release go out In 2017, Hollywood was troubled — not just at the box office, but simply by the entire horror genre, which has long been the industry’s most consistent way to make money. The film, which grossed 56 times on a $4.5 million budget, was more of a triumph than a breakthrough for Blumhouse, which has been making horror films on a budget for nearly two decades. , hoping to obtain high returns.
partially, go out It’s brilliant – it’s not the first truly scary movie about racism, but it’s one that balances the horror with humor and absurdity. Eager to repeat this success, Hollywood greenlighted a series of horror films about racism. Many of them are impressive and in some cases even shocking. On top of that, it’s exhausting to see so much repetition in a genre that thrives on novelty. But at least these movies about something. Now we’re watching the next wave of horror movies, which are already trending toward nothing at all.
Three of the hottest low-budget horror films this summer— Maxine, long legsand cuckoo — represents a shift toward big emotions rather than big ideas. They also represent wasted opportunities. All three traffics are atmosphere rather than actual scares. A horror movie doesn’t have to be clever to be enjoyable, but isn’t it unfair to ask that they at least not be so dark?
(There are some minor spoilers below.)
Among this group of people, Maggie Xin The closest thing to having an idea. Ending the work of director Ti West X In the trilogy, Mia Goth stars as an adult film actress who plays roles in Hollywood films. The best scene comes early: After being threatened by a man in a dark alley, Maxine pulls out a gun, reversing the power dynamic. She forces her would-be assailant to strip naked before crushing his balls with her stiletto heels – briefly shown on screen, it’s as grotesque and violent as you’ll see all summer long. The theater gasped, groaned, and laughed. This is indeed the stuff of great horror movies. But more importantly, it also suggests Maggie Xin will go in a fascinating, transgressive direction: perhaps such grotesque brutality is justified within the film’s moral universe.
Disappointingly, it quickly ran off in the other direction. And the first two movies X The series finds excitement and creativity within budget constraints, Maggie Xin It’s a high-production production, and much of the money seems to have gone into reminding you that it’s set in the 1980s. But the charming homage is gone X or a strange twist pearl. Maggie Xin sidesteps the conceit it seemed to establish in its first act—that true ambition is savage. Sadly, after the crushing ball scene, the rest of the movie feels bloodless.
(If you think I’m being too harsh, I’ll leave you a comment Maggie Xin My colleague Charles serves as counterpoint.
at the same time long legsA surprise at the box office (and Neon Studios’ biggest opening ever), it never even cared about anything. Even though the film’s premise is simple, telling the story of FBI agents hunting a serial killer, the film’s best attempts at building narrative tension are incoherent. Characters will say things like: “You’re not afraid of a little darkness, because you are the darkness.” Come on.
It is commendable that long legs The prettiest of the bunch. Director Osgood Perkins is moody and sometimes eerie, and he really knows how to compose a shot to thicken the air. But it uses the runtime to express themes (parenting, trauma, maybe 9/11?) rather than explore them, and several different plot elements (Satan, a bunch of handmade dolls, a protagonist with ESP) never really come into play. Crossover in one story.
There are some things to like cuckooopening this weekend, is set in a remote cabin resort in the German Alps. It’s based on familiar tropes: a girl in a new town (Hunter Schaeffer), locals who act strangely, a seemingly friendly scientist type (Dan Stevens). Schaefer and Stevens seem to have a lot of fun running through the saturated scenes, and there’s at least one clever jump scare involving a bicycle chase. But even as the film unveils the mystery behind the eponymous film – a twist that, without giving anything away, is somehow both predictable and still vague – it’s clear that even Even two great performances can’t make up for the lack of motivation and lack of stance in the characters. instead, cuckoolike Maggie Xin and long legsbest used as an exercise in cinematography.
Recently, I came across a miniseries by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, known for two horror masterpieces, pulse and cure. In the program, Asceticismreleased in Japan in 2012, is currently streaming on Mubi. I didn’t know much about it other than its director’s pedigree, but I was blown away by how good it looked. pulse and cure It’s all meticulously shot; the emphasis on darkness and deep shadows, especially in interior scenes, creates a claustrophobic environment for both the characters and the audience. AsceticismBy comparison, it’s shot like a cheap soap opera – bright and dim lighting, an off-putting high frame rate look. Although it looks ugly, it’s still weird. Through careful framing and tight editing, Kurosawa was able to make the audience feel so frightened even without the ghost scenes in the film.
Not only that, Asceticism Relies heavily on its conceit: A young girl is murdered in a small town, and the four friends who meet the killer can’t remember his face. The mother tells the friends she will never forgive them, and each episode jumps ahead 15 years to see what happened in their respective lives. Kurosawa’s miniseries always point to one idea: Can one escape his own guilt?
Although there are some differences, Asceticism It always feels like it’s structurally and thematically consistent, and this summer’s lineup of horror movies – Maggie Xin, long legs, cuckoo —There’s nothing to say because they never start with a real question. You might have a great time at the theater, but these movies are rarely memorable.
