Escape Room: Tournament of Champions

Halloween challenge 2023 Day 4

Escape Room 2 poster

Like the film, this review of Escape Room: Tournament of Champions (let’s call it Escape Room 2) is going to be short and sweet.

I watched Escape Room (1) upon its release in cinemas in 2019. It wasn’t even the only ‘escape room’ based movie out that year and, let’s face it, it owes a lot to the Saw (2004, Wan) franchise. It was contrived nonsense to a degree yet it was highly entertaining and gripping nonsense, and brilliantly designed.

Escape Room 2 (in true Saw fashion) picks up where 1 left off with a little flashback montage. So to recap, as it’s integral to the plot: In the first film troubled shelf stacker Ben Miller (Logan Miller) is sent a puzzle box, so is introverted maths genius Zoey Davis (Taylor Russell) and four others. The box contains a free escape room experience with a chance to win $10,000.

When the strangers arrive at the experience, the game quickly gets progressively dangerous and deadly.

All the participants are sole survivors of various tragedies. All the rooms require so degree of teamwork to survive. SPOILER! Ben makes it to the end, meets ‘the game’s master’ who tries to kill him but is saved by Zoey who has also managed to survive thus subverting the will of the viewers paying to see the game and infuriating the secret organisation behind it.

Back in Escape Room 2, Ben and Zoey have become close ‘friends,’ bonded by trauma. Zoey is afraid of flying and is convinced that everything she sees in daily life could be some sort of clue. Her therapist tries to convince her to get back on a plane but when she traces some coordinates linking the criminal gang to an abandoned warehouse, she decides to take a road trip there instead.

Zoey is easily able to convince Ben to go back with her to investigate as he is now following her around like a lost puppy. A motel stop off on the way proves them to be the new Dawson and Joey of the horror scene with their ‘will they/won’t they’ antics.

The electrics on the subway are so temperamental!

Ultimately, going back lands them back inside the game but this time they are with a group of previous match survivors hence the Tournament of Champions Part.

Escape Room 2 has more thrills and more spills. It’s fun to follow along with the fast paced clues and the ‘rooms’ they find themselves in are detailed scenarios including a bank vault and the seaside.

A new group of players

It’s gripping and sometimes brutal but it also has a soft underbelly. The fates of the victims though wild, never stray away from its 15 (PG-13) rating. Extreme gore is cut away from which would never happen in a Saw movie. This is definitely ‘one for the kids.’

There are plenty of twists, including on what we thought we saw in Escape Room 1. So far so Saw right? But, in fairness, if we are going to complain about how derivative it is then we could easily look into how Saw was influenced by The Cube (1997, Natali) and on an on. I really have no issue with films being somewhat derivative as long as they are done well, are entertaining, and own their influences. (Can you tell I’m a Friday the 13th fan?)

Due to an increased focus on the evil Minos organisation this time around, 2 is much more fatalistic which at points had echoes of Final Destination. (2000, Wong)

Maybe I’ve been a little scathing but it turns out I’m an unabashed fan of the Escape Room franchise now, and can’t wait to find out if Ben and Zoey actually manage to kiss in the 3rd one! Probably it’s the likability of the characters that make it a fun experience for me. The puzzle solving doesn’t get bogged down with infighting or suspicion.

In 1, Ben and Zoey probably had equal prominence. In 2, Zoey is finding her strength and learning how to own her survivor status. I’ve read that Escape Room 2 has not been as popular with audiences and critics and that a third film may be in doubt. I really feel Zoey deserves an opportunity to compete her trilogy to cement her place as a interesting and unique ‘final girl.’

Spiral From the Book of Saw

A 15 days of Halloween mini review

Day 10

Spiral poster

I’ve been wanting to watch Spiral for ages and just not had the time as I wanted to be able to watch the whole thing in one sitting which is not that easy with a baby.

Detective Zeke Banks (Chris Rock) is a renegade playing by his own rules after being ostracised by his colleagues in his NYC police department for exposing his corrupt partner years earlier.

Zeke managed to continue his career due to his father, Marcus, (Samual L. Jackson) being the previous Captain.

His current boss, Captain Garza, (Marisol Nichols) partners Zeke up with new boy Det. Schenk (Max Minghella) but they quickly find themselves investigating a Jigsaw copycat. The copycat exclusively kills crooked cops. Can Zeke uncover the killer before all his colleagues get horrifically murdered?

Detectives Banks & Schenk

I really enjoyed Spiral. Similarly to what I said about Jigsaw, I just really appreciated the quality as well as getting to watch something with a clear beginning, middle, and end for a change.

My only nitpick, and maybe this is why it didn’t quite connect with some of the core Saw fans, is that it is really a police procedural thriller rather than truly a horror film. That’s despite having some of the bloodiest and most brutal deaths of all the series. The previous sequels would often spiral off into ‘cop land,’ so in some respects Spiral just cuts to the chase!

Talking of bloody deaths, I tell a lie, I do have one more problem; Fitch‘s death.

SPOILERS

Pig man!

The film is edited so that we see Fitch’s fingers arrive in a box before we see him play his game. In my view, what stands the Saw films apart from the ‘torture porn’ movies they are so frequently and unjustly compared to is that the players have a fair chance to win their game and so the audience is willing their survival rather than being complicit in their destruction. It felt a bit seedy watching Fitch die so brutally.

Little pig puppet

That said, this is most definitely not Jigsaw so no supposed moral code or rules based framework really exists in Spiral. I did guess the killer again but I don’t think it was necessarily obvious.

I loved Chris Rock in this, and I loved the fact that Sam Jackson was playing his father. Rock had an intensity! The one ‘jump scare’ I got was when he started bashing something really angrily. I did feel like he could have stopped shouting for at least a moment or two though.

Sam Jackson

All in all, Spiral is impressive and enjoyable. It very much has Lethal Weapon vibes but maybe that’s just the Chris Rock effect. I’m not sure this story could have been pulled off without Rock as he has considerable screen presence. Everyone else was great too but if one other person stood out it was Marisol Nichols in the role of the Captain.

I also got a lot of CSI vibes which is by no means an insult. (Its the most innovative and trend setting American show of the 00s) So I’m not surprised there are murmurings of a Spiral TV adaptation.

Captain Garza

I think maybe the Saw team were surprised by how ingrained into the fabric of the franchise Tobin Bell and others had become hence the upcoming Saw X being touted as a return to the previous story arcs. I wouldn’t be surprised if Lawrence and Hoffman return.

Jigsaw

A 15 days of Halloween mini review

Day 9

I’m predictably running a couple of days behind so I’m quite excited to do a mini review that might actually wind up being short.

Jigsaw (Spierig bros, 2017) is the 8th film in the Saw franchise and fits nicely into the series. It’s well put together and matches the tone, visuals, and editing style of its predecessors. Some might see that as generic but, looking around at some other big franchises that seem to change direction with the wind, I’m more than happy for a franchise to have such a high level of consistency.

Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) has been dead for ten years but all of a sudden bodies start turning up with signs of trauma, possibly from a Jigsaw copycat.

Pathologists Logan (Matt Passmore) and Eleanor (Hannah Emily Anderson) come under suspicion from Detective Halloran (Callum Keith Rennie) as Jigsaw usually has followers on the inside to help in his games, especially in the police department. They in turn suspect him.

Meanwhile, five players are trapped in a game; Anna, (Laura Vandervoort) Mitch, (Mandela Van Peebles) Ryan, (Paul Braunstein) Carly, (Brittany Allen) and an unknown who doesn’t wake up in time to survive the first test. The remaining 4 must work together and confess/pay penance to survive.

That sand gets everywhere!

It’s clear, from the time between bodies turning up, that the game is likely to be over already so it is a case of if the players can use their own ingenuity to survive. Anna seems the most capable but also is the most secretive about her terrible sins.

So is Jigsaw back or is it a copycat/follower? Which member of the police force/pathology team is in on it all?

Jigsaw is just a fun movie. I knew who the ‘man/woman on the inside’ was from seeing the first look on their face but chasing all the red herrings away and back again was no less enjoyable.

It’s nice to see Tobin Bell back in his inevitable flashback scenes. Calling it Jigsaw rather then Saw VIII implies it is more of an origins tale than it perhaps is. Logan’s assistant Eleanor is a dark web fan of Jigsaw’s contraptions, recreating them as a hobby including one supposedly never before seen early work. So it feels like the film is actually more focused on his legacy and smoothing a transition towards Spiral. (Lynn Bousman, 2021)

Detectives Halloran & Hunt

I’ve been a big fan of Callum Keith Rennie since his Due South days when he had that 90s ‘sarcastic bad boy done good’ bit down so could have done with a bit more Det. Halloran. Can’t really fault Jigsaw other than that as, while the earth didn’t move, it’s just good fun. Overall, I think it makes a good addition for Saw fans.

The first trap/test.

One last thing, as a U.K. viewer I couldn’t take the first trap seriously because it reminded me too much of this:

Lord Binface stands alongside PM Theresa May at local elections

Dead Silence

 

For this weeks ‘Throwback Thursday’s’ retrospective let us dissect the 2007 puppet horror Dead Silence directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell. Despite regularly staning these guys I have to admit I had not seen this, their second collaboration, until now.

An ordinary married couple, Lisa (Laura Regan) and Jamie, (Ryan Kwanten) receive a mysterious ventriloquist’s puppet in the post. While Jamie is out collecting a Chinese takeaway for their romantic evening Lisa is murdered and horribly disfigured. Det. Lipton (Donnie Wahlberg) is convinced that Jamie is a wife killer, but Jamie believes the murder is connected to the doll and an old children’s ghost story from their past. Jamie must return to his childhood home, the small village of Raven’s Fair, to investigate the ‘legend of Mary Shaw.’

“Beware the stare of Mary Shaw.

She had no children, only dolls.

If you see her in your dreams, be sure you never, ever scream.

Or she’ll rip your tongue out at the seam.”    

So the concept is when the killer/ghost is after you don’t scream or you die hence the title. This is a cool hook but I feel it could have been a bit clearer earlier on. (Or maybe I’m just an idiot)

I found the first half slow and it didn’t feel modern for 2007. The visuals are somewhat stylised, so maybe it’s just that Dead Silence is so of its time that it feels dated now.

The wife wasn’t in it long enough for me to get a true sense of her personality or to feel sad that she had died, or rather to feel empathy for Jamie’s loss. Apart from a few initial tears, Jamie doesn’t seem to be especially cut up about the whole situation resulting in the dead wife storyline becoming increasingly soapy.

The second half is a big improvement, with things getting a lot more fun and interesting. Fear and creep-factor also grow. Moving to the detailed, big-budget set of the Raven’s Fair theatre the movie goes full-on phantasmagorical. Here we get vibes of Poltergeist 2, (1986, Gibson) NOES, (1984, Craven) and classic Universal Horror like The Phantom of the Opera. (1943, Lubin) There are plenty of nice visual elements, like the wall of dummies.

Despite looking a little like Cary Elwes, Ryan Kwanten never quite gets beyond TV level while portraying Jamie. In contrast, whenever Donnie Wahlberg shows up the acting and characterisation improves 100% He is hilarious and likable as the off the wall detective.

Michael Fairman and Bob Gunton are both superb. I have always loved how James and Leigh pick classic but lesser-known actors and actresses and give them an opportunity to shine as they did previously with Tobin Bell and subsequently with Lin Shaye.

I also love that the main villain, the ghost of Mary Shaw, (Judith Roberts) is a woman. This somewhat made up for the fact that the other female characters aren’t particularly three-dimensional which, to be fair, is unusual for Wan/Whannell’s work.

I really enjoyed the relationship between the funeral director Henrey Walker (Fairman) and his wife Marion (Joan Heney) who suffers from dementia and carries a dead raven everywhere. I could feel the genuine care and tenderness between them. Leigh Whannell always brings added interest and unique details to his stories.

It was obvious to me who was ‘pulling the strings’ of the puppets throughout but I was pleasantly surprised by the shock twist. 2007 was peak M. Night Shyamalan era where most horrors felt pressure to introduce some kind of earth-shattering twist.

Too me Dead Silence feels like ‘the difficult second album’ wedged between two classics. (Saw, 2004 and Insidious, 2010) It starts out paint by numbers with all the good stuff crammed in at the end. Despite all its problems, it is enjoyable and it is memorable. Researching this online, it seems that there are plenty of people out their (mostly Americans, sorry guys) who either genuinely believe in the legend of Mary Shaw, or want it to be true. I feel that with all the cult popularity it has that DS is ripe for a remake or a sequel, especially now Whannell is back in with Universal and has a lot more clout as an auteur.

If you check out the Dead Silence wiki page there are some interesting quotes from him about his experience getting the script made and the studio bringing in script doctors.

Its currently on Netflix and is worth a watch over October!

 

Great isolation themed horrors

Hello fellow self isolators, and hello and a massive thank you to those readers working as health workers, carers, in essential services such as supermarket workers, and delivery drivers. Thank you for putting yourselves into harm’s way to keep the rest of us safe.

Here at The Red Museum, I aim to continue to recommend fun, insightful, and all-round terrifying films to keep us all entertained during this time of separation, isolation, introspection, and hope for the future.

So isolation films! Some of this list will be obvious, some will be allegorical but all include individuals or groups struggling to survive and thrive in unexpected circumstances. I find that horror is usually the best genre for mentally processing the most difficult aspects of living. I have included when possible where you can watch the below films at home in the U.K. (So bear in mind that if you are reading this at some mysterious time in the distant future this info may no longer be up to date)

Hush (2016, Mike Flanagan)

Kate Siegel plays deaf and mute writer Maddie who lives deep in a forest with only one near neighbor. When Maddie finds herself targeted by a masked crossbow maniac, (John Gallagher) she must find ways to get help or fight whilst living in a world of silence.

Hush is a nice, tight little horror/thriller and is probably my favorite of Director/Co-writer Mike Flanagan’s films. The input of co-writer Kate Siegel has helped to make her heroine Maddie a well-rounded female character who reacts in a realistic and relatable way which makes all the difference.

In many ways, Hush is about the isolation of disability caused when there is sometimes an extra layer of difficulty placed in the way of everyday social interactions. Hush is currently available to Netflix U.K. subs.

Saw (2004, James Wan)

Photographer Adam (co-writer Leigh Whannell) wakes chained to a bathtub with only a stranger, Dr. Lawrence Gordon, (Cary Elwes) and a corpse for company. They must work together to navigate their confusing new circumstances and solve the puzzle of why they have been chosen to ‘play the game’ in order to survive.

This is one of my all-time favorite modern horrors. Unlike its predecessors and imitators, it is not just a gorefest but an incredibly intelligent horror thriller. Saw also deals with the tough decisions Doctors must make when allocating resources and the guilt/trauma of losing patients.

Saw is about the isolation of desperation. Do those who are trapped succumb to their self imposed prisons or fight to escape at any cost to go on living? Saw can be rented from £2.49 on GooglePlay and YouTube amongst others.

Evil Dead II (1987, Sam Raimi)

Vacationing in the woods, Ash (Bruce Campbell) and girlfriend Linda decide to borrow the use of a stranger’s cabin where they play a tape recording that unleashes a demon. Ash must kill his possessed girlfriend and fight the ancient forces of evil with only the help of an archeologists’ daughter, her boyfriend, and two Yokals.

This film has some of the best horror special effects of the 80s and tonally maintains a magic mix of gore and slapstick comedy. Many of its scenes and lines are now iconic.

Evil Dead II explores the highs and lows of being trapped in isolation with a partner as Ash becomes increasingly and comically unhinged even fighting aspects of himself. Evil Dead II is currently available to NowTV subs.

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013, Jim Jarmusch)

Vampire musician Adam (Tom Hiddleston in possibly his greatest, and most leather-clad role) is tired of living in the shadows as a ‘creature of the night’ and has become suicidal. His partner for eternity Eve (Tilda Swinton) realises this and travels back from abroad to try and snap him out of his funk. A lot of time is spent looking for noncontaminated blood or ‘the good stuff’ which seemingly represents class A drugs.

Only Lovers is mostly a chilled, romantic, and immersive ‘Vampire experience.’

The isolation we find here is that of the artist/celebrity. The Vampirism of Only Lovers is an allegory of how those at the top of the food chain most often feed off of the youth, creativity, and vitality of others in order to maintain their seemingly glamorous/bohemian lifestyles. If they ever become fully known/exposed by the wider society their eternal gift will fade. Lovers can be rented from £3.50 on BFIPlayer, Curzon, and others.

The Descent (2005, Neil Marshall)

Still grieving for loved ones after a tragedy, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) is invited on a cave climbing holiday by her circle of girlfriends. Unfortunately, they wind up in the wrong cave system and become trapped by a rockfall. Faced with a desperate situation, cracks in the friendship group quickly begin to reveal themselves. To make matters worse strange pale creatures named Crawlers start to attack the women throwing them into an even more immediate fight for their lives.

It is unfortunately still very rare for films to have an all-female cast. The abundance of ‘girl power’ on display is what makes this British film such a unique and watchable horror.

The Descent is primarily about the isolation and the personal nature of grief but also shows how divided groups must come together in the pursuit of everyone’s best interests. It can currently be watched for free on All 4 in the U.K.

Creep (2004, Christopher Smith)

Party girl Kate (Franka Potente) finds herself locked in the London Underground after falling asleep on a platform. Soon, a terrifying maniac pursues her deeper into the abandoned areas of the Tube network.

Chris Smith went on to direct horror favorites like Severance (2006) and Triangle (2009) but, despite being underrated, his debut feature is still his most terrifying and thought-provoking film to date. Creep is available to rent from £2.49 at the Microsoft store, BFIPlayer, and others

Creep is bookended by London’s homeless and is very much about the isolation of homelessness and how any one of us, no matter what our current position in life, is only ever a hairsbreadth away from finding ourselves in a similar situation if society fails to care for its most vulnerable.

Which topically brings us back to the isolation and anxieties of the current pandemic. Here is a pertinent quote from Rowan Williams in a recent BBC Newsnight interview on this subject:

“When we’ve got that kind of shared challenge that puts one of the biggest moral questions to us. Do I understand that my well-being is completely bound up in the well-being of all my fellow human beings?” – Former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams

Wise words that the CEOs of certain multinational cinema chains should remember when deciding which of their staff will starve or become homeless over the coming months if they ever want members of the wider cinema-going public to step foot inside one of their chain cinemas again!!!

If you are in a position of being able to do so can I urge you, dear readers, to continue to donate to struggling food banks and to call/text/write to isolated relatives and neighbors. Best of luck to you all in these difficult times.