifice a local girl. There’s plenty of 80s nostalgia here with Satanic Panic intrigue, Ghostbusters references and an enjoyable synthy soundtrack. I appreciated the gentle way the ghosts stood in for the difficulties of letting go of our own guilt and grief about those who have passed away. Barry Ward is also hilarious as Rose’s potential love interest, a man who is literally being haunted by his resentful dead wife. Will Fort (aka MacGruber) is great as Christian Winter and I also wondered if his character was a little dig at wealthy Americans who move to Ireland? There’s also a cameo from Derry Girls’ Siobhán McSweeney which is always welcome in my book. Admittedly it does become a wee bit unstuck around the climax and not all the jokes land, but having said that it’s still a very entertaining watch and arguably one of the most sex positive horror movies I’ve seen in long time.
Symptoms (1974) 8/10
José Ramón Larraz’s British exploitation horror is a genuinely eerie and upsetting tale about sexual repression, same-sex desire and psychosis. The reclusive Helen invites her friend Anne to stay in her country manor house, however things start to get a bit weird as they are menaced by strange noises in the attic and the resident handyman Brady. The taut build-up of paranoia and claustrophobia reminded me a lot of Repulsion, but the film also has thematic and physical nods to The Turn of the Screw. The sound design is also very effective and complements some truly scary, disturbing moments. Angela Pleasance delivers an amazing and sympathetic performance as the disturbed, child-like Helen and Lorna Heilbron is equally effective as Anne. I think my only criticism is that Brady reminds me, somewhat hilariously, of the Local Guardian in the BBC adaptation of M.R James’ A Warning to the Curious which sometimes took me out of the narrative. But otherwise the film offers a pretty searing critique 70s Britain (which could easily apply today) by exploring the fear of sexuality, the policing of non-conformist women’s behaviour, and even the upper classes exploitation of the working classes. It also fits nicely into my favourite niche horror sub-genre of troubled 70s women hanging around water (see Let’s Scare Jessica to Death and Messiah of Evil for more information) which is nice. Intriguingly, Jean Seberg was originally cast as Helen and it is remarkable how many similarities there are between The Corruption of Chris Miller and this film.
Let's Scare Lauren to Death 