Entertainment Earth

10/15/2019

Gwen (Review)

Title: Gwen
Writer/ Director: William McGregor
Cast: Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Mark Lewis Jones, Richard Harrington, Maxine Peake
Min: 84
Year: 2018

Gwen (Eleanor Worthington-Cox) is a worry filled teenager who inhabits a farm in 19th century Snowdonia at the height of the industrial revolution. She lives with her little sis Mari (Jodie Innes) and their hardened and cold mother Elen (Maxine Peake). The young girls are awaiting the return of their dad, who has gone away a long time ago to fight in a war. To say shit ain't going well for the family is an understatement. Their hardships include an ever increasingly serious problems like spoiled potatoes, mutilated sheep, her mom's illness which soon develops into epileptic seizures, and more. On top of this, the local slate mine barons want to buy their land, as their ever expanding business sees the family's land as prime territory. They, though, don't want to give up their farm and land.
Gwen is a historical, Welsh horror film. This quiet bit of genre film-making from writer/ director William McGregor is a good looking and a slow burn. Quiet, in both a literal and figurative manner, but scary in a real life way, this one will please those who enjoy their scares in a more refined and arthouse like manner. It is far more interested in real life horrors than the supernatural, which is, at most, only hinted at. This serves as one of the reasons its scares work so well.

McGregor keeps the movie beautiful looking throughout, as well as having somber feeling of melancholy. The film keeps an air of mystery throughout, sometimes not giving a complete answer if  one, at all. One of the aspects most worthy of admiration for Gwen, is its use of sound. Instead of using a score, it relies on its excellent sound design. This adds tension and unease in some of the movie's most chilling moments.
The movie achieves at least one truly frightening moment with a genuinely well achieved jump scare. This has the rare pay off that actually made this jaded horror viewer jump right the fuck up. The climax zaps full blown intensity and excitement into the proceedings. Meanwhile, the ending is extremely dark and depressing.

The pacing is very slow and some might find themselves bored. But, have patients and the payoff will be well worth. The moment that Elen has her first epileptic seizure was so jarring and shocking that it made me stand right up in attention to what was happening,
The acting is the other key point here. The whole cast is excellent with extra praise going to both Maxine Peake as the domineering mother and  Eleanor Worthington-Cox as the title character. Peake is intimidating in her role. There are hints of her love for her daughters, but many times it is buried under her callousness. Worthington-Cox gives us powerful acting as Gwen. We truly feel for her, as she sometimes tells of the hard life she is dealing with only but a heartbreaking look in her eyes and face. And, speaking of heartbreaking there is one moment that tore mine to shreds. You will know when you see it, as this scene is followed by a moment of violence, that while little is shown, truly got under and inside of me.

Gwen is a slow burn of a quiet horror movie. More interested in historical and real world terror than some crappy CGI ghost, it really does achieve a nice level of creepiness. The movie always looks good and has some of the finest sound design I've seen this year, on top of excellent acting. To me, this flick is superior to the overrated and pretentious The Witch, a movie with which it shares obvious similarities. It might be very slow, but if you give in you'll find much to admire in this deeply somber chiller. It begins streaming this Thursday, October 17, 2019 on Shudder.


3 out of 4

9/30/2019

Shudder October 2019 Highlights

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OCTOBER 2019 U.S. HIGHLIGHTS 

NEW SERIES

CREEPSHOW: A SHUDDER ORIGINAL SERIES (Thursdays through 10/31) 
The Most Fun You’ll Ever Have Being Scared! From showrunner Greg Nicotero (​The Walking Dead​) comes a new Shudder Original anthology horror series based on the iconic 1982 film written by Stephen King and directed by George A. Romero. 

  • Oct. 3    Ep. 2: “Bad Wolf Down” / “The Finger”
  • Oct. 10  Ep. 3: “All Hallows’ Eve” / “The Man in the Suitcase”
  • Oct. 17  Ep. 4: “The Companion” / “Lydia Layne’s Better Half”
  • Oct. 24  Ep. 5: “Night of the Paw” / “Times is Tough in Musky Holler”
  • Oct. 31 Ep. 6: “Skincrawlers” /  “By the Silver Waters of Lake Champlain” 


Featuring episodes directed by Nicotero, Roxanne Benjamin (Body at Brighton Rock), David Bruckner (The Ritual), John Harrison (Book of Blood), Tom Savini (1990‘s Night of the Living Dead) and Rob Schrab (Community), and starring David Arquette (Scream franchise), Big Boi (a.k.a. Antwan Patton), Jeffrey Combs (Re-Animator), Kid Cudi (a.k.a. Scott Mescudi), Bruce Davison (X-Men), Dana Gould (Stan Against Evil), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) and DJ Qualls (The Man in the High Castle).

CHANNEL ZERO: THE DREAM DOOR (premieres Thursday, 10/10)
Based on the “creepypasta” short story “Hidden Door” by Charlotte Bywater, Channel Zero: The Dream Door follows newlyweds Jillian (Maria Sten) and Tom (Brandon Scott), who have each brought secrets into their marriage. When they discover a strange door in their basement, those secrets start to threaten their relationship — and their lives. With Steven Weber, Steven Robertson and Barbara Crampton, directed by E.L. Katz (Cheap Thrills). 

With the premiere of The Dream Door, Shudder will be the exclusive streaming home for all four seasons of the groundbreaking Channel Zero series. 

In addition, the final episodes of NOS4A2’s first season will be released on Shudder on 10/3 & 10/10.

SHUDDER ORIGINAL & EXCLUSIVE TITLES

THE FURIES (premieres Thursday, 10/3)
Rebellious high school students Kayla and her best friend Maddie find themselves abducted by a sinister presence and stalked, along with six other women, by men in terrifying masks. Starring Airlie Dodds, Linda Ngo and Taylor Ferguson, directed by Tony D'Aquino. A SHUDDER EXCLUSIVE (Also available on Shudder Canada)


Please note that in addition to its Shudder premiere, the film will have its Australian premiere later this month at MonsterFest, http://www.monsterfest.com.au/australia/program/the-furies/, ahead of its theatrical release there.   

GWEN (premieres Thursday, 10/17)
In this stark and atmospheric tale, Gwen is a young girl struggling with her mother’s mysterious illness, her father's absence and the suspicious local community that has turned on them. Somehow Gwen must find the strength to guide her family through the darkness and overcome the evil that is taking grip of her home. Starring Maxine Peake, Eleanor Worthington-Cox, and Richard Harrington, directed by William McGregor. A SHUDDER ORIGINAL (Also available on Shudder Canada)


HAUNT (premieres Thursday, 10/24)
From producer Eli Roth and written and directed by the writers of ​A Quiet Place​. On Halloween, a group of friends encounter an "extreme" haunted house that promises to feed on their darkest fears. The night turns deadly as they come to the horrifying realization that some nightmares are real. Starring  Katie Stevens, Will Brittain and Lauryn Alisa McClain, directed by Scott Beck, Bryan Woods.
A SHUDDER EXCLUSIVE (Also available on Shudder Canada)

NIGHTMARE CINEMA (premieres Tuesday, 10/29)
In this twisted horror anthology directed by a killer lineup of genre legends, five strangers are drawn to an abandoned theater and forced to watch their deepest and darkest fears play out before them. Lurking in the shadows is the Projectionist, who preys upon their souls with his collection of disturbing films. As each reel spins its sinister tale, the characters find frightening parallels to their own lives.​ Starring Mickey Rourke, Richard Chamberlain and Adam Godley, directed by Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead), Joe Dante (​Gremlins), Mick Garris (The Stand​ miniseries), Ryûhei Kitamura (The Midnight Meat Train) and David Slade (B​lack Mirror: Bandersnatch). A SHUDDER EXCLUSIVE (Also available on Shudder Canada and Shudder UK)


SHUDDER SPECIALS

“THE GHOUL LOG” and “SON OF GHOUL LOG” (coming soon)
Set the mood for your Halloween festivities with Shudder’s 24/7 feed of a candlelit Jack-o’-Lantern accompanied by spooky night noises that does for Halloween what the famed Yule Log does for Christmas. Fan favorite The Ghoul Log is back, accompanied by an all-new, creepier sequel handmade by genre icon Larry Fessenden (DepravedHabitUntil Dawn).


TBA Special — Friday, 10/25
Shudder is whipping up a very special Halloween treat that will keep you up into the wee hours. Details coming soon.

NEW MOVIES FOR OCTOBER

September 30
The Taking of Deborah Logan (Director: Adam Robitel)
After months of searching, Mia has found the perfect subject for her PhD thesis film on Alzheimer’s Disease.  For the next several months, cameras will record the everyday life of Deborah Logan and her daughter, Sarah. Mia and her crew will document the physical effects the disease on Deborah, and the emotional and mental toll it takes on Sarah, her primary caregiver. As they begin the filming, the cameras record Deborah and Sarah’s day-to-day activities, with Mia noting the telltale signs of the progressive disease.  As the days progress, strange things begin to happen around Deborah that are not consistent with any findings about Alzheimer’s. Something else has taken control of Deborah’s life, an evil threatens to consume anyone and everyone who try to stop it. Starring: Jill Larson, Anne Ramsay, Michelle Ang  

October 1
Body Bags (Director: John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, Larry Sulkis)
A woman works the late shift at “The Gas Station” while a killer is on the loose. A man can’t stand the thought of losing his “Hair” and he’ll do anything to keep it. And finally, a baseball player submits to an “Eye” transplant after he loses an eye in a car accident. Starring: John Carpenter, Stacy Keach, Mark Hamill, Tom Arnold, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, Roger Corman (Also available on Shudder Canada)

October 7
Ever After (Director: Carolina HellsgÃ¥rd)
Post apocalypse Europe, two years after zombies have overrun Earth, only two citadels of civilization remain in the East German towns of Weimar and Jena. In Weimar, newly infected zombies are shot on site without mercy. The Jena authorities take a more humane approach by trying to find a cure for plague victims. Vivi and Eva, in search of a more humane world, are stranded in the no-mans land of the Black Forest where they have to rely on each other and nature in order to survive. But their survival has also unleashed demons from their past that they must confront. Starring: 
Marco Albrecht, Trine Dyrholm, Gro Swantje Kohlhof

October 14
Wax Mask (Director: Sergio Stivaletti)
In the mid-‘90s, Dario Argento approached a physically and professionally ailing Lucio Fulci to direct one final production, an over-the-top shocker about grisly murders at a Paris wax museum. But when Fulci passed away only weeks before filming was to set to start, Argento turned to Sergio Stivaletti – the FX genius on PHENOMENA, OPERA, DEMONS and CEMETERY MAN – to make his feature-directing debut. Starring: Robert Hossein, Romina Mondello, Riccardo Serventi Longhi, Gabriella Giorgelli, Umberto Balli (Also available on Shudder Canada)

October 16
The Devil’s Rejects (Director: Rob Zombie)
A family of murderous maniacs are pursued by a violent sheriff in Rob Zombie’s brutal sequel to HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES. When the Firefly’s home is raided, three members escape. Enraged over the murder of his brother, Sheriff Wydell hires bounty hunters to track the clan down, leading to mayhem and murder across state lines. Essential Zombie. Starring: Sig Haig, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, Ken Foree, Matthew McGrory, William Forsythe, E.G. Daily

October 21
Without Name (Director: Lorcan Finnegan)
Land surveyor Eric travels to a remote, unnamed Irish woodland to assess its suitability for a new development project. However, not all is as simple as it seems on this assignment. Intrigued by the woods’ foreboding mysticism, Eric finds himself drawn into a dangerous game that could lead to him becoming a prisoner of this place without name. Starring: Alan McKenna, Niahm Algar,James Browne, Brendan Conroy (Also available on Shudder Canada)

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