WARNING: This Article Contains Spoilers
Now, I know what you’re all going to think when you reach the end of this article is “how can she talk about North American horror and not cover films from the USA?” Well, put it this way – the majority of the horror films we sit and enjoy at home or in the cinema from this part of the world are usually directly from the USA so I thought I would introduce you all to something different…
Bloodthirsty
From the opening scene, I seriously expected so much more from this film. I was hoping for a Canadian version of Raw (French horror film, if you want to know more – I know where you can find an article about it). Instead, I was presented with what I guess can only be described as part of the monster sub-genre of horror. In my opinion, nothing really happens until maybe 10 minutes from the end in terms of our protagonist, Grey, that is. There’s the obvious reveal that Vaughan Daniels isn’t all that he seems to be, and that’s possibly the best scene of the whole film – no matter how predictable it is.
Animales Humanos (Mexico)
This film falls into what I can only describe as the ‘home invasion’ sub-genre of horror. This usually means that it isn’t particularly terrifying and focuses more suspense than scares. In all honesty, I think The Purge could actually learn a lot from this film because even though you are given all the information, like who the bad guys will ultimately be, it still gradually drags it out until the final 30 minutes – and that’s where things really get intense! To think, all this trouble over the death of a dog – wait, I think I’ve heard that somewhere before…
Side Note: not the ending I expected.
Bite (Canada)
Truthfully, you have to bear with this one a little bit because it takes some time before it actually gets good. However, when it gets good – it’s really good! It’s not exactly an ‘oh my god, that’s scary’ kind of horror but more of a ‘what did I just see?’ kind of horror. I’ll be honest, it’s also one of those where I’m on the side of the antagonist. Obviously, some people will disagree with me when they watch it, we all have our own opinions, but hear me out. Casey kills Jarrad’s mother and Kirsten by accident and in my opinion, Jarrad and Jill deserve what they get! Jill put Casey in a horrifying position in Costa Rica just so that she could end the engagement and if Jarrad truly loved Casey, he wouldn’t have had sex with Jill as soon as he found out that Casey had supposedly cheated on him.
El Amarre
You know what, I’m glad that this film is as short as it is because I was pretty bored for the majority of it. In the beginning, it almost feels like a telenovelas (quick translation Mexican soap opera). Things get a little bit more interesting when the girls kill Daniel but only because two more people die. Outside of that, the haunting of Julieta is pretty dull – he doesn’t move much around other than the housekeys he creepily made himself. The one thing I will say for this film, however, it’s a much better ending than I expected.
Death Trench
This time I think the Canadians actually got it right. Previously it has been a case of gripping opening scene and then a lacklustre plot until 10 minutes from the end. OK, I won’t say this film doesn’t drag in places because it definitely does but it is easier to put up with. The isolation of being underground is assisted by the fact that it’s lit only by torchlight, so you start to think you’re seeing things move when they aren’t. I’ll be honest, when they discover what exactly has been done to the Germans in Trench 11, I felt a little grossed out but it also reminded me of The Strain (a must-watch TV series courtesy of Guillermo Del Toro…which brings me nicely to the last film in the article).
Pan’s Labyrinth
In my opinion I’ve saved the best for last. You can’t talk about North American horror films, more specifically Mexican horror films, without talking about possibly one of the best directors there is – Guillermo Del Toro (no relation to Benicio, I’ve checked…) I think what’s clever about this film, and this is only my opinion of course, is that it really does make you question who the real monsters are. It set during the Second World War and we are faced with the inhumanity that people showed towards each other during this time, crossed with the real monsters. When I saw this for the first time, the creature with the eyes in his hands truly scared me but you realise as the film goes on, no one is more monstrous than the Captain.
