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Halloween Ends 2022 ★
As a stand alone film, this would/could work.
I can certainly see where they are coming from.
They are trying to do something different and that's admirable. They're also setting up the legacy for when Michael Myers should be biologically dead and I'm cool with that. Zombie Michael is no option, fair enough. So they go wih this. Tapping into contemporary issues like mental health and suicide: applaudworthy.
But this as the pay-off to the final trilogy? After two whole movies of build up? No. Just no.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery 1997 ★★★
Went in for a rewatch. It turned out to be just the kind of fluff I needed at that moment.
I'm surprised how many of the jokes still stand after all this time.
A solid comedy and a perfect fit for subscription platforms.
Duyster 2021 ★★★★˝
Good lord, what a pleasant surprise.
I'm familiar with the expression “living up to expectations”, but can we make “living up to hope” a thing as well, along with “as good as I had hoped”? Because the premise certainly had given me hope. A FF made by people from my neck of the woods, even with a similar accent. Cool.
So did I in my heart of hearts want this to be good? Of course I did. Only natural.
So was I a bit biased going in? Maybe a tad, but also weary. Because it would be terrible if it sucked. And a lot of found footage does. Let's not mince words: this is the downside to democratizing the fillmmaking process the way this genre does, a virtue not unlike punk rock. When any random schmo can grab a camera, low budget talent will find a way to come to the surface. But many will also try and fail. The same way not every punk band can be The Clash or Bad Religion. And for every Bad Religion that pops up, there are ten bands that are simply terrible.
This is not the case with Duyster. From the opening shot, the characters and their dynamics are well and clearly set up. Anyone who has ever done a group project in secondary school, high school, community college or college can on some level relate to the dynamics within this trio. Or recognize themselves in either Milan, Nora or Bas. The film crew being down on their luck at first is a nice reminder of [Rec] as well. Wonder how intentional this parallel/reference was.
The scares are very well dosed throughout the movie, which in my opinion is a key factor to this subgenre. One thing I noticed is that the bad found footage go way too long without anything really happening. Props to Thomas Van Brabant and Jordi Ostir for their direction and timing here. No details because I don't want to spoil anything. But suffice to say that this is great stuff.
We do get a bit of the running and the screaming and the “oh my god” that typifies found footage movies, but then it pulls a swerve that you can not possibly see coming. All I can say is: the less you know, the better.
Make sure to find a copy with English subtitles, because this is really worth checking out. It's certainly going in my found footage top ten, I just don't know where yet.
For the Belgians and the Dutchmen reading this: Jordi also has a podcast on Spotify called Klokslag 12, where he and his cohosts Dennie and Lorenz discuss all things horror related. I really recommend giving that a listen on either Soundcloud or whatever other medium of your choice. Fun fact: Dennie and Lorenz have a cameo in the movie as well. See if you can spot them.
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