PatrickPlantana

A splash of depressing, a tad psychological, and a hint of crime thriller make up the cocktail that is "1922". I like the exploration the film takes into the couple's marriage starting off, especially during the 1920's time frame. We are introduced to an unhappy pair on the verge of a major financial quandary. Unsatisfied with her life, the wife wants to sell her father's land and move to the big city against the strong wishes of her husband whom, legally speaking, has no real say in the matter. It is clear that the marriage has been suffering for sometime by the chemistry (or lack thereof) of the couple as the wife is clearly resentful and the husband feels the lack of love from his partner, in turn becoming resentful himself while trying to preserve his own desires and values.

From here, the film gets Biblical and brandishes a heavy psychological sword of manipulation. This phase of the film kicks off with the line "I believe that there is another man inside of every man, a conniving man." From here out, the darkness creeps in and doesn't let go. The husband concocts a plan to murder his wife and uses the aid of his teenage son to do it. I was most impressed and disturbed by how well he manipulates his only child to help murder his mother. The misuse of Biblical knowledge and damnation never ceases to amaze me at how well it can emit terrible guilt and actions from people in the name of "good" (an undertone of religion and hypocrisy I thoroughly enjoyed about this film). A manipulation that is showcased well as they briefly explore what becomes the son's life soon after the evil deed is done and sets in on his conscience. A select few scenes and blunt dialogue post mortem keep a realistic tone to the messy situation. The initial portrayal of the husband has you believe he is just a frightened, simple man. But as he is threatened by the notion of losing his livelihood and his son, we see the proof of the "conniving man" who orchestrates a murderous, evil plot filled with necessary twists and cover ups. Granted it was the 1920's so he had a slight advantage culturally and technologically speaking to get away with this, but as the movie continues we see he is far from being freed of consequence. The raw human take on such a grisly situation and the effect that can have on someone guides us into the second act of the film.

The second half of the film takes on much deeper horror themes as we see the guilt and ruin that becomes this man's life. The movie delivers some powerful imagery that, at times, catches you off guard. I like this element as I feel it prevents things from dragging on during parts that could easily get boring as they fill in the little details of the story. A spiral into brief madness helps fuel these more harrowing scenes and jump scares even better, almost skewing the viewer's sense of reality. Perhaps, one of the scarier scenes I've witnessed in recent Netflix horror is where the man's dead wife comes back to visit him. Rats accompany her walking corpse as she stalks her husband through the house in the dead of winter. I love that this scene didn't drop momentum where you almost expect her to disappear as a figment of the husband's crazed imagination, thinking that the director is just trying to scare you. In actuality, this is one of the most pivotal scenes in the film as it lays out the man's punishment for his crimes. It offers a bitter taste as the ghostly woman whispers in her husband's ear telling of all the chaos and destruction he has brought into the lives of multiple innocent people because of his selfish actions. The realism of how things play out for every character is, truly, the most terrifying thing about the movie as a whole. The ending, though not the most original, is probably the most fitting for the dark feel and it offers a terrifying final shot to set the tone. Very well done and entertaining throughout. If you are looking for an original crime thriller with plenty of dark elements check out "1922".

Beautifully shot and very stylish! The entire realm of the feminine ideal is captured very well from multiple points of view. Various exaggerated characters and modern stereotypes shed light on these points in a comical and direct way. It also gives great examples of how differently men and women love and the vicious cycle that often incurs. A gorgeous female lead, plenty of sexual imagery, tons of homage to the 60's films of this genre, and a modern warning to narcissistic lovers and beta males alike all give this movie originality, with a familiar feel. Even some of the lesser acting adds to the style and love child era "feel" of this film. My only true complaint is that it tends to drag on a little bit too long. Still worth a look, especially if you like nostalgic cinema.

SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON

You have the narcissistic, love sick maiden, Elaine, whom is the focal point of the story with an abusive past chronically seeking fulfillment in love. To no avail is she ever pleased through her turmoil of not knowing what she wants and losing interest once she gets what she believes she is after. Nothing anyone can give her is enough to fill her void, so she remains the hopeless romantic. A modern twist to the hopeless maiden is done here as she is a love potion, spell conjuring (slightly unstable) witch.

I love how they portrayed the boring soon to be housewife who seems to share the mindset of most modern women who possess an air of entitlement and a lack of comprise within their relationship. The housewive's counterpart, the bored soon to be husband, is also well depicted as a successful, caring man who loves his wife, but feels he is missing something from their relationship. He bears a cross of being undervalued and neglected by his fiancee. A feeling most modern men undoubtedly experience.

The traits of the two men that fall wildly in love with Elaine are deliberately over-exaggerated and drive the point home perfectly by demonstrating the hatred women have for weak men. You have two successful, motivated men with their lives in order until they fall head over heels for an enchanting woman. The first gentleman, Wayne, is a good-looking, intelligent, Casanova type that has typically done well to guard his heart from his multiple sexual encounters with women until meeting Elaine. Upon drinking her potion he turns into a sniveling, helpless beta male which Elaine immediately despises and finds bitterly unattractive. The second man (the bored husband) though a successful pilot, is for the most part a beta male at heart who settles for a safe, but unhappy relationship. After drinking her potion a wild affair with Elaine takes shape. He becomes fiercely in love with her and becomes sniveling and helpless once the Witch loses interest in him also.

Elaine finally believes she has found true love in the white knight police detective that begins investigating her. A tall, well chiseled handsome alpha male. He begins a romance with Elaine and against his own judgements becomes temporarily distracted and blind to her madness. He has a brilliantly scripted epilogue during a scene with Elaine where he describes falling in love with a woman as turning a man weak and how men lose interest once a woman becomes more attached to him. He bluntly uses the term "suffocating." I found this part of the movie to have a strong feminist undertone trying to make men seem selfish and impossible to please. I'm not sure if the undertone was deliberately ironic, but I found it almost hypocritical as the leading character was deceptively manipulating men into falling in love with her only to discard them once they did, remaining unsatisfied once she got what she wanted. Again, I don't know if this was deliberately done to prove a point, but I found it interesting nonetheless. However, the police detective eventually does pull away from Elaine and sees her for who she truly is and sticks true to his alpha male nature by not falling for her tricks. My favorite scene hands-down is towards the end of the movie when he is scolding her in the bar and describes her perfectly, calling her out on her actions and mentality.

One other character, only briefly shown throughout the film, is Elaine's ex whom she was passionately in love with. One particular scene seems to sum up the entirety of her attraction to him as you hear him being critical and rude to her about her looks and womanly duties. Saying quote, she "needs to step it up" in their relationship. This gives a perfect feel for how men perceive women as only going for the jerks or bad boy types (Alpha males), men that put them down and constantly make them chase their validation and hold them accountable for everything. This scene is immediately followed by the sound of her father's voice speaking to Elaine when she was (what I perceived to be) a child, cruelly poking at her weight and putting her down. Further proving the point that women who are abused or neglected by their fathers grow up with "daddy issues" and a fear of abandonment that they constantly struggle to fill with promiscuity, deception, obsessive love seeking, and codependency in relationships.

Overall, I found this movie to be very well done between the beautifully nostalgic shots, the gorgeous lead that never gets tiring to look at, and a well written story filled with modern issues and perspectives on love, sex, narcissism, behavioral disorders, and feminism.

I'm always on the fence when it comes to the 90's horror underground/B list films. I always enjoy the one liners from 80s slasher classics, but for some reason the 90's always had those lines that seemed kinda forced in their cheesiness. They seemed to have a lot of political and current issues fueled behind them. Fortunately, there are only a couple of those lines in this movie and it only bothers me just a little.

This movie has a great opening scene and I like the movements and the aggressiveness of the werewolf. The family's German Shepherd is hands down the smartest character in the film and there is even a line towards the end that gives credit to this. Considering the supernatural take of the whole werewolf concept, this movie has a good bit of realism surrounding the nature of the beast. I won't say too much, but it briefly explores the psychological effect of the man plagued by this curse with a few select scenes. A few broken rules for the genre also help put a slight twist on what would otherwise be an average werewolf flick. My most memorable scenes include the power struggle between the two alphas. There is some great symbolism and well placed humor within this dynamic. Don't expect anything too mind blowing, but if you enjoy the finer threads of a movie check this one out!

I really enjoyed the first half of this film as a macabre thriller. Good acting from both leads and a quick suspenseful pace set in a cold morgue helped grab my attention from the start. Very well done gore effects also help suck you in to the plot and filming style and add a nice touch to the suspense. The more the film unravels, the more you wanna figure out the mystery of "Jane Doe".

However, I feel the mystery and interest quickly drop off by taking the viewer to a place we've already been a hundred times before with most B list horror films. The 2nd half, although providing an ample amount of jump scares and creepy shots to keep you paying attention, feels rushed and predictable. As soon as you think you've figured out what's going on, well, you pretty much have and then you're just riding it out to see how it ends. I'm not saying I could have written a better twist/ending, but my expectations surely got cut short by the second half of the film. With an ending that was just, meh.

Pretty scary if you don't watch a lot of horror and still a solid pick for a Netflix horror movie night. I've seen worse, but I've also seen better.

Few things gross me out to the point where I'm compelled to turn away from the screen, "Excess Flesh" thrived on this aspect of filmmaking. I can barely eat food in public, nonetheless watch emotionally disturbed women munch on my favorite late snacks zoomed in and shot in slow motion. The imagery and visuals can get a bit annoying and overdone, but maybe that is the director's aim in placing a psychological effect on the viewer. I feel like there is an overall point to this movie, but the dramatic scenes and chaotic ultra abuse kind of distort which direction I feel the movie is going in. It has a rather predictable twist and hits the emotions oddly with various traumas explored through extremes. Plenty of gross out sound effects and disturbing music scores only amplify the dysfunction of these wilder moments.

My main take on the movie as a whole is the exploration of eating disorders, low self esteem, narcissism, and the vicious cycle in general that physical and emotional abuse perpetuate from victim to victim. I enjoyed the performance of the main character, her level of crazy was pretty entertaining and I found her kind of hot at certain points in the film (but that's a conversation reserved for my therapist). I kept picturing her snappy emotions and aggressive/eratic behavior being played well as the portrayal of "Baby" in "The Devil's Rejects", not to take anything away from my future wife Sherri Moon... The roommate was a very easy to hate character and we can all relate to knowing a woman or two like her. Even when you feel like you should empathize with her, you really struggle to, or at least I did.

A decent film at best, due to the confusing scenes, over the top disgusting visuals, and an unoriginal twist. For something a little bit different, a lot a bit gross, and completely weird, it hits the spot, but don't think about the movie too hard or you'll probably be disappointed. Also, probably not the best choice for date night/movie night. Unless, you both met on the Dark Web.

Genuinely creepy and original, especially for the time. The first generation of slasher flicks had some diamonds in the rough and "Madhouse" is definitely one of them! Great concept with the disturbingly twisted evil twin and killer dog duo. Fun jump scares and terrifying scores maintain a good overall build to things. The main character conveys a deep, emotional sense of fear that adds to the inevitable madness that becomes the film's epic climax. Her being a teacher for special needs deaf children seems to add a feeling of vulnerability to her character as well as the childrens' performances themselves giving the film a slightly creepier feel. Highly recommend checking this one out! A little Texas Chainsaw mixed with a little bit of Cujo equals solid slasher fun for the whole crazy family!

The director of "Martyrs" (one of the all-time best) brings a well sequenced thriller with the right blend of everything. At first glance, we are introduced with a seemingly familiar plot. However, things take a quick turn and pack a hard punch in the process. The first half of the film is a hectic guessing game that gradually spirals out of control, keeping true to stylesque French horror with frightful suspense and explosive scenes. I was pleasantly surprised with the direction the story took once things started becoming clearer. I can't say much more without giving things away, so I recommend you just see for yourself. Lacking just a little bit in backstory, but not a crucial element needed for this film as it makes up for this by diving straight in to the madness that engulfs the atmosphere of the entire movie and doesn't let go. Pascal Laugier's originality truly shines through with enthrallingly vivid shots and iconic memoirs that take the film to the next level. Great performances by both young actresses and thrilling throughout!

What does one get with an ensemble of goofy, loveable characters, fun one liners at every turn, and everybody's favorite hottie from "Dumb and Dumber"? ... One hour and twenty minutes of twistedly funny zombie horror! "Dead Shack" is definitely more on the B-list side of horror (as most horror comedies are), but in a campy, entertaining kinda way. Shot with good quality, decent effects that match the tone of the film, and acting that is generally much better than your average straight to DVD Redbox horror movie. This one kept me laughing from start to finish. Fans of the classic "Tucker & Dale vs. Evil" should definitely have a fun time with "Dead Shack".