13 Slots for the Best Horror I've Seen in the Past Year
[2 of 13]

HOUSEWIFE

(September 2017)

“Let's go back to where it all began.”

After gracing the ¡Qué horror! 2016 rundown with Baskin, Can Evrenol is back with his sophomore feature, the English-language Housewife, which follows Holly (Clémentine Poidatz), who is haunted by a terrible childhood tragedy.

Things take a turn for the worse when Holly finds herself at the seminar of a “… crazy, world-famous cult that actually believes in the Apocalypse happening pretty soon.”

There’s only you and your dreams – ULM slogan

The cult, described as “… like Scientology with astral travel,” is called ULM (Umbrella of Love and Mind), and is led by Bruce O’Hara (David Sakurai), who comes out on stage at said seminar to the tune of KC & The Sunshine Band’s “I’m Your Boogie Man” (a homophonically apt title, natch).

It really isn’t much of a spoiler to say that the “rock star” entrance (with an umbrella, right, ‘cause, well… ULM) masks something far more sinister.

“Accept the mystery.”

In Housewife, Evrenol trades in most (but not all) of the batsh!t insanity of Baskin for a mystery cloaked in dream, memory, and cult madness, the deep psychological scarring of the eponymous protagonist, and some frank, adult sexuality.

It’s a truly excellent follow-up, that also serves as a tantalizing promise of more dark and disturbing visions from Evrenol.

“Let me take you to your destiny.”

Parting Shot: The female artist working in miniature in a horror film has apparently become a recurring motif these days.

Or what the kids would call “a thing.”

Hereditary, Michael Tully’s Don’t Leave Home, and now, Housewife.

Yeah.

“A thing”…

(Housewife OS’ courtesy of impawards.com.)

¡QUÉ HORROR! 2019

Candidate #2

HOUSEWIFE

(September 2017)

“Let's go back to where it all began.”

After gracing the ¡Qué horror! 2016 rundown with Baskin, Can Evrenol is back with his sophomore feature, the English-language Housewife, which follows Holly (Clémentine Poidatz), who is haunted by a terrible childhood tragedy.

Things take a turn for the worse when Holly finds herself at the seminar of a “… crazy, world-famous cult that actually believes in the Apocalypse happening pretty soon.”

There’s only you and your dreams – ULM slogan

The cult, described as “… like Scientology with astral travel,” is called ULM (Umbrella of Love and Mind), and is led by Bruce O’Hara (David Sakurai), who comes out on stage at said seminar to the tune of KC & The Sunshine Band’s “I’m Your Boogie Man” (a homophonically apt title, natch).

It really isn’t much of a spoiler to say that the “rock star” entrance (with an umbrella, right, ‘cause, well… ULM) masks something far more sinister.

“Accept the mystery.”

In Housewife, Evrenol trades in most (but not all) of the batsh!t insanity of Baskin for a mystery cloaked in dream, memory, and cult madness, the deep psychological scarring of the eponymous protagonist, and some frank, adult sexuality.

It’s a truly excellent follow-up, that also serves as a tantalizing promise of more dark and disturbing visions from Evrenol.

“Let me take you to your destiny.”

Parting Shot: The female artist working in miniature in a horror film has apparently become a recurring motif these days.

Or what the kids would call “a thing.”

Hereditary, Michael Tully’s Don’t Leave Home, and now, Housewife.

Yeah.

“A thing”…

(Housewife OS’ courtesy of impawards.com.)

A Rundown of the 13 Best Horror Movies I've Seen in the Past Year

[5 of 13]

BASKIN

(September 2015)

"You carry Hell with you at all times...”

Shot over 28 nights (there were reportedly no day shots), Baskin follows five police officers on a hallucinatory and harrowing journey as they answer a call for backup, and things go sideways in the most “Oh, sh!t, we’re screwed” horror film fashion.

Following the widespread acclaim for his original 11-minute short, Istanbul-born Can Evrenol expanded it to feature length, and has given us a deeply unsettling work that relies as much on tone and mood as it does on repulsive and gory imagery.

Crediting Eli Roth for the decision to expand to feature length (after seeing the short at the Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya--aka Sitges--Roth reportedly asked if there was a feature script version of it), Evrenol himself describes it as both “… a micro-budget arthouse shocker” and “… a glamorous, surreal, and very dark movie.”

Whatever it is, it’s disturbing and compelling and f*cked up, and eminently deserving of some ¡Qué horror! love.

(Baskin OS courtesy of impawards.com.)

¡QUÉ HORROR! 2016

Candidate #6

BASKIN

(September 2015)

"You carry Hell with you at all times...”

Shot over 28 nights (there were reportedly no day shots), Baskin follows five police officers on a hallucinatory and harrowing journey as they answer a call for backup, and things go sideways in the most “Oh, sh!t, we’re screwed” horror film fashion.

Following the widespread acclaim for his original 11-minute short, Istanbul-born Can Evrenol expanded it to feature length, and has given us a deeply unsettling work that relies as much on tone and mood as it does on repulsive and gory imagery.

Crediting Eli Roth for the decision to expand to feature length (after seeing the short at the Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya--aka Sitges--Roth reportedly asked if there was a feature script version of it), Evrenol himself describes it as both “… a micro-budget arthouse shocker” and “… a glamorous, surreal, and very dark movie.”

Whatever it is, it’s disturbing and compelling and f*cked up, and eminently deserving of some ¡Qué horror! love.

(Baskin OS courtesy of impawards.com.)