As with all of my reviews of films for The Creepercast, I fully recommend that you check each and every one of them out. I am one man and this is my opinion. I've seen plenty of movies that received reviews that were the complete opposite of how I saw the film. These writers, directors, producers and actors all put a lot of time and love into these projects. They deserve to be seen and appreciated for what they are. Everyone has a dream and I fully support the people that take the time to make theirs a reality. With that being said....
Anthology films. Some people love them and some people hate them. I'm in the love camp, more often than not. Where as I enjoy my full length horror films, sometimes it's nice to see what an encapsulated scare fest can be like. Cases in point: 'Creepshow', 'V/H/S' or 'Trick r' Treat'. All great examples of how to make an anthology work and to even use a middle story, as a device, to tie them all together. Thus, creating a cohesive narrative that spans the full run time of the film. With that being said, I was excited to hear about 'XX'. There have been some great female directed horror films in the past, so the idea of an anthology film with all female writers and directors, seemed like a no brainer to me. I did my best to stay away from any trailers or other reviews of the film, as I wanted to take the ride without any preconceived notions. To me, that's the best way to see any film. Last night, I had the chance to finally partake in the four course meal that is 'XX'. I had no expectations and no idea what I was about to be in for.
*SPOILERS* ahead! It opens with some very creepy stop motion animation. From what I could gather, by the end of the film, it was being used as a way to tie all the stories together, although I'm not quite sure to what end? Perhaps they were going for a child's room, filled with dolls and things that have come to life? In the end it didn't work for me. The first film was entitled 'The Box'. Directed and adapted for the screen by Jovanka Vuckovic and taken from an original story by Jack Ketchum. It tells the tale of a little boy who is privy to what's inside a gift wrapped box, that a man on the subway shows him. After seeing what's in the box, the boy stops eating. Not just for a day or two.... forever. His parents blow it off at first, just thinking he's not feeling well or having some kind of emotional issues. But over time, they realize there is something more going on. Soon, he tells his sister what was in the box and then their father. Before long, only the mother is still eating. By the end of the film, we find the mother in search of the man with the box, to find out what was truly inside. Next up, was 'The Birthday Party'. Co-written and directed by St. Vincent, who shares the writing credits with Roxanne Benjamin. This short, tells the story of a woman who is preparing for the birthday of her daughter. The little girls father seems to be away on business, but the mom soon realizes that he's died in his office from an overdose of sorts. Not wanting to spoil the party, she proceeds to try and hide the body from sight. Eventually deciding to put it smack dab at the head of the table, in front of the birthday cake, hiding inside a giant panda suit. What could go wrong? Next, was 'Don't Fall'. Written and directed by Roxanne Benjamin. In this film, we find 4 people out in a desert like area, camping for the night. During their hike, they find strange paintings on the side of the rocks. Once night falls, the creature depicted in the paintings, comes to call. Taking each of them out, one by one. Finally, we have 'Her Only Living Son'. Written and directed by, the celebrated, Karyn Kusama. Our last tale, is of a mother who has been hiding her son away from the world. As he's become a teenager, his personality has started to change. On his birthday, she's realizing that he's becoming more and more violent. The mother becomes worried that maybe her past has started to catch up with her. Everyone around her seems to be in on the changes that are occurring, as we find out that her son may be more than he appears. As the tension mounts, something evil rears it's ugly head and what was to be a celebration for his date of birth, soon becomes something entirely different.
On paper, this should all work. 4 great writers and directors, all pooling their talent to make something amazing. The problem is, that it just doesn't work. As I mentioned earlier, the middle segments fall short. Feeling more like a tacked on addition to pad the running time of the film. Which still only comes in at an hour and twenty minutes. In 'The Box', the question kept running through my mind, why didn't the doctors try and feed the family members by IV or some other method? Especially, by the time they were in the hospital? In 'The Birthday Party', as much as the mother was wanting to avoid scaring her daughter for life, she ultimately did it anyway. In 'Don't Fall', it just felt crammed into too small of a space. This could have been a feature all it's own. And in regards to 'Her Only Living Son', it was well done, but a little unclear as to the ending. So many unanswered questions. Perhaps, that was the idea of any or all of the films? I'm not entirely sure. There were so many things that just seemed to be done without thinking them through. I know that all of the people involved were trying to make something great, but it almost seemed as though, they were trying to hard to just get things done. With a little more time and some additional minutes to fill in the gaps, this could have been amazing. There is no one alive, that would expect this type of film to be less than two hours. You need that time to build your world and give the characters time to breathe and move inside of it. Instead, you get bite sized portions that only leave you feeling hungry in the end.
I wanted to like 'XX', I really did. It's not that it was awful or anything that I regret spending time on. I simply wanted more from it. The studios wanted to push the all woman director angle, but the real thing to keep focused on, was the story telling. All of the moving parts worked, as a whole. They just were too small to make the machine function properly. If I am to rate the film, as a complete work? I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. If I'm to break it down into sections, 'The Box' earns 4 out of 5 stars and by far was my favorite of the group. It built up a nice bit of tension and left me wanting more. I'm expecting greater things to come from Jovanka Vuckovic and I always love Jack Ketchum's work. 'The Birthday Party' gets 4 out of 5 stars. It was certainly the most entertaining, in terms of being almost a black comedy. 'Don't Fall' gets 4 out of 5 stars'. This has the earmarks of a bigger story to tell. Finally, 'Her Only Living Son' gets 3 out of 5 stars. Karyn Kusama has already made a solid name for herself. You could see why, with this short, but it was just too incomplete, in my opinion. Also, the middle animation bits gets 1 out of 5 stars. A pointless plot device that was unnecessary and did nothing to further the stories or the plot. While this won't go down in history as another 'Creepshow', perhaps this could be the start of something better for the next installment? I'd love to see this continue, but with more love and care put into it. Anthology films are having a nice little resurgence right now and I only hope that this trend continues for years to come.
If you like this kind of film, check out: 'Creepshow', 'Southbound' and 'Trick r' Treat'
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