Annabelle Comes Home and the over-saturation of the Conjuring Universe.

Annabelle comes home is the latest film in The Conjuring Universe and the third in the Annabelle series; about the killer doll of the same name. This newest entry answers the question of what happens after series heroes The Warrens take Annabelle home for the first time. That said Ed and Lorraine Warren, (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) are mostly absent for the entirety of this film with it instead focus on the rag-tag group of the Warren’s daughter Judy, her babysitter Mary Ellen and her friend Daniela as they battle Annabelle and a series of spooks and demons. Therein lies the problem with this film; it feels like a Conjuring 2.5 that no one wanted. For those who aren’t intimately familiar with the Conjuring series the first Annabelle film setup what she can do and her place within the universe after being introduced all the way back in the original Conjuring, and then the second Annabelle film established her creation and backstory. In short, this third film served no purpose, the end of the original Conjuring reveals the dolls addition to the Warrens collection, so in terms of broader narrative this film added very little new. Whats-more this film makes it painfully apparent that Warner Brothers are testing the water to see what new spin-offs they can make, the Bride? The Ferry Man? That suit of samurai amour? To this end it the film almost feels cheap with it just being used as a test case.
Furthermore, I found the inclusion of the Warren’s annoying as I and many others would have just preferred the Conjuring 3; where they would have something interesting to do, instead of just being around to plan their kids birthday party. Moreover, and this is a problem not only with this film but the wider Conjuring Universe, the scares have become that formulaic that they are no longer scary if you have seen one movie you have seen them all. The over-reliance on jump scares and audio ques is painfully apparent, and the audience is noticing; this film has been one of the worst performers of the whole CU. My criticisms are coming from a place of love as I genuinely do have a great fondness for these series, I feel burnt out, disappointed, disenchanted with what once was great. This latest entry while not a bad film by any means is a beacon of everything I’m saying and is incredibly average. The cast is a collection of stereotypes and cliches, with one having a dead parent who she feels responsible for; haven’t we all heard that one before. The only member of the cast who makes you feel anything is horror veteran Mckenna Grace, who plays Judy as vulnerable and in need of some friends. What makes her character so good is the reason she is alone is that all of the other kids know what her parents do and fear her for it, making for an interesting to think about the dynamic between parent and child; with a sweet moment in the end. Ultimately this film is more like a feature-length episode of Goosebumps, having lost all the edge that made the franchise so popular. While I remain hopeful for the Conjuring 3, this film shows a worrying trend in the Conjuring movies, reaping the lack of scares that comes with using the same jump scares over and over again. It’s watchable if not memorable.

2.5/5

Luke

Masters of Horror 2: Jordan Peele

So to briefly recap, The Masters of Horror is a series of articles I’m writing in which I drive into new and upcoming names in horror cinema, to hopefully inspire you the reader to check out these visionaries and their works. Said creators and directors are all bringing something new to the table with their specific creative visions; none more so embody this than today’s subject Jordan Peele. Peele rose to prominence as a comedian with his friend Keegan- Micheal Key; having proven his comedic genius over many years of performing, with Toy Story 4 and Keanu as proof. However, in 2017 it all changed Peele took a substantial left-field turn into horror, this, of course, was his film Get Out.
In the lead up to Get Outs release, many people were skeptical as to whether a horror film written and directed by a comedian could be good. Then the first trailer came out, and all the doubt turned into cautious anticipation. When Get Out released audiences realised just how misplaced their suspicions had been, being met with was a horror film that made you think. The horror wasn’t in jump scares; there were no demonic possessions or over-reliance on gore; instead, it focuses on a man going to meet his girlfriends family for the first time, a very personal and human fear. Admittedly this was no ordinary family; instead, a family obsessed with the ideas of racial superiority and a strange form of hypnotism, but hey it’s a horror film. The subtle racial tensions that coursed through the film’s veins added an extra layer of not only uncomfortability but also social commentary. Get Out was an unexpectedly massive hit with it becoming far more significant than anyone would have ever expected it to be. This significance mainly comes from Peele’s breed of horror, which focuses itself on themes of identity and races taking his horror cues from human nature and the inner darkness within us all. Much like the subject of part one Ari Aster, Peele likes his films to be ambiguous, for them to be able to be interpreted different ways by different people lending them more to debates and theory crafting. Peel’s second release US, a film with more of a conventional horror threat evil, killer doubles, shows this almost without question as the film poses many questions, who are the Teethered, why are they so hell-bent on murder, and what does the whole Hands Across America event have to do with the overall narrative? None of these questions have answers, and that is by design; with Peele most likely knowing that the answers he could provide are less satisfying than the ones in people’s heads; there is an intense horror in ambiguity after all. Peele is very keen to show us all that real fear can lurk below the surface, sometimes literally, and can come from even the most mundane of circumstance. In this current year of 2019, you can’t have a conversation about horror cinema without Peele’s name coming up, and that is an incredibly good thing, as his approach is undeniably fresh and novel. With a new Peele horror film releasing horror fans are feverish with excitement, and I believe that is because he, much like some of the other names on this list, can be trusted to provides us horror fans with a much-needed break from the same old possession or haunted house horror film. For his deep dive into what drives us not only as people but society through the means of horror, I think Jordan Peele is very deserving to be amongst the ranks of the Masters of Horror.

The Nun

The Nun is the latest film in the Conjuring Universe, fleshing out the character of Valak, the Nun, who first appeared in the Conjuring 2.
The plot of the film is a Valak origin story, set in a Romanian convent during the 1950’s. Following Sister Irene, (Taissa Farmiga), Father Burke, (Demian Bichir), and Frenchie, (Jonas Bloquet), as they investigate a suicide at the convent; which is much more than it appears.
The Nun is not a horror film at least I didn’t think it was, yes it does have jump scares, more on that later, but on the whole, it felt akin to a Gothic adventure film, not too far from the likes of Crimson Peak. The reason for this is the horror the film presents.
The jump scares, though well done, are predictable, so the film is left to rely on its atmosphere; which is not constantly menacing, like many other horror films are, instead it is gothic in it’s purest form. The non-horror nature of this film is a hard thing to describe; the closest parallel I can draw is to the Hugh Jackman staring Van Helsing film, yes there are horror elements, but it is an adventure film first and foremost.
Why the film chose to structure itself like this is anyone’s guess, but evidence for it comes from the protagonist’s quest to find the blood of Jesus, even some of the shots in the film are more in line with the Brother Grimm as opposed to something like Insidious.
That said, I liked the atmosphere and, the film itself.
The actors themselves do their best with the material they have, Farmiga, in particular, is very good. However, despite this, they are all underdeveloped, outside of the role they play in the narrative; which is a shame as they could have been so much more. Frenchie, in particular, proves my earlier point, he is the comedy relief of the film. Without him, the film would be a lot darker, a lot more like a traditional horror film, but his oneliners and, demon zombie killing shotgun prowess make the tone of the film similar to something like last year’s the Mummy, neither wholly action or horror.
To conclude if you like jump scares this film won’t let you down. However, if you like well-crafted horror films it will. With a tone similar to that of the Dark Universe this film is more gothic action adventure than horror. A strange film in many ways, but crucially not a bad one.
3/5
Reviewed by Luke.

Upgrade

Upgrade is an action horror film, produced by Blumhouse, of Insidious fame, being the companies first venture into the action genre. The plot follows Grey, (Logan Marshall-Green), as a man who loses his wife and his ability to move at the hands of a group of armed men. When all seems lost in steps, Eron Keen, (Harrison Gilbertson), with a device called Stem, that can give him both the ability to walk again and, the tools for getting revenge. What follows is a surprisingly deep dive into the symbiotic relationship between man and machine, revealing a collection of harrowing truths.

This film has some much to praise, such as merging the action, horror and dark comedy genre; to an outstanding effect. The film’s action feels very real and weighty, with there being some incredibly gory sequences; which are surprisingly effective from a narrative standpoint. The only issue is that there isn’t enough of it, after the very slow build at the beginning, the delivery is superb yet sparse. The action scenes are fantastic but, they are too few. The film’s horror is incredibly strong, perhaps the best element of the film. It all derives from a conversation about technology, can it be trusted and what has it done to earn our trust? The answers the film gives to these questions are both harrowing and fascinating. Said themes and ideas serve to show the complexity of the narrative; with a lot going on beneath the surface. The comedy of the film is pitch dark, and spot on near every time, never failing to make you shudder as much as you laugh.

The performances in the film are a mixed bag. Marshall-Green sells every scene he is in, conveying a wide array of emotions in a few facial expressions. His performance is much more layered then you would expect from an action film leading man. However, the supporting cast doesn’t get any near the same level, with Cortez, (Betty Gabriel), being a clear example. Cortez is a frustrating character, even sometimes annoying, but this is no fault of Gabriel as her lines are weak and uninspired. Cortez has no development, the scenes she is in you are left asking why she’s there. The main issue with her weak narrative is that it deflates the film’s emotional climax, cheapening it somewhat.

Overall this is a surprising success, very deserving of all the praise it is getting, yes it has some minor issue, but on the whole, it is superb. A must see for the message alone. Another hit for Blumhouse.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Slender Man

Slender Man is a horror film based on the notorious, internet creepypasta. Slender Man for those of you who don’t know is a being who torments, targets and in some cases kills people, mainly children. The plot of the film focuses on a group of friends who summon Slender Man, swiftly things begin to go wrong. The screenplay suffers from incredibly poor writing, with baffling, nonsensical decision making; such as the reasoning behind why the girls summon Slender Man: being another group of people are doing it, so they think why not. That’s it.

On a positive note, the film did make some welcome additions to the Slender Man lore; this is only thing the film gets right. However, even this is a double-edged sword as the mythology they set up also serves to demystify Slender Man to a dulling effect.

What’s more, the film fails to make Slender Man creepy, which is laughable as they had so much to work with, instead, he is forgettable; even when he is in his full form he doesn’t inspire thoughts of fear, rather disappointment.

The dialogue in the film is not even laughably bad, that would be too warm a term, it is a collection of the most out of touch, cringey, maddening lines you will ever hear– with the writer trying and failing to capture the essence of Teenage lingo. Said, Teenagers are so bland and forgettable it is hard, even during the film, to remember their names; let alone care about them.

Overall this film reeks of meddling, with absent sequences and has character’s storylines going unresolved; despite a resolution being central to the narrative. To me, this a cynical attempt to cash in on a brand with very little thought given to anything else; Slender Man deserves better than this.

1.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Unfriended: Dark Web

Unfriended: Dark Web is a horror film and sequel to 2014’s Unfriended. However, it is a sequel in name alone: as none of the characters from the first film are revisited. The main similarity with the first film is its layout, with most of the film taking place online. This layout is initially jarring, but over time becomes more and more natural. The plot of this instalment centres around Matias, (Colin Woodell), as he starts using a strange laptop, he stole. Once, he begins using the laptop things quickly devolve, with him and his friends finding themselves in one of the darkest corners of the internet- thus beginning a life or death struggle.

Something that hugely benefits this film is the change in threat. Where the first film had a restless, malicious spirit seeking vengeance, this one has an altogether much more real menace. This menace is, of course, a group of depraved dark web dwellers, who hire people to slowly torture and kill, unsuspecting victims. This choice of focus makes the scares all the more terrifying: the fact that something like this could happen in real life makes the threat far more- intimate. This film didn’t make me scared in the traditional sense; instead, it made me anxious.

The anxiety of the film comes from the fear of what might happen to the characters. The film achieves an incredible task, it makes you care about the protagonists, all of whom are boring and in one case very annoying. The characters are the usual collection of stereotypes, and you’ll forget about them as soon as the credits roll. To call them bland would be an understatement, they are devoid of personality; with the character development being all but non-existent. The romance between Matias and Amaya, (Stephanie Nogueras), is well done to a degree and is convincing, though is still not all that memorable.

Finally, the film has two different endings, which I won’t spoil here, but I just wanted to make a note of it: because I think it is an ingenious move that makes this film unique.

Overall, the uneasy tension and the feeling of dread throughout makes up for the poor character work. A must see for all genre fans!

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

The First Purge

The First Purge is the latest film in the Purge series; set as a prequel to the previous 3 films; explaining how the day came to be. The main plot revolves around a group of Station Island residence and their struggles throughout Purge night. To phrase it very simply it’s more of the same. The story itself doesn’t really add anything new to the mix, except showing us the scientist behind the Purge. Said scientist, May Updale to be specific, is played by Marisa Tomei in a few brief scenes. The greatest positive for this film is it’s cast. Y’Lan Noel who plays the main protagonist Dimitri is fantastic and incredibly believable; with his Die Hard esque action sequence in the films third act being a true highlight of the film. Another great performance comes from Rotimi Paul as Skeletor, another truly memorable villain to add to the series pantheon. However, aside from these two instantly memorable characters, the rest are a mixture of bland, cliched and underused. The cast feels bloated, and as a result, most of the characters are left shallow and unexplored. In terms of the horror this film does have some great moments, being both incredibly tense and very unexpected, however, these moments are few and far between. Out of the series so far this is probably the least scary. This instalment also suffers from a tonal disconnect, with the film fluctuating between elements of horror and comedy, with the result being a film that has an identity crisis; this is a familiar problem to the series. Another thing that’s worth noting is this film is very heavy handed on the social commentary; in my opinion, losing all subtly. Social commentary has been a good thing for the series in previous instalments, as it has allowed the series to explore some interesting ideas; however, this film is the step too far. This film does have many positive elements about it but is in my opinion representative of a decline in the series, with a parallel being drawn between it and the later Saw films. To conclude whilst this is a weaker instalment in the series, The First Purge is still enjoyable, it is still able to supply you with to get your horror fix. As such I would recommend it to any genre or series fans.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Hereditary

Hereditary focuses on the after-effects of a death in the family, in this case, the Grandmother; portraying themes of family and life after death. Toni Collette who stars as Annie gives a powerhouse performance here. With Annie also having incredibly nuanced dialogue that makes you question whether the supernatural happenings are real, or if it is simply her deeply broken mind. Another fantastic performance is by Alex Wolff who is a scene stealer, managing to capture a true and unrelenting sense of fear and helplessness. The cinematography is gorgeous, with every shot looking almost handcrafted, one such example is the dollhouse scenes with the cut between the zoom on the dollhouse, and then the corresponding scene in the actual house, working to great effect. What’s more the minimalised sound design really helps to build a sense of tension and unease, as the audience is straining to hear any sound to figure out where the scare is coming from. Hereditary is the tensest film you will watch this year, with a lot of truly harrowing scenes and unexpected twists; keeping you near perpetually on the edge of your seat. The film does use the odd jump scare here and there, but in general it gets its scares from the unexpected events and even from dialogue. The final 20 minutes are truly the scariest part of the film because the other acts of the film so excellently set them up. Hereditary is a master class in storytelling with each shot revealing something regarding the film’s many mysteries. My only negative is some of the plot points in the films first act feel a little heavy-handed and unrealistic, clearly written in to foreshadow and set up later events.
Overall, this is a must-see for horror fans.
4.5/5

Revenge

Revenge focuses on Jen, (Matilda Lutz), who goes on a hunting expedition with her boyfriend and his, “associates” only to be assaulted and left for dead; managing to survive and seek out vengeance. This film has a strong sense of style, best shown through the film’s score and eye-popping visuals. The visual style of this film is quite distinct, with a strong use of colour contrast, as well as vistas to show both the beauty and the hardness of the desert setting. Furthermore, the use of Phoenix symbolism, in the latter part of the film, is great as it represents both the change in Jen as a character, whilst also the ideas of the Rape and Revenge sub-genre. Lutz’s is fantastic as Jen, with her character being not only believable but, also one you form a strong emotional attachment with; to the extent that each time she is hurt you actively worried about her. This film knows it’s a B movie, and relishes it; in all, it’s gory splendour. The violence in this film is ridiculous, being reminiscent of Robert Rodriguez’s early works or, something suitably bloody. My personal favourite scene of the film is when Stanley, (Vincent Colombe) must pull a shard of glass out of his foot: being my favourite simply because of how wince-inducing it is. The sound design here is fantastic, probably the best of the year, with the juxtapositions of diegetic and non-diegetic music being incredible. Such as when Stanley is listening to music with lyrics like “I’m in love”, only to cut to a violent scene with a mad rush of non-diegetic music as well of plenty of diegetic screaming. Another example is during the peyote scene, with the non-diegetic music bridging over into the world of the film as a product of Jen’s drug-infused mind, helping to tear down the wall between the film and the audience. The climax of the film is incredibly tense with Jen hunting down her boyfriend Richard, (Kevin Janssens), with match on actions shots, ramping up the sense of mortality. The villains of the film are all menacing in their own separate ways, with Richard being the most intense, with his tendency toward unannounced aggression making him a truly memorable villain. Overall this film is not for the faint of heart, it can be incredibly tough to watch at times and if you are squeamish this is not the film for you. However, if you do venture to see it you will see one of the best horror films of recent memory.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke.

The Strangers: Prey at Night

The Strangers: Prey at Night is a slasher film focusing on a family as they are terrorised by 3 masked killers. Now before we begin I just want to say that I love the slasher films of the 1980’s. Prey at Night is not new or original, it is the same thing you’ve seen before, however, the unoriginality isn’t a bad thing here. What I mean by that is, though every cliché in the slasher genre is used here, Prey at Night is happy to point out the cliches and have a laugh at them. This film in many ways is a very loving homage to 80’s slasher films, with everything from the near unstoppable killers to the rebellious teenager, proving that this film is very aware of its DNA. To phrase my overall thoughts in a succinct way this is “horror junk food” it is dumb scary fun to be enjoyed until better, more inventive horror films, like Hereditary, arrive. I think in many ways this film is better for being a sequel, as the scope is far larger, yes, it is still confined to one family but, at the same time, the new setting, of a trailer park, allows for far more grizzly potential than the house setting of the first film. The overall mythology of the Strangers themselves is kept maddingly vague; beyond the “Why not” mantra. The 3 Strangers are all suitable menacing, with Doll Face and The Man in the Mask being particularly threatening. The weak point of the film comes from the family Cindy, Mike, Kinsey and Luke, (Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, Bailee Madison and Lewis Pullman, respectively) being so bland. Hendricks who is the films big star is barely in it, with Henderson and Pullman being so bland and generic that you forget who they are after a while. However, the saving grace comes from Bailee Madison. Madison’s Kinsey is the only real, compelling character who is given motivations and is somewhat developed; and, I would be very interested to see a third Strangers film focusing on her. My final two notes about the film are one: the score is fantastic, with the 80’s song choices helping to give this film some identity and cement it as a homage to the Craven era slasher. With the other being that the ending is left open enough to set up a third film, depending on how well this one does, and that is a prospect I quite welcome. Overall there is some genuinely good scares here and a strong amount of tension, defiantly a step up from the first film but, it’s still only slightly above average.

2/5

Reviewed by Luke.