A new list of Euro Horror for you all to enjoy. I realised that I left out so many important ones in my first list, I had to get a new list rocking.
For Part One CLICK HERE
RAW
Starting the Euro Horror list off with the much talked about, Raw. The film focuses on 16-year-old Justine. Her parents are strict vegan’s and have raised her the same. Justine packs her belongings and leaves for college to pursue her dream of becoming a vet. But college isn’t all she thought it would be. The students of the college hold strange rituals with animal sacrifices. They meet at night covered in blood, and make our strict vegan perform a rare ritual which sees her eat some Raw animal liver
The next day she starts to notice changes, her body is covered in a rash and she has now got a strange hunger. Our vegan starts to realise that the more the rash progresses the more she finds herself craving human flesh.
I am really looking forward to this one. Raw is very realistic and apparently not an easy film to stomach, which is great news for fans of extreme horror. Raw recently received the best-known publicity that any horror filmmaker could dream of: someone fainted at one of the screenings
(I think I’ll be getting this movie soon enough. a review will arrive at some point)
CRUEL
I have recently learned that Cruel is streaming on Netflix U.S. I am shocked that this film has not generated more of a buzz. Cruel is a superb serial killer movie from France written and directed by Eric Cherrière.
I found Cruel to be on the strongest serial killer flicks that I have seen in some time. The film follows a serial killer called Pierre who has killed for years. He has his own set of rules that he abides by; he must study his victims, he must never use the same weapon or kill method twice.
Pierre cares for his sick father in their large apartment in Toulouse. In the basement of the apartment, there is a room that was built by his grandparents during the war. We hear Pierre boast about how not even the Gestapo could find it. Obviously, this where Pierre takes his victims to toy with, torture and then inevitably kill them in some random way.
You all have no excuse, CRUEL is on Netflix U.S. Get on it.
THERAPY
In 2014 there was a movie released called Hostile. Hostile caught my attention because it was the directorial début from a young guy called Nathan Ambrosini. When I say young, I mean it, Nathan Ambrosioni was only 14-years-old when he released his first French horror movie.
Now, Ambrosioni is 16-years-old and there is no sign of him slowing down. He was recently back the festivals with his second horror movie, Therapy
Therapy follows two cops who find disturbing footage of a family in an abandoned building. The two cops must try and figure out what has happened to the family before it’s too late.
MARSHLAND
Probably more of a thriller than a horror but it goes on the list anyways. Marshland was released in 2014 and was on watch-list for a long time. The film is a Spanish serial killer movie that oozes a deep Southern True Detective vibe.
Two cops must find a serial killer that has murdered young women for years. A film with all-around amazing reviews. The acting is superb, the direction is superb and the script is among the best in the serial killer genre.
It is hard not make the comparison to True Detective but I mean that in the best way possible. It just feels like True Detective and even looks like it. But the only similarities apart from the Southern feel and one of the detectives looking like Rust Cole is that there is a serial killer as fuel for the main storyline.
The Eyes Of My Mother is an American-Portuguese production. The film has an even balance and switches between the English language and Portuguese (with Eng subs).
Although the film is set in America, it has to go on the list as it is one of the best directorial debut’s I have seen. I got to review this movie as part of our Fantasia International Film Festival coverage. It was one of the highlights from a festival packed full of amazing titles.
The film follows a beautiful, shy, young Portuguese woman who lives in a huge farmhouse on her own. She lost her mother when she was young to a serial killer. Her father died years later and his death is the one that pushes her right to the edge of madness.
The barn is where we usually keep animals but not in her case.. Our twisted lead character who has been traumatised by events of her younger life uses the barn for something much darker. She has been kidnapping and killing people for years. She keeps her friends in the barn, chained to walls and fed like an animal. She removes their eyes so if they ever did manage to break the chains and escape, they would have no idea where to go.
This film is very unsettling and made on a tiny budget (a huge achievement). I found there to be elements of some of the greatest horror film from over the years: movies like Audition, Martyrs, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Psycho.
WHEN ANIMALS DREAM
Released in 2014 When Animals Dream gives us a different kind of creature feature and something we very rarely see in Euro horror. Set in a tiny fishing village somewhere in Denmark. The film follows a teenager called Marie who is helping her father look after her their sick mother who is suffering from a rare disease,
Her mother has a strange disease that is so serious it requires her to be constantly sedated. Strange deaths start to happen across the fishing village Marie starts to realise that she has now inherited the same disease as her mother, she is a werewolf.
When Animals Dream features fantastic performances from all, especially from the teenage lead. The film’s setting is beautiful and cinematography captures its surroundings perfectly. A must for fans of a good character driven creature feature.
REC 1 & 2
Ok, I know what you’re thinking…everyone has seen Rec, right?. That may be true but I feel that it needs to go the list as it was ones that I missed in part 1. Rec was such a great film, it was low-budget, cleverly shot in the found-footage pov style and just came out of nowhere and blew everyone away.
I also found Rec 2 to be a worthy contender to the first instalment. I know Rec 2 was met with a lot of mixed reactions but I loved it. I loved the twist that the infection took which gave us a fresh take on a genre that has been done to death.
Sorry that I am leaving the third and fourth instalment out of the list but they don’t make the cut. The third took the virus to a completely different place. Director and writer Paco Plaza somehow thought it was a good idea to introduce some comedy into the franchise…I could not get used to that at all.
I had big hopes for the fourth and final instalment. Overall I was let down by the approach that Jaume Balagueró took. He gave the last instalment Hollywood sort of look, and when giving it the big makeover, it also lost the simplicity and nail-biting tension that the first 2 done so well.
Them
Another one that I forgot to put on the first list. I revisited the list and couldn’t believe some of the titles that I left out of it. Them follows a married couple who live in a large country in a rural part of Romania. Their quiet country life is quickly turned into a living nightmare when they are attacked bu a group of unknown assailants in their house.
The couple must try to make it through the night alive using the large country house to their advantage.
A film that was so good because it was what you didn’t see that was frightening. Them is a masterclass in terror and suspense. Not only that but it makes it even more terrifying that the film is based on a true story and something like this probably happens more often than we think.
WITCHING & BITCHING
Witching And Bitching is a Spanish horror comedy first released in 2013. With them is one of the thieves son’s, he gets him once a week so had no choice but to take time with him to the robbery for some father & son bonding time.
The film starts with a heist by a gang dressed as street performers (one of them Jesus). With them is one of the thieves son’s, he gets him once a week so he had no choice but to take time with him to the robbery for some father & son bonding time.
The film has one of the best opening sequences and within the first 5 minutes of the film you just know that these guys have the humour on-point. There was something entertaining seeing a gang, one of them dressed as Jesus and one dressed as a plastic soldier. By the end of the robbery, we have already been treated to an impressive shoot-out and car chase..it was fun seeing a gold Jesus with a shotgun.
The comedy never leaves but the film takes a turn and the group of thieves becomes the latest play victims of a coven of witches
The movie does get a little ridiculous towards the end, but the this is way Alex de la Iglesia intended it. If you’re familiar with his earlier work then you would know that you’d expect nothing less.
Well, folks, that is another Euro Horror post for you all. I realise there is a few everyone has seen but I had to out them on the list. It would be an unforgivable sin not to.
There will be another Euro Horror post coming in the near future but it’s time to focus on a different part of the globe.
As always, thanks so much for reading.
