Another Sundance Film Festival has wrapped up and introduced just over a hundred new features and short films. The unpredictable nature of the festival once again reared its head, with selections that ranged from great to head-scratching. My brain became a little mushy after sitting down for multiple movie days and I’m happy to take a break from it. That said, once next year rolls around, I’ll be ordering tickets as soon as they’re available.
Scare Me
During a power outage, two strangers tell scary stories. The more Fred and Fanny commit to their tales, the more the stories come to life in their Catskills cabin. The horrors of reality manifest when Fred confronts his ultimate fear.
Writer/director/actor Josh Ruben is a former College Humor writer and there is a high priority on jokes here. Scare Me starts with all the elements of a twist-filled horror romp, but totally destroys any potential it had. The concept of having impromptu scary stories come to life is a great jumping off point, but it lands with a splat. There are cool sound effects as the stories are told, but the stories themselves fail at actually being scary.
The two principal actors are exaggerations of character types instead of being characters themselves. Ruben plays a near-40 white guy who wants to write a best-seller, but it really a dope and a failure. Aya Cash plays the furthest end of an unlikable feminist that can’t focus on anything else. There are a few laughs to begin with, but this is a legitimate waste of time for any horror fan and would have possibly worked at an eight-minute short. D
Run Sweetheart Run
Cherie (Ella Balinska) is excited about an upcoming blind date with a wealthy bachelor, after dealing with her own recent traumatic relationship. Though, the night turns into a nightmare as her suitor gets extremely violent and sadistic.
Pilou Asbæk (who played Euron Greyjoy in Game of Thrones) plays Ethan, the villain in question. Based on his recent acting stint, it’s quite easy to distrust and hate him. He and Ella completely sell the roles even when, thankfully, most of the violence takes place off screen. Other than the main two actors, there are some silly illogical performances, such as her ex-boyfriend, that don’t work at all.
Run Sweetheart Run wants to be a political statement, but instead plays out the familiar arc of battered-to-bada$$ with a great soundtrack and quick pacing. It delves deep into grindhouse territory and stays fun throughout, even when it doesn’t quite explain its own rules. This will make for a really fun rental for fans of this genre that becomes far more supernatural than you’d expect. B-
Relic
A daughter, mother and grandmother are haunted by a manifestation of dementia that consumes their family’s home.
This Australian horror stars Emily Mortimer and Bella Heathcote as the daughter and grand-daughter of a woman who goes missing from her home. The set-up is absolutely chilling and even when everything seems to be right in these character’s world. There’s still a brooding sense of dread. As an audience member, I kept expecting the scares to catch up to the tension I felt. It never does. The tension exists because the environment and lighting feels so claustrophobic and hopeless.
Less patient audiences may not be able to last till when the scares finally do happen. In the final 15 minutes, the movie kicks into gear and delivers what it promises and it’s a blast to watch, even if you’re partial to closing your eyes. This movie goes out of its way to ground the horror in reality and could have used a bit more of the supernatural throughout to get the point across. The misleads early on don’t quite pay off and will leave you with questions, but I can’t help but appreciate the experience. C+
Palm Springs
When carefree Nyles and reluctant maid of honor Sarah have a chance encounter at a Palm Springs wedding, things get complicated as they are unable to escape the venue, themselves, or each other.
Based on the audience reaction, Palm Springs was a favorite at this year’s festival. It offered a very straight-forward, sometimes crass, comedy to the usual dour films surrounding it. This follows the Groundhog Day format, but thankfully it has reason to exist because of how it messes with the all-too-familiar formula. The redundancies are purposeful and played as gags.
Andy Samberg is very much playing what he does already, but before I could get tired of him, the character was given depth, even displaying what living the same day thousands of times can do to your psyche. The real star is Cristin Milioti, who has so much range. This should be a star-making performance for her. With Palm Springs holding the record for the biggest purchase of Sundance’s history, you’ll be seeing it in theaters this summer. Don’t let the hype ruin it, it’s funny without being too in your face. Palm Springs is somehow a multi-layered movie that just happens to borrow from a very redundant concept. B+
Night House
Night House stars Rebecca Hall as a widow who begins to uncover her recently deceased husband’s disturbing secrets.
This movie follows the lead of what Sundance delivers to the horror table. It rests on a purposeful slow burn plot, but thankfully this experience has enough unique moments to keep your attention and feel dread for the main character. Hall is great as a jaded widow that won’t allow anyone to be overly cautious around her. She’s a very strong character, but that doesn’t stop something malicious from haunting her every time she sleeps.
The movie tells a good story about the reasons behind the hauntings, but leaves a more interesting plot unexplored. What will really make this movie stand out among the pack (beyond the blaringly loud jump scares) is the framing techniques that play tricks on your eyes and make you wonder if what you are seeing is an apparition or just a shadow or silhouette against the architecture of her house. Searchlight pictures bought Night House for a large sum, so expect to see this in theaters around September of this year. B
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