I have a significant list of horror and thriller films that were released over the summer that I don't feel I need to write a whole review for, but I still would like to express some opinions on. I'm going to try something new and do this in the form of a "Rank 'Em" post. This list is in no way comprehensive - I'm skipping "The Watchers," "The Deliverance," "AfrAId," and the Russell Crowe exorcism movie among other things, and I don't categorize movies like "The Crow" as a horror/thriller picture.
Ranked from best to least, here we go.
Oddity - The more I think about this Irish horror film from Damian Mc Carthy, the more I like it. True to its name, this is a fascinating, weird, and singular piece of work. The supernatural ideas are familiar - a blind medium seeks answers about her sister's death - but it's the way the twists and turns play out that really sets this apart. Carolyn Bracken is excellent in a double role as the two sisters, and I really have to admire the ending for not pulling any punches.
Strange Darling - JT Mollner's unnerving indie serial killer movie snuck up on me. Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner are fabulous, while the shuffled storytelling works great. Some of the commentary is a little pointed, but I like the filmmaking - several long shots that let scenes play out in interesting ways, and a dreamy soundtrack and sound design that helps set the mood. The killer fits into a trope that I'm a little uncomfortable with, but the execution is very strong (pun totally intended). Moller and his actors ensure that the title character is more than just a trope.
Blink Twice - Lots of rough edges here, but I like Zoe Kravitz's directing debut an awful lot. I like that it has a sense of humor, that it's got a great role for Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum gets to go ham, and that it's not afraid to get really dark when it needs to. It's definitely influenced by Jordan Peele's work, but has its own very distinct voice and style. The mechanics of the plotting are a mess, but the control of the tone is something special. This would be higher on the list with a couple of fixes to the third act, and I can't wait to see what Kravitz does next.
Cuckoo - It took me about an hour to figure out what this movie was doing, but once I did, I really enjoyed the ride. Cuckoo is a German co-production with an international cast, and like "Oddity" it really benefits from the more European sensibility. The frights are genuinely unsettling, but there's a lovely undercurrent of sentiment that works better than I was expecting. Also, if Dan Stevens does nothing else in his career but play kitschy character parts in genre films, I will be thrilled.
Longlegs - Oz Perkins' film is very distinctive and not scared of being a little slow and a little off-kilter. I admire its ability to create a real mood of apprehension and unease. However, I really think that the refusal to spell out more of what was actually going on undercut the movie, especially in the final round of reveals. The filmmaking is excellent, and the performances are very strong - I like Maika Monroe's more than Nicholas Cage's - so "Longlegs" is well worth the watch. I just can't get on its wavelength when it comes to the turn from serial killer movie to supernatural horror.
A Quiet Place: Day One - I don't know that this quite qualifies for this list. Sure, it's a "Quiet Place" prequel and has some excellent scenes of suspense and destruction when the aliens invade New York City. On the other hand, this is such an intimate melodrama for so much of the running time, where the stakes are kept very low. It often feels like a post-apocalyptic survival film, with Lupita Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn putting in unusually nuanced performances for a summer genre picture. I had qualms about the abrupt ending, but otherwise this was a treat.
Trap - The first half of the film is a lot of fun, with Josh Hartnett delivering an excellent performance, and a really novel, if logistically ridiculous scenario for a manhunt movie. "Die Hard" at a teen idol concert, from the POV of the baddie. And then M. Night Shyamalan makes the mistake of leaving the arena, handing over the reins to a different character, and the whole thing quickly deflates. The first half is good enough that this isn't a total wash, but "Trap" could have been a lot better than it turned out.
MaXXXine - Of Ti West's trilogy, I thought "Pearl" was great and "X" just okay. "MaXXXine" has the most stacked cast, with Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Debicki, Halsey, and Lily Collins joining Mia Goth on her tour through the seedy underbelly of Hollywood, but the movie is oddly toothless compared to the prior movies that "MaXXXine" is supposed to be connected to. I was waiting for the whole movie for Goth to really let loose and show us the monster we know she's capable of being, and the actual, heavily Manson-inspired storyline was such a letdown to see unfold.
In a Violent Nature - I like the premise here, where we see everything from the POV of a Jason Voorhies-like killer as he sets off on a murderous rampage to recover stolen property. The trouble is that this idea can't sustain a feature length film, especially one where the characters and story are so slight. With no stakes to work with, it gets awfully boring watching our protagonist shamble around from kill to kill - I couldn't help but feel like I was watching someone else playing a video game, and not a very good one.
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