NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast
Episode 66: Lo: From YouTube with Love, Demons, and Kodiak Thompson ("Evil Dead" meets "(500) Days of Summer").
Lo: From YouTube with Love, Demons, and Kodiak Thompson
May 3, 2022
Kodiak Thompson returns to offer up his insight about another horror comedy, Travis Betz's "Lo" from 2009. This romantic tale is all charm with a sense of humor that is akin to "John Dies at the End". It is like "Evil Dead" except the demons are more concerned with spouting and mocking philosophies instead of swallowing souls.
Allow me to get out of third-person. Happy Prof. Shurtleff of Illinois Central College? I (CM Darth) will try not to make so much light of violent death in this summation. This is my declaration of changing perspective.
So, I have usually mentioned my handle in the third person when I post my summary for all the podcast apps. The previous paragraph should be removed in this case, but I have templates to maintain.
This episode is pretty brief all things considered. Kodiak wanted to keep it to about an hour, and I think it worked out great. He got to put his kid to bed at a reasonable, and we cut the bullshit out. The man knows how to stay focused on, and we benefit from giving this feature the respect it deserves.
"Lo" is the story of Justin. He and his girlfriend April were recently attacked by a demon. After this near fatal assault, April is missing, presumably taken to hell by the monster. This girl was Justin's entire life, so he will do whatever he can to save her.
With that said, it seems fortunate that he is in possession of her only possession, a book that is reminiscent of the Necronomicon. In it, there is a marked passage about a demon named Lo. If Justin can call upon him, the demon must fulfill his request. This seems like a sweet deal, provided that Justin remains inside the pentagram used to summon the creature.
Lo knows these rules, but also knows how to deal in technicalities. He knows what Justin wants now, but will that be what Justin wants after the tale of April Oaks is told to him? If that does not sway him from stepping away from this goal, fear and hallucinations might. Sarcasm and straight up insults might assist the demon as well.
For a horror movie, there are not really any scares or gore. It is a comedic character study. The characters are just scary looking and not afraid to mock someone's wounds, be it physical or mental. All of the demons are assholes, but they are the assholes you rely on when you need to be talked out of an iffy situation. Thus, you cannot hate them.
"Lo" is the perfect blend of early Sam Raimi and "classic" Herschell Gordon Lewis. The film is a one-act that play that I do not think could be sold to the off-Broadway market. Or perhaps it is too meta for that because it is shot as if it was a play, like many of the lowest Lewis features.
Thankfully, the humor is the attraction, and the humor is that of a restrained "Evil Dead". The film is basically Ash trying to reason with his possessed hand (literally in this case) about whether or not the journey to save one of the charming girls we all fell in love the 2000's is worth it. I am talking about the likes of Zooey Deschanel, Isla Fisher, Zoe Kazan, etc.
If there is one other thing to be thankful about "Lo", it is that it is currently free to stream. You will have to search "Lo Movie 2009" on YouTube. The resolution is not great, but the story is definitely worth 82 minutes of your time. Thanks Kodiak for pointing me in the right direction.
Follow me on Twitter @catbusruss. If you want to be on the show, contact me on Twitter or send an email to russthebus07@gmail.com. All we need is a theme, movie, director, or actor and a focus on sub 100-minute material. As long as the credits start before the 1:39:59 mark on the runtime bar, the movie qualifies.
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