HALLOWEEN HORRORFEST 2021: Censor (2021)

Today's sponsor is a friend of mine who also happens to be one of the iconic Scream Queens of the 80's...the baddest cheerleader of them all, Kelli Maroney!  And speaking of her role in Night of The Comet, Kelli has been endeavoring to raise money to purchase her cheerleading garb from that classic from the Prop House auction website.  Considering I know of a horror story or two about collectors getting hold of certain articles and doing unseemly things, I urge you to consider contributing.  In the three years that I have known her, Kelli has proven to be a great individual who has always been willing to help out during these charity events; it's only fair that she gets to reclaim such a major part of her history.

As with her choice for last year's Horrorfest, Kelli has decided to highlight more recent fare and chosen the debut feature from Prano Bailey-Bond, Censor.

Enid (Naimh Algar) works for the British Board of Film Classification during the 'Video Nasty' controversy, evaluating movies and either dictating cuts to get a rating or rejecting them for release.  When one of the films she passed is linked to a real-life murder and she seems to recognize an actress in a horror film as her long missing sister, her already-shaky sanity begins to crumble.  She becomes compelled to find the director of this film (Adrian Schiller) and save the actress (Sophia La Porta) from his exploitation...and things do not go well.

This is the second time I watched this film, as I previously recorded a review with Des Reddick for an upcoming episode of Dread Media.  It is a well made film, and there is stuff to like about it--especially the performance of Algar, who is extremely compelling throughout.  But during both watches, I was frequently aware of its shortcomings.

Algar's turn as Enid is easily the best thing in the film.  Her interpretation of the character is very focused and low-key which tells us loads about her.  The most effective beats in the movie come because Algar never gives in to the temptation to give in to 'movie nuts' acting...moments in the third act, in particular, work because it's clear that Enid believes every statement she is making even though it's become apparent how much is not true.  In a way, Algar's performance is too good for the film surrounding her.

I will pause to let you all get your expressions of rage out...and then I shall explain.

Censor is meant to be an Unreliable Narrator film, and Bailey-Bond's story depends on us realizing this fairly late into the second act...except that it's very obvious way back in the first ten minutes that Enid is unreliable, which means that we, as viewers, are already on the lookout for the seeds of the Big Reveal from moment one.  There are moments that Bailey-Bond think are supposed to be clues or foreshadowing of the pay-off, but we've already figured out the puzzle long before it comes together.  Even the most subtle set-ups, like the shot of a video box Enid stares at, blares out like a beacon.  As such, the feel that this film is 'on the rails' is overwhelming.  The best moments in the film are mainly in the third act, when Bailey-Bond has assumed that the reveal has become evident to the viewer, and plays on the theme of 'art v. violence' extremely well.  Of course, it helped that Adrian Schiller looks a lot like notorious exploitation director Norman J. Warren--but maybe that's just me.  But we're already five steps ahead, and there's no digging or speculating involved in getting to that point so that the film falls flat.

Also, I think that the choice Bailey-Bond makes to emulate the esthetic of 80's grindhouse horror hurts the movie.  I understand how it makes sense, with the backdrop of the 'Video Nasty' era, but I've seen the 'colored gel with neon accents' done so much these days by directors who--dare I say--are less talented than Bailey-Bond, that the memory of these lesser artists leave psychic thumbprints all over this film, reminding us of the artifice when what we needed was to be focused on Enid's mindscape.  There are too many things distracting us from the story the film wants to tell, and the impact of that last act is seriously blunted.

As I said earlier, there are things to like in this, but taking Censor as a whole, the experience feels...half-baked.  Throughout both viewings, I wondered if the script would benefit from one more pass to tighten up some of the bits where I was seeing Bailey-Bond's fingers tapping away to prove her point.  I think this is a work of a potentially great director with an amazing central performance...but the artifice and the flaws in the storytelling prevents me from actively recommending it.  I can't wait to see what Bailey-Bond does next, but I don't think I'll be returning to her debut anytime soon.

Tomorrow's sponsor is my friend and certified Twisted Girl Next Door, Chauncey K. Robinson!  Chauncey will be sitting me down with a film that used to be looked at as a laughing stock, but I didn't think so when I saw it in the theaters--and now time may have caught up with me.   Join me tomorrow as I return to Francis Lawrence's 2005 comic book adaptation Constantine!  Chauncey will be representing St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.

There are presently fourteen open slots for this year's festival, and if you'd like to be included, there are four ways to get your share of the spotlight:

1) You can become a Domicile of Dread Patreon.  Patreons always get a free slot, as well as advance access to podcasts and other goodies!

2) You can buy me a coffee at Ko-Fi.  Suggested donation is $3

3) You can make a donation to Queens Community House Covid-19 Relief and Recovery Campaign.  Suggested donation is $10.  Please forward your receipt to me as proof.

4) You can choose to make a donation to the charity chosen by a sponsor on his/her/their day. Like with the third possibility, please forward me proof of donation.

It is not necessary to choose a rat-based horror film.  However, if you do, I will forward you a special Ratapalooza banner you can display on your website.