Halloween is Starting Early: Great Horror of the Last Decade, Part 2

Part 1 of this list was posted recently, so we've gone through the "Must See" list and the "Can't Fail" list. I hope it results in a good number of enjoyable hours of Halloween horror viewing. For those who haven't caught Part 1, this isn't a list a ranking of best or even my personal favorites. Instead, because Halloween is going to be imposed upon by COVID 19 just like everything else, it made more sense to put together a list of the best films of the last decade and group them into categories based on my general sense of who the audiences are that are likely to get the most out of them. The first two categories, "Must See" and "Can't Fail," were in Part 1.

This second part of the list will get into the two remaining categories. The first will be "Deep Cuts," which in the same way the phrase is treated in relation to music, is for the audience who is looking for something a little deeper. They're the person who has a pretty open approach to film, and enjoys the films which are made with a broad audience in mind, but sometimes likes something a little meatier than just your standard big studio, multiplex targeted fare. Chances are they've seen a lot of the films in the "Can't Fail" category and probably all of the "Must See" films. They're going to be a little more thematically substantial than the "Can't Fail" list was, but for any number of possible reasons didn't quite make it on the "Must See" list either. They lean a bit more toward art house, but also aren't so lacking narrative structure and visual language of more traditional cinema to the point that they could be considered experimental. 

The final category will be "The Bold and The Brave." This category going to consist of films which land in that most unusual sweet spot which is the nexus of art house and grindhouse. These are the least "accessible" films on the list, overall. They're also the most unusual because different aspects of them speak to different audiences which tend to be at different ends of the spectrum, at least in the way films are marketed and have traditionally been exhibited to audiences. Digital distribution is changing a lot of this, but the basic frameworks are still there. They often rely heavily on the less traditional aspects of art house cinema in terms of their visual presentation, their narrative structures, subject matter, most definitely their symbolism and subtext, and they tend to have the stamp of a specific vision from a director approaching them from an auteur perspective, meaning the director has ultimate control and final say on everything about the film. At the same time, they also often rely on the mainstays of grindhouse cinema. They are often bloody, violent, either skirting the around the edges of exploitation cinema or making specific statements about exploitation cinema and aren't afraid to venture into territory often considered too taboo for other genres of film. Often, they're films which end up attracting aspects of both art house and grindhouse audiences, and often end up offending or befuddling sections of both audiences. They're usually too violent, graphic and confrontational for art house audiences, and too non-linear, thematically veiled, and too rich in subtext for grindhouse audiences. They go over very well with the audiences who are horror obsessives who've come to a larger appreciation for film through genre or general film obsessives who've had enough experience with film to understand genre as a necessary, worthy and contributing part of the larger whole that is cinema as an artistic medium. This is to say audiences with a strong grasp on the cinematic languages of both genre and arthouse are most likely to come away feeling like they got something from these films.

Deep Cuts

Cheap Thrills - Recently fired and facing eviction, a new dad has his life turned upside down when he meets a wealthy couple who offer a path to financial security… but at a price. Cheap Thrills is the second film on the overall list to directly deal with or make comments on issues of class, and the two have a lot in common. Ready or Not, in the "Must See" category of Part 1, is a more accessible film. It's not as heavy a film. The comedy is lighter. The approach to the violence is much less intense too. Cheap Thrills is a damn good film. I'm not saying Ready or Not is a better film for those reasons, only that it's more accessible. There are some genuine gut punch moments in this film. It has some strong comedic moments too, but it gets heavier in its approach to the subject matter, overall. The performances by the principal cast are great. This becomes a single location, four person film after about the first ten minutes, and it swings from funny to tense to gut wrenching and then back and forth over the course of it's story. The class commentary is pretty straightforward here as well, where as it's a bit more complicated and nuanced by the time Ready or Not is concluded. At the same time, Cheap Thrills isn't preachy. The second you decide to look for meaning behind or beyond the narrative, there is no question what the creators were trying to say, but it's not ham handed either. This is a movie without many different scenes of violence, but what violence there is has an intense impact and is graphic. 

The Void - Shortly after delivering a patient to an understaffed hospital, a police officer experiences strange and violent occurrences seemingly linked to a group of mysterious hooded figures. This is the kind of gem I just stumbled across without knowing much at all about it. It was one of the best surprises of the last decade or so. I definitely suggest going into this knowing as little as possible. It's a wild ride, and took a number of turns I wasn't expecting, while being very compelling and impactful. As it starts to get into the conflict, I thought I knew more or less where it was going, and I was very wrong. It became a very different story than what I initially thought, and the process of that discovery is what makes this such an enjoyable film to watch, and something I recommend to people. The violence in this movie is graphic, intense and aplenty. The audience is meant to feel the instances of violence heavily, and it does contribute to the story to have it approached this way. 

A Dark Song - A determined young woman and a damaged occultist risk their lives and souls to perform a dangerous ritual that will grant them what they want. I have a very strong respect for this film. It is trying to do a number of different things at the same time, and the degree to which it succeeds in pulling almost all of them off, in a way which is both deeply unsettling and emotionally impactful, is a testament to writer/director Liam Gavins talent and vision. Thematically, the film is about grief and obsession, and the way it goes about exploring those ideas is through the dedication to the ritual described by the summary, which is intense, shocking and grueling at points. The relationship between the characters begins by putting the audience on pins and needles and veers through a whole wide swath of emotional territory as they are revealed to each other through the film. This is primarily interested in the variety of horror which comes from tension, dread, and emotional/psychological pain of carrying a crushing burden, while being motivated to do anything to be free of it. There is very little violence in this film, some blood, but don't let that suggest it isn't an intense experience. The themes here are adult, as in younger audiences aren't going to feel the impact as strongly, because part of what makes this film work is the experience and weariness of the characters, which is partly a function of their age. 

Starry Eyes - A hopeful young starlet uncovers the ominous origins of the Hollywood elite and enters into a deadly agreement in exchange for fame and fortune. Alex Essoe is perfect in the lead role, and it's great that she's been getting work since this examination of ambition and the underbelly of Hollywood debuted. It begins feeling very much like a late 90's, early 2000's indie/arthouse drama, and as Alex Essoe's lead character changes, so does the entire film. That transformation is really the heart of the film, and also why it's worth seeing. The ending really goes there, and I mean really goes there. I don't want to say too much else because a lot of what makes this film enjoyable is the journey of discovery in the first viewing. This is NOT for the faint of heart. It gets bloody and, for lack of a better word, vicious by the time it's all said and done. 

American Mary - A young medical student struggling to pay tuition is drawn into the shady world of underground body-modification. Katharine Fucking Isabelle. I don't know if that's her middle name, but it should be. One of the more accomplished scream queens of her generation, Katharine Isabelle, demonstrates what sets her apart from so many of her contemporaries in here. Describing her as "having charisma" would be selling her short, because she's far more talented and giving much more to her roles than just being "charismatic," and still, she has the kind of on screen presence which just makes you want to watch her. On top of the great performance by Katharine Isabelle, American Mary has a lot on it's mind. Feminist ideals, capitalist dehumanization, community and subculture are all mixed in here, some more successfully than others. This is probably going to be one of the more divisive films on the list, so far as whether or not people find it enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I appreciated how ambitious it was, and also what seemed to be a pretty obsessive eye to design and cinematography. There are some really striking images here. This is bloody as all hell, and does get extremely violent in the last third, so be warned. This is a viscerally feminist horror film that cuts deep. It also has a depiction of rape, so be forewarned. 

Pyewacket - A frustrated, angry teenage girl awakens something in the woods when she naively performs an occult ritual to evoke a witch to kill her mother. Quite possibly the most surprising low budget indie of the decade. Pyewacket heralded what is becoming a return to form for the horror genre, being a film which is being primarily concerned with the reality of the relationships it presents, and extricating what our relationships say about us, but demanding that story is told through a distinctly frightening genre lens. The troubled mother/daughter relationship at the heart of the films works well, thanks to smart writing and good performances, and the build up of the tension, dread and "what's going to happen?" anxiety is very well constructed. This is a very good film from writer/director Adam MacDonald, and I'm very much looking forward to seeing what he does next. Honestly, I don't remember much gore or violence at all in this one, though it has been a bit since I've seen it, and obviously the drama and sense of dread left more of an effect on me. 

MIdsommar - Several friends travel to Sweden to study as anthropologists a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. What begins as a dream vacation in a place where the sun never sets, gradually turns into a dark nightmare as the mysterious inhabitants invite them to participate in their disturbing festive activities. Midsommar very narrowly missed being in the "Must See" category. The first reason it that something didn't quite sit right with me about declaring the only two films Ari Aster has made as "Must See," and the second is that even as I genuinely feel like Midsommar is more thoughtfully constructed, has fewer misses or holes in it, Hereditary is a more accessible film. It was a more straightforward cinematic experience. Not better necessarily, but I knew what I was feeling when during Hereditary and when I walked out of it. Midsommar took a lot more parsing out to even just understand how I felt about it. Subjectively, I couldn't tell you whether I like Midsommar or Hereditary more, as has become the fashionable question to ask when either of these films comes up. When I really think about it, my bet is that 20 years from now, Hereditary will be regarded as the film which had more impact on the horror genre, but Midsommar will be regarded as the more artistically successful film. The themes in the two films are very, very similar. There's grief, family, community, how community affects identity etc. Midsommar looks at them through the perspective of Dani, played exceptionally by Florence Pugh, as she navigates a truly hellish, nightmarish loss in the opening of the film, a dysfunctional romantic relationship, a loss of a sense of belonging in the world which is common for people who are in the phase of life she is, but is also compounded by the nightmarish loss she experiences in the films opening scene. This is a wild ride of a film. Ari Aster once again constructs a deeply disturbing narrative, pushing into surprising territory and understanding how to maximize the most unsettling elements. Midsommar is also a visually sumptuous film, full of beautiful, bright color, inspiring attention to detail and costuming, and cinematography recalling some of the best of Kubrick. As far as the violence goes... It's intense, graphic and gory, even as there isn't a ton of on screen violence. Some of the more intensely gory moments show the results of violence which has taken place off screen. 

The Beach House - A romantic getaway for two troubled college sweethearts turns into a struggle for survival when unexpected guests – and the surrounding environment – exhibit signs of a mysterious infection. Is evolutionary horror a genre? It might be now. What seems like a pretty pedestrian beginning just gets stranger by the minute, in a way which is best described as nightmarish, even as cliché as that word is in describing horror films. It's linear in a way dreams can be, but it also accelerates in the way dreams can. There's a sense of dread and urgency hanging over it, and then sudden revelations which are terrifying, and aren't explained before hand or as they're happening. In some ways, it seems like a distant cousin of the Italian giallo, in that the atmosphere, style and brute force of the scares come before exposition and narrative, but as this more thoroughly abandons exposition than giallo's ever do, this works for me in that very dreamlike, nightmarish way, and the body horror aspect is truly horrific, as in goosebumps, spine tingling horrific. I saw this for the first time a few weeks back, and writing this now very much makes me want to revisit it because of how well it builds atmosphere and how effective the sense of disorientation is at heightening everything else. The Beach House is making a comment about the mundane during extinction, something I can't remember seeing very often, and it gets respect for that too. There are one or two acts of violence in here, but it's hard to even gauge how graphic any of this is because of how deeply weird it all is, and there are some effectively gruesome aspects which have nothing to do with violence. Let's just say, not for the faint of heart. 

Goodnight Mommy - In the heat of the summer lays a lonesome house in the countryside where nine year old twin brothers await their mother’s return. When she comes home, bandaged after cosmetic surgery, nothing is like before and the children start to doubt whether this woman is actually who she says she is. Another film which succeeds by slowly ratcheting up the tension into a tightly strung sense of constant dread. The Schwarz twins are outstanding as the children. Expertly plotted, expertly designed scares and build up, this is an exceptional film, also beautifully shot, even in it's more dedicatedly horrible moments. Every minute of the film is poking at the feeling that all of what you're seeing is just going to end up horribly, but it's so well written it sucks the audience in as we simultaneously want to see what happens next, and are also hoping beyond hope it's not all going where we think it is. Disciplined is a great one word description for the craft which has gone into this film. There is so much in the progress of this story that is implicit, it would have been very easy to over explain things, to have extraneous pieces which might aren't necessary, overdoing the exposition, and would usually be inserted because some studio executive thought audiences were basically too dumb to keep up. This is cut to the bone. There is nothing in this film which isn't purposely there and which isn't necessary to advancing the story or the sense of impending dread. The whole thing speaks to an incredibly talented team behind the camera. Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz announced themselves as a directing team to follow. There's some gore in this film, as one of the characters is post surgery. There isn't so much violence though. When it does come it does feel impactful after the buildup. 

The Lodge - A soon-to-be stepmom is snowed in with her fiancé’s two children at a remote holiday village. Just as relations begin to thaw between the trio, some strange and frightening events take place. Riley Keough is phenomenal in the lead. Jaeden Martell is also great as one of her soon to be step-children. I had to go right to IMDB to satisfy my gnawing suspicion when Alicia Silverstone showed up in a small, but pivotal role early in the film. This is from the same directing team, Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, as was Goodnight Mommy. In some ways, the story in The Lodge is a reversed mirror image of the one told in Goodnight Mommy, and just as well crafted. Personally, this was a bit more unnerving for me, ultimately. It took longer to come to understand what was happening, which is part of the excellence in crafting the way the narrative unrolls. Like Riley Keough's character, the second guessing I was doing as an audience member was constant, and when it finally all starts to come together, it was some hard combination of sad, infuriating, disturbing, and outright terrible. This one is creepy, tense, and ultimately kind of heart breaking. It's not terribly violent, but again, what violence there is is upsetting. It also has a depiction of suicide.

Under the Skin - A seductive alien prowls the streets of Glasgow in search of prey: unsuspecting men who fall under her spell. This is probably the movie on the list that is the most "arthouse." It is incredibly slick, almost without dialog and is steeped in symbolism. Scarlett Johansson is the seductive alien in the description, and she's excellent in the film. It takes some surprising turns, and the way she does away with men she attracts is deeply unsettling. To some degree, this is pure filmmaking or pure cinema, in that it uses so little dialog, and is still telling its story so well. This one's a bit controversial, as it's too slow for many audiences, it's hypnotic in both its visual effects and the aesthetic. It's a crime to mention this film without mentioning the score, as it's outstanding and adds a great deal to the film. I've seen this a few times already, I've found it thoroughly engaging and interesting each time. If nothing else, this is worth seeing as a successful experiment in sci-fi/horror and arthouse being so well melded. 

The Vast of Night - At the dawn of the space-race, two radio-obsessed teens discover a strange frequency over the airwaves in what becomes the most important night of their lives and in the history of their small town. The leads Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz are excellent and feel  authentic. This is probably more a science fiction film than a horror film, even as it does have a creepy, unsettling feel running through a good deal of it's length. Maybe more than any other film on this list, I wish I'd seen this on a big screen. The whole film takes place over the course of one night, and it's some gorgeous night time cinematography, along with some of the most fun camera work in ages. The story is intriguing, rolling out as a mystery over the course of the film. It's a well thought through script, the whole thing is gorgeous, the performances are very good, and even as it's creepy and a little bit tragic, it's still a really fun watch. There's a sense coming through that the filmmakers are overjoyed and enthralled with the film and the filmmaking process. I can't wait to see what director Andrew Patterson goes on to next. Very little blood or violence in this one. 

Black Swan - A journey through the psyche of a young ballerina whose starring role as the duplicitous swan queen turns out to be a part for which she becomes frighteningly perfect. This one's somewhat controversial, in that it seems to elicit particularly strong feelings from people, whether they like it or dislike it. Personally, I thought it was a great way to spend 108 minutes. It's a spectacular cast, giving great performances all around. It's creepy and dread inducing, there are some truly nasty bits of body horror, it's also really beautifully shot, the costumes and makeup are gorgeous. It's just a really fun mixture of arthouse technique and pulpy B movie storytelling. There isn't much violence in this movie either, but again, what violence is there is intense, and there are some pretty good gross out moments. 

Unsane - A woman is involuntarily committed to a mental institution where she is confronted by her greatest fear. Man... This was particularly harrowing, and the performances are top notch from both Claire Foy and Joshua Leonard. Steven Soderbergh takes the instincts which have served him well in a handful of thrillers through the years and marries them to the kind of intense intimacy of his breakout hit, Sex, Lies and Videotape. It creates a film which is psychologically horrific. Bonus: I'd read Soderbergh was making a movie exclusively with an iPhone at some point. It wasn't until I'd finished this that I read this was that film. It gives it a really unique look, and definitely adds to the intimate, urgent feeling, and still looks very good. There is some intense violence in this film. It doesn't generally linger, but it's obviously designed to carry a significant impact. 

It Comes at Night - Secure within a desolate home as an unnatural threat terrorizes the world, a man has established a tenuous domestic order with his wife and son, but this will soon be put to test when a desperate young family arrives seeking refuge. This movie was a few years ahead of its time. The plot which centers directly on paranoia and its consequences, speaks to the world we're living in, the various perspectives on our current moment, conspiracy theories, and extremist ideologies. It's deeply unsettling, upsetting, and extremely well done. This is a very cerebral movie, with some very good scare sequences, and it will probably leave you with more questions than answers, but the characters are well drawn, the story is engaging, and it achieves what it sets out to do. Audiences were pretty split on this because it is so cerebral, but I felt like it was a rewarding experience because of how well directed the film is and because it does really invite a lot of conversation about the film itself, but also about the comment it's making. Not much gore, but a few intense scenes of violence. 

Byzantium - Two mysterious women seek refuge in a run-down coastal resort. Clara meets lonely Noel, who provides shelter in his deserted guesthouse, Byzantium. Schoolgirl Eleanor befriends Frank and tells him their lethal secret—they were born 200 years ago and survive on human blood. As knowledge of their secret spreads, their past catches up on them with deathly consequences. This is not your standard vampire flick. Neil Jordan is directing a script by Moira Buffini, creating what is in some ways a thriller, a family drama, an interesting feminist take on vampires and generally well made all around. Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan are great together, giving the film it's heart, but also two very different perspectives. This is more a drama than it is a horror film, but it's an interesting oddity in the vampire subgenre, crafted with such care and attention to detail it's very much worth seeing. There is some violence in this film, and at least one scene with which gets pretty gory. 

The Endless - Two brothers return to the cult they fled from years ago to discover that the group’s beliefs may be more sane than they once thought. This is another film that ends up being a bit of a hodgepodge of genres. It's surprising though, something a little different and out of the ordinary, and well crafted. The narrative is interesting, as the cult aspect in the description is handled very well, the relationships are interesting, and the central conflict for the main characters is a new, interesting way to tackle the question it poses for them. It's also beautifully shot. I don't remember there being any violence to speak of in this film, but it's been a while since I've seen it, and I may be missing something. 

The Color Out of Space - The Gardner family moves to a remote farmstead in rural New England to escape the hustle of the 21st century. They are busy adapting to their new life when a meteorite crashes into their front yard, melts into the earth, and infects both the land and the properties of space-time with a strange, otherworldly colour. To their horror, the family discovers this alien force is gradually mutating every life form that it touches—including them. I had a really hard time deciding whether or not this belonged on the "Can't Fail" list or here, on the "Deep Cuts" list. Despite my personal love for this one, and I did really love the experience of sitting through this the first time, it's a bit surreal, visually and narratively, and there's Nicholas Cage, giving a pretty classic Nicholas Cage performance, along with some moments which are eye popping and rattling enough to make this something which isn't as accessible as the "Can't Fail" list is really meant to be. Richard Stanley is a director known to the more hardcore genre fans for his interesting and odd genre films from the 80's, and his now legendary experience on The Island of Dr. Moreau. Following Dr. Moreau, Stanley disappeared off the map for a while, understandably. His return is probably his best film to date, and one of the most faithful Lovecraft film adaptations yet. The Color Out of Space is widely considered one of Lovecraft's most effective short stories. It's the one which most unnerved me as I went through his catalog some 20 years ago. This film gets a whole lot of what was disturbing about the short, and brings to it an engaging visual language, some great performances, especially from Madeliene Arthur and Tommy Chong, who manages to be a genuine scene stealer, without being the kind of funny man we're so used to seeing him play. Joely Richardson is very good as the wife and mother of the Gardner clan, and Nicholas Cage is as stupefyingly interesting to watch as always. This does build some very creepy atmosphere, and when it takes the leap into the "cosmic horror" aspect of Lovecraft's story, there are some wildly interesting sequences. There are some practical effects in the last third of the movie which were positively jaw dropping. I was not prepared for where it was going, even having read the original short story a number of times. There's a really gorgeous, otherworldly color pallette in the film, the cinematography and design are beautiful, and Stanley brings his own sense of mysticism to it, giving it a genuinely otherworldly feel. There's an awareness of the absurd to the whole thing, which manages to make it even creepier, instead of just being campy. In some ways, it's a relatively dour film as your experiencing it, but it's a lot of fun to go back and think through or see again, because the journey of discovery has already happened, so you can focus in on some of the more interesting, weird or creatively enjoyable decisions and details. The violence here is intense, and meant to be upsetting, and there's some gore, but probably even more impactful are the practical effects which show the effects of whatever it is infecting everything on the Gardner farm. I'm very glad Richard Stanley is back, and will be eagerly awaiting whatever he does next. 

Raw - In Justine’s family everyone is a vet and a vegetarian. At 16, she’s a gifted teen ready to take on her first year in vet school, where her older sister also studies. There, she gets no time to settle: hazing starts right away. Justine is forced to eat raw meat for the first time in her life. Unexpected consequences emerge as her true self begins to form. This was a real shocker. The allegory is about puberty, sexuality and feminine acculturation, and it's brilliantly done. The presentation is shocking, engrossing, and enthralling. It's pretty rare to still be able to have me sitting their, mouth agape, as I'm watching a horror film, but that was definitely the experience with a few of the scenes in Raw. Garance Marillier, the lead, is outstanding. She manages to take material which is pretty out of the ordinary, and still make the audience empathetic toward her. It genuinely feels like she is just an ordinary girl, going through some extraordinary circumstances, and as crazy as this material is, it's definitely a feat that she manages to hold onto that all the way through the film. The film also does a great job of recreating the confusion, urgency and pressures of being a teenager in a Western culture. This is well made all around. Strong direction, good writing and cinematography, great performances. It's a gut punch at times though. Definitely some extreme gore here. The acts of violence themselves aren't all that graphic, but the gore most definitely is extreme, and is upsetting in a very different way than normally comes to mind where extreme gore is concerned. 

The Bold and The Brave

The Eyes of My Mother - A young, lonely woman is consumed by her deepest and darkest desires after tragedy strikes her quiet country life. Properly nightmarish, in content and presentation, this is one of the more unique films on the list. It's a gorgeous nightmare, shot in crisp black and white. Imagine what it would be like if somehow a Diane Arbus photo decided to stretch itself into a feature length film primarily influenced by David Lynch. This is a deeply unnerving film. It starts out with the kind of quiet, contemplative, lull which is a staple of arthouse, and progresses into the truly disturbing and shocking. 

Maniac - As he helps a young artist with her upcoming exhibition, the owner of a mannequin shop’s deadly, suppressed desires come to the surface. The original Maniac from 1980 is an infamous film. It's also, to my mind, one of the very early instances of the grindhouse aesthetic being successfully married to an arthouse approach to themes and subtext. It's a violent, mean, disturbing, despair filled film about a serial killer who stalks women at night. It's different from the many other films of the genre which could be described exactly the same way in that it's a character study, with a fully formed character, a performance by Joe Spinell that might just be too good, and some genuinely intelligent ideas about men who target women for violence, which was incredibly rare then, and is unfortunately still rare. It is repellant in a way that it portrays violence. The 2012 remake stars none other than Elijah Wood as the maniac in question, shot entirely from his POV, transplanting the film from sleezy 1970's New York to modern day LA. This is one of those remakes that finds a way to bring something new to the material, not only by making it a POV film, but by adding some pieces to the character, by casting the film in a completely different way, and being a brilliantly made movie through and through. In keeping with it being brought into the modern day, it's also a little more realistic in it's understanding of the main character, Frank. It is gruesome, and it is desperately violent though. This is not for the casual horror fan, by any stretch of the imagination. It's brutal, upsetting, violence. 

Bliss - In need of creative inspiration, a professionally stagnant and hard-partying Los Angeles artist recklessly indulges in a series of drug binges. As the narcotics fly out of control, so does her newfound and inexplicable, yet unquenchable, craving for blood. Vampirism has been used as a metaphor for addiction more than once. Here, addiction is feeding the chaos which can lead to creativity. Dora Madison is 100% committed to this role. It's also a wild, surreal, hallucinogenic, brutal ride. It's roars at the audience. This is violent, bloody and brutal, without hesitation. It feels very much like you're being dragged by the hair through the film. It's propulsive, primal film which captures a level of intensity I was not at all expecting. 

Mandy - The Shadow Mountains, 1983. Red and Mandy lead a loving and peaceful existence; but when their pine-scented haven is savagely destroyed, Red is catapulted into a phantasmagoric journey filled with bloody vengeance and laced with fire. Director/writer Panos Cosmatos made a uniquely odd self financed movie called Beyond the Black Rainbow, which was released in 2010. It's worth seeing for any fans of the strange and unusual. Mandy brings the same kind of cinematic vision to audiences, this time, with a better budget, and Nicholas Cage in the lead role. Like Black Rainbow, this is a hallucinatory, visually stunning ride through a descent into madness. The narrative is more solidly constructed here though, and it's slightly more aware of its campy tones, but manages to not be overly campy at the same time. Without doubt, Panos Cosmatos is one of the most interesting film makers to come onto the scene in the last decade, and it's going to be fun to see where he goes, and how his ability to translate his truly unique vision to the screen grows with experience. Again, this is a violent, bloody film and it makes absolutely no qualms about it's violence and gore. 

Revenge - Jen’s romantic getaway with her wealthy (married) boyfriend is disrupted when his friends arrive for an impromptu hunting trip. Tension mounts at the house until the situation culminates in an unexpected way. I have an extremely conflicted relationship with the "rape revenge" subgenre of horror, for all the reasons it's a controversial subgenre. I don't know how much of it is for the gratification of the most toxic aspects of masculinity in Western culture, and I don't know how much it can succeed in not being that, in order to be a genuine social commentary on those toxic aspects, and the violence women face at the hands of men, with horrifying regularity. As a horror obsessive, I've never made it through a full single viewing of the most notorious film in the subgenre, I Spit on Your Grave. On two occasions, I've attempted to sit through it, and have shut it off during the infamous rape scene in the opening. I can't wrap my head around there being any necessity for what that scene is. It's so long, so gratuitous and so graphic, I just can't understand how the same intensity or necessary motivation can't be achieved by being less of almost all of those characteristics. Since then, I've watched it from after that scene, and I still can't really wrap my head around the necessity of that scene being what it is. I've read a number of different perspectives on the film, from female horror obsessives and film academics Some of them find it a feminist exercise in empowerment, some find it excruciatingly offensive. I can see both arguments being valid. Personally, it's too excruciating to even try to parse it out too much. It's not even in the realm of "challenging." It's excruciating and it's not really delivering much in the way of the subtleties. I eventually came to the decision that if a rape revenge film isn't at least directed by a woman, there's no reason for me to see it. When Revenge started bringing in great word of mouth, and a ton of praise for writer/director Coralie Fargeat, I decided to give it a shot when it began streaming on Shudder. Revenge manages to be the exception which proves the rule in many ways. For a start, it doesn't treat the rape sequence as voyeuristic entertainment. It makes very clear the threat, and it makes very clear where the scene is going, but the rape itself happens off screen. For me, at least, it proves the point about the number of other films in the subgenre which take some gratuitous pleasure in their handling of the subject. Revenge manages to make as strong an impact as any of those, through character work, character relationships, and specifically by deciding what not to show. Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz is outstanding in the lead role. The film is also aesthetically gorgeous, with some interesting symbolism, and an all too realistic take on the way masculinity functions as a hierarchy which produces the kind of violence her character faces. It is an extremely well constructed, tension filled thriller. Coralie Fargeat is another talented new writer/director to come out of this decade, proving she has a strong, unique vision and the ability to take a cliché genre, and give it some new life. Even as the rape scene in this film happens off screen, there is still a pretty significant amount of violence and gore in the rest of the film. The cat and mouse game which becomes the meat of the runtime, gets extremely brutal. 

M.F.A - After the accidental death of her rapist, an art student becomes an unlikely vigilante, set out to avenge college girls whose rapists were not charged. The second rape revenge film on this list is the more subtle of the two, in most ways, and more graphic in one important way. Revenge is relatively straight forward, and definitely a more standard revenge film overall. M.F.A has a fair bit of nuance to it, and it also deals directly with more realistic scenarios. Francesca Eastwood is going to be getting a good deal more work after this, as the whole film works as well as it does because of just how excellently she pulls off a nuanced, demanding role. This is much more graphic in its rape scene. It's relatively short, and it's not prurient, so much as it is matter of fact. It also deals more directly with the way survivors are treated, the way rape culture is perpetuated, and just how ubiquitous it is. Written by Leah McKendrick and directed by Natalie Leite, this one hits home because of how recognizable so much of the film is and how reality based so much of it's dialog and scenarios are. All of the characters surrounding Noelle, the protagonist, are in some way helping to uphold the status quo as far as sexual violence against women is concerned, and it is clear, believable and initially gratifying to see Noelle plot the course she takes through the film. I think this is a great film, and will be looking forward to Leah McKendrick and Natalie Leite's work in the future, together or separate. As content warnings are concerned, there are a few scenes which portray rape. I don't know that I can call them gratuitous because they don't linger longer than absolutely necessary to convey what they need to, but they are still raw and disturbing. Natalie Leite's isn't trying to cover over how disgusting and violent rape is, but the story here is about the people, not a vehicle for shock cinema. There's some gore in here as well, as the revenge aspect gets a bit messy. Overall, quite possibly the best film I've ever seen in the rape revenge subgenre. 

Luz - A rainy night. Dazed and numb, Luz, a young cabdriver, drags herself into the brightly lit entrance of a run-down police station. In a nightspot, Nora seductively engages police psychiatrist Dr. Rossini in a conversation. Nora tells the Doctor about her old schoolmate Luz’ rebellious past at a Chilean school for girls. Nora is possessed by a demonic entity, longing for the woman it loves - Luz. I love this movie. The story itself is interesting, and on top of that, the way the story is being told is incredibly interesting. This strays pretty far from the standard linear film narrative, but it is still focused on its narrative and telling this story. Even as it jumps from narrative perspective to different narrative perspective, it still holds onto the narrative and it is an interesting story. The idea of this demons obsession with Luz and the way this plays out is at points terrifying and at points jaw dropping.