1. The Night of the Hunter (Laughton, 1955, US)
I don’t know if I can fairly call The Night of the Hunter underrated. By film critics it is widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, this year it ranked 25 on Sight and Sound‘s list of 100 Greatest Films, and in 2008 Cahiers du Cinema ranked it the second best film of all time right behind Citizen Cane. And yet, if you were to ask someone walking down the street if they’d heard of Citizen Cane, there is a good chance they’d say yes. That is not the case for The Night of the Hunter.
The Night of the Hunter, starring Robert Mitchum, follows a psychotic, murderous, and misogynistic preacher as he chases down two children in an attempt to steal the $10,000 their father gave them to hide. The film, set during the Great Depression in the Southern United States, is a lot of wonderful things; it is a thriller, mixed with a film noir, mixed with a southern gothic, mixed with a fairy tale. It has some of the most beautiful stage sets ever put to film. And despite the current critical appraisal for it’s beauty, the actors’ performances, and its direction, when it first came out, it was a flop. Critics hated it. It made very little money. I can’t claim to know why the film did so poorly in 1955, but if I had to guess, the depiction of a preacher as anything other than a good man was too much for conservative 1950’s America. In fact the film did so poorly, and received such unfavorable reviews, it was the only film that seasoned actor Charles Laughton ever directed. There is no better evidence in the history of film not to listen to the critics.
Click here to rent.
2. Howl’s Moving Castle (Miyazaki, 2004, Japan)
Studio Ghibli has long been appreciated as a provider of beautiful and heart-felt children’s movies, and Hayao Miyazaki the legendary co founder of the studio, animator, and director is definitely a key player in creating the studio’s glowing reputation. The most popular films he’s directed are My Neighbor Totoro and Spirited Away. Considering My Neighbor Totoro is very famous and Spirited Away absolutely terrified me as a kid, I decided to go with another and potentially lesser known classic, Howl’s Moving Castle.
After a young woman, Sophie (Emily Mortimer in English dub) is cursed by a witch to rapidly age, she runs away from her family and home. On the outside of town, she discovers a giant moving castle, occupied the charming wizard, Howl. She signs on and becomes the cook and maid for the castle, all while trying to discover how to break the curse. While you might squint at this description for being sexist, please know that Sophie’s journey is one of self discovery as she learns to take action and stand up for herself. The film also has themes of environmentalism and pacifism.
Click here to rent. This is the dubbed English version, however, the original Japanese is also available to rent on Amazon with subtitles.
3. Lake Mungo (Anderson, 2008, Australia)
Have you ever seen a ghost? Are you a skeptic that knows every vision is imagined? Either way, you should watch Lake Mungo. I watched this film for the first time last year on my cracked lap-top screen, in my dorm, with all the lights on, and my roommate across the room. Even still, I had to squeeze my eyes shut tightly and look away.
Found footage isn’t for everyone, I understand that, but Lake Mungo’s mockumentary style makes the footage seem all that more real. The “documentary” follows The Palmers, a grieving family experiencing strange happenings since their daughter drowned in a nearby lake. As the documentary crew digs through these experiences, they discover the daughter’s hidden second life. Sound familiar? While Lake Mungo undoubtedly takes inspiration from and pays homage to the legendary TV show Twin Peaks and its film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (I mean the family’s last name is Palmer after all) it remains fresh, distinct, and terrifying. It is an indie-horror flick through and through with a very low budget, and many first time actors. Nonetheless, it does a lot with a little.
Click here to rent.
