Murder by Decree
Seen some people mention their dislike due to the slow nature, overlong plot and dull pacing which is all fair critiques but goddamn...I don't get this at all. I find Murder By Decree unbelievably entertaining. Mostly due to the eerie narrative at it's helm.
I remember going through a <PERSON> obsession at 17, I just found the whole story incredibly engaging and downright terrifying. The aesthetic of the underlit, foggy Victorian alleyways, the idea of a protruding sociopathic serial killer trudging through the streets maliciously carving down their prey was just haunting to me.
It again harkens back to the idea of why we become engaged by thrills and horror in cinema and why for the life of me, I don't understood why this story and how it's adapted in this format by <PERSON> makes it such a perfect cozy Christmas watch.
Like damn, I adore a good mystery to watch at Christmas especially one involving the dark thrills of murder.
Yet I wonder if it's because I'm surrounded by family when I watch these stories. Is it the setting and state of being in a lovely house by a warm fire, cuddled up on the couch gobbing on sweet treats laying under a blanket. 369
Is it that feeling of security, that the boogeyman on the screen can't connect literally out to me, only figuratively. I was infatuated with watching Young Sherlock Holmes, <PERSON>, The Goonies, Miss Marple and <PERSON>, Midsommar Murders or Whitechapel at Christmastime and even writing this now, I'm starting to gage an idea.
So yeah, there's many reasons I love Murder by Decree; the exquiste set design and encumbered foggy camera lens capturing the scary sequence of events, the dreaded musical score that lurks behind my eardrums after I finish the movie and go to bed or the warm, resounding, quietly charismatic pairing of <PERSON> and <PERSON> as <PERSON> and <PERSON>.
I just think it's brilliantly made and a fantastic watch for this time of year. As you get older, that security blanket starts to disappear as adulthood starts to take shape. So, I do find it quite comforting to take ownership of my love for the odd Christmas classics that provide a sense of danger. Especially one that provides a departure amidst the daily horrors and worries faced with each passing year. It's a fucking crazy one. 475