'Krampus' (2015) - film review - Part 2

Krampus: The Demon Of Christmas (Folklore Explained)

Mythology & Fiction Explained

Today we take a look at Santa's not so friendly helper, Krampus. The origins of the Krampus legend and the traditions that still take place even today.


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Krampus (film)

Krampus is a 2015 American dark fantasy horror film based on the eponymous character from Austro-Bavarian folklore, written and directed by Michael Dougherty and co-written by Todd Casey and Zach Shields. The film stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Emjay Anthony, Stefania LaVie Owen, and Krista Stadler. It was released in the United States by Universal Pictures on December 4, 2015.


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St. Nicholas and his Krampuses (Germany)

The film opens with the doors first opening up on the morning of "Black Friday." Lots of overt aggression and violence, which set the mood for the film's "in your face" style. Soon after, we are introduced to the very dysfunctional Engel family, and their even more dysfunctional in-laws who are visiting for the three-days leading up to Christmas. Numerous extended family members have a flat-out dislike for one-another, which comes especially well into focus on their first holiday supper. Much of the story revolves around their German-speaking grandmother Omi. In general, the main protagonist is her grandson Max, who still believes in Santa Klaus. The mother is played by Toni Collette, who seems a bit prissy but she can get very intense. She reminds me of Paul Giamatti, with a great "character face." Kathy Bates is in it, playing a super-annoying in-law who wasn't expected to be there. This film would be labeled as "comedy-horror."

After being teased about a letter that we was writing to Santa, Max later tears up the letter and tosses it out the window, which seems to set in motion supernatural events. I suppose that he "put it out there to the universe" a message of the family's extreme negativity and mean spiritedness. Shortly thereafter, a power outage amid a snowstorm signals "party time" for horror fans. The daughter goes out to take a walk, and witnesses the ominous arrival of Krampus amid the dark, gloomy sky and weather. He appears on a nearby roof looking like a large, horned, hoofed, claw bearing, super-creepy long-tongued, chain-clad, demonic Santa Klaus. He does her in and turns her into a snowman.

Once she's assumed missing, the two father characters go out to find her and are attacked by Krampus, although they manage to make it back to the house. This sets the stage for the rest of the film. Slowly the threat brings the family together, and they start to cooperate. At some point it becomes clear that Omi knows of Krampus, and experienced his wrath when she was a child back in a village in a German-speaking country. Eventually she tells the whole family this story, as well as the reason for this occurrence, which was that they had forgotten the spirit of Christmas and about the sacrifice of giving.

The Badalisc (Val Camonica)

What it boils down to is that the family pulls together and shows love and courage by fighting back against Krampus and his dark elves and other evil helpers. Even Kathy Bates' toxic character took action and became one of the best fighters. Although the film didn't actually state it, the basic theme was "evolutionary struggle." At least in the past, if a clan didn't work together and sacrifice for the extended group, then they could possibly all perish. So the lesson is about love and sacrifice. I think this was the one accurate aspect of the Krampus (or similar Alpine deities) legend in the modern sense. So the war was on, and both sides--the Engels and the Krampus gang--suffered casualties.

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Spoiler alert beyond this point!

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The final showdown; Max and Krampus

Finally the family flees the house, but Omi stays behind to face Krampus. It didn't seem to be clear as to why, but when they met face-to-face she seemed to have perished. It didn't show this, perhaps because it may have been too disturbing for very young viewers. Actually it was a rather violent film, but it didn't actually depict the killing of any humans. As the family flees, the Krampus group attacks and one-by-one pulls them under the snow which meant that they had perished. Max finally comes face-to-face with Krampus, and he gives the boy a dark green steel Christmas tree bulb. Max takes back his negative "wish" aloud and throws the bulb back at him... and it sizzles, sinks into the snow, and forms a large hellfire pit. Krampus throws the remaining girl into it, and then Max as well.

The film ends with Max waking up in this bed on Christmas morning; it was just a dream. Everyone is alive and acting like any loving family; entirely different than they had behaved prior. It was all just a lesson, but there was a small surprise ending which I'll not divulge. Again, I though that this horror film was important to review because of the real Alpine folklore attached to it, Krampus has it's origin in the ancient Horned God of European witchcraft, as well as the legend's lesson. At some point in history it merged with Christian themes, with Krampus usually being one of Santa's helpers. Actually, to be truthful, "Santa's thug"; taking care of the bad boys and girls. Of course, that was the Christian makeover.

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'Krampus' (2015) - film review - Part 1

Krampus - Official Trailer (HD)

Legendary

Krampus
DVD and Blu-Ray - http://amzn.to/2ehkhBw
http://www.krampusthefilm.com

Legendary Pictures’ Krampus, a darkly festive tale of a yuletide ghoul, reveals an irreverently twisted side to the holiday.

When his dysfunctional family clashes over the holidays, young Max (Emjay Anthony) is disillusioned and turns his back on Christmas. Little does he know, this lack of festive spirit has unleashed the wrath of Krampus: a demonic force of ancient evil intent on punishing non-believers.

All hell breaks loose as beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own, laying siege to the fractured family’s home and forcing them to fight for each other if they hope to survive.

The horror-comedy also stars Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell, Stefania Lavie Owen and Krista Stadler.

Krampus and his mischievous underlings have been created by the combined efforts of Weta Workshop and Weta Digital, both renowned for their epic work on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies and King Kong, among many others.

Written and directed by Michael Dougherty (Trick ’r Treat), Krampus is co-written by Zach Shields and Todd Casey and produced by Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni, Alex Garcia and Dougherty. The film will be released by Universal Pictures.


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Greeting card from 1900

Krampus

In Central European folklore, Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic figure described as "half-goat, half-demon," who, during the Christmas season, punishes children who have misbehaved, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards the well-behaved with gifts. Krampus is one of the companions of Saint Nicholas in several regions including Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Northern Italy including South Tyrol and the Province of Trento, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The origin of the figure is unclear; some folklorists and anthropologists have postulated it as having pre-Christian origins.

In traditional parades and in such events as the Krampuslauf (English: Krampus run), young men dressed as Krampus participate; such events occur annually in most Alpine towns. Krampus is featured on holiday greeting cards called Krampuskarten.

Origins

The history of the Krampus figure has been theorized as stretching back to pre-Christian Alpine traditions. In a brief article discussing the figure, published in 1958, Maurice Bruce wrote:

There seems to be little doubt as to his true identity for, in no other form is the full regalia of the Horned God of the Witches so well preserved. The birch – apart from its phallic significance – may have a connection with the initiation rites of certain witch-covens; rites which entailed binding and scourging as a form of mock-death. The chains could have been introduced in a Christian attempt to 'bind the Devil' but again they could be a remnant of pagan initiation rites.

Discussing his observations in 1975 while in Irdning, a small town in Styria, anthropologist John J. Honigmann wrote that:

The Saint Nicholas festival we are describing incorporates cultural elements widely distributed in Europe, in some cases going back to pre-Christian times. Nicholas himself became popular in Germany around the eleventh century. The feast dedicated to this patron of children is only one winter occasion in which children are the objects of special attention, others being Martinmas, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, and New Year's Day. Masked devils acting boisterously and making nuisances of themselves are known in Germany since at least the sixteenth century while animal masked devils combining dreadful-comic (schauriglustig) antics appeared in Medieval church plays.

St. Nicholas, Krampus, and other characters in 1910

A large literature, much of it by European folklorists, bears on these subjects. ... Austrians in the community we studied are quite aware of "heathen" elements being blended with Christian elements in the Saint Nicholas customs and in other traditional winter ceremonies. They believe Krampus derives from a pagan supernatural who was assimilated to the Christian devil.

The Krampus figures persisted, and by the 17th century Krampus had been incorporated into Christian winter celebrations by pairing Krampus with St. Nicholas.

Countries of the former Habsburg Empire have largely borrowed the tradition of Krampus accompanying St. Nicholas on 5 December from Austria.

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A Survival of the Proto-European Horned God

Krampus, and his equivalent names in all Alpine countries, is a true ancient Alpine tradition. As covered here in the past, his equivalent in the Val Camonica is called Badalisc from the ancient Camunni language. Obviously this legend has been mixed with Christian themes, as the actual Proto-European god was not to have symbolized "evil," wasn't demonic, etc.. The horns or stags were a symbol of fertility and masculinity.

I wanted to review this film (they're actually working on 'Krampus 3' at this point), because when I was watching it for a second time just prior to Christmas, it occurred to me that Krampus had arrived as something of a Christmas film tradition... or as a "Christmas horror film." It ties into pre-Christian tradition, regional Alpine tradition, and from a mostly Christian perception.

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'Wakefield'; 'The Shallows' - 2 short film reviews

Wakefield Trailer #1 (2017) | Movieclips Trailers

Movieclips Trailers


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Wakefield (2016 film)

....based on the short story of same name by E. L. Doctorow, which was in turn inspired by the 1835 story of the same title by Nathaniel Hawthorne.... this story made for and adapted well into a very different type of film. This is a good film. I suppose different people would have very different reactions to it. In short, it was about a very successful NYC attorney, with a beautiful home and two children in the suburbs, who sort've fell upon the idea to hide out in an attic for at least two or three months.... apparently to watch what occurs. "The plot thickens" as he said as the chaos of his absence began (the character narrates the experience). Basically he and his wife were having some serous social-interaction issues to the point of even questioning each others' character on some level. Since I didn't take any notes, I am unable to delve into that; however that part is complex, and most of the negativity that he may have attached to his wife was from his own false perceptions. For example, he used "jealousy" to arouse himself and had her role play it.... in other words, he planted that seed. Also, he wasn't close to his two young daughters... as he hardly even saw them.

At certain points, I thought of him at merely a very well-to-do guy who wanted some type of chaos or excitement. However it came about, he goes through a spiritual awakening. If even just through the pragmatic activity of his newfound existence (ex. eating from garbage containers), he embraces an element of piety. His initial encounter with raccoons symbolizes his new reality; his new unkempt beard almost seems to symbolize that he's living like an animal or that he's living like a raccoon. With that, he experiences a different type of freedom. Scenes showing his workplace of a downtown in NYC in relation to his home, which appears almost rural-suburban was not lost upon me... and may have symbolized something. Maybe that he went from the king of the downtown skyline to living like a raccoon... or getting back to nature... back to simpler things. He took a train to work, which also seemed to imply that his home may have been forty or fifty miles away... from skyline to treeline.

At some point he's discovered by two developmentally disabled teens or young adults who were living next door to him. He befriends them, and has some fun and laughs with them. Prior to that, he felt animosity towards the neighbor who was sponsoring them; in other words, he may well have thought of them as unworthy of his time. However now he was enjoying their simple friendship; very different from the cutthroat relationships that he engaged in downtown. He saw the comparative innocence in their nature and valued it. He told them to keep quiet about him living there, and they did. Later, he asked them not to come around as it was getting too risky for him. However, soon he was feeling ill and was hungry.. and they brought him food. He was moved by their kindness.

He observes all of the goings-on from the circular top story window (symbolizing a "portal," at times glowing in the dark room) of the family's garage unit across the street, which seems to have been on the third floor. So he was socially very far from his hub in downtown NYC, and even far enough away from the home unit to observe in private. There's one point where he is walking along at night amid the tall trees, with bright street lamps shining magnificently around them, and he says "I never left my family. I left myself. Unshackled, I will become the Howard Wakefield I was meant to be." In a roundabout way, life, responsibilities, and pressure in a big city can be like wearing shackles. Everything is about the politic... people don't really even know themselves. He mentions at one point that he was seeing his children more than he ever had before, and finally he sees his wife rejecting the advances of one adversarial colleague of his... and she never does cheat on him.

At one point he says that he loves his wife much more "now".. than he ever had before. Many didn't like the ending, which leaves it up to the imagination. Bryan Cranston plays Howard Wakefield, and is a very good actor; and Jennifer Garner plays his wife Diana Wakefield, and is a good actress when she's not talking baby-talk in Capital One commercials. As far as wondering what finally occurred, I wonder if it was something like what transformed in the film "Regarding Henry', where a jerk attorney was shot in the head and had to start over again.. and became a different person, then loved by his young daughter whom he has been distant. Also, I love the concept of mood-changing different comparative environments; the films 'Copland' and 'Unfaithful' come to mind.






THE SHALLOWS - Official Trailer #2 (HD)

Sony Pictures Entertainment

In the taut thriller The Shallows, when Nancy (Blake Lively) is surfing on a secluded beach, she finds herself on the feeding ground of a great white shark. Though she is stranded only 200 yards from shore, survival proves to be the ultimate test of wills, requiring all of Nancy's ingenuity, resourcefulness, and fortitude.


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The Shallows (2016 film)

'The Shallows' is a survival thriller, maybe not as deep as others that come to mind for me--such as 'Jeremiah Johnson', 'Jaws' or 'The Edge'--but I liked it. Blake Lively plays the part of a medical student who is taking a trip by herself down to Baja California (actually filmed in Australia) to surf; to the same secluded beach that her recently passed-away mother had visited when she was pregnant with her. So it starts with a life-transforming experience that soon becomes explicitly so. There's more to her personal life that more defines why this trip is important to her; mostly revolving around the fact that she was very affected by her mother's death.

This was an interesting role for Lively because clearly this woman has a certain energy to her; much more than being pretty or sexy, Blake Lively is just plain cool.. without even trying. Years ago an older man said to me that he thought Burt Reynolds was the only cool person in Hollywood; I would suggest now that Blake Lively is the only cool person in Hollywood. Often that doesn't translate well to this type of role beyond mixing danger with sex appeal for box office success. However, I think she did a very good job here. This was a very brutal film that keeps one at the edge of their seat through a large part of it. One interesting nuance is the presence of a small injured sea gull, whom she befriends while stranded on a rock... and even pushes its wing back into its socket. I don't want to give too much away since it would take away from the thrill of the film.

The film, although some aspects of it may be something of a stretch, brought out the brutal side of nature. Several weeks ago I was watching one of those white butterflies out the window, which to me represent a certain serenity.... then abruptly a small bird took off after it; eventually catching it and landing on a tree branch to finish the meal.... brutal. The movie has lots of blood and death, but delivered in a slow methodical manner. I think just the above description from the trailer says it all. Just like the massive Kodiak bear from 'The Edge', this Great White Shark symbolizes the brutal side of nature... and was literally a "monster."

There are also some frantic moments where she must endure and treat severe injury, so it gets rather intense. The ending scene is in some way, similar to the ending scene in 'Jaws'... you remember... "I used to hate the water"....... "I can't imagine why"...... danger over, back to nature's tranquility. Also, the protagonist's easy nature in such sharp contrast with this killing machine.

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'Wild' - 2014 film review

Wild Official Trailer #1 (2014) - Reese Witherspoon Movie HD

Movieclips Trailers


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'Wild' (2014 film)

Wild is a 2014 American biographical adventure drama film directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. The screenplay by Nick Hornby is based on Cheryl Strayed's 2012 memoir Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. The film stars Reese Witherspoon as Strayed, alongside Laura Dern (as Strayed's mother), with Thomas Sadoski, Michiel Huisman and Gaby Hoffmann among several others in supporting roles. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 29, 2014, and was released theatrically on December 3, 2014, in North America.

Wild opened to positive critical reviews, with much praise going toward the performances of Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. Both actresses received Academy Award nominations for their performances, in the categories of Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively.


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First off, I wanted to add a couple of postings by YouTube users regarding some people comparing 'Wild' with the 2007 film 'Into the Wild'.'Wild' made it crystal clear as to what what Cheryl Strayed's motivations were, while I didn't think that 'Into the Wild' ever really made it clear what Chris McCandless's motivation and reasoning was. It was more like an obsession at some point. Did he really believe that he was going to survive an Alaskan winter outside? Cheryl Strayed stayed within her limits, and stayed focused on conquering her demons. I just thought that the two films were sort've like apples and oranges.

Wow, I'm very disappointed in some of these comments reflecting people's belief that this movie is just a rip-off of Into the Wild. They are completely different movies, and each is excellent in its own way. Into the Wild is a movie about a kid who graduated from Emory University as a successful student and athlete, but decided to donate all of his material possessions to charity and live in the wild to find spiritual awakening. The entire premise of the movie, however, is that despite the spiritual awareness he finds in the wilderness, he identifies that happiness can best be cultivated with others, not alone. Wild is the story of Cheryl Strayed, who after the death of her mother and spending years of risky behavior, decides to make the bold decision of walking the PCT trail on the west coast. She does this for a number of reasons––to heal, to find herself again, to reflect, to live. Flashbacks permeate the film, telling the story of the relationship between Sheryl and the people who have populated her life. It is a movie about redemption, reflection, and adversity. While I understand the outward appearance of significant similarities between the movies, the thematic elements of both are quite different. -- Matt Clark

Jesus...A lot of douchebag guys trash talking this movie saying this is a feminist look of 2007 "Into the Wild."  I never watched "Into the Wild" to begin with.  But I just recently watched this movie, and I gotta say it has a lot of depth to it.  I never witnessed anything like this story.  It was gritty, heart wrenching, a real tearjerker.  But there were moments sentimentality and intimacy that warmed my heart.  This movie is a masterpiece beyond belief.  I watched it solely on the reviews it has been getting as of recent.  I knew it was going to be good, but I never knew it was going to be great.  I recommend everyone to really watch it.  Everyone can learn from it, young and old.  That's why I truly rank it high in my list of my favorite movies. -- Life According to Cerizo


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I hate to be knit-picky, but I didn't really like the opening scene, which only seemed to confuse the viewer a bit as it jumped ahead to a later point of the story. It didn't seem to have any point, except maybe to make clear that this wasn't just be a serene walk through the woods amid the bees and the trees. The Pacific Crest Trail is a long distance hiking trail from the Mexican border to the Canadian border through the three western states; 2,659 miles. The films' starting point was at the beginning of the trail in the Mohave Desert. It's a harsh way to start off. There were many small struggles all throughout. For example, her backpack initially seemed nearly as big and heavy as she was.

Throughout the film, she has flashbacks about her recently deceased mother and about her past mistakes; an apparent attempt to conquer her demons. The films' soundtrack was memorable and applicable to the story. A prominent song featured throughout the film is the Simon & Garfunkel cover "El Cóndor Pasa (If I Could)", which was used primarily to evoke Cheryl's memory of her mother. Jacobs explained, "This isn't about reality. This is about keeping the essence of the mother there."

Like any great endeavor, there are some early rough times; marked by "Day 1".... "Day 2".... She was very alone, which was probably necessary for the spiritual part of it at least. There was a concept of "becoming humble" about ones life and experiences; almost like becoming child like and taking baby steps. Learning to appreciate the small things again. However, not humble as in pious or unempowered. It is indeed very humbling for a person to acknowledge past mistakes and negative patterns of behavior. I thought Reese Witherspoon did a good job without being like too cutsy.

While still in the desert, at twilight one evening, she heard coyotes howling. She listened for a minute and howled along with them a couple of times. It seemed like an early spiritual and psychological acclimating to the harsh environment. Then she finally got out of the desert... now there's some symbolism. She entered a forested region and finally made it to the first stopover camp! 'The Air That I Breathe' by The Hollies was perfect! Just making it to the first stopover was very important. There was a small celebration as the more experienced hikers cheered the arrival of the clearly green hiker. This may have been a small thing, but it was important as an affirming moment. This was a person with some bad life patterns, so this was a real first step in a metaphysical and neurological transformation. A small victory.

Most of the flashbacks were about her relationship with her mother, and eventually her heath struggles with cancer. Ultimately she had to deal with her mother's death within those flashbacks and at the present. There was one extremely harsh scene where she came to visit her mother in the hospital, and found out that her mother had donated her eyes so someone else could see. Despite the incredible generosity of that act; it was still easy to see why Cheryl Strayed was upset. It made you feel closer to the character/real person. Of course, her mother knew that she wasn't going to survive. An amazing act of selflessness and sacrifice.

At one point was the hobo scene. It must have really happened, but it was presented as silly and I guess it allowed for some comic relief. A traveling journalist took her photograph as he was entirely convinced that she was a traveling hobo, and left her with a hobo kit... a bag with a few supplies. The soundtrack generated hope amid her struggle, at least as far as the film was concerned. This is a difficult film to review because it's a sum of all of it's small parts.

At one point along the trail, she met a woman whom she visited with, and said the following:

There's a sunrise and a sunset every day, and you can choose to be there for it. You can put yourself in the way of beauty."

Despite that there were some positive male characters, including her ex-husband whom she had failed, there were consistent issues dealing with misogyny throughout the film. The long hike itself, served as a practical, spiritual, and physical ritual... dealing with troubling past issues, present transformation, and working towards a greater destiny. It was about conquering her fears. One bad memory was her regressing when her horse had to be put down. She said at one point that if and when she completes the hike, she will still be left homeless with no resources. As she closed in towards the last stretch of the trail, she met a woman and her young son. The boy sung a song for her, which made her cry. Maybe the earlier predatory males represented the struggle... and the boy represented the childlike hope for redemption.

The film ended with her finally making it to a point called the Bridge of the Gods, which separates Oregon and Washington. I don't think this was the ending point, but I believe that it was just assumed that there wasn't anything that was going to stop her now. There were some final words and a final song. I think that this excellent film was more of a sum of it's small parts, rather than a dramatic ending. She was redeemed. Just like another film about redemption called 'South Central', the change must come from within. If a person is still the same, even money and resources probably won't help them.


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Hikers and surfers

When I have been in places like South Lake Tahoe, I've observed that many of the hikers seem almost like surfers, or even snowboarders, in terms of personality and outlook. If snowboarders are surfers of the snow, then maybe hikers are surfers of the land, forests, or mountains. The 1991 film 'Point Break' really touches upon the mindset and spirituality of surfers. While a surfer is chasing the rush of the ultimate wave, a hiker probably has more small rushes; such as, having to deal with a nearby bear for awhile, or making it to a high point on a mountain.


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Interstellar

I've watch numerous films over the last few months, but I can't review them all. Even if I wanted to make mention of some of them with the related subjects, it's too easy to forget the more finite points. I've watched 'Prometheus' (2012), 'Interstellar' (2014), 'The Martian' (2015), 'Oblivion' (2013), and others. 'Interstellar' really stands out. I suspect that it touches upon the manner in which the metaphysical world--in how it relates to us--really works. It's considered on of the top 100 all-time best movies.


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Watch 'Wild' for free

The full movie is available for free at the following link:
Wild (2014) Movie - Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern
Surprisingly, this has been available since January 2017. Many forgotten films from the 70s, for example, are closely guarded by copyrights on YouTube



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'Viking: The Berserkers' 2014 film review

Viking: The Berserkers - Official Trailer [HD]

Tornado Films

"The Viking Hunger Games!" When a clan of Viking 'Berserker' warriors terrorise Saxon youths in a ritualistic manhunt, the youths must fight back!


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‘Viking: The Berserkers’ - 2014 film

In Dark Ages Britain a group of five young Saxons are captured by a clan of fearsome Viking warriors and used as prey in a ritualistic manhunt. High on a potion that turns them berserk the brutal hunters are soon on the scent of the terrified youngsters in a desperate battle for survival. Against long odds, the captors fight back and the hunted become the hunters.

There are so many films about Romans and Vikings, Romans and Vikings, Vikings and Romans…. that I may have to be more selective in which I review. I review the Roman-themed films at the other blog. This film effort was a little different, and would hold up fairly well to ‘Valhalla Rising’, and worth a review. It was at the least, eerie, brutal, and gripping. The film opens with the words Viking Britain 835AD. Most portrayals of the Vikings tend to be negative; however here they are truly shown as brutal murdering sadists. Actually, these were a warrior subgrouping called the Berserkers.

The first scene shows what is described as a rural Saxon family whose mother had been murdered by the invading Vikings, or Berserkers, and the father was merely trying to protect what was left of his family; keeping them away from towns and open trade routes. He is soon murdered by a Berserker ambush. His sons, including a young man named Wade, are captured and taken to a holding pen at their camp.

The entire film is set amid a gloomy foreboding landscape; I assume filmed somewhere in the UK. There’s an obvious British-bias here, but it’s just a movie right? Actually the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes were Teutonic tribes which had invaded the British Isles, and they were originally from what is today northern Germany, Denmark, and Scandinavia. The idea that,--as the DVD jacket stated--"the peaceful times of Saxon Britain have been shattered by the invasion of Viking forces” is at least somewhat deceptive. Those earlier Teutonic invaders were very similar to the Vikings. Also, the Christians are shown to be very peaceful; but actually they had run an aggressive campaign against the Vikings and others who would not submit to the Christian faith. For example, cutting them off from established trading centers.

The Berserkers chose five young individuals from the holding pen, I think three men and two women, and released them into the wilderness to be hunted down. This apparently was a rite to Odin, as the high priestess called The Volva administered this blood ritual. She said to Wade before he was released: “You have fire in your blood. Odin will feast upon your soul.” As the chosen victims were trying  to escape as far as they could get, the Berserkers painted their faces white (later to add blood) as the wicked-looking Volva chanted. They ingested some type of drug substance which put them into a frenzy… growling, foaming at the mouth, and barking at the moon!

Spoiler alert beyond this point!!

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As each victim was brutally killed, their hearts were cut out and taken back to the Volva. It wasn’t always clear as to the intentions of the various characters, but that added to this unpredictable melee. At one point as one the victims was dying, they left some advice to her fellow prey:

“To beat the wolf, you have to become the wolf.”

The Berserkers were presented as like wild animals, roaring and looking into the eyes of their victims as they cut their hearts out; all the while continuing to take more of the drug substance and snarling like wolves. They were like werewolves.

I think this was the type of film that is worth at least one viewing in the same way as a good B horror flick. It’s different and keeps your attention. Of course, it portrays Asatru in a negative light; “the devils of the north” as the protagonist Wade put it. Well, someone's got to play the bad guys. There’s also an interesting theme at the end about life, nature, and evolutionary struggle.

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'Gods of Egypt' (2016) - movie review

Gods of Egypt

Gods of Egypt is a 2016 English-language fantasy film directed by Alex Proyas and featuring ancient Egyptian deities. It stars Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Brenton Thwaites, Chadwick Boseman, Élodie Yung, Courtney Eaton, Rufus Sewell, Gerard Butler and Geoffrey Rush. The film portrays a mortal Egyptian hero who partners with the Egyptian god Horus to save the world from Set and rescue his love.

Filming took place in Australia under the American studio Summit Entertainment. While the film's production budget was $140 million, the parent company Lionsgate's financial exposure was less than $10 million due to tax incentives and pre-sales. The Australian government provided a tax credit for 46% of the film's budget. When Lionsgate began promoting the film in November 2015, it received backlash for its predominantly white cast playing Egyptian deities. In response, Lionsgate and director Proyas apologized for ethnically inaccurate casting.

This is a fantasy film based on Egyptian mythology, with a heavy emphasis on the ancient Egyptian creation myth. There were three planes of existence: the earthly plane, the plane of the "gods," and the afterlife plane. It wasn't like the Greeks gods of film, looking over the affairs of humans; as some of the "gods" (male and female) here lived and ruled among humans. They were taller with superhuman powers, could morph into their individual mythological "stereotype" so to speak (jackal, hawk, etc.), can live a thousand years, and could transcend both the earthly plane and the plane of the gods. They could, however, be killed. Being supermen and superwomen, there was a powerful intended sexual undercurrent despite the film being appropriate for the entire family.

The film begins with a moving overhead shot that looked almost like a modern city with pyramids, temples, and palm trees. It quickly introduces the two protagonists: the youthful god Horus whose father Osiris is the King of Egypt, and the boyish young adult Bek. The god Horus has a slight attitude in the apparent process of finding himself, while the commoner Bek is energetically bouncing off of walls. Horus' love interest is Hather, the goddess of love; while Bek's love interest is young Zaya. Without giving away too much, Osiris' evil brother Set, played by zealous actor Gerard Butler of '300' fame, conducts a coup and takes over the nation.

When Horus attempts to stop Set, Set removes his eyes. However, those "eyes"--looking like glowing blue diamonds, are really more like stealing his high-tech device... they can be "put back." Every god and goddess has one of two such super "devices" specialized more specifically for them as individuals. This movie mixed high technology with an almost futuristic appearance, with the backdrop of ancient Egyptian style (landscape, architecture, dress). Bek steals the eye device, and soon teams up with Horus, and that's basically the gist of the movie. It's very fast paced, with many different computer generated scenes that make this a difficult movie to review if one wanted to sift through every scene and character. It's basically Set vs. Horace. Since I didn't give away anything beyond the first ten of fifteen minutes, I don't think I spoiled anything.

There are many other characters, such as the chief god Ra, which is Horus' grandfather. Set had already killed Osiris. Thoth is prominently featured. This was very much a fantasy movie, not so much because it was "fantasy"... but lets just say that it's very fast paced with many moving parts. The two protagonists grow on you as the movie goes on, and by the end become sort've a mutual-admiration-society.

Two apparently fantasy monuments depicted in this film caught my neopagan eye. One was a very tall proportionately slender obelisk-like temple, maybe darker in color, with a base that curved out wider. I couldn't find an image of it, but it struck me as an impressive design. The other was a relatively small, open, circular, sun symbol monument.... shown up on the first image here. It was depicted on the top a mountain, with the sun's rays blasting upon it from an upward facing angle. That's struck me as impressive.

One touchy issue, which apparently this film was not able to avoid, was the "race and ancient Egypt" thing. Since so many sides want "their way," and because there were different racial/ethnic factions in ancient Egyptian history, this would be a whole posting that I don't want to do. Why was it just sort've okay for Thor's father to be Black in film? Anyway, there were different races shown in the movie, both as gods and humans. The two protagonists were played by men of European ancestry, and their romantic interests were played by mixed European/Asian women who looked like the exotic fantasy perception of "Cleopatra-types."




Gods of Egypt Official Trailer #1 (2016) - Gerard Butler, Brenton Thwaites Movie HD

Movieclips Trailers




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'The Wicker Tree' (movie review)

'The Wicker Tree' is a sequel to 'The Wicker Man', as well as part two in The Wicker Man film series from the UK. This 2011 film was written and directed by Robin Hardy, who directed the original classic in 1973.

This movie followed the same basic plot as the original---as well as the 2006 remake---with people being carefully set up and lured to a location, all having something to do with modern "paganism." This was a great idea for a film, but not a very good film.

This film, set in lower Scotland, lacked any alluring elements. The locations, the scenes, the characters, or even the pagans themselves... all lacked any mystery to them. The wonderful coastal Isle of Man location of the original had all of those aspects and more. The music, although promoted as a big part of this production, lacked the mysterious pagan spirit of the original; and even the sexual expressions, although overt, were bland and pointless.

I'm not just trashing a sequel for not living up to the original, as I did like the 2006 remake just on its own merit. In the original, there was at least a certain "pagan charm" and purpose to everything. Although hiding a dark side, the pagans did have a culture and values. In 'The Wicker Tree', they were portrayed as sex nuts.. without values, without morals, without any charm, without even good symbolism. I read something, which may or may not be true, that suggested that Robin Hardy wasn't amused that some pagans today and since the original... actually see that movie as like "a cult following." Perhaps this movie was his way of "making it right with God" in a Christian sense?

Sir Lachlan Morrison (Graham McTavish), who headed the pagan village, was portrayed as what was apparently something of a corporate "eco-terrorist." Although I ignored any concept of "pagan defamation" from the get-go, I think I can say with certainly that no true pagan would be an environmental abuser. I thought that was a little much.

The protagonists were Christian "redeemers" from Texas, there to convert the "heathens" of as least this little corner of Scotland. Therefore, the film certainly had a powerful plot in which to play out the "Christian vs. Heathen" theme. However, missing was the intrigue and terror in even "the setting up" process! There was nothing interesting or different about the folks in this village outside of being "rural" and a bit aloof.

Just for the record, the film described this fictional pagan tradition as "the old religion of the Celts," and the the ceremony as "the Queen of the May." The original 'The Wicker Man' was reviewed on this blog here.

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Equinox (1970)

While on the subject of movies, yesterday I saw a movie that I hadn't seen since I was very young called 'Equinox'. I saw it on the old "Creature Features" in the Bay Area. When I happened to see it in the listing on Turner Classic Movies, I expected it to be in black and white, as I saw it on a black and white tv in the late 70s. For a movie which was produced for only $6,000, I thought it turned out well. It was produced by some college students, and filmed over a three year period, and eventually picked up by Janus Films. It was a B-horror movie, but a very special B-horror movie. It was bold without overdoing it, and the special effects weren't bad at all. While watching it, I thought that this must have influenced the "Evil Dead" movies.. and apparently it did.



Equinox (also known as The Equinox... A Journey into the Supernatural, and released on home video as The Beast) is a 1970 American independent horror film directed by Dennis Muren and Jack Woods, and starring Edward Connell, Barbara Hewitt, Frank Bonner, and award-winning science fiction/horror writer Fritz Leiber. The plot focuses on four teenagers having a picnic in the canyons of California who stumble upon an ancient book containing secrets of a strange world that exists alongside humans, and consequently unleash a plethora of evil creatures and monsters.

Some interesting hard-to-find information on any film can be found on the movie reviews on the Internet Movie Database. One reviewer from Finland apparently had the same experience as I did.

If you saw this film when you were in your teens then you are in luck, for you will think it was a wonderful curiosity. For so many years, the film stayed inside my head and I wondered what ever became of it. Finally, it was on cable one night and I managed to see it all over again. Of course, being older, one is more likely to dismiss it as 'amateurish' but it really is a special kind of film. The premise deals with a lost book of the dead called the "Necrominicon" and how it suddenly effects a group of students out for a picnic in a backwoods forest. They encounter an eerie park ranger who wants the book back for his own sinister ends. Also included are plenty of monsters that are really quite good for the time and the budget involved. Take a look at the flying demon, even though you can see the wires on the wings, he's still pretty evil looking. This isn't really 'bad' at all and doesn't deserve to be on any banal shows that exploit that realm. It is a great little horror film done with patience and wit.
--Bartok Kinski, IMDb reviewer, Finland 

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'Valhalla Rising' movie review

'Valhalla Rising' Wikipedia page (2009 film)

Valhalla Rising is a 2009 English-language film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, starring Mads Mikkelsen. The film takes place in 1000 AD and follows a Norse warrior named One-Eye and a boy as they travel with a band of Christian Crusaders in pursuit of a Crusade. Instead, they find themselves in an unknown and unfamiliar land. The film was shot entirely in Scotland. Title is derived from the combination of Kenneth Anger's 'Scorpio Rising' and 'Lucifer Rising' with a Viking-theme.

At the beginning of the movie, there is the following text:



IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS
ONLY MAN AND NATURE

MEN CAME BEARING CROSSES
AND DROVE THE HEATHEN

TO THE FRINGES OF THE EARTH

This text suggests an Odinic theme. The "fringes of the Earth" meant Scandinavia. Recent Viking depictions on film look more Gaulish to me; maybe that's just how I perceive it. Anyway, according to Norse mythology, Odin sacrificed one of his eyes in order to gain the "Wisdom of the Ages." In addition, In a sacrifice to himself, the highest of the gods, he was hanged from the world tree Yggdrasil for nine days and nights, pierced by his own spear, in order to learn the wisdom that would give him power in the nine worlds (from the Odin Wikipedia page). The main character, One-Eye, was missing this left eye which is the same eye that Odin is depicted as missing. Also, at the beginning of the film, One-Eye is in chains or tied with rope. This suggests that One-Eye is an allegory for Odin; and he is consistently shown as having visions of future happenings.

Throughout the movie, a clear but subtle "Christian vs. Heathen" theme plays itself out. One Heathen early on says about Christians "They eat their own god, eat his flesh, drink his blood, abominable." The landscape of Scandinavia is shown to be very harsh, dark, misty, and foreboding. After achieving his freedom, he and his followers hook up with Norse Christian warriors who had just slaughtered a clan of Heathens. They are on their way to the Holy Land, Jerusalem, to fight for the Crusades. Although One-Eye does not speak, he seems to be a Heathen who slowly takes everyone to "Hell," which to me meant back to Heathen-style "evolutionary struggle."

According to the book 'Creed of Iron': The Aryan God Wotan is known to have sacrificed his left eye in the Well of Mimir to attain great knowledge, to split the veil of light into the knowledge of the infinite dark. This is all highly arcane and symbolic. The left eye represents the circular moon, the right eye, the circular sun. In the movie, One-Eye is so brutal and ruthless at times that I'm almost thinking that with his left eye gone (feminine energy), he is--symbolically-speaking--out of balance with only his right eye (masculine energy). Christianity, if you study it's Astrotheologic origins, is heavily "male energy," yet they are up against the Heathen One-Eye with perhaps the same energy unbalance.

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Spoiler alert beyond this point!

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When they finally make it out of a long, dark, foggy abyss, they find themselves in fresh inland waters; amid a land of mountains, lakes, and forests. They now believe that they're in Jerusalem; and I can't help but think that One-Eye, the symbolic "Odin," has somehow lured them to this place to teach them once-and-for-all about real evolutionary struggle... Heathen style! One-Eye symbolically marks this place by stacking stones by the waters. The new land seems to have some strange affects upon all of them. The ruthless leader of this band of Christian Crusaders stabs his longtime friend when he feels that he has betrayed him by following One-Eye... then proclaims "Only men of faith deserve the riches of my new Jerusalem."

At the end, after facing off against the Christians, One-Eye sacrifices himself to a tribe of Mongol warriors in order to save the young boy who has served him throughout the movie. Now, could that be symbolic of a "Christ-like figure?" Finally, there appears to be symbolism of One-Eye moving on to Valhalla. I found it interesting to try to pick up on the movie's symbolism; then later read narrative of the "five parts" or acts of the film to see how close I was or wasn't.

3-4-14 Addition: It has come to my attention that they had sailed--not eastward--but westward to North America. So then the final part of the movie was probably somewhere in what is today Canada, and the Mongol warriors were actually Amerindians.

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