The Leech (2022)

Christmas brings different worries for different kinds of  people. Some fret about having enough food and drink in stock to feed a hundred unexpected visitors. Some worry about having enough money to get a decent gift for their loved ones. Some feel the strain of pressure added to them by the fake/unrealistic displays posted all over social media. And some worry about the many guests they will have to tolerate for most of Christmas Day, whether it is a friend of a friend, a relative not seen at any other time of the year, or someone you just know is going to drink a bit too much and make things tense after dinner. The Leech makes use of this last worry to craft a darkly comedic horror movie, and the end result is, well, it sure is something.

Graham Skipper plays Father David, a priest who ends up offering his home as temporary shelter to Terry (Jeremy Gardner). Terry isn’t exactly the most respectful and appreciative houseguest, and things become more problematic when Father David also allows Terry’s down-on-her-luck partner, Lexi (Taylor Zaudtke), to use his home as her own. Boundaries are tested, and pushed way beyond breaking point, and Father David finds himself struggling to change the ways of his guests while they resist his moral lessons. In fact, the pair become more and more determined to erode away the goodwill of their host, almost as if they relish the mindgames and battle of wills  

The second feature film written and directed by Eric Pennycoff (who did great work on Sadistic Intentions, also working with Gardner and Zaudtke on that one), The Leech is almost as good as you might expect a horror comedy with this cast to be. Almost. 

There is nothing to complain about here when it comes to the cast. Skipper, Gardner, and Zaudtke have a lot of fun together, whether they are probing one another with subtle jabs or engaging in outright antagonism, and the fourth main performance, a small turn from Rigo Garay, is enjoyably low-key alongside the escalating insanity of the three leads.

The big problem comes from Pennycoff, who doesn’t seem to set his mind on exactly the right tone he wants. Despite some ridiculousness, and the great performances (Gardner sells every line so well), there isn’t quite enough solid laughs here. Nor are there quite enough moments of tension or horror. Pennycoff may be happy with the end result, and I have seen a lot of praise for this from other film fans, but I couldn’t help feeling as if it was a prowling tiger that you soon realise has had the claws and fangs removed.

Working best when playing out like some horrible nightmare you cannot wake up from, The Leech has great potential in its premise, and has the right onscreen talent, but ends up as a slight disappointment. It isn’t bad, and I always appreciate someone trying to do something a bit different. It’s just not great.

6/10

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Shudder Saturday: Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022)

I have been a fan of writer-director Joe Begos for some time now, watching him improve with every film he's made over the past few years, and when I saw the trailer for Christmas Bloody Christmas I assumed that this would be the peak of his career. It is, after all, the tale of a homicidal, axe-wielding, robo-Santa. Considering how much I'd enjoyed VFW, this seemed like it could become a new festive favourite.

The star of the show is Riley Dandy, playing Tori, a record store owner who wants to spend Christmas Eve getting drunk and laid. Unfortunately, she seems to have swiped right on the wrong Tinder profile, as pointed out to her by her employee/friend, Robbie (Sam Delich). Robbie assures her that she can have a much better time in his company. Tori eventually agrees, which leads to the two of them drinking plenty of whisky, arguing over wildly divergent opinions on music and movies, and eventually heading back to Tori's place for an enjoyably hot 'n' heavy time. Meanwhile, an animatronic Santa figure has malfunctioned. After killing various people en route, it is determined to kill Tori, and anyone else who gets in his way.

Because I knew the main premise of the movie, I was being more patient than I otherwise may have been during the opening act. It's a bit of a slog though, with Begos seemingly more interested in filling the script with references than creative kills and bloodshed. The runtime is about 87 minutes, but it feels a bit longer than that, due to the time taken to get things properly started, as well as a finale that slightly outstays its welcome. Things do improve, thankfully, and there's a great 20-30 minutes in the second act of the film that makes it all worthwhile.

It's also worth mentioning that Begos once again shows how well he uses whatever budget is available to him. He has a lo-fi, grunge (although maybe best to say punk), aesthetic throughout, as usual, but that fits in with his sensibilities, making you feel as if you've just discovered this gem in the Horror section of a local VHS store. The colour scheme is the expected mix of green and red throughout, and Begos makes great use of festive lighting to frame and filter a lot of the action. Almost every set-piece is infused with the pulsing glow of lights, whether they're the ones decorating a house or the blue and red bulbs atop a police car.

Dandy and Delich are fun people to spend time with, and the former is set up from the very beginning as a potential final girl well worth rooting for, and Abraham Benrubi is effective as the killer Santa, his plodding and determined movements accompanied by the whirring and ker-chunk noises you'd expect to hear from such a figure. I looked up a dictionary of technical terms, ker-chunk is definitely the correct word there. There's a fleeting appearance from genre stalwart Graham Skipper, and local law enforcement is played by Jeff Daniel Philips and Jeremy Gardner, both as equally familiar and welcome to horror fans as Skipper. Everyone does a good job in the acting department, especially when considering how enjoyably daft the material is.

Begos does give viewers what they will expect from this, it’s just a shame that he didn’t figure out a way to streamline the script a bit more. But when it is fully into the whole Santerminator mode in the third act, including some fantastic vehicular stuntwork, it’s impossible not to enjoy what’s happening onscreen and admire Begos for achieving what he set out to do. And the visuals are accompanied by yet another excellent synth score from Steve Moore (a long-time collaborator with Begos, as well as the man who gave us that superb score for The Guest).

Maybe not the instant holiday horror classic I was hoping for, Christmas Bloody Christmas is still a bloody good time, it’s a nice mix of fun and mean-spiritedness that I can see myself returning to next year, even if only to spot more of the many little references and homages dotted throughout almost every scene.

6/10

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Shudder Saturday: Offseason (2021)

Writer-director Mickey Keating has been delivering interesting horror fare to viewers for just over a decade now. The fact that I have only seen one of his other films so far (the enjoyable Pod) is a reflection of my own tardiness, and not any kind of verdict on Keating's work. And having enjoyed Offseason even more than Pod, I really need to get through more of his filmography.

What you have here is the tale of someone tying up some affairs after the death of their mother. Marie (Jocelin Donahue) and her partner, George (Joe Swanberg), have to travel to a small island town, fulfilling some last wishes that make no sense to Marie. Her mother, Ava (Melora Walters), had often spoken of the place in a way that made clear she never wanted to go back there, and Marie soon starts to see her point of view, with the town being a strange and cold place. Is it her state of mind, or is there something wrong with the place?

This is, in a lot of ways, what you expect it to be. It's a low-budget horror movie that prioritises the cast and quieter interactions ahead of any big scares. Keating does himself a big favour with his casting, but he also paces things nicely, building atmosphere and a sense of dread in between moments that deliver some enjoyably unexpected scares (or spooky strangeness). Although he obviously doesn't have the resources that other film-makers might have available to them, Keating does his best to ensure that everything looks and sounds as it should. The visual style may be a bit flat, but that is easy to forgive when you realise that Keating has held back in a way that allows some third act moments to make a much stronger impact.

Donahue is an excellent lead, someone that viewers can easily stay alongside and root for, and Swanberg gives another good performance in the kind of supporting role he seems to be so good with. Walters has to be a bit more on edge and strained than most of the other people onscreen, but she plays her part well. There are also a number of great little turns from some familiar, and some not so familiar, faces, with Jeremy Gardner being a slight scene-stealer yet again and Richard Brake bringing his inimitable air of quiet menace to the table.

If you're after something that's not tied to some big names, in terms of the property or the way it is marketed, then I highly recommend checking this out. The imperfection of it just adds to the charm, and major bonus points to Keating for also delivering an ending that feels like a proper ending (something that used to be lacking from every indie horror movie I watched for a few years). It's not entirely original, it's not all wrapped up in a neat bow, but it does enough to stand out from the crowd, with cast and crew all doing their bit to make something that feels like a real hidden gem. Do your bit to uncover it, and share the pleasing glimmer of it with others.

8/10

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Shudder Saturday: Sadistic Intentions (2018)

Like so many other people nowadays, I can often spend more time deciding what to watch on various streaming services than actually watching the movies. Thankfully, I saw that Sadistic Intentions had a main role for Jeremy Gardner. I have mentioned my love of Gardner before, a number of times, so nobody should really be surprised that his inclusion made me feel safe in deciding to give this a watch.

The main premise is simple enough, initially. A young man (Kevin, played by Michael Patrick Nicholson) sets things up so that he can get two people stuck at a fairly remote house. One of those people is Stu (Gardner), a musician ready to enjoy a noisy jam session. The other is Chloe (Taylor Zaudtke), a young woman who has been lured there by the promise of a good deal on some weed. Although two people are in the house, and one person is waiting to make their appearance, it's Chloe who seems to be in the most danger, and the one most oblivious to the fact that she's being toyed with.

Written and directed by Eric Pennycoff, his feature debut after writing and directing a few shorts, Sadistic Intentions is an enjoyable, if familiar, journey through some dark comedy and twisted moments. Gardner and Zaudtke work well together, and the first half really delivers some surprisingly uplifting and sweet moments as you see their two characters learn about one another and seem to find some unexpected connection. It's a shame that the second half goes off in the direction that it does. Although it's still fun entertainment, it also undermines the good stuff that was already developed.

The best thing that Pennycoff did was assemble the right cast. This is essentially a three-hander, and with only two of those three onscreen for most of the first half. Nicholson is a lot of fun when he finally appears, but the performances of Gardner and Zaudtke are the strong foundation of the whole thing. They work with a script that seems custom-made for them, and I'm not sure how much, if any, of the final product was a more collaborative experience than most movies, and they keep you on their side, sort of, even when things start falling apart.

If you're looking for the obvious signs of independent movie-making then they're all here. Pennycoff doesn't hide them away. All set mainly at one location. A film based more on dialogue than any spectacle. Attempts to use formulaic material and give them a bit of a twist. The presence of Gardner (at this point, I'm considering him the younger Larry Fessenden of the film world, and Fessenden also has a tiny role here). But I'd rather someone had faith in their material than tried to cover it up with distractions, or extra bells and whistles costing money that could be better spent elsewhere. Pennycoff has that faith in the script and performances, and he's right to have it. This may not be one that you remember years down the line, but it's a good time while it's on, and Pennycoff is someone well worth keeping an eye on.

7/10

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Shudder Saturday: Fingers (2019)

Part crime thriller, part dark comedy, Fingers is a real little gem of a film that is surprisingly unsettling in between the moments that may make you laugh.

Sabina Friedman-Seitz plays Amanda, a woman who is irrationally freaked out by certain triggers. It could be a birthmark. It could be a short, black man. So her anxiety starts to go through the roof when a colleague, Walter (Stan Madray), comes into work missing a finger. It only gets worse when he starts missing more, prompting Amanda to seek help from Dr. Scotty (Michael Richardson). Walter claims that he has just been clumsy while trying DIY at home, but soon confesses that men are coming to take his fingers, one at a time. He doesn't know why. Dr. Scotty thinks he has made up a wild story, but it's even wilder because it's true.

I decided to give Fingers a watch because I saw that Jeremy Gardner was in the cast. I've become a firm fan of Gardner and he's built up a solid body of work, with both his direction and his acting turns, in genre fare that tends to have some additional quirkiness, and often no small amount of subversion. This film, as you may have guessed, falls firmly into the same category.

Writer-director Juan Ortiz does a fantastic job, even more so when you think that this is only his second directorial feature, and his dark and witty script is helped by some astute casting. There are moments here that are deeply disturbing, but Ortiz knows what to show, and what to imply (a line that is essential to keep viewers on board when, at one point, a dog is put in peril). And the mannered way in which most of his main characters communicate with one another reminded me of the films of Yorgos Lanthimos. Which is no bad thing.

Friedman-Seitz has fun in her role, although it's interesting that she's a lead character who becomes secondary to others involved in the finger-severing madness for most of the runtime. The same can be said of Madray, who suffers through a very painful and bewildering situation almost daily. Gardner is, in many ways, the main person we stick with, which is an unexpected bonus. He often works with an accomplice (played by Sterling William), and the two are involved in scenes that constantly, and brilliantly, teeter in between surreal hilarity and dark horror. Michael St. Michaels plays Fox, a crime boss who has hired Gardner to get this unpleasant job done, and he also has some fun. In fact, everyone does. Except Madray, but at least he gets a great punchline.

Although there are moments when you can sense the low budget and the limitations here, Fingers is an impressive piece of work. So impressive that I'll definitely hope to check out Ortiz's first film, and will look forward to whatever he does next. Especially if he decides to work with Gardner again.

8/10

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After Midnight (2019)

I've fallen behind in my appreciation of the work of Jeremy Gardner, who wrote this movie and co-directed it with his long-time collaborator Christian Stella. Okay, he's only actually directed three full features right now, and I am only missing out on one of them (Tex Montana Will Survive!, also co-directed with Stella, and one I have been meaning to see since finding out about it due to their novel approach to covering costs and then distributing it in various places for free), but his acting performances, and presence within the horror community, means that me even falling slightly behind feels like I am not doing enough to support someone who really deserves it. And Gardner certainly deserves your support.

After Midnight is the tale of a man, Hank (Gardner), left by the woman he loves (Abby, played by Brea Grant). While Abby is away from their home, Hank starts to be visited every night, after midnight, by a monster. It tries to get into his home, tries to attack him, and nobody will believe him. It's a strange tale, after all, and perhaps much easier to accept that this is a call for attention from a man who no longer knows just how his life is going to pan out.

If you enjoyed the fact that The Battery was a zombie film without too many zombies populating it, you should love the fact that After Midnight is a monster movie that uses the monster sparingly, and actually plays out for the most part with viewers unsure if the monster even exists. We see what Hank sees, but what is it that Hank is really seeing? What's easier to believe? That a monster comes along every night to terrorise him while he is alone and fragile, or that his mind wants to give him some strange challenge to distract from his heartache?

Gardner has always done well in the acting department, and has just managed to get better and better over the years. He knows his range, the kind of characters he likes to play don't seem to verge too wildly from a certain type, but he does very well in that sweet spot. Grant is very good in her role, although the plot requires her to make more of an impact with her absence than with her time onscreen. Justin Benson (who also produced with Aaron Moorhead, and it's clear to see why this appealed to them) does well in a supporting role, as does Henry Zebrowski.

If you want something easy and obvious then After Midnight is not for you. It's a film that gives you a monster and then teases you with the fact that it may or may not be real. It's more concerned with what it takes to push the central character on to the next stage of his life, for better or for worse. These kinds of movies are what horror fans should be seeking out, movies that make the most of their resources to craft a story that doesn't rely on the jumps and easy box-ticking that a lot of mainstream horror movies utilise. This is thoughtful, interesting, fare. Sadly, that will put some people off, but those who give it their time and patience will be rewarded, not least by an ending that delivers quite the cathartic experience.

8/10

After Midnight is available to watch now on VOD.

Shudder Saturday: Spring (2014)

Life and love, sometimes it feels like you can't have one without the other, and both are arguably only most appreciated when you have an idea of what their loss really means. If you went through life without any idea of death coming along for you one day then how would you do things? And if you loved every time with the intensity of your first true love then it's hard to say whether that would improve your life, or make it a lot worse. It all depends on whether or not that feeling is reciprocated.

Spring was the second feature film to be co-directed by the winning combination of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, and it shows them to be consistently mature and thoughtful creators, utilising horror movie ideas in a way that places them in situations viewers can easily identify with.

Lou Taylor Pucci is Evan, a young American man who finds himself in a bit of a spiral after the death of his mother. Thankfully, he meets a beautiful young woman, Louise (Nadia Hilker), while in Italy. But there's something different about Louise. Something she wants to keep hidden away from Evan, and something that could define the short-term nature of their relationship. Is the potential for their love worth what either of these two people could end up having to give up?

In a similar way to their previous feature, Resolution, Spring is an imperfect film in a way that makes it all the more endearing and enjoyable. It has gone up in my estimation since I first watched it a few years ago, and may rise further after future rewatches.

Although Pucci isn't the best person I could envision in the role of Evan, he does give off a nice mix of vulnerability and the sense of searching for a lifeline. He's lost, floating off a cliff edge, even during the moments in which he thinks he has everything in place and settled. Hilker is better in her role, but it's one that allows her to chop and change her personality as viewers sense something making her subject to something outwith her control. But beyond their individual performances, Pucci and Hilker do work very well together, and that is arguably the most important thing.

While Benson and Moorhead explore love, what it takes to be with the one you feel such a strong connection to, they also take the space and time to thoughtfully look at processing grief, being at a stage in your life when you're liable to make one mistake that can lead to another, and another, and another, and also how people can set on a certain path acting like a tourist and gradually become something better as they take in their surroundings more and start to appreciate them.

The kind of rich and rewarding horror film not designed to appeal to those just looking for a bodycount or load of gore (not that those films are automatically less worthy under the wonderful, pitch-black, umbrella of the genre), Spring is best described as an impressively insightful drama that just happens to have some monstrous moments. As well as some well-placed humour that feels in keeping with the central characters.

I bought this disc.

Shudder Saturday: Bliss (2019)

Dora Madison plays Dezzy, a young artist who isn't really in the best place. She isn't making the progress she hoped to be making on her latest piece, she seems to be saddled with a guy (Clive, played by Jeremy Gardner) who is happy to freeload his way along and coast through life, and she's dropped by her agent. But thank goodness for drugs. Dezzy heads to see Hadrian (Graham Skipper) to purchase some recreational mood-enhancer, and she ends up getting some Bliss, which is not to be taken lightly. What follows is a crazy rollercoaster of sex, unconsciousness, productivity, and blood. Quite a lot of blood.

Written and directed by Joe Begos (who impressed a lot of people with his directorial feature debut, Almost Human), Bliss is a very nice pairing of form and content. Viewers are dragged along with Dezzy as her senses are bombarded, with inventive and varied visuals often paired up with a loud and pounding soundtrack. I liked the full audio-visual experience, although it's easy to see how this could end up putting many people off.

What I liked a little less was the lack of specific points that could have been made. I appreciate that is my own thing, and it's unfair to be too critical of a film because of what it isn't when there's a lot to appreciate about what it is, but it held it back from being as great as I wanted it to be. I kept waiting for Bliss to step up to a higher level, but it always seemed poised to make a leap without ever committing. Having said that, Begos certainly pulls out all the stops in the third act, which certainly takes a step up in terms of the wilder moments, the bloodshed, and gore. There's one moment, just beyond the one hour mark, that is absolutely incredible, and major kudos should go to Begos for getting hold of enough resources/talented people to help him complete his vision.

I try not to focus on negatives when it's a film I am being generally supportive of. It's not good to mistake insults and unnecessary nastiness with constructive criticism. With that in mind, I will say that Madison is slightly uneven in the main role, disappointing in the scenes in which she has to act more "normally" opposite people (it feels very much like her attitude, both to others and to her art, is something that doesn't fit right on her), but fun to watch when getting wild and vicious and bloody. Gardner continues to be as impressive an actor as he is as a director (so I will happily watch anything he does), and he's a highlight here. Tru Collins and Rhys Wakefield are a hedonistic couple who help to start Dezzy on her main journey, Skipper is just fine as your friendly neighbourhood drug dealer, and you get some nice little supporting turns from George Wendt, Abraham Benrubi, and Jesse Merlin, as well as some other familiar faces who have become part of a loose collective of impressive artists within the horror community.

I've yet to check out some more of the offerings from Begos so far, after being one of the few people underwhelmed by Almost Human, but I'll hope to change that soon. He certainly isn't afraid to make some bold decisions, and that helps to freshen up a central concept that doesn't really shake up the subgenre it's working in as much as it could. He deserves credit for this singular vision, as does everyone, from cast to crew, who helped him get it all onscreen.

7/10

You can order the disc here.