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Fantasia 2020: ‘Anything for Jackson’ Puts the Host Back in Ghost

Published

4 years ago

September 1, 2020

Grief is a theme we all understand; it’s a great despair that can torture you inescapably. In the horror genre, grief often works as a backdrop, allowing a story to build on the possibilities that desperation and loss can inspire. Some would do anything to get back what they’ve lost. In Anything for Jackson, doctor Henry Walsh (Julian Richings, Supernatural) and his wife Audrey (Sheila McCarthy, The Umbrella Academy) are two such people.

After the tragic death of their grandson, Henry and Audrey make the ill-advised decision to kidnap a very pregnant woman and perform a dark ritual (a reverse exorcism, if you will) that will bring Jackson back into the world of the living, via the yet-to-be-born child. The Walshes have all the confidence of two affluent Satanists who really have no idea what they’re getting themselves into. They’ve thought out every contingency, except the one that turns their home into a revolving door of malicious spirits. Because once you open a door to the other realm, every ghost that wants a host will come clambering through.

Richings and McCarthy are Canadian genre royalty, so to see them on screen together is a real treat. McCarthy is utterly charming as Audrey, the maternal-minded driving force behind the couple’s risky caper. She’s very sweet and well-intentioned, which makes her highly questionable actions even more surprising. Audrey exudes a naivete that’s humorously contradictory to the matter-of-fact way she manages the whole “abduction for a reverse exorcism” thing.

Richings as Henry is ever the doting husband. There’s a touch of sadness in his performance that keeps his character grounded, even as control slips quickly from his grasp. You feel for Henry, who’s just doing his best to try to keep everything according to plan. It’s easy to forget that what Henry and Audrey are doing is very wrong; they’re both so poised and sweet that you don’t even question it.

There’s been enough time since Jackson’s passing that the emotional wound isn’t still fresh, which allows Audrey and Henry to approach the kidnapping with a practical and clinical focus. Early scenes of their orientation with their abductee, Becker (Konstantina Mantelos), are actually quite funny. Audrey stiffly reads a prepared statement in a scene that’s just so out-of-place wholesome that — were you the one handcuffed to the bed — you’d almost want to play along, just to be nice (or perhaps that’s just me being deeply Canadian).

Anything for Jackson has a fantastically creepy ambiance that’s maintained through strategic lighting and colour, and sound editing that works in collaboration with the film’s many practical effects. If you’re a fan of practical effects (and who isn’t), Anything for Jackson delivers with its horrific ghost designs. There’s one ghost that falls a bit flat, though its context makes it more tragic than terrifying. Using both prosthetics and performance, some of the ghosts are a thing of nightmares — quite literally. If you’ve ever had a dream about your teeth falling out, I must warn you, this film will probably make you uncomfortable (and it’s excellent).

The pacing tends to slow a bit between these scenes of ghoulish fun, but there are enough surprises to grab your attention. Anything for Jackson has mastered the art of the shocking turn, with some moments that have that same sudden hit as The Omen (it’s all for you, Jackson). Each shift is swift and effective. Director Justin G. Dyck wields these moments well.

In horror, we so often see young protagonists getting into trouble for all the wrong reasons. In Anything for Jackson, it’s actually quite refreshing to see an older generation take their turn with the terrible decisions. Their mission is born (no pun intended) from a deep place of grief and loss, not from pure dumb curiosity or greed. They’ve followed all the instructions carefully with the intention of bringing a spirit back; this is no inconvenient-yet-for-the-sake-of-the-plot accident. They didn’t stumble upon this book locked in a basement, they sought it out with full knowledge of what it was capable of.

And therein lies the crux of the film: what would you do for someone you love. What risks would you take to mend a broken heart. There are layers of guilt and grief that flood the film, working to build a balance with the many spooks and scares. That said, this equilibrium often leans away from the heavy side of the scale, so it doesn’t quite drag the film down as much as it could have, were it to take a more serious approach. This makes it a more accessible film, but the tone is perhaps a bit muddled as a result.

Peppered with genuinely unsettling spirits and some bloody surprises, Anything for Jackson is a cautionary tale that tackles emotional themes without getting too lost in its sorrow. Some parents would move Heaven and Earth for their children, but for Jackson, Hell will do just fine.

For more on Anything for Jackson, click here. For more from Fantasia Fest 2020, check out my review of Yummy.

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News

Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

Published

12 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

Published

14 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film

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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

^Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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