Sightseers (2013)

Moving on to Diabolique Magazine #17 Aug/Sept 3013 we have an issue on The Evolution of Horror Comedy so hopefully the films I cover will be a lot of fun. I love a good horror comedy, hell I like a lot of bad ones. So if you share this love you can have this magazine when I am done, saving it from the recycle bin.  

The first article is "Grue Romance" about Ben Wheatley's film Sightseers by Colin McCracken. Wheatley who many horror fans know for his 2010 film Kill List tries his hand at a horror comedy. Since so much time has gone past since I got this magazine and this reread is a look back in history alot has happened for the people involved in the film. Wheatley was just making a name for huimself and these early entries in what is now a sturdy career moved him in the right direction.  Not necessarily a horror Director he plays on the edges of off beat action, all out action mystery and science fiction. He has seemed to put work forward though and his IMDB ratings are decent with many of his works rated above 6 in the scale of 10. The two leads Alice Lowe and Steve Oram were both experience actors coming into this project and have been steadily working after this feature. The article for this film speaks to these awkward characters and even though they are killers they become sympathetic to the viewer. Lowe's character Tina has found a man she is interested in and leaves her clinging Mother for a week of travel with her new man Chris (Oram) for intimacy and adventures. Thing is Chris is not the normal likable guy he first appears, seems he has an anger problem and exercises unique behavior when he gets a hair across his ass. From the first incident where a man litters and gives Chris the finger when confronted to the drummers at a campground or another camping couple who seem like competition his over sized responses to his internal hangups drive the film forward. Tina more unsure of herself  but really wants the relationship to work even as she starts to suspect Chris as not on his "best" behavior.  The violence builds slowly so we get to watch this somewhat odd couple getting along on the road while the body count starts to increase. Tina is no prize either with a moral fuzziness of her own is perfectly willing to steal a dog and think it is okay because she thought the owners were mean.  The sociopathic nature of the couple is always present but also growing as they learn more about each other.

  This is a fun by being weird movie and I have mixed feelings about it. From the interesting arc where Tina comes to accept Chris and his homocidal tendencies, is a real transformation for her character. We think this is a film about how much a squirrely woman will accept for love. When the turn comes in the second act and a third character Martin (Richard Glover) becomes friends with Chris, Tina feels excluded and we get the crisis that will determine the third act. This is when we realize that Tina has been in a shell and her relationship with Chris is cracking the surface of that shell. It's really something because we learn it really is Tina's story the film is telling and what a story it is.  A small film but certainly a potent one.

So if you are interested in a magazine with this content, read updates here soresportmovies.blogspot.com, or on Letterboxd.com to learn how my magazine giveaway is going but follow me on Letterboxd if you want to read my movie reviews and comment on the films. I still have a mail connected to my blog movies@edhovey.com where you can write me or comment on blog entries.

My Letterboxd.com handle is @Hovey1127, when I am done with the Issue of the magazine I will offer it up and we can work out the details of me getting it to you. I am not really looking for money just someone who also would love to read it. If no one wants it well it will probably end up on a magazine rack at the library or something.

Chatting with me is difficult, I have stopped my social media account years ago because time… it’s ticking at my age and I would rather spend it doing other things like this for example. Or chatting with my friends at the Zombiegrrlz.com podcasts on their discord. I am a fan of the podcasts they publish The More Deadly Podcast and the Zombiegrrlz podcast and as a Patron for very little $ I get access to the discord. So if you want to good horror content and a great horror community check them out.You can also find me on the Here's Johnny Podcast and  Faculty of Horror Podcast discords. Look them up join my online friends for some good conversations.