Bloody Horror: December

Belzebuth

Mexican Horror!, interesting reincarnation of Christ and apostles theme, late in film revelation drives conflict, tiresome horror imagery, lengthy, needs editing, 3 stars 1HR 54MIN Pastorela Peliculas, 2017

Writer and Director Emilio Portes aimed to blend the noir realism reminiscent of Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario (2015) with horror rooted in religion within a Mexican societal context. His twisting epic Belzebuth achieves this goal, but after a tense, shocking first act, the viewer's excitement sharply declines.

Synopsis (contains spoilers):

Set to pounding piano music, the voice of an American detective, Ivan Franco (Tate Ellington), explains that since 2010, reports of possession have risen dramatically, and even the pope has called on priests experienced in demonology for help. Images of bloody, tattooed priest Canetti (Tobin Bell) flash on the screen. Bold white cast credits race across the screen.

In the nursery ward of a Mexican border town hospital, police minister Emmanuel Ritter (Joaquín Cosío) and his wife admire their newborn son. When notified that his chief needs him, Ritter reluctantly leaves his new family. A nurse with a grim expression passes by and locks the nursery door. There are about a dozen babies waiting … Moments unfold that I won’t describe until the title Belzebuth burns into the screen.

Five years later, serving in Mexico, a call rouses detective Franco, who learns of a new crime involving the deaths of children. Meanwhile, Ritter is assigned the case and appears upset. Is he upset because children were killed, or is something more mysterious affecting him? A young child survives and dreams of being chased by the devil. Could it be a premonition?

As Ritter investigates, he learns about a tall, hooded, tattooed man dressed in black who allegedly warned of the upcoming crime. Could this be the bloody priest shown before the credits? Franco arrives at the crime scene, and although the local police agree to cooperate with the American detective, the alliance feels tense. The investigation will involve paranormal forensics, psychophony, esoteric criminology, and … fortune telling. Pay attention to the details; they hint at future events.

The first act is intense and bloody, depicting an unimaginable series of murders. Portes contrasts idyllic suburban areas with their dark, corrupt underbelly and hints at demonic possession. Character development occurs in the second act, but after the violence of the first, the story drags a bit. In the third act, the plot threads are connected using common religious imagery, satanic symbols, the treacherously possessed, and a brief glimpse of a demon.

Portes’s direction is understated—there’s little flashy camera work or editing. Aside from Tobin Bell’s Canetti, the performances are ordinary. However, the film contains original ideas that zigzag through the story, and the terror in the opening act is striking. We rated the movie 3 out of 5 stars at our biweekly Bloody Horror Friday screenings.

Dead In The Water

Claustrophobic shipboard setting, novel all-female crew, effective monster shocks, 3.0 stars 1HR 27MIN Blue Ice Pictures, 2018

In a Daily Dead interview, writer-director Sheldon Wilson said he was highly inspired by 1970s horror movies, such as The Exorcist and The Amityville Horror. For a broadcast originally on the SyFy channel, Wilson created the terrifying film Dead In The Water about a creature takeover aboard the claustrophobic confines of an ocean vessel, and it scores well in the horror genre. I’ll try to outline the plot.

Six hundred miles from land, an all-female crew on the marine research vessel, The Amphitrite, tracks a trawler carrying a large amount of illegal fish. Amid engine repairs and dangerous weather, they spot what appears to be a man clinging to a floating device. Rescue efforts begin. The idea of rescuing a stranded man at sea echoes the Twilight Zone tale “Judgement Night,” where a recurring series features a figure rescued and placed on a doomed ship. Despite Wilson’s preference for practical effects, panning shots of the waving ocean and fog are CGI-created. Wilson uses fog, diffuse lighting, and dark water to evoke dread. The crew fears that the engine cannot be repaired and that the ship might capsize. The women are competent but constantly seek reassurance from each other during rescue and repair procedures. The man is brought aboard, and his resuscitation begins. But he quickly appears revived and violently attacks crew members, then flees to hidden spots on the ship. The story now echoes Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979); the crew must hunt down a terrible threat in confined spaces with no escape.

The women handle the terror well and make logical decisions, but the intense fear and ongoing bickering seem like script padding. Strings play long, low notes, and droning horns accompany scenes of dark corners, fleeting flashlights, shadows, and blood trails. In a quiet scene in the med lab, the man apparently says, “Kill me, kill yourselves, end this.” The man should be dead. Perhaps something is keeping him alive, but infection or some alien force is driving events. Action ramps up as women become murderous, infected by the blood or bite of an unseen creature. The story seamlessly shifts to resemble John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982). Who can be trusted? The women must split into small groups to complete tasks, and classic horror tropes make them easy targets for … the creature. Yes, a grotesque alien creature emerges, with formidable survival abilities. Low brass and pounding drums underscore scenes as the women slowly realize the expanding horror. Overall, the acting is excellent. The fear and terror feel real, yet the women refuse to resign themselves to their fate. Wilson’s tight camera work makes viewers squirm and jump as the carnage approaches. The creature design is inventive, and its movements are unsettling. Yes, Dead In The Water borrows heavily from classic sci-fi horror films, but imitation is, in this case, a compliment. Those classic horror ideas still work and remain effective. We haven’t yet screened it at our biweekly Bloody Horror Friday Club, but I give it a solid 3.0 out of 5 stars.

The Deeper You Dig

Limited effects, well-acted, good camera work, compelling story fully realized, 3 stars. 1HR 35MIN Wonder Wheel Production, 2019

In 2019, writer/director Toby Poser was undergoing a challenging family crisis and personal grief. These emotions radiated into her scriptwriting. Using a ritual derived from Dante’s Inferno and influenced by her real-life setting in the Catskills, the supernatural horror film, The Deeper You Dig, was created.

An Adams Family Film appears after their own production company credit, Wonder Wheel Productions. This is a family effort. The writer/director is Toby Poser, and her husband is John Adams. The pair are the lead actors in their film, along with their daughter Zelda. The Adams family also produced the musical score, with the mother/daughter in particular contributing the hard rock portions. Maybe because it’s an independent film set in the Northeast, the atmosphere (not the effects) fosters a feeling reminiscent of George Romero’s early works. I’ll describe some of the film's setup.

An old-time radio song plays while a reclusive newcomer to the mountain area, Kurt (John Adams), sweeps and cleans out the modest house he is renovating. Meanwhile, neighbor Ivy (Poser) drives her teenage daughter, Echo (Zelda Adams), home from school, stopping for supplies in the very snowy weather. Ivy runs a small-town clairvoyance business, which includes the art of the scam. High perched and tracking camera angles abound in the film. The cinematography creates a colorful, inviting atmosphere for the Northeast environs, evoking early George Romero.

Routine time goes by, and, against her mother’s wishes, Echo is snowboarding at night. After an evening of drinking, Kurt is driving home in the nighttime precipitation. He is distracted by a passing deer, and then, bump, he accidentally collides with Echo. The crash apparently kills her. Distraught but wanting to skirt responsibility, Kurt tries and fails to bury Echo’s body in the woods’ frozen ground. He carries her to his house, intending to wait for more favorable burial conditions. Echo begins to cough and awaken, but her injuries are extreme, and Kurt, still acting to avoid consequence, smothers her to death.

Ivy starts a campaign to find her missing daughter, but of course, it’s fruitless, and she knows it. Her real clairvoyance and psychic processes have told her that Echo is dead. And the film now moves to the tale of Ivy’s efforts, incorporating an incorporeal journey and the supernatural, to unearth the truth and perhaps bring forth some kind of spiritual rebirth.

The story doesn’t twist much, but the family members' intimate involvement creates considerable dramatic effect. In all, a compelling and satisfying work.

The Adams Family went on to make Hellbender (2021), which we screened at one of our biweekly Bloody Horror Fridays. We felt that the film was a slow burn, but had a weird wiccan arc, good effects, and was well-lensed. We gave Hellbender 3 stars.

Give The Deeper You Dig a watch; it’s recommended. As yet, we haven’t screened it at our biweekly Bloody Horror Friday Club. I give it a strong 3 out of 5 stars.

DEAD IN THE WATER