Short horror reviews x2
Nov. 11th, 2021 11:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yuuagoThe Alpines (2021): "Psychological horror/thriller" set in a remote cabin. A group of friends turn on each other as their secrets threaten to be exposed. Would not recommend.
There was absolutely nothing to make me care about any of these people. I think they were supposed to be unlikeable, but... the end result was that I was kind of bored.
Could have done without the "mentally ill person is dangerous" plot. Like, I've really had enough of that.
On a technical/structural level, the characters kept saying "We can't leave", when it was a... nice and sunny day out... And even during the storm, it didn't seem like enough of a storm to prevent anyone from leaving the cabin. It's possible that I missed it, but I think if there had been some clear discussion during the storm and then directly after, stating that the news had reported that the roads were flooded/unnavigable, it would have been more convincing.
It seemed like this film was attempting to be artsy, but it didn't work very well. A few interesting visuals, but not enough to make note of. The voiceover at the end was weird.
At the very end, there was the suggestion that it was all in the main character's imagination. Bo-ring. But it could also be interpreted as a setup for a time loop - and I find that much more interesting. If it was meant to be a time loop movie, then that element of it wasn't well executed, though.
I saw a review that suggested it might work better as a stage play, and that idea is intriguing. I think I'm inclined to agree. There are some scenes that would be tricky to adapt - they might need to be heavily rewritten - but the general premise does seem like it'd be better suited to theatre than film.
Belzebuth (2017). Investigation into a series of massacres reveals a link to demon possession. This one is a Mexican film. I normally find horror centring around demons and possession and whatnot to be terribly dull, but this one worked for me.
This is not one that I'd recommend to anyone who's disturbed by harm to children, since the entire story centres around that, but I think I would recommend it in general.
The vibe kind of reminds me of The Exorcist tv series. Not just on account of the subject matter; there's something about the execution, or the way it's shot, or something. Not an imitation, but tapping into a similar aesthetic.
A moment of levity: "We asked for help, and they sent us the Real Ghostbusters". Haaa. But real talk, I enjoyed the way the paranormal stuff was incorporated into the investigation. It was a good setup.
My one complaint is that this movie was a bit too long. The exorcism at the end went on quite a while, and I found myself thinking it could have been trimmed. But this might be on account of my lack of patience for exorcisms.
There was absolutely nothing to make me care about any of these people. I think they were supposed to be unlikeable, but... the end result was that I was kind of bored.
Could have done without the "mentally ill person is dangerous" plot. Like, I've really had enough of that.
On a technical/structural level, the characters kept saying "We can't leave", when it was a... nice and sunny day out... And even during the storm, it didn't seem like enough of a storm to prevent anyone from leaving the cabin. It's possible that I missed it, but I think if there had been some clear discussion during the storm and then directly after, stating that the news had reported that the roads were flooded/unnavigable, it would have been more convincing.
It seemed like this film was attempting to be artsy, but it didn't work very well. A few interesting visuals, but not enough to make note of. The voiceover at the end was weird.
At the very end, there was the suggestion that it was all in the main character's imagination. Bo-ring. But it could also be interpreted as a setup for a time loop - and I find that much more interesting. If it was meant to be a time loop movie, then that element of it wasn't well executed, though.
I saw a review that suggested it might work better as a stage play, and that idea is intriguing. I think I'm inclined to agree. There are some scenes that would be tricky to adapt - they might need to be heavily rewritten - but the general premise does seem like it'd be better suited to theatre than film.
Belzebuth (2017). Investigation into a series of massacres reveals a link to demon possession. This one is a Mexican film. I normally find horror centring around demons and possession and whatnot to be terribly dull, but this one worked for me.
This is not one that I'd recommend to anyone who's disturbed by harm to children, since the entire story centres around that, but I think I would recommend it in general.
The vibe kind of reminds me of The Exorcist tv series. Not just on account of the subject matter; there's something about the execution, or the way it's shot, or something. Not an imitation, but tapping into a similar aesthetic.
A moment of levity: "We asked for help, and they sent us the Real Ghostbusters". Haaa. But real talk, I enjoyed the way the paranormal stuff was incorporated into the investigation. It was a good setup.
My one complaint is that this movie was a bit too long. The exorcism at the end went on quite a while, and I found myself thinking it could have been trimmed. But this might be on account of my lack of patience for exorcisms.
Yuu. Fic writer & book lover. M/Canada.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 08:30 am (UTC)Heh, this reminds me of the bit in classic bad horror film Manos: The Hands of Fate where they can't leave the creepy guesthouse because their car has broken down and the nearest town is.... ten miles away...
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 02:05 pm (UTC)I've heard things about Manos, but never seen it myself. ;V Legendary!