Abby, by William Girdler, is a movie about a young girl who reveals a dark secret about her father-in-law over time. When Garret, her father-in-law, was away on a trip in Nigeria, he found an old box with engravings on it. He was interested as to what it was, so he attempted to manipulate the carvings and try to open the box. This led to the “spirit” inside the box to unleash and disturb everything around Garret, including the floor, tools, and even the workers. When the spirit gets released, it goes across the world to attack Abby and turn her into a monster, as if the body is being possessed by the spirit. I think this fact also ties back to Get Out and something being trapped inside your body. To further explain, a spirit is being trapped inside of Abby’s body just like how Chris was being trapped by his girlfriend’s mom’s words. Emmett, Abby’s husband, is terrified of what’s happening to her and decides to confront the spirit, just as Garret realizes what has happened. When Garret realized that the spirit taking over Abby’s body is linked to Eshu, which is a powerful deity, an exorcism was decided on. The scene of the exorcism happening was my favorite because it was very intense, and it blended in African spiritual knowledge that Garret learned during his time away. It was an interesting and different exorcism than you usually see during movies. At the end of the film, the exorcism succeeds, and Abyss is free from the spirit. However, the film ends by thinking about the clash between African and Christian beliefs, such as faith too. This film also relates to Eve’s Bayou in a way because Garret also had a secret that was uncovered, such as Eve’s father. The spiritual aspect of this film also related to Candyman because of how Candyman took over bodies in that film. As this class continues to move forward and more movies are being shown, it is clear to me that so many movies have connections to one another and relate to each other. I find that very interesting because that way I can connect different movies we’ve watched in class and also differentiate them. In conclusion, Abby was a great film showing exorcism and African spiritual beliefs, but I think it was made more to demonstrate the spiritual beliefs than exorcism to give an educational aspect as well.
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Beloved, directed by Jonathan Demme, is a horror film that blends together slavery and supernatural horror to create a great and educational film. This film is about a woman named Sethe, who lives in an apartment whose number is 124. Sethe used to be a slave but had a traumatic experience when trying to escape that emotionally and physically continues to haunt her. Living in her apartment with her daughter Denver, she believes it’s haunted by a spirit that calls itself “124,” named after her apartment number. When Sethe tried to escape slavery, she had to kill her infant, which haunts her to this day. One day a woman named Beloved appears outside her apartment door, whom Sethe believes is a reincarnation of her previous baby she killed. Beloved is a ghost that represents supernatural features such as grief, loss, and trauma. The usage of Beloved really intrigued me in this film, because I think bringing supernatural creatures such as this to relieve trauma really gives a film a deeper meaning. Towards the end of the film Beloved basically takes over Sethe and almost kills her, kind of representing a dark spirit taking over your body. When a spirit takes over an individual’s body in films, I think it’s so interesting and fun to watch the way their body acts and reacts differently. The characters acting really helps scenes like this if they put in a lot of emotion and movement. For example, Sethe’s character becomes very exhausted, visible, and hunched. She starts staring off into space and becomes physically weaker, dragging her body when she walks. Paul D is a character who knew Sethe when they were both slaves, and I think his character is so symbolic, like Beloved. Paul D represents Sethe moving forward in life, living happy and healthy, while Beloved is there to traumatize her and keep her in her past. One of my favorite moments from the film was when Paul D enters the apartment, and the trauma stops for a little. The apartment is happy for a while, which shows Paul D is a happy and stabilized place for Sethe. It reminded me a little bit of when Chris, from Get Out, got rescued by his friend, and he felt safe and happy once again. I really enjoy trying to find similarities between the films and readings there are in class just to show how all Black Horror can somehow be related in a sense.
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When the movie “Sinners” by Ryan Coogler came out in theaters, it was all anyone would talk about. It was said to be one of the best movies of the year because of the actors, the accents, and the plot of horror. When I heard all of this, I knew I had to watch it. Sinners is a movie that takes place in Delta, a western town known for its farmland and culture. The two main characters, known as Smoke and Stack, are both played by Michael B. Jordan, which I think was an incredible role he portrayed. Being able to act as two completely different characters takes a lot of work and determination to complete, so I was very impressed by that. The two brothers return to their hometown to open up a juke joint with the leftover money they made in Chicago while working for the mob. The juke joint started off by working very well, then all of a sudden something strange happened in the town. The townspeople started slowly disappearing, livestock was drained, and a curse has been going around town. The brothers then realized that a group of vampires had woken up beneath the town and were causing these problems in town. The brothers then take on the responsibility of fixing this problem to save their town. I really enjoyed this movie because although it is horror, it is fiction horror with vampires. So, this movie is a little different than the others we watched in class because it has spiritual themes mixed with racism. My favorite part of this movie, shocker, was the ending because it’s when the brothers fight to save their town in the juke joint. I really enjoyed the ending because the two brothers got a different fate, which was really interesting. In the fight off, Smoke survives the fight but the next morning suddenly dies. Stack, on the other hand, becomes a vampire during the fight and lives a long life. The two brothers got the fate of the personality that matches them the most. For example, Smoke sacrificed himself for his town fighting the final racist, while Stack surrendered and turned immortal. I believe the making of this movie really shows how different two brothers can be and their selflessness for each other and their town. The way this movie portrayed so many themes, such as racism, sacrifice, and spirituality, through every character and scene was very thrilling to watch.
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This week in class, we focused on Candyman, produced in 1992 and 2021. We discussed and compared the two movies, such as their similarities and differences. I personally enjoyed watching Candyman 1992 more. Although the filmmaking was a bit older, I think it really showed the historical meaning of this movie. Candyman 1992 was especially interesting to me because of the way the Candyman framed Helen for multiple murders and made her look and sound crazy to the point she was put in a psychiatric hospital instead of jail. The fact that the police placed Helen in a hospital to get help instead of going to jail for “attempted” murder really highlighted how crazy she drove herself due to the Candyman. One of my favorite parts of this movie, per usual, is the ending when Helen sacrifices herself for a baby that the Candyman stole. At a bonfire when Helen met with the Candyman, she saved the baby but then burned in the fire and died, also killing the Candyman and his spirits. I think what Helen did there was really brave to save the baby from the Candyman because she has seen what he has done to others. The plot twist of this movie really did stun me again, because it’s something I wouldn’t have expected. After Helen sacrificed herself and died, her husband, Trevor, who was having an affair, feels incredibly guilty and decided to say Helen’s name five times, just like how Helen did with the Candyman in the very beginning. He would have never expected that this brought back Helen’s spirit, the same way the Candyman appears when his name is said five times. Helen’s spirit then kills Trevor, signifying that she has now taken the Candyman’s place. That was the perfect ending to the movie, in my opinion, because of how her husband, Trevor, was loyal to her, and she finally got revenge on him. On the other hand, it is kind of sad that after everything Helen went through to stop the Candyman from hurting people, she is now that person. Comparing the two movies, I like how they have similarities, like you need to say the Candyman name five times to summon him, without having the same plot. It really makes you want to watch both movies. Overall, I really enjoyed both Candyman movies, but 1992 just stuck with me harder in several ways. I would highly recommend this movie to others; it keeps you on the edge of your seat!
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In class this week we discussed “Get Out” and “Us” in further detail. We compared the two horror films and came to the conclusion that “Get Out” is more simple. “Us” is a horror film about a woman named Adelaide that takes her family to her childhood town in Santa Cruz. Adelaide has had childhood trauma in Santa Cruz, so the movie is based on and foreshadows those moments. As they are staying there, one night they experience something very traumatic. The whole family sees from afar a family of four standing in their driveway. Since it is dark and far, they can’t see their faces, so the dad tries to scare them off. Later on in the movie they found out this family of four looks exactly like them and are called tethered. There is definitely more action and horror happening in this movie, and I would say it is scarier than “Get Out.” The movie showed each family member battling with their tethers, which I really enjoyed. I like movies that show multiple things happening at once in different scenes, and “Us” definitely delivered that. I also really enjoyed how in the movie they showed that the tethered Adelaide is shown as a puppy and follows the same movements that the real one does. I believe that this makes the movie more creepy and interesting to watch. I also really liked how none of the tethers can talk, except Adelaide, also known as Red. Red was the only one able to speak with a scary raspy voice, which we later found out was because she was the real Adelaide. My favorite part of the movie, just like “Get Out” , was the ending because there was a huge plot twist. I enjoyed the ending more than “Get Out” because it was so much more twisted and tied in the whole movie and foreshadowed Adelaide’s childhood. At the end of the movie, it shows Adelaide going to the underground world to save her son Jason, who was taken by her tethered twin, Red. Adelaide and Red then have a fight; only Adelaide fights violently, while Red fights calmly, which I thought was strange. Adelaide ends up winning the fight, or so we thought. Adelaide ends up meeting up with her family, and everything seems fine until a memory from her childhood is shown. When Adelaide was a child in Santa Cruz, she found a mirror on the beach where she saw her reflection, but her reflection was really Red, who attacked her and took her place in disguise. So really Adelaide’s whole life has been Red disguised as her. That plot twist made me stare at my screen for ten minutes in shock, because I would have never guessed that. It was also one of the best plot twists I have ever experienced in a movie, and after watching both “Get Out” and “Us,” it is safe to say I will be watching more of Jordan Peele’s movies. “Us” was the movie I watched with my sister while she took this course at UCLA, so I already knew what happened, but rewatching it made me realize why I enjoyed it so much in the first place. This movie kept my whole family shocked, and none of us would have been able to guess what happened at the end.
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“Get Out” by Jordan Peele left me feeling stunned by what happened and the twist of the story. As someone who loves horror movies that escalate quickly, this is by far one of the best movies I’ve experienced. The escalation from when Chris discovered that there was something wrong with Rose’s family always kept me on the edge of my seat. The use of foreshadowing also kept me really intrigued about what’s going on and what’s going to happen. For example, when Chris takes a photo of Logan during the garden party and Logan yells, “Get me out! Get me out!” I felt my heart skip a beat. I immediately wanted to know what had happened to make Logan say that, and I knew something was off about it. Towards the end of the movie I realized the use of foreshadowing was excellent. The part of the movie I enjoyed the most was how Chris escaped and used his strong mindset to protect his ears from being hypnotized. The way Chris was able to use resources around him, such as the cotton in the chair rest, to benefit him was really interesting to me because I always try to use resources around me for better aspects. Another part of the movie I enjoyed was the ending when Chris gets rescued by who he thought was the police but was actually his friend Rob. I think that was the perfect ending because not only did Chris get rescued, but also by his friend Rob, which definitely made him feel a sense of comfort. Happy endings to movies always bring me a sense of joy because they show that there is always light at the end of the tunnel, even though at times it doesn’t feel like it. Chris got out of that situation, even though at times he probably felt like he never would. There was no part of this movie that I didn’t like or would want to change, which for me is rare. I can never find a movie where I am intrigued the whole way because I get bored with movies very easily, but I can definitely say this movie kept me intrigued the whole way. This class is more than what I was expecting. Along with being introduced to new horror movies, I get to share my opinion and insight on what I watched. As a huge movie lover, I love that I am being introduced to new movies that I can share with my family and friends. When my sister took this course during her time at UCLA, she had nothing but good reviews. She expressed how she was able to understand the deeper meaning of movies, which she shared with us. I even watched one of the assigned movies with her, which immediately made me want to take this course because it was so interesting and had such a deep meaning.
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