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| Dead of Night (1972) DVD cover |
This Static Age’s spotlight goes to BBC’s
classic horror series Dead of Night (1972).
Unfortunately only three episodes survive out of the seven that were made, but
these are now available from BFI on Region 2 [PAL] DVD that comes with an
informative 28-page booklet featuring short essays on the series, each
available episode, and several key creative personnel. ‘The Exorcism’ is the
stronger episode and is about two couples in their mid-30s who upon hanging out
in a secluded villa, strange incidents occur. ‘Return Flight’ is about an
airplane pilot (Peter Barkworth) that encounters the ghost of a World War II
bomber. In ‘A Woman Sobbing’ a housewife (Anna Massey) is hearing a woman
crying in the attic, but is it hallucinations caused by paranoia or is the
house in desperate need of an exorcism?
And now, let’s
switch our focus towards some recent series…
Into the Dark - Season 2
Executive
produced by Jason Blum and made available on Hulu, the 2nd (and
final) season of Into the Dark (2018
– 2021) consists of another 12 feature-length, most of them second-rate when
compared to Blumhouse’s theatrical output, but very entertaining nevertheless.
‘Uncanny Annie’ is set during the Halloween celebrations and is about a group
of students playing a board game that is about to turn deadly. When re-enactors
are invited at a family dinner table to celebrate Thanksgiving in ‘Pilgrim’,
things go south with religious lunacy! ‘A Nasty Piece of Work’ is about to
highly paid employees and competitors (Kyle Howard and Dustin Milligan) that
get invited to their boss’ (Julian Sands) mansion and are prepared to do
anything in order to get a bonus or a raise. ‘Midnight Kiss’ is modern giallo
about a black-gloved and masked serial killer that is targeting a group of gay
friends; but could the assailant be one of them? ‘My Valentine’ is about the
battle of two pop stars, featuring music video aesthetics that pop out of the
screen, but come with very little substance in what resembles a musical for the
social media generation. ‘Crawlers’ is set during the St. Patrick’s day and
night celebration, when an alien invasion takes place featuring green-blooded
human-shaped impostor aliens! The titular demonic toy returns in the highly
entertaining ‘Pooka Lives!’. The nightmarish ‘Delivered’ is about young
pregnant woman Valerie (Natalie Paul) who gets abducted by psycho woman Jenny
(Tina Majorino) who is about to claim her baby. In ‘Good Boy’, struggling
39-year-old journalist Maggie (Judy Greer) is desperate to become a mom but her
dating life (mostly generated by an app) does not go so well, so she gets a dog
that ends up not being man’s best friend exactly. ‘The Current Occupant’ is
asking, what is more likely, the president of the U.S.A. to be hospitalized
against his will in a psychiatric ward against his will as a part of large
conspiracy or that a mental patient believes he’s going to save the world?
‘Tentacles’ is an utterly boring episode concerning the love story between
photographer Sam Anselm (Casey Deidrick) and the mysterious Tara (the gorgeous
Dana Drori, offering some nudity) that turns dark once secrets of the doll’s
past are revealed incrementally. In ‘Blood Moon’ single mother Esme Rawls
(Megalyn Echikunwoke) and her son Luna (Yonas Kibreab) move to a small town in
order to make a fresh start, but there is something mysterious about them.
The Sandman - Season 1
Based on the
same-titled DC Comic’s graphic novel by Neil Gaiman, Netflix’s The Sandman (2022 – present) is about
the Goth-styled Dream (Tom Sturridge) who upon escaping the eternal prison of a
magus is now ready to reclaim his kingdom. As fairytale-like as it is to be
expected from shows based on Gaiman’s works, this dark fantasy delivers and we
can’t wait for more.
The 3rd
(and final season) of the ill-fated and weak Scream (2015 – 2019) is bringing more ghostface against teenagers
action to the table as expected, as well as Tony Todd in a desperate attempt to
elevate this to something better than a pop aesthetics-obsessed standard
slasher, but doesn’t succeed too much. Most of the slashing action takes place
in the ‘hood and the college, and is featuring amateur acting and awful
dialogue that delivers sentences that make no grammatical sense aiming to sound
‘hip’; atrocious at most levels, this should be avoided at all costs and should
also be removed from Wes Craven’s filmography who supposedly ‘executive
produced’ it. It is silly fun, but it is mostly silly and very little fun.
Slasher - Season 4
In the 4th
season of Shudder’s Slasher (2016 –
present) dying businessman Spencer (legendary director David Cronenberg, giving
a much-needed credibility to the proceedings) sets up a series of games for his
family, the winner of which will inherit his fortune. Filled with splatter
scenes you could only see in theaters a few years ago, this is an enjoyable
addition to the long list of recent television horrors.
American Crime Story - Season 3
The 3rd
season of the based-on-true-events crime series American Crime Story (2016 – present) tells the story of the Bill
Clinton (Clive Owen) and Monica Lewinski (Beanie Feldstein) scandal that shook
the political 1990s turmoil. Amazingly well-done and with a clear sense of
aesthetic identity (all seasons have the same pace and tone despite telling
entirely different stories), this series is a winner; although I couldn’t help
but thinking that Americans seem to be very frustrated when it comes to sex.
Based on the
1990s sex tape scandal that shook the American celebrity foundation and changed
forever the way superstars would manage their careers as well as the nature of
pornography, hulu’s miniseries Pam &
Tommy (2022) with Lily James and Sebastian Stan in the titular roles is fun
(the comedic moments work perfectly) and interesting.
Westworld - Season 3
The 3rd
season of Westworld (2016 – present)
is continuing the journey of several humans and robots, the conjunction of the
stories of both will interfere with the future of the projected matrix that
they co-habit. Technophobic or visionary, whichever way you see it the series
has gotten tired and outstayed their welcome. The more complicated the
screenplay becomes the more boring the show becomes; it has the occasional interesting
hook, but it isn’t enough. It is the sort of thing that would apply only to
computer engineers, but that is a very limited audience. The scarce action
scenes are occasionally outstanding, but not enough to save the day.
Following the
death of the first two seasons’ protagonist, the 3rd (and final)
season of Lethal Weapon (2016 – 2019)
pairs old cop Roger Murtaugh (Damon Wayans) with ex-C.I.A. and current copper
Wesley Cole (Seann William Scott) for another round of police action (albeit
this time a little more contained at a run of a mere 15 episodes). Roger
struggles with thoughts of retirement while Wesley tries to make up for his
past that is filled with guilt, and both will employ a series of unorthodox and
spectacular methods of crime fighting. More problematic than usual because this
aired in recent years when the glorification of police excesses is wrong to say
the least, this is strangely entertaining as long as you don’t take it
seriously.
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The Irregulars - Season 1
The sole season
of limited series The Irregulars (2021)
– all eight episodes of which are readily available on Netflix – is set in the
deep underground side of Victorian times London, amidst poverty, seedy pubs,
and even prostitution, as we witness the story of a gang of juvenile
delinquents that perform dirty deeds for Doctor Watson (Royce Pierreson) and
Sherlock Holmes (Henry-Lloyd Hughes). Not grounded in reality at all, and with
a very heavy-handed fantasy flavor in it, this is visually interesting most of
the times, but rarely entertaining enough.
Based on the
‘Lonely Boy’ autobiography by Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, the miniseries
Pistol (2022) are about the birth,
rise, and fall of the legendary U.K. band that came like a storm as a result of
the unique characters that formed it and surrounded it, as well as the
sociopolitical climate. Although punk rock did not begin with Sex Pistols, nor
did it end with them, their importance to that subculture’s landscape is
immeasurable. Written and created by Craig Pearce, and directed by Danny Boyle,
these 6 episodes opt for the full screen format and occasionally employ
archival footage in order to project a better picture of the era.
Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities
The 1st
season of the anthology series Guillermo
del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (2022) has the titular creator/director
introducing the standalone episodes in Alfred Hitchcock manner, and all 8 of
them have a special ‘Eerie’ comics-styled air and moralist angle about them
that is both nostalgic and awesome; plus, all of them are directed by some of
the genre’s current top directors. ‘Lot 36’ is about the discovery of four rare
black magic books in a recently auctioned storage lot. Vincenzo Natali’s ‘Graveyard
Rats’ tackles the subject of grave robbing and the deadly consequences that may
come with it. David Prior’s visceral masterpiece ‘The Autopsy’ spends so much
time in the morgue that you’ll forget you’re watching something made for the
small screen and it will be stomached only by members of the audience who are
familiar with extreme visuals. ‘The Outside’ is a macabre masterepice about an
outcast woman that will do anything to fit in with the popular crowd of her
work environment, even if what it’d take would be using a dangerous and
possibly deadly lotion. Based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft, ‘Pickman’s
Model’ is about an art student (Ben Barnes) who meets a very skilled colleague
(Crispin Glover) whose paintings may be of demonic qualities. ‘Dreams in the
Witch House’ is also based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft and is about a
mysterious drug that may be able to bring back the dead, but the real terror is
an anthropomorphic rat creature. Directed by Panos Cosmatos, ‘The Viewing’ is a
cosmic horror masterpiece about an eccentric rich man that hosts an exclusive
party for four peculiar guests. Starring Andrew Lincoln, ‘The Murmuring’ is
about a middle-aged couple that mourns the death of their child by reclosing
themselves in an old house in which the previous tenants might have died
tragically. Like Alfred Hithcock before him, del Toro’s television is better
than his films, and frankly I cannot wait for the next season.
Marvel’s
television special Werewolf by Night
(2022) tells the story of the titular monstrous superhero and does so by
employing the aesthetics of the old Hollywood horrors, relying mostly in black
and white cinematography (red is the only color you see, and only the epilogue
is in full color) along with some fan-service qualities that include superbly
choreographed action sequences and stunning gore set-pieces. Possibly the best
thing you can now stream on Disney+.
Written and
directed by James Gunn, Marvel’s The
Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022) follow Mantis (the stunning
Pom Klementieff) and Drax (Dave Bautista) on a mission to planet Earth in order
to claim Kevin Bacon and bring him as a Christmas present to Peter Quill (Chris
Pratt). Sweet and touching, and with a rocking soundtrack to bone, this is the
perfect holiday special and should be missed by none who has access too
Disney+.
And now, please
allow me a word on some recent mainstream film releases…
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Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) promotional art
Marvel’s Thor: Love and Thunder (2022), directed
by Taika Waititi, has the titular hero (Chris Hemsworth, looking like a rock
star) build bridges with his ex-girlfriend and lady Thor herself (Natalie
Portman, looking as gorgeous as ever) in order to fight the Gorr, the God
Butcher (Christian Bale), who as his name reveals is set out to destroy all
gods. Made the same way these things are (featuring the standard
cinematography, editing, CGI, etc.) but with all actors hamming it up in order
to generate comedy, this is a weak entry in the long string of recent superhero
movies, but Guns N’ Roses is constantly blasting in the soundtrack
appropriately enough and manages somehow to save the day.
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Samaritan (2022) poster
Since Sylvester
Stallone failed to get the call from either Marvel or DC (and he’s better off
without them, in my opinion) he produced (as Balboa Productions, with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer) director Julius Avery’s Samaritan (2022) – now available for streaming on Amazon Prime – in
which he plays an aged superhero teaching a young kid (Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton) a
life lesson or two, while anticipating the rise of a local villain (Pilou
Asbaek). Well-done action-fest in the realm of a Gotham-like setting, this is
possibly the first movie I see in which the CGI fires don’t suck.
Directed by Luca
Rea (who also wrote it, with Steve Della Casa) Django & Django (2021) is a documentary on legendary Italian
director Sergio Corbucci (who as readers of this blog know had great success in
genres such as westerns and peplum) is not as informative as the many good
books on the spaghetti westerns that were published in recent years (it is
running for a mere 77 minutes and plays better as a nostalgic homage) but it is
absolutely entertaining, thanks to its talking heads (Quentin Tarantino, Franco
Nero, and Reggero Deodato) and archival footage.
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Nope (2022) promotional art
Written,
produced, and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jordan Peele, Nope (2022) is about a small group of
people that are employed in the trenches of the film industry and that are
about to capture Oprah-level footage of alien activity in their secluded ranch.
At 130 minutes this is much too long and with a first half that drags a lot,
but the finale is rewarding, and the sci-fi/western mash is so good and
original that makes the whole thing for a very entertaining experience.
Directed by
Kevin McDonagh, Leviathan: The Story of
Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II (2015) is a documentary on the
making and releasing of the two titular 1980s horror classics, and it is good
to see all these talking heads intermixed with footage from the films and
behind-the-scenes material, but there is not much added here that fans didn’t
already know and there’s zero artistry involved as well, resulting in something
as plain as a TV news episode, albeit one that lasts for much longer.
Halloween Ends (2022) wraps
the Blumhouse-backed and David Gordon Green-directed sequel trilogy on a high
note, as it is a crescendo of Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis, who also executive
producer) vs. Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney) violent antics, concluding
their long history of violence. This time though another killer (Rohan
Campbell) is also introduced, and while you may think you know where this’d go,
it takes a left turn and surprises everyone. Masterful in all departments, from
delivering the thrills and suspense, to actually being scary and intelligent at
the same time, this is the best entry this franchise has seen in many years.
John Carpenter served as one of the composers and executive producers.
DC’s Black Adam (2022), directed by Jaume
Collet-Serra is about the titular superhero (Dwayne Johnson) who is resurrected
and is lured to saving his people. Bombastic and featuring enhanced CGI fights
every few minutes, this light adventure is raising some questions about good
and evil, and even imperialism, but in childish manner. It is not
groundbreaking by any means, but a very welcome addition to the long list of
recent superhero films.
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