Did some rewatching old favorites this weekend...they're still flames.
First, one of my picks for most slept on of the past half-decade,
Anything for Jackson. My hot take on this watch was that this movie DEFINITELY inspired the Phillipou bros. It has a bunch of ghosts trying to possess a conduit like in
Talk to Me, and it's centered around inexperienced Satanists trying to install the spirit of a loved one in a reverse exorcism ritual like in
Bring Her Back.
A bereaved Satanist couple kidnap a pregnant woman so they can use an ancient spellbook to put their dead grandson's spirit into her unborn child but end up summoning more than they bargained for.
Trailer Warning: This doesn't capture the tone of the movie at all, but also manages to spoil some of the better moments in the movie. Watch at your own risk.
I love how fast this movie grabs viewers. The opening scene has immediate intrigue and the ghosts start appearing right away. Scares start fairly basic, but happen frequently with good escalation. They also hit suddenly, which can catch viewers off-guard on first watch.
So, the movie has plenty of horror moments to feed the fans. But it's the relationship between the old couple and their grief that really glues the movie together. They're completely green to all this, and acting out of desperation and love. It adds a bit of humor and a lot of heart to everything that's happening.
A ton of modern horror makes you hate the characters and relish their suffering. This movie makes you empathize with kidnappers and root for them to find some way out of the mess...all while demonic entities and overly curious humans are closing in on them.
Then it all pays off with a crazy final act. I'm a sucker for a chaotic final act that pays off the build-up. This tracks, and gets it all done in an hour and half or so.
So...I'm still a big fan.