MOVIE REVIEW: IN THE EARTH

 

As the world searches for a cure to a devastating virus, a scientist and a park scout venture deep into the woods. As night falls, their journey becomes a terrifying voyage through the heart of darkness as the forest comes to life around them.

Director: Ben Wheatley

Cast: Joel Fry, Reece Shearsmith, Hayley Squires, Ellora Torchia, John Hollingworth, Mark Monero

Release Date: April 16, 2021

Genre: Horror

Rated R for strong violent content, grisly images, and language

Runtime: 1 h 40 min

Review:

Ben Wheatley’s In The Earth can best be described as a earthbound take on 2001: A Space Odyssey crossed with Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.  It’s the type of horror film that aims to make you uncomfortable to the point where some of the more extreme moments start coming off as a funny as the film moves on.  Those adverse to body horror sequences will probably be better off skipping this feature since it makes heavy use of it.  The story itself feels like a hodgepodge of ideas which used pandemic fears as a starting off point then got progressively stranger as it goes on.  That’s not to say that Wheatley, who also wrote the script, doesn’t have something to say but it’s not a coherent whole.  The latter seems to intentional on Wheatley’s part as he assaults the sense on multiple front’s.  The primary duo of Joel Fry and Ellora Torchia aren’t required to do much except react to what is happening to them.  Reece Shearsmith and Hayley Squires do most of the heavy lifting on the creepy factor but the film isn’t ever scary.  Wheately’s In The Earth is type of film that’ll leave you wondering what you just watched the moments the lights go up, it’s bound to elicit divisive reactions.   

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE ABCS OF DEATH

Twenty-six horror directors collaborate on an anthology film where each filmmaker directs a segment focusing on a death based on a letter in the alphabet. Among the directors involved are A Serbian Film's Srdjan Spasojevic, The House of the Devil's Ti West, and Black Death's Christopher Smith. Drafthouse Films and Timpson Films produce. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Directors: Adrían García Bogliano, Xavier Gens, Ti West, Yudai Yamaguchi, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Andrew Traucki, Adam Wingard, Simon Rumley, Anders Morgenthaler, Noboru Iguchi, Ben Wheatley, Jake West, Marcel Sarmiento, Jason Eisener, Nacho Vigalondo, Angela Bettis

Release Date: Mar 08, 2013

Unrated contains violence, horror, gore

Runtime: 2 hr. 3 min.

Genres: Horror

Review:

The ABC’s of Death is a strange but fascinating experiment in micro filmmaking. It’s terribly uneven all around but some of the shorts do shine while other repulse. Pretty much every aspect of horror and gore is covered within these 26 shorts. There are overly serious yet well made (A is for Apocalypse ; P is for Pressure) while some are slapstick (K is for Klutz, J is for Jidai-geki (Samurai Movie)). A handful I found inventive, well crafted and very clever (D is for Dogfight, C is for Cycle, S is for Speed, U is for Unearthed). Then there are a few (L is for Libido, M is for Miscarriage, Z is for Zetsumetsu, Y is for Youngbuck) that don’t just push the boundaries of good taste but jump over it all together hedging into repulsive territory. Other shorts are just batshit crazy (W is for WTF!, H is for Hydro-Electric Diffusion). Needless to say this is the type of film that I can only recommend to hard core horror fans. The variety and styles on display are interesting and each will affect each viewer differently depending on your own personal taste. Unlike the VHS series, The ABC’s of Death has no over arching story line tying them together so it’s easy to take each piece on its own merits or lack there of.

C+