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

[13 of 13]

THE NEON DEMON

(May 2016)

"One morning I woke up and realised I was both surrounded and dominated by women. Strangely, a sudden urge was planted in me to make a horror film about vicious beauty. After making Drive and falling madly in love with the electricity of Los Angeles, I knew I had to return to tell the story of The Neon Demon.”
--Nicolas Winding Refn

Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon opens with an artfully posed--and apparently dead--female body, subject to the cold, hard male gaze, and its mechanical extension, the camera.

Much can be gleaned from that single, provocative image regarding some of Refn’s thematic concerns for this, his 10^th feature.

“Once you hit 21 in this industry, you’re so irrelevant.”

“Try 20.”

“True.”

Following Jesse (Elle Fanning), newly arrived in L.A. to try her luck as a fashion model, The Neon Demon--which began its developmental life under the title I Walk with the Dead--is Refn’s first attempt at a horror film, and it certainly is that, albeit a horror film as told through the filter of the NWR aesthetic.

“True beauty is the highest currency we have.

“Now, without it, she would be nothing.”

My first brush with Refn’s work was Fear X, which, honestly, I wasn’t too thrilled about. I had missed his earlier titles, Pusher and Bleeder, as I also subsequently missed the Pusher sequels, and Bronson.

I checked out Valhalla Rising, but again, like Fear X, it didn’t quite take with me.

But Drive changed all that. Drive was the NWR title that solidly kicked my film geek a$$.

And though his follow-up, Only God Forgives, was not as well-received by the wider film critic community, I absolutely loved it.

So when word broke about his next film being a “horror movie/sex thriller,” I was so in.

And now, after a title change and two female co-writers brought on board (British playwright Polly Stenham and Mary Laws, who’s also written for AMC’s Preacher adaptation), here we are, and I am so happy that my film geek love for Refn continues unabated.

“You know what my mother used to call me? ‘Dangerous.’

“‘You’re a dangerous girl.’

“She was right. I am dangerous.”

With familiar genre faces that include Jena Malone and Keanu Reeves (as skeezy dirtbag motel manager, Hank), and another killer Cliff Martinez soundtrack, The Neon Demon is slick, disturbingly erotic, and hallucinatory, much like the fashion industry itself.

It’s about appearances and facades, and the casually cruel nature of the modeling business, where everyone is merely meat, complete with respective expiration dates.

“I can’t sing. I can’t dance. I can’t write. No real talent.

“But I’m pretty… and I can make money off pretty.”

Parting Shot: Given its setting and subject matter, this is a perfect companion piece to ¡Qué horror! 2015 title, Starry Eyes.

Parting Shot 2: And so it goes.
Another October and another ¡Qué horror! rundown.

A Happy Halloween to everyone, and hopefully, you’ll check out some of these titles for your Halloween viewing.

(The Neon Demon OS’ courtesy of bloody-disgusting.com, dailydead.com, impawards.com, and shocktillyoudrop.com.)

¡QUÉ HORROR! 2016

Candidate #18

THE NEON DEMON

(May 2016)

"One morning I woke up and realised I was both surrounded and dominated by women. Strangely, a sudden urge was planted in me to make a horror film about vicious beauty. After making Drive and falling madly in love with the electricity of Los Angeles, I knew I had to return to tell the story of The Neon Demon.”
--Nicolas Winding Refn

Nicolas Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon opens with an artfully posed--and apparently dead--female body, subject to the cold, hard male gaze, and its mechanical extension, the camera.

Much can be gleaned from that single, provocative image regarding some of Refn’s thematic concerns for this, his 10^th feature.

“Once you hit 21 in this industry, you’re so irrelevant.”

“Try 20.”

“True.”

Following Jesse (Elle Fanning), newly arrived in L.A. to try her luck as a fashion model, The Neon Demon--which began its developmental life under the title I Walk with the Dead--is Refn’s first attempt at a horror film, and it certainly is that, albeit a horror film as told through the filter of the NWR aesthetic.

“True beauty is the highest currency we have.

“Now, without it, she would be nothing.”

My first brush with Refn’s work was Fear X, which, honestly, I wasn’t too thrilled about. I had missed his earlier titles, Pusher and Bleeder, as I also subsequently missed the Pusher sequels, and Bronson.

I checked out Valhalla Rising, but again, like Fear X, it didn’t quite take with me.

But Drive changed all that. Drive was the NWR title that solidly kicked my film geek a$$.

And though his follow-up, Only God Forgives, was not as well-received by the wider film critic community, I absolutely loved it.

So when word broke about his next film being a “horror movie/sex thriller,” I was so in.

And now, after a title change and two female co-writers brought on board (British playwright Polly Stenham and Mary Laws, who’s also written for AMC’s Preacher adaptation), here we are, and I am so happy that my film geek love for Refn continues unabated.

“You know what my mother used to call me? ‘Dangerous.’

“‘You’re a dangerous girl.’

“She was right. I am dangerous.”

With familiar genre faces that include Jena Malone and Keanu Reeves (as skeezy dirtbag motel manager, Hank), and another killer Cliff Martinez soundtrack, The Neon Demon is slick, disturbingly erotic, and hallucinatory, much like the fashion industry itself.

It’s about appearances and facades, and the casually cruel nature of the modeling business, where everyone is merely meat, complete with respective expiration dates.

“I can’t sing. I can’t dance. I can’t write. No real talent.

“But I’m pretty… and I can make money off pretty.”

Parting Shot: Given its setting and subject matter, this is a perfect companion piece to ¡Qué horror! 2015 title, Starry Eyes.

(The Neon Demon OS’ courtesy of bloody-disgusting.com, dailydead.com, impawards.com, and shocktillyoudrop.com.)

A Rundown of the 13 Best, Most Recent Horror Movies I’ve Seen
[11 of 13]
THE RUINS (April 2008)


As for anyone who isn’t familiar with the story’s premise, I’d prefer not to spoil the nature of the temple’s threat here, so I’ll just say this: if you, like little old me, love your horror, treat yourself to a walking tour of The Ruins.
Fun, fun, fun!!!

Read the entire review here.

(The Ruins OS courtesy of impawards.com [design by Ignition Print].)

THE RUINS
(Review)

Four young American tourists are on a Mexican vacation, when a chance encounter with German Mathias (Joe Anderson, from Control and Across The Universe) sends them on a trek to an ancient Mayan temple, one that isn’t even on the guide books. This being an R-rated horror movie, it should come as no surprise then that there is something in the temple, an insidious, persistent horror that will put these pretty young things in terrible jeopardy.


Based on a Scott B. Smith novel, The Ruins is a crackerjack exercise in shudder-inducing horror with a commendable cast that includes two of young Hollywood’s dependable performers, The Black Donnellys’ Jonathan Tucker and Donnie Darko’s Jena Malone, as Jeff MacIntyre and girlfriend Amy.
There’s also some good work in here by Laura Ramsey (as Amy’s best friend, Stacy) and, as her boyfriend Eric, Shawn Ashmore, the younger Ashmore twin who plays Iceman in the X-Men franchise, not the one who plays Jimmy Olsen on Smallville (that one’s Aaron).
I’m particularly impressed with Ramsey, whose past work has been in some less-than-stellar fare like The Covenant and She’s The Man. She does a number of things in The Ruins I hadn’t thought her capable of, based on what I’d seen of her before.
If there’s an aspect of one performance here that could be a tad dodgy, it’s Anderson’s accent. But in the end, I’ve heard far worse, and for all I know, it could just be me, and Anderson’s accent is spot on.


At any rate, it’s partially to the credit of these young actors, who place believable characters before us, that the film works as well as it does, since—unlike in many a lesser horror film—we actually care if these kids live or die. There’s something very natural about the performances and the rapport between these characters that puts us in the middle of events as they unfold, that makes us sympathize with the dire situation they find themselves in.
And while Malone and her fellow actors rope us in and hold out attention, director Carter Smith and the other, apparently unrelated Smith (the writer, who adapted his own novel, though is credited without his middle initial as the film’s screenwriter) put all involved—particularly the audience—through a nasty cinematic wringer, the sort that makes you squirm and cringe, in very nice horror movie ways, mind.


It should also be noted that there’s some interesting work here by frequent Peter Jackson collaborator, production designer Grant Major, as well as some good cinematography by ace shooter Darius Khondji, who’s been DP for directors like David Fincher (Se7en and Panic Room), Danny Boyle (The Beach), and for the Caro-Jeunet tag team (Delicatessen and La cite des enfants perdus), as well as Jeunet in solo mode (Alien: Resurrection).
Think what you may of some of the films I’ve just mentioned (personally, I’m not a very big fan of Panic Room, The Beach, or Alien: Resurrection), but it’s hard to deny that they look good.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this ‘round these parts before, but I’ve always felt there are four saving graces in The Beach: 1) Tilda Swinton; 2) Robert Carlyle; 3) Virginie Ledoyen; and 4) Khondji’s cinematography.
Now, admittedly, The Ruins doesn’t have as potent a visual signature as some of the above films, like Se7en, for example. Nonetheless, it’s a well-shot horror film that actually does it work, and Khondji’s a part of that success.


As for anyone who isn’t familiar with the story’s premise, I’d prefer not to spoil the nature of the temple’s threat here, so I’ll just say this: if you, like little old me, love your horror, treat yourself to a walking tour of The Ruins.
Fun, fun, fun!!!

I’ll also leave you with this…
The Ruins has, as one of its executive producers, Ben Stiller.
Yes, that Ben Stiller. Derek Zoolander.
Now that, in itself, is a scary thought.*


Parting shot: Scott B. Smith also wrote the novel A Simple Plan, which, likewise, has a very good film adaptation directed by Sam Raimi.
If you haven’t seen it, it’s one of Raimi’s best.
In fact, why not make it a Scott B. Smith-adaptation double feature…

* Just for the record, I love Zoolander. Thus, when I think “Ben Stiller,” nasty, R-rated horror is the farthest thing from my mind…

(The Ruins OS courtesy of impawards.com [design by Ignition Print]; images courtesy of filmz.ru.)

reVIEW (13)
SAVED!

This review (originally published under the title “Rescue G-O-D”) is being resurrected for no other reason than what I feel is my civic duty to call attention to movies that deserve an audience.

“Accepting Jesus into your heart and getting saved is a big decision. Especially for a three year old.”

Mary (Jena Malone) is a student at American Eagle Christian High School. She’s part of the Christian Jewels, a “girl band for Jesus.” Her mother (Mary-Louise Parker) is the number one Christian interior decorator in the entire region. Her boyfriend Dean (Chad Faust) is a star athlete who ice skates for Christ.
But two weeks before the summer ends, Mary’s life hits a huge speed bump: as it turns out, Dean is gay. And not only that, but Mary (having just banged her head on a pipe because of the shock of discovering her boyfriend’s “spiritually toxic affliction”) has a vision of Jesus, who tells her that Dean needs her right now.
And thus does the hilarity ensue and Saved! (directed by Brian Dannelly and co-written by Dannelly and Michael Urban) kick into gear.

“Come on. You’re not born a gay. You’re born again.”

One of the applaudable points of Saved! is that is doesn’t take any cheap shots in getting its laughs (and let’s face it, fundamentalist religion is such an easy target), while at the same time doing its best to explore (or at least touch on) subject matter that you don’t normally see in teen comedies: homosexuality, teen pregnancy, and faith.
And yes, Saved! is a teen comedy; the best one I’ve seen in quite awhile, as a matter of fact. And while it doesn’t transcend the genre, it does use it as a sound venue to explore issues of purpose and choice, of the constant struggle to find the answers to the questions life perpetually throws at us.
And though the film is not entirely free of stereotypes (thus are the perils of the teen comedy), the delicate, fragile strength of Jena Malone, the surprising mixture of cynical bravado and genuine caring of Eva Amurri’s Cassandra (the only Jew—read: heathen—at American Eagle High), and Mandy Moore (yes, that Mandy Moore) as self-righteous warrior of God, Hilary Fay, make for a portion of a pretty good ensemble. (Though some parts are underwritten, and echoes of what were an interesting performance in Party Monster by Macauley Culkin—who plays Roland, Hilary Fay’s disabled brother—turn into the dreaded beginnings of one-note acting here.)

Despite these shortcomings though, script and performance do intersect in some genuinely moving scenes: Mary’s moment of desperation and desolation at the foot of a cross; Hilary Fay’s prayer for guidance; the revelation shared by Mary and Cassandra in a comfort room.
The use of Mike Oldfield’s “Tubular Bells” (better known as the theme from The Exorcist), and Travis’ “Flowers in the Window” are also genuine delights in Saved!, as is the duet of Mandy Moore and Michael Stipe (of R.E.M.) on “God Only Knows” (which plays over the end credits). Stipe produced Saved!, as he did the glam rock remembrance, Velvet Goldmine, a few years back.
I mean, come on! Michael Stipe and Mandy Moore in a duet?! Whoduthunk?

“In the meantime, I was trying to find a new religion, or a new God, or whatever, but to tell you the truth, they’re all kind of freaking me out. I mean, sure, they can’t all be right, but they can’t all be wrong, right?”

Saved! is bitingly funny (in one scene, Mary and Hilary Fay are at the Emmanuel Shooting Range, whose tag line is “… an eye for an eye”), but is it offensive?
I honestly don’t think so.
I think Christians with a healthy sense of humor would get a kick out of it. (And I do think a healthy sense of humor is something everyone should have, regardless of faith.)
Commendably, Saved! does its best to portray its characters as real people with imperfect lives, who struggle with the specters of divorce, alcoholism, and childhood traumas, doing their best to be true to their chosen faith, to live up to the standards of their beliefs.
And they stumble, and some of them even resort to cruelty. (Though it should be noted that of the three principal “misfits”, Mary—the Christian—is the one totally innocent of any wrongdoing, while Roland and Cassandra—the “non-Christian” and the Jew—author one particularly nasty and vengeful act which precipitates hasty retribution.)

“No one fits in 100% of the time.”

Saved! is a rare sort of teen comedy. It isn’t a satire in the way Heathers or Election were; it’s more heartfelt than your usual satirical fare. And unlike Dogma, it doesn’t go to extreme (and at times, absurd) lengths to question the basic tenets of the religion it’s “attacking.”
It is, ultimately, a film that simply asks questions (as well one should), as do we all, at one point or another in our lives; questions of ourselves and our beliefs, of our choices and our decisions, and how those fit into the Greater Plan.
It also puts forward a possible answer: a faith that is inclusive of all, even the “freaks” and the “deviants” (as opposed to the largely exclusionary nature of most, if not all, the major systems of belief), for after all, wasn’t that what Jesus’ ministry was all about: the embracing of all, regardless of anything save for the fact that we are all God’s children, and we are all mirrors of His likeness.
Not bad for a teen comedy, wouldn’t you say?

(Saved! OS’s courtesy of impawards.com.)