What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name Hana Mae Lee? For me, it’s the hysterical moment in Pitch Perfect when her character, Lilly, starts making snow angels in a large puddle of vomit. It’s a bizarre moment, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg for what Lee would conjure for her film Magick Mtn.
Hana Mae Lee co-wrote and co-directed with Hal Satin. It’s a nightmarish black-and-white anthology that takes you on a wild ride through the magical land of Laurel Canyon. Cleopatra Entertainment has released the dark fairytale on DVD this spooky season.
Guided by the ghoulish Lord Mmorke, this twisted anthology takes us on a journey through three bizarre tales in which the supernatural and the human world collide. From a Deathrock squatter trapped in the clutches of a sadistic psychiatrist to a pair of criminal plumbers sinking deeper into a hellish nightmare amid the beer-soaked madness of the Sunset Strip, there’s plenty of darkness to go around.
Rounding things out is an ambitious architect whose dreams are built on a dangerous deal with the Devil himself. What starts as storytelling soon becomes something far more sinister, with each tale casting its own wicked spell.
At a time when I’ve been reflecting on the Goth sensibilities of my youth, a film like Magick Mtn. is exactly what’s needed. It can fascinate modern Goth culture the way The Crow did for ’90s Goth culture. The black-and-white photography brings haunting images to life in a shadowy nightmare world where the line between reality and the supernatural blurs.
The haunting imagery is accompanied by a soundtrack featuring Wendy O., Super Heroines, and Aleister Crowley. Crowley’s influence is felt strongly throughout the film, though not everything works over the 80-minute runtime. Monica Lamela’s performance is truly fantastic and hopefully leads to more work within the genre, a brilliant find.
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Cleopatra Entertainment, under the Cleopatra Venom banner, delivers the film to DVD with a decent set of bonus features:
- Cutting Room Compilation of deleted and alternate takes
- Slideshow with press photos from the shoot
- Trailer
- Audio commentary with filmmakers and cast
Despite its shortcomings, Magick Mtn. delivers what can only be described as nightmarish fairy tales that work to inspire and help cement the fact that Goth culture is alive and well in modern society.
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