Directed by M83’s Yann Gonzalez, the world of “Knife + Heart” bridges the saturated , hyper-sexual 1970’s exploitation era with the detached tones of 80’s new wave. An absolutely gorgeous film, cinematographer Simon Beaufils captures the world of the burgeoning 80’s queer Paris underground as well as the quiet nature of pastoral France, each shot part of an ever growing mystery that draws us into “Knife + Heart’s” tale of tragic love undone by a knife’s edge. A memorable, and necessarily tragic villain, our killer (played with an unhinged lunacy by Jonathan Genet) stalks the city leaving new clues for Anne to decipher with each of his inventive, and phallic, kills, which thankfully shield the film from an unbearable pretentiousness that seems poised to overtake the proceedings at any moment, but never does. But in its bones, this IS a slasher movie, and for fans of the genre it offers a “fine dining” experience unlike any other, with plenty of stylized violence and smirking humour to enjoy.  Itself on a razors edge between parody, homage, exploitation and vanity, “Knife + Heart” manages that delicate dance between lurid and ludicrous, being “believably unbelievable” at all times and above all else, entertaining for its entire run time. There’s gore, but it’s hardly grotesque, and there’s sex but little nudity, keeping things focused more on the mystery then the mayhem.  Complementing the visuals and performances, M83’s score one ups the baroque-synth legacy of Goblin, providing a fresh, but familiar soundtrack that only further enriches the carefully built world of Gonzalez’ mystery.

To dive into “Knife + Heart” you’ll need to suspend some disbelief: this is hardly a literal film. And while It’s not perfect (a little too much time is spent on the goofy “film within a film” moments and their adolescent humour, occasionally introducing tonal speed bumps that jar us from our trance) it succeeds more often than not, with rich visual impact and memorable characters, and most importantly leaves us wanting to see more of Yann Gonzalez directorial visions to come. Currently available on Shudder, check the trailer below for a taste of “Knife + Heart”

On a rainy night, Luz (Velis) has abandoned her cab somewhere in a nameless German city, and her fare has gone missing. Rattled and bloody, she lands and a moribund police station, being questioned by hardened detective and a translator as they wait for their chief interrogator, Dr. Rosinni (Bluthardt) a master of unconventional hypnosis, to help unravel her story of being attacked by a possessed woman. Across town in a sterile bar, Rosinni is accosted by a femme fatale (Julia Riedler) with her own strange story to tell, a tale of her time back in Chile and her catholic-school crush, who we come to learn is Luz herself and how It went terribly wrong. To tell more would’t only rob the film of the impact it’s head-spinning story shifts hit the audience with, but any plot synopsis has a way of misrepresenting a genuinely original movie such as this. With “Luz” the “what” of the story takes a well deserved back seat to the “how”, with the endlessly inventive interrogation centrepiece cementing the film as a truly refreshing take on a classic horror cliche.

Realism is secondary to the story Singer tells in “Luz“; with scenes awash in a near permanent haze and lovingly shot on old-school 16mm film (but with new-school anamorphic lenses that were created for the new digital RED cameras) by young cinematographer Paul Faltz, everything becomes a dreamlike vision, both hyper realistic and ephemeral as the fuzziness of the story and the film stock itself intertwine. Evocative and striking even in a palette of grainy grey and bureaucratic beige, “Luz” also deploys a wildly inventive soundscape that’s as much a part of the film as any performance, and the score from Simon Waskow shines through with all the right notes of synth-heavy, retro tinged 80’s Giallo grandeur and percussive free-jazz without becoming shameless reproductions. Rigorously framed images shock with intensity, paired with equally evocative physical performances from the leads, who inhabit their characters bodies entirely as the film dances between hypnosis, memories, reality and hallucination with a deft hand.

Largely confined to the eerie police station , “Luz” creates a surreal, theatrical battleground (“a chamber play”, Singer said in a recent interview) for past transgressions to play out against the ever growing evil that pursues our lead, and keeps the audience enraptured in a way heavy handed, “indie horror” can never replicate. When a character simply pulling a pen a purse can cause your skin to crawl, you know you’re in the hands of an assured director, and Singer’s confidence shines through every moment of the film. Unlike recent reboots and indie features that try too hard to talk about “the movie” beyond the screen, with “Luz” the film itself the focus, and by combining the profoundly simple ingredients of sound, light and editing together with an original story and commanding performances, Singer’s proven himself to be a young director to watch with excitement of what’s to come next.

“Luz” is currently available for rent on VOD via all major outlets, check the trailer below for a small sample of what to expect.

With an expertly executed blend of slow burning tension and downright disgusting practical effects delivering a hard hitting, one-two punch, Stevens also manages to get genuinely compelling performances from his leads, most notably Phil Brooks, A.K.A. former pro-wrestler C.M. Punk in his film debut, his concerned wife Liz, played by Trieste Kelly Dunn, and the overly flirty new neighbour, Sarah Brooks. In a year awash with disappointing reboots and clunky blockbusters, it’s refreshing that an original, low budget genre picture like “Girl On The Third Floor” can still deliver on skill and substance over CGI effects and spotty sequel tie-ins, using it’s spare budget to maximum effect, and it’s effects for maximum impact.

Set in an abandoned home in the Chicago suburbs, most of the film follows Don (Brooks), a disgraced lawyer who’s taken on a hail-mary home renovation project to help save his precarious marriage and his fragile manhood. As we get to know Don, and Don gets to know the house … and his far-too-friendly new neighbours, he’s quickly underwater. There’s the black, pulsing hole in the wall that won’t stop growing. And there’s that other wall that starts to bleed. And the strange sounds coming from the chimney are most certainly not a squirrel.

The house’s leaks and creaks ooze in ways that would make David Cronenberg blush, and with Steven’s keen eye for framing each shot for maximum creepiness, the sickly pastel and floral colours of the house begin to sour as Don’s stress, sleep deprivation and increasingly bad decisions mount. As his wife’s arrival approaches and the house continues to decay in a “Money Pit” meets “Videodrome” spiral of surreal viscera, Don takes matters into his own hands … and with blunt force. We don’t want to give any more away than we need to, but believe us when we say that “Girl On The Third Floor’s” simple narrative doesn’t mean it’s a simple film, everything that happens in this film happens for a reason, and that reason is always in service of Don’s downward spiral.

The “never ask for directions” type, Don is simultaneously a realistic, relatable guy, and a hugely unlikable asshole who’s brought most of his problems on himself. Played with just the right amount of Bruce Campbell-esque hamminess and a seething, early middle age anger that makes him seem like a hair-trigger threat, Brooks’ keeps us fixated on Don without delivering much in the way of dialog, instead Stevens lets his interactions with the excellent supporting cast fill in the blanks, and Brooks’ background in “playing to the back of the house” during his pro-wrestling heyday gives his mostly silent performance a wide range of expression, letting us see the gears turn behind his often cold eyes.

When the film’s action does kick in, Brooks’ physical stature and skills in stunt work are used to excellent effect. He clearly knows how to use his body to deliver, and receive, some serious punishment. Similarly, we get to know Liz, the beleaguered wife, through her interactions with Don, at first via video, then in her interactions with the neighbours, as she arrives in the films third act to inspect Don’s handiwork. Played with the right amount of exasperation and commitment, Dunn offers the sobering “Yin” to Brooks’ raging “Yang”, and allows us a unique perspective on the story as she assumes the lead for the film’s third act and we see Don’s breakdown through her eyes. Where as Don solves his problems “hands on”, Liz takes a different approach, looking deeper to solve the puzzle and survive their move from hell.

As the action moves to the titular third floor, the tension boils over and the film shifts gears into a far more physical realm, as the practical effects deliver some over the top gore with an unflinching execution. And while sex permeates the film, there’s very little in the way of nudity, giving the film a slightly less schlock feel than it could have suffered in the wrong hands, while simultaneously serving to amp up the ick-factor as a fetishistic pantomime overtakes the house.

Filmed with a steady hand and a clever eye, the film feels spare in the way a sports car does: nothing unneeded clutters “Girl On The Third Floor“, and its clever narrative twists never seem unnatural or contrived. With an obvious love of the genre, Stevens makes the transition from producer to director with a strong and self assured debut, and paired with a breakout performance from Brooks’, the pair seem poised to take up the torch for a new generation of genre auteurs and actors. Easily one of the year’s best, the slow building, supremely satisfying “Girl On The The Third Floor” can’t be missed.

Check out the trailer below, it’s streaming on demand now!

“It’s the perfect place for my collection!” Exclaimed Kirk in an interview with NOW. “Being inside is more like being on the set of The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari. German expressionism all the way! Or H.P Lovecraft, in the Cthulhu mythos, the elder gods’ living areas were made out of angels and planes that were not meant for human existence”.

Current director and CEO Josh Basseches is hoping to “transform people’s lives by helping them understand the past, make sense of the present and shape a shared future” Which is a fantastic mission to stand behind, all the while curating and programming more modern and relevant exhibits like IT’S ALIVE. “If you look at the history of these posters, and the movies they represent, you can track what issues were causing anxiety and fear throughout the 20^th century”. This collection, like Josh says is full of dread, terror and a historical timeline of not only horror but styles of lithography, typography and art. Oh …and some fucking insane guitars from Hammett’s personal collection, displayed beautifully.

Basseches found an ideal partner in Hammett, who famously paid over $1 million USD for Frank Frazzetta’s Conan The Conqueror book cover art, has been preaching the horror lithography gospel for years. Taking a once dead art and bestowing it cultural and commercial value and significance. No one would point to a Frankenstien poster and say, ‘That’s going to sell for $25,000. Lo and behold, that’s a cheap price now,” Hammett laughed while sitting down with NOW.

Combining high horror art and a classic natural art history museum is a match made in heaven, because it opens the sometimes-stuffy reputation of museums to a more pop culture savy clientele that museums strive for. Organized by the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. IT’S ALIVE is one of the world’s most extraordinary collections of classic horror and sci-fi movie posters. Exploring the connection between artistry, emotion and popular culture through a selection of incredible works from 20^th century cinema.

IT’S ALIVE was curated in a beautiful way that acts as a time capsule and walk through yesteryear – to discover exactly what were the collective fears in past eras. Whether it was the breakthrough scientific discoveries, fear of nuclear war with the Soviet Union post-WWII or the rise of women’s rights in the 60s, Horror and sci-fi always shine a spotlight on society itself, it just replaces politicians and people with demons, ghosts and goblins.

Take a little peak at some of the incredible works of art below. And please visit this exhibition before it’s gone January 5^th, 2020 at the Royal Ontario Museum.

“Being inside is more like being on the set of The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari.” – Kirk Hammett