Good Boy (2025)

Great cinema is often based around a great idea. There are some who will tell you that Good Boy has a great idea at the heart of it - a ghost movie from the POV of a dog. I would argue that the idea isn't strong enough to sustain the relatively short runtime (it comes in at just over the 70-minute mark). In fact, it feels a bit too oddly unimaginative now that we have, for better or worse, seen a haunted house movie presented to us from the POV of the main spirit. Everyone else seems to have fallen in love with Good Boy though, which I think just shows how easily we can so often be won over by a cute dog.

Indy plays Indy, the canine protagonist here (and, yes, I am biting my tongue to stop myself from over-using the phrases "lead actor" and "lead performance). Indy spends a lot of time alongside Todd (Shane Jensen). Todd isn't well, and a move to an isolated house in the middle of some woods doesn't look as if it will help him to make any miraculous recovery. It does allow Indy to start noticing a ghost or two though.

Directed and co-written by Ben Leonberg (with Alex Cannon also helping on the screenplay), Good Boy has one major positive. That's Indy. A wonderful and expressive star, helped in his transition into acting by the fact that he is, in fact, Leonberg's dog.

Look, let me be clear in emphasising that I am not actually a cold-hearted deadite. Okay, sometimes I am, but not all the time. And I'm an animal lover (more of a dog person, but I've also had cats at one point in my life). So I was really looking forward to Good Boy, especially after hearing such glowing praise for it from people who had already seen it at one or two film festivals. It's just not great though, sadly, and doesn't do enough with that great idea at the heart of it. I suspect that some people may have had their viewing experience slightly rose-tinted by that festival audience viewing experience, but there's also a good chance that I'm just very much in the minority this time around.

Leonberg creates some good atmosphere, helped by an interesting score from Sam Boase-Miller, but he ultimately doesn't do much more. I'd also argue that the focus staying on the dog is the only reason to avoid thinking about how bad his owner is when it comes to making logical decisions. There are small reveals of a backstory here and there, but nothing to add enough of interest in between the different scares that feel as if they've been crafted without caring about how the whole narrative ultimately fits together. Leonberg has stated that the filming took place across 400 days spread throughout 3 years, which doesn't surprise me. Good Boy may be made by someone with the best intentions, and one very good boy, but you can feel the stop and start nature of the filming throughout. 

There are individual moments to admire here, and I also admire the fact that Leonberg actually got the film made, but the end result if a bit of a disappointment. It's something a bit different, I'll give it that, but somewhere between the idea and the execution things went slightly amiss. And I'm not just saying that because they refused to use my tagline that said "his bark is worse than his fright". 

4/10 

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Shudder Saturday: Brooklyn 45 (2023)

Sadly, I have to start this review with a warning, for those who just want to skin. Brooklyn 45 is not a good film, and I'm frankly a bit bewildered by the praise it has received.

Written and directed by Ted Geoghegan, who gave us the excellent We Are Still Here, everything begins with a group made up largely of war veterans all getting together at one house at the end of 1945. The host for the evening is Lt. Col. Clive Hockstatter (Larry Fessenden), and the main attendees are Mjr. Paul DiFranco (Ezra Buzzington), Mjr. Archibald Stanton (Jeremy Holm), Marla Sheridan (Anne Ramsay), and her husband, Bob (Ron E. Rains). Locking the door once everyone is in, Hockstatter eventually convinces everyone that they should try holding a seance. He really misses his recently-deceased wife, and a seance might help him feel a bit less pained and lonely. That doesn't really work out as planned, which leads to a tense situation in which everyone is now effectively trapped in the house, and ready to do a whole lot of bickering.

I guess I can see what Geoghegan was going for here, and the tagline refers to "ghosts of your past", but he ultimately fails to achieve the realisation of his vision. Characters aren't developed enough, the past events never feel as overwhelming and life-altering as they could be, and there are very few proper chills or scares. Everything looks nice enough, which is the least you should expect from a film in which a very small cast is mainly kept in one fairly small room, but the content is lacking.

As for the actors, I wish they had been good enough to help distract me from the failings of the film, but they're often unable to do anything to improve the poor writing. Ramsay is the best, and works well with a sorely-underused Rains, both feeling a bit more nuanced and fleshed-out than anyone else onscreen. Both Holm and Buzzington are disappointing, and neither are helped by the fact that they have to spend most of the movie stubbornly repeating the same sentiments over and over again, because Geoghegan thinks that is enough to define them. Fessenden isn't a main presence for too long, but does okay with what he's given, and Kristina Klebe turns up almost a third of the way into the movie, having to then spend the rest of the screentime repeating herself in a way that's very similar to Holm and Buzzington. 

There are one or two good ideas buried in here, particularly when it comes to the parallels/differences between military life and civilian life, and how some people will always feel inclined to stick with an identifiable chain of command, but they're buried deep by the time the end credits roll. Far too many moments amount to nothing of real substance, with a good majority of the runtime dedicated to the kind of tiresome circular arguments that are reminiscent of the worst conversations I have had on social media.

I like Geoghegan, and he at least deserves props for presenting something that certainly feels different from any other recent horror movies, but this just doesn't work. Not only that, but it pretty much wastes the talent of everyone onscreen. And there were a couple of easy tweaks that could have greatly improved things (Brooklyn 50, with more time elapsed between military life and reintegration into civilian life, for example, would have allowed for more interesting developments and tensions, in my opinion). Maybe Geoghegan the director needs someone helping Geoghegan the writer. Because everything looks good enough, but it's a fancy bit of paper and bow on an empty gift box.

4/10

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Shudder Saturday: Jakob's Wife (2021)

Barbara Crampton plays Anne Fedder, a woman who is married to Pastor Jakob Fedder (Larry Fessenden). Their marriage seems a bit stale, I think it's fair to say, and Anne has settled into a role that leaves her a bit (or a lot?) less satisfied than she should be. But that changes when she is bitten by a creature (Bonnie Aarons, working under a very impressive make up job). Anne may need to drink blood from others now, but she also has a confidence and aura that has been missing for many years. That changes her marriage, and not necessarily all for the worse.

Directed by Travis Stevens (who also helmed the very enjoyable The Girl On The Third Floor), and co-written by Stevens with Kathy Charles and Mark Steensland, Jakob's Wife is yet another fun film in a sub-genre that everyone assumes is dead until a fresh approach is presented. There are numerous elements and moments here that feel lifted from past vampire movies (e.g. how often have we seen someone be bitten and then try to satisfy their new urges with raw meat/blood from a butcher shop?), but the material is given a nice twist when the focus shifts to the state of the marriage between Anne and Jakob, using the bite itself as a metaphor for any big change made by a spouse that reinvigorates their mind and spirit.

It helps that the leads here are Crampton and Fessenden, with the former a particular boost to the production, considering I have been convinced for some time now that she has at least one bath full of blood a week to maintain her victory over the passage of time affecting us all. Crampton is fine while playing the more timid version of Anne, but she gets to have way more fun as her character blossoms. Fessenden is excellent, his character putting the pieces of a puzzle together while he wrestles with his conscience over the best way to move forward. Aarons gets to be the Nosferatu of this tale, and her physical presence is genuinely spooky and impressive. Nyisha Bell is a young woman who goes AWOL early on, and she does well in her role, and there's decent support from Sarah Lind and Mark Kelly, as well as a fun small turn from Robert Rusler.

Although never a film you would mistake for a mainstream studio horror movie, and I am not noting that here as any negative, Jakob's Wife is very well made throughout, from the visuals to the unintrusive score, by Tara Busch. There may be nothing here that stands out as being absolutely brilliant, aside from the core cast, but the script and direction are full of nice little touches, the pacing is pretty perfect, and the ending is deliciously dark and satisfying. What you have here is a good film that manages, thanks to the way it never once drops in quality, to become ever so slightly great. It's also interesting and fun enough to warrant more than one viewing, and I can easily see it becoming a film that some horror movie fans will choose to champion for the next few years. If it doesn't get the attention it deserves. So you can get ahead of the curve by giving it that attention now.

8/10

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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

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Shudder Saturday: Wendigo (2001)

Larry Fessenden is, by all accounts, a lovely person. He's been a vital figure in the world of independent horror for many years, and many people love his work as a writer and director, although he's equally welcome when popping up in front of the camera (a Fessenden cameo is almost always a fun moment). I know much more about the man nowadays than I did when I first watched Wendigo. People had been heaping no small amount of praise upon it, and I guess my expectations were raised. It proved to be a disappointing experience. So I was interested in how I would view it now, almost twenty years later.

Well, it's still disappointing.

George (Jake Weber) is looking to enjoy a winter break with his wife, Kim (Patricia Clarkson), and young son, Miles (Erik Per Sullivan). Things don't get off to a great start, however, when they hit a deer. This antagonises a hunter named Otis (John Speredakos), who is angered by the fact that he was hunting it for some time, and broken antlers have far less value. Things then get stranger when a shopkeeper tells Miles about the legend of the Wendigo, putting an idea in his head that the creature may be responsible for some of their current circumstances.

Although this movie just leaves me cold (no pun intended), it's not a film I really want to pick apart. I know some people really enjoy it, perhaps for the way it at least tries to do something rather unique and interesting with a central horror idea that could have easily just been another "people stalked by a monster in some woods" movie. Fessenden at least deserves credit for trying to stay away from a number of horror genre standards, but he does this to the detriment of the whole experience. If a horror doesn't work as a horror then it's not a horror. Perhaps it can then be viewed as a dark thriller, but this doesn't do enough to work in that way either. So you're left with a strange drama that doesn't satisfy because of the way it takes time to create some atmospheric moments that would be much more effective in a dark thriller or horror movie.

The cast aren't too bad. Weber and Clarkson are a believable married couple, and young Sullivan was quite the superb child star for a number of years. Speredakos is a bit over the top, but that flaw seems to come from the writing, which insists his character is the outright rage-filled prick from his very first scene. Christopher Wynkoop and Lloyd Oxendine also do well in their small roles.

I was rooting for this to work better this time around, thinking that my lowered expectations might help, or maybe just the fact that I am older (though no wiser) and much more used to being patient with many of my viewing choices. It just still doesn't work for me in any capacity. That's a shame, but it's also great that it is just one of many Fessenden projects out there for people to discover, and to like or dislike. The films may vary in their levels of success, but Fessenden is a constant stalwart within the horror genre.

3/10

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Shudder Saturday: The Ranger (2018)

Directed by Jenn Wexler, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Giaco Furino, The Ranger is a modern slasher movie that appears more widely available now after a series of crowd-pleasing festival appearances that marked it out as one I knew I wanted to see ASAP.

Described in almost every review as a punk slasher movie, the plot sees a group of friends escaping to a cabin in the woods after a run in with the law at a music show. The individuals are Chelsea (Chloë Levine), her boyfriend Garth (Granit Lahu), Jerk (Jeremy Pope), his boyfriend Abe (Bubba Weiler), and a girl named Amber (Amanda Grace Benitez). Chelsea used to spend a lot of time in the cabin as a young girl, and she is remembered fondly by the local park ranger (Jeremy Holm). Unfortunately, the ranger isn't so nice to everyone. He has a very strict way of dealing with people he views as disrespectful and troublesome.

Although it is fun in places, The Ranger is a bit too uneven to be a complete success. I mentioned that every review describes it as a punk slasher movie just to say here that I'm not quite sure how that actually works in the movie. Take away those opening scenes and all you have are a bunch of characters who dress kinda punk. And they drive a van that looks like a punk version of the Mystery Machine, I guess. It feels like something that has been thrown in to try and give the film more of an identity than it actually has, without anything substantial backing it up. Perhaps this is an attempt to make up for the lack of focus elsewhere, especially when it comes to the titular killer, but it backfires, especially for anyone who has enjoyed movies that actually DO feel punk.

The direction is fine, with Wexler doing good work with a bunch of limited resources and money (I assume, because this is not the kind of thing to get millions and millions thrown at it). Where it suffers is in the script and pacing, with the latter particularly problematic in a film with such a brief runtime. This runs at just under 80 minutes, yet the killing doesn't really start until just over the halfway mark, and there's a final act that feels padded out and badly misjudged. The Ranger gets some amusing lines, mainly while commenting on bad behaviour using the various laws and codes he wants people to abide by, but nowhere near enough. This had the potential to be much more fun, and it just isn't.

The acting from Levine and Holm is very good, which makes up for the rest of the cast. It's not that they're terrible, they're not, but they're just not given much to separate them from the group. They're a collective, without enough identity or individuality to help you care for them when the killing begins.

None of this would matter, of course, if the kills were good enough. They're not, unfortunately. There's one great piece of nastiness, but the rest all seems too tame and uninventive. Even the backstory feels slightly lacking, compared to the lengthy history of "killer motivational moments" that we've had over the decades.

The Ranger is not a bad film. It's well made, the cast do decent work, and the premise has the potential to be a lot of fun. It's just a shame that the potential is never fulfilled. This should fly by, from one death to the next, but it drags instead. And a brief slasher movie aiming to entertain horror movie fans should never drag.

6/10

Americans can buy the movie on shiny disc here.

Shudder Saturday: Pod (2015)

Pod comes very close to being a good little horror movie, oh so close, but just falls short, perhaps due to writer-director Mickey Keating suffering from a slight lack of confidence. Or maybe he wanted to make a film that just didn't work quite as well for me as the potential films I thought it could have been.

Brian Morvant is Martin, an ex-military man with some mental health issues who has kept himself relatively isolated, even more so when he claims to have caught and trapped a dangerous creature that was responsible for the death of his dog. This news alarms his brother (Ed, played by Dean Cates) and sister (Lyla, played by Lauren Ashley Carter), who head out to his home and hope to somehow settle him down and bring him back to some semblance of sanity.

Morvant is left to shout and wave weaponry around as he displays his frustration and fear, which he does just fine, but Cates and Carter are given more interesting journeys, attempting to be strong for the sake of a loved one they don't really know how to help. You also get a small role for Larry Fessenden.

There are times when Pod makes you forget how low the budget must have been, thanks to the level of technical competence and decent acting on display, but also one or two moments that fail to hide the shortcomings so jarringly that it feels downright lazy (a night-time car journey is among the worst I have seen, especially for anyone who has heard John Carpenter or Sam Raimi describe how this effect can be achieved quite convincingly with very little money). Keating seems to have deliberately held everything back for the third act, which is good but not quite worth the wait.

Although I can see why the decision was made to keep things ambiguous for 2/3 of the movie - is Martin mentally unstable or has he captured something nasty that is now imprisoned in his cellar? - but things could have been greatly improved here by simply laying out the truth, one way or another, and having the main characters working together with that information. When I first read the plot synopsis of this movie I started to think of Altered (the 2006 horror from Eduardo Sanchez). This could have been a similarly intense experience, with or without any real exterior threat, but Keating takes things along a different path.

But for all of the things that it gets wrong, Pod gets enough right. I don't want the fact that I was disappointed by the end result to deter other people who enjoy seeking out interesting and entertaining independent horror movies. This may not end up on many lists of personal favourites, but it's worth just under 80 minutes of your day

6/10

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Shudder Saturday: Hellbenders (2012)

Hellbenders is yet another horror comedy that is neither scary nor funny enough to satisfy fans of either genre. That doesn't mean it's a complete waste of your time, especially if you want to watch Clancy Brown storming around and calling various people "c**ksucker", but it's nowhere near as good as it could have been.

The film stars Brown, Clifton Collins. Jr, Robyn Rikoon, Andre Royo, Macon Blair, and Dan Fogler as members of The Augustine Interfaith Order of Hellbound Saints. These are people who have to live in a near-constant state of sin, ensuring that they always have major strikes against them for the day when they battle demons and may have to, as a last resort, commit suicide and personally drag them down to hell. Part Constantine, part The Day Of The Beast, it's the other part, the juvenile comedy element, that disappoints.

Written and directed by J. T. Petty, adapting his own graphic novel, Hellbenders could have been improved in a number of ways. The pacing and actual framing of the main story don't work as well as they should, and when it splices in talking heads moments that show how this could have easily been turned into a mockumentary then you realise how much better that approach to the material would have been. While the main characters are okay, they would come across a lot better if spending more time battling dangerous enemies, showing how they are actually heroes who have to live their lives steeped in sin, rather than just assholes who occasionally step up to the plate (although, admittedly, they can be viewed as both, which is the point, but it's harder to enjoy a film that seems to focus on the latter without reminding you of the former).

Everyone does alright with what they're given, with the standouts being Brown and Royo (mainly because I kept wondering where the hell I recognised him from and then eventually realised it was "Bubbles" from The Wire). Blair and Fogler are given a number of gags that aren't that amusing, but they're pushed to the back slightly as the plot starts to focus in on the character played by Rikoon. Stephene Gevedon is an authority figure who pops along to see what is going on, and is subsequently appalled by what he finds, and Larry Fessenden turns up for a decent cameo role.

Priests being badass and sinful is a good idea for a film that involves a war against dark forces. I hope it's reworked one day into something better. Hellbenders is average when it should at least have been good, if not great. And that may be the biggest sin it commits.

5/10

You can buy Hellbenders here.
Americans can get it here.

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