News

‘Knife+Heart’ is Gritty Giallo with a Queer Twist

Published

5 years ago

March 14, 2019

Knife+Heart aka Un couteau dans le coeur, a horror thriller from director Yann Gonzalez, is a film that will make you squirm, laugh out loud, cover your eyes, and sear images into your head that you’ll never be rid of…and that’s only in the first 15 minutes.

Set in 1979, the film tells the story of Anne (Vanessa Paradis), a lesbian in Paris who directs low-budget gay porn. Her lover, Lois (Kate Moran), who also edits her films, has left her because she can no longer deal with her alcoholism, and as the film opens, it’s clear that Anne will do anything to win Lois back.

When one of her stars is murdered in a particularly gruesome fashion, she, along with her gay best friend and sometime actor Archibald (Nicolas Maury), hatches a plan to win Lois back by creating her greatest film.

How, you ask?

By recreating the murder as only a 1970s French porn director could, of course!

Anne and Archibald Knife+Heart — Anne (Vanessa Paradis) and Archibald (Nicolas Maury) in *Knife+Heart* (Photo via IMDb)

If it sounds ridiculous, that’s because on the surface it is, but Gonzalez, who co-wrote the film along with Cristiano Mangione, never lets the film or its characters stray so far into that territory that he loses the fear factor.

What’s most stunning from Gonzalez and Knife+Heart, however, is the unflinching gaze of the directors lens.

The murders in the film, much like the films that most commonly fall under the heading of giallo, are almost operatic in their scope with enough blood and gore to make Argento and Bava stand up and cheer.

I don’t want to give away too much, but if you imagine the kind of damage one might inflict with a switchblade concealed inside a dildo, you’ll get a taste of what the film has in store for viewers.

Added to this is the fact that the film was actually “filmed” in 35 mm which only serves to bolster its sense of nostalgia. You won’t find clean, HD lines and coloring here. Rather, you’ll see gloriously faded, harshly lit, frenetically stylized reality set to a pulse-pounding score by M83.

Vanessa Paradis Knife+Heart — Vanessa Paradis is stunning as Anne in *Knife+Heart*. (Photo by Elle Herme via IMDB)

For her part, Paradis is brilliant in the role of Anne. Her desperation is palpable and the audience feels for her even when she makes horrible decisions. She unabashedly sets the tone for everyone else in the film with the freedom of her honest, raw performance.

Likewise, the men who play her porn actors attack their roles with abandon. Their scenes together speak to an incredible bond sexually and emotionally, and while Gonzalez never attempts to glorify the world in which they exist, he certainly shows that family comes in all shapes and sizes.

Which brings me to a final point, and a word of advice to my fellow queer audience members.

Knife+Heart, unlike the majority of films we see, is unashamedly, unabashedly queer with not one single straight couple in sight which is where Gonzalez and his crew completely diverge from their giallo forebears.

Knife+Heart Queer — Pierre Emo, Felix Maritaud, and Jeremy Benkemoun in *Knife+Heart* (Photo by Elle Herme via IMDb)

Borrowing elements from films like Cruising–the opening kill is almost a direct homage–he crafted Knife+Heart as an assault to the senses for more than one homophobic straight audience member, I’m certain, but there will also be elements to test the queer audience.

Our community was much different in 1979, more separated, and the focus often fell on sexuality rather than identify. This film reflects that time with a sort of hyper-honesty that will make us squirm for good reason.

It also reminds us of the things that have not changed, and the way that our own internalized homophobia that can rear its ugly head when we are around other members of our community.

It highlights, through exploitation, the often ugly hierarchy of power within the community and the premium we set on perfect bodies, perfect faces, and idealized masculinity and femininity.

In short, it is a film that is as thought-provoking as it is terrifying, as gritty and sexy and raw as it is beautiful. It is a transgressive queer masterpiece that will no doubt anger as many as it thrills.

Knife+Heart has release dates set for March 15, 2019 in New York and March 22, 2019 in Los Angeles with the promise of more screening dates to come. Check out the trailer below!

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Editorial

Yay or Nay: What’s Good and Bad in Horror This Week

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Welcome to Yay or Nay a weekly mini post about what I think is good and bad news in the horror community written in bite-sized chunks.

Yay:

Mike Flanagan talking about directing the next chapter in the Exorcist trilogy. That might mean he saw the last one and realized there were two left and if he does anything well it’s draw out a story.

Yay:

To the announcement of a new IP-based film Mickey Vs Winnie. It’s fun to read comical hot takes from people who haven’t even seen the movie yet.

Nay:

The new Faces of Death reboot gets an R rating. It’s not really fair — Gen-Z should get an unrated version like past generations so they can question their mortality the same as the rest of us did.

Yay:

Russell Crowe is doing another possession movie. He’s quickly becoming another Nic Cage by saying yes to every script, bringing the magic back to B-movies, and more money into VOD.

Nay:

Putting The Crow back in theaters for its 30th anniversary. Re-releasing classic movies at the cinema to celebrate a milestone is perfectly fine, but doing so when the lead actor in that film was killed on set due to neglect is a cash grab of the worst kind.

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Lists

The Top-Searched Free Horror/Action Movies on Tubi This Week

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The free streaming service Tubi is a great place to scroll when you’re unsure what to watch. They are not sponsored or affiliated with iHorror. Still, we really appreciate their library because it’s so robust and has many obscure horror movies so rare you can’t find them anywhere in the wild except, if you’re lucky, in a moist cardboard box at a yard sale. Other than Tubi, where else are you going to find Nightwish (1990), Spookies (1986), or The Power (1984)?

We take a look at the most searched horror titles on the platform this week, hopefully, to save you some time in your endeavor to find something free to watch on Tubi.

Interestingly at the top of the list is one of the most polarizing sequels ever made, the female-led Ghostbusters reboot from 2016. Perhaps viewers have seen the latest sequel Frozen Empire and are curious about this franchise anomaly. They will be happy to know it’s not as bad as some think and is genuinely funny in spots.

So take a look at the list below and tell us if you are interested in any of them this weekend.

1. Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters (2016)

An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.An otherworldly invasion of New York City assembles a pair of proton-packed paranormal enthusiasts, a nuclear engineer and a subway worker for battle.

2. Rampage

When a group of animals becomes vicious after a genetic experiment goes awry, a primatologist must find an antidote to avert a global catastrophe.

3. The Conjuring The Devil Made Me Do It

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren uncover an occult conspiracy as they help a defendant argue that a demon forced him to commit murder.

4. Terrifier 2

After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County, where his next victims, a teenage girl and her brother, await.

5. Don’t Breathe

A group of teens breaks into a blind man’s home, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect crime but get more than they bargained for once inside.

6. The Conjuring 2

In one of their most terrifying paranormal investigations, Lorraine and Ed Warren help a single mother of four in a house plagued by sinister spirits.

7. Child’s Play (1988)

A dying serial killer uses voodoo to transfer his soul into a Chucky doll which winds up in the hands of a boy who may be the doll’s next victim.

8. Jeepers Creepers 2

When their bus breaks down on a deserted road, a team of high school athletes discovers an opponent they cannot defeat and may not survive.

9. Jeepers Creepers

After making a horrific discovery in the basement of an old church, a pair of siblings find themselves the chosen prey of an indestructible force.

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News

Morticia & Wednesday Addams Join Monster High Skullector Series

Published

3 days ago

May 3, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Believe it or not, Mattel’s Monster High doll brand has an immense following with both young and not-so-young collectors.

In that same vein, the fan base for The Addams Family is also very large. Now, the two are collaborating to create a line of collectible dolls that celebrate both worlds and what they have created is a combination of fashion dolls and goth fantasy. Forget Barbie, these ladies know who they are.

The dolls are based on Morticia and Wednesday Addams from the 2019 Addams Family animated movie.

As with any niche collectibles these aren’t cheap they bring with them a $90 price tag, but it’s an investment as a lot of these toys become more valuable over time.

“There goes the neighborhood. Meet the Addams Family’s ghoulishly glamorous mother-daughter duo with a Monster High twist. Inspired by the animated movie and clad in spiderweb lace and skull prints, the Morticia and Wednesday Addams Skullector doll two-pack makes for a gift that’s so macabre, it’s downright pathological.”

If you want to pre-purchase this set check out The Monster High website.