Ma (2019) #467

 

What happens when you take a script that could be intended for a Lifetime Network movie, commit to the violence and language, and hire current well known actors? The end results in a movie like 2019’s “Ma”, starring Octavia Spencer and Luke Evans. The film crew knew exactly what kind of movie they were making and gave it their all. “Ma” is a fun, non-apologetic journey of a crazy lady wanting to be accepted. 

The movie was developed by director Tate Taylor, Octavia, and Blumhouse Productions. Tate and Octavia had worked together “The Help” and “Get On Up”. Octavia wanted to try something vastly different than any other role she’d had up to that point and Tate just wanted to do something “fucked up”. I’m not sure if I would consider “Ma” to be all that F’d up but it is something new for the two old time friends to try. When Tate offered Octavia the chance to star as a lead in a psychological horror film, she accepted the role without even reading the script.

As I mentioned, the story is about a lonely middle aged woman desperate to feel accepted. Octavia plays Sue Ann, a veterinary technician who buys some alcohol for some underaged kids. Knowing where they are going to go drink, she places an anonymous phone call to the local authorities who briskly break up their party. Sue Ann comes across the group the next day, buying them more alcohol and inviting them to her house so they can party without the risk of getting caught. And this begins an awkward, dark, sequence of partying and dependency.

Diana Silvers costars as Maggie Thompson, the new girl in town. She quickly makes friends with a group of teens who like to party but are otherwise decent kids. At first she considers Sue Ann nice and accommodating, but begins to suspect something sinister when she’s drugged and has her earrings stolen. When her friend Haley notices that Sue Ann is wearing a bracelet that belongs to one of her friends, the two girls decide to break into Sue Ann’s house to see what else she might have stolen or is hiding.

The cast includes Juliette Lewis, who plays Maggie’s mother Erica, Luke Evans, and Missi Pyle. The three were classmates with Sue Ann when she was in high school. They were the friends she thought she had and had always wanted. Now that she is friends with their children, will they accept her now?

The Gallows (2015) #436

"The Gallows" was a highly advertised 2015 POV horror film distributed by Blumhouse Productions. It's a decent film with an clever premise that fails to deliver the scares that the commercials promised. I appreciate the setting (a high school at night), how the film avoids using CGI, and the minimal cast, but I feel that the film would have been more successful as a regular movie than being filmed in a POV format. For some reason, I feel that the advertising campaign was similar to that of "My Bloody Valentine 3D", and if it had been presented in the same style, this film would have worked. Having four teens with video cameras running around a locked up high school from a mysterious killer with only one method of killing loses it's appeal and believability rather quickly; if only they had a valid reason to keep recording while running for their lives like the characters in "The Blair Witch Project"!

While I like the direction that the story takes, the characters themselves are cliched and underdeveloped. The other detail I noticed while watching the credits was the fact that most of the cast share the same first names as their character; Reese Mishler as Reese Houser, Pfeifer Brown as Pfeifer Ross, Ryan Shoos who played Ryan Shoos (???), and Price T Morgan as Price. This was either extremely lazy script writing or a clever way to include the actors as they helped create the story. A few of the actors do feel like they are giving their all in their performances regardless of the strength of the dialogue in the script.

The pacing of the movie is solid, giving the viewer ample time to see the set up of the plot, be introduced to the characters and learn about their basic motives, and move on to the point of the movie. The ending has a twist that I was not expecting but one that works. Overall, my review of "The Gallows" is a mixed; it was fun to watch but it could have been so much more.

Hush (2016) #430

Writer and director Mike Flanagan has delivered another fan favorite, word of mouth sensation called "Hush". A home invasion thriller, "Hush" pits a deaf/mute writer against a mysterious killer in a thrilling game of cat and mouse. Unlike his previous film "Oculus", "Hush" has a straight forward, simple narrative. With a budget of only $70,000, Flanagan and his cast and crew create an awesome little film. It's encouraging to see that solid horror films can still be made on the cheap and still have a polished and professional look to them; I would never have known that this film was made on such a tight budget without reading about that fact.

The situations presented in the film are intense and feel realistic and that might be where the film could have some editing; I personally feel that they had too many failed escape attempts before finally moving on to a different course of action. Another minor downfall to the film is that it is incredibly dark, as in unlit, through a good portion of the movie. These are petty complaints for an otherwise engaging and fun thriller that finishes on an adrenaline fueled high note. Flanagan avoids simple "jump scare" tactics and really uses the lack of silence beautifully at various points of the movie.


"Hush" stars Kate Siegel, who co-wrote the film with her husband Flanagan, and gives an amazing performance as Maddie, the deaf reclusive writer. Giving an equally solid performance is John Gallagher Jr as the masked killer her joyfully plays with his prey. Samantha Sloyan and Michael Trucco round out the other prominent cast members as Maddie's neighbors who become involved with the horror in their own way.

 "Oculus"

Oculus (2013) #387

I've never liked split narratives that follow separate story lines that occur in the past and the present because I feel that any tension that is built is lost in one timeline when it switches back to the other. In the 2013 horror movie "Oculus", this technique is used to various degrees of success; the first 30 minutes was difficult to follow but the film finds a pleasant rhythm switching back and forth in the second act. It follows two siblings, both as pre-teens and as young adults, as they deal with an evil, possessive mirror that has a long history of being owned by people who have all suffered bizarre and gruesome deaths. The movie was written, edited, and directed by Mike Flanagan, expanding a short film that he had created in 2005. Overall, I enjoyed the film and noticed several similar themes that are found in the film "1408" and "The Amityville Horror".

A young family moves into a new house, where the father purchases a gorgeous antique mirror to decorate his office. The mirror is evil and soon possesses the parents who turn viciously on their two children. The son is blamed for his parents death and is sent to a psychiatric facility for 11 years while his older sister becomes obsessed with learning the history of the mirror and eventually obtaining it for a scientific experiment to prove that it is supernatural. The two siblings meet at their childhood home, where the sister has set the mirror up with a series of video cameras and computers to record and track the occurrences within the room. It's not long before the mirror begins to effect the two and the objects within the house, including making the plants wilt and influencing the siblings without them realizing it. Will the siblings resist the mirror's evil force or will they end up victims like all of the mirror's previous owners?

Favorite moment - When Kaylie (the sister), bites down on a light bulb after the mirror tricks her into thinking that she picked up an apple.

The Purge: Anarchy (2014) #383

Warning: Subtle spoilers ahead!


What makes the concept behind "The Purge" movies so interesting is the fact that each film is able to explore and expand on various ideas and perspectives that various characters may have. In the original film, we see a regular family under siege by a group of young adults who want to exercise their national right to kill and torture whoever they wish. The original "The Purge" was an interesting, effective, and still somehow am underwhelming film, but it had set the stage beautifully for other stories to be told about this new and horrifying national holiday.

"The Purge 2: Anarchy" takes the concept that was presented in the first film and dives right in, expanding on several characters from different walks of life who are brought together by circumstances outside of their control, who are left to try to survive the night while trapped in the city. The film's five main characters are easily relatable and you can't help yourself from hoping that they make it through the night.

The film touches on political, economical, and social issues on a deeper level than the original film while still being a truly effective horror movie. The scenes are intense, gripping, and chilling. Even though some events in certain scenes could be figured out before they occurred, nothing felt forced or cheesy; ok, maybe the scene that felt a bit too much like "The Road Warrior" might have been a little cheesy but at least it was still fun.

For the next sequel, I would love to see what the first annual "purge" was like and how it came about. Was it civil/class warfare that had gotten out if hand? How accepting was the general public, knowing that they could suddenly kill, maim, and torture whomever they wanted? Or seeing how certain events played out in the third act of "Anarchy", does the "purge" continue and how has it evolved?