It's day 294 of the year and of my projects, therefore, it's Day 20 of the 31 Days of Hallowe'en challenges. As always, I'm starting off with my own 31 Days of Hallowe'en, which I wrote about back in August. My mini theme today is Werewolves. I picked Howl.
While traveling through a forest, a train is attacked by some unseen creature. As the passengers begin to understand what wild beast is actually stalking them, their fears force them to turn on each other.
An enclosed space, a group of scared strangers, being in a train accident in the middle of the night in a stretch of forest, and werewolves. This movie has it all. Classic monsters, isolated area, the unknown on the outside and because they are all strangers the unknown on the inside. It's a who do you trust? Which is worse, the werewolves or the humans?
This is a British film, that uses minimal effects to it's best advantage. The werewolves do not look the best, but they are used sparingly enough, that when they are on screen, you feel the tension. I would love to say there is a twist ending, but by the beginning of the third act you see the ending coming a mile away. The way this mixes the best of Terror Train and Dog Soldiers makes it a werewolf movie you should have at the top of your list.
And the 31 Days of Horror being hosted by Nightmare on Film Street. Their mini challenge today is A24 Movie. I picked In Fabric.
A mysterious add for a new store appears one night on tv, catching the eye of a lonely woman. She sets her mind on having the dress and buys it the next day. After wearing it once, she ends up with a rash. She begins to have nightmares about the dress, and ends up being attacked by a dog while wearing it. Deciding the dress is bad luck, she packs it up to take to a thrift store, but is killed in a car accident on the way. The dress is then bought by two more victims, a young man and wife.
This has a very Cronenberg vibe to it. It reminded me of Existenz as well as the British film The Cook The Thief His Wife and Her Lover. There's just some subplots happening that make you tilt your head and wonder what it is they are trying to do? Such as why the staff of the clothing store are treating a mannequin like a living breathing person? Was it a totem for the dress? Was it the dead model turned into a golem? The ending has the viewer seeing that the dye or material is being made up of the souls of the former victims.
Don't forget to check out my daily Letterboxd lists, as I am doing multiple horror challenges this year. Including #100HorrorMoviesIn92Days.
Come back tomorrow to see what's on the slab.
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