When Evil Lurks (2023) #482

 

I've been finding myself drawn to films that are more nihilistic and haunting, and "When Evil Lurks" is a perfect example of just that. Not since "Martyrs" have I seen such a bleak film that also had a theatrical release, which is how I first watched this movie. The pacing of the movie is perfect as it allows a thorough, but not complete, world building to be established, and how desperate the situation becomes for the main characters. This is a world where demons are an accepted fact and the concept of organized religion is a concept from the past. 

Pedro and his brother Jaime live on a farm in the rural countryside. One night they hear gunshots and decide to see what the commotion was about the following morning. Near the farm they find a person horrible torn apart by some unknown person or beast. They follow clues to a nearby house, where a woman lives with her two sons. The eldest son has become "rotten", a living host to a demon waiting to be born. It's quickly determined that the person found torn apart was on their way to deal with the demon infestation. When the local police decline to help, the hapless brothers, along with an arrogant neighbor, are forced to handle the matter themselves. But there are rules in dealing with the possessed, and when the rules are not followed, a domino effect of horrible events begin to take place.

One of the best world building features of this movie are the rules that must be followed. They seem like an old nursery rhyme or old wives' tale. These rules include not using electric lights, using guns, violence against the possessed, to stay away from animals, and never say their name. Throughout the course of the film, we see what happens when the rules are followed or when they are broken. Another intriguing act of world building is added the vaguely defined Cleaners, those who are able to abort the demon infecting the Rotton. This attention to detail feels like we've witnessed the creation of a new unique movie monster.

 

The spread of evil around the Rotten is quick and insidious. Both animals and humans can be infected, and when they are, they act out in violent and unexpected ways. Causing the death of an infected will infect pass the evil on to the next person which may cause them to self-harm or kill the nearest person. Pedro and Jaime, along with the Cleaner Mirta may be the only ones who can stop the chain reaction of death and stop the birth of a real demon!

Watch the trailer here!

Suitable Flesh (2023) #480

    Making appearances at film festivals around the county during the autumn of 2023, "Suitable Flesh" is a grand return of a H.P. Lovecraft story adapted for the big screen. If this feels like a movie Stuart Gordon might have made, it's because it is written by his long-time screenwriter Denis Paoli, the gentleman responsible for the screen plays of "Re-Animator", "From Beyond", "Castle Freak" and others. The amazing Barbara Crampton is back as well, both co-staring and co-producing the film. With familiar creatives like these two working on a new Lovecraft movie, "Suitable Flesh" is also a film by noted director Joe Lynch, a man with his own vision and sense of production. Most of all though, "Suitable Flesh" is all about Heather Graham in the lead role as Elizabeth Derby. Heather dominates the screen in every scene that she's in, seducing the characters in the story as well as the audience watching the narrative unfold. 

   

"Suitable Flesh" is an inspired take of Lovecraft's story "The Thing on the Doorstep". I truly appreciate the new title because this is both a homage and its own story, touching on some but not all of the original story's main plot points. In this version the gender roles have been flipped and the demeanor of the characters are more relatable than the original story. This Derby is not a timid, mother smothered occultist wannabe, but rather a successful therapist who feels her life has become stale. Work is dull, her sex life with her husband is boring, and life seems repetitive. 

Elizabeth's life takes a drastic turn when Asa White shows up at her office, asking for help. She is initially intrigued by his request when he tells her that he has read her book about out of body experiences and that he has been having such moments. Asa is a nervous and anxious young man, and he begs for Elizabeth to visit his house so he can further explain what he's concerned about. Then Asa's phone rings, and when he answers it, he appears to have a seizure of sorts, but in a few moments he's fine and displaying a nearly opposite set of behaviors; confident and egotistical. Unknown to her, Dr. Derby had just witnessed a mystical body swap between Asa and his sorcerous father Ephraim. She agrees to visit Asa at his house, which in turn begins a chaotic spiral of events of body swapping and mistaken identity that involves Elizabeth, Asa and his father, and even her best friend Dr. Daniella Upton.

While there are noticeable differences between "Suitable Flesh" and "The Thing on the Doorstep", the spirit of the story is here and presented in a fun and memorable fashion. The film also has some interesting editing choices that also help set it apart from other current horror movies. The pacing is great and the movie ends with a violent, chaotic crescendo. 

Watch the movie trailer here!

https://youtu.be/e52fRshVMRU?si=dKlsM6rqS75QZ2hz