Strange Darling (2024)

While other people do appear onscreen here and there, Strange Darling is essentially a taut two-handed that pits Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald against one another for most of the runtime. A lot of people loved it. I did not.

Fitzgerald plays a character just called The Lady. Gallner’s character is named The Demon. That sums up the apparent simplicity of what is being presented here, but it is a simplicity that is due to be subverted and toyed with, considering the non-chronological presentation of the various chapters in the story. 

There’s some good stuff here, especially when you consider that it is only the second full feature from writer-director JT Mollner. One or two moments have a nice layering of tension as we watch a couple plan and play with various roles in the bedroom, but they are too quickly forgotten when the film turns to what ends up being a far less interesting cat and mouse affair.

I can see why Mollner decided to play with the chronology of the screenplay, but I am not entirely sure that he made the best decision. This might have worked better in a more linear fashion, as long as one or two details were tweaked or moved around to wherever they could be most effectively revealed, as the appearance of the numbered chapters almost immediately clue film fans in to the fact that they are not necessarily being given the full picture.

It’s a major plus point that the leads are so good though. Gallner has been delivering fantastic performances in films for a good few years now, I look forward to his appearances (even in films not worthy of his talent), and Fitzgerald sinks her teeth into the kind of role that feels like an announcement of the next phase of her film career. Both actors do fantastic work with what they’re given, and I will mention how pleased I was to see small roles for Ed Begley Jr. and Barbara Hershey.

The biggest problem with Strange Darling is how easy it is to see the process. Mollner clearly had one or two key images in his mind, which he then developed into something he hoped would surprise, and possibly shock, viewers. But those familiar with any film like this will find the prospective surprises completely unsurprising, and there aren’t many major shocks when the direction of everything becomes clear. A good final scene helps though, but it’s not enough for me to love this as fully and fervently as many others seemed to.

6/10

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Smile (2022)

On the one hand, Smile is a solid and unnerving horror movie with some impressive imagery that was used well in a viral marketing campaign. On the other hand, it’s an all-too-familiar deadly curse tale that disappointingly had one or two key visuals revealed in the trailer. I like it, and it walks a tightrope over some very dangerous territory, but it comes very close to complete failure thanks to a number of key issues.

Sosie Bacon plays Rose Cotter, a psychiatrist who is traumatized when a patient commits suicide in from of her. That death turns out to be another in a long line of connected violent ends, with each witness to such an event then going on to take their own life within about a week. Quickly becoming paranoid and disturbed, Rose tries to get to the bottom of the mystery, helped by a friendly cop/ex-boyfriend named Joel (Kyle Gallner). Are people somehow passing along a mental health issue, or is there something more powerful at work?

Written and directed by Parker Finn, Smile is not a horror movie to choose when you want uncomplicated and fun entertainment. Considering the subject matter at the heart of it, viewers should be wary of selecting it as a viewing choice if they have recently lost someone to suicide. Finn seems to give himself an out though, an explanation for events that eventually leads us from the medical to the supernatural, but there remains an ambiguity throughout that many might not appreciate. I don’t think it’s intentional, it is the nature of the material, but some will find this much darker and more disturbing than others, for reasons not necessarily intended by Finn. Consider yourselves duly warned.

Unfortunately, having tried to carefully navigate through a foundation so fraught with danger, Finn doesn’t do nearly enough with his central concept. The few good scares, and some are really good, are spaced out through a runtime of nearly two hours, but every main sequence could have had so much more packed into it. Just think of the many ways a smile, or being told to smile, could twisted and turned into something menacing and scary. Finn isn’t interested in anything beyond one or two main ideas though, sadly, so you don’t get any extra tension or surprises.

What you also don’t get is a good lead. Bacon is okay in her role, but she doesn’t feel as watchable or compelling as at least a dozen other actresses I could make right now. That wouldn’t be so bad if the whole film didn’t rest on her shoulders, but it pretty much does. Gallner is always good to see, and does well with his fairly small amount of screentime, and the likes of Jessie T. Usher, Robin Weigert, Caitlin Stasey, Gillian Zinser, and Kal Penn are all wasted to varying degrees, many not given nearly enough time to show us more of their character than the tropes required by the script.

There ARE quite a few good moments though, and the strength of the central concept makes up for a lot. There’s also some design work in the third act that had me thinking of Junji Ito (which is never a bad thing). The good outweighs the bad, even if the film never comes close to reaching full potential, and I recommend it to horror fans who don’t mind the occasional interaction with slick mainstream fare.

7/10

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Netflix And Chill: The Cleanse (2016)

Johnny Galecki stars as Paul, a young man who hasn't had a very good time of things lately. He lost a partner, his job, and his way of being able to feel anything close to happiness. That's why he ends up at a strange spiritual retreat, a potential solution in which he will be guided to a better future via the power of "the cleanse". As viewers are made aware very early on, this retreat might have something strange going on beneath the surface. Doesn't every movie retreat have a dark secret at the heart of it?

Written and directed by Bobby Miller, this is a slight film, the runtime is approximately 80 minutes, and a lesser cast would have made this unwatchable, by which I mean that I think the names attached to this were necessary to get the thing funded and actually made. It has one half-decent idea, but even that isn't as well utilised as it could be.

Tonally, Miller seems to be aiming mainly for comedy, but it misses the mark when that comedy is mixed with elements from other genres. The opening scenes work well, showing how sad and desperate Galecki's character feels, but things quickly start to go downhill once everyone arrives at the retreat for the start of their cleanse. Thankfully, some more familiar faces pop up here, but even their introductions aren't enough to make up for the major lull that happens between the beginning and the end of this.

Alongside Galecki, who does a good job of portraying that nervy guy who lacks confidence in his own abilities (not really a stretch for him, considering his popular TV work), you get enjoyable performances from Anna Friel, Kyle Gallner, and, although given a lesser amount of screentime, Diana Bang. These are the people who have put themselves forward for treatment, and they approach the program with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Kevin J. O'Connor is a staff member at the centre, and is as steadfastly Kevin J O'Connor as he usually is, but the real fun is watching performances from Anjelica Huston, as a zealous senior figure guiding individuals through their treatment, and the equally ever-welcome Oliver Platt, playing the head of the organisation looking to help people in what may be a very strange and unusual way.

There are a number of good comedies about people being shown unusual ways to improve their lives, and there are a number of effective thrillers and horror movies about facilities that seem to be helping people while hiding something dark and dangerous beneath their shiny exterior. The Cleanse certainly sits alongside the former selection, but it's worth bearing in mind that it may not belong to the latter category, despite the marketing. I don't want to spoil things for anyone, viewers can watch the film themselves and decide whether the treatment is being offered in good faith with characters just being a bit too paranoid, or whether there is something to be very wary of, but whatever you think The Cleanse is trying to do . . . plenty of films have done it a bit better. Even if they haven't had such a great cast.

5/10

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The Cleansing Hour (2019)

Expanding upon a short film from a few years ago, with different cast members taking on the main roles, The Cleansing Hour is a pleasing mix of good comedy and good horror in a fun central premise that feels very much like something we would have enjoyed in the mid to late 1980s (that was my feeling anyway).

Ryan Guzman is Father Max, the host of a popular web series that sees him vanquishing various demons in spectacular exorcism displays. Boosted by his main friend, and tech guy, Drew (Kyle Gallner), Max continues to try and increase his audience. His biggest chance to do that comes about when their latest guest doesn't show up, leaving a space that is filled by Drew's girlfriend, Lane (Alix Angelis). Lane ends up being possessed for real, quickly taking Max well out of his depth, and forcing him to admit how much of his work isn't actually real.

Directed by Damien LeVeck, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Aaron Horwitz, The Cleansing Hour is full of energy and, yes, spirit throughout, setting everything up in the opening act with quick and easy moments of characterisation and a number of obvious, but no less enjoyable, gags. It's always fun to watch someone engaging in fakery be forced into doing something for real, and that goes double for someone as vain and self-denying as the character of Max.

The special effects throughout are generally very well done, especially considering the fact that this is a film that seems to look great throughout (some lovely cinematography from Jean-Philippe Bernier) without having a huge budget to ensure everything is perfect. Demonic make-up is fantastic, as are some CGI creations, including a final reveal that few will enjoy as much as I did, but I loved it and that is what counts.

Guzman is very good in his role, all ripped handsomeness and smouldering looks to the camera before he starts being unsettled and manipulated by a surprisingly real demon. Gallner is equally good, starting off seeming like a strong supporting character before soon becoming one of the leads. And the same can be said for Angelis, who ends up overshadowing all with an absolutely brilliant performance making use of all of the standard possessed victim tropes. There are also decent performances from Emma Holzer, Chris Lew Kum Hoi, Daniel Hoffmann-Gill, and Joanna David, among others, although the focus of the film usually remains focused on Max, Drew, and the possessed Lane.

Although never quite as funny or scary as it could be, The Cleansing Hour is a horror comedy that generally achieves what it sets out to do. You will be entertained from start to finish. There's the main battle against a powerful demon, a number of set-pieces involving the death of those just to the side of the main characters, and some amusing cutaways to various viewers watching around the world (leading to a great payoff at the very end of the film). I'm going to default my opinion down ever so slightly to compensate for that added festival factor, but this is still highly recommended to genre fans who like some fun in their demonic fundamentals.

7/10

Jennifer's Body (2009)

Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried star in this hip comedy horror directed by Karyn Kusama from a script by Diablo "writer of Juno" Cody. I think every review of this movie has to mention the fact that Diablo "writer of Juno" Cody was the writer of Juno. This fact may help people decide whether they are going to like or dislike Jennifer's Body because it certainly contains a lot of the highly stylised teenspeak that Diablo peppered throughout her most famous script (to date, anyway).

The plot sees Jennifer (Fox) and her unlikely, and slightly geeky, best friend Needy (Seyfried) attending a rock gig featuring a band with a lead singer (Adam Brody) that Jennifer would like to get to know a lot better. But when a fire burns down the venue things go speedily downhill and Needy simply looks on as Jennifer is taken away in the rock group's van to who knows where. The next day it seems that all is well, weirdly so, but something is different about Jennifer - she's now possessed and likes to terrorise and eat her fellow schoolmates. This causes some understandable friction between the two pals, and as the rift widens it's Needy who starts to uncover the truth behind the recent spate of deaths in town.

A lot of people have had the knives out already due to the lead role being played here by Megan Fox, an attractive girl most associated with the large battling robots of the Transformers movies. But it's with performances like this one and her turn in How To Lose Friends And Alienate People that she proves she's more than just a pretty face. Seyfried is a great asset as the best friend who has to face some difficult decisions and none of the other young actors let themselves down in any way. There really aren't too many older stars given much time but J.K. Simmons stands out in his small, fun role.

Stylistically, the movie reminded me very much of Heathers and also Mean Girls in its skewing of high school hierarchy and the twisting of the stereotypical teen roles. As mentioned before, those who do not like the kind of teenspeak used in Juno, etc. may find the whole thing a bit jarring to the ears but the blend of scares, tension and smart one-liners (my personal favourite being a great "Rocky Horror" gag) should please those who dig the movie's overall vibe.

7/10 

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The Haunting In Connecticut (2009)

I used to absolutely love haunted house movies. They would always entertain me and also scare the pants off me at the same time. The Amityville Horror (both versions), The Changeling, The Legend Of Hell House and The Haunting (1963) are a few of my favourites. Yet the tide of my opinion has been turning over the past 5-10 years. I think the fact that so many of them nowadays are labelled "based on a true story" or "based on the horrifying truth" or "based on the book based on the facts told to the neighbour by some previous owners" has turned me against them. Because, it seems, the more that they purport to be based on fact the easier it is to spot how false it all feels.

Here are a few common factors to spot in any modern haunted house movie "based on a true story" - the family is already under some kind of stress (emotional or financial), someone always helps them when things get a lot worse and, coincidentally, when the family unit is weakened. Kids are usually at the epicentre of events (this is often explained away by the fact that puberty and raging hormones encourages supernatural activity or some other hogwash). And, of course, most of the facts are based on testimonies as opposed to any actual, ummmm, evidence.

Like Mulder, I still want to believe. It's just getting harder and harder to remain a wannabe believer.

This movie doesn't help.Written by Adam Simon and Tim Metcalfe, and directed by Peter Cornwell, it checks off all of the factors just mentioned and then puts them together to create something dull, unscary, predictable and borderline incompetent (just count the amount of "jump" scares that don't work because of the way that the camera moves and/or scene blocking indicate what's about to occur).

It's a shame because this movie wastes a damn good cast. Virginia Madsen is always someone I enjoy watching onscreen (and sorry to be so shallow but is she getting even finer in her 50s??) while Martin Donovan is solid enough. They play the parents to a cancer-stricken young man played by the excellent Kyle Gallner. Amanda Crew is an acceptable young actress and then we have a supporting turn from the superb Elias Koteas. They're all left floundering.

The poor script isn't laughably bad but it's just dull and seems to be two steps behind the viewer. The CGI is sometimes okay but usually overdone and distractingly fake. The direction is awful. The only fact that rings true by the time the end credits roll is that you shouldn't waste your time on this.

3/10.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Haunting-in-Connecticut-the-DVD/dp/B0027UY836