Reviewed as part of the History of Horror 2017 Challenge. You can find my list here if you'd like to follow along!
I remember catching wind of Tale of Tales early in 2016 when it was being released, just by finding an odd poster or something for it. No one was talking about it and I couldn't find a theater within even a few hours of me that was playing it, much to my disappointment. Even now, over a year…
The sophomore feature for director Neil Jordan, whose future forays into horror would generate some wonderful vampire films in Interview with the Vampire and Byzantium, showcased his penchant for blending myth and fairy tale with horror from the very beginning. There is a deliciously dark atmosphere to the film, a layered series of cautionary tales and nesting dreams, that one could consider a sort of anthology due to its structure. It reminded me of the recent Tale of Tales and…
I'm away from home for work for a while, so my schedule might get a bit weird (meaning I'll probably spend a lot of time in my hotel room binging movies), but I am in a bigger city than usual, so I also get access to some theater showings that I'd normally have to go out of my way for. I was very pleased to get a chance to revisit this in the theater and show that extra support for it. A thoroughly fantastic film, and easily one of the best of the year.
Tough one to rate. The writing and acting are mixed, sometimes very stiff, and at best usually just passable. It's not to hard to see where things are going either, but there are some genuinely creepy moments spread throughout the film's quick runtime that keep it interesting. Surreal images, and solid makeup work, leading into a finale that is packed with surprisingly intense gore. So I'd say it's worthwhile for a look at least for the effects, which are nicely executed for the budget.
Yeah, I just burst into tears at the sight of two animated bears hugging in a theater packed full of children.
