Pandemonium (2023): a peculiarly unfinished vision of hell

Synopsis: 

After realizing he has died at the scene of a car crash, Nathan descends into the depths of hell, where he is doomed to experience the pain of tortured souls along the way.

My thoughts:

In 2020s it's a challenge to come up with anything truly original when it comes to afterlife and hell. There are already so many nuanced, creative, subtle ways to depicting hell, that the only direction you can go is that of literal almost Medieval interpretation, with torture chambers and rambunctious demons. 

Pandemonium is a standalone horror film that almost feels like an anthology. There is a main storyline that ties several tangent episodes. I was surprised that the golden rule of 3 was violated and there were only 2 subplots. 

Despite its literal pseudo-Dantean depiction of hell, it leaves a little too much to the imagination. Some parts are fleshed out extensively, while others are truncated and end abruptly. It's one of those movies that ends abruptly, making you question whether the creators ran out of funds, energy drinks, protein bars? 

Djinn (2013) - Aladdin meets Rosemary's Baby

Synopsis:

An Emirati couple return home from a trip and discover that their new apartment has been built on a site that is home to some malevolent beings.

My thoughts:

 Have you had enough of freaky kid / possession tropes? Rest assured. Djinn (2013) is not your garden variety possession/exorcism movie. You don't need extensive knowledge of Islamic theology or folklore to appreciate this underrated horror piece. It explores such universal afflictions as postpartum depression, infant loss, grief, guilt and hallucinations. Salama is an educated, fairly westernized Emirati woman dealt one of the worst imaginable blows - her son's death due to SIDS. Reluctantly, she agrees to move to her native country after her husband Khalid gets a job offer. The move proves to be neither a fresh start nor homecoming. It's a trip into a dark parallel dimension. Stuck in a sinister luxurious apartment complex, she finds herself stripped of her identity and any optimistic vision for the future.   

The downside is the cartoonish approach to the hallucination sequence. The visuals and the special effects could have been subtler in some places (footprints on the ceiling, the sinister female form shrouded in black). Sometimes less is more. The luxurious high rise in the middle of nowhere, shrouded in fog, is sinister by itself. 

Maxxine: more blood than skin

I have been waiting for the conclusion of this - I will not hesitate to use that word - beloved trilogy. Maxxxine Minx, now in her early 30s, is living the best version of her best life as an adult film star. Surprisingly, the film leaves much to the imagination. We get many references to Miss Minx's prior cinematic masterpieces. We get winks, nods, grins from her fans. We get to meet her friends and coworkers. But we don't actually see her in action. There is more blood than skin. The common trope of a serial killer targeting starlets is taken to the next level and intertwined with another trope of satanic rituals. If you crave that win-win cocktails of your favorite noir and pulp hits, don't miss "Maxxxine". 

Mia Goth is not your mainstream "leading lady" material, and she knows it. The realization unties her hands. You will probably not see her starring in romcoms. There are too many dispensable, utterly forgettable actresses for that. 

The Zone of Interest: contextual horror

I watched this movie on a flight from San Diego to New York. It was listed under "new releases" next to the new musical version of "Mean Girls" - a very curious selection of titles, if you ask me. "The Zone of Interest" is not a film you can jump into without knowing the historical context. You almost need to watch 5-6 movies on the topic to fully appreciate the horror behind the scenes - "Schindler's List" and "Conspiracy" 2001 come to mind. "The Zone of Interest" is not a horror film that speaks for itself. There is nothing truly gruesome happening on the screen. No battles, no graphic genocide scenes. On the contrary, we see a big nuclear family enjoying an idyllic life in a countryside house. There is nothing immediately disturbing or remarkable. The horror is all in the context. The house is situated in an area around the Auschwitz concentration camp reserved for the SS. Before the war the land was used by Polish farmers. In 1941 the local population was removed from the area and their lands confiscated for the benefit of the SS. The doting father of the family turns out to be Rudolf Hoss, the camp commandant, who was executed after the war. Again, at a first glance, there is nothing inherently monstrous about him. Most films portray SS officers in the act of committing atrocities. This film shows a distressingly, freakishly human side of the monster. He plays with his kids, discusses household matters with his frumpy wife, even cheats on her in a most mechanical, emotionless manner - basically goes through the typical motions a man of his rank might go through. Nothing truly monstrous on the surface. Until you hear his name and learn the historical context. 

Three Musketeers: d'Artagnan (2023) - for the haters of A. Dumas

Greetings, commies!

Anyone else disappointed in the latest Three Musketeers adaptation? One would have expected a more respectful, more faithful adaptation from the French. I walked away with a weird impression that the creators had a deep disdain for the source material, since they butchered up the plot so mercilessly. I guess they despise Dumas. Otherwise, why would they create subplots that serve no purpose? D'Artagnan is shot upon arrival in France for no apparent reason. He ends up crawling out of a shallow grave. You don't even realize it's him until later. Athos is a Protestant, with some brother named Benjamin (a very strange name for an early 17th century French noble). Athos is framed for stabbing a lady in bed and faces execution. Porthos is presented as bisexual. Constance wears what looks like a hijab. The Louvre is like a roadside diner with minimal security. Random people walk in and out. The whole country is filthy and covered in black ashes, evoking images of Chernobyl fallout. But the cherry on top was a mass shooting a-la Kennedy. I understand that American producers have to spread wokery. But these are French filmmakers. Why? 

Stopmotion: a delectable grotesque feast

Greetings, commies!

Synopsis:

A talented stop-motion animator is consumed by the grotesque world of her horrifying creations with deadly results.

My thoughts:

First of all, how did such a potent horror gem end up with such an underwhelming, minimalist title. "Stopmotion". It's like naming your cat "Kitty" or "Whiskers". I am willing to make an exception for historical films referencing specific individuals or events, like "Napoleon" or "Pearl Harbor". This horror film deserves a more menacing, elaborate title. Rant over. 

"Stopmotion" should be watched in tandem with 2002 "May". The two films feed off of each other thematically, esthetically and psychologically. Both actresses look alike. Aisling Franciosi, who plays Ella, resembles Angela Bettis, who played May. Both actresses are ambivalently 20-something, have an old-maidish vibe about them. Both characters are a bit out of touch with reality, at odds with humanity and have a love-hate relationship with their inner demons. "Stopmotion" leans on some of the proven horror gimmicks. Yes, there is a freaky child / imaginary friend / alter ego. There is a toxic mother-daughter relationship that echoes "Black Swan" and "Carrie". It's really hard to come up with truly original conflicts. So you basically reuse the same staples - with unique touches. What sets "Stopmotion" apart is the sheer horror of the creatures that come from Ella's imagination. The grotesque synthetic monsters are worthy of Guillermo del Torro's vision. 

"The Iron Claw" 2023 - "Black Swan" meets "Godfather"

Synopsis

The Iron Claw is a 2023 biographical sports drama film written and directed by Sean Durkin about the Von Erichs, a family of professional wrestlers who are "cursed" by constant tragedy. The film depicts the struggles of wrestling company owner Fritz Von Erich's sons to achieve the success their father groomed them for, from 1979 to the early 1990s–resulting in more tragedy.

My thoughts

It took my husband some effort to convince me to watch this movie with him, and I'm glad I did. This is not a straight up sports drama. Even if you don't care for sports in general, let alone something as kitsch as professional wrestling, you will be moved and disturbed by "The Iron Claw".  You don't need to be a ballet dancer or afficionado to appreciate "Black Swan". The psychological nuances will leave you unsettled. 

In the very first scene we meet Fritz Von Erich, the family patriarch who keeps his sons trapped on a capsule. They struggle to function outside of that capsule. I always found that siblings from such tightknit, almost cult-like families often lack social skills, because they don't need to cultivate relationships outside of the family unit. The Von Erich boys look like skittish, feral animals in the bodies of grown men. 

Tiger parenting is not limited to high achieving Asian American moms. It was fascinating to see a white man employ the same parenting gimmicks to groom his children for his version of success. Fritz, portrayed by Holt McCallany, is ruthless without resorting to physical brutality with his boys. You never see him threatening or hitting his sons, yet his power over them is unquestionable. You almost thing of Don Corleone from "The Godfather". It's frightening to see grown men so subjugated by their father. He takes their deaths nonchalantly. 

Zac Efron, a former teen heartthrob, is unrecognizable as the family's oldest surviving son, shouldering the responsibility for his younger brothers. The former pretty boy redefined himself and proved to be capable of handling serious dramatic roles. 

Of course, it takes a British actress (Lily James) to play a wholesome, ambitious Texan girl. I have zero complaints about her performance. Still, it's hard to believe that there were no American actresses who could handle this role.