31 DAYS OF HORROR SCENES THAT STICK. DAY 13: RAVENOUS

“BONE APÉTITE”

If I could spend at least twice a day posting about Antonia bird’s Ravenous without annoying everyone to death, I most assuredly would. I’m really quite unsure as to why her film isn’t talked about in the same way that we talk about maybe a Kathryn Bigelow’s Near Dark, or Sam Raimi's Evil Dead as audacious breakout features. From its offbeat score, to its offbeat off kilter performances to its subject matter, ravenous is truly a unique movie..one of a kind if ever there was one. This scene in the cave is not only my favorite in the film, but is central to what makes this film such a wonderfully world apart film. Robert Carlyle’s uncanny, hair raisingly insane performance, the palpable fear in Jeremy Davies young soldier…that peculiar, unsettling score, the shocking discovery.

this tantrum is from Ravenous...if you could call it a tantrum

It’s representative of all the things that set this film apart from others. In tone, in the beats, and predictability as to exactly where this film is going to go. Antonia bird – in the best way possible – does what I think a lot of provocative filmmakers don’t do well, which is she told a story that provokes you without pretense. And while you will be able to discover new things with each new viewing of this film, you don’t have to watch it a million times to figure out what the hell is going on. Bird delivered a brutal, bloody, character study of cowardice, and power. A film plays with and blends genres, genres that I think are difficult to coalesce and still make a cohesive film. Horror, comedy, a supernatural, psychological thriller, that integrates themes of man versus nature, man vs man, nihilism, survival instinct, and power but doesn’t really set up camp in any of them. It’s beautifully directed, well shot, gripping, and superbly acted from top to bottom. With a pulse dropping score their ratchets up the stakes with every scene. I highly recommend it this Halloween, and again recommend knowing as little as possible going in if you haven’t seen it. Fix your bib, and prepare yourself for a delectable horror feast.