Face your Fears

So you want to watch a horror movie. Not all of us are able or willing to commit a few hours, step out to (not exactly family stuff), savour some slow and ominous buildup, and duly get freaked out multiple times. Where is the space for the quick horror fix? the one that looks for the fear that is inherent in daily life? How do you feel when you are the sole person, in the dead of the night, in a train compartment, and alight in a deserted station? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue0sTfVaeTw) How well can you trust in the early days of a relationship? Who is freaking out whom? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wghdBOIH6sA) Who else is the third wheel with amorous roommates? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXQhcKk7Q2c) What if the worst fears over a date came true (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8Mpv5QvhIg) ... and what if you cannot even imagine what a "bad date" can be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzVyCuvj1_s)... It is in the mastery of the mundane - the mild fear turning into an unspeakable terror - that creators on Alter (https://www.youtube.com/@WatchALTER) and Screamfest (https://www.youtube.com/@screamfestla) - Youtube channels - excel. Do you scratch when you itch? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toeG9OWeqdU&t=664s) Do you let in trick-or-treating children in hoodies? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zipj8eXcclk). Highly recommend getting out of the comfort zone, making good use of free time as opposed to long essays, and supporting some truly inspired if unknown creators

16.5/20

The Sound of Silence

Lupita Nyongo is a sublime transcendental acting talent in A Quiet Place Day One. The sheer terror of an alien attack, the empathy for a pet (Frodo the cat) and for strangers, the all too human search for pizza in a dying world, the desperate scream with thunder in the background, the acceptance of one's lot and the ultimate sacrifice - she packs it all in in what often appears to be a solo performance. Eric (Joseph Quinn) does no disservice to his role as the harried student who overcomes his fear of water and does the rescue - while Samira (Sam aka Lupita) makes the ultimate sacrifice - to the soundtrack of Feeling Good (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feeling_Good). It is not a particularly harrowing nor easy watch, but the thespian skills of the lead set it apart

16.5/20

Not so Silent night

Beth (Rebecca Hall) mourns the loss of her husband Owen... and continues a lonely life in a house in the backwoods. Till she comes across Owen's phone - and suspects an affair. But that's not quite it. The women slightly resemble Beth but not quite. And the visions - the increasing supernatural presences in the Night House - are for real. The Night House is a carefully crafted and genuinely eerie movie with a storyline that is not necessarily the easiest to guess - and even if you do, the scares are real

15/20

All the Demons in the World

 "No One Will Save You" - if there was any ambiguity as to the tonality of the movie perish the thought !! The finality in the title is real. Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) lives alone in a suburban home... appears disconnected and ostracized by the community at large. Along comes an alien break-in, with an all-out dash for survival, possessed humans, telekinesis, and - here is the interesting bit - the mind control device that shows Brynn's chequered past with Maude - the girl in her care whom she ended up killing. A tough gritty and anything but a feelgood movie that does not end on any triumphant note - this is quite a find - the demons of our lives are not just aliens who might invade, but perhaps the demons from our past as well

15.5/20