Bloody Horror November i

Project Wolf Hunting

Blood-soaked action opus, outstanding narrative, Sci-Fi twist, gory effects. 4.0 stars. 2HR 1MIN Cheum Film, 2022

In Flickering Myth and BUT WHY THO? Internet interviews, writer/director Kim Hong-sun (KHS) said, “I found myself inspired by certain films ... I love Ridley Scott’s Alien … especially with that sense of confinement and being trapped on the ship.” KHS wanted to blend a high-seas prisoner-transport thriller, like Con Air (1997), with a sci-fi mutant twist, like Alien (1979). He aimed to develop an unrestrained “blood opera,” and wow did he succeed. His gore-filled horror sci-fi production, Project Wolf Hunting, used 2.5 tons of fake blood. For “gorehounds,” the film is pure delight. I’ll describe the moving parts in the set-up and relate some of the film’s strengths.

After many production company logos appear, a metered tempo electronic score rises. It’s 2017, and criminals have been extradited from the Philippines to Korea. A victim of one of the criminals watches, mouth agape, astonished that the man who ruined his life is walking in custody right in front of him, “Jung Dong-pm! You bastard! That money was my blood and tears!” With a briefcase in hand, the man wriggles and wrestles his way to the guarded prisoners, “Let’s end this!” Guards try to restrain him, but the man pushes his thumb down on the briefcase detonator … the explosion leaves a river of blood.

The timeline now moves to the present day, and we’re in Manila. KHS’ camera pans over lots of docks, ships, water, and bridges. A newscast tells us that Korean inmates arrested in the Philippines are to be cargoed back to Korea. Because of the bombing and deaths that occurred in the 2017 extradition attempt, police will use a large secure freighter to deliver the criminals. More than 20 experienced detectives will guard the inmates on board the vessel.

On the dock, the detectives line up in rows as the chained, orange-suited prisoners arrive. This is where we first see some key characters: law enforcement lead Seok-woo, criminal Tattoo, and prisoner Lee, calm and resigned. Seok-woo and Tattoo clearly have an adversarial history, and a violent altercation on the dock follows that I won’t spoil further. Lee watches.

A doctor shows up on the dock. The original police doctor canceled, and this new doctor is his replacement. Viewers might note that in movies, small details like a replacement doctor can hint at something unusual. All participants so far—chained orange prisoners, police guards, the new doctor, and the nurse make their way across the dock and up the steps onto the ship. To a dramatic orchestral theme, PROJECT WOLF HUNTING is stenciled across the screen in white capital letters. Cast credits follow.

In the next scene, we’re in Korea, in an elaborate shipping-authority monitoring facility packed with advanced communication stations and huge-screen monitors. This is the Korean Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Center. Coast Guard officers are surprised when (now introduced to the story) Kyung-ho and his entourage walk in: “Attention! … I’ll keep it simple. I’m the head of Special Operations. Starting now, my team will take over all operations [on the prisoner cargo ship].” His team settles in; he takes command and mutters to himself as he reads the title of a white paper describing the assignment: “Project Wolf Hunting, how tacky.” Wait a minute. This is a prisoner transport endeavor, isn’t it? Why this special command, and what is Project Wolf Hunting?

On the freighter, the prisoners are herded into different holding areas. The film includes several expository scenes involving interactions among prisoners, police guards, and the ship’s crew. These aren’t main characters, but they may be fodder as the action moves forward. KHS’ camera periodically features still shots of Lee and Tattoo. There are cuts to Kyung-ho and the newly controlled Coast Guard facility. Back on the ship, we see catering personnel suspiciously hiding weapons and sabotaging a door latch. KHS’ editing superbly helps viewers understand the narrative.

Now we have a scene in the doctor’s cabin where he is secreting away large syringes and drugs into a brown paper lunch bag. He furtively makes his way down into the ship's bowels. He’s nervous as he speaks with two heretofore unidentified and dangerous-looking men. There is a makeshift medical rig and monitors for what looks like a badly decaying large male body with its eyes stapled shut. This “Alpha” body is lying on a hard box bed of small, multi-colored lighted balls and big cockroaches! The doctor sweats, “So I just need to inject the anesthetic?” The dismissive response: “Don’t be so nosy. Just do your job and get out.” He injects the anesthetic drugs into the rotting neck of the body. Oh my, what just happened?

I’m going to stop there at the 22-minute mark. The story includes splintered groups of characters, i.e., allegiances twist. When called for, the orchestral score evokes sympathy and alarm. It features brutally violent conflicts between criminals, police, and a medical science-fiction “monster,” in a bloodbath like no other I’ve seen. The effects are practical. If I had a quibble, it's that the “monster” makeup didn’t strike me as super compelling. It fits the character, but I think a more Karloffian/Pierce design would have been amazing. KHS had already written a prequel and outlined a sequel for a planned trilogy. Viewers might intuit where these might go.

When we screened Project Wolf Hunting at our biweekly Bloody Horror Friday Club, I suggested rating it 4 out of 5 stars, and Leo said, “at least.” Gary gave it 3 stars, saying the violence was too unrelenting and lacked enough ebb and flow. It played that hyper one note much too much. I’m still giving it 4 stars.

Apostle

Fantastic Folk Horror, well-developed story, horrific effects and dialogue, wonderful acting, terrific cinematography and directing, 4.0 stars. 2HR 10Min XYZ Films, 2018.

After wrapping up The Raid 2 (2014), filmmaker Gareth Evans wanted to shift away from martial arts films. In a Rue Morgue Internet interview, Evans said British Folk-Horror films like Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man (1974), Michael Reeves’ Witchfinder General (1968), and Ken Russell’s wildly transgressive The Devils (1971) influenced him. Evans imagined a story about “man’s ability to corrupt faith and twist people’s beliefs in order to further a political gain.” He blended this with a supernatural element to create his extraordinary horror film, Apostle (2018), a remarkable work with strong storytelling. This is a film that viewers will not easily forget. I’ll provide setting details and discuss some of the film’s merits.

Gold letter credits display over tanned leather to rising orchestral music. We’re then treated to Evans’ camera panning over a lovely, calm waterway and countryside, all silent but for the voice-over narration of Jennifer’s letter to her father. Jennifer’s brother Thomas (Dan Stevens) is riding a train, reading the letter as it explains her captivity and the ransom demand of her captors. I was impressed right away by the production's expensive look, fine, somber acting, and David Lean-esque cinematography. Thomas will travel by train, then boat to Erisden to garner back his sister, but he is warned, “These people, they’re blasphemers … a cult, a disease; be careful, be smart.” The orchestrated music is ominous; Thomas is anguished. Steven’s acting is stellar here, conveying a mystery the viewer must solve. And of course, the only way to do that is to keep watching.

In the second leg of the journey, Evans’ camera moves furtively with Thomas as he uses deception to avoid revealing his real identity. It’s a long film, but every frame is art. In the boat, one passenger says about their destination: “Only She decides whether to give or take.” “She,” as if a deity? What awaits in Erisden?

Thomas and the other newcomers are rowed across a mountainous lake to Erisden. They hike the mountain trail to what appears to be a verdant valley below, but there are subtle signs of decay: a rotting sailboat, brownish shrubbery, a large weather-streaked statue of a cloaked woman. The new citizens are lined up for inspection, and we meet some current residents: young Jeremy, his secret lover, young Ffion, and her father, Quinn (Mark Lewis Jones). Quinn grudgingly surveys the newcomers and orders Ffion to come inside and set the table. Each new citizen must take a glass jar “receptacle.” For what could this be?

Thomas finds his quarters. He sees and opens a leather-bound gilded book resembling a bible, but the first page reads, "THE WORD ACCORDING TO PROPHET MALCOM, FATHER OF ERISDEN.” Quinn continues his surveillance of male newcomers. The town “elders” are looking for the man related to Jennifer, the man bringing ransom. As Thomas walks toward a scheduled prayer meeting for newcomers, he meets Andrea (Lucy Boynton), who we will learn is Malcom’s daughter. He then sees a number of strong men carrying away a body. The foremost among them eyes Thomas challengingly.

The meeting takes place in a dilapidated church. Malcom (Michael Sheen) leads the congregation. He describes himself as “an enemy of the king” and recounts his escape with Quinn and others. They’d shipwrecked on Erisden and heard, “the sweet, sweet sound of her voice as she beckoned us out of the storm. She, the goddess of this island, who chose my tongue through which to speak.” So, is it Malcom that controls here? Did Malcom plan the hidden kidnapping that Thomas must somehow answer? … somehow …

Thomas walks around the town, sighting the buildings and grounds, mentally mapping. He’s trying to figure out where his sister is being kept. But we, not he, see a strange sort of deathly decay growing on the side of a building. And looking through the window of one of the newcomers’ quarters, Thomas sees a new resident woman donating knife-drawn blood from her arm into her glass receptacle. An elder raises his arms in praise. Blood … for what purpose? Who or what is this She deity?

I’ve skipped some exposition, some of it horrific, but I’ll stop here at the 24-minute mark of a 2-hour-plus movie. This movie is adventure, mystery, action, and terror … all of it. The visual effects scenes are loaded with torturous screaming and like sounds. And as might be expected from Evans, the brutality is well thought out, logical. The conceptual horror will stay with viewers. Evans’ editing moves the story well. There’s no predictability. The acting is amazing.

A compelling watch, members of our biweekly Bloody Horror Friday club screened Apostle separately. Leo said it felt like a Hammer film and reminded him of The Wicker Man. Well, okay, I can see a marginal resemblance, but after a vaguely similar setup, the arc, climax, and resolution here are all fiercely original. I give Apostle a strong 4/5 stars. For folk-horror fans, it’s marvelous entertainment.

The Ugly Stepsister

Well-produced Cinderella slant, slow but satisfying, strong visuals and effects, fine acting, 3.5 stars. 1HR 50MIN Mer Film, 2025

In a Daily Dead Internet interview, writer/director Emilie Blichfeldt said that she initially didn’t like horror movies, then “randomly stumbled” upon Crash (1996). She then devoured all of Cronenberg’s films, then cannibal movies, Argento, and Fulci. She’d struggled with “living under the burden of feeling ugly.” She “felt the tyranny of beauty … on [her] psyche” and wanted to create a more human take on the Cinderella story while incorporating the gruesome darkness of the original Grimm Brothers fairy tale. Blichfeldt realizes her goal well in her feature debut, The Ugly Stepsister, a completely involving tale, stunningly visualized. I’ll describe the setup and discuss the film's virtues.

A high flute plays while pink production credits appear over burnished red woodlands. An ox pulls a simple cart, and within, wearing braces, Elvira (Lea Myren) lies dreaming her fantasy, her love for Prince Julian, her prince charming, “… let me love thy sacred body without sin.” Her mother, Rebekka (Ane Dahl Torp), slaps her awake, and then she, Rebekka, and young sister Alma are met by a horse-drawn carriage: two horses, two coachmen. Elvira’s face shows astonishment at the entourage’s stateliness. They are riding to their new home. Rebekka is to remarry. Her new husband, Otto, welcomes the new family to his estate. Otto’s lovely daughter, Agnes (Thea Sofie Loch Naess), also greets them. Elvira immediately feels inferior because of Agnes’ beauty.

Rebekka and Otto marry. Agnes shows Elvira around her new home. The sets, costumes, and facial expressions are all storybook so far, but when Agnes introduces Elvira to Isak, who “… takes care of my horses,” a bit of the ugliness underneath may show. Blichfeldt returns to the main thread when Elvira sees the distant castle of Prince Julian through a window and confesses she wants to marry him: “I really do.”

Everyone is jovial at the reception cake cutting, but suddenly Otto spits blood; his head falls into the cake; he’s dead. A melancholy pop song plays over the remaining production credits and the macabre, but amusingly indifferent image of Otto’s dead face in the cake.

The story picks up. We learn that the newly blended family, Rebekka, Elvira, Alma, and now stepdaughter Agnes (who will become Cinderella), have no money. Their land and cattle are confiscated. When Elvira says, “We’ll find a way,” Rebekka bemoans, “Do you think it’s easy to find a rich man who would want me, a widow with saggy tits and two hopeless daughters?” Elvira suggests that she herself can marry, marry the prince.

Left with some coins for the task, Rebekka and Elvira begin the arduous process of transforming Elvira into a desirable debutante to attend the Prince’s Ball four months hence. Elvira will undergo torturous rhinoplasty, dieting, braces removal, etiquette training, ridicule, and more, all while Agnes’ free spirit and competitive natural beauty will relegate Agnes to second class in the household. The well-known children’s story comes full circle, but this isn’t a movie for children.

Blichfeldt’s dialogue, and, shall we say adult imagery, contain modern terms and bawdiness that are humorous, juxtaposed with the classic fairy-tale setting. With the period sets and costumes, the movie looks expensive … ahh European filmmaking. The characterizations are light and, for the most part, two-dimensional, but the story’s sad focus is on Elvira. Blichfeldt’s point is made. Lea Myren is perfect in the role. It’s her movie all the way. The limited effects and makeup are grotesque and bloody, just enough for the horror fan.

I really enjoyed this film; you will too. We gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars at our biweekly Bloody Horror Friday screenings.

garysvehla509@gmail.com

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