DRACULA WEEK
When we first see Gabriel Van Helsing in “Van Helsing,” he’s on the pursuit of Mr. Hyde, a hulk-ified version of Dr. Jekyll. While the Stephen Sommers movie was a bust, “The London Assignment” at least takes its best shot at filling in the gaps. “The London Assignment” is an okay attempt a prologue for Gabriel Van Helsing, where we follow him in his efforts to stop the vicious murder spree of Dr. Jekyll and his monstrous alter ego Mr. Hyde.
After coming home, a woman attempts to do everyday things and tasks while a creature creeps up on her, trying to take control of her.
A young girl being bullied for thinking she’s a vampire decides to show her bullies that she really is a vampire.
A young woman seemingly suffering from misophonia seeks help from her doctor. Running out of option and her sensitivity getting worse, she is put in an anechoic chamber, a room with pure sound reduction, a silent room, as silent as possible.
Writer/Director Tamara Scherbak’s (with co-writer Christina Saliba) short indie thriller “White Noise” is a weird, and twisted film, and one that reminded me a lot of “Black Mirror” in the end. It’s a movie about madness and over stimulation that ends up driving a young woman to the brink of insanity. One of the things that I quite enjoyed about “White Noise” is that it plays on such an unusual element in anxiety.
BOOTLEG FILES 837: “Courtin’ an’ a Snortin’” (1960 animated short starring The Three Dogeteers).
LAST SEEN: On YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Long forgotten short film that fell through the proverbial cracks.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: Yes, it is coming out on DVD, incredibly.
Researching obscure films can be a challenge, but there is always the reward that comes when hitherto unknown facts are unearthed about a cinematic curiosity. This week, however, we have a film that could qualify as being among the most mysterious productions of all time, as there is nothing that is easily accessible to determine its origins.
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Writer and Director Jacob Thompson’s “Vultures” is a short teeming with feature film potential. There isn’t a ton of exposition or extrapolation on the world he’s unfolding, but considering the limited budget, I think we get the point pretty well. Thankfully with a lot of good editing and direction we catch on almost immediately and garner a glimpse in to a pretty terrifying world.