Devouring Horror One Bloody Chunk At A Time….
Girls Just Wanna Have Blood, written and directed by Anthony Catanese, is the type of film that you’d expect to see screening around 4:15am at a local exploitation horror film fest. That’s not a knock on these sorts of films, but if you are expecting […]
Movie Reviews Movies & TVGirls Just Wanna Have Blood, written and directed by Anthony Catanese, is the type of film that you’d expect to see screening around 4:15am at a local exploitation horror film fest. That’s not a knock on these sorts of films, but if you are expecting anything other than tasteless teenage humor focusing mostly on tits and ass, you have wandered into the wrong movie theater.
The film starts off with a bang, as our trio of vampire gals lures a cashier to his bloody demise before the opening credits roll. I’ve always been of the opinion that vampire blowjobs are a creative death not used nearly enough in horror films. Trish (Destyne Marshai), April (Penny Praline) and Stacy (Gigi Gustin) are the type of blood-sucking freaks that the indie horror world tends to root for. Unfortunately, in this feature-length film that would have done much better as a short film, you kind of look forward to them meeting the business end of a wooden stake. If only the hero of the movie didn’t have a face that was so damn punchable.
Jessica (Amanda Renee) is an honest teenaged girl tasked with watching over her baby brother, all while hoping to get out of town once high school is over. As if her trailer trash upbringing and the stress of high school weren’t enough, she’s also being trailed by our blood-thirsty gang. When Jessica finally succumbs to the pressure of joining the immortal children of the night, the blood-draining and partying ramps up several notches.
Of course, you can’t have vampires without an adversary. The vampire hunter of the film looks like your stereotypical creepy neighborhood dad, but with an awkward Russian accent and an even worse haircut. The worst part of this character is his name, Boris Von Yelsing. He’s hell-bent on putting an end to the vampiric outbreak in small town America but he has to hope the druggies and bikers lurking around town don’t get to the girls first.
I really appreciated the grindhouse vibes and heavy rock soundtrack throughout the film. A nice Dio reference by an actor wearing perhaps the greatest mullet wig in the history of cinema put it over the top. It was a fun film with a lot of enthusiasm. If The Craft were directed by Harmony Korine, you might get Girls Just Wanna Have Blood. In doing some research after watching the film, I learned that a lot of scenes were shot at local businesses in exchange for product placement or business shout-outs. The creative team behind the camera deserves major kudos for this. There are no excuses when it comes to making an independent horror film guerilla style and this team made the best of their financial restraints and managed to sew together a relatively thorough story.
Catanese has several low-budget horror flicks under his belt. He’s written a large chunk of his directorial efforts, too. While that’s the dream of a lot of filmmakers, it’s this reviewer’s opinion that future projects would do well to get a different voice in the room. Catanese is clearly a devout horror fan and he’s got the wild imagination you want to see in indie flicks. I feel as if his scripts could use a thorough once-over before the camera starts to roll. A well-written script can always mask shortcomings in the budget and acting departments. A shaky script can only magnify these issues.
With an almost non-existent budget and amateurs across the board on the cast and crew, Girls Just Wanna Have Blood never pretends to be what it isn’t. There are no attempts to make us really like any of the characters. It’s the drug-hazy, loud and vibrantly colored fever dream you’d expect with a title like this. A wise rock-n-roll howler once wailed, “If you want blood, you got it.” This movie has plenty of it and deserves a pair of devil’s horns for its efforts. But you may want to wait for that all-night movie marathon to check this one out.
Evil Little Things, directed by Matt Green, is an independent anthology film all about creepy dolls. While it’s a lower budget genre film, this new release from Uncork’d Entertainment has enough well-done elements to rise above some of its peers. Technically, there are three main […]
Movie Reviews Movies & TVEvil Little Things, directed by Matt Green, is an independent anthology film all about creepy dolls. While it’s a lower budget genre film, this new release from Uncork’d Entertainment has enough well-done elements to rise above some of its peers.
Technically, there are three main stories including the wrap around. However, the wrap around really feels like two stories in one. All the stories center around unsettlingly eerie dolls that may or may not be alive, or perhaps undead. The first part of the wrap around, is the story of a mom and stepdad who are tired of answering the frightened calls of the mother’s young son. The stepdad is played by Zach Galligan of Gremlins and Waxwork fame. I always enjoy seeing him in a film and this time was no different, however limited his screen time may be. The second part of the wrap around story is that of a doll maker played by Geoff McKnight. He tells the stories of the eerie-looking dolls that he is working on to the mother and child who visit the store where he works.
The next two segments of the movie are, you guessed it, the doll maker’s stories. The first one centers around a leprechaun fable, a family, and one very creepy doll that may or may not be, in fact, a leprechaun. The tone of this one is realistic and serious. This one lagged a bit as it was setting up the story via serious conversations. However, there is a big pay off when the action, involving an evil leprechaun doll, finally starts.
My favorite story of the anthology revolves around a doll collector and con girl with a damaged doll that she cares just a little too much about. This story has a taste of weird and camp to it that I loved. Set at a convention, there are costumes, more dolls, and a bit of situational humor. There’s an element of “is this happening or are the people going crazy?” vibe to it. It also has a creepy and emotionally possessive doll perfectly voiced by one of the script’s writers, Yasmin Bakhtiari.
Although the low budget elements are detectable, Evil Little Things has some great things going for it. The engaging actors, the story itself, and the very creepy looking dolls all stand out. All the stories are written by Yasmin Bakhtiari and Nancy Knight, which helps to give the film a more cohesive feel. I enjoyed Evil Little Things. If you are a fan of genre films, creepy dolls, and anthologies, then check this one out.
We can’t get to the movie — Cry Havoc — until we address the elephant in the room. That elephant is the late Charles Bronson, the rugged he-man of the Death Wish movies and so many others in the ’60s (The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty […]
Movie Reviews Movies & TVWe can’t get to the movie — Cry Havoc — until we address the elephant in the room. That elephant is the late Charles Bronson, the rugged he-man of the Death Wish movies and so many others in the ’60s (The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen), ’70s (Hard Times, Breakheart Pass) and ’80s (10 To Midnight, The Evil That Men Do).
Bronson was no matinee idol; his rugged, ragged face looked like he shaved with coarse sandpaper. Still, back then, his name was synonymous with action, and his name could carry a picture.
But that was then. Bronson died in 2003 at the age of 81. So far as we know, he’s still dead — not walking around with the Whisperers near Arlington or haunting some Hollywood film set.
Which brings us at last to Cry Havoc, the just-released Rene Perez film that stars Hungarian-born Robert Bronzi (his real last name is Kovacs) as a police detective searching for an estranged daughter whose bad fortune has her in the clutches of a serial killer (Havoc, played menacingly by J.D. Angstadt), who is a byproduct of a rich, sick, snuff film entrepreneur known as The Voyeur (Richard Tyson).
Now, full disclosure: Perez previously helmed a picture called Death Kiss, which also starred Bronzi and Tyson. This is a sequel of sorts, but I never saw Death Kiss. This is my first exposure both to Bronzi and Perez. So, when I say Bronzi IS Bronson, you have to take my word for it. He’s more than a doppelganger; he could be That Guy reincarnated. Apart from the looks and the clothing (bell bottoms, wide-collar shirt, black leather jacket straight out of the ’80s), Bronzi’s voice — probably dubbed — is identical, not that he’s given many lines.
So what you have here is a jaw-dropping cinematic experience that has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the movie. Perhaps we should address that.
As your low-budget gore porn flicks go, Cry Havoc is a gem, if flawed. It opens in a burned-out California forest with a battered girl — the detective’s daughter, we find out later — awaking to find herself chained to a sleeping Havoc, who has a kind of Leatherface/Jason look and persona, with filthy heavy clothing and a poorly stitched mask of sorts that’s covered in barbed wire. The girl is an aspiring actress who had been lured to The Voyeur’s compound to audition for a purported reality TV series.
Turns out she’s not alone. Several other girls have found their way into Havoc’s clutches, whose vicious murder methods are caught by The Voyeur’s gazillion video cameras and then distributed as “performance art” to the kind of people willing to pay for a look at breasts, blood and unimaginable brutality.
And when we say brutality, we mean saws, sledgehammers, drills, axes and the resultant body parts strewn hither and yon. If you like your entrails fresh, you’ve come to the right place.
The gore here is on par with the Saw and Hostel franchises, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
But we digress. Ellen (Emily Sweet), an ambitious TV reporter, thinks she’s lucked into the scoop of all scoops when The Voyeur agrees to an interview. She shows up at the compound escorted by a lawyerly woman who represents the interviewee. Before she gains entrance, members of the compound’s well-armed militia, strip her of her phone, her tablet … her journalistic integrity for that matter. She’s forced to don new clothing then is ushered in to see The Voyeur. She promptly insults him by correctly eschewing his “performance art” terminology for the correct label, snuff films.
If you can’t see what’s coming next, you’re not paying attention. Ellen is on the run. She fortuitously stumbles upon the detective, who’s been lurking in the woods staking out the compound while hoping to find his daughter. Gun battles ensue (and it’s comical just how bad the shooting is from the machine gun-toting militia). More gore ensues. An ending (of sorts) ensues.
How can we wrap this up without spoiling anything? Well, for starters, we can say Bronzi/Bronson makes a great hero. He’s no savior, but he’s fun to watch. His acting skills, while limited, are sufficient for the part. In that sense, he’s on par with Sweet, who’s performance as Ellen is uneven but passable. Tyson, who’s had much better roles in films like Three O’Clock High, Kindergarten Cop and The Visitation, makes the most of his material here.
But what makes this work isn’t the acting or the dialogue; it’s the atmosphere. Perez keeps the lights on for most of the gore, so there are some jump jolts to go along with the stomach-churning scenes. The cinematography is eerily appropriate; the music fair to middlin’.
Yet somehow, taken in its entirety, this is a movie that grabs your attention and holds you till the end. The Bronson connection helps, of course, because it’s hard to take your eyes off of Bronzi. But Cry Havoc has just enough inventiveness and pace to make it 90 minutes well spent.
One of Uncork’d Entertainment’s latest ventures into the world of thrills and chills is Getaway, an abduction film that isn’t afraid to stretch its legs and have some fun with the genre we love. Directed by Lane Toran, the film tries to deviate from your […]
Movie Reviews Movies & TVOne of Uncork’d Entertainment’s latest ventures into the world of thrills and chills is Getaway, an abduction film that isn’t afraid to stretch its legs and have some fun with the genre we love.
Directed by Lane Toran, the film tries to deviate from your average slasher-type stereotypes with varying degrees of success. Most readers my age will know Toran as the voice of the title character in the animated series Hey Arnold!, but for a first-time director, Toran deserves a fair share of accolades.
Getaway follows a young woman named Tamara Miller, played by Jacelyn Betham, who also wrote the script with Toran. Tamara decides to let loose and enjoy a weekend of bikinis and drinks with two of her friends but those plans are foiled pretty quickly. A local family that’s just a little fanatical and diabolical kidnap Tamara, planning on making her one of their “angels” to send up to Heaven. It turns out that Tamara isn’t the sort of lady to mess with. Betham puts forth an excellent effort as Tamara and I wish her character had more license to stretch out and be even more.
The film struggles where most independent films hit a pothole, namely in matters of script and dialogue. The film does, however, try to keep things fresh and audiences guessing. Whether that works or not is something I’ll leave up to my fellow horror lovers. Talking too much about it here will spoil a few things. I’m nothing if not a courteous horror fiend. However, I feel it necessary to say Getaway may have the most creative and awkward masturbation scenes in the history of horror cinema. Moving on….
Perhaps the biggest fail the film falls victim to is not giving Scout Taylor-Compton a bigger role. Her name is well-known within the horror industry and she has the chops to carry a film. Here, she’s a bit-player. There were likely financial and scheduling restrictions that kept her from being on set every day, but the filmmakers would have been smart to give her a more prominent role in the grand scheme of the movie. As a sucker for bad ass women in horror, there was far too much meat left on the bone for my liking.
I was really impressed with the cinematography of the film, as well as a lot of the artistic decisions Toran and the crew made. The first-time director seems to “get it,” with a good eye behind the camera and an overall zest for the genre. I hope this isn’t the last we see from him in horror. I look forward to future projects by this crew.
I enjoyed the supernatural element of the story and thought there was some really exciting opportunities there. Getaway doesn’t swing and miss on these, but with more experience as a filmmaker and perhaps a little more time in the writing room, Toran can really flesh these out. As a viewer, I saw what he was going for and I really wanted it to get there, but there were some flat spots that I feel are forgivable to a degree when it comes to independent filmmaking.
The three leading ladies of the film definitely deserve kudos for a job well done. Betham, Taylor-Compton and Landry Allbright show that they can carry an indie horror flick and I wish they were given more freedom and more weight to work with here.
All in all, Getaway has some teeth and that’s to be applauded. If you’re looking for a thriller that mixes witchcraft with hillbillies and throws in a fun little curveball, check this one out.
I’ve been watching a lot of ‘80s direct-to-video creature features lately. I couldn’t tell you for sure exactly how I got started down that particular cinematic rabbit hole, just that it’s addictive once you start. Something about B-movie efforts, with their bald-faced earnestness and enthusiastic […]
Movie Reviews Movies & TVI’ve been watching a lot of ‘80s direct-to-video creature features lately. I couldn’t tell you for sure exactly how I got started down that particular cinematic rabbit hole, just that it’s addictive once you start. Something about B-movie efforts, with their bald-faced earnestness and enthusiastic effects, can’t help but be charming.
Abominable, a 2020 release directed by Jamaal Burden, is exactly that kind of film. And your enjoyment of it will likely be predicted by how much you enjoy other films in its class. Do you have a soft spot for hairy ape-men terrorizing scientific expeditions? Are you willing to overlook the limitations of low-budget practical effects? Then you’ll probably have a good time.
Abominable tells the story of a group of scientists venturing into Himalayas (presumably) in search of a rare plant rumored to have amazing restorative powers. Unfortunately, they’re not alone up there: There’s a yeti, or abominable snowman, lurking in the forest, prepared to kill to protect its home and the secrets of that sacred yeti plant.
The crew discovers the disturbing fate of the last expedition early on but is undeterred in their quest. They decide to split up to cover more ground before an oncoming storm, which serves as a convenient way to separate them and torment them one by one. The plot from here goes roughly how you’d expect, with stalking-and-killing sequences on behalf of the monster, but there are a few twists and a betrayal thrown in to keep it fresh.
At times, the special effects are spectacular, providing some good, creative gore. One shot depicting a crew member having an arm and jaw ripped off looks especially brutal and well-done. But at other times, the film seems to lack polish — guns fire with muzzle flashes in some scenes but without in others; the face being smashed into a tree trunk is obviously not making contact; characters huddle anxiously over blank laptop screens. Watching it made me wonder if there was a reason the film was seemingly rushed through editing or production.
Aside from the gore — which really is quite good — there are a few bright spots of acting and storytelling. Amy Gordon does an especially good job in the role of Dr. Helen, the expedition leader carrying some extra baggage on the journey. She brings some quiet authority to the role and is fun to watch.
All in all, Abominable delivers what’s reasonably expected from a low-budget creature feature.
What can I say, Horror Fans? I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit that the notion of pitting a dead ringer for Charles Bronson (Robert Bronzi) against a slasher killer kept inside a compound and used as a security force by an infamous criminal […]
Movies & TV NewsWhat can I say, Horror Fans? I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit that the notion of pitting a dead ringer for Charles Bronson (Robert Bronzi) against a slasher killer kept inside a compound and used as a security force by an infamous criminal is an idea I’m entirely susceptible to, quality or execution be damned.
It just so happens that filmmaker Rene Perez has made such a movie—Cry Havoc—and it will be available On-Demand this May by way of Midnight Releasing. Read the full press release and watch the trailer below, Horror Fans….
Robert Bronzi, the star of Death Kiss and Once Upon a Time in Deadwood, faces his deadliest opponent yet in Cry Havoc – available this May On-Demand.
An ambitious young reporter is granted an interview with one of the FBI’s most wanted. While entering his compound she finds one of his prized possessions, a serial killer who murders at call, called HAVOC. Her only hope is a rogue policeman searching for his daughter.
Co-starring Richard Tyson (Kindergarten Cop) Emily Sweet, and JD Angstadt, writer-director Rene Perez’s Cry Havoc premieres on demand May 5 from Midnight Releasing.
We have an intriguing trailer on deck for you today, Horror Fans. Filmmaker Tommy Faircloth’s A Nun’s Curse is coming this May from Uncork’d Entertainment. Yes, it’s another spooky nun movie, but this one looks impressive. But don’t take my word for it. Take a […]
Movies & TV NewsWe have an intriguing trailer on deck for you today, Horror Fans. Filmmaker Tommy Faircloth’s A Nun’s Curse is coming this May from Uncork’d Entertainment. Yes, it’s another spooky nun movie, but this one looks impressive.
But don’t take my word for it. Take a look at the full press release below and watch the trailer….
From writer-director Tommy Faircloth, and starring scream queen Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp, Silent Night, Zombie Night), discover the horrifying truth about Sister Monday this May!
A Nun’s Curse, also starring Damian Maffei (The Strangers: Prey at Night) and Gunner Willis (The Resident), premieres on DVD and Digital this May from Uncork’d Entertainment.
On a weekend trip, a group of friends are forced to seek shelter inside an abandoned prison where a nun named Sister Monday had once been assigned. During her time at the prison, Sister Monday was suspected of killing prisoners who were serving out their sentences, but before she could be questioned, she disappeared. Once inside the prison, they will learn the terrifying truth.
A Nun’s Curse premieres on DVD and Digital May 12 from Uncork’d Entertainment.
From the Stars…A Vampiress is an unauthorized yet comprehensive reference guide to the comic book horror heroine Vampirella. It’s obvious that the author, Steven A. Roman, is a fan as the book is lovingly written. The book is segmented into several parts including a history, […]
Book Reviews Books & ComicsFrom the Stars…A Vampiress is an unauthorized yet comprehensive reference guide to the comic book horror heroine Vampirella. It’s obvious that the author, Steven A. Roman, is a fan as the book is lovingly written. The book is segmented into several parts including a history, episode guide, behind-the-scenes of the nixed Hammer Films project, exploration of the 1996 Jim Wynorski made-for-cable movie, novel series, and more. Anyone who is into the character of Vampirella and horror comics history would surely be interested in this one.
The book goes in deep. There are plenty of behind-the-scenes moments compiled from other written sources and interviews. If you have ever felt the need to geek out on Vampirella you have everything you need right here. After reading the book I do feel that I have an understanding of the history of Vampi and the people and companies behind her. As a fan of comics, comic book art, and the why-things-happened aspect of fandom I found it interesting and enjoyable.
The one thing that the book sadly lacks due to its unauthorized status is nice full-color artwork featuring Vampirella and other characters associated with her. What would have gone great with this book is pages from the original comics and covers from some of the talented artists referenced within the book. I found myself searching for images and pages online as the author actually suggests at one point. He does try to fill the book with photos, letters, and sketches. These images are great companion pieces and no doubt valuable to the serious fan.
From the Stars…A Vampiress is definitely the kind of reference book that one could hold on to and reach for when searching for information on just about anything Vampirella related. For the casual reader, this book is probably too dense with specifics to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. However, I would definitely recommend this to any Vampirella fan, comic book history fan, or horror comic fan.
http://www.starwarpconcepts.com/from-the-stars-a-vampiress/
Many of the greatest horror movies have psychic elements. Telepathy, although useful if belonging to good characters, has caused unbelievable havoc when used by the evil characters in these movies. While only some horror movie psychics are evil, almost all are creepy – even if they use […]
Movies & TVMany of the greatest horror movies have psychic elements. Telepathy, although useful if belonging to good characters, has caused unbelievable havoc when used by the evil characters in these movies. While only some horror movie psychics are evil, almost all are creepy – even if they use their powers for good. It’s a casualty of the job, since being able to see into other people’s minds is inherently creepy. That being said, here are my top-five creepiest psychics in horror cinema.
This diminutive psychic with the unmistakable voice first appeared in 1982’s Poltergeist, a film that horror buffs should know quite well. Poltergeist concerns a family that is terrorized by spirits with very bad intentions. Tangina is hired by the family to communicate with the spirits and rescue their youngest daughter from the spirit dimension. Although she’s one of the heroes of Poltergeist and its sequels, Tangina’s appearance, cadence, and voice have burrowed themselves into the viscera of many viewers, sending a chill up their spines when the movie is evoked.
Thelma is a relatively new addition to the horror canon but one that deserves recognition. The Norwegian film centers on the titular Thelma, a sheltered Christian girl who harbors psychic powers. If you think this sounds similar to another horror movie with the same one-word name as its psychic female protagonist, you’re not wrong. In fact, the movie that you’re thinking of will appear later. Thelma differs for the fact that Thelma’s powers are triggered by deep desires that her religion considers sinful. Little by little, the movie reveals how these desires resulted in familial tragedies that Thelma has repressed. What’s scarier than a psychic with repressed feelings?
Danny Torrance, as most of you should know, is the little boy from The Shining whose psychic power gives the film its name. It is Dick Hallorann, head chef of the Overlook Hotel where Danny is staying with his parents as winter caretakers, who recognizes Danny’s clairvoyance as the same one that he possesses. Danny’s power allows him to see into the hotel’s troubled past and causes him to do all kinds of strange things. These include talking to an imaginary friend that lives in his mouth, chanting “redrum,” and scrawling the word on his mother’s door while wielding a knife. The hotel, in combination with Danny’s behavior, also takes a toll on his father Jack, who snaps on the family. Because a snowstorm blocks the hotel from outside communication, Danny can’t use his psychic powers over the phone, so he channels “the shining” to call Dick for help. Things don’t end well for Dick, but they do end a little better for creepy Danny.
Here’s the one you’ve all been waiting for. Carrie is about Carrie White, a high school student who’s bullied by her peers, ignored by her teachers, and abused by her religious zealot mother. But Carrie has a secret: she is endowed with powerful psychic abilities. Over the course of the movie she breaks a light bulb, flips an ash tray, shatters a mirror, and makes a kid fall off his bike – all with her mind. Although Carrie’s creepiness is easier to sympathize with than that of other psychic characters, by the end of the film it’s overwhelming. No more will be said in case some readers haven’t seen Carrie, but the climax cements Carrie as one of the scariest psychic protagonists.
Scanners is a movie all about psychics being used as weapons, so it makes sense that a weaponized psychic would have a high “creep” factor. Darryl Revok, the film’s principal antagonist, has the psychic creep factor plus the creep factor of just being a really weird guy. Darryl is a powerful “scanner” (a person with psychic abilities) who wages a personal war against the company that is trying to weaponize him and his compatriots. Beyond that, Darryl wants to take over the world. There are few things more unsettling than a world run by a person who can liquify heads with their mind.
Psychic powers are possessed by many horror movie characters. Most of them are creepy, but some are really creepy. Tangina from Poltergeist, Thelma from Thelma, Danny from The Shining, Carrie from Carrie, and Darryl from Scanners make up my creepy psychic all-star team.
When I was a kid, the TV series The A-Team—a show about four Vietnam vets who dished out vigilante justice on behalf of the innocent while being on the run themselves—was extremely popular and when we neighborhood children would get together, we’d pretend we were […]
Movie Reviews Movies & TVWhen I was a kid, the TV series The A-Team—a show about four Vietnam vets who dished out vigilante justice on behalf of the innocent while being on the run themselves—was extremely popular and when we neighborhood children would get together, we’d pretend we were A-team members, naturally.
All of us wanted to be B.A. Baracus – the bejeweled, mohawked tough guy played by…well, the bejeweled, mohawked tough guy Mr. T, but there was only one B.A. and there were usually four of us. Such is life when you’re eight, so when B.A. wasn’t available, I’d pick Hannibal, the group’s leader, or maybe Face—the group’s slick con artist. But you know who I didn’t ever pick? Murdock—the show’s clownish comic relief. Its Ringo.
For me, James Whale’s The Invisible Man (1933)—starring Claude Rains as Dr. Jack Griffin, a scientist who turns himself invisible and becomes a murderous lunatic in the process—was the Murdock of the Universal Monster Movies. I mean, there WAS no monster, just a loony doctor wrapped in toilet paper. I mean, really, how many times did you or your classmates dress up as Dracula or Frankenstein’s Monster or the Wolfman for Halloween growing up? How about Dr. Griffin? You get the idea.
Perhaps this is why Leigh Whannell’s (Saw, Insidious) remake of The Invisible Man by way of Blumhouse Productions and starring Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men, The Handmaid’s Tale) is such a revelation—low expectations. That’s certainly part of it. But more substantively, this movie succeeds—somewhat surprisingly—in all the ways good movies do.
The Invisible Man (2020) begins as Cecelia Kass (Moss) attempts a midnight escape from the oceanside mansion of her abusive boyfriend Adrian Griffin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), a narcissistic sociopath engineer/entrepreneur who’s made a fortune developing “optics technology.”
Cecelia makes it out by the skin of her teeth with the help of her sister Emily (Harriet Dyer)—a no-nonsense San Francisco cop. Emily’s fellow cop, and close friend of the sisters, James (Aldis Hodge) and his teenaged daughter Sydney (Storm Reid) open their home to provide a safehouse in which Cecelia spends the next several weeks recuperating and learning to deal with the PTSD and agoraphobia wrought by the despicable abuse she’s endured from Adrian.
When Cecelia receives news that Adrian has killed himself, she accepts a meeting with his brother, and the attorney of his estate, Tom Griffin (Michael Dorman). Tom reveals that Adrian has bequeathed five-million dollars to Cecelia with certain stipulations, namely that her involvement in any criminal activity whatsoever immediately renders the estate payments null and void. Cecelia takes the money and moves on with her life.
Almost immediately, though, Cecelia suspects something nefarious is afoot when her things come up missing, including—creepily—the blankets under which she had been sleeping. Things escalate quickly as these strange occurrences become violent and then deadly. Once Cecelia’s convinced that Adrian has faked his death and has been stalking her utilizing a version of his optics tech that renders him invisible, it becomes a race against time to convince everyone else that she’s not crazy and that their lives are in grave danger.
So, what exactly is this current iteration of The Invisible Man?
It can fairly be called a thriller. But “thriller” is such a weak, half-hearted label among people with our cinematic proclivities so let’s go ahead and call it a horror movie, specifically a ghost story without a ghost. Most importantly, though, it’s an on-the-nose yet incredibly powerful allegory for the plight suffered by abused women. The gas lighting and the paranoia that brings. The victim-blaming. The way things shake out when even a victim’s allies become skeptics and question whether she really understands the abuse she’s endured. And of course, the way the abuser essentially becomes invisible as the victim faces these dynamics head on and often alone. To his credit, it appears that Whannell took care to get these elements right and that’s both culturally and artistically laudable.
Structurally, The Invisible Man is a tight pot-boiler, containing nary an ounce of unnecessary fat. It’s carried along by impressive performances all around, particularly that of star Elisabeth Moss whose victim-to-survivor arc is full of palpable anxiety and vulnerability, and that’s before we even get to any of the more sensational sci-fi elements. When the invisible bad guy is added to the mix, the result is a film that moves forward briskly and culminates with a classic double twist. And it somehow manages all of this without ever feeling too contrived.
The Invisible Man transcends its inherent disadvantages to offer us something that horror fans and mainstream movie fans alike will enjoy, even if you’re remake-averse. Afterall, I went in feeling a little Murdock and came out pitying the fool.
The Invisible Man is currently playing theaters everywhere.
