Gone are the days when horror fans could rely on new releases from legendary horror filmmakers. Wes Craven or Tobe Hooper have sadly passed on, John Carpenter has retired from directing, and Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson have seemingly almost entirely moved away from horror movies for good.
But the 2010s into the 2020s have ushered in a new guard of great horror directors. Of course, some are more popular than others, with names like James Wan, Jordan Peele, and Ari Aster consistently having some of the biggest horror releases over the last decade. However, several emerging horror directors have been quietly and effectively making a name for themselves in the genre.
While Ti West (X, Pearl), Zach Cregger (Barbarian), Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, and Tyler Gillett (Scream (2022), Scream VI) have all made waves commercially, Shudder has been quietly pushing out fantastic under-the-radar content from extremely talented directors for years. Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy is a Shudder exclusive; Watcher was an incredible debut from Chloe Okuno that was praised by Guillermo del Toro, and most recently, Ted Geoghegan may have released his best film yet, the supernatural period piece, Brooklyn 45.
Geoghegan, who wrote and directed the gory, 2015 Barbra Crampton-led ghost movie, We Are Still Here, and who co-wrote Satanic Panic along with novelist Grady Hendrix, both wrote and directed Brooklyn 45 as well. The film stars Anne Ramsay (The Taking of Deborah Logan), Larry Fessenden (We Are Still Here), Ron E. Rains, Jeremy Holm (The Ranger), Ezra Buzzington (The Hills Have Eyes – 2006), and Kristina Klebe (Halloween – 2007).
Related: Interview: Barbara Crampton Talks Goop & Gore, ‘Alone with You’, and ‘Back 4 Blood’
Brooklyn 45 takes place two days after Christmas in 1945, as a group of friends gets together at the home of their friend and Lieutenant Colonel, Clive “Hock” Hockstatter (Fessenden). The group gathers with Hock after a tough holiday season following the suicide of his wife, Susan.
Hell-bent on communicating with Susie one last time, Hock asks his friends to take part in a séance in hopes to get answers for her actions. The group reluctantly agrees and must face the consequences that come with opening the door to another world.
Starting with the direction and writing, Brooklyn 45 is Geoghegan’s most stylized film to date. It very much feels like a play on film, focusing almost entirely on the character interaction and essentially only taking place in one room. The dialogue felt very Hitchcock-inspired, bringing a classic whodunit-adjacent story from the 1940s to mind, like Rope or Lifeboat.
The story’s progression was intense, and with each layer that unfolds for our characters, the viewer becomes more invested in what would happen next. You could definitely see Geoghegan’s history with Shakespearean art.
Honestly, I thought the film was going to have a more supernatural focal point, and while those elements were obviously still there, and I could have used a little more of them, I was pleased with being given a character study on how prejudice affects us, particularly in tumultuous times of fear. I also really loved the aspect that hate ingrains itself so deeply into our humanistic nature that it sticks with our souls long after we’re dead. It’s fantastic writing.
Stylistically, the film has a great “modern-1940s” feel; a style I didn’t know I loved until seeing Ti West’s Pearl last year, and that comes to mind again with this one, especially with the extremely visceral gore peppered throughout. The movie also boasted a great soundtrack from Blitz//Berlin, who is most notable for doing score work on Steven Kostanski’s The Void and Psycho Goreman.
Related: ‘The Strangers’ Is Still One of the Most Terrifying Horror Movies After 15 Years
Brooklyn 45 is masterfully acted. The tight-knit ensemble of actors all equally pull their weight, with Anne Ramsay and Jeremy Holm giving particularly standout performances. There’s no weak link here, and the group of veteran character actors does a phenomenal job of balancing their characters’ actions off one another, once again bringing in feelings of Hitchcock, or even more modern work, like Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight.
Overall, Brooklyn 45 should be praised for its uniqueness; there really aren’t a lot of movies like it, especially in this genre and in this age. I highly recommend checking this one out, especially if you’re in the mood for a mysterious character study. Brooklyn 45 is now streaming on Shudder.
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