I have never been a fan of horror films, but I have always been a fan of Blumhouse. Blumhouse crafts their films very methodically and approaches horror in a manner that is not exaggerated or overdone, which has always made them stand out in comparison to other movies. When I heard that Blumhouse was collaborating with Amazon Prime to create four new genre-bending films for their “Welcome to the Blumhouse” collection, I was interested in seeing how Blumhouse would keep their quality of filmmaking in the capacity of a different studio. This collaboration had its share of edge-of-your-seat moments, but there were also lackluster moments that left me feeling a bit disappointed and confused.
I had the opportunity to attend a press roundtable with the five directors of the new Blumhouse films. To give credit to Blumhouse, the majority of these directors were people of color making their directorial debut. It was exciting to hear these directors talk about their experiences with Jason Blum as they created their own films.
Directed by Veena Sud, The Lie was a film that left me wanting more. Actress Joey King played the main character, a daughter who killed her friend and left her parents to cover her mess. During the roundtable, Sud explains how The Lie was originally a German film that she adapted to discuss race relations and anti-Muslim sentiment. The film aimed to explain how a Pakistani man could go from being the victim to the perpetrator. While this was a noticeable theme throughout the movie, it did not take up enough of the film for me to feel like I could walk away from the film with a thorough analysis and critique of our society. Although Sud toys with this theme in one scene, the film fails to expand on this discussion any further. Instead, the film centers on a white family and analyzes the actions of an American family and their relationship. While the movie was beautifully crafted and Sud had definitely made some artistically sound choices, overall, the film did not accomplish the message it was aiming to achieve.
Nocturne by Zu Quirke is a film about twin sisters who go to a competitive music high school where they compete for a solo spot in the annual recital. This film was a wonderful watch that incorporated beautiful cinematography with a wonderful storyline. After listening to Quirke talk about her film, I left the roundtable with more insight and understanding of the various themes of the film. Quirke discussed the idea of sacrifice, and how the main character has to deal with sacrifice in her life, whether it be time dedicated to piano practice, her relationship with her sister or her own life. The story explores inner jealousy and, with its incorporation of horror, culminated in a lack of fulfillment with a constant desire for validation from the outside world.
The virtual roundtable held over Zoom was filled with technological difficulties, but it was also full of meaningful conversations about race and gender in the film industry. I appreciated hearing about how Blumhouse fostered an environment to discuss subjects like anti-Muslim sentiment and gave important positions to POC in front of and behind the camera.
“Welcome to the Blumhouse” includes four films: Black Box, The Lie, Evil Eye and Nocturne, with the first two debuting October 6, 2020 and the latter two debuting October 13, 2020. Each of these films can now be viewed on Amazon Prime.