Review Category: Movie

CERT: 18 / PLATFORMS: SHUDDER / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Writer/director Bryan Bertino, since debuting with 2008’s chilling The Strangers, has had an interesting career. Following up his taut slasher hit with a found footage curio (Mockingbird) and a monsters n’ motherhood powerful creature feature (The Monster), now he heads to the remote farmlands of Texas, where something wicked this way comes. And wicked is just the word because you may well need a stiff drink following Shudder exclusive The Dark and the Wicked.

Estranged siblings Louise (Marin Ireland) and Michael (Michael Abbott Jr.) are compelled to return to the family farm in Texas, as their bedridden father’s illness worsens. Cared for by only their mother (Julie Oliver-Touchstone) and a heartfelt nurse (Lynn Andrews), the two worry that this is having an intense strain on their mother. However, upon arrival, they discover that there is far more going on here, as the building grief in their mother, seems to be the result of and an invitation to a great darkness, the power of which is increasingly growing.

At points wielding a Ari Aster-style collection of haunting visions, which bleed into the isolation of the Texan farm setting, Bertino’s latest is a slow burning but absorbing viewing. Increasingly suspenseful thanks to the unpredictable edge of the story, The Dark and the Wicked is an incredibly bleak and sometimes cruel tale. Taking the affliction of illness and the despair that comes with it, this film is about a family shattered by fear and attacked by evil that is drawn to such suffering.

The entity at the heart of this horror is kept effectively distant, often striking through malicious lies and mind games, and as such you only get glimpses of it, which makes the film all the more impactful, as it instead relies on some truly saddening images of suicide, suffering and mutilation, conjured by this evil presence. Particularly the effect these things carry on the characters, and the performances really reflect the complex pain that comes with humanity. Ireland is emotive and excellent as Louise, whose regret grows alongside her strength, while her remorseful but far weaker brother is equally well portrayed by Abbott Jr. Elsewhere, Andrews’ nurse is a rare beacon of hope, alongside some unsettling supporting turns by Oliver-Touchstone as their mentally drained mother and Xander Berkeley as a suspicious priest.

Due to this film’s almost darkly dream-like nature, it does mean some side characters and narratives take time to unfurl and some notes in the story are purposely vague or require some keen attention to unpick, maybe even a second viewing, if you have the heart for it. To that point, the violent and brutal twists do unleash a movie that is perhaps one to be endured more than enjoyed but we can see it grasping a big cult audience (and refusing to let go). Not what you’d call satisfying, but then true horrors rarely are and this is a film that dares to peel back the flesh and focus on those gnarly fears and anxieties beneath, and it is impressively ensnaring in its grey and brutal atmosphere.

The Dark and the Wicked is excellent and uncompromising horror filmmaking.

A group of mismatched builders travel to the wilds of Wales to carry out a renovation project on a country property owned by a distinctly-dodgy looking (and, as it turns out, financially insecure) young aristocrat and his girlfriend. They‘re  a tasty bunch; burly Bob (Steve Spiers) is the foreman, his cocky  nephew Steve (Charley Palmer Rothwell) is easily-influenced and bubbling with youthful arrogance and Dave (William Thomas) is older, more experienced and cynical but with a ripe Welsh sense of humour. Viktor (Goran Bogdan) is a moody East European providing for his family back home and the aggressive, volatile Jim (Chris Reilly) has his own dark secrets.

Concrete Plans initially plays out like a slightly psychopathic version of Auf Weidersehn Pet – strangers thrown together in manual labour – before taking a turn for the very dark and very violent when it becomes apparent that their employer Simon (Kevin Guthrie channelling Ewan McGregor) can’t meet his financial obligations and, alongside his oily financial adviser Richard (James Lance) is planning to do a disappearing act with some hastily-liquidated funds.

A remarkably accomplished debut feature from writer/director William Jewell, Concrete Plans is more of a dark thriller than a horror film but the violence that erupts is brutal, bloody and unnerving – the film’s title might appear a little clumsy but its relevance becomes horribly evident as events takes a turn for the grisly – and the whole film is gritty, uncomfortable and suffused with a growing sense of menace and unease that perfectly suits the cold and remote location, miles away from civilisation. It’s a film with no real heroes, just ordinary working men trapped in an untenable situation and faced with terrible choices making the wrong decisions leading to terrible consequences. Concrete Plans is a rock solid Welsh winner.

There’s something very troubling about Run Hide Fight that goes beyond writer/director Kyle Rankin’s subject matter. The fact that it’s been distributed in the US by right-wing website The Daily Wire needs to be mentioned. Had the film been about anything else, this probably wouldn’t be an issue, but since it involves a live-streamed school shooting it sends all manner of disturbing flags. That said, the movie itself is not without its merits and problems, and we’ll attempt to keep the politics out of it.

Zoe (Isabelle May) is finding it hard to come to terms with her mother’s death. So much so that she talks to her often and imagines her there responding. It’s caused a rift between her and her father (Thomas Jane) too. She’s become distant (he makes a point of mentioning how odd it is that she’s thrown out her phone) and obviously lacks some compassion (while being trained to hunt by her father, rather than quickly putting a stag out of its misery, she brains it with a rock in a rather upsetting prologue). It’s prank day at school, and her friend Lewis (Olly Sholotan) asks her to the prom, which doesn’t go down too well. While she’s in the restroom, school outcast Tristan (Eli Brown) and his cronies smash into the cafeteria with a van, and begin a hostage/shooting situation that Lewis – being in charge of the school’s Facebook page – is forced to livestream to the world. Once Zoe becomes aware of this she takes it upon herself to get the classes to safety and try to bring down the shooters.

Run Hide Fight (named after the ‘active shooter response’ protocol) plays like a juvenile Die Hard, with Isabel May going all John McClane while her school is under siege. She’s more believable in this element than the surly teenager part of her character, although it’s hard to think she’d have survived so long. In a similar way to Becky (2019), we must suspend disbelief somewhat. Eli Brown, on the other hand, is perfect as the narcissistic oddball who has no real objective in his destructive actions than to get his moment of fame and cause mayhem. There are interesting nuances in his character – it’s possible he could be in a relationship with the brother and sister of his team, Chris (Britton Sear) and Anna (Catherine Davis) – that put him above the stereotype image of the loner looking to get revenge – although Kip (Cyrus Arnold), another of Tristan’s gang is exactly that as he was once humiliated in front of the school.

There’s a problem that arises when watching a film like this. It should be escapism. It should be fantasy. As tragedies like this happen with alarming regularity in the US (just one of the reasons the distribution by The Daily Wire is worrying), it’s hard to distance your thoughts from the reality. Where Heathers took school angst and parodied it, this is all too real.

Cameos by genre legends Barbara Crampton and Treat Williams raise the bar of the production, and the rest of the cast are very convincing. Which makes it all the more realistically terrifying. It’s a film that you can’t say you enjoyed as the subject is so concerning. Technically, it’s a good film, but perhaps not one we need right now.

You might think being the writer, director, and star of American Badger is a little of wish fulfilment for Kirk Caouette, but we’re pleased to reveal that not only does he have the chops behind the camera, he kicks ass in front of it too.

Caouette is Dean, a hitman living on his own and happy with it. Taking his assignments, and keeping himself to himself. That is until he’s tasked with getting to know and gaining the trust of an online call girl, Marcella (Andrea Stefancikova), to get information from her. It’s one of the hardest jobs he’s been given. The pair get on well, and he even lets her in on his trade. Unfortunately, the call comes for him to put her on the top of his ‘to do’ list.

There are plenty of hitmen movies out there, and it’s can be difficult to find a new angle. American Badger manages to do that by making the contract killer into a human being rather than an emotionless monster. Despite his skills, Dean is a softly-spoken and of slight build, and tells us via voiceover that his superpower is letting people make his decisions. He’s also rather adept in combat skills and can polish off a whole army of thugs with ease.

Caouette shoots a lot of the film in vivid colours and the voiceover adds further neo-noir quality to the proceedings, but the scenes that involve intimacy – whether that’s Dean alone with his thoughts or when he’s talking to Marcella – are almost vérité in style. It’s a contrast that brings us closer to the pair and disassociate us from the outbursts of violence.

American Badger packs a punch with the immaculately choreographed, violent set pieces, but there’s also a heart to the main characters, which raises it above the standard fare.

There’s no messing about in director Christopher Alender’s The Old Ways, we’re thrown straight into the story, with Mexican-American journalist Christina (Brigitte Kali Canales) being held captive in a simple, sweaty abode. She had returned to where she was born – Veracruz – to write an article on the area’s myths and folklore. She left after a traumatic experience when her mother was thought to have a demon inside her. Now, she has the demon in her, at least according to a witch doctor, Luz (Julia Vera), and her son Javi (Sal Lopez). Christina is rightfully terrified by being held under duress and put through various tests. When her cousin Miranda (Andrea Cortés) appears, she begins to settle but is further thwarted in her attempts to escape. Her only way out may be to allow the exorcism to take place.

Alender and screenwriter Marcos Gabriel manage to create an oppressive atmosphere by setting the majority of the action in one location. Chickens and rats are Christina’s company when she’s not being subjected to horrific physical pain. The narrative takes a turn midway, but the jump scares continue, and there are some doozies. There’s more to the film than demonic possession, though. Aspects of cultural displacement are also touched on with Christina’s relocation and seemingly abandonment of her homeland. She uses her work and substance abuse to fill the voids in her life that leaving her possessed mother may have caused.

With some great scares and nightmarish imagery, The Old Ways is an exciting twist on the exorcism film, with plenty to enjoy.

Writer/director (and so much more when it comes to this production) Alexis Bruchon has crafted a riveting noir-esque thriller that will have viewers on the edge of their seats awaiting twist after twist.

A burglar (Paul Bruchon) is hired by a mysterious woman (she insists on him wearing a sack over his head during their clandestine meeting so she won’t be recognised) to break into a house in the country. She wants him to obtain a box that’s hidden in the owner’s study. A simple enough task, until just as he’s about to leave, a group of people arrive at the house. The owner has returned to have a party. Panicked, he hides under a table in the study, as people come in and out of the room to deposit coats and the like. Peeking from underneath the table cloth, he recognises a pair of shoes – the same ones worn by the woman who hired him. As the night progresses, things get much worse.

Even giving that synopsis, we feel we’ve given too much away. This is a film worth going in as blind as the hooded burglar in the opening scenes. As the intricacies of the plot are revealed, we’re drawn further into the situation. The burglar – a character who would usually be an antagonist, but sympathetic here – is the only person we see fully throughout the film. We certainly feel for his position, whoever much we might disagree with his choice of profession.

The story’s execution is so simple; it’s a wonder it hasn’t been done a lot more. The film is presented in black and white, which heightens the old-world style. Yet it’s a tale taking place in the present, the use of mobiles being the big giveaway. For a first feature, Bruchon excels with his camera’s imaginative use and a steady drip-feeding of the narrative. Acting as auteur here, he shows his command of the format perfectly. It’s a cleverly edited, neatly paced, and never less than engaging movie. In short: utterly unmissable.