Peeping Tom

Jesus, what a film. 

I know a character like this is more commonplace than ever, but I can't even imagine how shocking and truly disturbing this movie was in 1960. The simple premise of a killer who has a compulsion, a psychological need to film and document his murders on film is truly horrific and the movie can almost be a character study into Mark Lewis' demented psyche, is not only very effective in 2025 but a damn good movie all around. Which unfortunately was not the case when the movie premiered, essentially shattering the director Michael Powell's career, was considered so shocking and foul that the movie got pulled from cinemas within five days of release, and even to this day the unedited film has never been released in the UK. It is a fascinating film to watch since we get very cozy with our voyeuristic killer, spending the majority of the film following him as he works on movie sets, photographs neglige models, and offs several women. The performance by Karlheinz Bohm is truly memorable and easily unsettling, yet the movie also takes a tragic and even slight sympathetic lens to his character which for a proto-slasher film is certainly unique, just every minute he is on screen there's so much tension and unease because you know what he does and his somewhat shy and awkward demeanor makes him feel exceedingly real. In a day and age where everyone has a device in their pocket that can photograph and record with such ease and even isn't looked at twice it's actually a more egregiously creepy thing to even contemplate more than ever. Anna Massey as the love interest Helen is odd, but yet also understandable as she does get a little apprehensive around Mark's demeanor and yet wants to help him break his permanent attachment to his camera, a potential saving grace for him to reform and live a normal life which again is rather original to this genre. It's such a good looking film too, both the director and the director of photography were kinda having a field day, with an abundance of shots framed with certain use of color, playing about with the combination of light and shadow, there is some artsy shots presented here and you just don't see many movies even back then that look like this! The musical score comprising entirely of a piano can be both moody and beautiful as well as ramp up the tension and build toward a kill. You don't even really see any of the murders or a money shot of an effect yet it still works, maybe even better than if you actually did see something. It's a unique beast that I really do not hear many talk about, and it's definitely a more unconventional choice for October yet what I found was a creepy, intriguing, original movie that if you do decide to watch will no doubt present several tropes and familiar elements that have taken on a life of their own in this genre. Horror is one of the most multifaceted genres in history, mainly due to the simple fact of there is something that scares everyone and while I myself have no scopophobia, even this movie got under my skin just a notch. I give it 3 stars, 7.5/10, and tomorrow will be another movie I have heard little about yet feel compelled to see for myself.

Late Night With The Devil

Hohoholyyy shhhhit!

Boy you ain't gonna believe this! Guess who had a hand in production? IFC and Shudder. I don't plan this man, I don't! I swear! This is as common as dirt when it comes to this show, correlation is off the charts! Moving swiftly on to the actual review, I remember seeing the trailer for this not that long ago and I gotta admit it had my attention and it never left my mind on the list of future reviews and now that I've finally seen it, it was everything I expected it to be and yet so much more I didn't see coming. There's a good sized intro really getting you in the right mindframe for this movie, setting up the decade of the 70s, who Jack Delroy is and what his talk show is like, what he went through before the Halloween taping of a spirit medium, a skeptic, and a literal possessed girl and it's really friggin' good! I'm a sucker for period pieces and that extends to history less than a century ago, the costumes, set design, and overall vibe is perfectly situated in the 70s and couple that with the TV quality of that time and you almost could pass this off to a parent or grandparent as something real. In fact the movie almost does take this urban legend lens, it even plays on the frankly horrifying concept of the Mandela Effect at one point, and while we never leave the studio and see the effects of the broadcast we don't need to. Because we are the audience. Kinda meta man! But what an absolute joy, this treat it is, to see David in a leading man role! To see him from Joker thug in The Dark Knight to this is amazing and I'm quite proud of him, as he does deliver a subdued but nevertheless nuanced performance of a man trying to get on top while dealing with a lot of dark stuff in his past. The minute I laid eyes on Ingrid Torelli as the possessed girl Lilly I knew it was gonna be a cracking good performance and she did deliver, simultaneously being this bright bouncy girl and yet simultaneously unnerving and while we don't really see a lot of the demon itself I think the movie understands the quintessential lesson of less is more. It still leaves an impact, it still works in the atmosphere of the film. Ian Bliss as skeptical Carmichael whether you believe in the supernatural or not is a good character to boo and hiss at, he's such a pompous ass who can't fathom something unnatural happening and it's wild to think we essentially have one set, and five characters to bring this 90 minute movie to life and they do nail it! The production as stated is damn good, with a nice little ode to Brian De Palma when the screen splits, and the combination of on air color footage and black & white off air footage really reminded me of Oppenheimer. This undoubtedly has a cult following and I can strongly see why, the concept alone is worth the price of admission and this whole week was just the right remedy to get me hip deep in the Halloween season. But we got more to come, 4 stars, 8/10, and as always remember the owls are not what they seem.

Longlegs

Well that was fuggin' weeeeird!

About as weird as the trailer which caught my interest quick before it went off the rails and it gave me the heebie jeebies so why not go see it? I'm a bit bewildered, not too sure what to make of it, but I'm happy I saw it. Cause the movie starts like your typical psychological crime drama, flat out compared to Silence Of The Lambs in the trailer, but as we get nearer the end it just gets out there man and there are plenty a twist and turn few would catch so you never can guess how it ends. It is a sublimely shot film I'll say that for sure, switching from 8mm film to more standard modern cinematography, it has an uncanny ability to get under your skin though the movie isn't abrupt or in your face with it's horror. Sure there are instances of music stinger fueled jumpscares but a good majority of the film is silent with no score and just natural soundscape but when it hits, creepy as shit and you will feel that anxiety along with your pulse rise so sound design is excellent as well. The characters are a limited cast of only really 4 parts and it's hard to get a handle on them. Lee is our protagonist, a young FBI agent who is on the case of a satanic Zodiac style serial killer that has submerged ties with her past. Maika Monroe is really good in this and some may say her acting is subdued but I would call it more intensely subtle, she can show the emotion and fear when necessary, and it took me forever to figure out why I know that face. I'm an idiot! It's Jay from It Follows. Wild. I know a good bit of hubbub was made about Nic Cage being in a horror movie and his appearance is hush-hush but you'd be surprised how early you see him, and he's not only unrecognizable but he brings the crazy. That special kind of crazy where you laugh but you're still freaked the hell out. It's great! Batshit plot surrounding him to where even I'm questioning if it just goes straight out of the bounds of reality. It seems like it and there's supernatural stuff at play but it isn't focused on intentionally. It's supposed to be a WTF element which makes it scarier. The unknown is terrifying. I'm here for it! It's a wild ride and unnerving for sure, I dare almost say the real horror is subconscious if I was more of a snob than I already am. It's worth seeing regardless of at theater or at home, and I can recommend it. I give it 3 stars, 8/10! Now for the fun goodies next week.

The Beast With Five Fingers

Okay this one was made in 1946, don't care, still doing it!




Whoa, this actually was pretty good. Special thanks once more to Cinemassacre's Monster Madness for bringing this film on my radar, and after seeing it for myself I very much enjoyed it. So let's talk briefly about the story, an aging disabled piano player invites guests to his house to bear witness to his will and soon dies thereafter. No foul play is suspected but odd things keep occuring and a second victim is almost claimed leading our main characters to wonder is someone really behind this caper or is it quite literally a hand of death. For a 1940s film about a severed hand it's pretty technically sophisticated and wonderfully directed, with completely unconventional shots and camera movements I've just never experienced before in this era. Shot in pristine black and white, with bits of eerie atmosphere, great use of lighting, and an orchestral score that accentuates the movie just right with a hauntingly heavy Bach composition on piano, it's enough to satisfy any classic horror movie fan. The acting is just as good too, with Robert Alda (father of Alan Alda) being the most charismatic, smooth talking, suave man I have ever seen in the movies, like seriously John Barrowman has some competition now, my God this man was practically making my pants melt down to my ankles. Andrea King and him have quite nice chemistry and she knows how to bring something unique to each situation, and isn't just a shrieking damsel to fall into the arms of her man. But Peter Lorre. Holy shit! From the first time we see him just dressed all in black standing in a window the kinda unsettling aura leaps from the screen, easily the best performance of his I've seen, the dead staring right through you gaze, that simultaneous lulling and yet unnerving voice, his physicality expertly pronounced with the lighting, and the manic frantic energy we saw in M makes it a class act in my book. I know some people might take grief with the fact that for a movie less than an hour and a half long that it takes an hour for the hand to even appear, but the movie isn't dull or even seems padded. Curt Siodmak writer of The Wolf Man has a lot of that fanciful, dignified, smooth talking that is a relic of a bygone age in this current day that makes it engaging to watch and the film doesn't really give you definitive answers on the strange goings on until the end so it encourages viewer thinking. Is the hand real? Is Peter Lorre just off his rocker? Who's behind it? Who knows! You gotta see it for yourself. This is a real hidden gem from a time period where monster and horror movies were starting to fall from grace, leading the way to the atomic age of aliens and science experiments gone wrong. So check it out, I give it 3 stars, 7.5/10, and our next movie is pretty unconventional but I think it will lead to some fascinating thoughts so stay tuned.

Don't Worry Darling

Olivia you f***ing madwoman!

I am so not sure where to start. I liked it a good deal, gave me exactly what I expected and wanted, but I think this one is gonna be a short review. There just ain't much I can divulge. Okay so story time, a young housewife in the 1950s is living a trully idyllic life but as time passes cracks start forming and she seeps through them to discover not all is cocktails and sunshine. Not exactly the most groundbreaking of plots but you know what, I was invested and intrigued to end credits. I wish I did not have a headache when I walked in, not that the movie contributed to it at all, but it's hard to focus on dialogue and sown seeds when you just wish you had some ibuprofen. The movie gets bizzare and kinda unsettling fairly quick, and we get some avant garde artsy stuff and you know I'm onboard for that. Florence Pugh, God bless hun you get stuck in these situations but hot damn I'm always so proud of you at the end of the film. Totally did not know that was Harry Styles until credits, but I'm far from modern to say the least but I felt he did quite good throughout. Olivia Wilde with piercing green eyes, gingerhair, and 50s aesthetics, 10/10! Was really looking forward to Chris Pine being a bad guy, and while we have bits of this power struggle and manipulations he isn't that prevalent in it. On one hand I can see and respect why, he's almost this Bond villain where he is more heard than seen and his presence is felt looming everywhere. I appreciate that but he did really good with his physical performance that I wanted more out of it. The movie has elements of The Truman Show, A Clockwork Orange, some real world cult influence, and a healthy dose of psychological madness. And I know, I am gazing into the future as we speak and I don't like a single goddamn thing I'm seeing. Oh this movie has an agenda, it's man hating propaganda, every bullshit buzzword under the sun, feminism, SJW, "woke", ect. ect., and I'm sure the world cares so much about your opinion sweetheart. Speaking as The Dude, and I am fairly certain there was a majority of women in that theater with me, I can say this is a very good movie and you can tell Olivia Wilde had so much to get off her chest in regards to conformity, relationships of a toxic variety, freedom of choice, and how the 1950s lifestyle treated women. I am okay with this, I dig it, I gave two thumbs way way up when end credits rolled. 4 stars, 8/10, goodnight everybody!

Midsommar

It wasn't quite what I expected.

I still took a rather demented enjoyment in viewing Midsommar, though I was expecting pure experimental trippy visuals with a loose story structure and was more about the experience than the story. But I got a visually interesting movie that may not deliver much on horror but how it affects you on a deeper level could possibly elicit strong emotions. Personally at the end I was on the verge of tears and yet I can't explain why, it has a...cathartic ending if that's the right word choice. But we need to talk story first! A young woman Danni suffered a great tragedy concerning her family and has decided to join her boyfriend on a trip to a remote community in Sweden, where once more ideologies though this time modern clash with Pagan customs and rituals. There's a lot of emphasis on miscommunication and strained relationships in this film, apparently the director made this after he had a break up so take from that what you will but it's interesting regardless. Yet very much in The Wicker Man it never pulls punches and just shows two sides, in fact I almost dare say the people in the community are without a doubt right in their actions because shock of all shocks, the american college kids are negative nancy asshats who just want to eat shrooms and get laid so forgive me if I side with the nice villagers. And truth be told they honestly seem like supremely nice folks, they're not judging or cruel, nor wary of outsiders or just wish to do bad things. They are kind, compassionate, easy going, incredibly sympathetic to other's emotions, and are not even slightly antagonistic. They only take action when symbols and objects of great worth in their religion are defiled and their simple rules are not followed. I get it! I totally get it, I have great respect and humbleness to any religion and would never tread on the toes of people who have pride and faith in it, probably because I'm a decent human being but whatever. Bottom line, I like that little village. Once again it was fascinating to see other customs and rituals, and never once did the film get dull for me. Now granted it is a two and a half hour movie, but it gives you time to get situated, relax, let down your guard then hit you with something gruesome! I was expecting terrifying psychological effects on our main characters because of the actual drug use in the film but nothing too out there occurs. It's more like if you took The Wicker Man, added some Hannibal zest, and just a tiny little bit of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, that's the best way for me to describe it. The film was distributed by A24 who if you honestly look at their filmography you can determine what film this will be, this is the same company who released The Lobster, Killing Of A Sacred Deer, Lady Bird, Under The Skin, Swiss Army Man, and their newly released film The Lighthouse which I fully intend to review as quickly as possible. So quite a few movies I've reviewed in the past, and most of them are very strange yet original film ideas and this movie is no exception. You won't be getting horrified screams or questioning of your own mental faculties out of this film, but it's interesting nevertheless and should be given a shot. I'm definitely looking forward to reading other people's emotional state by the time the credits rolled. And that is sadly the last review of this month, it truly breaks my heart that October is so near ending and yet barely has felt like it's just started. I had a wonderful time this year, and yes I will definitively say The Wicker Man is the best film I saw all month and I genuinely hope you've checked some of these movies out and enjoyed them as much as I did. But what's coming for November before the season which shall not be named on this most hallowed of all months begins? Difficult to say, but there's always something to talk about and worth watching. All my love and best wishes to the monsters, ghouls, slashers, and costumed trick or treaters in the days to come. I hope you have the happiest of Halloween's.