Reviews
WAR NEVER ENDS FOR THE DEAD: A Completely SPOILER-FREE Review of ‘BROOKLYN 45’
I’ve mentioned that Ted Geoghegan’s We Are Still Here is arguably the film that most influenced my current taste in horror movies. It’s a bombshell of a movie that completely sucker-punches you, with a climax that blew my mind when I first saw it. It’s my favorite ghost film of all time and a personal favorite I never get tired of watching. So, you can imagine how excited I was at the announcement of Brooklyn 45, and how worried I was knowing the expectations Geoghegan’s previous film had set. Although it’s an entirely different beast that shares some thematic similarities, Brooklyn 45 is both a worthy successor and just an incredible piece of cinema in its own right.
A Seance Gone Wrong
On December 27th, 1945, a group of lifelong friends who have come home from the war gather to comfort Clive “Hock” Hockstatter (played by Larry Fessenden), a colonel who lost his wife Suzie in a sudden and bizarre suicide on Thanksgiving. In Clive’s search for answers, he turns to the supernatural and requests the group perform a seance with him in a last-ditch effort for closure. When they agree, what answers their call to the afterlife turns a reunion into a fight for sanity, questioning who your friends truly are, with a deluge of secrets pouring out.
It would have been easy to make a pulpy, 1940s horror scenario out of this, something akin to the game Call of Cthulu (if your gm loved black-and-white war dramas). But Brooklyn 45 isn’t just an old-school throwback with some new-school sensibilities and modern special effects as the poster might suggest; it’s a lovingly crafted meditation on dealing with unexpected loss, and the hatefulness that can jump out of you as a result.
Many complex themes permeate Brooklyn 45’s story, but the most powerful of all is the dark, ugly power of mourning. Not grief, which you feel, but how you mourn to express that grief. There’s something dangerous about mourning and how it can change you: the fearful result of mourning ideals and codes, mourning the ones you’ve lost, mourning actions you’ve taken, and mourning the death of the choices you never got to make. Fans of We Are Still Here will be familiar with how that film deals with grief, given the plot. But the difference between contacting the dead of an untimely death to contacting the dead of a suicide adds a new hard-to-swallow element that touches you in a way that is not deeper per se, but radically different and painful. That element is how mourning changes into something dangerous, and could change who you are (or who you’re trying to be).
Not all death is equal, and when you convince yourself that the blame falls on you, death can be leagues more devastating than you could ever imagine. The movie delves into the idea that when there’s an enemy, there’s a cause, but when you’re the enemy, the cause becomes much harder to fight for and discern. Mourning becomes less clear, and the fog of war inside consumes your thoughts. And Brooklyn 45 doesn’t just play with that fog; it forces you to investigate it and let it wash over you. You’re sent into an emotional no man’s land, accompanied only by a platoon that feels as likely to put a bayonet through you as they are to mend your wounds.
A Fully Thought Out And Dynamic Cast
And what a platoon it is! The cast here doesn’t just have this endless chemistry; they’re also all unbelievably in sync regarding their character dynamics. It’s one thing to be enjoyable as an ensemble, but to get you to believe these characters are playing out these decades-long relationships is a rare achievement that this film pulls off effortlessly.
Ezra Buzzington is especially enjoyable as Major DiFranco, who plays him with this stony demeanor and firmness of speech that I love, something reminiscent of Garland Brigg’s best moments from Twin Peaks. Archibald (Jeremy Holms) presents himself as all swagger and nice tailoring but slowly becomes the most emotionally complex character. It takes time for Bob (Ron E. Rains), the odd man out of the group being Marla’s husband, to come out of his shell, but when he does, it is glorious and genuinely heartbreaking. And it’s all thanks to Anne Ramsey as Marla that we get the tensest scene in the film, whose performance draws a line between two versions of the same character in an enjoyably dark way.
The star of the show is Fessenden, whose performance is uncanny. He shifts through the emotional spectrum in his monologue toward the film’s beginning in a way that makes you wonder how such an incredible character actor hasn’t been given heaps more movies to headline. From start to finish, he is pure dynamite, even with the state he’s in by the end.
These actors show off their full potential because of Geoghegan’s clever script, which utilizes a closed space perfectly. We get shocking twists throughout, with jaw-dropping dialogue that makes for some stunning interactions, all contained in one parlor room. Gripping scenes that evoke horror through paranoia and dashes of black comedy that make you jump between “that’s hilarious” to “that’s awful” feel like they’ve translated impeccably from the page of the screenplay.
‘Brooklyn 45’ Is An Immersive Period Piece That Will Haunt You
I’ve talked a lot about how great this is as a dramatic thriller, which it is, but it is also a genuinely scary horror movie. Brooklyn 45 doesn’t fit into a neat genre box (most great horror films don’t), but when it fully embraces one of those genres, it does them perfectly. There’s tension built throughout the movie for the scares, and when they come, they hit hard.
While most of the special effects are simple, there’s an elegant execution to them that leaves a disproportionately massive impact. There are doses of shock throughout it, ranging from your run-of-the-mill frightening to downright horrifying. It’s not for gorehounds—don’t expect blood and guts flying, but it uses its most gruesome moments in a way that made me squirm in my seat. The final practical effect at the climax actually made me turn away from the screen, just because of how it’s shot, framed, and the amount of time you get face to face with it made me uncomfortable. Good uncomfortable, but good lord, that image will be burned into my brain.
Set design as bespoke as the period-accurate costuming makes the film’s vibes immaculate, as does a clean soundtrack that plays its part well. In this séance, all the visual candles flicker at the right time, the house audio rattles on cue, and the phantoms of cinematography come out to play. This is usually the part where I would say the things I didn’t like, but I’m hard-pressed to find them, so let’s get to the
BOTTOMLINE: Brooklyn 45 is the kind of film that completely immerses you and keeps you guessing what will happen until the final frames. It’s a haunted house that will have you pounding on the door, begging to be let out—but not for the usual reasons you’d expect. If you’re looking for a simple weekend watch that could be your next favorite, give this a try. It’s what happened to me. Watch it immediately.
Brooklyn 45 is now streaming on Shudder!
I was obsessed with Fear Street as a kid. I still have my collection of the popular YA horror detailing the murder and mayhem in Shadyside. These books have moved around the country with me. I even secretly hope to adapt a few of them for the screen someday. So, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I have to tell you that Fear Street: Prom Queen is a strong contender for the worst movie to hit streaming (so far) this year. Here is our review of Fear Street: Prom Queen.
I felt Netflix’s 2021 Fear Street trilogy, helmed by Leigh Janiak, was okay. We had some great kills, it added intersectional lead characters as canon, and the soundtrack was a banger. Did it feel more like a project that was moved to Fear Street rather than an adaptation of any of my beloved books? Yes. Was it the worst thing that could have happened to the beloved series? No.
However, I could not help getting more excited for this fourth installment. Mainly because the title Fear Street: Prom Queen is so close to Fear Street: The Prom Queen. It gave my nerd heart hope that we would finally see one of the actual books on screen. However, we rarely get what we want in life.
A Disappointing 1988 Vibe
Fear Street: Prom Queen does take place during prom season. It does have a group of high school girls who want the crown for various reasons. We even eventually get around to some underwhelming murders. However, this 1988 moment left a lot to be desired. When it opens with the synth music and the 1980s high school, giving us Stranger Things vibes, I knew it would be different than anything that came before.
I quickly made peace with that and gave the first act grace, even when it started to experience turbulence. Not only is this installment bad, but it also undoes all of the goodwill the first three movies built with the audience. The characters feel one note, the pacing never finds the gas pedal, and by the time it got to the reveals…I wanted to take a nap.
Fear Street: Prom Queen and its One Dimensional Cast
We follow Lori (India Fowler), an outcast at her school who has been nominated for Prom Queen. As our narrator, she gives us the one-dimensional descriptions of everyone else. This includes her best friend Megan (Suzanna Son), who Lori tells us is a stoner and horror nerd.
We quickly realize Megan is also a Queer sidekick as this movie will not be following in the predecessor’s footsteps. There will be no queer Black characters at the front this time. Anyway, part of Lori’s deal is the town hates her mother because of mysterious events that transpired at her prom while she was pregnant with Lori.
This wild speculation and gossip has become the gospel that haunts Lori. It is also ammunition for her bully and prom queen competition, Tiffany (Fina Strazza).
Tiffany is one of the many characters that could be more interesting. However, the writing and direction will not let her be great. Each time she corners Lori to torment her with an exposition-filled monologue in whispered tones, I wondered if this was really the best option.
The way Tiffany runs her squad and twists the verbal knife into her bestie’s heart gives glimmers of a more interesting villain. Sadly, Fear Street: Prom Queen forces her also to be one-dimensional.
The project also wastes Lili Taylor as Vice Principal Dolores Brekenridge. A woman who demands law and order in her school but is just a stock character. However, at least it allows the actor to stop the whole affair from being a complete flatline.
My fellow millennials will also get a kick out of seeing Chris Klein as Dan Falconer. Dan is a teacher at the high school who happens to also be Tiffany’s dad. He might also have the silliest character arc of anyone in this situation.
Lackluster Kills with No Tension
One of the things Fear Street (the books and the first three films) has going for them is the kills. Not only do teens die, but also the rest of the teens have to carry on as their classmates get turned into charcuterie.
Fear Street: Prom Queen opted out of all of that. The first kill is an uninspired axe to the shoulder. There was no fight, no struggle or chase. Just a whimper of a weapon going into someone’s back while they look off into the night. That aspiring prom queen is a drug dealer, so a few people ask about her, but no one really looks for her. Any hope that Christy’s (Ariana Greenblatt) whimper of a death scene would not set the tone is dashed at the prom.
Matt Palmer’s direction never allows for any tension building. This would not necessarily be a bad thing if Fear Street: Prom Queen ever found a rhythm. Or at least picked up the pace during the kills. However, they are all as slow and uninspired as the rest of the movie. Co-writers Palmer and Donald Mcleary never gave any of the characters a chance to have texture.
So, none of the deaths have weight on top of the killer just appearing next to the victims as if by magic. They also never got out of their way long enough to let the story do anything interesting or avoid being so formulaic. So, the few times they think they are surprising the audience falls flat.
Formulaic Storytelling and Flat Reveals
Each killer reveal was somehow equally ridiculous, expected, and underwhelming. This makes Lori’s fight for survival too tepid for us to root for her when she gets her final girl moment.
I tried to gaslight myself into saying the movie was going for camp. After all, Tiffany and Lori have a weird dance-off to Gloria (a 1982 anthem) during the prom when things get too heated. However, as the entire runtime felt like a rehearsal instead of a performance, I might never know what the tone was supposed to be.
Sadly, I stopped trying to understand the mess and endured because that is my job. I finish things and tell people what I saw, and if I think it is worth watching. With great displeasure, I must tell you that Fear Street: Prom Queen feels like CW and Tubi had a baby behind a Radio Shack in hell. Not in a fun and chaotic way. More like the people didn’t understand the assignment and assumed their audience does not have standards.
A Letdown for Fear Street and Slasher Fans
I did not have a good time with Fear Street: Prom Queen and would like my time back. I love slashers and the books the movie is allegedly inspired by. So, I hate that it fails in both lanes. It especially hurts because the Fear Street books are right there in all their fun glory.
While this did not capture any of the thrills of my favorite parts of the series, it did force me to find even more ways to appreciate the 2021 Netflix trilogy. It was not the Fear Street of our youth, but it got a few things right. Also, it at least gave horror fans something to talk about.
So, it really sucks to see this one campaigning for a spot at the bottom of the discount bin.
Fear Street: Prom Queen is now available on Netflix.
Let’s just say the Philippou brothers are about to commit highway robbery on A24’s budgeting department for the foreseeable future. The sophomore feature film of the former YouTube celebs, Bring Her Back, lands the guys a heavy two-for-two after their directorial debut.
Bring Her Back: A Triumphant Follow-Up From Philippou Brothers
As cute and carefree as these guys are in conversation, we’d never believe the trauma Danny and Michael Philippou were about to drum up with their grief-soaked house party, Talk To Me. Representing the new generation of horror, much of the film’s praise circled around their ability to add an accurate adolescence to the low vibrational theme of loss.
Their playfulness as a duo hasn’t budged, but the twins’ newest project swaps out any source of teenage nostalgia for an extra helping of domestic dread.
It’s “feel bad “o’clock”, alright. Bring Her Back sits at the stoop of the disturbing side of extreme cinema, similar to Red Rooms or Speak No Evil (2022)– just add a gallon of the bloody stuff.
Sora Wong and Billy Barratt Shine as Siblings in Bring Her Back
The film follows Andy and Piper, siblings who are quickly placed into nightmare foster care after the sudden death of their only parent. It’s felt instantly that the innocence of these characters is about to be challenged in ways the viewer might not be ready for. The bond between Sora Wong as Piper, and Billy Barratt as her brother, Andy, is tangible. The audience will feel how the series of events stretches and disrupts their chemistry from its origin, through its conflict, to the lasting impact of its third act.
Piper is the younger sister. She’s visually impaired, and a victim of bullying at school. Billy is almost 18, and after years of abuse, prioritizes protecting his step-sister from the household horrors that come with adolescence. The desolation is boosted with Sally Hawkins in the role of Laura; the kids’ new foster parent. Personally, I’m thankful Hawkins retired from her career of serving comfort charisma in the Paddington series for something complex and dangerous.
Her newest role is a little relatable… and likable for a little? All around it’s demented. Laura’s fallen into immense emptiness after losing her daughter, but found a seemingly reasonable solution in providing care for kids in need, like her current foster child, Oliver. At least that’s what her alibi tells us.
Weaponizing Empathy in a Horror Movie
The amount of humanity all over this is disturbing. Care is a theme, but it’s really a gag that anyone with an ounce of empathy is subject to trip over. The facade of a safe space lets in the manipulation. The only “what if?” comes from the ability to accept a stranger’s care in a time of struggle. The Philippou’s are wicked to use our human empathy against us.
Sora Wong’s debut performance carries a lot of hope to Piper, which is basically the viewer’s lifeline. Her visual impairment makes little impact on the situation, especially because she has all of the characteristics of a role that horror fans typically hold on to, especially with the weight of this context. Hopefully the young actor finds a taste for horror in her career moving forward.
Practical Effects and Body Horror Steal the Show
The physical horrors I witnessed are some of the worst things you can do to an audience. I honestly wish y’all luck getting this stuff out of your head (complimentary). The first foster child, Oliver, puts all the current creepy children in horror to bed. As strange as Laura gets, he is the conduit of the supernatural element. Jonah Wren Phillips nailing the classic “creepy kid” thing makes him the perfect subject for Philippou’s display of practical effects. The body horror sequences are traumatizing; they last forever, and you’ll hear twice as much as you see, but they’re worth every cent spent in production. These moments make for excellent theater experiences, but I also understand if you’d rather watch at home and sob a little too.
Simply put, Bring Her Back weighs a thousand tons. Somehow, it’s able to complement massive amounts of grief with the kind of practical and emotional depravity you rarely see in a wide release. We are so far from the gateway, folks, so take your trigger warnings seriously.
[REVIEW] ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ It’s Not Great…
[Review] ‘Bring Her Back’ A Gut-Wrenching Horror Masterpiece
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