misfithorror

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You ever lost the game ?

😡

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Commission for @arcadian-muse

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Beyond the Black Rainbow (Panos Cosmatos, 2010)

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The Eyes of My Mother

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A Dark Song (2016)

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Martyrs (2008)

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Anna. With skin.

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Starry Eyes (2014)

3/5 Stars

This movie is a dark commentary on the worst aspects of the movie business. It follows Sarah Walker, a retail worker with dreams of becoming a big Hollywood star. While she genuinely is a great actress, her shy demeanor and constant rejection letters keep her from her dream. And, all the while, all of her "friends" constantly undermine and patronize her. Save for the love interest who would love to have her in his film, but the gig is too small for her big dreams.

Cut to a strange audition in which the casting directors manipulate her into showing them the way she self harms (pulling her hair out). What follows is a story of manipulation and transformation.

The best parts of this are at the end. And while I'm not a big fan of the occult route that the movie takes, the effects that show through on Sarah are impactful.

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The Canal (2014)

2/5 Stars

David finds out his wife is cheating on him, and shortly after, witnesses her murder in the canal not too far from their home by a ghostly figure. While the police are investigating his involvement in the crime, David tries to link her murder with the dark history of their home (and also does all in his power to protect their son).

This movie is so clustered, and it has a plot that initially seems so, so overdone. But it's not entirely like that. We explore the damaged psyche of David as the movie teeters between two realities:

David is correct and the dark spirits that haunt his house are indeed hunting his family, and

David is a tragic, damaged individual who has killed his wife in a fit of jealousy, has gotten away with it, and is plagued with delusions to cope with reality. After all, as the detective quips, "it's always the husband."

What ensues is the story of a man desperate to keep his son safe, leaving a trail of doubt, torment, and death in his wake. It turns the typical ghost story on its head, never leaving the viewer completely sure which reality is the truth. The plot builds and builds and builds and ends suddenly and tragically with very little closure.

While I did enjoy this and the themes, it really could have had better presented. Probably not a rewatch, but I don't regret seeing it.

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Martyrs (2008)

4/5 Stars

Major content warnings for this one: Child abuse; body horror; torture, abuse, gun violence, self harm, suicide, gore, etc.

If you're going to watch Martyrs (which, despite the high rating, I really don't think you should) watch the original, 2008 version and not the Blumhouse remake (2015).

This French-Canadian film follows Lucie and Ana searching to enact revenge on those who imprisoned and tortured Lucie as a child. While they succeed fairly early on in the film, Lucie struggles with the fact that killing them didn't alleviate her trauma, and Ana is quick to figure out that the situation is a whole lot worse than she thought.

This is a difficult watch and is deeply troubling. This stuck with me for weeks afterward. This portrays a very real depiction of pain--both mentally and physically. There were definitely parts I didn't like (namely, the "ghost" or "monster" representation of Lucie's guilt/trauma that follows her around in the first half of the movie). There were definitely parts I didn't like but were integral to the movie (torture scenes that are graphic and feel like they go on and on and on).

The real horror came from a lack of power, which is expertly displayed. Lucie, powerless to overcome her demons, and Ana, powerless to say no to her friend and powerless to her torment. The movie is impactful, artful, and breathtaking. But God, I hope I never see it again.

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The Eyes of My Mother (2016)

4/5 Stars

This movie, shot in all black and white, follows a young woman who does her killing out of her family's farmstead. While the killings and body horror are brutal, the main horror of this movie is the pain and loneliness she feels.

Francesca's mother was a surgeon in Portugal and taught her daughter about human anatomy up until she was violently murdered by an intruder named Charlie. These teachings have made Francesca dumb to death and fascinated by human anatomy.

Coupled with growing up with her emotionally distant father and her best friend, Charlie chained in the barn, who can't see nor speak due to her surgical manipulations as a child, she grows up wanting for a real, meaningful relationship like the one she had with her mother. She seeks this out throughout the movie, but it typically ends in tragedy.

The brutality of this movie is mostly all shown off screen, through hints ands subtle peeks around the curtain. While the killings and torture in the movie are obviously horrific, The real emotion felt through the film is an overwhelming loneliness. I simultaneously wanted Francesca to be happy, but also wanted her to be caught for her crimes.

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Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)

3/5 Stars

I'm not entirely sure what I could write for this. The best thing that summed up this movie was a review I promptly looked up afterward that said "It's like staring at a lava lamp for two hours."

It is a beautifully presented movie and has an amazing soundtrack from Sinoia Caves. While there was no point that I was bored, there was absolutely no point in which I had any idea what was going on. It took a Google deep dive and a Reddit thread for me to figure out what this movie was about. And even then it was convoluted.

Still, it was a good watch and is a great homage to older SciFi movies. It was one of the only movies I've seen with just an okay story, but perfect delivery.

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A Dark Song (2016)

5/5 Stars

This movie describes occult rituals, not to summon demons, but to summon a guardian angel. The goal is to ask these otherworldly protectors for favors.

Sophia is a mourning mother seeking vengeance for her young son's murderer, and her guide is Joseph, a seemingly ordinary man who is well-versed in these occult rituals. The rituals go on for months in a house neither of them can leave in excruciating detail. The realism in this movie comes through in that this magic is portrayed as difficult, time consuming, and risky.

This slow burn character study is a true hidden gem. For all the pain that it evokes, the payoff is transcendental and deeply religious.