2020’s – Twilight Upon the Twenties

“And so my friends, we’ll say good night, for time has claimed his prize” – Styx

“And now the end is near, And so (we) face the final curtain” – Frank Sinatra

“This is the end, beautiful friend, the end” –  The Doors

“Hootchie Mamas , up with it!” – 2 Live Crew (I don’t know why I put this in here.)

 

We already covered the twenties. Is time repeating and are we in the Twilight Zone?  We are covering the first half of the twenty-twenties and we are toward the end of this list. Twilight is upon us, but we are not in its “Zone.”  

Since this decade is not yet over, it’s difficult to assess any themes that might have influenced horror cinema. Such an assessment usually comes years later, when we can look back and reflect. Besides, there are still four more years left. Maybe a certain horror movie will premiere in 2026, one that will align the planets,  unite the world in peace. You never know.

I can say that the Covid epidemic influenced the plot of one of the movies on this list. James Wan and Robert Eggers return to give us some treats. There’s at least one film from Blumhouse Productions. Another  on this list was nominated for several Oscar awards, rare for a horror movie.  And we have the final Stephen King book turned movie.

Well everyone, enjoy your Halloween. It’s been a blast. Too-da-Boo! 

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The Invisible Man – 2020

Here we have a twenty-first century reboot of H.G. Wells’ (author) and James Whale’s (original movie) The Invisible Man.  Only, it’s nothing like either of them. I mean, there’s a man, he becomes invisible. Other than that, there aren’t many similarities. 

The main character is not The Invisible Man. Instead, it’s a woman named Cee, played by Elizabeth Moss.  The Invisible Man is her ex, an abuser and stalker. Sucks to be stalked by an invisible person. But this whole supernatural situation makes the situation a whole lot creepier.

This movie is more serious in tone than the original. It’s a psychological thriller as well as a horror film as Cee has to question herself. Is she really insisting she has an invisible stalker?  This invisible man is subtle in his movements. There is no creepy pair of pants dancing around.  He is quiet. Sometimes she hears him breathing. Then not. Is he fogging up her mirrors?

This is an intriguing reimagining of the original story for sure.

 

 

Host – 2020

Influenced by the found-footage genre, Host is a film of a Zoom chat.  Sounds boring, huh?  You’re probably thinking, “What the hell, man, I sit through that shit at work everyday. Why would I want to watch a movie about that?”  Because, my friends, there’s a demon in the chat.

Host is a British film that takes place during the quarantine of the Covid pandemic. Several friends decide it would be fun to conduct a seance over Zoom. They are led by a professional medium, so nothing can go wrong.  A lot goes wrong.  A demon joins the chat. One by one, the women (It’s mostly women, one dude), experience supernatural attacks which are witnessed by the others that are watching.

This is an inventive film, a nice expansion of the found-footage genre.  It’s a very short film exclusive to Shudder.

 

Malignant – 2021

I seem to get this film mixed up with Sinister. Both are one word films and the definitions of these words are slightly similar.  When I was reviewing movie titles to put on this list, Malignant  popped up and I had to ask myself, “Did I see this?” The answer was “no.”  It was Sinister I had seen. Once I had it all straightened out, I rented Malignant to watch and review for this list. I’m glad I did. I enjoyed it.

Welcome to the twenty-twenties, James Wan!  Thank you for making this film about a woman who, when she goes to sleep, appears at murder scenes, watching a crazed looking, unnaturally flexible killer slay his victims.  These end up being real murders. 

The first half of the film I found a bit boring.  But once the revelations started rolling in, I was hooked.  

 

The Black Phone – 2021

I had seen the promotional images for this film without really knowing what it was all about. When I saw it was a 2021 film, I be like “Cool, I can watch this for the sake of this project.”  “Maybe,” Dan thought to himself, “This will fit in some sort of theme pertaining to the fear of modern technology.”  For surely this film is about a black cell phone, right?

Nope, Dan.  It’s an old fashioned rotary phone. See Dan, this film takes place in 1978.  

“Ohhhhhh,” said Dan to Dan.

There is a child murderer on the loose. He has killed before and he will kill again if no one stops him. Wearing an evil jester mask, the killer has kidnapped the young protagonist, Finney, and has him locked in a basement.  There’s a black phone on the wall. It’s disconnected. Then why are people calling Finney on the phone? Who are these callers?  

The serial killer/child abductor is played by Ethan Hawke.  Ethan has been doing a lot of horror the last ten years or so. If I didn’t mention it, he stars in The Purge and Sinister.  He’s come a long way since Dead Poet’s Society, when he played a shy kid afraid to even speak. He was scared shitless when Mr. Keating (Robin Williams) made him recite a poem in front of the class. Guess that experience traumatized him.

 

 

Presence – 2024

I had to rent this on YouTube to watch for this project. It wasn’t available at iTunes, where I normally rent from. Oh well.

This is another haunted house-in-suburbia film. A presence haunts a family of four; two parents, two teenagers. The pluses of the film – the moving camera. It creeps around the entire house. It retreats into a closet and allows viewers a vantage point from a hidden location. Very deftly filmed. The minuses – the film seems incomplete. Side plots were teased but never fulfilled.  Also, there aren’t many twists regarding the “presence.”

This is an above average film I will say and leave it at that.

 

Oddity – 2024

This is the first Irish horror film for this project, I do believe.  I could be mistaken though. Me making a mistake wouldn’t be an “oddity.” Speaking of oddities, this film features a psychic blind lady that operates an oddity shop. Many of the trinkets she sells possess magical properties, for better or worse. 

Darcy (pssst! That’s the psychic blind lady) sets out to investigate the peculiar circumstances in which her twin sister was murdered. This sister, Dani, is thought to have been murdered by one of her husband’s psychiatric patients (pssst 2.0 – Dani’s husband is a psychiatrist).  Is this really what happened?

Darcy ships a trunk/chest to Dr. Ted Timmins (psssst 3.0 – this is Dani’s husband) Inside is a golem; a wooden statue in a sitting position that looks quite ghastly. It freaks Ted’s new girlfriend out.  Darcy will use this golem for whatever means necessary to solve the murder mystery.

I’m not sure how many theaters this movie appeared in. Several in Ireland and the U.K in general, I think.  For us United Statians, it’s on Shudder.

Overall I enjoyed this film. I watched it specifically for this project. It’s not the best horror movie out there, but it’s good enough, whatever that means.

 

The Substance – 2024

The Substance brought back 80’s/90’s star Demi Moore.  It was so nice to revisit with her. I really missed Demi.  She was nominated for Best Lead Actress at the Oscars for this role. I was disappointed when she didn’t win.

Demi plays an aging fitness model who is forced into retirement.  Despairing over her aging, she is invited to participate in a clandestine medical procedure which will allow her to have a youthful body again. The catch is – she must alternate between her younger self and older self every seven days. See, the younger self emerges from a slit in her back!  Two are one, even though they develop different personalities that grow to hate each.  One of the tag lines is “You must coexist.”  Or, something like that.  Of course they refuse to do this.  There are also dangerous, grotesque side effects.

This is a body–horror film. It’s also comedic; a satire on the entertainment industries’ toxic obsession with youth and beauty.  I loved this film.  Parts of it blew me away.

 

Nosferatu – 2024

This was a treat to see in a theater. Robert Eggers is back with a retelling of the Nosferatu story. If I haven’t emphasized it well enough earlier, Nosferatu and Dracula are essentially the same story.  Much like Bram Stoker’s Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola, this film features modern visual flair. But it succeeds at this where Coppola’’s film falls short.

Coppola’s film is over-styled, sometimes bordering on camp, Eggers is pure Gothic horror, and any effects that add to the creepy tone are done subtly.  Careful attention is given to Count Orlock’s appearance. In the end the vampire is creepy in a very unique way.

I love the scene with the villagers that the real estate agent encounters on the way to the Count’s castle. They’re like a carnival troupe of eccentricities.

There are some things I could criticize but dear me, I forgot what its shortcomings were.  Something to do with dialogue, or some awkward scenes?  Well if I can’t remember, guess I can’t bitch. Oh btw, this film is considered arthouse. 

 

The Long Walk – 2025

It’s been nice strolling the decades with you folks. What a “long walk” it’s been!

 Tada! The last entry on this list.  This hit theaters September of this year. Though other horror films are premiering this month for Halloween season, such as Black Phone 2, I was not able to see them. That’s okay, The Long Walk is a great way to end on a high note.

Like many people, I read Stephen King’s The Long Walk back in the day. The problem is, back in the day I was only fourteen.  The book came out 1979 but I read it as part of a compilation under the title The Bachman Books which hit the bookstore in 1985.  

I remembered the basic plot but couldn’t remember the characters. At fourteen, the impact was lost on me. It’s a story set in an alternate timeline, in a dystopian America.  It’s a contest. Fifty or so participants. Walk down the roads of America until you’re dead. Go under three miles per hour, a following troupe of soldiers will shoot you.  There is only one winner.  I remember the horror of it, but couldn’t imagine it as anything else but a fictional story.  As an adult, I’m able to take in the consequences of such an ordeal, even though it’s fiction.

Based on my limited memory, the film follows the book pretty closely. The ending is different.

Mark Hamill does an excellent job playing the Major, the military man that runs the contest. I never thought I would see the day Hamill plays a bad guy. The Major has a gruff voice, which Mark does well. He is a voice actor and is well known for voicing The Joker in Batman the Animated Series. 

The film is graphic and brutal. But excellent 

T-t-t-t-t-hat’s all folks!