Author: Joel Fisher

Horror Noire is a horror anthology exclusive to Shudder which tells six very different stories with black directors, writers and a predominantly black cast pushed to the forefront where they’re not often seen outside of a Jordan Peele movie. Taking the six short films and putting them together in one film shows the different voices, different points of view and different influences that these writers and directors can accomplish. With some even giving their audience something they may not have seen before.

There’s The Lake; a short story about a teacher whose involvement with a student turns sinister. Brand of Evil; where a young artist is drawn in by a satanic cult and loses his code of ethics. Bride Before You; a gothic Lovecraftian tale of womanhood and bereavement. Fugue State which tells the tale of a couple who lose their minds when religious teachings invade their mind. Daddy; which tells a story of a young father and his doubts for the future. Finally, there’s Sundown; a fun genre film which puts a group of young political campaigners in the way of a town who have other things on their mind.

Basically, there’s something for everyone in Horror Noire and whilst all well directed and with a cast who some may recognise, there are some issues with the way in which it’s presented.

Firstly, there’s the fact that the film is just over two and a half hours long, which is reasonable considering Horror Noire is an anthology and the running time means that it mostly plays out its stories in their entirety. However, there may not be a lot of people who may want to sit down and watch an anthology this long. Although having it clearly marked for when one story ends and another finishes, then nobody would blame you for watching maybe two or three at a time.

The stories all work rather well although there is an issue of quality as they go along and it feels like the latter three stories are not as good as the first. For example, Bride Before You plays out well with a good twist, but it’s immediately followed by Fugue State which feels a little rushed and doesn’t really know what to say. Also, unfortunately the special effects in the first three stories are perhaps not as good as the filmmakers may have liked them to be so they lead to some unintentionally funny moments.

All in all, Horror Noire is a unique perspective on horror and for those aficionados of the genre then they may even have fun finding the references within.

There are good performances from Lenora Critchlow, Malcolm Barrett and a scene stealing one from Peter Stormare, but the good part is that you can pick and choose which stories you would rather watch.

Officer Mike Tan (Kenny Leu) is a rookie cop on the force in Brooklyn and still lives with his family where he answers to his persistent, but caring mother, May (Fiona Fu). Then one day while on patrol, Officer Tan and his partner, Officer Ryan Doheney (Derek Goh) are talking to some men on the street, one of them makes a run for it. So, like all good officers, the two beat cops make chase.

Mike is right on the heels of his partner when a gun goes off before he can get to the suspect. Unfortunately, when he gets there, he sees that the suspect is dead. From that moment on, Officer Mike Tan is embroiled in an investigation into what happened during that shooting and who was responsible which leads to twists and turns in the story with shocking results.

A Shot Through the Wall is a well thought out and precisely scripted police drama from the police point of view of what happens when a suspect dies and the police are responsible.

Mike is clearly cut up by the incident and feels guilty although he wasn’t directly involved in the shooting. His conscience plays on his mind and like anybody in that situation he goes over and over it again in his mind thinking about what he could have done differently.

However, things are not as black and white as they first appear and Aimee Long’s film takes the audience through a seemingly realistic portrayal of what happens when the truth gets in the way of a good story.

Looking at the story from all angles, A Shot Through the Wall leaves no stone unturned and goes through everything from Mike’s relationship with his family, his girlfriend, Candace (Ciara Renée), the media and the courts, giving a fleshed-out account of what happened. Kenny Leu also gives a great performance in the central role and gives life to a nuanced script which never pulls any punches and goes to places you wouldn’t expect it to go.

The film can be held up on some criticism though, because although A Shot Through the Wall isn’t a pro-police film, there is barely anything from the side of the family of the suspect who got shot. In a time where stories of police brutality are a hot topic, A Shot Through the Wall gives the audience something new to think about.