History recalls 1980s Argentina as a time of uneasiness and calamity exacerbate by magnate - sore drawing card . Cristian Ponce ’s unsettling indie account of the Occult revisits that tumultuous clock time and asks : what if the government was doing it all in the name ofblack magic ?
Ponce isthe co - creator of The Kirlian Frequency , an liven up web series go under in a fictitious townspeople where the supernatural feels embolden to mix with the human world , in a sorting of Stephen King - meets - H.P. Lovecraft means . At the center of each installment is a radio host who takes calls from listeners describing their own weird brush . There are strong echo of these stem in History of the Occult , which unfurls around the final installment of a boob tube talking show dramatically titled 60 Minutes Before Midnight . It ’s 1987 and a big protest — put to set out at midnight — is planned against President Belasco , whose unpopular economic policies may actually be the least of the country ’s worries .
As the intrepid but also understandably freaked - out producer of 60 Minutes Before Midnight have discovered , Belasco has secret ties to the sinister Kingdom Corporation , and they ’re skip to inform the populace before his punk take away their platform . For this , they ’ve turned to a homo who ’s recently break up his close ties with Belasco for reasons as - yet unknown : Kingdom founder Adrian Marcato , who ’s agreed to mark the record directly on 60 minute Before Midnight ’s concluding program . “ I am not a con artist , ” he insists — but he coolly admit to being a warlock .
Screenshot: Tangram Cine
Horror fans will immediately pick up on that name : Adrian Marcato is the name of an notorious hag in Rosemary ’s Baby , which receive more than one hat - tip here ; “ tannis root ” is deploy as a hallucinogen and the movie itself gets mentioned in a give-and-take ofSatanic Panicthat also reference Michelle Remembers , the since - discredited tome that serve galvanizethat scoop of mass hysteria . Though it sometimes feel more like a paranoid conspiracy thriller than a revulsion pic — the click - clock whatsis that propels 60 Minutes to Midnight smartly enhances the urgent pace — History of the Occult is equally full of nervous breadcrumbs to remind you where its heart is really beating . There ’s a diary crammed with unknown claims and even unknown speech communication , a orphic science laboratory whose owner is eager to examine into Belasco ’s dirty transaction , strong suggestions of systemic mind control , cite to witchery and rituals , and a eccentric who ca n’t quite remember where he take heed the phrase “ the future is over”—but has a dreadful tone it ’s absolutely unfeigned .
With such a dense , rapid - flame plot cram into its 80 - ish minutes , History of the Occult can palpate a bit overwhelming . But front - loading the movie with a certain amount of mental confusion sense knowing ; the 60 Minutes to Midnight producer , who cower together to watch their terminal program from a safe house , are also doing their best to assemble together a bizarre lead they ’ve been pursing for months . Black and livid filming — with episodic dramatic slug of red — enhances the retro vibes at shimmer here , while the celluloid ’s infotainment - like deed of conveyance enhances the thought that peradventure we are watching a true history , or at least one version of the truth that ’s been paste over by story . Much like The Kirlian Frequency , History of the Occult suggest that strange things are going on around us at all times … and we should perhaps feel lucky that we have n’t yet notice .
story of the Occult is now streaming on Screambox ; it ’s also available for renting through Prime Video . The Kirlian Frequency is not formally stream anywhere at the moment , but we ’ll keep you posted when it becomes usable again .
Screenshot: Tangram Cine
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