Fix: Music, Period Horror
IMDB Summary:
Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.
FYA Summary:
Twin brothers, veterans of the Great War and lately back from a stint with the Chicago mob, return home to Mississippi in 1932. Partnering with their young guitarist cousin, they plan to open a juke joint, a nightclub that caters to African-American customers. This is easier said than done, as they face unexpected costs, racist locals, and of course, vampires. Irish vampires.
Familiar Faces:
Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers Smoke and Stack
Feared and respected in their Mississippi hometown, the brothers fought in the trenches of Europe and the mean streets of 1920s Chicago. Now they’ve come home to open a juke joint, and maybe reconnect with their roots. I’m not normally a fan of the ‘single actor playing twins’ schtick, but Jordan pulled it off.
Miles Caton as Sammie
Sammie is a teenage sharecropper and the son of a minister. His older cousins recruit him to play guitar in their club, and he’s anxious to see the world. Also, he’s such a talented musician that his guitar can thin the veil between the worlds; between the past, present, and future; the living and the dead; our world and the world beyond.
Hailee Steinfeld as Mary
Stack’s ex girlfriend whom he left when he went to Chicago. Caught between two worlds, she’s angry at being abandoned, but may be willing to give things another shot.
Jack O’Connell as Remmick
Opening night is hoping, the booze is flowing, the people are dancing, and all of a sudden, this strange trio of white people show up, led by Remmick here. Hey, they just want to drink and dance like everyone else. But this is a club for people of color. Are the brothers willing to pull a reverse Jim Crow? Shouldn’t they be allowed to have a place just for people like themselves? Or should they go ahead and invite him in?
Couch Sharing Capability: Snuggly Horror
There are more than a few jump scares here, such as when the brothers find a rattlesnake in their truck. And there are laughs, like when Stack teaches Sammie how to eat out…um, an ice cream cone. But this movie gets dark and violent fast, and it’s emotional enough that your date may tear up at the end. Perhaps this may be a rare horror movie to do well at the Oscars.
Recommended Level of Inebriation:
For a horror film, this was surprisingly well done, with some excellent cinematography. There were no throwaway characters, and you’ll quickly be emotionally invested. Remmick makes an Irish jig seem terrifying. The blues music in this movie is phenomenal, and worth the watch just for that.
Also, I’m such an idiot that I thought the leads really were played by twin brothers until I saw the credits.
