After a mixed bag of releases last week, Amazon is set to release its second pair of offerings in “Welcome to the Blumhouse,” a slate of horror films from emerging directors. In this partnership with Blumhouse, the production company responsible for films like Paranormal Activity and Insidious, Amazon seems to be targeting a new niche. Each movie functions as its own separate piece, but releasing all of them under the same banner makes it feel almost like each is a slightly longer episode in an anthology collection akin to Black Mirror or Tales from the Crypt.
While last week’s offerings of The Lie (one of the worse movies I’ve seen this year) and Black Box (good-not-great) left the effort feeling uncertain, it seems Blumhouse has left the slightly stronger duo of films for last.
Nocturne
We’ll start with the best news – of the four films released in this group, Nocturne is a standout. Feeling the most like an actual horror film of the bunch, Nocturne centers around two sisters attending a prestigious musical academy. Juliet (Sydney Sweeney) is feeling anxious after finding out her twin sister Viviane (Madison Iseman) was accepted into Julliard, even though Juliet was not. Because she didn’t apply for any other backup schools, Juliet’s future is up in the air as the pair finish up their senior year at the academy. Adding to the tension is a recent tragedy in which one of the school’s top musicians took her own life.
This tragedy, however, opens up a door – an open spot in a high profile music performance. As Juliet and Viviane compete for the spot, Juliet’s insecurities around her sister become even more clear: Juliet covets Viviane’s boyfriend, her teacher, her talent, and her future. Struggling to keep up with her sister, Juliet finds a notebook belonging to her deceased classmate. Whether by coincidence or something more supernatural, she begins to go after and get what she wants after finding the notebook. But the book depicts a strange price Juliet may have to pay to get there.
Nocturne is a feature debut for writer/director Zu Quirke, and she finds herself among excellent company of other directors who have made cinematic break throughs in the horror genre. Nocturne isn’t perfect. Sometimes it feels like a lesser version of films that came before it, like Suspiria, and its supernatural elements are undercooked in a way that is a little disappointing. But Nocturne has a lot going for it. It’s highly successful as a character study between these two competitive sisters. Like Suspiria, it’s also an incredibly moody film that manages to establish an eerie feeling and vivid look early in the film, which it maintains it for its full runtime. Overall, if you take the time to watch any of the films from this partnership, Nocturne is the one. And Quirke is a director to keep an eye on in the future.
Evil Eye
As Nocturne explored the bumpy relationship between two sisters, Evil Eye explores the tension between a mother, Usha (Sarita Choudhury), and her daughter Pallavi (Sunita Mani). Constantly pushing her to go on dates with men she’s chosen, Usha makes it clear that she wants Pallavi to get married as soon as possible. Pallavi resists, but agrees to the occasional set up in an effort not to disappoint her mother. When one of those setups results in a stand-up, Pallavi meets Sandeep (Omar Maskati). Sandeep seems too good to be true – he’s good-looking, charming, successful, and single. As they get closer, Pallavi shares the details of her relationship with her mother, expecting a mixture of relief and praise. But details about Sandeep are causing Usha flashbacks to an abusive relationship she experienced in her 20s, and Usha begins to wonder if karma isn’t calling on her family.
Evil Eye, produced both by Blumhouse and Priyanka Chopra, was my second-favorite offering of this bunch of four films. It explores horror under the lens of cultural expectations and domestic abuse. It’s a specific mix of focus I haven’t seen before, and as a result the final product is a tale told from a unique point of view. Taking that point of view to another level: Choudhury and Mani are essentially equal co-stars in the film. Based on trailers and the broad way in which horror films tend to center on the young, I wasn’t expecting Choudhury’s part to be so substantial. Both turn in excellent performances, and Choudhury in particular excels in the part of the potentially unreliable narrator. Are her own experiences and trauma coloring her view of her daughter’s relationship, or is something really amiss?
My quibble with Evil Eye would be with the ending, which feels a little more neat and wrapped up in a bow than I would have expected for a film about such difficult issues and their long-lasting repercussions. Still, I think Evil Eye gives us another set of directors to keep an eye on in director duo Elan Dassani and Rajeev Dassani. It’s also a nice refuge for fans of Netflix’s recently cancelled favorite GLOW, who will get a chance to see Mani step up to the lead in her own feature film. It’s certain not to be her last.
Evil Eye and Nocturne will be available streaming on Amazon beginning Oct. 13.
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