It comes from the creator of some of the best scary movies of recent years.
Released in cinemas in June, there was so much anticipation for Men.
It was coming from the mind of Alex Garland, the guy who had previously directed brilliant sci-fi/thriller/horrors like Ex Machina and Annihilation, as well as providing the scripts for 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Dredd.
Arriving from A24 – the production house behind pretty much all of the buzzy horrors of the last few years – the leading star of the movie was none other than Ireland’s own Jessie Buckley, perhaps the most interesting of the new homegrown performers to arrive in the last few years.
And then we got this supremely creepy trailer…
The plot revolves around a woman (Buckley) who takes a trip to the remote countryside to help get over a recent tragedy, and is initially welcomed by one of the friendly town locals (a brilliantly cast Rory Kinnear). However, she soon discovers that she is being stalked by … something … in the surrounding woods and small town.
Upon release, it truly was a love-it-or-hate-it kind of movie, with critics pretty much divided down the middle. Men scored 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, but those who did love it really loved it:
Total Film – “Garland’s bold, original version of what horror can be when it swaps tired old tropes for visceral, visionary thrills is an absolute game-changer.”
The Telegraph – “It’s the sort of film that rattles you in three ways at once: through the grim candour of its themes, the chill precision of its craft, and the nightmarish throb of its images.”
NME – “Garland returns to the form of the excellent Ex Machina here with a shocking, hilarious and terrifying take on grief and masculinity at its most toxic. Thrilling stuff.”
AV Club – “To put it in a way the kids do: Men is vibes.”
Unfortunately, Men arrived in cinemas one week after Top Gun: Maverick and one week before Jurassic World: Dominion, so it kind of disappeared in the gap between those two summer blockbuster behemoths.
Thankfully, Men is now available to watch at home in Ireland on Amazon Prime Video.
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