Tag Archives: Revenge

Leave Those Kids Alone: The ‘Social Outcast’ and the Bully Revenge Film

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Today, in Canada, it’s Pink Shirt Day. For those unfamiliar with the concept, it’s an event designed to promote anti-bullying in our schools. At some point in most of our lives, we’ve probably all had run-in’s with the schoolyard bully. Not surprisingly then, a sizeable number of horror movies have revolved around a picked-upon loner retaliating against their tormentors. In fact, the horror narrative of the ‘social outcast’ who discovers supernatural powers and uses them to exact revenge Has always enjoyed some popularity. For this edition of The Chopping Block, we we take a look at some of the better examples of the ‘social outcast’ horror movie. .

5 – Massacre at Central High (1976)

Massacre at Central High

With its grainy footage, wooden acting, and brutal violence, Massacre at Central High is the quintessential 1970’s exploitation flick. Not a horror movie per se, Massacre earns its spot on this list by virtue of its sadistic violence. Set at a fictional American high school, new student David fights back against a group of tyrannical bullies who rule over the school, only to be viciously crippled by them. David then executes methodical revenge, killing each bully one by one. Too bad their deaths create a power vacuum that is quickly filled by their former victims. Disgusted by how quickly the oppressed become the oppressors, David decides that no one at the school is worth saving and plans to kill everyone with a bomb.

While it’s clearly a B-movie, Massacre aspires to greater things with a much more clever script than you would expect to find in this type of film.

While it’s clearly a B-movie, Massacre aspires to greater things with a much more clever script than you would expect to find in this type of film. There is an interesting political subtext and observant film buffs will see Massacre’s influences on subsequent revenge films.

4 – Christine (1983)

Based on a Stephen King novel, Christine is one of horror master John Carpenter’s more middling-efforts. It’s also not necessarily one of the better adaptations of King’s work. To some extent, this is a function of translating a long novel to a 90-minute movie. Inevitably, details and secondary characters from the novel get reduced in their translation to the screen. Carpenter makes an odd choice in revising the origins of Christine’s evil. Inevitably, it’s a choice that somewhat reduces the emotional impact of bullied Arnie’s character arc.

Nevertheless, Christine is still one of the better examples of the ‘bully-revenge’ film. In particular, Keith Gordon’s performance as Arnie elicits a lot of sympathy. Regardless of your high school ‘cool’ credentials,’ it’s hard to watch as peers, parents, and other adults dump on poor Arnie. It’s perfectly believable when he desperately latches on to Christine; the audience can understand that Arnie needs something to call his own. Your empathy for Arnie gives the film a little more emotional resonance than what is typical of other horror films, particularly as he becomes increasingly corrupted.

3 – The Craft (1996)

While it wasn’t a box officer, juggernaut, this selection is an underrated gem. The Craft tells the story of four high school social outcasts who find solace in one another. The teens then later turn to magic and the occult, with predictably disastrous results. From racism to slut-shaming, each of the girls faces her own form of bullying. And it’s this aspect of The Craft, along with its focus on the girls’ friendship, that sets it apart. Younger audiences, particularly young women, may still find a lot to relate to in this 20-plus year-old film.

Younger audiences, particularly young women, may still find a lot to relate to in this 20-plus year-old film.

While The Craft does occasionally conform to some genre conventions, its four female protagonists are all fully realized characters. Each of the main actors’ performances heightens the emotional response as the girls are drawn further into dark magic. Like Christine and Massacre at Central High, The Craft also provides a nod, intentional or not, to the theme of the previously powerless and weak revelling in newfound powers – an allusion perhaps to the corruptibility of absolute power. The Craft also has one of the better alt-rock soundtracks from the 1990’s.

2 – Let Me In (2010)

Let Me In is the rare case of an American remake of a foreign horror film matching the original. Its story of a lonely, bullied 12-year-old boy befriended by a vampire is a well-crafted build of tension. The film has a sullen tone with strong, reserved performances from its child actors. Moreover, the violence, while never excessive, still manages to shock. Without spoiling anything, Let Me In maintains the original’s bleakness and raises interesting ideas about the desperation for intimacy that emerges from loneliness. And best of all – it marked the return of one of my favourite horror film studios, Hammer Films.

1 – Carrie (1976)

The second film on this list based on a Stephen King novel, Carrie, one of the best horror films of all time, sets the blueprint for most ‘bully revenge’ films that followed it. With stellar performances from Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie, Brian DePalma’s highly stylized film gives us one of the cruelest high school pranks in film history followed by an epic revenge set piece that will instantly help you forget your worst prom memories. Forget the belated sequel from the late 1990’s or the more recent remake effort, the original Carrie is the one you want to ask to the prom.

Offerings A Late, Low Budget 80’s Slasher With Little to Offer

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Welcome to the most obscure of the obscure. I consider myself to be something on 80’s horror movie aficionado. Previously, I thought I had seen just about every slasher movie to emerge from that decade. And then I found Offerings on Amazon Prime. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of it. This 1989 slasher came out well past the subgenre’s expiration date. It stars no one you know and writer-director Charles Reynolds only made one other movie. To be honest, Offerings only warrants discussion for one reason. How much can a movie rip off another movie before there’s a problem? In spite of its formulaic devotion to a certain past classic, has Offerings achieved some cult status? Or is it still just a bad movie?

Synopsis

Everyone picks on poor, mute John Radley. Even his own mother treats him with disdain. John’s only friend is a classmate named Gretchen. But when the neighbourhood kids play a cruel prank on him, John suffers a serious brain injury, permanently hospitalizing him. Years later, John suddenly wakes up and escapes from the hospital. Now he’s looking for revenge against his past tormentors. With each killing, he takes a body part as an offering for his only friend – Gretchen.

Offerings Liberally Borrows From Halloween

If you’ve watched horror movies for any amount of time, the above synopsis should sound very familiar. Writer and director Charles Reynolds liberally borrows from John Carpenter’s Halloween. Very liberally. Yes, more than a few plot points coincidentally pop up. Similar to Halloween, Offerings features a mute killer institutionalized as a child. After years of languishing in a catatonic state, the killer inexplicably awakens and escapes. Though John Radley isn’t wearing a mask, his pallid face and methodical stalking call to mind a certain ‘Shape’. Moreover, Reynolds’ seemingly attempts to re-create a few scenes with no success.

But Offerings just feels like it’s lazily cribbing from other movies.

Of course, by 1989, just about every imaginable slasher trope was firmly established. As such, Reynolds does shake Carpenter’s formula up a little. Offerings throws in a ‘tragic past event’ that’s one part Prom Night and two parts every ‘bully revenge’ horror movie ever released. All the characters are ridiculously one-dimensional, over-the-top caricatures taken from other movies. Even John Radley’s awful mother feels like she was taken out of grimy Spanish slasher, Pieces. It’s not just that Offerings isn’t original. Plenty of 80’s slasher movies were derivative. But Offerings just feels like it’s lazily cribbing from other movies.

Not Michael Myers

Plodding Pacing, Technical Ineptness, and Bad Acting Are Scariest Parts

Micro-budgets are no excuse for slasher movies. In fact, the subgenre was basically built on low-budget aesthetics and innovative, practical effects. My Bloody Valentine, Intruder, The Burning, and even Pieces – they’re all extremely cheap movies. Yet these movies boast gruesome kills created with some grisly effects. Some of these movies include the kind of inexplicably weird moments that only turn up in low-budget efforts. Take the random Kung Fu instructor in Pieces who seems to wander onto the wrong film set. It’s that kind of WTF moment that makes bad movies fun to watch.

…Offerings just takes itself too seriously.

Unfortunately, Offerings has nothing like it. It’s too long, poorly filmed, and the acting is bad even by this type of movie’s standards. After about an hour, you’ll be checking your watch. The bad news – you’ll still have another 35 minutes to go. Simply put, Offerings just takes itself too seriously. Perhaps if Reynolds had gone a different direction and embraced the movie’s derivative nature with sheer audacity, the result would have been more fun.

Offerings Has Too Little to ‘Offer’ Slasher Fans

To be fair, Offerings isn’t the first horror movie to mimic Carpenter’s classic with none of the skill or self-awareness. Nevertheless, Offerings is one of the worst offenders. And it makes little effort to hide it. While its lack of self-awareness and micro-budget almost makes it unintentionally funny, the key word here is ‘almost’. At just over 90 minutes, Offerings becomes tiresome very quickly. John Radley should have just stayed in the well.

FINAL VERDICT: JUST BAD

Straw Dogs: You Can’t Teach a Remake New Tricks

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Amidst the wave of remakes in the 2000’s, Hollywood occasionally ventured outside horror. Spike Lee re-visited controversial Korean revenge-thriller Old Boy in 2013. And Martin Scorsese himself re-worked Hong Kong pot-boiler Infernal Affairs into his 2006 crime thriller, The Departed. Yet one of the more ambitious remakes in recent memory was Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs. A meditative 1971 psychological thriller, Peckinpah’s controversial classic was, in many ways, an ideal candidate for a remake. With 40 years of social changes, Straw Dog’s morally complex commentary on human nature and violence would make for an interesting contemporary re-imagining.

Straw Dogs a Morally Ambiguous 70’s Thriller

After the dissolution of the Hays Code and its stranglehold on film content, the director as auteur emerged in the 1970’s. What followed was a push to transgress against past movie-making values. Throughout the early and mid-70’s, movies were edgier. And it wasn’t just the boundary-pushing violence and sexual content. The Godfather, The French Connection, Mean Streets, Deliverance – these were morally challenging movies. Amidst this wave of ‘New Hollywood’ films and moral ambiguity, director Sam Peckinpah released his controversial Straw Dogs. Some critics celebrated it; others derided it for its violence. In particular, Straw Dogs drew outrage for its rape scene, eliciting accusations of misogyny.

Along with its methodical pacing, Peckinpah also refrains from making any clear moral conclusions.

Though Straw Dogs descends into what audiences would now call ‘home invasion’ horror, it’s a psychological thriller, not a horror movie. At its core, Straw Dogs has ambitions of exploring human nature. Throughout the movie, Peckinpah is intent on exposing the insidious violence that lays beneath hundreds of years of socialization. Dustin Hoffman’s meek mathematician, David Sumner, represents the liberal educated American elite. It’s Sumner’s reprisal in the brutal climax and his subsequent confused response (“I got them all“) that comments on the inherent human capacity for violent. Yet the violence in Straw Dogs is infrequent, which makes it all the more shocking. Along with its methodical pacing, Peckinpah also refrains from making any clear moral conclusions. As a viewer, Straw Dogs doesn’t leave you satisfied with Sumner’s vengeance. Instead, Peckinpah makes the audience complicit in the film’s brutality.

Straw Dogs Remake Struggles to Justify Its Existence

In all fairness, the 2011 Straw Dogs remake is not a bad movie. Writer and director Rod Lurie shows genuine reverence for the source material. That is, the remake never feels like a cheap cash-in. In fact, Lurie weaves in some interesting symbolism that nearly elevates the movie from its exploitative tendencies. There’s also a sufficient amount of awkwardness and tension in the build-up to the inevitable confrontation between Sumner and the local thugs. While his real-life persona is divisive to say the least, James Woods is utterly terrifying in his role. And for audiences unfamiliar with Peckinpah’s original, who are just looking for a home invasion movie, Straw Dogs’ final act is visceral enough to be satisfying.

… Lurie’s remake has no new insight or subtext.

Unfortunately, Lurie seems to like the source material so much that he does little to distinguish his remake. Yes, the setting changes from rural England to small-town America. David Sumner is updated from a liberal mathematician to a liberal Hollywood screenwriter. There are a few other superficial changes here and there. But for all intensive purposes, the 2011 Straw Dogs is the 1971 Straw Dogs with one big exception. Rod Lurie is not Sam Peckinpah. Love or hate the original movie, Peckinpah had something to say about violence and human nature. In contrast, Lurie’s remake has no new insight or subtext. In the 40 years that have passed since the original movie, commentary on violence and human nature should have some new ideas to explore.

Remake Feels Pretty Behind The Times

If Peckinpah’s commentary on masculinity and violence shocked audiences in the 1970’s, the Straw Dogs remake is seriously out-of-step in the 2000’s. Susan George’s ‘Amy Sumner’ was a thinly written and, arguably, sexist representation of women in 1971. While Kate Bosworth (The Domestics) is a good actress, she’s stuck playing the same character. It’s an equally problematic aspect of the movie that is unlikely to find a larger audience over time. Even in just the eight years that have passed, Lurie’s Straw Dogs has already aged poorly in this regard.

Even in just the eight years that have passed, Lurie’s Straw Dogs has already aged poorly …

And for some inexplicable reason, the sexual assault scene remains in the remake. Regardless of arguments about execution and necessity in Peckinpah’s version, there’s little justification for its inclusion in the remake. Though the remake precedes the #MeToo movement, women in the entertainment industry had been debating the use of violence against women as a plot device. For example, female artists and filmmkers have decried the ‘women in refrigerators’ trope, or ‘fridging‘ since the late 1990’s. Simply put, it adds nothing to a remake that already has several stark illustrations of toxic masculinity. That Bosworth’s character is so underwritten only exacerbates the problem.

Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs Still Sets The Bar

Remaking Peckinpah’s controversial classic wasn’t necessarily a bad idea. Straw Dogs is a movie filled with ambiguous themes open to re-interpretation for a new social context. Look no further than Scorsese’s Cape Fear remake for an illustration of remaking a movie through a new lens. Yet in spite of its potential, Lurie fails to add anything new to Peckinpah’s vision. As a result, the 2011 Straw Dogs is a remake that aspires to a lofty vision, but ultimately feels pointless and dated.

The Head Hunter: A Cut Above Most Indie Horror

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Vikings have enjoyed a recent cultural renaissance courtesy of The History Channel’s epics series. Likewise, Game of Thrones has proven the crossover appeal of fantasy-based medieval storylines. Now director Jordan Downey’s Viking-monster mashup, The Head Hunter, is available on select VOD-platforms.

Synopsis

A lone medieval warrior scours mist-covered lands for the monster that killed his daughter. His wall is covered with the spiked severed heads of other monsters he’s crossed paths with on his quest. There’s room on his wall for one more head. And only one monster remains.

The Head Hunter is Smart Independent Horror

The Head Hunter is an independent fantasy-horror movie that never betrays its low budget. Simply put, director Jordan Downey innovates to create an economical movie experience. At a mere 72 minutes, The Head Hunter is a one-man show with minimal dialogue. Its story is streamlined – a man wakes and sleeps, hunting any far-off cry in the hopes it’s the monster responsbile for his daugher’s death. No expository dialogue, no superfluous subplots.

No expository dialogue, no superfluous subplots.

For most of the movie, Downey never shows you the ‘Father’ fighting any monster. Instead, The Head Hunter shows you the aftermath of the battles. That is, Downey offers only glimpses of ‘The Father’s’ grotesque wounds and severed monster heads. Some horror fans may find this approach frustrating. But it’s clever and economical. Rather than ‘telling you’ or over-exposing the movie’s limitations, this horror-fantasy allows the audience to use its imagination. In addition, Downey shows enough to allow the audience to invest and piece together The Head Hunter’s nihilistic conclusion. And the movie does deliver its showdown between ‘The Father’ and the monster.

Lush Cinematography and Atmosphere Define The Head Hunter

In spite of its low-budget roots, The Head Hunter is a gorgeous looking movie. Cinematographer Kevin Stewart brings the movie’s lush mountains and woodlands to life. Most importantly, Stewart’s camera shots work in tandem with Downey’s film-making to invest The Head Hunter with a haunting atmosphere. Though it’s a fantasy world of monsters, The Head Hunter has a lived in feel that makes everything feel believable.

Rather Downey uses POV-shots and shadows to stage a tense, drawn-out hunt between ‘The Father’ and the monster.

Perhaps The Hunter Hunter’s most impressive achievement is the suspense and stakes achieved by its climax. On the one hand, Downey still doesn’t ‘show’ much in the movie’s final moments. Don’t expect a CGI-enhanced showdown. Rather Downey uses POV-shots and shadows to stage a tense, drawn-out hunt between ‘The Father’ and the monster. While the effects are limited, Downey uses them in such a sparing way as to never underwhelm. And the movie’s ending somehow manages to feel satisfying and grim at the same time.

The Head Hunter Never Feels ‘Small’

Not everyone will appreciate The Head Hunter. For film-goers expecting large-scale CGI mayhem, they’ll have to wait for Godzilla: King of Monsters. But indie horror fans will find lots to appreciate and love here. Downey’s atmospheric and economical approach to the material works perfectly with the movie’s brisk length. Similarly, the lived-in world and grounded approach to the story’s fantasy elements coalesce with the overall mood. It’s a grim Master’s Class on low-budget horror-fantasy filmmaking.

THE PROFESSOR’S FINAL GRADE: B+

They’re All Going to Laugh at This Sequel – The Rage: Carrie 2

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Carrie is a horror classic and a standout from the 1970’s, one of the genre’s best decades. No one was asking for a sequel, especially over 20 years later. With no Stephen King, no Brian De Palma, The Rage: Carrie 2 flopped. Critics hated it, audiences ignored it. But after 20 years since its release, has The Rage: Carrie 2 earned a critical re-evaluation?

The Rage: Carrie 2 is a Case Study in Pointlessness

The Rage: Carrie 2 was released a few years before the remake craze. No one was debating whether a movie was a ‘remake’, ‘reboot’, or ‘soft reboot’. Screenwriter Rafael Moreu includes some references to the original movie and a light retcon. In addition, Amy Irving reprises her role as Sue Snell to add continuity. But by and large, The Rage: Carrie 2 feels more like a soft reboot. In fact, Moreau’s story plays like a highlight reel of Carrie updated for a ‘90’s audience.

We even get a very forced mother-daughter conflict to ensure the sequel is completely derivative.

Emily Bergl’s ‘Rachel Lang’ is a social outcast because … she’s poor. Like in the original Carrie, Rachel runs afoul of the ‘cool kids’ prompting an elaborate hoax designed to humiliate her. There’s a sympathetic ‘insider’ who sees her true inner beauty and a caring adult figure, but it’s all too late. As expected, everything culminates in Rachel’s telekinetic-infused vengeance. We even get a very forced mother-daughter conflict to ensure the sequel is completely derivative. Somewhere buried in this rehash is an almost prescient #MeToo subplot about football players and an exploitative sex game. Just don’t expect anything profound to emerge out of this story direction.

The Rage Downgrades on Everything

Everything about The Rage: Carrie 2 is a downgrade. We get Katt Shea as director in place of Brian De Palma. Emily Bergl subs for Sissy Spacek, while J Smith-Cameron fills in for Piper Laurie in the ‘mother’ Role. How bad is the downgrade? We get one of the kids from Home Improvement in place of John Travolta. If Carrie was in part defined by its mesmerizing performances, The Rage is shackled by underwhelming turns across the board. It’s cardboard characters with stiff performers delivering stilted dialogue. Remember the brief ‘90’s obsession with Jason London? That’s how bad things get.

Perhaps what’s most unforgivable about The Rage: Carrie 2 is its generic and, at time, odd visual style. No one expected a filmmaker to replicate De Palma’s signature style. But The Rage is a limp sequel in most regards. Its biggest problem is when it attempts to directly imitate moments from Carrie. Though imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, these scenes only serve to remind the audience how lacking the sequel is by comparison.

…everything about the climax pales in comparison to the original.

Shea inexplicably uses ‘black and white’ photography early in the movie whenever Rachel uses her powers. It’s an odd gimmick that’s thankfully discarded for the finale. And for some strange reason, Rachel’s rose tattoo extends during her climatic confrontation, covering her body with inked thorns. Why? Who cares. With all the bad CGI telekinetic gore, you won’t give it much thought. Horror fans who came of age in the 90’s may enjoy Rachel’s vengeance. But everything about this climax pales in comparison to the original. Moreover, The Rage’s climax begs the question – how can the visual effects be worse than a movie that’s over 20 years older?

The Rage: Carrie 2 Belongs In Dollar Store Discount Bins

They say time heals all wounds. Unfortunately, in the 20 years since its release, The Rage: Carrie 2 is still a pointless sequel. If you’re a ‘90’s horror fan, nostalgia may have carved out a soft spot in your heart for this movie. But everyone else will likely find it to be boring and insufferable. Years later, Hollywood would try to resurrect Carrie again with an okay remake. But maybe we should let Carrie White ‘rest in peace’ until King himself pens a worthy follow up.

FINAL VERDICT: JUST BAD

The Fog is Murky Fun from John Carpenter

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Thirty-nine years ago, on Feb. 8 1980, legendary horror film director, John Carpenter, released The Fog, his follow-up to Halloween (1978). A minor hit at the box-office (Box Office Mojo, n.d.), The Fog hasn’t received the same affection as other Carpenter films. Halloween is rightly held up as a classic of the horror genre. Over the years, critics and fans alike have increasingly praised Assault on Precinct 13, The Thing, They Live, and Escape from New York. Truth be told, The Fog may not be representative of Carpenter’s best work. Nevertheless, it’s a fun movie that harkens back to the days of midnight movies.

Synopsis

Set in the fictional California coastal town of Antonio Bay, The Fog is a an old-fashioned ghost story. It’s a swirling tale of dead mariners returning from their watery grave to wreak vengeance on the descendants of the town’s founders. In a brief but fun cameo, British thespian John Houseman tells children a ghost story about the Elizabeth Dane. It was a clipper ship carrying a wealthy man named Blake and his people, all suffering from leprosy.

Hoping to settle near Antonio Bay and form a colony, Blake made a deal with the town’s founders. But consumed with greed and prejudice, the founders lit a fire along a rocky beach on a foggy night that caused the Elizabeth Dane to crash and sink. They stole Blake’s gold and built Antonio Bay on deception and greed. Now, on the eve of their 100th anniversary, the Elizabeth Dane has returned. Hidden within a supernatural fog, Blake has returned to punish the descendants of Antonio Bay.

The Fog is a Tightly Paced, Gripping Thriller

…Carpenter weaves a gripping ghost story that never drags or falters with its tense, creepy atmosphere.

At just under 90 minutes, Carpenter weaves a gripping ghost story that never drags with its tense, creepy atmosphere. The concept of ghosts submerged in a spectral fog is kind o brilliant.  On the one hand, it adds a midnight-movie vibe. Yet t also leaves the ‘ghosts’ as shadowy figures, which helps hide the lower budget make-up effects.

Carpenter crafts a few ‘edge-of-your-seat’ moments. He milks the concept as characters respond to ominous knocks at the door and walk out unwittingly into the swirling mist. The best of these scenes finds a little boy trapped alone in his bedroom as the fog envelopes his house and ghosts come pounding on his door. Yes, The Fog is guilty of repeating some of these scares. The movie also relies a little too much on horror film contrivances (i.e, a car that won’t start). Nevertheless, Carpenter keeps things moving so briskly while delivering enough scares to render it a minor criticism.

Another Fantastic Carpenter Score

Like with most of his films, Carpenter also composed the score for The Fog. I personally rank this one as second only to his work in Halloween. Less intrusive than some of his scores, The Fog’s score maintains tension in the film’s quieter moments, while ratcheting it back up as events build to the climax.

The Fog is also blessed with an all-star cast of familiar genre actors including Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Atkins, Hal Holbrook, Charles Cyphers, and Adrienne Barbeau. Scream queen legend and Curtis’ mother, Janet Leigh, also has a small role. Its impressive cast carries the film in those quiet moments elevating above most other horror films.

A Supernatural Twist on the Slasher Formula

One of the original criticisms of The Fog was that the film periodically descended into slasher film territory. To some extent, the more graphic killings felt out of place in what was supposed to be a more traditional ghost story. By today’s standards, the death scenes will seem fairly quaint. The focus of The Fog is still largely on suspense and scares. In this regard, it’s successful albeit at a more minor level than Halloween.

As it nears 40 year of age, The Fog is a minor entry in the horror genre. It’s certainly not among Carpenter’s best efforts. But The Fog hasn’t lost any of its ability to scare and entertain. It works amazingly well as a B-film ghost story and illustrates that even a master’s lesser works still stands head and shoulders above most horror films. Look no further than the feeble attempt at a remake that was released in 2005 for proof.

Look Away: A Forgettable Doppelganger of Better Teen Revenge Flicks

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Many people would probably agree that high school is an awful time. Generally, teens are a pretty mean-spirited and sulky lot. And don’t forget the cutthroat politics of teen popularity. Joss Whedon crafted Buffy the Vampire Slayer almost entirely around the concept that high school is literally Hell. Not surprisingly then, horror movies have made frequent use of the ‘social outcast’ and ‘revenge’ theme. Now available on Netflix, Look Away is the latest twist on the ‘loser takes revenge’ horror theme.

Synopsis

Maria, a shy teen girl, has a lonely existence. At home, Maria embarrasses her father, a judgemental plastic surgeon. Picked on by her peers, Maria’s only friend, Lily, barely tolerates her. But things take a turn when Maria discovers a darker version of herself locked in her mirror’s reflection. This image, Airam, is Maria’s opposite in every way. After she’s humiliated at her winter prom, a distraught Maria switches places with her reflection. Now Airam, in control, takes revenge on all of Maria’s tormentors.

Look Away Rehashes Several Familiar Horror Tropes

Not unlike its main character, Look Away is a mirror image of nearly every horror movie about an awkward loner taking revenge. Writer and director Assaf Bernstein doesn’t so much reference past movies as much as outright imitate them. Do any of these movies ring a bell? Evilspeak? Tamara? Christine? How about Carrie? Guess what, Look Away goes so far as to recycle the whole prom scene. And it does it without the slightest trace of irony.


Look Away goes so far as to recycle the whole prom scene. And it does it without the slightest trace of irony.

At least Bernstein attempts to explore some deeper meaning. Without giving away too much, Look Away plays with themes around repressed desires and darker sides to ourselves. You can see the potential promise buried somewhere in the movie. Unfortunately, Look Away does too little with these ideas. They’re peripheral themes left largely unexplored. Instead Bernstein employs one of the laziest Hollywood narratives – the ‘high school loser’ who looks nothing like an actual loser. All Maria is missing is a pair of glasses.

Moody Atmosphere Undermined by Poor Pacing

In spite of its derivative story, Look Away shows early signs of promise. There’s a fittingly moody atmosphere early in the movie. Cinematographer Pedro Luque shoots much of the film in washed out grey tones that makes maximum use of the winter setting. For 30 minutes or so, Look Away draws favourable comparisons to another recent winter horror flick, The Blackcoat’s Daughter. Things veer off course quickly, however, and soon the movie finds itself knee deep in familiar horror cliches. Like most revenge horror movies, Airam doles out some rather dull punishments for her bullies with nary a scare to be found. Visually, nothing stands out in the movie. It doesn’t help that the movie overstays its welcome by a good 15 to 20 minutes.


Things veer off course quickly, however, and soon the movie finds itself knee deep in familiar horror cliches.

But what Look Away lacks in chills and scares, it more than makes up for with its frequent and somewhat off-putting sexual content. There’s a surprising amount of nudity in the movie, particularly given that Eisely’s character is written as a young high school student. The overt sexualization of Eisely is fairly jarring given how out of place it feels both in the movie and the broader socio-political culture today.

Eisley Impresses With a Strong Performance

If Look Away is a watchable movie – which it is – then India Eisely deserves much of the credit. Clearly, Eisley is a talented performer who shows impressive range with what’s a fairly limited character. As Maria/Airam are written, Eisely is stuck between playing a mopish ‘Carrie White’ and the kind of teen vamp you’d find in ’90’s thriller like The Crush or Poison Ivy. Even within these limitations, Eisely’s performance is what will keep you watching.


If Look Away is a watchable movie – which it is – then India Eisely deserves much of the credit.

Though the supporting cast is equally strong, most the performers are wasted in fairly typecast roles. Jason Isaacs (Event Horizon) is solid as the cold, shallow father but Harry Potter fans know he could so much more with a better written character. It’s also nice to see Mira Sorvino turn up as Maria’s mother. Sorvino is a consistently excellent actress, but Look Away gives her too little to do.

Look Away Never Finds Its Own Voice

Ultimately, Look Away is a pretty derivative, if not watchable, thriller. Anchored by a strong lead performance, this doppelganger suspense flick doesn’t do enough with its premise to distract from how similar it is to much better movies. Any horror movie that has something bad happen at a high school prom is going to have a high hurdle to clear to make you forget Brian DePalma’s work on Carrie.

THE PROFESSOR’S FINAL GRADE: C+

The Best of 2018: Top 10 Horror Movies of the Year

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Contrary to a certain controversial article, it was another good year for horror movies. From high-concept studio offerings, franchise reboots, to daring indie projects, 2018 had a little something for everyone. So as we prepare to ring in 2019, it’s time to survey my Top 10 Horror Movies unleashed this past year.

Before I dive into my Top 10 picks for 2018, I’ll just offer a few cautionary notes. There are a few noteworthy omissions from my list. Unfortunately, Suspiria and The Clovehitch Killer weren’t released to theatres nearby to me, so I haven’t had the opportunity to see either movie. Lots of great movies also aren’t on the list. Pyewacket, The Ritual, Apostle, Overlord, Upgrade – each of these movies deserves recognition. Like any list, my picks are subject to debate. But without further ado, here are my Top 10 Horror Movies of 2018.

10- Revenge

Distributed by horror-streaming platform, Shudder, Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge was a brutal re-invention of a tired horror sub-genre. To her credit, Fargeat flips the ‘male gaze’ and transforms her protagonist from victim to a vengeance-seeking machine. In addition to subverting the rape-revenge formula, Revenge pokes a little fun at the male-action hero fantasies common to the 1980’s. There’s plenty of blood and violence, all of which Fargeat films with distinct visual flair. Revenge also delivers a clever and tense final cat-and-mouse chase in its climax.

9 – Terrifier

Brutal, lean, simple – those three words best describe Damien Leone’s Terrifier. With its threadbare story and grimy aesthetics, Terrifier could have just as well been released in the 1980’s. The practical gore effects get a workout over the movie’s short runtime. Just when you think Terrifier can’t gross you out any more, Leone dives deeper with even more transgressive violence. One scene with Art the Clown and a hacksaw ranks high among this year’s most shocking horror moments. Art the Clown may also be the best addition to horror’s rogue gallery in years.

8 – Mandy

Mandy may be the most distinct visual movie experience of 2018. Director Panos Cosmatos saturates his revenge thriller in dreamy red and blue tints creating a memorably bizarre psychedelic trip. Like the best surrealist movies, Mandy is more nightmare than coherent story. Moreover, audiences were treated to Nicholas Cage going ‘full Cage’. Over the years, filmgoers have forgotten how good Cage can be as an actor. In Mandy, Cage delivers a fantastic wild-eyed performance that stands as one of his best in years.

7 – Cam

While Netflix had a bit of an up and down year with its original movies, 2018 ended on a positive note. Though it’s not in my Top 10, Bird Box can certainly be classified as a winner for the streaming giant. Released a month earlier, Cam is an outstanding thriller and a refreshing twist on the ‘technology in horror‘ narrative. This indie movie about a ‘cam girl’ and stolen identity works on multiple levels. As a strict thriller, Cam intrigues and unsettles. But it also works as a cerebral exercise. Cam raises several questions that you’ll be left to ponder long after the credits have finished rolling. It’s both techno-thriller and meditative piece on identity.

6 – The Endless

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead blew my mind several years ago with a little film called Resolution. Now with their third feature length effort, The Endless, they’ve done it again. The Endless is a methodical, quiet, and reflective movie that mixes horror, mystery, and science fiction. There are no jump scares or graphic death scenes. Instead, Benson and Moorhead have crafted an atmospheric gem that is both unnerving and absolutely immersive. It’s a complex, fascinating concept executed to perfection. I was still thinking about The Endless the morning after watching it. With so many ideas to mull over, it’s a movie that requires multiple viewings.

5 – Ghost Stories

Ghost Stories is one of the more genuinely scary movies of 2018. A methodically paced film, Ghost Stories actually benefits from its anthology format. Its well-executed slow-burn approach builds and relents with each story rather than dragging across a single 90-minute narrative. The overall result is a fun film that repeatedly pushes you to the edge of your seat before making you jump. Typically, anthology horror films suffer from inconsistent quality across segments. But Ghost Stories has no weak link of which to single out. If you’re a fan of the old Amicus British anthology movies from the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, you’ll love Ghost Stories.

4 – Halloween 2018

It was the most anticipated horror movie of 2018. And when all was said and done, Halloween exceeded expectations. Director David Gordon Green treated audiences to a genuinely scary movie that felt like a continuation of the original rather than a rehash. Similar to John Carpenter’s classic, Green keeps the first half of his sequel immersed in atmosphere.

Where Halloween diverges from the 1978 movie is its violence. This sequel has a much higher body count and more graphic violence than Carpenter’s movie. But this isn’t the cartoonish violence characteristic of the Friday the 13th series. Halloween’s violence is raw and shocking. If Halloween falls short of Carpenter’s masterpiece, it’s not for a lack of trying. It’s easily the best sequel in the series, justifying the decision to ignore everything else that followed the 1978 Halloween. This sequel balances homage with its own direction and vision.

3- Annihilation

Nothing has changed in the Top 3 since June. Annihilation isn’t a straight-up horror film; it is probably best described as science-fiction with horror elements. Sadly, Annihilation significantly underperformed at the box. It’s too bad because it’s one of the most pleasantly surprising movie experiences I’ve had in a long time. With an immersive story and incredible performances, Annihilation boasts a unique and well-executed premise. Both its alligator and mutant bear attack scenes offer audiences remarkably suspenseful horror moments. But it’s the atmosphere and mystery hanging over the proceedings like a fog that makes Annihilation stand out.

2 – A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place could have been been a one-note gimmick. Fortunately, John Krasinski deftly balances horror with a strong emotional core. Both Krasinski and Emily Blunt turn in stellar performances as parents faced with the terrifying knowledge that they may be unable to protect their children. But have no doubt – it’s Blunt’s film. And those last 30 minutes are a relentless roller coaster ride aided by wickedly creative creature effects. With an intriguing mythology that’s never weighed down with lazy expository dialogue, A Quiet Place is one of the best big-screen horror experiences in years.

1- Hereditary

With its stellar Rotten Tomatoes rating and dismal CinemaScore, Hereditary follows in the footsteps of The Witch and It Comes at Night. Call it folk horror, or call it art-house horror. Regardless of how you label it, Hereditary is an unnerving horror experience that structures its winding mystery brilliantly. Toni Collette’s performance should get Oscar consideration. Is the last ten minutes odd? Certainly. But director Ari Aster leaves enough cookie crumbs to piece it together. The ending’s haunting tone was reminiscent of Rosemary’s Baby. While I can understand why some viewers might be put off, in my opinion, Hereditary is destined to be a classic.