2010 Geek Fright Fest: Wind Chill

Wind Chill (2007)
Rated R (for violence and some disturbing images)

Directed by Gregory Jacobs

Starring:
Emily Blunt
Ashton Holmes

This film is a little-known indie horror flick that I happened upon through Fearnet. It's sometimes shown on the Lifetime Movie Network, but is heavily edited for time and content. Wind Chill centers on two unnamed college students driving home for winter break. The girl (Emily Blunt), looking for a ride to her hometown, checks the college ride board and lucks out when a fellow student (Ashton Holmes) is also heading to Delaware. After showing up two hours late and making fun of his car, she spends the majority of their ride chatting to friends on her cell phone. After her ride's annoyance is clear, she hangs up and the two get to know each other. Blunt is a stuck-up engineering major and Holmes is a socially awkward Eastern religions major who has a crush on her. Blunt's character soon realizes that Holmes doesn't live anywhere near her and begins to get creeped out. When he decides to take a "scenic" route, her anxiety builds. In the midst of an argument, the two are run off the road by an oncoming car. The car is undrivable and as the temperature starts to drop, the two students realize they are in more trouble than they thought. Along with the frigid cold, they are tormented by the ghosts of others who died there and they may not survive the night.

In the first hour, this film had serious potential. The cold and the isolation work to create an appropriately eerie mood and had the flick stayed with the "girl trapped in a car with a stalker" plot, it could have been a decent, if predictable thriller. The gotcha subplot about the ghosts and maniacal cop is both lame and confusing, however. I guess the film gets points for originality, but I would have much rather seen where it could have gone if it followed a more common path.

If you happen to catch this flick on LMN or it comes on Fearnet again, it's worth watching for sheer weirdness sake, but don't spend your money on this one.

Fright Rating: 1 1/2 gasps out of a possible five

This film has mild violence the ghosts are vaguely disturbing, but it's not overly scary. It is Rated R, but mostly for language.

2010 Geek Fright Fest: Single White Female

Single White Female (1992)
Rated R (for violence, language, and sexuality)

Directed by Barbet Schroeder

Starring:
Bridget Fonda
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Steven Weber
Stephen Tobolowsky

Single White Female is a thriller based on John Lutz's 1990 novel SWF Seeks Same. Allie Jones (Bridget Fonda) is a talented software designer who has just created a revolutionary fashion merchandising program. Allie is hip, beautiful, and lives in a gorgeous building in New York City. After finding out her loving fiance Sam (Steven Weber) cheated on her with his ex-wife, she breaks up with him and kicks him of their apartment. This presents a problem as she cannot afford her beautiful apartment alone. She auditions several roommates before settling on Hedy Carlson (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a shy, naive girl who admires Allie's sophisticated style. The two women bond quickly, helped along by Hedy's gift of an adorable puppy.

Hedy begins to be clingy and starts copying Allie's look and mannerisms, which Allie finds unsettling. The relationship sours further when Allie reconciles with Sam and the two discuss him moving back in, meaning that Hedy will have to move out as soon as she finds a new apartment. Allie quickly learns that her new roommate is a dangerous person intent on taking over her life . . . and her identity.

What makes this film work is that it preys on the superficial sense of self (especially for women) associated with a person's appearance and the way they dress. While these things don't truly represent who we are, they are the outer image presented to others. When someone else has a similar look, or especially when they actively copy our own, it feels weirdly like a violation. Single White Female is so scary because the audience watches as the seemingly innocuous Hedy slowly rips Allie's life apart stitch by stitch, seam by seam. Indeed, the most horrifying scene occurs in a hair salon when Hedy descends the stairs to show off her brand new haircut - a carbon copy of Allie's, right down to the color.

Leigh is excellent in the film. From the beginning, she seems like a lonely, self-deprecating and slightly frumpy young woman who is in awe of her glamorous roommate's life. As the movie progresses, her psychosis becomes more and more obvious. Leigh plays both sides of Hedy well, but she makes the audience truly believe in her craziness.

This is a movie that will make you think twice about you who let into your life, and especially your home. It's a good example of how the right filmmaker can make ordinary objects (a haircut, a pair of shoes, etc.) induce fear.

Fright Rating: 2 1/2 gasps out of a possible five

There are a few violent scenes, but the majority of scares come from the suspense-building moments where Hedy reveals her true self. Single White Female is a classic thriller, but is Rated R and not for children.

2010 Geek Fright Fest: The Uninvited

The Uninvited (2009)
Rated PG-13 (for violence, language, and mild sexuality)

Directed by The Guard Brothers

Starring:
Emily Browning
Arielle Kebbel
Elizabeth Banks
David Strathairn

The Uninvited is an Americanized version of the South Korean 2003 release, A Tale of Two Sisters, itself an adaption of the South Korean folktale, "Janghwa Hongreyon-jon". The film begins as Anna Rydell (Emily Browning) describes a disturbing dream to her psychiatrist. She is about to released from a mental facility after a ten month stay, following a break down after her terminally ill mother's death in a freak fire. Anna's homecoming is marred by the presence of Rachel (Elizabeth Banks), her father's girlfriend and her mother's former nurse. Anna and her older sister, Alex (Arielle Kebbel), believe that Rachel and their father were having an affair prior to their mother's death, and there is palpable resentment. Alex refuses to accept Rachel, but Anna is more willing to make the best of the situation.

Despite being declared well, Anna continues to see horrifying hallucinations related to her mother's death and hears her mother's bell ringing when she's alone. Her break down caused lapses in her memory about the night of her mother's death, but as slowly begins to remember what happened, Anna has decide if she can handle knowing the truth.

Browning's angelic face and fragile appearance makes the audience fear for her and Banks does an excellent job as the seemingly sinister Rachel. Reportedly, she based her performance on Rebecca De Mornay's role in the thriller classic, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle and it is easy to see that film's influence. There are some interesting scares and I loved the subplot about Rachel's former employers, but unfortunately, you can see the "twist" ending coming a mile away. That being said, the film is predictable, but worth the watch if you happen to catch it on TV.

This version is very different from it's predecessor. A Tale of Two Sisters is a classic Asian horror film, but while it is beautiful and cinematic, it's also a little bit bizarre. It is a good choice for film buffs and fans of the Asian horror genre, but not for causal American viewers.

Fright Rating: 2 gasps out of a possible 5

With the PG-13 rating, there is very little gore in this film, but there are quite a few jump scares and some violence. This film will appeal to fans of other Americanized horror flicks like The Ring, The Grudge, etc.