American Mary

Having already reviewed, and loved, the Soska Twins previous work Dead Hooker in a Trunk earlier in the blog, I excitedly anticipated watching their newest release American Mary ... and to say I was not disappointed was an understatement. This beautifully dark body modification horror delivered above and beyond the punch I expected. Medical student Mary Mason is lured by easy money into the world of underground surgery. From here things get dark, very dark, and this film moves from one bloody brilliant sinister twist to the next.

The hype surrounding this film was rightly deserved as the Soska Twins deliver many moments of uncomfortable tension to leave audiences squirming in their seats or hiding behind their hands, but this is not to say that the film is simply a gore-fest or blood bath, far from it. It's brilliantly acted by Katherine Isabelle as the eponymous Mary and it is clear that the Soska's have put as much effort into production as they have into the script and shocks.

Now I know that people will automatically try and slap the 'torture porn' label on this film, but it's so much more than that. To simply call Mary torture porn would be like calling Charles Manson 'a bit naughty'! Yes it's shocking, yes it's dark and yes it opens our eyes to a world we may not have previously been privy but it is so much more than that. It's an auteur's work and it deserves the credit and the acclaim it has received so far. I have said it before, and I'll say it again, the Soska Twins are destined for big things.

Titicut Follies

Breaking from my recent norm or chillers and zomb flicks, I venture into the murky world of documentary film to bring you a review of Frederick Wiseman's Titicut Follies (1967). Probably most famous for being the first film in American history to be banned on grounds other than immorality, obscenity or national security.

Follies is filmed at the Bridgewater State Hospital for the Criminally Insane and follows a number of inmates as they go about their daily lives within the walls of the hospital. Unfortunately for Bridgewater, the resulting film highlighted a number of harsh treatments by guards on inmates and an obvious lack of knowledge from doctors within the institution as to the best ways to manage the inmates behaviours. Eventualy this led to a court case and the eventual banning of the film from public view. As with most films that others have attempted to sweep under the carpet, it garnered a cult status, leading many people to try and track down copies for its notoriety.

Wiseman clearly, from the outset, works with what little equipment he had available to capture as much footage as he could, as quickly as he could. It is obvious that the finished film is sculpted around the footage recorded, rather than following a set plan. It is shocking and often difficult to watch and Wiseman does not pull any punches. Death, humiliation and despair are shown in equal measures and it is clear to see, back in a period of change and unrest, why officials would be keen to keep this film out of the public eye.

Follies is recommended to those who work or train in the mental health industry as an example of the 'bad old days', but also to those with a fairly strong disposition for real life mistreatment and degradation. I'm unsure, as to this point, if Titicut Follies ever obtained an official release, I'm pretty sure it never did (although Wikipedia seems to suggest otherwise), but it's not that hard to track down if you try.

Osombie

The tag-line of this film proclaims 'Bin Laden will die ... AGAIN' ... and from that point onwards you should pretty much know what you're getting! Osombie tells the tale of a group of NATO Special Forces, working in Afghanistan to defeat the recently risen dead who include one flesh eating Bin Laden in their ranks.

This films works as one big advertisement for the might of the US of A, showing pretty much every other nationality within the film being killed off quickly, leaving only the American stars to save the day. Nothing wrong with a bit of national pride, I hear you say, well, perhaps not, but this takes pride to a whole new level.

The actual zombie make up isn't all that bad, but the effects and script fall flat time and again, leaving a pretty obvious and dull movie with a rather trite and nicely wrapped up ending on the cards. We have sword wielding soldiers and ludicrous guys who simply use their karate skills to get rid of the zombs. Osombie is obviously trying to be different from the other flesh-eaters out there, but it ends up looking like every other zombie flick that has been rolled off the production line in recent years.

Overall, an interesting idea (the trailer actually makes it looks half decent) but a poor script and over-reliance on CGI reduce Osombie to little more than a pro-American love-in with few half-decent make-up effects thrown in along the way. Probably one for the zombie enthusiasts or those who drunkenly stumble upon it on late night horror channels.

Bates Motel (TV)

Ok, so this is veering off the well-trodden path, into slightly new teritory for my blog, but I've just finished watching episode one of the new American show Bates Motel and felt, through tenuous links, that it deserved a little write up on here. Do forgive me if you feel I have in any way sullied what you came to see!

Bates Motel is, any fan of Psycho would suspect, a story concerning a certain Mr Norman Bates. This particular series centers around the young Norman and his mother, who move into the famous motel, after the death of Norman's father. The twist with this series is that Norma Bates (played very well by Vera Farmiga who perfectly captures the neurotic, but tough Mother) and Norman are thrown head-first into the 21st Century, with the views of the decrepit house and motel we all know and love, juxtaposed against young Norman texting on his iPhone and going to house parties. The first time you see something modern in this series, it rather knocks you sideways and it does take a little time to recover, especially if you are a fan of the original movie. I guess this was the plan of the Director, to shake the viewer out of the sleepy expectation of prior knowledge and drop us into something unexpected. There are also a couple of quite heavy scenes for an American pilot, which makes me think that things will get darker as the series progresses.

Obviously my take on this series is limited, having only seen episode one (I think, at the time of writing, we are only up to the release of episode 2 or 3 anyway) but I do feel that this has some potential, especially as we are left with a decent taste of things to come at the end of this episode.

It's always a risk to take something iconic and beloved and try and change it, but that is the route we take with Bates Motel, and only time will tell if it succeeds. I will endeavor to update you all further down the line (especially readers in the UK, where there is currently no release planned for this series, although this will undoubtedly change in time) and let you know if this is a success or a stinker.

Mother! Oh God, mother! Blood! Blood! 

Redd Inc.

This obvious Saw wannabe (also known in some areas as 'Inhuman Resources') sees demented boss Thomas Reddmann (played by Nicholas Hope of Bad Boy Bubby fame) capture a group of people related to his previous murder trial. Chained to a desk, each must work to stay alive.

Despite some poor reviews from certain sites, I actually found Redd Inc. an interesting and, at times, clever little psychological chiller. It includes a great ensemble cast (including the not-particularly-well-known Kelly Paterniti, who is excellent as the main female character) who do their best to act terrified whilst chained to an office desk. There is also some pretty decent gore (well, what do you expect, Tom Savini was the supervisor after all!) from what is, essentially, a low budget ozploitation flick.

This film could very easily have been lost amongst the numerous Saw rip-offs but somehow it manages to pull its head above the water and stands up well as its own film, despite the fact it will never be able to shake off the obvious comparisons to it's bigger brother.

For those of you who enjoyed the Saw films (okay, so nobody really enjoyed them all, but the first couple were pretty good right?) then you can't go far wrong by getting a copy of Redd Inc. and settling back to enjoy some of the elements that made the first installment in the Saw franchise a decent chiller.

The Kuleshov Effect

Apologies for a poor show recently!

It's been a busy last month or two, meaning something had to give, and unfortunately that thing was this blog, for which I must apologise! I fully intend, now life is a little more 'normal', to get my finger out and my viewing eyes back in and hope to have some freshly dug posts for you all real soon. Watch this space - God help us in the future ...