John’s Horror Corner: Pumpkinhead (1988), an excellent case study in over-played tropes executed perfectly.
MY CALL: Pumpkinhead is a film brimming with all the typical horror tropes. But what truly sets it apart is their elegant delivery in the form of good storytelling–the kind of good writing and well-staged events we seldom encounter in horror. Oh, and EXCELLENT pacing, special effects and set design!!! MORE MOVIES LIKE Pumpkinhead: They actually made three sequels in 1993, 2006 and 2007. I haven’t seen any of them but they couldn’t possibly measure up to the original.
Makeup special effects wizard turned one-time horror director, Stan Winston (Constantine, Galaxy Quest) demonstrates a greater handle on storytelling and general filmmaking than most would on even their fifth turn helming a horror movie…and he does it just right his first time. He did an admirable job and I’m baffled (and quite disappointed) that he did not continue to direct more horror films. The 90s certainly would have benefited from more of his work.
Pumpkinhead is a film brimming with all the typical horror tropes. But what truly sets it apart is their elegant delivery in the form of good storytelling–the kind of good writing and well-staged events we seldom encounter in horror. The scenes stitch together seamlessly and imbue a finer level of synthesis than horror typically finds.
In the opening scene, Ed’s father protects his family from a desperate man pursued by a most pernicious demonic entity during a rather dire flashback that links our main character’s childhood to the monster.
Now grown and a father of a young boy himself, Ed (Lance Henriksen; Harbinger Down, Aliens, AVP, The Pit and the Pendulum) finds his son in his last living moments after some intoxicated twenty-something runs him over with his dirt bike.
Much to my relief, what we don’t find are a bunch of young adults who keep talking about beer and smoking weed and getting drunk and getting laid. Their upcoming plight is not prefaced by drunk lap dances or cabin stripteases (e.g., Julianna Guill in Friday the 13th). What we witness instead is what we might expect of a young group (incl. Kerry Remsen; A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, Ghoulies 2) on vacation–mild drinking and driving but no one seems sloshed, typical fun behavior that’s just a little bit dangerous, and a somewhat understandable (though not at all forgivable) reaction to a big screw up while one of them was on probation. Even more rare for a horror film is that although we have a clear singular protagonist in our recently bereft father, the soon-to-be victims are effectively humanized when we witness that only the proby screw-up acts immorally after the accident. Like I said, the tropes are all here, but they don’t feel like the same old over-played tropes when handled so well.
Ed seeks out a witch–a piece of local hillbilly folklore–to exact his revenge. What’s funny is that Ed is the local middle-of-nowhere store owner in the mountain woods. Normally HE would be the harbinger warning the younger city folks of bad things to come. Instead it’s Ed’s fellow poverty-stricken neighbor (with five kids wearing filthy rags singing rhymes about the monstrous Pumpkinhead) who warns Ed away from pursuing the witch. How’s that for a badass turn of troped-up events?
The witch is great! The translucently thin-haired hag lives in a fetid cabin in the swamp. The set designers really outdid themselves. She’s creepy and says all the typical lines like “you’ll know when you find it.” But she’s just soooo creepy that it doesn’t feel corny. Then the pumpkin-patched grave site, the exhumation, the alien-looking transformation…this film truly has a lot to offer.
The pacing is excellent. We consistently build towards the reason to seek the witch (i.e., the tragedy), the impetus of vengeance, the necessary ritual, some blood and black magic, and the mysterious discovery that Ed is now somehow “connected” to the Pumpkinhead demon.
Once it comes time to start picking off twenty-somethings the movie becomes a bit more typical, but remaining on the higher quality end in terms of execution. Get it…execution? See what I did there? But for real, it’s pretty fun. There are various “horror drags” and a grabs-from-above that reminds me of Alien 3…or, I suppose, Alien 3 (1992) reminds me of this.
Which brings us to the monster, which is undoubtedly reminiscent of the Alien Xenomorph, but with its own style. It’s slimy skin, protruding bones, gaunt body, huge head and long tail make this fiend super-creepy and I love the way it lumbers around and makes interesting facial expressions! And while its appearance reminds me of Aliens, its behavior is more like Jason Voorhees as it lurks around the isolated cabin in the woods (yes, all the tropes are here), occasionally dropping a dead body in front of a future victim (for no other reason than a good jump scare for us viewers).
I’m also quite fond of the scene when it “stabs” a guy with a rifle. Cheeky!
This film offers much worthy screen time to its well-crafted monster and the action is pretty cool, especially at the end. The conflict is resolved properly with an ending that “matters” (unlike a lot of horror that just sort of “ends”). What’s more is that the 80s loved horror endings that all but flagged down the obvious sequel. That happens here, but in a most tasteful, thoughtful, and appreciative manner that will put a smile of understanding satisfaction on your face the moment you catch it.
I don’t simply recommend this be watched, but that you just go buy it. This movie contributed to making the 80s a special era for horror.
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If you get a chance please make sure to review, rate and share. You are awesome!
The MFF podcast is back and we are talking about random “vs.” movies. In honor of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice we put together some incredibly random films that pit incredibly random characters against each other. Here are a few of the fights you will be hearing about.
Hannibal Lecter vs. Superman – The guy would love to eat an alien.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles vs. Pizza the Hut (Spaceballs) – Would the turtles eat Pizza the Hut?
Aron Ralston (127 Hours) vs. The Zombies from Night of the Living Dead – Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse.
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As always, we answer random questions, and ponder if Gremlins could defeat Ewoks (too close to call). Sit back, relax and listen to a whole lot of randomness!
You can stream the pod on Blog Talk Radio or download it from Itunes. If you get a chance please rate the review the pod. You are awesome!
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The Movies, Films and Flix Podcast #49: The Villainous Smoking Habits of John Travolta
You can stream the pod on Blog Talk Radio or download it from Itunes. If you get a chance please rate the review the pod. You are awesome, intelligent and very-good-looking!
The MFF podcast is back, and bringing you random cinematic observations that might change your perception of movies! If you are into Jason Statham movie posters, Kate & Leopold, and John Travolta smoking cigarettes you will love this pod! We dive headlong into absurdity, and analyze everything from time travel, to Travolta’s dangerous smoking habit in Broken Arrow.
Travolta is always smoking in Broken Arrow.
As always, we answer random questions, wax poetic about Dolph Lundgren and attempt Michael Caine impersonations (they are always bad). Sit back, relax and listen to a whole lot of random observations.
You can stream the pod on Blog Talk Radio or download it from Itunes. If you get a chance please rate the review the pod.
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John’s Horror Corner: Scythe (2016), a Short Film assessing tropes and seeking your support.
Disclaimer: This review was solicited by the filmmakers. However, my opinion remains unbiased as I was neither hired nor paid to produce this critical review.
MY CALL: This promising slasher short film largely offers aspects of horror tropes that I enjoy. If you feel the same, consider contributing to their Kickstarter Campaign. MORE INDIE MOVIES LIKE Scythe: Here at MFF we occasionally do horror short film and pre-release indie film reviews on request. Among recent solicited promotions are Order of the Ram (2013; short film), Love in the Time of Monsters (2014; feature length), In the Dark (2015; feature length), Trailer Talk: The Void, TRAILER TALK: Blood Money, Short Film Buzz: Burn (2016; press release), Brother (2016; short film), and the indie techno-horror Other Halves (2016; feature length).
Description: Directed/written by Jim Rothman and starring Jose C. Alvarez, Zailee Madrigal and Andrea Muller, Scythe is a psychological Slasher/Thriller in the same vein of Halloween (1978), Saw (2004) and the work of Hitchcock.
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Twitter: @ScytheJim
I always get nervous with the solicited screening/reviewing of short films. My first worry is the acting quality, which thankfully was solid right out of the gates as we meet two college girls much like some of those we’ve known. One (Zailee Madrigal) being laid back and carefree, the other (Andrea Muller) is clearly more high strung as we see her insecurities organically unfold.
Right about now would be a good time for you to stop reading and give this short film a watch. No worries, it’s just a smooth 12 minutes. Then we’ll get back to our critique…
Just after she leaves to walk home across campus that evening, Breaking News reveals the “Grim Reaper killer” has escaped. That’s trope #1. And just after getting a warning call from her friend the tropes get heavy as the acting falters a step (with the urgency) and she loses cell service in the middle of Pasadena (not likely). That’s rope #2. Then, as she lowers her phone realizing her call is totally lost, she sees the killer in a classic Michael Myers throwback shot. And that’s #3. I’m gonna’ forgive that one, though, because I just might have liked it.
This “meet the killer” shot is nice and the scoring compliments it smoothly. But overall the camerawork feels pretty basic. It’s not at all bad, mind you. But it boasts proficiency and honorarium over innovation–not that it’s necessary to use clever camera angles and wraparound shots to make an effective horror movie. Right after a stare down with the stranger, a streetlight goes out. Should I put “4” on the scoreboard for team Trope? Actually….no.
The opening acting quality was a relief but the Breaking News had me rolling my eyes. Why should we forgive it? Because this short film is only 12 minutes and we only have so long to get to know our characters, introduce the enemy, and get on with conflict, chase, murder or escape. Sometimes you need a quick street sign to say “Killer Here” just to get on with it. But when the streetlight goes out it violates our troped up expectations…for whereas it nods to evil snuffing out the light, we (and she) can still see the killer.
When she gets home and feels safe momentarily, her phone works again…but the power is out! When she thinks someone else is in the house, her phone doesn’t work again. Then the power comes back on…aaaaaaaand we’ve been yo-yoed out of our comfort zone and what falls in our lap but a playful surprise ending? It was a fun startle. We knew something was about to happen when our victim was so relieved (and we also knew this short has already been going for 10 minutes), we just didn’t know exactly how it would happen. I was pleased with how this was handled. And maybe I was briefly antagonized by the frustrating on-and-off phone service and convenient power outage that only seemed to only affect her house (which was explained), but it built to a satisfying end.
Isn’t that what matters–our feeling at the end of the journey? We can quibble all day about pedantic tropes and think to ourselves “oh, that’s four I count now, I see what they’re doing.” But we can’t let ourselves get caught up in that because sometimes when we look back, we appreciate those tropes as well-received nods rather than conveniences played in lieu of creativity. Often the creativity is in how the trope is served.
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Our lead actress (Andrea Muller) does the lion’s share of the acting and, fortunately, she gives the most consistent and convincing performance. She did a great job. I must aim my greatest criticism at the supporting actress (Zailee Madrigal), who did well but clearly handled the opening scene better than her subsequent scene (i.e., the panicked phone call). This may sound overly critical, but short films suffer more often than feature length because we’ve had less time to engage our main characters and cultivate an investment in them. Moreover the actors themselves have less time and material to cumulatively build their own investment. However, here I readily identified with our star and never found myself apathetic to her survival.
I often comment that “the fledgling director has much to offer in terms of [BLANK]” or that “I like what they were trying to do, but perhaps with a larger budget…” But here I have little criticism outside of aforementioned minor issues. And can I just say how awesome Andrea Muller was? Nice work. All that remains is for these filmmakers to move forward and make a feature length film or a longer (perhaps 20-30 min) short film out of this. I’d certainly like to see it!
Also, just as a sidenote, anyone who thinks this is a fluff review because I’m flattered to have been asked to review this…you’re quite wrong. Just check out my previous solicited reviews (all hyperlinked above). You’ll find that I’m quite critical (even at times brutally honest) but fair to the merits presented. And these filmmakers and actors have shown the kind of merits I want to see more.
The killer looks pretty hokey at the end, but come on…it’s a 12 minute short. LOL. Give them a budget and let’s see what they can do!
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MY CALL: This sequel makes me miss the rigid acting in Leprechaun (1993). Although Warwick Davis remains forever a pleasure on screen, his surroundings, supporting cast and writing have collapsed around him like a straw house! MORE MOVIES LIKE Leprechaun 2: Leprechaun (1993) and the loads of sequels taking Warwick Davis from “da hood” to outer space. But whatever you do, don’t watch Leprechaun: Origins (2014)–terrible even for a direct-to-DVD B-movie.
You’ll probably want a drink to get through this…
We begin in Ireland 1000 years ago, as our Leprechaun (Warwick Davis) celebrates his 1000th birthday on which he may magically choose his bride by saying “God bless you” after she sneezes thrice. Stupidest ritual ever!!!! But his marital prophecy is foiled and he curses that on his yet next 1000th birthday he’ll marry her fairest offspring. Barf! This sounds awful. And why is he dressed like a green wizard!?!
So here we are on St. Patrick’s Day 1994, his 2000th birthday, and the mythological wee person emerges from a tree in Hollywood, California. To preempt your question, I have no clue whatsoever why he was in that tree or for how long or how he got across the Atlantic Ocean. Perhaps he teleported–as we learned he can do in part 1 when he has his gold and, thus, his powers. But wait…didn’t we last leave him dead in a well in South Dakota????
I’m left to wonder how this creature of Irish folklore emerged from this tree in 1994 when, in 1993, we last saw him melting to death after a kid slingshot a four-leaf clover down his throat. Remember that? Because evidently it slipped director Rodman Flender’s (The Unborn, Idle Hands) mind.”
Yeah, that was pretty awesome!
A lot seemed to slip his mind. Like when the Leprechaun refers to St. Patrick’s “feast day” on his 1000th birthday in the year 994…which predates it being known as a feast day by about 700 years! Moreover, if his 2000th birthday is in 1994 then this Leprechaun was born in the year 7 BC (and not 6 BC, since there is no year zero), 401 years BEFORE Saint Patrick (AD 365-461) was even alive and before some pretty important Christian stuff happened regarded naming saints and all that jazz! So not only are the writer and director rather uninformed Christians (and historians), but they also seem to have made a “part 2” that behaves as if “part 1” never happened.
What’s more is that the practice of saying “God bless you” in response to a sneeze is not recorded prior to the year 77 AD. However it’s expected to predate the earliest recorded (or “written”) history, so we’ll let that one slide. But hold on, according to the Irish Folk story “Master and Man” by Thomas Crofton Croker one of the purposes of saying “God bless you” is to serve as a shield against evil. Other variations are to protect the sneezer from momentary vulnerability to the Devil as the soul can escape during a sneeze, or that the sneeze itself is an effort to expel the evil (this Wikipedia article explains some of it). It seems that no matter which historical variant of the phrase we choose, it makes absolutely no sense for the Leprechaun to say this to complete a prophecy in which an innocent virgin’s soul is forever claimed against her will by an evil Leprechaun.
If you drink enough, you won’t notice any of these writing issues.
Well, in either case the Leprechaun’s back and in control of his pot of gold. And now, why ISN’T he dressed as a wizard?!? Not that he ever should have been, but CONSISTENCY, people!
His magic permits him to control prehensile tree roots, cause hallucinations, and manifest telekinesis. At one point he uses his powers of illusion to make a horny teenager think an exposed lawnmower blade was a pair of bare breasts so that when he goes in for a motorboat he got the wrong kind of motor in his face!
Unfortunately the kill occurs off-camera, thus highlighting the destitute budget–which accordingly reflects all other aspects of this film’s production value. But there was one entertaining on-screen kill when a snippety barista (Michael McDonald; Mad TV) gets steamed to death with a bloody blistered face.
The Leprechaun finally claims his bride in magical bondage (via three prophesied sneezes and a “blessing”) and takes her home to his tree in Hollywood. Yep. Evidently he has lived there for a while, creating yet more discontinuity with Part 1. His lair is a labyrinthine subterranean Hobbit hole.
He just needs to reclaim a gold shilling before he can consummate the marriage. And things get festive when retrieving his gold is literally down by removing it from someone’s stomach.
Doing away with four leaf clovers and shoe-shining compulsions, the movie crescendos into a lackluster finale culminating in an explosion when the Leprechaun is defeated by his ancient weakness, wrought iron. His explosive death pales in comparison to his melting scene in Part 1 and after our protagonists escape his lair the movie “just ends.” Watch out for a cameo by MTV Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Clint Howard (Lords of Salem).
While this movie has its bad movie delights here and there, recognizing Clint might just be one of the more satisfying highlights for you.
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I recently saw the trailer for the Kevin Costner film Criminal and it seemed awfully familiar. From what I gathered, Kevin Costner gets implanted with Ryan Reynolds’ memories and kicks a lot of butt. Here is the IMDb synopsis and trailer.
In a last-ditch effort to stop a diabolical plot, a dead CIA operative’s memories, secrets, and skills are implanted into a death-row inmate in hopes the he will complete the operative’s mission.
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The trailer got me thinking about the 2015 film Self/Less and it lead me down a path of random Ryan Reynolds observations. The guy has been swapping bodies/memories and hearing voices for years. The similar roles may be a coincidence, or Reynolds just loves swapping bodies and the world is finally starting to notice.The following post breaks down Reynolds long history with familiar cinematic themes.
Sidenote: I’ve left out The Nines because it felt like a stretch. Read an article with writer/director here.
Bottleneck/Big Monster on Campus (2000)
Reynolds doesn’t swap bodies in Big Monster on Campus, he swaps brains. He plays a goth kid who is killed and brought back to life via a brain swap. The problem is he receives a serial killer brain that makes him rambunctious. I never knew about this movie before today.
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The Amityville Horror (2005)
The Amityville Horror is a better than average horror remake that is probably only remembered for the shirtless scenes. This remake started the whole Ryan Reynolds hearing noises craze. Those pesky evil spirits told him to kill his family, and he listened.
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The Change-Up (2011)
The Change-Up tells the age-old story of two annoying men and a magical body swap. Basically, Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds swap bodies and spout a lot of R-rated dialogue.
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R.I.P.D. (2013)
How did this movie happen? It is an absolute mess that features terrible CGI, Jeff Bridges chewing on scenery and Reynolds dying again. The reason R.I.P.D makes the list is because when anybody in the real world sees Ryan’s paranormal cop he appears as James Wong. Hilarious!
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The Voices (2014)
The Voices was a very pleasant surprise. It features one of Reynolds best performances (alongside Adventureland and Mississippi Grind) as an endearing schizophrenic guy named Jerry. He stars in the film and provides the voices of his Scottish-accented cat Mr. Whiskers, his dog Bosco, a weird Bunny Monkey sock puppet, and a dying deer his character hits with a car. It all sounds very odd but Reynolds holds it together perfectly.
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Self/Less (2015)
Much Like R.I.P.D. I still don’t believe this movie actually happened. It went in and out of the theaters and I’m pretty certain everyone involved is happy about that. Self/Less tells the tale of Ben Kingsley’s terminally ill character getting his consciousness swapped into Ryan’s body. I feel really bad for the director Tarsem Singh (The Fall, The Cell, Immortals), the guy couldn’t do anything with this film.
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Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments.
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Midnight Special: The Best Film of 2016 (So Far)
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Jeff Nichols (Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter, Mud) can do no wrong, and Midnight Special is proof of that. He is the rare director/writer who respects his audience and treats them as intellectual equals. I love how he doesn’t explain away his films with expository dialogue, and he allows them to unfold organically. He takes rural settings and makes them wondrous and exciting, and I appreciate how he never creates caricatures of the small town inhabitants.
What makes Midnight Special so great is it plays like a classic Amblin film (Back to the Future, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Gremlins, E.T.) that avoids mimicry (think Super 8). It is its own beast that creates a new world full of heart, excitement and wonder. The end product is a beautiful science fiction film about parents doing all they can to protect their child.
Midnight Special is equal parts chase film, family drama and science fiction spectacular. Nichols grounds the film in realism and the stakes become much more real because of that. The story revolves around two men rescuing a supernatural boy from a cultish “ranch” and attempting to get him to an undisclosed location. We find out that one of the men Roy (Michael Shannon) is the boy’s father and his cohort Lucas (Joel Edgerton) was a friend of Roy’s before he got sucked into the cult. Soon after their escape from the cult they find themselves being chased by the police, government and cult members. From there, we get a chase film that subverts the genre at every turn and takes us to a beautifully vague conclusion.
My favorite moment in Midnight Special is a neat little exchange between father and son. The boy Alton (Jaeden Lieberher) is worried about the amount of stress he is causing his dad and doesn’t want Roy to worry, Roy responds by saying “I like worrying about you.” It is a tiny moment, but it creates a believable bond between father and son.
Between Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter, Mud and Midnight Special, Michael Shannon and Jeff Nichols have formed a great cinematic team. Nichol’s uses Shannon’s height and intensity perfectly while somehow making him likable and endearing. Shannon in turn, does a great job creating rational and three-dimensional characters who still have an edge about them. I also loved the addition of Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst and Adam Driver to the Jeff Nichol world. They all do very good work and their characters all have moments to shine.
Midnight Special is an amazing film that proves Jeff Nichol’s is one of the best working directors today. If you get a chance check it out in the theaters because it deserves an immersive experience. Let me know what you think!
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John’s Horror Corner: Dolly Dearest (1991), Poltergeist meets Mexican Child’s Play in this great evil doll movie!
MY CALL: The poster art makes this movie look like something you’d want to skip. But trust me, DON’T SKIP IT. This is solid gold B+ horror and a decent evil doll movie that borrows heavily from Child’s Play (1988) and Poltergeist (1982). MORE MOVIES LIKE Dolly Dearest: There’s no shortage of evil doll movies on the market and they come in all different flavors. Puppet Master 1-5 (1989), The Boy (2016), Child’s Play (1988), Curse of Chucky (2013) and Poltergeist (1982), from which this movie borrows heavily. But not Annabelle (2014; podcast discussion of Annabelle), which was just garbage on film. Other horror movies that take Americans to Mexico and Central America are The Ruins (2008) and Indigienous (2014).
The Wade family moves from Los Angeles into a Mexican home sight-unseen after buying a Mexican doll factory sight-unseen. Already, this plot sounds like something that would only feasibly happen in a bad horror movie…nobody does that! But this is their lucky day, because some ancient Mayan ruins are nearby and an anthropologist accidently unleashed a ball of red glowing energy–errrr, I mean, an evil spirit!
Hmmm…noticing the similarities yet?
After being given a doll from the factory, their young daughter begins acting strangely. Her mother Marylin (Denise Crosby; Pet Sematary) has caught her talking to “Dolly” frequently, she draws violent depictions of animals, hisses at priests and rosaries, and speaks in the ancient Sanzian language to their devout housekeeper.
What’s more is that we (the audience) see the Dolly move on her own and it’s implied that she scampers about the house at night very early in the film. And once her murderous intentions are known, we see Dolly’s creepy little doll hands locking doors and picking up sharp objects, sneaking, hiding and stabbing! It’s straight out of the Child’s Play (1988) playbook staged in a Mexican Poltergeist (1982) scenario.
The jump scares are tedious but Dolly is sufficiently creepy (even scary) enough to make it work…and well! As the story progresses, so too does the little girl’s weirdness. She becomes increasingly attached to Dolly and disengaged from her family…even hostile to them.
Dolly, like Chucky, gets meaner and uglier.
This may not be a good film, but it’s a solid B-horror. It’s greatest gift is its pacing. Most B-horror takes 40-60 minutes for anything at all interesting to happen. Whereas we find eerie goings on with Dolly nearly from the start, ambulatory murderous Dolly within about 30 minutes, and after an hour things continue to escalate into bonkersville. There are no great effects, but the walking talking creepy dolls are every bit as effective as we need for his to be a lot of fun.
Speaking of this being a B-movie, Rip Torn (The Man Who Fell to Earth, RoboCop 3) plays an archaeologist and seemingly shows up for no other reason than to explain that Sanzia means “Satan on Earth,” reveal the ancient burial grounds entomb a Devil child with a goat head, and to blurt out an occasional displaced Spanish phrase even though everyone is always speaking English. He is movie exposition personified, walking and talking and explaining everything.
Dolly and Chucky are both quite industrious.
By the way, the dolls follow suit behind Child’s Play (1988) pretty hard. They utter similar lines like “now we’ll be together forever” and “time to play” and their faces become more and more evil-looking as we approach the finale as if they were slowly sapping the soul and humanity from the little girl to transmute Dolly into a living entity of flesh. Then you have Rip Torn filling the Zelda Rubenstein’s Poltergeist (1982) role and the ancient burial ground unleashing spirits that want the youngest child, a little girl whose parents have moved for the father’s job, just like Carol Anne and her family–plus the slightly older boy who discovers the evil, just like Caroll Anne’s brother.
Older brothers…they’re protective and they mean well, but it usually turns out bad.
After this film, writer/director Maria Lease went on to do a few episodes of the sultry Silk Stalkings show and then backed off from direction entirely. I’m not sure why she didn’t do more horror. Not only did this movie surprisingly not suck, it was pretty solidly entertaining. I had been procrastinating seeing this for over a decade (some of the poster/cover art is not very promising LOL) and now I find myself recommending it to fans of evil doll movies and 80s-90s B-movie horror…as this was more of a B+ movie (the same can be said for Pumpkinhead and Subspecies 1-2).
Oh look, there’s more of them. And they get uglier as the movie goes on.
The poster art makes this movie look like something you’d want to skip. But trust me, DON’T SKIP IT. This is solid gold B+ horror and a decent evil doll movie!
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John’s Horror Corner: Brother (2016), Short Film Review
Disclaimer: This review was solicited by the filmmakers. However, my opinion remains unbiased as I was neither hired nor paid to produce this critical review.
MY CALL: This is a pretty damn impressive horror short film about a boyfriend who’s not as faithful as his girlfriend thinks, and his girlfriend’s monstrous family secret. MORE MOVIES LIKE Brother: Here at MFF we occasionally do horror short film reviews. Among recent solicited promotions are Order of the Ram (2013), TRAILER TALK: Blood Money and Short Film Buzz: Burn (2016). We also did a solicited review of the indie techno-horror Other Halves (2016).
Description: Directed by Alrik Bursell and starring @ComedianCapone, Brother is an indie drama/horror film starring comedian Capone Lee about family and relationships and how sometimes the two struggle to get along. Shot on location in Oakland, CA, Brother is a completely independent horror short film with a focus on strong characters and old school practical effects. Brother also stars local actor Dezi Soley and LA based actor David O’Donnell. Brother made its premiered at the 14th Oakland International Film Festival.
My greatest relief arrived in the first 5 seconds when the characters (the lead couple) were instantly likable, the writing felt totally natural, and the actors had immediate on-screen chemistry. Just trust me on this. This basically never happens. When the brother character arrived I felt that the relationships were still somewhat natural, but less organic than the pristine opening scene.
I was also impressed with the camerawork. The opening scene included a great swing-around shot when the couple approached the lake. Nice continuous shots like this in lieu of multiple cuts may go unnoticed to most viewers, but I feel they (with fewer cuts and a more natural feel) enhance everyone’s experience.
With all three characters on screen things feel good, but there’s something missing. This may sound overly critical, but honestly short films suffer this more often than feature length because we’ve had less time to engage our main characters and cultivate an investment in them.
I was especially pleased with the sound editing. The sound of pouring a glass of wine may seem trivial at times, but without such nuance the atmosphere can stale over quickly with an overly sterile feel. Great work on the texting/media presentation as well.
Right about now would be a good time for you to stop reading and give this short film a watch. No worries, it’s just a brisk 10 minutes. Then we’ll get back to our criticism…
To watch the short film CLICK HERE
I must aim my greatest criticism on the boyfriend (David O’Donnell). I actually feel that he has by far the best highlights in terms of natural line delivery. However, the revelations of his infidelity–staring at the jogger in the opening scene with little regard to his girlfriend (Dezi Solèy) possibly noticing, candidly admitting to her brother that he was seeing multiple women when he met her, and dismissively agreeing that she’s “sweet”–all should have been more subtle. I fail to believe that approaching a possible engagement that she would have never noticed his poorly hidden and frequent interests in, for example, a random runner prancing by. But again, I must offer a fair defense that we only have 10 minutes to develop our story and, as such, some things must be comparably rushed to make our points with alacrity. That said, I imagine a longer version of this film would offer a better-substantiated and more natural foundation for these monogamy-fleeting behaviors.
Likewise, her argument with her brother (Capone Lee) feels as if it advances at a rushed pace, skipping much detail. But, people, 10 minute short film. All things considered, I feel this is going resplendently compared to most of my solicited indie reviews, and I’m largely enjoying this. I want to see the feature length version of this.
I often comment that “the fledgling director has much to offer in terms of [BLANK]” or that “I like what they were trying to do, but perhaps with a larger budget…” But here I have little criticism outside of aforementioned issues. And can I just say how awesome Dezi Solèy was in her first role? Fantastic.
The special effects were part CGI and part practical. I liked both. Again, better quality than I’ve come to expect from solicited submissions by far.
All that remains is for these filmmakers to move forward and make a feature length film or a longer (perhaps 20-30 min) short film out of this…perhaps for the next V/H/S-style anthology movie. I’d certainly like to see it!
Also, just as a sidenote, anyone who thinks this is a fluff review because I’m flattered to have been asked to review this…you’re quite wrong. Just check out my previous solicited reviews (all hyperlinked above). You’ll find that I’m quite critical (even at times brutally honest) but fair to the merits presented. And these filmmakers and actors have shown the kind of merits I want to see more.
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John’s Horror Corner: Headhunter (1988), a Nigerian voodoo curse demon that loves decapitation.
This thing looks like someone got Yoda wet, then fed him after midnight. LOL
MY CALL: Any pleasure to be derived from this Voodoo demon movie–besides giggling at its general badness–is limited to just a handful of scenes surrounded by boring plot and sinful acting. Watch with caution; probably only for the obscure 80s horror fanatics out there…which I am, so I thought it was okay. MORE MOVIES LIKE Headhunter: Other horror movies set in the Sunshine State include Day of the Dead (1985) in Fort Meyers, Jaws 3-D (1983), Jupiter’s American Horror Story: Freakshow (2014) and Frogs (1972), Jeepers Creepers (2001) and Swamp Thing (1982). Other absurd 80s-era horror include Rawhead Rex (1986), Night Angel (1990), Nightwish (1990), Prince of Darkness (1987), Dreamaniac (1986), Def by Temptation (1990), Ghosthouse (1986), Manitou (1978) and Deadly Blessing (1981)…probably all of which are better than Headhunter.
This poster makes it look like a totally different movie.
Where are all the voodoo curse demons?
Looks like a possession movie poster.
It takes a while for this movie to get to the point…or to get to anything that matters at all. Opening shots long-windedly depict Voodoo rituals in Africa when something goes wrong. Something that we obviously wouldn’t get to see in the first five minutes. But we get the idea that this something is summoned when chaotic POV shots give a nod to an Evil Dead demon.
This opening sequence is unnecessarily long and at first I thought I was watching a documentary or something on the National Geographic channel. Speaking of which, we do get to see National Geographic-style nudity…but no nudity later during a shower scene. Go figure.
Meanwhile in south Florida, a Miami cop (Wayne Crawford; Barracuda) with some drinking issues discovers that his wife (June Chadwick; Forbidden World) has a lesbian lover and he starts sleeping with his partner (Kay Lenz; House). The editing is terrible, the acting is scarier than the movie, and none of the aforementioned aspects of this cop’s life really matter at all with regard to the plot.
She is sulking like all the time.
As for what little plot there is to discuss, it seems that a poor Nigerian community has brought their voodoo practices (and curses) across the Atlantic to Florida…and judging by the recent crime scenes, they brought their voodoo demon with them. A local community leader, voodoo shaman and somehow wealthy African Studies professor (to my knowledge neither shaman nor professor are lucrative careers) altruistically appears to help our Miami cops “track down” this demon…sort of…well, not really. You see, at first he finds them and says he wants to help. Then he reveals that he really can’t do any more than tell them the recent chain of murders are linked to a curse that followed his people from Nigeria. No weaknesses, no origins, no mythology or folklore…just, yeah, a decapitating curse demon that somehow needs to be stopped.
In the first hour of this tragic low budget B-movie (or D-movie), our evil force is represented by POV shots, wind/telekinesis and a curved blade (like that of a khopesh, or sword). We see heads, then we don’t see heads, there’s some blood where heads used to be…it’s all pretty weak. But it’ll make you grin.
This movie just needlessly drags. You know what’s an awesome B-movie idea? A voodoo demon that hunts people down and chops off their heads because of some curse that goes entirely unexplained. You know what’s not a cool idea? A movie about a south Florida detective whose wife is cheating on him with another woman. This unambitious D-movie gives us both and, as a result of this plot beleaguered by our protagonist’s personal crisis, this movie is only awesome for about 10 minutes. Two of these brilliantly bad minutes feature the most frantic chainsaw shopping scene in film history. A couple more minutes feature a bath tub filled with severed body parts and blood.
When we finally see our demon headhunter at the very end of the movie, we enjoy a silly latex monstrosity that looks more like the swamp hag from Legend (1985) wielding a sword than anything that makes me think of Africa or voodoo. Our hero ends up saving his lovely partner in a voodoo demon sword versus chainsaw duel. Then movie is just “over” after about 90 seconds of decent action and fun. No explanation, no catharsis, no finishing the tale of the Nigerian voodoo curse demon…we just assume everything’s fine after some cheesy chainsaw dismemberment.
Beyond that there’s a nudity-free shower scene and little gore, no good reason for not showing us the monster earlier or more often, and pretty much nothing in the way of atmosphere or scares.
Any pleasure to be derived from this movie–besides giggling at its general badness, which is often just as annoying than funny–is limited to just a handful of scenes surrounded by boring plot and sinful acting. Watch with caution; probably only for the obscure 80s horror fanatics out there…which I am, so I thought it was okay.
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