Halloween House Party: Celebrate Halloween Abroad
Halloween is right around the corner, and for those of you who are tired of going out locally, here’s a list of foreign horror flicks that will transport you away to another country.
1) Cure (Japan, 1997)
Cure is a masterpiece of cinema. It follows Takabe, a Tokyo police detective who is hot on the case of a string of murders, seemingly perpetuated by different people. None of the killers have any motive, but they are ready and eager to confess their crimes. The only thing they do have in common are encounters with a strange and mesmerizing man named Mamiya, who is one of the most interesting and nuanced villains I’ve ever seen.
Cure is unexpectedly tense and forces us to confront the haunting potential of mesmerism, a form of hypnosis. As Takabe and Mamiya circle one another, the audience is sucked into our own sort of mesmerism, unable to take our eyes off the screen for almost two straight hours. Taut cinematography, impeccable directing, and a thoughtful screenplay make Cure one of the best horror movies of the decade.
2) Verónica (Spain, 2017)
Verónica is loosely based on a true story, which follows the possession and eventual death of a teenager named Verónica. Her father has recently passed away and, desperate to speak with him again, she decides to hold a seance in her school basement using a Ouija board. Paranormal occurrences follow, including a long and extremely well shot scene wherein Verónica and her younger siblings are stalked by a demon while alone in their apartment.
Verónica terrified me. It isn’t a horror film written to be smart or clever or to force us to put pieces of a puzzle together. It was written to terrify and jolt us, to make us feel the horror and unrelenting pain of our main character. The lead actor, Sandra Escacena, still in braces, makes us ache for her plight. She is, unlike most horror movie protagonists, smart, capable, likeable, and sweet. We want so badly for her to defeat the horror she’s been thrust into, for her to escape the demon and save her siblings. The ending scene shook my heart and has stuck with me ever since.
3) Saloum (Senegal, 2021)
Saloum is a mixed genre horror film that follows three mercenaries as they hide from authorities at a remote resort in the Sine-Saloum of Senegal. The movie, at first, appears to be a crime thriller, but it soon turns to folk horror. Spirits attack, brutal rituals are revealed, and eventually, we realize the deeper connection one of the mercenaries has with the region.
Saloum surprised and moved me. It’s a wandering film, one with far more beauty and philosophy than most. The setting is languid and genial, lulling us into a fake sense of safety. The characters are deftly written, perhaps unlikeable, but we grow to identify with them because of their humanity, and root for them anyway. Few horror films will make you cry at the end; Saloum is one of them.
4) The Medium (Thailand, 2021)
Shot documentary style, The Medium features hauntings, possessions, incest, murder, and far too many jump scares. An entire village possessed by malevolent spirits? This movie has that. It burrowed into me and bothered me for a long time; I have yet to meet someone who hasn’t been deeply affected by this movie.
5) Oldboy (South Korea, 2003)
While not technically a horror movie, Oldboy IS horrific, and it is also one of the best movies ever made. Revenge, lust, anger, and isolation brew for fifteen years, then spill over into one of the greatest film reveals of all time. Highly recommend but don’t watch with your dad.
Review By Chelsea Catherine
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