HORROR

In the Earth Review | Sundance Film Festival

Published

3 years ago

January 31, 2021

Ben Wheatley returns to form in a sci-fi horror about a deadly virus that’s ravaged the earth. If you saw Songbird– another film made during the pandemic about a virus- you might be a little put off but Wheatley has managed to make a film that is very intriguing, and it goes back to the sort of tone and style that Wheatley fans really love. After a very big misfire with last year’s Rebecca adaptation, it seems that In the Earth is definitely a return to form for Wheatley.

Dr. Martin Lowery, played by Joel Fry has to embark on a journey through the virus-ridden world to reach a research hub hidden deep in the Arboreal Forest. He’s not alone as he’s guided by park scout Alma (Ellora Torchia), however things take a much darker turn when they encounter Zach- played remarkably by Reece Shearsmith. They don’t know much about Zach and his intentions aren’t immediately clear to them but soon they begin to get a scared.

Wheatley has created an absolutely bonkers, loud, crazy, flashy film that goes completely nuts at times but I really liked it. I wasn’t a fan of his other loud, flashy film High Rise back in 2014 to the point that I didn’t even make it to the end of the film but there was just something about In the Earth that had me captivated. The film had remarkable cinematography and I thought it was really well edited, creating a really unique viewing experience.

In the Earth is a film that’s probably going to be quite divisive. It seems to have two fairly different halves to the film and some people will prefer the first half, others the second. Yet I thought the second half truly embraced the crazy nature of it and went all out and I much preferred that to the slower going first half that was setting up the rest of the film.

My biggest gripe about the film though is that I was never truly invested in the story or the characters. And because of this, the first half just felt a little too slow going to me and I didn’t really care for it too much. However, it was in the second half of the film when the strobe lighting and loud noises came in that completely changed my mind. It’s a film that would be great to see in a cinema with a great surround sound system and there are a few scenes in this film that just look and sound absolutely amazing and it’s totally different to anything else I’ve seen at Sundance so far.

Some might suggest that now isn’t the best time to release a film about a virus but Wheatley argues that he wanted to make a film that was “contextualised in the moment” and to take “the moment that we’re living in and puts it into a genre” and that’s exactly what he’s done as he’s turned a film about a deadly virus into a unnerving horror film.

In the Earth has a really good unnerving synth score from Clint Mansell and Reece Shearsmith gives a great performance as the unhinged Zach and all this, together with the strobe lighting and blaring noises, the film is one crazy psychedelic ride full of colour and clamour.

In the Earth will divide lots of viewers and it’s even divided me too. On the one hand, the plot and the characters were never that engaging but on the other hand as an experience, Wheatley has made a film that you can’t tear your eyes away from, even when it gets particularly gruesome.

★★★☆☆

In the Earth premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in the Premieres section.

FILM RATING

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HORROR

When Evil Lurks | Teaser Trailer — In Theaters October 6th, 2023

Published

1 week ago

September 18, 2023

Jacques van Zyl

When Evil Lurks Movie Poster (IFC Films)

The following piece was written during the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie material being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Genre: Horror

Release Date: 6 October 2023 in theaters / 27 October 2023 on Shudder

Director: Demián Rugna

Writer: Demián Rugna

Distributed by: IFC Films & Shudder

Production Companies: Shudder, Aramos Cine & Machaco Films

Cast: Ezequiel Rodriguez, Demián Salomon, Luis Ziembrowski, Silvia Sabater & Marcelo Michinaux

Plot

The residents of a small rural town discover that a demon is about to be born among them. They desperately try to escape – but it may be too late…

When Evil Lurks Official Teaser Trailer (IFC Films)

FILM RATING

HORROR

Thanksgiving | Official Trailer — In Theaters November 17, 2023

After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts – the birthplace of the infamous holiday.

Published

1 week ago

September 18, 2023

Staff

Genre:

Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Release Date:

November 17, 2023

Director:

Eli Roth

Cast:

Patrick dempsey, Rick Hoffman, Gina Gershon, Addison Rae

Plot Summary:

After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts – the birthplace of the infamous holiday.

FILM RATING

HORROR

Talk To Me Delivers A Real Scare, Hands Down!

Published

1 week ago

September 16, 2023

Jacques van Zyl

Talk to Me Movie Poster (A24)

Plot

When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.

Movie Review

The movie starts off with quite a shocker, leaving you with a few questions. It doesn’t take too long to get into the action and soon you realize you are in for quite a scare. In a nutshell, the movie is about a group of friends playing a timed game where the communicate with the dead using an embalmed hand, and allow the dead to speak through them, with the emphasis on timed. However, as with all rules, some end up broken, and when the game goes on a little too long things go south, resulting in far reaching consequences. The main protagonist in the story Mia plays this game of talking with the dead, while at the same time working through the loss of a loved one as well. As a viewer I experienced her feelings of grief and it felt real because her performance was just next level.

Both Sophie Wilde and Joe Bird‘s performance as Mia and Riley really grips you, making the feelings of fear on-screen real for the audience. The make-up and effects throughout the movie was really done brilliantly. The ending delivers a unique twist making you hungry for more action and story. The cast really brought life in a horror story focusing around the dead.

There is no post-credits scene, so no need to wait to the end. Trailer is amazing and delivers an even greater scare and doesn’t spoil any important parts of the movie. My rating for Talk To Me is 5 out of 5. Talk To Me is a bone-chilling supernatural horror that delivers a real scare on-screen, hands down. I’m all for seeing a possible sequel of Talk To Me one day, or even a prequel where the origin of the embalmed hand is unpacked. But the movie is still brilliant as a stand-alone movie.

Make sure to catch it at a cinema near you or watch online.