Underseen Horror Gems of 2022
Awrite
guv’na,
So a
couple of years ago I went on the festival circuit in a major way for the first time, and found a whole lot of excellent new films that I couldn't wait to come out properly and persuade people to check out!
Alas, and also alack.
So as we stare down the barrel of 2024, I've decided to hold out hope some of 2023 films I loved will come out this year and look back to 2022. I'm a big fan of paying for and supporting films, but some
of these films may require knowledge of the high seas to
attain.
Here
we go:
Piggy
dir. Carlota Pereda
I
love myself a movie about a person who as to make a really
complicated emotional choice, and at Piggy’s heart is a doozy.
Piggy
concerns Sara (Laura Galan), a young teenager viciously bullied by
her peers for her weight. One day, after an extended bullying
session, Sara witnesses her tormentors being kidnapped. She should,
of course, tell people what she has seen – but those girls had made
her life hell, and likely would do if released. It’s one hell of a
threshold to cross from adolescence to childhood.
One
of the strengths of Pereda’s direction and script is that is very
socially grounded. Sara, her parents, her neighbours, her tormentors
– they exist in a community as well as separate beings. Pereda
never loses sight of Sara’s internal struggle, but she helps you to
understand that it is an external struggle too.
Plus,
when it gets nasty (and it gets nasty), there’s a real emotion heft
behind it.
Definitely
the strongest recommendation on this list.
(Available on Now Cinema/VOD generally)
Hypochondriac
dir. Addison Heimann
Sohome
Horror Film Festival was a difficult moment for me. There’s low
budget, and then there’s low budget. You know things that are
helpful for reducing the budget? One location, bad actors, messy
production; if nothing much happens in the plot, you don’t have to
spend that much money.
So
like a ray of light breaking through the storm, here comes a low
budget gem. Hypochondriac is a performance, dialogue heavy film that
feels very influenced by the 00s. It’s got a hip lowfi feel and a
deliberate pace that never drags. Zach Villa is phenomenal as Will,
which is just as well because he has got lots and lots of acting to
do. Heimann has talked about the film having autobiographical
elements to it, and right enough everything feels incredibly
authentic about Hypochondriac, even as Will is being tormented by a
demon wolfman.
(Loadsa VOD, it's only like a quid to rent on Apple TV or Prime)
Candy
Landy dir. John Swab
On
the strength of Candy Land, I attempt to watch another of John Swab’s
dir/wri joints called Body Brokers. Body Brokers is turgid and clumsy
and offensively mediocre, so who the fuck knows where Candy Land came
from.
Candy
Land is a slasher about a tight knit group of prostitutes that work
at a truck stop somewhere in Americaland. They’re an incredibly
likeable group of characters, and their easy relationships and
dynamics are incredibly well realised. They’ve got a cool and fun
community, although the film never lets you forget that sex worker is
not exactly the most glamorous thing either.
One
day a young woman is cast out by a weird christian-y cult, and she is
taken in by the working women and men. Are they a threat to her? Is
she a threat to them? Will the cult come back, or is there someone
else with malicious intent? It’s all actually pretty predictable,
but that doesn’t matter because the set pieces and character work
so tight and deftly executed.
There’s
also plenty of sleaze, so double bill it with X you randy freak.
(Yar me hearties!)
What
is Buried Must Remain dir. Elias Matar
Set
(and filmed) in a Lebanese refugee camp, a group of refugees set out
to make a documentary in the abandoned estate of a French
industrialist. Not being traditionally a fan of found footage myself,
what really sold this experience to me was the way that the internal
structure of the house itself begins to twist and mutate through
subtle both in and out of camera tricks. The house itself becomes an
amazing central character, and after a while its structure begins to
feel almost impressionistic. There’re quite a few moments where the
characters start making daft horror movie character decisions because
it is a horror movie, but the sense of disorientation and genuinely
well executed set-pieces really had me.
(I
really hope everyone involved with making it is safe and well).
Matriarch
dir. Ben Steiner
2022
was the year of naked old people. Men, X, Elderly, and Matriarch. I
blame Ari Aster.
Matriarch
is an earthy, witchy, English folk horror. It’s not a ground
breaking premise; young woman returns to her rural birthplace after a
trauma. Whilst there she discovers that there’s something amiss in
the community. Rory Kinear is nowhere to be seen here, more’s the
pity.
Released
on Disney+ too very little fanfare, this little ditty ticked a lot of
my boxes. It’s got some decent emotional stuff, is well paced (85
minutes!) and builds to a remarkably insane finale. If you’re a
fellow folk horror pervert give it a look.
(Distributed by The Mouse)
Mad
God dir. Phil Tippet
Cum,
puss, phlegm, shit, saliva.
Why
aren’t people talking about this film more?
(Shudder)
You
Are Not My Mother dir. Kate Dolan
Babadook,
dook, dook, push pineapple, shake the tree.
In
retrospect The Babadook really did a number on horror. We were always
culturally heading into a trauma obsessed world, but the continuing
waves horrors where the monster-is-trauma has gained and gained
momentum, especially after Heriditary proved they could make lots of
money. Horror fans, it is fair to say, are sick them.
So
it is with delight that I can describe You Are Not My Mother as a
trauma-led metaphor horror movie. It’s also absolutely bloody
excellent.
When,
in the midst of a depressive breakdown, young Char’s (Hazel Doupe)
mother goes missing the family fear for the worst. Good news is that
she’s back now, and definitely not possessed by a demon.
There’s
an excellent kitchen sink drama in here, which separates from many of
the similar films. Characters don’t exist in hyperreal nightmare
like Hereditary or The Babadook; people have extended families and
can make friends and have to work and go to school. It lacks the
bleak edge of many of these films – although at its most
confronting matches them in power too. One hell of an opening scene
too.
(Channel 4, bunch of VOD)
A
Wounded Fawn dir. Travis Stevens
So
during 2022 Frightfest the audience and I sat through a film that
made them so angry people were shouting at the screen. ‘That was
utter shit,’ remarked to the person on my right. ‘I hated that,’
said the person on my felt. Somewhere in the shadows of Cineworld’s
seating a man was declaring it the worst thing he had ever seen.
Dear
readers, I loved it.
I
think someone needs to set-up a helpline for women who agree to go on
a second date with a virtual stranger to a secluded cottage away from
civilsation, because there seems to be a bit of it going around. I’m
sure things will be different for Meredith (Sarah Lind) though. I
mean, Bruce (Josh Ruben) keeps his red wine in a fridge, that’s
definitely not the behaviour of a dangerous deviant.
A
Wounded Fawn is shamblingly obvious with its themes. At one point,
when Bruce puts his hand on Meredith’s knee they drive past red
bunting flapping in the wind. No a bad thing I’d argue – I’d
far rather a film be too obvious with its themes than not really
engage with them. It is very artsily shot too, and never fails to
take itself seriously, even when – and not to say too much – the
film itself starts to devolve. The combination of beautifully shot,
wildly imaginative, and basic and juvenile collide with spectacular
effect. My pick of the bunch, although most certainly not for
everyone.
(Shudder)