Dawn of the Dread

I have recently been hyping several modern westerns (including the 2005 Australian flick The Proposition and the 2015 horror crossover Bone Tomahawk) that have created unique visions that pay homage while adding something new to the historic genre. Another film that fits the mould is the 2015 motion picture Slow West. The meandering tale (written and directed by first timer John Maclean) follows the young, hopeful Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Road) as he journeys westward,

When one thinks about Marilyn Monroe’s acting career, they would likely imagine her performing in a light musical comedy in the vein of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, The Seven Year Itch or Some Like It Hot. Yet, an early Monroe performance that may catch some off guard is when she plays Nell Forbes in the 1952 film-noirish drama Don’t Bother to Knock. Set entirely in a posh New York City hotel, bar singer Lyn Lesley (Anne Bancroft) has broken it off, by letter, with her beau Jed Towers (Richard Widmark), reasoning that he is too cold and does not have the heart for a long term relationship. The man arrives, booking a room in the hotel, hoping that he will win her back.

I have always been fascinated by the concept of the double, also known as the doppelganger in both film and literature. There is something about the device, that is often used in gothic tales, that makes for a wonderfully suspenseful thriller. Perhaps it is my early fascination with the works of Edgar Allen Poe that have influenced my interest in the subject matter, or perhaps it is the fact that I have been told by others that I have multiple doppelgangers, in any case, a film that uses this classic idea is the 2013 motion picture Enemy.

The 2005 Australian western The Proposition (which takes place in the nineteenth century) begins with the opening credits unspooling along with historic photos of that era being shown beside them, while a childlike voice sings a sadly eerie lilt and then. . . boom! – we are thrown into a frenetic firefight. This extremely unique opening captures the pace of the film; jarring clashes of violence followed by melancholic sadness and loneliness, or vice versa.

There is nothing like receiving a present, especially when it is unexpected. It is exciting to open a perfectly wrapped box to find something that has been purchased specifically for you hiding inside. Yet, this simple concept takes a much more ominous and sinister turn in the 2015 mystery thriller, The Gift.