I finally watched Men, which had intrigued me with its Instagram ads when it first came out back in 2022. Instagram can get me to do virtually anything these days. It’s unfortunate.
It’s on Prime right now, or rather, it’s on Paramount+ and I could get a free trial week, so I signed up. I ultimately did end up getting caught out in the typical “forget to cancel” additional charge, so buyer beware as always if you go this route.
What was my old rating system? I’ll give Men 3.5/5 skulls and bones. It was puzzling, and intriguing, but also had me a bit yelling at the TV. I suppose that means there’s an amount of frustration included with the tension.
One thing Men is not big on, is explanation. There is a lot I think you can infer or interpret about the movie’s meaning, but if you need to understand how or why the big bad came about or is targeting his victim, that is not provided here. It’s perhaps more like an art-film/horror-film in that way, more so than folk horror necessarily. As for the folk horror label: that’s a meh. I think this label was given mainly because the tale is rife with pagan references, but I would argue that the setting is a little too modern industrial for folk to feel exactly right on the nose as a categorization.
I would recommend the film to someone who hadn’t watched it before and thought it sounded interesting, not sure if I would watch it again. Maybe yes if I was having a feminist horror movie sleepover night. (…Actually…that sounds like a brilliant idea…)
hooked on horror 