Some bits from over the 'festive' period -
NURSE – With Paz De La Huerta as a psychopathic matron with a shadowy past and a harsh attitude against philandering husbands. Cue some splatter and some sleaze, although not all that much – 'Nurse' seems somehow to promise more than it delivers, and the normally tight De La Huerta gives a slightly odd performance. Entertaining though, and it's fair to say it manages to weave a few nicely obnoxious moments into its familiar plotline, including a naked autopsy and a hospital massacre at the end.
END OF THE LINE – A good pre-apocalyptic horror from the director of 'Lady Of The Lake' and 'Slashers', both interesting films which are worth tracking down. 'End Of The Line' features a rabid Christian doomsday cult whose members invade an underground train wielding cool looking crucifix – daggers. The action is for the most part pretty conventional – there's a survivor group, a whole load of religious fanatics, and a lot of running around. But there are some genuine bits of grotesquery here and there, and, although the gore isn't extreme, there's enough to satisfy most palates. Succeeds more than anything in being a serious low budget movie with no pretensions, some interesting ideas and an understanding of graphic horror.
PULSE – The Japanese original. I saw the re-make recently and decided I quite liked it. It's not a patch on this, though. 'Pulse' is a long, slow burning mood piece which is as much about alienation and social anomie as it is about supernatural tech. The tone gets progressively more elegaic and mournful, to the point of feeling oppressive, and really shows up the Hollywood reboot for the ham fisted CGI-fixated fluff it is. The last half of 'Pulse' feels like a slow, inevitable slide into oblivion, its characters fading into blackened stains as their lives empty of vitality and, well, life. Recommended for anyone into depresso shit.
BEASTS – I watched all six episodes of Nigel Kneale's ITV horror series, which are available on a two disc collection from Network. I think Kneale's place in the pantheon of 20th cent fantastic media is undisputed – that said, this bunch may be an acquired taste for some. The reason I say this is, seventies TV might've been an oasis of strangeness and wyrdness on some levels, but the day-to-day stuff was often very flat, static and talky. This is the case here. Now, for me, even this has a certain 'vibe' about it, and imo the majority of 'Beasts' really works, with the reams of dialogue never quite keeping a really foreboding atmosphere at bay. This is particularly true of 'Baby', the series opener, which seethes with claustrophobia and paranoia and manages some great sinister seventies moments - the ending, complete with suckling monster, is pretty freaked out. The closer, 'During Barty's Party', also uses its one-act play format to conjure a desperate atmosphere of impending dread as a middle class couple's life is snuffed out by an unseen horde of rampaging rats in a scenario which I couldn't help but feel was a case of Kneale doing Ballard doing Lovecraft. Conceptually, all the episodes are interesting and original – there are pornographers haunted by the ghosts of dolphins, dried up actors possessed by their own monster costumes, but my favourite episode was the one with Pauline Quirke as a stodgy supermarket checkout operator who appeared to be invoking a manifestation of the store's brand identity, a logo based on a cartoon bear. All really good, but again very much within the tradition of the TV play – so more than worth a shot for anyone who doesn't insist on everything they watch looking like 'Sin City' or something.
SURVEILLANCE – J Lynch's 'comeback' film after the 'Boxing Helena' debacle. I was impressed by 'Chained' recently, so felt I had to check it out. I liked its web of tangled perspectives, and the film does a successful job of keeping the tension cranked up as it rolls along. I have to say, I could see that 'twist' coming miles down the road, and felt slightly miffed that a lot seemed to have been sold on the back of it. The similarly rubbish manouver at the end of 'Chained' wasn't as intrusive. Still, it didn't spoil things for me. 'Surveillance' and 'Chained' are interesting in that they are accomplished films which both look and feel a little, erm, 'Lynchian'. It's not just about the off-beat noirish sensibility - 'Surveillance' in particular oozes that 'dislocated dialogue and socially malcoordinated characters' vibe so prominent in 'Twin Peaks'. It all feels a bit calculated. Good stuff though, and I'm hoping her next one will see her coming into her own a bit more.
OUTCAST – Continuing the recentish trend for social realist Brit-horror, 'Outcast' is an intriguing tale set on a Scottish council estate, where a witch and her son hide out from an underground occult community. Witch's ex, aided by said community, tries to track her down whilst a monster stalks the estate. I really liked its mixture of grimy dourness and overly vivid fantasy – divination by crow guts, cool monster etc. - and thankfully, despite its setting, it doesn't really stray into 'hoodie horror' territory. Slightly unusual, and worth watching.
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