And then Abigail proceeded to exceed my expectations and blow me away!
The young ballerina is our title character, Abigail (Alisha Weir). She doesn’t know it yet, but she is being stalked by a team of kidnappers, a group of criminals and outcasts each with their own specific skillset. The goal: kidnap young Abigail and hold her in a remote mansion hideaway until her rich daddy coughs up a $50 million ransom.
For security reasons, the kidnappers do not know each other’s names. Instead, their employer, Lambert (Giancarlo Esposito), assigns them aliases inspired by the Rat Pack. Frank (Dan Stevens) is the unappointed leader of the group, mostly because his pissed-off demeanor intimidates the others. Joey (Melissa Barrera) obviously has some medical training, and is there to watch over Abigail. Sammy (Kathryn Newton) is a computer hacker who does it for kicks, while the dim-witted Peter (Kevin Durand) is the muscle. Rounding out the team are Dean (Angus Cloud), the stoner who is also a hell of a getaway driver, and Rickles (Will Callett), the ex-military weapons expert.
The kidnapping goes off without a hitch. Abigail is tied up and tucked away in one of the mansion’s upstairs bedrooms. Frightened and confused, the young girl is comforted by Joey, and a bond forms between them. As for the others, they have nothing to do but wait for Lambert to return in 24 hours with their share of the ransom money, and spend their time enjoying the amenities of their luxurious hide-out.
It isn’t long, though, before the criminals realize they are not alone, and that someone… or something… is stalking them. As the hours drag on, the odds that any of these criminals will survive the ordeal grow longer and longer.
As mentioned above, the trailer spoiled the fact that Abigail, which opens as a crime / thriller, transforms into a vampire film at some point (much like the trailer for Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn ruined a similar twist in that film). Now, for those of you who have not seen the trailer, I will reveal nothing more. But for those who have watched the trailer and not the movie, rest easy. Abigail features additional twists and turns, each as surprising as the last.
The primary reason these surprises work is the film’s superior cast. Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, and the others do a masterful job bringing this diverse set of kidnappers to life. Their various interactions are at the core of this film, from the camaraderie that builds between some (Sammy and Peter flirt a little early on, which develops into mutual trust and genuine affection once things get real) to the antagonism that blossoms amongst others (Frank and Joey engage in a battle of wills that only intensifies with each new scene).
When all is said and done, however, the finest performance in Abigail is given by Abigail herself, Alisha Weir. Her range is phenomenal, and she is convincing as both a frightened child and a bad-ass in complete control. Ms. Weir steals every scene in Abigail. And that is no exaggeration. Every… damn… scene! I would go so far as to rank her turn as Abigail up there with Hailee Steinfeld’s Mattie Ross in 2010’s True Grit as one of the greatest child performances ever captured on film. There are many reasons to watch Abigail, and Alisha Weir is at the top of that list.
What else does Abigail have going in its favor? Well, it’s a horror / comedy that works on both levels, with copious amounts of blood spewed in every direction (though enhanced digitally, the majority of the gore scenes were done practically, and it shows) and plenty of laughs (often times, the funniest moments are the ones featuring graphic violence). Abigail proved an incredibly entertaining motion picture, and if you have not yet seen it, you should absolutely treat yourself and watch it right now!
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
This time around, the year is 1977. Night Owls, a late-night talk show hosted by Jack Delroy (David Dasmalchian), has been a perennial runner-up in the ratings since its debut six years earlier, finishing second to Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show. Having recently returned to Night Owls following a long sabbatical, during which he mourned the death of his beloved wife Madeleine (Georgina Haig), Jack is hoping this Halloween special will finally catapult him to the number one spot on the ratings chart.
Joined as always by his trusty sidekick, Gus (Rhys Auteri), Jack has invited guests who specialize in the paranormal, including psychic Christou (Faysaal Bazzi); former magician-turned-skeptic Carmichael Haig (Ian Bliss); and author / paranormal investigator June Ross-Mitchell (Laura Gordon), who believes that her protégé, 13-year-old Lilly (Ingrid Torelli), the lone survivor of a demonic cult, is possessed by an evil entity.
Things go from bad to worse during the broadcast. Christou claims at one point to be receiving signals from a powerful spirit, and has a violent reaction to it. Then, with Carmichael Haig continually alienating the audience by way of his assertions that the supernatural is phony, Jack decides to up the ante, and convinces a reluctant June Ross-Mitchell to “contact” the demon living inside Lilly… live on the air!
The Night Owls sequences throughout Late Night With the Devil, where Jack and his guests are in front of the cameras, broadcasting to the entire country, are a hell of a lot of fun. Starting with Christou’s psychic readings of audience members (where his results are hit-and-miss) through to the terrifying moment when the demon inside Lilly bursts to the surface, we believe we are watching a live TV show.
Yet it’s what separates this film from others like it that really impressed me. Throughout the entireties of both Ghostwatch and The WNUF Halloween Special, never once do the filmmakers break format. At all times, what we are seeing in those two excellent films is exactly what anyone who watched the programs “live on TV” would have seen. In contrast, Late Night with the Devil also features “behind-the-scenes” footage (shot in B&W), supposedly captured during the commercial breaks. Throughout these asides, we eavesdrop on conversations between Jack and his longtime producer Leo (Josh Quong Tart) discussing the best way to maximize ratings, all as Gus and a few others in the crew express their concerns that things are getting out of hand.
By including these extra scenes (which are too polished to have actually been shot during the breaks), the Cairnes are essentially “stripping away” the realistic vibe that the earlier films went to great lengths to maintain, all in an effort to increase the tension (when Gus is volunteered to be the subject of a demonstration staged by Carmichael Haig late in the movie, the studio audience doesn’t know what we know: that Gus is already scared out of his mind!).
The Cairnes’ do a fine job recreating the look and feel of a ‘70s late-night talk show, right down to the cheap set pieces and gaudy clothes; and David Dasmalchian gives a solid performance as Jack Delroy, a guy just charismatic enough that we believe he’d be the host of his own show, yet at the same time mediocre enough to convince us he’ll never beat Carson in the ratings (Jack always goes for the obvious joke). Yet it’s the approach that Late Night with the Devil takes in telling its story, and its willingness to occasionally suspend the realism other movies of its ilk strive to preserve, that helps it stand apart from the rest.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
Two (briefly three) characters telling scary stories.
Writer / director Josh Ruben took a minimalist approach to Scare Me, a film that would have worked just as well as a stage play. And yet it’s a top-notch horror outing. Listening to its characters as they attempt to frighten one another with various tales of the macabre not only generates tension, but also makes this 2020 movie one of the most unique horror anthologies of all-time.
Hoping for a little peace and quiet as he pens his first book (a werewolf story), wannabe writer Fred (played by Ruben himself) sets up shop in a remote cabin. To clear his mind when writer’s block sets in, Fred goes for a walk, during which he meets Fanny (Aya Cash), who is staying in the cabin right across from his. It turns out Fanny is also a writer. In fact, she’s the author of Venus, a best-selling horror novel.
When a storm knocks out the power, Fanny pays Fred a visit, and during their conversation she challenges Fred to try and scare her with his werewolf story.
Thus begins a night filled with one frightening tale after another, with Fred and Fanny – separately and in collaboration - spinning yarns of terror, each more nerve-racking than the last.
For a movie like Scare Me to work, the actors had to be on top of their game, and both Ruben and Cash were up to the challenge. Ruben plays Fred as a bit of a sad sack, a guy trying to turn his life around who is more than a little threatened by Fanny’s success. Cash is even better as the brash, confident Fanny. She spots Fred’s insecurities right out of the gate and goes to work on him, offering unsolicited advice as he acts out moments from his werewolf story. There is a tension between the two that remains tangible throughout, but they feed off of it, and use it to generate even scarier stories.
It's a dialogue-heavy film, obviously, but director Ruben utilizes lighting, sound effects, and occasionally even props to give the stories a little life. As Fred ascends a staircase while relating his Werewolf opus, we see not his shadow on the wall, but that of a hulking werewolf. When it comes to the stories themselves, my favorite is one about a Troll that lives in the walls of an office building, tormenting the staff of an Edible Arrangements company.
A third character is eventually introduced: Carlo (Chris Redd), a pizza delivery guy who also loves scary stories. Carlo is a big fan of Venus, and his constant praise of Fanny only adds to Fred’s anxieties. Redd is hilarious in the part, and during his short visit somehow steals the movie from Ruben and Cash. Also good in a couple of brief appearances (at the beginning and the end) is Rebecca Drysedale as Bettina, Fred’s overly talkative driver who also fancies herself a writer.
A funny, sometimes spooky, always fascinating horror / comedy, Scare Me did, indeed, scare me at times, and for a movie that is mostly dialogue, that’s a hell of an accomplishment.
Rating: 9 out of 10
The whole world is watching as the newly-discovered Clarke comet flies past earth, so close that it will be visible in the daytime sky.
Our first indication that there’s more to this comet than a colorful display comes when Atlanta-based engineer John Garrity (Gerald Butler) receives a mysterious voice message from the United States Department of Homeland Security, informing him that he, his estranged wife Allison (Morena Baccarin), and their young son Nathan (Roger Dale Floyd) have been selected for emergency sheltering, and must report to a nearby Air Force base by 9:45 pm. John ignores this message, only to realize its significance when a piece of the Clarke comet slams into Florida, destroying most of the state.
As news reports come across that fragments of Clarke will continue to pound the globe - including debris so large it could cause an extinction-level event - John and family drive to their designated rendezvous point, only to be turned away when it’s discovered that Nathan suffers from diabetes (the military has been instructed to reject anyone with an illness).
Separated from his family in the ensuing chaos (the base is stormed by thousands of panic-stricken citizens), John must travel to the home of Allison’s father (John Glenn) to reunite with her and Nathan, all the while thinking of a way to get his family to Canada, where a plane will carry any survivors who make it that far to a military bunker in Greenland mere hours before the comet is scheduled to hit.
The Clarke comet and the devastation it causes (ranging from small bits of debris that crash to earth to the destruction of entire cities) is merely the backdrop for Greenland; this is the story of a man who has made mistakes in the past (we eventually discover John’s infidelity led to his current marital woes with Allison), yet is determined to do whatever he must to get his family to safety. Along the way, John and Alison meet up with all sorts of people, from those ready to help (John learns about the Canadian plane from Colin, played by Andrew Byron Bachelor, who was traveling there himself and invites John to join him) to the desperate few out to save their own skins (when they first arrived at the Air Force base, John, Allison, and Nathan were issued wristbands by the military, identifying them as chosen survivors. After they are turned away, these wristbands make them prime targets for anyone desperate enough to steal them and try their luck at another base).
The cast is strong, with Butler and Baccarin doing a fine job as the motivated couple fighting the clock to make their way to safety. Yet it was young Roger Dale Floyd as Nathan who impressed me the most, giving a performance every bit as good as the film’s more experienced actors. And while the focus of Greenland is placed squarely on its characters, there are some decent action sequences as well (especially impressive is the scene in which a shower of molten debris hits a highway in upstate New York).
Alas, the key ingredient that is lacking in Greenland is suspense; there was never a moment when I felt John Garrity and his family wouldn’t survive, and do so together, regardless of the circumstances (there’s even a brief section of the film where all three are separated from each other).
On a technical level, Greenland is a well-made film, with a good cast, effects that work as intended, and a story of global devastation that is never dull. But it is also far more predictable than a movie of this nature should be.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
This week, I review five movies that went into wide release in the U.S. in 2020
1. Baba Yaga: Terror of the Dark Forest (2020)
The story that drives this Russian horror film is similar to that of another 2020 release, The Wretched. Egor (Oleg Chugonov) and his family: father Alexsy (Aleksey Rozin), stepmother Yullya (Maryana Spivak) and baby sister Varya, have just moved to a new neighborhood. To help his wife adapt to the unfamiliar surroundings, Alexsy hires Tatyana (Svetlana Ustinova), a nanny, to watch over Varya. But there’s something unusual about this nanny, and when Varya disappears without a trace, Egor is shocked to discover his parents no longer remember his baby sister! With the help of new friends Dasha (Giafira Golubeva) and Anton (Artyom Zhigulin), Egor attempts to find Varya, who, it turns out, has been abducted by an ancient witch that goes by the name… Baba Yaga! Baba Yaga: Terror of the Dark Forest features some effective early scares (the best of which involves a nanny cam), and the young performers, led by Chugonov, do a fine job handling the bulk of the workload. That said, the movie does occasionally give off an It: Chapter One vibe (especially when Egor and his pals descend into an alternate reality to battle Baba Yaga), and like many low-budget films, the computer imagery is its weakest aspect (it’s especially distracting in the final scenes). Fortunately, the strengths of Baba Yaga: Terror of the Dark Forest outweigh its weaknesses, and more often than not this one delivers the goods.
Rating: 7 out of 10
2. The Deeper You Dig (2019)
There was so much about The Deeper You Dig that impressed me, so much of it that worked, that it made those portions that didn’t work all the more frustrating. A tragic accident involving a 14-year-old girl (Zelda Adams) blurs the line between life and death for both the girl’s mother (Toby Poser) and a lonely stranger (John Adams).Written and directed by stars Poser and John Adams, The Deeper You Dig gets off to a great start; the introduction of its characters, the wintry setting, the event that sets the story in motion, all handled perfectly. I also loved how the movie utilized sound (even in those scenes where it was a bit of a distraction), and the main cast (including young Zelda Adams) delivers strong performances. Where the movie started to lose me was the way it approached its supernatural elements, some of which were occasionally intriguing (the mother’s journey into the seven circles resulted in a few cool scenes, but not enough to justify the subplot entirely) and others that were downright disappointing (especially the spectral visitations). Still, I would not discourage anyone from watching The Deeper You Dig; there’s a lot going on here, and even those moments that fell short for me were, at the very least, unique. And if you do check this movie out, be sure to let me know what you think of it; whether you love it or hate it, The Deeper You Dig is one you’re going to want to talk about!
Rating: 6 out of 10
3. The Dinner Party (2020)
How do you take a nearly two hour, dialogue heavy horror film and keep an audience’s interest throughout? You cast it well, which is exactly what director Miles Doleac has done with The Dinner Party. Jeff (Mike Mayhall), a playwright, and his wife Haley (Alli Hart) are the guests of honor at a dinner party thrown by several influential socialites, including Doctor Carmine (Bill Sage); opera aficionado Sebastian (Sawandi Wilson); best-selling author Agatha (Kamille McCuin); and investment banker Vincent (played by director Doleac). It’s Jeff’s hope that, by evening’s end, his hosts will have agreed to bankroll his newest play, but as he and his wife will soon discover, there’s more on the menu at this particular party than just wine and caviar. The Dinner Party is smartly written (the work of Doleac and his co-writer Michael Donovan Horn), but it’s the performances that really blew me away. Along with those mentioned above, Lindsey Anne Williams plays Sadie, a spiritualist, and Ritchie Montgomery has a brief but memorable role as a police deputy. In their more than capable hands, these performers deliver extended monologues about art, classical music, and opera in such a way that we’re hanging on their every word. The story itself is also good (though we realize before they do that Jeff and Haley are more than just dinner guests), but it’s the cast that makes this one memorable.
Rating: 8 out of 10
4. The Other Lamb (2019)
A cult-themed horror / drama directed by Malgorzata Szumowska, The Other Lamb tells the story of Selah (Raffey Cassidy), a teenage girl who has spent her entire life following the Shepherd (Michael Huisman), the only man in a commune of women and the self-appointed leader of his “flock”. Fast approaching the age of adulthood, at which point she will become one of the Shepherd’s wives, Selah finds her “faith” in the Shepherd waning, and feels more like a prisoner than one of his beloved followers. Cassidy, who also appeared in 2017’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer and 2018’s Vox Lux, delivers a magnificent performance as the confused young girl on the verge of becoming a woman. In addition, The Other Lamb is beautifully shot; cinematographer Michal Englert did a masterful job behind the camera (one scene in particular, where Selah is resting on top of a hill, took my breath away). Alas, The Other Lamb is a movie that approaches very dark subject matter, including male dominance and sexual abuse, yet spends most of its runtime dancing around them, rarely tackling these themes head-on. Though gorgeous, The Other Lamb is a slow burn-style horror film that never drives its point home as strongly as it should.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
5. The Soul Collector (2019)
A horror film steeped in folklore, The Soul Collector (Originally titled 8) takes a fresh approach to the subject of grief, and how the loss of a loved one can drive a man to do the unthinkable. The year is 1977. Her parents deceased, Mary (Keita Luna) now lives with her Uncle William (Garth Breytenbach) and Aunt Sarah (Inge Beckmann), who recently moved into a farmhouse that William inherited from his father. While exploring the nearby woods, Mary meets Lazarus (Thsamano Sebe), a wanderer who volunteers to help William work the farm. But Lazarus is hiding a terrible secret, one that might ultimately put young Mary in the greatest of danger. Shot on-location in South Africa and inspired by a Zulu legend, The Soul Collector tells a harrowing tale of demons, death, and the eternal soul, weaving all of these elements together in a way that is entirely satisfying. As played by Sebe, Lazarus is both hero and villain, a generally decent man who has made a pact with an entity that demands fresh souls, and it’s the battle between good and evil inside of him that gives the movie its energy. If you’re in the mood for a unique spin on horror, look no further than The Soul Collector.
Rating: 8 out of 10
