Scary Movies XI: The Trace We Leave Behind

If Hollywood were to remake this Brazilian horror movie, it would have to be set in New York City, because the Big Apple is the only municipality of any size that is still in the hospital business. Of course, the Federal government has plenty of hospitals—VA hospitals, but that would drastically alter the subtext of the film. Apparently, the government of Rio has also decided to get out of the hospital business, so they are closing the oldest, spookiest facility on its books. However, a patient will be lost in the transfer process, alerting the young doctor-turned-bureaucrat in charge of the liquidation to some nefarious goings-on in J.C. Feyer’s The Trace We Leave Behind (trailer here), which screens during the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s annual Scary Movies series.

Rio’s budget has busted, so the governor has ordered liquidation of under-performing hospitals, starting with the dismally ill-equipped Sao Tome. As fate would have it, Dr. Joao Rocha served his residency there under Dr. Heitor, the hospital director before transferring to the Department of Health. He is now tasked with consolidating patients in the larger, better staffed hospitals. However, Heitor just defiantly admitted a new patient, Julia de Souza.

Despite being a pawn in his game with Heitor, Rocha is deeply moved by the abused and neglected young woman when he meets her during an inspection. He is therefore rather annoyed when she is “lost” during the patient transfer. Wracked with guilt, Rocha starts a very noisy and confrontational investigation that turns up some rather uncomfortable revelations. Apparently, de Souza was already dead before the patient transfer, but she was never properly admitted in the first place. In between, she received numerous cat scans and other expensive tests that Sao Tome is not exactly known for.

Something in Sao Tome knows what happened. Rocha can literally hear it or them in the walls. He might be going nuts, but that doesn’t mean he is wrong. In fact, screenwriters Beatriz Manela and Andre Pereira rather cleverly fused supernatural horror with a manipulative political conspiracy thriller. It all works relatively well until it shifts its focus to Rocha’s pregnant wife Leila, becoming a “woman in jeopardy” thriller in the third act.

Ironically, Trace is clearly intended as a protest statement on Brazilian austerity measures, but the more we watch, the more convinced we become of the justification for shutting down Sao Tome, because it really is a deeply corrupt and downright evil institution. As a horror movie location, it is also appealingly creepy and atmospheric. We can see the faded grandeur and the shadowy lighting is perfect for hauntings.

As Rocha, Rafael Cardoso is rigid and tightly wound, in a way that befits a government inspector barging into a horror movie. Leandra Leal is very much the typically passive pregnant woman in danger, but Jonas Bloch definitely looks ambiguously distinctive as old Heitor.

There are a number of creepy moments in Trace, but its commentary falls flat, at best. Arguably, Feyer loses control over his own picture, but that is not necessarily a bad thing in this case. In fact, there is enough here to recommend The Trace We Leave Behind for fans of Latin American horror, when it screens Tuesday night (8/21) at the Walter Reade, as part of Scary Movies XI.

Scary Movies XI: The Inhabitant

It turns out the dude who broke into the serial killer’s home in Bad Samaritan got off easy. David Tennant was just a flesh-and-blood psychopath. In contrast, three sisters who break into a corrupt senator’s mansion are in for a world of demonic hurt. Crime truly does not pay in Guillermo Amoedo’s The Inhabitant (trailer here), which screens during the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s annual Scary Movies series.

The oldest sister, Camila, is an ex-con who owes the wrong people money, so when they tell her to break into Sen. Sanchez-Lermontov’s’s safe, she really does not have any choice in the matter. Her two younger sisters, Maria and Ana have come along to help. Unfortunately, instead of cash in the safe, they find the couple’s emaciated daughter Tamara chained up in the basement. Of course, once Camila releases her from her cell, very bad things start to happen. Yep, you got it.

Amoedo takes his time setting the scene and establishing his characters, but when he finally unleashes the satanic horror, it turns out to be some intense, prolonged, and over-powering stuff. This film will scare Whole Foods-shopping Unitarians back to the Catholic Church. Yes indeed, there is veteran demon-exorcising cardinal expected shortly, but the circumstances will be even more complicated than he expected.

Maria Evoli is solid as the larcenous sister most likely to be the “final girl,” but she is overshadowed by the gravitas of Fernando Becerril’s old school Cardinal Natale and Natasha Cubria, who is truly harrowing and terrifying as the possessed but occasionally lucid Tamara. Production designer Xènia Besora’s team also does a first-class job crafting and dressing the Sanchez-Lermontov villa. It is obviously an opulent home, but the bric-a-brac just looks like it radiates evil.

So, that “thou shalt not steal” business is no joke. Anyone who has a few satanic panic movies under their belt will anticipate the twist ending from the clear foreshadowing throughout the film. However, there are several extended sequences involving faith and temptation that are remarkably potent. This is a scary film that really hits viewers in the gut and on an archetypal level. Very highly recommended, The Inhabitant screens Monday night (8/20) at the Walter Reade, as part of Scary Movies XI.

Scary Movies XI: The Witch in the Window

Unfortunately for Simon, they never tell you how to exorcise ghosts on those Old Yankee Toolbox shows. He knows plenty about carpentry and electrical wiring, but old lady Lydia is outside his expertise (she is more of a witch in a pejorative sense, but she is definitely a ghost, so whatever). It will make the Vermont country home tough to flip, but Simon is more worried about his son’s safety in Andy Mitton’s The Witch in the Window (trailer here), which screens during the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s annual Scary Movies series.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. Simon’s son Finn had been going through a rough patch at school, so he thought some time away from the City and his Trump-deranged mother would do him good. In fact, it seems to go well in the first few days. Father and son even do a bit of bonding. There are a few weird things here and there, but old houses settle in the night, blah, blah, blah. However, when they finally get a good look at Lydia, in her favorite chair by the upstairs window, it is utterly terrifying.

Window has absolutely no gore and very little in terms of special effects, but it is scary as all get out. In this case, the fear is generated from two sources: Mitton’s masterful control of mood and atmosphere, as well as the characters, who are so believably drawn, we inevitably experience the fear and tension through them.

Alex Draper and Charlie Tacker quite a father-son tandem together. Frankly, their conversations that do not address hauntings are still unusually honest and true to life. They would be worth watching even if there were just doing home restoration work. However, when you add in Lydia, the stakes rise through the roof. Obviously, the paternal relationship lies at the heart of the film, but Greg Naughton also delivers one of the best supporting performances in a horror movie this year as Louis, the neighbor who has been tormented by Lydia for years.

Mitton also puts on a clinic for directing supernatural chillers. He clearly has an intuitive sense for showing just enough and no more to jangle viewers’ nerves. This is a quiet film with New England reserve, but it really gets under your skin. Very highly recommended, The Witch in the Window screens tomorrow (8/19) at the Walter Reade, as part of Scary Movies XI.

Scary Movies XI: Impossible Horror

There is well-lighted parking and a conscientious security guard, but nobody feels safe in Lily’s apartment complex—with good reason. People have disappeared here before. Plus, there is the regular nightly scream—as in “the Scream.” It freaks her out, but it might just rekindle her passion for filmmaking, if she can resist the urge to curl up into a fetal ball of fear in Justin Decloux’s Impossible Fear (trailer here), which screens during the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s annual Scary Movies series.

Impossible is bound to be divisive, because Decloux withholds a great deal of context and background in the early scenes. Frankly, we are even more in the dark than Lily—and she seems pretty clueless. We can deduce her apartment is haunted and the uncanny business there is somehow related to the supernatural cult of hoodie-shrouded punks, who seem to appear after the nightly scream. It is indeed a scream in the night of unknown origin. After each shriek, a new clue mysteriously appears, some of which are cool and some are grotesque.

Just when she resolves to document this eerie phenomenon, Lily meets Hannah, a long-time “Scream-chaser.” It seems like Hannah is not intimidated by the Scream, the “Hoodies,” or the security guard who always turns up at the wrong time. She might even become something like a friend to the shy Lily, but just when they think they are close to solving the mystery, the new clues send them tumbling deeper down the rabbit hole.

Reportedly, Decloux was influenced by J-horror films, which makes sense. Although he does not use any identifiable tropes (like long-haired uncanny women), there is something about the vibe that feels akin to classic Japanese horror. Even at night-time, their environment is bright and chilly. There is just an over-riding sense that nobody is ever safe.

That feeling of tangible vulnerability is a major reason why Impossible is one of the creepiest, most unsettling horror films of the year. Decloux also has a knack for doling out small but tantalizing revelations that set the hook deeper, while still maintaining the overall mystery. Frankly, the audience will often be confused by what is unfolding, but it is always clear Decloux knows exactly what’s what. We have no idea what the rules are, yet we can tell he has strictly abided by them.

Haley Walker and Creedance Wright are both terrific as Lily and Hannah, but in very different ways. Walker’s Lily is so twitchy and standoffish, she makes it even more difficult for viewers to get their bearings. In contrast, Wright is refreshingly bold and maybe even a little nutty, but in a way that wears well. She is definitely a wild card, who further destabilizes the situation, but she is also acutely human.

Impossible has a harshly digital look, but that actually suits it quite well. It is a hyper-real film, in which every crazy incident looks weirdly believable, like the haunted high school hallway video on YouTube. The backstory created by Decloux and co-screenwriter Nate Wilson is so sinister and intriguing, it could easily sustain a sequel or a prequel. Very highly recommended, Impossible Horror screens Sunday night (8/19) at the Walter Reade, as part of Scary Movies XI.

Scary Movies XI: Blood Paradise

Robin Richards is like a cross between E.L. James and Anne Rice, except she might just be completely written out. Hey, it happens to the worst of us too. To reignite her inspiration, Richards’ agent has booked her a stay at a quaint Swedish farm. It might even work, if Richards survives the experience in Patrick von Barkenberg’s Blood Paradise (trailer here), which screens during the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s annual Scary Movies series.

Richards has a lavish lifestyle and a pampered boy toy to support. Unfortunately, her last book, Return to Blood Paradise, a sequel to her bestselling Blood Paradise bombed hard. As a result, she has to go along with the plan when her agent dispatches her to the rustic working farm-B&B. Of course, it is worse than Richards could have imagined: no cell service, outdoor privies, and the ragingly psychotic Former Rolf.

Blood Paradise starts with an intriguing premise: the scandalous writer forced to confront the weirdness of rural Sweden. It is sort of the genre version of Doc Hollywood, where the locals really are sadistic murderers. Co-screenwriter-co-everything Andréa Winter is also a spectacularly hot mess as Richards. Unfortunately, the second and third acts are just a lot of same-old-same-old disappointments. It really is a bummer, because Richards is such a promising character, but she just turns into a typical horror movie idiot down the stretch.

Winter really is a delight haughtily rolling her eyes in the early scenes. Frankly, we have a hard time believing von Barkenberg as Teddy, the himbo kept-man, but maybe some women out there would beg to differ. Regardless, we should all be able to agree Christer Cavallius’s smarmy shtick as Richards’ “Number One Fan” Hans Bubi quickly grows tiresome. As sexually confused serial killers go, Rolf Brunnstrom’s Farmer Rolf is also unusually dull, but he is Swedish after all.

Somewhere around the half-hour mark, von Barkenberg lost sight of the snarky attitude, but kept plowing ahead anyway. The results are highly forgettable, which is a cardinal sin for a film like this. Maybe someone else could write a film that better showcased Winter and her Richards character. They could call it Return to Blood Paradise. Not recommended, von Barkenberg’s Blood Paradise screens Saturday night (8/18) at the Walter Reade, as part of Scary Movies XI.

Scary Movies XI: Dagon

“Imboca” is Spanish for “Innsmouth,” so H.P. Lovecraft fans should know this quaint Spanish coastal village will not be very hospitable to strangers looking for help. Alas, poor Lovecraft fans have seen their literary idol fall out of fashion with the professionally outraged, so the Film Society of Lincoln Center deserves some credit for programming Stuart Gordon’s Dagon, an Iberianized adaptation of Lovecraft’s short story “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” as part of the “Tainted Waters” sidebar during Scary Movies XI.

Super-rich investor Paul Marsh was enjoying a cruising vacation with his lover Barbara and their somewhat older friends Howard and Vicki, until a freak storm smashes them into a reef. He and Barbara just barely make it to shore in the damaged dinghy, but the village of Imboca does not exactly spring into action to help them.

In turns out, Imboca turned its back on Catholicism to worship the water demi-god Dagon. Marsh recognizes the pagan symbols and the priestess Uxia from his dreams. Unfortunately, they are nightmares. The long-lived Imbocans were rewarded with nets overflowing with fish and weird, Geiger-esque jewels, but there was a catch. They have started becoming hybrid fish creatures themselves. Evidently, it has been a while since Imboca sent a sacrifice Dagon’s way, so they do not intend to waste Marsh and his friends.

Dagon definitely fits the “tainted water” theme. This is probably one of the dampest films ever, with constant rain, boating accidents, and all kinds of icky-looking stagnant water. If you get out of Imboca without being sacrificed by the fish people, definitely get yourself a tetanus shot.

Of course, that means it is just drenched in ominous atmosphere. Living up to his reputation as the best filmmaker for translating Lovecraft on screen, Gordon instills Dagon with a tangible feeling of ancient evil. There is also a manic, one-darned-thing-after-another vibe to the film. It is all completely nuts, but it never gives viewers time to formulate questions.

Raquel Meroño is a highly charismatic scream queen, so it is a real disappointment when Barbara is sidelined for most of the second act. However, Ezra Godden is mostly a worthy stand-in for Gordon’s regular leading man, Jeffrey Combs—and the Miskatonic University sweatshirt is a nice touch from the wardrobe department. The late great Spanish actor Francisco Rabal (who worked with Buñuel, Antonioni, and Visconti) is terrific as Ezequiel, the town drunk whose conscience is reawakened by Marsh’s example. In another nice touch, the film is dedicated to his memory.

Granted, Dagon goes off the rails in the final ten minutes, but up till then it is a solid, entertainingly creepy Lovecraft adaptation. Honestly, if you want to watch Lovecraft films, you had better see them while you can. The Social Justice Warriors already had the World Fantasy Convention discontinue the bust of Lovecraft crafted by Gahan Wilson as their literary award. It is a sure bet they will next petition streaming services to drop Lovecraft films—after all, they are vocally hostile to the First Amendment. Lovecraft lived a miserable life mired in poverty, ill-health, and isolation (all of which bring out the worst in people). His bitterness is understandable, but unfortunately it manifested in racial prejudice and a general contempt for religion.

He was also the most influential American horror writer since Poe. To simply make him vanish Soviet-style would incalculably impoverish our culture. So, watch Dagon because it is a fun film and to protest the Vandals threatening at the gates of the fantastical canon. Highly recommended, Dagon screens Sunday afternoon (8/19), as part of this year’s Scary Movies.