CREEPY – A good horror thriller from the director of ‘Cure’ and ‘Pulse’. Retired homicide detective / psychologist is a bit weirded out by his new neighbour, whilst a case from the past looms in his mind. Lays on an eerie mood for its first half before going a little more ‘standard’ during the final act, but throughout this is engaging stuff that gets under the skin and into the marrow. Chimes in some ways with ‘Cure’ in that the killer and the general murderousness of it all have a slightly ineffable quality, and is definitely one to watch if you dig the director’s other films.
THE WAILING – This well regarded Korean horror movie is a bit of a sit-me-down at two and a half hours, but it doesn’t feel like it. About a small-town cop who investigates a series of deaths on his patch – they seem to coincide with an outbreak of killer pox and the arrival of a mysterious man out in the woods. Things get a bit ‘Exorcist’ when his daughter falls ill. It’s so well put together that it flies past, leaving only an air of creepiness and faint tragedy in its wake. Appreciated how tonally it weaves black comedy and bleak horror effortlessly throughout.
RUPTURE – Noomi Rapace is held captive by parties unknown in this slick torture-porn workout for the mainstream. It’s pretty gore-free, but it does include lots of imagery of Rapace being tied down and prodded by tormenters of the ‘sinister-medic’ variety. Normally I’d be a bit dismissive of something so lightweight, but it did seem vaguely entertaining despite the general predictability on show, not to mention its misuse of Rapace’s talents. The fact that they throw in some baffling sci-fi stuff about radical gene mutation endeared it to me, if only because it seemed like a ridiculous excuse for everything else that was ridiculous about it. A cheap ninety minutes of dubious ‘fun’ if you’re in a forgiving mood.
GRIZZLY – One of those seventies horror flicks that stylistically seem more at home on TV than in a cinema (cue that specific sort of easy listening soundtrack music that always makes my hackles rise). On the other hand, there’s Andy Prine in it and a kid gets his arm ripped off, so it’s not all ‘Knots Landing’ with a killer bear. As you can probably guess, it’s a ‘nature attacks’ movie from the decade of ‘Jaws’, and basically does what it says on the tin. Alongside the cardboard aesthetics is a bit of gore and the aforementioned mean-spiritedness, but it’s mostly just a bunch of guys running around after a bear in the woods. Enjoyable, for all that.
LIQUID SKY – A long-time Frankie favourite that I’m pleased to finally be able to catch up with on BD. Well, what can I say about ‘Liquid Sky’? If you find the term ‘cult flick’ too elastic these days, a viewing of this will probably recalibrate your movie gland. Aliens land in Manhattan and harvest the orgasmic chemicals of some downtown hipster junkies and fashion victims. That description makes it sound as though it might play out along similar lines to something like ‘Return of the Living Dead’ / alternative exercise in eighties quirkiness, whereas it’s more like a fragmented Euro art flick relocated to the margins of the NYC post-punk scene. Compelling stuff for anyone who likes their horror / sci-fi weirdness served up alongside bad early video effects and a ‘performance art’ style attitude, although it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea.
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