Movies
Eden Log (Fr) (V)
“EDEN LOG is visually stunning – it’s a bleak trip into a world that both mesmerizing and terrifying.”
You can immediately spot director Franck Vestiel’s thumbprint on EDEN LOG as he has worked on two other French films, ILS and DANTE 01, which he was first assistant director on. Visually bleak, cold and uncomfortable, tension is created from the get-go and never surrenders.
EDEN LOG takes place in a bleak post apocalyptic world where a man takes conscience at the bottom of a cave. Tolbiac (Clovis Cornillac) does not have the least idea how he ended up there. His only solution is to go up to surface through a network with the paces of cemetery and given up by a mysterious organization, Eden Log. Along the way some insanely cool creatures attack him.
EDEN LOG is visually stunning – it’s a bleak trip into a world that both mesmerizing and terrifying. Vestiel’s techniques in creating this world are both economical and cheap, but are extremely effective. He uses a lot of steel, and long sheets to drape rooms, elevators and even create chambers people are hung in! The costume designs are also remarkable, giving a futuristic look while also making it appear as if they’ve been through hell and back (get a taste in our image gallery).
Then there are the creatures, which are disgusting and vile. They run around like little monkeys and are freaky as sh*t. In a very subtle way, EDEN LOG reminded me of one of my favorite films of all time, ALIENS. The film carries similar themes, aesthetics and creature mannerisms to the classic film from the ‘80s, but is original enough to please fans looking for a modern spin.
One of the coolest parts about EDEN LOG is the finale, which unfortunately I can’t reveal to you. It carries a beautifully grim ending that fits perfectly into film as a whole. When you find out what EDEN LOG is, your mind will be blown.
While the only real downside to the film is its slow pacing, LOG is a nice diversion from the Hollywood trend of hyper-editing and flashy storytelling. What you’ll find here is a slow burn of a film that takes its time and immerses the viewer in its world. This is a unique film you’re not going to want to miss.
The trailer for Ti West’s upcoming adaptation of A Christmas Carol raised a lot of eyebrows when it dropped earlier this week. While plenty of folks initially dismissed Ebenezer as a derivative project meant to cash in on the recent wave of unnecessary prequels that expand the backstory of beloved characters (such as 2023’s Wonka), Charles Dickens’ original novel already made a point of exploring Ebenezer Scrooge’s origins in detail – meaning that this new film is likely just a particularly faithful adaptation of the source material under a different name.
Couple that with the fact that the movie is being helmed by a genuine horror auteur and I think it’s safe to say that the latest iteration of the first modern ghost story is in good hands.
That being said, one detail that immediately jumped out at me during the brief teaser (other than a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it nod to Johnny Depp’s iconic bedroom death scene from the original A Nightmare on Elm Street) is the fact that many of Ebenezer’s ghosts appear to have been directly lifted from the iconic John Leech illustrations that accompanied the first edition of Dickens’ novel.
Here are a couple of stills from the trailer compared to the original artwork:
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in ‘Ebenezer’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’
The Phantoms in ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘Ebenezer’
Marley’s Ghost in ‘Ebenezer’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’
Mainly working with old-school wood and steel engravings that would later be transferred to print, Leech was instrumental in crafting the iconic look of history’s most influential phantoms – especially since Dickens is said to have been deeply involved with the creation of these so-called “comic illustrations.”
And since the novel is commonly said to have popularized spiritualism in Victorian England, much of the ghostly iconography that we still see in genre media to this very day (including some of Ti West’s previous films) can be traced back to the author’s partnership with Leech.
Ebenezer won’t be the first A Christmas Carol adaptation to borrow heavily from these designs, but I can appreciate how Ti West is incorporating an important part of horror history into his latest film.
Ebenezer will be available in theaters starting November 13.
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