What Are The Backrooms?

The Green Knight (2021)

Although The Green Knight has been available to stream on Prime Video for ages now, it wasn't until I came across the Blu-Ray in an Amazon sale the other day that I finally decided it was time to clear 130 minutes in my schedule and sit down to watch this Arthurian epic.

It's Christmas in the court of King Arthur and aspiring knight Gawain (the perfectly cast Dev Patel) is seated beside the king, his uncle, when the mysterious emerald-skinned Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) rides in and issues an honour challenge.

He will allow someone to strike him, but then the following Christmas they must seek him out in The Green Chapel and he will repay the blow in the kind.

Gawain, with the loan of King Arthur's sword (is it Excalibur?), beheads the Green Knight, but then the supernatural entity picks up his head and rides off.

Eventually, time passes and the aged Arthur (a brilliant turn from Sean Harris) tells Gawain he really should go and find The Green Knight.

Thus begins Gawain's odyssey across the misty realm of Ancient Britain, searching for The Green Chapel where the unearthly knight will be found.

A hypnotic, often unsettling, blend of gritty Medieval verisimilitude and mythological magic realism, odd things happen throughout A24's The Green Knight and are just accepted as par for the course.

On his journey Gawain helps a ghost, meets a talking fox, mystical tokens are lost and found, and our hero is nearly flattened by hauntingly ethereal giants (who look like they've stepped out of the classic 1973 French animated movie Fantastic Planet).

As far as I can figure - and it feels as though you are diving into a dense text as you try to follow along on a first viewing - the story is primarily concerned about upholding a chivalric code of honour, a parable about being true to your word.

For some bizarre reason, although I've heard the tale of Sir Gawain and The Green Knight several times, I can never remember how it pans out, but the dialogue-free extended epilogue of writer/director David Lowery's adaptation of the original 14th Century text is sublime.

Although prone to occasional atmospheric mumbled dialogue and minimalistic, naturalistic, lighting that makes some scenes as dark as The Long Night, there's a lyrical quality to the narrative of Lowery's The Green Knight that buoys you along. 

While not the traditional swords-and-sorcery, knights-and-armour type of film that I enjoy, it certainly doesn't feel like an arduous two hours if you allow yourself to sink into the world David Lowery has conjured up for us.

It's not necessary to know the names of all the characters and their backstories (in fact, if you check IMDB very few of the characters even have names), because The Green Knight isn't that sort of story, rather it's a period piece told using modern technology but as it would have been recounted "back in the day".

We also don't need to know where the giants came from or how the fox spoke, because these were aspects of Medieval storytelling that were just accepted in stories told around the campfire.

That said, on a more academic scale, I strongly suspect that with a bit more reading about - and research into - the subject matter of The Green Knight, more will be gleaned from this great movie upon subsequent viewings.

You're Not Supposed To Be Here

A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom.

As a long-time fan of the liminal horror of the Backrooms creepypasta, I'm delighted to see it transition into the cinematic medium... I'm also fascinated to see how it'll work.

From writer/director Kane Parsons and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell. Backrooms – in Theaters May 29.

Robin Hood and His Not-So-Merry Men

Hugh Jackman Old Man Logan's Robin Hood in A24's intriguing-looking The Death of Robin Hood.

Grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder, Robin Hood finds himself gravely injured after a battle he thought would be his last. In the hands of a mysterious woman, he is offered a chance at salvation.

From writer/director Michael Sarnoski and starring Hugh Jackman, Jodie Comer, Bill Skarsgård, Murray Bartlett and Noah Jupe, A24's The Death of Robin Hood has no official release date yet (beyond "coming soon").

HALLOWEEN HORROR: The Witch (2015)

Robert Eggers' The Witch: A New England Folktale is a masterpiece of engrossing storytelling, a rare intelligent horror film that relies on character and atmosphere rather than cheap jump scares and excessive gore.

In New England of 1630, farmer William (gravelly-voiced Ralph Ineson) is exiled from his village for his particular interpretation of the Christian religion, and takes his family to live in an isolated farmstead on the edge of a creepy forest.

He and his wife, Katherine (Game Of Thrones' Kate Dickie), ban their children from going into the forest, telling them they must stay within the boundary of the farm.

One day, their teenage daughter Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) is playing peek-a-boo with the family's newest arrival, baby Samuel (Axtun Henry Dube/Athan Conrad Dube) when the newborn suddenly disappears... and the family's real troubles begin.

William claims the child was taken by a wolf, but increasingly the family come to believe it was the work of witchcraft.

The Witch can be seen as a metaphor for the current problems in America, something unknown strikes at the heart of the devout family, then retreats back into the woods and watches the flames of paranoia engulf the insular community, occasionally fanning the fire from its hiding place in the trees.

Much of the horror, in fact, comes from the religious intolerance  at the core of the family's fundamental beliefs; in a very real sense they make their own fear by cultivating brutal ideas about eternal damnation, sins of the flesh etc that confuse and terrify the younger members of the family.

The family does more to tear itself apart than the overt actions of whatever is in the woods.

It is easy to see from this how such shocking events as the Salem Witch Trials could come about, with random (but ultimately explicable) events and misspoke words (taken at face value) ultimately leading to burning people at the stake.

As William's family try to move on from the loss of Samuel, good intentions turn to disasters. Then we find ourselves questioning the initial motivations of these deeds and we have to wonder how much of their situation arises from William's own pride and hypocrisy?

By no stretch of the imagination is The Witch a mainstream schlock horrorfest. If you thought The Boy was a slow-burner, then this is positively glacial by comparison (even though the first 'incident' happens within the opening ten minutes), but it all helps build the tension and draw you in.

So dismal is the family's world that much of the time it looks almost like a black and white movie - which makes the odd moments of red all the more striking and important - and the script's period dialogue gets a bit mumbly at times (although not approaching the near-comical levels of Tom Hardy's character in The Revenant), but there is no missing the intent of what is being said, even if the odd sentence eludes you.

The acting from all concerned is incredible, accentuating the sense of verisimilitude that makes the events all the more believable.

To really get the most out of The Witch, you need to close the curtains, turn out the lights, turn off all your mobile devices, and allow yourself to sink into the stark 17th Century setting, focusing on the unfolding drama on the screen rather than whatever drama is unfolding in the Twitterverse.

Overall, the film is more a well-researched historical drama and psychological thriller than a blockbuster horror flick.

With period folklore shaping the 'supernatural' elements of the story, The Witch is worthy to stand alongside The Wicker Man, Blood On Satan's Claw and, even, The Blair Witch Project with its understated, but unnerving, approach to the genre that is absent many modern horror tropes.

Now I love a good monster movie as much as the next man, but I do wish there were more subtle and smart horror films like The Witch being made to balance out the genre's offerings.

HALLOWEEN HORROR: MaXXXine (2024)

It's 1985 and having survived the slaughter of her friends by the geriatric killer Pearl, tough-as-nails Maxine Minx (another stand-out performance from Mia Goth) has made it to Tinseltown and is already a big name in the "adult film industry".

But the aspiring superstar wants mainstream recognition, and is looking to get it through her first starring role in horror sequel, The Puritan II.

However, even as Hollywood is gripped with fear of the "Night Stalker" serial killer, a series of elaborate, seemingly Satanic, murders are also taking place in the city.

A pair of homicide detectives, the sincere Williams (Michelle Monaghan) and the over-zealous Torres (Bobby Cannavale) realise all the victims are connected to Maxine in some way.

Maxine is also being pursued by a sleazy private eye, John Labat (Kevin Bacon), who is trying to force her to meet with his mysterious client, who knows an awful lot about her backstory.

The anonymous client, it soon becomes obvious (to the audience), is also very directly connected to the murders of Maxine's friends and acquaintances.

More murder mystery thriller - and very on-the-nose metaphor for the meat grinder nature of the film industry - than out-and-out horror, MaXXXine is the third entry in writer/director Ti West's X franchise, again emphasising its star's charisma and engaging acting chops.

The character development of coke-snorting, gun-totting Maxine is fantastic; driven by her overwhelming desire for fame and not to turn out like Pearl, she is the 'monster' of the story, swimming in a sea of lesser monsters.

Primarily self-reliant, driven to succeed at all costs, Maxine is assisted in her quest by part-time boyfriend, and video store owner, Leon (Moses Sumney) and her resourceful agent Teddy Night Esq (the man, the legend Giancarlo Esposito).

While the 100-minute movie certainly isn't devoid of horror and gore, the shift in focus to thriller means this is the weakest of the three films.

Besides a couple of graphically violent close-ups (honestly, these are cheap shocks), MaXXXine simply lacks the quality memorable moments of the previous films in the franchise.

However, propelled forward by a stellar cast, twists, homages to other flicks, and throwbacks to X and Pearl, MaXXXine still packs a punch, is never dull or stupid, and holds your attention from start-to-finish.

HALLOWEEN HORROR: Pearl (2022)

After what feels like an age, the long-awaited prequel to Ti West's ultraviolent X, Pearl has arrived here in UK homes.

But the wait was most definitely worth it. Pearl is a tour de force character piece, with the phenomenally charismatic Mia Goth a genuine force of nature as the titular lead.

As her husband (Alistair Sewell) is away fighting in The Great War, mentally unbalanced Pearl has to stay on the isolated family farm in rural Texas, with her parents.

With the farmhands gone to the war, Pearl has to take her care of her severely-disabled, wheelchair-bound father (Matthew Sunderland) while also helping to keep the farm running with depleting livestock and finances.

All under the harsh gaze and strict rules of her domineering mother, Ruth (Tandi Wright).

The closest Pearl has to a real friend is her sister-in-law, Mitsy (Emma Jenkins-Purro), but even she only knows the 'surface Pearl', the hardworking farmgirl, rather than the 'real Pearl'.

Pearl lives in a fantasy world, dreaming of a life as a dancer on the silver screen, her escape from being trapped by circumstance on the farm.

Her life starts to change when she befriends the charming, Bohemian projectionist (David Corenswet), who runs the cinema in the nearby town.

She shares with him the news that Mitsy has told her about an upcoming audition for a travelling dance troupe, and he encourages her to pursue her dreams.

Naturally, Pearl's mother is having none of this, not only will she not allow Pearl to abandon her essential chores at home, but Ruth knows the 'real Pearl' and believes it is best for her daughter to stay where she is.

Matters escalate and rapidly get out of hand as Pearl's barely-suppressed rage surfaces, farm implements are employed incorrectly and people start to die in a gruesome fashion. 

As the prequel to X, Pearl is a contained study of a rapidly crumbling psyche, delivered with unparalleled gusto by the wholly convincing - and totally unnerving - Mia Goth.

Mia co-wrote the film with director Ti West, and it shows how deeply she understands the main character, and why nobody else could have played her.

More than just a prequel though, Pearl is the origin story of a messed-up serial killer that perfectly foreshadows the horrors that would go down decades later (in X), while working perfectly well on their own to create a fully-rounded slasher.

Slipping between fantasy and reality, Pearl is a blend of Psycho and The Wizard of Oz, complete with a couple of deranged dance numbers, some hypnotically disturbing monologues, and the most terrifying rictus smile since The Man Who Laughs.

Pearl is one of those films that gets under your skin and scratches away at your brain, a movie that will stay with you for a long time. While the main plot is minimal, the story and character at the heart of Pearl have a lasting quality that makes for great cinema.

The concluding part of the X trilogy, MaXXXine follows the sole survivor (Mia Goth) of the events in X as she tries to make a name for herself in the adult film industry of 1980's Los Angeles. It is expected to be released early next year.

HALLOWEEN HORROR: X (2022)

It's 1979 and a group of eager young filmmakers from Houston - fuelled by drugs, horniness, and dreams of making big bucks - head out to shoot a porno (The Farmer's Daughter) in rural Texas, to try and cash in on the emerging home video market.

They've rented a guest house in the grounds of an isolated farm owned by an old couple, Pearl (Mia Goth)  and Howard (Stephen Ure), who both appear to be several hundred years old.

Unfortunately, as you might expect from a horror film, especially one released on the A24 label, all is not as it seems.

Pearl is grieving the loss of her youth, and Howard believes he is no longer able to satisfy her, but the old woman finds herself attracted to one of the actresses, Maxine Minx (also Mia Goth), and when she catches a glimpse of the adult movie being shot her frail grip on sanity slips.

As soon as you see the A24 logo pop up you know you're in for a wild ride, and writer/director Ti West's X certainly delivers.

In much the same way as A24's Midsommar, Ari Aster's rural shocker from 2019, was a modern reworking of The Wicker Man, so X is a reworking of Texas Chainsaw Massacre (although certainly not a remake), with a heavy side-order of Psycho for good measure.

But that's also part of the artifice of the movie, as it's constantly dabbling in clever juxtapositions, foreshadowing and downright misdirection, as Ti West clearly knows what his audience is expecting and likes to mess with those expectations.

In fact, after a brief intro of the police rolling up to the brutal murder scene at the farmhouse, the story flashes back a day to fill us in on how events got there.

Almost a full hour passes - of the 105 minute movie - before the real violence begins, but from then on it's pretty relentless right up to when the credits start rolling.

Pearl may look as weak and feeble as Grandpa from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre but she strikes from the shadows with the element of surprise, like a psychotic ninja.

Conversely, Howard doesn't hold to no stereotypical slasher movie rules and is quite happy blasting away with his shotgun.

The first part of X is primarily concerned with Maxine, Bobby-Lynne (Brittany Snow) and Jackson Hole (Scott Mescudi) making The Farmer's Daughter with producer Wayne Gilroy (Martin Henderon), and cameraman RJ Nichols (Owen Campbell) and his girlfriend Lorraine (Jenna Ortega), who is acting as sound engineer.

Given this set-up, unsurprisingly there's a plenty of bare female chests on display - and a brief male appendage in shadow - but before you start to think that this is a real porno, the nudity switches very quickly from The Deuce to The Shining.

The adult movie-shoot-within-the movie is interwoven with discussions on the nature of film versus reality, while much play is made of future star Maxine's "x-factor" that makes her desirable to everyone, and this segues into the murderous couple's motivations, which are explored through the narrative of the latter part of X.

A prequel, Pearl, was shot back-to-back with X, co-written by Mia Goth and Ti West, set in 1918. This film will see Goth reprieve her role as the titular Pearl and fill in some of the character's killer backstory. 

Jason's Back At Work!

Peter Santa-Maria's Mondo Poster for Sweet Revenge

A group of teenagers arrives in Crystal Lake Camp but one thing they don't know about this place is they were being stalked and mysteriously killed by a mysterious serial killer who's out there for revenge.

Jason Voorhees is back next month in Sweet Revenge, a 13-minute "vignette" premiering on the Jason Universe YouTube channel on August 13 (a Wednesday not a Friday).

This is not a fan film. Directed by Wrong Turn's Mike P Nelson, this short marks Jason's first official live-action appearance since the 2009 reboot and will play a pivotal role in the resurrected franchise's 45th anniversary celebrations.

Rather oddly though it's also an advertisement for some American cider company, so is this how the "new" Jason is welcomed into the world? Check out this 11 minute dissection of the situation from RealLifeRyan, who has a better handle on the state of the Jason Universe than I do. 

Sweet Revenge is presumably a precursor to the forthcoming prequel A24/Peacock series Crystal Lake as well. This TV show is due to arrive next year and stars the wonderful Linda Cardellini as Jason's mother, Pamela Voorhees.

The Lighthouse (2019)

Late in the 19th Century, apprentice lighthouse keeper Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson, The Batman) arrives on an isolated New England island for a four-week stint to learn the "wickie" craft from veteran lighthouse keeper Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe).

A former lumberjack, Winslow soon chafes at the drudgery of his chores under the stentorian commands of the superstitious Wake, and becomes particularly obsessed with the older man's refusal to allow him to tend the lighthouse's lamp.

The disputes between the men ebb and flow like the tide, as they gradually build a tenuous friendship that appears to be heading towards a father-son relationship, with Winslow both respecting and loathing the grizzled Wake.

However, as his time on the island draws to an end, Winslow is driven to break another of Wake's edicts: not to kill any of the militant seagulls that have the run of the island. Wake tells him it's bad luck to do so, as the birds contain the souls of dead seamen.

When a bird dies in their watertank, Winslow loses his temper and kills the first one that lands nearby.

And while Winslow is already starting to see things on the lonely island, the murder of the seagull is the signal for all Hell to break loose.

The men suddenly find themselves cut off by a seemingly never-ending storm, time plays tricks on them, details in Wake's stories change, Winslow's hallucinations get worse, the tension between the men mounts, leading to inevitable violence.

Released through Sky Store this week, The Lighthouse is a stunning, claustrophobic, physiological, horror movie.

Given the current state of the world, it is also an unexpectedly prescient study of two strong personalities locked down in a confined space for an excessive period of time - and possibly a template for many more movies to come in the next few months and years.

Inspired by historical events, once again - as he did with The Witch - writer/director Robert Eggers demonstrates his ear for linguistic verisimilitude, with the two, mighty, central actors in The Lighthouse not scrimping on the thick accents and genuine, period, vocabulary.

Beautifully shot in crisp black and white and shown in an archaic, square, ratio that accentuates the claustrophobic story, the film's escalating weirdness embraces both Lovecraftian horror and David Lynch levels of peculiarity that will have you wondering about your own sanity as well as that of the men trapped in the titular edifice.