It’s that time of year again when horror films are at the fore…
Released in cinemas little too late to get any traction for Halloween, Antlers is an understated little gem. Julia Meadows, an alcoholic teacher with an abusive past and her brother, Paul, who is the sheriff in a small Oregon town become concerned about the welfare of one of her students. They look into his home life and discover his terrible secret…
This could have been another run-of-the-mill creature-feature, but it is a cut above that. The cast is impressively high-end for this sort of material with both Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons bringing depth to the roles of the siblings. Their history is hinted at only in the screenplay but actors that skilful are able to fill in the blanks.
It also has a nice grimy aesthetic. You can really see the dirt under the nails of the inhabitants of the town who are struggling financially.
I could have done with an ending setting up a potential sequel though I am not sure that will materialise.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
On Netflix is the even more impressive Fever Dream. Claudia Llosa writes and directs a story about a woman who visits a new holiday home with her young daughter. She makes friend with her neighbour but her son has been acting strangely ever since he nearly dies from poisoning.
The title is very apt, as the film has a woozy, dream like quality to it, especially in the opaque first act. It settles into something more conventional after that, but kept me guessing all the way through.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Also on Netflix, if you have not had enough of zombie movies, you could try Army of the Dead. A group of mercenaries travel to Las Vegas to pull off a heist in the midst of a zombie outbreak. Some of the action scenes are fine, but at two and a half hours, I found it incredibly bloated. Even at that length, the heist element of the story is not properly developed, Director Zack Snyder has produced some real stinkers in the past. This is not as bad as 300, Sucker Punch or his superhero guff but is nowhere near as good as his only really decent movie, another zombie flick, Dawn of the Dead from 2004.
Rating: 4 out of 10