Lots of okay films here but a mixed bag to be sure...let's get on with it!!!
M.O.M: Mother of Monsters (2020)
3/5
A distraught mother suspects her teenage son is plotting a school shooting, but when he slips through the cracks of the system, she is forced to take matters into her own hands. After installing an elaborate spy camera system in their home, Abbey captures a series of disturbing videos that confirm her worst fears.
This is a tough one. One the one hand it is presented in a very "real" way. On the other hand, we get a nonstop barrage of a mother who seems a little "off" talking incessantly about how psycho her son is. Well, is he? It's never really made clear who the psycho is and falls apart at the end. Still, it will probably hold your interest in trying to find out wtf is happening.
Underwater (2020)
3.75/5
Disaster strikes more than six miles below the ocean surface when water crashes through the walls of a drilling station. Led by their captain, the survivors realize that their only hope is to walk across the sea floor to reach the main part of the facility. But they soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when they come under attack from mysterious and deadly creatures that no one has ever seen.
The underwater/disaster/creature subgenre is one that doesn't usually pay off. Between the really good (The Abyss), the fairly good (Deep Rising), the fair (Leviathan) and the bad (Deepstar Six) there isn't much room to expand. The creators here wisely kept the focus on pacing and the characters are well fleshed out. Kristen Steward does a great job and the creatures are really weird and cool. While it might not be the most original, Underwater is a good, solid effort that should keep you watching to the end.
Vivarium (2020)
3/5
Hoping to find the perfect place to live, a couple travel to a suburban neighbourhood in which all the houses look identical. But when they try to leave the labyrinth-like development, each road mysteriously takes them back to where they started.
Vivarium is a really cool, very bizarre film that would have made a great twilight zone episode. As is the visual spectacle and weirdness come crashing down with an inexplicable, lackluster finale that really pissed me off. However, I cannot deny how utterly, madly watchable this film is. There are theories that the whole thing was merely a commentary on the stale, premeditated urban existence that many go through, I don't buy it. So that would mean, none of this really happened? Worth a look.
Brahms: The Boy 2 (2020)
2.5/5
When a young family moves to the Heelshire's residence, terror strikes when a boy from the family discovers a doll called Brahms that appears to be eerily human.
While this is the most unanticipated sequel I could imagine and unnecessary, Brahms does NOT suck, it's just something we've all seen many times before. Every cursed doll trope is here but at least the production is sound. The first film wasn't a revelation and was a middle of the road entry into the subgenre that did what it needed to do, nothing more. The problem here is that this is basically a retread of the first film. Same doll, same curse, blah blah blah. That said, for fans of these types of films there is some mild entertainment here and thank goodness they didn't rely on jump scares!
In the Trap (2020)
2/5
Philip, a solitary proofreader, is trapped in his apartment, too afraid to leave and tortured by an unknown evil force that has kept him a prisoner for the last two years.
Somebody wake me up! This snoozefest has a lot going for it. An opening scene that makes no sense, underdeveloped characters, bad acting, trope priest, stock suspense music, and the SAME DEMON VOICE used in a hundred other films! What's worse is the movie looks like it was shot in 1979. Avoid this one at all costs unless slow, boring, unoriginal films are your thing.
Gretel and Hansel (2020)
3.5/5
When their mother descends into madness, siblings Gretel and Hansel must fend for themselves in the dark and unforgiving woods. Hungry and scared, they fortuitously stumble upon a bounty of food left outside an isolated home. Invited inside by the seemingly friendly owner, the children soon suspect that her generous but mysterious behaviour is part of a sinister plan to do them harm.
Finally, Oz Perkins has made a film I actually like! Perkins' usually flair for style over substance works quite well here and is perfectly suited to a gothic fairy tale. Performances are strong here as well as some truly bizarre moments but the real gem here is the cinematography and Oz getting the most from the source material. It does bog down in spots and not every scene works but the performances are especially strong. Hail to the Oz Man!!!
We Summon the Darkness (2020)
3/5
Three best friends Alexis (Alexandra Daddario), Val and Beverly embark on a road trip to a heavy metal music festival. Naive,they bond with three seemingly fun-loving dudes and soon the group heads off to Alexis' country home, a very secluded place, for an afterparty.
Huge disappointment for me! What should have been a quirky, cool, metal romp ala Deathgasm instead after a promising start devolves into a plain, by the numbers slasher. The early twist and Daddario's performance are the only diamonds in the rough here. Inexplicably there is very little humor, and Johnny Knoxville only appears at the tail end. Watchable but only just. Biggest hard rock horror letdown since DEAD ANT!
Well...that's that, hope you enjoyed. Sign up for email notifications of future posts.
~Jimmy Ray