2019 top 9

Firstly, thank you to all our dedicated readers for your continued support over the past year. The Red Museum hopes that you have found our exhibits helpful in some small way. As everyone is Top 10ing the year I am going to be awkward and do a ‘Top 9;’ a ranking of the 9 new releases I reviewed this year. So for fairness and clarity, I will say that this is not an exhaustive pronouncement on all horror output from the year but merely a ranking of the limited number of releases I have managed to see in rounding off the decade. In particular, I am sorry to say I managed to miss out on watching the new Black Christmas over the busy holiday period so expect a catchup review in 2020.

To build the tension I am counting down from 9-1 with 9 being the least impressive of the year and 1 being my top pick of 2019. I won’t bore you by rehashing the plots; if you want the full lowdown on any of these films the reviews are all available.

Perhaps it is fair to say that the past year was not one of the most fruitful for new and imaginative horror films. For those curious about my review of the decade, there will be a (top 10 this time) list coming later in the week!

9 Child’s Play, Lars Klevberg

A glorification of child abuse. More (plot) holes than a golf course. Seemingly aimed at 10-year-olds, there is something morally ambiguous and depraved about it but not in a good way. Chucky is the victim in this adaption and the only saving grace of the movie is Mark Hamill’s entertaining (as always) voice performance.

8 Midsommar, Ari Aster

It is hard for me to be objective about the most debated marmite movie of the year. Some will see it as their number one but I loathed its gender representations, treatment of bereavement, excessive brutality and lack of atmosphere or suspense. Being beautifully shot and featuring lots of flowers gets it one spot higher than the worst of the year.

7 Pet Sematary, Kevin Kölsch & Dennis Widmyer

This 2010’s adaption of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary was dull and forgettable. Some plot elements were flipped to keep fans of the first cult movie adaption guessing but it didn’t make much difference. Despite this, it was at least trying to convey the horrors of bereavement and directing duo Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer managed to elicit high-quality performances from the child actors.

6 Knives Out, Rian Johnson

Knives Out is not truly a horror movie so really this is an unfair comparison but from an OCD perspective, I’ve chosen to include it in my rankings. As a character piece, it was interesting but ultimately flawed and, as a murder mystery, it was poorly plotted and dull. Still worth a watch for some Trumpian subtext, attempting to be original, and great performances hence why it gets a mid-ranking.

5 Doctor Sleep, Mike Flanagan

Doctor Sleep is now my favorite Stephen King book (it used to be The Shining) so it was with a heavy heart that I realised a third of the way through Mike Flanagan’s adaption that this film wasn’t really for me. The novel effortlessly modernised the life and world of Danny Torrance and updated many of the themes of Carrie through its progressive portrayal of the young female heroine. Whilst Flanagan seemed to get to grips with the atmosphere and visuals, Dan’s story is over-compressed, the villains are underdeveloped, and important female relationships are stripped away from Abra Stone lessening the feminist impact of her story. As a fan, this was probably my biggest disappointment of the year but it is still worth watching for Ewan McGregor’s hypnotically beautiful performance.

4 Us, Jordan Peele

The first of many heavily hyped properties released this year. By the time I had heard why everyone and their nan thought it the most original film of the decade it was hard not to feel a little let down when it finally hit cinemas. There are way too many plot holes. However, Us does have an important message about the treatment of race in modern America (If you have money and affluence you can be somebody but if you are poor you are nobody) and the overall sense that Trump’s brand of Nationalism will end in class Warfare.

3 Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, André Øvredal

Scary Stories is also aimed at tweens but hopes to inspire and thrill with its smartly written, well-woven chills and beautifully shot set pieces. Unfortunately, as the characters thin out so does the pacing and atmosphere but all in all, it felt fun and original. A sequel was hinted at and, if one was to materialise with the same writing/directing combo, I would be perfectly happy to see more from this interesting world.

2 It: Chapter 2, Andy Muschietti

I went into this film expecting to hate it but came out with an admiration for the reverent and thoughtful way director Andy Muschietti treated this adaption of the beloved Stephen King novel. The portrayal of the relationships between the members of the adult Losers Club was layered and touching and LGBTQ issues were an important part of the narrative not swept aside as with Doctor Sleep.

1 Ready or Not, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

An unexpected gem, for a mid-budget horror released to little fanfare it delivered on the promise in its trailers and so much more. We get dry black humor, magnificent casting, detailed set design, lighting, costume but more importantly a tightly written, original plot that keeps its audience engaged and on its toes throughout. Samara Weaving and Adam Brody, in particular, give impressive performances. Ready or Not is not afraid of portraying horror, violence, or pain but it is fairhanded and humorous and never unduly reveling in inflicting that pain. On the contrary, it encourages us to think about the role of morals and violence in our upbringing and its effects on our decisions as adults. The best and most stylish horror of 2019 without a doubt.

Role on 2020!

Child’s Play

The Child’s Play remake from director Lars Klevberg has been perfectly timed to release alongside Toy Story 4. Both child protagonists are called Andy but in Child’s Play, it is the boy who represents the ‘forgotten toy’ of a disinterested mother.

I suppose I should start by explaining that the Child’s Play series has very different connotations for audiences in the U.K. as for a time in the ’90s Child’s Play 3 (Bender, 1991) was connected, probably unfairly, to one of the worst child murder cases in recent memory; the killing of James Bulger. I always felt like I should be able to get into the series but at the back of my mind was the notion that these were unsavory films. (with the exceptions of Bride and Seed of Chucky which are more comedy based and, from what I can remember, are centered around adults)

I was keen to see the new remake as this seemed as good an opportunity as any for a new generation of filmmakers to take the possessed killer doll concept in a new direction. Despite my reservations, I kept an open mind throughout. Sadly I would describe Child’s Play as being 85% stupid, 10% sinister, (that’s sinister as in morally ambiguous) and 5% passable. Most irritatingly I wouldn’t even deem it to be a horror. At no point did I feel scared.

Brief synopsis: ‘Buddi’ dolls now contain AI to connect them with other Kaslan products including smartphones. Chucky (Mark Hamill) starts life in a Korean factory where his programmer removes all his safeguards and commits suicide. In America, Chucky is returned as faulty goods. Instead of sending him back for refurbishment, tech store employee Karen Barclay (Aubrey Plaza) gives the broken doll to her lonely son Andy. (Played by the clearly very talented Gabriel Bateman) Chucky tries to assimilate with Andy and the other neigbourhood kids but does not receive the correct socialisation. Confused by complex emotions, Chucky begins to kill off those who upset his ‘buddy.’ Andy tries to rid himself of Chucky but the murderous doll has other ideas.

It’s a strange little plot! Chucky is not possessed by the soul of a dead convict like he is in the 1988 original. Chucky is instead an AI version of a parentless child (Having not received the positive programming from his ‘father’ at the factory) adopted by the Barclay family. Just as a child learns and develops by watching others Chucky must learn from Andy and his new friends. Adults are rarely around. Poor Chucky seems innocent, wants to help Andy and play with him but he does not understand social cues. For instance, he knows he needs to remind Andy to take his science book to school but he does not understand what a science book is, handing him various random objects. He wants to give Andy a present but again does not understand what a present might be, giving Andy a stick with a bow on it. Most importantly Chucky has not yet learned that other beings feel pain. When Andy uses Chucky to make friends with the other kids in his building the gang realises they can manipulate Chucky. They teach him rude words, inappropriately expose him to violent films and teach him to scare Andy’s mom’s boyfriend. What Chucky does learn is that his bad behavior seemingly makes Andy happy. As Chucky goes increasingly off the rails Andy starts locking him in a closet. I felt sorry for Chucky.

Things are just as bad for Andy. He is 13 but looks more like 10. His mother is never physically abusive but does come across as neglectful and indifferent. She openly admits her son to be a prom night mistake. She works hard at the store to keep a roof over his head and upgrade his hearing aid but she pumps all her spare time into her latest boyfriend; a man who is just as emotionally unavailable as she is. Andy seems to spend most of the film with tears streaming down his face but the most he is afforded from his mother is an ironic smile. Andy is bringing himself up alone as much as Chucky is and it is amazing that he is not as damaged as Chucky becomes. I feel that the overly sympathetic portrayal of the mother gives the treatment of the kids in the film a thin veil of respectability that is undeserved.

What I found disturbing was not the horror (which was in pitifully short supply) but the way the movie positioned itself as a kids family adventure similar to E.T. (Spielberg, 1982) and The Goonies, (Donner, 1985) or even something like Gremlins (Dante, 1984) but without the charm. This is why I describe the film as sinister; I don’t understand western societies current obsession with seeing young children as the subject of extream threat and pain. (IT, Stranger Things, etc) It’s not that I don’t think children should be used in the horror genre, films like US (Peele, 2019) or The Babadook (Kent, 2014) are all good modern examples of how children can be used sensitively and effectively in horror. Who is this film for? Why is this not a horror movie for adults? Where are all the 18/NC-17 horrors?

There was a small amount of comedy. The filmmakers might have gotten away with more if they had gone further down the satire route. Mark Hamill does a commendable job with Chucky’s voice work, it is funny and at times moving. All the best scenes involve Detective Mike’s (Brian Tyree Henry) mother Doreen (Carlease Burke) is the only adult bringing any humanity to the proceedings. SPOILER This makes it all the more tragic/stupid when Doreen is killed in a hilariously over the top self-driving car crash. I had to stop myself laughing when Mike has to identify his own mother’s body. The pair are the only two likable adults in the movie, they are the only example of a fully functioning mother/son relationship but he reacts to her death like his dinner is cold.

Child’s Play does vaguely try to comment on the possibilities technology has to make our lives better. Andy has a hearing aid, a technology that improves the lives of millions, and Doreen was excited that the self-driving car app would improve her independence until she met her untimely end. Some use is made of Chucky’s ability to integrate with other devices like when he turns up the thermostat on the pervert in the basement but this aspect of the plot is mostly underused.

When I saw the gaunt, pale, lonely kids in this movie and their interactions with each other, technology and adults/wider society I did not feel like this was a futuristic nightmare. Child’s Play is almost a social commentary on how 29 years ago two 10-year-old boys could come to decide to lead an innocent 3-year-old away to his death. Tech maybe evolving but society is not and it’s a tragedy. This is just a depressing little film whose redeeming features are very hard to see. Disagree? Tell me why in the comments.