1st October 2018 | 31 Days of “Alternative” Horror: Starry Eyes
Starry Eyes is a film that has given the horror genre a much-needed shake-up. I saw this film in 2015, a little before the anti-harassment movement that has shaken Hollywood to its core, and rightly so. After re-visiting this film I noticed that it carries more relevance today than ever before.
Alex Essoe portrays Sarah Walker, a struggling actress who unwittingly sells her soul to a demonic cult that is masquerading as a movie studio where casting is more of a “recruitment” movement. However you fit that in as a metaphor is up to you, but here, it is taken literally.
It seems that Sarah Walker’s dream to become an actress in Hollywood is as difficult as we come to expect. Sarah works as a waitress in a fast food joint. Friends, who see her as a threat, treat her coldly. She is dismissed completely even when she exhibits disturbing behavior that is a warning for what is to come. She is everything but a successful actress — she idolizes, models herself of the divas of classic Hollywood. Her determination takes her to an audition where she literally pulls her hair out, and ends up provoking a response that brings her that coveted second audition. She has something.
The movie doesn’t delve straight into the horror genre. It takes it’s time, earning the payoff that will make you realize that the build-up itself filled your head with enough tension and unease that it spills over in glorious red.
Hollywood itself doesn’t look like the Hollywood we’ve been shown in other films about film. It is filled with cold muted tones and very little in the way of sunshine. It’s as if it was filmed in Los Angeles but with light and tone sent across from Sleaford England. In a way, we are seeing the Los Angeles that nobody wants to see. Void of sentiment and warmth: lacking openness and accessibility. If there was ever a cautionary tale that was made for parents to deter their brood from following the path of an actor, this film would be it, not that it applies to everybody. It applies here for other, dark, satanic reasons.
Just like the song To Ramona, Sarah is following a path that might as well not exist, but for the many actresses who she admires that adorn her wall, the result is not the fame, but the determination to succeed. This film has many faces, and that is the face of act one. The midpoint of this movie changes everything, and eventually the face of Sarah Walker’s dream becomes unrecognisable.
The film is reminiscent of a David Lynch dystopia: think Mulholland Drive or Lost Highway. Throw in David Cronenberg’s body shock as seen in The Fly. The film emerges into a demonic Polanski nightmare. Even though there is much derivation, you do not notice these similarities when you are watching it. Similarities with other works become a point of reference when explaining this film to others. To give anything away from the movie, directly would be too much of a spoil.
I am determined to sell you on the idea of watching this film, especially for Halloween and I can think of no other film to set the ball rolling for this: 31 DAYS OF “Alternative” HORROR.
So sit back, and lose yourself.
Written by: Stephen Radford
website: stephenradford.com
Next: 2nd October: Carnival of Souls
