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17]
Spirits Of The Dead
There’s often a lot of love for Fellini’s segment in this anthology, but very little for the segments from Louis Malle and Roger Vadim. I love all three. It’s fascinating how all of them resonate with each other, the haunting of central characters, the disparate states of the environment the characters inhabit. From the hedonistic and overwhelming (orgies, awards ceremonies) to desolate and solitary, each story seems to run the gamut.
[
18]
Dolls
There’s more to Dolls than is often given credit. Structurally laid out like a story for a child, it seems for much of the opening of the movie to actually be aimed at children. But there’s a bite, delivered with a flurry of practical and stop motion effects that is far more effective than anything CGI could deliver. Like many a Stuart Gordon film, it’s lean and doesn’t outstay its welcome. It’s hard not to enjoy this film.
[
19]
Rites Of Spring
Rites Of Spring adopts a similar concept to Ben Wheatley’s Kill List, splicing a crime film with a rural horror film. But sadly unlike Kill List you’re not blindsided by the rural horror elements. Written and directed by Padraig Reynolds, Reynolds seems more adept at directing, able to build tension and effectively execute the odd jump scare, but the writing, particularly the dialogue is very poor. It may not have an original bone in its body, but it’s an enjoyable little film that perhaps could have been something special with a bit more work on the script.
[
20]
Varsity Blood
I was really looking forward to Varsity Blood after watching Bloody Homecoming. Bloody Homecoming in terms of script was a love letter to 80s slasher cinema, but executed in a mediocre way. This time Jake Helgren (writer of Bloody Homecoming) takes on both writing and directing duties, and I had hoped would deliver where the previous director had failed. While it is much more competently directed, the script feels rushed. There’s a steady build up of clichés culminating in a horrific Scooby-Doo style reveal, which is painful to watch. The killer’s costume is effective at times though.
[
21]
Night Of The Creeps
Night Of The Creeps is a joy, awash with references and homage to B-movies and those responsible. It’s stuffed with tropes typically associated to such films, there’s an escaped mental patient, aliens, sororities, a school formal, a detective haunted by the past, an experimental cryogenic laboratory, slugs which require a human host to incubate, etc, etc. It’s a witty, self-aware little gem of a film that I find myself coming back to again and again.