FEATURE: Shocktober - The Bay

Over the course of October, I shall be watching one horror movie a day and reviewing it right here for your reading pleasure. I haven't seen any of the films I'll be watching before and you can find the full list here.

There's a certain sense of horror already built into a contagion-based film and none more so than in the present climate of Ebola epidemics and media scares. The Bay follows a contained outbreak in Claridge, Maryland during the town's 4th July celebrations. It is composed almost entirely of footage captured during the day by various people including a local reporter (who narrates the film), local law enforcement, hospital staff and people at the CDC who are contacted in an attempt to solve the problem.

Whilst Stephen King's novel concerns a superflu and not a parasite as it is in The Bay, there was a lot about the found footage style of Barry Levinson's film that reminded me of a certain section of The Stand in which King traces the various different reactions to the ongoing plague. There are several chapters which work as a series of vignettes, chronicling the spread of the plague itself and tracing infections, another detailing the breakdown of society and a further one which follows the fates of several people who don't feature in the main plot. It's an extremely successful technique that gives the book a more over-reaching feel. In its found footage, The Bay does something similar within the narrow confines of Claridge and beyond to the reactions of the CDC and others trying to contain and silence the problem.

Like The Stand before it hits the big cosmic elements, The Bay traces several main characters through the footage that they have recorded alongside characters who appear maybe once or twice in the entire narrative. As a result, there are a few characters whose story you attach to, but largely, the more horrific stuff comes in those smaller moments, people in isolation who have no idea what is happening to them or why. This is in turn punctuated by the narrator's description of events and her reports from the day itself, in which she was supposed to be covering the 4th July celebrations and not, as she eventually does, a deadly parasitic outbreak.

There a lot of elements at play, both in terms of narrative and theme, but Levinson manages to keep everything together to produce something eerily effective. Hubristic local governments take the most flak, particularly the Mayor who repeatedly ignores the warnings of the oceanographic team investigating high toxicity levels in the bay. Likewise, those talking about shutting down the town and keeping its small nature in perspective. In short, there aren't many people so it's easier to keep quiet. In contrast, there's a quiet heroism to the actions of the police officers and medical staff who are followed throughout the film as they attempt to keep everyone calm and deal with the situation.

It also raises intriguing questions about the way in which humans treat their local environment and how, on occasion, it likes to bite back. The isopods responsible for the deaths of a large amount of Claridge's population evolve because of the dumping of waste into the bay. There is a radiation leak that is also mentioned and the industrial plant nearby that are also mentioned as possible sources of the rapid growth. In an age where environmental decline and climate change are topics still hotly contested and dismissed by too many people in a position to solve the problem, Levinson's particular brand of eco-horror cuts pretty keenly.

The Bay is an effective little film and, like earlier found footage films I've seen this month, a very efficient use of the technique. Plus, the thought of being eaten from the inside out? Bleurgh.

- Becky

You can check out the full list of Shocktober reviews so far here.

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TV (SORT-OF) REVIEW: House of Cards

The American version of seminal British drama House of Cards hit the website Netflix this week, marking a landmark development in broadcasting, premiering a television series without it actually being on any television channels (hence the 'Sort-Of'). The first episode was available on Thursday night, and is still available to view for free, with the rest of the series following on Friday for subscribers. Needless to say, I've now watched all but two (hey, Saturday's a day off, I've had time) and the series, whilst very different from its well-spoken, Ian Richardson-starring counterpart, is nearly just as good.

With backing from some of Hollywood's major players like executive producer and director, David Fincher and other notables like Joel Schumacher, the pedigree behind House of Cards is formidable. It has been adapted from the novels by Michael Dobbs and based on Andrew Davies' series by Beau Willimon, (The Ides of March - a much underrated film, give it a look if you can). It's all very slick, without feeling over-produced but anyone looking for West Wing style idealism might be disappointed as it's a bit like someone took Aaron Sorkin and slowly punctured all his dreams until he became a hollow, bitter and twisted version of himself and then punched him in the face for good measure. This isn't the nice, do-gooding potential world of politics, but the nastiest kind that many conspiracy theorists suspect actually exists, where back-stabbings and betrayals are merely routine. 

Starring Kevin Spacey as the Machiavellian Francis J. Underwood, House of Cards follows our anti-hero through the corridors of power as he conspires to take the new President of the United States. Pre-election, Underwood was supposed to take the Secretary of State role, but instead he is told that he must remain as the Majority Whip, a 'glorified plumber' as Underwood puts it. Along with his wife Claire, played with Lady Macbeth-like cool by Robin Wright, and ambitious journalist Zoe Barnes (Kate Mara), Underwood steadily manipulates everyone around him to manoeuvre himself into the position he wants. 


House of Cards opens with a scene that perfectly encapsulates both the rest of the series and Underwood's character; a dog has been run over and while giving a speech directly to the audience about the two kinds of pain, Underwood puts it out of its misery. It's a shocking opener and one that you don't entirely expect, even if you are familiar with Spacey's predecessor, Francis Urquhart, from the original series. It firmly establishes the tone; this is a ruthless political world in which the weak will be put down, most probably by Underwood. It foreshadows a key plot development too much later in the series, one that is even more jawdropping.

Spacey's portrayal of Underwood is key for the entire series as it is the kind of story that lives or dies with its central character. He had big boots to fill, following Richardson in what is widely regarded to have been his best role, but Spacey does the right thing; he doesn't seek to emulate or mimic Richardson. Instead, there are a couple of subtle nods but Spacey very much goes his own way with Underwood, here transformed into a Southern gentleman rather than the Tory patrician. He's charismatic, charming, slimy and repugnant, yet you can't help go along with him. Part of this lies in the decision to keep Underwood breaking the fourth wall; the audience is complicit in every single one of his schemes or thoughts. If there's a moment in which he has to shift gear or go into the offensive, we get a quick look to the side, a momentary glance that conveys enough subtext to fuel a Harold Pinter play.

The rest of the cast are equally good, particularly Robin Wright as Claire Underwood. The marriage between the pair doesn't seem to be one of romantic love, but of mutual appreciation. Each will resort to anything to achieve their goals, including using each other to get what they want. There are little scenes between the pair, often with the two of them smoking at the window, in which the noise of politicians or lobbyists dies down and we simply get to see the two of them plan their next move. It's like watching an extremely elaborate chess game (which Underwood specialises in naturally) play out as they move pieces, knock others off and bring others back in to play. The Underwoods aren't necessarily the nicest couple, but they're certainly inherently watchable.

Like its characters, House of Cards is relentless from start to finish, building plot after plot and wrapping you up in all of Underwood's intricate scheming. Having all of the episodes available on Netflix, one after the other, also means that you can follow what is, at times, the kind of twisty-turny (technical term) narrative that needs to be seen all at once. Whether or not you choose to view it in this way is entirely up to you, but it's a very convenient way of viewing this captivating series. Just make sure you have enough time to sit down and watch all thirteen episodes at once.

- Becky

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FILM REVIEW: The Cabin in the Woods

The Cabin in the Woods has been involved in something of a review furore over the past week with certain reviewers revealing spoilers and causing consternation for those people who want to go in and see the film cold. So I'm issuing a disclaimer straight away: This review will not contain any spoilers whatsoever, other than information that has appeared in the trailer for the film. 

Directed by Cloverfield's Drew Goddard, produced by Joss Whedon and written by both, Cabin in the Woods has been stuck on the shelf for awhile after MGM's financial difficulties. Now the film is finally with us, 18 months late but thankfully, just as fresh and as relevant. I heard about this project when it was first being produced back in 2009 and was ridiculously excited for it then. With all the anticipation for the film, mostly on my part, it could have easily become just another horror movie dud, but in the hands of genre mash-up extraordinaires Goddard and Whedon, we've got something that could be just as revolutionary as Scream was back in the 90s.

The film follows five college kids, Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Dana (Kristen Connelly), Holden (Jesse Williams), Marty (Fran Kranz) and Jules (Anna Hutchinson), off for a long weekend to Curt's cousin's cabin in the woods. On the way, we get the five meeting your stereotypical country hick (played brilliantly by Tim de Zarn) and being warned away from the cabin at the end of Tillerman Road. Instead of doing the sensible thing and turning around, the quintet of canon fodder head off to the remote location and proceed to awaken something that wants to slice and dice them one by one. But is there all there is to it? And just what do Sitterson (Richard Jenkins) and Hadley (Bradley Whitford) have to do with it all?

Now I can't stress enough that if you want to enjoy this film as fully as possible, it's essential to avoid all the spoilers you can. The primary reason for this is because The Cabin in the Woods is a film that demands to be viewed with very little prior knowledge and that's part of the joy of the experience; you think you know what's coming but trust me when I say you really don't.

Every twist, shock, surprise, laugh etc. comes from not being able to expect anything because you honestly have no idea what's about to happen. There were moments in the film where I jumped at something scary, laughed really hard at something funny, back to jumping, back to laughing again, all in the space of about 60 seconds of the film. It's a fantastic cinematic experience and it's really refreshing to attend a film where you haven't worked out the plot within about thirty seconds.

As you'd expect from Whedon and Goddard, the writing is brilliant, treading the fine line between horror and comedy throughout. It's a testament to both writers that, with a genre so tired and a format so familiar that the audience always knows what's coming, they inject new life into it, reminding us all why we love horror films so much in the first place. In the first half an hour, the cliches come thick and fast but the deconstruction of them comes just as quick, never once letting you forget that what you're watching is a horror film that is aware of exactly what it is.

Praise must also go to the excellent cast that were assembled for the film. The five actors portraying the college kids each fit their roles well, playing the horror archetypes that we're all used to seeing. The standout in this part of the ensemble is Fran Kranz as the stoner fool of the group, given some of the best lines in the film and stealing most scenes from the others. 

A pre-Thor Hemsworth does the supposedly dumb jock well while Connelly's virginal Dana is played with all the wide-eyed innocence you'd expect from that particular character. The best performances in the film though are Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford as the mysterious pair you see right at the beginning of the film. The chemistry between the two actors is a joy to watch and their appearances are a real highlight. 

Films that are meta in their construction often run the risk of being too clever for their own good. We've of course had the meta horror film before in Wes Craven's Scream but The Cabin in the Woods blows it away, simply because it's a lot more fun. Where it succeeds is that it has a considerable amount of love for the films it's poking fun at. The film knows it's extremely clever and self-aware, but, importantly, it doesn't take itself too seriously, making it one of the most fun films I have seen in a long time.

*****

- Becky