So this post is coming to you later than originally planned as this has been an incredibly lazy week of pure procrastination and almost zero concentration. As someone who is used to just toughing it out and getting on with it, it hit me like a ton of bricks when I realised this week I wasn’t coping. Big thanks to everyone who’s put up with my crap lately – I owe you all lots of drinks and hugs when we can actually meet in person. One thing to be thankful for, is that we do seem to have at least an inkling (hopefully?) now of when this will be.
I may not have checked off quite as much on my to do list as I had hoped of late (yeah, I’m one of those obsessive list writers) – but I did manage to catch a few films I’d been hoping to see for a while such as Benny Loves You, An Ideal Host (thanks to Soho Horror Fest) and The Love Witch. Watch this space, but in the meantime..
Sator
Director Jordan Graham
UK Release 2021
Something about Sator really unnerved me, I think at least in part due to how personal it feels at points. Writer-Director Jordan Graham has stated that the film is based on a true story and the real life parallels of June Peterson’s ‘Nani’ gave me chills at points. Sator is a tense tale that mixes hints of the supernatural with real life dread – and its hard to assess what is more terrifying at times, the lingering threat of supernatural or the horrific reality.
Sator builds slowly, mixing unnerving stylistic scenes with atmospheric shots which leave you feeling dwarfed by nature, with a rising sense of unshakable claustrophobia. As the action intensified, the use of sound and shadow appears amplified – making every muscle tense.
Whilst Sator incorporates a certain ‘found footage’ feeling to some scenes, it isn’t overdone and the subtle nods to Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity feel like a loving homage as opposed to cheap replication. Sator has some genuinely creepy moments where you feel on edge, as though just waiting to catch something at the edge of your peripheral vision, but as the conclusion mounts you are left with the sour taste that the horror is entirely real as the protagonist succumbs to the mental health affliction of his elders. Part of me was left wanting a bit more overall, but there are definitely some real highlights and some interesting imagery that will stick with me.
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I also managed to catch a number of shorts, but one that I felt really deserved a mention is The 3 Men You Meet at Night – Directed by Beck Kitsis (good name).
I tend to find the horror that really gets under my skins the horror that aligns quite closely with reality. Whilst nothing actually happens to the protagonist of the short ‘The 3 Men You Meet at Night’, the sense of unease that lingers throughout is very real and makes you realise how the threat alone is bad enough.
There’s the overtly aggressive, offensive man (who by day resumes his persona of mild mannered, kind neighbour), the immature, inoffensive teen who is just looking to make a connection, and the figure of authority – there to protect and serve.. just so long as you do exactly what they say.
In the short space of time the story plays out, the short highlights the difficulty women today have navigation a patriarchal society where even those we are supposed to trust often have ulterior motives and show how even the nicest nice guy isn’t always quite as nice as he may think.
You can catch the film here – along with a really interesting interview with the director herself – complete with the following quote that hit hard.
Monsters often don’t think they’re monsters because they haven’t physically acted. They don’t realise the horror lies in the intention as much as the physical act.
I’d be interested to hear what you guys thought of Sator or if you have any recommendations for what I should watch next. My list is huge and ever expanding, but as it looks like we have at least another few months of being stuck inside anyway – there’s no time like the present!
I also have a few films booked for Glasgow Film Fest online and I’m pretty sure that few is going to grow – so if anyone has any recommendations for me for the festival, please fire away.
One thing that the latest announcement has given me is just the tiniest hope that things might be somewhat normal by Autumn and I might be able to make my (very overdue) first London Fright Fest. Here’s hoping.
Stay safe!
Beck x
