Infested (2023)

Original Title: Vermines

Director: Sébastien Vanicek

Starring: Théo Christine, Sofia Lesaffre, Jérôme Niel

Residents of a rundown French apartment building battle against an army of deadly, rapidly reproducing spiders.

I have to mention this at the beginning of this review: if you have Arachnophobia, I definitely don’t recommend ‘Infested’. Ever since I was bitten by a spider a while ago and experienced the worst pain ever, I hate spiders, so I don’t know why I still watch movies about spiders…

Kaleb lives in a run-down apartment building. He has a history of theft and dealing with drugs, but now he makes an honest living selling shoes. He collects exotic pets, which he keeps in his room. One day he buys a small spider. From the film’s opening scene, we know this is no ordinary spider, so this creates nice tension.

When the spider gets out of the temporary box Kaleb keeps him in, all hell is about to break loose in the building as the spider multiplies, and grows. (No spider on earth can reproduce or grow at the rate the spiders in this film do, so yeah, it is exaggerated for the sake of suspense. Just don’t take it too seriously and you’ll have a jolly good time.)

Well, erm, I don’t think “jolly good time” is the correct term to use here. Honestly, some of the scenes were so suspenseful that I could hardly stand it! The director understands (our) fear. He knows what creeps us out and the tension gets under your skin. ‘Infested’ is one of the most suspenseful spider movies I’ve seen!

If you think the spider effects look realistic, this is because 200 real spiders were used for the film! Sure enough, some spiders were CGI, but fact remains there were actual spiders on set for the actors to interact with. This added to the realism of the film.

Although this is not a gory film, this will be a difficult watch for some viewers. As mentioned, if you suffer from Arachnophobia or have a distinct dislike in creepy crawlies, it might be best to avoid ‘Infested’. As the film progresses, there are more and more spiders and the film becomes incredibly tense. This is a very well made film, and I enjoyed the fact the film also concentrated on the characters, allowing us to root for them. Despite being exaggerated towards the end, this is still one of the best spider movies out there. Watch it if you dare!!

‘Infested’ received award nominations for Best Visual Effects, Best First Film, Best Director, and won Best Picture at Fantastic Fest.

In French.

Would I watch it again? Yes.

Arcadian (2024)

Director: Benjamin Brewer

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Jaeden Martell, Maxwell Jenkins

A father and his twin teenage sons fight to survive in a remote farmhouse at the end of the end of the world.

Let’s face it; just as unnecessary as it was to watch ‘Bird Box’ if you’ve seen ‘A Quiet Place’, it is completely unnecessary to watch ‘Arcadian’ if you’ve seen ‘A Quiet Place’ and ‘Signs’. There honestly is nothing here we haven’t seen before.

The film starts off leaving the viewer guessing as to what’s going on. The opening scene gives us a quick glimpse of what appears to be an invasion. 15 Years later we see a father and his two sons locking up their home before sunset, and we soon gather there are creature lurking at night.

The film focuses mainly on family drama as we see a single father trying to make the best of their situation with his two teenage sons Joseph and Thomas. I wasn’t entirely sure whether they actually were his children, or if they were abandoned kids he found in the rubble as per the opening scene.

Thomas works on a farm for the Rose family during the day, and the love interest comes in the form of Charlotte, whom Thomas has feelings for. The film really doesn’t explain much, and the apocalypse is explained in a mere 10 seconds between these two characters. By the end of the film I still wasn’t sure whether the creatures were mutated humans, or aliens.

I also didn’t find Nicolas Cage strong enough in the movie. Here, I don’t blame the actor; I blame the script. His character, Paul, is a protective father and he really tries hard given their circumstances, but he isn’t given all that much to do. The film is carried by Joseph and Thomas.

I didn’t like the shaky camera work nor the editing, and at times the movie was far too dark.

As I said, if you’ve seen ‘A Quiet Place’ and ‘Signs’, ‘Arcadian’ will feel all too familiar. Yes, this is a well made movie and the creature effects are good, but was there a need for this film?

Would I watch it again? No.

Abigail (2024)

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett

Starring: Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Alisha Weir, Kevin Durand

After a group of criminals kidnap the ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, they retreat to an isolated mansion, unaware that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.

Young Abigail is a ballet dancer, and she is from a wealthy family. Her dad is a very powerful man. Hired for a 24-hour job by a guy named Lambert, six criminals kidnap Abigail from her home. The intent is to ask a $50 million ransom. To protect their identities and due to the nature of the job, the criminals are given fake names.

Abigail is taken to a secluded mansion (and I must say I enjoyed the setting in this big old house). Joey (Melissa Barrera) is instructed to look after Abigail, but after the young girl remarks “I’m sorry for what’s about to happen to you”, Joey gets spooked. When she tells Frank (Dan Stevens), he insists Abigail reveals who her dad is…and things start getting out of hand from there.

I absolutely LOVED the first half of this movie. The mystery element allowed for a few unsettling moments. Even though I knew this to be a vampire movie, it was still unpredictable. I found it to be a fresh take on a very familiar genre. I was captivated, on the edge of my seat and glued to the screen.

Being a vampire movie, you know someone is bound to be bitten by a vampire, and will become a vampire themselves, so no spoilers in mentioning this. Only, when the characters start turning, the film became all too familiar and became standard genre stuff. Even so, it was still entertaining, but I definitely enjoyed the first half much more.

Be warned, this film gets gory and bloody! And I mean bucket loads of blood!! It’s best to finish your popcorn and snacks before the third act. This is not the kind of movie I expected Dan Stevens to do, but I must say I rather enjoyed this different role for him.

In general, this is a nice addition to the vampire genre. It has a good script, good score, good sound effects, good make-up, good photography, and I thought 15-year old Alisha Weir did a wonderful job as Abigail.

Would I watch it again? Yes, I believe I would.

Immaculate (2024)

Director: Michael Mohan

Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Simona Tabasco

Cecilia, a woman of devout faith, is warmly welcomed to the picture-perfect Italian countryside where she is offered a new role at an illustrious convent. But it becomes clear to Cecilia that her new home harbors dark and horrifying secrets.

On invitation from Father Sal Tedeschi (Alvaro Morte), Sister Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney) joins a convent in Italy . With the opening scene already having set the tone for the rest of the film, the audience already knows there is something terribly wrong at the convent.

Cecilia is welcomed by the not-so-friendly and somewhat mysterious Sister Isabelle, who also becomes Cecilia’s mentor. Cecilia befriends Gwen, who apparently does not have faith but joined the convent for a place to stay, food, and to live a descent life.

Cecilia soon starts having nightmares and is plagued by creepy visions. Beware: Jump scares ahead!! The jump scares come without warning and they are guaranteed to make you jolt in your seat! Despite all the (effective) jump scares, ‘Immaculate’ is still a slow burn horror.

Here’s where there might be spoilers, so if you don’t want to know, stop reading! Without having had sexual intercourse, Cecilia discovers she is pregnant. This is viewed by the other Sisters as a miracle, and some even refer to her as Mary. However, her being pregnant is no miracle, as we discover, and under the façade of faith and devotion lies a sinister plan. Father Tedeschi is also not who he appears to be…

Hell, this film takes a turn I never saw coming!! The third act is fantastic, and it does become much gorier than I expected. Sydney Sweeney delivers a powerful performance and proves she has what it takes to become a vengeful protagonist. What an incredible finale!

‘Immaculate’ was indeed a pleasant surprise. I don’t always like unexpected turns in movies, but here it was just wonderful. Well done!! ‘Immaculate’ earned $21.7 million on a budget of $9 milllion.

Would I watch it again? Yes!

Amores Perros (2000)

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Starring: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo

An amateur dog fighter, a supermodel, and a derelict assassin, all separately struggling to find love, find their lives transformed by a devastating car wreck in Mexico City.

‘Amores Perros’ tells three stories that interconnect. The first story is called ‘Octavio and Susana’. Susana is married to Ramiro, who works at a supermarket. To provide for them he robs stores. Ramiro’s brother, Octavio, lives with them. When Susana accidentally lets Ramiro’s dog Cofi out, Cofi kills Poncho – a fighter dog owned by Jarocho. Realizing Cofi’s capabilities, Octavio starts dog fighting with Cofi. (Many of these scenes will be too sensitive for dog lovers, as it was for me, even if shown merely for a few seconds). Octavio is secretly in love with Susana and – with Susana being ill-treated by Ramiro – Octavio asks Susana to run away with him. There are a few unexpected twists, though.

The second story is called ‘Daniel and Valeria’. Caught in a loveless marriage, Daniel is having an affair with model Valeria. When he eventually leaves his wife and buys an apartment for him and Valeria so they can finally be together, a car accident leaves Valeria seriously injured, causing her sponsors to cancel her modelling contract. With tension rising between them – being aggravated by Valeria’s dog being stuck under the floor boards! – their newfound freedom proves to be anything but the happy life they were hoping for.

The third story is ‘El Chivo and Maru’. El Chivo might look like a hobo – with a love for dogs – but there is more to him than meets the eye. We discover him and his wife separated years ago, telling their daughter, Maru, he was dead, but now El Chivo is trying to make contact with Maru again. As it turns out, El Chivo is a hitman, and pursuing his next target.

All these stories and characters interlink throughout the film. Prepare yourself, though, this is no feel-good movie. On the contrary, it is quite depressing, but it is a good film. Each story takes unexpected turns, and the film captured my attention from beginning to end.

‘Amores Perros’ earned $20.9 million on a budget of $2.4 million. It received 79 award nominations, winning 55 including Best Editing, Best Special Effects, Best Make-Up, Best Set Design, Best Cinematography, Best Actor in a Minor Role, Best Director, Best Film, and Best Screenplay. It received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

In Spanish.

Would I watch it again? I don’t think so.

The Wretched (2019)

Directors: Brett Pierce, Drew T. Pierce

Starring: John-Paul Howard, Piper Curda, Jamison Jones

A defiant teenage boy, struggling with his parents’ imminent divorce, faces off with a thousand year-old witch, who is living beneath the skin of and posing as the woman next door.

Although the film’s logline mentions a witch, this antagonist has all the traits of a demon, and I will therefore view and review ‘The Wretched’ as a possession movie.

With so many possession movies out there, I need a movie of the genre to have a quality that sets it apart from the pack. There are so many cliched possession movies out there that it becomes a blur when I try to think of some of them.

Think 2023’s ‘When Evil Lurks’. This film dared to go beyond familiar ground and presented us with an utterly disturbing possession movie unlike I’ve seen in a while. ‘The Wretched’, for me, was just another possession movie in the myriad of movies in the genre. Having said that, ‘The Wretched’ is a well made movie and it is a good one. I just don’t know if I will remember this in time, because there was nothing uniquely memorable here.

When a young woman, Abbie, hits a buck on her way home from the forest, she takes it home to slaughter and to “teach her son meat doesn’t necessarily come from the grocery store shelf”. That night a creature that crawled out of the buck consumes Abbie, and she becomes possessed. Well, maybe not possessed in the true sense; possibly the witch entered her body and now acted as Abbie – which is all the same as possession, anyway.

Our hero is teenager Ben, who lives with his Dad, Liam. Liam works at the marina, and offered Ben a job. Liam and Ben are Abbie’s neighbours, and soon Ben becomes suspicious of the goings-on at the house next door.

There’s some family drama and a few twists. There are some creepy and scary moments. But ultimately ‘The Wretched’ was just another possession movie for me. I also didn’t find Ben a strong enough character (or actor) as the protagonist. And then there’s Mallory who also works at the marina and sort of became an interest (I hesitate saying love interest) to Ben. I couldn’t really place this character, who also, wasn’t really a strong enough character.

The make-up and contortion effects were excellent, and definitely the film’s highlight. ‘The Wretched’ is still worth a watch if you’re into the genre, but for me this is going to be forgettable.

Would I watch it again? No.

Lake Mungo (2008)

Director: Joel Anderson

Starring: Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, Martin Sharpe, Talia Zucker

Strange things start happening after a girl is found drowned in a lake.

Presented documentary style, ‘Lake Mungo’ is a mockumentary – supposedly based on events that happened in 2005 in the small town of Ararat in Australia. The use of ‘police footage’ also gives the film a more realistic edge. The performances are so believable that one can easily be fooled into believing this to be a documentary.

The film – erm, documentary – is about Alice Palmer, a 16-year old girl who disappeared while the family were picnicking at a lake. Her body was found at the bottom of the lake just a few days later. Alice had drowned, and the family had a difficult time accepting what had happened.

Shortly thereafter the Palmer family started hearing noises coming from Alice’s bedroom, and later they had sightings of her. It became clear Alice’s ghost was in the Palmer home still. But this was only just the beginning of bizarre events that were to follow…

The film became more spooky and creepy as it progressed, but it also started losing its realistic feel when it edged towards the ‘Paranormal Activity’ genre. Still, those who believe in ghosts will definitely be freaked out by the film.

There are interesting – albeit shocking – reveals about innocent little Alice during the final act. ‘Lake Mungo’ was an interesting watch that had be captivated from beginning to end. I also loved the film’s subtle score.

Would I watch it again? I don’t think so.

Imaginary (2024)

Director: Jeff Wadlow

Starring: DeWanda Wise, Taegen Burns, Pyper Braun

A woman returns to her childhood home to discover that the imaginary friend she left behind is very real and unhappy that she abandoned him.

At first glance I assumed ‘Imaginary’ to be a ‘Child’s Play’ type of movie, but ‘Imaginary’ is unlike any other doll movie out there, and its not trying to be one. At first I though Chauncey the teddy bear was far too passive, and I didn’t like the voice either, but we soon discover there’s actually a good reason for this.

Jessica and her husband Max moves into Jessica’s childhood home together with Max’s daughters Alice and Taylor (who is as cliched a teenager with issues as they come in these types of movies). Whilst playing hide and seek, young Alice finds a teddy bear in the basement and this becomes her new best friend.

I found Max to be a dispensable character. In fact, not even halfway through the movie he leaves town only to return much later when he is needed – or was he really? I feel the movie would have done perfectly – if not better even – without this character, who contributed nothing to the film anyway. Jessica was by far the strongest character.

During the first half, we mostly follow Alice’s story with her newfound friend, but after the halfway mark there’s a big twist that steers the film in an entirely different direction. The attention then shifts to Jessica, who carries the rest of the film. The film takes many unexpected – and rather weird – turns, and there’s so much going on during the second half that I’m probably going to forget it in a month or so, if that long. In time, I believe, I will remember having seen the movie, but will forget how it plays out, and ends.

‘Imaginary’ gave me a sense of ‘Insidious’ meets ‘Poltergeist’ with a hint of ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ thrown in there as well. Whichever way you look at it, ‘Imaginary’ is already one of the big talked about movies of 2024 despite receiving mostly negative reviews from critics. To some extent I agree with some of these reviews, but fact remains ‘Imaginary’ is indeed a very different movie. Give it a go; it might just be your next guilty pleasure.

Would I watch it again? I don’t think so.

Just Before Dawn (1981)

Director: Jeff Lieberman

Starring: George Kennedy, Mike Kellin, Chris Lemmon

Five young people venture into the backwoods of Oregon to claim a property, and find themselves being stalked by a hulking, machete-wielding psychopath.

‘Just Before Dawn’ is an 80’s slasher featuring a machete wielding lunatic. I must be honest, I didn’t really view the killer as a worthy or original antagonist. He looked more like a weak version of Jason Voorhees, and was in fact more funny than scary.

In typical 80’s slasher style, we have a bunch of youngsters ready for the chop. They head up the mountains to go camping, and as they start having fun, the guessing game starts as to who will be the first victim, and who will survive. This is what we like about slashers, ain’t it?

Unlike many genre films of the same era, ‘Just Before Dawn’ takes it’s time before the first kill (after the initial killing in the beginning, off course, which sets the mood and prepare us for what’s to come). I do like the 80’s movies, being shot on location with natural surroundings as opposed to being shot in a studio with effects added in post-production. The acting just felt more realistic that way.

Being shot at the Silver Lakes State Park, this allows for beautiful scenery and spectacular waterfalls. From an adventure point of view, I really enjoyed this movie. When the killing starts, it’s an adrenaline rush to the climax. Oh, and then that climax. There is a twist as well, which I won’t reveal, but hell, the ending was a bit strange. The moment I’m referring to is that moment victim and killer fights to the death – I mean what the hell? Couldn’t they have found a better way? Considering the size of the killer I didn’t find this believable, which is a pity, because this is actually a really good film. Even the performances were surprisingly good, and I liked the characters.

Regardless of the strange confrontation they opted for, ‘Just Before Dawn’ in general was an entertaining watch, and not a bad addition to the slasher genre.

Would I watch it again? Probably not.

Wild Tales (2014)

Director: Damián Szifron

Starring: Darío Grandinetti, María Marull, Mónica Villa

Six short stories that explore the extremities of human behavior involving people in distress.

Seldom do I watch an anthology film where I enjoy every segment. Such was the case with ‘Wild Tales’. Although some segments have thriller or horror elements, the black comedy ensures they never quite cross that threshold, allowing you to crack a smile and be thoroughly entertained.

The first and shortest segment takes place on a plane. When chatting to a fellow passenger, a model is surprised to find he knows her ex-boyfriend Gabriel Paternak. Another passenger was his music teacher, and also doesn’t have anything positive to say about him. In fact, it turns out everybody on the plane knows Gabriel, and everyone had a bad experience with him…

The second story is about a waitress. On a dark and stormy night, a man that caused her family grief comes into the restaurant. Telling the cook her story, the cook then insists on poisoning the man. But things get much worse…

The third story sees a bit of an arrogant guy, Diego, in a fancy new car overtaking a guy, Mario, in a crappy car after Mario spitefully tried to prevent him from overtaking. Diego insults Mario, but when he later gets stuck with a flat tire and and Mario arrives, the two men get in more than just a heated argument over what happened.

The fourth segment is the story of a man who loses everything just because he parked in a non-parking bay to buy a cake for his daughters birthday. Trying not to pay the fine and get an apology, he gets into a hell of a lot of trouble! This is actually the only story that ends on a happy note.

The fifth story is about Santiago, accused of hit and run after he struck a pregnant woman. When the woman and her unborn baby dies on the way to hospital, Santiago’s dad pays a family friend, José, a large sum of money to take the blame, assuring him he’d be out of jail after a year and a half. But then the dad’s lawyer and a prosecutor also come up with plans, and now it clearly becomes a matter of greed…

The final story is the wedding of Romina and Ariel, but this ain’t no fairytale wedding. When Romina finds out Ariel slept with another woman, things get wild between bride and groom, and this is putting it mildly! I actually so enjoyed the ending to this one!

In fact, I enjoyed every segment very much, making this a highly entertaining black comedy thriller!

‘Wild Tales’ was a huge commercial success, becoming the most-seen Argentine film of all time, and earning its budget ten-fold at the box office. It received 107 award nominations, winning 49 including Best Latin-American Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best New Actor, Best Music, Best Editing, Best Sound, and Best Original Screenplay, among others. It also received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.

Would I watch it again? Yes.