kannibalcorpsegrinder

Stuck in a remote cabin, a couple hoping to get through the pandemic there while recuperating from his illness at the same time finds her going through a series of ordeals and strange visions, the more she stays there, which starts to eat away at her to the point of allowing a malevolent force inside.

Overall, this was an underwhelming genre effort. The film's at its best when dealing with the harrowing psychological burden of the situation as a whole, stuck in a cabin in the middle of nowhere during the pandemic, meaning that there's little to no help available, and strange things begin happening. From waking up outside after sleepwalking with no memory of how anything happens, a stressful situation with your invalid partner who can't take care of themself, and a series of flashbacks harkening to some kind of unknown entity wandering around the house trying to get at them, there's' a lot to like with this idea that sets them up rather nicely. Even though it all unfolds with the burgeoning realizations made about how the dreams are impacting her, the main setup of this one works rather nicely. With that out of the way, there's not a whole lot going on here, with the film feeling like a repetitive slog going through the same thing over and over again. The setup about whether or not something is going on in the house is fine enough on its own, but when it constantly devolves into a rather one-sided affair without much in the way of how the visions keep affecting her. Very few of them switch things up from the same setup involving her waking up in the middle of the woods after seeing something creepy in her dreams, and it makes the film feel much longer than it really should be as repetitive. The cheap and flimsy setup that moves this along might also be somewhat off-putting, but it's the repetitive nature that does this the most.

Rated Unrated/R: Violence and Language.

Visiting a lavish hotel, a newlywed couple waiting for a boat to take them to a different country to meet his parents find their enigmatic neighbor at the hotel is apparently up to nefarious activities during the trip, and slowly comes to realize the deadly truth behind her visit.

This was a pretty solid and enjoyable genre effort. Among the more likable factors with this one stems from the highly effective and generally enjoyable setup that sets the stage for the elegant Gothic atmosphere to come. Setting the duo up on their honeymoon trip through Europe on their way to the parents' house to meet up and share the news about the situation, the different issues that they began fighting about, and how the arrival at the seemingly empty hotel for their trip manages to set up a rather fun starting point. The idea of their being such issues, including the strained relationship with his mother and their woeful sex life, this early into the relationship puts a fine touch on what's going on as there's a part of them already at odds with each other that it can be teased and tugged on to help split them apart. That comes about incredibly well with the Countess' arrival at the same hotel and the psychological mind-games that start playing out. With the hints and digs at her seducing the husband and the wife separately in the course of her stay, it all brings about different bits of jealousy and resentment that only get brought into the forefront when the Countess' attractive sister is introduced to help pull the husband away further. The fact that this allows for the lesbian seduction to occur not just with scenes of them hanging out together or indulging in their erotic encounters, while continuously bringing up how little she's attracted to him compared to her more elegant interactions. The final half picks up in terms of action and thrills with how the different forces resolve their targets and get everything resolved, and with the fine nudity displayed makes for a fun time here. When it goes beyond these factors, this one does fall slightly flat. The main factor here is the pacing, where the main focus in the first hour on relationship melodrama keeps any real attempt at action off-screen for the most part. Witnessing the two argue with each other and fight over the intentions behind the Countess' interactions with them creates a strong atmosphere, but also doesn't leave a lot of opportunities to get any kind of vampiric action, which is kept to a minimum. Had it been anything like the film's supposed attempt at action with the accidental death in the shower, then it's all for the better, with that being one of the clumsiest and unintentionally awkward scenes in the genre, similar to how everything is wrapped up so these scenes just come across as silly. These are the only factors keeping it down.

Rated R: Full Nudity, Violence, Language, and sex scenes.

Arriving for their honeymoon, a couple trying to enjoy their romantic relationship together are pulled apart when the wife falls under the spell of a mysterious figure rumored to be the descendant of a long-dead countess in the area, and when the true threat is revealed must save his wife's soul.

This was a fairly strong, sleazy Gothic Horror effort. Among the better aspects of this one comes from the impressive central setup that sets everything in motion, with quite a lot to like about it. The fact that this gives us the familiar setup of the married couple looking for a little fun and sleazy antics to take place while on their honeymoon and find themselves getting pulled apart by the influence of the strange figure rumored to be walking the castle grounds means this one can work through some familiar elements. The initial setup allows us to see the nature of their relationship, with him being far more intent on getting her into bed and the reluctance on her end to partake in the activity, puts a big strain on everything they do, creating a perfect environment for the attempts to undermine everything about them so that she can romance and seduce the wife. That this is accomplished through a fantastic retelling of the main novella, involving the seduction attempts going through some familiar ground. Taking the form of someone who's only visible in dreams and nightmares that are dismissed as the realization of frayed nerves doing their job to stress her out, the continued visits and interactions they have together soon become evidence of something happening once the physical indications of something having happened to her become apparent. The nighttime visitations, blood-drinking sessions, and even the murderous inclinations she acts out when they're together provide a lot of fun as well, setting up the plot line rather well to the point that there's something dark and ominous hinted at, leading into the finale when the dreams become real. Getting to see the figure haunting her dreams come to life with the mysterious visitor taking over the relationship brings about a fiery conclusion, and with the film containing the sleazy nudity and cheap gore present in the genre makes for a fun time. There isn't much holding this one down, but it does have a few issues. The main factor with this one is a sluggish tempo in the second half that tends to undo some of the fun first half by keeping the seductive vampire off-screen for most of the segment. By keeping her as a figment of his wife's imagination and sexually-frustrated sentimentalities, and only being brought out quite late in the game, the temptation scenes and other encounters going through the motions of setting everything in motion are repeated often enough to be repetitive and bland. It also means this one rushes through the explanations of everything as they tend to accept what's going on rather quickly, so that there's not much about buying into the situation as being in the slightest realistic, as it doesn't have the time needed to let them buy into the situation. These come together to a point that holds it back just enough overall.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Full Nudity, Language, sex scenes, and children-in-jeopardy.