THREE FILMS - ABSENTIA, IRON SKY, V/H/S

It may seem like a cliché to say that ABSENTIA is the sort of thoughtful, eerie, minimalist horror film they don’t make anymore but it’s true. No huge amounts of gore, people running around hiding from maniacs, false scares, the usual post-slasher film horror movie.  

Instead we are treated to a genuinely creepy film which will stick with you afterwards.

The husband of the heroine Tricia has vanished some seven years before the beginning of the film.  Tricia is both pregnant (the father is who you think it is-no surprise there) and about to sign papers declaring her husband legally dead.  Her younger sister, a recovering drug addict, has also come to stay with her in advance of the delivery date. 

How this ties in to a nearby pedestrian tunnel that has a history of being a place where people and pets both disappear and the eventual return of Tricia’s husband albeit in a very different mental state than he was in seven years ago make for a great story.

I particularly liked the updating of mythology to the modern day in particular the new rendering of a very old and familiar creature of legend.  The monster, when it appears, is shown only briefly.  It is an indie film with a low budget but they found the perfect location which also furthers the suspense.

Every decision the filmmaker made on this film seems to have been the right one - A great story very original highly recommended.

   

The closest thing I can compare IRON SKY to is DR STRANGELOVE.  They have similar endings and a similarly irreverent approach to global conflict.

In this case, a colony of Nazis, who have survived since WWII clandestinely on the dark side of the moon, are exposed to the real world courtesy of a new expedition to the moon sent by the Sarah Palin like US president (I shouldn’t use the word “like”-she’s never identified by name but it is clearly Palin down from her accent to the stuffed polar bear in the oval office) to boost her re-election chances.

The Nazis are like Jack D Ripper in DR STRANGELOVE….They act as kind of a Deux Ex Machina.  The real conflict which is exposed is that between the US and the rest of the world.

There are some very funny and pointed scenes about race as well….The astronaut captured by the Nazis at the beginning of the movie (who is not really an astronaut but a male model, selected by the president because he is a celebrity) goes through a skin whitening treatment and is rendered a Caucasian.

The action scenes are quite good.  Implied is the idea that flying saucers are in fact an invention of the Nazis.  I also found the film exuded a high budget feel (which helped the story). I don’t know if it was a low budget or high budget film.

A great satire and also a fun adventure film.

V/H/S is a kickass update of the horror anthology film.  It is one of the few films I’ve seen in recent years that made me jump.  It is terrifying at times.

Linked by a wraparound story regarding a group of punks looking for a specific videotape in a dark old house and having to play random videotapes to see if it’s the right one, each story is told through modern technology either through a hidden camera, people videotaping their daily events or in one case Skype.

For me ranking the stories in order of preference, I would say best to worst - 1,2,4,5,3,wraparound

The first story involves a group of the usual young drinking age douchebags picking up the wrong girl in a club.  This story was ferocious.  I felt I was being kicked in the head the whole time I was watching it.  You’ll never hear “I like you” again without this going through your mind.

#2 is a bit more subtle and slower paced but has a neat surprise ending. #4 is told completely in Skype, a clever idea that felt a bit rushed.  #5 also felt a bit rushed but ended the movie well and was eerie. #3 was a good story but didn’t have a real ending.  Ditto the wraparound story.

Still, this was a film of energy and ideas (6 different directors worked on it- all young horror directors).  It was nonstop horror and if you didn’t like the scene you were watching, just wait something better will come soon.

An impressive film on par with the great horror anthology films of the past (American International and Hammer studios especially) but with a modern reboot.