Dismembering Horror

TIM.LOVES.THIS.MOVIE! AND.SO.DOES.RYAN! Guess what that means? DOUBLE “BUY” TIME! Why? Because “Under The Skin” is freeeeeaaaaaky. ScarJo “kills it,” and Jonathan Glazer was insanely dedicated to his vision. The themes are rich and thorough. The visuals are mesmerizing, especially contrasted against the bleak, wet, Scottish landscape as a backdrop. There’s so much more to dismember and praise but you’ll just have to come on into our little dwelling to hear it all. But be careful, or you might walk right into our “suckyerinsidesout” pool.

Under the Skin (2013)

Directed by Jonathan Glazer

Written by Jonathan Glazer and Walter Campbell

Where we watched: Netflix

RecommenDEADtions: Creed and Creed 2 / Corridor Crew - VFX Artists React (YouTube series)

Who doesn’t love Jake Gyllenhaal, Toni Collette, Rene Russo, and John Malkovich? Well, we do, BUT (and it’s a big but) having all of those very talented people in a movie doesn’t necessarily guarantee a good movie. The Netflix semi-arthouse horror movie about art, “Velvet Buzzsaw” has its moments, some pretty sweet visuals, and the lead actress was really great (if only she had been the true protagonist!). Alas, the movie was a bit...too much, and thus Ryan and Tim gave it a “rent” and a “stream,” respectively.

Velvet Buzzsaw (2018)

Written and Directed by Dan Gilroy

Where we watched: Netflix

RecommenDEADtions: The Last Black Man in San Fransisco / Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary

As gothic horror films go, this one’s certainly firing on all pistons (or candelabras, as the case may be). Wonderful visuals and an eerie mood, coupled with compelling characters, made “The Lodgers” an enjoyable watch. Sadly, a few unclear/underwhelming story aspects kept it from rising to the level of excellence that we felt it had the potential for. Alas, Ryan and Tim settled on a double “stream,” although they had plenty to discuss and a fair amount of ideas for how the filmmakers could have elevated the story to something even better.

The Lodgers (2017)

Directed by Brian O'Malley

Written by David Turpin

Where we watched: Netflix

RecommenDEADtions: Around the World in Eighty Days / Tim's Marvel movie viewing order

Now THIS is what we’re talking about! This film’s got it all! Fear of nuclear holocaust, fear of military experimentation...cows. Oh, you want more? Well, don’t worry: “Fiend Without A Face” also has invisible, psychokinetic, brain-eating, spinal-fluid-draining, BRAIN MONSTERS. It’s so 50’s sci-fi and so good AND made by British people? We love it, and came around to a double “buy” (our highest praise). Crank up those Canadian, experimental, radioactive waves and get into it!

Fiend Without A Face (1958)

Directed by Arthur Crabtree

Written by Herbert J. Leder and Amelia Reynolds Long

Where we watched: Criterion Channel

RecommenDEADtions: Stop Making Sense / The Leftovers (TV show)

Well, “The Girl Next Door” is a movie (barely), and look, we didn’t like it. In fact, we both wanted to avoid it, but Ryan makes a valid argument that to learn from why it’s so bad constitutes a “stream” from him. Having said that, in Tim’s words: “this is the worst movie I’ve ever seen.” But fear not, loyal listener: Ryan is right, there is value in this dismemberment, and boy do we tear this one limb from limb. As a bonus, the guys do a little role-playing to dive deeper into the mindset of Greg, this film’s director. Anger and antics ensue.

The Girl Next Door (2007)

Directed by Gregory M. Wilson

Written by Daniel Farrands and Philip Nutman

Where we watched: Tubi

RecommenDEADtions: Beyond the Valley of the Dolls / Dune (book)

OH, CANADA! Home and native land for the strange and somewhat delightful movie, “Cannibal Girls.” Despite some pretty glaring flaws, we still got something out of this “canuxploitation” flick, largely in thanks to the two leads (special shout out to Eugene Levy’s facial hair and wardrobe). And of course we got what we came for: girls eating people. We also got some things we never would have imagined coming for, like Bunker! You’ll have to watch the movie to know who (or what) that is. It was a fun watch and conversation, though in the end we wanted a little more to chew on, earning the film a double “stream.”

“The Mimic.” What a movie. Was it a movie? We don’t remember. Mainly because it’s a middling, meandering, muddled, mess. Similar to the last Huh Jung film we watched, “Hide and Seek,” “The Mimic” never really figured out what it wanted to be, and the result was a mashup of “Ju-On” and “The Wailing” (while not hitting anything close to what made those movies work). We were left wanting so much more, and both had to give it a “stream.”

The Mimic (2017)

Written and Directed by Huh Jung

Where we watched: Shudder

RecommenDEADtions: Blood Sucking Freaks / The Kettering Incident (TV show)

Not gonna lie: we didn’t love “Lyle.” Sadly, this rehash of “Rosemary’s Baby” left us wanting quite a bit more...like a third act, for example (even though Ryan was very happy when it ended so soon). We couldn’t even have this episode last less time than this movie, which clocks in at just 65 minutes. Despite a great performance from Gaby Hoffman, the guys settled on a “stream” from Tim and an “avoid” from Ryan.

Where we watched: Amazon Prime

RecommenDEADtions: Barking Dogs Never Bite / Field of Dreams

Lyle (2019)

Written and Directed by Stewart Thorndike

Next week's Episode: The Mimic

As far as “Scream” doppelgängers go, there was a lot of promise with this one: a respected director, a good cast, and a solid premise with themes tailor-made for a delicious slasher ripe with social commentary. Instead, real world politics, industry issues, a horrible title, and so much more left “Cherry Falls” a disjointed, bloodless, flop. The late Brittany Murphy salvaged the film just enough for Ryan who rated it a “stream,” but not enough for Tim, who would tell himself to just “avoid” it.

Cherry Falls (2000)

Directed by Geoffrey Wright

Written by Ken Selden

Where we watched: Blu-ray

RecommenDEADtions: The Left Right Game (Podcast) / Dracula (Netflix series)

YEEEEEEEEEE-HAWWWWWWWWWWW! It’s a good ol’ get down this week with, not a slasher flick, but something that predates that: a splatter flick! “Two Thousand Maniacs!” also features the pure unadulterated insanity known affectionately as “redneck horror” that we kinda couldn’t get enough of. On top of all that, there’s an extra special twist that we did not see coming but loved nonetheless, leading us (Ryan and Tim) to both give it a rip-roarin’ “rent.”

Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964)

Written and Directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis

Where we watched: The Criterion Channel

RecommenDEADtions: Tim Aslin's Quarantine Closet Cover Series (YouTube) / Charles Cornell (YouTube)