Review: Ghostwatch

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2023
Images from the Internet

Ghostwatch
Directed by Lesley Manning
BBC; Screen One; Sonopress; MVD Entertainment
91 minutes, 1992 / 2022
www.sonopress.de
www.mvdvisual.com

Right now, there is a proliferation of Ghost Hunters type shows on cable television. I have watched a couple of them, and they suck, so obviously made up or at the very least stretching credulity. But this BBC1 film dates back to 1992, ahead of the crowded market, and is presented as a real documentary. There is little indication beyond the credits that it is fiction and exclaims itself as “live,” and comes across as a news program like ”20/20” or “60 Minutes.” This is helped by it being hosted by respected newsman Michael Parkinson and well-known celebrity Mike Smith (d. 2014).

As with Orson Wells’ radio broadcast of “War of the World” (1938), some people did not realize it was a scripted piece as this was way before the popularity of the Found Footage genre, so much of the audience was caught unawares. And like Wells’ radiocast, this was presented on October 31.

Mike Smith, Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene

In a regular looking home on Foxhill Drive (in England; I am assuming London), the Ghostwatch team is arriving to investigate the ghostly happenings in that house (the example they show is actually laughable for a number of reasons, but incredibly reminiscent of Paranormal Activity in 2007, nearly a decade later). Hosting the team is annoying comedian Craig Charles (of “Red Dwarf” fame). Note that most of the main characters are playing themselves. The “reporter” from the BBC and lead is Sarah Greene, who was married to Mike Smith at the time, which is acknowledged in the program, thereby giving it more credibility.

Like Geraldo Rivera and Al Capone’s vault (do you remember that?), for a while everything is pretty mundane as they switch back and forth between the house and the studio, where Parkinson and Smith interview a parapsychologist, Dr. Lin Pascone (Gillian Bevan), the owner of the house, Pam Early (Brid Brennan), and take calls from people who have possible ghostly experiences. Taking the counterpoint poo-pooing the events, is American Dr. Emilio Sylvestri (Colin Stinton).

Brid Brennan and the Wesson sisters

One of the questions in this show is whether or not the events are a poltergeist, due to the two puberty-period (no pun intended) Early daughters and real-life sisters, Kimmy (Cherise Wesson) and Suzanne (Michelle Wesson). Or, perhaps, could it be something more sinister?

Before we get to the meat of the matter, when the banging hits the walls, the film almost mocks itself with a series of red herrings that I thought was really well written (by Stephen Volk, who started his career with Gothic, the 1986 story of the creation of the Frankenstein novel).

Craig Charles, Brennan

This is the first time this has been released on Blu-ray, which looks incredibly crisp. There are some nice extras. First up is a brand-new Audio Commentary with British film historians Dr. Shellie McMurdo (University of Hertfordshire/University of Roehampton, whose interests include the horror genre, trauma theory, Found Footage horror, and torture horror) and Dr. Stella Gaynor (University of Salford; author of Made for TV Monsters: How has the rise of horror on US television impacted on the spectacle and acceptability of the genre?, as well as being a horror make-up artist). They discuss how original this TV film was at the time. The two Docs, who are personable, for quite a while discuss their reactions to the film when they saw it as young’ns. Eventually, they mention how certain scenes are culturally effective. It is a bit self-centered, but so refreshing than most of the flat and clinical, “Here is how it got started, cast stories, effect on culture” cliché commentaries.

Also new for the Blu-ray is the documentary, “Do You Believe in Ghosts?: 30 Years of Ghostwatch” (48 min). This is essentially a Making Of documentary, filled with interviews with the cast (Greene and Bevan), crew (including director Manning and writer Volk), among others. It is engaging and a bit of an historical document about the filming. It is mixed with scenes of the film that you have probably just watched, but using it as reference points to the conversations, works. It is well put together, and worth the view.

Gillian Bevan

Also on the disc is an archival commentary with writer Stephen Volk, producer Ruth Baumgarten, and director Lesley Manning. They give a bit more details about both the technical ends of the film and anecdotes. It amazes me that after all these hours of commentary, there is very little overlap of information. My guess is that this commentary was recorded for the DVD release in 2014. Last is the “Shooting Reality” featurette by director Lesley Manning (8 min). This shows parts of the script, the house floor plan, and Manning’s notes about it as she describes it, among other things. There is also the only clear and close-up picture of the ghost, Pipes (Keith Ferrari).

What kind of reaction did the audience have during the show and after? Well, the BBC announced that they received over a million phone calls that were both favorable and complaints by people who thought it was real (despite the credits at the beginning and end).

Greene

Just for the originality in its format, this is as an important television moment as Captain Kirk mixing it up with Uhura. There was no reality television frame of reference, and this makes it all the more powerful, and worth remembering when you watch this, and you really should. So much fun.

Oh, and there are reportedly 11 appearances of the ghost, Pipes. I saw four. Drinking game? Or maybe every time you see the two-liter bottle of Coke.

IMBD listing HERE

Review: The Kindred

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

The Kindred
Directed by Stephen Carpenter and Jeffrey Obrow
Kindred Limited Partnership; F/M Entertainment; Synapse Films; MVD Entertainment
93 minutes, 1987 / 2021
www.synapsefilms.com
www.MVDVisual.com/
I know I saw this when it first came out, but honestly, I do not remember it at all. Happily, I will now get a chance to revisit it with fresh new eyes (among other sensory organs).

The film certainly begins with a BANG! Bodies fly, and EMTs are abused. And that leads to introducing our hero, researcher Dr. John Hollins (David Allen Brooks, giving off a Ryan O’Neal or William Katt vibes, or maybe it is just the hair). Seems his mom, another researcher of questionable studies of a gene called hemocyanin (according to Wikipedia, hemocyanin “are proteins that transport oxygen throughout the bodies of some invertebrate animals”; it is usually found in marine life), Dr. Amanda Hollins (a cameo by Kim Hunter, more famous for 1968’s The Planet of the Apes and especially non-horror but brutal A Streetcar Named Desire in 1951; d. 2002), is out of a coma and tells her son to destroy her research, and that he has an unknown brother named Anthony in a shade from Basket Case (1982), who also must be destroyed, which the viewer quickly learns why, but exposition must follow first.

David Allen Brooks

Amanda has a rival in bad toupee-wearing also researcher of human and non-human hybridization, ala Island of Lost Souls (1932)/The Island of Dr. Moreau (1995), Dr. Phillip Lloyd (Rod Steiger, better know to horror fans as the priest in 1979’s The Amityville Horror, but especially in the, again, brutal non-horror On the Waterfront in 1954; d. 2002). He is trying to steal Dr. Amanda’s research before John can do anything with/to it.

John goes to his mom’s house with his girlfriend, Sharon (Talia Balsam), in which Amanda turned his childhood bedroom into a laboratory. Just for the heck of it, he asks a bunch of his friends to join along (the fodder to be killed off?), and is also join by a mysterious British researcher of the bizarre that he meets at a funeral, Melissa (Amanda Pays), who seems to have her own agenda. In this way it becomes sort of a cabin in the woods type scenario. Meanwhile, there is something tentacled under the floorboards (trigger warning: pet endangerment)

Talia Balsam

The various Anthonys look a bit like a cross between It’s Alive (1974) and the alien in the poster from Xtro (1982), but with tentacles, as well as arms. Could this be a reference to Cthulhu?. But it’s the adult Anthony that is lurking around the property. Despite all the scientific lingo here and there, the base of this is obviously that it is a creature feature.

Without surprise, things pick up exponentially in the third act, and adult Anthony makes its presence not only known, but takes command, fighting the puny human folk. Who will win this life-and-death battle? I will say, there was way less of a body count than I was expecting.

Amanda Pays

That being said, this was quite the joy ride, with some excellent all practical and in-camera SFX (i.e., no CGI), with creature effects built by Michael McCracken; yes, the infamous watermelon scene is a great example of that (I won’t give it away). Throughout there is solid acting all the way around. Major cast choices for a B-film. Even Steiger, who has chewed his amount of scenery in his career (I once interviewed him a while back before even Amityville, and bombastic is the word I would use to describe him even off the set), mostly comes off as, well, “acting” rather than shouting, even though there is some of that, as well. It is also worth noting that one of the five writers of this film was Joseph Stefano (d. 2006), who wrote the screenplay of the classic Hitchcock game changer, Psycho (1960).

The extras start off with a commentary track with directors Jeffrey Obrow and Stephen Carpenter, moderated by horror journalist Steve Barton. While it is occasionally hard to tell who is talking (other than gravelly voiced Carpenter), honestly, it does not matter. It is the contents, and this is a really good commentary with lots of information and stories, with emotion, rather than just a flat read. Worth listening to for fun information.

Rod Steiger

Next is “Inhuman Experiments – The Making of The Kindred” (52 mins.), an all-new featurette produced by Synapse Films for the Blu-ray. While it is typically generally chronological as many “Making Of” docs, from the genesis (let there be film) of the idea (e.g., changing the character of “Matt” to “Melissa”), but some of this is quite interesting, such as interviews with two of the leads (seeing what they look like now, as well as their stories, for example). My favorite parts were the stories about working with the actors, especially Steiger and Hunter. There is also a broad overview such as the SFX , the sets (which are quite phenomenal, done on the same soundstage as 1939’s Gone With the Wind), the music by David Newman (including being interviewed), and of course its place in culture. Originally, my idea was to skip around, but ended up watching the whole thing, despite the length. That says a lot.

And speaking of SFX, there is a special compilation of creature effects artist McCracken Jr.’s never-before-seen archival, on-set footage (18 min). The first half of this, I watched at 2x speed, but the second, when it became black and white grainy footage, when there was actual informative information, I turned it back to normal speed. It’s not brilliant thanks to the visual quality, but can be interesting for at least one viewing

There is also a still gallery and original storyboards, TV spots, the original theatrical trailer, the original video promotional trailer, and optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

While this has absolutely nothing to do with this film, in a-degree of separation, Marlon Brando has starred in the break-through releases with both Kim Hunter (Streetcar) and Rod Steiger (Waterfront), and he also was one of the leads in the similar thematic Island of Dr. Moreau.

Despite some visually dark scenes, the film quality itself is superb, which is not surprising considering it is a new 4K remaster of the unrated version, and the sound is quite sharp, with different versions of the tracks available in both 5.1 stereo surround sound and the original 2.0 mono theatrical mix.

With a mix of imagery and ideas amalgamated from other films, this one manages to have lots of pop power, and for those who like the ‘80s monster films, this is right up that alley.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Premutos: The Fallen Angel (2-Disc Extended Director’s Cut)

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

Premutos: The Fallen Angel (aka Premutos: Der gefallene Engel)
Directed by Olaf Ittenbach
IMAS Filmproducktion; Unearthed Classics; MVD Entertainment
106 minutes, 1997 / 2022
www.unearthedfilms.com
www.MVDentertainment.com

As I said when I reviewed the only other film by Bavarian writer/director Olaf Ittenback that I have seen in its entirety, No Reason (2010), his films are basically bat-shit crazy, and I wanted to see this one because of that, rather than in spite of it. This is the “Director’s Cut” of the film, which is longer and has never before been released in North America. More bizarre for the buck.

For this story, the basis of which is told in narrative form over the credits and lots of bloody violence throughout history shown, the titular Premutos is a fallen angel older than Lucifer, who had power over the dead, with instructions on how to raise the deceased. One man in 1943 uses it to try and revive his dead wife and others who become flesh-gobbling zombies, while villagers with torches search for the madman. This is all presented in a 20-minute prologue before our actual story starts. There is already more blood and gore than most slasher films put together.

Ella Wellmann, André Stryi

The protagonist to start, in the modern era, is ne’er-do-well man-child Matthias (the director, Ittenback), who lives with his S&M-interested sister, Rosina (Heike Münstermann) his mom Inge (Ingrid Fischer), and his military-obsessed, Nazi-era-loving father, Walter (Christopher Stacey, who is arguably too young for the role, but what the Hölle). The latter, while digging up his garden for a plant, finds the hidden potion for raising Premutos. Meanwhile, Matthias is having flashbacks to previous lives during the Plague-ridden 13th Century and in Russia for the Battle for Stalingrad during World War II, among other periods, where he was reincarnated as the son of the titular Fallen Angel, each time meeting a bloody and painful end.

Coming to visit for Walter’s birthday party is Matthias’ sister Tanja (Ella Wellmann), who has been away in China, and has been mooning over a lost love, Hugo (André Stryi), now married to spoiled, comic relief Edith (Anke Fabré). They also show up at Walter’s party. Meanwhile, Matthias has some of that Premutos potion spilled on his…sensitive area, so you know that’s not going to be good for the people at the party, but most likely joyous for the viewer.

Olaf Ittenbach

As Matthias transforms into…well, is it the son of Premutos or Premutos himself? – it could be both; given how much Christian myth is also in the story, since Jeebus and “his father” are different but one in the same according to some versions of the Biblical story – he becomes increasingly violent and ugly (reminding me a bit of Rawhead Rex with less of a make-up budget), and the dead rise up from the mortuary to attack the living, including in pub (where someone is wearing a Ramones shirt with the circle design created by Arturo Vega, d. 2013) and, ‘natch, Walter’s party. As a side note, when the zombies attack, there is a sole Black guest, the amusingly named Christian (Fidelis Atuma), who makes me think of Night of the Living Dead (1968)

There is an enormous cast here, and the director has certainly stretched his budget to the max, with weaponry, explosions, a tank(!), and just gallons upon gallons of fake blood, relying heavily on practical SFX. Peter Jackson would, indeed, be proud. The zombies look cool, and on occasion, so does Premutos/son. What was free and well spread was the sharp sense of humor

Christopher Stacey

There is a lot of Christian symbolism, including a back-story scene of Jeebus and the crucifixion/resurrection (thanks to the “potion” administered by Mary). No one in the film seems overly religious, but that doesn’t keep it from getting knee-deep in the imagery. Even without the religious iconography, the style of the film reminds me quite a bit of Michael Armstrong’s classic Mark of the Devil (1970). But there is also a strong influence by the Italian giallo films of Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, especially The Beyond (1981), with some George A. Romero thrown in for good measure.

There are some fun extras on this Special Edition, including a “Making of Premutos” featurette (50 min.; available in English and German, and also filmed in 1997). There are lots of interviews with the core cast, and especially the director, discussing the motivation of the characters, the philosophy of gore and free speech without getting preachy, and a large focus on the practical SFX, both the good and bad of it, and discussion about the wintery shooting in Prague. The English dubbed version seems to not translate everything, but the gist is easily gotten and it is worth the watch, even at this length.

“Olaf Ittenbach, ‘The Early Years’” (13 min.), is essentially a “Making Of” of Ittenbach’s earliest films, including Deadly Night (Todliche Nacht) from when he was still a teen, and he was still learning and experimenting. With interview commentary by the director, we see scenes that describe what he is discussing; the main focus is on developing his skills as an SFX artist. If these gore effects interest you, this is both a good primer, and it is interesting to see the limitations of the technology at the time compared to now.

There is also the original cut of the film from its initial release available in both German and an English dub international release. Honestly, I did not watch this, but did see the Director’s Cut in its entirely. There are also some Unearthed trailers, including of this one, and a “Photo Gallery.” Also included is a second CD disc of the film’s soundtrack, which is fun.

This certainly was an insane ride, from the beginning right through to the ironic ending. It was more coherent than I was expecting, I’m happy to say, and it certainly lived up to its reputation. It may be aging like wine over time, because it is so worth the experience.

IMBD Listing HERE 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                  

Review: Ditched

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

Ditched
Directed by Christopher Donaldson
Shadowbrook Pictures; Epic Pictures; Dread; MVD Entertainment
86 minutes, 2021 / 2022
www.facebook.com/ditchedmovie
www.MVDentertainment.com

Being under siege is an indirect subcategory genre, with the likes as varied as Assault on Precinct 13 (1976; apparently, according to the director, this film gets mentioned a lot in reference to this one) or even The Hills Have Eyes (1977; 2006). A small group is beset upon by people or things unknown, and need to violently fight back in kind, equaling the battlefield, bringing their own humanity into question. As one character says, “So whatever happens next, know this, whatever you have to do tonight, no matter how horrible, it’s for (your daughter).

For this film, in the middle a foggy night (‘natch), both an ambulance carrying a couple of criminals for a prison transfer and a cop car with another convict crash when their tires simultaneously blow. This happens even before the film begins, whose story starts moments after the crash (good budget saver!). They are in a ravine (hence the film’s title) in the woods north of Edmonton, Alberta. If you know the Province, there are some fun town namedrops, such as Lethbridge.

Lee Lopez, Marika Sila

Our main characters are broken into two groups at this point. The protagonist is paramedic Melina (Inuit actor Marika Sila), her cowardly co-paramedic Aiden (Lee Lopez), injured driver Jake (Declan O’Reilly), and surviving prattling criminal Derek Franson (Kris Loranger), who were in the ambulance. For the cop car participants, there are officers Richard Revesz (J. Lindsey Robinson) and Kerr (Lara Taillon), and convict Sideburns (Reamonn Joshee).

Slowly and very suspensefully, someone or something is picking them off. And it’s here it really gets interesting. It is already intense, but it kicks up quite a few notches from the second act onward, and rarely lets go.

The third group that starts off mysteriously, led by Caine (Mackenzie Gray), is more than they seem, pitting the first two groups against the third. You know it is not going to end well for most of them. The rules float back and forth, over who is the good guys and who are not.

This is a hard movie to review, because there is so much I want to say, and so much of it would give too much away. Speaking of which, I recommend not watching the trailer, which I have included, because it gives away way too much of the story. I am glad I went into this blind.

Sila, Declan O'Reilly

What makes this movie, for me, is how at the start of the second act, as reasons become clearer, it also muddies it up by turning the story on its head and giving it a whole different perspective while not losing its vision. The director nicely sets up two distinct camps and lets the viewer decide whose side they are on, and it is not always an easy choice. Some, like Franson and Sideburns are obvious choices, but everyone else are up for grabs.

The lighting of the film is standard primary colors, mostly red and blue with some green/yellow, but that makes sense as the ambulance and police car barlights are the main source of illumination in the dark and foggy ravine. The editing is swift without giving one whiplash, and then there is the gore, and lots of it. It looks really well made and, on occasion, looks nearly surgical, but oft-times it’s just the right amount for a gorehound (though not for a blood-phobic or newbie viewer). And all of the SFX are practical; I did not catch any digital effects (other than gunshots).

The extras include two versions of the trailer, the Official one (which gives away too much, as I stated), and the other is the Production version. There are also Dread Trailers for the films Val and Bad Candy, both of which I reviewed recently on this blog.

There is also a second version of the film called “Original Cut of Movie”; I was a bit peeved at that because I certainly am not going to watch them both right now, and I’m not sure what the differences are between them; some information on that would have been nice. Then there is the Director’s Commentary that is really worth the listen. Without getting too deep to the point of being academic, Donaldson discusses horror film philosophy, anecdotes about the making of the film, and dealing with extreme low budgets that compare vision with practicality (“It’s like trying to create the Mona Lisa with crayons”). He is engaging without just raving on.

While this is story-based, it is also filled to the brim with action that is nicely dispersed throughout the film, gaining speed and traction as the story plays on. This is the director’s first feature after a few episodes in a television series and a short, but it shows so much promise.

IMBD Listing HERE 

 

Review: 2LDK

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2022
Images from the Internet

2LDK
Directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi
DUEL Film Partners; Micott; Times In; Office Crescendo; Unearthed Films; MVD Entertainment
70 minutes, 2003 / 2022
www.unearthedfilms.com
www.MVDentertainment.com  

I am pretty sure when you see the title of this Japan-made release, you might be scratching your head, unless you are into real estate. It is shorthand for 2 Bedrooms, Living room, Dining room, Kitchen. And that is where the story takes place, in a Tokyo condominium. But this Blu-ray is on the Unearthed Films label, so you know things are going to get complicated and bloody within those four walls.

Eiko Kolke, Maho Nonami

Living within those rooms are two ambitious actors: there is Nozomi (Eiko Kolke) who has a history in local theater, commercials and print modeling, and redheaded Rana (Maho Nonami), a film buff who likes expensive things, and is on the verge of a breakdown. The chief contention, for the purposes of this, is that they are both up for the same part in something called “Yakuza Wives.”

Smartly presented, we see the two women’s relationships on various levels.  First, there is the almost passive aggressive quality as they are polite to each other with little, subtle digs. But here’s where it gets interesting: we also hear their inner thoughts, and neither one of them has anything nice to say about the other. They are petty and determined, and anger is simmering as both are convinced that they are the ones who will get the part.

Yet, there is another contention between the two, and that is vying for the attention of the same man, Takuya Ezaki (Daisuke Kizaki; who does all the phone voices), who is only heard on voicemail. All the onscreen time is with just the duo of Nozomi and Rana.

Things begin to ramp up pretty early as pettiness and jealousy seep ever deeper into the psyche of the two women, as well as a dose of vanity. While Nozomi is a bit of a control freak along the lines of Felix Unger (she initials all the food, both her’s and Rana’s), and Rana is a touch schizophrenic, hearing voices and seeing horrible visions of a past event. The internal rancor that we hear in their inner monologue slowly but surely start to come out in the verbal, building the tension further. And the viewer just knows it can only get worse.

And it does. Taking place all in one night, things escalate to the extreme, with household objects being used to do damage to each other, including decorative swords called Jyuttes, a fire extinguisher, a mini-chainsaw, electrocution, and lots of fisticuffs, among others.

The level of violence goes a bit beyond reality, but is mostly relentless (with some lulls for psychotic conversations or primal screams). Both are surprising in the levels to which they will go to punish the other. Of course, this makes it all the more fun for the viewer. Neither of these women are likeable though both are beautiful, at least at the start. The O. Henry-eque ending is completely fitting for the film.

The film is well shot, employing wise moves to both keep it claustrophobic and seeming like they are as far apart as their personalities. There is even a scene where our two pro-ant-agonists are sitting at a table, and as Rana talks (and Nozomi think-comments), the camera circularly swirls around the table, a style used by Tarantino a few years later in Deathproof in 2007.

Both actors in the film are well seasoned, both before and after this film. They worked extensively in cinema, but mostly appeared – often as regulars – in numerous Japanese television mini-series over the years.  This shows in their performances here, which relies a lot on the range of keeping everything inside to exploding on the outside.

There are a ton of extras on this Blu-ray, though I’m not sure how many are new and which are older. For example, there is a full-length commentary by the two actors that was recorded two years after the filming, so that would be about 2005. It is in Japanese with subtitles. It is amusing that they both snuck out from the same film shoot to come record this commentary. The two women don’t get very deep, but what is interesting is their discussions of the likeability (or lack thereof) of their characters, and almost blow-by-blow of what was happening to them as actors playing those characters as it appears on the screen. They talk about how hard a particular move was, what the cameraman was doing, their level of the flu they had caught, etc.

“The Making of 2LDK” chronicles the 8-day shoot, which was done chronologically. This is a featurette handled professionally to be used for publicity, not just cobbled-together scenes. It is shown day-by-day, and includes interviews, behind the camera scenes of table readings and the like, and is interesting throughout. For the “Duel Production Briefing” is a video of the director talking to his production crew. For festivals, there is a “Video Message for Theatre Audiences,” “Tokyo International Fantastic Film Festival Interviews,” and the “Screening at Kudan Kaikan Interviews.”

Along with a “Photo Gallery,” there is a collection of Unearthed Film trailers, including this one, and four other international releases, such as Evil Dead Trap and A Serbian Film. 

While a pretty simple storyline, the film is also a complex mixture of the physical and psychological, both focusing on Rana and Nozomi together, and individually. Rather than two trains passing in the night, they are on a single track, barreling full speed to a head-on collision. And the result is both disturbing and bloody. Right the way it should be, after all.

IMBD Listing HERE   

 

 

Review: Ten Minutes to Midnight

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Ten Minutes to Midnight
Directed by Erik Bloomquist
Mainframe Pictures; Jingai Films; Danse Macabre; MVD Visual
72 minutes, 2021
www.facebook.com/TenMinutesToMidnight
www.jingaifilms.com
www.MVDVisual.com

While zombie and body horror films are flooding the market right now, it’s nice to see another vampire flick pop up. And what better location than in West Central Connecticut, about 30 miles west of Hartford? Connecticut has some of the richest people in the Tri-State Area, so blood-sucking comes natural to the vicinity. Well, once again, and early on, I digress…

Caroline Williams

In the late night, just in time for her Midnight shift at a local radio station – and during a hurricane – retiring disc jockey Amy Marlowe (Caroline Williams, who has a history of horror films such as Rob Zombie’s Halloween II in 2009, 1986’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre II where she also played a DJ, and at least three films I have reviewed on this blog, Hanukkah, Verotika, and Abolition) has been bitten on the neck by a bat on her way to the studio. Oops! Perhaps another good name for this could have been Undead Air, I suppose.  

Her super-scuzzy boss, Robert (William Youmans) who was once her lover when she first started at that station thirty years before, has a new DJ and potential lover in Sienna (Nicole Kang, who is now Mary Hamilton on the series “Batwoman), who is to “shadow” the seasoned music spinner. Amy is not impressed, especially when Sienna chimes, “I grew up listening to you!” An aging Amy is a core feature of the storyline.

Also in the building is Amy’s multiple-pierced engineer, Aaron (Adam Weppler) and security, Ernie (Nicholas Tucci, d. 2020), who seems to be the comic relief – and rabies takes a week or more for symptoms to express themselves, not a couple of hours – but let us move on.

Nicholas Tucci and Nicole Kang

Being the last show before “retirement” from the studio to be replaced by the new, young thing (I mean that as an expression, not a comment on Sienna as a woman), what does an aging DJ have to lose as her anger explodes on-air, especially when transforming into a biter (man, I love the wide mouth chestnut that, if I remember correctly, started with Fright Night (1985).

As the vamp fever makes its way through Amy’s body, the story gets more interesting as she starts to hallucinate, along with doing something incredibly gross for the viewer (i.e., me). That’s a good thing, of course, to keep the – er – flow going. As time goes on, what is real and what is in Amy’s head becomes more and more questionable, which leads to a super interesting third act that I did not see coming, and is phenomenally imaginative.

This film is a fine mixture of ‘80s style and modern sensibilities, with a focus on the beginning and the end of careers in the arts. Some of it is quite accurate, but then again, some of it obviously is not (unless you believe in vampires, of course).

The flick is beautifully shot by Thomson Nguyen, with a lot of primary light coloring (red and blue, especially) to depict mood and process. There is no question the acting is actually quite fine considering the pedigree of the cast, and that’s always a bonus. But let it be known, this is solidly Williams’ film.

What is also nice is that the major cast is relatively small at about five, and the space is very tight and almost claustrophobic (the lighting helps with that). The station reminds me of the one with Wolfman Jack in American Graffiti (1975), with the relatively remote location and small area to cover.

There is a fine mix of SFX and CGI, with neither of them being overly dominant. The blood flows well without being excessive, as this is more story based (hence the occasionally longer than necessary dialogues in a couple of spots). However, the sporadic moments of violence come quite unexpectedly, so there are nice jump scares in that direction. And as I said before, there are a few skeevy scenes that may make one wince or turn away.

 

As for the specials on this Blu-ray, there are an abundant amount, starting with the full audio commentary with the director, the co-writer Carson Bloomquist, and the star, Caroline Williams, the latter of whom has some nice insights to the meaning of the film and especially her character, Amy. Nicely, they never talk over each other, and they tell the story of the filming, with ideas behind some of the action and anecdotes (such as William’s role was first offered to Barbara Crampton, who suggested Williams for the role). This is an ideal commentary, with everything that keeps it interesting.

Zoom interviews at the online Grimmfest 2020 Festival (29 minutes), with the cast and crew, is a bit crowded, but still fun and informative for those who are interested about the film on a deeper level, but with lots of good stories and humor. “CT Style Live,” Connecticut’s feel-good program, has a light “Go Connecticut” interview with the director and Williams (5 minutes) before the official release of the film. The world premiere introduction welcoming and request for reviews on IMB by the director is shown for The Popcorn Frights Film Festival (1 minute), from Southeast United States. Others include two Ten to Midnight trailers (teaser and regular), plus additional MVD coming attractions.

There was a glitch on my disc, so I could not watch the following Behind the Scenes featurettes: “Take One,” “ “Immortality,” “Love Stories,” “Memory Play,” and finally footage from the TMTM at Grimmoire Academy Halloween Carnival.

The film itself is a solid entry into the vampire genre, and the reliance on story more than gore – even with the gross-out moments – makes this worth the watch.

Review: Ringmaster

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2021
Images from the Internet

Ringmaster (aka Finale)
Directed by Søren Juul Petersen
Frightgeist Films; Jingai Films; Danse Macabre; MVD Visual
100 minutes, 2019 / 2021
www.jingaifilms.com
www.MVDVisual.com

I realize it is a gross generalization, but people in Denmark are known for being "happy." Perhaps that is because they watch horror films? Or possibly because they make them? Well, in this case the latter is definitely true, as it is mostly in Danish with English and German, and has English subtitles for all languages. It is based on a novella by Danish writer Steen Langstrup.

With finger firmly beside nose, in the opening – which I am sure will be mentioned in numerous reviews of those familiar with older films of terror – a man comes from behind a movie theater curtain, and gives almost the same speech that opened up Frankenstein (1931; original speech HERE), with some particulars in the center changed. This said to me, okay, we are off to a good start. 

After a prologue which is actually from later in the story and then continues interspersed throughout, we learn that most of the body of the film is a flashback until it eventually catches up. We are introduced to our two female leads that are working the late shift at a gas station/convenience store (which most are these days) where there are few customers because of the big final game in which Demark is in the finals (I am guessing soccer/football). This means every person who drops by the station is under suspicion by the audience because, well, it is a genre film, giving the viewer some possibly juicy red herrings, though honestly, if one pays attention, it not hard to figure out who the Ringmaster is in the early story. But more on the Ringmaster later.

Karin Michelson and Anne Bergfeld

There is Agnes Burger (Anne Bergfeld), who is the daughter of the gas station owner, and trying to finish her Psychology thesis in the back room. She is in a somewhat stable relationship, and Belinda (Karin Michelson), a working-class woman trying to get by – who uses a flip phone that only texts – and has a tumultuous relationship with a man of a questionable background. The women are mostly bored through the first 15 minutes or so, but their personal dynamics, as they have such different backgrounds and personalities, keeps it interesting. You just know they are going to bond by the end, as is the formula for any film with contentious leads, genre or not. I can empathize because I used to work in a single-screen large movie palace in my teens, and I remember those dull, slow nights, where I was assigned to stay inside the theatre proper, watching a film I had seen 50 times or so, and no one to check on in the seats. But, I digress…

While Agnes’s boyfriend, Benjamin (Kristoffer Fabricius) is off at the game (I don’t understand sports devotion when there are so many genre films still left to see), Belinda’s boyfriend, Kenny (Mads Kadoul), shows up and gives us good reason as to why Belinda’s mom is not a fan. He looks like he just stepped out of a MAGA rally in Mississippi, and is a complete macho moron.

At 30-minutes in, I started talking to the screen because these two women, with suspicious characters all around, just do not call the police. This is one of those infamous people in genre films making bad decisions moments that drives me crazy. If that was me, in real life, I would have 911-ed without thinking twice. Here, Agnes is a spoiled girl with rich parents, and it appears, a narre (fool), notwithstanding her higher education. If I was working with the boss’s daughter, I would insist we lock up and go home early on; considering there are so few customers, it won’t make a hoot of difference. Irriterende. Both these women make incredibly poor choices throughout.

Damon Younger

The Ringmaster (Damon Younger), who is the center of the fate of many of the characters here, is just the pointman or emcee for a group of both men and women viewers in plain white masks, as he tells Agnes, “It’s only show biz.” He is in creepy whiteface (and hands), reminding me of the Joel Grey character in Cabaret (1972). He presents a snuff game show on the dark web called Escapismus (Escapism) that borders on Hostel (2005) territory.

Despite the outdated phones, television and CCTV technology is prominent here, be it the CCTV at the gas bar, a video camera held by a customer (with a mention of YouTube), and the wall cameras used by the Ringmaster to film his prey being brutalized. I also found it interesting the juxtaposition between the tension in the early gas station scenes, and the physical violence in the interspersed and later events. Another difference is that with later ones, there is a lot of extreme close-ups used to differentiate the mood of the flashbacks and the current. As the film progresses, the new story is intermingled more often, Usually starting with a close-up of a camera lens.

The cruelty, which of course is the point, is honestly sometimes hard to watch, but it is important to think about the voyeurism of the Web; nothing sells like violent pranks and accidents; I blame the worldwide acceptance of such actions on “American’s Funniest Home Videos” and moronic shows like “Jackass.”

The extras are minimal, just caption options, chapters and three trailers (though not for this film).

Despite my quibbling about some actions taken by the women and their boyfriends, whether it is written by Petersen or Langstrup, the build-up and consistency and-yet juxtaposition of the tension and violence, still works, especially if you enjoy talking to your screen, which I do (only at home). The film is well put together, the gore and violence are graphic, and it is a intriguing-yet-disturbing ride from beginning to end.