Image from IMDB
I was not prepared to see Efren Ramirez in a horror film, but I hope he explores this genre more often. It took me a few minutes to get past the images of him in Napoleon Dynamite and Employee of the Month, but loved this performance in this film. Quite frankly, I loved all the acting in this movie. Sonya Eddy (V/H/S/99) and Greg Grunberg (one of those actors who has made appearances in pretty much everything on TV) perfectly depict bumbling, knucklehead cops who are in way over their heads and oblivious to everything The Traveler is trying to warn them about. The characters intended to be funny are hilarious, and the ones meant to be scary are terrifying.
The creature designs, atmosphere, and other effects were stunning and there wasn't a single part of this that I didn't enjoy. While the initial comedic portion threw me for a loop since I wasn't prepared for it, once I adjusted, I thoroughly enjoyed that as well! From the perceived safety of your own home, to urban settings, to the depths of the jungle, there's nowhere to hide. Ripping flesh and monsters crawling through opened portals looked straight out of nightmares, and I can't tell you how hard I cringed in some of these scenes.
One of my favorite themes is touched on in this anthology: the idea that the Earth is a force all on her own, and will ultimately take revenge on those who have done her wrong, either directly or through those who have worshipped her. While it's hard to choose a favorite from all of these incredibly well done segments, this one really crawled under my skin! And while some anthology films struggle with balancing the quality of the main plot point with the quality of the segments, that's definitely not the case here. Every bit of it is gold, in my opinion!
While it may be early in the year, this is already a hot contender for my favorite movie of 2024!
Huge shoutout to the directors (and the work they've been involved with that I also love):
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