Spoonful of Sugar (Review)

Director: Mercedes Bryce Morgan 
Writer: Leah Saint Marie
Cast: Morgan Skylar, Kat Foster, Myko Olivier, Danilo Crovetti, Keith Powell, Laura Coover
Year: 2022
Min: 94

Millicent (Morgan Skylar) is a pretty but disturbed babysitter, who is doing a thesis on kids with severe allergies. This works perfectly with her taking on a sitting gig for Johnny (Danilo Corvetti) a mute, little boy who is allergic to every fucking thing under the sun and then some. To protect himself he, spends all his time dressed like an astronaut. His parents, as good looking as they maybe, aren't exactly shining examples of normality. But, then neither is Johnny, who on top of everything else, also has a violent streak, especially when it comes to his mother (Kat Foster), as well as having dead rabbits in the backyard. Meanwhile, Millicent, who is addicted to LSD, develops a thing a for the hubby (Myko Olivier), causing her sexualilty to awaken. She also wishes to be mommy to little Johnny. They both begin to form a bond, that doesn't exactly sit well with his mom, to say the very least.

Spoonful of Sugar is a psychological horror film from director Mercedes Bryce Morgan. It's a complicated character and familial study; that takes a look at the dark side of humanity and mental illness. It's also a messed up flick, in the best possible way. One that can be seen like a more morally ambiguous, complex, and, at times, more sexualizied version of The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. But, even this is oversimplifying it. For you see the film appears to be one thing, only to be oh so much more as it advances.

Morgan does a phenomenal job with her directing. She sets up the mood pretty much from the get-go. The movie contains shots that are beautifully framed. This is achieved through the use of the lighting, which is has a stunning use of brightness and shadow. I also love the way she is able to bring to life the LSD inspired hallucinations in ways that are beautiful, nightmarish, and uncomfortable. 

The movie also, thanks to the excellent script from Leah Saint Marie, managed to have me intrigued very early on. The flick is slow moving but remains fascinating, throughout its runtime. It even managed to make think "What the fuck?!", which is no mean feat. It's a gloriously unnerving time that leads to a goddamn amazing climax. And, then there is that ending, which to put it quite simply is fucking great!

And, Jesus Christ are the characters in this film ever fucked up! They showcase a world of broken, and in some cases twisted, minds and personalities. Even when you think this one is normal, nope no such thing. These characters are brought to life thanks to some truly excellent acting from the entire cast. 

At its core, though, is Morgan Saylor's Millicent. She gives what is an early candidate for breakout performance of the year. One feels sympathy, even concern for her, well until we don't. She has a great way of going from sweet to sexy to intimidating. All of which Saylor effortlessly pulls off and brings to life. As the mother of Johnny, Rebecca, the absolutely gorgeous Kat Foster, also gives an amazing performance. A put upon and unstable mom and wife, Rebecca is a frustrated woman. I may not like her as a character, but there are moments I can understand her. All while, I'm still thinking "She is so fucked up!", which is honestly in keeping with many of this film's themes.

Spoonful of Sugar is lead by some truly spectacular acting, especially from its two female leads. In fact, Saylor gives the kind of star making performance that is award worthy. The flick looks gorgeous thanks to exceptional filmmaking and directing. Seemingly being one thing, only to become something, it has a rich and complex script. It's a film that is an alternately disturbing, haunting, sexy, and above all engrossing time. The absolutely smashing climax and powerful ending help to elevate the quality even higher. It is a complex and messed up indie movie that needs to be seen, which you will be able to do when it begins to streaming exclusively on Shudder on March 2, 2023.

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"Z" (Review)

Director: Brandon Christensen
Writers: Brandon Christensen, Colin Minihan
Cast: Keegan Connor Tracy, Jett Klyne, Sean Rogerson, Sara Canning, Stephen McHattie
Year: 2019
Min: 83

The married couple of Elizabeth (Keegan Connor Tracy) and Kevin Parsons (Sean Rogerson) have an eight-year-old son named Joshua (Jett Klyne). He unfortunately has gained an imaginary friend simply named Z; who soon influences Joshua to develop rather antisocial and destructive behavior. It worries his mom, Elizabeth, of course, especially when the behavior begins to include violence. She will slowly discover the secret of Z.

This slow burn of a horror movie looked, at first, to be something that I had seen before. But, thanks to some solid talent behind and in front of the camera, ended up exceeding my expectations. Insuring my enjoyment of it is how the movie builds up and has a couple of moments that will chill you.

Perhaps the movie's strongest aspect is its acting. Everyone is great, but it's Keegan Connor (Final Destination 2, Bates Motel) Tracy that is truly incredible. She gives one of the year's best performances, as she is able to say so much with just her eyes. Her character of Elizabeth is the heart of the movie and is easy to like and cheer on. She also plays a good counterbalance to Sean Rogerson portrayal of her hubby Kevin. While, he shows strong acting, the role is the generic dad who doesn't believe in the supernatural shit that is going on. As such, he feels a bit like a fail, even if he means well. The supporting cast is strong as well, in particular the always great and underrated Stephen McHattie as the psychologist Beth calls to help her son.

I also really like the way the movie looks, as there are some really nicely framed shots within it. While, the flick is slow it builds and builds up rather well. The continuing sense of mounting terror so well thanks to director/ co-writer Brandon Christensen, who manages to make the movie creepier and creepier. There is, at least. one truly shocking and jaw-dropping moment. It comes from a truly shocking scene that works to perfection and comes out of nowhere. The score by Brittany Allen is great, as well, and adds to the scares. It helps to make you feel very uneasy.

The script by Christensen and Colin Minihan is strong. As I stated before, at first this film feels like it might be something we have seen before. But, then at about the 50 or so minute mark it goes in a decidedly crazy and increasingly dark direction that I really appreciated. It helps to give this one its own identity.

"Z" is a dark and somber mix of supernatural and psychological horror. Though it's a bit on the slow side, it builds up rather nicely. The film manages to have some frightening and creepy moments. And, it is highlighted by a superlative performance from the lovely and immensely talented Connor Tracy. Her role of a mom who will do anything to protect and save her son helps to make this one a great choice for Mother's Day viewing. Which is great cause Shudder will begin streaming the movie on May 7, 2020.

3 out of 4 

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Daniel Isn't Real (Review)

Director: Adam Egypt Mortimer
Writers: Adam Egypt Mortimer, Brian DeLeeuw
Cast: Miles Robbins, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sasha Lane, Mary Stuart Masterson, Hannah Marks
Year: 2020
Min: 100

As a child, Luke (Griffin Robert Faulkner) hears his parents having a heated argument. He runs out the door and passes by a coffee shop, where someone has gunned down everyone that was in there. He sees a bloody, dead body, laying on the outside of the establishment. Soon, he begins to talk to a boy named Daniel (Nathan Chandler Reid). The thing is only he can seem him, and not anyone else, including his mom (Mary Stuart Masterson). Still, he plays and talks to Daniel a lot.

One day, Daniel tells Luke to poison his mom with her meds, telling him that doing that will give her "superpowers". That doesn't happen, of course, and his mom, who thankfully survives, tells him to "lock-up" Daniel in the dollhouse, that they have. Cut, to the present. Luke (Miles Robbins) is a withdrawn and quiet college student. He goes to visit his mom, who we learn suffers from mental issues. Soon after, he "unlocks" and frees Daniel (Patrick Schwarzenegger). While, mischievous at first, and even helpful in getting him to talk to and date a young artist named Cassie (Sasha Lane), Daniel soon leads him to darker and, eventually, more violent actions. Luke wonders if he has inherited his mom's mental conditions, and whether he can be free of Daniel's influence, before things get worse.

Daniel Isn't Real is a pretty solid effort from director/ co-writer Ada Egypt Mortimer. It's a captivating take on mental illness and schizophrenia. And, while it doesn't really break any new ground, it will hold your interest and is solidly done throughout its duration.

The opening shotgun massacre shocked the shit out of me, as it breaks the tranquility of people enjoying their morning coffee. It's a brutal and fast scene. From there the movie is mostly a slow burn, interested more in character and situation development, rather than action. This fine for the type of story it tells.

There is some excellent acting from all involved, but it is the young Miles Robbins that truly shines. He gives a very strong and layered performance and plays really well against Patrick Schwarzenegger's Daniel. Their scenes together are intensely well done. I was very happy to see Mary Stuart Masterson cast as his mom, as I had a childhood crush on her. She gives a strong and emotional supporting role.

To me, one of the movie's most interesting scenes has Daniel taking over Luke, so that he can cheat on Cassie and fuck hottie Sophie (Hannah Marks). It's also at this point, that he turns violent and really sets the movie's action in motion. The film works well in doing metaphors for mental illness. There are also some haunting moments that really help to get under your skin. The flick's climax is fairly suspenseful and has a very satisfying if not wholly unexpected ending.

Daniel Isn't Real is a mostly engaging psychological horror movie. The pacing is a little on the slow side, but it mostly succeeds in what it sets out to do. The acting is its strongest suit, especially in relation to the performance of Miles Robbins' Luke. There are a couple of really good and strong moments that increase in their frequency as the film moves along. Nothing really new is done, but with a good climax and logical ending, it hits the mark more than it misses. It will start streaming today, March 26, 2020 on Shudder and, as such, is well worth a look.

3 out of 4

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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

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Incident in a Ghostland (Review)

Title: Incident in a Ghostland
Writer/ Director: Pascal Laugier
Cast: Crystal Reed, Mylène Farmer, Anastasia Phillips, Emilia Jones, Taylor Hickson, Kevin Power
Min: 91
Year: 2018

Pauline (Mylène Farmer) has recently inherited her sister Clarissa's secluded house. She travels to the house with her two teenage daughters, the slightly more rebellious Vera (Taylor Hickson) and Beth (Emilia Jones) who is inspired by H.P. Lovecraft and likes to write horror fiction. At a rest stop, Beth reads an article about a series of home invasions where the parents are killed but the daughters are spared. What they don't know is that someone in a candy truck is stalking them.

They settle in for the night, but then suddenly a large, obese man breaks in. The Fat Man (Rob Archer) attacks Pauline, and the goes for the girls, dragging them to the basement. A strange woman soon joins them, who says that that they just want to play with dolls. The Fat Man assaults both girls. When he smells that Beth has had her period, he turns his perverse attention and focus on to Vera. Pauline recovers and stabs both the Fat Man and the Candy Truck Woman (Kevin Power) killing them.

Sixteen years later, Beth has grown into a beautiful and successful woman ( now played by Crystal Reed). She is a popular horror author and lives with her husband and their son. She is on a talk show promoting her latest work Incident in a Ghostland, which is inspired by the horrific events of that night. Later, she receives a frantic phone call from her sister (Anastasia Phillips), who still lives with their mom in the same house.

Beth, haunted by her own nightmares, travels to see what she can do to help her sister and mom. There her mother Pauline tells her that Vera cannot move on and is still traumatized and anguished by those events. Soon, Beth, herself, is haunted by strange happenings and Vera says that her assailants are still after them.

Incident in a Ghostland is a deeply searing psychological horror film from French genre writer/ director Paul Lagier, whose classic Martyrs is a brutal masterpiece. And, I am very happy to report that unlike his disappointing and uneven 2012 movie, The Tall Man, this one hits all the marks. And, boy are these marks ever scarring.

The opening home invasion is intense and very violent. It's one fucking hell of a way to start off and sets the unflinching tone which is kept throughout much of the flick's running time. It is also an excellent study of PTSD and the utter horrors of child abuse. This all results is a nightmarish experience that stays with the viewer, well after it is all said and done.

Laugier manages to disturb and unnerve his audience. And, while for some filmmakers this might not be an easy task, for Laugier, it is something that is right up his alley. The film does use a bunch of jump scares. However, they usually work, because they are actual scares and not fake outs. This ads to the tension that Laugier expertly knows how to build up. The climax will have your heart jumping out of your chest and nails buried deep into your seat. It ends on a very satisfying note, even if you feeling completely fucking drained by the time it's over.

The violence and bloodletting is equally harsh and graphic, keeping the audience's nerves on their very edge. The movie isn't ever light nor funny, and considering the heavy subject matter, it shouldn't be. This all results in a film that has much in common with '70's horror than what is currently out there, which is a huge plus for me.

The acting here is phenomenal. It is some of the finest you are likely to see in a horror movie this year, as their suffering is very palatable. Crystal Reed gives a very strong performance as Beth. She allows her character's pain, strength, and loving and protective nature to really come forth. Anastasia Phillips is incredible as Vera. Her screams of physical and emotional pain are utterly heartbreaking. Seeing her nude, clutching her doll, and begging for help in one scene is one of the most heart-wrenching things that you are likely to see in a genre film. Mylène Farmer gives excellent support as the loving and goodhearted mother.

Incident in a Ghostland is a brutal, intense, and emotionally draining experience. One that left me feeling many powerful emotions and completely consumed me. The acting is utterly phenomenal; giving the movie its emotional center and strength. Disturbing and haunting, it is the most soul crushing horror movie of the year. And, as it begins streaming exclusively on Shudder this Thursday, August 15, 2019, I give you my highest possible recommendation to watch.

4 out of 4

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Gerald's Game (review)

Title: Gerald's Game
Director: Mike Flanagan
Writers: Jeff Howard and Mike Flanagan, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King
Cast: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Henry Thomas, Carel Struyken, Kate Siegel, Chaira Aurelia
Min: 103
Year: 2017

Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) and his beautiful wife, Jessie (Carla Gugino), try to save their flattering marriage by spending time at a remote vacation home. He handcuffs her to the bed, and begins a sex with her. It quickly segues into a rape fantasy. She is, understandably, uncomfortable and turned off , by this. This leads them to having an argument. He, soon, suffers a heart-attack and dies. She kicks off of her, and he lays lifeless on the floor. Thing is now, she is cuffed to the bed, unable to break free.

Making matters worse, is a hungry, stray dog that has come in and lays on the floor, in the same bedroom. As her mind begins to fracture; haunting, deeply scarring, and horrific memories of her dad come to her. Which are further augmented by visions of a terrifying figure that comes and goes, in front of her.

Gerald's Game is a brilliant adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. I read the book many years ago in high school, and it immediately became one of my favorite novels of all time. I long wondered if they would ever make into a film. I wanted to see it happen, but I often feared if it ever got made they would fuck it up. I am happy to say that co-writer/ director Mike Flanagan has more delivered the goods. In fact, this one of the finest King movies ever made!

The film, itself, takes a smart approach to adopting a book that is heavy on being inside a character's head, and while having little action is undeniably intense. The result ing movie is a faithful adaptation that is truly frightening and is filled with white knuckle intensity.

Flanagan keeps upping the intensity and makes it all truly terrifying, in what is the most intense King movie since Cujo. It also manages to be very unnerving and disturbing. The theme of rape and abuse is a terrifying and lies in the undercurrent and in full visibility. The horrors of child abuse, representated in what is perhaps the most disturbing and chilling aspect of the book, is bought to life in a truly haunting flashback.

There is some violence and gore but not a lot. Up and until, one moment that is. This scene was hard for even me, to watch, and I consider myself a very hardcore fan. It is perfectly setup and realistically and delivers the stomach churning goods. You will know what scene it is when you see it!

In a piece like this acting is extremely important. And, it delivers in spades. Bruce Greenwood is excellent as a husband whose creep and control factor bubbles to the surface. The supporting cast is also flawless. But, it is Carla Gugino who delivers on all cylinders. I have been a fan of hers forever. Many times, she had been in sexpot roles, but here she proves she more than just that. This is not just her best performance, that I recall, but one of the finest in modern horror, period.

Gerald's Game is a masterpiece. It is scary and incredibly and unmercifully intense. Smart and with one of the finest female characters in recent horror history,  she's portrayed by Gugino in way, that is deserving of much adulation, as well as awards. It is hard for me to tell you if it is better than the other great horror movie of the year (which also happens to be based on a King book), It. But, it may very well be. With movies like Oculus and Hush, Flanagan already made solid horror films. However, it is with Gerald's Game that he has truly joined the rack of the masters of horror. A Netflix exclusive, Gerald's Game just started streaming there this past weekend. Do not miss it, under any circumstance!

4 out of 4

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