Not every great horror story started with Steven King. True, the basic plot of the first and second part of the Danish supernatural saga "The Kingdom" (Koch Lorber) is the same as that of King's unappreciated series "Kingdom Hospital," but the European version actually came first -- and it's way better.
The story, conceived and directed by Lars Von Trier, is about a hospital staffed by eccentric doctors and filled with bizarre patients and restless spirits. In the first season, we meet the wonderfully compelling cast -- the arrogant and incompetent Swedish Doctor Helmer, the seemingly senile, but likable Dr. Moesgaard, the clairvoyant patient Sigrid Drusse, the unbalanced research surgeon Dr. Bondo and the mentally handicapped dishwashers who speak in crpytic riddles -- to name a few. Major points of conflict involve Helmer screwing up brain surgery, then scrambling to recover the paperwork that incriminates him; Drusse chasing a ghost named Mary and a female doctor becoming pregnant with a fetus that develops at an alarming rate.
The second season is where things really get weird. The doctor's baby continues to grow until it fills a room, the spiritualist crashes an airplane while searching for spectral disturbances in weather patters, Bondo replaces his own liver with one that's diseased so he can cultivate the world's largest cancerous growth. Stranger still, a medical student races an ambulance with soaped windows in an underground death pool and a summoned demon threatens to destroy the entire hospital and, perhaps, the planet.
"The Kingdom" is unceasingly entertaining and may well be the most surreal, funny, horrifying and captivating TV series since David Lynch's "Twin Peaks." No wonder it helped Von Trier establish himself as a force in filmmaking before he wrote and directed the excellent "Dancer in the Dark." The second season of "The Kingdom" ends kind of abruptly, and, at one point, it looked like Von Trier might put together a third season, however as the years passed several key actors died, and the director opted to let his creation rest in peace. Now all eight episodes live again on four DVDs.
Saw IV (Lionsgate) -- It's hard to believe that less than four years after the debut of the splattery brain-teaser, Saw, the fourth episode of the franchise is already on DVD. It's even harder to believe the latest volume is actually clever, thrilling and wonderfully nauseating. Even though Jigsaw, the fiendish killer of the first three flicks, is clearly dead, he's still able to dish out grisly acts of retribution from devices that resemble creations from a satanic version of the game Mousetrap. Many of the characters from Saw II are back, including Sergeant Rigg (Lyriq Bent) who is put to the test and forced to identify with Jigsaw's plight if he wants have a chance of rescuing Detective Matthews (Donnie Walhberg), who was abducted at the end of the second film. But of course, the plot is secondary to the sinister torture devices and death traps, which fill the screen with rivers of blood. Disturbing, confusing and fiendishly fun, Saw IV leaves the audience guessing and wanting more.
Resident Evil: Extinction (Sony) -- Let's face it, "Resident Evil: Apocalypse" kinda sucked and had way too many plot holes. Fortunately, "Resident Evil: Extinction" thrives by keeping the story simple and the action steady. After a couple great scenes in which some sexy Alice clones (Milla Jojovich) are killed in a boobytrap-infested obstacle course and the real Alice nearly falls prey to a phony distress message and a pack of zombie dogs, it becomes clear that the T-virus that turned humans into super-fast flesh-eating zombies in the first movie has run rampant and the beasts have taken over the planet. Soon after, Alice undertakes a mission to help a convoy of survivors find safe haven in Alaska. But of course, the evil Umbrella Corporation is still after her, and their scientist Dr. Sam Isaacs (Iain Glen) becomes convinced that the cure to the zombie terror lies in her blood. Following a killer homage to Hitchcock's "The Birds," in which a huge flock of crows descends on the shrinking convoy, the action peaks with a showdown in zombie-devastated Las Vegas, which may serve as the final battleground -- at least until the next film in the series.
Slaughtered (Brain Damage) -- The latest sadistic and morally reprehensible low-budget indie horror flick, "Slaughtered" is about the owner of an adult Web site (Slaughteredlamb.com), who photographs models in various sado-masochistic poses and then brutally kills them. A subplot involves a female detective's half-assed search to catch the killer. Created by director Anthony Doublin, who handled make-up effects for "Bride of Re-Animator" and "From Beyond," the movie features plenty of carnage, but surprisingly cheap-looking effects. Oh, and there's tons of nudity. The plot is simple and savage and, while the acting is pretty bad, the pacing and body count should be equally satisfying to gorehounds and misogynists. That said, the ending is forced and totally absurd. But what's the point of a plot when the basic goal is to simulate a snuff film?
Right at Your Door (Lionsgate) -- Cinematic terror comes in many forms. There are supernatural frightfests, vicious monster movies and bloody serial killer yarns. Then, there's the real life stuff, which is, perhaps, most frightening of all. In "Right at Your Door," a series of dirty bombs blow up across Los Angeles and a husband, who has been separated from his wife, begins a desperate search to find out if she's still alive. Unable to obtain any answers, he is forced to seal himself inside his house and wait in the hope that she'll eventually return. And when she does, he's left wondering whether it would have been better had she perished in the explosions. Shaky camera work and abrupt edits contribute to the menacing sense of claustrophobia that pervades "Right at Your Door." A horrifying film for horrifying times.
Comments