Smash Cut

Tag: Scott Derrickson

  • ‘Black Phone 2’ brings nightmares to life

    ‘Black Phone 2’ brings nightmares to life

    “Black Phone 2” channels “A Nightmare on Elm Street” as Ethan Hawke’s serial killer The Grabber comes back from the dead

    Fans of the first movie will find the expansion of the boundaries of its world and the exploration of its characters’ wounds in “Black Phone 2” engaging. Is that enough nightmare fuel to hypnotize anyone else? Perhaps not. 

    “Black Phone 2“ is in theaters now.

    There is a cacophony of influences you can see in Scott Derrickson’s “Black Phone 2“, the follow-up to his surprise 2021 horror-thriller hit. The icy, snowstorm-plagued setting on the film harkens directly to Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” while the dream-world horror briefly explored in the first film is expanded to reference Freddy Krueger’s sleep-killing demonics in “A Nightmare on Elm Street“. There are shades of various camp slashers like “Friday the 13th“ and “Curtains” filtered through the lens of Stephen King’s visceral hauntings. And while all these references come together to create a film that is meaner, scarier and more effective than its predecessor, it also emphasizes the fact that it’s not as good as any of these stories.

    Trading the quiet of suburbia for the eerie isolation of a winter sleepaway camp, “Black Phone 2” continues the story of siblings Finney (Mason Thames), the only survivor of serial killer The Grabber, and his clairvoyant sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw). This time, however, the nightmare becomes an actual nightmare as the now dead Grabber (Ethan Hawke) turns his murderous sights to Gwen’s dreams that take place in a sort of spirit plane where he now resides. If it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to you, take solace in the fact that the logic never fully adds up.

    What is clear is how viscerally terrifying Gwen’s dreams are. Filmed in Super 16 film to create a moody dreamlike quality, the sequences feel like they give “Black Phone 2” a purpose. Haunted by both the souls of boys killed at the sleepaway camp and The Grabber himself, Gwen finds herself at war with the demon. However, those sequences lose their impact with time and the real world scares, mostly surrounding Finney and the eponymous black phone that saved him in the first movie, don’t give the same skin-crawling creeps.

    “Black Phone 2“ doesn’t ever lose you during its robust 114-minute runtime. But it never blows you away either, except perhaps a dream battle that blurs the line between nightmare and reality. It comes close when Derrickson fully commits to his 80s-tinged homage to horror movies past, but it never truly adds up to something that feels like it has reason to exist. 

    If you liked the first movie, the expansion of the boundaries of its world and the exploration of its characters’ wounds will be engaging. Is that enough nightmare fuel to hypnotize anyone else? Perhaps not. 

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  • Romantic sci-fi thriller ‘The Gorge’ hits its mark | movie reivew

    Romantic sci-fi thriller ‘The Gorge’ hits its mark | movie reivew

    Two snipers tasked with guarding the mysterious of an inexplicable gorge find themselves following in love from thousands of feet away.

    The Gorge is a wild, genre-blending ride that somehow makes high-concept sci-fi, survival horror, and romance all work together. Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy bring irresistible chemistry to this “love story with sniper rifles,” as two lonely souls bond over long-range messages while defending against terrifying, nature-infused zombies. Packed with thrilling action, heartfelt moments, and unexpected humor, it’s an offbeat but utterly charming adventure. If you’re up for something unique, take the leap.

    The Gorge is now streaming on Apple TV+.

    Yes, The Gorge is about a mysterious, gigantic crevasse guarded by multiple countries that, as one character puts it, “is the door to hell, and we’re standing at the gate.” And yet, it is one of the most romantic movies of the year. There isn’t an easy label to slap on director Scott Derrickson’s latest film, which is streaming on Apple TV+ starting (appropriately) on Valentine’s Day. It dips into high-concept science fiction, survival thriller, creature horror, and, yes, romance. Somehow, it never feels like it’s shortchanging any of those genres. It is basically a Hallmark romance… just with tree-like zombies that crawl out of a giant hole in the ground.

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    Sitting on either side of the steep canyon walls of the eponymous gorge—a giant gash in the Earth nestled in a snowy mountain range—are two watchtowers. In the west tower sits Levi (Miles Teller), a former U.S. Marine sniper suffering from PTSD and feeling all the lonelier because of it. In the east is Drasa (Anya Taylor-Joy), a mysterious Lithuanian contract killer who finds herself at the gorge after the death of her father. Their predecessors lay out the rules for their one-year rotation: check in with command once a month, always watch the gorg and no contact with the other watchtower. Their job? To keep whatever is in the gorge inside the gorge.

    However, after months, Drasa finally fires her gun to get Levi’s attention and holds up a sign that simply reads, “What is your name?” that he sees through the long-range scope mounted on the balcony. Levi, ever the rule-following Boy Scout, hesitates to break protocol, but Drasa ropes him in by revealing it’s her birthday. Their “meet-cute” conversation—which includes negging about dancing, a sniping contest, and a birthday toast from Levi—is as delightfully cheesy as if they had accidentally grabbed the same coffee order at a café. But the spell shatters when they finally see what they’ve been guarding against.

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    As wall-climbing zombies that look like humans merged with nature emerge from the shadows, the pair fight for their lives with sniper rifles, land mines, and giant mounted machine guns. You know, the romantic stuff. It’s also the kind of rip-roaring action-horror scene that’s impossible not to be engrossed by—especially when Drasa holds up a sign that says, “Best birthday ever,” finally getting Levi to chuckle. And so begins a Taylor Swift “You Belong With Me” romance, as the two communicate via their signs. It’s like any rom-com montage: they learn about each other’s lives, play chess, and comfort each other during the long, dark nights. The only difference? They’re doing it from opposite sides of a gorge, thousands of feet apart.

    The romance between Levi and Drasa could have come off as corny if not for their specific circumstance. But that’s what makes The Gorge such a surprising delight. Its mishmash of genres and tones somehow breathes new life into each one. When Levi eventually makes a makeshift grappling-hook gun out of a rocket launcher to zipline to Drasa’s side—because if he wanted to, he would—he effortlessly lets slip, “I’ve been staring at the gorge every day for the last six months, and I’ve got to say, the view is much better over here.” Swoon. It helps, too, that Teller plays the romantic leading man so well. And it’s easy when you have someone as effortlessly charismatic as Taylor-Joy to play off of.

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    Eventually, The Gorge shifts into Lovecraftian action-horror, packed with fight sequences featuring nightmarish creatures straight out of Annihilation or Kong: Skull Island. It’s like watching the most exciting first-person shooter ever made. Zach Dean’s screenplay gives you just enough exposition to feel the stakes of the story without slowing the pace. It’s sparse, perhaps, but never less effective because of it. On paper, it shouldn’t work—and for some, it may very well not. It’s a delicate formula that, with the wrong balance, could have easily gone awry. However, if you allow yourself to be charmed by it, you’ll find yourself grinning from ear to ear at every new moment between Levi and Drasa—while the action gets your blood pumping. Take the leap.

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    More movies, less problems

    Hey! I’m Karl. You can find me on Twitter and Letterboxd. I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic.

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