Shudder Saturday: Depraved (2019)

I may have mentioned it before, but Larry Fessenden is seen as a bit of a glowing light within the horror community. People have so many nice things to say about him, and he always seems to be happy to lend his time/ear/advice to others asking for it. In fact, I KNOW I have mentioned this before, because it is how I started my review of Wendigo (a film I didn't really enjoy). I had more hope for Depraved, although it was completely unfounded. This is not a film I have heard anyone really discuss, but I wanted to enjoy a movie written and directed by Fessenden.

Well, I did. Phew!

A modern reworking of the classic Frankenstein tale, Depraved starts with a young couple, Alex (Owen Campbell) and Lucy (Chloë Levine), having a small argument. It's nothing permanent, although it's the final exchange within their relationship. Because Alex is killed. We then cut to the birth of a man named Adam (Alex Breaux), a man stitched together and brought to life by Henry (David Call), helped in his endeavours by the far-from-magnanimous Polidori (Joshua Leonard). Teaching Adam how to develop his skills is an interesting process, and leads to difficult times when his internal turmoil leads to him lashing out at those around him. He may also have some part of him connected to Lucy.

Not interested in gore or major set-pieces, although it's not a bloodless affair, Fessenden impressed with his approach to the material here. In fact, pair this up with Frankenstein (2015) and you have a very interesting double-bill of movies that manage to provide fresh takes on the text while never losing sight of the moral quandaries at the heart of the story. Neither feel as if they're trying to be too clever, or trendy, which can often happen with modernised takes on classic tales.

But let's get back to this. While Fessenden has taken care to have his writing and direction display the material in a suitable, and unfussy, way (with some nice visual touches showing the mental development of Adam), he's helped by a cast who do some great work for him. Call is a fantastic "Frankenstein", caring for his creation, yet also conflicted by the ways he wants to both push him and keep him under control. Breaux is an impressive creature, his look changing at various times in the movie, and delivers a physical performance that embodies that strong man-child figuring things out amidst a lot of confusion and mental struggles. Leonard is a lot of fun as Polidori, the one who is really trying to pull the strings, and Levine is likeable as Lucy, Ana Kayne, Maria Dizzia, and Addison Timlin help out as, respectively, Liz, Georgina, and Shelley.

If you know Fessenden, then you know that he often provides genre treats that don't like to conform to the box-ticking that some fans may prefer. That's a really good thing when the material is strong enough, and the final result interesting, as it is here. And when it doesn't work out, well, you still have to admire his constant attempts to deliver something new to audiences. I'll take a Fessenden misfire over 100 other attempts to make the next Paranormal Activity. And I'll take a Fessenden bullseye over pretty much every major studio attempt to revisit/reboot the horror IPs that they view as potential big money-makers.

8/10

https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews 

Netflix And Chill: Trick (2019)

Okay, let me start off this review with some positivity. The whole thing isn't going to be negative, but I think there may be moments when I ramble on a bit and give the impression that I had a terrible time. I did not. Trick is a lot of fun. It's just that it doesn't remain quite fun enough to help you overlook some of the more ridiculous moments, including some pretty big plot points.

The basic story revolves around Detective Mike Denver (Omar Epps), a man determined to catch a killer, believed to be Patrick "Trick" Weaver (Thom Niemann) who embarks on a fatal killing spree every Halloween. He attends a party, spins a knife around, and then starts getting stabby. Detective Denver, and Sheriff Lisa Jayne (Ellen Adair), keeps trying to stay hot on the trail of what may well be a supernatural killer, even if others don't buy into that theory.

Director Patrick Lussier, who once again worked with Todd Farmer on the script, has been delivering horror movies with an emphasis on fun for the past two decades. And they've managed to get a bit better and better after he was done with a number of Dracula films between 2000-2005. Trick may not be as wild as My Bloody Valentine and Drive Angry (especially that one), but it's clear that it's a film based around a fun premise, rather than one intricately plotted to weave between tense set-pieces on the way to a smart and thought-provoking final act. Nope, Lussier and Farmer want a lot of death, an element of mystery to keep the authorities on their toes, and a good mix of gore and silliness. They also throw in one or two death traps that would even make Jigsaw roll his eyes and say things were getting a bit too unbelievable (particularly when one character helps to keep another safe before ensuring they then return to the main target spot that will ensure their splattery demise).

The cast all go along with everything perfectly. Epps is actually deserving of some praise for playing his character as determined and obsessed without going into, for example, the kind of immediate manic and twitchy performance we got from Danny Glover in Saw (he is the first example to spring to mind, due to a few death scenes here, but there are many others). Adair is just as good as the woman working alongside him, casting doubt on some of his theory while continuing to put the work in and follow things wherever they lead. Kristina Reyes is a decent, strong female in her role, Cheryl Winston, a survivor of one killing spree hoping to help stop any others, and Max Miller is fun in the role of Troy, a jock who paints himself as a hero when things didn't quite pan out that way. Others do well, if they don't stand out, but genre fans may enjoy seeing Jamie Kennedy in a small role, and should definitely enjoy a wonderfully grouchy turn from the incomparable genre legend that is Tom Atkins.

I enjoyed a lot of Trick. Unfortunately, the scenes I enjoyed most where the scenes that were supposed to be highlights. They were set-pieces that quickly became ridiculous, taking me out from the viewing experience as I was unable to suspend my disbelief. But then it would get back to some smaller-scale insanity, and I was back on board.

Easier to hate than to love, I hope people give this a watch and simple enjoy it. The end runs a little too long, and has a ridiculous resolution to everything, but it's still worth 100 minutes of your time. Even if it's not a complete treat.

6/10

https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews