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Haha, what the Hell, folks. What just happened? Please let us know you’re okay and not turning into sentient industrial junkyard.

Oh, and welcome to Notes from The Last Drive-In.

Mayhem (2017)

Opening Rant: Evading taxes with creative accounting.

Tonight was not my first experience with Joe Lynch’s Mayhem. One of my first reviews on the site way back last year was for the Shudder exclusive, a review, coincidentally, written on my birthday. I was particularly effusive with my praise of the film, and I had maybe seen it one other time since. Does it still hold up?

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Hell yes it does.

Mayhem is a very fun, energetic film with a simple plot but is still incredibly satisfying. The pairing of Steven Yeun and Samara Weaving is one I am eager to see again and it’d be great if they were reunited with Joe Lynch, who has a fun little cameo as an IT guy. It’s not a deep film, and it is not my favorite “tower” film out there, but it is one that I can probably watch at least a couple of times a month. It just clicks. It has a great score, it has some fun fights, just enough gore, and just about every character delivers something cool, shocking, or repulsively capitalistic.

Joe Bob’s assessment was fair. He gave the film three stars and his criticisms, the legitimate ones at least, make sense. As bold and assertive as the film is at times, it also feels equally reticent to really dig into violence. Sure, there is on-camera sex (apparently the Serbian extras just went for it, hard) and plenty of blood, but the lack of kill shots for major characters feels lacking. It is sometimes said that the mind makes horrors greater than any filmed moment, but that doesn’t really seem to be the case here. Significant deaths seem to happen off-screen and any violence displayed stops just short of the actual moment of death.

It’s a strange thing to talk about, particularly given what is going on in the world (talk about a timely movie for this season, too). A film like Mayhem is in many ways a form of catharsis. It is violent, stylish, and scratches an itch for a desire to just wreck stuff, but the reluctance to go further feels like a misstep.

Most of the criticism lobbed at the film was tongue-in-cheek. Joe Lynch is a big fan of The Last Drive-In and often live-tweets his reaction to the episodes. The back and forth between the screen and twitter accounts was truly hilarious and the show could benefit from having him on as a guest in the future.

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As for my own assessment, I still very much enjoy Mayhem and it’s worth many, many re-watches. Sure, I wish it were a little bloodthirstier, but I cannot fault the film too greatly for it. After all, though it was filmed in Serbia we certainly don’t need another Serbian Film. Mayhem is a four and a half Cthulhu film. 4.5 out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5)

Best Line: “No, Derek. This – this – this meditation & this incense, it’s all bullshit. You think I like the taste of kale? Come on! I’m fucking dead inside.” – Ewan

Rough day at the office?

Testuo: The Iron Man (1989)

Opening Rant: Cyberpunk and whatever the hell Tetsuo is.

What the actual Hell? If The Last Drive-In wanted to open Pride month with a weird, oddball film, well, they absolutely nailed it. And then shoved those nails deep into the thighs of viewers all over the internet.

Tetsuo: The Iron Man might be the cultiest of the cult films that has ever aired on the show. Shin’ya Tsukamoto’s film, at least the aired cut, is just over an hour in length but may still be a bit much for the average viewer. The best way to describe the film is that it is like cyberpunk exploration of sexuality, technology, and the guilt/pain of coming out, particularly when the coming out is motivated by trauma. I think I have a handle on the film, but I can’t really be sure. I don’t know if I can be sure of anything anymore.

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I hesitate to call it a “film” in the sense that we are used to as viewers of The Last Drive-In. That is not an indictment of the quality, Testuo is well shot, edited, and is absolutely striking, but more an observation that the material skews a bit too arthouse in my opinion. It’s like an extended art project. Yes, a narrative is there, a character grows, and you get some sense of closure, but so much of what surrounds that seems to be experiments in visual and audio to the detriment of compelling storytelling.

I am glad to have finally really watched Tetsuo beyond clips at goth clubs but I don’t know if I really feel it is something I feel compelled to explore further unless I am perhaps under some form of chemical stimulation.

Joe Bob’s assessment of the film is particularly hilarious. You can tell he admires the artistry that had gone into it, and his own knowledge of the punk scene of the 1980s endears him to me even further. But perhaps the oddity of Testuo is best summarized at the moment where Joe Bob Briggs waffles between one star and four stars several times, essentially hedging his bets and telling his audience that even he knows that this is a weird one.

It was a weird, hilarious watch with the MutantFam and even resulted in a guest appearance from mangled-dick expert Felissa Rose. The Last Drive-In has had a few oddball films during its run. It just seems very striking they all seem to come from Japan.

While I can’t say that I am in love with Tetsuo: The Iron Man, I can say I am glad I experienced it. I may even experience it again sometime, but I’ll probably be on something when I do. Given that, I don’t think I can go higher than two Cthulhus for the film, a cyberpunk-pillar that it may be.

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2 out of 5 stars (2 / 5)

Best Line: “Together, we can turn this fucking world to rust!” – Metal Fetishist

I don’t know, either.

Haunted MTL Drive-In Totals

As per usual, the Drive-In totals for a Japanese film are suitably bonkers. But extra credit to Mayhem for “Dead Body Pissing.”

What about our totals? A little lacking this week, admittedly. I was too taken in by the madness that was Tetsuo: The Iron Man.

  • 1 Darcy Jailing
  • 2 Level Cards
  • 2 Very Enthused Extras
  • Elevator Antics
  • Basement Bash
  • 2×4 Fu
  • Yuki Fu
  • Tunnel Running Fu
  • Black and White Fu
  • Director Cameo Fu
  • Drilldo Fu
  • Exploding Acne
  • Office Aardvarking
  • Mouth Macing
  • Cocaine-Fueled Club Swinging
  • Joe Bob Stumping
  • Director Insulting
  • Divorced Barbie Joking
  • Alaskan Whorehouse Joking
  • Gratuitous Ernie Parody
  • Gratuitous Flashback
  • Darcy Cosplay: Melanie
  • Silver Bolo Winner: Witch Finger Podcast
Armed and ready.

Episode Score

A general crowd favorite film paired with such an oddball Japanese choice is probably going to be a bit divisive overall. It also was the shortest episode of The Last Drive-In yet, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Testuo was rough. 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Please join us next time when we live-tweet The Last Drive-In. It’s always a blast and we’ve had more of our writers pop in with each episode so you don’t have to put up with me alone.

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Movies n TV

Evil: “F is for Fire” (S2E3)

“F is for Fire” is an episode of the supernatural drama, Evil. The assessors investigate a pyromaniac for potential demonic possession.

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“F is for Fire” is an episode of the supernatural drama, Evil, created by Michelle King and Robert King. The central cast includes Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Christine Lahti, and Andrea Martin. It originally aired under CBS before moving to Paramount+. As of this review, it’s available through Netflix and Paramount+ and its add-ons.

The assessors investigate a pyromaniac for potential demonic possession. David (Mike Colter) brings Sister Andrea (Andrea Martin) into his circle of trust. Ben (Aasif Mandvi) remembers old Islamic stories of jinn. Kristen (Katja Herbers) meets an incredibly hot and mysterious figure. Sheryl (Christine Lahti) finds a therapist to work out her problems.

A little girl looks up at a woman in a kitching setting
Assessing a Pyro

What I Like about Evil: “F is for Fire”

“F is for Fire” improves on Evil’s special effects, showing a renewed focus and competency in the area. The last season would likely use a more comical design, favoring tone over haunting the viewer with its budget. It helps that the design holds a haunting element to its fiery creature.

This episode introduces something outside the Christian/Catholic depiction, specifically relating to the Islamic jinn. This new element creates an understandable friction for the Catholic assessors. As Ben was raised Muslim and David’s Catholic teachings don’t permit the concept of jinn, it challenges both outside their comfort zone. Perhaps more so for Ben, who prides himself as an Atheist.

Either through trauma or evil influence, Kristen seems changed and impulsive. Her passionate pursuit of risks makes the viewer wonder how far she plans on going. With the introduction of her mysterious stranger, it seems a darker turn will soon follow.

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While far from the darkest or most haunting episode Evil put to the screen, “F is for Fire” does suggest an unsettling new norm for the team. The plot also introduces a new supernatural villain who seems to create tangible harm beyond most of season 1’s earlier supernatural creatures. The stakes are greater now than ever, and “F is for Fire” aims to prove this to the viewer.

White background, rubber stamp with disclaimer pressed against the white background.
Disclaimer Kimberley Web Design

Tired Tropes and Triggers

There’s a wider theological friction within this episode, which I’ve mentioned earlier. This difference focuses on Islamic and Catholic understanding of spiritual forces and exorcisms. I am not versed enough to pretend to know if these are accurate portrayals, but I will expand on this point.

While not given much attention or focus, a demon sexually assaults a male character. Again, this lingers on the subjective state, but we know demons exist in this show by now, so the assaults feel less speculative and more real.

This episode continues flirting with infidelity that might irk some viewers. While nothing comes of this plot yet, the implications seem to suggest something will happen.

A woman (Kristen) dressed to impress in a bar, looking at someone off screen.
Kristen (Katja Herbers) flirting with Danger

What I Dislike about Evil: “F is for Fire”

Sheryl’s attempted manipulation of another character seems awkwardly unnecessary and overly dramatic. I assume this act intends to show her manipulative character, which “F is for Fire” certainly adds to, but it does look like an attempt to connect two characters to fill time.

The jinn description is so minute that I don’t see how Ben came to any conclusion outside of a typical demon. A more detailed description might make Ben’s conclusion more reasonable to the viewer.

David’s claim that jinn are not of God and thus can’t exist which isn’t exactly true. From my understanding of Muslim lore, angels, jinn, and humans are of God and capable of good and evil. Perhaps a more accurate claim might suggest things outside the bible cannot exist.

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Final Thoughts

“F is for Fire” tempts the assessors in new ways, sparking some unsettling weaknesses for Evil to rise. It continues layering the overarching plot and building the personal trials facing each character. While not the most haunting episode, “F is for Fire” nurtures a coming flame by building atop tension.
3 out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

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Movies n TV

Review: LEFT ONE ALIVE (2024)

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Hello everyone and Happy October! It’s time for some spooky goodness and terrifying treats. And of course at HauntedMTL, it’s our favourite time of the year.

That being said, this review is a long time coming.

I first had the pleasure of viewing LAST ONE ALIVE’s Michigan premier at Motor City Nightmares, a horror convention and film festival. In the audience was writer and director David Axe and star Caylin Sams to promote the film and answer questions.

And since I was fashionably late to the movie, I asked Axe if it was possible to snag a screener to watch the full movie and, well, here we are.

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So, enjoy this rare spoiler-free review.

Sara being traumatized by off-screen tubby violence
Still from LEFT ONE ALIVE

The Plot of ONE LEFT ALIVE:

Sara (Sams) is the lone survivor of a brutal massacre of her friends in the woods one fateful night.

And where most movies end here, ONE LEFT ALIVE begins.

Burdened by survivor’s guilt, police suspicion, newly found fame and growing nihilism, Sara navigates the world and her memories after the attack. Trying to regain her sanity and find out why she was the only one left alive, Sara keeps going back to the woods, searching for answers…or maybe her own ending.

Sara sitting on an expensive car with her cop friend and a cop car in the background. It's pretty cool.
(Still from ONE LEFT ALIVE)

Thoughts of ONE LEFT ALIVE:

LEFT ONE ALIVE is a unique film. It’s a slow-burn independent drama where the horror isn’t so much what’s out in the woods but picking up the pieces of a life interrupted by tragedy.

But that isn’t to say that it’s devoid of humor.

Writing

The writing swings between clichéd to clever, and sometimes to cleverly clichéd. There’s quite a bit of meta humor, but it’s not irritatingly so. It’s more through the perspective of Sara instead of any grand sweeping statements. There’s a point in LEFT ONE ALIVE where the actress playing Sara in a movie (Lorelei Linklater) confronts her for material and motivation. Sara becomes an on-looker of the film, watching another woman play the person who she had to become on the worst night of her life. We see her seeing the fake creatures (tubbies) that the fake film’s effects department created and realizing that her experiences are just being exploited.

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The fake Sara actress with a gun
(Still from LEFT ONE ALIVE)

But during these scenes, there’s humor mixed in. She punches the actress when she gets annoyed with the questioning, but only grows closer to her. Dating the actress afterwards in a strange relationship

Also, when seeing the fake Tubbies (the monsters) for the first time, she was really vocal about their missing…appendages. Dangly appendages.

Tubby pointing at his censored dick and saying tubbies got dicks

Acting and Cast

However, some of the most genuine scenes came when Sara was with her sister, Sam (Rachel Tracy). The acting throughout ONE LEFT ALIVE can be slightly stilted. However, it shines brightest between Sams and Tracy, showing the bond of their sisterhood and the love they share. It felt very natural and organic, really achieving some of the best moments of the film.

For such a tight budget, Axe really was able to use a lot of resources. The casting was really impressive, having both seasoned and new actors including Rachel Petsiavas, Alex Javo, the delightful Sanethia Dresch, and Raj Karottukunnel.

Cinematography

Sarah Massey produced, shot and edited the film, and took risks with some of the shots. However, the risk paid off, not only keeping the story and perspectives interesting, but also reminded me of the art of cinematography.

It’s not often when a movie reminds me that yes, this is a moving picture. Each scene should be expressed in a way that suits the theme, mood and acting. I don’t want to sound old and be like, “movies these days…” But here we are. I am old and also, movies these days. Cinematic shots are meant to serve as a kind of shorthand for what the audience is meant to be feeling – what the expression of the film is and inside the minds of our characters (i.e., long shots to show the character is feeling alone or overwhelmed, etc.). Cinematography 101 stuff.

One shot in LEFT ONE ALIVE that was clever and simple to execute was when Sara goes missing and her sister, Sam, is waiting at home, pacing back and forth. The camera moves with her as other characters are sitting down. The motion follows her unease, focusing only on her and her fear that something horrible has happened. Again. The audience experiences this unease with her as we, too, pace with her.

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Music

Also, the music in LEFT ONE ALIVE – color me impressed. It’s often that I’ll watch a horror movie and either the music is too jarring (looking at you, Longlegs) or just doesn’t fit because it’s thrown in without relating to the movie itself. Tyler Matthews does an incredible job at adding to the scene than detracting from it in a careful balance. The music is never too intrusive as to divert attention away from the acting or cinematography, nor does it overstay its welcome. The editing and sound design were clever with when to have silence, music, and natural sound. It’s a difficult balance to do and LEFT ONE ALIVE is a shining example of how to do it right.

Critiques

The only critiques that I have are, as mentioned, the acting can be stilted. Some of the bigger concepts (like finding the new species, making a film within a film, and the legal/media issues) will need you to suspend your disbelief a bit. And as much as I love a slow-burn, some of scenes could have been cut down (like the uber ride).

BRAINROLL JUICE:

For this section I was going to talk about PTSD and dogmen, but then while researching for this review, I saw something I’d rather talk about more.

This movie was one of the last films with actor Raj Karottukunnel, who passed away in April of this year. He was very young (40 is young, trust me) and left behind two daughters. It’s evident he was extremely loved by those who knew him and he will be missed greatly.

There is a gofundme for his daughters for a college fund for them: Fundraiser by Rejani Nedumchira : Raj’s Princess Warriors (gofundme.com)

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Sometimes when we watch movies, especially independent movies, we forget how fucking hard it is to make a film. It takes time. Work. Talent. Ambition. A lot of luck. Everyone goes an extra mile because it’s a small crew and it’s a dream that they have. They get to live it, but it takes a lot of effort.

It’s easy to forget there’s a forest through the trees and that these are all people. People with hopes and dreams and fears and whole other lives. Maybe they’re in front of the camera, maybe they’re directing the camera, or maybe they’re like my production assistant friend throwing dirt on actors for a civil war history show. But they all have a home and a family to go back to at the end of the day. And it’s incredibly sad when they don’t get to.

So, I guess this is just my soapbox to remind fans to be kind. Remember to be grateful and gracious of the people who are part of this very cool thing that we love and care about. Horror is, ironically, about community. About a place to belong, even in our darkest moments, even when we’re weird and gross. Let’s keep it weird and gross and lovely and, above all, kind.

Weird fuzzy tubby creature
Here’s an emotional-support tubby for you.

BOTTOMLINE:

Even though it’s not in distribution yet, when it is and you’re looking for something a little different in your horror repertoire, I would highly suggest LEFT ONE ALIVE. 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

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Movies n TV

Agatha All Along, Darkest Hour, Wake Thy Power

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We’ve reached episode five of Marvel’s Agatha All Along. And after last week’s bombshell reveal, I expected some serious answers.

I’m happy to say we got them.

The story

We begin our episode again on The Road. But now, for the first time, the coven is not alone. They’re being hunted by a terrifying group of witches called the Salem Seven. Trapped, they craft brooms and take off into the air.

This only allows them to escape for a few moments, but a few moments is all they need to get into the relative safety of the next challenge house.

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There, they find themselves in a sleepover. This is Agatha’s challenge. And of course, Agatha’s challenge is that she has to face the ghosts of her past—the literal ghosts, including the ghosts of her mother and her son.

While they do get out of the challenge, they leave someone behind. Agatha, having shown her true colors again, reveals that she knows who Teen is finally.

And by the end, so do we.

What worked

I want to begin by talking about The Salem Seven. Because they are creepy as hell.

The way they move is fantastic. Their strange, jerky movements are unnerving enough to get under just about anyone’s skin. But knowing who they are, and why they hate Agatha, lends an additional level of emotional trauma.

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I also really liked that this challenge took place in a sleepover. Even better, a sleepover in the late eighties, early nineties. As anyone who attended a girl’s sleepover during that time will tell you, those got witchy even if no one at the party associated with being a witch. There were ouija boards. There was fortune telling. There was calling on evil demons, like Bloody Mary and Candy Man. I may or may not have been a part of a game of Light as a Feather, Stiff As A Board in which a friend was dropped on the concrete basement floor. The point is, sleepovers get witchy and I appreciate the acknowledgment. I also liked that the rules regarding the Ouija board were pretty well spot on.

Patti LuPone, Kathryn Hahn, Aubrey Plaza, Ali Ahn, Sasheer Zamata and Joe Locke in Agatha All Along.

And pretty well ignored as soon as Teen spoke them.

Speaking of Teen, he is just about done with everyone’s catty behavior. And I mean everyone, including Agatha. His opinion of her seems to have greatly changed since the beginning of this journey. And he has clearly had enough.

Rio and Agatha’s relationship has also changed. It’s fascinating to see Rio be so protective of Agatha, while at the same time still ready and raring to kill her. While I’m not sure that’s the healthiest relationship, it kind of seems to work for them.

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Aubrey Plaza in Agatha All Along.

What didn’t work

All of that being said, there was one glaring problem with this episode. And it is, unfortunately, Agatha.

We’ll recall that Agatha, at the start of this season, wasn’t a good person. She was not a good person in Wandavision, so that shouldn’t be surprising. I will again remind everyone that Agatha killed Sparky.

But by this time in the season, I would have expected her to have had some character growth. And that is not what we are seeing here. It appears that Agatha is just as selfish, just as fast-talking, and just as cruel as she’s ever been.

And that is just not what we wanted. If we get to the end of the season and Agatha hasn’t grown, then it’s going to feel like a cheat. While the adventures along The Road are fun, I don’t think that’s what we’re all here for. At least it’s not what I’m here for.

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Let’s hope we start seeing some character growth next week. Otherwise, this whole journey is going to feel worthless.

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5)

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