10 recent Hidden Gems I haven’t talked about yet, but highly recommend.
Backcountry (2014) Directed By: Adam MacDonald – Starts as a minimalist camping drama, and then a vicious bear takes things up a notch. Actually, all the notches. Not much more to it than that, but this repeatedly reminds me why I never want to go camping.
Chained (2012) Directed By: Jennifer Lynch – A serial killer (Vincent D’Onofrio) murders a mother and kidnaps her child to train him to be his accomplice. I generally prefer my Horror on the Fantasy side. When you work with realism, there’s a responsibility which works at cross purposes with creating ‘entertainment’. This is rough stuff, and it’s comforting to know it was written and directed by a woman. The actors find their way through this unusual situation and are not psychologically manipulated for the camera. That puts a lot on Vincent D’Onofrio, who luckily is up to the challenge, and you can track him transitioning regarding the kid from prisoner to possible protégé. The film’s ability to see this lifestyle as increasingly normal is its greatest, most disturbing strength.
Deadstream (2022) Directed By: Joseph Winter, Vanessa Winter – Found footage done right. There’s a lot of Sam Raimi to this. Not the camerawork, but the lead being dumb and annoying but still likable, the tortures the film puts him through (slightly sadistic and excessively gross) and the low budget creature effects that detract from the terror but add a lot of charm. First half is legit scary. Then it becomes like Evil Dead II, which I also like, just in a different way.
Hypochondriac (2022) Directed By: Addison Heimann – While the film overtly and deliberately has influences from other movies, especially Donnie Darko, it’s a hard film to categorize or set up expectations for. This is a psychological drama that uses the audio/visual fantasy of horror to put the viewer into a mindset that is certainly damaged, but hopefully not broken. I’m always uneasy with horror based in mental illness. It’s real easy to slide into exploitation to satisfy genre expectations. Because writer/director Addison Heimann is confronting his own past, it personalizes the mental illness and comes off as cinema therapy. This is Heimann’s feature debut, and he has definite skill with the form. There’s a style to enhance the feeling that life is out of whack, but not an excess to confuse, disorient or hammer home the belief that things are not right.
I Blame Society (2020) Directed By: Gillian Wallace Horvat – This reminded me how much I wanted to get away from the star of Dashcam (2021). The female lead here is quirky and difficult, but only slightly off-putting, which is the right combination for a compelling lead. The way she continues to normalize her behavior in a convincing way is like a magic trick.
The Limehouse Golem (2016) Directed By: Juan Carlos Medina – A British period serial killer, murder mystery set in the theatrical world and starring the great Bill Nighy as the detective. That’s a lot of things I like all in one package, and much of it doesn’t disappoint. It probably doesn’t need to be said, but Nighy is excellent as the detective. He plays the character weary, with little of his usual movements and affectations, which brings out his keen mind at work. The end presents a ripping good solution with interesting repercussions.
Milk & Serial (2024) Directed By: Curry Barker – Doesn’t try to hide its budget limitations, and still pulls off a strong cocktail of watchability (thanks to the performances) and unease (thanks to the right amount of dread over how far the film might go.) The filmmaking is technically simple, but also well-planned, not relying on shaky-cam or digital glitches. The script is similarly straightforward and twisted.
Sting (2024) Directed By: Kiah Roache-Turner – Like the clown in IT!, this isn’t an actual spider but a creature in spider form, which means it can do a bunch of things actual spiders can’t do while still doing all the things that terrify me about spiders. The film knows the power of those thin, sharp legs dropping into the frame from above, or the particularly unnerving way those legs tap as a spider moves across the room, picking up speed without warning. Easily one of the Top 5 Spider Horror Films.
Strange Harvest (2024) Directed By: Stuart Ortiz – A film like this, realism is key. It’s not everything. The Poughkeepsie Tapes had some weak performances and an actor I recognized, but it still managed a number of effectively creepy scenes. This is stronger. The biggest hurdle is that you know you’re watching a work of fiction. I’m impressed by how well the filmmaking keeps you locked in, creating a gruesome treat for fans of True Crime and Se7en.
Wer (2013) Directed By: William Brent Bell – I’m surprised the by low ratings and that this is from an often disappointing director, because it has all the dazzle of a promising new talent with a fresh angle. Rebuilding the werewolf myth until it explodes like a violent party balloon. A number of jump scares, but they weren’t cheap shots, just what you can do with a good sound mix. I ate this up once my skepticism wore off.
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