Red State

 

Red State (2011) concerns the kidnapping of three high school kids by the religious sect ran by the Cooper family. The Cooper family are described early on as “the people even the Nazi's think are nut jobs”. The kids are taken to the Cooper family home, a heavily barracked church compound. Billed as the first Kevin Smith horror film, this is certainly a departure from his usual fare in many ways, especially aesthetically. Red State is shot on DV and the washed out, dark imagery is a notable contrast to the vibrant colour of many of his previous efforts (Clerks the obvious black and white exception). Smith even shows more comfort in moving his camera, a blistering chase scene through the churches compound during the mid point of the movie is thrilling, showing that Smith may be maturing in terms of his film-making technique. 

Suspiria The Technicolor Nightmare

                                                       

                                                    

Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper), arrives in Germany from New York to attend a famous dance school in Freiburg. Mysterious situations abound until Suzy discovers the dark secret at the heart of the dance academy, and that's about it as far as story is concerned. Dario Argento has never been one to pay much attention to story, in his later works this has led to many a narrative muddle. However the basic story here is wholly appropriate, Dario using a simple folkloric tale as a frame for his most pure horror movie. So often technically gifted horror film makers force themselves into a corner by sticking rigorously to narrative structures that have nowhere to go, with Suspiria Argento is only concerned with using the tools of the medium itself to terrify us.