Watch at Your Own Risk

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), directed by Jim Jarmusch  

Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Eve (Tilda Swinton) are two very cool vampires who have been entwined in each other's lives for centuries. Although married, the two live separately with oceans between them - Adam in Detroit and Eve in Tangier.

The film establishes that they have vastly different experiences and feelings towards life. Adam, a still famous musician, is depressed and a recluse after seeing the world change and deteriorate over the course of his immortal life. Eve, however, has a lust for life and for all aspects of human culture – particularly literature. When Eve learns that Adam has become despondent, she makes the decision to travel to Detroit to be with him.  

Jim Jarmusch creates a visually captivating film, dense with a mesmerising colour palette, beautiful locations and set design, that is paired with a great soundtrack.

I loved the relationship between Adam and Eve, and how they experience the contemporary world of art, music and culture as two ancient vampires.  

The Babadook (2014), directed by Jennifer Kent 

As a young single mother and widow, Amelia (Essie Davis) struggles to keep her head above water after the violent death of her husband. She begins to spiral into paranoia when a picture book called ‘The Babadook’ appears at her house, and her son, Samuel (Noah Wiseman), has disturbing visions of the shadowy figure within the pages. Sam begins to act out, behaving in ways that are frenzied and erratic, becoming taxing and harmful to both himself and those around him.

The sinister presence has begun to make itself known throughout all aspects of their lives.  

The Babadook is an incredible Australian feat in cinema and upon its release was met with widespread critical acclaim. Although truly chilling, at its core, this supernatural thriller explores challenging real-life issues such as grieving and the difficulties that are faced in single parenthood. As Amelia descends into paranoia, we also witness her resentment morph as the weight of her grief becomes unbearable and creates tension in her familial and professional relationships.  

Our main characters, Amelia and Sam, are played by actors Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman. These two do a phenomenal job at portraying their respective complicated narratives. Their performances are by no means one-dimensional – the characters are layered, multifaceted, and throughout the film, my feelings towards Amelia and Sam shifted between sympathy and frustration at various times.  

This film was rightfully Winner of Best Film and Best Director at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards and Australian Film Critics Association Awards.  

Suspiria (1977), directed by Dario Argento  

Suspiria is a true cult classic, considered a masterpiece for its hallucinatory use of vibrant colour, unique cinematic visuals, and its relentless score that underlies each scene.  

Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) is a young dancer who travels to Germany to attend the prestigious Tanz Dance Akademie. However, this school isn’t what it seems to be, and Suzy is soon confronted by a string of bizarre and tragic deaths.  

I watched Suspiria after hearing about it here and there from fellow horror fans, and I was not disappointed. Although the storyline isn’t particularly new, the visuals were unlike anything I had ever seen.

This film is a must see for anyone who is into weird and wonderful cinematic stylings. 

Vivarium (2019), directed by Lorcan Finnegan  

Young couple, Gemma (Imogen Poots) and Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) are looking to purchase their first house together. When they visit a strange estate agent, they are told of a new residential development called Yonder. Along with the estate agent, they drive out to the development and are met with uniform, suburban homes in a completely clean and silent street. Something out a glossy magazine, with an eerie undertone. After being shown around house number 9, the estate agent vanishes and is unable to be found. Gemma and Tom attempt to leave Yonder, but no matter what route they take, they always return to number 9. The film rapidly descends into a living hell laced with magical realism.  

I found the general concept of this film interesting, two people become trapped and unable to escape from this bizarre town. Additionally, they end up parenting a mysterious baby who arrives to them in a box. The child grows to speak strange sentences, release blood-curdling screams or mimic Gemma and Tom exactly. Terrifying.

However, there was a true lack of chemistry between Imogen Poots and Jesse Eisenberg, their relationship was wholly unbelievable. This alone makes for an unenjoyable film, but I also found the core meanings that underlie Vivarium to be heavy handed.

Domesticity, suburban living, parenthood, commitment and “settling down” are all traps that force us into conformity, outdated gender roles and an ultimately meaningless life. There is no room for interpretation on the viewer’s end. I was really looking forward to watching this film but was left with my head spinning, asking myself, “what on earth did I just watch?”

Vivarium is a film you can safely miss. 

They Remain (2018), directed by Philip Gelatt  

‘They Remain’ follows a pair of scientists Keith (William Jackson Harper) and Jessica (Rebecca Henderson) located on the edge of a strange forest where a cult previously took up residence. This cult were the kind nightmares are made of, they lured victims in and viciously used them in their rituals.

Keith and Jessica are there to investigate the sites of these killings, uncovering how this disturbed behaviour came to be – did the forest have influence on the people, or was it the other way around?  

This film had so much potential, the premise is thrilling, and it features one of my favourite actors, William Jackson Harper (who also stars in The Good Place. However, 'They Remain’ was unbelievably slow paced and convoluted, making it difficult to keep track of what was happening. The location was beautiful and the little atmosphere that developed was somewhat intriguing, but it was all completely lost on half-baked characters that I felt nothing for.