Week Ending 10/27/23
Happy Halloween!
Is it weird that I still sing the children’s song in order to spell Halloween?
I haven’t watched that many horror films this month despite the constant social media inundation throughout October facilitating exactly that. Unless you count watching the Bills and Sabres crawl through their respective schedules with sub-.500 records. That’s been a bit of a nightmare in and of itself.
Never caught up with NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU. Or TALK TO ME. WHEN EVIL LURKS hits Shudder today and I’m really excited for that one. My goal is to watch all three soon since I’ve heard great things, but watching the Stuart Gordon inspired (so I’m told) SUITABLE FLESH this week has me wanting to press play on a “classic” instead. Maybe RE-ANIMATOR for the first time? Or FROM BEYOND?
The only Gordon I’ve ever seen was EDMOND—because David Mamet wrote the script. That should tell you how woefully lacking my horror history truly is.
What I Watched:
THE ENFIELD POLTERGEIST
(now streaming on AppleTV+)
You’d be forgiven for thinking the case of THE ENFIELD POLTERGEIST was solely told from the perspective of Ed and Lorraine Warren since James Wan’s THE CONJURING 2 centers them as the experts-of-record. Pop culture fiction has a way of obfuscating the truth like that—expanding a tangential relationship into something more significant to better suit the needs of those profiting off the story. That’s not to say the Warrens weren’t involved. They did visit 284 Green Street, but so did many others. Only Maurice Grosse (Christopher Ettridge) stayed the course.
In many ways, Jerry Rothwell’s four-part miniseries is about him more than the case, the house, or even the terrified Hodgson family. The latter are obviously crucial to the ordeal considering young Janet (Olivia Booth-Ford) seemed inextricably bonded with the spirit that used her body to speak, but they are as much a part of the setting as the furniture flying across the room. The reason is simple: no answers were ever found (how could they?). No evidence beyond first-hand testimony was collected. There were no film cameras on-site and “Bill” never took corporeal form. So, the Hodgsons were the spirit, and the spirit was them. The narrative thrust is thus Maurice’s determination to document it all.
And that he did with over 250-hours worth of audio recordings to go along with photographs, written diaries, and the words of others who took an interest. Rothwell meticulously uses that archival material to recreate scenes with impeccable detail as far as the soundstage and performances are concerned. The actors lip-synch their roles so that the dialogue heard is always the real thing. That is authentic fear in Janet’s voice and that of her family (mostly mother Peggy and sister Margaret). That is “Bill” barking, swearing, and calling them names. So, whether you believe the phenomenon itself is real or if what transpires has a logical explanation, these are the preserved recordings of actual events.
That is in and of itself a major draw for the program. It’s the reason it exists. Add a ton of new interviews with surviving participants and the result is undeniably the most extensive and exhaustive look at the case ever made for public consumption. And those interested in this particular haunting as well as those captivated by the supernatural in general should find a lot to absorb from the experience. Just don’t expect any clarity. The reason the description can promise “more questions than answers” is precisely because Rothwell’s documentary can’t do anything but reinforce the same questions that have been asked since 1977. THE ENFIELD POLTERGEIST can do nothing but collect content and context.
While that’s reason enough to make it, however, I’m not so certain it demands four hours. There’s a lot of repetition as a result of splitting everything into a quartet of chapters—a lot of recapping to pad things out before moving onto something new. And despite the pointed titles, these episodes aren’t dealing with four different issues of the whole. Each simply chronologically follows the next while hiding a secret insofar as who Rothwell chooses to speak. Even though both Janet and Margaret are still alive and the definitive sources for what happened to them, the latter is held until episode three. The former until episode four.
I get why. It adds to the drama and alludes to bombshell revelations that Rothwell wants to build towards before hitting us with a cliffhanger of horror. But it’s all manufactured bluster. It’s all a choice to sell the promise of more insight when all we ever truly get is more information. And that’s why I say it’s mostly Maurice’s story that’s being told—especially once you discover his own unique connection to the case beyond just his involvement in investigating it. He is the one we see from start to finish. He’s the one the talking heads all fill in the blanks about. Not the house or the poltergeist itself, but Maurice’s unwavering belief in them.
- 6/10
REMY & ARLETTA
(now in limited release)
REMY & ARLETTA is not going to be an easy film for a lot of people. There are those who won’t be able to fully comprehend what’s happening because they’ve never experienced the sort of abusive relationship Remy (Micaela Wittman) endures at the hand of her mother (Amy Benedict’s Eilene). And then there are those who know it all too well and for whom watching it unfold on-screen might prove too much to bear.
That truth is a testament to the film’s authenticity. Despite being directed by Arthur De Larroche, this is very much Wittman’s movie. Not only does she play the lead, but she also adapted the screenplay from a novel she wrote based on her own life. And she’s the editor. And a producer. So, everything goes through her where it comes to Remy’s struggles. The need to escape her mother’s physical and, perhaps more importantly, psychological torment. The friendship with Arletta (Riley Quinn Scott) that facilitates that escape. And the blurred lines between.
Remy craves being seen and yearns to be reminded that she matters since her mother cannot supply either. Eilene forgets her daughter is alive when it suits her and exploits the control over her life that she’s able to wield when it does too. So, Remy uses Arletta’s kindness to avoid going home. She feeds off the attention—knowing her best friend wishes to take their relationship to the next level, but not wanting to risk losing that safe space by rejecting or even acknowledging it out loud. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love her too, though. It’s complicated.
So is the future. Arletta has money and prospects to pursue. Remy has none and thus doesn’t believe any dream is worth pretending that it might come true. And as this war inside her escalates with the walls of graduation closing in, so too does the itch to rebel. That exacerbates an already volatile dynamic with her mother, triggering a series of self-destructive acts in her fake pious mold. If Eilene is going to punish her for thinking she’s doing the things she herself does (alcohol, drugs, sex), why shouldn’t Remy start actually doing those things?
Down goes the self-esteem. Up comes the frustrations that arise from realizing what she’s doing. And her friendship with Arletta suffers both because Remy needs it now more than ever and because the guilt and self-hate has her believing she doesn’t deserve its unconditional love. It’s the sort of rocky road that benefits from a writer/performer who surely understands the ins and outs of its unavoidable pain. And the fact Wittman survived its chaos also allows for the ability to share a message that things can get better. That they will get better.
We don’t need it spoon-fed either. So many takes on this type of story shoehorn in a catharsis or breaking point when it comes to Remy and Eilene or a clear demarcation wherein time simply lets Remy and Arletta’s friendship drift away. Maybe those things will eventually happen here. Maybe they must happen. But Wittman and De Larroche refuse to fall prey to heavy-handed sensibilities by showing it. They instead focus on the potential for hope with a smile that promises Remy won't keep contributing to the chaos only to end up defeating herself.
- 7/10
SUITABLE FLESH
(limited release & VOD)
After seeing the aftermath of a brutal death that’s left its victim unrecognizable in the morgue, Dr. Dani Upton (Barbara Crampton) goes to the padded cell that now houses its murderer: her old friend and fellow psychologist Dr. Beth Derby (Heather Graham). She wants answers, but cannot parse the ravings of the schizophrenic personality in front of her—a diagnosis the latter agrees fits with her description of her current reality. Their shared history allows Dani to at least give Beth the benefit of the doubt insofar as explaining what happened. Maybe once the story is out, she can help provide some semblance of peace since there’s little chance Beth will ever leave that hospital.
Adapted by screenwriter Dennis Paoli from H.P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Thing on the Doorstep”, director Joe Lynch’s SUITABLE FLESH rewinds to the day Beth met the patient who ultimately changes her life forever. His name is Asa Waite (Judah Lewis) and he’s terrified of his father, imploring her to understand he means to take his body as his own. She’s drawn to him and his condition, believing he could be a case study worthy of writing another book. So, she does what she always tells herself never to do: makes a house call. There she meets his dying dad (Bruce Davison’s Ephraim) and spies the books of ancient rituals and demon octopi.
What happens next is exactly what you’d expect whether you’ve read the original or not since the concept has been wielded countless times since (think FALLEN for an offshoot example). Whatever it is that inhabits Ephraim’s body needs to escape its failing flesh and Asa is the logical replacement until Beth turns up to give it the option for a complete change of pace. The idea of male/female is obviously in play as well as the notion that flesh can be both a physical home and an object for carnal pleasure. Cue the multi-level jokes about being “inside” the other and some entertaining performative shifts once a current consciousness is replaced by another in the presence of a non-believer.
Lynch is going for an old school schlocky feel here, so don’t be surprised when the actors deliver laughable line readings against a cheesy score as mundane scenes flip over to embellished thrusting with the snap of a finger. It’s all very tongue-in-cheek—especially with Johnathon Schaech doing a fantastic job as the oft-used and abused piece of meat stuck in the middle via his role as Beth’s husband. He’s a pawn in this game for sex and emotional heft, so it’s easy to just let him exist as a punch line while the others engage in cat and mouse melodramatics. Will the entity take over Beth’s body before she can kill it? Will it ruin her life either way?
The first two-thirds are fun in their soap opera-ness with Graham and Crampton adding intrigue as Lewis’ villain chews scenery. It’s the final twenty minutes or so that really excel, though. That’s when the exposition catches up to the present and we witness the gruesome sight of the off-screen body from the opening scene. Everything escalates as the potential for putting an end to this creature’s reign or giving it everything it could ever want arrives. Graham gets to have fun as “It” for a bit and the carnage increases (not that an early decapitation wasn’t sufficiently brutal). It’s still sillier than not, but that’s intentional. Lynch made a throwback that begs for hoots and hollers. “Elevated horror” fans can stay home.
- 7/10
Cinematic F-Bombs:
This week saw ACCEPTED (2006), THE LOVE GURU (2008), MY ONE AND ONLY (2009), WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? (2023), and THE WINNING SEASON (2010) added to the archive. Feels good to get Lewis Black in the collection—a guy whose comedy is perpetually ready to drop an f-bomb. cinematicfbombs.com
New Releases This Week:
(Review links where applicable)
Opening Buffalo-area theaters 10/27/23 -
AFTER DEATH at Dipson Capitol; AMC Maple Ridge & Market Arcade; Regal Elmwood, Transit, Galleria & Quaker
DICKS: THE MUSICAL at Regal Elmwood, Transit, Galleria & Quaker
“[Lane and Mullally] are the real draw, leaving all shame at the door to debase themselves for chuckles and guffaws alike. It’s enough to recommend Dicks, even if you find yourself regretting it too.” – Full thoughts at The Film Stage.
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S at Dipson Amherst, McKinley, Flix & Capitol; AMC Maple Ridge & Market Arcade; Regal Elmwood, Transit, Galleria & Quaker
FREELANCE at Dipson Flix & Capitol; AMC Market Arcade; Regal Elmwood, Transit, Galleria & Quaker
INSPECTOR SUN at Dipson Flix & Capitol; Regal Elmwood & Transit
MARTIN LUTHER KING at Regal Elmwood
SAJINI SHINDE KA VIRAL VIDEO at Regal Elmwood
TEJAS at Regal Galleria
Streaming from 10/27/23 -
FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S – Peacock on 10/27
LEGO MARVEL AVENGERS: CODE RED – Disney+ on 10/27
PAIN HUSTLERS – Netflix on 10/27
SISTER DEATH – Netflix on 10/27
WHEN EVIL LURKS – Shudder on 10/27
YELLOW DOOR: ‘90S LO-FI FILM CLUB – Netflix on 10/27
HELL HOUSE LLC ORIGINS: THE CARMICHAEL MANOR – Shudder on 10/30
LOCKED IN – Netflix on 11/1
NUOVO OLIMPO – Netflix on 11/1
WINGWOMEN – Netflix on 11/1
Now on VOD/Digital HD -
AMERIKATSI (10/24)
CANARY (10/24)
THE CAINE MUTINY COURT-MARTIAL (10/24)
“All in all, it remains a compelling piece with solid performances and relevant themes. And as a swan song for Friedkin himself, that middle finger of a finale couldn't be more appropriate.” – Full thoughts at HHYS.
THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER (10/24)
MY SAILOR, MY LOVE (10/24)
“What really makes this slow and delicate look into the familial dynamics of flawed people so effective is Härö's ability to let their stubbornness stand. Sometimes things cannot be reconciled.” – Full thoughts at The Film Stage.
THE ROYAL HOTEL (10/24)
SHE CAME FROM THE WOODS (10/24)
“It leans into its 80s setting to get away with some extremely poor taste jokes and plays fast and loose with characters as long as they serve the plot, but the action never drags and [the kills] keep us invested for the duration.” – Full thoughts at HHYS.
WHAT DOESN’T FLOAT (10/24)
SATURN BOWLING (10/25)
From the press kit archive:
