* (restored)

I watch a lot of dark films, some of which cross into the horror genre. Here’s a selection of lesser-known favorites from the last ten years. Most are quiet, abstract, and tense, and low on gore, jump scares, and explanations.

(A longer list is here.)

 

Berberian Sound Studio (2012, dir. Peter Strickland)

A British sound designer (played by the wonderful Toby Jones) is flown to Italy to work on an Italian horror movie soundtrack. As expected (?), the merely awkward situations become mystifying and threatening. Strickland is somehow able to sustain a sense of unease with mostly the gorgeous sound design, and not very much happening. But you don’t have to be a sound geek to enjoy the slow-burn, with all its visual references to Italian horror movies. (“Berberian” is a reference to the divine Cathy Berberian, avant-garde vocalist active mostly in the 60s/70s.)

 

The Duke of Burgundy (2014, dir. Peter Strickland)

“Starting with a surprising, sensual and semi-retro opening credits sequence, Strickland had created a voluptuous exploration of power dynamics in what may be a relationship’s waning days.

“Visually, it recalls a Greenaway, but less smothering and with heat and warmth. Triple exposures, layered reflections, some manic sequences of just moths –  it’s almost a bombardment.” Frank Danay, https://letterboxd.com/bebravemorvern/film/the-duke-of-burgundy/

 

The Endless (2017, dir. Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson)

I’m a big fan of the Moorhead/Benson team; this is not unflawed, but maintains an uncanny tension. It predates Midsommar, and the story has similarities (I’m not a big Ari Aster fan, sorry). Two brothers, who escaped from a doomsday cult years ago, receive a VHS tape inviting them to visit. The awkward social situations quickly take a darker turn.

 

Resolution (2012, dir. Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson)

The Moorhead/Benson team’s first feature opens like a claustrophobic but possibly conventional thriller: the protagonist travels to his friend’s isolated cabin to help with drug rehab, taking a pretty extreme approach. Then the weird surveillance videos and space/time anomalies kick in.

The same team’s Spring (2014) is very engaging and charming (and dark), but quite different from this and The Endless. Their newest, Synchronic (2019), hasn’t seen much US distribution, AFAIK.

 

Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010, dir. Panos Cosmatos)

If you loved Videodrome, but hanker for a more abstract approach with minimal narrative machinery, this is for you. Beyond… does wear its influences on its sleeve, with the cold wave synthesizer soundtrack, static-y analog TV, and “Benway” pills. The main character (played by Michael Rodgers) even looks kind of like James Woods in Videodrome! But there’s a lot of gorgeous visual design (see trailer), with some beautiful set pieces (reminiscent of Jodorowsky?), and lovingly detailed sound design.

 

The Blue Hour/Onthakan (2015, dir. Anucha Boonyawatana)

Two Thai boys hang out in an abandoned swimming pool, and encounter a possibly supernatural presence. It’s dark, elegiac, abstract, and sexy: my kind of horror movie. For some reason this has not enjoyed wider distribution.

 

A Dark Song (2016, dir. Liam Gavin)

A smarmy occultist and a woman dealing with loss are trapped together for a few days to perform a magic ritual. This is claustrophobic, intense, draining and messy, the way I think real magic might be.

 

The Man with the Magic Box (2017, dir. Bodo Kox)

A bleak time travel tale without the hardware, reminding me of a less abstract Primer. The wealth of visual details is noteworthy: the uncomfortable, washed-out blue and green tinted scenes, some truly sinister characters, the main female character’s Bridget Riley dress, the recycling center that’s too close to today’s ugly truths. The main actors turn in nice performances as they wander through the cryptic, sometimes discontinuous little scenes in their ultimately charming and sympathetic fashion.

 

The Strange Color of your Body’s Tears (2013, dir. Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani)

I believe this is familiar to some DLs. The “plot” is really not important, kind of like a Robbe-Grillet novel. But it’s a visual feast with its saturated colors, and nods to Argento and Italian horror movies.

 

Depraved (2019, dir. Larry Fessenden)

The latest from the indie horror mainstay is a smart updating of Frankenstein, set in modern day Brooklyn. It’s thoughtful and beautifully executed, with some sly bromance moments.

Fessenden’s earlier movies, such as Habit, are well worth checking out.

 

The Deeper You Dig (2019, dir. Toby Poser and John Adams)

My favorite from Another Hole in the Head 2019. It’s a standard death and revenge story arc, but there are clever, surprising ideas, and some vicious black humor (see annoying radio, and the hilarious toilet sequence, for instance). It’s largely a family production; the directors’ daughter plays the teenage daughter, and does an excellent job both living and dead. Some beautiful cinematography of snow scenes, and a lovely crazed seance sequence.

 

The Invitation (2015, dir. Karyn Kusama)

The protagonist and his girlfriend are invited to a party thrown by old friends and ex’s. The opening section does a beautiful job of evoking being trapped in an excruciatingly uncomfortable social situation. Things of course go downhill from there. Excellent menacing performance from John Carroll Lynch; check out also Nick Antosca’s Syfy series Channel Zero. (I almost excluded this movie because of the bloodbath ending, but everything before that is well worth seeing.)

 

Coherence (2013, dir. James Ward Byrkit)

Another dark science fiction-ish movie without the hardware, this is centered on space/time anomalies, one of my favorite tropes. A nice sense of unease and the uncanny throughout.

 

The Incident (2014, dir. Isaac Ezban)

Yes, more space/time anomalies, without hardware. This is gritty and obsessive and painful, like they should be.

 

The Untamed (2017, dir. Amat Escalante)

Dysfunctional interpersonal relationships, some beautiful visuals, and that thing in the cabin in the woods.

 

Jamie Marks is Dead (2014, dir. Carter Smith)

Finally, a relatively straightforward atmospheric ghost story, but there are some beautiful visuals, the interactions between the living and dead boys are nicely done, and most questions are left unanswered. Adapted from Christopher Barzak’s novel One for Sorrow, which is more queer than the movie.

 

 

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p.s. Hey. ** jay, Hey. Thanks for your always trustworthy gaming insight and expertise. Very cool about your new abode, and enjoy being teenagery and secretive — godlike characteristics, at least from afar. Those squares around you are so lucky. ** ⋆˚꩜｡darbbzz⋆˚꩜｡, They were founded in ’62, but they only started advertising and franchising wildly in the 80s. But, yes, they knew nothing about my thang. Nah, you radiate dignity, pal. I’d like to know how to make Tibetan Butter tea, thank you. There’s a Tibetan restaurant here, but the food is weirdly bland (to my taste buds). Never been to Egypt. Would like to, yes. We had a regular Egyptian commenter here for a while, but I think his life got too interesting for him to visit. We’re not going to the Philly screening, but we are going to the Iowa City screening a few days later because they’re paying the bucks to bring us. ** _Black_Acrylic, Is there not a ‘Chucky’ video game? Wow. That would be fun for all and guaranteed money in the bank for some company. ** l@rst, Thanks, buddy! ** Carsten, Hi. Yeah, apples and oranges on the Jarmusch vs. Jarmusch, right? You and your storms. We’re just breezing along over here, the spring arriving a little more obviously every day. ** Steeqhen, Very glad the post hit home. And I’m more happy that your things are getting easier. It’s a very tough world to be trying to survive and get ahead in for anyone, even optimistic, problem solver me. Writing is definitely a good and healthy start. Great! ** Antonia, Hi! Oh, yes, of course that’s what it is. I wasn’t thinking. Yeah, there’s a famous, controversial one in Paris by Gare du Nord where the Eurostar comes in, and when I lived in Amsterdam in the 80s, there were tons of them. That’s really great work you’re doing. I have some late great friends in the US whose lives would have been saved if it wasn’t such a mindlessly conservative, Christianity-lionising place. I’ll look up that Matteo B. Bianchi book, thank you. And thank you for attending to the stuff around Zac’s and my films. It’s been such a boon to find filmmaking. I feel really refreshed artistically. Spring is arriving here. And there? How is the rest of your week looking and lining up? Oh, and where are you in Germany. Zac and I are going to be in Berlin showing our new film in middish-May if that’s in your vicinity? ** HaRpEr //, It’s always so sad when fucked up, fascinating people think far right politics is their dream religion. Auto correct is Satan. Well, except when it’s a saving grace, I guess. ** Hugo, so sorry about the lost notebook. I lost a whole hand written novel-in-progress once years ago, and I just told myself it was probably shit, which it probably was. If I’m in Paris when you come to Paris, sure, of course. Try to feel better, and highest hopes that some saintly stranger or whoever will return that which is yours to you. ** Laura, Tingly, nice. Best when the trickery and the flaws are both showing. I think I’m rationalist. Huh, am I? Thinking. Yeah, that actresses’s prosthetic asshole was a popular meme in my social media yesterday. Not it, but its existence. Give me a prosthetic asshole over a fleshlight any day. Although I do like the fleshlight = flashlight aspect. I would be a really cool rich guy, I swear to god. I really wouldn’t wait too hard to hear anything about the script because it’s going to be while, I think. My inbox can be your receptacle, its honor and mine, but just to say/remind that I am really, really slow at getting to stuff. ** voskat, Autocorrect really, really wants to change your name to ‘vodka’, as you might well know. Wow, thanks for the memes/gifs and the video. I’ve only glanced at them so far, but I’m already excited. Everyone, voskat has three gifts, two Silent Hill memes/gifs here and here (sound on), and a video called 1 Year in The Backrooms, and they’re all fun central. ** kenley, Ah, French black metal being Nazi, that actually rings a bell. France would certainly ban Nazi bands playing here if they knew. Interesting. ‘Castle Faggot’ will outlive all of us and everything. I would say just wait and see if I’m right, but we’ll all be dead by then. Iow, hooray! Funnest Thursday in recorded human history to you. ** Right. Today I’m bringing back a wonderful guest-post from the mighty visual/sound artist and DC’s regular Bill Hsu from years ago for your delectation. Snuffle around in it, won’t you? See you tomorrow.