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Enys Men (2022)
This is a mood piece
This is mostly a response to these depressing reviews. Have you never watched a moody film before?
You should already know from Bait that Jenkin is an experimental filmmaker. It's an unconventional film which is about experiencing a mood and atmosphere. The film won't spoon feed you the same storytelling tropes you've already seen a million times before, so if that makes a film "bad" to you then stay away. Don't try to understand it, just watch it.
I much preferred this to Bait. I liked the sound design, the blurring of nightmare and reality and the body horror elements.
What's he got against lichen, though?
We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021)
Know what you're getting into - creepy experimental filmmaking, not jumpy horror
This falls into a strange category: I would only recommend seeing this on the big screen, but only if you know what you're signing up for and think it's something you'd enjoy.
Story in a nutshell: a girl alone in her bedroom takes part in an online horror viral "challenge" and experiences some psychological disturbances as a result. It's not clear whether those disturbances are 'real' or 'imagined', or whether the internet acquaintance who takes an interest in her symptoms is a benign or malevolent person.
It's a genuinely strange and experimental movie with an unnerving quality and sleepy atmosphere. There is a lot of emptiness: slow, creepy, extended takes of the character walking or just staring in a daze, that can get a little tiring to watch. All this has the effect of either lulling you into a creepy, dreamlike frame of mind, as it did for me, or boring the hell out of you as it clearly did for others.
Seeing this on the big screen really helped. The soundtrack and sound design are amazing but a TV wouldn't do it justice. The experimental visuals (think bizarre references to internet culture, dazzling lights, the camera spinning etc.) were immersive and fascinating, but would fall flat on a TV.
By now you should know if the film is for you. Are you up for a weird, 'interesting' movie with clever ideas that will leave you thinking, or would you prefer to just straight up enjoy your horror movies?
The Devil All the Time (2020)
a mediocre movie (apparently) passing for a good one
Unrelentingly grim movies about 'evil' characters CAN be successful if they contain depth and are skilfully executed. This had neither going for it.
The best I can say about it is the casting is excellent and the performances will at least see you through.
For those rating this a 9 or a 10... imagine what kind of film this would have been in the hands of Paul Thomas Anderson, Scorsese etc. ? Then compare that to what you watched? You're wildly overrating this.
Last Night in Soho (2021)
Biggest disappointment in recent memory
I love Edgar Wright and psychological thriller/horrors which is why this disappointed me so much. It was almost wholly unsuccessful with virtually every major beat falling well short of the impact that was intended.
Relic (2020)
Solid low-budget horror that doesn't quite stick the landing
Relic uses dread and suspense effectively, hitting all the right notes for a psychological horror.
It leans into typical genre fare towards the end, which felt more like a contrived effort to manufacture a climax than an effective way to continue evoking the theme and tying up the story.
The ending is ultra bizarre and I "get" it, but it doesn't land in the way Natalie James intended.
Saint Maud (2019)
An incredible character study
Don't go into this expecting jump scares, twists and genre cliches as it appears some others here may have done, and been disappointed.
There are genuine scares but it's more of a tragic, dreadful character study than a typical horror. If you like films like The Witch and The Lighthouse you will find plenty to like here.
Saint Maud is about how loneliness and isolation can disconnect us from reality (think Taxi Driver). The horror comes from the tragedy of Maud's perception becoming increasingly distant from that of the other characters. The way the film shifts between perspectives is captivating, and even daring, and just so well done in the sound design, effects and cinematography. Mental health and religion are what accelerate Maud's decline but that's not "all the film is about".
On a purely technical level this film is so well made it defies its rating on that basis alone. Add to that the richness and complexity of the character study and you have one of the best horror films in years.
Passengers (2016)
The 10/10 reviews for this make me worried about the human race
This is your quintessential "the only reason the critics panned this is because they're pretentious; if you're braindead like me, you'll love it!" movie.
The film's compelling premise gave it the potential to be genuinely interesting but it failed to make anything close to an interesting use of it. Instead, it consistently took the most bland and uninspired approach at every turn.
It's true that critics are often out of touch with mainstream audiences but frankly the glowing reviews you can see here show why that's not such a bad thing. I can only assume the people who think this movie is perfect a) received a head injury shortly before entering the cinema or b) have no concept of what makes a movie "good" beyond being mindlessly entertaining, and this film doesn't even have that going for itself.