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His House (2020) – OHMC 2022 Day 28

October Horror Movie Challenge 2022

His House (UK, 2020)

I was going to review His House for last year’s October Horror Movie Challenge but I ran out of month. One of the hardest parts of choosing these films is whittling down my average shortlist of around 70 films to the 31 I’ll actually have time to watch and review. There are just too many interesting horror films out there to keep up with.

Seeing how well His House was received made me regret my decision not to include it last time. So, once again, I am using this month’s selections as an opportunity to right wrongs. Given the film in question, that seems oddly appropriate.

His House is currently streaming on Netflix in the UK.

His House 1

Synopsis

We are introduced to Bol and Rial as they flee bloody conflict in South Sudan. They attempt to cross the English Channel on an overcrowded boat full of refugees, but hit trouble. While they survive, many are drowned, including their young daughter Nyagak.

After being released from a detainee centre in England, the couple are given accommodation in a rough area of London. Their new home is large but squalid, leaving the couple to deal with festering rubbish, peeling wallpaper and strange sounds coming from the walls.

As Bol tries to find a place in the local community, actively attempting to assimilate, Rial barely leaves the house and holds onto her past for dear life. This conflict drives a wedge between them even as things get weird within the house.

Although the house appears to be haunted, with sinister figures appearing in the darkness and scurrying through the walls at night, these ghosts prove to be ones Bol and Rial brought with them. Chief amongst these spectres is Nyagak, whose rage leads her to stalk and attack Bol.

As Bol faces down these ghosts, he starts tearing into the walls with a hammer, searching for their source. When their housing officer sees the damage, he threatens to launch an investigation. This would almost certainly lead to deportation and the risk of violent death.

Eventually, Rial deduces that there is a night witch, living within their house, conjuring up all these ghosts. This witch seems to want something from Bol, but what is really driving its hunger for blood and vengeance?

His House 2

General Thoughts

Like so many films that blend real atrocities and trauma with more supernatural threats, the ghosts of His House almost dilute the horror. While they pose a real threat to Bol in particular, they seem mild compared to the bloodshed we see in flashbacks to South Sudan and the terrors of the boat crossing. Rial even address this explicitly, telling her husband, “After all we’ve endured, after what we have seen, what men can do, you think it is bumps in the night that frighten me? You think I can be afraid of ghosts?”

The more grounded horrors don’t stop when Bol and Rial leave the detention centre. Almost everything about their treatment is dehumanising, from the exit interview conducted by a contemptuously bored panel to the way their belongings are packaged in bin bags and tossed on the pavement. As the couple try to adapt to their new environment, they face everything from a well-meaning doctor’s awkward misunderstanding of the cultural significance of Rial’s scars to a group of black teenagers who mock Rial’s accent and tell her to go back to Africa. The housing officer, in turn, tells Bol to “Be one of the good ones.” It almost feels like a relief when we go back to the ghosts.

Still, the ghosts of His House are pretty damn scary. Not only do they look disturbing but they only manifest in the dark. At times, the witch takes control of the house’s electrics, plunging Bol into darkness and vulnerability. These ghosts don’t just haunt — their manifestation is physical and they can inflict real harm.

His House 3

Verdict

Maybe it was all the hype or maybe it was anticipating the film for a year, but I was a little let down by His House. Don’t get me wrong — I still enjoyed it very much. It’s a clever, often scary blend of horrors that kept me engaged throughout. I just went into the film expecting it to be one of my picks of the month and left thinking it was merely above average.

One of the biggest problems is that the story pulls in too many directions at once. We have sharp commentary on British racism and the treatment of refugees, a couple attempting to maintain their dignity and identities while assimilating into a new culture, the literally haunting effects of PTSD, and a sort of redemption arc where Bol faces the sins of his past. Each of these is a compelling storyline in its own right, but the combined effect is too muddled for any one to truly stand out. The redemption aspect, in particular, risks actively undermining the other strands. This is a shame, as there is a lot to enjoy and admire in the narrative chaos.

Despite these faults, I’d still unreservedly recommend His House to anyone looking for a ghost story with a bit more depth. It’s an entertaining, creepy film that keeps you thinking even as it tries to scare the more primal parts of your brain. I just feel that a bit more script editing could have turned it into something remarkable.

The October Horror Movie Challenge

Please do join in and share your own thoughts with us about this or any other films as the month goes on. You can usually find us on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Discord, or lurking in the dark corners of your home.

If you would like to play along at home, my provisional selections are:

  1. Werewolves Within (USA, 2021)
  2. Crystal Eyes (Argentina, 2018)
  3. Super Dark Times (USA, 2017)
  4. Thirst (Australia, 1979)
  5. A Ghost Waits (USA, 2020)
  6. Cemetery of Terror (Mexico, 1985)
  7. I Came By (UK, 2022)
  8. 100 Monsters (Japan, 1968)
  9. Sea Fever (Ireland, 2020)
  10. Mill of the Stone Women (Italy, 1960)
  11. Glorious (USA, 2022)
  12. All the Moons (Spain, 2021)
  13. Broadcast Signal Intrusion (USA, 2021)
  14. Incantation (Taiwan, 2022)
  15. The Gore Gore Girls (USA, 1972)
  16. Luz: The Flower of Evil (Colombia, 2019)
  17. Butterfly Kisses (USA, 2018)
  18. The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (Italy, 1971)
  19. Saloum (Senegal, 2021)
  20. The Addiction (USA, 1995)
  21. Good Madam (South Africa, 2021)
  22. The Freakmaker/The Mutations (UK, 1974)
  23. The Long Walk (Laos, 2019)
  24. Errors of the Human Body (Germany, 2013)
  25. Eyes of Fire (USA, 1983)
  26. Caveat (Ireland, 2020)
  27. The White Reindeer (Finland, 1952)
  28. His House (UK, 2020)
  29. Tourist Trap (USA, 1979)
  30. Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (Sweden, 1922)
  31. Flux Gourmet (UK, 2022)

A Final Note

If you have been enticed here by these posts, please do look around at some of our other film reviews. We also have a podcast, called The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, which occasionally covers horror films. If this appeals, you might want to check out some of the following episodes.

If you dig through the archives, you will also find episodes about a wide variety of horror stories and games. Happy nightmares!

The White Reindeer (1952) – OHMC 2022 Day 27

the white reindeer poster
October Horror Movie Challenge 2022

The White Reindeer (Finland, 1952)

While it achieved international fame and won awards for several years after release, The White Reindeer had fallen into relative obscurity by the time I became interested in horror. I’m pretty sure I’d never even heard of it until last year. Happily, the current interest in folk horror has brought it back to public attention. It was certainly this folk horror connection that piqued my interest. From the name and the poster alone, I might never have guessed what a strange, dark film this is.

I was in two minds about including it in this year’s October Horror Movie Challenge. The prospect of seeing a classic horror movie from Finland tipped the balance, however. Let’s see whether The White Reindeer deserves its reputation as a classic of the genre.

The White Reindeer is currently streaming on Shudder in the UK.

The White Reindeer 1

Synopsis

We open with a montage of the birth of Pirita, set to the eerie strains of a traditional Sámi folk song. The lyrics tell us of a child born to a witch and of sacrifices to the stone god, foreshadowing much of what is to come.

The narrative then jumps forward to Pirita as an adult, being courted by Aslak, a reindeer herder. While the two fall in love and marry, Pirita soon becomes unhappy. Aslak’s work takes him all over the region, leaving Pirita on her own for long periods. She grows lonely and sexually frustrated.

In desperation, Pirita visits what the film refers to as a wizard but who more resembles a shaman. He offers to help her win the heart of any man. This requires making a sacrifice to the stone god. The process goes terribly wrong, however, due to the witchcraft in Pirita’s lineage.

Instead of simply gaining power over men, Pirita becomes a vampiric shapeshifter, uncontrollably turning into a white reindeer that lures men to their doom. Will she manage to break free of this curse or is she fated to bring death to all those around her?

The White Reindeer 2

General Thoughts

Folk Horror

The White Reindeer is introduced as “A tale from Lapland”. It draws heavily upon Sámi folklore and looks to have been shot almost entirely on location. The characters all wear traditional Sámi garb and follow equally traditional ways of life (apart from speaking Finnish, which might have been the case around the time the film was made). Even the opening scene is narrated entirely through a Sámi folk song. This is a film that earns its place in the folk horror pantheon.

At the same time, The White Reindeer is very much a fairy tale, just one of the darker variety. From Pirita’s yearning for love to the magic that leads her to a tragic fate, the story follows tropes we’ve seen in traditional tales from many cultures. One detail that stood is the huntsmen’s belief that cold iron offers the only way to slay the white reindeer. This is similar to protections against fairies in British and Celtic folklore. It’s fascinating to see how widespread these beliefs can be.

One big difference between The White Reindeer and most European fairy tales is that Pirita visits a shaman instead of a witch. Obviously, this is rooted in local Sámi traditions, but it also seems to be an important distinction once we learn that Pirita is a witch herself, albeit an unwitting one.

I was amused that one of the ingredients in the shaman’s love potion is the testicles of ten bull moose. I can’t imagine such a thing in a British or American film from the era.

Other Themes

Although it’s framed as loneliness in the film, Pirita’s motivation for visiting the shaman is very much sexual frustration. In this context, The White Reindeer falls into the broader genre of horror films rooted in fear of female sexuality. Giving into her desires turns Pirita into a predatory monster who preys on men. Sure, the men are drawn to her, but they can’t help themselves, right?

While watching, I made a note about how this reminded me of Jacques Tourneur’s Cat People, which was made some 10 years before The White Reindeer. Both involve femmes fatale shapeshifters powerless to stop themselves preying on men. A bit of googling afterwards revealed that I am far from the first person to make this connection.

Music plays a huge role in the The White Reindeer. I’m not sure that there’s a single moment unaccompanied by music. Much of it is pastoral and upbeat, despite the darkness of the story. Almost none is diegetic, however, despite all the festivals and celebrations we see.

And, as an aside, why are the characters in this film surprised when people keep dying in Evil Valley? The clue is in the name. Personally, I’d keep away from there.

The White Reindeer 3

Verdict

The White Reindeer is the biggest surprise of the month so far. I had no expectations beyond perhaps seeing an interesting piece of horror history. Instead, this proved to be an utterly gripping, beautiful and moving film.

The cinematography is a particular highlight. With so much of the story taking place outdoors, we are constantly surrounded by the vast, empty landscapes of Lapland. The bleak whiteness of the snow lends the film an otherworldly quality.

We see every aspect of Sámi life against this backdrop, from family life and weddings to reindeer herding and races. In the first act, in particular, I almost felt like I was watching a travelogue or a documentary about Sámi culture. It was especially interesting to see all the different methods of traversing the snow, using an endless variety of skis and sleds.

With so much of the soundtrack given over to music, The White Reindeer almost feels like a silent film. The stark lighting and heavy use of shadows adds to this, lending a touch of German expressionism. It’s almost startling when characters speak, especially given how little dialogue there is.

All these elements come together to create an odd and truly unique cinematic experience. Nothing about the film is self-consciously weird, but the overall combination of location, folklore and mood turn a relatively simple fairy tale into something powerful and disturbing. I’ve simply never seen anything like The White Reindeer. That alone should be enough to recommend it.

The October Horror Movie Challenge

Please do join in and share your own thoughts with us about this or any other films as the month goes on. You can usually find us on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Discord, or lurking in the dark corners of your home.

If you would like to play along at home, my provisional selections are:

  1. Werewolves Within (USA, 2021)
  2. Crystal Eyes (Argentina, 2018)
  3. Super Dark Times (USA, 2017)
  4. Thirst (Australia, 1979)
  5. A Ghost Waits (USA, 2020)
  6. Cemetery of Terror (Mexico, 1985)
  7. I Came By (UK, 2022)
  8. 100 Monsters (Japan, 1968)
  9. Sea Fever (Ireland, 2020)
  10. Mill of the Stone Women (Italy, 1960)
  11. Glorious (USA, 2022)
  12. All the Moons (Spain, 2021)
  13. Broadcast Signal Intrusion (USA, 2021)
  14. Incantation (Taiwan, 2022)
  15. The Gore Gore Girls (USA, 1972)
  16. Luz: The Flower of Evil (Colombia, 2019)
  17. Butterfly Kisses (USA, 2018)
  18. The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (Italy, 1971)
  19. Saloum (Senegal, 2021)
  20. The Addiction (USA, 1995)
  21. Good Madam (South Africa, 2021)
  22. The Freakmaker/The Mutations (UK, 1974)
  23. The Long Walk (Laos, 2019)
  24. Errors of the Human Body (Germany, 2013)
  25. Eyes of Fire (USA, 1983)
  26. Caveat (Ireland, 2020)
  27. The White Reindeer (Finland, 1952)
  28. His House (UK, 2020)
  29. Tourist Trap (USA, 1979)
  30. Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (Sweden, 1922)
  31. Flux Gourmet (UK, 2022)

A Final Note

If you have been enticed here by these posts, please do look around at some of our other film reviews. We also have a podcast, called The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, which occasionally covers horror films. If this appeals, you might want to check out some of the following episodes.

If you dig through the archives, you will also find episodes about a wide variety of horror stories and games. Happy nightmares!

Caveat (2020) – OHMC 2022 Day 26

October Horror Movie Challenge 2022

Caveat (Ireland, 2020)

While I’ve tried to take in as broad a scope of horror cinema as possible this month, there has been one inadvertent omission so far. None of the films have really been that scary. Don’t get me wrong — there have been some excellent films on the list, including a few that will stay with me for a long time. It’s just that even the best of them has been noteworthy for their imagination, wit or artistic flair rather than, say, their ability to keep me up until 4 AM, hoping that the noise I heard in the dark of the bedroom was just a restless cat.

Well, the trailer and reviews for Caveat suggest that this may finally be the film to scare me. Fingers crossed!

Caveat is currently streaming on Shudder in the UK.

Caveat 1

Synopsis

Isaac, a rootless young man recovering from some kind of head trauma, is hired by his acquaintance, Moe, for a special job. Moe’s niece, Olga, is suffering from a psychotic illness and is living alone in their remote family home. Isaac simply needs to look after her for a few days, making sure she comes to no harm. This should be easy, as Olga’s condition leaves her catatonic much of the time.

What Moe hasn’t told Isaac is that the house is on a private island, only accessible by boat. Worse still, Isaac is expected to wear a leather harness and chain while at the house, limiting his access to certain rooms, including Olga’s. This is supposedly to avoid triggering Olga’s paranoia. Given that she has a crossbow and a willingness to use it, this may be for the best.

Almost as soon as Isaac takes up residence, weird things start happening. A creepy painting of a young girl and her toy rabbit develops a life of its own. The actual toy rabbit beats an alarm on its drum to alert Isaac to unseen presences. And then there’s all the business with the dead body in the cellar.

As if all this weren’t bad enough, Olga alternates between catatonia and lucid moments of outright hostility. She claims that Isaac has been to the house before and that he did terrible things here. Is this just a symptom of her psychosis or is Isaac’s memory not to be trusted? Why is the dead body in the cellar so restless? And what the hell is going on with that toy bunny anyway?

Caveat 2

General Thoughts

Caveat makes terrific use of very limited locations. Apart from a handful of scenes, almost all the action takes place within a rundown cottage. Between shutters and an outright lack of windows in many rooms, this is a place devoid of natural light, swathed in shadow at all hours. Its starkness, oppressive gloom and small scattering of weird objects conjure up an unsettling gothic atmosphere.

And this is a profoundly gothic film. From its dark family secrets to the house filled with secret passages, everything goes back to the roots of the genre. There is even a little nod to Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath, with a wide-eyed corpse who won’t sit still.

Isaac spends much of his time prowling through the house in the darkness, relying on a torch for illumination. I was particularly impressed at how ineffectual this torch was. Too many films have a character strike a match and light up most of a room. Here, the weak little pool of light Isaac relies upon makes us feel his vulnerability all the more keenly.

Considering this is a film in which two of the characters are psychologically damaged, albeit in very different ways, the presentation of their illnesses is never less than compassionate. Moe does make Olga’s catatonia the butt of jokes, putting a lampshade on her head during one episode, but he is such a thoroughly unpleasant character that this only makes her more sympathetic.

Caveat 3

Verdict

Caveat is a near miss. While it has excellent moments and offers a fair few frights, it never quite comes together satisfactorily.

The way Caveat‘s story is told is arguably its strongest aspect. This is a puzzle box of a film with an unreliable narrator and we are left to infer a lot of details. Unlike, say, Broadcast Signal Intrusion, however, the film does give us all the pieces we need and doesn’t make us work too hard for them. It simply uses a few tricks to keep us off-balance and guessing.

Ironically, some of Caveat‘s strongest images are also its undoing. The business with the spooky painting and the rabbit doll is intriguing but not fully developed enough to work. While it fits thematically, we have to come up with our own explanations. This wouldn’t normally be a problem, but given how important piecing together the main narrative is here, it feels like the wrong approach.

These quibbles aside, Caveat is certainly the creepiest film of the month so far. Its sustained atmosphere of dread and moments of startling weirdness serve it well. It’s just frustrating that Caveat comes so close to excellence only to fall short.

The October Horror Movie Challenge

Please do join in and share your own thoughts with us about this or any other films as the month goes on. You can usually find us on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Discord, or lurking in the dark corners of your home.

If you would like to play along at home, my provisional selections are:

  1. Werewolves Within (USA, 2021)
  2. Crystal Eyes (Argentina, 2018)
  3. Super Dark Times (USA, 2017)
  4. Thirst (Australia, 1979)
  5. A Ghost Waits (USA, 2020)
  6. Cemetery of Terror (Mexico, 1985)
  7. I Came By (UK, 2022)
  8. 100 Monsters (Japan, 1968)
  9. Sea Fever (Ireland, 2020)
  10. Mill of the Stone Women (Italy, 1960)
  11. Glorious (USA, 2022)
  12. All the Moons (Spain, 2021)
  13. Broadcast Signal Intrusion (USA, 2021)
  14. Incantation (Taiwan, 2022)
  15. The Gore Gore Girls (USA, 1972)
  16. Luz: The Flower of Evil (Colombia, 2019)
  17. Butterfly Kisses (USA, 2018)
  18. The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (Italy, 1971)
  19. Saloum (Senegal, 2021)
  20. The Addiction (USA, 1995)
  21. Good Madam (South Africa, 2021)
  22. The Freakmaker/The Mutations (UK, 1974)
  23. The Long Walk (Laos, 2019)
  24. Errors of the Human Body (Germany, 2013)
  25. Eyes of Fire (USA, 1983)
  26. Caveat (Ireland, 2020)
  27. The White Reindeer (Finland, 1952)
  28. His House (UK, 2020)
  29. Tourist Trap (USA, 1979)
  30. Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (Sweden, 1922)
  31. Flux Gourmet (UK, 2022)

A Final Note

If you have been enticed here by these posts, please do look around at some of our other film reviews. We also have a podcast, called The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, which occasionally covers horror films. If this appeals, you might want to check out some of the following episodes.

If you dig through the archives, you will also find episodes about a wide variety of horror stories and games. Happy nightmares!

Errors of the Human Body (2019) – OHMC 2022 Day 24

October Horror Movie Challenge 2022

Errors of the Human Body (Germany, 2013)

Errors of the Human Body has been on my watchlist since I first saw it mentioned some 10 years ago. While I deliberately avoided reading too much about it, the premise of genetic engineering and a title that recalls early Cronenberg piqued my interest. And although it looked more like a science fiction film, the hope of some body horror was enough for me to include it this year.

Errors of the Human Body is currently streaming on Shudder in the UK.

errors of the human body 1

Synopsis

Dr Geoff Burton takes a new research position at a genetics institute in Germany. In particular, he is researching a unique disorder that killed his infant son shortly after birth. This tragedy and his reaction to it led to the loss of his previous job and the collapse of his marriage.

At the institute, Burton reconnects with Rebekka Fiedler, a former student who is now a ground-breaking researcher herself. The two are former lovers, a situation that was fraught with ethical concerns at the time. Regardless of any residual guilt, they soon become intimate again.

Fielder is working on what she has dubbed the “Easter gene” — a change to the genome of axolotls that allows them to regenerate severed limbs at almost visible speed. While she had been working with Jarek Novak, a rather creepy and stalkerish colleague, the two have had a falling out and are supposedly pursuing different avenues of research. In practice, Novak is stealing Fielder’s work and adapting it for use on mammals.

When Burton investigates this by stealing samples from Novak’s lab, he accidentally infects himself with a virus engineered to introduce the mutation into the genomes of mice. As Burton becomes more and more unwell, he must try to uncover whether the changes he is undergoing are a boon or a death sentence.

What precisely does the Easter gene do? Will Burton survive the changes he is going through? And what does all of this have to do with his own research?

errors of the human body 2

General Thoughts

As protagonists go, Burton is a bit of an arsehole. The institute is filled with eccentric characters, and it’s not unreasonable that some might rub anyone up the wrong way, but Burton seems to go out of his way to be rude and hostile to everyone. This is clearly meant to be an expression of his pain, and he isn’t wholly unsympathetic. Still, it is difficult to root for him and his predicament, which undermines what is otherwise a poignant ending.

While the premise and title invite comparisons with Cronenberg, Errors of the Human Body feels very different from his work. For all the emotional dysfunction and mad science, there is a fundamental weirdness missing from this film. It never really makes us uncomfortable, even in its rare scenes of body horror. The closest we get to that shock of the weird is when Burton has a fever dream in which he hallucinates himself bleeding mice. A little more of such inventiveness might have gone a long way.

It was interesting to see Rik Mayall here, in what would be one of his last film appearances. When I saw his name in the credits, I wondered if he might be the comic relief. Instead, we see him as the head of the institute, playing the role absolutely straight. This turns out to be an inspired piece of casting.

errors of the human body 3

Verdict

For a film about weird viruses that takes in mad science, body horror and fevered hallucinations, Errors of the Human Body is surprisingly dull. The core concept is interesting enough but it feels underdeveloped. While there is an excellent payoff, getting there is a plodding journey. There is more time invested in the politics of academia than the more imaginative aspects of the story. The last act in particular has terrible pacing, with Burton just wandering around Dresden looking ill for much of the time.

While the weirder aspects of this film may be understated, the visual effects are nicely handled. The progression of Burton’s illness is handled relatively subtly, with small skin lesions blossoming into clusters of tumours. It feels uncomfortably realistic in a way something more overblown might not. The location of the institute also adds much to the film. Its antiseptic corridors and oddly claustrophobic clinical rooms feel real but are just odd enough to keep us off-balance.

Ultimately, however, Errors of the Human Body doesn’t feel like much of anything. As a drama, it’s too superficial. The virus and its effects aren’t weird enough to carry it as science fiction or horror. And if this is meant to be a technothriller, it really should be more thrilling. There are some strong emotional notes, especially towards the end, but they are geared more to making us sad than frightened. All in all, Errors of the Human Body is a painfully, forgettably average film.

The October Horror Movie Challenge

Please do join in and share your own thoughts with us about this or any other films as the month goes on. You can usually find us on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Discord, or lurking in the dark corners of your home.

If you would like to play along at home, my provisional selections are:

  1. Werewolves Within (USA, 2021)
  2. Crystal Eyes (Argentina, 2018)
  3. Super Dark Times (USA, 2017)
  4. Thirst (Australia, 1979)
  5. A Ghost Waits (USA, 2020)
  6. Cemetery of Terror (Mexico, 1985)
  7. I Came By (UK, 2022)
  8. 100 Monsters (Japan, 1968)
  9. Sea Fever (Ireland, 2020)
  10. Mill of the Stone Women (Italy, 1960)
  11. Glorious (USA, 2022)
  12. All the Moons (Spain, 2021)
  13. Broadcast Signal Intrusion (USA, 2021)
  14. Incantation (Taiwan, 2022)
  15. The Gore Gore Girls (USA, 1972)
  16. Luz: The Flower of Evil (Colombia, 2019)
  17. Butterfly Kisses (USA, 2018)
  18. The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (Italy, 1971)
  19. Saloum (Senegal, 2021)
  20. The Addiction (USA, 1995)
  21. Good Madam (South Africa, 2021)
  22. The Freakmaker/The Mutations (UK, 1974)
  23. The Long Walk (Laos, 2019)
  24. Errors of the Human Body (Germany, 2013)
  25. Eyes of Fire (USA, 1983)
  26. Caveat (Ireland, 2020)
  27. The White Reindeer (Finland, 1952)
  28. His House (UK, 2020)
  29. Tourist Trap (USA, 1979)
  30. Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (Sweden, 1922)
  31. Flux Gourmet (UK, 2022)

A Final Note

If you have been enticed here by these posts, please do look around at some of our other film reviews. We also have a podcast, called The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, which occasionally covers horror films. If this appeals, you might want to check out some of the following episodes.

If you dig through the archives, you will also find episodes about a wide variety of horror stories and games. Happy nightmares!

The Long Walk (2019) – OHMC 2022 Day 23

the long walk poster
October Horror Movie Challenge 2022

The Long Walk (Laos, 2019)

I reviewed Mattie Do’s directorial debut, Dearest Sister, back in 2020’s October Horror Movie Challenge. While I wasn’t entirely sold, it was promising enough that I wanted to see where Do’s career might head. Then “Drug Traffic”, a segment of the Creepshow TV series written by Do and Christopher Larsen, her husband and regular collaborator, proved a fun and bloody romp. So when I saw Do had another feature available to stream, it went straight on my list for this year.

The Long Walk is currently streaming on Shudder in the UK.

The Long Walk 1

Synopsis

Our protagonist, whose name we never learn, is a hermit in his early sixties. He lives alone in his old family home in rural Laos, salvaging scrap metal and selling it at a nearby village. The only thing that seems important to him is the roadside shrine he maintains. Oh, and the dead woman who follows him around.

His ghostly companion was killed in a road accident some 50 years before. Our protagonist stumbled across her in her final moments and kept her company as she died. They have become inseparable since then, although the young woman never speaks.

This ghost seems to exist outside time, providing a direct connection between the present day and our protagonist’s childhood. When she moves between these times, she can take our protagonist with her, allowing the older man to go back and try to repair some of the trauma of his childhood.

These attempts largely centre on the protagonist’s mother, who is dying of a chest ailment. His wastrel father drinks the family’s meagre funds away before running off to the capital in search of work, leaving his wife to die alone. Each time our protagonist tinkers with this past, however, some of the details change. But is anything actually improving?

Why is the ghost of this young woman bound to our protagonist? What is her motivation for moving him through time? And our are protagonist’s intentions really as wholesome as they appear?

The Long Walk 2

General Thoughts

The Long Walk is largely set some 50 years in the future, with flashbacks to our present day. This is handled relatively subtly, however. We see the occasional piece of futuristic technology, but daily life in rural Laos seems largely unchanged between the eras. As someone who can remember what life was like 50 years ago, this strikes me as fairly realistic. Not every part of the world is as affected by change as we might imagine.

Our protagonist does not hide his ability to see the dead and the people around him largely accept it. The police and a number of supporting characters enter the story because they want him to find the body of a missing woman, who they presume is dead. The protagonist’s matter-of-factness about his abilities is refreshing. When the daughter of the missing woman is surprised just to be given a written note instead of the séance she was expecting, he asks her, “Was that not enough of a show for you?”

The ghosts of The Long Walk operate by a different set of rules than we might expect, even beyond their strange relationship with time. While only certain people can see them, they appear to be very corporeal. They are largely uninterested in the kinds of active haunting we usually see in films, simply standing around in silence. While this is still eerie, they don’t seem to want to scare people.

Verdict

As I’d hoped, The Long Walk sees Mattie Do and Christopher Larsen hitting their stride. This is a strange, beautiful film, rich with imagination and darkness. It has been a long time since I have seen an Asian ghost story that so neatly avoids all the clichés of the genre. Everything about The Long Walk feels fresh and original.

While my synopsis might make The Long Walk sound sentimental or even uplifting, it very much is not. I have held back a number of important plot points to avoid spoilers. This is a story that will draw you in and then hurt you. It is tender at times, with beautifully observed characters, and it lulls you into forgetting that you are watching a horror film. When the time comes for things to turn nasty, however, it does not hold back.

Appropriately, perhaps, The Long Walk is long for a horror film, coming in at just under two hours. Despite this length and its comparatively gentle pace, it is never less than completely engaging. Between the simple beauty of its setting, the strong performances from all the cast, and the growing sense of unease about where things might be heading, I barely noticed the time passing.

I’m not sure if The Long Walk will be my film of the month, but it’s definitely going to haunt me for some time.

The October Horror Movie Challenge

Please do join in and share your own thoughts with us about this or any other films as the month goes on. You can usually find us on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Discord, or lurking in the dark corners of your home.

If you would like to play along at home, my provisional selections are:

  1. Werewolves Within (USA, 2021)
  2. Crystal Eyes (Argentina, 2018)
  3. Super Dark Times (USA, 2017)
  4. Thirst (Australia, 1979)
  5. A Ghost Waits (USA, 2020)
  6. Cemetery of Terror (Mexico, 1985)
  7. I Came By (UK, 2022)
  8. 100 Monsters (Japan, 1968)
  9. Sea Fever (Ireland, 2020)
  10. Mill of the Stone Women (Italy, 1960)
  11. Glorious (USA, 2022)
  12. All the Moons (Spain, 2021)
  13. Broadcast Signal Intrusion (USA, 2021)
  14. Incantation (Taiwan, 2022)
  15. The Gore Gore Girls (USA, 1972)
  16. Luz: The Flower of Evil (Colombia, 2019)
  17. Butterfly Kisses (USA, 2018)
  18. The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (Italy, 1971)
  19. Saloum (Senegal, 2021)
  20. The Addiction (USA, 1995)
  21. Good Madam (South Africa, 2021)
  22. The Freakmaker/The Mutations (UK, 1974)
  23. The Long Walk (Laos, 2019)
  24. Errors of the Human Body (Germany, 2013)
  25. Eyes of Fire (USA, 1983)
  26. Caveat (Ireland, 2020)
  27. The White Reindeer (Finland, 1952)
  28. His House (UK, 2020)
  29. Tourist Trap (USA, 1979)
  30. Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (Sweden, 1922)
  31. Flux Gourmet (UK, 2022)

A Final Note

If you have been enticed here by these posts, please do look around at some of our other film reviews. We also have a podcast, called The Good Friends of Jackson Elias, which occasionally covers horror films. If this appeals, you might want to check out some of the following episodes.

If you dig through the archives, you will also find episodes about a wide variety of horror stories and games. Happy nightmares!

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