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THE LAST KNOCK presents: Possessor
Possessor: Psychological Body Horror Many have waited patiently for Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor. Coming eight years after his first body horror feature, the riveting science fiction Antiviral, would be beat the sophomore jinx? M. Night Shyamalan and Jordon Peele both fell victim to expectation, but Cronenberg rose to the occasion. In Possessor, Tasya Vos (Andrea Riseborough)…
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The Lodge by Jonny Numb
The Lodge: Accidentally Timely The Lodge speaks to our collective exhaustion. As Lili Von Shtupp (Madeline Kahn) sang in Blazing Saddles: “I’m tired… Tired of playing the game… Ain’t it a crying shame… I’m…so…tired.” The characters in this film are also at their wits’ end. The world we inhabit is one where many things have been…
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The Grudge (2020) by Jonny Numb
The Grudge: A Deceptive Ordinariness The new Grudge is probably the harshest telling of the tale (originating with Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-onin 2002), and its moments of violence spring from an intimacy manifested in the despair- or hope-stricken hearts of its characters. It’s a film shot in earth tones, underlining a small-town blandness that augments the feelings…
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THE LAST KNOCK presents: Mediocre Horror 2019
Mediocre Horror 2019: Unfortunately the Norm Yes, mediocre horror 2019 is that purgatory of movies somewhere between good and bad. And in this very gray nether region, storytelling is usually at the heart of the matter. Unfortunately, especially with the genre, mediocre horror is usually the norm. A half-baked idea that fails to carry through…
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Perversion of Motherhood by Kim McDonald
The Perversion The ideal of motherhood is often posited as the pedestal upon which society is built. Mothers are supposed to be the ones who protect us, civilize us. Women are expected to flow gracefully into the role of motherhood with full acceptance and wisdom. Fear or resentment are taboos women are expected to repress…
