Snobbin: Beautiful Trash in the Pop Culture Gutter

15. Wild At Heart (1990)  It's definitely not my favorite David Lynch film, but Wild at Heart has grown on me. Although the film includes a fairly straightforward plot because Lynch is adapting Barry Gifford's novel, the casting and over-the-top performances add those Lynchian elements that keep the viewer guessing. His addition of  audacious characters like Mr. Reindeer (W. Morgan Sheppard) and focus on the darker aspects of  popular culture as exemplified by Elvis and Marilyn Monroe fixations filtered through a near Joe Coleman level of morbidity make this a unique study on American obsession. However, the film still finds space to be funny, particularly in how Laura Dern and Nicolas Cage portray those obsessions. Think Lynch with a side of John Waters, a dash of the Coens, and a dessert that recalls the fantastical elements of  The Wizard of Oz (1939) updated for the consumer-obsessed 1990s.  14. Winter Kills ( 1979) I weighed including The Parallax View ...

David Bruckner's  The Ritual builds suspense through the familiar narrative trope of difficult friendships and decisions but takes its protagonist to unexpected places that rework many folk horror tropes, such as the outsider coming to unfamiliar areas and finding horrific occult practices and villagers that are compelled to commit them. The premise which could be a feel good buddy comedy turns horrific quickly, and the legacy of the characters comes into question. Add in a really interesting folk horror monster with antlers, hoofs, and human-like body parts, and you have all the ingredients for an interesting genre excursion.