Tagline: The only thing more terrifying than searching for the Devil... is finding him.
Synopsis: Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) specializes in tracking down rare and exotic volumes for collectors. Boris Balkan (Frank Langella) has recently acquired a seventeenth-century satanic text called The Nine Gates- a legendary book written by Satan himself. With The Nine Gates in his possession, Corso soon finds himself at the center of strange and violent goings-on. Not only is his apartment ransacked, it appears that he is being shadowed ferociously by others determined to regain the book. (Google)
I saw this in the theater when it first came out and I hated it. It was one of those "what the hell did I just watch?" moments. So, you might ask why I then watched it again when it came to cable premium channels. I don't know why, but I did...and I was hooked. Not sure if it was the book element, or the occult element, but I recognized it really was a smart film. Perhaps a bit convoluted, but the subject matter is actually really interesting to me. The critics don't seem to have liked it much...43 percent on Rotten Tomatoes...but it has an 88 percent liked rating with Google users, and 6.7 on IMDb, so really not universally hated. Needless to say, after that second viewing, it became a movie I would watch over and over again. It has actually been a while since my last watch, but I found out it's on STARZ so I think it's time for another rewatch.
What is a horror movie you used to hate but now like?
Synopsis: A couple travel to Sweden to visit their friend's rural hometown for its fabled midsummer festival, but what begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult. (Google)
I've talked about this before in recent posts. I'm really fascinated by folk horror and I guess I always have been. I can remember when I first saw The Wicker Man film from the 70s, and the Harvest Home TV mini series (The Dark Secret of Harvest Home) based on the excellent book by Thomas Tryon. I was immediately intrigued and it became a lifelong fascination. With the release in recent years of movies like The Witch and Hereditary, the subgenre is having a revival and I'm loving it. When Midsommar dropped over the summer, I was so excited to see it, and I wasn't disappointed. Admittedly, it's a slow burner, but that just adds to the increasing menace as the film progresses.
Occult means hidden, and the sect in Sweden these friends travel to for Midsommar has definitely stayed hidden...and for good reason. I don't think what they're getting up to would be smiled upon. All I can say is, I know me, and I can spot a cult from a mile away. I would have left way before getting to the actual "village." Of course, then there wouldn't be a movie.
I like the direction Ari Aster is going with his film making. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
What is your favorite occult horror movie?
P.S. I'm hosting a Midsommar watch-along in conjunction with my Something Wicked Fall event. The watch-along will be Saturday, October 19 at 10:00 pm Eastern/9:00 pm Central.
