For the 43rd week of 2019 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks. We continue the Halloween-based theme by focusing on rituals as it play into all sorts of things whether it’s witchcraft or something involving the occult. It is among one of the finest subjects in the world of horror as it is told in many different areas and settings. Here are my three picks as it’s all based on films relating to witchcraft rituals that have been released in the past 5 years:
1. The VVitch
Robert Eggers’ debut film set in early 17th Century New England play into the mysterious world of witches though it’s about a family unraveling following the disappearance of a baby. It’s a chilling film that explores a young woman who is coming into womanhood yet is being suspected for the reason of her newborn baby brother’s disappearance as she believes that there’s witches near the woods trying to create something just as her family are clinging to beliefs that would be their undoing.
2. The Neon Demon
Nicholas Winding Refn’s 2016 film set in the world of modeling as it explores a world that is cutthroat and dangerous as a young woman is trying to make it yet her exquisite beauty becomes the envy of some. It’s a film that is very stylized in its look and tone yet it is also this study of what some will do as well as how far this young woman would go unaware that she’s become a target for others. Especially as she deals with the fact that she is growing up too fast and is unprepared for what she is about to face.
3. Suspiria
Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Dario Argento’s 1977 film is definitely one of the most polarizing films in recent years yet it is a rare remake that manages to be something of its own as it’s not just about a secret society inside this ballet studio. It’s also about a moment in time where a generation of Germans deal with the sins of the past during the late 1970s as a group of witches running the ballet studio ponder what to do next. Even as they discover the gifts of an American ballet student who is either aware or unaware of her gifts just as an old psychiatrist is learning about what is happening at this studio.
© thevoid99 2019
Unfortunately in every sense of the word the only one I've seen is Neon Demon which I utterly detested.
ReplyDeleteI've heard good things about The Witch so I'll catch up with it eventually.
I saw the original Suspiria which I didn't care for despite the presence of Joan Bennett and Alida Valli so with no one even approaching their magnitude in the new one I felt no draw to see it.
I started with a classic of the genre which lead me to the next with the Polanski/Sharon Tate connection and finished with another silent classic.
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)-Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow in full pixie mode) and her struggling actor husband Guy (John Cassavetes) move to a New York City apartment building with an ominous reputation and odd neighbors Roman and Minnie Castavet (Sidney Blackmer & Ruth Gordon who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar). When Rosemary discovers she’s pregnant she becomes increasingly isolated, the now successful Guy begins to change in disturbing ways and the diabolical truth is revealed only after Rosemary gives birth. Roman Polanski’s first American film is a classic of sustained dread.
The Eye of the Devil (1966)-French vintner Philippe de Montfaucon (David Niven) returns to Bordeaux with his wife Catherine (Deborah Kerr) when the estate falls on hard times. Upon arrival they are confronted by the beautiful witch Odile de Caray (Sharon Tate in her starring debut), who also lives on the estate with her brother Christian (David Hemmings). As time passes it becomes clear that a ritual sacrifice is expected to return the vineyard to its former glory.
Häxan (1922)-Silent film explores the history of witchcraft, demonology and Satanism. Lacing a narrative of the persecution of a woman accused of witchcraft through its representations of evil in a variety of ancient and medieval artworks and offering vignettes illustrating a number of superstitious practices. The film ends by suggesting that the modern science of psychology offers important insight into the beliefs and practices of the past. Fantastic hybrid of documentary and fiction.
The Witch is such a great and creepy film! I also the Neon Demon which was visually stunning but I had expected more. Suspiria has been on my watch list for ages - it looks haunting!
ReplyDeleteNice picks! I really liked The Witch, I thought The Neon Demon was a gorgeous film, though not perfect. Did not like the Suspiria remake unfortunately. The original reigns supreme for me.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't a fan of The Neon Demon but I loved the visuals. Guadagnino's Suspiria, on the other hand, I absolutely love.
ReplyDeleteI haven’t seen any of these and may see Susperia one day
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of your picks but The Witch sounds the most interesting to me
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