There are a few horror films that, instead of opting for gothic extravaganza, combine a portrayal of ordinary, tedious, working class daily life with (paranormal) terror. Here are some favourites:
THE ENTITY: We may not be raped by an invisible attacker on a regular basis, but we all know the kindly analyst/boyfriend/boss who turns into some kind of psycho-terrorist when the object of his desire/investigation threatens to disappear.
LOVELY MOLLY: Brilliantly quotidien and quite scary. How to not be at home in a familiar place. Really unnerving: the sound design. Almost as sinister: the knitted rug on the sofa.
HENRY – PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER: Nothing paranormal here. In fact everything, even the habitual killings, are sickeningly normal to Henry and his damaged friends.
DARK WATER: Hell can be a staircase. When damp patches in a dismal flat start destroying your soul and stealing your daughter.
MIDNIGHT SON: Being young and lost in a big city. Earning money with mcjobs. Dabbling in art. Having an affair with a junkie. Oh, and being a vampire.
CARNIVAL OF SOULS: It’s hard to choose between the dead and the living. It’s a mad carnival in any case.
- KILL LIST: Could be by Mike Leigh, except of course for the satanists.
