Thursday Movie Picks Halloween/Television Edition: Horror

October wraps up with a halloween/television edition and I’ve really gone above and beyond for this. During this month I watched six new to me movies and now I’ve seen two new, one rewatched “mini-series” in the horror genre. Granted, two of these aren’t so horror after all but they are classified as such on IMDb. So this is more like a light halloween/television edition, horror elements but not scary-scary. Super proud of myself for seeing these shows because two of them were actually pretty good!

3. RESIDUE (2015)

The weakest of the “mini-series” (intended shows that got only a season) I watched for this week was like a movie really. Residue has three episodes and it follows a couple and a detective after a horrible explosion during New Years Eve. It happens over a secret weapons storage bunker and there was some dangerous materials there. A huge area of the city around the explosion is quarantined and a month later half the city’s population has left. It’s a ghost town. Really great to see this during a pandemic.

As said this three part series focuses on a couple and specifically a photographer who starts noticing strange things. A residue is taking over people and making them act weird, and they end up taking their own lives. Even as a movie this “mini-series” doesn’t really work. Natalia Tena and Iwan Rheon from Game of Thrones play the couple, Tena is the photographer but they feel boring here. They are okay but there’s this horrible voice over narration and the horror part isn’t at all horror. No wonder the show didn’t get picked up for second season as it was initially planned.

The whole plot is left unfinished and we never really get the real extent of this residue. The visuals of the residue are alright but there’s nothing special about them. I’ve seen black smoke creatures many times before.

2. THE FADES (2011)

A British take on zombies is probably the best way to summarise The Fades. This six part “mini-series” that I first saw in 2014 was a rewatch because I had forgotten about it.  No reason to forget about it though, it’s good, funny, smart and a bit scary at times. Halloween/television treat really because it’s more fun than the other ones I recommended.

The main point of this is that a kid starts seeing strange dreams and people. Turns out he can see the dead who have been unable to pass to the other side. One of those ghosts is becoming solid and basically a zombie. And he teams up with this guy who is able to fight them in order to change the possible future he sees in his dreams. Honestly, the show is much better than I’m describing it, swear to god. The special effects are a bit shaky but that’s alright, it’s the feelings that matter and it gives you those in spades.

Oh by the way, less than ten minutes in, Tom Ellis takes his shirt off. So you know, worth to watch for that reason alone. Plus, Daniel Kaluuya has a supporting role here and he is hilarious! Oh and Joe Dempsie is in it too, also naked. It has fabulous acting but the ending really raises a lot of questions.

1. THE KETTERING INCIDENT (2016)

Though also classified as a mini-series The Kettering Incident is still basically an unfinished show. It has eight episodes and ends on a massive cliffhanger but I still liked it a lot. It’s the first huge show filmed in Tasmania and features the strange lights seen in that area for decades. Show starts off when Dr. Anna Macy portrayed by Elizabeth Debicki ends up back home after many years. She left because her best friend went missing. Now on the day she returns another girl mysteriously disappears. Even more mysterious? Anna has blackouts and is losing hours at the time, including the travel back home.

Combining the actual true life elements with the show and adding a mystery to it was great. The idea was fabulous, the cinematography was solid and there were some good visual effects. Plus there was a jump scare that actually scared me so it does get a small nod for horror. Though I’d say it’s mostly a crime thriller with a slight edge. So it barely fits the halloween/television edition.

But, and here’s the biggest beef I had with the show – the character development was so weak. There were so many characters with a lot of potential but they are left so shallow. The mystery and the crime element could have allowed for such fascinating characters but they didn’t go there. Debicki’s acting is wasted here. Plus that cliffhanger ending is just horrible for raising questions instead of answering them properly. But again the second season was in the works and never happened.

THIS SERIES IS CREATED BY WANDERING THROUGH THE SHELVES