What better way to follow up some Japanese giant monster foolishness than with some good old-fashioned American Nightmare Fuel, eh? Today, let’s talk about the perils of aiming for fame with 2014’s Starry Eyes.
We begin with an aspirational actress trying to make it in LA. She’s dealing with the usual garbage: annoying friends (and some only so-called friends, ‘cause you know how people can be), a soul-crushing day job at a cheesy and sexist restaurant, and the stress of giving it your all for auditions only to have the door constantly smashed in the face. We’ve all been there. In spirit, at least, anyway. Ahem. Our prospective starlet gets the chance to audition before a well-established production company, but she doesn’t seem to close the deal. That is, until she’s caught pulling her hair in frustration in the bathroom. Suddenly, the casting folks seem rather interested, so long as she is willing to really push herself beyond her pre-existing inhibitions. But as things progress further and further, is there a line she won’t cross to achieve her dreams of stardom?
Gotta love that click-baity question there, even in the middle of the damn page.
I’ve got to admit, I was surprised somewhat by how much I found myself enjoying this film. Alex Essoe (whom we saw earlier in our Nightmare Fuel travels in Tales of Halloween) acts her part spectacularly, drawing us in to a likable and relatable girl who then turns on us, showing us just how powerful ambition can be (especially when it’s cultivated by ruthless and wealthy string-pullers). Based on what I saw here, I hope to see Ms. Essoe much more in the future (and, judging by the several in-progress entries under her name on IMDb, I’m not gonna be left waiting for long). Her determination to do things practically, like when she volunteered to hold some bugs in her mouth she would soon be seen vomiting up, rather than relying on visual effects, is more than deserving of praise. The rest of the cast performs solidly, though Louis Dezseran’s Producer tends a bit toward the on-the-nose for my tastes, even if it sorta/kinda fits with the film’s tone.
Speaking of, things are appropriately grim throughout, with splashes of starkness and opulence tossed in when the needs arise. Writer/directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Wismyer use Hollywood’s actual mystique and history of exploitation (one of Essoe’s audition scenes is allegedly based on stories of similar auditions for David Lynch) as the foundation of a horror film that deftly weaves in some otherworldly consequences for the usual hunger for fame, treating the material as a sort of fable warning against excessive ambition. The synth-driven score from Jonathan Snipes (who also did the music for Room 237 and contributed to the score of Blindspotting) provides plenty of unnerving atmosphere without resorting to full-on 80s nostalgia inducement. And the makeup effects throughout are great, really keeping the audience glued to our heroine’s evolving plight.
Overall, though I’ll stop myself short of full-blown gushing for Starry Eyes, I will say that I’d readily recommend it to anyone looking for a classic morality tale wrapped in a modern package (complete with bitchy “friend” (wait, is this what a “frenemy” is? Have I finally figured it out?) that tears you down at every instance of positivity in your life) and studded with unnatural overtones.
Allusions of Grandeur 