#filmbuff
Happy Halloween ghouls!! Such a magical time of year when all the freaks come out to play - it’s me, I am freaks. For my last horror movie recommendation for this month, I rewatched one of my absolute favorites - 2009’s ‘The Triangle’.
This is more in the thriller genre but the storyline is interesting and also, shall I say, scary. Im doing my own plot synopsis today because I just adore this film. It opens with a group of friends (including a very sexy, young Liam Hemsworth) preparing to go sailing in the Atlantic on a yacht. Our main character, Jess seems a little dazed and confused from the very beginning even having trouble remembering where her son is, who, we gather, she was supposed to bring on the sailing trip. She’s disoriented and we’re not sure why, but even her new friends think she’s acting more than a little bit weird.
All of sudden, in open water, they lose all wind in their sail and essentially get stuck in the middle of the ocean with an eerie storm brewing not too far off. It’s a strange scene watching the sail go completely limp and their boat become enveloped in the violent storm. They get some strange interference on the radio when calling for help - also, according to the coast guard, there is no storm on the radar. Something is definitely amiss.
The yacht their sailing does not withstand the storm and capsizes forcing the group to board a mysterious ship that seemingly appears out of nowhere. However, after boarding they soon realize that the ship is abandoned, but that’s the least of their worries.
Fun fact: the ship is called the Aeolus, who was the god of wind. There’s a Sysiphus reference here - in Greek mythology, Sysiphus was condemned by the gods to push a rock up a mountain only to see it roll down again for all eternity. This is an important reference for the plot, so keep that in mind.
We soon start to feel that perhaps they aren’t alone. Perhaps their being stalked. They discover weird cryptic messages and always seem to be one step behind whoever is watching them.
The first time I saw this it really messed with my head and I was so blown away by the creative story. I really didn’t want to give too much away with my recap because there’s a pretty good twist here that I would hate to ruin. But this movie is exciting and keeps a fast pace from the very beginning. It’s kind of a mental mind fuck and I absolutely love it. And rewatching after all these years, I think it still holds up and is really the type of film that’s going to keep you on your toes, start to finish.
Fair warning it can get pretty violent, so if you don’t like that, just move right along. This is a thrilling adventure and it does not slow down. Enjoy! Happy trick or treating. And Happy Halloween!!!
Another from the vaults of my horror loving memories is an off-the-beaten-path gem. ‘The Nightmare’ isn’t technically a horror I think it’s more of a documentary with a horrifying subject. The film digs into the accounts of multiple people and their similar experiences with sleep paralysis.
It doesn’t sound like much (if you’re a psycho) - but it’s a condition where people are unable to move speak or react kind of a state between awake and sleep. It’s pretty freaky and I’ve experienced it a couple times when I was a kid. Thankfully never to the level of these people in the movie.
(From #rottentomatoes):
“A documentary-horror film exploring the phenomenon of 'Sleep Paralysis’ through the eyes of eight very different people. These people often find themselves trapped between the sleeping and waking worlds, totally unable to move but aware of their surroundings while being subject to frequently disturbing sights and sounds. A strange element to these visions is that despite the fact that they know nothing of one another, many see similar ghostly 'shadow men.’ This is one of many reasons many people insist this is more than just a sleep disorder. This documentary digs deep into not only the particulars of these eight people’s uncanny experiences, but it also explores their search to understand what they’ve gone through and how it’s changed their lives.”
And that’s where it goes from “oh this is an interesting documentary about a common experience“, to, “these people are clearly being tormented by demons”. There’s literally no middle ground. We go from actual sleep studies to way out there existential theorizing. At the end of the thing I didn’t know what to think anymore. Are they seeing demons? Aliens? Multidimensional brings? And how are all their “visions” so similar? This movie actually scared the living crap out of me and I was afraid to sleep for a few after I watched it.
It’s creepy because perhaps we’ve all felt the sensation of sleep paralysis at least once. When I was a kid, they said that it was the devil sitting on your chest. That’s a pretty messed up thing to say to a kid. However, considering the shared visions these total strangers have, it all makes me kinda believe that old saying now.
I actually could not watch this film a second time. It still kind of haunts me when I think about. This is a really good scary film, one that will definitely have you keeping one eye open at night. Don’t let the devil sit on your chest.
I don’t know if y’all remember but I used to be so passionate about what I was watching on the Telly that I would sometimes just have to write about it. It’s been a really long time since I’ve done this but this particular show on Netflix just got me so hyped up I couldn’t resist. Btw this is a French show (there’s overdubs but I always prefer to watch foreign shows in the original languages using subtitles).
Brace yourselves for Marianne people it’s scary af. In fact, this show is not for the light hearted and I actually would encourage those of you who don’t like horror to steer clear of this series. It’s the type of scary that seeps into your dreams and puts you on edge to the point you almost think Marianne might be haunting you IRL.
A brief synopsis (taken from #google)
A famous horror writer who is lured back to her hometown discovers that the evil spirit who plagues her dreams is now wreaking havoc in the real world.
This is about as much as I can say without ruining the scares. It’s a pretty meta concept: horror writer is haunted by her own creation, or so we think. What I think I loved most about this first season is the use of practical effects over CGI. This is something that’s always been more effective to me in creating a eerie, more realistic atmosphere.
This is a series! This fact threw me off a bit in the first episode. I just was so totally freaked out that I couldn’t imagine they could drag the scares out for 8 episodes. However, I soon learned that this story definitely deserves the extra time to really delve into the characters and most importantly our villain. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful and the location in a small coastal French town only lends to the story’s uneasiness.
I love that it uses classic horror elements like the stabbing violins, long, close tension building shots and the nice cheap scare here and there. My main issue with this was pretty much my same issue with every horror - where are the goddamn police?!
To be fair, there was some pretty decent involvement from the authorities, but you know you, it could’ve been a bit more realistic. However, when I think about it, that could also have just taken away a lot of the campy elements that make a good horror seem not so serious or self important, and just a touch silly. And I like that.
Speaking of camp, there’s nothing like a good creepy smiling face to really mess up your whole evening or week of evenings if you’re easily creeped. And this show is chocked full of the most unnerving facial expressions I’ve ever seen - the opening scenes in episode one hit me hard and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to push through it. And I LOVE horrors, so that saying a lot for me.
The thing is, I’m a horror fanatic, and it takes quite an effort to truly spook me. That being said, the scariest sub genre of horror for me is and always will be that of the demonic variety. I dunno, ghost stories don’t scare me because like my husband says, “If you get me ghost, I’ll be on your plane and you’ll have to deal with me forever.” Monsters aren’t scary because there’s usually so much CGI involved that it loses it’s grounding. Slashers? Bitch please - come at me bro. However demons be on some other s***. Like how do you even fight that?!
Another fun fact about Marianne is that it’s received the seal of approval from living horror legend Stephen King himself. From #businessinsider -
The legendary author tweeted, “If you’re one of those sickos - like me - who enjoys being scared, ‘Marianne’ (Netflix) will do the job.”
“There are glints of humor that give it a 'Stranger Things’ vibe,” he added. “It also has (I say it with all due modesty) a Stephen King vibe.”
So now that it’s officially October aka Halloween time, if you think you can handle it, check out this new horror gem. I absolutely can not wait to see where this goes in the next season.
