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DokBrowne [ 8.5 ]
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I've seen/read exact monkey's-paw tales about the guy who wishes to be liked, and how that spirals into violent chaos, so even *that's* unoriginal here, not to mention the title (De Palma's already got one of those, and anyway it sounds like some DTV erotic thriller about adultery), but goddamn does Curry Barker’s filmmaking spark, methodical and creepy, turning predictable beats into dread-inducing ones, meticulously thought-out so that we fully believe every move it makes yet also wildly crowd-pleasingly spring-loaded with alarming suspense tactics, jarring shocks and a pervasive sense of humor that sneaks up on you. To the latter point it reminded me of "The Lighthouse", another fierce, grim nightmare that's simultaneously hilariously deadpan. The inverse of how horror-comedy used to feel in the '80s and '90s - aka comfortable, inviting, more comedy than horror; nowadays it's unmistakably disturbing and uncomfortable but with an escalating farce ethos underneath, a nothing-left-to-do-but-laugh fatalism, and sharp editing rhythms that create funny out of timing.
With really just 4 members of the cast (not counting Andy Richter who like his old pal Conan is finally branching out into upsetting psychological terror), none of whom are familiar from other projects, they nail the vibe Curry Barker is going for, especially Inde Navarrette as the friend cursed to love our protagonist. It's a horror performance for the ages, all sudden mood swings and freaky slapstick prowess. If there was an annual industry award for Bananas Acting of the Jim Carrey Kind or something, she'd have it locked down this year.
The shadowy cinematography pays dividends too, silhouettes inducing major goosebumps on multiple occasions, as well the careful shot compositions, like something unsettling lingering in the background. And it's full-on gross too without relying on that as a crutch (like I suspect the upcoming "Evil Dead Burns" will). Face + steering wheel and the cat motif both make memorable Raimi-esque nauseations.
I see this movie as the triangulation of three other recent horror properties - "Smile" (the shrieking doom of people possessed with wrong glee), "Companion" (comically exploring the fucked-up power dynamics between partners in a relationship through kind of supernatural control factors) and "Together" (the horrific limits of co-dependency). There's actually a lot within the absurd behavior of this doting girlfriend that anyone in a couple might be able to relate to, albeit to an exaggerated level that you can gasp and guffaw over. It's clever engineered as a social satire. Very accomplished and effective on all fronts, really, which is why it'll hold up in horror excellence for a long time, I imagine.
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| Weighted Rating | : 7.0 |
| No. Ratings | : 1 | |
| No. Reviews | : 1 | |
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