Category: Horror

Them: The Scare – Goosebumps Time

Them: The Scare Goosebumps Time

I completely missed the first season of Them. But Them: The Scare? Season 2? Goosebumps time! This second season had me literally on the edge of my seat. From the first murder, I was hooked and not once did this series let me go.

There are not many horror scenarios that can make me breakout into marching gooseflesh, but Them: The Scare has done this effortlessly. Right up to episode 5, the show creator Little Marvin. has kept the jumps and shivers coming. The ability to populate your show with believable characters who have to interact with nightmarish elements is rare. Little Marvin has created a world that feels both real and unreal simultaneously.

Synopsis

Them: The Scare is set against the backdrop of Rodney King. His beating, by several Los Angeles police officers was captured on a man’s brand new video camera. It was not long after that the city was engulfed in riots and civil unrest. It is this unrest that serves to mount the supernatural tensions at the forefront of the second season.

LAPD Homicide Detective Dawn Reeve, played to perfection by Deborah Ayorinde, catches a gruesome homicide case in the first episode. She is reluctantly partnered with Detective Ronald McKinney (Jeremy Bobb). *Side note: If ever there was an actor with the proclivity to portray an absolute arsehat, it is Bobb. Kudos to the casting department for this one.

As the pair are working the disturbing case, we are privy to the creepy want to be actor Edmund Gaines, another expertly portrayal by actor Luke James.

Suddenly there is another murder, staged almost exactly the same as the first and Them: The Scare accelerates accordingly.

The Cast

Everyone on this show have brought their “A” game to the table. Pam Grier plays the detective’s mother. Another familiar face spotted on the show is that of Wayne Knight. He plays Reeve’s boss and he, like McKinney, is not a scion of propriety. Lt Schiff holds grudges. The amount of quality players in this slice of horror is impressive:

Binge worthy but with all lights on

Them: The Scare is definitely binge worthy, but with all the lights on and with your back up against a nice safe wall. Unlike the first season, this time around there are only eight episodes. I am currently at episode 5; midway through this episode. With only three more to go, viewing the rest of the series will be done during daylight hours.

Mirrors covered.

Facing the door.

Move over Ryan Murphy. There is a new scaremeister in town.

The trailer

Infested: French Arachnophobia on Speed

Infested: French Arachnophobia on Speed.

The French horror film Infested is like Arachnophobia on speed and without the laughs. It also owes a little to the all out comedy horror; Eight Legged Freaks. This 2023 offering takes itself very seriously. Infested AKA Vermines also takes a bit from Attack the Block, lower income types living on the edge of legality.

Synopsis

A group of men gas a hole in the desert to retrieve live spiders. The little rascals are uber aggressive. One of the men moves too slowly and is attacked. The others capture as many of the spiders as they can. These arachnids will be sold.

Caleb (Théo Christine) shares his late mother’s flat with his sister Manon, played by Lisa Nyarko. He loves all creatures that are exotic in nature. She wants to renovate the flat. Caleb gets one of the spiders and adds it to his collection.

He promises the new arrival a new “5 star” home. Caleb never swears, loves his menagerie and sells “name” trainers, sneakers, from his lock up in the apartment building basement. He goes to confront Manon about turning off the heat lamps needed for his collection.

The spider escapes.

The spider kills its first victim. Police quarantine the building and remove the dead body. The rapidly spreading spider population now have a smorgasbord to feast on.

behind the scenes

Infested was co-written and directed by Sébastien Vanicek (His partner in scribe was Florent Bernard.) and was Vanicek’s first feature length effort. Alexandre Jamin was the cinematographer and his shots were all tight adding a certain amount of claustrophobia to each frame.

The editing was down to Thomas Fernandez and Nassim Gordji Tehrani and they put this tightly shot film together perfectly. The lighting and the composition of each scene sells the tension.

The CG spiders looked agreeably real and at no time are you aware of the “man behind the curtain.”

The wrap up

After a suspenseful few moments, Infested takes off like an F-16. No runway required here though as this spiderfest shoots out of the screen at the viewer. The spiders themselves do not look too unlike the common variety of garden spiders. It is their black colour and rapid growth cycle that amp up the scares.

Watching this film will make the viewer start checking for small eight legged visitors in the house or on their neck. (There is a hallway scene that will make you cringe.) The film is not on par with the 2009 French film Le Horde, zombies in a derelict apartment building, but it could be called a kissing cousin.

The film is in French and utilizes subtitles to translate the story. Those who do not mind those pesky subtitles can catch Infested on Amazon Prime via AMC+ (On Shudder.)

The trailer

Late Night With the Devil (2023) Original?

Late Night With the Devil (2023) Original?

Late Night With the Devil (2023) is not quite blazingly original. Is it good? Oh yes. Just not goose pimply good. Having a evil deity take over a talk show was introduced by Takashi Miike back in 2003.

But.

iconic

Miike’s film One Missed Call featured a brilliant scene where a young girl and the talkshow cast, are violently (And bloodily; this is Takashi Miike after all.) taken over by an evil spirit. Just as Late Night With the Devil is taken over by a demon. What is different here in 2023, the build up is done well.

The build up for One Missed Call was brilliant. I defy anyone who has seen the film to not inadvertently shiver when the ringtone plays out.

Granted, the body count for the 2003 Japanese horror film, AKA J-Horror talk show scene was small. But the incident of the evil spirit invading the talk show world was memorable.

back to the movie

There is, however, a lot to be said at this Late Night With the Devil offering. The film’s directors/creators Cameron and Colin Cairnes have done everything possible to make this horror film a hit.

The setting alone; 1977 is beyond perfect. The 1970’s was full of “new world” philosophy and new age creeds. Anton LaVey and his “Church of Satan,” Rosemary’s Baby (1968) was still very much on America’s collective consciousness and 1973, just four short years before this movie’s setting, saw The Exorcist. William Peter Blatty tapped into the American paranoia so deeply that not only did his novel take off, the film based upon it skyrocketed.

*Sidenote: Due to age restrictions, I had to wait until 1976 to watch The Exorcist in the local Malco cinema. It scared the dickens out of me. The fear was not so much the entire “gross out” scenes, but the subliminal undertow that invaded you like a subtle hammer. *

The ’70s with its whole “God is dead” and there is no devil is indeed the perfect breeding ground for demon focused horror. The Cairnes have, in my humble opinion, captured this perfectly with Late Night With the Devil.

*Sidenote : The late ’70s also saw an uprising of America finding out about devil worship groups. These dark worshipers were said to be making human sacrifices and stealing or abusing our children. This movement of abject paranoia lasted until the mid to late ’80s.

late night with the devil

David Dastmalchian plays the Johnny Carson “wannabe” meticulously. His delivery, the golf swing and his combination Doc Severinsen/Ed McMahon (Gus McConnell – played by expertly Rhys Auteri) sidekick literally scream his intention to be the next Johnny C.

Dastmalchian can boast of a long career playing those “not so” normal folks in almost every project he has acted in. I will pull no punches here, I adore this man and what he brings to any movie. Sadly though, it is Antman and the Wasp that I think of every single time I see David.

“Baba Yaga”

This time, however, he leaves those “weird” roles behind to capture the essence of a late night talk show host in over his head.

Video courtesy of Moo Cli over on YouTube.

Touches of the exorcist

There are of course touches of William Peter Blatty’s possession book on offer. Plus, the whole film ties into the Halloween holiday. It is a smart move as it allows us to tune into the “feels” of the season. There are also oblique references to The Bohemian Club that add to the unsettling atmosphere.

kudos

The following folks have earned beaucoup kudos for their part in Late Night With the Devil: Matthew Temple; his cinematography was spot on. The Cairnes’ again for their tight editing effort. Shout out to Aussie actor Ingrid Torelli in the “Regan” role, aka Lilli.

In fact, the entire cast knock this one out of the park:

Late Night With the Devil earns a full 5 stars. With shades of Faust or even, arguably a bit of a stretch, Aleister Crowley, this tale will, at the very least make the viewer feel uncomfortable. It is currently streaming on Shudder. Turn all the lights on, or off depending on your state of mind, and watch this one.

You will not regret it.

While the film may owe much to other horror films, it manages to entertain the heck out of the audience. Goosebumps, not quite. Scary? Oh yes indeed.

One last thing: This is, subtly, classified as a found footage horror film, but it surpasses the usual mediocrity of this overdone genre. Dastmalchian grabs this one with his fists and wrings out changes that are darn near perfect.

the trailer

Les autarciques (2023) AKA The Hermits: Damaged People

Les autarciques (2023) A.K.A Damaged People

Les autarciques (2023) A.K.A The Hermits is all about six damaged people. Three protagonists and an equal number of antagonists. Set in France, it is a languid and somewhat “intellectual” horror film. Written and directed by Julien Botzanowski this a slow paced journey into home invasion land.

Somewhat akin to The Strangers or Funny Games et al, Les autarciques delves into an almost claustrophobic setting of two clans and one outsider fighting for their lives. The film starts in the woods, in the dark and a young woman cowering in fear. We now meet a young couple preparing for a journey.

The Couple:

Tristan and Astrid are young people fleeing their damaged existing lives. They are searching for something new, calm and peaceful. Tristan needs work and Astrid needs to fight off her personal demons.

Photos courtesy of Julien Botzanowski.

Tristan and Astrid: On a journey to turn their lives around.

The couple are driving to a house that Tristan now owns. On the way, they stop so Astrid can use the toilet. They order lemonade and talk about their journey. A local man, Loup overhears their conversation. A young man who will become part of the protagonist team in a short while. So far, this soon to be trio, all share the same problem; they are damaged people, trying to survive.

Loup: Mentally Challenged but very aware

The couple arrive at the country house. The key is missing from the suggested placements and Tristan has to use his own key. The two enter the house as Loup watches from a tree. These damaged people are about to meet their counterparts.

The Villains:

A trio of socially inept hermits who fight to maintain their status quo; “A life spent avoiding outsiders.”

Ma: the leader of the hermit group. She is strong and controlling.

Charlot: the ultra violent male of the trio and tightly connected to Ma.

Jeanne: the most vicious of the three and she is an intellectual.

She shows a surprisingly adept knowledge of the human psyche. This dichotomy makes her the stand out in this deadly troop.

The battle between these damaged people is about to begin. The six players in the home invasion film are all suffering from similar issues and are about to clash.

The cast give adroit performances in their various roles. The camera work manages to give the action a tight “up close” feeling even when seen in an open setting. Despite the slow pacing, this just over an hour and a half film entertains.

Watch this interesting French incursion offering and see what you think. Mike’s Film Talk gives it a solid 3.5 stars for FX ingenuity alone.

The ’78 Slasher: A Halloween Fan Film (2024) A Nudge and a Wink

All photographs provided courtesy of Timothy J Cox.

Directed and co-written by Mark Murtha The ’78 Slasher: A Halloween Fan Film offers fans of the genre a nudge and a wink to horror films in the “slasher” category. Owen Simcox shares writing credit here and the film stars Patrick Johnston, Camden Bristol and Mark Murtha. “Slasher” follows “the shape” after leaving Laurie Strode and Dr. Loomis in the ’78 original.

This is clearly a loving homage to not only John Carpenter but to all things “Halloween” and a big wink to the third in the franchise that had nothing to do with Carpenter. There are a few peeks at this reference in the party scene.

The '78 Slasher: A Halloween Fan Film (2024) A Nudge and a Wink

The filmmaker also tosses “a nudge and a wink” several times to other “horror” films. Without giving anything away, there is at least one comedy/horror movie that is alluded to here. Allusions aside, this is a fun ride. Thomas Angeletti and Tyler Ronk; the cinematographer on the splendid short: Friends Forever, handle the cinematics adeptly. 

The film quality has a ’70s look with a sort of “grindhouse” touch. Those who watched the original Halloween slasher film at its umpteenth appearance at Drive-In Dollar Night will remember that visual crackle all too well. *Although crackle is perhaps a slight misnomer as it is more “pitted” than cracked. * However, this look will give the viewer a nudge in the right direction.

Sporting the now familiar William Shatner mask from the original slasher, Myers starts off lurking around things in the neighbourhood. He soon elevates to full scale mayhem. He then removes a large amount of the cast with extreme prejudice. Quite a few of the Halloween party goers stand up for themselves with a panache that is admirable. It must be said that this is far removed from the old slasher films.

The '78 Slasher Film: A Halloween Fan Film

Fans of the horror genre will enjoy this offering. The ’78 Slasher Film: A Halloween Fan Film gives us a plethora of young actors. All these do a brilliant job of acting naturally as the camera rolls. *Kudos to all involved in those party scenes.* In terms of FX, Team “Slasher Film” do a lot with very little. A combination of camera angles and a smoke and mirrors approach allow for some deft death scenes.

Running just over 32 minutes,The ’78 Slasher Film: A Halloween Fan Film is a pleasurable romp in middle American suburbia. Just like the orginal. The vast majority of the action takes place in close quarters. The moviemakers use natural lighting to convey mood and to enhance the action. Conversely, this dark setting works well for this slasher fan film.

The '78 Slasher Film: A Halloween Fan Film

The ’78 Slasher Film: A Halloween Fan Film is a solid 4.5 star offering. Murtha makes great use of his young cast and his accomplished crew. Angeletti, a Mike’s Film Talk favourite, work wonders here with his colleague Tyler Ronk and the director puts it all together wonderfully. The movie premieres this weekend. Have a look at the trailer below.

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