Category: Horror films

Really Awful Movies: Ep 207 – Creep

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Ah, found footage. It’s usually crap. So when a barn-burner like Creep comes out, color us surprised.

Creep is a 2014 American independent found footage horror film directed by Patrick Brice, based on a story written by Brice and collaborator Mark Duplass. The film is Brice’s directorial debut, and boy is this one solid.

Creep premiered 2014, at South by Southwest, and was released on video on demand on June 23, 2015, by The Orchard prior to an international release via Netflix on July 14, 2015.

The film follows nebbish Aaron (portrayed by Brice), a videographer who answers an odd Craigslist ad, created by Josef (portrayed by Duplass). Josef is suffering from terminal cancer and wants to have a posthumous record for his unborn son. So far so good, right?

But not is what it appears to be.

Josef is, to say the least, weird. In the midst of one of Aaron’s early documentations, Josef gets naked and slips into the bath. Fine, you may say, the guy’s got The Big C and maybe he’s just cracking? But Brice and Duplass gradually reveal that Josef is a megalomaniac and yes, a creep.

Movies like Mike Leigh’s Naked, or the likes of My Dinner with Andre, rely heavily on strong performances/dialogue as there are so few characters. And here, the banter is highly naturalistic (much was improvised) and the acting’s top-drawer.

It really helps drive the cat-and-mouse dynamic between these two.

The New York Times said that Creep “is remarkable, considering its minimal means and surprising lack of bloodshed, given the genre.” Very true, but that doesn’t mean the scares aren’t there.

And Creep has just a terrific climax too.

Really Awful Movies: Ep 205 – Frenzy

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The Master. Alfred Hitchcock. It’s amazing it’s taken us this long to discuss a Hitchcock. We look at Hitch’s penultimate film, Frenzy.

Many people consider this “lesser Hitchcock.” But it’s a taut, exciting thriller with some gorgeous shots.

There’s a “necktie murderer” roaming the streets of London. It’s a lot like Jack the Ripper. And the murders of various women are pinned on one “Mr Blaney,” a down on his luck loser who has problems with the missus.

But really, Hitchcock plays his hand and actually reveals who the killer is right from the get-go. But there’s enough of a compelling narrative that Frenzy keeps viewers thoroughly interested right until the final frame.

Join us this week on the Really Awful Movies Podcast, as we hope to do justice to one of our faves. We love Hitch (that’s Alfred, though Christopher Hitchens is great too). Frenzy has a lot to offer, and Alfred was able to get a little more low-down and dirty with more permissive cultural mores.

Join us every week for genre film discussion on the Really Awful Movies Podcast!

Really Awful Movies: Ep 204 – Bells

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It’s time to talk tech on the podcast! Since we already covered, Don’t Answer the Phone! we thought we’d approach another communications movie, Bells, aka, Murder by Phone! Call it a preoccupation, not a hang up (!) of ours. Oooh, that was deliciously bad.

This one is a Canuxploitation not-quite-classic from the 1980s, back when government-funded drek was all the rage. For whatever reason, Bells has Richard Chamberlain and John Houseman, two actual, bona fide actors. Why? Not sure.

Even Oscar-winning actors have to appear in something called Murder by Phone once in a while.

What’s fun about this crappy flick is that it’s set in Toronto. But not just that. It features the TTC, which we called “Take the Car” as kids, but actually stands for the Toronto Transit Commission. There are also scenes of Bay St, our financial district, and other fun locales.

As for the movie…it’s not much…but killer technology is hella fun, and a killer phone made its way into our book, Death by Umbrella! The 100 Weirdest Horror Movie Weapons.

You’ll enjoy (sorta) this movie. There’s a lot to love, and just as much to loathe. Come join us every week as we champion misbegotten horror, sci fi, action, musical and post-apocalyptic wasteland movies.

THANKS!