Pumpkin spice latte fragrance in the air, jumpers and hoodies taking the place of T-shirts in the wardrobe and colder weather takes over from the scorching summer days. In short, the spooky season is upon us! Leaving the standards to one side, what about more recent content, even some that isn’t out yet?
Sinners – HBO Max
Michael B Jordan is one of the best actors of his generation, and that is a hill I’m more than willing to die on. The guy just oozes charisma and dominates each film he is in. So, it is only natural that when a film casts him in two roles, the awesomeness is through the roof.
Ryan Coogler’s gory masterpiece Sinners tells the tale of twin brothers in the American South in the 1930s. Smoke and Stack left their hometown years ago to fight in WWI and then work as enforcers for the Chicago mob. Hardened and weary, they return home to open a music club, but overhead costs are the least of their problems. Discrimination, racism and deep-seated hatred also stand in their way. So does a pack of bloodthirsty vampires.
Exploring societal norms, religion and legacy through the lens of a vampire thriller isn’t conventional, but then again, neither is the director. Sinners is bloody, engaging and, above all, scary.
Frankenstein – Netflix
When The Odyssey came out, the biggest piece of criticism it received in the Greek-speaking world was that “it wasn’t faithful to the source material”. This is a criticism usually levelled at directors when they try to adapt any piece of literature.
But, creativity doesn’t work like that. Creative people need to give it their own spin, their own interpretation of the material. That’s the hard part, and the reason why not everyone can be a director.
Such is the case with the beloved Guillermo del Toro when he set out to adapt Mary Shelley’s iconic tale of Frankenstein, looking to breathe new life into it.
And breathe he did. Frankenstein is a visually stunning piece of cinema, full of extraordinary sets, breathtaking imagery and a heartbreaking tale of rejection. Who is really the monster here? The arrogant, obsessed scientist or the abomination he created?
Carrie – Prime Video
One thing I’d love to see within my lifetime? Mike Flanagan adapting The Dark Tower series with enough budget to make it a classic. Flanagan is the man when it comes to Stephen King books, but until I get my heart’s desire, we will have to settle for the newest adaptation of the King classic, Carrie.
The book that launched King’s career, it tells the story of a shy, bullied girl who has just about had enough of ridicule and decides to spread mayhem and destruction using her telekinetic powers.
True to form, Flanagan deviates from the source material while at the same time staying faithful to its spirit. He gives the story a contemporary look, bringing it into the digital era, with cyberbullying and online religious activism taking centre stage.
I was blown away. Flanagan is a true master of slow-burning horror, and the Amazon budget really shows in the action scenes.
Below – Netflix
What’s a Halloween list without some good ol’ creature horror? The always-welcome Josh Hartnett stars as a struggling fisherman living in a remote community in Newfoundland. The town is completely dependent on fishing to survive and is struggling, like so many remote places today.
Things take a turn for the supernatural when the town is threatened by a mysterious sea creature, prompting our hero into action to save himself, his family and the soul of the town. The Arctic environment is the perfect setting for a creature horror series: there’s no escape, nowhere to go and even the landscape is hostile. Add to the mix the fact that some residents have their own agendas, and you have the human drama element as well.
Dead-End Job – Netflix (October 30)
If it comes from South Korea and is bonkers, I’m in. Hyeok-jun is a young man with financial issues who discovers an agency offering jobs that pay 50 times the minimum wage. What could go wrong? He soon discovers that there is a reason this job pays so well, but also learns the upside: the longer you persist, the more money you get.
And the crazier things get.
Blood and gore are abundant in this upcoming series, along with the usual wackiness we’ve come to expect from Korean filmmaking. I don’t know if this will hit Squid Game levels of success, but I’m definitely giving it a try.