2018, Justin P Lange (The Seventh Day) -- Amazon
This might be a good candidate for Kent's horrornothorror tag, as it plays the thin line between horror movie and horrific faery tale very well. Let's call it a fantasy with horror overtones.
Mina is the boogeyman in the woods, in a remote area of... There are tales of a monster in the woods. She looks like a horrifically scarred zombie and acts like a feral child. Joseff has kidnapped Alex, also horrifically scarred, and blinded, likely by his captors. Mina kills Joseff, whom Alex was completely dependent on, and she is forced by some shred of humanity left in her, to care for Alex. A bond is formed. As the bond and trust increases, as the two hide in the woods, from hunters, and police, Mina's humanity appears to return, her flesh healing, her memories of her past (and her death) returning, until eventually she becomes (again) a real girl.
The tone is what makes this somewhat muddled indie movie. So many are going to compare the interaction with the original Let the Right One In but this movie wants to be more allegorical, more dark fairy tale, than true exploration of monsters. It gets the dark, shadowy nature of two abused people finding connection. But it is challenge by also trying to tie in a thriller plot, of a kidnapping ring, of a police hunt, etc. The timelines seem to be off, when the plot focuses on the thriller/horror aspects -- Alex's scars are years and years old, but the police hunt is fresh; Mina's death and her subsequent murderous resurrection was long enough ago to have her become urban legend but some of the trappings around her death appear to be recent. Either way, despite my desire to skip past the allegory and see a proper monster movie, I did enjoy this.
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