HALLOWE’EN
Trick or treat Katherine McLaughlin rounds up some of the best scary movies to watch at Hallowe’en, with pals, with your signifi cant other, or all on your lonesome . . .
FOR FRIENDS
FOR COUPLES JUST FOR YOU
GREEN ROOM (2016) When punk band the Ain’t Rights are asked to play at a neo-Nazi bar, they relish the chance to wind NINA FOREVER (2015) The Blaine Brothers’ examination of grief reaches deep down into the pit of loneliness
the punters up by opening with Dead Kennedy’s ‘Nazi Punks F**K Off’, but it’s after they’ve i nished playing that the real trouble begins. Locked backstage after witnessing a murder, the group are forced to make controversial decisions in order to save their lives. Director Jeremy Saulnier doesn’t waste a second in his taught sophomore i lm. It’s gleefully gory and features Patrick Stewart as a softly spoken white supremacist. and despair with an insightfulness that is almost overwhelming as it shrewdly connects death and desire. It’s a raw and funny look at the residue of past relationships, which takes the form of squelchy and sarcastic corpse Nina (Fiona O’ Shaughnessy) who appears between her ex-boyfriend and his new lover at the most awkward of moments. It features music from Amanda Palmer which adds to its haunting ambience.
THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987) A beloved 80s treasure which sees a group of close-knit friends come SPRING (2014) An homage to Lovecraftian horror that sees a young American head abroad to Italy
up against a mummy, Wolf Man, Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. It plays out like a scarier version of The Goonies with the kids going on a mad adventure across their suburban town in order to save the world. Shane Black and Fred Dekker’s creation is a fun and incredibly sweet love letter to old-school horror and Universal Studios’ monsters that is extremely quotable. in the desperate search for a new life and new love. Much of the i lm is spent observing two potential lovers, Evan and the mysterious Louise, getting to know one another, recalling Richard Linklater’s Before Sunrise in its casual chats and stunning backdrop. When the disturbing stuff kicks in, it’s squishy and gross, yet the i lm retains its allure thanks to Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson’s beautiful visuals and strong characterisation.
HUSH (2016) Mike Flanagan’s i nely tuned and tense home invasion horror sees deaf writer Maddie
(played by co-writer Kate Siegel) ward off danger and a cruel intruder in brutal fashion. It’s made even more chilling and suspenseful as the audience hears creaking around the house before Maddie, as she unsuspectingly taps away on her keyboard. But it turns out her lack of hearing is in fact her superpower, as she uses loud noises to protect herself from harm in a particularly effective and ear-piercing smoke alarm sequence. AVA’S POSSESSIONS (2015) In Jordan Galland’s amusing and perceptive debut feature, we meet a young woman who is in recovery after being possessed. She attends Possession Anonymous meetings and has to beg the forgiveness of anyone she hurt while under the inl uence of a demon. It takes inspiration from i lms such as Beetlejuice and The Exorcist and plays out as a moving metaphor for the aftermath of drug and alcohol addiction, with a strong handle on the surreal nature of being ostracised from friends and family.
30 THE LIST 1 Sep–3 Nov 2016