Pandemic! At the Cinema II
😷 Streaming Recommendations
SPUTNIK (2020)
In this Russian science-fiction thriller, controversial doctor Tatiana Yurievna (Oksana Akinshina) is recruited by the military and transported to a secure research facility to assess an extraordinary case, that of Konstantin Sergeyevich (Pyotr Fyodorov), a cosmonaut who survived a mysterious incident in space and has returned to Earth with a unique condition: something is living inside of him that only comes out at night. The military, of course, has nefarious plans for it. Tatiana wants to stop it from killing Konstantin, while the creature forms a symbiotic bond with its host.
Directed by Egor Abramenko, SPUTNIK is bits and pieces of ALIEN, PROMETHEUS, ARRIVAL, and ANNIHILATION with a dash of SPLICE for good measure. It's one of my favorite movies of the year thus far and is currently available on Amazon Prime Video and other Video On Demand platforms. Check out the trailer.
HOST(2020)
Written, directed, and filmed during quarantine, HOST sees six friends dialing in for a zoom call with a Medium to conduct a séance. The mischievous Jemma (Jemma Moore) decides to have some fun and invents a story about a boy at her school who hanged himself. Her prank, however, encourages a demonic entity to cross over, taking on the guise of the boy in Jemma's made-up story. The friends begin noticing strange occurrences in their homes as the evil presence makes itself known, and they soon realize that they might not survive the night.
Directed by Rob Savage, HOST is a lean, well-crafted horror film that is as effective as it is inventive. At 56 minutes, it packs a punch while not overstaying its welcome. The film is currently available on Shudder. If you don't have Shudder, you can start a free 7-day trial through Amazon Prime Video. Check out the trailer.
THE VAST OF NIGHT (2020)
"You are entering a realm between clandestine and forgotten."
And so begins THE VAST OF NIGHT, framed as an episode of "PARADOX THEATER," a TWILIGHT ZONE-style series. A Rod Serling-esque narrator sets the stage, explaining that we, the viewers, are in a slipstream between channels, in a frequency caught between logic and myth. The camera then slowly pushes in on an old Philco Predicta television set until it crosses the threshold of the green-tinted picture tube, transporting us to the 1950s, to the small town of Cayuga, New Mexico. While the rest of the town cheers on the local basketball team, young switchboard operator Fay (Sierra McCormick) and the charismatic radio DJ Everett (Jake Horowitz) stumble upon a strange audio anomaly that may change their town – and the world as we know it – forever.
The feature debut of director Andrew Patterson and also screenwriters James Montague and Craig W. Sanger, THE VAST OF NIGHT is an inspired sci-fi slow-burn with some great performances and a jaw-dropping finale that will fill you with awe. If you're into movies like CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, WAR OF THE WORLDS, and PONTYPOOL, then definitely give this Amazon Original one a look.
Read my full review at First Showing and check out the trailer while you're at it!
ZOMBI CHILD (2020)
Haiti, 1962: A man is brought back from the dead only to be sent to the living hell of the sugarcane fields. In Paris, 55 years later, at the prestigious Légion d' honneur boarding school, a Haitian girl (Wislanda Louimat) confesses an old family secret to a group of new friends – never imagining that this strange tale will convince a heartbroken classmate (Louise Labèque) to do the unthinkable.
Written, directed, and composed by Bertrand Bonello, ZOMBI CHILD is an atmospheric, thought-provoking French voodoo/gothic drama with beautiful cinematography by Yves Cape (HOLY MOTORS). It's parts BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR meets SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW with a hint of CARRIE. The film is currently available on Amazon Prime Video and other Video On Demand platforms. Check out the trailer.
RELIC (2020)
When Edna (Robyn Nevin), the elderly and widowed matriarch of the family, goes missing, her daughter Kay (Emily Mortimer) and granddaughter Sam (Bella Heathcote) travel to their remote family home to find her. Soon after her return, they start to discover a sinister presence haunting the house and taking control of Edna.
In terms of "emotional horror," RELIC is perhaps the most affecting entry in the subgenre since Mike Flanagan's THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (available on Netflix). It has excellent performances. It has a tremendous sense of atmosphere, instilling dread from the get-go. Still, its metaphors are apparent, even heavy-handed, and it doesn't deliver the gut punch needed to fulfill the potential of its premise.
It's another high-concept horror film with elegant cinematography that is "about something" but, instead of facing that something (dementia, grieving the living) head-on, pivots to demonic possession and spooky supernatural hijinks with mixed results.
It's THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN meets M. Night Shyamalan's THE VISIT with an arthouse A24 aesthetic. As a slow-burn horror movie, it works, but it isn't the heart-rending, emotionally revelatory movie I was expecting - and I say this as someone close to the subject matter. Criticisms aside, I'd recommend checking it out - it's no doubt one of the better horror films you'll see this year - maybe temper your expectations a bit. I'm very interested to see what co-writer/director Natalie Erika James does next.
RELIC is currently available on Amazon Prime Video and other Video On Demand platforms from IFC Midnight. Check out the trailer.
Bonus Round
What's that — you only watch streaming series? FINE!
LOVECRAFT COUNTRY (HBO)
I'LL BE GONE IN THE DARK (HBO)
UNSOLVED MYSTERIES (Netflix)
WATCHMEN (HBO)
THE VOW (HBO)
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (Hulu)
STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN (Disney+)
DISNEY GALLERY: THE MANDALORIAN (Disney+)
SPACE GHOST COAST 2 COAST (HBO Max)
SCOOBY-DOO! MYSTERY INCORPORATED (Netflix)
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