Delayed Reaction: XX

The Pitch: Female filmmakers do a horror anthology.

I love horror anthologies. Or, at least, I love the first two V/H/S movies which are horror anthologies and like others horror anthologies just fine. So, I'm always looking for more. Horror lends itself nicely to short films. Get in, get the scares, and get out. While I do prefer to examine films, especially modern ones, based on the quality of the work itself rather than its larger societal context (i.e. I like Moonlight more because it's a good film than because it has a black cast or because movies about gay characters don't get enough mainstream attention), I'm not blind to what they stand for. Because of that, I just like the idea of a female-driven horror movie. Horror is a male-dominated genre. I don't think men are necessarily better at horror. So, it stands to reason that giving women more chances to make horror is a good thing.

Let's break is down by the different shorts.

The Box

This was my favorite of the four shorts. The story is simple and mysterious. The ending is murky. I like scares that linger rather than get an immediate response. Her dream was just nasty though.

The Birthday Party

It was nice seeing Melanie Lynskey. However, I don't like mixing my horror with comedy in anthologies. Either make all the segments horror-comedy or make it all straight horror. The shift in the tones takes me out of the whole thing. I laughed at how over-directed this was (on purpose, I assume) and how the soundtrack took over at times. It was cute and the most polished of the shorts. However, it wasn't quite what I was looking for.

Don't Fall

This is one I would've loved as a found-footage short, because it would add to the confusion and panic. As is, I like the simplicity of it being an Indian burial ground and the girl being cursed as this creature. It was well made. It didn't linger with me at all.

Her Only Living Son

This is obviously inspired by films like Rosemary's Baby and The Omen. Perhaps too much so. The build up to the reveal about the son's true identity was good, as was the mother realizing that she hadn't escaped her ex's eye as well as she had thought. The end was underwhelming.

The inbetween animation

This didn't really tell a story. It was just some creepy images to pad the short run time. I always appreciated how V/H/S tried to tell a story in between the shorts, but the lack of it here didn't bother me.

This was fine. If you are looking for some decent horror with some actual production value, this will fill that appetite. If there's an XX 2, I'll definitely see it. And, it's only 80 minutes. You have the time to watch it.

Verdict (?): Weakly recommend.