Flashback reviewsHalloween favorites... Pg. 5

Issue 5 / October 2020

The Devil All the Time

Written by James Davidson for FilmFodderBlog.com

“The Devil All the Time” is a new crime thriller that premiered on Netflix in September. It stars Robert Pattinson, Haley Bennett, and Tom Holland as it follows a cast of nefarious characters in the 1960’s backwoods of the Northeastern U.S. that is teeming with corruption and brutality.

Arvin (Holland) and Charlotte Russell (Bennett) are orphans who have grown up in the same home. After Charlotte is taken advantage of by the new preacher in town (Pattinson), Arvin begins a journey of revenge that will take him on a path of destruction that forces him to face his dark past. It will also bring him face to face with other iniquitous characters that are wreaking havoc on the rural region of the country.

I watched the trailer for this movie and thought that it looked like a dark, slow burning, crime drama. I was expecting a complex plot with a lot of interesting characters that were depicted well by the actors. I was especially looking forward to seeing the acting since there are a lot of power house actors in this film.

This movie is the definition of a slow burn, meaning it takes a while to get started, and might be a bit confusing at first, but it all comes together in the end. There are a lot of different storylines that follow a myriad of characters. It can get a bit convoluted at times and I found myself wondering more than once where the story was going. However the story all ties together by the ending and all of the characters become connected in one way or another. I thought that it was brilliantly done the way that the film was able to bring together a great number of characters in this way.

I was a bit disappointed in the way some characters’ storylines were ended, or left open ended. There were one or two characters that the film just seemed to forget about. I think it

would have been better to leave some of these characters out instead of leaving me wondering what happened to them. I think that there are possibly too many characters in the plot and it becomes a bit convoluted. Some of the quality of some of the characters suffers because the film is trying to focus on too many plot lines. I think that the movie could have been more concise and maybe eliminate some of the lesser characters and focus more on the main ones. I found the main characters to be portrayed to perfection. I thought that Tom Holland made the character of Arvin relatable, you can understand why he takes the path that he does and can really sympathise with him, especially knowing his past. The evil characters, mainly Preston Teagartin, played by Rober Pattinson, and Carl Henderson, (Jason Clarke) are easily detestable and you don’t feel bad for their outcomes at all. Then there are characters that are somewhere in between, they make terrible choices, but I could still relate to them and see where they were coming from, even though I didn’t agree with their choices.

This film is rated R for violence, bloody/ disturbing images, sexual content, graphic nudity, and language throughout. There is quite a bit of graphic gore and sexual content in this movie, so if you are sensitive to these types of things, I suggest that you skip this film.

“The Devil All the Time” is a slow burning crime drama with some incredible acting and relatable, interesting characters. Unfortunately it suffers from having too many characters and seemed to lose its way at times. However, it is a very enjoyable, interesting film with a complex plot and is a great film to watch with your friends or significant other. It earns 4 out of 5 stars.

Evil Dead (2013)

Written by Brittany Mulligan

Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci, Jessica Lucas, Elizabeth Blackmore

Directed by Fede Alvarez

Rating: B+

There’s nothing like a good detox in an isolated cabin with your best friends. Oh, and releasing an evil spirit by opening a Book of the Dead, too.

David (Fernandez) hasn’t seen his sister or friends for a few years. In that time his mother passed away, his sister got hooked on to drugs, and their friends have tried to give her an intervention after she O.D.’d. It failed the first time, so he agrees to meet up for a retreat, bringing his girlfriend along for support.

When they arrive at the cabin, it looks like it had been used by some squatters. There’s a foul smell reeking from underneath the floorboard where it is revealed there is a trap door. Under the door dead cats hang from the ceiling and a book has been barb-wired shut. No one should touch the book, right?

Wrong. Curious Eric (Pucci) cuts the wire and speaks aloud the curse which sends out a demon possessing the vulnerable, detoxing younger sister, Mia (Levy).

Evil Dead has a great plot. Four friends, in the woods, trying to help Mia cold turkey hard drugs. After she starts seeing things in the woods, leading up to her possession, no one believes her that the trees were whispering and the bushes were tugging on her. It’s a great setup for the crazy girl to tell the truth and only the viewers know she’s right. The demon that takes hold of her soul is vulgar and violent. This movie does not shy away from gore.

Before the end of the night is done, “possessed” Mia promises that each person will be dead before the end of the night. She has bonus powers that manipulate different friends minds into cutting themselves open, and has telekinetic powers that drag people around the room. David seeks a way to save his sister from losing her soul to the demon but it is a bloody fight along the way.

There is nothing but violence happening throughout the movie once Mia is possessed. It’s gruesome, it’s gross, but the effects are just incredible. Blood pores out of every surface in this movie and the non-stop action makes you wonder, what can happen next? This is why I think it deserves the B+ rating. After it ended, my thoughts were revolving around one word, “wow”. How could they fit so much violence in there without caring if it goes overboard? I initially didn’t like it, but after mulling it over, what won me was the plot and I was a little impressed with the shock factor of the gore.

Evil Dead is not a remake of the 80s The Evil Dead trilogy, like I thought it was going into watching it. The 2013 version is a reboot, which makes more sense, while not trying to replace the old movies with fresher faces and better graphics. There are some nods to the original movie with similar occurrences happening to characters in the newer movie.

As Above, So Below

Written by Brittany Mulligan

Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge, François Civil

Directed by John Erick Dowdle

Rating: A

As Above, So Below takes the average psychological thriller and amps it up with an intelligent approach on a treasure hunt for the Philosopher’s Stone. Thank you, J.K. Rowling, for writing about the stone in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. As soon as the name Flamel was mentioned, I knew exactly what the object Scarlett (Weeks) was searching for and the qualities it held.

Real or mythical? The Philosopher’s Stone was said to have been created by Nicolas Flamel with qualities to turn objects into gold, healing powers, and immortality to whoever has the stone in their possession. Scarlett continues her deceased father’s search for the stone, guided by his notebook and her knowledge of history.

Flamel is buried in Paris and so the stone is speculated to be hidden near him. With the aid of an old friend, a cameraman to document her journey, and Parisians who have frequented the underground tunnels of Paris, Scarlett descends on a perilous path to unlocking the mystery of the Philosopher’s Stone.

The familiar path the French guides are used to trick them into walking back to the start of the tunnel. Only this time, the entrance has disappeared and they are forced into taking the dangerous unknown route. This route frightens the guides because they remember an old friend who lived in the tunnels one day explored it… and never came out.

Haunted images follow the group on the trail to Flamel’s tomb. Claustrophobia builds tension and anxiety in the audience. The limited sight viewers have from cameras attached to each character’s head flashlight

give brief glimpses of terrifying specters. The sounds emitted from strange occurrences create hair-raising expectations that supernatural beings are around the corner. It’s enough to make you want to take a deep breath and partially cover your eyes to avoid fully seeing the stuff that makes up nightmares.

The horror continues as the group descends farther into darkness. [SPOILER AHEAD] When the only way to get outside is to crawl through the gates of Hell, the leading question is can this story get any scarier? What does Hell look like? The challenge of surviving underground is slim.

As Above, So Below combines history, puzzles, and myths into a psychological thriller that succeeds in being terrifying. There’s just the right amount of pop-out horror and tension to make the audience feel anxious about the next turn of events. It sets the right level of horror to potentially induce nightmares later on. If you’re looking for a good scare, this is the movie to spend your money on.

What We Do in the Shadows

Written by Brittany Mulligan

Jemaine Clement, Taiki Waititi, Jonathan Brugh

Directed by Jemaine Clement and Taiki Waititi

In a modern New Zealand flat, four vampires share living quarters. Each were born in different centuries and get along with a shared set of rules. Unfortunately, Deacon (the newest vampire at 183-years-old) isn’t following the chore chart like he’s supposed to and the other roommates aren’t happy. Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav allow a film crew to follow their nightly lives as they try to get a fresh supply of blood delivered to their house and try to get into the hottest nightclub.

When one of their dinner parties goes wrong and a would-be victim turns vampire, the group reluctantly accept him. They teach Nick (the new guy) the general rules of being a vampire (like don’t go telling everyone what you are) and he shows them the usefulness of modern technology (like computers). Nick can’t keep his new secret and tells everyone he meets, even his best human friend. Without thinking about consequences Nick brings his friend to an undead party, where zombies and vampires are eager to eat him. Viago, Deacon, and Vladislav re-think if being friends with Nick is going to work out.

What We Do in the Shadows is a comedy in the style of a mockumentary. Audiences who enjoy television shows like The Office (U.S.) or Flight of the Conchords would most likely get the humor these vampires unintentionally show off. The undead life isn’t easy when you have five years worth of dishes to clean or like trying not to get blood on the vintage couch. These vampires who have never seen a sunrise since they were turned are now able to do so through the Internet. siblings, some of the material is funny. What

It may be facing a tough audience but for We Do in the Shadows is worth a try for an those of us who have had roommates or 86-minute movie.

The Shining

Written by Brittany Mulligan

Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duval, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers

Directed by Stanley Kubrick

Based on the novel: The Shining by Stephen King

Rating: A

Every winter the Overlook Hotel in Colorado is closed due to the heavy snow that blocks the roads. The hotel hires a caretaker to keep the place in shape during the long months from October to May. Jack Torrance (Nicholson), a recovering alcoholic and aspiring writer, takes the job Danny’s ability as caretaker and moves his family into the and the brief hotel. The manager warns Jack that past encounters caretakers have cracked under the intense that haunt the isolation and admits that it once led to a hotel rooms. gruesome murder. Not bothered by the Then there news, Jack heartily accepts the position, is the fear of saying that the peace and quiet is what he Danny’s own needs to write his novel. father, who is

The head chef, Dick Hallorann (Scatman), driven crazy notices something special in the Torrance’s and is on a young son, Danny. In a private conversation, murdering rampage. The isolation plays into he asks Danny about his psychic ability. fear because of how alone the family is. The He calls it “the shining”. Danny reluctantly only connection they have to the outside explains that his invisible friend, Tony, world is through the radio. The police can do shows him things that have and haven’t little but comfort them over the airwaves. happened yet. The music of the film played a vital role in

Over a period of time when a brutal manipulating the viewer’s emotion. There snowstorm cuts the Torrance’s off from were some disturbing compositions, like in communication, they begin to feel suffocated the opening of the movie with the car driving by the emptiness of the hotel. Strange along the mountain. The music was ominous phenomenon’s start to occur and Jack here and then a strange birdcall-like sound becomes taken over by insanity. puts the viewer on edge. Another example is

The Shining was just creepy enough when a scene cut, the next one began with a without going overboard to induce black screen setting the timeline and it was nightmares. Director Stanley Kubrick chose dead quiet for two seconds. It was perfect the right moments to zoom the camera on because at the end of one scene, the sudden things in the movie. It wasn’t overdone, quiet makes the viewer tense and ready to which was perfect for creating tension. jump a few times. Kubrick plays on a few types of fear: the There’s no wonder why The Shining is a supernatural, the familial, and the isolation. classic. It’s a terrifying but enjoyable movie. There are elements of the strange, like