HOLIDAYS (2016)
Directors: Kevin
Smith, Gary Shore, Matt Johnson, Scott Stewart, Anthony Scott Burns, Denis
Widmyer, Kevin Kolsc, Sarah Adina Smith
It would seem that the horror anthology is trending as a
style now even more than ever and, as a subsidiary of that style, holiday
themed horror anthologies is also trending. Between the most obvious Halloween
focused films, there was a couple Christmas themed films that were worth their
weight in celluloid, but it was only a matter of time before a multitude of
holidays made it into one film. The aptly titled Holidays is that film. In a weird combination of holiday themed
horror and the ABCs of Death, Holidays is a generally entertaining
albeit roller coaster ride of quality for a horror anthology film. It certainly
doesn’t reach the heights of the granddaddy of modern anthology films like Trick R Treat, but it’s not nearly as a
mixed bag as the previously mentioned ABCs
of Death or the horrific V/H/S/3.
For horror fans, it’s a nice combination of diverse stories, but it’s also
hardly one of the best that the style has to offer. In anthologies, it’s
obvious that audiences are going to have some stories that hit home and others
that flounder. With Holidays, it’s
the same as the rest. If anything, at least all of the stories are entertaining
to some degree even if that entertainment focus fluctuates between the various
stories depending on their style.
Perhaps the biggest and most respectable
aspect about this film is that the stories are shockingly diverse in style and
intent and all of them seem decently ambitious to tell a fun (and usually
darkly comic) tale for each holiday. Holidays
starts off with Valentine’s Day and while the story itself is mediocre, it’s
made up for with a visual flair that keeps it on track with a strong auditory
and photographic presence that carries it. This kind of balance is attempted throughout
the film to some success (the Father’s Day segment is almost too good to be
part of this film) and some that are horrifyingly bad (Kevin Smith’s Halloween
story should be considered a crime against good taste). All in all, there is
some ambitious young talent to be found in Holidays,
but mostly the film lacks the insight to be one of the best anthologies in this
modern age.
CARNAGE PARK (2016)
Director: Mickey
Keating
Notable Cast: Ashley
Bell, Pat Healy, Alan Ruck, Darby Stanchfield, James Landry Hebert, Larry
Fessenden
Riding the line between artsy indie film and grindhouse
horror, Carnage Park is the best film that Mickey Keating has done thus far and
it delivers on some shockingly effective fronts that I did not expect. It's almost
like an homage to the 70s era indie horror greats like Wes Craven and Tobe
Hooper with just enough of a modern throwback edge that keeps it feeling
slightly fresh and not like a rehash of Texas
Chainsaw Massacre or the like. Keating has always been on the edge of
delivering a phenomenal film with both Ritual and Pod showcasing some serious
talent on crafting atmosphere, but with Carnage Park he reaches new heights.
The film takes some strong narrative twists and turns, it uses its rural
setting to a maximum isolating effect, and it rides on the naturalistic
performances from some of horror’s most underrated actors and actresses.
Seriously, combing the innocent deer-in-the-headlights performance of Ashley
Bell with an overly creepy and layered performance by Pat Healy is damn near
brilliant. Now, it's style and gritty approach may not be for everyone with its
rather vague and atmosphere focused narrative, but horror fans looking for
something tense and fresh in its 70s grindhouse throwback tone will definitely
want to dig into what Carnage Park
has to offer.
BASKIN (2016)
Directors: Can
Evrenol, Ogulcan Eren Akay
Notable Cast: Muharrem
Bayrak, Fadik Bulbul, Gorkem Kasal, Aydin Orak, Remzi Pamukcu
In a way, I really wanted more out of Baskin. Initial trailers and whatnot made the film seem like a
legitimate mindfuck of epic proportions and while the film is certainly one
that likes to toy with perception (for a fantastic third act that really toys
with its own perception of what is happening) it doesn't quite go far enough
for my tastes as it does try to adhere to a strong and clear structure for the
audience throughout its runtime. There are hints to the truly outrageous
elements that Baskin could have run
with, but the film spends too long in the first act establishing characters
that are not nearly as interesting or layered to feed into the oddities that
the film touches on later. Once the film gets movie as it adds in the horror
elements of its third act, it seems to work much better. The execution onscreen
is very impressive though with special effects and strong performances, but I
think my expectations made this film feel that this film didn't quite go the
distance. However, I would assume that this film grows on me with repeated
viewings and time as there might be more to it than I was willing to accept on
just a single viewing. It just seems like a film that open up its layers
with time. Until then, it seems deserving of its sold, if not slightly
disappointing mid-range score.
Written By Matt Reifschneider
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