Tag: Creepy

Categories
Blood-n-Guts Box Office Bangs Comedic Scares

They’re Us *SPOILERS*

UsSo…

I needed some time to sit and process Us before I could fully articulate what I think. This is a movie that can’t really be talked about without spoilers, so I’m giving you one more chance to bail before anything is ruined.

3…

2…

1…

Okay, I’m assuming if you’re still reading that means that you have either already seen the movie or you’re a masochist who doesn’t mind spoilers.

Let me start off by saying I really, truly enjoyed Us. It was scary and different and the cast was absolutely incredible. Jordan Peele is a genius at merging horror and comedy in a way that I haven’t seen before. Even in the most intense scenes a well-placed and well-timed joke can release some tension, and give the audience a well deserved break before things get even more tense.

So what exactly is this clone/doppelganger horror flick really about?

The trailer did an incredible job of giving just enough without showing all the best scenes, which is a problem that plagues many horror films. There’s either too much, or it makes the movie look like something completely different than what it actually is.

The follows the Wilson family as they go to they head to their beach house for the summer. The family consists of mom Addy (Lupito Nyong’o), dad Gabe (Winston Duke), daughter Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph), and son Jason (Evan Alex). The Wilson’s aren’t there for more than 12 hours before their exact doubles show up, and attempt to kill them.

The opening of the movie takes place in 1986, and we see a young family at a carnival on the Santa Cruz pier. Tension between the mother and father is clear, and the young girl with them seems extremely aware that things are unhappy between her parents. When her mother leaves to go to the bathroom and her father plays Whack-a-Mole the little girl wanders off and finds herself in a fun house. On the way, she passes a man holding a sign that says “Jeremiah 11:11”.  Inside the fun house the girl gets turned around because of all the mirrors, and the scene ends with her bumping into what at first appears to be another mirror with her reflection only for her to turn around and the “reflection” to keep it’s back turned.

The audience is the thrown back into the present, and we join the Wilson family. When Gabe announces they are going to meet their friends at the Santa Cruz beach, Addy becomes visibly anxious. They bicker back and forth about whether or not the family will go to the beach, but eventually Addy gives in when Gabe agrees that they will be home by dark. This is the first moment it becomes clear that Addy was the young girl from the opening scene.

On their way to the beach they pass an ambulance loading a dead body into the back. The body has bleeding wounds, and carved into his forehead is “11:11” indicating that he is the man Addy saw when she was young. This is the first tip off (in modern day at least) that something is very, very wrong in Santa Cruz. Later at the beach, Jason goes to the bathroom by himself and sees a man standing with his back to him, with his arms out stretched, face to the sky, and blood dripping off his hands. Addy is in hysterics, and chastises her son for leaving without telling her where he is going, and the Wilson’s head home.

Once they’re home, Addy recounts her childhood experience to her husband. The flash back cuts off right as she and her doppleganger come face to face and adult Addy says “I ran as fast as I could.” And here in lies my first qualm with the story telling.

Let’s all be very honest for a moment: Jordan Peele, while an incredible horror writer and director, is still very new to horror. He has mastered so many specifics of the genre, and I’m so impressed by his work. That being said, Us is only his second horror film and with the genre comes  so many nuances that I don’t think any first time horror director is able to perfectly master all of them. Peele tries to leave us a few bread crumbs to indicate that (and here is the first SPOILER) Addy is, in fact, the doppleganger we saw earlier who took her under ground and switched places with her. Where the flash back is cut off, the fact that we find out Addy did not speak once her parents found her, and her mother telling the child psychologist “I just want my daughter back.” were all supposed to be crumbs…in my opinion, however, they were more like neon arrows pointing to the switch that was made.

Of course! This is just my feelings towards it, and it may be different for other viewers. I will say that I feel as though Get Out was much more subtle in leading us towards the deeper sinister goings on.

So, we finally meet the other family. Let me skip right to the point: the Other Addy tells a story of “the girl and her shadow”, which is the only time I thought maybe I was wrong about Addy being replaced with the doppleganger. Later, once Addy has made it down to the facility where the dopplegangers were being kept the Other Addy explains that the were created to be “tethered” to the people above, and she thinks it was in order to control the people above. But jokes on them, because the the Tethered wound up being controlled by the people above. There are scenes that show what happens above and how the Tethered are controlled by the above ground people that are absolutely stunning. Tethered Addy, once she is above ground, is put into dance by her parents to encourage her to express herself. Peele choreographs a scene that cuts in scenes of Tethered Addy dancing on a stage above, and the fight between Tethered and Other Addy that is one of the most stunningly choreographed scenes I have ever seen on camera, and Black Swan is one of my favorite horror movies.

I have a lot of back and forth on this movie: on one hand, it is a stunning example of horror married with comedy, and it’s some of the most beautiful film making I have ever seen, but on the other hand there is a lot of rabbit trailing and some loose ends I would have loved to see better tied up.

BUT…

All that to say, I enjoyed it SO much. I was scared, I was moved, I was challenged to think about deeper issues…and that is everything a horror movie should do for you. Also, Lupita Nyong’o gave one of the most incredible performances that I have ever seen. I have been thinking about it ever since, and honestly I want to watch it a million more times specifically for her performance. The fact that she is portrayed both our “protagonist” and our “antagonist” (though both Addys could be pro- and antagonist depending on your view) and you really feel like you are watching two completely different people’s performances is absolutely incredible. Regardless of how you feel about this movie, there is no denying her talent and the life she brings to these roles.

This is a movie I would really love to hear thoughts on. You can DM me on Instagram (@wickedlittleblog) or email me (sarahkrodden@gmail.com) with your thoughts. Please specify in the subject line that it’s about this if you email me!

Us Trailer

Us IMDB

Us Wiki

Jordan Peele IMDB

Jordan Peele Wiki

 

 

Categories
B Calm Blood-n-Guts Old vs. New

Cabin Fever Needs a Vaccination (spoilers, kind of)

Let me start this off by saying I am NOT an Eli Roth hater: on the contrary, he has been my favorite director for several years now. If Eli Roth is attached to a project, I WILL watch it. So it truly pains me to say that the remake of Cabin Fever was one of the worst movies I’ve seen in a long time. If you’ve seen the original film, then there isn’t much to spoil, but if you haven’t and don’t want key plot points ruined come back after you’ve watched the 2002 original.

The new filmmakers used the exact script from the original, 2002 Roth film and it was more or less a shot for shot remake. We all know we are living in a time of remakes: Evil Dead, Pet Sematary, Child’s Play. Reboots and remakes are everywhere you turn, but Cabin Fever – in my opinion – did not need a remake. For starters, the film was not even 15 years old at the time that it was redone by director Travis Z. Second of all, it was 95% a shot-for-shot remake of Roth’s original teen horror film.

I’m well aware that shot-for-shot remakes can, and have, worked. However, the brilliance (and absurdity) of the original Cabin Fever was the way in which Roth constantly shocked the audience with the frantic pace and bold body horror. The film worked because of its originality, and a exact remake is anything but original. Remakes like Evil Dead or The Thing took brilliant pieces of original cinema and made enough changes that they felt fresh and inventive to both new fans and fans of the originals.

Obviously I can’t speak for people coming to this movie without having seen Roth’s original movie, but I’m not even sure a new viewer would enjoy this movie. The pacing seems off from the very beginning, the actors don’t deliver the dialogue in a convincing way, and the beloved comic relief sheriff was changed to a blonde sex pot whose laugh lines feel forced and uncomfortable.

The thing that I have always admired about Roth is that he doesn’t hold back in his film making. The point in his movies is often how much can you watch before turning off the TV? With an exact remake the fans have already experienced everything there is to experience from that story. The shock and the rush viewers got that first time watching Cabin Fever is gone.

The few things they did try and do different did not add anything better to the plot, just made things more unrealistic and corny. The main character Paul, played by Samuel Davis, finally gets a shot with his childhood crush only to find out she has gotten the flesh eating disease ravaging the small community. By the end of the movie Karen, played by Gage Golightly, has barely any skin and has been attacked by an infected dog. She is laying in the boat house where they quarantined her begging for Paul to kill her. Paul stands there for far too long dealing with his inner struggle. When he finally decides to put Karen out of her intense agony the gun won’t fire, so Nick takes a shovel and shoves it into Karen’s mouth and severs her jaw which, shockingly (that’s sarcasm), doesn’t kill her. He then SETS THE SHED ON FIRE AND BURNS HER ALIVE.

The original Paul, played by Ryder Strong, also chooses a shovel to help end Karen’s misery. However, rather than stab her in the face with the shovel he bludgeons her with it. Bludgeoning is still a pretty nasty way to end someone’s life, but at least Paul 1 didn’t set her on fire. The remake of Karen’s death scene is frankly one of the strangest scenes in a movie I have ever seen. The pacing is awkward and weird and you just wind up feeling sick in the worst way for this poor girl who keeps begging for him to kill her.

Roth endorsed this remake, and for that reason alone I wish I was able to say I enjoyed it. I think everyone who is a hardcore Eli Roth fan can admit that Cabin Fever (2002) has its own problems. It is a clear debut film, but it was a debut film that set him on a trajectory within the horror community that everyone was dying to see. He followed it up with films Hostel, Green Inferno, and Knock Knock all of which kept on the same path of “how long can you watch” as Cabin Fever.

I don’t really like to write negative reviews like this because in most situations I want to credit artists for their creation rather I like it or not. In this situation, however, with it being a shot-for-shot remake I don’t feel nearly as bad saying this: Do NOT waste your time on this remake. If you want to watch a remake of a classic go with Evil Dead instead: even more blood and a fantastic amount of originality. If you’re in the mood for Roth-like body horror just watch the original Cabin Fever (and the original has added bonus of Ryder Strong and his face). But I’d strongly recommend giving the new Cabin Fever the pass the next time you’re ready for some gore.

*Also, Eli Roth’s History of Horror is absolutely incredible. If you don’t have a Shudder subscription it is worth the 4.99 a month alone.

Cabin Fever (2002)

Wiki

IMDB

Trailer

Cabin Fever (2016)

Wiki

IMDB

Trailer

Eli Roth

Wiki

IMDB

Categories
Bumps in the Night Podcast Scares

I Promise: Alice isn’t Dead

img_0130I’m sure everyone that would be interested in a blog such as this has become familiar with the incredible world of Night Vale Presents and all the audio magic they do. Before I was as die hard about podcasts as I am now a friend of mine told me about Welcome to Night Vale because she was sure that I would be obsessed instantly…

This is, unfortunately, the part where I have to admit that I was not instantly obsessed with Welcome to Night Vale. It was delightfully strange, and absurdly weird but it didn’t quite hit the spot I needed out of a podcast at that moment. Shortly after, though, the same friend introduced me to another of Night Vale Presents audio dramas: Alice isn’t Dead.

Now, to say that I was instantly obsessed with Alice Isn’t Dead would be an understatement.

I remember sitting in the passenger seat of her car, listening to the narrators incredible voice, delighted to hear that it was about a lesbian couple, and sufficiently creeped out by the arrival of one of the series several big bads. It was the horror that I was looking for. It gave me a pit in my stomach when I listened to it at night, and I had to be careful of how much I listened to when I was driving.

The basic premise of the show is that the narrator (who remains nameless for nearly all of season one) has completely abandoned her life to become a truck driver and search the country for her wife, Alice, who she had thought was dead. While the narrator is on the road, she encounters a man that isn’t quite a man who she refers to as “The Thistle Man”.  As she makes her away through the United States the narrator begins to encounter unexplainable, and seemingly supernatural, events that become increasingly more life threatening as the show progresses.

With it being a three season series, that’s about all I can explain without giving any spoilers.

But one of the things I can definitely talk about is the incredible lesbian representation within this show. The narrator, played by the incredibly talented Jasika Nicole, is a lesbian truck driver with an anxiety disorder and possibly one of the most amazing voices I have ever heard. It’s a unique show in that Jasika Nicole is the only voice actor throughout the entirety of the first season. The whole thing is delivered through the CB radio in her truck, and all of the conversations are retold by the narrator rather than acted out by multiple voice actors.

I’m accustomed to podcasts like The NoSleep Podcast or The Black Tapes where each part is acted out by a different voice actor, so when I fist started Alice I was surprised to hear only Jasika Nicole’s voice throughout the entire episode. However, as you fall more and more in love with the narrator as a character it because easier to image yourself sitting in the passenger seat of her cab and listening to her retell her stories in real time.

Alice isn’t Dead mixes the delightful absurdity of Welcome to Night Vale with the genuinely terrifying that is more expected from a network such as Shudder. If you’re looking for a whimsical horror story, Alice isn’t Dead is the perfect podcast for you.

But be forewarned, you will absolutely want to binge the entire three seasons in a row.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

*And a quick side note*
The creator of Alice isn’t Dead has also written a novel of the same name that is a stand alone adaptation of the podcast. I have not had the opportunity to read the novel yet, but it is slowly creeping closer to the top of my reading list. Once I have finally sat down and read the entire thing I will update on how the novel compares to the podcast.

Night Vale Presents: Alice isn’t Dead 

Alice isn’t Dead Wiki 

Alice isn’t Dead Novel Alice isn’t Dead Novel 

Categories
B Calm

Jug Face pours out creepiness

Jug FaceOK, so let me tell you why I decided to watch this movie in the first place.

STORY TIME!

This movie was on Netflix for quite some time, and I looked at it over and over again trying to decide if I wanted to give it a chance or if it was something that would really appeal to me. I decided to hold off until I had some time to look into it more and the story-line and really see what I would be getting myself into. Unfortunately, I waited just a little too long and it was taken off of Netflix and I honestly forgot about it.

But then something absolutely fantastic happened.

During our CMA Edu event with Scott Scovill I got the opportunity to talk with his personal assistant, Katie Groshong, who is an actress/producer who runs the small production company GypsyRoot with writer/director/cinematographer Jeff Wedding. We were talking about horror films and she was writing a list of movies her company had made and that she had acted in and guess what movie was on that list…

That’s right!

Jug Face!

(I hope that was the conclusion you got since that’s the film this entry is about.)

Katie was one of the actresses in this film, and that was enough to get me to check it out. Unfortunately, as I mentioned before, it was taken off of Netflix and I was forced to rent it on AmazonPrime. I guess this is a prime example of “You snooze you lose”, don’t you think?

I suppose I should tell you about the movie in this film instead of just talking about how I have met one of the actresses, and sounding like I am bragging.

So, Jug Face is a fantastic example of Southern Gothic horror. The basic plot of this movie is creepy enough without any of the actual conflict. The movie follows a Southern backwoods community that has some sort of magical pit (there may or may not be some sort of creature living in it, if there is we never see it) as their god. Ada, played by Lauren Ashley Carter, is a young girl who we quickly find out has a sexual relationship with her brother.

Ada is arranged to be “joined” with the son of another family, but she finds out that she is pregnant with her brother’s child.

Gross, I know.

Meanwhile we have the story of the jug faces slowly being revealed to us. Dawai, played by Sean Bridgers, is a member of the community who is spoken to by the pit. He creates the jug faces which reveal of a face of a member of the community who is to be sacrificed to the pit. One day Ada goes to visit him, and before going in she retrieves the latest jug face from the kiln which, to her horror, is her own face staring back at her.

What would you do?

Well, she hides it.

And then all hell breaks loose.

This movie couples the creepy feel of cult life with the actual imminent danger of a very real threat within the pit. Director/writer Chad Kinkle does a beautiful job of making the audience feel conflicted about whether or not Ada is doing the right thing. Since she has angered the pit, it begins to take the lives of other members of the community while she has visions of the gruesome deaths. We are stuck in a place of complete understanding and irritation at her selfishness.

I haven’t seen a lot of Southern Gothic horror films but this definitely has me hooked and I can’t wait to watch more.

On a side-note I would like to share something with you having to do with Katie Groshong, the actress/producer I mentioned earlier.

In July I will be interning with her production company while they film their newest horror film. I am ridiculously excited about this amazing opportunity to no longer just be a viewer of a horror film, but to be able to be a part of the process of making it come to life.

Have you seen any good Southern Gothic films? What is your opinion about the genre if you have? How do you feel about the cult type creepy that is used?

Jug Face Wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jug_Face

Jug Face IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2620736/

Jug Face Trailer: