Penny Dreadful
BEWARE THE HYPE
Introducing this year’s “scariest movie ever”. It’s called The Night House, it’s from The Ritual director David Bruckner, and it’s a ghost story starring Rebecca Hall as a widow who uncovers disturbing secrets about her husband after his death. Sundance has a record of setting the horror agenda for the year (see: The Babadook, It Follows, Hereditary and more) and in 2020 apparently it’s all about jump scares, with reviewers talking about how joltingly effective this film is, praising the atmosphere, sound design and Hall’s performance. Searchlight has picked it up; there’s no UK release date set yet, but keep an eye out in the summer. It’s worth noting that The Guardian also listed this as one of the worst films of the whole fest, calling it “boring”, so perhaps manage your expectations accordingly.
THE NEW FLESH
Could body horror be back? This month sees the release of
Color Out Of Space, a cosmic horror from cult director Richard Stanley based on an HP Lovecraft story, which sees a meteorite land in Nicolas Cage’s garden and cause havoc. The movie unleashes full Cage shouting about alpacas like a crazy person, but it’s the gross corporeal contortions and distortions which take over his family that did it for me. You’ve never seen Joely Richardson like this! Then there’s the news that Blumhouse is planning to remake The Thing (again) based on the extended version of “Who Goes There?”, the novella that inspired it – not necessary, but I’ll watch it nonetheless. Also keep an eye out for Possessor, Brandon Cronenberg’s follow up to Antiviral – a buzzy body horror starring Andrea Riseborough as an agent who uses implant tech to inhabit people’s bodies for nefarious purposes. It premiered at Sundance and “word on the street” has it that it does his dad David proud.
SWEET AND DOUR
An adaptation of Joe Hill’s comic Locke & Key is finally here – and it’s lovely. It follows a family who move back to the ancestral home of their father after he’s brutally murdered, and discover it’s full of secrets. Part Potter-esque fantasy, part Sabrina-esque coming-of-age high-school drama, and part cosmic horror as the kids try to avoid getting clobbered by a murderous demon, it’s horror-light and full of delight. Meanwhile on Sky Atlantic, the latest Stephen King adaptation is well underway. The Outsider is a classy murder mystery with a great cast (Ben Mendelsohn, Jason Bateman, Cynthia Erivo) and a supernatural twist that involves doppelgangers, child murder and contagious grief. Plump for Locke & Key if you want to feel good, The Outsider if slow-burn misery is your bag.
CHAIN REACTION
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is being rebooted (again), with Fede Alvarez who directed the Evil Dead remake producing, and Andy and Ryan Tohill who made The Dig (me neither) signed on to direct. “The Tohills’ vision is exactly what the fans want,” said Alvarez. “It’s violent, exciting and so depraved that it will stay with you forever.” Nope. TCM is possibly the purest horror movie ever made – one of the most harrowing, grubby and disturbing films around when it was released in 1974. It’s squalid, make-shift and without gloss in a way that keeps it fixed in a time and place. It ends with 30 minutes of solid screaming. It is not “exciting”. I’m putting on my skin mask and slamming the door on this one.