Recently Seen

I've been indulging myself in my favorite genre, supernatural films that have a strong psychological element.

Don't Look Now
I see why this made such a splash when it first came out. A British husband and wife have recently lost their daughter and are living in Venice. Then, there's indications that the daughter's spirit has returned. Or has it? I'm being extremely vague because I wish I'd known much less about this movie before watching it, much of the impact is greatly diminished by knowing even non-spoiler details. Mostly strong first two-thirds, with a lot of thought put into the symbolic use of color and camera effects. (I am a sucker for visuals). Creepy and atmospheric in a very "normal" way, the creep occurs in the mundane details, not the extraordinary.

Unfortunately, the movie has a very weak ending and overall, the whole was less than the sum of the parts. (I'm reminded of the Legend of Hell House, another well-done horror movie from the same era with a weak ending.) But, if you appreciate movies that take horror and supernatural seriously and not as a throw-away genre, you should probably see it once. Just don't blame me if you say, "That's it?" at the end.

Ghost Actress
I recorded this on a whim and had no idea it was from Hideo Nakata, the same director as Ringu, the inspiration for The Ring. It's Japanese and set in the modern era. A studio is working on a World War II period piece, the usual aggravations of working on a set and the tedium of making a film occur. Then unusual things start occurring. Beautiful blending between the drama of the World War II scenes and the bustle of the set. Horribly, excruciatingly slow in the first third. I was rehearsing my apology to the Spousal Unit when it all started coming together. Got completely creeped out and sucked into the action. Dunno if I was quite satisfied at the end, but despite its flaws and pacing, I'm glad I saw it.

Onibaba
I recommend this HIGHLY. Another Japanese film, black and white, set in the medieval era when Japan was torn apart by civil war, the same conditions that we see in Seven Samarai. Unlike Seven Samarai, there's no dignity, no heroism, just a desparate struggle for life. A woman and her daughter-in-law survive by ambushing soldiers, killing them, and trading their armour and weapons for food.

The woman and her daughter-in-law have fallen into a stable routine of relying on each other in their grisly work when a neighbor back from war introduces a disruptive element with his attraction to the daughter-in-law.

At one point, the older woman tells someone, "I have never seen anything beautiful in my entire life" and you believe it. There's not a single beautiful character or thing in this entire film, and I highly recommend that you watch it.