The conveyor belt of modern filmmaking slows for no film, and it’s especially true for the ever-prolific genre of horror; in the time since this column started just a few months ago, dozens more horror gems have been released into the world.
Rather than let those fantastic and sometimes forgotten gems get buried under the avalanche of other new releases, it’s time to discuss a few more horror films that were deserving of much more recognition than they received.
Here are this week’s overlooked indie horror films worth watching.
And Uneasy Lies The Mind (2104)
When a man and his pregnant wife decide to take a winter vacation to an isolated cabin with a couple they know, a night of drinking and surprising personal revelations spin the four of them into a crazed fever dream of paranoia and violence and paranoia. And Uneasy Lies The Mind is an experiment of a film, and it was the first movie shot entirely on an iPhone.
Though some of the performances border on over the top and the dialogue is intentionally arch and somewhat stilted, those elements actually add to the dizzying and surrealistic feel of the film. Director Ricky Fosheim does a great job creating paranoia and growing unease, and the script is written by three of the four leads. An impressive accomplishment of DIY filmmaking that should be seen by indie horror aficionados.
Darkness on the Edge of Town (2014)
Beautiful cinematography and unconventional characters transform what could have been a straightforward tale of murder and revenge into a haunting and lyrical film. Director Patrick Ryan fills every frame of the movie with quiet dread, allowing long shots of still figures to stand in contrast to the stunning Irish landscape.
The lead actresses are excellent across the board, as is actor Brian Gleeson (the son of Brendan Gleeson). Though some might quibble with whether or not this is a horror, a thriller, a dark drama, or a violent coming of age film, passages of the film will undoubtedly be of interest to the right horror fan. The nearly wordless confrontation and knife fight in the bathroom is a spectacular display of visual storytelling.
The Happy House (2013)
A fun, funny comedy that plays on the tropes of the horror genre as well as skewering the young Brooklyn scene of 2013, The Happy House is a subtle, subdued film that nonetheless delivers some clever observations and a couple of excellent performances.
Writer/director D.W. Young populates the films with faces that were soon to break through. Aya Cash landed You’re the Worst a year later, Khan Baykal popped up in the recent thriller Always Shine, and Marceline Hugot was memorable for her wordless performance in HBO’s The Leftovers.
Rattle the Cage (2015)
When a contained horror-thriller can place a few characters in a single location and find a way to continue to heighten the tension of the story, there is nearly nothing better. Majid Al Ansari’s Rattle the Cage does exactly that, putting the protagonist inside a prison cell and his antagonist, the officer in the police station, psychologically torturing him.
As the psychopathic police officer Dabaan, Ali Suliman goes gleefully over the top, playing the villain with a perverse joy that sells every increasingly vicious act. Director Al Ansari’s camerawork is fresh and vibrant, keeping the location from becoming stale or boring. Well worth devoting time to hunting down.
Below (2002)
It’s shocking that a movie with such a good pedigree got lost in the mix and gets so little love from genre audiences (or mainstream ones, for that matter). Directed by Pitch Black’s David Twohy, from a script by Darren Aronofsky (?!), and with great performances from character actors like Bruce Greenwood, Holt McCallany, and Nick Chinlund, Below is a World War II horror-tinged thriller set on a possibly cursed submarine.
Always balancing between a reasonable explanation and a possible supernatural presence, Twohy’s film has tension to spare and a very good sense of humor. Early performances from Zach Galifianakis and Guy Ritchie regular Jason Flemyng bring some fun to the proceedings. A B-movie in the best way, the movie is spooky fun that doesn’t overstay its welcome.
