Await Further Instructions (2018) #508

 

A family gathering for the holidays where most of the family are unwelcoming and xenophobic and the smaller portion feels bullied and outcast for their lifestyle choices, is suddenly trapped together and unable to escape, with the only contact from outside of the house coming from text appear on the tv. This is the set up for “Await Further Instructions”, a cosmic horror about control and obedience, essentially an experiment being conducted by otherworldly entities.

Nick returns to his parents house after cutting off most contact from them for three years. His girlfriend Annji comes with him, and almost immediately the family gives their disapproval and racist thoughts about Annji, who is of Indian descent. After having a screaming argument with his pregnant sister, Nick decides that coming back was a mistake and insists they leave. When they try to do so, a weird, ribbed, black  material has blocked very aperture and window in the house. The black surface looks like black cords fused together creating a solid wall. The family then notices text on the tv that states “Stay inside and await further instructions”. Naturally the very controlling father Tony declares that it’s from the national emergency service, but is that who it’s really from?

First the family is told that all of the food in the house is contaminated and that they must wash themselves with bleach, they follow the instructions. When vaccines are dropped from the chimney, Nick and Annji have their doubts, but the ever controlling Tony forces them. Tony’s elderly father dies a gruesome death and the tv states that one of them is infected. Naturally the family suspects Annji, and they lock her away. Tensions and parinia run rampant as Nick and Tony clash, family members die, and the instructions become ever more demanding and violent.

With everyone dead, with Nick killing his father in self defense, the dead rise once more as Tony becomes a  meat puppet infused with the living wires. It’s a shocking end with an axe, and as the camera pans up, you see that every house has suffered the same fate.

Mandy (2018) #473

“Mandy” is psychedelic mind trip of colors, false messiahs, drugs, bikers, and a Nicholas Cage that you’ve never seen before. The movie will leave you wondering what you just saw and additional viewings may not help answer any questions, although the film will still be fascinating. It’s a unique film that caught the attention of many and currently holds a 91% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes 

There is no better way to describe Nicolas Cage’s performance in “Mandy” as anything other than elemental; he is a force of pure energy. He is finally able to tap into whatever zone he enters mentally when he steps in front of a camera now days and completely let go. There are moments where he is allowed to be calm and reflective and other times where he literally gets to scream and let all of his rage and anguish flow. No one ever saw this performance coming and those who haven’t, prepare yourselves for a brand new kind of Nicolas Cage.

The film’s story is nice and simple, which allows the events that take place to have their own weight and importance in each scene. Red and Mandy live a simple, quiet life in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Red works as a logger and Mandy works as a cashier at a gas station. They have deep philosophical conversations that lead you to believe that they are both recovering from past traumas. Everything is going fine until one day when a van drives by Mandy and one of the occupants, Jeremiah Sand, sees her and becomes obsessed. Jeremiah happens to be the leader of a hippie cult that calls themselves The Children of the New Dawn, and Jeremiah truly believes that what he wants is his with the permission from god himself. He has members of his cult kidnap her, which begins a violent, manic turn of events as Red seeks vengeance and does not allow anything to get in his way.

One thing that makes this movie so odd and yet wonderful is that you have no idea what is supernatural and what isn’t. Is Red merely a man seeking revenge or is he some kind of immortal? Are the bikers really just mind fried junkies or actual demons? What other atrocities have the Children committed to satisfy Jeremiah? There are no back stories save one, and that teases the audience in the best way in this film. What I do know is thaT this movie will leave a little imprint scarred on your brain that reads “Mandy and Red we’re here”.

Halloween (2018) #443

Halloween Movie Trailer

In 1978, John Carpenter introduced us to masked killer Michael Meyers and Laurie Strode, one of the most famous final girls in any horror movie. Forty years later both Michael and Laurie in 2018’s film simply titled "Halloween". At first glance, it feels like a path that’s already been on. To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the original film, we saw the return of Laurie Strode as Michael's primary focus in "Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later". The movie itself does a fine job of ignoring the previous installments of the "Halloween" franchise, taking place twenty years later after "Halloween 2", and wrapping up the the series in a more than adequate fashion. So why do we need this new chapter? Because it's finally been done right.

The original “Halloween” was written, scored, and directed by the incredible John Carpenter who has returned as a producer, offering his spiritual guidance and wisdom regarding the script. Mr Carpenter also helped score this movie as well, presenting a haunting rendition of his original score. The music in this movie is absolutely perfect as ambient tones and sounds as well as the general theme enhance the mood and fill in the quiet moments.

  

While it’s great to see Michael Meyers on the big screen again, the real star of “Halloween” is Laurie Strode, played by the outstanding Jamie Lee Curtis. She is dominant, she is fierce, and she owns every second of screen time that she is given. From the first moment you see her, you feel her pain and her sorrow, having spent everyday for the past forty years waiting and preparing for Michael to return. Her character is reminiscent of Lynda Hamilton’s portrayal of Sarah Connor in “Terminator 2”; both women tried to lead normal lives but their paranoia and other symptoms of ptsd ultimately ruined their relationships with their children. Through Jamie’s gut punching performance, you are given more reason to care about her daughter Karen (played by Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (played by Andi Matichak). Each character is fully developed and gives the audience the rare opportunity to actually care about the characters in a horror movie.

                              

“Halloween” is full of nostalgic moments, drawing ample inspiration from the original with a unique twist, subtle references and setting certain rumors to rest, and little details in staging; they even use the same font for the opening credits! But this film provides its own special moments, including the best dialogue during a babysitting scene I have ever seen. The most important choice that the film makers made was ignoring the sequels and reboots and choosing to set the movie directly after the original “Halloween”. This is the film that we wanted and the film that is worthy enough to properly celebrate the fortieth anniversary of this franchise.