Tag: Johannes Roberts

The Strangers: Prey at Night

Posted on by victorfraga

As the door closes on an amorous couple, either clothes could frantically be ripped off for an impulsive fuck, or sensual foreplay could precede the penetrative act that leads to an orgasmic crescendo. Excusing the vulgarity, if able to compare cinema and sexual relations, of momentary pleasure versus a more emotional or meaningful, or even intellectual experience, then The Strangers (Bryan Bertino, 2008) is the latter, whilst its sequel The Strangers: Prey at Night (the film being reviewed here) is filled with an impulsive and violent lust.

On route to dropping their troubled teen daughter Kinsey (Bailee Madison) off at boarding school, a family find themselves the prey of masked killers in a secluded mobile home park.

The sequel’s urgency to descend into violent bloodshed, opposite the abstention of penetrative violence of the former, creates a disconnect between the two films. From a suspenseful game of cat and mouse, the series, if there is such ambition for a trilogy or franchise, has journeyed to a focus on the physicality of violence. What we see is the carnal satisfaction of the impulses over a more emotive type of storytelling; suspense then crafted through anticipation versus suspense now of surviving the storm of violence.

Yet this should be respected as the sequel’s director Johannes Roberts, working with a script from the original film’s screenwriter-director Bryan Bertino and co-writer Ben Keatai, oversees a redirection from the home invasion to the slasher sub-genre. Remaining in and expanding upon a world that is plot- rather than narrative-centric is inevitably vulnerable to suspicion, leading to trepidation and tempered expectations. This redirection does not qualify as a whole transformation, the violent home invasion scenario and the underlying theme of pressure to an already fractured relationship is a dynamic carried on over. Yet breaking the claustrophobia of the home and sub-genre, does allow the film to find its own identity in the presence of its older sibling.

An interesting note is the way these two films feed into the theme of escalation and how Pin-up’s closing words in 2008 that “It’ll be easier next time”, are now seen in a new context. The way events transpire here speaks to the inability to contain violence, even by those orchestrating it. The problem is that this fracture lacks the same potency as the first film, which evokes the uncomfortable feeling of intrusion upon a sensitive moment for couple James (Scott Speedman) and Kristen (Liv Tyler), following her rejection of his marriage proposal.

The intrusion of the masked tormentors and their murderous intent only stoked these feelings of intrusion, tapping into that wisdom given to newlyweds for a couple to always end a day as friends. Throughout this resonates with tragedy as a couple are deprived of peacefully resolving an awkward moment that has left their relationship on a precipice.

Film functions on an emotive level, evoking feelings within its audience that are both divided between a conscious and unconscious awareness. The fractured family through the teenage recklessness that reminds mother Cindy (Christina Hendricks) of her own youthful mistakes, injects an emotional dilemma of the consequence of one’s actions, with what is a rational and reasonable sense of guilt. Rather than lacking the same potency, in the former the fracture was felt emotionally, whereas here its resonance evolves from an emotional into a philosophical one. Kinsey who if the archetypal ‘final girl’, will have to confront that all too human battle of learning to forgive oneself, which is a direct challenge to the oppressive hierarchical structure of the catholic faith. Meanwhile, her ordeal if survived is one that sees a transformation of her sense of self, that represents a death of the reckless and angry teenager who was first introduced. The Strangers: Prey At Night is a film of metamorphosis on multiple levels, a progression that affords it an independent spirit.

A decade on from the release of the first film, the sequel is no example of exceptional filmmaking, nor is it original, yet neither is it foolhardy or under any illusions of grandeur. Rather its director and writers work modestly in a familiar form, and thankfully they avoid frequent jump scares and other futile attempts to terrify. Instead they choose to craft a humble and therein an enjoyable slasher, and one cannot deny the bond formed with Kinsey as we share in her traumatic ordeal. Here is a pure bout of good versus evil that we can cheer and fist-pump along to, whilst indulging in that tactical ‘what if’ we were in this situation. It is however without doubt a momentary pleasure, a quick and impulsive experience through the tonal contrasts to its forerunner. But every once in a while there is no harm in indulging in a little pleasure, and look a little closer and there is a reminder of deeper human concerns peering through the horrific ordeal.

The Strangers: Prey at Night is out in cinemas across the UK on Friday, May 4th. Available for digital streaming on Rakuten from Monday, August 20th.

47 Metres Down

Posted on by victorfraga

The movie theatre is a dark and claustrophobic space by nature, and hence the right place to watch this extremely jarring and oppressive movie. 47 Metres Down is the ultimate immersive cinema experience, very effective is its objective of keeping viewers biting their nails and on the edge of their seats throughout. In fact, my fear was such that my fingers were almost bleeding by the end of this 85-minute dirtylicious film experience.

Lisa (the gorgeous American actress Mandy Moore) and Kate (the equally pretty Australian Claire Holt) are sisters holidaying in Mexico. Lisa’s boyfriend has recently broken up with her, and so Kate is doing the best she can in order to cheer up her sibling. And so she insists that they go on a cage diving shark adventure. She disregards the poor conditions of the equipment and illegality of the bizarre joy ride, which is being conducted by a very dubious Captain Taylor (Matthew Modine) in a derelict and converted fishing vessel.

Exactly as you would expect, the cable breaks and they get trapped underwater at the depth described in the film title, surrounding by giant predatory shark, with their oxygen running out and unaware whether the men will come for their rescue or simply vanish. The claustrophobia and precariousness of the situation will get you sucked right in. You will feel as vulnerable as the two young females.

The director successfully recycles devices from various horror movies, such as sharks, underwater and confinement flicks. The creatures are believable enough, the photography is dark and convincing and so is the entire predicament of the girls. There is blood and gore, but not too much. And there are fantastic images and events in the final third of the movie, which are then accurately explained by the clever twist at the end of the movie. In many ways, this is still a formulaic horror: vulnerable females being punished for doing something naughty. But it works very well.

One interesting fact about this movie and other British horror films about going underwear/underground is that it hardly feels British and it’s set abroad. In the equally British and extremely scary The Descend (Neil Marshall, 2005) the action takes place in deep caves the in US, and the actors are a blend of American and Australian (just like here). And in the recent The Chamber (Ben Parker, 2017), a submarine crew gets trapped underwater in North Korean waters. All of these are very good movies, but they beg the question: do we have to move away from our territory so often in order to convey horror? Isn’t our little island scary enough? And does our British identity have to get diluted once we go underwater or underground?

47 Metres Down is out in UK cinemas on Wednesday, July 26th. Watch it in a large cinema screen with outstanding sound effects for the full experience

And click here for our review of another extremely riveting film to be watched on a very large silver screen (ideally IMAX), and also showing right now in UK cinemas.