DISCOPATH – Dude's killer instinct is triggered by disco music in this seventies-set period horror. It starts in New York and ends in a Canadian girl's school. It's difficult to know what to make of 'Discopath'. One quite interesting thing about it is that, although it lays out an unambiguously silly premise and occasionally lurches towards black humour, the tone is weirdly dour. For a film which sounds like it might've been conceived at Troma HQ 'back in the day', it registers very few gags. In fact, there are bits which seem really brutal and disturbed. The director throws a lot of influences at the screen – 'Maniac', that whole grungy early eighties New York thing, Argento, Franco maybe, seventies French cop thrillers – some of them stick. The bits in the girl's school have a spare looking Euro artiness about them, and the disco scenes are an opportunity to indulge in set piece pyrotechnics and vivid lighting. I must say, the attention given to the 'seventies look' is pretty tremendous – the film really looks convincing. After it shifts gear into police investigation mode, 'Discopath' loses a bit of momentum, but the sketchy run time (seventy mins approx) prevents this being that much of a problem. An odd one. I liked it. How about you?
SPRING – I'm into low brow genre trash as much as the next guy, but I'm struck by the number of recent films which seem to be taking horror in a more sophisticated direction. That's not a necessary evolution – but it is interesting. Stuff like 'Under The Skin', 'Honeymoon' and 'Spring' stand out because they speak a different language, without being particularly 'arty' or 'underground'. The difference is, these films talk about the nuances of relationships and explore feelings which are more complex than primal. 'Spring' is basically a romance with transformations and tentacles, and really puts the 'love' into 'Lovecraft'. It's the tale of a dude who leaves town after his mother's death and goes back packing throughout Italy, where he meets a beautiful and mysterious scientific researcher. Things look pretty promising until her ominous secret is revealed. 'Spring' is just great. It's a slow burn for sure, and whether it works for you or not will depend on how much you buy into the characters and their apparently doomed affair (spoiler alert, though – it has a happy ending). To its credit, the horror bits don't feel incidental, which could've been a problem given the tonal balancing act. In fact, the only note that falls flat is the brief scene in which the whole back story behind the researcher and her true nature is delivered in a kind of info-dump. But this is a minor aside. The last half an hour of 'Spring' is really poignant and emotional, and the resolution is life affirming. How many horror flicks can you say that about? I really do recommend this one, particularly to sentimental types who have room in their lives for both Mills and Boon AND 'Forced Entry' (lolz). In all seriousness, it is good, you should see it.
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