Jan 17
The Paranormal Activity saga continues with the third entry in the series, a prequel that is supposed to explain the events of the first two movies. It is set 18 years prior to the first two flicks apparently, although the incessant presence of the video camera (clunky as it may be), fashion and décor is straight modern times.
Presented in the “found footage” style, André Øvredal’s TrollHunter is an interesting movie. I can’t say that it brings much by way of freshness to the table, although there’s something to be said about sticking fairly closely to troll mythology. Trolls are found in Norse and Scandinavian folklore, apparently living in caves or isolated rocks and representing significant danger to human beings, especially Christians.
Guilt, persecution and religious fanaticism lies at the heart of the surprisingly good Black Death. Directed by Christopher Smith, this British film is part horror and part historical drama. Its discussion of God and pagan beliefs in medieval times is handled in the context of the titular pandemic. The Black Plague, now believed to be an outbreak of bacterium, was believed to be punishment from God above.
Wild, irreverent and downright bloody hysterical, Tucker & Dale vs Evil is an example of horror comedy done right. The Canadian film, written and directed by Eli Craig, contains huge laughs to go with the ample gore. It also carries a message, one that speaks to how we communicate and how our biases can create illusions out of even the simplest situations.
The whole “found footage” thing in the realm of horror movies can be effective when done right. For the majority of The Last Exorcism, the concept is done well and the story of a faithless pastor fiddling around with the demonic is frightening and interesting. Directed by Daniel Stamm, the 2010 horror is, at times, better than Paranormal Activity and other similar innovative scarefests.
