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.

So, enjoy this rare spoiler-free review.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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 / 5)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

(3.5 / 5)

Released in 2011, Grave Encounters is one of the better-liked-found horror movies by both critics and horror fans alike. At least, that’s the opinion of the few who’ve seen it. For some reason, it’s not as well known as many others in the genre. So today, let’s spread awareness for this overlooked spooky gem.

The story

We begin our story with a TV executive, talking about an ill-fated reality show named Grave Encounters. He explains that everything went south during the taping of episode six. While the footage was retrieved, the ghost hunters were not. Our TV executive assures us that what we are about to see is not a movie, and has only been cut for time.

We then dive into the footage collected from episode six. The ghost-hunting team will spend the night in an old mental hospital called Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital.

During the night, the team does see a few eerie things. A door slams shut. A wheelchair moves on its own. Fairly standard ghost-hunting fair.

The real horror starts when the team isn’t released from the hospital in the morning. Because morning doesn’t come. The sun doesn’t rise and the doors don’t open to the outside world. Lance, TC, Sasha, Matt and Houston are all trapped inside an ever-changing hospital, with the patients who remain even in death.

What worked

The first thing I want to talk about, and the part that attracted me to the film in the first place, is the parody element. Fans of ghost-hunting shows like Ghost Hunters will recognize many of the same elements. The title even has a very similar font. As someone who loves a good ghost hunt, but often finds that these shows take themselves a little too seriously, this was quite enjoyable.

Another thing I loved about Grave Encounters was the effects. The ghosts were shocking, not just the first time we saw them but every time. This is even more impressive when we remember that this movie had a budget of $120,000. The creators taught themselves how to do these effects, and most of them are practical, not CGI. This would have been impressive if the effects were just passible. And they were far more than that.

Finally, I want to talk about the character development. We start the film without much sympathy for our characters. Especially Lance. Lance was so punchable at first. He was flippant about others’ pain. He was clear that he’d make up evidence if he couldn’t find any. And he didn’t seem too interested in listening to his team.

By the end of the movie, though, we care about him and the rest of the team. And it takes so little time for us to change our minds. We see TC talk to his daughter, and realize he’s never going to get home to her. We see Sasha care about the people lost in the hospital. We see Lance protect Sasha and the rest of his team. We see that these people, as willing as they are to financially benefit from other people’s pain, actually do care about each other. No one is a coward. No one is leaving people behind. That’s admirable. And that makes me give a damn about them.

What didn’t work

All that being said, it wasn’t a perfect movie. To start with, there are some questions we don’t get answers to. And not in an acceptable way. It’s okay that we don’t know what really happens in the end. It’s okay that we don’t know how the spirits manipulate time. It’s not okay that one character is simply eaten by fog. That scene, close to the end, just felt lazy.

I will also say that some of the acting wasn’t great. Especially from Sasha, played by Ashleigh Gryzko. I won’t say she was terrible. But her acting was overdone. She was also a bit of a scream queen. We didn’t learn much about Sasha, except that she’s the token girl. Her character could have been fleshed out a bit more.

Overall, Grave Encounters is a great film. Whether you’re a fan of found footage, ghost hunting, or just spooky stories well told, this is one to put on your TBW list sooner rather than later.

For Haunted MTL, this is Nicole signing off.

(4.5 / 5)