¡QUÉ HORROR! 2012
The Wrap-Up II!

Now, before I get into The Wrap-Up II! I just need to say, this is such an awesome Halloween present: V/H/S 2 is apparently coming together, with Eduardo Sánchez (collaborating with Jamie Nash and producing partner Gregg Hale) on one segment, Adam Wingard back for another go-round, Simon Barrett giving us his directorial debut, plus two other segments helmed by Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun) and the tag-team of Gareth Huw Evans (The Raid) and Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre).

Boo-yah!

Okay, honestly, these should have been mentioned in the first Wrap-Up, but somewhere along the way, I’d somehow overlooked the fact that I’d meant to give them an Iguana mention last year, but hadn’t.

Again, apologies.

These were 3 excellent titles, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention them as among the best films I managed to catch in the past 12 months.

GOOD NEIGHBOURS

(September 2010)

Written and directed by Jacob Tierney, adapted from Chrystine Brouillet’s novel, Chère Voisine, Good Neighbours is a darkly excellent thriller of appearances and manners, which sees Jay Baruchel’s Victor having just moved into a new apartment, where he begins to strike up tentative friendships with his neighbours Louise (Emily Hampshire) and Spencer (Scott Speedman). Things go wonky from that point on…

Please try and steer clear of the trailer for this one, which rudely features a pivotal reveal that happens at nearly the halfway mark of the film’s running time.

TAKE SHELTER

(January 2011)

A brilliantly-executed and -acted apocalypse cinema title by writer/director Jeff Nichols, Take Shelter sees Zod-to-be Michael Shannon having disturbing visions that seem to portend the end of the world.

Are they for real, or is he just losing his marbles?

Aside from Shannon’s excellent work here, we’ve also got Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, and Kathy Baker in supporting roles.

MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE

(January 2011)

Elizabeth Olsen (yes, the other Olsen--non-twin--sister) plays a woman who breaks off from the cult she’s inadvertently become a part of.

The non-linear narrative brought to us by writer/director Sean Durkin (in his feature debut), results in a mesmerizing cinematic experience that is permeated by a distinct sense of unease and disquiet, anchored by an astounding performance by Olsen.

(Good Neighbours, Take Shelter, and Martha Marcy May Marlene OS’ courtesy of impawards.com.)

A Rundown of the 13 Best, Most Recent Horror Movies I’ve Seen
[12 of 13]
THE STRANGERS (May 2008)


… Bryan Bertino’s debut feature is one taut, nasty little motherfrakker. Once the thrills kick off, they don’t really let up.

Read the entire review here.

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

THE STRANGERS
(Review)

What you are about to see is inspired by true events.
According to the FBI, there are an estimated 1.4 million violent crimes in America each year.
On the night of February 11, 2005, Kristen McKay and James Hoyt left a friend’s wedding reception and returned to the Hoyt family summer home.
The brutal events that took place there are still not entirely known.

So The Strangers tells us right off the bat, before effectively setting the stage with a 911 call, then winding the clock back to the night in question, and the “brutal events” that led up to that call.


Now, for the record, Bryan Bertino’s debut feature is one taut, nasty little motherfrakker. Once the thrills kick off, they don’t really let up.
We’re thrown right into the middle of Kristen (Liv Tyler) and James (Scott Speedman) on the night in question, and clearly, there’s been some incident, an argument, perhaps, or something more; we find ourselves in the middle of a strained, awkward moment in their relationship.
It’s this initial section of The Strangers, where we spend time with the couple on a particularly troubled night, that involves us in their lives, and their emotional dilemma, Tyler and Speedman delivering performances engaging enough to keep our attention.
It’s also this initial dramatic section that serves as an excellent counterpoint to the intensity and suspense that take hold, once things take a turn for the worse.


The thing is though, I’m not a huge fan of these kinds of movies, the ones that purport to be “inspired by true events,” where we see people suffer and, more often than not, die, while the film itself doesn’t really illuminate anything beyond the adage “sh!t happens.”
When this sort of movie is done right—as Bertino’s The Strangers is—it’s thrilling and keeps the audience at the edge of their seats, their collective breath held, their eyes riveted to the screen.
But it really isn’t “entertainment,” not in the sense of an experience I’d look forward to repeating by watching the film over and over again.
Regardless of how close or distant the film is from the reality it’s purportedly based on (on many occasions, the “inspired by true events” tag is more marketing ploy than a genuine indication of the film’s narrative being based on any specific murder case), there’s no denying that this is still the kind of situation that can actually happen. There are no cannibalistic mutants in this, no zombies or vampires or parasitic aliens. Just psychos with really sharp implements.
Bottom line, I always feel ill at ease watching this sort of movie. (Of course, that could be Bertino’s entire point.)


Taking all of that into consideration though, this one’s definitely a gut punch, and Bertino structures the narrative well, while handling both the drama and the thrills with a deft hand.
I’m certainly looking forward to the director’s next effort. (He’s reportedly got three lined up, including Green Eyes, with producer Scott Rudin.)

“I think what scary movies allow you to do is you can take any character that has a background and cut them to the core. Like, at the end of the day, no matter whether they're a good person or bad, we're all going to react instinctively and I love the concept of being able to do that.
“What I love about horror films is if you go to see a great drama, you're going to leave emotionally exhausted. You go to a great horror film and you're going to leave emotionally exhausted, so when I decided to make something like this, I said, ‘What if I took both and put them together?’ Could that reach people even more? Because I don't think people do it enough.
-- Bryan Bertino

Parting shot: Reviews of David Moreau and Xavier Palud’s Ils (which presents a similar scenario) and Michael Haneke’s Funny Games U.S. (which is a statement on these kinds of movies) can be found in the Archive.

Parting shot 2: After seeing The Strangers, I came upon a Bertino interview where he basically says that the depicted events in the film aren’t actually based on one particular real life crime, so the “inspired by real events,” at least in this case, indeed looks to be more marketing tool than anything else.

(The Strangers OS courtesy of impawards.com [design by Ignition Print]; images courtesy of bloody-disgusting.com and shocktillyoudrop.com.)