Great Movies
Jim Mickle is the kind of director I wish was a household name. I wish there were legions of copycats trying to make his uber-specific kind noir and horror, with films set in sleepy towns off the beaten path, populated by great character actors allowed to chew on psychologically dense roles. That's Mickle in a nutshell. Not afraid of gore, jokes, or an overweening melancholy, he mixes tones with the grace and adventurousness of an assured crime writer (it's no wonder Joe R. Lansdale trusted him to do justice by some of his most popular books).
"We Are What We Are" might still be my favorite of his works but it's a tough call, they're all so entertaining and carefully constructed. Enjoy this autumnal horror just in time for the leaves to start falling and the nights to begin to fill with anticipation for the uncanny.
To watch more of Scout Tafoya's video essays from his series The Unloved, click here.
Scout Tafoya is a critic and filmmaker who writes for and edits the arts blog Apocalypse Now and directs both feature length and short films.
