The onset of Folk Horror with its rich heritage of tales, mysteries and events from countries is a fountainhead for art, film and literature. Many like my own which is Canada has failed to use the huge amount of material that abounds likely out of prejudice or frankly poor judgment for the all-important Box office appeal. That is why it was such a pleasure to view this Greek-produced monster/comedy film Minore (2023).
This wonderfully photographed tapestry of terror by Konstantinos Koutsoliotas’ is a visual and auditory feast reminiscent of Cronos (1992) by Guillermo Del Toro. It’s summer on the Mediterranean coast when strange fog descends on a laid-back port town in Greece, causing its inhabitants to experience visions causing them to sleepwalk into the sea. Turns out that small, multi-limbed monsters reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu have invaded the town. These little beasties fly, grab, tear off heads, and rip out entrails while preparing the way for the large version of themselves called Great Devourer.
The beauty of Minore (2023) is that one gets the taste and ambiance of the people in the little village. Many monster films simply bring people together such as teenagers going on a trip, and people on vacation who take a wrong turn with emphasis on getting to the kills and the creature set pieces. Yet this film is refreshingly different. Using an approach similar to Humanoids From the Deep (1980) one gets to see the people’s lives, their loves, the personalities from an older fellow who sees the ghost of his dead wife to a gang member trying to extort money, to a tattooed bodybuilder with a penchant for making bladed weapons out of musical instruments. The picture takes the tropes of the remote village, townspeople, mysterious fog and a monstrous evil threatening a small bunch of people that are forced to band together and turns it into a delightful journey with action, gore and fun galore.
Photographed in painted colours the film has an unhurried pace reflective of the town’s way of life dominated by food and music. Sequences of music playing, dancing, walking, and eating wonderful food all serve to introduce this world. Even when the drama reaches fever pitch with gore-filled battles. The work creates low-key moments, interactions and quirky set pieces that make one consider multiple viewing for the scenery, the people, and the dialogue.
The locals are led by the bar’s owner, Pantelis (Christos Callow) as they wait for a man they call Teacher. Every night a table is set for his late wife. The Teacher aka Nikodimos (Meletis Georgiadis) is highly revered amongst the locals.
The sailor William (Davide Tucci) is a visitor to this port on shore leave who is looking for the father he never knew. It might be The Teacher Nikodimos who is a master of the bouzouki, one of which William carries with him as his only gift from his father. William has a romantic fling with Aliki (Daphne Alexander) a waitress at a restaurant not far from the hotel. Tremors shake through the night and spikes rise out of the ocean. Residents fall under the spell of a siren song and walk into the sea. Suddenly skinned corpses begin to show up in some wonderful practical effects on shore.
The real horror begins with the monsters grabbing and flying while the townspeople blast them and toss bombs at a local church while the creatures tear the people’s limbs. It’s a dark comedy like when the bodybuilder who builds musical instrument weapons gets his arm lasered off in battle. A tentacle emerges from the stump of his arm and flexes upward, the bodybuilder collapses saying, “Which way to the beach?”. Even a moment when William is being dragged by a creature after an attack in a bar only to have him grab an intestine as a rope to save himself. Lots of slime, blood, flying monsters and brutal gunfire action drive this film accented by wonderful funny bits tossed in.
Many might be turned off regarding the film’s beginning, but it only adds to the fun of the later stages plus the subtitles. Minore (2023) is well worth the time and the journey with all the images and for anyone even non-genre fans.
