Frewaka Film Review

 

Frewaka Film Review

Halfway to Halloween Presented by Shudder

Sadly, Halfway to Halloween is coming to a close.

But, that just means we’re one month closer to Halloween!

Shudder’s line-up included 825 FOREST ROAD, SHADOW OF GOD and DEAD MAIL.

This final week brings you Irish folk horror, FREWAKA.

From Aislinn Clarke (The Devil’s Doorway), FREWAKA, a largely Irish-language film, follows home care worker Shoo, who is sent to a remote village to care for an agoraphobic woman who fears the neighbors as much as she fears the Na Sídhe — sinister entities who she believes abducted her decades before.

As the two develop a strangely deep connection, Shoo is consumed by the old woman’s paranoia, rituals, and superstitions, eventually confronting the horrors from her own past.

FREWAKA is a large metaphor for inter-generational trauma, specifically with women, and Catholic guilt.

Frewaka, a word taken from the longer Irish word “fréamhacha,” translates to “roots” which in this film includes Ireland's collective historical trauma around the Magdalene Laundries, inter-generational violence, birth and death.

All the above are wrapped up in Irish superstition and folklore with haunting scenes of goats, horseshoes, fairy trees and parading costumed villagers. But the religious imagery, specifically a neon cross, are more frightening than the possibility of fae looking to break into our world.

With vivid cinematography, superb acting, and eerie dissection into trauma, it’s hard to decide which factor hits home closest.

For me, it was the music and sound that lasted the longest post credits. I can still hear the neon red cross. It haunts me at night when I get up to our red nightlights. (Josh insists they have less blue light for less sleep interruption. I insist they’re creepy as hell.) I can still hear the recurring leitmotif (chattering percussion and loud droning).

FREWAKA is one of those films that purposefully gets under your skin. Grab your folk horror loving friend to watch and dissect this film together.

Dead Mail Film Review

 

Dead Mail Film Review

Halfway to Halloween Presented by Shudder

We’re halfway through our halfway to Halloween celebration with Shudder!

So far we watched and reviewed 825 FOREST ROAD and SHADOW OF GOD.

This week brings you a noir thriller, DEAD MAIL.

On a desolate, Midwestern county road, a bound man crawls towards a remote postal box, managing to slide a blood-stained plea-for-help message into the slot before a panicking figure closes in behind him.

The note makes its way to the desk of Jasper, a seasoned ‘dead letter’ investigator at a 1980s midwestern post office.

As he begins to piece together the letter’s origins, it leads him down a violent, unforeseen path to a kidnapped keyboard engineer and his eccentric business associate.

DEAD MAIL is a thriller told in three distinct parts using two storylines that eventually merge at the climax of the film.

The first part sets the vibe for a potential cat and mouse game thanks to the thoroughness of the dead letter office. It’s an intriguing beginning that immediately pulls you into the story and then abruptly shifts, taking you down the path of the second storyline

The second part/storyline is focused around the how and why behind the dead letter received in the first part of the film. The main antagonist is eccentric to say the least and the story gives off strong John Fowles’ THE COLLECTOR vibes. (Add to your reading list). At times, the pacing can feel a bit slow but the build up is worth it as the film moves in the third part where both storylines collide.

All around, this is a very well-done noir thriller that demands to be on a movie shelf for viewing parties. The purposeful aesthetic of the film immediately transports you back to the 80s and the characters, both minor and major, leave a lasting impression.

Make this Friday night movie night with DEAD MAIL, popcorn, and ice cream. I suggest Neapolitan. I think you’ll thank me later.

 

Shadow of God Film Review

Shadow of God Film Review

Halfway to Halloween Presented by Shudder

April showers bring May flowers – and the month of April brings us halfway to Halloween! This April, Shudder is celebrating with four new horror films debuting each week this month.

April 4 – 825 FOREST ROAD

April 11 – SHADOW OF GOD

April 18 – DEAD MAIL

April 25 – FREWAKA

I’ll be giving you the lowdown on each film before you tune in weekly.

This week we’ll taking a look at SHADOW OF GOD.

When several of his fellow Vatican exorcists are simultaneously killed, Father Mason Harper returns to his childhood home to spend time with childhood friend while he awaits orders from the Church.

However, this small town holds dark secrets about Mason's past and the religious organization once run by his father, Angus. Thought dead, Angus reappears, forcing a reunion between father and son. But Angus is different now, and before long, Mason suspects he’s possessed, not by the devil, but by something… holy.

When Mason attempts to exorcise the presence from his father, he sets off a chain of events that may end in a cataclysm of biblical proportions testing everything he holds sacred.

Take your initial thoughts about exorcism films and throw them out the window. As that’s exactly what director Michael Peterson did.

Mark O’Brien (READY OR NOT) does a fine job portraying a priest with heavy baggage. But as that baggage unfolds throughout the film, the main conflict becomes fuzzy until the climax of the film.

The climax is meant to be a big shock and twist but it felt underwhelming. It had myself asking, “Wait, is that it?”

I needed more around the consequences of the actions being taken in this film.

Peterson does provide an open-ended ending, but I didn’t feel invested enough for a continuation of the story.

Maybe my faith in religion has waned so much in today’s world that a film like this that is trying to convey a different message of faith, still didn’t quite do the job it intended – which is to question everything.

But decide for yourself if this twist of exorcism movie deserves more conversation and hit us up in the comments.

825 Forest Road Film Review

Halfway to Halloween Presented by Shudder

 

April showers bring May flowers – and the month of April brings us halfway to Halloween! This April, Shudder is celebrating with four new horror films debuting each week this month.

April 4 – 825 FOREST ROAD

April 11 – SHADOW OF GOD

April 18 – DEAD MAIL

April 25 – FREWAKA

I’ll be giving you the lowdown on each film before you tune in weekly.

The first up is 825 FOREST ROAD.

From the creator of the HELL HOUSE LLC franchise, Stephen Cognetti, 825 FOREST ROAD centers on Chuck Wilson starting a new life after a family tragedy when he moves to the town of Ashland Falls with his wife Maria and little sister Elizabeth. But he quickly discovers that the town has a dark secret. The ghost of Helen Foster has terrorized residents for decades, since her own suicide back in the ‘40s.

Finding Helen’s old home is key to ending the hauntings, but the address they have doesn’t match any of the town’s existing streets. When Chuck realizes his family might be in danger of Helen’s wrath, he takes it upon himself to locate 825 FOREST ROAD before it’s too late.

825 FOREST ROAD is slow burn ghost story, featuring three different viewpoints on one timeline before converging in the final timeline for the conclusion. At times, it can feel a bit repetitive but you do get to see varying perspectives of the ghost, Helen Foster.

There are several spooky moments and attempts at classic jump scares, but they left me wanting a little more. However, the use of a mannequin was quite entertaining and the fact that the majority of the intense hauntings occurred during the day helped to drive home the helplessness of the situation.

As the story continued to unfold, it became very hard to root for any of the characters as because they all came off as one dimensional and the ending only left me with more questions.

I felt 825 FOREST ROAD had some decent meat to it but ultimately, it needed more time to cook to become a savory story that would haunt you afterwards.

If you like slow burns with a mystery to solve and take care of, give 825 FOREST ROAD a view to see how it hold ups to your standards and share with me your perspective.

Boys from County Hell Review

 

By Emery Snyder @leeroy711

Director: Chris Baugh

Starring: Jack Rowan, Nigel O’Neill, Louisa Harland, Michael Hough, Fra Fee & John Lynch

Shudder Exclusive – April 22, 2021

The small Irish town of Six Mile Hill boasts a local legend about an ancient bloodsucking creature that’s buried under an ominous pile of rocks. It also claims that said legend is the uncredited inspiration for Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”. These legends notwithstanding, the town is on hard times and a local contractor has just gotten the job to lay the foundation of a bypass that will not only route sightseers around the village, but destroy the physical ruins that stand to tell tale of the town’s only claim to fame. As one would expect in a horror film, this was an entirely horrible idea. Destroying the monument awakens the ancient evil that threatens the whole town and the road construction crew find themselves in a fight for their lives.

From its first scene, this film makes itself clear: We’re not talking about whatever your typical concept of what a vampire is. This revelation in its initial tone setting got me pretty excited to see something different and new. I wish I could say that it keeps this up throughout but, this film lands itself in between so many different ideas that it’s honestly hard to appreciate all of the good work that went into it.

The trailer makes you think that you’re watching a horror/comedy but unfortunately, most of the punchlines simply don’t land. I feel like Michael Hough’s “SP” character was supposed to be the main comic relief but the screenplay just doesn’t give him nearly enough to do. In fact, the entire cast does a pretty good job here with what they were given, specifically Rowan, who is the film’s lone source of charisma.

I would also add that the direction of individual horror/action scenes are executed quite well. The film’s gore relies largely on a combination of practical effects, costumes and makeup that are all well done and showcased nicely by the marriage of camerawork and lighting. If a film were nothing more than a collection of scenes, this would have been a good one.

At one point, I found myself thinking that the bypass being constructed around the village

was some sort of a brilliant metaphor for the film itself. Like a meta-metaphor?... Or something. In this story, the town, and its local folklore are being bypassed and passed over for something more modern and current. And because the town’s legend allegedly pre-dates Bram Stoker’s classic story, it allows the screenplay to essentially bypass the past 120 years of literary development of vampire lore.

Via this one ‘flick-of-the-wrist’ premise, the screenplay gave itself the freedom to make up all of its own new rules and traditions about vampires. Stake through the heart? I don’t know... maybe… Has to be invited in? Sunlight allergy?... <shrug emoji> Oddly enough though, in some respects, this may actually mean that this is not in fact a vampire movie. Even though the word “vampire” is spoken more times here than any other film I’ve seen.

The problem is that the originality of this premise is mostly squandered on overly derivative aspects of the rest of the film. I think there’s a nice homage here to John Landis’ AMERICAN WAREWOLF IN LONDON, but they seem to go to that well a few too many times in the 89 minutes. The first vampires we see reminded me of equal parts 30 DAYS OF NIGHT and 28 DAYS LATER in their design and physicality. And the ‘final boss’ looked a lot like a smaller, less threatening JEEPERS CREEPERS. This was particularly distracting because the invocation of that film only made me realize even how similar the plot also was.

Ultimately, if you’re simply a vampire aficionado, looking to swallow up anything with this theme, this film will check some boxes while still managing to give you something that feels fresh and new to look at. But I’m reviewing this a film. And as a film, it somehow manages to take just as many steps backwards as forwards. 

Emery’s Rating

2.5 out of 5 Stars

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Blood Quantum Review

By Emery Snyder @leeroy711

Director: Jeff Barnaby

Starring: Forrest Goodluck, Michael Greyeyes, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, Kiowa Gordon, Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs & Stonehorse Lone Goeman

Shudder Original – April 23, 2020

Set on the Miꞌkmaq Red Crow Reservation in 1981, a mysterious virus is reanimating dead salmon in the communal waterways. Within the first hours of this discovery, the outbreak quickly spreads to the surrounding human population. Ravenous infected quickly and violently attack and consume anyone they can get to, rapidly spreading the infection.

A title card flashes us forward six months to the new reality. It turns out, the Indigenous Miꞌkmaq appear to be the only known immune population. They have make-shifted a camp, offering refuge for the survivors and a quick disposal for the remaining infected. But as we soon find out, not everyone is so ready to welcome in a vulnerable population of colonizers. As the community tears apart over their differences, Joseph (Goodluck) tries to keep his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn baby safe from both sides.

It’s been pontificated that Nazis and Zombies are the two groups that any filmmaker could kill with impunity. If you just want to compose a fun ninety minutes of cool death scenes, add a horde of either and no one will bat an eye. Nobody will complain about gratuitous violence or that the villains weren’t given enough complexities or inner struggles. Parts of this film feel just that skin deep. I have no grievance with this, mind you. The practical effects were very well done and I’ll bet this was a fun set to be on.

On the other hand, the great genre filmmakers have always been able to use the threat of a mindless mass as a metaphor to invoke provocative social commentary. Romero’s films did this always and to great effect. It’s in this way that BLOOD QUANTUM shines as something more special than most films of the same ilk. The role reversal of the ‘haves’ & the ‘have-nots’ gives us a familiar world in which those with resources still fight amongst themselves about how best to keep their community safe.  Of course, this is Canada. And their refugee policy during a zombie outbreak is still more compassionate than anything we’ve seen in the U.S. under our current administration.

While this film does a good job at reflecting on this continent’s dark history of colonialism

and immigration, I think that it did an even better job encapsulating something far more pressing. I couldn’t help but be reminded of mankind’s tendency to look out for only ourselves in a time of crisis. To be fair, in our current state of affairs, this isn’t something that we need to be reminded of. I think of it every time I go out looking for toilet paper. Or when I see the lines of people wrapped around the ammunition store I drive by on my way home. Or when I see footage of the crowds breaking quarantine to gather in places like Lansing, Denver and Phoenix. A time of crisis is when a community is at its most vulnerable. It’s at times like this that small minorities of that community can inflict irreparable damage on us all. It’s in this way that I think Barnaby’s second feature, if even unwittingly, hits the chainsaw on the head.

By and large, the technical aspects here are mostly well done. The film was shot very well. It can be complicated shooting a lot of zombie siege fight sequences in a way that the audience can actually comprehend what’s going on. This film looked far better than anything in the final season of “Game of Thrones”. The acting was a bit of a mixed bag but I would give additional kudos to Stonehorse Lone Goeman. He doesn’t have much experience as an actor but is rather well known as a trainer MMA world. Here he plays sort of a First Nations Samurai Grandpa character that’s a delight whenever he’s on screen. I would also highlight the ultra-hip animated sequences that pop up throughout the film. I don’t really know anything about animation but it looked really cool.

I think the story falters a bit in its pacing and tonal shifts. At times it seems like it’s trying to have a little too much fun with the “zed” murdering badassery to be taken seriously as a social commentary. Most of this is easily forgivable but from time to time, it’s unclear where the film’s heart it.

My biggest, and only true gripe was with the underdevelopment of its characters and relationships. Sometimes it’s the tendency of a storyteller aiming at a universal truth to give less time for the details that flesh out the finer points. It’s hard to understand that specificity allows greater empathy and identification but I’ve found this to always be the case. Our main characters give lip service to their back stories but a few flashback scenes would have gone a long way for the audience. This was a bit extra disappointing considering the fact that Barnaby’s first feature, RHYMES FOR YOUNG GHOULS didn’t suffer from this issue at all.

This is Barnaby’s second feature. The aforementioned RHYMES FOR YOUNG GHOULS is a better film that I’ve grown to love a little bit more with every additional viewing. It takes place in the same area about a decade earlier than BLOOD QUANTUM. And although it’s an imperfect film, it succeeded in many ways. And I’m very excited to see what he comes up with next.

Emery’s Rating

3.5 out of 5 Stars

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Jessica Forever Review

By Emery Snyder @leeroy711

Director: Caroline Poggi & Jonathan Vinel

Starring: Aomi Muyock, Sebastian Urzendowsky & Augustin Raguenet

Shudder Original – February 20, 2020

Jessica (Muyock) is the matriarchal leader of a group of orphaned boys in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world that hunts and kills them. They train together, eat and nap together, always moving to keep from being caught by the “special forces” of weaponized drones that shoot on site. They live in a world of clinical ugliness and marvel at anything pretty. Throughout their journeys, their isolation and loneliness manifests itself in angst, materialism, jealousy, greed and all types of insecurities typical of young, undisciplined masculinity. Jessica replies with only love, constantly attempting to maintain a safe place for these lost and damaged boys.

Like most post-apocalyptic visions of the future, this film certainly seems to be making an earnest attempt at warning us of the future of our logical progression. There is a lot going on here. And I’m unfortunately unconvinced that this story ever achieves the focus required to properly convey anything that could be considered a thesis. Elements of fascism, Marxism, consumerism and anarchy all seem to take rather insignificant turns, coloring a world that was never sufficiently contextualized by the film’s setting.

We get some glimpses and ideas about why these young men are on the lamb but only Lucas (Raguenet) is given a full back-story. Our titular character, Jessica is the vaguest of the lot. She unfortunately ends up feeling like a purely reactionary character less than a driving force for our story. I won’t always find fault with these types of indistinctions in a film, but when the rest of the film seems satisfied with tossing together a smorgasbord of thematic elements, I end up unfulfilled with the result. The story could have, at any moment, taken the momentum built from one of its many plot points and expanded. The filmmakers chose rather, to stall out and change pace and directions. This constant exploration gives the film the imprint of ambiguous morals, at best.

But I digress, I will always concede that it is not the film’s fault that it did not satisfy what may very well be my subjective impression of what I expected it should be. I am in no way suggesting that the filmmakers were in any way, promoting any sort of hateful ideology. If anything, the film was attempting to promote unconditional love, redemption and forgiveness. This is what Jessica gives to her boys and maybe this would have been more evident had she played a larger role in the film.

The technical aspects on display are a bit of a mixed bag as well. All of the performances work well, specifically those of Muyock and Raguenet. Marine Atlan’s cinematography is crisp and does a great job at capturing the beautiful locations and contrasting them with the heinous acts of violence. The music was a mix of a Ulysse Klotz score with contemporary rock soundtrack.

There is also a healthy dose of CGI used here, dangerously set over the top of some of the film’s slow-motion scenes. This typically doesn’t mix well but I although the effects were far from great, I didn’t find them distracting. I think the finishing editor did a great job of mixing the colors, so it didn’t end up looking too fake. I credit the overall evolution of this technology as much as anything else.

All in all, I can’t fault this film too much. I appreciate its ambition. I just think its lack of focus and thesis kept me from buying in all the way. It’s a beautifully shot concept that you could have probably pulled three or four compelling stories out of. Just not all at once.

Emery’s Rating

2.5 out of 5 Stars

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Streamathon - June 2019 – Life’s A Beach & Now You’re Dead

By Emery Snyder @leeroy711

Preface: This is part of an ongoing blog series of curated movie marathons that are thematically or otherwise tied together. The other common factor tying these films together will be their availability to watch them all from the comfort of your own home on various streaming platforms. The goal is that writing this blog will somehow justify the excessive number of streaming platforms I subscribe to. The films will be found on some combination of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Mubi, Shudder, The Criterion Channel and/or Fandor. These titles will be available for the month that the blog is published. All of these subscriptions offer free trials so feel free to dive in and follow along… Have fun. Just don’t message me for my login information.

June 2019

Spring is over and it’s hot outside again. And while everyone else is flocking to the beach, I’m turning my A/C to “kill” and getting settled in for some of my favorite Summer flicks. I specifically like to watch horror films in the Summer, especially if they scare and discourage me from leaving the couch. I watch JAWS every Summer religiously. I usually fit in one of the versions of PIRANHA (Dante or Aja). And I don’t even want to admit to how many heads I’ve seen on a single shark on the Sci-Fi channel on Saturday afternoons. And as if this wasn’t enough, Jordan Peele’s beach-themed doppelganger horror, US is due for Blu-Ray release later this month. I’m very excited to rewatch this one with the hopes that it will be added to my Summer routine.

So, with that in mind, here are some horror films available to stream right now that take place on or around a beach. 

The Stream

COLD SKIN (2017) 

Directed by Xavier Gens – Streaming on Shudder

So, this ‘beach’ is more of an Arctic coastline, but I play fast and loose with my own rules so I’m including it. It’s a Shudder Exclusive right now and I really think it’s worth the watch. The Lovecraftian creature design is fantastic, and the under-siege lighthouse scenes are exciting and well put together. The whole thing is shot beautifully.

COME OUT AND PLAY (2012)

Directed by Makinov – Streaming on Shudder

To be clear, this is a remake Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’s WHO CAN KILL A CHILD? (’76) a far superior film. But I still kind of appreciate what this film went for and what it accomplishes. This version trades in the slow burn and social commentary for adrenaline and gore. Which makes it easier fare for an 87-minute distraction.

GRABBERS (2012)

Directed by Jon Wright – Streaming on Hulu

This is just a very well-made horror/comedy from across the pond. A sleepy Irish island is overtaken by sea monsters and their only line of defense is an alcoholic police officer and his newly assigned partner. It is one of the most fun times you can have with movie monsters. The two main characters played by Richard Coyle and Ruth Bradley have a great chemistry together and the comedic dialog is exactly what I've come to expect from British writers.              

HOUR OF THE WOLF (1968)

Directed by Ingmar Bergman – Streaming on The Criterion Channel

Psychological torment is a common theme in Bergman’s work. But this is probably the only film that dives off into the deep end of horror. Artist, Johan (Max Von Sydow) and his wife, Alma (Liv Ullmann) are staying on a remote island in this surreal work. I’ve probably watched this one about a half-dozen times and I seem to come away with a slightly different interpretation every viewing. The Gothic imagery that occupies the screen will keep you guessing exactly how literally you’re supposed to be interpreting it.

I also find it interesting within the context of Bergman’s entire filmography. He has plenty of films depicting the fragility of the human psyche, the majority are about women’s mental state. Films like THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY (’61), CRIES AND WHISPERS (’72), THE SILENCE (’63) and of course PERSONA (’66) lead some (myself included) to question how Bergman felt about the opposite sex. And I think it’s fascinating that his lone exploration of a weak-minded man also turns out to be his only true horror.

LONG WEEKEND (1978)

Directed by Colin Eggleston – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

If you only watch one movie from this list, make it this one. It recently showed up on Prime and you can never be too sure how long it’s going to stay. Traditionally, this one has been a bit more obscure and hard to get a hold of. Recently, Synapse released a beautiful Blu-ray and I believe that the Prime version is the same transfer.

‘Man vs. wild’ has always been a favorite sub-genre of mine. Stories about people getting lost in the wilderness and braving the elements are a good way for me to experience the worst of nature without having to leave my couch. This one is not your typical fare though. It’s far more unnerving, without ever introducing a supernatural element. It plays out like an environmentalist’s moral tale. A couple of suburbanite weekend warriors pick a fight with nature without even knowing it. Soon their lack of respect and dignity reap the wrath of their surroundings. But the story is far less straightforward than I’m alluding to. The horrors play out over a slow burn in night sounds and disturbing imagery. 

THE LURE (2015)

Directed by Agnieszka Smoczyńska – Streaming on The Criterion Channel

And you didn’t even know that you needed a Polish musical comedy horror about a couple of cabaret mermaids. Spoiler Alert: You do. It’s a spectacular modern times Eurotrash retooling of the Hans Christian Anderson story. Watch this for the color palette alone. In fact, invite your Mom and sister over for a MAMMA MIA! Marathon and then put this on instead. They’ll thank you. I promise.

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