abrakka Reviews

Razzennest (2022)

Very imaginative work

[8/10 · 15 February 2023]

Very imaginative work. It gives the viewer just enough to get an idea of what is going on without giving too much away visually.

Some people seem to criticize this wonderful film for being "not a movie" but just "a radio play" or something like that. That's not true, of course. It is a multi-layered, nuanced, wonderful observation of what a film can and should be. And if that needs to be told primarily as voice-over commentary, so be it.

The sound is enough to scare me, and though there are no images, my imagination was stimulated by the sounds alone.

Looking forward to see more from the director...

Masking Threshold (2021)

Brilliant dive into madness

[8/10 · 3 October 2021]

Saw this harrowing gem on the virtual platform of Fantastic Fest 2021. Insanity!

As far as I interpret this daring indie film, it's a new take on the Lovecraftian diary. A person slowly goes insane, documenting it in a video log, and you can witness his plunge into the abyss of his mind for a solid ninety minutes. Not sure this is already a spoiler, but the entire film is set in one room, and director Grenzfurthner pulls it off like the madman he is.

Amazing sound design. AMAZING.

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film (2009)

Very enjoyable

[8/10 · 18 April 2017]

The documentary manages to present some very interesting opinions regarding the evolution of American horror, and while I did think it lacked a bit of comparison regarding the objectives of cinema as a whole, it does present some very interesting takes on what the horror movies try to express through time and how they evolved as audiences evolved.