Category Archives: horror

The Love of Jeanne Ney

4 Genuine and Superior Classic German Silent Films

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The Great Leap (1927)

Kino Classics released some extraordinary German classic films from the silent era during the 1920s. Each one is available on Blu-ray or DVD. Presented in restorations by F. W. Murnau-Stiftung, I found each movie stunning and mesmerizing.

The films restored are The Great Leap (1927), directed by Arnold Fanck and starring Leni Riefenstahl, Paul Wegener’s The Golem (1920), G. W. Pabst’s The Love of Jeanne Ney (1927), and F. W. Murnau’s Tartuffe (1925), starring Emil Jannings.

The Great Leap
The Great Leap (1927)

I first watched The Great Leap, which features an audio commentary by film historian Samm Deighan. The movie stars Leni Riefenstahl, who is infamous as the great documentarian of Hitler. Before all that, she was foremost an actress, and she is good in this movie. It’s super funny. Apparently, Riefenstahl was a popular actress who starred in several mountain movies directed by Arnold Fanck. They included The Holy Mountain (Der heilige Berg, 1926) and The White Hell of Pitz Palu (Die weisse Hölle vom Piz Palü, 1929) as dramas of romance and survival.

The Great Leap suggests was something different as a playful romantic comedy set high atop the Dolomites. Riefenstahl plays an Italian peasant whose simple life is upended when a series of urbanites invade the slopes for a ski vacation. This bubbly comedy (featuring Riefenstahl’s usual on-screen love interest, Luis Trenker) combines slapstick laughs with stunning footage of acrobatic skiing and rock climbing, making it perhaps the most entertaining but unique movie out of all the German mountain films.

The Golem (1920)

Then I watched The Golem that contains both a 4K restoration of the German release version with three musical scores by Stephen Horne, Admir Shkurtaj, and Lukasz “Wudec” Poleszak, including U.S. release version with music by Cordula Heth. A feature comes with a comparison between the German and U.S. versions, and audio commentary by film historian Tim Lucas.

Hypothetically acknowledged as the source of the Frankenstein myth, the ancient Hebrew legend of the Golem provided actor and director Paul Wegener with the substance for an intriguing and adventure movie. Suffering under the tyrannical rule of Rudolf II in 16th-century Prague, a Talmudic rabbi, played by Albert Steinruck, creates a giant warrior, played by Wegener to protect the safety of his people. When the rabbi’s assistant, played by Ernst Deutsch, takes control of the Golem and attempts to use him for selfish gain, the lumbering monster runs rampant, abducting the rabbi’s daughter, played by Lyda Salmonova, and setting fire to the ghetto. The special effects for this time are impressive, creating the creation sequence with a dazzling blend of religion, sorcery, and the grand-scale destruction toward the end of the movie. The Golem was apparently an outstanding achievement from the legendary UFA Studios and remains an undeniable landmark in the horror’s evolution film.

The Love of Jeanne Ney came next and presents both the restored German release version with music arranged and orchestrated by Bernd Thewes, and the U.S. release version with music by Andrew Earle Simpson. It includes audio commentary by film historian Eddy Von Mueller.

The Love of Jeanne Ney (1927)

An epic of the Weimar cinema (Cinema of Germany), The Love of Jeanne Ney follows a young French woman’s struggle for happiness amid the political turbulence and corruption of post-World War I Europe. Directed by G. W. Pabst, who also directed Diary of a Lost Girl, Pandora’s Box, the film blends a variety of cinematic approaches as it weaves its complex narrative of moral chaos and political upheaval. Consider the use of the “American Style,” evocative of the Hollywood studio blockbuster; the avant-garde techniques of Soviet montage; and the eerie moving camerawork and shadowy perspectives are typical of German Expressionism. The result is a stunning cinematic experiment that never failed to surprise me with fast sequences that end with an exhilarating conclusion.

Tartuffe (1925)

Tartuffe includes both the German release version with a new score by Robert Israel and the U.S. release version with music by Giuseppe Becce, adapted by Javier Perez de Azpeita.

Tartuffe (1925)

Considered one of the most gifted visual storytellers during the German silent era, F. W. Murnau crafted works of great subtlety and emotional complexity through his absolute command of the cinematic medium. Known for such dazzling films as Nosferatu (1922), The Last Laugh (1924), Faust (1926), and Sunrise (1927), Murnau draws toward more intimate dramas exploring the dark corners of the human mind.

I had a prime interest in seeing Tartuffe, where Murnau Moliére’s fable of religious hypocrisy to the screen. The story follows a faithful wife, played by Lil Dagover. She tries to convince her husband, played by Werner Krauss, that their morally superior guest, Tartuffe, played by Emil Jannings, is in fact a lecherous hypocrite with a taste for the grape. Twisting the story to heighten the contemporary relevance, Murnau frames Moliére’s tale with a modern-day plot concerning a housekeeper’s stealthy efforts to poison her elderly master and take control of his estate.


watch little joe

Sci-Fi Thriller “Little Joe” is a Shrewd Flower

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The sci-fi and psychological thriller follows a mother and her son, who is affected by a genetically engineered plant. The red-flowered plant mysteriously shares its scent while the story twists and turns until the end.

The sci-fi and psychological thriller follow a mother and her son, who is affected by a genetically engineered plant. The red-flowered plant mysteriously shares its scent while the story twists and turns until the end.

Directed by Jessica Hausner, Little Joe follows Alice, played by Emily Beecham, who won the Best Actress award at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. Alice is a single mother and dedicated senior plant breeder at a corporation engaged in developing new species of plants. She engineered a unique crimson flower, remarkable not only for its beauty but also for its therapeutic value. If kept at the ideal temperature, appropriately fed and spoken to regularly, this plant makes its owner happy. The story gets interesting when Alice goes against company policy and takes one home as a gift for her teenage son, Joe, played by Kit Conner. They christen it “Little Joe.” But as their plant grows, so too does Alice’s suspicion that her new creation may not be as harmless as its nickname suggests.

Don’t believe this mumbo-jumbo, but it explains how the plant influences people.

Hausner states, “In this sense, Little Joe is a parable about what is strange within our­selves. This becomes tangible in the film by means of a plant, which is apparently capable of changing people. As a result of this change some­thing unfamiliar emerges, and something believed to be secure is lost — the bond between two people.”

The plant traumatizes those it pollinates with foreboding, austere colors and energetic drums and strings as a soundtrack. Throughout, you sense an awkward interpersonal relationship. It comes across in Alice’s contact with her colleague Chris, played by Ben Whishaw, who is devious and calculating while he tries to romance her. Having Whishaw play against type is ominous since we’re familiar with him as Q in the James Bond franchise and Mary Poppins Returns as the amicable father and brother. Chris courts Alice, demonstrated by uneasy offers for an after-work drink, then faltering struggles at kisses. Still, the red plant remains in the background, adversely affecting Chris’s ordinarily friendly and playful dog, bringing more tension to the story and jolting me out of my seat.

As a parallel, we watch human Joe begin his first romantic relationship with his first girlfriend, Selma, played by Jessie Mae Alonzo, another source of anxiety. Alice realizes her little boy is becoming a young man and more of his person, spending less time with her. It’s a sad moment for Alice, but something more profound is happening, and she discounts it. Perhaps she shouldn’t, giving the message to parents that they need to connect to their kids.

Hausner associates the film as more abstract and artificial than real life, even though scenes occur in greenhouses, laboratories, and real locations. Shot with mint green and white with the red flower. “We chose these almost childish colors to give the film the characteristics of a fairy-tale or fable.”

The movie sounds simple but is more complicated, and the story is driven as a psychological thriller about a plant that undermines a young boy’s life.

“Every working mother is familiar with being asked the question, which is often led with accusation: ‘So, who looks after your child when you go to work?’ Little Joe is about a mother who is tormented by her bad conscience when she goes to work and ‘neglects’ her child. A mother whose feelings are ambivalent because the plant is Alice’s other child: her work, her creation, the product of her labor. And she doesn’t want to neglect this child either or lose it. But which of her children will Alice choose in the end?” explains Hausner.

Watch the horror movie and get scared

C.M. Punk Rages Can’t Save “Girl on the Third Floor”

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Remodling home that is haunted, C.M. Punk can't save the movie

Written and directed by Travis Stevens, Girl on the Third Floor stars WWE legend Phil “C.M. Punk” Brooks and Trieste Kelly Dunn with a promotional campaign asking “Where the hell is the Girl on the Third Floor?” It appears the movie did quite well during its theatrical release, so horror being horror, you need to prepare yourself for what’s lurking on the third floor of this house.

The movie has the traditional formula for a haunted house, including rotting walls, bursting pipes, and unidentifiable, gross slime. Even WWE legend, playing Don Koch, couldn’t handle it, he does an excellent job of make-believing he’s in hell with the girl on the third floor.

It all starts with he convinces his wife, Liz, played by Dunn that he wants to remodel their new Victorian home himself.

Like any DYI, he instantly is way over his head, exasperatedly stress out to the max, and fascinated by his old vulnerabilities. Don realizes that the house has its own sinisterly wicked, sordid past and won’t be so easy to renovate after all, which makes for a fascinating watch.

The excellent cast rounds out well with Sarah Brooks, Elissa Dowling, and Travis Delgado.

I will say the movie is slow, and the storyline does not hold firm to the idea of the story. The potential is there, and it fell flat, and perhaps if the cinematography improved, and production design got behind the movie with a better script, the overall quality would have been worth the watch.

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Horror “Red Letter Day” Unfolds as Thrilling Comedy

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It’s a fun horror movie with lots of blood and gore.

Cameron Macgowan wrote and directed Red Letter Day, which is a rambunctious horror-comedy. A recently divorced mother, played by Dawn Van de Schoot, adjusts to a new life in a quiet suburban community. Her two teens, played by Hailey Foss and Kaeleb Zain Gartner, receive mysterious red letters instructing them each to kill or get killed. 

The bloodshed begins, and the family finds themselves in a chase against time to defend the people they love from the ones they assumed they knew. 

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The movie world premiered at the renowned Cinequest Film Festival. It played at other horror fests, including Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, L.A.’s Screamfest, FrightFest London, and both Sydney Underground and Calgary Underground Film Festivals.

The movie is Macgown’s feature directorial debut. His previous work won awards and received critical acclaim worldwide for international film fests, including Fantasia, SXSW, and the Toronto International Film Festival. 

The neighborhood nightmare flows well, and the acting is believable, with Schoot carrying the overall story well. The movie is low-budget, but it’s a funny, independent horror movie. I recommend it to diehard horror fans because they have a soft spot in their hearts for films like The Red Letter. Honestly, the special effects were impressive and convincing while entertaining the 75-minute runtime. 

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Some supporting performances were limited, but I liked the family dynamic, with Schoot strengthening the story. The story held itself with standard horror effects with vats of blood and gore — not a terrible option. The third act is intense, with a clever ending that pays off. I compare it to Stranger Things and Get Out.

The rest of the cast includes Tiffany Helm, Roger LeBlanc, and Peter Strand Rumpel. 

The Blu-ray is available, including features such as an audio commentary with the executive producer, director, and cinematographer. The exclusive featurettes Suburban Skirmish—The Making of Red Letter Day and Her Eyes—My Dance through the movies with Actor Tiffany Helm.

“Artik” Undertones of Thrilling Situations

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Reviewing a movie that is confusing is a painful task because I find it hard to describe the overall premise of the story. I hope I convey what goes on in the movie.

Written and directed by Tom Botchii Skowronski, Artik takes the horror genre and twists its meaning by add undertones of thrilling situations in dark reds, yellows, and oranges. The storytelling twists and turns into a train wreck of unclear and murky chaos. A comic book fanatic serial killer, Artik, played by Jerry G. Angelo, teaches his son, played by Chase Williamson, and other children on the farm the secret to getting away with serial killing.

A series of brutal murders continue until the boy befriends an enigmatic man, played by Matt Mercer, who warns he will expose everything.

The undertones create a complicated story that is hard to absorb while it lingers in your mind days after seeing the movie. Artik is a sick, horrific character who uses his son Holton to suit his own macabre. Holton becomes an inadvertent allies young Adam, played by Gavin White. Adam is a neglected and abused boy, heading down a diabolical, dark path, which makes him easy pickings for Artik.

The unlikely friendship sets off a precarious circumstance after circumstance, one after the other, which will leave your jaw hanging more than once on the floor.
Adam’s mother, Flin Brays, played by Lauren Ashley Carter, joins Artik and interacts with Adam. The undertones, again, come into play with neither Flin or Artik being honest with Adam.

The audience experiences a couple of sucker punches at the beginning. They are meant to fool the audience. The deception is sufficient for the development of the story. A few points in the movie leave one to assume they know what is going on in the story, but the situations don’t make sense.

Watching Artik is like watching a long, crazy disaster happening, though the movie is 77 minutes long. I asked myself several times, “Why am I watching this?”

It’s horrifying, disturbing, and gruesome, yet the story pulls at you to watch and discover how the insanity resolves.

The story doesn’t make sense, but exploring the argument that serial killers are born, not made by their environment, is one of the undertones that never delivers the answer.
The movie is complex because there are many children in the movie. It is hard to recognize their son from the children.

Risking both his mental and physical well being, Holton’s investigation into what happened to his Al-Anon sponsor leaves behind a trail of blood and violence. With relentlessly growing intensity, Artik heads for a destructive, action-filled showdown.

Skowronski says the story is about growth wrapped inside a “genre sealed envelope.”
“The character of Artik is based around my dad, who passed away three years ago. While the character of Holton is based around an ex-girlfriend, drawing from within is where the film’s tagline comes from, and I really hope it helps everyone out there turn the negatives in their life into motivation.”

He wanted to create a dynamic that pushes a straight edge character, that is entirely drug-free. “It’s been commonplace with film characters being developed around the idea that there is a cool factor behind drugs and alcohol, and I wanted to present the opposite. I’ve never seen it in film before, and I’m tired of seeing the same types of characters. Not drinking takes lots of balls, and the Holton character explores that a lot.”

The Dark: Horror Movie With Substance

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Written and directed by Justin P. Lange, The Dark is about a killer ghost who meets a lost soul. The movie is Lange’s debut as a director, and he hit the scary ringer. The movie is the production company’s biggest hit in 2018 and their most liked as a horror DVD. Horror fans pay attention because you want to see this movie.

The story unravels just outside a small town in a dense forest called Devil’s Den. The den is known as a mysterious area of woods. Many enter the woods, but no one ever leaves the woods.

Like all mysteries, the home-grown legend is about the spirit of a girl, played by Nadia Alexander. Murdered in the Devil’s Den, she haunts and hunts for victims. She brutally slays anyone who risks walking in her terrain.

A young man, played by Toby Nichols, with a dark past enters Devil’s Den. A series of events are set in motion that may lead to redemption for two tragically tortured souls.

The movie is a part gothic fairytale and part chilling horror. Lange methodically poises rich imagery with brutal and bloody storytelling. The two unlikely kindred spirits must defend themselves against the so-called normal world.

Both Alexander and Nichols performances are truthful and heartfelt. Lange’s script moves along and kept me interested and caring for the characters.  In general, the movie is receiving accolades from LA Times, Variety, and Horror Society.

“A moving and poetic tale about how neglect and abuse can turn people into freaky beasts, and how love can bring them back.” – LOS ANGELES TIMES

“Writer and director Justin P. Lange created and conquered one of the best horror films of the year. It’s emotional, slightly artistic and so disturbing and frightening. A true master-class in film-making. I am so blown away” – HORROR SOCIETY

Found Footage 3D: Parody on Found Footage Horror Movies

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Written and directed by Steven DeGennaro, Found Footage 3D begins with Mark, played by Chris O’Brien, who lives in the shadow of his overbearing older brother, Derek, played by Carter Roy. Mark always wanted what his brother processed. Derek is successful with a career in the movies and the love of a beautiful woman. Mark longs for a life like Derek’s. One day, Derek asks Mark to document the production of his next low-budget horror movie called Spectre of Death. Mark leaps at the prospect of being with Derek and becoming engaged in his production.

The Spectre of Death is filmed in the ‘found footage’ style similar to the Paranormal Activity movies.  Derek stars himself and his estranged wife, Amy, played by Alena von Stroheim. The storyline in Derek’s movie is similar to his relationship with his Amy. The art-imitates-life story of a couple whose relationship is slowly deteriorating. Against the objections of his director, Derek decided to make Spectre of Death the ‘first 3D found-footage horror film’ and hired his younger brother to shoot the first 3D behind-the-scenes documentary.

The production is plagued with trouble from the very beginning. Derek and Amy fail to be professionals and are amicable long enough to shoot a scene together. But things take a much more sinister turn when the fictional entity they’ve created for their film shows up in Mark’s behind-the-scenes footage. Frightening accidents begin to plague the shoot. The footage Mark is shooting grows stranger and more ominous. When an act of unexpected and ferocious violence finally tears down the wall between fiction and reality, Mark must find a way to contain the evil presence before it is too late.

The cast holds their own in this funny and quirky horror movie. The cast includes Tom Saporito, Scott Allen Perry, Jessica Perrin, and Scott Weinberg.

Found Footage 3D breaks down the found-footage horror movie and fills it with people who are aware of all of the rules, tricks, and platitudes of the genre. It obvious the cast and crew in the movie understand how to make a ‘found footage’ movie. The key to this horror movie, like all horror movies, who will survive?

“Hostile” Backstory Defines the Horror Worth Seeing

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Written and directed by Mathieu Turi, Hostile takes place when a worldwide epidemic pretty much killed most of the population on Earth.

Those few who survived the epidemic struggled every day, trying to find food and shelter. With that, a creature, unlike them, proves that they are not alone. The beast is super creepy. Take a look at the poster and Blu-ray/ DVD cover. You get a good idea of what this thing looks like in the movie.

Juliette, played by Brittany Ashworth, is driving on her way back from a scavenging mission. She experiences a terrible accident. She is trapped in her car, with a broken leg, in the middle of an unforgiving desert. That is not the entire story. There are a couple of stories within the story itself.

As you can see in the two movie clips, Ashworth’s acting skills shine as she tries to deal with and outsmart the creature. The story is about how she must survive the dangers of the post-apocalypse world while a strange creature prowls around her car.

Another part of the movie is a love story told in flashbacks while Juliette tries to survive the car crash and creature. The story is between her and a Frenchman named Jack, played by Gregory Fitoussi. The love story is a bit slow and twisted to the horror-thriller and science-fiction aspects of the movie. All in all, I think horror fans will like watching this movie because it is not your usual horror movie. There is even a nice twist at the end.

Turi’s directing credits include two shorts and another feature called Meander, which is in pre-production at this writing. He paid his dues in the business, working on sets as assistant director of several movies.

Dead Shack – Horrific Comedy About Zombies

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Directed by Peter Ricq, Dead Shack follows a family on a weekend trip that spins as a horror movie with some comic relief – the horror is deep and the laughter is based on your sense of humor. I didn’t laugh so much because the movie is pretty darn horrific.

Jason, played by Matthew Nelson-Mahood hooks up with best buddy Colin, played by Gabriel LaBelle, and he joins Colin and his family for a weekend trip to a cabin in the woods. They soon become aware of the fact that they are not the weirdest people in the rustic area.  The neighbors turn out to be zombie-like, and there is a dark mystery behind the missing townspeople. The adults hold a drunken party but it ends abruptly with a scene horror fans will go crazy over.

Colin’s older sister, Summer, played by Lizzy Boys, and their father, who is usually drunk, and step-mother, Roger and Lisa, work together as things quickly go wickeder when Jason, Colin, and Summer witness their seductive neighbor, played by Lauren Holly, feeding two locals to her undead husband and kids.  Realizing their own potential fate – ending up as a full course meal, the kids must work together to bash in several zombie skulls and save themselves from the neighbor’s morbid family. Jason, Colin, and his family prepare themselves for an attack and plan to get away from the area alive.

Dead Shack delivers what horror fans want – bloodthirsty eating zombies and more blood, and even more splashing blood.  Adding to the bloodbath are genuine performances from the cast. The comedy touch keeps the story moving. The story comes across well and Nelson-Mahood is excellent as Jason, a shy teenage boy. LaBelle is good at being Colin who is more outgoing than Jason.

The Blu-ray comes with Special Features that include Dead Shack Behind the Scenes and Dead Shack trailer.

“Marrowbone” a Haunting Tale

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Written and directed by Sergio G. Sanchez, Marrowbone marks Sanchez’s directorial debut. The Spanish director is known for his screenwriting talent in such movies as The Orphanage and The Impossible.

The story follows four siblings filled with secrets that entice and invites you to stay and live inside their world. The siblings cross the Atlantic, escaping from a mysterious trauma with a life of its own. They seek refuge in an old home after the death of their mother, only to discover that the house has another, more sinister inhabitant, and it turns into a haunting tale.

The siblings are full of life but also show apprehension. And all of it comes across with a unique romanticism and beautifully framed movie.

The older sibling, Jack, played by George MacKay, faces the responsibility of looking after his siblings. He struggles with the usual concerns of a boy his age—his love for Allie, played by Anya Taylor-Joy. The responsibility his mother has given him by asking him to keep the family together.

By contrast, Jane, the second sister, played by Mia Goth, symbolizes goodness in the mother’s absence. In the scenes, Jane compensates whenever there is a violent or hostile instinct. She fights for her brothers so that they can leave behind their painful past. Goth’s presence on film is quite overwhelming but compelling.

Billy, the third of the siblings, played by Charlie Heaton, is best known for the series Stranger Things. His performance is heartbreaking. Billy is perhaps the most troublesome. He represents courage, the bravery that Jack sometimes lacks. The fourth is Sam, played by Matthew Stagg, Sam’s the youngest, so everyone feels they have to overprotect him by hiding the most disgusting aspects that have led them to their present situation. He verbalizes everything he knows. His older siblings seem to believe he is more tender and naïve than he is. For them, his innocence is living proof that not everything is corrupted in the world. Allie is the only link they have with the outside world since she is not part of the family. She comes across as bright and cheerful and keeps the story moving forward.

The romance between Jack and Allie accurately sums up the quirkiness of the story. It’s teenage love shared by two young people who neither want nor have time to consider where it will lead.

Another character in the movie is the house where the siblings live. Its appearance of being semi-abandoned with an unkept yard marks the boundary between the home and the outer civilization—isolated with no signs of modern life. The siblings live in the world with their own rules, invisible to society that continues their concerns on the other side. However, I would call Marrowbone a horror movie. It is much more haunting than scary with the clever nuances Sanchez uses to engage the audience.