Confrontation on Vacation
Friend groups imploding
Lake Bodom (2016) d: Taneli Mustonen
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) d: Halina Reijn
Sissy (2022) d: Hannah Barlow, Kane Senes
Pretty much anytime friends travel somewhere together in a horror movie, things are going to unravel. These movies are on the fun side of this subgenre (sorry, The Descent and The Ritual - you’re not fun or queer enough for this list).
The Lake Bodom murders are a real, unsolved homicide case from the sixties in Finland, where three teens were killed and one injured while camping. Lake Bodom the movie is inspired by the crime, but features a group of young friends who head to Bodom to try and “reconstruct” the old crime scene (so respectful). Tensions are high from the start, as one of the boys is accused of leaking nudes of one of the girls. So why do they go camping together? So the movie can happen! I’m not going to pretend this movie doesn’t occasionally require some hefty suspension of disbelief, but just accept that, and you’re going to have a blast. If you’re a fan of high-octane, classic slashers (teens running from killers in the woods!), you’ll want to check out this underseen gem.
In Sissy, long lost high school besties Cecilia and Emma reconnect, and Emma invites Cecilia to her bachelorette party — a dream! But the bachelorette party is in a remote cabin in the woods and Cecilia’s high school bully is there — an actual nightmare I’ve had. Cecilia tries to make the best of it while dodging microaggressions and the resurrection of her bully’s condescending moniker for her - sissy. As you probably guessed when you read “cabin in the woods”, it’s not long before the trip goes totally off the rails, the bodies start piling up, and any illusion of mended friendships is shattered. As the action and blood ramps up, the movie never loses its sharp sense of dark humor, and it’s an excellent feature for star, Aisha Dee.
Bodies Bodies Bodies is first and foremost a movie that pretends the party game “Murder in the Dark” is called Bodies Bodies Bodies. I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. The acting is top notch (all around, but especially Rachel Sennot and Amandla Stenberg) and we all love Lee Pace always. While I don’t think this is quite the total embodiment of Gen Z sensibilities that some critics have claimed, it is an insightful look at weaponizing progressive rhetoric within toxic friendships. Plus, it’s just a riot. This kept me guessing until the end, and let me tell you, the ending is perfection.