Saint Maud (2021)

Maud feels certain that God has big plans for her and is having trouble seeing his hand in her current situation. She's starting a position as a live-in palliative care nurse for Amanda, a former dancer, and slowly comes to believe that this woman might be her mission. Amanda herself seems open to Maud's message, going so far as to refer to Maud as her "saviour." 

I was so impressed with the suffocating tone here. A few times, Maud's eyes or mouth would open just a little wider than should be possible, but the moment was so fleeting that I could never be sure if I was imposing my own dread onto the image. I was put in mind of Rosemary's Baby and Servant -- is this madness or divine? Wonderfully scary.

B+

Europa Report (2013)

A 6-person crew sets off for Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, in hopes of finding the life there that research indicates exists. The crew loses touch with earth less than 6 months in, but the voyage itself is fairly mundane. Even the loss of a crew member along the way is a quietly sad accident rather than a bombastic set piece, which was extremely effective. These are people doing their jobs well and dealing with issues as they come up without falling apart or lashing out.

But maybe realism just isn't enough. While I did appreciate that these were adults who always put the mission first, I was also left wondering what the purpose of the movie was. I was hoping for something more thrilling.

B-

The Craft (1996)

Three friends -- social outcasts due to their interest in witchcraft -- identify the new girl as a possible "fourth" for their coven. After initially rejecting their overture, Sarah dives in and proves more adept at spells than the others. But Nancy (the leader of the crew) isn't interested in the small stakes spells that her friends consider important and she has no hesitation mowing down people in her way.

This isn't bad, but it's a bit too thin to be much more than a fun scary movie for slumber parties. Basically, it's the kind of horror that is unlikely to give a teen nightmares.

C+

Butterfly Kisses (2018)

Amateur documentarians decide to look into a local bogeyman. Legend has it that if you stare through a railroad bridge for a full hour without blinking, he'll appear at the far end. Then, every time you blink, he'll get a little bit closer until he's near enough to your face to tickle you with his eyelashes. 

Despite the fantastically natural "people on the street" interviews that sell us on the idea and the meta commentary about found footage/the convenience of the tapes falling into the hands of another filmmaker, there isn't enough here to keep it interesting through to the end. It leaves too many questions while also generating too little interest for me to really mind.

D

Tragedy Girls (2017)

Best friends with a website dedicated to violent crimes are desperate to have their site hit it big. When a serial killer finally takes their "teens making out in a car" bait, they take him hostage and take over. They kill exes, rivals, and basically anyone who pulls focus from their site. They don't seem to be emotionally tied to anyone other than each other and are unaffected by the horrors they're wreaking. 

I don't know what this is saying. We never feel connected to these sociopaths and it isn't frightening, but neither does it come off as a successful satire. I give it props for the interesting idea, but it ultimately goes nowhere and has zero effect.

C-

Double Indemnity (1944)

Walter Neff is the top selling insurance agent at his firm, which also employs a crack claims adjuster who always sees through attempted fraud. But when Neff meets Phyllis, his good sense goes out the window and he's soon embroiled in a scheme to get her out of her marriage and into a pile of money.

It's one of those stories that starts at the end and then flashes back to fill in the details, so we're aware from the outset that the plan doesn't work out for Walter and Phyllis. But, boy, it's good fun watching it go wrong. It did take a little bit to get used to Fred MacMurray as a hard-boiled type delivering worldly quips every time he opened his mouth, but he makes it work.

Definitely a noir touchstone.

B+

Clueless (1995)

Cher is a spoiled rich girl living in a mansion and attending school with a lot of other spoiled rich kids. But, unlike so many who have so much, she's not a mean girl. For example, when she sees the awkward new kid at school, her instinct is to extend the help she perceives is needed (makeover/boyfriend) rather than to shun her. Despite her desire to be a good person, her lack of knowledge of what goes on outside her bubble is a hindrance, so it's a good thing her stepbrother Josh is always around to keep her head from getting too big!

I really liked this when I first saw it 35 years ago (when I was still in my 20s). Though it doesn't entirely hold up, it's still pretty sweet and worth a watch.

C+

Late Night with the Devil (2024)

The "documentary" intro to the film does a lot of the heavy lifting, briefing us on talk show host Jack Delroy who, though popular, has never managed to land the top spot. He lost his beloved wife to lung cancer (though she'd never smoked) and, about a year later, his ratings have gotten extremely low. There's also some info about a secret society that breeds children to sacrifice. For Halloween 1977 -- during sweeps week -- Delroy's show "Night Owls" decided to embrace the season by booking a medium, a skeptic, and a girl rescued from the secret society who claims to be possessed by a demon. What follows is the tape of that episode, not shown since 1977.

This is an absorbing and effective low-budget horror film with David Dastmalchian (Delroy) and Ingrid Torelli (as the possessed Lilly) turning in particularly good performances. Though it can't help but kind of peter out at the end, I was pretty impressed.

B-

Don't Move (2024)

Bereft mother is considering ending it all from the same hiking trail cliff that took her son, when a stranger arrives and calmly talks her out of it. We soon find out that his motives are more opportunistic than altruistic; too bad for him he did such a good job of convincing her not to give in to the call of death that day.

This is how I like my horror: more psychological than graphic and not trying to be more than it should be. Just scare me without insulting my intelligence, then get off my screen.

B

Klute (1971)

Six months after a friend goes missing, private detective John Klute travels to New York to dig into the only clue: an obscene letter written to Bree, a prostitute who lives there. Though very good at her job, Bree is actively trying to quit what she considers a problematic compulsion, pursuing an acting career instead. Klute, despite an almost complete lack of charm, convinces her to help and they eventually begin an affair.

At the risk of sounding prudish, the "underbelly" vibe of this movie was offputting -- like, how do people live like this? What are they getting from it? There were also a few too many times that I was confused about what, exactly, was going on. But the acting is good and the story was interesting if a tad predictable.

B-