Category: Streaming

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Paranormal Farm director Carl Medland returns with AIDEN, a sci-fi mystery that addresses real-life topics

Carl Medland is no stranger to surreal cinema. The British filmmaker and actor has made a career out of creating psychologically unnerving films aimed at pushing boundaries. 2017’s Paranormal Farm featured Medland as a documentarian exploring the disappearance of a woman on a rural farm. Shot in the found footage vérité-style of The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Farm mixed its mystery plot with the supernatural, black comedy, and folk horror-inspired cultism.

Carl Medland in Paranormal Farm, 2017
Carl Medland in Paranormal Farm (2017)

Medland followed-up Paranormal Farm with 2018’s The Spiritualist, which dealt with the spiritual world and the idea of possibly contacting loved ones who’ve died, and the repercussions of such an act. That same year also saw the release of Paranormal Farm 2: Closer to the Truth, a meta-heavy sequel that flipped the rug on audiences by suggesting the first movie was in fact just a movie and its characters were all in on the joke, but with dire consequences. Paranormal Farm 3: Halloween followed a year later and concluded the found footage trilogy with a bang.

Medland returns this year with Aiden, a sci-fi-infused psychological drama that tackles abusive relationships within same-sex couples, toxic masculinity, hyperarousal, and post traumatic stress disorder. Collaborating with his long-time filmmaking partner, Mumtaz (Taz) Yildirimlar, Medland directs and stars in Aiden as the title character, who’s recent separation from an abusive relationship with an obsessive man named Ivan (Ivan Alexiev) has forced Aiden to participate in a rural experimental therapy program. Operated by the mysterious Dr. Williams (Darren Earl Williams), the isolation at first appeals to Aiden, until strange noises at night and the feeling of being watched set in.

Ivan Alexiev in Aiden (2024)

As with Paranormal Farm, the less you know about Aiden the better. What you should know is the film is a thoughtful piece on real-life topics that are addressed within the context of a sci-fi mystery. It’s refreshing to see a story dealing with a gay relationship that doesn’t feel fake or stereotyped, but a relationship created by authentic people, no matter how bad the situation is. Aiden should also get kudos for having the courage to explore its abusive same-sex couple scenario, a subject rarely seen in the LGBTQ+ film community.

The characters are well-written and acted (Paranormal Farm fans will get a kick out of seeing Darren Earl Williams back in action). Medland and Alexiev have undeniable chemistry—many will swoon over Alexiev’s bedroom scenes. But the real strength of Aiden is the intimate experience the viewer shares with Aiden himself; we feel like we’re taking the journey with him. And that’s a testament to Medland’s understanding of human emotions, or in some instances, a lack thereof.

Whether heightened horror is your cup of tea or not, Aiden is an engaging existential experience, and a great addition to Medland’s growing body of smart genre films.

Aiden is written and directed by Carl Medland, and produced, photographed, and edited by Mumtaz Yildirimlar. It will be available to rent through MSIVOD (an app is also available for download) starting October 11. The Paranormal Farm trilogy as well as The Spiritualist are currently streaming on Tubi.

Below is an interviewed I had with Carl via Zoom in 2021. The trailer for Aiden is also available below.

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Random Reviews

HIDDEN (2016) In the aftermath of a devastating viral outbreak that has created “Breathers,” a father (Alexander Skarsgård), mother (Andrea Risenborough), and their 9-year-old daughter (Emily Alyn Lind) try to survive in an underground bomb shelter. When the “Breathers” discover their hiding place, the family must give up their new comforts and fight to the death. Despite its dense atmosphere, the film fails to muster any suspense. The characters are too dimwitted to be sympathetic, and certain situations feel so fake and forced that any sense of reality and tension is thrown out the window. The screenplay (written by Stranger Things‘s Matt and Ross Duffer) wastes the first 30 minutes repeatedly reminding its audience of the rules the protagonists need to follow in order to evade the “Breathers,” yet said rules are ignored whenever it’s convenient to the plot. A lifeless, predictable doomsday tale that feels like the diet soda version of The Road. D

THE NEW KIDS (1985) After their military parents are killed in a car crash, teen siblings Loren (Shannon Presby) and Abby (Lori Loughlin) move to Florida and are immediately beset by a gang of psychopathic bullies. After Abby repeatedly ignores the romantic advances of the pack’s leader (James Spader), he and his friends decide to make her and her brother’s life hell, that is until Abby and Loren fight back. Friday the 13th‘s Sean S. Cunningham directs this slick thriller that works, mostly, thanks to a good cast and some genuine suspense. It gets a bit too melodramatic here and there, but at just 89 minutes it gets by on pure 80’s charm. B

THE REEF: STALKED (2022) An in-name only sequel to the terrific 2010 original, Stalked follows four friends who are terrorized by a large shark while kayaking off the coast of Australia. Director Andrew Traucki does a good job of building suspense, especially during the first hour, with an emphasis on less is more. The film loses momentum thanks to transparent characters and an uninteresting backstory that keeps resurfacing and getting in the way of the main attraction. Add to that a rather lackluster climax and you have an enjoyable but forgettable shark chiller. C+

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Mini-Reviews: Horror Now Streaming

Anything for Jackson (2020) A good idea is not fully realized in this lackluster crossbreeding of Rosemary’s Baby and James Wan. An older couple (Sheila McCarthy and Julien Richings) turn to Satanism in order to bring back their dead grandson, Jackson, by imprisoning a pregnant woman (Konstantina Mantelos) in their house and using witchcraft to transfer Jackson’s soul into the unborn baby. After a good first 30 minutes the screenplay (by Keith Cooper and Justin G. Dyck) descends into unbelievable plot twists and dreary character motivations that don’t make any sense. Nice try, but no cigar. (Shudder) C–

Blood Beat (1983) An obscure supernatural slasher about a group of friends spending Christmas in rural Wisconsin and are in danger when the bloodthirsty spirit of a samurai warrior starts killing in the area. This is plagued with unnecessary subplots (two characters are psychic) but once the paranormal stuff kicks in this is an enjoyable, nonsensical myriad of oddball aesthetics and dream-like structure. Writer/director Fabrice-Ange Zaphiratos admitted to being on drugs at the time he wrote the screenplay, which explains a lot. Under the right circumstances, this could be your new favorite Christmas horror movie. (AMC, Shudder) B

The Brain (1988) A sort of cross between David Lynch and Roger Corman, this schlocky Canadian low-budgeter pits a high school rebel (Tom Bresnahan) and his girlfriend (Cynthia Preston) against a mad scientist-type (David Gale) who’s using the mind powers of an alien brain creature to control the population of the nearby town. Rubbery but fun monster FX and a sense of spirit help lift this above its mediocre plot. Re-Animator‘s Gale is underused but Bresnahan and Preston are likable and if you don’t take any of it seriously you might enjoy this late ’80s cheese fest. (Amazon) B–

Dahmer (2002) An example of a good performance trapped in a mediocre film, this biopic of notorious killer, Jeffrey Dahmer, stars Jeremy Renner as the Milwaukee Cannibal who, in his younger years, started picking up men at bars, drugging and raping them, and eventually graduating to murder. Renner is terrific in the title role, giving the character both the charm and hint of underlying boiling rage the real Dahmer evidently had. Unfortunately the script (by director David Jacobson) doesn’t give the real life figure much to do, at times making the movie feel somewhat aimless and transparent. (Tubi) C

Freaky (2020) Amusing variation on Freaky Friday in which a mousy teenage girl (Kathryn Newton) switches bodies with a serial killer (Vince Vaughn). A good cast (Vaughn is pitch perfect) and some funny moments help mask an uneven screenplay that at times feels forced and lacking the organic flow found in writer Christopher Landon’s earlier, and superior, Happy Death Day 2 U. A terrific opening and the use of practical gore FX throughout give this a slightly higher rating than it deserves. (HBO Max) C+

Jeruzalem (2015) An interesting take on Cloverfield, this features a small group of travelers who’re stuck in the middle of literal hell when the city of Jerusalem cracks open and spits out various demons and monsters, all caught through the camera of a character’s smart glasses. Because of obvious budgetary restraints there’s too much time spent on uninteresting characters standing around and talking, but when the action gets going this is an enjoyable monster mash. (Tubi) B–

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Found Footage Roundup

If you’re in the mood for some POV action this steamy summer you should check out these found footage titles currently streaming on Amazon Prime and Tubi.

First up is Horror in the High Desert (2021), a nice slow burner, structured almost like an episode of Unsolved Mysteries. Presented as a documentary, the film explores the days and events leading up to the disappearance of survivalist Gary (Eric Mencis) within the Nevada wilderness, including the last known video Gary ever filmed. In standard found footage/mockumentary fashion, this video represents the climax of the movie, and delivers some impressive, WTF creep-out moments.

The Lost Footage of Leah Sullivan (2018) is a movie I’d read about for the last few years on FF blogs. Finally available on Tubi, I’m happy to report the film is worth the hype. The flick follows college student Leah (Anna Stromberg), a likable, spunky character who’s making a documentary on a local unsolved murder and, while doing so, stumbles onto the sinister truth. Funny, scary, and always engaging, Leah Sullivan succeeds in delivering a well-rounded and effective little scare show.

One of the more unsettling mockumentaries I’ve seen in recent years is Savageland (2015), a nasty little flick that deserves attention. The story revolves around the unexplained massacre of all 57 residents in a US-Mexican border town. Suspicion falls on the sole survivor, an illegal immigrant branded a psychopath. But the pictures he took that night tell a different story. What sets Savageland apart from the bulk of FF movies is that the footage in question isn’t video but still photographs, which the filmmakers cleverly weave into the story, creating a map of the bloody killing spree and showing some truly chilling imagery.

If you’re a fan of Paranormal Activity-style POV horror you might want to check out 21 Days (2014). In this unexceptional, slightly entertaining “let’s set up cameras to capture evidence of ghosts” movie, three friends lock themselves inside a supposedly haunted house to find out why the previous tenants left in such a hurry. Unfortunately, the movie falls into the overused FF trap of characters who, when in doubt, endlessly scream and shout their lines.

Last, and, unfortunately, least, is Blackwood Evil (2000), an early Blair Witch clone about a spirited journalist (Joanie Bannister), a cameraman (Richard Catt), and a psychic (Peggy Catt), who spend the night in a remote, abandoned house in rural Texas that’s reportedly been used for satanic worship and other sinister activity. The VHS-quality video formatting gives the movie a good atmosphere, but the movie takes way too long for anything interesting to happen, and, just like 21 Days, there’s too much unnecessary bickering between the characters. That said, the movie does attain a goofy charm during the confusing and chaotic climax.

Savageland is available on Amazon Prime. All the other titles are currently streaming on Tubi.

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Found Footage Goodies Currently on Amazon Prime

There’s plenty of fish in the sea, at least when it comes to found footage horror flicks on Amazon Prime. If you’re a FF fanatic like myself you’ll want to check out these currently streaming POV chillers.

Released just this year, Finding Randy is a mostly clever mystery chiller about a group of friends celebrating the return home of their buddy, Randy (Sam Meder). Things turn from fun to worrisome when Randy seemingly vanishes during an excursion into the woods, a mystery that intensifies when several of his friends start receiving cryptic text messages and photos from Randy’s phone.

Energetically directed by Greg McNichol, FR is a nice change in pace in the FF universe: instead of friends investigating a haunted house the film offers a smart group of people pulling a sorta Scooby-Doo act in order to find out why their friend disappeared. And for a lot of its running time FR manages to pull you in and envelope you in its puzzle.

Butterfly Kisses (2018) is one of the more ambitious FF flicks I’ve seen in a while. Struggling filmmaker Gavin (Seth Adam Kallick) discovers a mysterious box of videotape in his in-laws’ basement. The footage appears to be an unfinished student film about an urban legend known as the Peeping Tom. Thinking this could be the break he needs, Gavin sets out to find out if the creepy footage is real evidence of supernatural activity, or simply a prank.

BK creates a thoroughly sinister atmosphere and some genuinely chilling moments. The only weak point is Gavin who comes off as way too aggressively unlikeable. That aside, this is a worthy entry in the FF subgenre and definitely worth a look.

They’re Watching (2016) presents one of the cleverest ideas for a FF movie I’ve heard in years: what would happen if House Hunters International filmed an episode at a house once occupied by a witch? The small crew of such a reality show finds out when they fly to a small eastern European country to renovate a centuries old house. Things don’t go quite as planned when superstitious locals start getting in the way.

TW is a fun crowd-pleaser that never takes itself seriously and builds to a bat-shit crazy ending. An uninteresting subplot involving one of the characters gets in the way but that’s a small price to pay for a massively entertaining flick.

A burnt out filmmaker (Turner Clay) switches career paths and decides to venture into the world of paranormal investigation in The Blackwell Ghost (2017), a conservative Paranormal Activity-type of creepfest. His first foray into the supernatural takes him to suburban Pennsylvanian house supposedly haunted by the ghost of a child killer from the 1930s.

An enjoyable low-key slow burn, BG is fueled by the energy and likability of Clay’s character and a genuinely chilling atmosphere. It’s also nice to see a film of this kind treating the subject matter with respect and sincere interest rather than a standard cheesy, exploitative rip-off like many of the ilk.

Frazier Park Recut (2017) is the jewel in this crown. Being both a semi-parody of the FF subgenre and an authentically suspenseful tale, the film features aspiring moviemakers Tyler (Tyler Schnabel) and Sam (Sam Hanover) in their endeavor to shoot a low-budget FF film at an isolated woodsy cabin. Along for the ride is peculiar actor, Tom (David Lee Hess), cast as the film-within-the-film’s killer. Things slowly go downhill when Tayler’s and Sam’s ideas clash and Tom subtly, and actively, sabotages the production. Does Tom have other plans for the two filmmakers?

If Creep was your kind of movie then you’ll definitely get a kick out of FPR. It’s smart, funny, and memorable, especially Hess who comes off as both demented and weirdly likable.

All of these fun flicks are available on Amazon Prime and definitely worth checking out. Please watch my video review below for more details on the above films!