Film Review: THE TURNING (2020)

Henry James’ “The Turn of the Screw” gets an update in The Turning (2020) from director Floria Sigismundi.  Written by Carey and Chad Hayes the film tells the story of Kate Mandell (Mackenzie Davis) who needs a job and is hired to teach and take care of the young Flora Fairchild (Brooklyn Prince) in an elaborate estate.  When Flora’s older brother Miles (Finn Wolfhard) unexpectedly returns home, Kate finds herself taking care of both the children who harbor deep and dark secrets that slowly play on her fragile psyche.  Kate soon witness’s strange behavior in Miles as well as unusual occurrences on the estate that force her to ask the question of what is real and what is just in her head.

The film starts off well enough as a thriller with ghostly overtones.  Of particular interest is David Ungaro’s cinematography which creates a foreboding atmosphere to the estate creating a character all its own.  Davis also gives a great performance but neither Wolfhard nor Prince can hold their own as their performances are all over the place (whether they are playing the young children they are supposed to be or children possessed by ghosts) giving you the impression that they don’t know what type of film they are it.  The film also quickly falls apart as it tries to by ambitious and too cryptic to the material to absurdity and by the time you get to the final reveal you’ve completely given up on the film.

I love ambiguous films when they work for the story and/or characters but this film tries so hard being different and edgy due to the fact that it’s telling a story that’s been told plenty of times before that it misses the mark of actually telling a good and logical story.  It also lacks any real suspense or horror relying completely on mood and suspense which would be fine if it delivered on everything else but this is simply one of the biggest missed opportunities to come by in a long time and you’ll leave thinking it’s simply forgettable drivel.

Film Review: RED EYE (2005)

From South Korea comes the haunting thriller Red Eye (2005) from director Dong-bin Kim, who directed The Ring Virus (1999) and The Sleepless (2012).  In this haunting ghost film Mi-sun (Shin-yeong Jang) is a new railroad attendant who is working the night shift when on an overnight trip through Korea she starts having strange feelings and soon she starts seeing things and people who can’t possibly be there.  When she starts to investigate she learns that the train she is on was involved in a horrible crash sixteen years ago in which 100 people were killed.  Now, as the night looms on Mi-sun must discover the truth about what happened sixteen years ago as well as what is happening on her train now before it reaches its final destination of the night.

For fans of haunted and ghost films this film may be a little too tame as it relies more on drama than actual thrills and suspense.  It is not a film designed to scare audiences directly but it is designed to create mood and atmosphere especially considering the single location.  Dong-bin does an excellent job with the cast as they all give equally captivating performances but sometimes I feel as though they didn’t have much to do as the second act seems too long.  It is in the third act that the film really hits its stride so if you can handle the long journey, the payoff will come.

For those who have already seen too many haunted/ghost films in this ‘00s cycle then there is little here that will be of interest.

TEMPLE (2017)

Three American tourists venture to Japan for vacation when they come across a map and diary to a secret temple in the film TEMPLE (2017).  The set up is pretty basic with Kate (Natalia Warner) taking her boyfriend James and best friend Christopher (Brandon Sklenar and Logan Huffman, respectfully) on a trip to hopefully get Christopher to reconnect with the world.  Since Christopher speaks Japanese, he’s the best person to help them all navigate through an unfamiliar country.

When they come across an ancient diary detailing an exotic temple the three decide to go on an adventure.  It’s a short trip away but it is far from civilization and anything they’re ever known.  When they get to the temple, they realize that they are not alone and that spirits of the dead prevent them from leaving the temple twisting their minds and what they believe to be real.  Their hope to survive the night continues to fade as one by one they become consumed by that which inhabits the temple.

Although the story is pretty derivative, the actors do a really good job of bringing life to their characters and to the film itself.  You’ll get more nuance to the characters than is typical of these types of films.  The script is written by Michael Barrentt (who also directs) and the story is by Neal Edelstein, Shinya Egawa, and Mike Macari.  If you enjoy the slow burn then you might enjoy this film but if you’ve already had your fare share of ghost stories (with haunted locations) then you can skip this film as even though it is well made it doesn’t really offer anything that you haven’t seen before.

Film Review: AMERICAN POLTERGEIST 2 (aka THE POLTERGEIST OF BORLEY FOREST) (2014)

Originally released in 2013 under the title “The Poltergeist of Borley Forest”, AMERICAN POLTERGEIST 2 is not a sequel but more a stand-alone film that has nothing to do with the previous film.  This film has a pretty standard plot in which a teen out partying goes into a forest that the locals call haunted.  She unexpectedly brings back with her a ghost that has become infatuated with her and then she spends the rest of the film trying to get rid of the ghost.

Written by R. Presley Stevens and directed by Stephen McKendree this is a pretty standard ghost story that lacks any defining traits to separate it from all the other dreck being produced.  This film is brought down by the bad acting of generally every actor in the cast and the lack of interesting ghosts or any make-up FX of any kind.  The film meanders through a lot of bad jump scares and incompetent cinematography that produces no suspense whatsoever (this can also be attributed to the horrendous editing). 

This is just a bad film all around with absolutely no redeeming qualities (not even entertaining ones).  It’s a shame that ghosts/haunting/poltergeist films have become a new dumping ground for indie film-makers because even with zombie films I’ve seen more creativity than what is on display here.

Film Review: AMERICAN POLTERGEIST (2015)

Over the years there have been just as many ghosts & poltergeist films produced as there have been zombie films and for the most part they are truly forgettable.  The same can be said for AMERICAN POLTERGEIST (2015) in which five friends move into a house with only one other tenant that just isn’t really there.  One of the friends Taryn (Ashley Green Elizabeth) starts to feel a strange connection to the house but the more she learns, the more she comes to realize the malevolent past of the house and how she is connected to a serial killer whose spirit is tied to the house and to her.

This being said, this is a pretty standard and bare bones poltergeist film with the jump scares (that don’t actually make you jump) but little in the way of logical plot or interesting characters.  I would forgive the film if it had any interesting gore or action sequences, but all this is lacking as well.  The poltergeist, when revealed, does very little that you haven’t seen before (and done better) and isn’t at all that interesting despite being based on an actual story.

The film is written by Nicole Holland and Michael Rutkowski (who also directs) and despite following the conventions of a typical ghost story it isn’t really executed in any way that would interest either lovers of horror film or ghost stories.

Film Review: HORROR STORY (2013)

Seven friends decide that after a night of drinking that the best way to cap off the night is with a trip to an abandoned hotel that is rumored to be haunted in the film HORROR STORY (2013).  Now, I’ll forgive the film for the oblivious cliché of a horror set up even though there is no logical explanation given for these seven friends to ever even be interested in going to an abandoned and rumored haunted hotel but without these characters’ bad decisions we wouldn’t have a horror film to watch.

There is not an original story element to be had in this Hindi horror film which borrows heavily from horror films from the ‘90s.  Characters make stupid choices that usually end up pretty bad for everyone.  This being said, the film itself looks really good with some amazing production design for the abandoned hotel.  The film is very creepy and the actors, despite doing the best that they can with the material, are not all that bad either.  The film has a lot of atmosphere with some engaging cinematography that fits the story and moves the plot along.

Unfortunately, all these great elements are lost in a film that is over twenty years past its expiration date.  An interesting film for horror fans looking for something else but little else.

Film Review: THE HOUSE WHERE EVIL DWELLS (1982)

Cultural ghost stories are always interesting as they try to meld two different cultures into a seamless ghost story that entertains and does justice to both cultures.  The House Where Evil Dwells (1982) is one of these films that manages to be both an entertaining ghost story and the story of an American family being terrorized by a three Japanese ghost.  The Fletcher family have moved into the perfect Japanese home not knowing that it is the place where a samurai warrior killed his wife and her lover before taking his own life.  Soon the Fletchers begin to find themselves being possessed by the Japanese spirits as they relive the moments of the spirits’ lives before they died which leads them on a deadly course that may have them reliving the fate of what happened to the Japanese spirits.

Edward Albert and Susan George star as husband and wife Fletcher whose fates lie in whether or not they can break free of the Japanese ghost before it is too late.  Directed by Kevin Connor (who directed Motel Hell) the film is a character driven ghost story as you watch a seemingly perfect family decay under the influence of jealous ghosts.   It’s a slow, yet deliberately paced film that still holds up thirty years later.  Albert and George are especially good as the perfect couple whose lives fall apart due to the influence of ghosts.

Although it might seem passé for some audiences looking for more shock value in their horror films this is a moody and atmospheric ghost story that gets under the skin without peeling it away and showing all the veins underneath.

Film Review: A HAUNTING AT SILVER FALLS (2013)

There is nothing simple about living in Silver Falls as Jordan (Alix Elizabeth Gitter) will soon find out when she is forced to move there to live with her aunt and uncle in the film A Haunting at Silver Falls (2013).  Jordan’s parents have both recently died and she has been placed in the home of her Aunt Anne and Uncle Kevin (Tara Westwood and Steve Bacic, respectfully).  What puts Jordan on edge even more is the fact that her aunt and mother were twins and so she is constantly reminded of the death of her mother.  Her only escape is with her classmate Larry (James Cavlo) who she immediately takes a liking to. 

When Larry takes Jordan to a party she mistakenly finds a ring in the woods and puts it on her finger not knowing that it won’t come off no matter how hard she tries to remove it.  It’s not long before she starts experiencing strange things and seeing images of twin dead sisters who begin haunting her and who are connected to the ring on her finger.  With the help of Larry, Jordan must find out what the ghosts of these two girls want and if she can solve the mystery before everyone around her thinks she’s become unsettled and crazy.

This is a film that could have gone south really quickly as do many haunted and ghost films but it is anchored by some pretty good performances by the cast all around and a story that doesn’t go where most people expect it to.  It’s actually a pretty good film that’s well done and not a time waster but may go under the radar because of the generic title and the fact that the ghost and paranormal genre is so cluttered with films (it took me a while to finally get around to it).

Film Review: LAST SHIFT (2014)

I really enjoyed director Anthony DiBlasi’s adaptation of Clive Barker’s Dread (2009) so I was intrigued for the film Last Shift (2014).  Written by DiBlasi and Scott Poiley the film follows the first day of rookie police officer Jessica Loren (Juliana Harkavy) during the last night of a police precinct set to shut its doors permanently.  By herself at the station, she gets a mysterious phone call from a girl claiming to need help but with no support staff she doesn’t know how she can help.  She also starts to see things and a homeless man seems to be able to get in and out of the station despite all the doors being locked.  Soon she begins to realize that everything is not what it seems to be. 

Harkavy is an extremely capable actress who holds her own throughout the film very well.  DiBlasi’s direction is also key to keeping audiences on edge throughout since the film is almost exclusively on Harkavy’s shoulders.  I’m the first to admit I’m not a fan of the “jump scare” and this film is filled with them.  It actually is a crutch for the film as by the halfway mark it seems like that is the only way the film knows how to unnerve the audience and it becomes repetitive really fast.  

The film wants to shock and awe but it lacks any real suspense.  Harkavy does a good job keeping the film moving forward but the biggest trick is not boring the audience as they slowly learn the truth about the police station as her character does.  The film isn’t the best of its kind but it does have great make-up FX and a brilliant score that is creepy and fits well with the film.