Thirst (2009) (subtitles)
3.10 out of 4stars
“A Catholic priest turns into a vampire as a result from a failed medical experiment, and falls in love with the wife of his childhood friend, while he questions his faith and life.”
A great vampire horror about faith, shame, freedom, temperance, and sexual morality (or even morality overall). From the stylish director of Oldboy, Park Chan-wook, comes a very bloody, very sexual, sometimes graphic, and very darkly comedic, existentially themed film. A wild combo that sounds as weird and crazy as the film actually is. The existential commentary is noteworthy. Religion is shown, specifically for Catholic priests, to be a faith challenging and grim lifestyle of servitude and self-discipline, where one constantly learns of and first hand experiences the human sufferings that occur in life while dealing with personal shame. Insert vampirism and human sexuality, with the main connection between them here is that both are natural (“human”) instincts/urges, which in and of themselves should not be condemned or seen as sinful by religion or society. Both vampirism and sexuality here are seen to be freedoms and forms of self-expression, as well as love or even acceptance at certain times. From this, one’s truer colors become clearer and our 2 main characters exhibit different opinions on this. Without spoiling anything, one witnesses character arcs that bring up thoughts on selfishness/servitude, manipulation/support, excess/moderation, animalistic/civility, amorality/ethics, freedom/repression, enthusiasm/shame, impulsivity-self-expression/self-control, peace-indifference/fear-guilt, upbringing/life-experiences, and trauma. A very interesting take on the vampire theme.
28 Weeks Later (2007)
2.90 out of 4stars
“Six months after the rage virus was inflicted on the population of Great Britain, the US Army helps to secure a small area of London for the survivors to repopulate and start again. But not everything goes according to plan.”
A great zombie horror that delivers everything you could realistically hope for in a modern-aged zombie movie. A bit different than its predecessor 28 Days Later, with twice the budget, faster pacing, more zombie action, more tension, and less character development while taking place at a deeper time into the zombie pandemic. Essentially “Hollywood-ized”, but it has enough brains too. Starts with a bang, slows down for a bit to give ample background while introducing/extending more characters than it knows how to fully handle, and then the last half of the film is a non-stop thrill ride with few and far between breaks. On the characters portion, Robert Carlyle is the standout and grossly underutilized and the only one that shows real depth here, but everyone is decent. As for the last half, it delivers all the zombie-related mayhem you could want with some creativity and memorable imagery. It’s all very well shot and directed with great visual style, even if a little of the action is too erratic/discernable. Apparently a criticism or metaphor for the United States’ military involvement in the Middle East regarding terrorism, which works quite well within the film.
Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972)
2.80 out of 4stars
“A woman, targeted by the so-called "Half-Moon Killer", and her husband hunt for the serial murderer as they look for connections between herself and the six other victims/targets.”
A great giallo horror that is intricately written, mysterious, and suspenseful. The thorough journey-filled investigation is full of twists and turns as it crosses paths with a good amount of different characters, while being the main focus of the film. More controlled and less zany than many of its contemporaries, but nonetheless effective and appropriately stylish. A lot of the investigation and film is spent with Antonio Sabato, who is passable but a bit dry and may turn off some viewers, especially in this already methodical tale. After the mystery story we have the murder and suspense scenes, which are mostly well staged and executed, with a couple high points, albeit not all blood-ladened for those gore seekers of the subgenre. Although, there is one scene specifically that will certainly scratch that itch. Lastly, Riz Ortolani’s interesting jazzy score delivers a mostly creeping/“tiptoeing” style as it covers a range of feelings well throughout.
A Warning to the Curious (1972)
2.70 out of 4stars
“In 1929, an archaeologist goes treasure hunting along the English coast in search of a lost, fabled crown that supposedly helps protect Great Britain against invasion, but uncovers something much more sinister.”
A great supernatural folk horror that is a solid old-school showcase for no budget effective filmmaking. A made for TV movie based on a story from M.R. James, the film impressively creates spooky tension through almost entirely ideas and sound (score and noise), maybe with a touch of setting. It’s fascinating what the power of ideas, specifically superstition here, and belief in them can generate, especially when taken on by a group of people. Roughly one in the same, superstition, legend, and arguably curses are at play. Not sure if any of it is fact-based, but there is some good eerie stuff inside. One superstition specifically regarding the nursery rhyme London Bridge is Falling Down. That song is said to have a basis on older bridges containing human sacrifices buried in their foundations to prevent collapsing.
Street Trash (1987)
2.65 out of 4stars
“A liquor store owner sells alcoholic beverages to homeless people, unaware of what the bottles actually contain toxic brew, which causes anyone who drinks it to melt.”
A good dark comedy body horror that is an oddly charming film that is better than it has any right to be. As Pranzo stated, this is a unique and unforgettable film. The main attraction is clearly the melting style body horror. While some would consider this gross or something to look away from, the way it’s used here is a glorious form of art. 3 scenes specifically in the film showcase this extraordinarily through colors, transformation, and ‘articulation’. On to the 2 obvious metaphors which must be on purpose: using alcohol as the homelessness’ downfall while society lets them kill themselves without intervention, and the use of melting homeless people to point out society’s distaste for seeing and hearing about them. That said, the commentary and dialogue within is one confusing combination of material, as it seems the writers wrote somewhat aimlessly as they fleshed out a story with the inclusion of humor. There is both pro and anti homeless commentary made, making the viewer feel each of sympathy, antipathy, and indifference for them. What I can say is that the film feels notably anti-Vietnam war and pro better treatment for them, for what that’s worth. On the humor, a lot of it is in poor taste, especially the second half of the film which is roughly grim at times. There are a couple laughs to be had within though, especially early on. And, there was one over the top scene involving an organ and a game of keep away that had me chuckle at the sight of it for some reason, I’ll argue that it was executed well. I’m probably analyzing it all too seriously for what it is anyway, mostly schlock. For better or worse, it all feels on purpose at least, and I do not regret seeing this film in any way.
The Monster (1925) (silent)
2.55 out of 4stars
“A meek clerk who doubles as an amateur detective investigates some very strange goings-on at a remote mental sanitarium alongside his love interest and her current wooer.”
A good comedy horror with a good amount of creepiness and smile humor. Smile humor is humor that is not quite “ha” or giggle funny, but funny enough to put a smile on your face. This film is much more comedy than horror, but delivers enough on both fronts. The film starts a bit slow but progressively builds to a solid middle and strong third act. Some good suspense and an interesting high wire-stairwell banister sequence. Lon Chaney is strong in a small supporting role with minimal make-up. Noted for being one of the first Old Dark House and Mad Scientist films ever, as well as being considered to be the first horror film ever to top the North American box office.
