{"id":11524,"date":"2019-03-17T12:00:04","date_gmt":"2019-03-17T19:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/?p=11524"},"modified":"2019-03-18T16:48:23","modified_gmt":"2019-03-18T23:48:23","slug":"sxsw-report-horror-huge-gross-piles-of-horror","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/sxsw-report-horror-huge-gross-piles-of-horror\/","title":{"rendered":"SXSW Report: Horror! Huge Gross Piles of Horror!"},"content":{"rendered":"

This time last year, <\/span>Hereditary<\/span><\/i> was already being heralded as the best horror film of 2018 following screenings at Sundance and SXSW. And just one year prior, <\/span>Get Out<\/span><\/i> was praised as one of the best horror films of <\/span>all time<\/span><\/i> following its premiere at Sundance. Both festivals often yield some of the greatest horror, giving filmmakers a chance to generate \u2013 and heighten \u2013 anticipation long before their films reach a wider audience. This year\u2019s horror lineup at SXSW definitely delivered a couple of major standouts that we\u2019ll be talking about for months (and possibly even years) to come \u2013 as well as a few that weren\u2019t so fantastic. <\/span><\/p>\n

First up, the good: <\/span>Daniel Isn\u2019t Real<\/i><\/strong> is a mind-bending, heart-shattering exploration of mental illness through the lens of a fractured psyche being taken over by a demon. I included it in my roundup<\/a> of SXSW movies that challenge toxic masculinity, but let me mention here that it’<\/span>s bound to become one of this year\u2019s best horror flicks.<\/span><\/p>\n

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On the more mainstream end of the spectrum is <\/span>Pet Sematary<\/i><\/strong>, a new adaptation of the Stephen King classic. Co-directed by Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer (<\/span>Starry Eyes<\/span><\/i>), the latest reimagining stars Jason Clarke and Amy Seimetz as Louis and Rachel Creed, a couple who moves with their young children to a rural town in \u2013 where else? \u2013 Maine in the hopes of enjoying a quieter life. As a doctor, Louis has a rational view of death, but Rachel is still haunted by the horrific passing of her older sister when they were children, leading her to cling to faith in the afterlife. When the family\u2019s cat dies, their new neighbor Jud Crandall (John Lithgow, delivering a low-key excellent performance) introduces them to a hidden clearing beyond the local pet cemetery \u2013 where children ritualistically lay their pets to rest \u2013 to an old Native American burial ground. Not long after burying the cat, it comes back \u2026 but it\u2019s not the same as before. <\/span><\/p>\n

Those familiar with King\u2019s novel and\/or Mary Lambert\u2019s 1989 adaptation are well-acquainted with what happens next: Tragedy strikes the Creed family again, and despite Jud\u2019s warnings, Louis returns to the burial ground in an effort to keep his family from falling apart. The film succeeds in exploring grief and guilt and the ways the two are painfully intertwined, while subverting familiarity with the source material in surprising and often macabre ways. <\/span>Pet Sematary<\/span><\/i> is a largely terrifying and entertaining remake, and the rare reimagining that rivals its predecessor \u2013\u00a0that is, until the final few minutes, when the film ditches the poignancy in exchange for a goofy ending.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Body at Brighton Rock<\/i><\/strong> marks the feature debut of Roxanne Benjamin, who previously directed segments in the horror anthologies <\/span>Southbound<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>XX<\/span><\/i>. Her latest effort is her best yet \u2013\u00a0a low-key psychological thriller inspired by the young adult horror stories of Christopher Pike. As such, those who grew up in the \u201980s and \u201990s will appreciate this survival tale starring Karina Fontes as Wendy, a newbie park ranger who volunteers to take a shift on a challenging trail despite her lack of experience. What begins as a typical day quickly devolves into terror as Wendy loses the trail and stumbles upon a dead body. On her own with no one to rescue her until morning, Wendy is forced to spend a hellacious night alone in the woods with a corpse. <\/span><\/p>\n

Body at Brighton Rock<\/span><\/i> follows Wendy\u2019s journey as she confronts her fears and reckons with her own sense of self-preservation; it\u2019s a metaphorical experience that will be immensely relatable for many women \u2013\u00a0particularly those whose abilities have been doubted by their peers. Though it\u2019s not as nerve-rattling as <\/span>Daniel Isn\u2019t Real <\/span><\/i>or as mainstream as <\/span>Pet Sematary<\/span><\/i>, Benjamin\u2019s film is a solid indie thriller that showcases her capabilities as a director.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now for the bad: In <\/span>Tales From the Lodge<\/i><\/strong>, a group of middle-aged friends gather at a remote lodge to honor a friend who recently drowned in a nearby lake. With emotions running high, the presence of a newcomer throws a wrench in their plans for an otherwise mournful weekend of drinking and remembrance. The newcomer, Miki (Kelly Wenham), is the young girlfriend of Paul (Dustin Demri-Burns), a womanizing narcissist who doesn\u2019t appear particularly concerned about how her presence might upset his friends. Written and directed by Abigail Blackmore in her feature debut, <\/span>Tales From the Lodge<\/span><\/i> blends horror anthology with mature dramedy to decent \u2013\u00a0if not particularly memorable \u2013\u00a0results. Were it not for an excellent cast that includes Mackenzie Crook (<\/span>Pirates of the Caribbean<\/span><\/i>) and Laura Fraser (<\/span>Breaking Bad<\/span><\/i>), the film wouldn\u2019t be nearly as interesting. For much of its runtime, <\/span>Tales From the Lodge<\/span><\/i> is fairly entertaining, but a third-act twist spoils any goodwill Blackmore has built up to that point. That twist can only be described as wildly irresponsible at best and deeply offensive to a marginalized group at worst. The end result is a film that will undoubtedly leave many viewers with a bad taste in their mouth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Curse of La Llorona<\/i><\/strong> is certainly a cut above <\/span>Tales From the Lodge<\/span><\/i>, though it\u2019s easily the worst film in <\/span>The Conjuring<\/span><\/i> universe thus far. Directed by newcomer Michael Chaves, the spinoff is set in the 1970s and follows a social worker named Anna (Linda Cardellini) whose family is tormented by a vengeful spirit rooted in Latin folklore. The story of the eponymous La Llorona is far more fascinating than the film itself: A beautiful wife in 17th century Mexico discovers her husband is having an affair with a younger woman, so she drowns their sons in a fit of rage. Once she realizes what she\u2019s done, she throws herself in the river, too. As the story goes, La Llorona is trapped between the realms of the living and the dead, weeping eternally for the loss of her sons. If living children hear her crying, she comes to take them and drown them in the hopes of getting her kids back. <\/span><\/p>\n

Again, this is all far more interesting than the actual film, which shamelessly packages Latin folklore for a white audience. The script, written by two white screenwriters and directed by a white man, tries to excuse its cultural appropriation by explaining that Anna\u2019s husband was a Hispanic police officer who died in the line of duty \u2013 which makes her more sympathetic to the Hispanic community, one supposes. Two key supporting characters are played by Hispanic actors, however, and it\u2019s Raymond Cruz\u2019s performance as a local faith healer that keeps <\/span>La Llorona<\/span><\/i> afloat. His deadpan delivery lends much-needed humor to a film that is otherwise painfully predictable and absurdly boring. <\/span><\/p>\n

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As the saying goes, the best must be saved for last \u2013\u00a0and that\u2019s where the weird comes in. Jordan Peele\u2019s highly-anticipated follow-up to <\/span>Get Out<\/span><\/i> is a thematically complex horror thriller about a family confronted by their own doppelg\u00e4ngers while on vacation. <\/span>Us<\/i><\/strong> stars Lupita Nyong\u2019o and Winston Duke as Adelaide and Gabe, a couple on a weekend getaway with their kids, Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex). Shortly after Adelaide recalls a traumatic encounter from her youth, the family is beset by their creepy doubles in a narrative that becomes exceedingly surreal and horrifying. <\/span><\/p>\n

Peele\u2019s sophomore effort is every bit as clever and insightful as his last, but far more thematically accessible \u2013\u00a0that is until a divisive third-act moment of exposition that will make or break the viewer\u2019s affection for this throwback to psycho-thrillers of the \u201970s and \u201980s. It may be just a little too odd for general audiences to appreciate, but <\/span>Us<\/span><\/i> is definitely primed to become one of the best \u2013\u00a0if not <\/span>the <\/span><\/i>best \u2013\u00a0horror film of 2019. With an eerie score evocative of <\/span>Rosemary\u2019s Baby<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>The Omen<\/span><\/i> and a visually-charged narrative that calls to mind the best of De Palma, <\/span>Us<\/span><\/i> is exceptionally complex and layered \u2013 though some may find it a little too complicated for its own good. \"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

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This time last year, Hereditary was already being heralded as the best horror film of 2018 following screenings at Sundance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":553,"featured_media":11527,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1381,1416,340],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movies","category-festivals","category-movie-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/553"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}