J*A*S*M

In the competition of unambitious, silly hixploitation killer fests that go straight to DVD or TV, Blackburn is one of the most tolerable entries. It’s watchable, gets to the point pretty quickly, the abandoned mines are atmospheric, the villains look OK, there’s always something going on; its idiocy didn’t manage to piss me off.

Alvarez is a master. In Don’t Breathe he delivers a similarly intensive and energetic horror story as in his recent remake of Evil Dead, but with a more focused and, in many aspects, more surprising tale, based on a simple premise that is exploited to the maximum effect. In other words, satisfaction in every aspect. My only quibble is all those “endings”, where it seems that it’s “done”, but it turns out it isn’t due to bad decisions. Regarding the small time criminals from Detroit, nobody would expect them to behave rationally in a crisis situation, so OK. Don’t Breathe, however, stands out formally and with the performances. Stephen Lang as a blind war veteran is one of the best horror villains in recent years and Jane Levy is a candidate for the modern Scream Queen – the poor thing has gone through a lot in both Alvarez’s films :D... The camera, the sound, the dirty atmosphere. GREAT! Thanks to its sober run, the film is the antithesis of boredom and it’s also impossible to take the opposite critical position, that it’s too harsh and nasty. It is what horror should be. Certainly one of the highlights of the year.

A slightly upgraded Almost Human, but with telekinesis. One the one hand, a pretty nice 80s – 90s retro, on the other, it looks unintentionally funny in many scenes. The last third it hits the right notes pretty well, but I was expecting more. Not more blood, but more… execution confidence? It is so borderline, but at least it works.

This wasn’t too good. We are used to better stuff from Spain. Its main problem is that it’s impossible to establish any relationship with the characters, they are all replaceable, uncharismatic nobodies without any qualities. I’d be fine with the unnecessarily shaky camera, even with the less than stellar make-up of the infected, and the basic premise (a fit of madness that subsides quickly but passes on from character to character) has quite good potential actually, but the script should have worked it out in a more interesting fashion. As it is, it’s nothing but an uneventful B-movie, passable thanks to its modest run, but that will be forgotten the day after.

In the first four episodes, total engrossment and enthusiasm. In the second half, (only) satisfaction with the gradual revelation of what’s going on, but the initial fascination waned. All those comparisons to the 1980s, Spielberg, Carpenter, King and others are totally fitting. The characters and the casting are great, and I’m looking forward to going back to that world in the second season. 2nd season: In terms of plot, more of the same. But the charm of a small town in the 1980s, the cute interactions among likeable characters and the fear of the unknown are gone and replaced by fooling around with a herd of digital monsters. At times I had the impression I was watching some fucking animation instead of a horror series.

A richer horror sub-genre blend than I expected. That naked old man with blazing red eyes will probably haunt my dreams for a few days, thanks a lot! Perhaps it is overstuffed, there are so many motifs and evil or potentially evil entities that I’m not entirely sure that I got everything, but the overall impression is very positive nonetheless.

Available on Vimeo: link

I can’t ask more from mainstream horror. A very simple plot that doesn’t waste much time and goes straight to what matters, scaring. The idea originally used in Sandberg’s short is varied again and again, and it still works. The ghost or monster is hidden in the dark for most of the time, but even when you can see more of it by the end, it doesn’t lose much of its horror. The “friend’s” ghost backstory that I dreaded in the trailer is delivered elegantly and it actually sounds a little disturbing. But what sets this film above its mainstream competition are the characters and their relationships. Everyone is nice or at least you can understand their behaviour. But, most importantly, they aren’t one-dimensional figures devoid of personality and, already from the beginning, the film works with relationships that are not totally banal. I won’t say that it delivers some nuanced psychological picture, but it still goes a lot further than the overrated Conjuring. Although Lights Out is basically an intimate horror movie, for me it’s better than Wan’s bigger works. The characters are under a real threat. Technically it is comparable to the premier league. It’s unlikely to be the best of the year (that one already appears regularly in indie waters), but it’s certainly the best mainstream horror flick in recent years. I will gladly watch it again. 9/10

51st KVIFF – Allen has made a recycled, safe comedy snack. Eisenberg plays a confident and absent-minded young man. Steward city is a mess, so there’s balance in the universe and everything is where it should be. The characters aren’t real people, but one-dimensional figures on the chessboard of Woody’s humour, and everything just fizzles out.

51st KVIFF – the ending pulled it to a solid four stars. A story with a moral: don’t eat so much.