THE LAST MATINEE: Colorful And Gory Love Letter To The Slasher
The Last Matinee, written and directed by Maximiliano Contenti, is a horror film set within the world of a movie theater in Montevideo in 1993. The film follows Ana (Luciana Grasso) on the night she takes over the theater’s projection booth duties from her sick father. The final film screening of the night turns dark when a mysterious stranger shows up among the audience.
The Last Matinee balances its horror with introspection into how different people watch movies and the beauty that can be found in the theatrical experience. The gore is intense and eye-catching, but small moments exploring the faces of various movie-goers are just as impactful and interesting.
Strength in Visuals
The Last Matinee is a visually stunning horror film, perfectly capturing its 1990s setting and showcasing how much the filmmakers care about and love the horror genre. This film is a love letter to horror as well as the beauty found within movie theaters.
Throughout the film, the use of shadow and neon lights brings to mind the strange comfort of movie theaters at night, which makes the horror land that much harder. We view sitting in a theater, absorbed into the film on the screen as a somewhat safe space. A space where we can express our emotions freely without thinking of the outside world. The Last Matinee latches onto this and crafts a fun and nerve-wracking horror experience.
When we are brought back into the lives of the various audience members, seeing their faces bathed in the light from the flickering screen, the film is at its best. The moments where the screen itself is the focus are the least memorable, but even within these scenes, there are moments of dread seeing the characters gazing forward, unaware of their surroundings.
These moments where we see the facial expressions of movie-goers and have a glimpse into how each character acts within a movie theater allow the characters to feel more real and lived-in. I was reminded of the memorable movie theater scenes in Demons and Stranger Than Paradise. These are two completely different films in completely different genres, but both feel present in Contenti‘s work establishing the moviegoing experience here.
The dialogue exchanges between the various audience members feel natural, even when I disagree with what is being said. For the most part, I enjoyed the matter-of-fact discussions between the characters attending the film, especially the more nonchalant and seemingly unrelated conversations.
One moment that partially took me out of the film though is when one character remarks on it being odd that a woman is seeing a horror film alone. It feels like something a teenage boy might say, but watching the film as a woman who frequently watches horror alone makes me wonder if this statement comes just from the character.
A simple moment of a young child spilling a bag of candy, so it cascades down the lobby steps is beautiful while still maintaining the haunting quality of the film’s horror tone. The Last Matinee is peppered with moments like this one, where beauty is found in simplicity.
Gory and Intense
The Last Matinee revels in its moments of gore. The death scenes are wonderfully connected to the film’s central location and do not shy away from blood and uncomfortable moments.
During the film’s finale, I viscerally reacted to a slow-paced and deeply intense moment between the killer and his victims. We get an up-close look into this slasher villain and feel the intensity and fear the characters are experiencing.
The darkness and secluded nature of the movie theater is used well throughout the film. In the auditorium, characters are off in their own world, unaware of the carnage going on mere rows away. These moments are shot wonderfully, capturing the proximity while highlighting the vast difference of their experiences.
The Last Matinee does a wonderful job of matching its gore with the film being shown on screen, allowing moments of pain to go unnoticed by oblivious movie-goers.
In an especially memorable moment, a velvet rope is used to close a door, bringing the atmosphere and setting of the movie theater into clear focus during these moments of the killer chasing its prey.
The Last Matinee packs a remarkable amount of gore into the film and its confined space, creating an especially memorable slasher film.
Luciana Grasso as Ana and Julieta Spinelli as Ángela stand out in their performances which recall some of the classic women throughout horror. Ana’s attitude toward Mauricio (Pedro Duarte) as he tries to distract her from her studying recalls the strength seen in final girls like Nancy Thompson in A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Conclusion
The Last Matinee is a blood-soaked and nostalgic journey into a bygone era of movie theaters and their unique beauty. The film highlights different personalities of movie-goers through interesting characters all attending the same late-night screening of a horror film. The production design captures what makes movie theaters late at night feel strangely safe yet haunting at the same time filled with neon lights, velvet ropes, and sticky floors. The film features memorable performances, especially from Luciana Grasso and Julieta Spinelli.
Are you excited to see The Last Matinee? Share your thoughts in the comments.
The Last Matinee released in select US theaters on August 6th and will be released on VOD August 24th, 2021
Watch The Last Matinee
Does content like this matter to you?
Become a Member and support film journalism. Unlock access to all of Film Inquiry`s great articles. Join a community of like-minded readers who are passionate about cinema - get access to our private members Network, give back to independent filmmakers, and more.
