Lets Talk About This Director......
I recently re-watched POD, a fantastic little alien horror move, a throwback to the old 'Nam movies. Realastically, IMO its one of the best horror movies of the past ten, maybe even twenty years.
So i decided to look into the writer/directors past and see what other movies he has done and it dawned on me that this guy could easily be on the path to a horror writer/director legend. Potentially end his career with the same legacy say, Wes or Carpenter or Clive.
The man's name is Mickey Keating, he just turned 26 years old and already he has written and directed the following:
Carnage Park
Darling
Pod
Ritual
If you watch these movies you will have a grasp of what he is capable of. He has a great understanding of horror as a whole and subgenera's of horror. He is great with writing, great with characters (none of the characters in any of these movies are the same), he understands tension and how to build it, he understands how to do scares without being cheap, he makes timeless movies (where they could be set in any era), etc. Its so impressive to see such a young talent with such a great understanding of cinema, but specifically horror, seems to have a love for it, and is just sooooo young. I will quickly highlight his movies as i know many of you have seen them, and i will give my personal grades for them.
Ritual 6/10
Quote:
After receiving a distressed phone call, a man arrives at a seedy highway motel to find that his estranged wife has killed a stranger who is connected to a dangerous cult.
Ritual was his first full length movie. Its not a fantastic movie but you can definitely see a firm understanding of horror and movie making with it. Its definitely worth a watch, especially if you are interested in him as a director or if you appreciate throw-back satanic cult movies. BTW, he started this movie when he was 21.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMmz8Ob_dAw
POD 8/10
Quote:
A family intervention goes horrifically awry within the snowy confines of an isolated lake house.
Pod was the second movie he made. Some people love it, some people hate it, personally i think its near a masterpiece. I easily give it an 8 of 10.
Once again we see this young director doing a throw back to the old Vietnam soldier comes back, see's demons, had experiments done them, etc. movies. Its also best described as an XFiles fan fiction, something set in the same universe with the same tone.
What stands out the most about this movie is his ability to build characters and relationships in very believable ways, build story and create tension and i personally cannot say enough about it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOXd8_K94Hg
Darling 8/10
Quote:
A lonely girl's violent descent into madness.
Darling was his dive into the Psycho type movie, another throw back to old psychological thrillers. Where he really detailed and expanded on a persons psychology, not an easy thing to successfully do. He also managed to prove he could do artsy movies with this addition to his library. He does an amazing job with character development and getting the actress to really dive into the character she is playing... just an amazing performance all around.
I had to watch it twice, the first time i saw it i gave it a 6 or 7 out of 10, the second time i understood a lot more and it really all came together and i have no problems giving it another 8 of 10.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uhQ-OjCZYU
Carnage Park 8/10
Quote:
After botching an ill-conceived bank robbery in a desolate California town, two wannabe crooks flee the scene with a hostage and lead the local lawmen on a dangerous high-speed chase.
With his latest movie he stepped into the wonderful scenery of the south west and did a Texas/survival style movie.
Where he once again shows us how well he understands what makes these movies great, how well he writes and directs characters and his range of writing and directing characters. How well he builds on a story without being too predictable yet comforting and once again we see a timeless movie, a movie that could take place in 2010 or 1970. Last reminder, he did this at age 25.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFbhDAu85F4
He has one more movie coming out this year called Psychopaths . I have no idea what it is about, i can guess but i might be wrong. But i am excited and i can wait to see him diving back into psychological thrillers and to see if hes perfecting his art even more.
I dont know... you guys tell me. Am i gushing over this guy too much or is this really someone we need to really start paying more attention to?
