Ti West’s latest film has been a bit polarizing but it’s easy to see it’s a stylish, well-executed throwback that would be mostly right at home in the 70s slasher era and it has fun not taking itself too seriously along the way.
In 1979, a group of ambitious young pornographers with big dreams rent a boarding house outside of Houston, TX, and set out to capitalize on the burgeoning home video market with an amateur movie. Things are going pretty much according to plan until the elderly owners of the property catch wind of what’s going on under their noses and things escalate quickly.
It has been a while since Ti West has directed a feature but he jumped right back into the deep end with this one. The visual introduction brings you right into the era and gives you a glimpse at what’s in store, complete with the classic, brooding, cowboy Sheriff. The principal cast is basically comprised of caricatures of the types of roles that existed in 70s slashers and West hit those marks squarely on the head and still built some solid character foundations beyond just that. It’s not quite a parody of the genre, although it’s quite funny as it goes through the motions. I’d say it’s more of an homage that also happens to have fun with the classic tropes.
While I don’t know that I would describe the film as scary, it is certainly tense and unsettling. West clearly incorporated that into his vision because the creepy suspense builds slowly, almost in the background, while the characters have their fun through the first two acts with plenty of nudity to offset some of that tension. Cinematographer Eliot Rockett has worked with West multiple times in the past he got to have a lot of fun as well, incorporating some fantastic aerial and overhead shots while also getting gritty with the low-budget 70s camera style. While creepy visual elements lurk in the background, the haunting original music by Tyler Bates and Chelsea Wolfe gets under your skin and amplifies those shots. Music supervisor Joe Rudge also got some good clearances to accompany the film. Horror fans should appreciate the effectiveness that’s wielded here.
The cast was certainly a reason I was interested in this film, so Rebecca Dealy and Jessica Kelly deserve credit for bringing it together. Mia Goth almost always takes on strange projects so seeing her name piqued my curiosity and she took on dual roles here, but I didn’t catch it until the very end. She is very experienced in horror and plays the aspiring starlet well and she’ll run it back as the prequel film Pearl was announced.
Jenna Ortega is already having a massive 2022, with four films already released. She has a very specific energy and she showcased it once again, making her a great candidate for Breakout Performer. Brittany Snow is no stranger to horror either and she is great, getting out of her traditional roles, as Bobby-Lynne. Kid Cudi has fun playing the male talent, Jackson, while Martin Henderson plays the ambitious producer putting it all together and Owen Campbell plays the “Avant-Garde” director looking to make his name of a low-budget porno. I have read reviews saying the acting is terrible, but that’s really missing the point. These are all capable actors, playing characters that are actually terrible actors, so the performances are pretty spot-on across the board and that’s why the theater full of people was having a blast when I watched it.
It’s pretty different and likely subverted a lot of people’s expectations, but the filmmaking is very strong. The makeup and visual effects team did an outstanding job. Stephen Ure is unrecognizable as the crotchety and decrepit old man Howard who owns the farm and the goriest moments elicit a visceral response. It’s still in the slasher family, so many of the moments are derivative of the genre but, again, that’s the point. Don’t let the negative reviews detract you, just head into it with an open mind and stay for the post-credits scene.
Recommendation: If you are a fan of horror filmmaking, see it for the creativity, the cast, and the script that’s both hilarious and weird as hell. Not for the prude.
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