(This article is part of our Best of 2024 series.)
Another year, another slew of movies to quantify. Cinema is doing alright for itself, even if the theater experience is not something I tend to seek out these days. The box office seems to at least be holding on. The output from filmmakers, whether it be theatrical or streaming, likewise seems to be doing alright for the time being. There’s always something to look forward to, and there’s always a nice little crop of movies to put on display. Of course, display racks can hold only so many titles. If you were to look at the spillage you might see some things you like (Terrifier 3, Frankie Freako, Dune: Part Two, Rebel Ridge, Self Reliance, and a whole lot more). But I’ll try to focus your attention a bit better. So, have at it.
The 28 Years Later Trailer
This is a cheat. I also don’t care. But, because it’s a cheat, I’ll knock it down a few pegs rather than put it rightly where it belongs. Sure, this trailer has been talked to death and hyped to hell. Analyzed and maybe overanalyzed, what with the shooting on an iPhone or the usage of Rudyard Kipling’s nerve-racking poem “Boots.” But it probably wouldn’t be a piece of art if these things didn’t occur, if it didn’t capture the zeitgeist. And, it is a piece of art. Long has the art of trailer-making been neglected, maybe even forgotten. It’s good to see it isn’t altogether dead. I don’t know what 28 Years Later itself will bring when it releases this summer, but I can tell you now, the trailer is both entertaining and provocative. And, if we’re going to compare pieces of entertainment from the year, I can think of few other things I’ve watched that could do in a couple of hours what this trailer did in just a few short minutes.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1
Hollywood does not particularly favor or reward experimentation. Sure, it allows for it within the constraints of an actual film, and the reward comes from audiences most typically. But try something a little different with the meta—as Kevin Costner attempted with his multi-film release with Horizon: An American Saga—and you’re likely to be put out to pasture at the first sign of a limp. And, sure enough, this limped hard in theaters…
With Horizon, Costner brought to the big screen the grandeur of the American West but presented it in an almost archaic, History Channel limited series package. The aim was a four-part series of Westerns, each three hours long (already something that does not exactly appeal to me in an age where the average movie can’t even clock in at under two hours anymore), and showcasing the tropes and tales of the American West. Suffice it to say, time was no factor for me here. The West has never looked more stunning; so much so that it’s a wonder there was no attempt to offer IMAX screenings. And the stories, while told in choppy, docu-series fashion complete with context stripped from scenes, all managed to work and keep me engaged. The movie, for me, managed to excite and entertain in the moment, and easily had me itching for what more was sure to come. But, with the experiment failed and no more films exactly, uh, on the horizon, this initial outing becomes something of a puzzle that I both recommend and warn against should you actually enjoy what you’re watching.
Heretic
A24 makes pretentious slop. They didn’t use to, but they do now. And their “horror” catalog is no different. Their high-minded, “the monster is a metaphor for feminine trauma!” brand of the genre is oversaturated to the point that I don’t even want to bother. Then, along came Heretic.
Writers-directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, who are no strangers to the genre having penned A Quiet Place and helmed Haunt, a notable work in itself, almost single-handedly redeem A24’s current state as a distributor with Heretic. They provide both a deft script and impeccable direction in this fine-tuned feature about a pair of Mormon missionaries finding themselves ensnared in a fanatical theologian’s house. Half of the movie carries on like a cinematic stage play with the older theologian tormenting his guests with an intellect he is all too proud of and deliberate hints at malice. The second half capitalizes on all the previous philosophical quandaries with the dread and terror one should expect from the more artistic outings in the horror genre.
Little need be said about the performances of the leads, they’re all great (especially Hugh Grant). More can always be said of the thematic elements the movie actually offers. It isn’t resting on the tired trope of “But My Trauma!” even if it does serve as a minor plot point. The movie offers the viewer plenty to chew on in an entertainingly anxious fashion and should allow for the viewer to draw some conclusions as to just what heresy they witnessed.
Nosferatu
Robert Eggers has enough films under his belt now that going into his latest outing, you should know what you’re getting. You’re getting dark, moody frames; assured camera movements to settle you into the equally dark and moody world; and a dark, moody (and sometimes bombastic) score to keep things dark and moody. Nosferatu, being Eggers’s fourth theatrical outing, is no different. However, being in line with his filmography is not to say the man behind the camera is resting on his laurels. Far from it. The man seemed to be operating full-throttle, and that is very much on display.
It would take a filmmaker with a certain amount of balls, if you will, to throw caution to the wind and remake Nosferatu in the first place. Vampires have become passé. They had already been reanimated, reinvented, and staked through the heart for anyone who actually appreciated the mythical horror of the undead creatures. Beyond that, it takes someone willing to gun it to give a film over fully to earnestness and seriousness in the horror genre. There is nothing but malice and dread on display, nothing but monstrous evil rattling the speakers when Count Orlok speaks or commands the elements. There is no winking at the camera, no undercutting the tension with quips (as is common in most genres if they aren’t full-on hybrid comedies). Here, Eggers wants you to watch a film. And, as we should have come to expect, he delivered one.
The Substance
There’s no doubt been a lot of great horror this past year, as this list should already attest to, but I’m not about to list The Substance as one of those. Not because I don’t think it’s not great, but because I refuse to consider it horror. If anything, this cautionary tale about aging, beauty standards, and the cannibalistic nature of Hollywood is more in line with a Twilight Zone episode than some nail-biting horror flick you could conjure up. You’ve got something of a monkey’s paw style wish fulfillment with Demi Moore’s aged-out character who, after decades at the top of the celebrity nonsense pyramid, gets the boot and comes upon a miracle de-aging serum. And, wouldn’t you know it, there’s a catch! A gruesome one that spawns resentment and jealousy and derangement, all in a fairly attractive package. It’s bizarre, and fun; and, especially by the final act, poignant just like any good Twilight Zone episode. A dark, violent, and often hilarious episode.
Come for the premise, for sure, stay for the claustrophobic filmmaking from Coralie Fargeat, who wholly makes use of the descriptor “French” if ever you need to describe the movie to someone else. There’s plenty more to say about The Substance, and plenty that should not be said about it if you do intend to watch it. Just enjoy and be glad you have only been consumed by the movie and not its subject.
What are your thoughts on the movies that made my top five? Share them down below!