October Horrorfon III

 

For the final October Horrorthon of this season, I’ve reviewed a bloodthirsty period horror-mystery, a Netflix television horror series about a the affects of a haunted house on the lives of a family and a creepy home-invasion horror-thriller.

APOSTLE  (2018)

Set in 1905 prodigal son Thomas Richardson has returned home, only to learn that his sister is being held for ransom by a religious cult. Determined to get her back at any cost, Thomas travels to the idyllic island where the cult lives under the leadership of the charismatic Prophet Malcolm. As Thomas infiltrates the island’s community he learns that the very corruption of mainland society that they reject has infested their own society and he uncovers a secret far more evil than he could have ever imagined. Gareth Evans, best know for directing the hit action film The Raid, brilliantly directs this harrowing occult fable and his signature intensity translates seamlessly into this horrifying and brutal descent into madness.

He also benefits from a breathless and riveting performance from Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens; no stranger to horror having made an eye-catching appearance in The Guest. Michael Sheen is also enthralling as the Prophet and Mark Lewis Jones is a revelation as his even more dangerous right hand man, who turns out to be more cunning and devious than his appearance suggests. Apostle is ultimately an absorbing and horrifying horror-mystery that is stranger and more disturbing than you might think. An effective fusion of Gothic and folk horror, aggression, intensity and suspense runs throughout this startlingly violent mix of The Crucible and The Wicker Man. Unlike anything you’re likely to see in your annual horror marathon’s this October.

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (TV series) (2018)

I have made the unusual decision to include a television series on here. Loosely based on the 1959 novel of the same name which has already been adapted into the 1963 haunted house classic The Haunting; again re-made in 1999. The series is about five siblings who grow up in the most infamous haunted house in America, now adults, they are reunited by the suicide of their youngest sister, forcing them to confront the ghosts of their own past…some of which lurk in their own minds and others in the shadows of Hill House. This television series is remarkably effective at bringing horror to the small screen, something seldom done well.

The terror all comes from the steadily mounting dread that is maintained through all ten episodes. The complex relationships and multi-faceted personalities in play are all given time to develop and this heightens our empathy for the characters and in turn creates genuine fear. The series spends entire episodes giving us deft yet scathing perspectives of these brilliantly acted characters. Their are moments in this show that will genuinely have you on the edge of your seat with unbearable tension, usually followed by a genuinely chilling moment that will have the hairs standing on the edge of your neck. This riveting television series will have your moved and scared in equal measure and is perfect for a Halloween binge session.

EMELIE (2016)

Sarah Bolger, best known for starring as Mary Tudor in The Tudors TV series, puts in a terrific performance here as a seriously disturbed babysitter. As the three children’s parents go into the city for a date, the children take to their babysitter immediately who seems sweet, fun and even lets them do things that breaks all their parents rules. However, soon her interactions with them take on a more sinister tone and the kids quickly realise she is not all she claims to be.

This is a nail biting horror-thriller that gets more and more disturbing as the film goes on, with little creepy signs of her imbalance followed by acts of genuine cruelty. There are few straight-up scares in this film as it is mostly about the insidious scares and there is something claustrophobic about the single location which cleverly echoes the feelings of the terrified children trapped with a madwomen. Creepy, unnerving, suspenseful and well-acted this is a well executed home-invasion chiller.