Fanny Lye Deliver’d (2020) Dir. Thomas Clay

Long-awaited, Fanny Lye is director Thomas Clay’s third feature film and his first in over a decade and stars Maxine Peake (The Theory Of Everything) and Charles Dance (Game Of Thrones) as a couple with a young son who live an oppressed existence on an isolated farm.

Set in 1657 (and shot in Shropshire in the Midlands) they are upended by the unexpected arrival of two strangers (Freddie Fox as Thomas Ashbury and Tanya Reynolds as Rebecca Henshaw) who are being closely pursued by the authorities. Fanny is bound by the tight confines and puritanical rules set by her domineering husband but the arrival of the couple awakens a more liberal side to her temperament.

The director’s strict adherence to authenticity resulted in his team building the sole farmhouse location itself which was complicated by shooting in extreme winter weather. However, the 360-degree cinematography from Giorgos Arvanitis fantastically captures this historically accurate locale in beautiful 35mm. And Clay’s own excellent score took time owing to the use of instruments from era. As Fanny’s disposition is stimulated by the outsiders (morally, sexually and physically), Peake’s natural unworldliness develops into growing confidence which is shrewdly set against Charles Dance’s impressively imposing and callous oppressor. With the Sheriff in hot pursuit the film supplies a gory conclusion as the intense narrative culminates in a deadly outcome. And so Fanny Lye Deliver’d is certainly a well-executed passion project. In addition, it has a satisfying tone that embodies aspects of horror, panic, virtue and vice. It’s setting and characters are uniquely memorable, and the film delivers an exciting period drama about puritanical masculinity and blossoming sexuality.

★★★½ 

Sputnik (2020) Dir. Egor Abramenko

In 1983, Russian cosmonaut Konstantin (Pyotr Fyodorov) is the only survivor of a crash-landing return to earth caused by an unknown space entity during an attempted re-entry. It’s quickly established at a military installation that Konstantin is in fact hosting an alien lifeform which exits his body at night whilst he sleeps.

Tatyana Yuryevna Klimova plays Oksana Akinshina, a doctor recruited to assess the infected man who in fact doesn’t know himself that the parasite lies within. The alien and Konstantin begin to form a symbiotic bond and Oksana uncovers some doctored CCTV footage illuminating the shady practices from the authorities. Sadly, the film feels a little like a missed opportunity though. The drama never gets dramatic enough and I found the cold tone a good representation of Russian bureaucracy but at the same time, difficult to generate any real empathy with the characters. A strict and corrupt colonel character is a cliché seen many times before and the themes of fatherhood are tagged on to add some superficial depth. The stilted tone therefore comes across as dull despite the more than excellent creature concept and design. Solid VFX work means the horrid infestation is a nasty success and a few more shocks could have given the film a frightening boost and some much-needed dramatic jolts. A gloomy palette and slow pace unfortunately hinders a promising first film from the director and although it didn’t infect me, may find some devotees with its slow-burn dread.

★★★

Host (2020) Dir. Rob Savage

Themes of isolation abound in new horror film Host which uses a Zoom online call to explore both horror tropes and the effects of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The cinematic creativity that has been a by-product of the awful lockdown has seen filmmakers take unique risks in their work which has sometime been a small blessing during a tough time.

And here we find that played out as we see a group of quarantined women meeting up online to take part in a séance. Alternating between jokey scepticism and sombre respect, one friend claims to have had a supernatural experience. However, her lie leads to a series of frightening events for all participants. From paranormal possession to poltergeists, Host takes a “best of horror” approach but one that is effective and unlike (many) others, I’ve always thought the found footage genre to be a pretty effective style in most cases (REC, As Above So Below, The Devil’s Doorway). Although it’s similar to a number of “desktop” horrors (Unfriended, Searching) there’s more scares and tension here than those and at a swift 57 minutes, certainly doesn’t overstay its welcome. The difficulties faced by the friends (social distancing and lack of contact) move from the real to the bizarre, and parallel the vulnerable seclusion they face. The performances are first-rate with a naturalist script and given they were working remotely, the film is tightly edited and the special effects were essentially done by the actors. With all these restrictions, it’s great to see the filmmaking techniques come together so smoothly and – although there’s plenty of familiar nods to other horrors – the film is a terrifying triumph that may be best enjoyed by the teen market.

★★★★



You Should Have Left (2020) Dir. David Koepp

Noted screenwriter David Koepp writes and directs this new film based upon the book of the same name by Daniel Kehlmann. Kevin Bacon (who’s dabbled with horror in the underrated Stir of Echoes and Hollow Man) plays a retired banker married to Amanda Seyfried who plays an up-and-coming actress. Together they take his daughter to a holiday home in Wales, which begins to cause strange time shifts and vivid nightmares. Bacon’s paranoia towards his younger wife develops as it’s uncovered that he was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife. Between them, the family witness bizarre figures and many of the rooms have abnormal doors and spaces that materialize and disappear throughout their stay. Inside Bacon’s personal journal cryptic messages appear and the enigmatic owner is nowhere to be found. I guess all these mysteries could make you think that You Should Have Left is an intriguing story of abnormal goings-on. Sadly, it’s unmemorable and bland with shallow characterisation. And even with so many unnerving ideas (personal distrust, a spooky house, scared children, ghostly apparitions, eerie walks, strange citizens and a dozen more) it does nothing new with them and the whole thing plays out exactly as anyone would expect. With a lack of surprises in themes, acting and technique, You Should Have Left is a dreary experience that only the most desperate-for-something-to-watch psychological horror fan should even attempt to give a chance. ★★