Connect with us

Reviews

[REVIEW] ‘Excision’ (2012) Cuts Deep

Published

on

Few filmmakers can perfectly articulate an auteur style from their feature directorial debuts alone. Typically, the style grows and evolves with the filmmaker as they age and learn. Richard Bates Jr. is one of the rare filmmakers who knows their style, and what works for them, right out of the gate. Slicing his way onto the scene in 2012, Richard Bates Jr. quickly proved himself a genre force to be reckoned with–creating loud and garish spectacles to wow and upset audiences. Excision meshes the ideas and troubles of adolescence with goopy, bloody, unsafe-feeling body horror that would make Cronenberg blush. When thinking about gore-centric films for July, this film is the first one that came to mind.

Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord) is not your typical all-American teenage girl. With aspirations of being a surgeon, and a deranged mind, she finds herself alienated from the majority of people. One of her only friends is her younger sister Grace (Ariel Winter), who is afflicted with Cystic Fibrosis. Her overbearing zealot mother, Phyllis (Traci Lords), and her father, Bob (Roger Bart), don’t make her life any easier. Things soon go downhill for Pauline as her extended fantasies quickly bleed into reality.

Excision is, by definition, a gory film. We have excessive blood squirts, organ removals, and general debauchery, but what’s most impressive about this film is how creative it is with the gore. Bates consistently toes the line between good and bad taste; edging the audience with their trust in him. Each viewing of this film feels just as visually disgusting as the previous time and never loses its yuck factor.

What makes Excision feel all the more impactful is the mixture of its gore and practical effects and how it perfectly molds the character of Pauline. Pauline has some…deadly sexual preferences. She is undoubtedly a late bloomer, and her social awkwardness (and general demeanor) don’t necessarily help her gain any friends. It also doesn’t help when she asks her sex-ed teacher Mr. Claybaugh (Matthew Gray Gubler) if you can get an STD from a corpse, in front of the class. That question pretty much sums up a good portion of her sexual identity. The best way to describe Pauline would be Wednesday Addams on DMT, with a dash of dissociation.

Bates started the bar high with his screenplay for Excision and his creation of Pauline. He found a way to craft this incredibly tragic character you can empathize with even after committing such horrific acts. While a surface viewing of the film may seem like nothing more than a subversion of teen-led horror films, the character of Pauline is expertly crafted. Finding ways to use body horror to tell a character’s backstory is welcomed in a genre chock full of overly expository screenplays.

Advertisement

The cast is stacked with some incredible actors who Bates would continue to collaborate with, like Matthew Gray Gubler and Ray Wise, and would also star John Waters, Marlee Matlin, Malcolm McDowell, and Ariel Winter, to name a few. It’s clear that Ariel Winter and AnnaLynne McCord carry this film. McDowell gives his usual post-2000 performance style of reading lines that were probably emailed to him a few days before. But just seeing these amazing stars on screen for such a wild project makes this film that much better.

Excision finds a way to one-up itself, scene after scene. The gore and body horror feel unique and creative, making the viewers feel as if they watched a much gorier film than they actually did. (That’s not to say there is a LACK of gore.) Richard Bates Jr. started strong with Excision and hasn’t lost his enthusiasm one bit. If there were ever a filmmaker you should drop everything for to do a marathon, it should be him.

Brendan is an award-winning author and screenwriter rotting away in New Jersey. His hobbies include rain, slugs, and the endless search for The Mothman.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Reviews

Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2025: ‘Buffet Infinity’ Review

Published

on

Within the found footage subgenre exists an even more niche and untapped market. Screen life has slowly overtaken found footage; hardcore fans, like myself, ache for something different. One of the more interesting sub-subgenres of found footage is something that I don’t think has a name yet, so let’s name it here and now. How about…TV-gone-rogue! The TV-gone-rogue subgenre is small. Ghostwatch got the ball rolling for these gone rogue-like films, but there was radio silence for quite some time. It would be Chris LaMartina’s WNUF Halloween Special that really brought this idea back into the limelight. Many filmmakers have tried to make TV-gone-rogue interesting, and many have failed. That is until Simon Glassman stepped onto the scene with Buffet Infinity.

Buffet Infinity: A Chaotic Tale of Westridge

The town (city?) of Westridge is whisked into chaos when the new Buffet Infinity restaurant rolls into town. Local sandwich shop owner Jennifer Avery (Allison Bench) is the first to take the soon-to-be conglomerate to task with increasingly pointed advertisements. Suddenly, local restaurant owners/workers go missing in droves as Buffet Infinity expands into neighboring businesses. Sinkholes, missing cityfolk, quarantines, and mysterious sounds abound, leaving residents to ask one question…who really has the sauce?

On the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival schedule, the header image for Buffet Infinity shows multiple people T-posing and floating in the sky. I was immediately sold. I had no clue what I was getting into, and I didn’t want to know. The film was introduced as “one of the craziest we have this year.” (Slightly paraphrasing.) What was I about to watch? Little did I know, it was about to be an hour and forty minutes of small-town madness.

Writers Allison Bench and Elisia Snyder, and writer-director Simon Glassman, transport viewers into an upside down world of weaponized local ads; a thriving town invaded by the deep pockets of monopolized capitalism. As someone who grew up in a decently sized town, though probably not large enough to be considered a city, there was a tinge of nostalgia that accompanied Buffet Infinity. Westridge feels cozy and intimate, a town where everyone knows your name. It’s a “baked in a buttery flaky crust” town. Sure, they have their McDonald’s and Burger Kings, but the real townsfolk eat at Jennifer’s sandwich shop–local knitting circles murmur about what they think is in Jennifer’s secret sauce. Simply put, Westridge feels like a home that many people like myself grew up in. And it reminds us of a simpler time that’s long gone.

A Unique Blend of Humor and Eldritch Terror

Buffet Infinity hides its horror well. It slowly guides the viewer into a sense of unease. As easily as the creators have you laughing, they have you squirming. The absurdist joy quickly transforms into Eldritch terrors from beyond. Many filmmakers say they’re inspired by the idea of it’s-not-what-you-see that’s scary, but many times it feels performative. Bench, Glassman, and Snyder have crafted a truly special script that edges you with terror and excitement. They constantly push you to the edge of release, and then back away. It’s the Japanese water torture of exposition. And, for me, it works incredibly well.

Advertisement

One of the most important aspects of Buffet Infinity is the over-capitalization of our lives. While the creators tackle this idea in a tongue-in-cheek manner, their message is highly effective. For the most part. This constant tete-a-tete between Buffet Infinity and the locals is highly amusing, but brings a larger conversation to the forefront. The town I grew up in is a shadow of what it once was. And I know many feel the same about the towns they grew up in. I can already hear the moans of people who dislike this film: “Brandon, it’s not that deep.” And I would highly disagree. Buffet Infinity feels like a reflective protest film–a loud and proud middle finger at what we should have said when the Super Walmart put mom and pops out of business.

Sorry, this review has gone off the rails. Let’s reel it back in a bit.

Why Buffet Infinity Redefines Found Footage

Buffet Infinity is a riotous romp, a hilarious horror that goes from zero to 100 pretty damn fast. Each commercial slowly builds on its last and uniquely tells its story. This film sets a new precedent for the TV-gone-rogue subgenre. Not to directly compare, but a film like WNUF Halloween Special (a film I love) uses its commercials as a coda; it’s a separation of what you saw/heard and prepares you for the next movement. Buffet Infinity uses its commercial to create the story. Instead of watching news pieces, then irrelevant commercials, then back to news pieces, Buffet Infinity breaks the mold. Hell, it creates the mold.

As someone who has been dying to see a Welcome to Nightvale film, Buffet Infinity is the closest thing I could ask for. It is full of killer performances (looking at you, Ahmed Ahmed), is well-crafted, and sets a new precedent on an underutilized side of found footage. Buffett Infinity is a full-course meal. I highly suspect that Buffet Infinity will gather the unwavering support that Hundreds of Beavers gathered and will go on to be considered an instant classic of the 2020s.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Reviews

Brooklyn Horror Film Fest 2025: ‘It Needs Eyes’ Review

Published

on

We are all very much aware of how much time we spend on our phones. More importantly, anyone on the internet can see how younger generations are impacted by being constantly online. So, Zack Ogle and Aaron Pagniano’s new film, It Needs Eyes, is preaching to the choir. However, it adds creepy layers to the conversations many of us are already having today.

It Needs Eyes follows a teen named Rowan (Raquel Lebish) who is moving in with her aunt after a traumatic event. Her aunt Mella (Lydia Fiore) hasn’t spoken to the family in years. So, her relationship with her niece is strained to say the least. However, she has stepped in now that Rowan’s father is in the hospital. Further widening their divide is the fact that Rowan is glued to her phone. 

The Internet Is Scary

We see Rowan watching random videos, as she tries to distract herself from her own thoughts while she worries about her father. However, soon, cat videos aren’t doing it for her, and she starts to find extreme videos online. Things escalate to the point that she is watching self-harm videos and clips of people dying. This addiction begins to make it hard for her to connect with the people around her, including her new neighbor and love interest, Alex (Isadora Leiva).

It Needs Eyes has a protagonist that many can relate to. After all, aren’t we all using these smart devices to hide from our own problems? Who among us hasn’t lost an embarrassing amount of hours watching videos and reels? However, because it’s driving in the internet addiction lane, Rowan’s need for content escalates. She needs darker videos in the same way that someone makes the leap into harder drugs. Her journey parallels nicely with her father’s battle with addiction, which is one of the many things Rowan doesn’t seem ready to face. 

Addiction and Loneliness are a Deadly Combo

Rowan’s addiction, loneliness, and inability to fully connect with people not on her phone eventually leads her to stumble across the ultimate score. She discovers a woman named Fishtooth (Lola Blanc) who made videos in the 80s and seemingly disappeared. Rowan cannot let this mystery go and soon begins to follow clues that Fishtooth may be closer than she thinks. This is where the creepy mystery thread begins to weave itself around all of the other threads of the film. Before Fishtooth was introduced, I was starting to worry this movie would just be seven fucked up images in a trench coat. 

Advertisement

It Needs Eyes is one of those movies you go back and forth on. I loved discussing the themes of it in the bar after the Brooklyn Horror Film Fest screening. I even really dug some of the twisted imagery and topics it manages to tackle. The movie deserves some respect for how it handles so many issues surrounding internet culture without straying too far from its path. If you’re looking for a dark exploration of how the internet is absorbing us and preventing us from being present in our actual lives, this is your movie. It’s an interesting and at times disturbing reminder that we should all unplug more often.

Continue Reading

Horror Press Mailing List

Fangoria
Advertisement
Advertisement