Hold the Dark... this is fairly new to Netflix and is a pretty good thriller. Not quite horror, I suppose, but it's an atmospheric mystery that does the job. In a nutshell, this is the story of a relentless killer, set in the cold, gray, bleak wilds of Alaska. Wolves are nicely woven into the tale, though not as much as I'd hoped. Some story threads are resolved while others are not, though not to the detriment of the film. The unanswered questions at the end didn't bother me, just adding to the dark tone of the movie.
Sweet innocent Thomasin investigates strange noises
in the stable, in The Witch (2015)
Hereditary... after all the hype surrounding this new-ish release, I was supremely disappointed. I didn't much care for the actors or the story, though the creators did achieve a bit of a creepy atmosphere. Ultimately, I found this weird, even irritating, but not at all scary. Nothing made sense and nothing was explained... maybe I just wasn't paying close attention, because I was getting bored. Meh.
Pirhana 3DD... okay, I don't normally spend valuable viewing time on schlock like this, but I was just in the mood for a dumb blood-fest that night. The title says it all, and I suppose I got what my low expectations demanded. Stoopid yet entertaining... if you can appreciate this sort of thing. Loads of nudity and violence and blood. Really over-the-top piranha kills are what kept this humming along; ridiculous special effects and ideas don't hurt this - it's what the doctor ordered. It's a goofy, gruesome comedy, and the celebrity cameos added slight interest... and of course, the Hoff hangs around for a bit.
Blood of the Vampire... a late 50's attempt at horror, which fails at scaring, but is a decent melodrama. There is no vampire in sight, just a crazy doctor and his deformed lab assistant conducting obscene experiments in a remote Transylvanian insane asylum. Yep, wacky stuff, just not told in the most exciting way. Wouldn't have been so ho-hum if there'd been an actual vampire in the mix.
The Witch... I re-watched this modern exercise in subdued horror, yet again admiring the performances and the atmosphere of dread, all enhanced by the period piece visuals and the minimalistic chilling musical score. Set in the 1600's, a Puritan family faces the supernatural in the woods beyond their New England farm. Not for fans of slasher flicks (or Piranha movies); this is a quiet slow-burn spine-tingler that rewards only the patient viewer. One of the best modern films in the genre.
Angst... an 80's Austrian curiosity, this follows a man as he is released from prison, breaks into a home, and then proceeds to wreak psychotic violence on a family. Just slightly entertaining, this doesn't really establish a solid mood at all. The killer behaves so awkwardly, erratically, desperately... and nothing he does looks calculated. He seems to be either really stupid or is completely mentally unhinged. Probably the latter. There are some interesting camera techniques here that I believe are ahead of their time. Also of note: Angst was banned across Europe upon its release. Though mostly just strange, there is one gory scene well into the movie that must have prompted that ban.
Blood Hook... an 80's American horror B-movie (weren't they all? Well, most of them...) that seems quite comfortable with its silly yet bloody premise: hapless night-time boaters and swimmers are snagged by a mysterious fishing line that flies out of nowhere, viciously tearing into them with its multi-hooked lure... yanking them into the water to their death. Sounds super hokey, and it is, yet there is that effective 80's horror movie vibe that works here... you know, a mood and look reminiscent of Friday the 13th, Sleepaway Camp, and others. Dopey but still sorta fun.
Now I'll see if I can get some better fright flicks into my October line-up. I'll scour my collection for a movie I haven't seen in ages, and perhaps rent a highly-recommended horror I've yet to see. Wish me luck.
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