After the breakthrough debut that is Get Out, Jordan Peele is back with another horror in store, Us (2019). This suspenseful sophomore effort clearly attempts to be way bigger in every aspects, as in larger scope of environment, weightier concept, and of course, bloodier violence.
Since the story revolves around people facing their own doubles, it's mainly interesting to see the cast perform in multifaceted fashion. The casting is fantastic but the real scene stealer here is Lupita who delivers a career-defining performance. She's brilliant as both an anxious and sympathetic mother, but also intimidating as a vengeful and cold blooded hunter.
As expected, Us is filled with twists and turns, and the vehicle to get to the final reveal is multilayers of suspense in the vein of classic horror cliches. Jordan Peele definitely knows how to craft intensity like the back of his hand, and this time he's going with full force. Endless chase down the road, hide and seek, furious home invasion a la Funny Games (1997), down to sinister atmosphere in broad daylight, everything is thoughtfully done. This movie blends horror and humour like no other, and if anything it emphasizes the unique tone that Peele innovates with.
Although not nearly as obvious with the social commentary as Get Out was, Us still runs with a socio-political satire deep in its blood. It touches upon the topic of classism, and how the government treats society as a pawn for their agenda instead of human beings (the scene where Zora talks about the government putting substances in water to control us is a nice opening to this nod). Until it takes a revolution from the lower class to overthrow the upper class. Interestingly, each person could have their interpretation of the message this film is trying to convey.
To wrap it up, Us deserves another bump to the top thanks to the frightening and atmospheric scores by Michael Abels. Especially the way it manages to place popular songs in particular scenes made this movie utterly unforgettable.
this year marks the 50th anniversary of 2001: space odyssey since it was conceived so i just feel like its a perfect time for a revisit! for me this is not only a film, but instead a transcendent cinematic experience that graced us with one of the most grandeur and visionary artforms in history. kubrick explored a theme thats way ahead of its time and conjured it in an insanely sophisticated visualization, resulting to a blitz of candy for the eyes.
it contains minimal narrative (there's literally no proper dialogue for the first 20 minutes) and the expositions are juxtaposed with epic space scenes and goosebumps inducing music such as johann strauss' classic blue danube and gyorgi ligeti's haunting lux aeterna. with kubrick's masterful skills, the whole combination transforms into a visual poetry that gradually draws us into its surrealist world and eventually leaves us breathless. the defying gravity scene via centripetal motion, the innovative model for spaceship designs, the highly detailed interiors and exteriors; they present a futuristic vision but also look realistic at the same time.
through this masterpiece kubrick invites us to reanalyze the basic nature of human instinct, evolution, and the thought that we are never alone in this universe. that there are endless possibilities out there that we have yet to discover, that theres no limit for our intelligence to advance, and that in the end its not about the destination but the journey, hence odyssey! undoubtedly a film that will be discussed for many generations to come.
ive heard about this film long before it was announced. at that time the buzzes revolved around 'scariest movie ever!', 'scariest horror since the exorcist', etc. bombastic right? to be honest, initially i was quite skeptical because the pompous claims usually didnt meet my expectation, plus western horrors have been going through a rather monotonous route lately. so when hereditary finally hit local theaters, i didnt waste any time and immediately went to prove it myself.
and boy i was... blown.
this is what it feels like to ride a slow roller coaster in hell.
hereditary is a study of build up and tension. it lingers in your mind and touches your psyche with complete terror, hopelessness, and sorrow. ari aster masterfully directed it with clever play of shadow and lighting that induced your peripheral fear of something that might or might not exist; imagine staring into a dark hallway for a long time that you start questioning whether you're seeing things or its just in your mind. its batshit eerie and dreadful. the scenes are adorned with sublime sound design that the minimum usage of loud music only maximizes the suspense.
the film's tonality is basically built on the mixture of horror and family dynamics, with several conflicts highlighting fundamental matters from relationships to mental health issues. toni colette's tour de force as a grievous matriarch is phenomenal and she does so well at capturing the intensity of the atmosphere. that dinner scene? my soul was gone. also milly saphiro's quiet, haunting expression successfully made me feel uncomfortable in my seat throughout her appearance on screen. what an incredible cast.
one of the most prominent things is many scenes are slowly shot from the distance, living up the illusion that the whole family members are 'pawns' inside a house miniature as seen in the opening. while i usually have problems with pacing, hereditary is like a slow burn that keeps me petrified despite how drawn out it gets in the middle. it eventually pays off with an ending twist so mad that despite unnecessary amount of foreshadowing in the first act it still catches me off guard. for me its in the vines of rosemary's baby, starting from the constant anxiety to the major cult reveal.
i get that hereditary might not fall into the mainstream category that pleases everyone with straightforward expositions and jumpscares. its horror at its most visceral, and its certainly not for those who werent ready.
the 70s is such a good era for satanic movies. other than popular titles such as the exorcist (1973) and the omen (1976), there are also ones that were buried beneath a hidden treasure box. one of them would be alucarda (1977), a mexican horror film that tells the tale of a pair of girls who lived in a convent that also functions as an orphanage. one day during a short trip to the forest they discovered a cryptic and ancient looking site, and things just went batshit afterwards. apparently the girls had been possessed by demonic forces that attempted to take control over them, leading to immense amount of hysteria and nightmarish events that follow.
no words could explain the madness of alucarda and how every bit of the film's insanity cemented it as a classic, undiscovered gem. it keeps you glued to the screen, as if it has the power to hypnotize through its endless screams, riot, and satanic worships. theres actually not much story here, but the thematic emphasis is spot on. its heavy on religious overtone but it also touches upon coming of age issue, which is portrayed through alucarda's complex desire for love and rebellion.
for a low budget film alucarda got a solid commitment to ensure it doesnt come off as cheap or weak. i really like the overall visual concept that flaunts organic yet detailed sets, such as cave-like convent and stone walls that spark absolute eerieness, down to the nuns who are draped in red-stained robes that resemble blood splatters. the cryptic leitmotif is further elevated with smokey effects like fog and haze, effectively taking surrealism to a higher plateau. at one point the theatrical nature simply crosses the border between art and fever dream.
director juan lópez moctezuma ends the gothic suspense with alucarda unleashing hell upon everyone in such brutal, unapologetic manner thats a good reminiscence of stephen king's carrie. by the time the spectacle is over it feels like i just went through an extreme, unholy ritual marked by copious amount of blood, crucifixion, nudes, gore, and combusting nuns. highly disturbing, but thats exactly what this film aims for, and it indeed succeeded.
sebelum iblis menjemput blends never ending terrors, flashy jumpscares, deeply rooted mystical sense with full throttle execution that made the audience physically and mentally compromised. just like his previous works (most notably rumah dara), timo doesnt hesitate to go all out with his delivery. this film continuously carries an atmosphere of dread starting from the first minute mark and the diabolical force refuses to fade even until the credits roll. the intensity goes hand-in-hand with tight build ups and a number of jumpscares that blatantly portrayed demonic faces as big as the theater screen. yes, they snatch your sight before you are ready and there is no way you can look away.
interestingly, it is also heavy on gore which is quite of a fresh take since most local horrors tend to rely solely on supernatural theme. this one is disturbingly blood gushing, very much in the vein of raimi's evil dead down to the almost comedic impression. i'd say interesting because its been a while since i saw well crafted gory element in local films that is not corny. it may be difficult to stomach for some, but it does add a unique touch to the whole tone.
music is such an important component in horror movies and i gotta say the scoring department especially did a terrific job this time. every sound effect adheres to the theme, message, and mood present in the scene closely. sometimes the ear-piercing loudness gets over the top it feels like you are being choked on the spot, very visceral and full of madness.
the reason why i gave this film 3.5 out of 5 is because despite the technical excellence, there are considerable shortcomings that are hard to ignore. the most prominent would be the stiff and inconsistent dialogues that kinda ruin some profound moments between the characters which end up making us emotionally detached from them. another one would be the lack of cathartic experience toward the third act where the tension becomes anticlimactic like a roller coaster that already slows down when we are still anticipating for a steep plunge from the skyscraper. instead of a long-awaited explosive momentum it just pales in comparison with the previous acts.
all in all, sebelum iblis menjemput is still an incredibly fun entertainment for horror aficionados and thrill-seekers. thumbs up for timo and the crew for blessing local cinema with yet another quality gem in the genre!
