Sometimes the scariest mysteries aren’t what happened, but what your mind insists on showing you.
by Nav Qateel
Following up his 2022 effort King Judith, a film that followed a detective in the South as she investigated the murder of three women, writer-director Richard Bailey offers up the Lynchian Howler. Bailey’s latest film tells the story of a woman who has been awarded a very important literary prize for her works in poetry. Leni, the poet in question, begins to receive images, particularly after she learns that she has won the award, resulting in her seeing visions of a possible murder.
We witness small snippets and clues to what Leni is seeing, although everything is deliberately vague, in a manner that David Lynch would be proud of. While Bailey has a style that reminds one of Lynch, the writer-director very much has his own, unique style that makes his work stand out when compared to other filmmakers.
Leni, played by Rhonda Boutte, has a collection of strange friends who enter the picture occasionally, with the first two being Noelle and Burt, a couple that stand out significantly. Noelle and Burt help Leni with her visions by doing a sort of incantation, and initially, I thought they were a pair of con artists. However, I would be proved wrong as Howler progresses. In fact, it’s thanks to their encouragement that Leni begins to see deeper into her visions.
Leni’s son Gordon and her fledgling publisher Charlotte are also featured in this imaginative tale. Charlotte relies on Leni getting this award to boost business. However, things might not be quite what she hopes for. Really, the entire story is sort of veiled in mystery, so it would take multiple viewings to draw forth the secrets held within Howler. The rest of the characters take up little time but do add to the story in a more obtuse manner.
Bailey clearly had a vision for his film and succeeded in capturing it in a way that draws one into his world. Howler felt like a collection of vignettes that would work well as a stage play. The cast performed admirably, and the camerawork was perfectly suited to the story being told. I was particularly impressed by Bailey’s choice of sound design that really helped with Leni’s visions and some of the other dreamlike sequences.
Howler might not be to everyone’s taste, however if you feel like expanding your mind a little then you will not regret the time spent watching this interesting film.
Nav’s Score: 8/10
