Editor’s Note: Our resident cinephile and move critic Mike Fried, author of the Mike At the Movies column, notes there are different genres within the horror movie, including slasher film, monster movie, etc. Now he considers a different genre: Jewish-themed horror films. Does such a genre exist? Read on?
By MIKE FRIED
JEWISH HORROR
When I think of Jewish Horror, my mind first jumps to Raiders of the Lost Ark when head Nazi Dietrich says to Belloq, “I am uncomfortable with the thought of this … Jewish ritual.” But beyond that, I really hadn’t given the topic much thought until my editor, Michael Freeman, said that such an article would be a great follow up to my piece on Holocaust movies.
And I watched many of these films, to the extent that I could track them down easily (I am lazy at heart).
And the films themselves can be segregated into several different subtopics. The first would be that of the Golem, the legendary mythical creature supposedly created by Rabbi Loew of Prague to protect the Jews. Then comes the notion of the Dybbuk, a hostile spirit embodying a living soul. Then there is the concept of Abyzou, which is like a dybbuk but is really historically a “taker of children.”
It should be noted that like all horror films, they range from good to bad so these opinions are all mine; but it is interesting how they progress as the art behind the movies increases.
- GOLEMS:
THE GOLEM: HOW HE CAME INTO THIS WORLD.
*****
No discussion of Jewish Horror can start off without a review of Paul Wegener’s landmark 1920 film which is totally based on Jewish Legend. Although a prequel to Wegener’s 1915 film, The Golem, that film has been lost so this is really the first Jewish Horror film. The Golem is an inanimate creature that is molded from clay or mud. It was believed that by using letters from the Hebrew alphabet, a Golem could be brought to life to defend the Jews.
The most famous Golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century rabbi of Prague and this is the story that Wegener relates.
And does he ever. Not only is this Jewish story recreated based on the legend and qualifies as one of earliest horror films, it is a beautifully rendered example of German Expressionism. The movie is vividly photographed by Karl Freund, who would later go on to direct Boris Karloff in The Mummy (1932), but who was best known for his cinematography on Metropolis, All Quiet on the Western Front, Dracula and I Love Lucy (neither a typo nor a joke!)
Wegener directs himself as the Golem and he is absolutely frightening as the creature. This film no doubt had a great deal of influence on the 1931 classic Frankenstein and you can see how this film allowed the writers of the later film to springboard their story in directions that even Mary Shelley could not envision. In addition, as far as I know, this is the first man-made monster movie. The sets are beautifully constructed and are reminiscent of what Universal would create 11 years later and the Golem, walking through the village, is treated with equal parts revulsion and fear.
And in this film, the Golem is that man-made monster that both acts as a guardian and then is vilified. It is brought to life not by electricity from lightning but, rather, from the Power of God. In fact, Adam (of Adam and Eve fame) was the first Golem as Genesis 2:7 tells us he was made from min ha-adama which implies he was formed from red soil, clay, or earth, like the Golem of legend. There’s are other Hebraic references including The Wandering Jew — the Jew who mocked Jesus and was cursed to walk the Earth until the Second Coming — as well as the notions of Jewish Persecution.
There’s an astonishingly well-directed sequence at about 31 minutes in where Wegener brings the Golem to life. Rabbi Loew and his assistant brings a dummy figure out and Rabbi Loew walks up to the camera, blocking everything else, and creates the amulet that will bring the Golem to life. When Loew moves back from the camera and we see the background again, it is now Wegener as the Golem who comes to life when the amulet is placed upon his chest. Really well done filmmaking.
And Wegener is as terrifying a creature as Karloff was as Frankenstein.
This is a MUST WATCH!
THE GOLEM (2019)
****
“When telling the story of our people, it’s impossible to separate the truth from the myth.”
It’s Lithuania. 1673. In a Jewish shtetl, a woman, Hanna, and her husband, Benjamin have suffered for seven years since the death of their son without conceiving another child. Benjamin’s father, the Rabbi, wants him to divorce Hanna but Benjamin will hear nothing of it. Instead he secretly gives Hanna a book on the Kabbalah which he cautions her could drive a man crazy much less a woman. As a plague ravages the land, a group of the non-Jews, led by the man Vladimir, attacks a wedding service and kills a man and says that he will continue his ruthlessness until his plague-ravaged daughter is made well. But Hanna decides to use the powers of the Kabbalah to create The Golem to protect the community. But sometimes creating something like that is not the best answer. Especially when the Golem resembles one’s dead child and cannot be easily killed.
I really dug this film. It had the aesthetic mood of a Robert Eggers film but it also had the sensibility of the Coen Brothers and felt like it was taken from the opening of A Serious Man. Based upon the legend of the Golem of Prague which is about the creation of a monster to protect the community but which goes on a murderous rampage. The legend has formed the basis of movies several times before but this time writer Ariel Coven and directors Doron and Yoav Paz give the movie a modern feel, despite setting it 350 years ago. And where other golem stories create a massive mud-caked giant as the avenger, the Paz Brothers have turned the legend on its head by creating a little boy who Hanna hopes is their protector.
As mentioned earlier in relation to Paul Wegener’s The Golem: How He Came Into the World, the legend of the golem influenced Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein and Wegener’s film further influenced the Universal Studios Monster films of the 1930s. This takes the legend a step further by having the golem created by a woman which would not happen in real life. And yet this golem child is dressed in patchwork clothing and is entranced by music giving further underscore to the Frankenstein legend.
Hani Furstenberg shines as Hanna and plays her as a strong-willed woman – which is very different from what one would normally see in a Jewish shtetl setting. She is smart, fierce and independent. Unlike most of the women in her village who are desirous of being good wives and mothers she wants something more. She is fiercely independent. But her independence is clouding her judgment. “He’s just a boy,” she insists.
“For God knows that when you eat from it [the fruit tree in the garden of Eden] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil”. But to be like God is to bring about one’s own self-destruction. This has been a tenet of any of the horror creation stories.
Be careful what you wish for. It might just come true.
WATCH IT!
- DYBBUKS
DEMON (2015)
****
Prevalent in 16th century and 17th century Eastern Europe, the concept of the Dybbuk loomed large. Often a spirit of a person who has died in a state of distress or a sinful soul, this spirit could manifest itself by possessing the spirit of a living being. The dybbuk in Jewish folklore is purely a malicious spirit.
And this serves as the basis of Marcin Wrona’s 2015 movie Demon, which leans heavily into Jewish folklore.
A young man named Piotr, a Polish man who has been living in England, returned home to marry a woman named Zaneta, whom he has met over the internet but he knows her brother. They move into an old house owned by Zaneta’s grandfather. When digging with a backhoe, Piotr finds a skeleton which he does not tell anyone about. He becomes haunted by visions of a woman in a wedding dress named Hana. And finally at the wedding he becomes possessed.
But Marcin Wrona takes the legend a step further. When Piotr starts speaking in an unrecognizable language, the sole, elderly Jewish man at the wedding realizes that the language is Yiddish and that Piotr is possessed by the spirit of Hana, a Jewish girl he knew before World War Two and Hana disappeared without a trace.
By doing so, Wrona not only leans into the legend of the dybbuk but also creates an allegory about Polish- Jewish relationships during the Second World War and how Piotr is now possessed because Zaneta’s grandfather may have possessed the house in the war after Hana’s family was dispossessed. It is also more prevalently portrayed when Zaneta’s mother scoffs at the notion that Piotr is possessed by a Jewish demon and you’re not quite sure if she is scoffing at the demon part or the Jewish part.
Itay Tiran, an Israeli actor, excels as Piotr. Tiran has extensive theater experience and it shows through in the physicality of the role. When Piotr starts convulsing when being possessed you can see him actually shaking.
It also works because Wrona knows how to stage the film to maximize spookiness. When Piotr starts speaking Yiddish, a storm erupts and the attendees are drenched by the downpour. And yet the spirit of Hana can walk through the rain without getting wet. But there are also a couple of moments of extreme humor. After the storm hits and the guests disperse, we see one of the groomsmen having sex with one of the female guests.
The score by legendary composer Krzysztof Penderecki adds tremendously to the atmosphere.
Sadly, Wrona committed suicide shortly after this film premiered at film festivals and we are deprived of further works from this bright talent. And this film feels like a deeply personal work – that even includes a shout out to The Shining.
This film can be watched over and over to find the many clues that inhabit it. It works as both a horror film and a film about the results of complicity.
WATCH IT!
THE KEEP
***
So, a bunch of Nazis led by Jurgen Prochnow set up shop in a castle known as The Keep in order to control access to the Carpathian Mountains and, because of their fucking Nazi greed and arrogance, they unleash a dangerous entity bent on killing them, which grows stronger with every kill. What are they to do? Well, the joke’s on them because the local townspeople tell them that the only person who can help them is a Jewish Historian who, along with his daughter, is held in a concentration camp. Add into the mix the arrival of a mysterious stranger whose eyes glow and you have quite the sci-fi spectacle on your hands?
Right? Of course right.
Well, almost, and not for lack of trying. Boasting a sterling cast of Scott Glenn, Alberta Watson, Jürgen Prochnow, Robert Prosky, Gabriel Byrne, Ian McKellen and the always dependable Wolf Kahler (dietrich in the aforementioned Raiders), the film certainly contains an interesting premise. And Prochnow and Byrne are thoroughly outstanding in this film.
Unfortunately the production was troubled from the start — bad weather in Wales, Michael Mann’s indecision on how the evil spirit should look, coupled with the death of Wally Veevers, the VFX supervisor just two weeks into post-production without leaving any detailed notes on how to finish the effects just created a terrible product upon release which caused the only home media (until recently) to be a crappy VHS release and the only dvd is a dub of the VHS. I have not seen the Vinegar Syndrome 4k so I can’t tell if the problems have been corrected.
Supposedly, Mann’s original cut was 210 minutes long which he cut down to 120 minutes but test screenings made Paramount force him to cut the film down to 96 minutes.
I mention this trimming because what may have been included in the original cut went more in depth with the notion of Judaism and its effect on the evil Spectre, Molasar.
What is most remarkable is the relationship between the Historian, Cuza, and his daughter, Eva, with the two main Nazis Captain Klaus Woermann and Sturmbannführer Erich Kaempffer. Woermann is the more realistic of the two and treats Cuza with respect – and even has discussions with him – whereas Kaempffer is SS all the way and brooks no discussion at all. There is no hesitation, however, in getting Cuza to get rid of the entity. There’s no moment where anyone thinks “I am uncomfortable with the thought of this – Jewish ritual.”
What’s even weirder is that Cuza has been seduced by the entity and has been told that if he retrieves the talisman that keeps the entity in The Keep and hides it allowing the entity to escape, the entity will destroy the Nazis. But it’s all a con job. And by doing this, Mann flips the script on good and evil.
There is a lot to be admired about this film and I totally get why people love it and why it has become a cult classic. For me, its level of weirdness is a plus but – and this may be the dub I am watching talking – the film looks like crap and the Tangerine Dream soundtrack just overpowers the entire film.
I will definitely watch this again when my library gets the Vinegar Syndrome 4k in stock.
THE VIGIL
****
(Cue Law and Order Voice) For thousands of years, religious Jews have practiced the ritual of ‘The Vigil’ – When a member of the community dies, the body is watched round-the-clock in shifts by a Shomer, or watchman, who recites the Psalms to comfort the deceased’s soul and protect it from unseen evil. This watchman is typically a family member or friend, but there are paid Shomers…. hired to sit the Vigil when no one else can.
Yakov has left the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn and is now finding his way in the world via a support group for similar people. Leaving one night, he is confronted by his old Rabbi, Reb Shulem (Menashe Lustig) who has come to ask him to be a Shomer for a recently deceased man, a Holocaust survivor. The widow (the wonderful Lynn Cohen in her final role before passing) is dubious of him but reluctantly accepts him. As the vigil begins, Yakov hears noises, sees things and that’s just the beginning. It gets worse. Evidently the deceased was haunted by a malevolent spirit called a Mazzik since he was in Buchenwald, a spirit that seeks a token person.
Keith Thomas’ directorial debut really hits, primarily because of the dark energy that he evokes through some stylish cinematography as well as the terrific use of practical effects that are truly scary. There a scene where Yakov is in the basement watching a video of the deceased talking about the Mazzik and he sees the widow mouthing words and he hears her say “behind you” and, sure enough, the demon is there in a terrific jump scare.
Dave Davis is excellent as Yakov. His fright is palpable. He is torn between two worlds, the secular and religious and the demon is using the bad things from his past to make things even worse. The sense of dread that Davis evokes is fantastic, especially as it seems that the Mazzik will not let him leave and is messing with his reality by altering phone calls and FaceTime calls that he makes.
And the aforementioned Lynn Cohen – who played Golda Meir in Munich – is terrifically creepy as the Alzheimer’s afflicted widow Litvak. She knows of the presence of the demon and she seemingly does not care. And it seems that her Alzheimer’s comes and goes as it suits her.
It is a terrific haunted house story because of its sound design, chilling score, lighting, use of practical effects and, most importantly, its lead performance.
It works because of its simplicity. There’s no big antisemitism message in the film – which there could have been (witness the anti-racism message of Get Out) – and the story is very straightforward with very few, if any, bells and whistles.
It was more creepy than scary – and it’s a story about faith.
WATCH IT!
THE UNBORN (2009)
**
A young woman experiences haunting visions of a child. She is asked in an ophthalmological if she was a twin. She asks her father and he tells her that she did have a twin that died in the womb. When her visions get worse she seeks out spiritual advice. Her grandmother, an Auschwitz survivor, tells her that she was a twin whose brother died in the camps but then who came back two days later. She explains it was the dybbuk.
Once again, the malevolent spirit is coming at our protagonist and it is only a man named Rabbi Sendak who can help her. He brings in the Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism.
Now don’t get me wrong. Gary Oldman is a great actor … but as a Rabbi?!?!?
Her grandmother advises her to wear a necklace with the hand of Miriam and to destroy all of the mirrors in the house. She advises that because the dybbuk is dead the best that can be done is to drive it back from whence it came.
It’s not a good movie. It borders on silliness and Odette Annable was the wordy part of the TV show House and she’s no better here. Like I said, Ikdman ain’t no rabbi. The great Idris Elba is a priest who assists in the exorcism and Jane Alexander is absolutely terrific as the grandmother. Atticus Shaffer (Brick from The Middle) is positively creepy as one of the neighbor’s kids who might be possessed.
And even though it is a crappy movie, I give it credit for going into the religious aspects of the dybbuk more than most films and it delves deeper into the ceremonies of exorcism. Cinematically, the dybbuk can cause power to go out and cause hallucinations. Rabbi Sendak while reading the Kabbalah sees visions of a dog with an upside down head as he looks at pictures of same in the Kabbalah.
There are other better dybbuk movies to watch so you can
SKIP THIS!
ATTACHMENT (2022)
*** 1/2
Maja, a Danish has-been actress, meets Leah, a British woman, in Denmark. Sparks fly between the two and they become a couple. Leah first sleepwalks and then suffers a mysterious seizure during which she injures her leg. Maja decides to travel back to England with Leah to help with her recovery. Maja thinks something is off with Leah’s orthodox Jewish mother, Chana, and she finds herself trapped in a nightmare of incidents based on Jewish folklore and she needs to protect Leah.
If you told me that the Jewish Lesbianic Possession Dybbuky genre was a thing, I would have scoffed at the notion. Yet here we are.
And this movie delivers. Not only is it a tight horror film, it also has a decent streak of humor, mostly from the terrific Swedish actor David Dencik (No Time To Die) who plays Leah’s uncle with whom Maja has a chance encounter. When he explains what a dybbuk is, Maja replies “a ghost” and he says “no, a dybbuk”.
And set amid London’s Haredi community this film has a terrific sense of Jewish mysticism about it. Leah’s mother, Chana – played well by Sophie Gråbøl – is spooky as all get out. She gives Maja an amethyst to wear around her neck to ward off demons. And at the bakery she orders “the usual. Extra wrapped.” She is mostly unreadable and it works.
Josephine Park and Ellie Kendrick have total and absolute chemistry as Maja and Leah. You can tell Maja loves Leah and wants all the best for her and is frustrated by Chana’s aloofness. And while she’s concerned for Leah and thinks that Chana is doing things to hurt her daughter, Leah sees it as an attempt to criticize her mother. And the relationship begins to crumble. Ellie Kendrick gives a wonderfully physical performance as the possessed Leah.
And that’s where the fun begins.
Writer-Director Gabriel Bier Gislason knows his Ps and Qs when it comes to horror. He has crafted a terrifically tense possession/ exorcism film and it works on different levels as a horror movie and as a movie about the tenets of the Kabbalah as well as a movie about faith.
WATCH IT!
- ABYZOU
THE POSSESSION (2012)
***
A young girl, Emily, buys a mysterious wooden box at a yard sale. She hears whispering coming from the box. She opens it and finds some random items including a ring that she begins to wear. She becomes increasingly violent and she tells her dad that he shouldn’t go near the box because she’s the only one who is allowed to touch it. Her divorced parents try to cope with this and dad Clyde takes the box to a university where he is told that it is a Hebrew “dybbuk box” designed to hold an evil spirit named Abyzou. Emily, having opened the box, is believed to have been possessed by the dybbuk and needs an exorcism performed by a Hasidic Rabbi.
Ok, so this is where I am supposed to point out that this movie is based on a true story. I really don’t take these “based on” things as true — especially when it comes to the supernatural.
However, Ole Bornedal’s possession thriller is quite good. And it will creep you out especially if you don’t like bugs. There’s a scene where Emily’s sister Hannah is brushing her teeth and opens up the medicine cabinet to find moths. And then they open Emily’s door and she is holding the dybbuk box, surrounded by hundreds of moths and she doesn’t move a muscle, not even registering that there were moths.
Bornedal has painted a good picture of a family in distress over supernatural issues. When Emily goes batshit over a kid touching her box, it’s such an out of nowhere scene especially as it is preceded by Anton Sanko’s placidly spooky score. And there’s definitely some Exorcist homages in the film. When Emily tells her dad that her friend lives in the box it is a direct reference to Captain Howdy.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick are terrific as the divorced but still bickering parents who need to come together for their girls. But it is Natasha Calis as the possessed girl, Emily, who steals the show.
The fact that the movie is rooted in Judaism rather than Christianity sets it apart from the Exorcist, the Possession of Hannah Grace, the Pope’s Exorcist and others. Rather than a possession by the devil it is about the possession by a displaced but often a malevolent spirit. The Jewish lore passed down by the Rabbis in this film steeps this film in the mysticism it deserves.
What helps this film is the fact that it is less than 90 minutes without credits. It allows Bornedal to put together some set pieces (especially the MRI scene) and carry them out but without having large stretches of dead air.
I’m not saying that this is any sort of award winner but it’s still an absolutely fun watch.
And based on a true story? Fuhgeddaboutit
WATCH IT!
THE OFFERING (2022)
A man reconnects with his Hasidic funeral director father and brings along his pregnant wife. They became estranged when the man, Arthur, married a shiksa, Claire (Oy vey!). The father, Saul, is cordial as he wants to establish a relationship with his son, daughter in law and future grandchild. While helping his father prepare the body of a murdered man an amulet slips from the dead man’s neck and breaks, releasing a demon named Abyzou, that has other ideas. First off, the demon kills Saul. Claire is next.
This is a moody tense demon story that full-on details the interrelationship between Jewish mysticism and horror stories. In this film Abyzou is the taker of children and the scenes that explain the demonology are explained simply – for dullards such as myself.
What sets this apart from a lot of other horror movies is the cast. Nick Blood as Arthur, Emily Wiseman as Claire, Allen Corduner as Saul and especially Paul Kaye as Saul’s employee, Heimish, are outstanding.
Oliver Park’s direction of Hank Hoffman’s screenplay is spot on. It’s got mood, it’s got atmosphere and, thankfully, it’s a well-lit film. There is a tendency in these haunting/possession films to light them so it is all dark and dreary but such is not the case here. I didn’t have to strain my eyes to see what the character were doing on the screen. In addition the demon character VFX are excellent and this Abyzou is a frightening and malevolent being.
Park has created a terrific religiously inclined possession story which, while not in the same weight class as The Exorcist, certainly earns the right to stand in the same queue as its predecessor, especially as it sticks the landing.
WATCH IT!
UNDERTONE (2026)
*** 1/2
Ok, so this doesn’t lean into Judaism but it does lean into the concept of Abyzou and I just saw it in the theater and highly recommend you see it there before it leaves because the Oscar quality sound design will be lost on you on your home television.
Evy is a podcaster who is caring for her comatose near-death mother. She does the podcast with her friend Justin – who we only hear. It’s called The Undertone. And the podcast is about all things eerie. So, when a mysterious person sends her and Justin an email with ten audio files of a pregnant couple who experience paranormal noises, Evy becomes haunted by them. Justin believes they have secret meanings and it involves a demon named Abyzou.
This is a decent horror thriller and one of the things it does well, given the topic of the film, is the sound design which makes the film even creepier. It is intricate and we hear cell phones buzzing louder than they should be, we hear clocks ticking loudly. And in a neat little twist all of that sound goes away when Evy puts on her noise canceling headphones. The things that go bump in the night – and in the daytime- almost become characters in the film. The sound design is one of the best mixes I have heard in years, thoroughly enveloping you in the theater from all angles. I cannot remember the last time I heard a sound mix that was so “surround”.
Nina Kiri, who was outstanding in The Handmaid’s Tale, shines here as Evy. And she has to carry the entire film herself because the only two actors shown on screen are her and her comatose mother. She is generally spooked but she is also a bit disbelieving in what she is hearing as well as the phone-in callers who, according to her, only want to hear the sound of their own voices. Yet, her spookiness turns itself into dread and then downright fright. Kiri does a great job.
Written and directed by Ian Tuason and based off his experiences in dealing with both of his parents who were suffering from terminal cancer. And it was shot entirely in Tuason’s childhood home. In fact, some shots appear to be from stationary set cameras like you’d see in a found footage film and other shots appear to be from a regular digital camera. Shot in a weird aspect ratio of 2.12:1 – which is halfway between 1.85:1 and 2.39:1 – so that the film has black bars all around, this film uses its real world set to inflict a sense of claustrophobia. This is certainly an impressive directorial debut.
The movie is not without its faults, but it really deserves to be seen in a theater or a home theater with a true surround sound system because the sound design is what sets this movie apart.
WATCH IT!
- Miscellanous
4a. Jesus, the Jew
THE CARPENTERS SON
**
We are told early on that this movie is based upon The Infancy Gospel of Thomas, which depicts a young Jesus – who was Jewish — in full possession of divine power who is already dispensing wisdom with authority, even at an early age.
The opening scene, of course, takes place merely in Anno Domini because that’s when Christ was born- if you believe the stories. I don’t so why am I watching a story of Jesus? Because it’s a horror film and with Nicolas Cage as Joseph, Jesus’ dad – so what’s not to like?
As the opening shows us, the local officials are burning recently born babies, presumably because they have heard some rumor of a child of God being born. The Father(Joseph) and The Mother (Mary) and the baby Jesus made their escape and it is now some fifteen years later and The Father is still concerned that they will be hunted down. The Boy, as he is called in the film, has visions of something bad happening on April 3rd in the Year 33. Meanwhile, he studies his Torah with the local rabbi.
A chance encounter with a Stranger who pushes him into a leper who claims that the boy’s touch has healed him, makes The Boy believe he has divine powers. He crushes a locust with his hands and then prays and brings the locust back to life. The Stranger tells The Boy that The Father is his oppressor. And that he is not The Boy’s father. And he believes her.
I could go on and on and on
But I won’t.
Perhaps because I wanted to see this so much, I was woefully disappointed.
This movie makes Schrader’s Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist look like a Best Picture nominee.
Nicolas Cage almost sleepwalks through the first hour of this movie, ceding most of its screen time to Noah Jupe who is good as The Boy but not good enough to overcome a lethargic script.
The cinematography is unengaging and the story is weak and predictable. And to top it off, it’s not much of a horror film, even though it bills itself as one. The direction by Lotfy Nathan is lacking and unfocused.
This movie was banned in a lot of countries because of its allegedly blasphemous portrayal of the teen years of Jesus. It should have been banned because it stunk.
After watching this, I can only say “Jesus Christ!”
SKIP IT! (FUN FACT: Nicolas Cage was attacked by bees during the making of this film. I am not joking. (see The Wicker Man)
4b. Revenge
BIG BAD WOLVES
****
Three children are playing a game of hide and seek. One of them disappears. The police beat a suspect who they think kidnapped the child but beating is taped by a passerby. The girl’s body is found but because of the tape one of the cops is fired and the suspect, a teacher, is accused of being a pedophile and also fired. Enter the father of the dead girl and things go awry.
This horror thriller can be viewed as just a torture revenge film but it is so much more than that. It is a funny, wry take on the revenge film that deserves an audience.
Is the teacher guilty? Is the fired cop willing to go far enough to secure a confession? Is the father crazy enough to kill. They are, each of them, big bad wolves who huff and puff and maintain their positions.
A violent film to be sure but what pushes the film is its suspense and humor. Alliances are formed but are they real? The dead girl’s grandfather shows up and becomes a conspirator- what is his background?
The directors of this film got the idea for this film after watching Korea’s I SAW THE DEVIL and the similarities are evident. The cat and mouse nature of the film is not in the chase but in the dialogue. Scenes of horrific violence are followed by discussions of vegetarianism and hot dogs.
And the dialogue is beautifully executed by the four leads but especially Tzahi Grad as the revenge bent father, Dov Glickman as his father who goes from humor to menace at the flip of a switch and Lior Ashkenazi as the disgraced cop who despite everything is the moral center of the film and who has the most to lose.
As this crime thriller pulses towards its thrilling climax, you are on the edge of your seat trying to figure out who is the biggest baddest wolf of them all.
WATCH IT!
4c. Biblical Apocalypse
JeruZalem
**
We are told by the Talmud that there are three gates to hell. One is in the desert; one is in the ocean; and one is in Jerusalem.
Two young American women, Sarah and Rachel, take a trip to Tel Aviv. Sarah is still grief stricken over the loss of her brother so her dad buys her a set of smart glasses and the film is done from Sarah’s smart glass’ point of view. They meet another American on the plane, a guy named Kevin, and when he invites them to Jerusalem, they take him up on his offer. One thing leads to another and the third circle of hell opens up and there are demons terrorizing everyone.
It’s a great premise but unfortunately it gets watered down in a found footage presentation. One of the problems with this format is that you need to have interesting characters and in this film you really do not. Everything is shot from the point of view of smart glasses ( so not an ad for smart glasses) and it’s more herky jerky than normal. At its best, it seems like a clever Cloverfield ripoff. At its worst it plays like a game of Doom.
But what it does well is the idea of the biblical apocalypse. When Sarah puts a note into the Wailing Wall asking for her brother back, a flock of black birds soar overhead. When Sarah is trapped in a mental hospital (don’t ask) she is confronted by a demon with wings who chases her. And the appearance of the Nephilim who are giant sized demons that in a historical context brought about the great flood, that is to say, the destruction of the world. Winged demons fly and drop bodies from great heights. Mass hysteria- but no dogs and cats sleeping together, abound.
And of course it is Yom Kippur, Judgment Day and as one soldier says “it’s not the sky that is opening tonight. It’s the ground”. Oh yeah, Gates of Hell action. Giggity.
I give the Paz brothers a lot of credit for the guerilla style of filmmaking and filming in locations like the wailing all , the church of the holy sepulchre and the like in a manner that probably didn’t even require permits.
Just okay.
Wrap Up
There are so many more films that I wish I had access to and there were others that I could have included but felt that they were off topic. For example, one of my favorite horror films is The Boys From Brazil, a veritable cheezfest that soars because of two grandly over the top performances from Laurence Olivier (who was nominated for an Oscar) and Gregory Peck (who should have been). In fact, Peck’s performance is revelatory – from a guy who parlayed a career playing good guys, upstanding guys, to go a full 180 degrees ( or as Christopher on the Sopranos would say “the full 360 degrees”) to play real life doctor Josef Mengele was terrific to watch.
And the movies have a lot to say about how religion underpins the notions of horror, especially in a Judeo-Christian worldview.
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Michael Fried has no formal training in movies, except having watched over 26,000+ movies — if not more — in his 60-plus years on this planet, starting with Goldfinger as his first cinema experience. He knows what he likes and he knows what he doesn’t like, and it’s quite often different from the conventional wisdom. He knows that the best franchise is Godzilla and he loves action movies and comedies. He has not been nominated for any awards except some boring insurance awards which has no applicability to movies (with the possible exceptions of Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity and John Cassavettes’ Big Trouble). He is part of a team that won the 1980 SUNY Albany Trivia content by correctly guessing the question, “Who played the president of Klopstockia in Million Dollar Legs?” So he has that going for him, which is nice.
Contact Mike at moviemike3@yahoo.com and mike.fried@yahoo.com.
