Two horror films: Crimson Peak & Housebound
Like I mentioned in a previous entry, I had plans to go watch Crimson Peak today - and I did! And since it's Friday, you all know what that means: horror movie night with the anonmeme gang. Tonight, it was Housebound (2014).
I'm really happy to say that even though these were very different films, they had some things in common - good things. Namely, they were both good, and good in ways that I didn't quite expect, and in ways that I don't typically expect horror movies to be (or maybe I've just been watching a spectacular amount of bad ones... that is also possible). Also, while both had a lot of violence, none of it was sexual violence. Huge squick for me, and one that I encounter way too much in this genre (and... most genres, honestly) so I was glad for its absence.
Anyway, let's break them down. I'm going to try to stay general, overall. The less one knows about these, the better. Though I don't feel this is utterly spoilery, it did get a tad long, so I'll cut it.
Crimson Peak
I hadn't looked up anything about this film before going in, as usual. No description, no trailers, no nothing. I'd seen the promo poster, and I know who the director was, and I knew it was a ghost story. That's about it. Well, and I knew that it was more of a "gothic horror" than a standard modern ghost story, because people told me so. It's probably good that I had that expectation, otherwise I would have had to drastically shift expectations. I hadn't expected a film with a historical setting, but I did expect gothic horror, and that's what I got.
Honestly, it's worth going to see in cinema on the strength of the visuals alone. This is one stylish, beautiful, aesthetically pleasing movie. The setting, the costuming, even the ghosts - everything, all of it. Great use of colour, too. And... okay, I think I finally see what people find appealing about Tom Hiddleston. He's very attractive in this movie. Maybe it's the period clothing.
There are ghosts in this movie. They are creepy. They are not the only thing that is frightening. As far as horror genre goes, this one doesn't rely much on jump scares, which is nice. That kind of thing would feel cheap in a film like this. It is a very violent and bloody film, but you can generally see the blows coming, and cover your eyes in time if necessary (I... actually had to do that at one point; it contained one thing that I'm specifically sensitive to. But, like I said - I could see it coming.)
It does rely on creeping horror, and if you're familiar with gothic horror, you can get a sense of the direction that it will take. You don't need to be an expert, though - having read Poe is enough, I would say. That isn't to say that it's predictable, exactly; but it does follow conventions of the gothic horror subgenre. I don't think that's a bad thing.
Essentially, when it comes to this film, I recommend: If what it's giving you is something that you like and expect, then you will have fun. If what I said here sounds appealing, go to see it. Strap yourself in. Go along for the ride. It's a good ride!
Also: if you're interested in a funny blow-by-blow summary (so, yes, spoilery), go read this entry that showed up on my network.
Housebound (2014)
This film is entirely unlike Crimson Peak. It's a genre-savvy Kiwi horror-comedy set in modern day. I have bad experience with horror-comedies; I generally find that they're either too ridiculous or too stupid. This one was ridiculous, but not too ridiculous, and I didn't find it stupid either; I didn't feel like it was reaching for the lowest common denominator. That was great. And - it was actually funny. In a more subtle way than I expected. Or at least, I found it funny. So, if you usually don't click with typical horror-comedies, this one might be worth a try.
It's a film that starts slow. Maybe even tedious initially. It doesn't help that at the beginning, the protagonist seems obnoxious and unlikeable. But as time goes on, the story develops in a really interesting way, and her character takes some unexpected and totally badass turns, and it wasn't all that long before everyone I was watching it was rooting for her. Kylie takes no shit, seriously. If I were in a horror movie, I would want her on my side.
Speaking of character - this one did a pretty good job of making me care about the characters, which isn't something that horror movies are always good at. Usually they fail at it. Half the time I'm wishing for horror film protagonists to just die and get it over with. But at the end of this, I was pulling for everybody. I guess it's partly that Kylie takes no shit; I am definitely going to cheer for someone who takes such a practical approach to ghosts. And ditto for the fact that she tries so hard to protect her mom. But I guess it's just that - the characters seem pretty real, somehow, even though at times what's going on is REALLY ridiculous. There is a red herring. You will end up emotionally attached to this red herring. And so on.
Initially, I thought that this would be the "home invasion" subgenre of horror. It both is and isn't. It is, but it doesn't unfold in the way that's expected. Normally, I hate home invasion horror. It disturbs me too much. This one pulled it off in a way that didn't upset me - probably because it does something quite different with it.
Is it violent? Very. But don't worry. The ending is surprisingly uplifting. :)
This entry was originally posted at http://yuuago.dreamwidth.org/3435541.html. You can comment here or at the original entry.
I'm really happy to say that even though these were very different films, they had some things in common - good things. Namely, they were both good, and good in ways that I didn't quite expect, and in ways that I don't typically expect horror movies to be (or maybe I've just been watching a spectacular amount of bad ones... that is also possible). Also, while both had a lot of violence, none of it was sexual violence. Huge squick for me, and one that I encounter way too much in this genre (and... most genres, honestly) so I was glad for its absence.
Anyway, let's break them down. I'm going to try to stay general, overall. The less one knows about these, the better. Though I don't feel this is utterly spoilery, it did get a tad long, so I'll cut it.
Crimson Peak
I hadn't looked up anything about this film before going in, as usual. No description, no trailers, no nothing. I'd seen the promo poster, and I know who the director was, and I knew it was a ghost story. That's about it. Well, and I knew that it was more of a "gothic horror" than a standard modern ghost story, because people told me so. It's probably good that I had that expectation, otherwise I would have had to drastically shift expectations. I hadn't expected a film with a historical setting, but I did expect gothic horror, and that's what I got.
Honestly, it's worth going to see in cinema on the strength of the visuals alone. This is one stylish, beautiful, aesthetically pleasing movie. The setting, the costuming, even the ghosts - everything, all of it. Great use of colour, too. And... okay, I think I finally see what people find appealing about Tom Hiddleston. He's very attractive in this movie. Maybe it's the period clothing.
There are ghosts in this movie. They are creepy. They are not the only thing that is frightening. As far as horror genre goes, this one doesn't rely much on jump scares, which is nice. That kind of thing would feel cheap in a film like this. It is a very violent and bloody film, but you can generally see the blows coming, and cover your eyes in time if necessary (I... actually had to do that at one point; it contained one thing that I'm specifically sensitive to. But, like I said - I could see it coming.)
It does rely on creeping horror, and if you're familiar with gothic horror, you can get a sense of the direction that it will take. You don't need to be an expert, though - having read Poe is enough, I would say. That isn't to say that it's predictable, exactly; but it does follow conventions of the gothic horror subgenre. I don't think that's a bad thing.
Essentially, when it comes to this film, I recommend: If what it's giving you is something that you like and expect, then you will have fun. If what I said here sounds appealing, go to see it. Strap yourself in. Go along for the ride. It's a good ride!
Also: if you're interested in a funny blow-by-blow summary (so, yes, spoilery), go read this entry that showed up on my network.
Housebound (2014)
This film is entirely unlike Crimson Peak. It's a genre-savvy Kiwi horror-comedy set in modern day. I have bad experience with horror-comedies; I generally find that they're either too ridiculous or too stupid. This one was ridiculous, but not too ridiculous, and I didn't find it stupid either; I didn't feel like it was reaching for the lowest common denominator. That was great. And - it was actually funny. In a more subtle way than I expected. Or at least, I found it funny. So, if you usually don't click with typical horror-comedies, this one might be worth a try.
It's a film that starts slow. Maybe even tedious initially. It doesn't help that at the beginning, the protagonist seems obnoxious and unlikeable. But as time goes on, the story develops in a really interesting way, and her character takes some unexpected and totally badass turns, and it wasn't all that long before everyone I was watching it was rooting for her. Kylie takes no shit, seriously. If I were in a horror movie, I would want her on my side.
Speaking of character - this one did a pretty good job of making me care about the characters, which isn't something that horror movies are always good at. Usually they fail at it. Half the time I'm wishing for horror film protagonists to just die and get it over with. But at the end of this, I was pulling for everybody. I guess it's partly that Kylie takes no shit; I am definitely going to cheer for someone who takes such a practical approach to ghosts. And ditto for the fact that she tries so hard to protect her mom. But I guess it's just that - the characters seem pretty real, somehow, even though at times what's going on is REALLY ridiculous. There is a red herring. You will end up emotionally attached to this red herring. And so on.
Initially, I thought that this would be the "home invasion" subgenre of horror. It both is and isn't. It is, but it doesn't unfold in the way that's expected. Normally, I hate home invasion horror. It disturbs me too much. This one pulled it off in a way that didn't upset me - probably because it does something quite different with it.
Is it violent? Very. But don't worry. The ending is surprisingly uplifting. :)
This entry was originally posted at http://yuuago.dreamwidth.org/3435541.html. You can comment here or at the original entry.