Housekeeping
I'm starting a new job next week (I am terrified) which will likely leave little time for writing this newsletter. For that reason, I'm switching to every other week instead of every week for Creatures of War. This also leaves me more time to watch a new movie! If you have been scrolling Letterboxd and saw a questionable-looking war horror movie, feel free to shoot it my way and I'll test it out for you.
Disappointments
It’s no secret I love Neil Marshell’s 2005 horror movie The Descent. With great characters, pacing, atmosphere, creatures, and twists, it’s the perfect subterranean horror movie. I also plan on writing a Creatures of War post on his earlier film Dog Soldiers, which I adore. Well, my action-horror hero returned in 2022 to make what I hoped would be another hit. Despite me finding almost no positive reviews, I knew in my heart I would love it. Why wouldn’t I?
My heart’s a fucking liar.
Review
Here’s a secret, I technically didn’t finish The Lair. I turned it off with 10 minutes to spare, I’m sorry.
First off, I’m not even sure if this movie takes place during a real war or not. I assumed it was based on the War in Afghanistan, but I can’t be sure if it actually takes place during that time, or if this is a fictionalized or different conflict. Maybe that’s me being dumb, or maybe the plot is just that unclear. Anywho, The Lair begins with a pilot named Kate Sinclair getting shot down in Afghanistan, and subsequently discovering a mysterious bunker. She escapes said bunker very quickly but has to return later with a group of soldiers. To me, this is the crux of my issue with The Lair. We go in and out of this bunker too often. What could have been a very claustrophobic atmosphere turns into an annoying back and forth. All the tension is lost.
Then there’s the acting. As soon as the film started, I looked up if the actress was married to the director (she is). I know I know that’s sexist, but I was so confused as to why she was cast. To me, she felt all wrong for the role and I found her character incredibly annoying. To be fair, a lot of that was the fault of the writing, not the actress. She’s not the only one I disliked, the rest of the cast equally got on my nerves. I didn’t care who lived or died. I’m mostly picking on her since she’s the only person I can remember. Neil Marshell and Charlotte Kirk have made a couple of movies together and seem to be attempting a Paul W.S. Anderson/Mila Jovovich partnership but without any of the charm of the former. I wish Marshell and Lawrence all the success in the future, but this performance flew right past me.
The creatures didn’t inspire me either. They’re part alien part human? The design was uninspired and the lore was rushed and confusing. Maybe it would have made sense if I actually stuck around until the credits, but I doubt it. The effects were fine, but nothing to write home about.
Overall, I really hated The Lair. It actually upset me to see a director I loved so much, make such trash. And I normally love trash! This is a borderline offensive Resident Evil rip-off that I can’t even say attempts to replicate the genius of The Descent or Dog Soldiers. What a waste.
Real life
Why can I gleefully watch fictionalized horror movies set in WWI or WWII, but squirm at the idea of one in the War in Afghanistan?
Any war horror movie has the potential to offend. You’re taking something that has real-world consequences and trauma, and turning it into entertainment. How is that okay? To be completely honest, I don’t know if it is. This is a genre that should be approached cautiously and with a kind of care that isn’t found in most of the films I’ve seen. I shouldn’t enjoy these movies, but for some reason I love them. Maybe the taboo adds to the enjoyment, or maybe I’m just not as sensitive as I think I am.
I have a level of distance to conflicts like WWI and WWII. I am in my 20s and never even considered military service (and never would). I don’t know anyone who has lived through WWII, and maybe I would hate these films if I did. I don’t know anyone who served in Afghanistan either, but I lived through it. Still very much a fresh wound, it feels too soon to pick at that scab.
As much as I write about war movies, I hate actual war (I mean does anyone like war?). I won’t get political on this blog don’t worry, but I think I’d be a coward if I didn’t at least mention I’m pro a ceasefire in Gaza1. Maybe 20 years in the future someone will make a creature-feature set in the Gaza Strip or Ukraine and I’ll think that’s distasteful. Maybe as I get older I’ll start hating war horror movies. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just easier to fall into the fantasy that zombies and monsters are to blame instead of men and women.
I have no clear answers. One day I’ll examine my guilty pleasure further, but for now, I’ll cry at the news and smile at the silver screen.
Moving on
I would not recommend The Lair, let’s leave it there!
Bonus
If you really want to double-feature this then here are some equally disappointing options:
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Doom (2005) *I love Doom but I know many people don't
The Cave (2005)
Extra bonus:
Here are some movies I’ve seen recently that I recommend. Not necessarily horror.
The First Omen (2024) On Hulu
I Saw The TV Glow (2024) If you can find it in theaters
Manhunter (1986) Finally saw it thanks to Amazon Prime Video
Furiosa (2024) Please see this in theaters!
I was going to write a whole post on how I feel guilty watching war horror films while Palestinians live one, but to be honest, I don’t think I can. I’m not well-spoken on serious topics and have no real unique insight. Instead, I’ll just say hey, make sure you get information from reliable sources and help out if you can. Also don’t be fucking racist, islamophobic, or antisemitic, you know the drill.
LOVE the descent and rly wanna go see Furiosa. Hilarious about the main character being married to the director, i have to look that up more 🤣 curious if you watched the new Civil War?? I thought it was meh, I was really hoping for a big monster since the directors other films are so weird