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Goosebumps 2015 ★★˝
We start with the typical single mom teacher and her son Zach, aka the star of Young Chandler. They release a load of monsters and Narnia-ish shenanigans ensue.
This is a style exercise that comes with all the genre tropes: the silliness, a few groanworthy puns, an unfunny side character, a sad farewell, a happy ending,...
But it's not all bad. Jack Black is good at this PG family friendly stuff and his physical comedy fits this type of film. Admittedly, this movie got a few grins and chuckles from me and Slappy had his moments.
Not saying that this is geat, but I'm pretty sure that there's a lot worse in this style.
Under the Shadow 2016 ★★★★
Let me be clear from the start: this is for fans of slow burns.
Also, it's not just a ghost story. It's also about the horrors of war like taking care of somebody with a bomb right next to you ready to explode. Or the horror of being a woman in late eighties Iran. Where she can neither be a doctor nor go out without her veil.
The Djinns come into play, but at first only subtly. At that point, the scares come more from the bombings from Iraq. They then slowly start to manifest themselves by taking prized possesions. First Dorsa's doll Kimia. In the case of Siheda, it's her VHS tape with a Jane Fonda fitness video. The only bit of rebellion that she has left. It all has this did you see something vibe, reminiscent of Amityville and Poltergeist. All build up to a final confrontation with imagery that hints at the dream sequences in ANOES.
I liked this one for several reasons. Telling religious horror stories from the perspective of different religions is a nice change of pace and the djinns (seem to) offer very intersting storytelling material. It also weaves in the horrors of society, so it's not just the usual “the devil is coming for power” exposition. The acting is well done – though sadly, I have not seen these actors in other flicks yet – and I appreciate the fact that Netflix offers the possibility to watch this movie in Farsi.
Not for everyone, but good and different.
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