It just takes a marathon of deep, meaningful, artistic horror films for me to want to revert back to my usual shitfest viewing ways. I pushed on through this trio of films anyway, and I actually do have a favorite (not that I’d add it to my collection).
WILD IN BLUE (2015)
Wild in Blue is touted as featuring one of Karen Black’s final roles For me, the best part of the film begins and ends with her cameo (of 120 seconds at most). This scene delivers a shockingly brutal hammer attack. Karen really goes out with a bash…to the head.
Having said that, the scene is pretty damn irrelevant to the rest of the film and feels like it should be in one of my favorite crap films instead.
This type of movie simply isn’t my thing. It focuses on the mental state of a killer who videotapes his intimate, romantic relationships with women…right up to the point when he kills them during sex. It’s the same old shit: abusive father, suicidal thoughts, religious and patriotic references, etc. There’s even a disturbing relationship with a buddy that hints at sadomasochistic homosexual tendencies.
And then there’s the talking. LOTS and LOTS of talking. What we need is a movie in which Jason hunts down and hacks up all these whiny serial killers that didn’t get enough hugs from mommy.
HORSEHEAD (2014)
Here’s one for fans of fantastical, surreal horror. A young woman comes home for the funeral of her grandmother only to discover granny’s dead body is being stored in the room right next to hers in preparation for the wake. On top of that, the young woman has a bad relationship with her mother, plus her father is Murray Head of “One Night in Bangkok” fame. Actually, I’d say that’s the bright side in her life.
Anyway, she’s plagued by these stunningly creepy dreams—the horror highlight of Horsehead—in which her family is more fucked up than it is in reality.
Plus, she’s being terrorized by a horsehead creature.
In an effort to find out what it all means, she begins to drug herself so she can really get lost in the dream realm.
Also thrown into the REM-mix are wolves, crucifixion, lesbianism…the list goes on and on. It’s heaven for those who like their films loaded with thought-provoking imagery, and it has a nicely fucked up twist. However, there’s nothing concrete about how the film ends, so fans of tangible horror might want to pass on this one.
THE CARETAKER (2016)
Finally, my favorite of this trio – the film that manages to be a total mind fuck while delivering a wickedly eerie horror experience. The Caretaker is also oddly similar in theme to Horsehead.
A young woman comes with her boyfriend to take care of her aging, mentally disturbed grandmother. This is the ultimate freaky granny movie, for actress Sondra Blake, whose career goes all the way back to the 1960s, gives a phenomenal performance as a hella scary old lady.
Blake nails the universal creepiness exuded by elderly people that no longer have a grip on reality.
While uncovering signs of witchcraft in her grandmother’s spooky attic, the young woman begins walking in her sleep, having frightening visions, and experiencing nightmares, all of which begin to reveal the truth about her family’s dark past.
In a way, this one reminds me of supernatural films of the 1970s like The Sentinel and Burnt Offerings. They rarely make them like this anymore.
