Shudder Saturday: Rabid (2019)

If you're going to remake/rework a David Cronenberg movie then there's no point in taking on any of his outright classics. Any remake CAN work, if done right, but why would you give yourself such a monumental task? Choosing one of his relatively lesser works though, that might lead to some good results. And that is what The Soska Sisters (Jen and Sylvia) have done here, in a way. They've also tried to do something else, but I'll get to that later.

Laura Vandervoort is Rose, a young woman who hopes to be a fashion designer one day. She lacks the confidence to make any impact though, seemingly destined to be a hard-working doormat for the more dominant personalities all around her. Unfortunately, Rose is soon involved in a major accident that leaves her with horrific facial damage. Fortunately, she can be made even better than before with some breakthrough medical treatment. That treatment comes at a hell of a cost though, and it will start a chain reaction that leads to violence and chaos throughout the city.

Rabid isn't a bad film. It's a solid little horror movie, perhaps suffering slightly from some scenes that are played in a very simplistic way, and I think the pacing could have been tightened up a bit. These, however, are criticisms that could also be levelled at the original film. There are some good practical gore effects here, and the implication of one sick woman kicking off what could become a major pandemic, and those scenes help to make this more enjoyable (punctuated by moments in which people lose their will and lunch into a “rabid” attack on someone else in front of them). 

Using the framework of the film to explore themes they have explored so well in previous films - the Soskas love showing women become empowered in a way that rightly unnerves men who used to dismiss/abuse them - and mixing in a number of references to other Cronenberg work, it is the attempt to mix in commentary that sadly holds this back a bit. Rose doesn’t feel like the right character to focus on, sadly, and her transformation would be better if she left behind the whole world of fashion, depicted here in a way that makes you question anyone involved in it. It's this approach to reframing the material that undermines it, creating an uncomfortable mix of visceral horror with misplaced reverence for the baggage brought along by the source material.

Alongside writer John Serge, the Soskas make the mistake of padding out what should remain a streamlined bit of nastiness. The character growth is hard to care about, because of the environment it is placed in, and the bigger picture is something we are only given a small look at, even if that is understandable when considering the budget and resources available to the makers of the film.

Vandervoort is a good lead, and she does well with everything asked of her, whether acting nervous and meek or turning into a hungry maneater. Other people who manage to stand out include Ted Atherton (named a bit too on the nose as Dr. William Burroughs), Mackenzie Gray (as Gunter, a top name in the fashion world that Rose is a part of), and Stephen McHattie (playing a doctor who has the bonus of being Stephen McHattie). Benjamin Hollingsworth, Hanneke Talbot, Stephen Huszer, and CM Punk are also involved, but I cannot say that any of them made any impression of me. In fact, I cared more about the nurse (played by Tristan Risk) who only appears in one main sequence than I cared about most of the main supporting characters.

Not half as bad as it could have been, Rabid is just slightly mishandled by people who try to expand an idea that arguably works best without any added complications. You can do this in a “down ‘n’ dirty” way, you can do it as a blood-soaked virus film on a grand scale. You just can’t succeed by trying to fit in the middle, and this tries to fit in the middle.

6/10

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See No Evil 2 (2014)

It's not often that you get your hopes up for a horror movie sequel, but that's what happened here. This sequel follows on directly from the events of the first film. Many corpses have been found at a major crime scene, including that of an eyeball-gouging killer named Jacob Goodnight (played, once more, by Glenn Jacobs AKA Kane). The bodies are taken to a city morgue, as expected, but that morgue is actually full of some young revellers all helping young Amy (Danielle Harris) to celebrate her birthday. It's not long until Goodnight manages to get up off the mortuary table, and the death toll starts up again.

Written by first-timers Nathan Brookes and Bobby Lee Darby, the main draw here, apart from certain cast members, was the fact that Jen and Sylvia Soska were hired to direct this film. Having enjoyed both of their previous features, I was hoping they could do something fun and interesting with a thin, tired premise. Unfortunately, the weak script really leaves them little to work with, and the only real fun to be had is during the first 20-30 minutes. Once the killing starts, it all starts to slide downhill.

Kane is still a decent choice for Jacob Goodnight, with his obvious physical presence and ability to break most people in two with minimal effort. Harris is okay in her role, she's been a fan favourite for years and makes up for her standard genre acting range with familiarity and likability. Katharine Isabelle, playing a friend, and reveller, who has a bit of a fetish for psycho killers, is much better, but she's not onscreen for long enough. And then there's Chelan Simmons, who I always tend to enjoy in horror fare, mainly because she often plays characters who add a bit of fun or humour to the proceedings. The men fare far worse, with only Kaj-Erik Eriksen making a good impression, playing a colleague who has a crush on Harris (completely understandable). I'll mention Greyston Holt, Lee Majdoub and Michael Eklund, but I won't waste my time trying to think of anything positive to say about their performances, although they're far from the worst that I've seen acting in the genre.

What really sinks this film is just the disappointing lack of energy. Even the kills aren't very memorable or inventive, something that the original film at least tried to get right. If you have a slasher movie without any impressive death scenes then what's the point? Does it get some stuff right? Yes. The Soska twins are competent enough to put together some polished camerawork and stylish moments, but that's about it.

If you like Kane, Harris and Isabelle then this is worth a watch, but only just. If you dislike any of those performers then I recommend just leaving this one well alone. Because they're the main plus points in a movie that's otherwise insipid and uninspired.

4/10

http://www.amazon.com/See-No-Evil-2-Blu-ray/dp/B00M6X9ZI2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412881347&sr=8-1&keywords=see+no+evil+2

Yes, I went for this picture to accompany the review. And I'd do it again, I tells ya.

ABCs Of Death 2 (2014)

When The ABCs Of Death was released a couple of years ago I was very excited. Then I watched the film. One or two segments weren't great, but that was alright as they were short enough so I knew that another one would be along in a minute. Then more segments weren't great. And more. And a few more. The film just managed to hit an above-average rating, but it was a real wasted opportunity, in my opinion. Of course, the whole idea behind the movie makes it hard to maintain any consistency - as a variety of directors are given one letter of the alphabet, a set budget, and the creative freedom to do whatever they like.

Thankfully, and somewhat surprisingly, ABCs Of Death 2 manages to well and truly make up for the disappointment of its predecessor. There's still that unavoidable uneven feeling at times, but none of the segments truly stink (in the way that the ironically-named "F for Fart" did, for example). And almost every punchline is either disturbing or hilarious, or both.

Frustratingly, I can't say much more about the film. Part of the fun, as it was the first time around, is trying to figure out what word the directors have gone for. I thought that the first segment, for example, would be called "A for Assassin". It's not.

With a roster of talent that includes Larry Fessenden, those Twisted Twins (Jen and Sylvia Soska), Vincenzo Natali, Bill Plympton, Robert Morgan, Julian Barratt, Julian Gilbey, Juan Nartinez Moreno, Steve Kostanski, Hajime Ohata, Alexandre Bustillo, and many more, this is almost as well-travelled as the first movie. I say almost, however, because there seemed to be a bit of a predominance of British talent involved this time around. Maybe that was just the luck of the draw, maybe it was for financial reasons, or maybe I just noticed the Brits more than the other nationalities involved. Either way, I was pleased to see such good representation from the UK.

Highlights, without giving away any title names, include segments A, B, C, D, J, Q, R, S, T, Y and Z. Yes, I know those letters will mean nothing to you right now. You'll just have to watch the film and find out which ones you agree with me on, if any.

Varied in style - you get some animated shorts, one black and white segment, some that are haunting and sedate, and some that are ramped-up shots of sheer viscera - this is an anthology movie that really does have something for everyone. You'll laugh, you'll wince, you may even be stunned once or twice, and you'll be alphabetically entertained throughout. And it's a perfect viewing choice for the run up to Halloween. Check it out, help it to be a success, and who knows . . . . . . we might just get a third outing that's just as good as this one.

8/10

http://www.amazon.com/ABCs-Death-2-Ian-Virgo/dp/B00O40EEE0/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1412422687&sr=1-2&keywords=abcs+of+death+2