Review: The Lake

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

The Lake
Directed by Lee Thongkham; Aging Xu
Epic Pictures Group; Dread; Hollywood Thailand; Airspeed Pictures; Creative Motion; Thongkham Films; Right Beyond; MVD Visual
104 minutes, 2022 / 2023
www.facebook.com/TheLake2019
https://mvdb2b.com/s/TheLake/EP-202303

I like slasher films. I tolerate body horror. But if you want to really pique my interest, give me a good ghost story or especially a creature feature. This release from Thailand falls into the last category.

Bueng Kan is a town on Baan Nakom Lake near the Mekong River, just a stone’s throw from the Laos border. Living in this lake is the beastie, a scaley thing that has no problem chompin’ on human flesh and seems to be attracted by frogs. Perhaps this is something in the local culture? Also, a huge egg has been found on the shore.

The two-foot-tall egg is brought home, and protected by a young girl from the village, May (Wanmai Chatborirak). She lives with her missing father, sister Lin (Sushar Manaying) and drunkard brother-in-law, Keng (Thanachat Tunyachat)…or is it brother and sister-in-law? I am not sure, but it really is not important.

In a very short time – no waiting until the third act – the creature is on the loose and angry, looking for love…I mean, looking for the egg. It goes into the city and causes lots of damage, yet for a long time the authorities are only finding the aftereffects of its actions. Whaaaat?

Along the way of rampaging, Keng gets…bitten? …clawed? by our grumpy beast, creating a bond between them, so Keng feels the physical manifestations of what is happening to the monster. This is an interesting concept. But it is still early.

Further along, we meet a Police Inspector, James (Teerapat Satjakul), and his daughter, Pam (Supansa Wedkama). They are argumentative with each other, but if this follows along the trope line, the monster will get them together again. I will not say if I am right or wrong, but at 47 minutes in, that is my guess.

The creature looks good, and we get to see it in its full glory early on, with a large percentage use of full-sized SFX body, or occasional a full-body motion CGI. When it is the full-scale version, it uses animatronics quite effectively. In the personal encounters with human, we see quick edits, making it a bit hard to see the entire creature in context, but honestly, this is to be expected from a relatively low budget film, and I am not disappointed by it. I found myself smiling during the creatures’ attacks. Yes, plural.

Was this filmed during monsoon season? There is an awful lot of scenes in hard rain, and I am not sure if it is natural, if the director meant it to symbolize the oppression of the people by the monster and/or vice-versa, or making it harder to distinguish the carnage (again, budget).

While I have seen this in comparison with The Host (2006), which is totally understandable, but it is closer to a scaled-down Godzilla, and in tone and storyline to the British release, Gorgo (1961), with a monster mama searching for her youngns’. The creature is designed by Jordu Schell, who has worked on tons of movies the likes of Dawn of the Dead (2004), Avatar (2009), and The Cabin in the Woods (2011).

Certainly, there are going to be comparisons with Jurassic Park (1993), especially the scene with the T-Rex introduction. Also, the heads of two of the prehistoric looking beasts here look a bit like at a couple of the dinos in that film. Hey, if it works.

My one complaint, as I often opine, is that it is too long, and really needs some editing down at least 15 minutes. That being said, the first of the extras on the Blu-ray are two deleted scenes (1:23 min; 37 sec, respectively), which are honestly meaningless out of context. They also fit better into the a behind the scenes category. Speaking of which, there are a half dozen “Behind the Scenes” – er – scenes, most of which are under a minute, but give a good look at the monster. And to add more time, there is the “Extended Ending” (12 min), which was the source of the “Behind the Scenes” footage. And ironically enough, even though it was much longer than the final ending, this was actually better.

“The Scoop Featurette” (4 min) is a promo for the film, as well as for Thai cinema. It is fun to watch and enjoy the excitement of the announcer. The last are two The Lake trailers (worldwide and Thai) and a half-dozen others by the Dread brand.

One of the subtle aspects of this release is a religious element which is only touched on, regarding a monk. However, it is more prevalent in the extended ending, and fits better into the storyline motif.

I am not sure if they intend to make a sequel or perhaps even a franchise, but I am guessing it depends on how well it does on the VoD and digital market.

IMDB listing HERE

Review: Unwelcome

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

Unwelcome
Directed by Jon Wright
Tempo Production Ltd.; Shudder; Automatik; Corner Stone Films; Ingenious Media; Rococo Films; Well Go USA Entertainment
104 minutes, 2023
https://wellgousa.com/films/unwelcome
#unwelcome @WellGoUSA

As a Yank, when I hear the term “redcap,” I think of a valet who will park my car or bring my luggage into a hotel. However, in the UK, as explained by Wikipedia, “The redcap (or powrie) is a type of malevolent, murderous goblin found … to inhabit ruined castles along the Anglo-Scottish border … and is known for soaking his cap in the blood of his victims.” And now, on with the review.

Hannah John-Kamen, Douglas Booth

London couple Jamie (Douglas Booth, who was Nikki Sixx in 2019’s The Dirt, and Romeo in 2013’s Romeo & Juliet) and Maya (Hannah John-Kamen, who was Ornela in “Game of Thrones” and Ava/Ghost in 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp) have just found out they are expecting. Problem is they get on the wrong side of an obnoxious and aggressive trio of hoodlums in the neighborhood and need to rethink their living arrangements. From pan to fire on its way.

To escape, they move to a family home in a village in rural Ireland (I do not remember a mention of how Jamie or Maya make a living) to raise the soon-to-be-born bambino. They are warned by a friend of the family, Maeve (Niamh Cusack, of the infamous British acting family) of the “little people” and the daily blood offering to be made to them without fail (e.g., liver is mentioned).

Kristian Nairn

Of course, being young, distracted and very preggo, and the fact that they are city people who do not understand the local ways, the offering is not the highest priority on their minds, as much as getting a hole in the roof fixed. Plus, they are both suffering a bit of PTSD after a violent action back in London. This is not what ever is the Irish word for kosher to the nasty beasties.

The whole place is kinda run down, so the couple employ the local handyman’s family, who are bound to give you the willies. They remind me of the locals from either version of Straw Dogs (1971 / 2011), considering their reactions to the lack of full-blooded Irish of the couple. Heading up the Whelan family is the angrily abusive patriarch Colm (Colm Meany, of 1991’s The Commitments and was Chief Miles O’Brien in “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”), who insists on being called “Daddy” by everyone, his slow, rarely-speaking, and enormous Lenny-like son Eion (Kristian Nairn, who was Hodor in “Game of Thrones”) who has a thing for Maya, his other, muscular bully son Killian (Chris Walley, who is in the recent Last Voyage of the Demeter), and his daughter Aisling (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, of “Derry Girls”). A dodgy clan, at best.

The title is a nice double, or perhaps triple entendre, as to who is unwelcome: is it the redcaps who are unwelcome by the couple who have bought the land, or is it the couple who are intruding on the redcaps’ historical property. Then there is a lack of respect by the handypeople who refer to the couple as “Oliver Cromwell,” as the British oppressing the Irish. As Whelan states to Maya and Jamie, after his kids have been obnoxious, “We all need to learn our place.”

On one hand, I feel sorry for Jamie and Maya, because it seems everywhere they go, they get harassed: if it is not the neighborhood toughs, it is the locals, and then the redcaps. Mind you, they are not that innocent, either, as Jamie giving the finger to the first group, and Maya being lax with the daily sacrifices that cause locals to lose their lives. As far as the fixer-uppers, well, they’re just obnoxious malicious twits in their own right.

One thing that drives me crazy about genre films, not just this one, is that when a woman experiences something, the man dismisses it, in this case to “baby brain.” The deeper into the film, the less I liked Jamie. Maya has her own issues, but Jamie proves himself to be toxically masculinist. This is just too common a theme. He is a bit obtuse and has explosive anger, such as his actions with the thugs and the family (mind you, the latter are equally at fault, including the daughter).

There is a strong reference to said Straw Dogs, though rather than boobytraps, Maya enlists the aid of others, which you can see coming, as well as a price to pay for that. The wee beastie redcaps look really good and menacing; from what I understand, they are played by “normal” sized people and then either digitally shrunken or play on sets that are built to make them look smaller. It is a nice touch that while there is a supernatural element to these knife-wielding and literally blood-thirsty creatures, they are not immortal and can be dispatched.

There is also an effective level of blood and gore during the last act, without it being over the top. As for the acting talent? These are seasoned actors with multiple relatively large credits, so there is no slacking in that department.

The cinematography is lush and beautiful, with indoor set pieces that look appropriate for a long-misused, out of the way country cottage, and the way the camera lovingly plays with the woods, sometimes with mist, is almost a character in of itself. And yes, there is some mandatory drone work as a car is driven on narrow highway roads through the forests.

Other than this being a tad too long and could use some tightening up here and there, the ending was not what I was imagining, thankfully, and while they did choose another trope, it was not something I was necessarily expecting, and I like that.

IMDB listing HERE

Documentary Review: American Werewolves

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

American Werewolves
Directed by Seth Breedlove
Small Town Monsters; 1091 Pictures
81 minutes, 2022
www.smalltownmonsters.com

It is always a good day when I get the chance to see a documentary from the king of the cryptids, Seth Breedlove. While one may watch his series of films, you never doubt the sincerity of the filmmaker (i.e., cash grab), but he appears to be dedicated to the topic. I respect that.

This is not the first werewolf he as covered, though the last one was more centralized in the Bayou with Skinwalker: The Howl of the Rougarou (2021). This is a hard film to find by title searching because an Internet exploration result is inundated with An American Werewolf in London (1981), which should come as no surprise to genre fans…or anyone else. In this case, he looks at the lycanthropy phenomenon on a more general basis, across Middle America, such as Ohio and Kentucky (especially Land Between the Lakes National Park).

Another difference, and one I am looking forward to, is that Breedlove’s approach is different this time. Usually, he uses a heavy mix of writers, scientists, fringe keepers, and eyewitnesses. Here, he relies on more on eyewitness testimony. He still presents some “paranormal investigators” to help the viewer situate themselves into the lycanthropic mentality and history, including the locations, but my issue is that “experts” are always second-hand accounts, whereas these witnesses are first-hand, making what they say more chilling. How much they believe in this is another story, but it is conveyed in non-professional talk, and more from the gut.

There are some interesting euphemisms given to the creatures right off the bat, such as “upright canids” and “Dogman” (should that be “Dogperson”?).

It is no surprise that most of the sightings have been in extremely rural areas, as is true with most cryptid encounters (with the possible exception of Mothman, also discussed in a previous Breedlove documentary, if you are interested). In cornfields. the woods, which would be a more natural habitat for a wolf of any kind, it makes sense. The main description is a six-to-eight-foot hairy dog headed creature that walks on two legs, a la The Howling (1981) or Dog Soldiers (2002).

Another difference between this and other Breedlove films is that there is no host nor narrator, and the interviewees do all the talking; though there are placards to let us know the location and the name of the person. Also dissimilar from earlier releases is that there is a discussion and description of possible cryptid killings, though they leave it open for interpretation, because it is not possible to prove in a court of law.

The two longest stories are held until the third act, and they are pretty intense. There is some waxing poetic along with the tales of the encounters, be it with a single creature or multiple ones. For me, it got even more of whaaaa? when Bigfoot is introduced in a cameo for Land Between the Lakes (Sasquatch in the north, Dogmen in the south, and overlap in the middle). Definitely more cryptid bang for the buck.

It is interesting how Breedlove lets his interviewees tell their experiences mostly uncut, other than some edits, to get the full effect of what they claim to have seen and how they felt. Most first-person interviews are all over the place and occasionally laughable, but these tell a story, which is intriguing and kept my attention.

Mixed between the stories is some b-roll clips of a man in a Dogman costume, for effect, that actually works. There is less animation than usual, and shots of the woods, sunsets, and the costume beastie with the amber glowing eyes, is perfect to accompany the stories.

Not fer nuthin’, but I find it interesting that both areas covered are Red States. One of the interviewees mentions that everyone who goes into the LBtL National Park should carry a gun, and I wonder about the connection with the location.

The film is available on iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Vudu and FandangoNOW.

IMBD Listing HERE

Review: Tethered

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

Tethered
Directed by Daniel Robinette
4 Leagues Media; Gravitas Ventures
88 minutes, 2022
www.4leaguesmedia.com/films/tethered/
www.gravitasventures.com

It almost seems like there is a subgenre overlapping horror and science fiction of late where two people, usually but not always men, are in the middle of the woods/nowhere, that are quite contentious but end up working together against whatever the antagonist is, be it human or supernatural. On just this blog, for example, I have recently reviewed A Knight’s Tour (2020)l and Woodland Grey (2021) , and then there is are large chunk of Sweet Tooth (2021).

Expanded from a 2017 short with the same title and lead actor, for this bleak tale, we are introduced to blind teenager Solomon (Jared Laufree). He lives on an acreage in North Carolina, surrounded by the woods, many miles from anyone else. Essentially, the forest is his to do what is needed for survival. At the start we see the training by his obviously ill mom (hyper-intelligent Alexandra Paul, of “Baywatch” and 1983’s Christine fame, among others), who gives him the skills on how to survive, including fishing and setting traps for game, like squirrels and rabbits. To enter the woods, he wears the titular rope tied at one end to the dilapidated house, and the other around his waist, to help him find his way back.

The “tether” has a dual role. It both gives Solomon the freedom to roam enough to survive and have a certain level of independence yet “protecting” him from the outside world, theoretically; but then again, it also limits how far he can travel, isolating him at the same time.

As in previous films like The Children of the Corn (1984) and the cult film Jug Face (2013), where there is a cryptid creature lurking in the woods kind of deal, Solomon must “feed” the forest via sharing his food, by tossing half of it into the woods. He doesn’t know why at first, but he is following his mother’s three commandments, of which this is one. But what happens when food is scarce?

After living alone for a number of years, Solomon is lonely, relying on the tape recording to hear another’s voice, i.e., his mother. His attire is in shambles with holes, and he is, well, dirty as all get out. But it is his solitude – the only thing he’s known for such a long time – that weighs the heaviest. Until…

Somewhere deep into the second act, a stranger appears: Hank (Kareen Furgeson). This is when the story really starts to pick up some steam, as these two desperate strangers need to rely on each other, especially with whatever is starting to make its presence known by howling in the forest. Of course, their relationship begins contentiously (as is wont in this trope) until their easy-to-assume bonding occurs. I really don’t think I’m giving anything not obvious away.

There are two types of slow burns employed by cinema, in a gross generalization: there is the kind where nothing happens for a long time and then everything is in the third act, or at minimum after 20 minutes of introducing the characters (i.e., the conversation in the car on the way to the slaughter trope that is overused in other releases), and then there is this kind, where even during the exposition scenes, the tension is still there, and slowly builds to the crescendo.

There are a few moments where some exposition is exposed, such as a birthday sequence, which would fit nicely in the deleted section, and a bit of tightening of the narrative, but overall, it’s a pretty solid piece. The cinematography by Aaron Sorgius is a key character in the story moving forward, even those scenes at night where it is a bit dark viewing; remember, Solomon is blind so he doesn’t need light at night, so most of the lighting is done indirectly by fireplace.

Just a minor, quick quibble: Solomon, as an adult, plays one of those old portable cassette recorders. Errr, where does he get the batteries? It is certainly not plugged in (you can see that there is no attachment), and besides, his cabin doesn’t even have electricity. It’s kind of like in other films – especially found footage, which this release is not – where people have cell phones or cameras that they use often, and yet work for days (I have to recharge mine every night).

 As is common in this subgenre, there is very little humor and feels bleak to the point of giving the impression of being almost post-apocalyptic. The environment we are presented is empty except for a small cast (which helps the budget enormously; no complaint, just observing) and whatever mysterious supernatural cryptid is out there, just in the shadows of the dark, scary woods. That’s why so many horror films take place in forests, because of the shade of the canopy making cool shadows and hard-to-see spots, and who’s to say what is lurking behind that red maple?

 I have to admit, the ending took me by surprise. I was expecting a different direction, but found the conclusion both rewarding and a bit confusing about the “how.” This is the director’s first feature film, and he shows quite the skill set that he gained from a number of shorts he helmed. I hope he gets to spread his wings in full-lengthers in the future and show more of what he is capable of doing.

This film is available on DVD and Blu-ray, and digitally on Comcast/Xfinity, Spectrum, AT&T, Cox, Dish, Verizon, Frontier, SuddenLink, Mediacom, Armsstrong and TelusClick.

IMBD Listing HERE 

 

 

 

Screener:
https://vimeo.com/613954181
Password: TETHEREDV1FINAL

Review: Skinwalker: The Howl of the Rougarou

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

Skinwalker: The Howl of the Rougarou
Directed by Seth Breedlove
Small Town Monsters; 1091 Pictures
70 minutes, 2021
www.smalltownmonsterss.com

One of the things I enjoy about Small Town Monsters’ releases is that not only does each documentary focus on a particular cryptid, but they centralize the story; they will pick a part of the country and focus on that area, even if it covers a corner of multiple states, situating the events, including the more commonly widespread ones, such as Bigfoot.

So, after covering the likes of the Bell Witch, Bigfoot and Mothman, among many others, here they focus on one of my favorite topics, the werewolf. This mystical creature has been having a resurgence lately, with films like Bonehill Road (2017), Night Howl (2017), Lyncanimator (2018), and the upcoming The Beast Comes at Midnight, so it makes sense to check on one in the real world. in this case, southern Louisiana. This is a change since most of the previous films by STM I have seen involve the Northeast. It is great to see them stretching their (literal) boundaries.

Like Bigfoot, which has multiple names depending on the location (e.g., Yeti, Sasquatch), the “Skinwalker” down in the bayou is known by the Cajun (Acadians originally from Nova Scotia) term, Rougarou (or as I, as a Brooklyn boy heard it, Loup-garou). The story of a man-wolf hybrid has been around for centuries in those swampy areas, giving rise to multiple alleged sightings and stories of meaning.

That is where this story takes off, into the swampy, spooky landscape that has appeared in so many horror releases, such as in Hammer Films’ The Mummy (1959) and many voodoo zombie B-films of the 1940s. It’s a mysterious place full of danger, like quicksand, poisonous snakes, alligators, and the legendary Rougarou.

The film is narrated by Lyle Blackburn, who has done so for a few other Breedlove releases, but he is also the lead vocalist and guitarist of the gothabilly band, Ghoultown, and has written an appropriate book to this film called Swamps: Monsters and Mysteries from the Mire (2020). He does a fine job in a slow and measured manner that’s appropriate for the location of the story, though without the drawl.

The film is broken into chapters. The first wisely mixed a few of the legends with a smattering of the background of the area, including some stunning photography as always; another is how the legend of the Rougarou started both by the American Indians/First Nations who lived in the area, and then by the French settlers. Apparently, the werewolf is historically common folklore in French literature.

The story continues in how the Rougarou is created, be it half-human, half-wolf, or mostly wolf but standing upright. It also includes some fun first- and second-hand stories by the locals, including the person who runs the Rougarou Fest held in Houma, LA, and members of the local Houma Tribe for whom the city is named.

An interesting aspect to me is the variations of the Rougarou. Most of the other cryptids tend to hold steady in their concept and aim, but because the Rougarou is a mixture of Indigenous tribes and European influence, the look, the means of transformation, and even modus operandi changes often. For some, the Rougarou almost takes the Boogeyman/Krampus role of being used to keep kids in line (e.g., “If you’re bad, the Rougarou will getcha!”), for others they are merely wood-and-swamp creatures, and mostly they are humans who have been cursed (one example is a wife who puts the lycanthropy on her good-fer-nuthin’ husband).

While there are certainly similarities between the various visions of the creature, there definitely appears to be a more human aspect, even with the occasional fear-mongering of either eating human flesh or souls. The latter is subtly explained by the very Catholic-based religions in the region. Most other beliefs, such as Baptist or Lutheran, would most likely (in my opinion) just express the Rougarou as either the work of the Devil, or to be a minion of such (Demon). Catholicism is often more varied in possibilities of evil entities, although Devils and Demons are right up there (ever hear of a Lutheran exorcism?).

Because of the addition of the human aspect of transformation, even though it is made clear that the Rougarou can appear as any animal or human, or even a bird or tree, it is usually associated with white clothing and fur (such as rabbits) except for the werewolf version. The consistent seems to be the red glowing eyes. This makes the creature more engaging in a The Thing (1983) way because it could be anyone, even the person sitting next to you in church, as one person interviewed posits.

As with most of the Small Town Monsters releases, there is a mixture of live interviews and travelogues of the area under discussion, some creative artwork and cartooning, and in this case, some really fabulous recreations. The wolf suits are stunning, easily as good as some of the more popular films like Dog Soldiers (2002), which relies more on man-wolf hybrids than, say, the mostly wolf shape of An American Werewolf in London (1981). It is these recreations that really flesh out the stories and give visuals beyond the talking heads syndrome.

With modern technology, salt-water flooding of the sweet water swamps thanks to climate change, and the different directions of the winds of culture, the documentary also tackles the possible future for the Rougarou.

For a company and director that is incredibly prolific, it is admirable that the quality of these films never diminishes. If you are into cryptids or just cryptid-curious, this will not disappoint, as is true with the other STM fare available at the link at the top of the page.

 

Review: Dark Whispers: Vol 1

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

Dark Whispers: Vol 1
Directed by Angie Black; Jub Clerc; Lucy Gouldthorne; Katrina Irawati Graham; Janine Hewitt; Briony Kidd; Isabel Peppard; Marion Pilowski; Madeleine Purdy; Megan Riakos; Kaitlin Tinker
Deadhouse Films; Hemlock and Cedar Films; Gold Hawk; Stranger With My Face
100 minutes, 2021
https://www.darkwhispersanthology.com/
https://www.facebook.com/darkwhispersanthology/

Nice. This release not only comprises short films made by women, but also exclusively from Australia. Perhaps they should narrow it down further to Wednesday afternoon between 3 and 4 PM? I kid because I am impressed. There are 10 stories here, so let’s break ‘em down and see whuts whut.

The wraparound story, “The Book of Dark Whispers,” is directed by Megan Riakos, who curated the anthology. In it, a woman, Clara (Andrea Demetriades) finds her grandmothers book with the title of this piece that has been passed down to her mum, and now that mummy is no more, she is the owner. She then proceeds to read it, giving us an opening and framework for the stories we will be seeing. These tales have been gathered together for this anthology.

First up is Angie Black’s “Birthday Girl” (2008). In this short tale, a sad woman (Sarah Bollenberg) takes an elevator in a hospital, and is visited by a spirit. This story is not scary, but rather is sad as you can feel for her. It’s beautifully shot, with lots of close-ups of her face. It was very touching and beautiful.

Next up is “The Man who Caught a Mermaid” (2014) by Kaitlin Tinker. What happens when a delusional older man (Roy Barker) who collects classical LPs and is obsessed with fishing – specifically to catch a mermaid – actually nabs one? Why, he chains her (Bilby Conway) up in the garden shed, of course. She is both scary and, in a way, beautiful (thanks to Sharp FX), and our anti-hero is fixated on her, in a male gaze kind of way. Is he any better than someone who kidnaps women and puts then in a secure place, even if she is half fish? And what happens when his lonely wife (Verity Higgins) finds her? These are the questions answered in this fish tail – I mean tale. The make-up is stupendous, and the filmmaking is spot on. This one, with a really nice twist or two, kept me on the edge of my gills.

For a step in a different direction, Isabel Peppard gives us “Gloomy Valentine” (2006) a stop-motion animation tale. Without dialogue, we meet the sole character, a humanoid-like doll with a porcelain face and a rag, sewn body. It is after a hard break-up with another human-like character. Slowly, her pain starts to manifest around her, threatening to swallow her up. The artwork is beautiful, and the action is smooth, rather than jumpy, as can be with this kind of animation. The backgrounds are worth paying attention to, as well, as the detail is nicely handled and interesting to look at. I watched it twice, once for the character, and then again for the “sets.”

Similarly, in the wraparound, between each short piece, we see the stories slowly and increasingly start to influence Clara’s world in small and then more tangible ways. Like Talking Tina, this is a book that will not go away.

Briony Kidd’s “Watch Me” (2016) deals with ego. An aging actress (Astrid Wells Cooper) likes attention. Craves it. She says, “When people stop looking at me, I fail.” But failing seems to be the least of her problems. It seems she needs to have somebody looking at her at all times, such as her failing relationship with her boyfriend (Tosh Greenslade) or a compromised assistant (Jazz Yap). What happens when there are no eyes to admire her, to acknowledge her existence. That is the premise of this story. It’s short and works well. Cooper does a good job at both loving the limelight and fearing the alone.

From the Aboriginal side, there is Jub Clerc’s tale of “Storytime” (2005). A tween girl, Cecelia (Verna Lawson) is out hunting overnight with her grandparents, some other men, and a group of kids around her age. Over the campfire, they hear the tale of a local creature, the Gooynbooyn, who kidnaps kids. Being that this is a campfire tale within a film about stories is an interesting idea in itself. When Celia and a “dare you” boy named Jhi (Jhi Clarke) set out to find the creature, that’s when the terror level rises a few notches. Beautifully shot among the gnarly mangrove trees helps to put the viewer in a state of unease. Cryptid stories tend to be fun, as is this one.

The big guns come out for “The Ride” (2011), directed by Marion Pilowsky. Filmed in England, it co-stars the well-known Aussie screen actor, Anthony LaPaglia, known for the many American shows he’s been in, such as “Without a Trace” and “Murder One.” He plays a Brit driver who picks up a university student (Ed Speelers; no small pataters either, having been a regular on “Downton Abbey”) at a deserted crossroad in the middle of farm country. The driver quickly proves himself to be a right wing, sports crazy racist who asks uncomfortable questions, such as whether the student has slept with “black girls.” Total Trumpite type. The action really begins when he hits an Asian man walking on the side of the road. Report it to the police? While the student freaks out, the driver calmly explains that it’s easier just to bury the dude. Kind of a reverse The Hitcher (1986). After, when he hooks up with his girlfriend (Emer Kenny, known to me as Bunty from the “Father Brown” series) back in the city, is where the knot is tied in the story. You’ll probably see it coming about 30 seconds before, but still worth the wait.

Another story in a story is Katrina Irawati Graham’s “White Song” (2006), dealing with Indonesian infamous ghost, Kuntil Anak. In Indonesian with noticeably clear subtitles, this time it is the spirit that is telling the tale, of a young woman, Raesita. She is a painter who is distraught at the death of her husband. She wishes her misery to end and that is where the Kuntil Anak comes in, telling Raesita’s story as well as her own terrible life in a patriarchal violent past. She is the only voice heard as she narrates in poetic fashion, while the dreamy images float by the screen in lovely sequences that seem lighter than air, despite the heavy topic. The whole story is elegiac and trance-like.

Told in black and white is Lucy Gouldthorpe’s “Grillz” (2015). Short and sweet, this is the story of Milla (Melanie Irons), who I must say, I almost wish actually existed. She scours the Internet dating scene and picks the scuzziest of men. And then, well, you’ll have to see. When she chooses a dentist (Tosh Greenslade, once again), it is for other reasons. What is a girl to do when she doesn’t like a mess? This is a black comedic tale with a nod to the side of the nose as it explores not only the Internet dating world and its precariousness – for both sexes – it also shines a light on the kind of toxic masculinity that would have no problem emailing dick pics. Very effective and fun to watch.

I was going to call this a black comedy, but perhaps a better description of Madeleine Purdy’s “Little Share House of Horrors” (2016) might be a “green comedy.” A young woman, Maeve (Georgia Wilde) gets ahold of a plant from a dicey shop owner (Colan Leach) and brings it home to the house she shares with three others, two of whom are hopeless potheads (Travis Jeffrey and Thuso Lekwape). She believes in all things natural as far as food goes, as they are into the natural stuff you smoke. The two doods mock her and suffer the unintended consequences that’s a toss between what the story is named for, and, say, Trolls 2 (1990), but with more credibility and less camp. Original part of the “Girt By Fear” Web series, it’s a fun tale of eco-power. And you can’t get cancer from this like windmills (snicker).

The final story is by Janine Hewitt, titled “The Intruder” (2005), which is a fun ghost story, in the classic gothic style, though taking place in the late 1960s or early 1970s (clothing and a rotary dial are the indicators). Zoe (Asher Kendie) is in fear of a stalker in her home, when she is visited by her friend, Angela (Bree Desborough). With the electricity out and lightening flashing as the sole light, it is a spooky situation that is also from the heart, as Angela asks Zoe for forgiveness. The story is well told, shot, and acted, and the ending has a curious back story. I actually wished this one was longer.

A lot of these stories are centered around loss: of a child, a parent, of a loved one, and especially of oneself, in various forms. Usually in a multi-storied anthology, there are a couple of clinkers, but not here. Each one is both individualized (even with the recurring theme I mentioned), in tone and style, and covers a wide gambit of emotions. A really fine collection, and I can honestly say I am excitedly hoping for a Volume 2.

Review: The Mark of the Bell Witch

Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2020
Images from the Internet

 

The Mark of the Bell Witch
Directed by Seth Breedlove
Small Town Monsters
85 minutes, 2020
www.smalltownmonsterss.com

Seth Breedlove has become a cinematic cryptid monster maven over the years, directing a number of documentaries about mysterious creatures that may or may not exist, such as Bigfoot, the Mothman and the Missouri Monster (aka Momo). A few of his releases have been reviewed on this blog; if you search for his name, you will find them.

For his latest, Breedlove dissects the Bell Witch haunting in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, arguably one of the more infamous and deadly hauntings in American history. I remember learning about it as a youth from a Ripley’s Believe It or Not comic book, and it has been adapted into movies, books, and other comics over the years.

As with most adaptations, these other sources tended to be glorified versions to enhance the “scare” factor, which led to parts of the story being left out due to time. Breedlove aims to be more comprehensive. He not only has interviews with residents of the area of Adams, Tennessee (population 600), but also has the events play out with actors in black and white “flashbacks.”

Of course, there are no first-hand witnesses interviewed because, well, the events depicted are from nearly 200 years ago, in 1817 to 1821, on a farm run by John Bell, Sr. and his family. This is, however, due to its urban legend status, one of the more documented “hauntings” in American history, especially in that neck of the woods, yawl. It was first written about in M.V. Ingram’s book regarding the Bell Witch from 1894, An Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch.

The manifestation started slowly with knocks and raps on the walls and doors, then with strange animals like a mysterious hare (not a common rodent in that environment; as King Arthur might say, “Jesus Christ, that rabbit is dynamite!”) or a trash-talking Cerberus-type pooch with two heads (and this is way before Triumph, the insult dog).

If you are into this kind of thing, you probably know that poltergeists are attracted to young people, especially women, and this fits here as one of the victims of malevolence (hair pulling, welts, etc.) was Betsy (played by Sue Matzke), the youngest of the Bell children who was in her late pre-teens, just the right age for the spooky pokings. Perhaps it was a possession of poor Betsy? Tyler Estep, a pastor who in interviewed, says the area was ripe with Protestant revivalism at the time, which may have led to “spiritual warfare.” As a skeptic, I’m – err – skeptical.

As the power of the Witch (apparently named Kate) grew and developed a literal voice, preachers were called left and right to try and figure out what was going on, supposedly talking to the spirit. I like how Breedlove gives multiple explanations of possibilities, whether it was the curse of a neighbor on the clan, or the spirit of a disturbed Native American’s resting place, or perhaps a demon, leaving it open rather than positing an answer that would be a guess at best.

Although no mention of their works are listed, there are multiple interviews with authors, such as Timothy Henson (also the historian for Adams), John Baker Jr., and Pat Fitzhugh (The Bell Witch: The Full Account, 2000; I looked this up myself), so the connection to the legend is unclear. There are also folklorists and historians like Brandon Barker and Beau Adams, a Classics professor named Heather Moser, and the host of “Astonishing Legends,” Forrest Burgess. Again, in many cases, the link to the story is not transparent, which is arguably the weakest point of the documentary, even if their stories are interesting and occasionally far-fetched (especially the Christian and “spirituality” end of it).

The thing about any media dealing with a Cryptid topic is one can say anything, since there is little real info. Was Bigfoot circumcised? Does Mothman dislike light? Sure, why not; try proving it’s either true or not. But on the flip side of that coin, that’s also part of the appeal: it’s the mystery of the whole thing. That’s why I find it so fascinating and enjoy Breedlove’s work, including this one.

Having the story play out in black and white scenarios really boosts the tale, keeping it from getting too bogged down in talking heads by just relating the events. Smart move. Either way, John Bell Sr., died of poisoning, supposedly given to him by the Witch. Of course, I have my own thoughts, such as their slaves concocting a way to get rid of a bad master, or possibly Betsy was abused by her dear old dad and her welts  were by him – even if she was somewhat in denial – with her getting him outta da way.

That does not, however, fit with other parts of the legend, such as the apparition appearing to neighbors in their own abodes, or that one entity would migrate into multiple ones (perhaps a family), so who knows. The point is, the facts were written down by one of the Bell’s sons to start, which we hear parts through the narration of actor Lauren Ashley Carter (star of the 2013 cult classic Jug Face) and then the just grew exponentially after that, much of it written years if not decades after the “fact.” A majority of what was published was when pulp fiction was becoming popular, with the likes of the Western Tall Tales (Davy Crockett’s feats, Paul Bunyan, and Mickey Finn, to name a few) and legends of crime like Billy the Kid being fed to an audience fascinated by a new medium.

Again, it all comes down to what is real and what is not, and with cases like this, there is the speculation of the gray areas in between with possibilities and tales to be told around a campfire. Breedlove does well to collect this information, present it in an easy and palpable form, and lets the audience speculate on what might have been a rare supernatural murder.