Halloween 2020: October 25th

Single White Female (1992)

Sometimes, a movie title enters our cultural lexicon of common phrases. A movie doesn't necessary have to be well-known for this to happen. “The Bucket List” is a pretty forgettable film but, somehow, its title is now a phrase with a specific meaning all across the English language. More people are probably familiar with the terms “gaslighting” and “catfishing” than they are with the movies “Gaslight” and “Catfish.” Yet, in the best case scenarios, popular successes and established cult classics are equally well known as movies and turns-of-phrase. If an athlete is called “Rocky” or if a romantic partner is pulling a “fatal attraction,” we all know what that means. “Single White Female” isn't as popular or influential as those films but  “single white female your roommate” is a phrase that has passed into somewhat common usage. Does this slightly trashy 1992 thriller deserve that level of recognition? “Yes” is the short answer. The rest of this review is the long answer. 

After he sleeps with his ex-wife, successful software designer Allie dumps her boyfriend, Sam. Now alone in a giant NYC apartment, Allie puts up an ad for another single white female to be her new roommate. After seeing a number of candidates, it is the shy and dowdy Hedra that Allie connects with. Nicknaming her Hedy, the two soon becomes close friends, even adopting a puppy together. That's when Sam re-enters Allie's life, winning her back and even proposing to her. Afterwards, Hedy's behavior begins to grow more erratic. She copies Allie's hair style. She threatens her abusive boss. She becomes possessive and moody, quickly terrifying Allie. After Sam mysteriously disappears, it becomes clear to Allie that Hedy isn't just unhinged. She's a killer too.

“Single White Female” was directed by Barbet Schroeder, who previously made critically acclaimed films like “Koko: A Talking Gorilla” and “Maîtresse.”  Those films are in the Criterion Collection while “Single White Female,” notably, is not. It's a slick erotic thriller, influenced by “Fatal Attraction” and released a few months after “Basic Instinct.” If Schroeder was making trash, he was making well assembled trash. The film looks beautiful, with atmospheric use of shadows and colors. The movie makes the most of its spacious apartment setting, the spiral staircase getting several notable shots. The Hell-like boiler room in the basement plays a role in the memorable climax. From a narrative perspective, “Single White Female” is sturdy. Most of the events of the last third are steadily set-up in the first. Only Allie's gropy boss attempting to rescue her feels like an awkward writing decision. 

Like all of the mainstream sex thrillers of the day, “Single White Female” represents a window into the early nineties' gender woes. The final shot depicts Allie and Hedy as two sides of the same image. Allie is a successful young woman. She's sexual but not slutty, refusing to sleep with her boss. As independent as Allie is, she still reunites with her boyfriend despite his infidelity. She still needs a man to save her. In other words, Allie is upwardly mobile but conforms to feminine standards. Hedy, meanwhile, masturbates too enthusiastically and hangs out in S&M clubs. Her attraction to Allie is obviously more than platonic. She's shy, bipolar, and pushes a puppy – a symbolic baby – out a window. Her past is made-up, fleeing one life to form another after it no longer suits her. Hedy rejects traditional sexuality, motherhood, family, and emotional stability. By presenting both women as mirror images, “Single White Female” is showing us what society – or, at least, the society of 1992 – thought a woman should and shouldn't be. 

The film's worldview – more than a little sexist and biphobic – is not why “Single White Female” endures, at least for me. As much of an unhinged villain as Allie becomes, she's also deeply sympathetic. Initially, Jennifer Jason Leigh plays her as a girl so withdrawn, she's constantly apologizing for her own existence. Allie is her first friend, accepting her flaws and quirks. The minute Allie goes back with Sam – an asshole who manipulates all the women in his life – Hedy feels betrayed. The only friend she's ever had no longer has time for her. This proceeds violent outbursts, awkward seductions, and manipulations of her own. These acts make sense in Hedy's broken world, desperate attempts to regain power over emotions she can't control. Mostly, intense depression follows Allie's unstable moments. This is obviously guilt she feels over things she did while in a manic episode. When she dictates a fake suicide letter to Allie, she's really describing her own feelings. Hedy's loneliness has led her to depression and extreme acts. 

If “Single White Female” focused entirely on taking us into Hedy's sad world, it would be an all-timer. Instead, it's a highly entertaining goofball thriller full of many improbable plot turns. Hedy's methods of murder, Allie's behavior while under her watchful eye, and how various interlopers become involved all strain believability. “Single White Female's” tone is often one of sweaty histrionics. It all operates smoothly though, looking beautiful and wonderfully cast. Yet there's something more powerful hiding within. Bridget Fonda, never more gorgeous, is a likable protagonist but Leigh's Hedy truly stands above as one of the nineties' saddest and most sympathetic deranged killers. [8/10]

The Psychic (1977)

Sette note in nero

Almost every October, I watch a Lucio Fulci movie and wonder if my opinion on the director will change any. Fulci's cult following remains intense and has only grown more fanatical over the years. He even received a meta documentary this year, seemingly canonizing the Italian gore-peddler in the Cult Directors Hall of Fame. I'm absolutely a fan of Fulci's gut-munching classics but generally regard him as a little bit of a hack. It's not artistry on the level of Argento or Bava. For this year's annual test to see if I get Fulci yet, I decided to watch one of his more understated titles. “The Psychic” is sometimes called Fulci's masterpiece but isn't discussed with the frequency of “The Beyond” or “Zombie.” 

Ever since seeing her mother leap to her death as a child, Virginia occasionally has psychic visions. She has recently married Italian businessman Francesco Ducci. After he leaves on a trip, Virginia has a vision of a dead woman, a body in a wall, and other assorted macabre imagery. As she arrives in Ducci's villa, she realizes it's the room she saw. Indeed, a skeleton is found within the wall. Ducci is immediately suspected as the killer. Virginia becomes determined to clear her husband's name, following various leads and having more unnerving visions. After teaming up with a parapsychologist, Virginia realizes she's not seeing events that have already happened. She's seeing events that are going to happen. 

“The Psychic” came late in the giallo cycle and a few years before Fulci started making gore-fests. It represents a surprisingly low key example of both the genre and the filmmaker's style. The color design is muted. No straight razors, black gloves, or first person murder scenes are included. The movie contains only a small amount of the red stuff. Instead, the film indulges other hallmarks. Fulci's visual sense includes plenty of tacky zooms, that dreaded signifier of seventies Euro-sleaze. “The Psychic's” plot is as convoluted as any other gialli. Virginia and her pals investigates a number of leads, several of which turn out to be red herrings. There's an entire subplot about horse racing that could not be more irrelevant while art theft ends up being central to the story. 

Honestly, I was ready to disregard “The Psychic” all together until it finally started to kick into gear in the last third. Like all giallo protagonist, Jessica has to snoop into things. After an hour of build-up, her visions begin to come true, which is fairly satisfying. The movie starts to engineer some solid suspense. Jessica is locked in a home with a killer, nearly avoiding detection. Locked doors and near misses cause the tension to elevate. The premonitions aren't the only plot point that's paid off, as the musical notes Jessica's watch plays – which lends the film its Italian title – give her away. The suspense reaches a fever pitch as the potential killer approaches Jessica across a thin scaffolding. Fabio Frizzi's score, which slowly becomes hypnotic, helps a lot. It escalates towards a surprisingly downbeat ending, which wraps the film up on a nicely ironic note. At this point, I started to get why some regard “The Psychic” as a classic.

Even during its duller earlier scenes, “The Psychic” has a likable protagonist in its favor. Jennifer O'Neill maintains a certain energy during her line delivery, always chipper and upbeat even when the situation gets increasingly hopeless. The backstory involving her mother contributes little to the film but gives you a reason to be on her side. You're rooting for her in those final scenes, which is probably why they are so suspenseful. O'Neill also has good chemistry with the supporting cast. Ida Galli is delightfully bitchy as Gloria, Virginia's friend who says things like “I've been married 500 times and haven't killed any of my husbands.” The movie could've used a little more of that campiness.

I'm not going to say that “The Psychic” is an undersung classic of Italian horror. I like my giallo with more style and my Fulci flicks with more intestines. Yet the movie does eventually turn into a strong thrill-generating machine. A solid score and a likable lead actress help soften the blow of the dragging first half. In the nineties, Tarantino wanted to remake the film with Bridget Fonda in the lead. That never came to pass but he did sample Frizzi's score in “Kill Bill.” “The Psychic” could probably do with a remake, as it contains some strong elements but also a number of big flaws. [7/10]

The Twilight Zone (2019): Blurryman

Even though every prior revival of “The Twilight Zone” has been doomed to linger in the shadow of Rod Serling's original, people keep trying. When a series is so iconic, and so recognizable that even the amusement park ride and pinball machine are popular, I guess producers can't help themselves. A new iteration of “The Twilight Zone,” hosted by Jordan Peele, would be an A-list original program for CBS' streaming service. It debuted last year amid much hype and won some decent reviews. (Though, like most shows in our supersaturated pop culture landscape, has already slipped from the discussion.) Considering I kicked off the season with an episode of the original “Zone,” an episode from the latest “Zone” seemed like a natural pick to cap off my run-through of anthology shows this year. Of the season one episodes, “Blurryman” was said to be the scariest and sounded interesting in its own right. 

“Blurryman” begins with a writer accidentally triggering Armageddon with his apocalyptic screenplay. As Peele appears to deliver the Serling-esque intro... He flubs his line and the camera pulls back. Peele asks writer Sophie Gleeson to punch up the narration before lunch break is over, putting the pressure on. Gleeson was a fan of the original “Twilight Zone” as a kid but is not dismissive of escapist entertainment. The cue cards she wrote strangely display another message. Soon, she is informed a blurry male figure is in the background of every shot. Not long afterwards, the Blurryman begins to pursue her through the empty set. But what is Sophie really running from?

As a horror-centric episode, “Blurryman” works reasonably well. The titular antagonist is a spooky sight, a distant figure that is never in focus but always drawing nearer. An empty film set proves to be an isolated, tense setting for a chase. Zazie Beetz is utterly charming as Sophie, even with her snobbish qualities. The audience is immediately willing to root for her as she outruns this strange adversary. Beetz' inherent toughness is also put to good use, as Sophie is determined to keep going. “Blurryman” is directed by prominent-screenwriter-turned-director Simon Kinberg, who previously unleahsed “Dark Phoenix” on the world. Kinberg does push quite a lot of special effects into this episode, owing to the Blurryman's telekinetic abilities. However, it's effective enough, constantly escalating the conflict and keeping the suspense high. Only the decisions to have Beetz conversing with a voice in her head drains away the tension.

As a simple chase story, “Blurryman” is successful. As a meta-commentary on the “Zone” itself, it doesn't quite stick the landing. The moral Sophie will learn, that escapism is as much art as socially conscious work, is laid out too early in advance. The scene that links her current attitude with her childhood is too obvious. Once Beetz ends up inside a classic “Twilight Zone” episode, “Blurryman's” meta-element officially graduates to self-congratulatory. The reveal of the titular character's identity is amusing but the ending still doesn't have the punch the writers were clearly hoping for. Perhaps “Blurryman” should've taken its own advice and focused more on the meat-and-potatoes thrills than the grandiose message. Still, I can already tell that 2019's “Twilight Zone” is at least less awkward than the 2002 version. [7/10]

The Video Store Commercial (2019)

Most of the horror shorts on Youtube are garbage, preoccupied with creating jump scares and the most obvious type of horror villains. Recently, a friend recommended the Youtube channel Alter to me, as an alternative to the dregs of CryptTV. And while a lot of Alter's stuff isn't much better than most, I have found a couple of pearls. “The Video Store Commercial” is probably my favorite discovery from the channel. It details an attempt by an enthusiastic movie nerd to shoot a commercial for his retro-video shop. During the shoot, a grip steps on a rare tape made by a cult leader, containing his very soul. Naturally, the spirit is unleashed and immediately begins to wreck gory havoc. Though a compromise is soon met.

The retro, static-filled, VHS aesthetic is thoroughly exhausted these days. However, “The Video Store Commercial” finds a clever spin on it. The only scenes carrying the tracking lines affected visual style are those shot through the camera itself. The overzealous video store owner is clearly an asshole, deflating the short's fanboy pretensions successfully. The grip getting the boom mic caught on a tape wrack is a good gag. Once the ghost appears, “The Video Store Commercial” unleashes a flood of amusingly gory special effects. A face being melted on a tube TV screen is easily the highlight. The evil spirit is depicted as a writhing mass of video tape, an amusing idea probably stolen from “Recorded Live.” “The Video Store Commercial” is all build-up to a punchline but it's a pretty good punchline. By not taking itself or the horror genre too seriously, this one successfully avoids the traps most horror shorts fall into. [7/10]