VICIOUS FUN – Horror dweeb Evan Marsh ends up gate-crashing a very niche support group; will stabby Amber Goldfarb turn out to be friend or foe? VF is another contemporary flick in love with the eighties (it’s even set in 1983, one year short of that most eighties of years, 1984). It goes for the ‘neon and synth’ look paraded by many of its ilk, but unlike all those movies that follow in the footsteps of Winding Refn’s parody of Mann, it tones down the AV tropes and actually looks a bit like something that might’ve been shot around the time. Enjoyable enough, but I would’ve liked to have seen a meaner, snarlier, more serious take on the whole ‘gang of killers’ thing, because it does flag at times and isn’t all that funny. Worth a go, though.
APARTMENT 1BR – Or ‘1BR’ as it’s known in the states. A nice little find on Prime, 1BR brings home dark truths about flat hunting in LA. Most apartment house horror goes for the theme of isolation, but 1BR is quite interesting in that it’s all about the madness of groupthink and neighbours who are all too keen to welcome you into their little fascist Babylon. I really enjoyed it, it’s very lean, has good momentum, and there’s a level of nastiness although it’s not a splatter flick by any stretch. Its beats are familiar but well-played, and it’s not trying to pull off a big aesthetic ‘wow’ although a subtle stylisation captures the feel of a sunny, airy nightmare. It reminded me, a little, of the kind of social horror flick someone like Larry Cohen might’ve done in the seventies and eighties, there’s that kind of snarkiness and paranoia about authority and conformity. Well worth a punt imo.
THE LAIR – Another Shudder. This one’s by the director of ‘Dog Soldiers’ (everyone’s fave apart from mine, apparently) and the ‘The Descent’ (still very good after all these years). Since both of those tend to be venerated I have a feeling that many will go into ‘The Lair’ with quite high expectations, which isn’t a good idea as it’s not on a level with either. It is, however, a serviceable monster shoot-‘em up with a nice amount of splatter and the kind of attitude that’s just pure B-movie pulp (comes through most clearly in the performances, which are quite amusing). Oh, and we get to find out the truth behind the Soviet-Afghan conflict, so who can say that shite horror sci-fi schlock always skimps when it comes the socio-political nitty gritty? I didn’t expect the real reason for all that war an shit to be about experiments on aliens, though. Worth a shot if you’re up for a bit of bang bang splat, but please leave your contempt for flagrant historical revisionism at the door.
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