Get Out

"Get Out" (2017, Jordan Peele, Blumhouse Productions, QC Entertainment, Monkeypaw Productions, Universal Pictures) is a horror that explores themes of racism through the context of an interracial couple hitting the 'meet the parents' milestone of their relationship.

Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) and Rose Armitage (Allison Williams) head out to Rose's family home to introduce Chris to her parents. Chris is apprehensive about meeting Rose's parents because she has told him he is her first African-American boyfriend and he's not sure how her Caucasian family will react to him. Rose assures him that her folks are not racist and that they'll just be glad to meet him.

Upon arriving this does seem to be the case, although as the day goes on her parents make some awkward 'well intended' remarks that begin to make Chris uncomfortable. However, it is the black people he encounters that strike him as 'wrong' somehow, but he can't quite place why. As the visit becomes overlong, the couple are dragged into an odd family gathering and Rose's mother also offers to cure Chris' smoking addiction with hypnosis...

Things become slowly more and more unsettling and Chris becomes aware that this friendly, suburban setting may not be as safe as it first appeared...

A fantastically paced film that balances its social statement with good scripting, humour and character development. The acting is spot on with a strong lead from Kauuya who's both confused, but strong and an excellent antagonist in Rose's father (Bradley Whitford). The unsettling build up really makes the twists and turns effective and keep them from being hokey or too obvious. The film isn't just about blatant racism; it explores that smiling-cat, quasi-jealous, self-congratulatory kind of racism that is prevalent all over.

A really striking film that's definitely worth a try. The horror elements are more tailored to a chilling thriller than a straight up fright fest, but the true horror is in the message being portrayed.

[Image: Universal Pictures, et al]

Hani

Jessabelle

"Jessabelle" (2014, Kevin Gruertert, Blumhouse Productions, Lionsgate) is a strange horror film.

Jessie (Sarah Snook) and her fiancé are about to move in together and have a baby. But this is a horror movie, so before they can get that far they have a horrific car accident which kills him and causes Jessie to lose the baby and the use of her legs.

Several months later, Jessie moves back to her dad's house to recuperate. Her dad, a strange and impulsive man, puts her up in her mum's old room. Jessie finds a shoebox marked "Jessabelle" filled with video tapes. She plays the first one to discover that it's her mum giving her a tarot card reading from beyond the grave. Her mother tells her that there's someone in the house with her and they want rid of her.

Terrified, Jessie begins to experience creepy happenings. This is by far the film's strong point. The effects are good, the scenes with the bed are really effective and, although clichéd, the mirror scares are really well done.

Eventually, Jessie and her friend, Preston (Mark Webber), begin to unravel the strange circumstances surrounding Jessie's family and the deeper they go, the more convoluted the plot becomes.

In fact, the plot was so complicated that I just did not understand a whole segment at the end. It was holding it together until the last act when it just got very cheesy and complex. The scares were promising and, as tropey as the action was, it was an otherwise well paced film with Sarah Snook providing a strong, yet sympathetic lead role, however, the plot just goes haywire at the last moment, going from slow burning creepfest to fast action, voodoo-ghosty-adultery-racism vibes. It just makes a mess.

[Image: Blumhouse Productions]

 

Hani

Savaged

"Savaged" (2013, Michael S. Ojeda) is a rape-revenge story which explores some pretty dark themes but manages to create a funny and gory film.

A pretty deaf mute girl called Zoe (Amanda Adrienne) heads out on a road trip to move in with her fiancé. As she goes she documents her trip with her camera phone. A habit that both saves and condemns her.

A near miss on the road causes her to stop and she's taken by surprise by a group of American Indian-hating red necks who have sickening plans for her, ending in her death.

She's found by a witch doctor who tries to revive her with magic, but what comes back is so much more than Zoe, and it's out for revenge.

The film touches on several dark themes: rape, racism, murder, black arts, the destruction of the indigenous race of the USA, brutality towards women and police corruption.

But "Savaged" is not a cerebral or preachy film. It's a self-aware, gory, silly horror with lots of action, excellent gore effects (a scene with barbed wire will stick with you for a while) and an interesting, if completely batshit, plot.

It's an odd mix of rape-revenge, zombiism, spirit warriors and comedy gore. The feel is a cross between The Crow, I Spit on Your Grave and an x-rated episode of Goosebumps (I blame the green mist for that last comparison, an effect that was often used in the children's horror show).

While nothing new, it's entertaining and a good first film at Glasgow Fright Fest 2014.