Holidays (2016)

Release Date: April 22, 2016 (VOD)
Rating: NR
Directors/Writers: Anthony Scott Burns, Kevin Kolsch, Nicholas McCarthy, Adam Egypt Mortimer, Sarah Adina Smith, Gary Shore, Kevin Smith, Scott Stewart, Dennis Wydmyer

Horror anthologies have always had a special place in my heart and seemed to make a big comeback with films like ABC’s of Death (2012) and V/H/S (2012). Since then we’ve gotten to see directors, big and small, come together and create some really fun horror tales that otherwise might not have been given the chance to see a feature-length treatment. Over the last year alone we’ve seen holiday-centric anthology films with Tales of Halloween (2015) and A Christmas Horror Story (2015) -- I didn’t forget the wonderfully gory Trick ‘r Treat (2007) but, for the sake of this review, I’m only going off of the last year. This year, a handful of directors in horror decided to come together and create an anthology that covered the majority of the major holidays in the calendar year (but also left out some important ones, as well - but we’ll talk about that later.)

Let's just jump right in, shall we?

Valentine's Day - written & directed by Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer

Probably one of the least memorable segments for me, Valentine's Day follows Maxine (Madeleine Coghlan), who is relentlessly bullied by mean-girl, Heidi (Savannah Kennick). Her bizarre crush on her swim coach, who happens to be in need of a heart transplant, gives her the push she needs to prove just how much she loves him. It’s completely predictable and unfortunately, it felt like Kolsch and Widmyer didn’t even try on this one. It’s a story we have definitely seen before - the 80’s synth-driven music, the mean girl bullying the meek, quiet girl until she eventually snaps...this isn’t a horror fan’s first rodeo.

St. Patrick’s Day - written & directed by Gary Shore

Elizabeth Cullen (Ruth Bradley) is a school teacher who wishes for nothing more than to have a child of her own. Unbeknownst to her, the quiet, redheaded little girl who refuses to smile will end up making that wish come true - it just might not be exactly what she planned. One of the only humorous segments in the film, this one didn’t take itself seriously at all. By the final minutes, everything was so bonkers and nonsensical that it wasn’t even enjoyable for me and teetered near "WTF" territory.

Easter - written & directed by Nicholas McCarthy

As a young girl is tucked into bed the night before Easter, her mother tells her all children must be fast asleep before the Easter Bunny can come and leave goodies. What worries the girl, though, is the man named Jesus who is supposed to come back from the dead as well. Naturally, she wakes up in the middle of the night and comes face-to-face with something that no child has ever seen before -- and she’s going to pay for it. This segment was the first of several in this film that ended right when the good stuff was happening, unfortunately. It was actually pretty creepy and didn’t do any favors for my Easter Bunny phobia.

Mother’s Day - written & directed by Sarah Adina Smith

Kate (Sophie Traub) has a problem; she gets pregnant every time she has sex. Her doctor suggests she attend a fertility ceremony in the high desert, run by the doctor’s sister. I think we know where this one is going to go…
This was another segment that, despite having a really cool concept, was hindered by an abrupt ending. Some backstory to the women running the ceremonies would have been a nice touch, as well.

Father’s Day - written & directed by Anthony Scott Burns

Carol (Jocelin Donahue) receives a package containing a tape player and a cassette from her deceased father. Recorded years prior, when she was a little girl, her father leaves her directions to a place where she can find him as he’s been waiting for her ever since. One of my favorite segments, it’s a bit heartbreaking. With hardly any dialogue from Donahue, the father’s voice heard through the tape player lends an eerie and dread-filled vibe, amplified by the fact we have no idea where he’s leading her. There were a lot of components that came together in the short amount of time, which made this such a well-done segment. My only gripe is it suffers from another abrupt ending with little to no real answers.

Halloween - written & directed by Kevin Smith

Ian (Harley Morenstein) runs a webcam house where he basically pimps out girls for online sex shows - and he’s a bit of a dickhead. The three girls he “employs” (one played by Smith’s daughter, Harley Quinn Smith) finally decide they’ve had enough of his shit. This was probably the least holiday-themed segment of the entire film. There wasn’t much more than a few background pieces to suggest what time of year it was. As a horror fan, I was pretty bummed about that. We all love Halloween, we expect it to be treated better than that. It did have potential and alllmost seemed like it was going to go in one direction but then tossed that aside and went for a safer bet.

Christmas - written & directed by Scott Stewart

Pete (Seth Green) goes to the extreme to get his son the virtual reality glasses he so desperately wants. The glasses claim to “show you YOU!” What Pete doesn’t realize is that the glasses are serious, and his actions to get the gift come back to haunt him. It’s another one of the shorter and more forgettable segments. It was a cool concept but needed to be fleshed out a bit more. I won’t spoil anything but the segment would have fared better had they shown it from the wife’s perspective.

New Year’s Eve - written by Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer - directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer

Reggie (Andrew Bowen) is an obsessive killer who winds up on a date with Jean (Lorenza Izzo) after getting a 96% match on a dating site. Though we can only guess what his intentions for her will be, he finds out that hers are much worse, when she brings him back to her apartment. Decidedly better than most of the segments, this is another one that could have benefitted from a couple of extra minutes spent on some backstory. I also am going to need Izzo to play more crazy-lady roles (except Knock, Knock. That was bad.) Oh, and Andrew Bowen, I need him in more horror movies, please.

Overall, Holidays seemed to miss the mark more than not. The segments were quick and to the point for the most part, which was actually a downfall for the majority of them - and I’m annoyed that there was no Thanksgiving segment! Please don’t leave us with Thankskilling for another year! Complaints aside, the score was kickass and the cast, as a whole, was pretty good. I won’t tell you to skip out on Holidays, but I won’t be mad at you if you take your time on giving this one a watch.

~ Stacey-Beth (@TheStaceyBeth)

Stacey was the creepy kid growing up who would bring VHS copies from the video store of Prince of Darkness and Zombie to her sleepovers. Now she's the creepy adult that brings blu-ray copies of Prince of Darkness and Zombie to dinner parties. Fascinated by all things macabre - if it involves the occult and/or true crime, she's in. Currently living in the Hill Country of Texas with her ferocious Yorkie and her husband, she also runs her own horror blog, To Avoid Fainting, where she mostly tries to sound like she knows what she's talking about, while watching scary movies.

Honeymoon (2014) Rated R

Meet Bea and Paul. Two young newlyweds fresh from the aisle and off on their honeymoon. These two are so cutesy and touchy-feely it just may make you ill. They’re spending this blessed event at Bea’s family cabin in the woods. Of course they picked the perfect time of year for it. The lake will be secluded and empty! No one around to bother or bear witness! Well, almost no one. Bea’s childhood friend, Will, and his wife, Annie, are still there during the offseason. It’s just a bit odd because Will seems rather violent and Annie seems kinda traumatized. During the night, Paul accidentally wakes up too early to go fishing. He is shocked to find Bea has wandered from the house for no apparent reason. After a frantic search, Paul stumbles upon her in the woods, naked and visibly shaken. Slowly but surely, Bea’s behavior starts to change. She becomes forgetful, strange, and not quite herself…

That’s as much as I can tell you about the plot before getting into spoilers. Trust me, I don’t want to spoil this one for you! I want you to watch it and enjoy it as much as I did! I found this movie to be a most impressive directorial debut for Leigh Janiak. Fans of Game of Thrones will recognize actress Rose Leslie as Bea. Both she and costar Harry Treadaway give fantastic performances here. With barely any supporting actors to bounce off of, they have tremendous chemistry to carry this movie.

It was fun to follow the story from start to finish since it definitely kept me guessing a couple of times as to what was really going on. It also poses some interesting questions to the audience: What do you do for your partner when their behavior unexpectedly gets weird? Like, really weird and strange? Suddenly, the course of true love isn’t so nice and smooth. Do you stick it out when things get tough? Or do you throw in the towel? Do you try to help them? Or maybe you should just run away screaming?

As I told you before, I highly recommend checking out this movie. It’s a slow burn, it’s subtle, and it’s worth it.

~ Sandra (@LilMsMnstr)

Memory of the Dead (2013) Rated R

Director: Valentin Javier Diment
Writers: Martin Blousson, Valentin Javier Diment, Nicanor Loreti, German Val

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While recently visiting the local library, I decided to take a quick peek at the movie section, see if there were any horror movie surprises waiting to be discovered. There was. My introduction to Argentinean horror: Memory of the Dead.

What I was expecting: Gore gore gore galore. Maybe even a little something along the lines of giallo horror.

What I got: A twisted, gortastic spookfest with a delightfully disturbing and perverted take on giallo horror.

IMDB is telling me that this is a comedy-horror. I wouldn't go so far as to say there is comedy here. I never really laughed. There were just a few times where I smiled uncomfortably for a few seconds and then waited expectantly for something terrible to happen.

The story opens with a grieving wife who gathers her husband's best friends over to their mansion for a memorial service. The love poured out here is tear-jerking, to say the least. There are dedications said that will likely bring on some buckets of happy/sad tears.

And yet, and yet...something is not right. Something is terribly wrong. Just as you are wiping away the tear remnants, you are promptly catapulted into a surreal night terror of epic proportions. I use the word "catapulted" specifically because that is exactly how it felt. The movie begins and continues with no explanation. It just moves fast, furious, and takes no prisoners.

The first half of the story takes place inside the mansion. Viewers are provided with the false allusion that all the angry ghosts, hungry ghouls, never-ending darkness, and all-consuming madness are outside. The second half moves inside - into each of the individual guests' greatest fears - fears that also happen to come to life and be littered throughout the menacing mansion.

The majority of the movie plays out like a cold-sweat nightmare with few answers as to why. Don't worry! Answers will come in the last few minutes of the film.

Like giallo horror, Memory of the Dead, is visually stunning. It is also jam-packed with mystery and murder. Of course there is also sex. No good sex; e.g., rape, incest. Viewer discretion is advised. That said, I'm happy to report that these scenes, albeit striking, are scarce.

Derogatory slurs are thrown around, people are absolutely brutal to each other, blood and guts EVERYWHERE, monsters, witchcraft, and crippling, crippling love. Because don't forget! This movie is also a love story.

I enjoyed this film for its visuals, creativity, the unfolding of each character, and for the rather brilliant twist at the end. A must see for fans of supernatural horror, Latin horror, and of course anyone looking for an absolute gore fest.

This film should be seen in a small group of your closest friends. If someone is harboring a nasty secret, all the better. Pairs with wine, a little whiskey, a big bowl of pomegranates and mangos, steaks (rare), and if you can get your hands on some home-made empanadas with a mystery filling, even better.

Jolie
@HorrorHabitBlog

One of the newest contributors to The Bloodlust website, horror movies have always played a significant role in Jolie's life. Since her introduction to Gremilns at the tender age of 5, growing up with four horror movie-loving brothers - all who managed to memorized the entire script of John Carpenter's The Thing at a young age - and a father who still delights in frightening them all at the dinner table with scary stories, it's safe to say watching horror movies is, in essence, her comfort food. A research health scientist for the government by day and a devotee to horror movies (particularly ghost and werewolf stories) by night, Jolie lives in Seattle with her artist husband, two cats, and created her blog, Horror Habit, to keep her out of trouble.

"Online Dating Can Be Murder: A Review of Indie-Horror film, Other Halves"

Indie-horror movies seem to be not only growing in number, but also rising with respect to their all-around quality. With so many cookie-cutter horror movies being released in theaters throughout the year (not to mention the multiple sequels that are sure to follow), it’s always refreshing to see low-budget, indie films from the horror genre that attempt to accomplish something different. This seems to be exactly what writer/director Matthew T. Price and writer/producer Kelly Morr sought out to do with their 2015 debut feature film, Other Halves. Part sci-fi thriller, part dark comedy, Other Halves is a satirical and gruesome look into the dangers of technology, urging us to reexamine how much of our lives we share on the internet.

Devon (Lauren Lakis) talks shop with fellow programmers Shawn (Sam Schweikert), Beth (Megan Hui), and Jana (Melanie Friedrich).

Taking place almost entirely in a San Francisco office over the course of one night, Other Halves centers around a team of programmers, working diligently to prepare their revolutionary new dating app, "Other Halves", for its next-day release. This app sets itself apart from all other dating apps on the market by pairing people together based on an analysis of their entire internet history. As the night goes on, the programmers (who we learn are also long-time friends) discover a bug in the app’s code which, upon loading, causes the user’s full internet history to be displayed in rapid succession, on the screen of their device. The result of this odd glitch is, instead of finding the user’s “other half” in another individual, the app brings out a side of the user that is both depraved and murderous. One-by-one, the programmers begin to fall prey to the power of Other Halves.

Shawn and Beth gettin' their code on.

I was particularly impressed with the casting in this movie. The group of programmers, who essentially make up the entire cast, are almost all female! The lone male of the group, Shawn (Sam Schweikert), seems to serve as little more than the hopeful love interest to Beth (Megan Hui) - which, I must say, is a refreshing reversal of what I have come to expect from movies; especially those set in the world of IT. Newsflash: ladies love technology, too! While I feel the cast, as a whole, delivers solid performances, Lauren Lakis’ portrayal of programmer Devon is arguably the strongest of the bunch. She brings a level of personality and realism to a character who might have easily fallen victim to the film’s often underwhelming and unnatural-feeling dialogue. There are more than a few moments where the progression of the film’s fragmented narrative tends to get lost by the characters’ delivery of technical exposition and overuse of quips.

Devon heads towards the "dioramas of death."

The movie also contains a surprising amount of nudity. While I’m no stranger to nudity in horror movies (topless ladies are a common and familiar trope), the nudity in Other Halves feels misplaced and baseless - though I do appreciate the inclusion of both male and female nudity. Despite its few shortcomings, Other Halves has quite a bit going for it. The film offers up some rather impressive and visually striking shots. One of the most exciting and unforgettable scenes is when Devon walks through what Price refers to as the “dioramas of death.” Everything from the lighting, to the editing, to the sound design works to create a thrillingly disturbing series of shots. Almost every frame feels like something that could easily have been plucked from any number of classic horror slashers.

Despite my initial confusion with why the programmers are working at night, with such low lighting in their office, the use of low lighting is successful in creating an atmosphere that can be either comfortable or suspenseful. It helps to create a sense of unease for the viewer. Price also utilizes neat digital tricks, which he and co-writer Morr refer to as “codebrain”, to give scenes a trippy, sci-fi feel, while illustrating to the viewer that a particular character is losing their grip on reality. He also employs the use of text message bubbles to show conversations taking place between characters. I personally love the use of on-screen text bubbles in movies and think their employment in the film was one of the smartest decisions made. They provide such a clever and visually interesting way to conveniently show character interaction while, at the same time, moving the plot forward.

Outside of the more technical aspects of the film, the underlying story is perhaps not as polished and clear as would be ideal. Don’t get me wrong, the idea of technology causing seriously negative psychological effects on the human brain is one that I’m particularly fond of. However, what Other Halves has in the way of an uncommon and compelling idea, it lacks a bit in clarity and execution. I was slightly disappointed not to get any kind of scientific explanation of what was taking place between the technology and the characters’ brains. While I don't feel as if this lack of exposition significantly took away from the narrative, as a whole, I do feel it would have benefited the film to spend a small amount of time providing some of the explanatory science behind this unusual anomaly.

An example of "codebrain" in a scene with Devon and Jasmine (Mercedes Manning)

On that same note, by leaving the explanation ambiguous, it allows the viewer to create their own interpretation. For example, the idea that the app causes the characters to essentially lose all conscience and inhibition made me think of Gaspar Noe’s intensely disturbing 2002 film, Irreversible, and how he employed the concept of infrasound, also known as “the fear frequency”, in the film’s opening scene. In the first 30 minutes of Irreversible, the viewer is subject to a nearly inaudible background noise, with a low frequency of 28 hz (sound waves with frequencies at 20 hz or below are considered to be infrasound and are below the lower limit of human audibility). This was intentionally done to cause the viewer to experience feelings of nausea, dizziness, and vertigo. I felt like the physical effect this film’s titular app had on its users played with that same idea. It’s an interesting theory that, despite being infrequently explored, I feel lends itself really well to the horror genre.

Other Halves is a refreshing break from the seemingly endless barrage of sequels and prequels Hollywood keeps shoving down our throats (I’m talking to you, Ouija 2!). It uses technology and social media, things very near and dear to all of our hearts, and creates something evil that should be feared. Skillfully shot and admirably acted, Other Halves takes its viewers on an original and gruesome ride as it illustrates why people should be wary of how much trust they place in technology. Despite shortcomings with the dialogue and story, Other Halves is an imaginative and entertaining debut feature that is well-worth the watch for any serious fan of the horror genre.

• Jamie

IMDB | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube

One of The Bloodlust's OGs, Jamie has heard, "I can't believe you can watch that stuff" for most of her life. Though willing to give any movie a try, those involving time travel, home invasions, or cults tend to be her favs. She's also not ashamed to admit she loves found footage.

@jamiestamp

Other Halves

2015/NR

Director: Matthew T. Price

Writers: Matthew T. Price & Kelly Morr

Stars: Lauren Lakis, Mercedes Manning, Lianna Liew

The movie starts with a commercial for Other Halves, a dating app that looks at the usage on your phone and uses it to pair you with suitable matches. Sounds like a fascinating idea, right? If you're like me and spend way too much time attached to your smartphone, it would give you a pretty accurate match.

After the commercial, we are introduced to the group of programmers who are testing the app before its release the next day. The majority of the programmers are women, which is a refreshing change from the usual representation of computer gurus. While testing the app, they notice a glitch in the loading screen that causes anyone who uses it to black out and commit violent acts. Instead of finding their other half in another person, they find the darker other half within themselves. 

This movie is especially impressive when you consider that it is a low-budget independent film. It looks like a film that easily could have come from a major studio. It is well-edited and has a soundtrack that adds to the general ambiance of the whole film. It jumps right into the action, yet still manages to leave the viewer guessing for a while, as to what is actually happening. It is refreshing to see a group of programmers consisting of mostly women and the film passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors. The acting is great and the actors have a nice chemistry that doesn't feel forced - it actually felt as if they've been acting together for a long time. I'm really excited to see what the director and writers come up with next. 

 - Karen (@karenmarsack)

Bone Tomahawk

2015/NR

Director: S. Craig Zahler

Writer: S. Craig Zahler

Stars: Kurt Russell,  Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Lili Simmons, and Richard Jenkins.

The movie opens with criminals Buddy (Sid Haig) and Purvis (David Arquette) getting brutally attacked after stumbling upon a burial site. Purvis manages to escape with his life but, unfortunately, the same can't be said for poor Buddy. We catch up with ol' Purv as he enters Bright Hope, a small frontier town. The back-up Deputy, Chicory (Richard Jenkins) noticed Purvis burying some stolen items and alerts the Sheriff, Franklin Hunt (Kurt Russell). Franklin and Chicory confront Purvis at the local saloon and end up shooting him in the leg when he tries to escape.

The Sheriff calls on Samantha O'Dwyer (Lili Simmons) to see to Purvis' injuries as the town doctor is drunk. At some point during the night, Samantha, Purvis, and another Deputy are kidnapped by what they can only assume are Indians. After learning from a local professor that this particular tribe has cannibalistic tendencies, Sheriff Hunt and Deputy Chicory head out on a rescue attempt along with Arthur O'Dwyer (Patrick Wilson) and a very fancy John Brooder (Matthew Fox).

That, folks, is the long and short of it, in terms of what's going on in this movie. So what'd I think? Well, I'm glad you asked...

As soon as I heard this movie categorized as a "horror-western", I was in. It's definitely not a genre that you see very often. The movie is just a straight Western, most of the time, but has some fantastically gory scenes that almost made me lose my lunch.

I am shocked this is the Zahler's first film considering how beautifully shot it is. It's over two hours long, but is paced so well I didn't even notice. The casting is perfect and the dialogue is wonderful. There's an entire conversation about a flea circus - how can you beat that?! Do yourself a favor and check out this great horror-western. 

-Karen

Teeth

2007 / R

Director: Mitchell Lichtenstein

Writer: Mitchell Lichtenstein

Stars: Jess Weixler, John Hensley, Lenny von Dohlen

Since we don’t know each other very well, here’s a little tidbit of info about me: I’m sort of weird about teeth. I’ve had countless number of dreams about my teeth either breaking, shattering, crumbling, or just simply falling out. I have since learned these dreams are common and are typically associated with stress or anxiety. Whatever the meaning, I don’t really care – they’re horrible and we hates them. Suffice it to say, my frequent teeth-related dreams result in my discomfort during movie scenes involving similar imagery. Blood? Guts? Decapitations? You name it, I can watch it without a problem. Teeth, however? I’ll audibly voice my disgust and horror.

So with that out of the way…Teeth. You may be thinking, “but, Jamie, if you’re so grossed out by teeth stuff, why would you decide to watch a movie called Teeth?” That’s a great question and I thank you for asking. Part of being a lover of horror movies and all things horror means there’s a sick part of my psyche that enjoys being made to feel uncomfortable or grossed out. That’s just part of who I am. Plus, the synopsis of this movie intrigued me enough to want to watch it. I mean…really, a pro-abstinence, teenage girl learns she has been gifted with vagina dentata, allowing her to immediately and severely punish any uninvited peens or fingers?? What about that description doesn’t make one think this could be a clever and enjoyable satire?

That is not a sausage in the dog's mouth...

As it turns out, I was mostly wrong and this was not really that clever and enjoyable of a movie, though it wasn't horrible. For those who are unawares, vagina dentata (Latin for “toothed vagina”) is a folk tale theme found in a handful of cultures. In Teeth, the main character, Dawn (played by Jess Weixler), is a happy teenager, committed to staying chaste until marriage (she’s even the leader of her school’s abstinence group). Like most of her teenage classmates, she is trying to cope with her newfound sexuality and uncooperative hormones. Unlike most of her teenage classmates, however, Dawn has razor-sharp teeth hidden within her lady-business. She eventually learns she is able to control her “adaptation”, but not until she renders at least one classmate (and attempted rapist) peenless. The rest of the movie follows Dawn on her road to sexual self-discovery, which, inevitably, means more severed wangs.

I can’t honestly say this movie was wholly terrible. Its one shining “pro” for me was the acting by Jess Weixler. I thought she was great as the lead, really exemplifying the cute yet complicated virgin that all the boys want. She had to work with a pretty uncomplicated character while basically pulling off being the focus of the entire movie and I think she did a bang-up job. Actually, I rather liked the entire cast. Jess’ dad, Bill, is played by Lenny von Dohlen (Harold Smith from Twin Peaks), and her repulsive step-brother, Brad, is played by John Hensley (Matt McNamara from Nip/Tuck). This movie seemed to have a few things going really well for it, but it just didn’t successfully pull it all together for me. Ultimately, it’s a neat concept, I just really wish they’d have done more to explore it or at least make it more interesting. It won’t satisfy if you’re looking for real horror; there’s no suspense or feeling of dread. But if you’re in the market for a dull, semi-campy, fairly gory satire about teenagers, abstinence, sex, and vagina teeth, then this should be the next movie you watch.

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Three random, disgusting facts having to do with teeth:

• In very rare instances, teeth may actually grow in a vagina. They’re called Dermoid Cysts. The cells that make up these cysts are able to mature into teeth, bones, or hair.

• In 2014, Ashik Gavai of Mumbai, had 232 denticles (abnormal, teeth-like growths) removed from his mouth. They were caused by a benign dental tumor.

• Also in 2014, another kid in India had 200 of these denticles removed from her mouth.

Lyle

2014 / NR

Director: Stewart Thorndike

Writer: Stewart Thorndike

Stars: Gaby Hoffman, Kim Allen, Ashlie Atkinson
 

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*This review contains some mild spoilers throughout.

Lyle has been described by its director, Stewart Thorndike (born Megan Stewart Thorndike), as “Rosemary’s Baby with lesbians.” The comparison is apt – the film follows many of the same beats as the Polanski classic, compressed to a taut 65 minutes – but the perspective is its own, and a wholly modern one at that. Shot in a mere five days on a shoestring budget, the film takes a stylish, bare bones approach to exposing both the horror and power of motherhood.

The film opens with Leah (the always impressive Gaby Hoffmann) and June (Ingrid Jungermann) walking through a spacious townhouse with the landlady, Karen (Rebecca Street). Leah can’t seem to believe their luck – the house is far better than what she thought they could afford – and in her happiness she admits to Karen that she’s pregnant for her second time with another girl (the first being the titular daughter Lyle), something she hadn’t even divulged yet to June. Strangely, June absorbs the news stone faced, and grimly says they’ll take the house.

Soon after moving in, Leah Skypes with a friend and laments her feelings that June seems to be growing distant from her and Lyle. While Leah is talking, Lyle wanders off screen, and so we only hear the tragic, guttural cries as Leah discovers that the toddler has fallen from an open window to her death. The scene is just the first example of Thorndike’s restrained, unsettling brand of horror, and a glimpse of things to come.

From there, the film follows a narrative deceptively similar to Rosemary’s Baby – as Leah’s second pregnancy progresses, she grows increasingly paranoid that someone is trying to harm her baby, though she can’t explain why. The person she suspects of being behind the nebulous plot is the peculiar landlady (reminiscent of Rosemary’s odd, busybody neighbors), an older woman obsessed with babies, who inexplicably claims to be pregnant during Leah’s time in the building.

What makes Lyle most interesting, though, is the often-subtle ways it deviates from its source material. Although June is aggravatingly similar to Rosemary’s husband in her apathy regarding Leah’s concerns – she’s too busy with her blossoming career to worry about Leah’s spiraling mental health – the playing field is a bit more level this time around. Evidence of Leah’s autonomy abounds, including the setup of a birth pool in the couple’s living room. The couple sees a therapist together in order to handle their grief over losing Lyle, and when the therapist suggests that Leah take medication to alleviate her anxiety, the couple presents a united front in declining. Furthermore, that refusal is accepted and taken in stride by the (also female) therapist, who is willing to explore other options.

This all stands in stark contrast to the paternalistic way everyone in Rosemary’s life treated her, from her husband to her doctor. When Rosemary complained of pain during pregnancy – to a doctor her husband insisted she see, against her own wishes – the doctor waved it off, without bothering to provide an explanation or care. When Rosemary finally voiced her fears to another doctor, he called her husband and threatened to put her in a mental institution, the specter of “hysteria” looming tall over all diagnoses of women’s ailments. Although things have not changed entirely, Leah’s worries are not so readily brushed off (except by June, whose motives are clear from the beginning). Other people in her life are at least willing to listen and discuss Leah’s fears, a habit totally absent from Rosemary’s world.

Most notably, though, Hoffmann’s Leah is an entirely different character than Farrow’s Rosemary: while Rosemary was meek and fragile (traits largely forced upon her and encouraged by society), Leah is a much more independent force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately for her, she still has to deal with a gaslighting partner intent on making her doubt herself, but Leah’s instincts are strong, and she is strong enough to follow them to the brink. The climactic scene is breathtaking in both its force and terror.

Lyle is perhaps a bit too short to delve as fully or satisfyingly into these themes as it could, but it is a delightfully dark, smart film nonetheless. In the end, it is revealed that June’s pact with the devil deviates from the one in Rosemary’s Baby on one important point – in lieu of a male child, June is forced to give up two female children in exchange for success. Seems like there’s a barb in there somewhere about women and equality, doesn’t it?

Claire Holland is a freelance writer and author of Razor Apple, a blog devoted to horror movies and horror culture with a feminist bent. You can follow her on twitter @ClaireCWrites.

Exit Humanity

2011 / NR

Director: John Geddes

Writer: John Geddes

Stars: Brian Cox, Mark Gibson, Dee Wallace

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First off, Exit Humanity is not the greatest "horror" movie to hit the streets in more recent years. Nor is the time period of any real importance - not to mention, yes, it is just another zombie flick added to the already enormous dung pile. So why bother watching it (other than because the title is pretty damn attractive)? I'll tell you why...

Some years after the U.S. Civil War has ended, a veteran/father/husband has one last act of humanity to accomplish while in the midst of a "sickness" outbreak. An act which is driving him increasingly towards a deep, dark depression that will soon consume him entirely. That is, until he meets a man of the living who happens to need an extra set of hands for an important task brought on by the all-too-common small group of assholes led by a general we viewers would think of as lacking proper "hardcore" essence.

Not the greatest plot or description of one, right? That doesn't matter. This movie is recommended by me, not for the lack of enough blood-spilling, not for the mediocre story involved, but because it is so abstractly well put together; unlike any other independent horror film out there. Right off the bat you have Brian Cox narrating, for Christ sake! Short, animated scenes are edited in throughout its entirety; filming locations are incredibly eye-pleasing; the acting is a little above decent; the score is professional as hell; and the directing? The directing is fantastic. John Geddes is involved in almost everything with this one (he wasn't involved with the soundtrack/score). It's incredible!

Truth be told, I had absolutely no intention of ever pressing play when stumbling upon Exit Humanity's trailer, but I'm glad I did. That being stated, if you're more inclined to give a film a chance due to its artistic vision, watch this one. However, the flip side of the coin, I probably wouldn't consider giving it a look if being somewhat frightened and/or gore is what you crave in horrors. If given a bigger budget, they definitely could have come up with a gem.

My ranking: 3 out of 5 stars

by Frank Frederico, Jr. (@frankjfrederico)

ABC's of Death 2

NR / 2014

Directors: Multiple (all directors are listed next to the title of each segment in the below reviews)

Writers: Multiple

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If you've seen the first ABC's of Death, you know full well that the segments can range from "terrible" to "pretty great." The overall concept of ABC's of Death is an exciting one; "let's get some horror shorts from some of the genre's unknown filmmakers." By watching 26 different horror movies, you get exposure to new directors/writers that you, otherwise, may not have heard of. An exciting idea for any horror fan! 

ABC's of Death 2 was a significant improvement over the first. While I, by no means, loved all of the shorts, there definitely seemed to be an improvement in overall quality from those in the first installment. I also particularly loved the title sequence/cards for each segment - they had a creepy, Victorian-type feel to them. With this second installment feeling like a much more polished and put-together collection, as a whole, I can only hope that the third (should they decide to make one) will be even better.

Call me crazy, but I am usually interested in seeing reviews of each individual segment so that's what I decided to do here. Since I give my thoughts on each segment, consider yourself warned that there be spoilers ahead. I'm really just curious if everyone was as confused as I was by the letter "P" segment in this movie, or if I maybe missed something. Scroll down and enjoy!

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~ Jamie (@jamiestamp)

Entity

2012 / NR

Director: Steve Stone

Writer: Steve Stone

Stars: Dervla Kirwan, Charlotte Riley, Branko Tomovic

 

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Let it be known that this movie is not to be confused with The Entity, the "true" story of a woman who is sexually assaulted by a poltergeist. Entity  is far less interesting. Let's begin, shall we?

Entity centers around a small, British TV crew from the fictional show "Darkest Secrets" and their coverage of an event which took place in 1998, when 34 unidentified bodies were found in shallow graves in a remote Siberian forest (never a good sign, btw). There is little to no information surrounding the circumstances of these deaths and the Russian authorities refuse to give any insight. The "Darkest Secrets" crew is made up of two camera/sound guys, a psychic medium, and a local who is acting as their guide. It's one of those "this is our last contact with the crew and they were never heard from again" movies.

It's a pretty vague plot and could lead to either an interesting movie or a total dud. I'm sad to say this movie was definitely the latter for me. They try to build upon the the plot a bit by making vague references to experiments that were conducted on the "special" people who were kept in the weird asylum they eventually come across, but it all seems very labored. We do learn, at some point, that they (the Russians?) kept people who had psychic powers locked up so they could run tests on them. I was very uninterested in the story because the story is very uninteresting.

This movie couldn't be saved by the acting, either. The cast was mostly made up of names I wasn't familiar with - with the exception of Charlotte Riley. I know her due to her fairly recent marriage to Tom Hardy (le sigh). I've actually seen her in a few things and she wasn't half bad so I'm blaming the material. There was also a lot of unnecessary cutting and camera-work that made some of the more "intense" scenes too busy and almost difficult to watch.

TL;DR It wasn't great and actually took a lot for me to resist turning it off.

Would I recommend it? Нет (that's a "no" in Russian) 

Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death

2014 / PG-13

Director: Tom Harper

Writers: Jon Croker (screenplay), Susan Hill (story) - Susan also wrote for the first Woman in Black.

Stars: Helen McCroy, Jeremy Irvine, Phoebe Fox

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I didn't particularly want to watch this movie in the first place - I mean, no Daniel Radcliffe?! What's the point? Plus, I rather enjoyed the first one; It was a decent, visually appealing "haunted house" movie. Eel Marsh House, where all the spooky events take place, is beautiful despite it's decrepit state and its ghostly inhabitants. The long road, which drives from the mainland, through the marshes and to the large house, is the perfect place to make scary things happen. It's an expansive stretch of land so your eye is jumping all over the place, and the area is almost always covered in dense fog. Despite a seemingly perfect setting, this movie relies too much on jump scares and suffers from an uninteresting plot.

The plot takes place during WWII, about 40 years after the events of the first movie, and it centers around a group of orphaned kids who, along with their Head Mistress and a couple other adults, take up residence in Eel March House. It isn't long before the evil, undead inhabitants start popping up at quiet times (a la jump scares) and raising all sorts of hell in and around the house. It's not a very strong plot and there were a couple too many sub plots that seemed to detract from the main story line. 
          
The acting isn't terrible. In fact, I recognized two other actors from Harry Potter; Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy) and Adrian Rowlins (James Potter in the Deathly Hallow movies). Even the child actors did a fine job, in this movie. But I don't think decent acting is enough to save this movie. The amount of cheap jump scares really took away from this for me. It's really easy to start being able to predict them, after a while. Where the director could have easily used the house, the woods, the marsh - really any part of the setting - to set the tone of unease and build tension to a quality, well thought-out scare, he instead would create a loud noise and have a shadowy figure pop onto the screen. It wasn't very satisfying to this seasoned horror watcher.

As far a sequels go, it's not the worst one that I've seen but it is very far from the best. They would've been better off just leaving the original on it's own and without a follow-up. There wasn't a lot of interesting stuff going on. So....back to some Harry Potter connections, the screenplay writer, Jon Croker, was also a writer on Goblet of Fire and Prisoner of Azkaban. 

Would I recommend this movie?: Yes. It's crap, to be sure, but if you're looking for a horror movie to watch with your friends that will make you jump, this is definitely a good one for that.