rudyardellis

A lot of recent horror films seems to be trying to recapture that 70's/80's vibe we all love so much. Most think just adding a little dirt, grain, and scratches to their mostly modern looking footage will do the trick, but it doesn't quite work. Ti West's approach is right on the money. His pacing, shot selection, and script all harken back to that era of filmmaking without being too in your face about it.

West's story involves a college student desperate to make enough money to move out of her dorm room thanks to an obnoxious roommate. She sees a flyer for a babysitting job and goes for it, but once she gets to the location, she realizes she's gotten in over her head and this might be the last babysitting job she ever takes...if she survives the night.

West allows the story to build slowly, which might turn off audiences more used to fast pacing and quick cuts and, while the ending can feel like it goes a little too quickly after all that build up, the build up itself is the star attraction here with West carefully placing little hints here and there that something is horribly wrong.

Slow going, but incredibly creepy character study about a mentally fragile woman who's trying to regain her sanity during a vacation with her husband. Unfortunately for her, her husband might have picked the creepiest town in the world for a little relaxation and Jessica's grip on reality begins to erode away as she suspects the people in the town might be some sort of vampires.

Let's Scare Jessica To Death allows the audience to make it up its own mind about what's happened to its leading lady and it's all the better for it. Zohra Lampert carries the entire film on her tiny, shaky shoulders and turns in one of the most gripping performances in horror history.

Warning: This is a true slow burner of a movie and if you don't have the patience for that, you might not enjoy it.

Trippy psychothriller about a rich housewife who has erotic dreams about her neighbor. When one of these dreams turns violent, she wakes up the next day to find out that her neighbor had been killed and she's the lead suspect. It's a race against time to find out the true identity of the killer and prove her innocence before her fate is sealed.

As wild as A Lizard in A Woman's Skin is, it's fairly restrained for a Fulci film. None of his trademark zombies or eye popping gore are on display here and the script is tighter and more involving than some of his other films. It's definitely one of his more accessible films, but the slow pacing and trippy quality of some of the scenes might turn more mainstream viewers off.