Luz
Everything within Luz, the debut from German filmmaker Tilman Singer, is crafted to call back to the ’70s and ’80s heyday of supernatural horror, when masters like Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci were warping minds and expectations. The special effects are low-budget yet effective, the performances narrowly avoid over-the-top hysteria, and a mood of creeping dread prevails. While Singer doesn’t reach the storied heights of Suspiria or Zombie, he does succeed in creating something that’s mandatory viewing for our post-legal weed era. To that end, the plot is almost incidental: What story is there involves a demonic presence that bounces from person to person in pursuit of a young Spanish expat (Luana Velis) working as a cab driver in Berlin. How this malevolent force makes its transition is the most visually exciting part of the film, with other thrills coming from a strange police interrogation that gives Singer room to show off his editing skills. No matter how far off the rails he goes, he keeps you locked in.
by Robert Ham