The Lodge: An Excellent Horror Film That is Haunting and Memorable
The Lodge is an atmospheric horror film that explores grief, loneliness and what happens when you’re stuck with your significant other’s kids inside a snowed in lodge for several days. It’s a dread-filled experience that features a beautiful looking descent into insanity, and it proves directors Veronkia Franz and Severin Fiala (Goodnight Mommy) have become experts of creating psychological horror films that revolve around isolation, paranoia and static camera shots that create oppressive worlds (I wish I had the money for the Panasonic Primo and Ultra Speed MK II lenses used throughout the film).
To dive into spoilers would be doing you a disservice. Just know that The Lodge is about an irresponsible dad named Richard (Richard Armitage) leaving his two children Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHigh) alone in a remote lodge with his soon-to-be-fiance Grace (Riley Keough). The kids dislike Grace, and blame her for their mother’s suicide (it’s a dark movie), so, naturally their time alone with her is not ideal (in a neat bit of foreshadowing, they watch John Carpenter’s The Thing together). Throw in the fact that Grace was the only survivor of a mass-suicide that was spearheaded by her cult leader father when she was 12, and you have a recipe for some cold weather mayhem.
What makes The Lodge so effective is the cinematography by Thimios Bakatakis (Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer) He makes the best of the tight corridors and long halls in the lodge by using a 1.85:1 aspect ratio (as opposed to the widescreen 2.39:1 aspect ratio) to make the cabin hallways and rooms seem tall, ominous and empty. I love how the camera stays mostly static, and alternates between wide shots and closeups that successfully create anxiety and dread.
The production design by Sylvain Lemaitre (Small Crimes, Turbo Kid) is also excellent, as the red Christmas decorations stand out amongst the grey clouds and brown walls. Also, the warm colors emitted by the lamps, and slivers of light that shine through the frosted windows create a homey-yet-cold vibe that works well within the scarcely decorated lodge. I never thought I’d say this, but, the purposefully drab colors made me miss the clean, open, and sunlight-drenched interior design of the modernist home in Goodnight Mommy. Both movies are terrifying, but, at least you’d get a tan while going through the terrible ordeal in Goodnight Mommy.
The Lodge is an oppressively bleak film (in a good way) that doesn’t pull punches or look for easy ways out. Despite it’s bleak tone, I found it to be more accessible and human than Goodnight Mommy, and I found myself dreading the outcome because I liked the people involved. If you are looking for an excellent horror film, I totally recommend The Lodge.
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John’s Horror Corner: The Devil’s Rain (1975), a slow-paced classic with melty-goopy grossness, William Shatner and… a young John Travolta?
MY CALL: Of all the 70s classics worthy of study, respect and revisiting—this is not among them. I’d only recommend this for the fun of seeing young Shatner and Skerritt, and a few deliciously gross melting people covered in fleshy pancake batter. MORE MOVIES LIKE The Devil’s Rain: For more goopy gross factor flicks, I’d suggest Slime City (1988), Street Trash (1987) and The Blob (1988).
IMDB—“A Satanist cult leader is burnt alive by the local church. He vows to come back to hunt down and enslave every descendant of his congregation, by the power of the book of blood contracts, in which they sold their souls to the devil.”
When I generally think of 1970s horror, I don’t expect much in the way of special effects. But this movie, God bless it, opens with a melty-faced man in the first scene! And for a 70s PG movie, his face is a gooey gross melting mess!
This movie starts so fast it feels like a sequel. Before being reduced to a pile of bubbling gobbledy-gook (a la Gremlins) on Mark Preston’s (William Shatner; A Christmas Horror Story, American Psycho II, Incubus) front porch, he warns that some guy named Corbis (Ernest Borgnine; Escape from New York, Willard, Deadly Blessing) demands what is his: a powerful book! After Mark is captured by Corbis, Tom Preston (Tom Skerritt; Alien, Poltergeist III, Contact) comes seeking his disappeared family and finds himself facing Corbis’ cult alone in a ghost town.
Shatner (above) and a young John Travolta (below; The Fanatic, Carrie).
Those proselytized to Satan have their eyes melted away (a weak special effect) making them look more sinister while carrying out Corbis’ orders. But after the opening scenes of the film, the pacing becomes quite sluggish and the action is exceptionally boring. Such pacing was typical of the 70s, though.
Whereas we started out strong with a gross gory scene, the majority of the film is pretty boring and, honestly, not even effective as a Satanic Panic era flick. The story isn’t interesting either. The movie’s only saving grace is that which essentially lulled me into buying it: a great cast and a single great gore gag (at the beginning and end of the movie). At least the end scene is loaded with slimy melting Satanists with green goop draining from their eyes and their pulsating life-drained corpses. It’s really gross.
And maybe that’s the virtue of director Robert Fuest’s (The Abominable Dr. Phibes, And Soon the Darkness) pink pancake batter movie. This may just be the grossest movie of the 70s.
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The MFF podcast is back, and this week we’re predicting the 2010 Academy Awards. We figured too many people were predicting the 2020 winners, so we went back in time to pick our favorite 2009 films that were up for Academy Awards. In this episode, we come up with terrible nicknames for actors, ponder if Avatar is better than Hurt Locker, and make 100% correct predictions. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the episode!
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If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
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MFF Special: Dolph Lundgren is Really Good in Universal Soldier
By 1991, Dolph Lundgren was already a worldwide action movie star with movies like Rocky IV, Masters of the Universe, Red Scorpion, The Punisher and Showdown in Little Tokyo (watch this clip now) under his black belt. The problem was, none of these films let him string together more than several lines at a time (he only had nine lines in Rocky IV). His thick Swedish accent, scared off many writers from giving him showstopping monologues, and his roles largely relied on his large frame and ability to punch or front-kick stuntmen into oblivion.
That’s where Universal Soldier writers Richard Rothstein, Christopher Leitch and Dean Devlin come into play. They weren’t afraid to give the brilliant Swede a monologue in their bonkers action film, and in 1992, the Fulbright scholar, who had a Master’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Sydney, proved to the world that he could break any dialogue given to him. Here’s a transcript of the monologue from The Roland Emmerich directed (Independence Day, Midway) Universal Soldier.
“God damn it the whole fucking platoon’s dropping like flies! What the hell are you staring it? Do you have any idea what it’s like out there? Do you? Well I’m fighting this thing man, it’s like kick ass, or kiss ass, and I’m busting heads! It’s the only way to win this fucking war. And these shitheads, these yellow traitoring motherfuckers. They’re everywhere. And I, Sergeant Andrew Scott of the US Army, I’m gonna teach ’em all.”
Right now, you are probably thinking “huh?” and did he really say “yellow tratoring motherfuckers?” Well, considering the movie is about two soldiers who killed each other in Vietnam, and resume their battle in 1992, after they’ve been Frankensteined into super-soldiers, the dialogue makes sense. Dolph’s character, Andrew Scott, suffered a mental break in 1969, went on a homicidal rampage, and was killed by Jean-Claude van Damme’s character Luc Deveraux (who also died in the fight). Years later, after being turned into Unisols (universal soldiers), the two go on a rampage and try to kill each other again. During one of their skirmishes, several of the red-shirt Unisols are injured and Scott drags them into a supermarket freezer to heal (ice or freezing temperatures heal their wounds). While in the supermarket, he unleashes the unexpected speech that you read above, and we’re fairly certain it confused/enthralled everyone in the audience who had never heard him string that many sentences together.
Take a look at his expression when he leans in towards the man with the cowboy hat. The quick look to the side and raised eyebrows are inspired and more than anyone expected.
After he says “They’re everywhere” Dolph’s body language is excellent as he slowly turns, and skulks away with hunched shoulders. It’s the body language of a Frankensteined-super soldier who still thinks he’s in Vietnam and is monologuing to a captive audience inside a rural supermarket.
Soon after, several unlucky officers run into the store and are killed by Scott. This is how he caps off the murder spree.
You can tell Dolph loved this moment and he did he best to create a nuanced and well-acted moment in a bonkers action film. Compared to JCVD’s work, Dolph deserves an Oscar.
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John’s Horror Corner: The Grudge 2 (2006), a worthy sequel offering fresh storytelling and more honed tactics.
MY CALL: I’m just gonna’ come out and say it… I think this sequel was better than The Grudge (2004). The tactics and storytelling felt more honed; like comparing Evil Dead 2 (1987) to Evil Dead (1981). Its greatest victory is how the storytelling style deviates from part 1. MORE MOVIES LIKE The Grudge: Well, The Grudge (2004), Ju-on: The Grudge (2002) and Ju-on: The Grudge 2 (2003) would be the best place to start; followed by The Ring (2002) and Ringu (1998), then Ju-on (2000) and Ju-on 2 (2000). There is also the second remake of The Grudge (2020).
“When someone dies in the grip of a powerful rage a curse is born. The curse gathers in that place of death. Those who encounter it will be consumed by its fury.”
Picking up right where The Grudge (2004) ended, director Takashi Shimizu (Ju-on 1-2, The Grudge 1-2, Flight 7500) continues his Grudge saga with three linked stories about those unlucky enough to befall Kayako’s path. And like other direct sequels (e.g., A Nightmare on Elm Street parts 3-5, Friday the 13th parts IV-VI, Halloween I-II, Saw IV-VI), it is best watched shortly after seeing its predecessor to keep plotlines fresh.
International high schooler students Allison (Arielle Kebbel; The Uninvited), Vanessa (Teresa Palmer; Lights Out, Warm Bodies, Wolf Creek) and Miyuki visit what’s left of The Grudge (2004) house, which is clearly still haunted by the angry spirit Kayako (Ju-on 1-2, Ju-on: The Grudge 1-2, The Grudge 1-2). When a prank (against one of the girls) goes awry, the evil follows the girls after they leave the cursed house.
Across the globe in California, Aubrey (Amber Tamblyn; The Ring) travels to Tokyo to find her sister Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar; Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2, The Grudge)—hospitalized since the events of The Grudge (2004). She, too, finds herself haunted beyond the limits of the cursed house, as if she took a piece of the curse with her or, perhaps, was infected by its evil.
And in Chicago, Trish (Jennifer Beals; The Book of Eli, The Prophecy II, The Bride) moves in with her boyfriend and his kids. At about the same time, their neighbors move someone mysterious in as well.
Like its 2004 predecessor, some scenes are more effective than others. Some of the same ploys are replayed to little effect—like the “look who’s under the covers” bed gag. Likewise, the CGI of the telephone booth scene, Kayako randomly appearing in the background, and the meowing ghost child have also lost their appeal. The shots limited to Kayako’s face emerging from shadows remain very creepy, but her full body shots lack menace… unless she’s shambling down a hallway in flickering lights. I quite liked that hallway scene pursuing Sarah Michelle Gellar—which may have influenced a similar scene in Lights Out (2016).The “dark room scene” callback to The Ring (2002) was entertaining and quite creepy even if not so scary. But in terms of scariness, Kayako is no Samara (The Ring). I remain most intrigued by the milk regurgitation (and re-drinking) scene. What was that!?!
This sequel’s greatest victory is how the storytelling style (i.e., the use of several interwoven stories) deviates from the past-to-present yo-yoing narrative of the first. Sure, we’re basically just getting more of the same with new victims, but it feels different in a most welcome way. Not only that, but this sequel builds on the folklore of Kayako’s supernatural origins with Japanese occult practices, and even plays into the same theme as Freddy’s Revenge (1985) and The Ring 2 (2005). We also finally learn the origin of the croaking noise Kayako makes, and it actually makes perfect sense! I just found it annoying in part 1—but now I’ll always enjoy it more.
I’m just gonna’ come out and say it. I think this sequel was better than The Grudge (2004). The tactics and storytelling felt more honed; like comparing Evil Dead 2 (1987) to Evil Dead (1981).
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast #248: Piranha 3D, Jet Ski Action Scenes, and Adam “Action Hero” Scott
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker. (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere)
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF podcast is back, and we’re continuing on with our “Soggy Saga” podcast series with Piranha 3D (listen to our Deep Blue Sea, Lake Placid and Anaconda eps) The Alejandre Aja (Crawl, The Hills Have Eyes) directed Piranha 3D is a gnarly film that is loaded with excessive gore, buckets of blood and scantily clad coeds being turned in gross blobs of blood. In this episode, we discuss jet ski action scenes, the logistics of shooting films on-location, and Adam “The Action Hero” Scott. Enjoy!
If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean,or Spreaker.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
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John’s Horror Corner: Patrick (1978), a mediocre medical-mystery horror about a comatose patient with telekinetic powers and a crush on his nurse.
MY CALL: This was one of those great ideas of the 70s that may have been creepy then but just feels kind of boring now. MORE MOVIES LIKE Patrick: One may venture the sequel Patrick Still Lives (1980) along with Demon Seed (1977) and The Manitou (1978). There is also the recent remake Patrick: Evil Awakens (2013), along with The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) and Eli (2019) for more recent fare.
I never even knew this movie existed until I saw Patrick: Evil Awakens (2013) and, while learning about the film online, discovered it was a remake. Now having seen this 1978 “classic,” I can’t say I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of it. It’s rather mediocre; interesting but slow. But I imagine it would have been much more exciting at the time of its release.
Newly employed as a nurse at the very private Roget Clinic, Kathy (Susan Penhaligon; Count Dracula, The Uncanny) is hired by the cold Matron Cassidy (Julia Blake; Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark) to tend the clinic’s comatose patients which serve as Doctor Roget’s (Robert Helpmann) research subjects.
As Nurse Kathy comes to communicate with the presumed brain-dead Patrick, Patrick develops a sick fondness for her which he relays through a typewriter. He hints the fate of her boyfriend, professes his love, threatens and even urges Kathy to “join him.” Of course, he’s brain dead! So, no one believes this to be true… not until Patrick assaults them with his powers.
Director Richard Franklin (Psycho II, Road Games) takes his time developing the story. I enjoyed the development, but it was slow. Unfortunately, there is little horror payoff for our patience—the shocks are few. Gore isn’t abundant nor does the movie rely on it, but it’s effective when present.
Even the very depictions of telekinesis develop from weak spiritual tremors, to poltergeist jolts (laughably launching a potted plant across a room), to complete sorcerous control—for example, forcing a man across town to grab a hot pot with his bare hands. But none of it is ever very engaging. When Patrick tries to drown a man from across town, it comes off as someone swimming circles underwater and then gasping for air.
So again, neat story but boring execution.
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast #247: Only God Forgives, Fist Fights and Karaoke
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker. (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere)
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF podcast is back, and this week we’re talking about Only God Forgives. Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Neon Demon) this brutal film is a beautiful looking descent into a Hellscape filled with red hues, bloody faces and torture. Many critics and unassuming viewers were caught off guard by this nasty masterpiece, however, we’ve always embraced the chaos, and appreciate Refn’s decision to veer away from his Drive success. In this episode, we discuss tailored suits, dangerous hands and terrible mothers.
If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean,or Spreaker.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
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The Dead Don’t Die: A Very Rewatchable “Zombie” Film
“We have to get it right, because dozens of people watch my movies.” Adam Driver quoting director Jim Jarmusch.
The Dead Don’t Die is an immensely enjoyable film that features coffee zombies, head killing and many mentions of Sturgill Simpson. Directed by Jim Jarmusch (Coffee and Cigarettes, Only Lovers Left Alive, Dead Man, Paterson, Broken Flowers.…I love his movies), The Dead Don’t Die wasn’t exactly what audiences (who didn’t know about Jarmusch beforehand) anticipated when they sat down to watch the movie in theaters. I love that it made $14 million domestically, however, critics and audiences were annoyed about its lack of a message and “meta japery” that hung over the 105-minute running time.
I love the film and think it only gets better with each viewing. The jokes get funnier (what, are we improvising here?), there are new wrinkles to enjoy (Wu-ps), and the word “ghouls” never gets old. The Dead Don’t Die has a unique personality that allows jokes to linger and gives actors like Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, Chloe Sevigny, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones and RZA some truly fun moments.
The Dead Don’t Die focuses on a zombie outbreak that takes place in a small town named Centerville. During the laid-back apocalypse, the local police force comprised of Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver), Mindy Morrison (Chloe Sevigny) and Chief Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray) find themselves overwhelmed as they attempt to “protect” the locals while drinking lots of coffee, and killing the heads of various zombies. While they are being kept busy with zombies, we’re introduced to several Cleveland hipsters lead by Zoe (Selena Gomez), a cranky farmer named Miller (Steve Buscemi) and a samurai sword-wielding mortician named Zelda (Tilda Swinton).
Throughout the course of the outbreak, no one is in a hurry, and that only adds to the overall vibe of the film. I’ve never seen such a relaxed apocalypse, and while many people are killed, the films moves at a relaxed pace that soaks up the atmosphere and allows for Adam Driver and Bill Murray to bicker at each other endlessly (you got the full script?) while they chop off zombie heads.
I love The Dead Don’t Die, and think it might be the most rewatchable 2019 film. If you are in the mood for a laid-back zombie film, I totally recommend you watch The Dead Don’t Die.
Here is the “official unofficial” coffee drinking game for The Dead Don’t Die. Take a sip of coffee whenever you hear:
- Yuck
- Sturgill Simpson
- Kill the Head
- Coffee
- Ghouls
- Wild Animal(s)
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast #246: Scream 4, Terrible Lemon Squares and Lots of Stabbing
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean, or Spreaker. (or wherever you listen to podcasts…..we’re almost everywhere)
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF podcast is back, and this week we’re talking about the Wes Craven directed Scream 4. Released in 2011, 11 years after the release of Scream 3, this long-delayed sequel-reboot plays with the idea of celebrity, social media and disgusting lemon squares that taste like ass. Scream 4 brings back the old crew (Sidney, Dewey, Gail), and teams them up with newcomers who aren’t nearly as interesting (Kirby is the bomb though), and together they deal with a masked killer(s) who is very clumsy. In this episode, we discuss horror remakes, lemon squares and rank the Stab movies.
If you are a fan of the podcast make sure to send in some random listener questions so we can do our best to not answer them correctly. We thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the episode!
You can download the pod on Apple Podcasts, Tune In, Podbean,or Spreaker.
If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
Movies, Films & Flix 