/slash 2014 – Day 5: À l’intérieur (Inside)

Posted on October 4, 2014 by cornholio1980

InsideÀ l’intérieur (Inside)
France 2007
Written by Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury
Directed by Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury

“Inside” was the highly praised first feature film of french directors Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury. Alexandre Bustillo and Beatrice Dalle where two of the guests of honor at this years /slash Filmfestival, which is why they showed a little retrospective of their work. I had already seen “Livid” and thought it was ok (which is why I skipped it), but given its status of one of the masterpieces of modern french horrors, I was very excited to finally check out “Inside”. And while I liked it overall, I’m afraid that I also had my problems with it.

It starts with the concept of the movie. Why would La femme go to all these lengths to steal Sarah’s baby, instead of just waiting until it’s born and snatch it from the hospital? I get that La femme is a highly disturbed individual, but I wish they would have addressed why she felt she had to do it this way. Also, trying to cut the baby out without drugging or in any way securing Sarah first, seems highly optimistic. Did she really expect Sarah to just lie down and let it happen? Also: The connection between Sarah and the unnamed woman was soooo obvious that I wish they would have just gone out and told us right away, instead of trying to make it an oh-so-shocking twist. “Inside” also featured two horror movie tropes that I get tired of more and more. A) the accidental killing of a friend/family member, and B) the hero not taking his/her chance to finish the bad guy/girl/femme off. The latter resulted in one of the stupidest scenes that I’ve seen in a very long time. Seriously, what the fuck? And don’t even let me get started on the terrible looking CGI-baby.

My biggest problem with “Inside”, though, was it’s serious case of SPAS, which in this case doesn’t stand for “Stupid people acting stupidly”, but rather “Stupid policemen acting stupidly”. The first two cops already weren’t too bright, but the last one… oh my god. First: Why would he take the guy that they busted with him, instead of just handcuffing him to the car? Or how about calling for reinforcements before going in? The biggest headscratcher, however, was that when the power went out, instead of grabbing Sarah and getting her out of the house and into safety, he thinks it’s more important to turn the electricity on again. I hope for him that he’ll be an electrician in his next life, so that he’s finally able to fulfill his destiny. Seriously, though, that was just a little too much stupidity for my taste.

The fact that I still liked the movie despite all that is ample proof of how well other parts of the movie work. I think the idea behind it is really strong, catching women when they are the most vulnerable. Also, the thought of getting your baby cut out of you like that… that alone is seriously fucked up, and truly disturbing. There are a couple of gruesome scenes (and yes, that’s a plus), and a couple of really strong moments. Also, the atmosphere that builds in the first part of the movie, with Sarah home alone and an unknown woman stalking her, is really strong. And I really loved the performances by Alysson Paradis and – especially – Beatrice Dalle. “Inside” definitely features a couple of unforgettable moments – but ultimately, I think that the concept/idea behind it is stronger/better than the movie itself.
6/10


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/slash 2014 – Day 5: Honeymoon

Posted on October 4, 2014 by cornholio1980

HoneymoonHoneymoon
USA 2014
Written by Phil Graziadei & Leigh Janiak
Directed by Leigh Janiak

“Honeymoon” was probably the movie that I looked forward to the most at this years /slash Filmfestival. And while it might not have been able to fully live up to my high expectations, it still was a decent little horror flick. The first feature film of writer-director Leigh Janiak (another new, welcome female voice in the genre; I’ll hope we’ll see many more movies from her!), “Honeymoon” benefits from the fact that they cast both leads, Rose Leslie and Harry Treadaway, right before their big breakthroughs. Just a couple of months later they probably wouldn’t have been able to afford them for this small indie feature. But they didn’t just get lucky because both of them have become stars since the shoot, but mainly because both give great performance. Rose Leslie in particular is great as Bea. Granted, it’s a little easier for her to shine because she has the more interesting role, and actually get’s to play a transformation of her character, but the way she does it is just great. Harry Treadaway is really good too, though, as the husband who desperately tries to hold on to his wife, who keeps changing in front of his eyes, getting further and further away from the woman that he fell in love with. The chemistry between them is really good, and they are absolutely convincing and believable as a newlywed couple.

I love how the movie plays with themes like the loss of identity, the change of personality, and the question if you can ever really know another person. It’s heartbreaking to see the two of them, who start out so happy, slowly starting to break apart. What’s especially poignant and tragic is that Leigh Janiak and her writing partner Phil Graziadei set this story right after their marriage – which is usually when couples, or at least married couples, are at their happiest. Here, however, the Honeymoon seems to also bring their love to a sad and tragic end. Leigh Janiak’s direction is great. She offers some really moody scenes, and manages to amp up the tension during the course of the movie. Especially given the seemingly tight budget, the movie looks quite impressive. I also really liked the makeup- and practical effects. What I also found quite impressive is that given the fact how often we’ve seen people going to a Cabin in the Woods, where shit happens to them, Leigh Janiak somehow managed to still make it feel new and fresh – possibly because with a setup like that, we usually get clichéd teenagers, instead of a very well and fully fleshed out married couple. Anyway, as unoriginal as the setting in a reclusive cabin might be, I think that in this case, it definitely worked in the movies favor.

If there’s one weakness to “Honeymoon”, it’s the resolution of what’s going on, which follows a very well-known, beaten path. Once my suspicions finally were confirmed, I couldn’t help but feel a little underwhelmed, if not flat-out disappointed. I simply expected something a little bit more original (and, quite frankly, more down to earth). I also think that it was a huge mistake that one rather early scene pretty much gave away the resolution. At first I thought that this had to be a red herring, because I wouldn’t have expected that they would lay their cards on the table so soon. Alas, they did. If they would have kept the mystery alive for a little longer, the resolution itself would still have been worn out, but at least the movie would have kept me guessing until then. The ending itself was great again; and also, because of the way the story unfolded, the great performances by both leads, as well as the fact that I was really rooting for them, my strong suspicion of where this is going didn’t make the movie dull in any way. But without it, it definitely would have been even more exciting and suspenseful.
7/10


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/slash 2014 – Day 5: Starry Eyes

Posted on October 3, 2014 by cornholio1980

Starry EyesStarry Eyes
USA 2014
Written by Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer
Directed by Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer

Going in, I only knew the most basic things about “Starry Eyes”, like that it would be about the dark side of Hollywood, and deal with a young actress trying to break through – which sounded very promising. So promising, in fact, that when I sat down into my seat, I expected to see a movie that might turn out to be one of my highlights of this years /slash filmfestival. And while the first third of the movie only affirmed my hopes, “Starry Eyes” unfortunately takes a disappointing turn for the worse, and never really recovered again.

I really like the setup as well as the first half of the movie. “Starry Eyes” starts off with an uncomplimentary and uncompromising look behind the curtain of tinseltown, and the desperate attempts of a young actress to break through. She goes from one casting to another, while working at a fast food-restaurant. Cliché? Maybe. But I’ve read enough biographies of Hollywood-stars to know that this depiction, even though it might not be especially revelatory, isn’t far from the truth. After another failed audition she gets invited to a new movie project from a legendary studio (albeit just coming back from a longer production break). At first, they don’t seem too excited about her, dismissing her rather quickly, but when one of the casting directors witnesses how she punishs herself for the failure in the womens bathroom, it draws their interest.

At that point, I thought I had the movie figured out, and that the producers only claim to make a horror movie, but in truth try to make a documentary about ambition, and how far people are willing to go in order to reach their goals. Which could have been awesome. Anyway, I really loved what I’ve seen so far. Sometimes it were even very small moments that had huge meaning and subtext for me, like Sarahs scene in front of a mirror, looking for even the slightest amount of belly fat, which perfectly illustrates the double standard in Hollywood. If you wanna be a successful actress, you have to be in extremely good shape. And while that definifely helps with actors too, if you happen to be male and fat, you just become a “character actor” or a comedic sidekick. But roles for actresses that don’t match the insane body image that Hollywood puts across are few and far between. Anyway, the first half of the movie was extremely promising, and full of win.

To my huge chagrin, about the halfway mark [SPOILER]the movie brings in the satanists, and what looked like a great thriller about the spiritual abyss of Hollywood turns into a flat-out horror movie about satanists looking for a suitable host for the new spawn of hell [/SPOILER]. Which was just a huge letdown for me. Now, mind you… the entire movie is very well shot, the kills are joyfully bloody and gory, I loved the great electronic soundtrack by Jonathan Snipes (which is only available as LP – what the fuck?), and Alex Essoe gives just the kind of breakthrough performance her character Sarah is longing for. And as disappointed as I might have been about the direction the movie took, the transformation is quite well done. Nevertheless, I really would have preferred it if they would have stayed down-to-earth and in thriller-territory instead of going into the supernatural direction, after which I couldn’t take it seriously anymore. Which, given the promising start, really is a shame.
5/10


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/slash 2014 – Day 4: The Canal

Posted on October 3, 2014 by cornholio1980

The CanalThe Canal
Ireland 2014
Written by Ivan Kavanagh
Directed by Ivan Kavanagh

— SPOILER-WARNING! —
I usually try to keep spoilers to a minimum, but in this case, the thing that pissed me off about “The Canal” is a big fat spoiler, and if I can’t talk about that, I haven’t got much else to say about the movie. Thus, in this case, I have to do an all-spoiler review. Sorry about that!

I already talked about it a little in previous reviews, but to point it out once again: While I can accept supernatural things in horror movies, I generally prefer those that stick with a down-to-earth threat. One of the reasons for that is that one of the things I like most about horror movies, is the question “What would you do?”, that asks you to imagine yourself in the position of the protagonists. However, while I can buy into ghosts, monsters etc. within the context of a movie, I don’t believe in any of that stuff in the real world. Thus, as much as I might fear for characters that are threatened by some supernatural foe, the “What would you do?”-part of the movie stops working within that construct. Also: I simply find a real-world threat more frightening than vampires, zombies, monsters, and what not. Again: All of this is not to say that I can’t appreciate a well-done horror movie with supernatural elements. Hell, one of my favorite horror movies of all time is “The Shining”, for Christ’s sake. But if I can choose between a grounded, down-to-earth or an other-worldly explanation, I will always go with the former, because it’s just more real for me.

The problem, however, is that most movies don’t let you choose. It’s one of the things that drive me mad frequently with Stephen Kings – otherwise great – short stories. Whenever he offers a natural and a supernatural explanation, he usually doesn’t let the reader decide how he wants to interpret it, but offers up a definite answer; usually on the last page, and always going with the supernatural one. It’s supposed to be this “What the fuck”-twist ending when you think all the time “Dude, that guy’s crazy”, and then there’s this revelation “Whoa, he’s not!”. Which might work once or twice, but when you start doing it all the friggin’ time, it get’s tiresome. And even the best twist in the world can’t make up for the fact that it always ruins the story/movie for me a little. If you don’t fuck around with us and tell us right away that this is a story about ghosts and whatnot, fine. But if you give me the impression to actually trust me as a viewer to have a brain, to be able to think and to find my own explanation, and then in the last second you go and hit me with a twist that’s nothing but a big “Ha, and you thought you were so clever and had it all figured out, but guess what, that shit’s actually real!”-Fuck you, don’t be surprised when I get a little mad at you.

All of this goes a long way to explain why I didn’t like “The Canal” very much. For a very long time, there are two explanations offered for what happened on that fateful night. Either David did kill his wife, but simply cannot cope with it, because that brutal act was so out of his usual character. Or there actually are some ghosts in the house that either did the dirty deed for him, or at least made him do it. I saw this directly after “The Babadook”, and hoped that the movie either would go straight with the psychological explanation, or at least, like the movie before it, would allow its viewers to interpret it whichever way they want. And then there’s the scene where David shows Claire the tape in his bedroom. At first, I thought it was the definitive answer that there actually was some supernatural stuff going on, and thus was quite disappointed. But then they doubled back and actually made it look like there was nothing on the tape, and he only imagined all the rest. And while that alone still wouldn’t have made the movie a masterpiece, I was ready to praise it for that and give it a slightly-above-average rating.

And then comes the scene before the credits, with his son… which already was stupid enough by itself, a shocking twist for shocking twist’s sake. But it also made it clear (at least if we wanna rule out mass psychosis in a “like father, like son” kinda way) that there actually is some weird, supernatural stuff going on – which pissed me off to no end. I felt like Carrie when they dropped the blood on her, making it clear that it all was a hoax, and they made fun of her all along (Ivan Kavanagh really can be thankful that I haven’t got any telekinetic powers). Anyway. So, to sum it up: “The Canal” is a perfect example of how to ruin a fine, solid movie with a horrible ending. And for what? Just to have a twist and can point your finger at the audience, laugh, and say “Fooled you!”. I hated that ending, which forces a supernatural explanation down your throat. Screw the couple of decent scenes before that, the good performances from everyone involved, the nicely handled romance between David and Claire… in the end, it all doesn’t matter anymore. Not least because with that last scene, you lose the one thing that I liked most about it: The way it seemed to handle the fact that David simply couldn’t accept that he did what he did. Unfortunately, Ivan Kavanagh thought it was much more important to shock the audience with that twist in the end. Wrong call, dude!
3/10


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/slash 2014 – Day 4: The Babadook

Posted on October 2, 2014 by cornholio1980

The BabadookThe Babadook
Australia 2014
Written by Jennifer Kent
Directed by Jennifer Kent

I had already heard some great things about “The Babadook” before going in, and I’m happy to say that I can pretty much confirm all of them. One of my favorite things about it is that it can be interpreted as a psychological thriller as well as a flat-out supernatural horror movie. Is the babadook a real thing, or just an expression of Amelia’s depression? You can take the movie either literally or figuratively, and to actually allow the audience to do that (and trust it in that way) instead of giving a last-minute explanation (that 99% of the time goes with the supernatural angle) is really rare; thus that was an incredible, positive surprise for me. I also really loved the ending, even though I’m aware that not everyone was (and will be) happy with the way things turned out. But I really liked one of the final scenes, especially when you go with the psychological explanation and think about what this means and/or says about clinical depression. Full of win.

The cast was great. Essie Davos was absolutely exceptional as the struggling mum, who tries to overcome her grief and her misgivings about her own son. I also like that “The Babadook” doesn’t make a complete monster out of her. Robbie definitely is not the most easy child, often times not listening to his mum, with a tendency to being obnoxious, and a very outspoken nature – more often than not, he talks without thinking. However, he too is not just made out to be a “problem child”. Both characters are very complex, they have their ups and their downs, their good moments and their bad ones, their strengths and their weaknesses. Ultimately, though, the root of the problem lie in their relationship, and the way they deal with each other. The Babadook (either the children’s book or the monster, however you want to interpret the movie) first encourages and then flat-out forces them to deal with their issues, especially Amelia, who has to overcome her rage if she wants to save her son – and herself.

The idea of the monster is great too. I love that the horror in this movie is initiated by a (really creepy and disturbing, but in a haunting way also beautiful) children’s book. The design of the monster itself is quite plain and basic, but still (or maybe even because of that?) incredibly effective. Thanks to Jennifer Kent’s great direction, pretty much from the beginning there’s a scary, intense atmosphere that never really let’s up, and intensifies to some incredible (and incredibly) tense moments. Despite that, there is also some humour that loosens up the movie a bit, and which mostly rests with Robbie and his very straightforward way. Overall, I found this movie to be very intense, scary, and disturbing, and can’t recommend it highly enough.
9/10


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/slash 2014 – Day 4: Oculus

Posted on October 2, 2014 by cornholio1980

OculusOculus
USA 2013
Written by Mike Flanagan & Jeff Howard
Directed by Mike Flanagan

There were a couple of things that I liked about this movie. There were some nice scenes that played with mirror reflections, the performances were good (I heard some bad things about Karen Gillan before going in, but have to say I don’t agree with them; I think some people may be irritated by her deep voice, which can sound a little flat, but overall, I thought she gave a decent performance), I liked the general idea about some sort of cursed, soul-eating mirror, and thought that all the preparations that Kaylie took before she confronted the mirror were a nice idea. It’s biggest strength for me, though (at least for a while), was the clever way “Oculus” played with the question of what’s real and what’s not. The standout for me definitely was the scene with the apple and the light bulb. Unfortunately, even that nice idea lost it’s appeal rather quickly (and was later used, to my huge disappointed, for a worn-out genre trope that I just can’t stand anymore: [SPOILER] The accidental killing of a friend [/SPOILER]).

By far its biggest weakness, at least for me, were the neverending flashbacks. “Oculus” constantly shifts between the past and the present, and while some of those transitions may be done rather nicely, in the end, the flashbacks were just too extensive for me, taking up far too much runtime of the movie. We pretty much know what happened back then after the first couple of minutes, but that doesn’t stop Mike Flanagan and his writing-buddy Jeff Howard to let it play out in front of our eyes in every small detail. I found those scenes, especially as drawn-out as they were, extremely dull. Furthermore, the flashbacks, the interweaving of the past and the present as well as the question of what’s real and what’s not really get out of hand during the finale, to a point when I simply had no idea what was going on anymore – thus, I kinda tuned out, and lost all interest in the movie.

Around the middle mark, they play with the idea that Kaylie might be crazy, and that it’s all in her head. Given the fact that they presented this idea that early in the movie, it was clear to me right away that “Oculus” wouldn’t go that route, but looking back, I think I would have preferred that revelation to the movie – and the ending – that we ultimately got. The way it is, I found “Oculus” to be a rather bland affair.
4/10


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/slash 2014 – Day 4: Kaguyahime no monogatari (The Tale of Princess Kaguya)

Posted on October 1, 2014 by cornholio1980

The Tale of Princess KaguyaKaguyahime no monogatari (The Tale of Princess Kaguya)
Japan 2013
Written by Isao Takahata & Riko Sakaguchi
Directed by Isao Takahata

“The Tale of Princess Kaguya” destroyed me; I was a complete emotional wreck when the credits rolled. I think the last time that I had to fight that hard to hold back the tears in the cinema – and partially failed – was during “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”. I have seen quite a few emotional scenes since then, some of which also really moved me – but nothing that could compare to this. The fact that many other people in the cinema were just as emotional as me only amplyfied my own feelings, and we all kinda spiralled into this huge collective emotional catharsis. Then again, I should point out that not everyone reacted in the same way, and that some found the ending a little bit too much, and/or too worn out. But for whatever reason, this movie really spoke to me. It probably helped that I had no previous knowlegde of the legend this movie is based on, thus I came into the movie completely blank, without any expectation, having only seen the very short trailer. Thus I was completely unprepared to what followed.

It took me a while to get into the movie, though, especially because of the very basic animation style. Having seen the trailer, which prominently shows the flight-sequence (by far the visually most impressive scene of the movie), I expected the entire movie to look like that. Thus, it took me a little while to get accustomed to these very basic and plain, but still beautiful, images. After a couple of minutes, though, I couldn’t imagine this movie to be done in any other way, and given the fact that it is based on an old Japanese folktale, it’s only fitting that Isao Takahata would choose a similarly timeless art style for this movie. I also really liked the story, which I found to be very beautiful, poetic and touching. There are no bad guys here. You may say “What’s the big deal about that”, but I challenge you to tell me the last animated movie out of Hollywood that you can think of that didn’t feature an antagonist. Yes, it happens, but it’s a rather rare occurence. Here, most protagonists only have the best intentions. This is especially true for Kaguya’s father, who just wants the best for her – but in doing so, doesn’t even notice how he destroys her happiness little by little, putting them on a path that will end in a valley of tears.

Another part of the story that I really liked where the challenges for her suitors. That was clever thinking on her part, and a nice way to deal with them. But even here, without any intention to harm or hurt anyone, her actions have dire consequences that haunt her. Despite some dark and sad moments, there is also a lot of fun to be had with this movie, especially during the first third, which shows her unburdened childhood, or later with her instructor. I also loved the dream sequence(s), but I understand anyone who doesn’t like this stylistic device. I’m usually sceptical about it myself, but here it fit the story, and managed to communicate some things, thoughts and feelings that might have been a little too subtle and unclear otherwise. The final major ingredient of this animated masterpiece is the beautiful music, which underscores the emotions of the story perfectly. The only small drawback is the length of the movie. With a runtime over two hours, it might be a little long for children, for whom this movie above all seems to be made (which – obviously, given my reaction – doesn’t mean that adults can’t enjoy it too). Especially the ending is a little drawn out. Since it was such an emotional journey for me, I personally didn’t mind at all, but you might want to keep it in mind before watching it. Despite that, “The Tale of Princess Kaguya” was the best animated movie that I’ve seen in quite a while.
9/10


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/slash 2014 – Day 4: Koto no ha no niwa (The Garden of Words)

Posted on October 1, 2014 by cornholio1980

The Garden of WordsKoto no ha no niwa (The Garden of Words)
Japan 2013
Written by Makoto Shinkai
Directed by Makoto Shinkai

The best thing about this semi-short animated film are the visuals. “The Garden of Words” looks absolutely gorgeous. While I wouldn’t call myself the greatest expert when it comes to animated movies – especially anime – I have seen my fair share, and “The Garden of Words” definitely ranks up there with the most beautiful animated films that I’ve seen in my entire life. The flickering lights stood out for me in particular, but the look of the movie in general is just stunning. But it’s not just the animation itself. I also liked how they showed the progression of time via the same shot of a tree, which showed the change of seasons. Another shot that stood out for me were the umbrellas that approach one another. I also liked the setup, and think that it did a good job portraying the feeling of falling in love with another person, in the way that Takao longed for rain just to see Yukino again. Around the halfway mark, however, the movie starts to stumble a little [SPOILER] (especially with the relevation that Yukino is a teacher at Takaos school)[/SPOILER], and I believe that when it nears the end, it almost drops the ball completely. Takaos speech to Yukino, while obviously coming out of hurt, was so vile and hateful that it irritated me considerably [SPOILER] when she threw herself into his arms afterwards [/SPOILER]. Also, I could have done without that kitschy end song, which for me actually ruined the nice, romantic atmosphere of the movie, because it was just so over the top. However, the nice beginning and the great visuals mostly made up for the struggling conclusion.
6/10


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/slash 2014 – Day 3: The Toxic Avenger

Posted on September 30, 2014 by cornholio1980

The Toxic AvengerThe Toxic Avenger
USA 1984
Written by Lloyd Kaufman & Joe Ritter
Directed by Michael Herz & Lloyd Kaufman

The screening of “The Toxic Avenger” at this years /slash Filmfestival actually was the first Troma classic that I’ve see, and considering what it is and what it wants to be – a trashy, gory, weird revenge-flick – I mostly enjoyed it. I especially liked the very gory kills, the nice contrast between Toxies towering, disfigured appearance and his sweet, gentle voice, and the environmental message (even though it was as subtle as a sledgehammer). Also, Toxie definitely is a weird and original enough hero to leave an impression. By far my favorite part of the movie, however, was the old nazi/chief of police. All of his scenes were just hilarious. On the downside: The characters are all very clichéd and over the top, especially pre-toxic-avengerification-Melvin and the bad teenagers, who aren’t simply dicks, but actually enjoy running people over with their car (extra points for children!). That was a little bit too much for me (even though one could argue that “too much” isn’t a valid criticism for this kind of movie).

Also, the editing was weird sometimes, especially when it comes to the montages. I don’t get why they were there at all – except maybe to stretch the runtime. The first one was very strange, intercutting the love scene between Toxie and his girlfriend with his previous – brutal – adventures, all accompanied by a song; and then, when the song’s over, the montage goes on, and the song simply sets in again. That was just… weird. And the second montage, before the showdown, seemed to show the same scene (of people and tanks leaving the compound) over and over and over again. If they would have done just one of these, ok. But the way they did it, I didn’t get the point of them at all. They seemed to be even more pointless than the montages at the Academy Awards – and that’s saying something! Anyway, overall, I enjoyed it for what it is, and I’m glad that I’ve finally seen it now, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it “good” in the traditional sense of the word.
5/10


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/slash 2014 – Day 3: Afflicted

Posted on September 25, 2014 by cornholio1980

AfflictedAfflicted
Canada/USA 2013
Written by Derek Lee & Clif Prowse
Directed by Derek Lee & Clif Prowse

After “What We Do in the Shadows” confirmed my believe that mockumentary/found footage can work quite well if done correctly (another recent example would be “Willow Creek”), “Afflicted” once again reminded me why I tend to be a little sceptical when it comes to films like that. One of the reasons why people are doing it (next to saving money) is to feign authenticity. But for that to work, you have to play by the rules. “Afflicted” is once again a film that – at least after a certain point in the movie – should only have unedited footage. Instead, there are cuts to different cameras, edits etc. all the time. I guess you could explain that they added these later, unfortunately, it removes the immediacy that the movie wants to project with the live travel blog.

That’s just a minor problem, however; the real problems of the movie lie elsewhere: Some actions didn’t really make a lot of sense. For example: If your best friend assaults a man, possibly even killing him, and you’re filming that – is that really something that you’d post online? WTF dude? It also seems like a really bad idea to do a live stream (which by the way suggests that they actually uploaded even the later parts of the movie, that show Derek killing people, for Christ’s sake!) when you’re aware that the police are looking for you. I guess vampirism also comes with a heavy dose of mental enfeeblement. Also: Why bring up the typical vampire rules when you only stick with a couple of them anyway? That’s just confusing. And for whatever reason, those oh-so-poor vampires that would really love to kill themselves but can’t because they’re immortal totally forget about a nice, long sunbath, which – even though uncomfortable – should do the trick just fine.

However, there were also a couple of things that I really liked about “Afflicted”. The setup was great, with this travel blog, and since I visited Barcelona just a couple of months ago, I found it funny that this was their first destination, and enjoyed those scenes immensly. As much as I’m sceptical when it comes to cheap jump scares, I have to hand it to them: That first one was KILLER, and worked extremely well. It even had a female audience member behind me give an A1 scream queen impression, which made an already great moment even better. I really wish someone would have recorded that scream, it was perfect. I also enjoyed the bit about vampires not being able to choose if they kill, but WHO they kill. It’s not particularly original, but I liked it nonetheless. The biggest strength of “Afflicted”, though, is the direction. POV-shots certainly have come a long way, and I found those scenes really impressive and extremely well done. Ultimately, they are what saved the movie for me.
5/10


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