We decided to invest in another theater monthly subscriber program in addition to Alamo, which has most new things we want to see (and lots of older stuff) , but not everything, particularly as we move into the high horror season of September and October and one-off tickets are very pricey these days. We can see 3 movies a week if we like for just slightly more than the cost of a single ticket each month.(we probably won't but even 1 a week is a steal) Thus, we found ourselves christening our first A-List tickets with this movie, which we had seen previews for this summer, but weren't sure what to expect. This was exactly the best kind of indie horror, in that it starts off with a mystery, but then slow builds, with lots of violence and body-horror, to a disturbing and relevatory conclusion, touching on themes of scientific ethics, experimentation, and fertility while also just being a good spooky romp though the disarmingly beautiful German Alps. Another case where you ask how can someplace so beautiful harbor such horror?
The setting itself, much like a French film we saw months back where people started inexplicably turning into animals. The monstrousness of the human/creature hybrid as well as the way such creatures fit into, or don't fit into, society. It also reminded me of one of my favorite horror films of recent years, which involves similar themes of motherhood and transformations. There was also a lot of disorientation, for both the characters and the audience.
It was particularly good intellectual fodder, both for the current project I am working on with mariana, a new series/story about a cursed seaside community sliding into the Atlantic that features a lot of sea creatures and monsters, and for something that may be on the horizon for the winged things images I generated a month or so back. I will be starting to share some pieces form the former after the first of Sept. so keep an eye out for those on IG.
