Hooptober 7.0

68/39 - Bonus Watch
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Thanks to Chris Kirby for this recommendation and thanks to Shudder for having it streaming to satisfy my instant gratification needs.

This is a fascinatingly elliptical take on possession with little that is overtly explained.  No characters deploying shoehorned exposition here.  Seeing is believing and understanding.  Making the most out of a limited budget, Tilman Singer constructs an innovatively atmospheric story of demonic possession that takes place largely inside an ugly fluorescently lit meeting room.  

Utilizing pantomime and improv techniques so the main actress can relive an incident under hypnosis was an incredibly effective choice.  Between that, the sound engineer repeating lines and the subtitles I was thoroughly disoriented as the narrative coalesced.  Gradually, the other characters show up blurring the lines between her perception and reality.  Indeed, by the end, all the lines are blurred and enveloped in a fog of dread, confusion and horror.

Special shout out to the synth score and shot on film 80s aesthetic.  Right in my sweet spot.  There have been a number of films pulling this trick lately (Bliss is a standout) but the score and cinematography are damn near perfect here.

I love when filmmakers find new and effective ways to tell what might otherwise be simple stories and this is a perfect example of that.  Singer is an incredible new talent and I can’t wait to see what he does next.

At just under 70 minutes, no horror fan has an excuse for sleeping on this one.