ANTICHRIST (2010) Movie Review

ANTICHRIST (2010)

Review Joe Johnson

ANTICHRIST, directed by Lars Von Treir, never made it to the big screen, at least at my local multiplex, and with good reason! It is difficult film to watch and therefore does little to appeal to a mass audience. Having seen the trailer for this in 2009 I was immediately excited at the prospect of seeing what looked like a pretty grim horror, somewhat of an understatement I later found out. I waited patiently for the picture to debut but it never materialized. This only added to my anticipation when I found it nestling lonely on a shelf in my local Blockbuster months later as I assumed it had been deemed too scary for cinema audiences!

Scary is not really the right word to describe ANTICHRIST. Party poppers are scary when they make you jump, ANTICHRIST is downright disturbing. It follows just two unnamed characters, a husband and wife simply referred to in the film as ‘he’ and ‘she’, played by William Defoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg respectively. At the start of the film their son falls from his bedroom window to his death, neglected by his mother and father who are getting it on in a variety of locations around the house at the time.

The couple are understandably traumatized and, in seek of some respite, they take a vacation in a deserted cabin in the middle of a forest (personally I’d have choose a sunny beach with a cocktail bar but each to their own). While exploring the forest he and she both experience odd visions and rather than becoming closer and helping each other, they actually become alienated, when they’re not romping that is! The film is, visually, a work of art and some of the images associated with death and decay are truly disturbing. A talking fox does lighten the mood, even if its monologue to Defoe is somewhat ominous.

As the film proceeds the pair become increasingly mentally unstable and ‘she’ performs unspeakable acts of genital mutilation on both herself and her once loving husband while he sleeps. These scenes are incredibly graphic and all the more harrowing, as they lack the melodramatic pomp of Hollywood hits like HOSTEL, instead presenting them in stark, full frontal reality. All the while the scenes are played out against a juxtaposing cacophony of an opera soundtrack. Even if you are a die-hard horror fan this is a difficult watch, and I find hard to fathom gaining enjoyment from watching ANTICHRIST. As an artistic, sensory experience however it is unparalleled.

The Top 5 Horror Movies of 2010 (So Far) - 15 Days till Halloween

Top Horror Films of 2010 (So Far)

Article by Joe Johnson

I personally feel that 2010 has been a somewhat lean period for our beloved horror genre. Maybe I’ve had my head in the sand, but I don’t feel we’ve been treated to the steady drip feed of horrors that we’ve had in pervious years. Although horrors have been few and far between, I think we’ve had some real gems nestling in amongst those pesky Rom-Coms your girlfriend always wants to see. Here are my Top 5 Horrors of the year so far:

1. PIRANHA 3D

This film was trashy, throwaway, tongue in cheek, and all the better for it! It never once took itself seriously and for this reason endeared itself to even the most staunch horror critics. Blending colorful, summery imagery and gyrating chicks in bikinis with levels of gore that truly put SAW and HOSTEL to shame, it proved a unique experience that left me mentally drained!

2. THE LAST EXORCISM

Another exorcism film? Really?! It seems every flick that deals with demonic possession is trying to out do the 37-year old daddy of horror, THE EXORCIST. THE LAST EXORCISM is a good effort but falls short of this accolade, mainly for its bizarre and anti-climactic ending that no one really understood!

3. THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE

An underground classic if ever there was one, THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE charts the escapades of a deranged surgeon who captures unwitting guinea pigs for his twisted experiment which consists of sewing people together, orifice-to-orifice. This was not released in mainstream cinemas and with good reason, it was bleak and challenging.

4. DAYBREAKERS

This turns the classic vamp flick on its head. Set in 2017 it depicts a world where the majority of the population are vampires. The human population is dwindling, meaning the vamps are rapidly running out of blood and a number of scientists are battling to save the human race while pioneering an alternative food source.

5. SHUTTER ISLAND

One in a long list of silver screen horror hits with a mental-health theme, SHUTTER ISLAND sees DiCaprio visit an asylum where there are some strange goings on. DiCapro faces a struggle to deal with the voices in his own head while fending off crazy people in this thought provoking masterpiece with a killer twist.







What lies in wait for the rest of 2010 that could topple one of these titles? Anything out there you'd would hav rather seen here? Let us know!

BURIED Movie Review

BURIED (2010)

Review by Joe Johnson

Of course there is nothing underground about this heavily promoted Hollywood hit staring heartthrob Ryan Reynolds. Billed as a horror/thriller hybrid the Hitchcock inspired teaser trailer eludes to some kind of retro murder mystery flick. Buried is far removed from these genre, with just one actor and one (very cramped) location.

We learn at the start of the film that Reynolds character, Paul Conroy, is truck driver stationed out in Iraq who has been captured by insurgents and buried underground in a less than spacious wooden coffin. Equipped with just a mobile phone, a lighter, a torch and oddly, a couple of glow-sticks, Reynolds sets about trying to build a picture of what happened to him and how to get rescued.

In a bold move which injects an element of humor into the proceedings, the film plays with the frustrations of navigating endless layers of automated telephone options when trying to make contact with someone in a hurry about an important issue. None could be more urgent than this, Conroy is rapidly running out of oxygen and has been informed by his captors that he must raise 1 million dollars within the next few hours in exchange for his freedom.

Paul goes about ringing the U.S emergency services who offer little help before being put in contact with a calm trustworthy voice from the Pentagon who talks him around and attempts to contain his desperate state of mind that triggers sporadic anxiety attacks. With assistance, Paul begins to make inroads into organizing a rescue for mission.

Among the phone calls from the good guys, Paul is being constantly hounded by his captors who demand that he makes videos of himself pleading for mercy. Reynolds portrays a fallible character with an attitude that spirals from anger to disappointment and joy making the feature a believable and visceral experience.

To reveal any more would be bordering on a spoiler but needless to say Conroy has a myriad of crucial decisions to make, each one influencing the next, culminating in the film’s end which, while satisfying, is wholly predictable. The singular location and the suspense factor that ebbs and flows is reminiscent of PHONE BOOTH, but BURIED has a unique style all of its own which will no doubt appeal to horror and thriller fans alike.