Directors: The Boulet Brothers
Release date: 2025
Contains spoilers
A special for Shudder by the Boulet Brothers, unlike the previous special this was not a sketch show, rather it was an anthology of short films with a portmanteau of Dracmorda and Swanthula getting into the holiday spirit with (a dug up) David Dastmalchian.
The first film was entitled Gaudete and was directed by the Boulet Brothers. It does not mention vampires but it certainly codes that way in the look and actions of the creature (Bonnie Aarons, Jakob’s Wife & Little Bites).
 |
| Aaron Abrams as John |
Judy (Eloisa Huggins) is sat in the kitchen of, what used to be, her grandmother’s house. Grandmother recently passed and her mum (Briana Venskus) is talking to her, but Judy is upset at both her loss and the speed at which they have moved in, noting that Grandmothers’ things are all still there. Meanwhile, her stepfather, John (Aaron Abrams), washes up and makes comment, whilst a flashback shows grandma at the bottom of the stairs and John at the top, intimating he pushed her.
 |
| deep upset |
Judy storms out, it is clear she has no time for her stepfather, and goes to, what amounts to, a shrine to Grandmother. She listens to a musical box and lets out a keening sob (interesting note, the musical box tune is either not diegetic as it plays before she touches or opens it, or she doesn’t notice the supernatural nature of the music from an unopened box. We know it is a musical box due to a note in the box she wrote to grandmother). Mum tries to speak to her again, to no avail, before Judy retires to bed.
 |
| awakening |
Meanwhile, in a crypt a pair of eyes open. Now, by the credits this is grandmother, but I mentioned a creature at the head of the review. Long bat-ears, sunken-grey features, and bald at least at front (with long hair at the back of the skull), she codes very strongly of inhuman vampire. There is a great choir driven piece of music over this as she goes to avenge herself. Again, coding vampire as although there is a kill by ripping a throat out there is also a feeding moment as she worries a neck and turns to camera with a bloody mouth – but that is all we get iro grandmother and the story.
 |
| the hosts |
This works well enough. It broadcasts the story in broad brush and would probably have benefitted with a little longer – in fact that could be said for most of the shorts as the entire special, including portmanteau, is only 40 minutes. That said it is a perfectly serviceable little flick, with a holiday connection as it is set during Christmas. The other segments of the anthology do not contain vampires or vampiric content – though I will say the final animated segment is wonderfully trippy. The score is for the vampire segment, and I found it decent enough but basic in story. 5 out of 10.
The imdb page is here.
On Demand @ Shudder via Amazon US
On Demand @ Shudder via Amazon UK
No comments:
Post a Comment