Even though I probably won’t ever revisit these three films, they each had their moments…in the moment.
BOOK OF THE DEAD (2024)
The intro scene of this indie definitely sets a tone—and raises expectations—with demon hands opening the Book of the Dead.
Next we meet four college students. It’s supposed to be 1988, but there’s no attempt here to capture the spirit of the decade, which is probably for the best, because that usually comes across as a really bad lampoon.
The kids head to a mansion for some sort of research project, and then spend the first 35 minutes of the movie talking. There is astoundingly little in the way of plot here.
Eventually, the geek of the group tells the story of the Book of the Dead, which is set to animated visuals…the most compelling part of the movie up to that point.
We finally get to dabble in some old school horror (and plenty of horror lighting) when the group finds the book, which then comes to life, bites one of the guys, and starts talking to them, warning them that a demon is coming for them.
There’s a hint of comedy as the crew preps to fight the demon, because they don’t have much else to do. There are some hints of Evil Dead, like shaky cam movement towards the mansion and one guy sort of turning into a Deadite after being attacked by the horned demon, but overall, this is a low energy flick with no thrills, scares, blood, or humor. Lots of potential to be playful homage, but it simply didn’t go for it enough.
NYCTOPHOBIA (2024)
Just when I thought the days of the most basic found footage films were behind us, someone was apparently inspired by the horrors of their youth and made a new one.
Nyctophobia is a fear of the dark. Who knew I’ve been suffering from the condition my whole life. Anyway, the film opens with two podcasters discussing a rash of mysterious disappearances of people from their homes. They acquire a videotape of a new case that happened to be caught on camera. So begins the actual movie.
Twin girls are celebrating their high school graduation with their male friend in their home. Also present is their mother and their dad, who has some sort of condition that keeps him in a daze—which you know means he’s going to end up standing in a corner staring at a wall like Deborah Logan at some point.
There’s a blackout, there are sounds outside, their neighbor, played by Dean McDermott, appears in their house bleeding from his eyes and says, “They’re out there. They tried to take my eyes!”
Soooo…they kick him out…
What unfolds is the usual found footage nonsense, with everyone running around in the dark with just a camera flashlight, which doesn’t reveal anything since we never see anything. There are monster sounds, and most of the characters are seen bleeding from the eyes at one point or another, which is always freaky. The eeriest moment in the movie for me is when one of the bleeding characters cries, “Are my eyes open?” Really captures the idea that blindness has taken over.
After the usual non-ending found footage ending, we hop back to the podcasters for a second ending in which they travel to another house where something is apparently taking place. There’s blood, but the final frame is total dullsville.
COLD BLOWS THE WIND (2024)
This one has the feel of a segment from a 1980s anthology expanded into a full-length feature. If I’m not reading it wrong, it also has a sort of tongue-in-cheek undertone right from the start and relies completely on characters making the oddest decisions, both of which add to the 80s anthology feel.
We are thrown right into the action. A straight couple that struck a jogger with their car arrives home with the jogger still alive in their trunk. The wife argues that they have to call for help, but the hot husband insists they can’t because they were drunk.
So…the husband stabs the poor jogger to death! They bury the body in a forest that gives off an awesome 80s vibe, then return home.
Pretty soon, indie horror queen Jamie Bernadette shows up at the door begging for help. They let her in and things get weird really fast. Jamie knows what they’ve been up to, and warns them of the dead coming back to life.
Before long, the dead come back to life. I can’t say it’s totally like the Evil Dead, but it has that same general setup, with the couple trying to keep the dead down, which has a domino effect.
There’s some nasty dismemberment in an otherwise tame film, and Jamie’s character is perfectly creepy, plus it sort of gets into Deadite territory as the plot progresses. Just don’t expect any of it to make sense in the end.
