This week's new DVDs offer haunted children and grisly horror--Yuichi Sato's Pray from Japan and Greg McLean's tale of the Australian outback, Wolf Creek. Also, bride of Kong Naomi Watts in the indie film Ellie Parker.
1. Ellie Parker
Scott Coffey shot this little-seen independent film about an aspiring actress on DV. The big surprise: Naomi Watts stars in the title role, and she gives a marvelous performance, alternating between hollow-eyed despair and giddy fits of glee. Coffey provides an often hilarious insider's view of Hollywood.
2. Pray
Japanese horror director Yuichi Sato directs this truly terrifying story about pair of drug-addicted teens who become kidnappers. The horror turns on them when they discover the little girl they have taken has been dead for more than year.
3. Wolf Creek (Unrated Version)
Ostensibly based on a true story, Greg McLean's gruesome Australian horror film is the sadistic tale of an Outback loner gone psychotic killer (John Jarratt). It's also beautifully shot, encorporating the otherworldly majesty of Australia's outback as a part of the story. Not for the faint of heart, Wolf Creek indulges in brutality. The unrated DVD edition runs five minutes longer than the R-rated cut.4. Peter Greenaway: The Falls
An early effort from Peter Greenaway. The Falls, shot in the style of a documentary, is a three-hour examination of 92 people who have been afflicted by a strange disease. Michael Nyman--who would go on to score many of Greenaway's films--and Brian Eno provide the soundtrack.