HOOP-TOBER MOVIES 17-20
17. Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
Not fantastic, but nothing like the disaster I'd been expecting. I guess if you think "The Exorcist" is the best horror film ever then this is going to be a pretty big disappointment. But frankly I prefer something creative like this to the bizarrely popular and wholly derivative "The Conjuring".
It was a pleasant surprise when the tribal figure turns out to actually be a well-dressed scientist, carrying on the contrast of faith and reason from the first movie. Prior to that point things looked a little racially insensitive.
Initially I was confused as to how Regan's mother had managed to become an expert in psychiatry when, last we saw, she was an actress. Turns out Louise Fletcher is not Ellen Burstyn. If Ellen Burstyn had returned, I'm sure telling them apart would have been easy. But with her character strangely absent, I couldn't help but feel confused.
Left: Louise Fletcher, Right: Ellen Burstyn
Not that this was the only confusing element. Louise Fletcher's psychiatrist character has a futuristic machine that is basically magic. By jointly hypnotising two people with a couple of strobe lights it can apparently allow them to see each other's memories. This device allows both Regan and the new priest to see visions from the demon that is dormant since the previous film. The bizarre section of the first movie in the middle east is explained. It seems the demon has a connection with locusts.
All this leaves the opportunity for a lot of cool imagery. It's a little muddled and the same slow pace from the first film is still present. And even while things get pretty trippy it's always too much of a straight narrative to boast the unreal nightmarish atmosphere of an Italian horror. (It's also missing the gore. Something the previous Exorcist movie also had in greater quantities.)
It's got to be said though, Linda Blair has certainly grown up since the last film. She's absolutely gorgeous here. Still not great as an actress, but beautiful all the same.
The final act is ludicrous, but sadly not in a way that follows neatly from the earlier craziness of the rest of the film. - Where did that house go?
But in the end this might actually have benefited from being even more ridiculous and more consistently dream-like. We continually seem to be promised a more down-to-earth narrative, while the film never actually settles down.
With a bit more craziness and a lot more gore, this could fit the bill as a fantastic Italian horror film. As it is, it's a wonderfully entertaining, yet appallingly daft, sequel finishing in the most preposterous way.
C-
18. Candyman (1992)
Candyman is a slasher film with a difference. While Candyman is essentially a ghost story and has some of the characteristics of a ghost story which normally have me rolling my eyes, there's an interesting twist on the genre. Candyman is not technically a ghost, he is an urban legend. That can be disorientating since he wears a big coat which seems to be anachronistic to the period from whence his story originates. His hook for a hand also appears unconnected to the original story. But this actually makes sense, since an urban legend is not fixed to the original story, but develops and evolves out of an initial context, updating itself for new listeners.
The acting is awesome with a great performance from the leading actress, Virginia Madsen, who at the time was trying to get beyond her role in "Dune" for which she was mainly known (and was probably not helped by a recent role in "Highlander II: The Quickening"). Tony Todd is, of course, brilliant in the iconic role with his fantastic stage presence and his deep distinctive haunting voice.
My main problem with Candyman is the magical realism. The film establishes a real life setting for the events but, as is often the case with ghost stories, the powers of the villain are inconsistent. There's an indication that we shouldn't take what we see at face value, yet the down-to-earth explanations for events are more than a little muddled. Also, the confusion of the protagonist about the reality surrounding them (which we in the audience share) means that some memorable moments aren't as immersive as they should be.
Candyman kissing the protagonist with a mouth full of bees is a visually impressive, but I was more interested in how the filmmakers pulled it off technically rather than experiencing a visceral emotional reaction. In spite of the great performances, the stakes for the characters were unclear. The magic in the story meant that there were no clear rules and so threats could not be easily considered. (Particularly threats from a super-powered manifestation of an urban legend.
This film probably deserves its status as a classic. It's solidly acted, has clever ideas and some very interesting and original elements. However, despite enjoying this, I felt somewhat frustrated by it too. The final act felt confusing to me. This is worth watching but it's not something I could highly recommend.
B-
19. The Sacrament (2013)
In spite of my disappointment with his entries in a couple of anthology movies, my enjoyment of "The Sacrament" now solidifies me as a Ti West fan. I found "House of the Devil" to be a very strong and interesting project despite the slightly underwhelming final shock. I absolutely adored "The Innkeepers" partly because of the sweet and hilarious central performance, but also because of the unique twist (which not all viewers appear to recognise).
This latest film from Ti West is mock documentary footage. With found footage being such a wearying trend for many horror fans, the format alone has been enough to foster scepticism. However, two actors from "You're Next" (Joe Swanberg and A.J. Bowen) turn out to be pretty strong in lead roles.
The documentary footage struck me as realistic, the various interviewees are plausible and the events are engrossing. Things get a bit over the top in the second half, but then again that's after the events based on genuine history have already upped the ante.
The whole film is well paced and never lost my interest. As a horror comedy fan, I still prefer "The Innkeepers", but this is my second favourite Ti West film so far.
A+
20. Proxy A+
After first seeing Joe Swanberg in "You're Next" and then again in "The Sacrament", he appears again here. He appears to have a certain comic flair which helps to give add to the sense of fun which most decent horror tends to possess.
I've not heard of director Zack Parker before, but he appears to be no stranger to shocking subject matter. Yet strangely this seems less horrible than it might have been had it been an ultra serious drama. As a horror film this doesn't shy away from the disturbing content, but on the other hand with the clear intention of shocking the audience rather than seriously exposing genuine real-life issues it's not relentlessly miserable like a serious drama might have become.
I found myself reminded of "Fight Club", not just because of the inclusion of self-help groups, but also because of the shared theme of characters lured towards self-destruction. There's the same twisted edge to both films and I could easily imagine fans overlapping between these two films.
Still, I must admit that during the earlier part of "Proxy" I began to wonder whether it really belonged in a horror marathon at all. While there's a horrifying event towards the very beginning, the scenes which follow it seem very down to earth, more like a serious drama. Yet as the film progresses, the film simply becomes crazier and crazier. At the half way point things seemed to be wrapping up in a less then satisfying way so I was actually very happy to see that neat package explode into something wonderfully bizarre. The finale was beautifully nuts and utterly twisted. I want more horror films like this please!
A+