Film Review: SPIRAL (2019)

Same-sex couple Malik and Aaron (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman and Ari Cohen, respectfully) move into a new house out in the suburbs with their daughter Kayla (Jennifer LaPorte) in the film Spiral (2019).  They are looking for a place of peace and quiet to raise their family and Malik hopes to jump start his writing project.  It’s not long before Malik discovers that there is a shady part to the seemingly quiet neighborhood when he discovers that someone has broken into his house and painted racial slurs on their walls.  He is able to clean up the vandalism before his partner or daughter can see it but it prompts him to get a security system to the confusion of Aaron.

 

Soon Malik starts to discover other strange things going on especially in regards to his neighbor Marshal (Lochlyn Munro) who claims to be progressive in his thoughts about same-sex relationships but hides something deeper and darker.  When Malik starts discovering spiral patterns everywhere he soon comes to conclusion that Marshal and some of the other members of his neighborhood might be part of some cult.  Now he has to convince his partner of the danger before it is too late but the growing suspicion and paranoia may be too much for Aaron to understand.

 

The thing I love about this film is the fact that the relationships all seem authentic and how you would expect people to act in the situation.  It’s a mystery that also is a story about relationships and how paranoia can turn deadly and dangerous.  Written by Colin Minihan and John Poliquin and directed by Kurtis David Harder this is a very effective and suspenseful film even if it lacks the gore.

Book Review: THE RING COMPANION by Denis Meikle

There are good horror films and then there is phenomenon known as Ringu (or more commonly known as The Ring in the US).  What started as a trilogy of novels by Koji Suzuki (i.e. Ringu, Spiral, and Loop) became a Japanese television surprise hit and then the series of feature films (both based on the original first two novels and an extension of the original film) before becoming the Korean hit The Ring Virus and the American version The Ring (and its sequel The Ring Two).  Denis Meikle delves into all aspects of the Ring phenomenon in his book The Ring Companion.

Meikle’s book is not just a breakdown of all the films that are associated with the Ring phenomenon but his book also delves into its place in the larger spectrum of Japan’s history in horror cinema most importantly in the way in which Suzuki’s novel changed the face of the  wronged woman who returns to seek vengeance for her death (and birth of the long black haired ghost made famous in the first theatrical film).

For those who did not know there are two Ring television series (Ring: The Complete Edition, Ring: The Final Chapter), three Japanese theatrical films (Ringu, Ringu 2, Ringu 0: Birthday), the Korean remake – The Ring Virus, two American films – The Ring and The Ring Two, and the two films based on the sequel novel Spiral (Rasen and the television version of Rasen).  The films have grossed over $200 million worldwide and jump started the American remake of Asian films which continues to this day.

Meikle’s book is most effective when it draws parallels from past films and novels while delving into what made Suzuki write the book in the first place.  In fact, Meikle spends the majority of the first third of the book explaining the history of Japanese horror cinema (and its most influential films) in order to put the success of the Ring franchise in perspective for the reader.  For those who love the Ring films this book will be an eye opener as Meikle puts all the films into perspective as well as takes each of them apart both for the good and the bad.