THE BEYOND (1981)

Can’t believe I snoozed on posting this… Not intentional, as this is one of my all-time favorite movies. Top 5, easily. The New Beverly screened the restored and uncensored print Tarantino made back in the late 90s. I remember seeing that at a midnight screening at the Sunset 5 around 1998/99 with Felix from Lifes Halt.

The Beyond is like a nightmare put up on screen. Like a dream it doesn’t always make sense, like the army of spiders (tarantulas, actually) that come out of nowhere when someone falls from a ladder at a bookstore, but this has atmosphere and looks great. Steeped in despair with bits of gore, everyone in this movie is damned, and when you contemplate the ending, it’s pretty grim. On this viewing Emily really stood out for me. When she pleads, “I did what you asked of me” to whatever spirit in the room with her and Dicky, you have to wonder what brought her to that fate in the first place. One of Fulci’s best.

Outside the New Beverly, May 7, 2022. Photo by: Matt Average

HAPPY HUNTING (2017)

HAPPY HUNTING (2017)

Director(s): Joe Dietsch, Louie Gibson

Starring: Martin Dingle Wall, Ken Lally, Gary Sturm, C.J. Baker

This is by no means a must see… but its bloody and mostly action packed and very strange, and well.. sort of creative.  It was directed and written by Mel Gibson’s son Louie Gibson.  In my opinion there are some issues with the pacing of the film, I think due to the main character fighting his alcoholism through out it (which is not all necessary, and sort of slows things down at times).  But this is a survival film about a desert town who every year hunt a few “bad behaved” humans in the desert where they live. The kill scenes are cool.   I think the desert scenes add a lot to this because there literally isn’t anywhere to hide, so it makes things feel truly desolate and hopeless. 
I’m not so sure Louie Gibson will go on to be as creative as his dad, but this was a fun Saturday Midnight film that I have no regrets in watching.  I can’t wait until my daughter is old enough to watch shit like this with me.  (NW)

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Nate Wilson: NW  Devon Cahill: DC  Matt Average: MA