Movies
Penumbra (Twilight) (VOD)
“ ‘Penumbra‘ creates an anxiety-producing environment with no escape that oozes atmosphere – not a huge shock, considering the brother pulled off something similar in ‘Cold Sweat’ – so it’s a shame that the soundtrack seems to be battling it at every turn. With a little fine tuning (some scenes with the outside world need trimming), Penumbra could be great but as it stands, it’s a solid, yet familiar, thriller.“
On the day of an impending eclipse, Margarita (Cristina Brondo) impatiently awaits the late arrival of Jorge, a realtor who has a client willing to handsomely pay for the rundown apartment she inherited. The snooty business woman from Spain isn’t particularly excited to be in Buenos Aires but with the promise of extra money to line her pockets (both from the transaction and working at her company’s local branch), she’s willing to deal with the dredges of society – i.e. everyone else – including a foul-mouthed homeless man who garners sympathy from onlookers after the socialite publically reprimands him. The solar anomaly is known to make people act a little kooky, but when her apartment begins to fill up with “associates” of the high roller and strange noises start coming from the pantry, she starts to wonder whether or not she’s ever going to get paid.
By having Margarita start doubting her sanity in the outside world and then locking her inside the building for the rest of the film, Adrian and Ramiro Garcia Bogliano set up a slow-burn absurdist horror-comedy that revolves around Marga’s constantly changing level of (in)sanity. Brondo carries the film well as the shallow, proud woman, and is given plenty of time to explore her character. She’s so concerned with the money she’s about to get, the affair that she’s having, and the politics of her job that she doesn’t pay any mind to the fact that someone is paying quadruple the asking price of her crummy apartment.
Like House Of The Devil, Penumbra takes its time creating the environment its characters exist in and building up the atmosphere and tension. It’s not so much a celebration of a specific point in time like House as it is a storytelling mechanism used to make what very little plot there is seem banal and trivial. There’s a direct relationship between the film’s seemingly inconsequential nonsense and Marga’s mental health; as she tolerates more and more of her soon-to-be renter’s quirks, she starts to lose her grip and things get a little more dangerous – and darker, remember that eclipse? – for everyone.
There’s a few lessons that can be taken away from Marga’s story of reaping what her fiery arrogance has sown, and the Bogliano brothers drive most of them home. Penumbra creates an anxiety-producing environment with no escape that oozes atmosphere – not a huge shock, considering the brother pulled off something similar in Cold Sweat – so it’s a shame that the soundtrack seems to be battling it at every turn. With a little fine tuning (some scenes with the outside world need trimming), Penumbra could be great but as it stands, it’s a solid, yet familiar, thriller.
One of the all-time foundational fixtures in horror is the vampire. That means over a century’s worth of bloodsuckers in film, in various styles and mythology, from across the globe.
As prominent as this movie monster is, with dozens of adaptations of Bram Stoker’s Dracula alone, there’s an overwhelming selection of vampire fare that makes it easy for many worthwhile gems to fall through the cracks. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to underseen vampire horror movies worth seeking out.
As always, here’s where you can stream them this week.
For more Stay Home, Watch Horror picks, click here.
Mr. Vampire – The Criterion Channel – Plex, the Roku Channel
This supernatural genre-bender from director Ricky Lau stands far apart from standard vampire fare thanks to its comedy, martial arts, and jiangshi. Taoist priest Master Kau (Lam Ching-ying) guards the realm of the living by maintaining control over the area’s hopping vampires, and other restless spirits. When Master Kau is hired to oversee the reburial of an affluent town elder, he and his two bumbling assistants find themselves in a supernatural battle to the death when the elder’s corpse resurrects as jiangshi. Produced by martial artist and Hong Kong cinema legend Sammo Hung, Mr. Vampire was a huge box office success in Hong Kong and launched a franchise. Still, it’s a charming, lively horror comedy that could use more love among contemporary audiences.
My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To – Plex, Prime Video, SCREAMBOX
Writer/Director Jonathan Cuartas‘s feature debut feels like a spiritual sibling to We Are What We Are in many ways. Both offer meditative, brooding depictions of isolated families far removed from the rest of the world. Both families are willing to commit unspeakable acts on behalf of their loved ones. In this case, siblings Dwight (Patrick Fugit) and Jessie (Ingrid Sophie Schram) find themselves routinely tasked with murder so their sickly younger brother Thomas (Owen Campbell, Super Dark Times) can have the fresh blood to survive. In the vein of The Transfiguration or Martin, this brooding debut feature grounds its vampirism in reality and focuses on the constricting, devastating toll of familial obligation.
The Night of the Devils – Kanopy
A disturbed man, Nicola, recounts the story of getting stranded in the woods, only to find refuge in a charming family’s house. The longer he’s there, the more he uncovers something is deeply amiss. Witches, vampires, and sordid family secrets ensue. Like Mario Bava’s anthology segment “The Wurdulak” in Black Sabbath, The Night of the Devils is also based on The Family of the Vourdalak by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy. Director Giorgio Ferroni balances the gore and sleaze with haunting Gothic atmosphere and stunning cinematography. While it’s methodical in its buildup, the craftmanship and grim ending make this underseen Italian and Spanish co-production worth the watch.
Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat – Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu), Plex, the Roku Channel
Director Anthony Hickox (Waxwork, Hellraiser III) has a blast with his high concept horror comedy that sees vampires living in the reclusive desert town Purgatory. They seek a peaceful life, with the plan to get an artificial blood factory in operation. Everything goes off without a hitch until Van Helsing’s descendant, Robert Van Helsing (Bruce Campbell), arrives in town. It’s a vampire western horror comedy that lovingly pokes fun at vampire tropes. The simple setup becomes anything but thanks to town politics, new tourists, and Van Helsing’s irresistibility to a vampire (Deborah Foreman). David Carradine presides over the vampire hijinks as Count Jozek Mardulak. For those looking for something fun and lighthearted, this pick is your best bet.
Vamp – AMC+, Plex, the Roku Channel, Shudder, Tubi
This highly entertaining horror comedy features a vampire that doesn’t get nearly enough attention; Grace Jones exudes raw power as vamp Katrina. Robert Rusler and Chris Makepeace star as two fraternity pledges that venture into the city to hire a stripper, all to impress their frat brothers. They find themselves in a shady part of town, unaware that the dive bar they’ve entered is full of vampires. Naturally, they find themselves in an all-night battle for survival. The neon haze-soaked urban setting makes for a refreshing change of pace. The bromance between the leads is as sweet as it is funny. Most of all, though, watch for Grace Jones’ riveting performance.
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