31 Days of Halloween 2018

October 5:

Almost Human (2013) - Joe Begos wrote and directed this take on "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" In this case though he mixes in a bit alien abduction as the mechanism to start the invasion.  Mark Fisher (Graham Skipper) is abducted by aliens in front of his friend Seth (Josh Ethier) and girlfriend  Jen (Venessa Leigh). Two years go by before he is seen again and boy has he changed. Aggressive and single minded he has an alien parasite in him that is driven to breed, and nothing is going to stand in his way. Violence and infection ensues and it is up to Seth and Jen to stop him before the entire small town of Patten ME is infected. This is a lower budget movie that makes the most out of its practical effects, from blood squirts to throat slits to cocooned infected the crew do a nice job with the visuals. The rawness of the violence is palpable and did not go unnoticed. The problem really with this is more about the fact it is just reworking a couple really old themes, alien abduction films and alien invasion films. Forced to do these on a small budget Begos does not get to actualize the potential but instead gives us an intimate struggle that does not quite hit. Still I have to hand it to small independent film makers they really manage to get some half decent content out into a world that is looking for bigger and badder.

October 6:

Into the Dark: The Body (2018) - This is a Hulu original film, and a mix of humor and violence and quirky characters that was surprising at times. Listed as sort of a series, but with full length films this might be some one trying to create a new category for the Emmy awards. This particular film, The Body probably won't win any awards but it was quirky and fun at times while delivering some surprises and subverting expectations. Directed by Paul Davis and written by him and Paul Fischer the story is built from a 2013 short they made. It is a story about a hit man who while using Halloween as a cover to move his latest kill, becomes mixed up with a group of partiers, loses the body and spends the night recovering it and getting rid of witnesses. The lead is Wilkes (Tom Bateman) a nihilist hit man who when disposing of a famous victim needs to get off the street and a group of partying young adults, Dorothy (Aurora Perrinea), Alan (David Hull) and Nick (Harvey Guillen) give him the opportunity by mistaking him for a costumed hit man with a fake body and invite him to a Halloween party. At the party he meets Maggie (Rebecca Rittenhouse) who is immediately attracted to the tall dark stranger. When party host Jack (Ray Santiago) invites the group into his private room they figure out that Wilkes is not playing a killer but actually is one. Fleeing with the body, Dorothy, Jack and Alan try to stay ahead of the killer while trying to think of a way out of the suddenly dangerous situation. Wilkes and Maggie team up to find them and high jinx ensue. There is humor and violence a plenty. A bit uneven in tone but at times surprising the film certainly speaks to the what we present to the world as opposed to who we are. Subverting expectations Maggie works with the killer exploring her own character as she does. His response to her is right on, using her infatuation to further his goals. Overall satisfying I look forward to more in this series.