Greta

Greta (2019)

Starring Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Colm Feore, and Stephen Rea

Directed by Neil Jordan

Written by Ray Wright and Neil Jordan

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - It Follows

It Follows (2015)

Starring Maika Monroe, Jake Weary, Keir Gilchrist, Lili Sepe, Olivia Luccardi, and Daniel Zovatto 

Directed by David Robert Mitchell

Lauded as one of the best horror films in years, It Follows tells the tale of teenage Jay (Maika Monroe) who, after sleeping with her boyfriend one evening, finds herself being constantly followed by a supernatural figure who wants her dead.  In order for this demon creature to leave her alone, she's been told she just has to sleep with someone else...but that will simply cause whomever she sleeps with to be cursed by the demon and Jay's not sure she can live with that guilt.  But then again, she may not have to worry about living with that guilt because she may not be living much longer as it is.

Silly plot?  Yes, but it works decently, though not nearly as good as the glowing reviews would indicate.  However, what's a bit unfortunate is that the film simply isn't all that scary.  I don't necessarily need "jump scares" in my horror movies, but there needs to be some palpable level of tension to create a bit of unease -- why watch a horror movie if that feeling doesn't exist?  It Follows never really achieved that sense of dread -- or at least wasn't as consistent with that notion as I would've liked.

Maika Monroe is engaging enough and does a solid job of showcasing the inner guilt she feels if she wants to rid herself of this looming creature by sleeping with someone else.  The film, unfortunately, ends up feeling a bit repetitive with multiple scenes of Jay placed into incredibly similar situations outrunning the zombie-like "It" that is following her.  Despite a rather exciting climax, I wanted more given the effusive laurels heaped upon it earlier this year.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - The Guest

The Guest (2014)

Starring Dan Stevens, Maika Monroe, Brendan Meyer, Sheila Kelley, Leland Orser, and Lance Reddick

Directed by Adam Wingard

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

Director Adam Wingard had a critical success with his previous horror film You're Next, but I found the flick a little blander than most.  With The Guest, Wingard fared even better with the reviews and while I agree that it's a more intriguing effort, it still didn't quite hit all the right notes and beats to be hugely successful for me.

Downton Abbey's Dan Stevens is David, an Army vet who shows up on the doorstep of the Peterson family home one afternoon.  Mom Laura, Dad Spencer, and daughter and son Anna and Luke (Sheila Kelley, Leland Orser, Maika Monroe, and Brendan Meyer) are still coping with the death of their son who died in action, but David claims to have been one of their son's war buddies.  Pictures seem to prove the veracity of this claim, but as mysterious deaths begin to pile up, the family begins to question whether David is who he really claims to be.

With a Halloween-esque 1980s-inspired electronic score and some likely purposeful corny acting, The Guest certainly is paying a bit of an ode to horror films of the past and while it does so successfully, sometimes I find myself wondering whether the self-referential aspects to films like this are a bit of a cop out for a director who can't quite find his own place in the auteur realm.  While this isn't necessarily a problem here -- going for "corny" works for The Guest especially as the story unfolds -- it sometimes feels like the aesthetic trumps the plot which typically isn't a good thing.

Elevating The Guest is a solid performance from Dan Stevens as the titular character.  Even if you hadn't seen a trailer or read a review, it would be obvious from the beginning that David isn't who he seems to be, but Stevens knowingly plays up the ambiguity and brings us along for the ride.  The film's quick pace never allows it to overstay its welcome and while I had hoped for a bit better because of its overwhelmingly positive critical reviews, you could certainly fare worse on the streaming side of Netflix.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+