From the Daily Citation Archives for August 12th:

On this day in 2004 (in Thailand and Puerto Rico), two of Science Fiction's biggest names came together with the release of AVP: Alien Vs Predator.  Written (in part) and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson, the film starred Sanaa Lathan, Lance Henriksen, Raoul Bova, and others. 

According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:​

"During an archaeological expedition on Bouvetøya Island in Antarctica, a team of archaeologists and other scientists find themselves caught up in a battle between the two legends. Soon, the team realize that only one species can win."

For the record:
Talk about your open wounds?  The 2005 Razzie Awards nominated AVP: Alien Vs Predator in the category of 'Worst Remake Or Sequel.'  And the 2005 Fangoria Awards also nominated it for 'Worst Film.'  And the 2004 Golden Schmoes Awards nominated it in their categories of 'Worst Movie Of The Year' and 'Biggest Disappointment Of The Year.'  Ouch.  That's gonna leave a mark!

Post Script:

Now, folks, I'm not here to mince words with anyone.  As you know, my position as a cultural critic is that you're free to like and dislike anything you choose, but I've always -- ALWAYS -- said that it is my estimation only that -- on a purely popcorn level -- AVP: Alien V Predator isn't without its modest charms.  No, it isn't a great film, and I say this in spite of the fact that, functionally, it strives admirably to deliver only on its slim promises ... and yet I still enjoy it entirely for what it is: a comic-book-fueled incarnation that sought to bring two heavyweights together for the first time.

Alas, the project wasn't a hit with audiences; and I think it's safe to say that fandom -- as a whole -- was disappointed it with it on many, many, many levels.  The fact that it wasn't a hard-R action film -- bringing with it all the blood and guts viewers expect -- arguably had some impact.  Additionally, having our lead Predator kinda/sorta adopt a human female as a kinda/sorta sidekick likely left a bad taste in the mouths of some.  I've also read that, textually, there were minor retcons of established lore for both universes performed; and, yes, that tends to be a big no-no with purists.  Of course, there's always room for more fighting -- I'll concede it was a bit slim in that department -- but I still had a bit of fun with it.  So sue me.

Perhaps if the story hadn't been two established commodities -- perhaps if the script didn't involve our beloved Xenomorph and a Predator -- maybe moviegoers would've felt otherwise.

-- EZ
​

Also from the Daily Citation Archives for August 12th:

On this day in 2024 (in the U.S.), the good city of Los Angeles, California played host for the big screen exclusive theatrical premiere event celebrated the launch of Alien: Romulus.  Written (in part) and directed by Fede Alvarez, the film starred Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, and others.  According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"While scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station, a group of young space colonists come face to face with the most terrifying life form in the universe."

For the record:

• At the 2025 Academy Awards, Alien: Romulus earned a nomination in the category of 'Best Achievement In Visual Effects.'
• At the 2025 Saturn Awards, the film earned an impressive seven nominations in the categories of 'Best Film Make-Up,' 'Best Film Visual / Special Effects,' 'Best Supporting Actor In A Film,' 'Best Supporting Actress In A Film,' 'Best Film Production Design,' 'Best Film Direction,' and 'Best Horror Film.'  At the end of the evening, Alien: Romulus went home only with the trophy for 'Best Horror Film.'

ExtraExtra Alert:
In 2024, I caught a theatrical screening of Alien: Romulus (2024) when it made the rounds through theaters near me.  Interested readers can find my review right here.

Post Script:

I guess what they say about "if it ain't broke then don't fix it" could be applied to 2024's Alien: Romulus from the talented writer/director Fede Alvarez.  Some in the audience saw his addition to the big space franchise as a 'return to form,' presenting our lovable Xenomorph in precisely the big, bloody, and bold fashion that fans love to see.  Whatever your take on the film, there's no denying it was big business for cineplexes: Google.com reports that it grossed over $350M worldwide on a reported budget of $80M (no indication of marketing costs).  Definitely, that's a respectable haul -- maybe not what other entries have seen but debatably solid -- and it helped cement Alvarez as a mover and shaker in the business.

For those interested, I did see it theatrically and pen a review.  While I won't summarize everything, I have vague recollections of being a bit disappointed with it, feeling like even though the thrills and spills were solid we had already seen a goodly portion of it before and even in the same universe.  That isn't necessarily a bad thing -- Alien as a franchise is decades-old, indeed, and a case could be made that it needed a bit of re-introduction to viewers of the modern age -- but diehards like myself may've struggled to appreciate it for being anything greater than what it was: simply good with nothing all that new.

-- EZ
​

Readers, one of the things I've started doing with SciFiHistory.Net -- along with these somewhat loose feature-style articles -- is to look for small ways to make a bit of money.  As you can guess, the bigger something gets the more expensive it is; and I've started to feel a modest bit of pinch from keeping the doors open and these lights on.  Mind you: it isn't dire ... but it's something that I'd like to avoid as the site definitely grows more and more every year.

In that respect, I've become an Amazon Affiliate; and what that means is I can provide links for products you can purchase on the internet superstore while earning a small commission for my efforts.  So if you're perhaps interested in picking up your own home video copy of either release highlighted in today's Xenomorphology report, simply click on the links below and you'll be transported to the retailer on my behalf:

AVP: Alien V Predator (2004)

Alien: Romulus (2024)

Otherwise ... thanks for reading, thanks for sharing, thanks for being a fan ... and live long and prosper!

​-- EZ

On this day in 1943 (in the U.S.), the big city of Los Angeles, California played host for the exclusive theatrical premiere of Phantom Of The Opera from Universal Pictures.  Directed by Arthur Lubin and based on the novel by Gaston Leroux, the film starred Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Claude Rains, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"An acid-scarred composer rises from the Paris sewers to boost his favorite opera understudy's career."

For the record:

• To the film's credit, Phantom Of The Opera was a bit of a sensation at the 1944 Academy Awards.  The picture took home two big wins in the categories of 'Best Cinematography - Color' and 'Best Art Direction - Interior Direction - Color' while having to settle for the honor of nominations alone in the categories of 'Best Sound Recording' and 'Best Music, Scoring Of A Musical Picture.'
• Additionally, several releases of the classic film on home video have garnered some positive attention of the Academy Of Science Fiction, Fantasy, And Horror Films.  In 2013 (as an example), an all-new release -- as part of the Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection -- took home the trophy in the category of 'Best DVD / Blu-ray Collection.'  The film was repackaged with other releases (in 2015 and 2024) but had to settle for the honor of nominations alone in the same category.
• At the 2019 Hugo Awards, the film received a Retro Hugo Award nomination in the category of 'Best Dramatic Presentation - Long Form.'

-- EZ
​

Readers, I'm sometimes challenged to come out of my bubble just a wee bit and promote a bit more Science Fiction and Fantasy literature on SciFiHistory.Net.

As I've often explained privately, let me do so publicly once more: fundamentally, SciFiHistory.Net is a one-man-shop.  As such, I have to balance my free time on projects big and small for this space as well as keeping up with my regular livelihood.  Granted, that may seem easy to some; but it's often a daunting prospect.  Like you, I've just not enough hours in the day to contribute everything to the site that I've honestly wanted and planned to do over the years because work like this takes time.  However, when I do have a minute or two, I'm always game for trying something a little else for the readership, so let's do a bit of highlight today on the fantastic words of author Alan E. Nourse.

​Personally, I'm unfamiliar with the guy's library.  His birthdate today was pointed out to me by a reader, so I thought I'd give a glance into what information was available on him out there on the Information Superhighway.  Alas, there's surprisingly little, but I'll try to draw a bit of focus on what I do see and perhaps even suggest a few of his works -- via Amazon.com -- for posterity's sake.

Wikipedia.org reports that Nourse was born on this day back in 1928 in the big city of Des Moines, Iowa.  At some point in his early years, it appears that the family moved to New York as the reference website indicates that he attended high school in Long Island, New York before serving in the U.S. Navy after World War II.  Furthermore, the site indicates that he received a Bachelor Of Science from Rutgers University before concluding his studies with an M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

As so many who inevitably found a willing readership did back in the day, Nourse practiced medicine full-time while using his free time to write both non-fiction and fiction.  Wikipedia.org suggests that he did this chiefly in pursuit of paying off his education; but he must've been suitably bitten by the bug to sling words for a living as that continued to be his profession after retiring from his medical practice.

While what follows will most definitely not be a full accounting of his works, I have combed these references in order to highlight a few of them.  As I'm an Amazon affiliate, I'll also be posting links back to the popular retailor in hopes that those of you interested might purchase a copy of something that catches your eye: I do earn a modest commission on such a practice (simply click on the book title to be transferred over), and I use such funds to keep SciFiHistory.Net afloat.
​

By all accounts, it looks as if 1954's "Trouble On Titan" was his debut as a novelist.  Wikipedia.org cites a good number of short stories and even a few novellas as coming to life before Titan, but -- from all I see -- this appears to have been his big-time debut.

Here's the book's premise as provided by Amazon.com:

​"The tenacious Colonel Benedict and his son, Tuck, are sent to Titan, Saturn’s fifth moon, to investigate reports of smuggling. Soon they discover that the less-than-friendly colony is hiding much more than just a smuggler. Together they dig up a scandalous case of interstellar sabotage and what the colonists reverently refer to as “THE BIG SECRET,” which could destroy Earth’s power supply - forever.

Can the Colonel and Tuck resolve an age-old dispute between the Titan colonists and Earthly authorities before the clock runs out? Mankinds fate depends on it . . ."

Also, Amazon.com has some very favorable reviews regarding the book, including several who admit that reading Nourse's first novel was their introduction to the world of Science Fiction as a whole.  Knowing how nostalgia often feeds into positive and negative experience, the buyers still make it sound like this might be a piece of great entertainment.
​

1958's "Scavengers In Space" looks to have been perhaps a reworking or expansion on something Nourse had penned before.  Wikipedia.org references a novella titled "Gold In The Sky" as the foundation for it but also states that it was published in the same year.

Here's the plot summary as provided by Amazon.com:

"This fast-moving tale of the far future deals with the quest of the Hunter brothers for a mysterious bonanza located somewhere in the asteroid belt. The dangers and details of asteroid mining are carefully outline, and the bonanza itself proves to be and open gate to wider future in the stars.

Realistic background, good plotting and vivid writing add up to a good adventure."

Now, I include this one entirely as a personal preference of my own.

At my advanced age, I've often found greater enjoyment in seeking out and exploring some of a particular author's shorter works.  What it seems like to me is that some writers simply express themselves better when they've limited to some degree with the number of words they use, and novels -- despite usually having more elaborate premises -- sometimes weigh me down with too much unnecessary prose.  But because there's a great collection out there of short stories available from Nourse's lifetime, I thought this one also deserving of mention.  Who knows?  There might be some truly great stuff in there, and you'll never know until you check it out.

Of course, there's a bit more to any writer's catalogue than just a few random citations, but I'd argue that what I've mentioned above seems to be like reasonable starting points for anyone interesting in venturing into deeper waters.  Though I see no citations regarding awards or greater recognition by the publishing or Science Fiction industry, there's also room on a bookshelf -- or in anyone's Kindle -- for something to read on a rainy day.

Yes, keep in mind that purchasing by clicking on any of the picture links above grants SciFiHistory.Net a commission ... and that's something I see as a way of saying thanks for keeping you abreast of the very best in genre entertainment.  So enjoy the fantastic words of Alan E. Nourse at your leisure ...

-- EZ

While the point is controversial, I’ve heard it said that the quintessential werewolf is one of the most uniquely American creations.
 
Now, the whole hubbub surrounding the dispute lies in the fact that a great deal of what’s commonly considered true werewolf lore definitely stretches beyond the shores of America, oft times finding its roots in European myths and even ancient Mesopotamia.  What emerges as being somewhat uniquely American, however, is the fact that it took 1941’s The Wolf Man from Universal Pictures to truly flesh out a great deal of what evolved as theatrical tropes for dealing with the seminal lycan.  Naturally, other countries have since both added to and expanded such cinematic folklore, but the truth remains and even to this day gives me a smile when another storyteller decides to dabble in such dark territory under the light of a full moon.
 
As such, 2025’s Hellcat – an all-new chiller that launches on Shudder this August 14, 2026 – might not come across as the most original of werewolf stories.  For example, the audience isn’t exactly treated to the fully-realized moment wherein our lead character is both bitten (exposed) and transforms into something hungry like the wolf; but writer and director Brock Bodell still manages to deliver something worth watching.  This being the man’s debut behind the camera shows that, minimally, he had enough of a working knowledge of how to convey such visual delicacy on a desperately limited budget.  What he’s completed likely won’t score a lot of points with Horror’s most extreme aficionados – we do like our blood, guts, and special effects – and yet the tale that emerges works strongly enough most of the way … until a last reel ‘twist’ kinda/sorta has the wheels falling off his otherwise efficient car ride – well, trailer-ride, anyway – and that’s the real bloody shame.
 
(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“A woman wakes in the back of a moving camper trailer with a badly infected wound. A voice from the truck towing it tells her they must reach a doctor within the hour or she'll suffer a horrific fate.”
 
Some of the big screen’s best stories rely heavily on a sense of claustrophobia to ratchet up the thrills.
 
Enclosed spaces give us limited range to work with.  There’s an irrepressible tightness to closed and cramped quarters which keep us focused onto only the real estate needed to convey both the big and small moments.  When we’re practically forced into the frame with the characters going through thick and thin, we can’t help but be catapulted psychologically into the middle of the heat.  We can’t look away.  We can’t turn our heads.  Like the players on the screen, there’s nowhere else to look but smack dab in the middle of the action; and – for that most part – that’s what works best in Hellcat.
 
Lena (played by Dakota Gorman) is the typically young American woman whose found herself in the midst of a quarter-life crisis.  Distraught over what seems to be a failed swimming career that very likely might be linked to an unplanned pregnancy, she’s disappeared off-the-grid, taking her merry self out into the Great Outdoors for some serious alone time.  But as the film opens, Lena finds herself waking up locked in a mobile camper; and there are signs that her captor Clive (Todd Terry) might be well off his proverbial rocker in more ways than one.
 
Fundamentally, Hellcat – in its best moments – plays out much like a traditional ‘locked box’ mystery: there’s a main character – our protagonist – who expends a great deal of effort trying to uncover both where she is and precisely how she wound up in such dire straits.  Bodell cleverly peppers her slowly evolving story as flashbacks in such a way that even cast a bit of doubt onto how well she may or may not be remembering things accurately; so once Clive announces that he’s actually racing against time to save her from a fantastical virus that’s quickly heading to her heart, the viewers find themselves forced to take both her and his word for the circumstances despite obvious reservations over many missing details.
 
To her credit, actress Gorman does a well enough job at conveying the terror of her circumstances.  She’s no one physically to act off of inside the locked, road-weary vehicle (to a degree), and her exchanges with Terry are done via an intercom-like set-up.  Though her quieter moments wherein she’s lost in memories trying to decipher the recent past didn’t work as well for me (they rely on some artistic set-ups that, frankly, spoiled these moments because they’re so blatantly staged), she manages to keep the narrative focused when it matters most; and that’s good since we as viewers have nowhere else to turn.
 
Problems arise when Hellcat’s universe requires a bit of expanded mythology to incorporate the fact that Lena’s pregnant, meaning that what’s possibly happening to her might be tied more to that condition than it is the lycanthrope virus.  Yes, there are clear signs that the disease is progressing at a rapid rate; and yet Bodell still peppers the script with small(ish) suggestions, so much so that it kinda/sorta grows easy to see that this genetic progression Lena’s enduring is going to tie into the completed tale in other ways.  Come the closing scenes, we find out just how true that is, though I wonder how many might get a chuckle over the way this ‘transformation’ gets rendered on film with little more than screaming and curious camera trickery.
 
Additionally, there’s a point wherein Bodell almost entirely drops the ‘locked box’ construct, seemingly changes the narrative direction of the entire film from Lena’s perspective to Clive’s.  (There is a significant reason to do this – one that involves what I believe was intended to be a fantastic nod to the world of late-night radio Art Bell’s day behind the microphone – but I won’t spoil it.)  Because Hellcat loosely becomes a two vehicles at this point (snicker snicker), it loses considerable steam: Clive just isn’t as interesting a creation, nor does he ever come across as sympathetically as does his victim, so where this road trip ultimately arrives isn’t quite as spectacular as was its journey.  I know, I know, I know … such is life, right?
 
Sadly, Horror fans expect a bit more than they’re given here.  What begins as suitably inventive and inviting fades away to the somewhat bloated and traditional.  Yes, baggage had shifted in transit, and maybe you thought you had more stowed than what you actually brought.  The ‘creepy’ becomes the ‘conventional.’  Action slows, and effort comes across as a bit silly.  When your script relies on the stereotypical backwoods crooked sheriff who acts like a Deliverance reject to get your film to its fade-to-black methinks a bit more time on the drawing board was needed to make this Hellcat truly purr … much less howl.
 
Hellcat (2025) was produced by Silent Diner Films and Archaea Productions.  According to the supplied press materials, the film will be streaming exclusively on Shudder starting Friday, August 14th.  As for the technical specifications?  While I’m no trained video expert, I can still assure readers that the vast majority of the sights and sounds within are pretty exceptional: there’s some lens trickery (mentioned above) that’s a bit … erm … elementary that could’ve been handled differently.  As for the special features?  As I viewed this one entirely via streaming, there were no special features to consider.
 
Mildly Recommended.
 
As smaller, quieter, and perhaps even more intimate Horror storytelling goes, Hellcat (2025) isn’t a bad film so much as it is an undercooked script bolstered by some sordid visuals and even some modest art-house pretentions.  While writer/director Bodell knows his way around this trailer and has a reasonably talented cast adept at bringing to life his vision, the central story – the rules governing these people and the underlying mythology – didn’t quite work as well as it should have, especially given the fact that, apparently, all it takes to cure a case of lycanthropy is nothing more than getting knocked up.  (A lot of good that does the infected males, Bodell!)  Lastly, its loose finale felt like it could even have been cooked up on-the-spot as the ‘surprise twist’ requires an incredible incident of coincidence, the kind of development that some in the audience might even chortle over.  In Horror, never go out on a laugh.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Shudder provided me with complimentary streaming access to Hellcat (2025) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review.  Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.

​-- EZ

OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS
Who’s killing the sisters of Theta Pi? In Sorority Row, making its 4K debut, the sisters
of Rosman University’s Theta Pi – Cassidy (Briana Evigan), Chugs (Margo
Harshman), Jessica (Leah Pipes), Ellie (Rumer Willis), and Claire (Jamie Chung) – are
committed to staying mum regarding the prank that ended in tragedy for Megan
(Audrina Patridge), one of their own. But when graduation day arrives, so does terror,
as a killer hunts Theta Pi’s sisters one by one. With Carrie Fisher.

Special Features on the 4K +BD + Digital Steelbook:
• Sorority Row in 4K with Dolby Vision® and Dolby Atmos®
• SteelBook art by Vance Kelly

Lionsgate Limited Extras:
• Reconsidering Sorority Row
• The Making of a Queen B***h with Leah Pipes
• Loyal Friends and Untimely Ends: Writing Sorority Row
• Grit and Glamour: The Visual Design of Sorority Row

Legacy Special Features:
• Audio Commentary with Director and Cast
• Sorority Secrets: Stories from the Set
• Killer 101
• Kill Switch
• Deleted Scenes
• Outtakes
• Sorority Pledge
• EPK B-Roll
• Confessional
• Shower Rehearsal
• TV Spot
• Theatrical Trailer
• International Trailer
​
Directed by: Stewart Hendler
Written by: Josh Stolberg & Peter Goldfinger
Produced by: Mike Karz & Darrin Holender
Cast: Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung Audrina Patridge, Margo Harshman, Carrie Fisher
Artist: Chuck Styles
 
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Year of Production: 2008
Title Copyright: Sorority Row © 2009 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Catalog Re-release
Discs: 2 (4K & Blu-ray)
Closed-Captioned: No
Feature Run Time: 101 minutes
Subtitles:  English, Spanish, English SDH
Format: Widescreen (2.40:1) in Dolby Vision®
Audio: English Dolby Atmos, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Audio
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Mystery
​

I've mentioned before that I kinda/sorta missed the whole He-Man craze in its infancy.

You see, I was of a certain age -- high school, then college years -- wherein other pursuits occupied my fertile mind.  Mind you, it wasn't as if I was oblivious to the property.  In fact, I can remember the animated incarnation playing on televisions all around campus, and I was even challenged to give it greater attention by a few of my fraternity brother.  But, as I said, I was already hip-deep in studies and the like, so making time for something completely new and different wasn't in the cards.

Consequently, I kinda/sorta dismissed 1987's theatrical adventure -- Masters Of The Universe -- as a bit of kiddie fare.  Yes, I saw it; and, yes, I stand by those comments as the Gary Goddard-directed effort was a bit of high camp.  (I hope like minds can agree.)  It wasn't as if the movie didn't have its charm -- I loved its production details, and I believe I might be scoring an all-new forthcoming home video release to review in the weeks ahead -- but ... what can I say?  Perhaps the thought of yet one more genre franchise -- in that particular place and time -- just wasn't for me.

Regardless, I'll be thankful that the film introduced me to that universe as well as its cast; and that includes veteran character actor Jon Cypher.  The guy was a pretty familiar face anyway -- a rundown of his IMDB.com profile shows that he was all over the genre map with work in such properties as The Food Of The Gods (1976), The Greatest American Hero, and Knight Rider -- but it was great to see him doing his part for one of the more notable Fantasy flicks from the late 1980's.  Good or bad, Masters Of The Universe resonated with some; and it definitely paved the way for the reincarnation playing in theaters even as I write this.

Alas ... none of us lasts forever; and I noticed the announcement of the actor's passing.

Our warmest prayers are extended to the family, friends, and fans of Mr. Cypher.

May he rest in eternal peace ...

​-- EZ

On this day in 1960 (in Italy), a devious doctor gained an unlikely ally with the theatrical release of My Friend, Dr. Jekyll.  Written (in part) and directed by Marino Girolami, the film starred Ugo Tognazzi, Carlo Croccolo, Raimondo Vianello, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"Professor Fabius has found a way of transferring his personality to another person and he transfers his to the body of Giacinto Floria, a nice teacher in a women's college. Poor Giacinto becomes a sex maniac to the puzzlement of his girlfriend Mafalda."

-- EZ

From Google.com:

My Friend, Dr. Jekyll (1960)

• Release: August 1960 in Italy.

• Genre: Italian comedy and parody.

• Director: Marino Girolami.

• Starring: Ugo Tognazzi and Raimondo Vianello.

• The Plot: A professor uses a machine to switch his personality into a tutor at a women's school, causing chaotic, sex-crazed trouble.​​

(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment.  If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
 
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“Evy Babic, a skeptical paranormal pod-caster caring for her comatose mother, receives disturbing recordings tied to a folkloric threat, and every new file pulls her closer to fears she can no longer explain away.”
 
Folks, I’ve likely spent an unhealthy amount of time watching Undertone (2025).
 
Normally when I screen a new release (or thereabouts), I’ll watch it once, twice if I’ve a physical disc with commentary.  Occasionally, I’ll even give it another spin – depending upon my time commitments and/or whether or not I was intrigued by something specific – but, naturally, all of this revolves around my availability.  Given the fact that this has been a reasonably slow summer, I put off watching a handful of releases until they popped up on streaming: Undertone was one that caught my eye, but I never got to the theaters.  Now that it’s on HBO/MAX I gave it a whirl, and I was uncharacteristically pulled deeper and deeper into its puzzle.
 
On a casual level, one could argue that the story from writer/director Ian Tuason resembles almost anything that’s come to light from M. Night Shyamalan: once you know the ending, it’s challenging to rewatch it because (1) you know where it’s heading and (2) because you know where it ends you may interpret scenes or images or relationships wildly differently.  Now, this isn’t to suggest that Undertone has a big narrative ‘twist’ (as many dub Shyamalan’s efforts); but there’s still a dramatic change that recasts some of what came before, so much so that you’ll likely find some of it as mystifying (in mostly a good way) if reconsidering it.
 
On another level completely, I’m a serious audiophile (or a sort).   Back in my misspent youth, I had dreams of perhaps getting into professional broadcasting – did a stint working at radio station both in high school and college – mostly because I was so intrigued with how sound is used in conveying both advertising and messages.  A great deal of information can be unloaded in just about every sequence of good filmmaking; and Undertone is the kind of thing that film junkies might find themselves gravitating to again and again.  Some of what Tuason accomplishes is laudable, and yet I think there’s a good portion of whatnot piled on solely for what I’ll call ‘creative misdirection.’
 
You see, a good portion of the flick takes place during the recording of a podcast: Evy (played by Nina Kiri) and Justin (Adam DiMarco) reside on separate continents but come together electronically to produce Undertone, an exploration of various off-the-beaten-path examinations of thrillers and chillers which get forwarded to them via their audience.  While he never quite sounds as if he believes the haunts they explore, Justin plays the ‘open to the possibilities’ role mostly while Evy debunks the mysteries with a grounding in rational thinking.  They’re not exactly two sides of the same coin, but for the purposes of entertaining their listenership theirs is an affable partnership.
 
As we join the podcasters on this shared journey, Evy has taken time away from her social life to care for her mother, a comatose woman who is essentially at death’s door.  Still committed to her show and needing a bit of distraction from her somber surroundings, Evy stays awake to the wee hours of the morning in order to confer with Justin over the internet.  It’s at this point that the young man reveals that he’s been forwarded ten cryptic audio files from an anonymous member of their audience; and, together, the two plunge headfirst into a slowly darkening labyrinth which might spell their doom.
 
Essentially, Undertone functions similar to 2002’s The Ring.  In that film, investigators were titillated over a presumably haunted videotape that – once watched – would lead to the viewer’s death seven days later.  While Undertone lacks the open and obvious curse that worked as part of The Ring’s core mythology, I presume audiences here largely suspect that being lead through these increasingly desperate audio clips brings with it some dire existential consequence.  Tuason definitely delivers on that premise – yes, there is a toll to be paid for traveling were one shouldn’t have – and yet the picture can’t quite escape a feeling of nebulousness for those of us who watch closely … and, yes, perhaps we watch too closely.
 
Where the narrative seams rip is with the fact that Evy – an admitted skeptic – is never quite established as a reliable narrator.  For example, we know she’s not sleeping, and we’re treated to several instances wherein even her minor nightmares might be considered the stuff of legend.  We know that she’s presently experiencing emotional highs and lows that go hand-in-hand with providing ‘end of life’ care; and Tuason’s script even suggests that mother and daughter didn’t exactly have a textbook healthy relationship to begin with.  Added even more fuel to the mental flames is the fact that we learn the young woman is pregnant, is struggling with the idea of whether or not to keep the child and is likely enduring some hormonal challenges what with that stress on her already fragile body.
 
Was there even enough room for a spectral curse – one that just happens to involve an entity with proclivities toward unborn children – to unfurl that wouldn’t push her over the edge?
 
Therein lies the problem at Undertone’s core: Tuason never clearly spells out whether there was something truly supernatural going on here or we were only witnessing Evy’s psychological collapse?  Mind you, methinks there’s room enough for either theory to adequately describe what happens here – remember that we’re dealing with everything being cast from the broken young woman’s perspective – but I’m more inclined to believe that something ghostly went down in those closing scenes as opposed to not.  There’s no denying that Evy’s broken come the big finish; and yet I watched this thing quite a few times looking for definitive clues to whether or not she brought it on all herself or some malevolent spirit had his or her way with her psyche.
 
And, dammit, I just don’t know.  I lean one way … but I just don’t know.
 
However, I think Tuason inserted the biggest clue near the opening.  As Undertone comes to life in those moments, we hear Evy singing a popular nursery rhyme to her comatose mother.  Her voice is soft and tenuous in spots, but she musters through the tune, hoping that her mere presence is granting her dear old mom a bit of a reprieve.  (Having myself been in a similar situation with my cancer-stricken stepfather a few years back, I can certain understand the ‘undercurrent’ of these moments, and I can appreciate how delicate they came across.)  Once the title appears – Undertone – the word begins to face until only the first two letters – U and N – are left onscreen, a choice so deliberate I can’t believe it took me a few hours to finally notice.
 
The prefix ‘un’ is one of the language’s most powerful mostly because it reverts the core meaning of damn near anything it gets attached to.  ‘Happy’ because ‘unhappy’ – polar opposites, if ever there were – just as ‘employed’ becomes ‘unemployed.’  Tuason choosing to leave ‘un’ onscreen in the opening moments must mean something; but – like the rest of the picture – I’m UNcertain (when I should be certain) what exactly to make of it.  Is the message here that these moments are actually what caused Evy’s UNdoing?  Or could it be that ‘un’ is hinting that what we’re about to see isn’t faithfully what we think it is?  Has Evy already been broken, and what follows is only her tripped-out interpretation of seemingly related events?
 
Some of this is what happens when audiences are left with nothing more than their own wild speculation, and this is where Undertone fails (or, at least, doesn’t do us any favors).  At times, Justin seems to know more than he’s letting on – he definitely hears things in those original audio files that only an expert doing forensic repair could – and even his cohost expresses frustration with what appears to be a genuine set-up.  There are more arrows that point in a direction of some culpability on his part, but I’d rather leave some of that unspoiled and allow for readers and watchers to make up their mind.  What I do know is that such storytelling always leaves me a bit cold because an inability to provide clear information can be as deliberate as it is symptomatic of bad storytelling, and that’s never a good position from which to spin any yarn.  But … what really happened here?
 
Once more, I have to conclude that, dammit, I just don’t know.
 
Mildly Recommended.
 
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that I’m beholden to no one for my review of Undertone (2025) as I viewed this one via streaming on a platform to which I subscribe.

​-- EZ

On this day in 2017 (in the U.S.), audiences in attendance of the Oceanside International Film Festival -- held in Oceanside, California -- were treated to the theatrical premiere of American Satan.  Written (in part) and directed by Ash Avildsen, the film starred Andy Biersack, Booboo Stewart, Ben Bruce, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"A young rock band, half of its members from England and half from the U.S., drops out of college and moves to the Sunset Strip to chase its dream."

For the record:
To the film's credit, American Satan earned a good deal of praise from screenings on the film festival circuit.

-- EZ
​
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​

On this day in 2024 (in the U.S.), that sterling mecca known as New York City, New York played host for the exclusive theatrical premiere of Stream.  Written (in part) and directed by Michael Leavy, the film starred Jeffrey Combs, Danielle Harris, Dee Wallace, and others. 

​According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the plot summary:

"The Keenan family's simple weekend getaway truly turns into a vacation to die for, as four deranged killers playing a sadistic game lock down their hotel and compete for the most creative murders of all the guests."

-- EZ

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