glitter_n_gore

Damn, this was a good year to be a movie geek. Star Wars! The Avengers! Mad Max! Ex Machina! Crimson Peak! STAR WARS!! I saw a lot of movies in the theater, some of them twice, and I still haven't finished going through the back list. But what was it like for horror fans? Specifically, those of the female persuasion?

The Visit - $65.2 million
Insidious: Chapter 3 - $52.2 million
(Poltergeist - $47.4 million)
(Krampus - $42.7 million)
Unfriended - 32.5 million
Crimson Peak - $31.1 million
(Sinister 2 - 27.7 million)
(The Woman In Black 2: Angel of Death - $26.5 million)
The Lazarus Effect - $25.8 million
Ex Machina - $25.4 million
(Honorable Mention: Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension - $18.3 million)

That's a LOT of movies. Like I said, it was a good year. However you feel about M. Night Shyamalan, or remakes of classics like Poltergeist, or the unflinching cynicism of Christmastime horror-comedies like Krampus, chances are there was something for you to see and love this year no matter what. That's kind of a big deal. Having options is a big deal. Seeing so many movies catering to so many different sensibilities is a big deal. The comparative lack of presence from people of color in this list, regardless of the other good things I just mentioned--also a big deal. Again, there's a reason I decided to do this looking specifically at box office numbers, rather than what I personally thought was the best.

But let's be honest here: this recap is mostly gonna be me gushing about Crimson Peak.


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The Visit:
The trajectory of Shyamalan's career has had a lot of ups and downs. When he hooked up with Blumhouse to do this one, I was excited. So excited I made a point to see this in the theater. It was . . . fine. I definitely see the cracks in it, and I doubt it would hold up to repeat viewings, but it was fine. One thing I've noticed about myself is that when I watch movies, especially in the theater, the reactions of the people around me can have a noticeable effect on how much I wind up enjoying it. If everyone there is clearly having a good time--and in this case, they were--then chances are, so will I. However, I do strongly prefer character-focused stories that have something to say about family, or personal growth, than just whether the main character is clever enough to outwit the monsters in the room, and that's pretty much what was happening here. The script and pacing is weak, but the two children in the lead roles have so much conviction and honesty that I wasn't bothered by it. Your mileage may vary, but in this case I'm not at all surprised to see why audiences liked it.

Insidious: Chapter 3:
Oh, Insidious, why can't I quit you? This franchise is adorable. The third entry is a prequel that shows how our trio of ghost hunters got together in the first place. Let's be clear: it's not high art and never will be, but these movies are entertaining. There's something in me that has so much glee for a story where the toughest, most proactive character is an older, single woman who hangs out with her dog and her knitting on her off days. This story is kind of about the possessed girl, but it's more about Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) getting back into the business after a bad experience with a particularly nasty entity. It's straightforward, uncomplicated, and feels like the made-for-TV version of itself sometimes, but for me that's part of its charm.

Unfriended:
This one surprised me. I wasn't expecting much at all, but when so many of my friends kept gushing about it, I got curious. I'm glad I waited to see this on DVD, however, because the fact that it's "shot" entirely on someone's laptop computer makes a lot of the scenes feel more immediate if you watch it on your laptop computer. It's a gimmick, but an effective one. Also, good lord, do other people really keep that many windows open at one time? Maybe it's my age showing, but it was tricky to keep up with all the places the cursor was moving and what part of the screen I was supposed to pay attention to at any given time. Not a complaint, but be ready for that. The plot is pretty basic: vengence ghost wants vengence, targets the group of teenagers it's decided are responsible, bloodshed ensues. You've seen it before. But you haven't seen it quite like this, and it's worth checking out solely because of that gimmick. I could do without the final shot that really wants to squeeze in one last jump-scare, but--it's Blumhouse. They do that. As an aside: it occurs to me this is the second movie I've reviewed this year with a death-by-blender scene. Huh.

Crimson Peak:
Have you ever unknowingly dropped hints about your weird, idiosyncratic tastes around someone only to have them show up on your favorite day of the year with tea and cake and presents created out of ALL your favorite things, with a big smile and a hug and a banner that says, "We Made This Special JUST FOR YOU!!!" That's what watching this movie was like for me. I would say "no movie is perfect," because everything made by humans is flawed in some way, but that's missing the point. It IS perfect for me, and others like me, with absolutely no regard for anyone outside of this narrow demographic of Gothic sensibilities, classic literature, collective fangirl crushes on Tom Hiddleston, creepy old houses, and aspirations to become a best-selling author who uses ghosts as a metaphor. Guillermo Del Toro made this FOR US, and we appreciate him so much for it that we immediately started flailing in all-caps after we got back from the theater. I entered Full Squee the second I saw the first trailer, and stayed there.

So let's talk about that trailer, because I don't know what the folks who were all like, "Hey, I thought this was supposed to be a horror movie," and "Why is there a love story in it?" and "It's not scary!" were expecting, because the movie I was hoping for is the exact movie I got, only more so. I set my expectations high, and they were surpassed, on every level. So. Do I just have a broader definition of "horror" than most people? What is this universe where "Gothic Romance" doesn't count as horror, and isn't scary? Or is it that people who haven't read Jane Eyre and Rebecca multiple times (which I have) just don't get it? My point being: this movie was always pitched as a creepy story in a creepy house with creepy secrets, and also amazing costumes and a love story that is very likely doomed. What did you THINK was going to happen? No, really--I want to know what people thought this movie was going to give them that they didn't get, because I came away satisfied and wanting to watch it again right away.

Is this technically a flawed, imperfect movie? Sure. Is it also my favorite thing I saw all year, by lots, including Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, and further cemented my already high opinion of all three leads, and the director, and inspired me to use it for my first-ever Live Tweet event? Yes. If any part of this movie surprised you in a bad way--read more Gothic literature. And watch more Del Toro movies, because lavish sets with strange and twisted trappings where the "monsters" are more like messengers and the regular people are the actual threat are kind of what he does, and that's been the case since The Devil's Backbone. When you do, I'll be here waiting with tea and cake.

Moving on!

Ex Machina:
I almost didn't include this, because the main point of view character is actually Domhnall Gleeson. However, the story told through his eyes is a fascinating dissection of male/female relationships, the expectations we put on each other and ourselves, and the way we interact with each other when we're told one thing and trying to prove another. Caleb's first "date" with Eva (Alicia Vikander, who I'm pretending won the Oscar for this instead of The Danish Girl) includes a lot of awkwardness and second-guessing on both sides, but it's also kind of sweet. The way the two of them dance around each other in trying to say what they think the other one wants to hear, and actually sharing something genuine, is familiar on so many levels. The fact that Eva is a machine throws another layer of strangeness onto it, partly because we don't know what the eccentric genius character portrayed by Oscar Isaac (another actor who was having a very good year in 2015) is really up to, and partly because it's just kind of squicky to see the only women in the movie as either subservient, or preprogrammed, or both. It's also hard to say whether the ending is supposed to be the most terrible thing ever, or a kind of release that we should be happy about. It doesn't help that so many prior moments bounce from silly, to oppressive, and back again, sometimes completely out of nowhere. Yeah, this scene:


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Why? I have no idea. But I thank director Alex Garland kindly for the GIFs of Oscar Isaac dancing. I believe Ex Machina will go down in cinema history as our generation's Stepford Wives. And by the way? I think the ending is a good one.


So, that's it! We have successfully looked at all the highest-grossing movies with female protagonists of the past ten years. Took somewhat longer than I anticipated, but I am glad to have actually stuck with this retrospective to the end. What have we learned? Well, horror's a weird genre, because while it is supposed to drag you out of your comfort zone, the Hollywood machine is less likely to take risks on properties they don't believe will sell. So we wind up with a lot of sequels and remakes spliced in with truly original and creative ventures, with change coming slowly if it comes at all. A lot of the most beloved movies don't get as much love from the box office, which is true across all genres, and many of them have some unfortunate tropes that are very difficult to shake.

I'm cautiously optimistic about the future. Just the past three years have had some real game-changers, and part of it is that so many people in my generation are the ones making movies now--or just talking about them, like me. We wanted a better world, so we started to make our own. That's what Women In Horror Month is about--drawing attention to the corners of our universe we want everyone else to see, and letting the world know this stuff is out there. We've still got a long way to go. But I'm confident we'll get there one day.

One thing to keep in mind is this: There are still a lot of people either represented badly or not represented at all in the movies I've been talking about in this retrospective. People of color, people with physical or mental disabilities, LGBT+ people, and countless others. I don't have an easy answer for how to fix that. I'm just one blogger, and I don't get linked or read that much. Change doesn't just happen. Progress isn't natural and organic. It happens because people demand it. It happens because marginalized communities speak out and let the majority know that they exist and have their own stories to tell. And yes, it happens when you vote with your dollars and throw your consumer weight behind the movies you want to succeed.

Thanks for joining me, and let me know what movies you wish had broken the box office over the past ten years!