This time, my yearly tradition was a big miss. Or, let me put it this way. I didn't get the satisfaction I usually get. Perhaps I wasn't truly in the mood or maybe, just maybe, I am disappointed with current films in general.
The Exorcism of God (2021)
The Exorcism of God does sound and looks like a title you should have been avoiding. But I was so curious about the concept and wanted to know why this got so hyped. Plus, I wanted to know how Geoffrey would be doing after The Fresh Prince.
Let's start with the classically trained actor, Joseph Marcell as Father Michael Lewis. He was good as the rude butler. But I don't recall him seeing in other productions. Naturally, I wanted to see how he fares in a horror film you are supposed to take seriously. One word, dreadful. Either he was unaware he was in a serious film, or he simply couldn't put himself to commit. For whatever reason, he is the worst actor by far. Will Beinbrink as the lead is someone I am not familiar with, but he was pretty decent. Compared to Marcell he was freaking Marlon Brando. There is no excuse for a classically trained actor to be bad. If you never intended to be part of a project like this but got attached anyway, you better make sure you do your best. Michael Caine is a good example of this. He will give you one hell of a performance within the range he is capable of. He usually understands quite well what is expected of him and will give you just that.
Thankfully, some of the horror elements are quite effective to good. Some scenes are truly creative and scary. And the film certainly is daring compared to other horror films with similar theme. Too bad, it gets bogged down by an uneven narrative and poor acting done by Marcell. ( I know, it might seem I am harsh towards him. I think I would give him more credit had he actually tried to take things seriously. But he didn't.
Despite this, there is enough enjoyment to be found. It won't feel like it's a waste of your time. But I can't truly recommend it.
The Mimic a.k.a. Jang-san-beom (2017)
Normally, you would think that South-Korea is in the top tier of making good horror.
In this case, though, everything that is good about Korean horror in general is missing in The Mimic. In fact, it's a complete failure. The biggest problem you will face is to remain awake. Almost every event in this film is predictable, and none of it comes even close to being creepy and scary. The English title and the trailer basically give away the premise, and nothing else is being offered to put a spin on things.
The plot is inspired by the South Korean urban legend of the Jangsan Tiger, a man-eating creature that roams around Jangsan, a mountain in the city of Busan. It is rumored to have sharp teeth and white fur and moves swiftly through mountains and lures people by making a sound that resembles a woman's wail.
The above sounds pretty compelling. The way it is executed, though, simply isn't. Some creature being able to mimic anyone it seems fit should be terrifying, and there is no sense of dread whatsoever. There is one surprise, although it's an element lifted from other horror films (at this point, what isn't?). But I can't fault a film for borrowing or stealing if it makes sense in the story that is told.
Honestly, I don't think this title is worth watching!
Ghost Mansion a.k.a. Goe-gi-maen-syon (2021)
Ghost Mansion a.k.a. Goe-gi-maen-syon is an anthology film, which means there are multiple short stories and one overarching story to tie them together. While some of the concepts surely are weird, they are never creepy or scary. Perhaps gross. But that's it. From all the films I have seen, this easily is the worst. Yes, even worse than The Mimic. And I don't get it. Conceptually, this film should have been a culmination of dread and terror. Then again, writer / director Jo Ba-Reun only has this one film as credit listed on IMDB. A film of this magnitude at least should have been helmed by an experienced director who understands how to build up tension and suspense.
I didn't like this, one bit. This truly felt like a torturous experience. But to be fair, that could have been because of my Halloween marathon not providing the fun I was expecting.
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