The Last Matinee

This a a film set in the early '90s and the ambience, clothing and set design really took me back to those care free days of my youth. All together, this was a good slasher with above average special fx.

A beautiful homage to giallo films, to horror, to cinema in general. Loved the cinematography and the score - reminding you Demons and others from that time in some moments. The direction is also refreshing with a big variety of different angles and shots.

I really loved the first act and most of the deaths. Unfortunately, I was not convinced by some acting and stupid reactions (maybe an homage to giallo? Maybe a bit too far?) and that's the only reason this is not at the very top of the best horrors of the year.

Yes if you like slasher movies (Giallos too sure), you will have more fun with this, than other people have. And while there is no nudity to speak of, some may think that it still has enough "sexuality" (or too much?) in it. Especially the one thing that is the cinema equivalent of the Mile High dream/fantasy ... not saying all have that, but generally speaking.

But this is a horror movie, so the focus is on the kills ... and they are quite creative - especially the first one. Not just smoke and mirrors - pun very much intended. And then the killer is also sticking it to people ... anyway, there really isn't much story or plot. The movie that is playing in the theatre might have more to tell than the actual movie ... I don't know. If you watch it, watch it for the kills and thrills as they say - of course the afficionados do not need this reminder, but for everyone else: it is just a movie! No one wants that happening in real life.

It's a soaking wet day with rain pouring down and one of the best hings to do is to go seek refuge in a great old cinema. There's only a problem: A scary murderer is on the loose and he also has taken refuge there.

That's the plot of the Uruguayan horror movie Red Screening (Al morir la Matrinee) which is a throwback to old 80'ies horror movies, where colour and style is more important than the believeability of the plot. It's a beautiful, dark and very moody film, which is a treat to see.

Thoughts go to both Scream, Cinema Paradiso, Stage Fright and even the rains of Blade Runner, and I'm quite sure the film makers have seen them all. A real treat, and well played.

The action takes place in 1993 (decade of the movie Scream). Rainy night at the Montevideo Opera Cinema. A few spectators enter the large movie theater to see a Frankenstein movie at the evening performance, while the film is screened by the young daughter of the projector. But in the room there is a psychopath who will assassinate them ...

When the matinee dies is a film-tribute to the Italian giallo and his successor, the slasher. Personally, I confess that neither of the two (especially the second) convinced me as a "horror" cinema. The slasher repeats the formula of a serial killer with a sharp object and gruesome murders (with a lot of gore), with generally young victims and in some sexual or drug process, a "final girl", a heroine who faces the monster and a dose of self-awareness shared by your viewers. But his main problem for me is the poor psychological development of all his characters (including the murderer). While every genre film follows certain rules, in this one in particular, everything becomes (to me) very predictable.

The film by the Uruguayan Maximiliano Contenti has some successes and certain limitations that in this genre one does not know whether to attribute them to the genre or to the inexperience (for example, the performances).

At all times there is a certain parallelism between the film being projected and what is happening in the room. After a somewhat routine and static first part, when the action is concentrated on a group of characters, the empathy works better and the interest in the plot is consolidated, interest reinforced by the increasing truculence of the scenes and a murderer who charges more entity. Some shots are very successful (with tributes to the red giallo) and the murders deserve special mention, with a very analog and real gore.

In short, a film that lovers of the genre will surely enjoy and with an effective dose of gore.

It competed at the Mar del Plata Festival and was broadcast on cinearplay.