SNAP JUDGMENT – November 2018

Happy Turkey Week to the American readers, and happy November to the rest of you! Now feels like good a time as any to check out trailer highlights since I last wrote: a few to look forward to soon, and a few to keep an eye out for in 2019 at some point or another.

BIRD BOX (December 21st, Netflix)

This is something of a landmark year for the folks at Netflix, who are pumping out a slew of prestige projects in the final two months of this year with limited theatrical runs and an eye on the prize for award nods. One of their hopefuls is Sandra Bullock in this Susanne Bier (BBC/AMC’s The Night Manager) survival-horror picture. Something has caused an apocalyptic event, and it would appear that not seeing is the way of least resistance here. Definitely has A Quiet Place kind of vibe, which I’m into. Sandy looks solid. The movie premiered at the AFI Film Festival last week to a mixed response, but I think the trailer is strong enough to give a watch next month. No to severe spoilers (I glanced at a review that gave away more than this did)…aside from maybe the very ending of the trailer.

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OPEN 24 HOURS (Unknown, Seahorse Filmhouse)

This didn’t appear this month, but screw it as I missed this and it needs some light shedding. This slasher was shown at Fantastic Fest, but stumbling onto this sweet little teaser was the first time it hit my radar. Appears to be people trapped at a gas station with a hammer-wielding madman. Love how this thing is shot; it’s got a really iconic, stylish appearance that’s matched with what appears to be a throwback vibe to the 80’s killer aesthetic. May give away some things, may be dream sequences, who knows. Looking forward to seeing this eventually!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSBGyWijQhA

THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (Director’s Cut screenings November 28th, December 14th in limited theaters and VOD, IFC Films)

Lars Von Trier, one of the most divisive cinematic auteurs of all time, has returned after a 5 year hiatus post-Nymphomaniac…with a (divisive, naturally) serial killer comedy. Glimpses of the bleak rawness and satirical nature of Henry and American Psycho are readily apparent, but nobody will make you feel uncomfortable and introspective quite like Von Trier, and this is certainly its own beast. Matt Dillon looks absolutely chilling. I’m really, really hoping St. Louis gets a chance to see the one-night-only director’s cut on the big screen, but it’s not looking like it right now. This spoils a character fate or two, but I don’t feel like it’s ruined any surprises.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS (December 11th on Syfy and VOD)

Astron 6’s Steven Kostanski and Syfy have made the We Need To Talk About Horror crew’s dream come true: it’s another Leprechaun sequel. Best of all is that it’s not produced by WWE! What looks to be a direct sequel to the original 1993 movie, the role of the titular tiny is now filled by relative newcomer Linden Porco. Before you go around posting #notmyleprechaun, take a look at how he handles the character in this spot! He’s faithful to what Warwick was doing while not trying to do an impersonation, and I think he looks great. Love the idea of millennials “going green” and bringing him back to hunt for his gold. I had really zero expectations until I found out Kostanski was doing it, and now after seeing this I’m pretty sure he was the man for the job. Why is this premiering in December instead of March?? Who fucking cares, it’s less than a month away!! Minor spoilers involved.

ASTRAL (January in the UK, unknown elsewhere, Vertical Entertainment)

Fear the Walking Dead’s Frank Dillane stars in his first post-Nick project, and it looks like…a standard trip through the supernatural world. After attempting to make contact with his dead mother, Frank’s character seems to (surprise) bring over something else from the other side. Not the most unique concept, in fact quite used, but it looks dark and creepy at the very least. Spoilers look non-existent.

INNER GHOSTS (Unknown)

What the hell is this?? Here’s your out of nowhere must-see from first time Portuguese director Paulo Leite. There’s an amazing effects shot in here that I won’t spoil, but your guess is as good as mine if there’s anything else.

CAPTIVE STATE (March 29th, Focus Features)

This second teaser for this cryptic Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) movie still doesn’t give you a full picture of what exactly is going on. The movie looks to take place sometime after the fall of Chicago to an otherworldly force, and is a conflict between rebels and a dystopian government of some kind. I DO know that it’s as visually arresting as I would hope from Wyatt (of whom I’m a big fan), John Goodman’s wearing a breathing mask of some kind, and there’s a frightening creature of some sort. Spoilers would require working knowledge of what’s happening, of which we have very little. Looking forward to this though!

THE CABIN (December 4th, High Octane)

Slasher? Old man mask? Lots of violence? Sure. Merry Christmas.

SONATA (Unknown)

A trailer I discovered on Screen Anarchy really stood out to me. Great sets, great cinematography, great music, awesome lighting, and Rutger Hauer. I can’t make heads or tails of what this is exactly, but I like it.

ZOO (Unknown)

This looks exactly like my type of twisted genre fare. Zombies are tired at the moment, probably for a long time now…but human drama DURING zombies is alive and well, and Antonio Tublen’s (LFO) dark comedy looks to mine that for gold with a good cast and colorful, scheming characters. Highly anticipated.

Alright, I’ll check in again in a few weeks! In the meantime, what did I miss? What are you looking forward to?