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Never Let Go (2024)
Well-acted and suspensive full psychological / supernatural horror
"Never Let Go" deliciously approbates and reprobates between a number of themes around sanity and Pavlovian influence. That said, and this despite, the film stays true to its principal psychological horror theme. Alexandre Aja ("The Hills Have Eyes"), from the start creates a tense and oppressive dystopian atmosphere, that never lets up. Throw in some decent jump scares, decent twists and turns and probably the most eerie acting by a child in the last couple of years by Anthony B. Jenkins, and you have a very decent little "cabin in the woods" (no not that cabin, but the cabin theme)-type psychological horror. Aja wisely elects not to provide a conclusive unfold to the film, which elevates the film above its contemporaries. Highly enjoyable, though unfortunately not hard-hitting enough and thus somewhat forgettable.
Azrael (2024)
When cults are not your thing
"Azreal", is a pretty interesting film. It is one of the few films without dialogue which is set in a social environment (unlike 127 Hours or Cast Away), and where no attempt is made to use some form of sign language (e.g., "Clan of the Cave Bear" or "In A Quiet Place" ). In fact, only "2001: A Space Odyssey", comes immediately to mind, as another example. Given the need for physical action and especially physical action between people, in order to further the story, Azrael' s plot is pretty simple. The film is set in (literally) a post-apocalyptic dystopian world and time, some years after the Biblical reaping. Azreal escapes a zealous cult, but gets recaptured and is offered by the cult as a sacrifice to "the burnt" (essentially canabalistic half-humans). Low and behold, Azareal escapes again. Ps this is a repeating theme. Armed with some basic knowledge of the arch angels as denoted in Islam and the Kabbalah, it becomes pretty clear where Azrael should fit into this Revelations / End times showdown with the aforementioned cult. Ps., said cult removed the tongues of all their members - thus the almost zero dialogue. By now it should be clear that this film is a cornocopia of nods and homages to various religious works and even religious fiction. But wait, there's more. The cult leader is pregnant and indeed "Rosemary's Baby"-type pregnant. Now, despite how this might sound, i.e., like some corny pseudo-religious preachy bs, the film obviously cannot go there (cause... no dialogue) and fortunately has no such aspirations. Azrael is a woman of action (and obviously not words) and, but for, a moment at the end where she creates the potential for a sequel, Azrael does not suffer from any moral dilemmas. Here I must pause to say that Samara Weaving was excellent in her portrayal of the role of Azareal. Yes the film could have survived with a tad more complex script, but the direction mostly worked and the homages , metaphors and tie-ins helped to create the impression that there is more to the film than there actually is. An enjoyable action horror / thriller with some great gore and the odd tense moment too boot. Just the thing for light Saturday entertainment. 6.5/10.
Speak No Evil (2024)
Speak No Evil light, is even more audience orientated than expected
Speak No Evil, ironically in both versions, had a very simple premise. A serial killer, when picking people from a certain walk of life and social grouping, could treat them badly and eventually kill them, as they just do not have the capacity to stop said serial killer. That saying of a lion not caring about the views of sheep. Both films further demonstrated this "truth" by placing reliance on at least twenty prior examples which supported said serial killer's prowess. But.... Blum, and likely Watkins, realised that they could not spend the time to develop characters like they needed to, as the target audience would fall asleep. They could also not turn the cringeworthy and creepy interactions of the first film up to that level, as the target audience would not approve. Blum and Watkins finally, and probably from word go, realised that they would need to go against the original film's raison d'etre, i.e., they would need to flip the carefully constructed message of the film, and change it into some good old final family stuff. Well they were correct and toothless is apparently a decent success with the target audience and at the box office. Now obviously we have to look forward, but explaining how McAvoy's character pulled his brain matter out of the pavement to resurrect himself might be a bit difficult when the time for the sequel comes around. But I'm here to help with that, how many times have that problem been solved in past blockbusters with a twin / brother who takes over those unique psychological "qualities" and did we actually see his brother die? All and all, Blum and Watkins did brilliantly with their pallet cleanser version, as they did almost everything else right. McAvoy was a tad over the top, but he was decent enough and remains one of my favourite actors.
In short, if you did not see, or understand, or like the first film, you will love this one and I can really not fault you for doing so.
Strange Darling (2023)
A viscerally beautiful "day in the life of a serial killler" picturebook
"Strange Darling", is one of those small budget gems where style, pacing and phenomenal acting elevates the film to a level which substantially exceeds the story being told. Essentially "Strange Darling" is a superficial non -linear "day in the life of a serial killer" story with an extremely easy to spot plot twist. Each scene is however a small piece of art, and each interaction is so well acted by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner that one is spellbound and totally engrossed in it. One can describe the film as a viscerally beautiful picture book, but that would ignore much of the superb acting. It's pure cinematic art but yet utterly engaging.
No Voltees (2024)
Unresolved childhood trauma supernaturally torn open
Tubi, rather out of the blue, dropped 'No Voltees' ('Don't Turn Around') on us. The film revolves around two siblings, both suffering from the lingering consequences of childhood trauma, who return to their macabre and secluded childhood mansion to make arrangements for the care of their mother who appears to be losing her mental faculties. As soon as they arrive they start to feel the presence of their dead extremely abusive father, something which escalates in intensity throughout the film. Director Alejandro Hidalgo (The Exorcism of God), focussed on blending the underlying story of childhood abuse suffered at the hands of monstrous father (as enabled by a spouse worshiping mother), with the supernatural return of the father. The tension and the feeling of impending dred never lets up and the phenomenal acting carries the fear and powerlessness which never left the (now adult) children in a way which narrative storytelling could never do. During the first two acts, the abusive father is naked, menacing, and slightly blurred where glimpses of him appear in the background. This amplifies both the underlying and essentially principle story, and the oppressive anticipation of relentless evil which can at any moment erupt. The film is however not a "wow moment", or "I did not see that coming" type of film. The progression and culmination of the supernatural horror side of the film is rather predictable, as it essentially "merely" provides the vehicle which carries and amplifies the underlying psychological drama .
Cuckoo (2024)
The promise of greatness, left greatly unfulfilled
"Cuckoo ",continues the year of the overhyped horror, and unfortunately, like so many other 2024 offerings, also succumbs to a script which promises so much potential, but which just slowly fizzles out into trope horror / recipe psychological thriller. Again, we have a very competent director with a unique and very natural feel for horror and the ability to use style, very decent acting and an almost immediate eerie atmosphere to take us on a brief car ride into a second act filled with road signs identifying plot holes and a third act, "are we there yet?", road trip of over-explanation. Like "Longlegs" before it, the promise which the uniquely atmospheric and perfectly paced first act creates supported by tightly direct acting, as from word go creates such an immediate investment in the viewer that the unfolding disappointment either elicits a need to defend the artistic value or to be unduly critical of the entire film. Unfortunately I usually find myself in the later category.
The Substance (2024)
Delightfully disturbing
"The Substance", deserves its place as a body horror opus. Much like the master pieces by Cronenberg and Ducournau, there is a strong visual focus of style over substance whilst the end result (this despite), remains a well-considered and uniquely complex work of social commentary. Fargeat's writing prowess has come of age since "Revenge" and her characters and storyline flows naturally and are true to the lighter more tongue-in-cheek juxtaposition she creates viz the "heavier" underlying message. The three leads were phenomenal, with Moore probably giving the best performance of her career (thus far). Yes, it is a relatively simple storyline and in some regards it failed to effectively carry the film.... But Fargeat's final scene, which reminds of a Molière farce (and which will probably pick up some criticism) beautifully emphasizes her stylistic intent, making the film just a tad more special.
Oddity (2024)
Supernatural karmic retribution or not?
"Oddity", is an atmospheric slightly supernatural horror. Director Damian McCarthy skillfully assembles space, colour, timing, and extremely good acting to create a suspenseful karmic tale. Unlike the Vancouver atmospheric "genre", grey, claustrophobic and deadpan acting makes way for almost every scene in the lieu du crime being set up meticulously to ensure that colour , spaces, items, facial expressions and minimal spoken words, tells the story through a camera lens which takes its time to build narrative and suspense. "Oddity" very successfully uses an eerie looking wooden man, much like the rabbit in "Caveat", as a point of focus in creating a sense of unease and potential supernatural acts, to amplify the tension. Though "Oddity" outwardly presents itself as a whodunnit, the simplistic narrative and early reveal of the murderer, makes it clear that it is the peripeteia in the plot-line, i.e., possibility supernatural karmic retribution, which drives the suspensive plotline. The film would have been better served by ending one frame earlier (I do not want to spoil the story by going into detail), but the ending ties in with some of the visually humourous elements in the narrative, and ultimately works.
Longlegs (2024)
Unfortunately and unlike it's name, the film just did not have any legs
The one good thing I can say about "Longlegs", is the marketing the department did a sterling job. At its heart the film suffers the same problem which we find in most higher budget supernatural "creature" horror films. It fails to provide a raison d'etre for the creator to match its stature. "Longlegs", however decided to go further and merely provide us with bits and bobs in a lame "Silence of the Lambs" meets "Mulder and Scully" homage. There is almost no story and if one looks at the deadpan acting by a pretty decent cast, one gets the impression that the actors were aware of this fact and merely wanted to get things over and move on to a new film project. Monroe at times looked like she was casting to be the girlfriend of both a vampire and a werewolf. Even Nick Cage, could not rise to his normal wild and extreme method acting; smething I assume the executive producers banked on to get the film to box office break-even.
MaXXXine (2024)
So bad in all the right ways, that it makes for a flawless homage to 80s action thrillers/horrors
"Maxxine", is a very well constructed homage by Ti West to 80s action, thriller and horror filmmaking. It has the grittiness of "To Live and Die in LA" but also makes fun of 80s film stereotyping and hollow characters. The three films in the series, all focus on the eras in filmmaking in the same way, which will in turn lead to subjective preferences. Maxxine, in classic 80s style, turns our protagonist into a much more reactive character and embeds her into a more action-packed thinner story filled with 80s fake glitz and glamour. The violence is violent and the gore gory. The interactions are often almost deadpan presentations of cheesy one liners. The cinematography also stayed true to 80s sunsets and extreme dirty backstreets. In other words, it's a perfect homage to 80s filmmaking and bloody entertaining.
The Well (2023)
Italian gore done perfectly
"The Well", is where "Hostel" meets "A Picture of Dorian Grey", and indeed with some old school Italian gore direction, a la Umberto Lenzi. I've been waiting for this one since Stieges 2023 and Zampaglione (Tulpa)'s direction did not disappoint. La Vera (Terrifier 2) carried her "final girl" crown well, though obviously in a more demure manner. The acting by the four prisoners was excellent and the cinematography was top notch. The story was a bit thin but the gore and other visual effects made up for it in spades. Zampaglione truly got right that which Rob Zombie usually buggers up. He even had a family member who could kinda act in the film.
La mesita del comedor (2022)
Never, ever buy furniture which your wife does not like
"The Coffee Table" ("La Mesita Del Comedor", Spain, 2022), is a feel-bad, nihilistic, pitch-black, horror comedy. The film focuses on a couple who recently, after years of trying, eventually had a baby. They have also just moved into a new home (flat), and at the instance of the husband, they purchased a rather gregarious glass-topped coffee table, as a kinda pièce de résistance for the flat. This table changes their entire existence. It is the dreadfully slow unfolding after this life-changing event, which forms the main focus of this macabre tale. The juxtaposition between one person having lived through this event and the other not yet being aware of said event, creates (probably) the most stressful, angst ridden and gut wrenching sixty minutes of tension in cinematic history. The visceral setup visually creates the first level of tension, but this tension is exponentially amplified by cleverly written black comedy intertwined into the dialogue coupled with extremely good acting. The film is a small budget cinematic masterpiece, but not easy viewing and definitely not for everyone.
The Watchers (2024)
An entertaining adaptation of the AM Shine masterpiece
The Watched / The Watchers (2024) is based on the AM Shine novel and, to the credit of first time director and script writer, Ishana Shyamalan, is authentically set in Ireland. The setup of the mystery is done very well and the idea of keeping the Watchers as an unknown quantity
for a substantial portion of the film builds tension and a claustrophobic atmosphere in a manner similar to some of Shyamalan Senior's films. The film loses something atmospheric after the Watchers are revealed, but that is more a personal gripe, and could also be due to too much daylight "safety" ending up in the film.. Other small gripes include, there being a few too many breadcrumbs which points to the "big reveal" and the film becoming a bit "long" after the escape. A very decent adaptation and an admirable bit of direction for a first full length film, coupled with decent acting by Fanning and, horror stalwart, Fouéré. 6/10.
The First Omen (2024)
A worthy prequel and well-directed homage rolled into one
Unlike most, I have some issues with the direction in the original Omen (1976, Richard Donner) and always thought that Polanski would have been the ideal director. Apparently, debut full feature director and screenwriter, Arkasha Stevenson, had a slightly similar view. I say slightly similar as Stevenson clearly appreciated some of Donner's genius but also wanted to bring some of the classic Polanski elements into The First Omen. As a result we have 70s earthy colours, visceral and lingering close-ups, the camera cutting away from upsetting scenes merely later to focus on even more upsetting ones; all occurring in typical 70s psychological horror slow-burn, thus setting that over-the-top sense of dread. Add to this, a pretty decent script and some really good acting and The First Omen becomes more than just a mere great homage (to the era and the original), but actually a very decent prequel. 6.5/10.
In a Violent Nature (2024)
And I will walk 500 miles...
'In a Violent Nature" (2024), is a film about walking in nature. For the first 75% we walk behind a killer and thereafter we walk behind a survivor. It's mostly a beautifully scenic walk and sometimes a gruesome walk with some very decent and original visuals effects. The main advantage of this walkabout is we are subjected to very little of the bad dialogue and even worse acting. That said, the film towards the end becomes self-aware and realises that suspense flows from unseen danger and not walking behind the killer. The idea behind the film is probably something which had to be tried, but the set-up just provided the antithesis of the result sought, unless the result sought was to get to 10 000 steps per day.
Immaculate (2024)
An interesting but underdeveloped spin on the nunsploitation sub-genre
Immaculate (2024) has a bit of a sad history, as it was initially canned during casting in 2014. Sweeny who auditioned during said casting, however, punted the project for a number of years and eventually got a director to revive the project. Strictly speaking Immaculate falls within the nunsploitation sub-genre. There is however slightly more meat to the main plot. The uneven and, at times, dead-slow pace is however more than slightly indicative of a plot-idea which eventually became the entire plot. The plot initially had a bit of an Umberto Eco mystery feel to it, but that fizzled out towards the end of the first act, when the secret project took on a more Spectre / Blowfeld (early organised crime in Bond films) set-up, ie an underground lair where a bizarre plan is being hatched. That said, it is not as bad as it sounds. The cinematography and practical gore effect kept the film within the genre and the script and acting (mostly by Sweeny) added a good measure of suspense and psychological terror to the mix. The elements however failed to find a sweet spot. A decent film but not really anything above average.
Headless (2015)
The first ten minutes was pretty enjoyable
This is the type of film which lends itself to a bullet point review:
1. "Found" as a film was a solid offering with a pretty decent backstory and it led to some unrealistic expectations of "Headless".
2. The first ten mins both identified potential, which was unfortunately not build upon, and demonstrated how long and boring a "one trick pony" film can become.
3. Visual effects was a hit and miss. Some of it was really good (eg deep stab wounds) and some really bad (eg those "money shot" eye popping scenes)
4. Cinematography was often disastrous, especially in as far as angles were concerned. The 70s effects / found footage elements were decent.
5. Acting, in general, was terrible and the dialogue on par with an average porn film.
7. Some of the most extreme aspects of the film happened off camera which somewhat detracted from the entire extreme cinema intention.
8. The total absence of suspense in a slasher film just made it feel long and boring.
9. The score was actually decent but in consequence of the paperthin script, rigid acting and dodgy cinematography, it stood no chance of creating any atmosphere in vacua.
10. Direction was all over the place, but I must admit that the script did not really create opportunities.
Otrazhenie tmy (2024)
A succubus movie is always an excuse for boobs and bums. This one is no different but it at least tried valiantly to provide a bit more
Succubus (2024, Russia). I want to start off by saying that I hated the film less than I thought I would. It is obviously not the first horror film with this title and in general and by merely dropping "Succubus " in the film title any logical person will already know that this will be a boobs and bums (sofcore / erotic) film, and that it will be laboriously and ineptly dragged along to the (anti) climatic showdown with said Succubus. So no spoilers here as that's the gist of the film. That said, the sets were proper and they definitely contributed to a eerie fantasy feel. All the film thus had to do (bar from keeping the sets, and the folks on and around the sets, in camera focus) was to sell a secret / plot twist which justifes me staring at boobs for about 90 minutes. Again,and despite the haphazard writing, this was done pretty convincingly. In fact, the acting even contributed somewhat to building and maintaining the suspense. The problem, which was always there, is how does one create an interesting twist for an erotic horror, specifically given the degree of attention the average viewer will in any event pay to the storyline? Armed with the brutally obvious and honest answer of "baffle them with bs", the film throws out a few underdeveloped, and sometimes not even causally connected, red herrings. Further, and in order to make sure that nobody gets totally stumped by said red herrings, they are explained away almost as they arise . This then brings us to the end where (as always) a thousand-odd year old deity falls into a trap set by the cast of "Days of Our Lives". It's here that I have to come in and say "not so fast, you might be in for a surprise". The problem is this surprise is the only potential surprise which comes up in these types of films and they in turn only exist as a foot in the door for the second installment of the franchise... So, basically nobody cares about the surprise. Despite all of this (and not for a lack of repetition), the effects, sets, atmosphere and outside cinematography really works and the acting is not horrible. So a solid 5.5/10. Not a 6 though and as I can only choose between a 5 and 6, it is unfortunately a 5/10.
Kaibutsu no kikori (2023)
A wonderfully chaotic ultra violent flashback with a bit of a haphazardly told story to it... Uniquely Miike
"Lumberjack the Monster" was first released at the Sitges Fantasy film festival in October last year (2023). Given the prominence of Miike as well as the dominance of Warner Brothers as the producers, one may pretty safely bet a few bucks on both parties expecting Sitges to be a great tool to market a successful premiere off. Unfortunately, Sitges was swamped with exceptional films (I kid you not, not less than 5 magnificent horror films). The long and the short is that "Lumberjack" just did not get any traction and probably not unfairly. In fact, "Lumberjack" ended up as a quiet early summer Netflix release. So the obvious question is, "is it that bad?". The good news is, no it's actually pretty good". The bad (or some might argue "better") news is, the film is a bit of an "unbalanced" balancing act. One immediately gets the impression that the length of the film was intentionally limited to the 80 minutes "action movie going crowd";sweet spot. It is unlikely that a future extended release is not foreseen, and releasing the 80 min theatre version "directly to video" (so to speak) was an opportunity missed , where a slightly longer Netflix release would potentially have resolved basic issues around character development and most of the unwanted "chaos" in story presentation. Now, it's true that Miike attained acclaim for just that, i.e. His effortless ability to create a chaotic pursuit of extreme violence in a uniquely artistic (and much loved) manner. Miike might have achieved cult status with such films (eg Ichi) but his repertoire and talents are extremely diverse and the intention with this film was clearly not to create a homage to "his" Asian Extreme genre It's simply not that type of film. Yes the book (on which the film is based) lends itself to instances of ultra violence, but it is essentially a psychological thriller / whodunnit. Miike, being Miike could also not merely push out a sleek 90s J-horror / thriller. Thus this balancing act to develop the back story and the characters. Miike sometimes makes use of clever mechanisms, such as the reading of the fairy tale, and other times het relies on interactions between main characters which occurred in the past and pops up in conversation, and unfortunately and obviously often necessarily, on flashbacks. Given the urgency / pace of the film, the actual person created through what we learn through the character backstory is conveyed through acting, tempo and atmosphere (mostly cinematography). Fortunately, all of this worked and worked well. No it does not fill all the holes in character development and storyline, but for me that is part of what makes it a Miike film. The violence is also signature Miike and OTT black comedy situations, like blood projecting out of wounds pops up without feeling out of place. The nods / homages to Gialo similarly was well placed and -executed. Even the slight body horror homage, which essentially forms the moral or philosophical basis for the film, was not overplayed or presented in a over-emotional or preachy manner. One can even call the plot and character development gaps an homage to 70s and 80s Japanese thrillers and horrors.
Thus, TL:DR: The film is very much something which Miike fans and, hopefully, everyone else will enjoy. It does not take itself too seriously and it should not. An entertaining, OTT violent whodunit with some plot holes and other slight issues but if they were not there, it would not have the film Miike was aiming for and it would definitely have lacked the needed soul.
Laid to Rest (2009)
A typical recipe slasher horror with a bit more high tech mask
"Laid to Rest" (2009), is a classic slasher film; facial deformity, mask, big knife, final girl, and all. People run, people hide, people die immediately after they have done something endearing or redeeming. Everyone tries to figure out who the killer is or why he is killing folks. Acting by Lena Kathren Headey (who later became famous as Cersei Lannisfer) largely carried the acting side of the film (think Jamie Lee Curtis in that other series). The kills were often essentially off-camera and there was not much gore (bar for the final kill). I could not really pick up on suspense building, but that is often par for the course for slasher films. In short, it was a pretty run of the mill slasher and gets a run of the mill.
Abigail (2024)
An interesting take on a pretty tired genre but the real could have been done much later
Abigail (2024), is a bit of a one trick pony which actually mostly worked. The horror film is created on top of a pretty stock standard "kidnapping of a minor from his / her scary mobster dad" premise. Initially (and despite the lazy writing) the film builds tension very well. The reveal however comes somewhat too "easy" and too early and from there onwards the film mostly falls back into a "killer picking off everyone one-by-one" film. On a positive note, there is a lot to like, both stylistically and from an acting point of view. The initial ,carefully created, suspense does not entirely fall flat after the reveal and the film remains mostly entertaining to the end. Worth a watch. 6.5/10.
Lowlifes (2024)
So close to being a game changer in the slasher genre, but opportunity missed
Lowlifes (2024, USA), despite being just another slasher film, has a bit of a twist which makes it kinda interesting. The problem here is that the writer then failed to make use of an ideal opportunity for a double whammy. Instead she decided to incorporate a bit of a moral lesson. Things got somewhat worse when the writer / directors decided to explain the moral lesson to us "as if I'm five". That said, apart from a script which tied the film's hands behind its back (and did so immediately after almost delivering a knock-out) the film was decently directed, really well acted (given the script restraints) ,and had some kick-ass blood and guts effects. Even the cinematography and cutting contributed in spades to atmosphere and tension. It's really sad that the script did not capitalise on a brilliant idea. With the correct and logical second reveal, even the lacking dialogue would not have prevented this film from being an 8/10 film. As it stands, 6.5/10. Ps nothing against the writer in general, as her work on "The Influencer" was solid.
Pandemonium (2023)
The horror of existentialism
Pandemonium (2023, France), at face-value presents three ostensibly loose standing stories which all lead to almost everyone, fairly or unfairly, ending up in hell and going through a Dantesque process of suffering.
At this level the story engages questions around the moral values, if any, of those who "judge" humanity and as such the potential irrelevance of human existentialism.
There is also space for interpreting the film. An example of this flows mainly from the final aspect around the reincarnation of the Anti-Christ and the immediately preceding remarks around time being a human construct and not being linear. In each story we experience loss by the protagonist of family members in different ways, but there is always loss and there is always either direct or indirect guilt on the side of the protagonist. The argument for the stories thus dealing with reincarnation is not totally far-fetched and provides a solid thread to combine the stories into one larger story.
The cinematography was clearly influenced by writer and director Alexandre Claudin (Quarxx)'s artistic and atmospheric intent, inter alia demonstrated through the homage paid to various genres of horror films through the three stories.
The acting, especially by (at the time) ten year old Manon Maindevide, was top notch. The writing left obvious lacunae in the individual stories as well as the connecting story. Some might see this as a weakness in the film but it served an obvious purpose , both in relation to the main theme of existentialism / life-death-afterlife and the meaning (if any) thereof, as well as how the viewer gets his or her head around this theme, i.e. Through personal interpretation. Definitely a very unique film. 9/10.
Late Night with the Devil (2023)
Found footage done perfectly till the final act when it flopped spectacularly
Drawing its principal inspiration from the 1980 incident between talkshow host, Don Lane, and magician turned skeptic, James Randi, 'Late Night with the Devil' presents a compelling found footage horror noir till almost right at the end. The ending is however so over-the-top that it totally destroys the credible "is this all created for ratings, or is this really happening' theme created throughout the film and digress into absolute and somewhat a lame 'deal with the devil territory'. Generally the film is very well directed with a plethora of homages to both 70s horror and 70s talk shows. The acting is mostly solid and the atmosphere is true to time. This could have been a masterpiece, but for the overindulging final act. 6/10.
Humane (2024)
Dystopian dilemmas captured in horror noir
Acclaimed Canadian photographer (and carrier of the infamous Cronenberg gene), Caitlin Cronenberg dipped her toes into (well longer than one minute) directing with the dystopian horror noir "Humane". The film is set in a world where overpopulation requires all governments to meet a culling target and the US opted for voluntary culling against payment. A dilemma develops when through a series of events four siblings are required to decide which one of them should be "culled". Events start to play out with some very cool gore and more than decent acting. The facial expressions captured in unobtrusive detail truly enhanced the "noir quality" of the film, but certain scenes were somewhat over-the-top resulting in almost slapstick comedy. All and all an enjoyable film. 6.5/10.