Bernardo Villela is about to enter his fourth year of obsessive film blogging. His baby in that regard is The Movie Rat, which features movie reviews, analysis & insights on a wide range of topics. There are new or updated posts daily. His other experience includes writing prose and plays, feature and short film editing, writing and directing short films as well as television commercial copy-writing and directing. To read a more detailed biography on his other works visit his production company's site. For information on his novella or other upcoming works visit his Amazon info page. For random thoughts follow him on the Twitter.
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I am honored to be asked back to contribute another list. This one is most opportune because from September 1st through October 31st on The Movie Rat I feature myriad horror films, many that are overlooked, in a theme I call 61 Days of Halloween 2013.
As one who follows this Rupert Pupkin Speaks quite regularly I thought that the criteria for this list could and should be similar to the last one I did. This means that I chose films that are: foreign, and I tried also to have selections from different decades, and no countries repeating.
If you're so inclined please check in at The Movie Rat as other corollary lists may have been created since this one was drafted. It'd be terribly difficult to select the five "most" underrated films. Therefore, I've merely chosen some I have a particular fondness for and deserve a little more love. For this time you could say I broke my rule about renowned directors, however, I did try to avoid it.
Without further ado let's proceed to the list, which is in no particular order...
Rammbock (2010, Dir. Marvin Kren)
When following statistics on my blog, I have often noticed that my Top 10 Horror Films of 2011 list gets a lot more traffic than my The Best Horror Films of 2012 list. I'd like to think that Rammbock has something to do with that. I cannot
back that up though.
This is a film that proves quite a few
things: firstly, running time is not an indicator of quality. This film
runs barely over an hour. There's not a note missed, a thing out of
place; and though you may want more you do not need it. Second, despite
the fact that it's been marketed in the US as Rammbock: Berlin Undead, believe me that's a
hyperbolic title that makes the film sound schlocky. It's not. It is
great in every single phase of production. The last, and most important,
thing it proves is that there's a lot that can be done with something
seemingly overused (like zombies) if your hook is good.
The acting here is top notch namely by Michael Fuith
and Theo Trebbs (The White
Ribbon). Not wanting to give anything away, allow
me to just say that when the film ended, mimicking what a commentary track might sound like, I said: "Hello, my name is Martin
Kren and I directed the sheiße out of this movie."
At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul(Meia-Noite
Levarei Sua Alma) (1964, Dir. José Mojica Marins)
This
was a slot where I could have picked any of Zé do Caixão's
incarnations, better known in the US as Coffin Joe. Auteur and actor
José Mojica Marins, as is evidenced by the box set of his films that I
bought where I was first introduced to him, is not always his character,
but this is his most significant contribution to the genre and
Brazilian cinema, so I may as well go with the first.
As an
interview in a documentary about his life and career astutely points out
what Marins did was something that was unthinkable: he created an
authentically Brazilian archetype in the horror genre. Many of the
creatures, tropes and styles of horror storytelling are so deeply rooted
either in the US or Europe that refashioning them and making them
uniquely Brazilian was something that was heretofore unheard of. Marins
made his attempt over the course of several films. His
character is steeped in machismo, existential rhetoric and a burning
desire to procreate and there's, or course, the incessant lusting for
life while being surrounded by death. It's quite nearly a quixotic
journey this character takes that allows him to persist and remain
permanent even as Marins' cinema has advanced. The introductory film is
filled with touches of cinema and television of the time, but also moves
narrative forward being buoyed by techniques of the Cinema Novo
movement, Brazil's equivalent of the New Wave; a movement in which he
found many admirers being referred to as a "pure filmmaker." If you're
lucky enough to get a whole of the Region 2 PAL box set, take the plunge
it's well worth it.
The Psychic(Sette note in nero) (1977, Dir. Lucio Fulci)
There
comes a point in every potential fandom of mine for a filmmaker that's a
make or break moment.
When I saw this film, I had liked a few of Fulci's more well-known
titles and been underwhelmed by another. On a whim I decided to blind
buy this one and I was blown away. And so far as the underrated aspect
of it goes, I have to say that as much as I enjoyed it, even I have
underrated it some because I had meant to revisit it before writing it
up for this list, alas, time ran short.
If there's one thing
that's not fuzzy in my memory it's the eponymous seven notes. Italian
horror films stand out for numerous things. The score is usually one of
them. However, what this film also has is the grounding of a
supernatural element: the protagonist's clairvoyance being used as
weapon to combat forces that may be out to get her.
I've often
stated that I believe having a preference between Fulci and Argento is
fine, but dismissal of the other is foolhardy in my mind. Fulci, to me,
is "the other," however, I am a fan and it's hard for me to pin
down a favorite film of his, and the conversation ought not exclude The Psychic.
In a Glass Cage
(Tras el Cristal) (1987, Dir. Agustí
Villaronga)
It can be hard to forget that horror
films do not necessitate a supernatural element, simply because they
very often employ one. However, situational, character-based and
plausible situations can be the most terrifying. In the same cinematic
year that brought a great crop of Best Foreign Language Film Nominees,
there were also notable horror titles.
There is a kinship
between this film and Misery only there's a revenge
element, and it's a far more dark and twisted tale. Some of the IMDb
synopses are a bit too spoiler-ridden for my liking. Basically, it boils
down
to this: A former Nazi doctor, Klaus, living in Spain attempts suicide.
He fails and is kept alive by an iron lung. His wife, Angela, unable to
bear caring for him, hires a nurse in the person of mysterious teen,
Angelo, who knows his secrets, is a bit disturbed himself (for obvious
reasons) and decides to give the doctor a dose of his own medicine.
I
personally, like to go into a film knowing as little as possible.
However, going unprepared into a film like this might leave you taken
aback, as I have pulled some punches to preserve surprise. To get a
better sense of the twists and psychological warfare at play in this
shocker I'd recommend reading reviews from sources you trust. I have
debated writing a list of films you only need to see once due to their
impact and this would definitely make it. A great underrated film from a
greatly underrated director.
Hellphone(2007, Dir. James Huth)
This is one of my favorite older films from last year. Though I knew about it for some
time it took me a while to finally see it. When I finally did it was not
only a tremendously fun movie, but a memorable viewing experience. It's
a movie I soon showed a friend. Hellphone has a
fairly simple concept: a teen desirous of a cool cellphone, unlike the
one he has, finds one very cheap from an underground merchant. However,
it's possessed and soon starts to wreak havoc while seemingly giving him
what he wants. While having this Faustian slant the film is also
heavily influenced by '80s horror films. For example, the scene in which
the phone is acquired seems like it's straight out of Gremlins. The movie is funny, the
cinematography is creative and gorgeous, the performances are spot on
(namely by the star Jean-Baptiste Maunier, best known for his role in The
Chorus) and it's a ball from start to finish. It's a film not
available on a region one disc, but if you're so inclined it is very
well worth checking out.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Favorite Underrated Horror - Bernardo Villela
Labels:
Bernardo Villela,
the movie rat,
underrated horror
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