SRIGALA - They call it the Indonesian 'Friday The 13th', but since when did Jason romp around in a red speedboat, tossing grenades? Might've pepped up least a few of the sequels if he had. No, 'Srigala' does in fact riff quite heavily on F13, in fact the climax is basically just that, but it's mostly about treasure thieves hassling pesky kids who might scupper their lakeside manoeuvres. I was torn between not feeling massively engaged and really liking bits of it; just when exasperation creeps in after one fake scare too many, a random zombie dream brings hope and guffaws with its misplaced weirdness ('Srigala's good with little bits like that, see also red speedboat above). And I dug the music, a lo-fi mix of keyboards, post-punk guitars and organ drones that seeps into scenes of chatty sunbathing and clouds them over with an under-the-surface oddness. One thing they do lift rather well from the original 'classic' is the OTT storm that dominates the latter half of that movie and does the same here. Overall, an interesting curio likely to attract Mondo Macabro enthusiasts - though this was put out by Terror Vision, who've done a sterling job.
DREAM HOME - There aren't all that many credit crunch slashers. 'Dream Home' is about Lai-Sheung and her unwavering fixation on a des res Hong Kong pad with a harbour view. We find out what drives this obsession through a series of childhood flashbacks that mar the pace a bit, but, beyond the semi-novelty of a slasher doubling as socio-economic satire - which you sort of had in 'Driller Killer', for example - 'Dream Home' is really more about pushing home the gore after Lai hits on her scheme to drive down local housing prices by butchering their tenants(!) There's certainly plenty of vicious splatter; although I was more impressed by it the first time I saw it, it's one of those noughties nasties that stand out set against the comparative anaemia of the now.
OPEN GRAVE - I'm not overly big on zombie aftermath movies when they're just about the usual bickering survivors and ghouls who can run. 'Open Grave', on the other hand, lays on nice visuals, a thoughtful approach and downer vibe - I quite liked. Sharlto Copley wakes up in a pit full of corpses, not knowing how he got there or what lies ahead in the world beyond. He finds a house of similarly memory-impaired people, and together they try to piece things together whilst fending off the advances of wild eyed posthumans. It takes its time but manages to sustain tension by not laying down its cards all at once - we're as much in the dark as the characters. Even if it relies too heavily on the beats of its particular subgenre to transcend it, the mood of sunny dereliction cut through with rabid menace makes it seem more offbeat than the usual post- '28 Days' fare, at least until the typical finish.
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