The Old Ways Deep in the Veracruz jungles, Mexican American journalist Cristina Lopez is held captive by a mysterious bruja, or witch doctor who is convinced she's possessed by a demon. Ultimately her fight for survival becomes one for her soul. Initial release: October 2020 Director: Christopher Alender Languages: English; Spanish Written by: Marcos Gabriel Produced by: Christa Boarini; T. Justin Ross; David Grove Churchill Viste A horror film review by Sam Kurd You know those films where a group of (mostly white) people wander into the jungle and fall foul of the native tribes there, who kidnap and torture them while we the audience are meant to thank goodness we’re safely in ‘civilisation’ and far from such ‘barbaric’ people? Well despite initial appearances, this is definitely not one of those films. The Old Ways is the second feature from director Christopher Alender and screenwriter Marcos Gabriel, who previously collaborated on Memorial Day and… er… Muppets Now. Though this is something of a special effects extravaganza, there are certainly no felt monsters with ping pong ball eyes on display here (though that would be pretty hilarious). Brigitte Kali Canales (Fear the Walking Dead) is Cristina, an investigative reporter who has returned from the States to Veracruz, where she lived as a child, in order to investigate an ancient site called La Boca, rumoured to be cursed. Unfortunately for her she is abducted and held against her will. She’s defiant at first, raging against her captors, pleading for release. Despite her heritage, she doesn’t speak any Spanish – but her cousin Miranda (Andrea Cortés) is there to explain – it seems Cristina may be possessed by an evil spirit, and an exorcism is required to save her soul, whether she wants it or not. Cue a procession of rituals held by a wise woman (Julie Vera), a bruja, attempting to draw out the demon. Cristina starts to see and hear terrible things, but between whatever her captors have given her and the heroin withdrawal she goes through, could all this be pure hallucination? Or is she indeed possessed by a terrible evil? It’s so refreshing to see an exorcism film through a new cultural lens like this. No ‘power of Christ compels you’, no pea soup and sad priests struggling with their faith. Instead we have a woman who has absolute conviction in her faith, practising an art that was handed down to her through the generations since ancient times. And we have a possessee whose broken past and broken connection to her cultural roots left her wide open to desecration by the demon Postekhi, the “death god of broken things”. Perhaps the film doesn’t revolutionise the exorcism subgenre, but it’s a rich tapestry and backdrop to set it against. The acting is mostly great – Canales gets a little wobbly at times during the more introspective parts of her journey, but for the most part she really sells the peril and gives a great physical performance during the rituals. Julie Vera as Luz the Bruja is at once mysterious and aloof but surprisingly tender; you can tell that she feels for the suffering of those she has to help. She and Canales play off each other very well. It’s a tense rollercoaster of a film, swiftly going from toe-curling suspense (the sequence with the snakes had my heart firmly lodged in my mouth!) to spooling out just enough of Cristina’s back story to make us go ‘ok, I see…’ before dropping us into another bout of terror. It looks gorgeous, never drags and even though the ending isn’t exactly unpredictable it’s definitely more than satisfying Oh, and the soundtrack by Lovett is bloody brilliant, I’m listening to it as I write. Ultimately it’s a film about cultural disconnection and alienation, with a lovely dollop of gore and creeptastic creature effects thrown in. If you liked Drag Me to Hell but want to see something a little bit less goofy and a lot less racist (let’s be real, I love me some Drag Me to Hell but it is kind of hella racist), this is the one to go for! TODAY ON THE GINGER NUTS OF HORROR WEBSITE BOOK REVIEW - STRANGE NESTS BY JESSICA MCHUGH THE HEART AND SOUL OF HORROR MOVIE REVIEWS |
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