We're back! And, with Halloween now (sadly) several weeks behind us, it's time to get back to business as usual -- well, to some extent. Our latest attempt to broaden our horror-movie horizons by way of the Shudder library brings us to Norway, from which we've picked both a highly respected genre classic and a recent film that's generated a lot of buzz in the horror community. First up is Lake of the Dead, a 1958 film that plays like a finely crafted Nordic twist on the old "cabin in the woods" setup and features what has been called the most famous shot in all of Norwegian film. Combining an old-fashioned murder mystery with some eerie supernatural and folkloric elements, this film might not be too well-known outside of its country of origin, but thanks to Shudder, it's a piece of horror history that's ripe for rediscovery. After that, we explore one of the most disturbing films your humble hosts have seen in some time, writer/director Eskil Vogt's The Innocents. This tale of preteen kids reckoning with superhuman abilities has a little bit of a Stephen King vibe, but it's far bleaker and more unsettling than pretty much anything he's ever created. It's also beautifully shot, exceptionally well directed, and features some of the most remarkable performances you'll ever see from child actors. Even by our standards, though, this was a tough watch -- you'll have to listen to the show to find out whether we thought it was worth it! Plus, our thoughts on the unlikely recent blockbuster Terrifier 2, the incredible career of genre legend Lance Henriksen, and -- in our continuing celebration of "Cenovember" -- the first few Hellraiser sequels, up through 2000's Inferno.
We're back! And, with Halloween now (sadly) several weeks behind us, it's time to get back to business as usual -- well, to some extent. Our latest attempt to broaden our horror-movie horizons by way of the Shudder library brings us to Norway, from which we've picked both a highly respected genre classic and a recent film that's generated a lot of buzz in the horror community. First up is Lake of the Dead, a 1958 film that plays like a finely crafted Nordic twist on the old "cabin in the woods" setup and features what has been called the most famous shot in all of Norwegian film. Combining an old-fashioned murder mystery with some eerie supernatural and folkloric elements, this film might not be too well-known outside of its country of origin, but thanks to Shudder, it's a piece of horror history that's ripe for rediscovery. After that, we explore one of the most disturbing films your humble hosts have seen in some time, writer/director Eskil Vogt's The Innocents. This tale of preteen kids reckoning with superhuman abilities has a little bit of a Stephen King vibe, but it's far bleaker and more unsettling than pretty much anything he's ever created. It's also beautifully shot, exceptionally well directed, and features some of the most remarkable performances you'll ever see from child actors. Even by our standards, though, this was a tough watch -- you'll have to listen to the show to find out whether we thought it was worth it! Plus, our thoughts on the unlikely recent blockbuster Terrifier 2, the incredible career of genre legend Lance Henriksen, and -- in our continuing celebration of "Cenovember" -- the first few Hellraiser sequels, up through 2000's Inferno.