Horror Films and One Other

"Rites of Spring"
starring: AJ Bowen, Anessa Ramsey, Sonny Marielli, Katherine Randolph, James Bartz, Shanna Forrestall, Skylar Burke
written and directed by: Padraig Reynolds

This is an interesting albeit bizarre indie horror film in the same vein as "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and its progeny.

As per opening titles, Mississippi since 1984 has seen a rash of unsolved disappearances, and it’s soon clear why: A farmer (Marco St. John) has been abducting young women and feeding them to the thing (Amile Wilson) that lives in the gooey lair beneath his barn; his latest catch includes Rachel (Ramsey), who’s not going down without a fight. Meanwhile, Ben (A.J. Bowen), Amy (Katherine Randolph) and Paul (Sonny Marinelli) kidnap the daughter (Skylar Burke) of a local tycoon (James Bartz), taking their captive to an abandoned factory — into which the creature eventually chases Rachel. Execution is first-rate; logic is absent.

There isn't really anything gripping about the film, but it's still sort of entertaining.
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"Animal"
starring: Joey Lauren Adams, Elizabeth Gillies, Paul Iacono, Thorsten Kaye, Amaury Nolasco, Keke Palmer, Jeremy Sumpter, Parker Young
written by: Thommy Hutson and Catherine Trillo
directed by: Brett Simmons

First off- what the hell happened to Joey Lauren Adams?! This was the actress I developed a major crush on after seeing her in "Chasing Amy" and then "Big Daddy" back when I was in high school. She really seemed destined for larger fame. And now, she's sort of dropped down to like C-list celebrity and not even starring in this campy horror film (through Drew Barrymore's production company) about 5 friends who travel into the woods for a bit of respite only to be terrorized by some weird, ungodly creature dubbed: animal.

"Animal" finds five friends out for a friendly hike in the woods until they get sidetracked and wind up in the woods after dark. Lurking in this forest is a mysterious creature with a taste for human flesh. The group happen upon the creature just as its feeding and they make a mad dash for it, with this animal hot on their heels. They’re able to make it to a cabin where three others have been holed up, also doing their best to stay out of the animal’s grasp (they're the group seen at the very beginning of the film). Plan after plan the group tries everything within their capabilities of escape, but one by one they're whittled down to one and it’s up to the lone survivor to make it past the creature alive.

There really are no details about the mysterious creature, which is good (and bad), we don't know where it came from or how to get rid of it, why it feeds on human flesh, etc. But, then again, do we really need to know any details? Can't we just enjoy the ride, even if it's rather boring, with lots of talking amongst the characters?

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"Sweet Home"
starring: Ingrid Garcia Jonsson, Bruno Sevilla, Oriol Tarrida Homedes, Eduardo Lloveras, Miguel Angel Alarcon, Luka Peros
written and directed by: Rafa Martinez (and Angel Agudo)

Now this is a great psychological thriller/horror/foreign film from a country that really understands how to craft a great horror film to mess with the viewer's psyche.

The opening credits make a wobbly attempt to connect the plot to contemporary social issues. Stats are given suggesting that a small percentage of the many questionably legal forced evictions which leave many poor Spaniards homeless each year are carried out by hunky hooded men who, for example, sprinkle cockroaches onto elderly tenants’ bath sponges to terrify them before killing them.

One such tenant, Ramon (Jose Maria Blanco) is visited by Alicia (Ingrid Garcia-Jonsson), a real estate agent who inspects houses whose owners want to sell them to speculators. Alicia takes the bizarre decision to use this frankly Gothic venue to celebrate the birthday of her depressed, somewhat ineffective boyfriend Simon (Bruno Sevilla). The lights go out: Alicia and Simon are separated, and Alicia realizes that there are men in the building, men who have killed Ramon. There are chains on the doors, the men are hooded, and it is raining very heavily indeed: happy birthday, dear Simon.

The performance of Ingrid Garcia-Jonsson as the "Final Girl" (aptly dubbed for horror films where there's always one girl who seems to survive at the end) is really what drives this film. She plays her character with the right balance of innocence, bravery, wit, and energy to make the audience care about her and cheer for her to not only survive but to really give it to the men terrorizing her for no reason.

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"Let Go"
starring: Gillian Jacobs, Ed Asner, Kevin Hart, David Denman, Simon Helberg, Maria Thayer, Alexandra Holden, Kali Hawk, Robert Bagnell
written and directed by: Brian Jett

This is a surprisingly strong debut film from writer/director Brian Jett, with equally strong characters with histories, as well as strong and cohesive writing.

Emotionally substantive with textured layers of light poignancy, we quickly meet Artie, Darla and Kris. Ex-cons all, they all share the parole officer, Walter. 
Artie a curmudgeonly old coot well into his golden years, recently served time for old school heists and bank robberies. On release, he finds that life has passed him by as his best friend passed away over a year ago and his old partners have settled into respectable lives as grandfathers now playing ball with their grandkids. 
Darla, a quirky young woman with the sultry air of a young Lauren Bacall likes to live life in the fast line and is currently using her feminine wiles to hide from her ex-boyfriend from whom she stole…and then even tried to sell her engagement ring on eBay. 
Kris is a surprise. A once well-respected doctor from an Ivy League school, Kris was convicted of a hot topic white collar crime, insurance fraud against Blue Cross to the tune of a few million dollars and in the process lost his wife and marriage. 
And then there’s Walter. Married and miserable, he is drowning in an empty unfulfilled life. Yet, it is Walter to whom Darla, Artie and Kris look to for help in putting their own lives back together. 

The film's story is ultimately about finding redemption and asking the question- can a leopard change its spots?

As Artie reconnects with his old pals Frosty, Dimples and Donuts, he urges them to get the gang back together again and pull another job. He also finds the embers of an old flame stirring in his heart when he meets up with Phil’s widow, Helen. Darla, on being hunted down by her ex, Frank, must figure out how to get the $50,000 Frank wants as reimbursement for the old engagement ring and in payment of his emotional damages by her “breaking his heart”. Kris, stripped of his medical license, is forced to take menial jobs, none of which he can tolerate or master and then comes face to face with his ex and her very successful new beau which just deflates him even further. As for Walter, well, he’s taken more than a shine to Darla and more than a parole officer’s interest in his charges.

An ensemble (even if it's only 4 major characters whose stories intertwine) really depends on the performances of each actor, separately and then how they come together, and for the writer/director he certainly got stellar performances from all involved.

This was a great surprise find on Netflix.