Connect with us

Published

on

Welcome back all to our weekly meeting where we discuss The Last Drive-In. This is Notes from the Last Drive-In and this week we get the delightful pairing on the Canadian werewolf film Ginger Snaps (2000), and the recent Shudder exclusive, Fried Barry (2020), straight from Cape Town, South Africa.

So, let’s dive in, shall we?

Ginger Snaps (2000)

Opening: Joe Bob wants to retire the term “Goth.”

Ginger Snaps is a horror classic for many, and it is no surprise why. It deftly blends the pulp fun of a werewolf story with elements of coming-of-age themes and some laser-focused black comedy. The film is directed by John Fawcett and stars Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle as a pair of grim sisters, Brigitte and Ginger, the latter of whom is bitten by a werewolf. I leave the analysis of the film as a feminist text to those who are smarter than I, but the film is a complex and nuanced exploration of sisterhood, relationships between women, and cultural expectations of young women. Much of that comes from the deft writing of Karen Walton, who doesn’t really seem to be a horror fan but writes a masterful horror story.

The film itself is pretty bleak. The girls live in a dull suburban community among a grey landscape, living an existence where the only splash of color comes from the gory photoshoots they arrange. it is only after the werewolf enters the scene where things feel more colorful, though that color is often blood red. The cinematography is effective, but not overly stylized, and the film’s reliance on practical effects does limit some of the potential carnage. Yet, the film also brings to the screen one of the most striking werewolf designs ever. Devoid of fur, the twisted, wolf-like body is quite upsetting and one of those great wins of practical design.

The reason the film works so well, however, comes from the strong performances of Perkins and Isabelle who play the sisters with a surprising level of authenticity. The push and pull between the two of them prove to be the most compelling element of the film. The story itself is not overly complex, but the focus on the relationship between these young women, both late bloomers, absolutely keeps you engaged with what is going on. It also helps that they are surrounded by equally strong performances from other characters who buoy the sometimes heavy interpersonal drama with fun quirks or moments, such as Mimi Rogers’ Pamela, or Kris Lemche as a surprisingly well-read drug dealer.

ginger snaps poster
Fantastic Canadian horror

As far as the Joe Bob wraparounds go, the film had six breaks, as opposed to the average five. These breaks were a lot of the standard background and production trivia Joe Bob likes to share, but his enthusiasm for the movie was quite obvious. Some of the best moments of the first half of the evening revolved around the challenges in making the film such as budgetary issues, content controversy, and lack of distribution. None of this was uncommon for many Drive-In films, of course, but it is a hallmark of some of the best films shown week to week on the show. There isn’t much to say about JBB’s contributions beyond the consummate professionalism he normal exudes – there was no real skit or extended gag – just some wise observations.

Ginger Snaps is one of those great films for The Last Drive-In and it is no wonder that Joe Bob Briggs gave it four stars. It is most definitely a modern classic and I give it five Cthulhus. It is not just a good horror film, but it is one I would turn on to watch if I saw it flipping through channels. It’s one of those “stop you in your tracks” films.

5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5)

Best Line: “A girl can only be a slut, a bitch, a tease, or the virgin next door.” – Ginger

ginger snaps still
My, what long teeth you have…

Fried Barry (2020)

Opening: Will movies ever get the depiction of heroin right?

Fried Barry is, in a bit of understatement, a strange film. I found myself entertained the whole way through and added it to my queue to re-watch, but I can see how polarizing it might be. Directed by Ryan Kruger, known for shorts and music videos, the film eschews traditional film logic. Fried Barry is a series of vignettes revolving around the colorful populace of Kruger’s Cape Town South Africa, from the lens of Barry (Gary Green), a drug addict whose body is hijacked by an alien entity. The film follows Barry from moment to moment as the alien experiences sex, love, violence, and cruelty.

The plot is inconsequential to the experience of the film, however. The largely mute Barry, a figure who didn’t have a lot going on for him prior to being brainjacked, stumbles into different and outlandish scenarios ranging from drug-fueled raves to being kidnaped, to being taken to a mental health facility, along the way becoming a father, savior, and the most desirable man in Capetown. None of these moments really build so much as drift in and out during the alien’s wild ride. The closest parallel I can find to this would be like taking acid in Disneyland’s “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.” What is amazing is how well these moments are pulled together through the incredible performance of Gary Green. Gary’s unique body becomes almost plastic in how it, and particularly his face, can reshape between scenes landing just the right tweak on the visitor from moment to moment. All the more impressive is that this performance is largely mute, punctuated by grunts, whines, and an occasional “whoo.”

The movie is also gorgeous likely due to Kruger’s extensive background in shorts and music videos where a certain level of style is mandatory. The film is at its most stunning, however, when the cinematography dips into the surreal; throwback rear-projection driving scenes, black and white neo-noir grain in a cardboard box, and a camera locked onto a tweaking Barry as he zooms through Captown and eventually through the sky. Combine that with intense splashes of color from raves, blood, the lighting of a UFO, or just whatever the hell is going on in Capetown you have quite the visual feast.

fried barry poster
A wild, wild movie.

Joe Bob’s breaks were informative as one would expect – specifically conveying some important information of Kruger’s process. Kruger was unknown to me prior to Fried Barry, but I am thankful Joe Bob took the time to share his story, especially as it feels like a direct result of his season two monologue asking filmmakers to just make their movies. Kruger’s hustle and journey prove inspiring. Other highlights during this part of the night also included the return of resident-Dick expert Felissa Rose, consulting on what can only be described as alien sounding on Barry’s penis during an abduction scene. Also fun were the various stabs of interpretations of the film, of which I am sure none were actually correct – Fried Barry seems like it can be interpreted in just about any way imaginable and all would seem valid. I know I have my own interpretation. Also, the story Darcy mentioned about how sad the suicide of Avicii made Joe Bob was quite touching as well – an odd aside, but a touching one regardless.

Fried Barry is not a movie in a traditional sense – one driven by a story – but rather one built around a cluster of sensations. The narrative is a secondary concern to sheer experience and this movie will make you experience something… just what depends on you. Joe Bob gave the film three stars, but I feel he could have easily tacked on an extra half star. Just by the sheer audacity of what was committed to the camera, but also because it almost emerges as an example of Joe Bob’s advice of “make your movie.” For me, I found myself inspired and intrigued by the ride and I think the movie has definitely earned four Cthulhus.

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Best Line: “On this day pussy has eluded you.” – The Bartender saying the grossest thing in the most eloquent way

Fried Barry still
The man, the myth, the fried.

Haunted MTL Drive-In Totals

Special thanks to Shudder for keeping it real, week after week, and posting those totals for us. it is necessary information.

As usual, we have our own totals as well.

  • 2 Dour Teens
  • 2 Fingers in a Tupperware Container
  • 6 Break Fu
  • 1 instance of “Felliniesque”
  • Gratuitous “Hogzilla” Chanting
  • Heroin Ranting
  • Alien-influenced Dickhole Stuffing
  • Instant Baby
  • Tardis Box
  • Gag Ending
  • Photo Montage
  • Trucker Joking
  • Ecstacy Joking
  • Dead Dog Count for the Season: 7
  • Yuki Count: 2
  • Silver Bolo Award: Dr. Wolfula
  • Darcy Cosplay: Wolfy Ginger
The Last Drive-In still
This is why spaghetti has been banned on the set.

Episode Score

All in all, this was a solid outing of the show, as per usual. The Last Drive-In is a pretty consistent experience, I’ve found. I was particularly pleased with the film selection for this week mixing a modern-period classic with a film that released twenty years later. I do feel the first half of the night wasn’t as exciting as the second half, probably a combination of having seen Ginger Snaps so many times and a lack of a skit or some gimmick in the first half of the night. Overall, though, another great episode of the show, and one well worth four Cthulhus.

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

I had to miss last week’s live-Tweet of the show, but I came back with a vengeance with this one. I’ll continue to inflict my own observations on Twitter in the next episode as well, so why not follow the Haunted MTL Twitter account? See you next Friday, Mutants.

Movies n TV

Perfect Reboot of The Franchise: Halloween H20 (1997) Review

Published

on

Oh, the 90s, the renaissance of the slasher genre after it crashed and burned in the mid-80s. Halloween H20 is the seventh installment in the Halloween franchise. It hits a reset button on the canon, which utilizes the strong points of the decade. Without any further ado, let’s dive in! 

Plot

We start with seemingly random characters as they die at the hands of Michael Myers, who is back for vengeance. He wants to find Laurie and is not willing to let anyone else stand in his way. Here is where the franchise diverges into a different canon that ignores all the movies after the second one.

After a wonderful tribute to the late Donald Pleasance we see Laurie. She is now a headmistress at a boarding school in California, with a new name and a son. Laurie appears functioning on the outside, but she is still traumatized by the past events, medicating both with prescription meds and alcohol. Not even her love interest (a fellow teacher) knows anything about her past. 

Her son John doesn’t understand the severity of what his mother has been through. He repeatedly tells her to get over it (not the brightest moment despite him being a teenage boy). More teenage characters are introduced in the form of his girlfriend played by Michelle Williams in her Dawson’s Creek prime, and two friends. 

John and the group want to stay at the empty boarding school while everyone else goes on a camping trip. What they think will be a romantic couples’ weekend turns into anything but. Michael catches up to Laurie and finds his way into the premises. What ensues is a blood-shed with some creative kills and full-on suspense.

Laurie takes a stand against Michael as she chases him down axe in hand, ready to finish this once and for all. This leads to a showdown with a glorious finale as Laurie decapitates Michael, seemingly ending his reign for good (or so we think). 

Overall thoughts

Halloween H20 is a great overhaul of a franchise that was running out of steam. It encapsulates everything about the 90s, from the camera work to the soundtrack to the cheesy one-liners. It has a star-studded cast of the sweethearts of the decade and who could be mad at Jamie Lee Curtis’s comeback? 

This movie takes an interesting approach to Laurie’s character. She spends the second movie kind of helpless waiting for someone to save her, however this time she takes the lead and faces her trauma head-on. Other characters have just enough development to make you care for their survival. The atmosphere is very reminiscent of the first one as well, with a bit of a slow burn before the big finish. 

Ultimately, this is the most entertaining instalment of the franchise and has a lot of rewatchability for those movie nights. Slasher 2.0 at its best. 

Sale
H20: Halloween: Twenty Years Later (Dimension Collector’s Series)
  • Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Adam Arkin (Actors)
  • Steve Miner (Director) – Debra Hill (Writer) – Bob Weinstein (Producer)
  • English (Subtitle)

Last update on 2025-01-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Continue Reading

Movies n TV

Luiso Berdejo’s Feature-Length Debut, or The New Daughter

The New Daughter (2009) is a PG-13 horror film & Luiso Berdejo’s feature-length debut based on John Connolly’s short story of the same name.

Published

on

The New Daughter (2009) is a PG-13 horror film and Luiso Berdejo’s feature-length debut. The film is based on John Connolly’s short story of the same name. The New Daughter stars Kevin Costner, Ivana Baquero, Samantha Mathis, and Gattlin Griffith. As of this review, the film is available on VUDU Free, The CW, Hoopla, Tubi TV, Freevee, and Plex, with additional purchase options.

John James (Kevin Costner) moves his children to a rural South Carolina town to start anew after his wife leaves him. Louisa James (Ivana Baquero) can’t stand this change, and Sam James (Gattlin Griffith) doesn’t understand why his mother isn’t with them. But after finding a burial mound, their attitudes suddenly switch. As John uncovers more of their new home’s history, he realizes there’s much to fear.

A man stares outside, half covered in darkness. He hold a shotgun, ready for something.
Kevin Costner as John James

What I Like About Luiso Berdejo’s Feature-Length Debut

Despite its 2009 release date, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films nominated it for the Saturn Awards’ Best DVD Release in 2011. As Luiso Berdejo’s feature-length debut, the film manages to hold an audience with a tight script and direction.

The acting sells this ominous mystery, which might otherwise become obscure amongst others in the genre. In particular, Kevin Costner’s John James and Ivana Baquero’s Louisa James center The New Daughter around their characters’ strained father-daughter relationship.

Ultimately, The New Daughter thrives in its atmosphere and execution. If we take the film plot point by plot point, The New Daughter doesn’t break the mold. Between Luiso Berdejo’s direction and the writing of John Travis and John Connolly, however, the film executes this uncomfortable tension that invests viewers.

The New Daughter
  • English (Subtitle)

Last update on 2025-01-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

It’s in The New Daughter‘s execution where it haunts its audience. There’s this uncomfortable powerlessness as John attempts to protect his family against the horrors in the mound and its corrupting influence.

The ending might seem uncommitted, but I would disagree. The film executes a balance between hope and horror that leads to ambiguity but doesn’t leave the audience dissatisfied. A bolder film might conclude with an unhappy ending, but The New Daughter gives a sliver of hope in its dark ending.

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

Tired Tropes and Triggers

A cat dies in the film. The act isn’t shown, but I understand this can be a dealbreaker. In loose connection, there are also animal carcasses.

There’s a loose and underdeveloped connection to Native American mythology, following along the idea of “Indian (Native Americans) burial grounds.” While this initial thought proves inaccurate, it still holds familiar plot points that might irk some.

There are some strange decisions revolving around Louisa. Needless to say, a part of the plot revolves around her beginning puberty. While nothing is explicit, the creatures require a mate, which suggests sexual assault.

The New Daughter written below. Behind is a poorly lit house with a girl standing to the left hand side. In front, a man stands looking away from her.
The New Daughter Alt Cover

What I Dislike about Luiso Berdejo’s Feature-Length Debut

The aesthetic of the burial mound doesn’t seem particularly noteworthy. This becomes a problem when it looks like any hill in a forest. I don’t particularly see how the James family recognizes this as something strange and worth fixating on. As the film progresses, there are obvious reasons, but the aesthetic doesn’t execute this strangeness.

As addressed above, the premise remains familiar and safe, perhaps too safe. A family moves into a rural home, escaping a past withheld from the audience. The mother is out of the picture, and the father struggles to connect with his young daughter. I don’t subscribe to the idea that these are lazy points, but it might seem formulaic with how thick it dominates the film’s beginning.

A kraken devouring a boat. The art looks dated with a weathered filter over the design.

Final Thoughts

The New Daughter is an impressive feature-length debut but one with notable flaws. There’s a familiarity and safety in the plot that hinders what could have been. However, the ominous mystery and acting provide the needed execution to create a haunting experience. If you’re looking for a horror following a terrified family against supernatural creatures, The New Daughter delivers.

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5)

Continue Reading

Movies n TV

Original Sin returns with The Big Bad Body Problem

Published

on

After taking a week off, Dexter Original Sin is back. And while no piece of art can ever be entirely perfect, this was as close to perfect as I think we can expect.

The story

We start this episode right where the last one left off. Dexter, with a body in his trunk, finds his dumping grounds swarming with cops. So, keeping his head as cool as ever, he pulls out his forensic badge and pretends he’s supposed to be there. Then, he feeds the remaining arm from his second kill to the alligators before anyone can print it. But, not before Angel recognizes a distinct ring on the hand’s finger.

Jewelry really will be the death of Dexter.

While he might have gotten himself out of that mess, he still has a body to deal with. He decides to take it to a dump in broad daylight. Sometimes he acts like he wants to get caught. But then, maybe he does.

Patrick Gibson and Jeff Daniel Phillips  in Dexter Original Sin.

Meanwhile, the police are still looking for whoever kidnapped Nicky. There’s a horrific scene in this episode in which the poor kid has his finger chopped off. But this finger might well be the evidence that Miami Metro needs to catch the kidnapper because Dexter notices a sense of hesitation before the cut on Nicky that wasn’t present on the first little boy.

He also finds a drop of blood that doesn’t belong to Nicky.

Once again, it all comes back to blood.

What worked

As I’ve watched this series, and after consuming all of the rest of the work this franchise has offered us, one thing has become more and more clear.

Harry Morgan is a terrible human being.

Let’s just take this episode as an example. We see him strongarming a CI that he had an affair with, threatening to stick her in jail and drop her kids into foster care if she doesn’t keep risking her life for him. We then see him go home and lecture his wife, who he cheated on, for not forgiving him fast enough. And we know how this all ends for the Mosers. We know that Laura ends up dead and Harry takes the baby he liked, leaving Brian to the horrors of the foster care system.

Dexter: The Complete Series + Dexter: New Blood
  • Michael C. Hall (Actor)
  • Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)

Last update on 2025-01-23 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

The thing is, we were never supposed to like Harry. More and more I realize that Harry is the bad guy. He’s the antagonist of Dexter. And as I’m rewatching the original series, I see clearly that he’s been the bad guy from the start. And I think that’s such a brilliant idea.

Brittany Allen and Eli Sherman in Dexter Original Sin.

Not quite as cool, but still impressive was the serial killer advice scene in this episode. Dexter, struggling with where to hide his dead bodies, researches how other serial killers have done so. We see him talk to Ed Gein, David Berkowitz and John Wayne Gacy. This scene brought the absurdity of the series to the forefront. Our main character admires these men. These monsters did horrific things. And we still, somehow, against all decency, like him.

Let me also just say that Scott Reynolds who played Gacy did a fantastic job. The body language and line delivery were just so creepy. For someone who wasn’t on screen for more than a few minutes, he knew how to make a killer impression.

Finally, I want to applaud the twist in this episode. But, as always, I want to do so without giving it away! I will only say that there is a large reveal regarding the person who killed the judge’s son and abducted Nicky. And, I have to say, I didn’t see it coming. It was amazing and raised so many questions. Questions I cannot wait to have answers for.

Honestly, everything in this episode worked. It was well-written, well-acted, and well worth my time. My only complaint right now is that there are only three episodes left.

Of course, it’s usually the last episode of a Dexter show that ruins the whole thing. Let’s see if they can avoid that this time.

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

Continue Reading

Trending