It’s hard to imagine but Hollywood just never seems to be short of attempts to re-think and re-imagine “Red Riding Hood. And surely enough they never seem to think of an interesting enough idea for a franchise of any kind. I wish they’d stop by now. “Red Riding Hood” is Catherine Hardwicke’s efforts to transform “Red Riding Hood” in to this Puritanical, Stephanie Meyer tinted romance horror film that never works as well as it wants to.
Tag Archives: Mystery
The Hobbit (1977)
Although not as good or edgy as Ralph Bakshi’s more adult interpretations of the “Lord of the Rings” novels, Rankin Bass’s “The Hobbit” is a very good animated movie that gets about as dark and edgy as possible. The movie is a nice and swiftly paced seventy seven minutes, allowing for this single adventure to go from point A to point B without ever missing a step. Unlike the bloated trilogy we saw from Peter Jackson, “The Hobbit” gets the job done significantly better, even if the pacing is particularly rushed.
The Elderly (Viejos) (2023)
Raúl Cerezo, and Fernando González Gómez’s horror thriller may not be the most entertaining genre film, but it certainly is one of the most depressing movies about aging I’ve ever seen. With movies like “The Elderly,” although there is almost certainly another horror element waiting around the corner, the pair of directors are keen on depicting aging and being elderly as perhaps the most horrific circumstance to ever find ones self in. “The Elderly” is a lot about this inexplicable series of events involving the local elderly population, many of whom are becoming violent toward their family and toward themselves.
Talk to Me (2023)
Danny and Michael Philippou’s “Talk to Me” really is one of the crowning horror achievements of 2023. It’s one of those horror movies that doesn’t just scare you, but it also leaves a stain on you. That’s because while “Talk to Me” is very much a demonic possession movie, it’s deeply rooted in the concept of the urban folklore that taps in to not only our obsession with death, but our need to know if there’s anything after we’ve died. That’s essentially what fuels pretty much everyone in “Talk to Me”; the twisted porcelain hand reaching out for a grip becomes the sort of Monkey’s Paw or Ouija Board that everyone begins to center their lives on.
It grants them an amazing ability, but one that is easily misused and one that can be exploited. It’s almost a phone extension to the other side where anyone can mine souls for some sort of contact. The problem is we’re never quite sure what kind of souls they’re conjuring up. What becomes such a fascinating drive for these characters is that the use of the film’s mysterious porcelain hand is a plot device that is powerful, but also ambiguous until the very end. Whose hand is it? How old is it? Where does the power come from? Is it meant for good or pure evil? Can it filter out demons?
Sorority Row (2009)
“I Know What You Did Last Homecoming” is the more apt description for “Sorority Row.” It’s a slick horror movie made in 2009 that feels like it was dropped right out of 1998 and I mean that mostly as a compliment. As someone that’s had almost no faith in horror movies centered primarily on nepo babies and flavors of the week, Stewart Hendler’s “Sorority Row” is a shockingly good and entertaining slasher and whodunit that, while not the most thematically faithful remake, still manages to carve out its own niche in the massive library of remakes accrued in the early aughts.
Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges) (2023)
A high-profile trial, bringing a chilling murderer to justice, fascinate the population. A model becomes obsessed with the trial, attending the hearings every day she can.
Cuckoo (2024)
If you wanted something original in 2024 then by gum “Cuckoo” is one of the most original horror movies of the year. It’s so original that it works to the detriment of what Tilman Singer is trying to accomplish as a statement about bodily autonomy. Much as I wanted to love “Cuckoo,” Tilman’s mix of sub-genres watches like a lazy nonsensical riff on Cronenberg’s early films by a lazy film student with none of Cronenberg’s daring or creativity. It just literally seems to throw things at the wall to see if it sticks, as many have expressed.
And what doesn’t work just lingers like a festering trail of bread crumbles leading in to this hang nail of nonsense.