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31 Days of Horror – Day Twenty-seven – Southbound (2015)
Five terrifying tales taking place on a road that leads… south…. it’s southbound…
Today we’re covering…
Southbound!
Movie Details:
- Release Date: 2015
- “Run”time: 1 hour and 29 minutes
- Where to watch it: Streaming
- Directed by: Roxanne Benjamin, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, David Bruckner
- Written by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Roxanne Benjamin, Susan Burke
- Starring:
- Chad Villella
- Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
- Dana Gould
Synopsis: Five terrifying tales taking place on a road that leads… south…. it’s southbound…
Open Stab Wounds (out of 10): 7
Review: The other day, Kevin and I were going over our list for this month. For whatever reason, we had the conversation about switching one or two of the movies around. This was right around the time we were talking about Creepshow and horror anthologies in general. This was about the time Kevin exclaimed, “Have you seen Southbound?!”
The answer he was seeking was not the answer I gave him.
So, in the talks about swapping movies around, Southbound found its way on our list for this month.
This film has five different tales that include little hints and nods to each other. It starts in the middle of a mystery and by the end of it, you’ll get the answer to a few of them. It’s a film that wants you to rewatch it to catch all these hidden pieces (much like Trick R’ Treat does… but that’s a movie for another article).
The first story is about two men being chased down by reapers. The second is a group of girls that get roadside assistance from a strange family. The third is a man trying to save his hit and run victim. The fourth is a tale of a brother looking for his sister. The fifth is a case of home invasion.
What I really enjoyed was that the thread that tied each story together. Some of the transitions were more seamless than others, but they still followed a sort of supernatural logic that made sense.
As with any anthology, some stories are better told than others. However, I felt that all five of these felt decently even in quality. Looking back at the five, I had a difficult time putting one strongly above the other. That even-keel delivery makes this a stronger anthology outing than others, for sure.
I know that Kevin is a big fan of this film (one of the men in the first short looks like a shorter version of him, oddly enough), so I’m interested in reading what he has to say. It is a solid outing in the genre, and I will say that the way it wraps together at the end was a twist I saw coming but was still happy to see.
I’ll add it to my list of anthology recommendations, needless to say.
KEVIN’S THOUGHTS:
When I found out that Brandon had not seen this, I insisted that we swap out something on the list to insert this. I watched this years ago when it came out and absolutely loved it. Each story stands on its own very well, while still maintaining an overarching story tying everything together. The effects were well done (especially that shot with the leg…), the scares were there, the creepy ambiance throughout, I just loved it all. If you love anthology horror, I feel this is a must see.
Thanks for reading and watching along with us! Be sure to keep up with all 31 days of our Halloween Horror Film coverage!
Oh, and make sure to follow Brandon on Twitter @BarnyardCruz and Kevin @Solucid!
31 Days of Horror – Day Twenty-six – Extra Ordinary (2019)
Today we’re going a little extra with our horror comedies; this time with the 2019 paranormal film, Extra Ordinary!
Today we’re covering…
Extra Ordinary!
Movie Details:
- Release Date: 2019
- “Run”time: 1 hour 34 minutes
- Where to watch it: Streaming
- Directed by: Mike Ahern and Enda Loughman
- Written by: Demian Fox, Maeve Higgins, and Mike Ahern
- Starring:
- Maeve Higgins
- Barry Ward
- Will Forte
Synopsis: A driving instructor needs to return to her paranormal past to save her crush’s daughter.
Open Stab Wounds (out of 10): 7
Review: Horror comedies are often hit or miss. Many of the films struggle with the balance between the jokes and the scary elements. I think when they are done well, you get a good amount of chuckles and also care about the story and what happens to the characters. So let’s talk about where tonight’s film falls on that spectrum. Let’s talk about Extra Ordinary.
The film is centered around Rose (Maeve Higgins), a driving instructor who seems to have a paranormal past. Rose’s father Vincent (Risteard Cooper) had a series of self-help tapes instructing people on the use of their paranormal gifts, which he calls Talents. We find out early that as a child, Rose was his partner and also the reason for his death. Because of this, she swore to never use her gift and that is how she got into her current line of work.
Rose still receives calls begging for help with ghosts and the paranormal, but she ignores them all, until Martin (Barry Ward) comes into the picture. Martin and his daughter Sarah (Emma Coleman) are haunted by the deceased mother of the house, Bonny. Rose gets tangled further into their haunt when Sarah falls victim to a Satanic spell and is set to be a virgin sacrifice. Feeling an obligation to help, and a crush on Martin, Rose steps back into the world of helping people with their paranormal problems.
This was definitely filled with a lot of dry British humor, which I quite enjoy. All the characters had their own little charm, aside from one who was just completely annoying throughout (that was her character’s purpose though, so I can look past it). None of the jokes were the type to bring out deep belly laughs, but I found myself chuckling enough.
The way the paranormal moments were done all had humor mixed in, but they all helped drive the narrative forward. I appreciated that very much. As opposed to something like Scary Movie, where all the jokes feel like bits, the jokes in Extra Ordinary were an accompaniment.
There was not a lot of gore or effects, but what was there was decently done. Some visual effects near the end were a bit lackluster, but this seemed like a rather low budget affair, so they were good for what it is.
While I wouldn’t be recommending it for any awards, I did enjoy the film. Definitely worth giving a watch, if you can’t figure out what to put on.
BRANDON’S THOUGHTS: I could use some levity here and there. I liked this movie. I watched it with the wife. We liked it. Will Forte is great in everything.
8 out of 10!
Thanks for reading and watching along with us! Be sure to keep up with all 31 days of our Halloween Horror Film coverage!
Oh, and make sure to follow Brandon on Twitter @BarnyardCruz and Kevin @Solucid!
31 Days of Horror – Day Twenty-five – Vicious Fun (2020)
If you’re looking for a fun time full of viciousness and killing, then this film, Vicious Fun, fits the bill…
Vicious Fun!
Movie Details:
- Release Date: 2020
- “Run”time: 1 hour and 41 minutes
- Where to watch it: Streaming
- Directed by: Cody Calahan
- Written by: James Villeneuve
- Starring:
- Evan Marsh
- Amber Goldfarb
- Ari Millen
Synopsis: A confidence lacking 80’s horror critic finds himself in the presence of a serial killer self-help group!
Open Stab Wounds (out of 10): 7.5
Review: One of my favorite past times is falling asleep on the couch to whatever is on Shudder TV. Part of this experience is waking up in the middle of a random film and being confused on what is going on. This is especially fun if I wake up to something particularly absurd or avant-garde. It’s sometimes disconcerting and sometimes helpful to go back to sleep. Sometimes it’s striking enough to remember, even if I don’t finish it all.
Clearly there’s a reason I introduce that part of my life for the 2020 film Vicious Fun. I can’t quite remember when I’ve seen it before, but after starting it up for today’s article, I started piecing together bits and images from one of those Shudder sleep nights.
The story centers around Joel (Evan Marsh), a horror critic who pines over his roommate, but is quite unrequited. He’s iffy about her current boyfriend and so Evan follows the man to a bar. This stalker act eventually gets Joel into what turns out to be a self-help group for serial killers. This is what drives the rest of the story.
One of the fun things about Vicious Fun is the different types of serial killers. The collection of them, with their preferred methods and choices of victims was a fun concept to explore. From the John Wayne Gacy-ish to hulking brute to pure psychopath. In some ways, it reminded me of the underrated Predators film, in that it was a chance to bring together different… predators (I’m high on Dayquill, give me a break). Julian Richings as Fritz did a particularly solid job of embodying his character (seriously, if they wanted someone to play the Joker, he’d be a great fit)
Eventually, the killers find out that Joel isn’t one of them and this is where the killing takes off. I’ll say the gore is pretty good and plenty bloody. I was happy to see more practical effects here than CGI, which is always more fun. He ends up being protected by one of the killers (Amber Goldfarb) who has motivations of their own and he gets to learn a lesson about not being a creepy little stalker creep and stuff.
The action doesn’t all take place in the bar. Eventually it moves over to a police station with mustachioed police officers that I liked. I mean, they were assholes, but they were fun.
The movie is fun, vicious fun, in fact. I watched it when I woke up this morning and rewatched the last half in the afternoon. I wanted to be able to write about it coherently even with medicine coursing through my veins. Though I’m not sure of the coherent part worked, the fact that I was willing to put extra effort into it says more about the film than I could write.
Go check it out on Shudder! I’m going to go to sleep (maybe I’ll wake up to it in a bit)
Thanks for reading and watching along with us! Be sure to keep up with all 31 days of our Halloween Horror Film coverage!
Oh, and make sure to follow Brandon on Twitter @BarnyardCruz and Kevin @Solucid!31 Days of Horror – Day Twenty-four – The Dark and the Wicked (2020)
Welcome to 31 Days of Halloween Horror, Day Twenty-four!
Today we’re covering…
The Dark and the Wicked!
Movie Details:
- Release Date: 2020
- “Run”time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Where to watch it: Streaming
- Directed by: Bryan Bertino
- Written by: Bryan Bertino
- Starring:
- Marin Ireland
- Michael Abbott Jr.
- Julie Oliver-Touchstone
Synopsis: Two siblings go back to their family farm to help with their dying father, but a dark presence is also there.
Open Stab Wounds (out of 10): 10
Review: This is another film on the list where I’m going to give as little plot and spoilers as possible. I’d watched the trailer for this one a while back and thought I had a good idea of what it was going to be about… I was wrong. Perhaps that is why this one had an impact on me, but I think it is because it was well made and well told. It was a film that truly lives up to its name, The Dark and the Wicked.
Michael (Michael Abbott Jr.) and Louise (Marin Ireland) are a couple of siblings who’ve come back home to their family farm. Their father is dying and their mother is struggling to take care of him in his final days. Their mother had told them not to come, but both Michael and Louise insisted that they should be there to help. Their mother seems on edge, as if there is more going on than just her husband’s poor health. She seems frightened and throughout the movie we find out why. There is some sort of presence that is there for their father.
From the opening shots I was filled with a sense of unease. You can tell that something isn’t right, but can’t quite tell what it is. Being set on a farm adds to the growing feeling of being isolated with nowhere to run. As it goes on, you’ll be questioning what is real and what is imagined, and you may not receive the answers you want.
Michael Abbott Jr. and Marin Ireland gave outstanding performances. Their growing fear and paranoia came through the screen in such a heavy and effective way. While there were some good supporting characters, Abbott and Ireland’s time on screen drove the narrative and elevated the film to a wonderful level of scary.
The cinematography was incredibly well done. There was a muted lighting which gave everything a sense of darkness, even during shots in the middle of the day. Certain angles used gave a sense of claustrophobia, mixed with wide shots giving a feeling of complete isolation. Mixed together these shots made it feel like you were trapped with no way to escape.
The musical score gave a sense of dread throughout. It was used in a way that didn’t “warn” you that a scare was about to happen, but added heavily to the frightening moments. Moments of sadness, fear, and anxiety felt that much more impactful thanks to it.
The practical and visual effects were not over the top, but highly effective when implemented. There were more than a few moments that had me squirming in my chair (a couple that will make you squirm a lot). The blood was very real looking and used in a way that added to the fear, but did not overpower with gore. Again, this was done in a way that just added to the overall feeling of angst.
We’re 24 days in and this one is definitely in my top three, maybe the top. From start to finish, I was filled with a sense of foreboding that I just could not shake. It’s been a long time since I watched something that made me feel this way and it was an absolute joy to experience it. I cannot recommend this one enough. Go watch it!
Thanks for reading and watching along with us! Be sure to keep up with all 31 days of our Halloween Horror Film coverage!
Oh, and make sure to follow Brandon on Twitter @BarnyardCruz and Kevin @Solucid!