¡QUÉ HORROR! 2018

Candidate #9

THE ENDLESS

(April 2017)

"Can you have power over yourself if you give up any amount of authority to something else?”

Okay, full disclosure, I have, thus far, loved all the cinematic work I’ve seen from co-directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead:

Resolution, which landed squarely in the ¡Qué horror! 2013 rundown (check out the original Candidate post for it here; check the Comments!);

“Bonehead,” their contribution to V/H/S: Viral;

And Spring, which I talk about here, a post where “Bonehead” is also briefly mentioned.

They’re back with their third co-directed feature, The Endless, and yes, indeed, I love it too!

“So a decade ago, I tell you that you’re livin’ in some sort’a death cult, and not only were you not bright enough then to figure it out, you actually came back.

“You are not smart. You never have been, no.

“I mean, all kids are dumb, but you’re like some sort of retarded hobbit or somethin’.”

Benson and Moorhead, playing brothers Justin and Aaron, escaped a so-called “UFO death cult” and have been trying vainly to reintegrate into society for years, but find themselves returning to Camp Arcadia for a “visit” in the hopes that it can help get Aaron out of his “slump.”

Needless to say (but I’ll say it anyway), Aaron’s hopes for closure bear some bizarre and unsettling fruit.

For those of you who’ve already seen Resolution, the experience of watching The Endless will be enriched by that previous viewing of Benson and Moorhead’s initial co-directed feature, and what you saw in Resolution will likewise inform your viewing of The Endless.

Let’s be clear though: you don’t need to have seen Resolution for The Endless to make sense, but if you’ve seen both, it raises your appreciation for both films significantly.

And now, as usually happens here at the Iguana, I will need to leave it at that.

Best to come into The Endless knowing as little as possible, or, to co-opt a line from Hal (Quantico’s Tate Ellington), “Saying more would be like trying to explain an impossible color.”

“Don’t ever give in. Not once.

“The trick to this whole thing is to not be afraid of something that’s… horrifying. And everyone’s afraid of it.

“But if you let it control you one time, it’s gonna f*cking control you over and over again.”

(The Endless OS courtesy of impawards.com.)

¡QUÉ HORROR! 2018

Candidate #8

A QUIET PLACE

(March 2018)

If you've seen the trailer, then you know the set-up: there are savage and lethal things that are attracted to noise, threatening to annihilate the human race.

To quote Elmer Fudd: “Be vewy vewy quiet.”

A Quiet Place, John Krasinski’s third directorial feature, ropes in Krasinski’s real-life spouse, Emily Blunt, as the pair portray the Abbotts, Lee and Evelyn, trying to keep their children safe and (heh) sound in this taut, tense, and at times relentless crackerjack title.

As finely crafted a horror film as this is though, what breathes life into the scenario is the cast--which includes the deaf Millicent Simmonds--who all need to convey emotion largely through expression and (subtitled) sign language.

So that’s a huge part of the draw.

Oh, and of course, the creepy-a$$ creature design by ILM.

In the words of co-screenwriter Bryan Woods, A Quiet Place was partially born from a desire “… to do a modern-day silent film that lived in the suspense genre.”

Well, sir, mission accomplished.

With a sequel currently in development, there’s no better time like the present to catch this one.

(A Quiet Place OS courtesy of impawards.com.)

¡QUÉ HORROR! 2018

Candidate #7

THE EXORCIST Season 2

(September 2017)

"Is there, like, some... stupid Bible verse you can say, or something?”

I only now finally got around to wrapping up my viewing of the second season of Fox’s The Exorcist TV adaptation, so I’m writing this post in the wake of the series’ cancellation last month, and that’s a shame, really.

While I do think its first season was a stronger beast, there was still a lot to commend in its sophomore outing.

But, with its cancellation, we’ll never get to see the new character dynamics that the final episode sets into place, nor the content of the message Marcus (Ben Daniels) gets in the closing seconds, nor the fresh circumstances of Fr. Bennett’s (Kurt Egyiawan), errr, new calling.

Unless of course, some other network or streaming service comes along to resuscitate the show.

For now though, The Exorcist Season 2 gets the ¡Qué horror! seal of approval.

“You can start by asking God for help.”

“Does it matter if I don’t… exactly, totally believe?”

“No. No, it doesn’t matter.”

Parting Shot: As with its first season, there are a number of callbacks to the cinematic Exorcists, including one in the closing minutes of the final episode that, if you’re a horror film buff, you should see coming a mile away…

(As to whether this scene was also meant to telegraph the narrative possibilities of a potential third season--which they were clearly laying the foundations for--is anybody’s guess at this point…)

(The Exorcist Season 2 OS’ courtesy of impawards.com.)