If
anyone ever compiles a coffee table book of great horror movie architecture and
design, this retro-postmodern-Bauhausian beach house should definitely be
included, along with the modernist cabin from Rift and the classic Bauhaus sets of Edward G. Ulmer’s The Black Cat. It looks striking yet
livable, but it comes with some rather undesirable neighbors in Seth A. Smith’s
The Crescent (trailer here), which screens
tonight during Cinepocalypse 2017 in Chicago.
Ever
since her husband was lost in an accident, Beth has shunned the company of
everyone but her toddler son Lowen. That even includes her own mother, but she
will borrow her beach house (perched on a crescent-shaped cove) to retreat from
the world with Lowen and her grief. The two or three-year-old still lacks a
meaningful comprehension of death. He just continues to wander off and be a
general handful, as toddlers will. However, their creepy nearest neighbor seems
to have an inappropriate interest in them both (thanks for the babysitting
offer, but that’s not happening). He is probably one of the ones eight or
nine-year-old Sam is talking about, when she offers Beth a cryptic warning
about the locals.
Crescent is exactly the
sort of film the beyond-insulting term “post-horror” was coined to describe. It
is definitely a slow-burner with some unambiguously metaphysical concerns, but
it also has its scary moments. For instance, the funky beach house has one of
the most unsettling doorbells you will ever hear—and it is prone to ring at the
middle of the night.
Arguably,
it is the unnerving sound design that makes the film so potent. Once you lock
into its wave length, it is impossible to relax and just coast through it.
Smith also dexterously uses the lonesome remoteness of the setting to build the
tension. However, he drives the point into ground with an overly long
denouement following the big revelation.
Rather
remarkably, young Woodrow Graves, Smith’s real-life son, probably has more
screen time than anyone as Lowen. In fact, some press write-ups credit him as
the central lead, which is probably news to Danika Vandersteen’s agent. As
Beth, she is certainly convincingly bereft and increasingly unstable. Plus, she
and Graves really do look and act like mother and son. Perhaps even more impressive
is the poised work of Britt Loder as Sam, who is arguably the most proactive
character in the film. Lest we forget this is a horror movie, it should also be
stipulated Terrence Murray is all kinds of creepy as the too-friendly neighbor.
In
a rather uncommon bit of character detail, Beth practices marbling, allowing
Smith to incorporate some dramatic visuals. The overall vibe of The Crescent is also genuinely unique.
In many ways, it is what Aronofsky’s Mother!
should have been, but wasn’t. Even though Smith draws things out too long,
it is still an eerie film with post-viewing staying power. Highly recommended
for fans of surreal and allegorical horror, The
Crescent screens again this afternoon (11/7), as part of this year’s
Cinepocalypse.
