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: INCARNATE (2016)

I’ve never been much of a fan of director Brad Peyton’s films which includes Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010), Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012), and San Andreas (2015), so I’m not surprised that I didn’t really care for his film INCARNATE (2016) which has an interesting premise.  Dr. Ember (Aaron Eckhart) has a unique ability which is he can go into dreams and mind possessed people to help exorcise demons.  This is a great idea on how to modernize the exorcist film through science instead of religion and faith.

Ember is brought in by a colleague Camilla (Catalina Sandino Moreno) who believes a young boy Cameron (David Mazouz) is possessed by a demon.  Ember is a haunted man who with each demon he exorcises he gets weaker and weaker, but he takes on Cameron’s case when it’s clear that the demon possessing him is a demon he’s confronted before.  Ember will sacrifice whatever he has to in order to confront the demon one final time no matter the cost.

Peyton does a great job setting up the film’s key set pieces, but they all feel rushed like an action film (something all his other films have key to) and lack the nuance or suspense of a horror film.  One wonders why he decided to tackle a horror film in the first place.  Eckart does an amazing job (as usual) and does the best he can with the material but there is no denying that the tone and pacing of the film is that of an action film which weakens the most horrific elements making this a merely adequate film and nothing all that special.

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: CATACOMBS (1988)

The Beast of the Apocalypse has been buried for over 400 years beneath a monastery where the secret has been kept until a female school teacher and an American priest uncover the truth in the film Catacombs (aka The Curse IV: The Ultimate Sacrifice) (1988).  Laura Schaefer is the school teacher Elizabeth Magrino who has been invited to the monastery to photograph everything.  Her arrival coincides with the release of the Beast who has influence over everyone that comes near him which he uses to kill and/or possess people into furthering his escape from his prison.  Elizabeth must overcome not only the slow possession of the Beast but the open sexism placed upon her as the first woman to ever be allowed access to the monastery. 

Time is running out as the more people the Beast kills the stronger he becomes until he is able to release himself from captivity.

Written by David Schmoeller and R. Barker Price and directed by Schmoeller (who also directed Netherworld, Puppetmaster, Crawlspace, and Tourist Trap) the film is well made but is not one of his better films.  This being said it is entertaining in a ‘80s horror film kind of way and will appeal to those who love the films of Full Moon Entertainment.

Film Review: THE LAUGHING DEAD (1989)

A priest who has lost his faith is at the heart of the possession horror film The Laughing Dead (1989).  Catholic priest Father O’Sullivan (Tim Sullivan) is escorting a group of tourists into Mexico to visit the Aztec ruins.  He’s having a crisis of faith stemming from the fact that he had an affair with Tessie (Wendy Webb) which yielded a son Ivan (Patrick Roskowick) and they both just so happen to be a part of his tour.  It also happens to be the Day of the Dead festival and the evil Dr. Um-tzec  (Somtow Sucharitkul) plans to resurrect the Death God.  Dr. Um-tzec uses O’Sullivan as a vessel for the Death God but also needs hearts of children to sacrifice of which Ivan is a prime candidate.  Now O’Sullivan must fight his possession of the Death God before he kills Tessie and his son or any more innocents that get in his way. 

Not a particularly interesting film.

Written & directed by Sucharitkul the film is dull and at times rather boring and uninteresting due to the script and the lazy handling of the material by the cast who all pretty much seem bored in the film.  There are a few moments that perk up but these are few and far in between creating a film that is a slosh to get through.  Make-up FX are pretty standard low budget (or no budget) ‘80s and there is nothing in the film that will have you calling it a cult classic of any kind.  Just another highly forgettable ‘80s film.