XX

Good news people! Me and my friend had a horror day yesterday! WOO! And you know what that means, HORROR FILMS HAVE BEEN WATCHED AND ARE READY TO BE REVIEWED. 'Four short horror films that are directed and written by women.'   I, obviously, wanted to see this film because it is an anthology and I have a massive, massive love for them - I bought this as a birthday present for my friend and this was the perfect time to watch it. Two big horror fans in the same room - of course this was the perfect time, we plan these horror days by the way too... That is how good our friendship is... But XX wasn't that good...just FYI, our friendship is better...

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XX is not that good a film, it is clever in the way it is an anthology, but unlike, say, Southbound, the stories are not linked in anyway, except they are all directed by women and also have a lead female character. Before the short films even start, you are treated to some very weird stop motion scenes, with dolls, and opening things, and clothing - it is as weird as it sounds. You get this stop motion before each short story, and I will be honest, (I have yet to Google it though.), I have no idea what the stop motion meant. I watched it all and really could not tell you what any of it meant at all... It lost me - it's creepy but no idea. 
Okay, I just looked a little, and it is about a walking dollhouse... still no idea though...

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The first little short story is one called The Box, and it is a pretty simple story, family are on a train, young son looks into a box a man is carrying on the train, and then he stops eating, for no reason what so ever. He just says he is not hungry.  Which, lets be fair, for a child to say is a little bit weird - aren't they always hungry?!  Without spoiling the story, (you might actually see some of it coming..), it basically gets worse, it gets even more depressing for the mum, but then just ends. It literally just ends, you have all these questions about why the boy is doing it, what was in the box, etc, but nope. It just ends. Think of Lock Stock and two Smoking Barrels, but with more horror and less happiness as not knowing in this one is harsh. You have literally no idea, you don't even know what was in the box.
It's not a bad ending, but it literally just ends, and you don't even see an ending coming. With or without the ending, it's not the worst episode, but it's not the best.  Its a good concept, but I feel it could have done with being longer, to fill you in in more of the story... But hey, it was an interesting start..

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The Birthday Party is the next short film to come, and this is a more simple concept than the first - a much simpler idea for sure. A woman is throwing her daughter a birthday party, all going well so far, but oh no, what's that?! She finds her husband dead at the table! Does she call The Police and tell them? OF COURSE NOT. She doesn't want to ruin her daughters party so she tries to hide the body... Actually tries to hide it! In the wardrobe, under the carpet, anywhere really.
It is just pretty stupid, and it gets even more stupid as it goes on - just trying to hide a dead boy really.
And well done for hiding it in a panda suit and sit it at the party table surrounded by people.. That actually happens, I kid you not. The Birthday Party is an entertaining watch, mainly because it is pretty damn stupid, and it is just enough time to find it entertaining and not silly. Any longer, and people might have been doing other things... Nothing rude - dirty people! I meant checking your phones and such!

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Don't Fall was probably my favourite out of the whole film - mainly because if I could have any as a full film and watch it, it would be this one. This one is the storyline I liked the most. It was very very simple - which is good and bad, and fun. Being simple in a short film is good, you have less time, but it had no twists and you pretty much saw the whole story coming - those are the bad things.  And they aren't awful things either to be fair. It's basically about friends who go camping, and happen upon some ancient cave paintings and a killer creature. That's it. Nice and simple.
I like that kind of storyline, it's just a bit of fun really, especially when it is meant to be super short too - even with no twists or anything and an alright ending, it's still just fun and simple. Yay!

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The last one in this film is a little short called Her Only Living Son, and is an interesting little thing.  This one is hard to explain, like really hard, and it's a very different concept to anything else really. Massively shortened down, it is about a mum and son, the son is a brat of a teen, and they fight and argue but, shock horror, all is not what it seems!  I don't want to reveal too much about it, as it does build up to it all very well, and when the ends come, well, you don't really see it coming.
It's one of those you really need to watch, and really, could have done with being longer.  It is a very interesting concept though, probably the most well thought out of the lot, anddddd, it had a pretty good ending.  I did have to Google it though... I did get a little lost... But that might just be me...

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Overall, XX is an alright film. I was very excited for it, (love of anthologies...), and I had heard good things about it to be fair.  But it was okay, that's about it, weird in places, silly in places and none of the stories I really really loved - Don't Fall, as I said, was my favourite out of them all.  If you want to watch it because it is different, (the fact that it's all woman making it is pushed a lot, and it's okay... I wouldn't say it does much, in my eyes, for women and horror, but it is a good idea), go ahead, but I don't think I will be watching it again in a hurry...

Damn, I feel bad saying that... but it is true.. Maybe only if some of them had endings and if Don't Fall was made into a full movie...