This Week in Cinema, I Learned…Oct 13-19 2024
Written by Cameron Geiser
Welcome to This Week in Cinema, a yearlong film criticism project wherein I will be watching a new film that I haven't seen every single day.
This was one of the most challenging weeks of the year, so far. However, if you’re wondering, “Did he finally shatter the glass and watch the comforting cinematic experience that is either of the Paddington movies yet?” No, I have survived thus far on fear-soaked sweat and my own nausea. Maybe next week Paddington. Most of the films this week are from either this year or recent years with only two films this week that aren’t from the 2020’s. One of those being the Mel Brooks’ comedy Dracula: Dead and Loving it from 1995 (I couldn’t stomach two sessions of Art The Clown in one day) and the other was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre from 1974. The other five films are pretty much all stellar, but admittedly one film did not connect with me at all, even if I appreciated the unique approach and effort made.
Did I learn anything from this visual onslaught of violence and gore though? Yes, actually. I did. Every single film this week, with the exception of Mel Brooks’ Dracula comedy, made me realize that there are no “rules” if you’re fully committed to your ideas. If you don’t compromise (within reason) and lean into effective, smart, marketing you really can do anything. Granted, I know it would be very difficult to replicate Terrifier 3’s success at the box office for example. With its low budget, huge underground support, and the fact that these films have bypassed the MPAA ratings board entirely- it’s astounding and rare to see such a ravenous hunger for these types of films, and yet they succeed. Heck The Substance is one of the most in your face intense movies in a while and it was the talk of the town at the Cannes film festival earlier this year- with that absolutely bonkers third act too! Did I mention it won Best Screenplay? It does really seem like the more filmmakers “Go for it” the farther they’ll get in today’s cinema. At least within the Horror genre. That’s enough chatter though, let’s get to the movies!
October 13th
Terrifier 2 (2022)
3.5/5
Now this is exactly what every sequel deserves. For the return of Art The Clown (David Howard Thornton) writer-director (and more!) Damien Leone didn’t take the easy road with this one. The extended production schedule due to the Covid-19 pandemic allowed Leone and his crew to really polish some of the most disturbing scenes ever put to film. This time around there’s a whole lot more story to be had, and that’s a good thing. Damien Leone really cranked up the mythology and world building as we’re introduced to Sienna (Lauren LaVera) and Jonathan (Elliott Fullam), brother and sister of a family that ends up getting caught in the path of Art’s violent ways. As it turns out, Sienna was the missing piece to the Terrifier puzzle. Having a strong yet vulnerable lead character we can root for was a legitimately powerful idea in this world. I didn’t even think “Goodness” could exist in a world like this.
However, when Sienna emerges from that hallway in full battle armor made by her father (Who died long before any of this Art stuff) wielding a golden sword, well I don’t know if there was a moment where my expectations were defied in a more satisfying way all year. The sequel also upped the sci-fi/fantasy side of the films with scenes like “The Clown Cafe” where surreal reality warping things happen that make you question the rules of this movie universe- but in a compelling way. I was truly getting Freddy Krueger vibes from “The Clown Cafe”, and in the horror slasher sub-genre, you might as well evoke the best of the best (Even if that wasn't the intention, I enjoyed the weirdness of it). Terrifier 2 was leagues better than the first, the sequel is more streamlined, funnier, more brutal- and somehow, it only cost $250,000 for the production budget (Which is absolutely insane). Truly, an independent cinema miracle. I do suggest giving these movies a watch if you can handle the extreme and very unsettling violence.
October 14th
Dracula: Dead and Loving it (1995)
3.5/5
Honestly I was originally going to try and knock out a double feature of both Terrifier 2 and 3 in one day but decided against it after getting through the sequel. Which I did enjoy overall, but I just couldn’t stomach more Art The Clown in one day. So I decided to chill out a little with the final Mel Brooks film, both of what he directed, but also coincidentally it happened to be the last Mel Brooks film I had yet to watch. Very serendipitous you might say. Mel Brooks’ last film is a direct parody response to Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 Bram Stoker’s Dracula but it’s also just a good old fashioned send up of Vampires and the Dracula lore broadly. All of the staples of a Mel Brooks Production are present. The slapstick physical comedy, cartoonish antics, delightful wordplay, and generally well done sets (even if they feel a little sound-stagey at times) all combine to form a witty parody that knows the work it is spoofing.
Leslie Nielsen as Dracula was inspired casting for the comedic take on the character, and while the film may not have had me in stitches laughing the whole time, Nielsen’s efforts weren’t lost on me. My favorite bit was when he removed the infamous hairstyle from Gary Oldman’s time as Dracula and referred to the elaborate hairdo as his hat. Peter MacNicol as Renfield was an entertaining bit but honestly I prefer Nicholas Hoult’s recent take on the character in his Renfield flick. Dracula: Dead and Loving it is a decent way to spend an evening in October.
October 15th
Terrifier 3 (2024)
3.5/5
I know it’s almost hyperbole to say something this overused by movie marketers at this point, but Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3 were the only two films I’ve seen this year that legitimately made me nauseous while watching them. I was also cackling with laughter during some of the kill scenes in this film because, hot damn, some of it is so visually ridiculous that I couldn’t help but laugh at it. Terrifier 3 picks up a few years after the events of the second film with Sienna (Lauren LaVera) getting released from a psychiatric hospital and getting adjusted to living with her aunt and uncle with Christmas fast approaching. Her younger brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) is now in College and they gingerly make plans to spend Christmas together, they’re both still somewhat shaken up by the events of the last film.
However, the way these films have been structured, usually with an insanely violent opener before the titlecard drops, we get Art (David Howard Thornton) back on screen right away with him brutally axe-murdering a family in the full Santa Claus outfit. We get a rewind after this that shows us how he got that costume, by sadistically killing a Mall Santa in a bar, obviously. I cannot stress enough how much polish this film has, the money that the second film earned went straight into this film’s budget (only a paltry $2 Million) because the prosthetics and makeup effects alone were outstanding. Damien Leone also did not waste the Christmas setting of this film. Art, often in his Santa Suit throughout the film, has also been honed in on by Thornton because Art The Clown is funny as hell here in a macabre sort of way. After slaughtering the family in the opening scene, he eats the christmas cookies left behind and washes the dishes, and his hands, before joyfully placing them just so in the dish rack.
David Howard Thornton really is the perfect actor for this role, the whole thing wouldn’t work as well without him. The audience loves him not only for his unexpectedly cruel depravity, but for the creative new ways he can, and will, kill anyone unlucky enough to come across him. There is both terror and curiosity in asking, just what will that clown do next? While Terrifier 2 may have had higher highs, it also had lower lows. Terrifier 3 is more consistent overall and it’s easily the best film in the series so far.
October 16th
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
5/5
I was not prepared for how unnerving this one would be. I was incredibly impressed by Tobe Hooper’s magnum opus as everything about this movie was designed to unnerve the audience. I do mean everything too. From the angles and flow of the cinematography to the dialogue, performances, and editing- everything seemed to be perfectly calculated to set you on edge and keep you there until the credits. And what a cut to black that ending was, by the way- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is easily one of the most consistently intense slashers ever put to screen. I almost don’t want to divulge any details as I went in only knowing that “Leatherface” existed as a killer, and I thought he was the *only* killer involved but oh, not so! The deaths of the core cast come unexpectedly and brutally without showing the audience too much. It’s definitely a gruesome tale but the way in which this tragedy unfolds makes it visually one of the most unsettling horror films of all time. The implications of violence feel more visceral than the actual violence depicted on screen. For example, when one of the young women in the group, Pam (Teri McMinn), is constantly filmed voyeuristically by the camera, often lingering on her bare back and shoulders. So when Leatherface’s (Gunnar Hansen) first act of brutal violence to her specifically is by picking her up and jamming her onto a dirty old butcher’s hook as it punctures her back, lungs, rib bones- we feel it more personally. It’s brilliant, really. I implore you to check this one out if you have any interest in Horror, especially within the context of film history.
October 17th
The Substance (2024)
4/5
Talk about your intense, in-your-face, social commentary horror. Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, The Substance is a not so subtle jab at Hollywood and how it treats female actresses, especially anyone past the age of 29. The concept here is that Elizabeth “Sparkle” (Demi Moore) was a popular workout training video instructor who, honestly still looks fantastic, but hasn’t been able to bring in quite as many eyeballs as before. Now she has to contend with her agent, a disgustingly bullish movie mogul type who just so happens to be named Harvey, played exquisitely by Dennis Quaid. She gets ousted from her star position and ends up looking into a product called The Substance, which creates a younger version of herself that can continue to operate in the entertainment business. However, the promise of everlasting youth comes with a price if you don’t follow the rules. Seven days as your younger, smoother, self, then seven days back in your old body.
Once birthed out of Elizabeth’s back, yes you read that correctly, the younger version of herself heads off to meet Harvey and take back her time slot with a new show and shiny new body. She names herself Sue (Margaret Qualley) and begins to enjoy the benefits of youth once again. At first she follows the rules, but after some time the two versions of herself begin to show signs of independence, of new and diverging personalities. Sue continues to push the envelope and stay younger for longer than she’s supposed to- which ends up causing more than a few negative side effects for both Elizabeth and Sue. Fargeat takes the concept as far as physically possible, evoking David Cronenberg and Stuart Gordon when it comes to body horror insanity. I know the third act pushed some people away due to its incredibly over the top evolution, dripping with blood and various other bodily fluids, but I loved it. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever Coralie Fargeat does next!
October 18th
Talk to Me (2023)
3.5/5
This was an incredibly strong feature debut by Australian filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou. The core concept is an excellent hook that doesn’t rely on cheap jumpscares or weak story structure that focuses on kills and character deaths above all else (That can work, but it all depends on the execution). When Mia (Sophie Wilde) is having a hard time on the second anniversary of her Mother’s death, her friend Jade (Alexandra Jensen) with little brother Riley (Joe Bird) in tow, sneak her out to a party to clear her mind and relax. After they arrive the party really begins when a mysterious embalmed hand is brought out. When someone holds the hand with a lit candle nearby and says, “Talk to Me” that person finds themselves holding hands with a dead spirit who they can talk with. However, if they then utter the phrase, “I let you in” the spirit takes possession of them and then wilds out until someone forces the hand away and snuffs out the candle before 90 seconds is up to cut the connection.
Things go alright at first, but when Riley attempts to let a spirit in, it’s Mia’s Mother who answers. Completely distraught, Mia begs for more time with her Mother but when Riley passes the 90 second mark, the spirit takes hold of Riley and makes him constantly attempt suicide until brought into the Hospital. Much like The Substance, there are rules to be adhered to, and of course, every rule is broken as much as possible in the most unhinged of ways that end with some dark consequences. Talk to Me is certainly a solid Horror movie, but especially when considering that it’s a first feature. As with Coralie Fargeat and Damien Leone, I will now be paying attention whenever the names Danny and Michael Philippou are uttered in the realm of cinema.
October 19th
I Saw The TV Glow (2024)
2/5
Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw The TV Glow was a difficult film to review. Knowing several people that have gone through the Trans experience, I certainly don’t want to dunk on the themes of this film, or the ideas present in the script- that wasn’t really my issue with the film. My issue is that the execution wasn’t really meeting the ideas if that makes any sense. It was frustrating to watch because the main character, Owen, is portrayed by Justice Smith in a performance that I’d like to call “Mumblecore Melancholy”. I understand the point of the movie and the mystery around the TV show that Owen and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), the older emo girl and his only friend, are obsessed with called The Pink Opaque. However, I found almost the entire experience of watching the film to be full of gloom, anguish, and a pained annoyance at almost everything the main character does or attempts to do. Look, I couldn’t make this movie, making movies is a crazy, difficult, and insane task most of the time.
However, I just felt that there were too many ways in which the scripting could have been polished (I found the dialogue to be terribly mundane and juvenile), the performances could have been expanded or deepened in some tangible way, or something could have been done to give these characters believability- they just seemed stunted. Like they hadn’t really lived a real day once in their life. I get the message of the movie, just be yourself, whoever that is. But don’t wait around or you might live a life you hate until you’re screaming at your mundane shit job but no one can hear you. All that being said I think the strongest stuff was in the set design, the lighting, and the cinematography. All of those aspects truly did help to string everything together in a cohesive way. I just didn’t really care for this one, but hey, give it a shot!
Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.