History recollects Eighties Argentina as a time of unease and tragedy exacerbated by power-mad leaders. Cristian Ponce’s unsettling indie History of the Occult revisits that tumultuous time and asks: what if the federal government was doing all of it within the identify of black magic?

Ponce is the co-creator of The Kirlian Frequency, also referred to as Ghost Radio, an animated internet sequence set in a fictional city the place the supernatural feels emboldened to combine with the human world, in a type of Stephen King-meets-H.P. Lovecraft manner. At the middle of every episode is a radio host who takes calls from listeners describing their very own bizarre encounters. There are robust echoes of those themes in History of the Occult, which unfurls across the closing episode of a TV speak present dramatically titled 60 Minutes Before Midnight. It’s 1987 and an enormous protest—set to start at midnight—is deliberate in opposition to President Belasco, whose unpopular financial insurance policies may very well be the least of the nation’s worries.

As the intrepid but additionally understandably freaked-out producers of 60 Minutes Before Midnight have found, Belasco has secret ties to the sinister Kingdom Corporation, and so they’re hoping to tell the general public earlier than his goons take away their platform. For this, they’ve turned to a person who’s not too long ago severed his shut ties with Belasco for causes as-yet unknown: Kingdom founder Adrian Marcato, who’s agreed to set the report straight on 60 Minutes Before Midnight’s closing program. “I am not a con artist,” he insists—however he nonchalantly admits to being a warlock.

Horror followers will instantly decide up on that identify: Adrian Marcato is the identify of an notorious witch in Rosemary’s Baby, which will get multiple hat-tip right here; “tannis root” is deployed as a hallucinogen and the film itself will get talked about in a dialogue of Satanic Panic that additionally references Michelle Remembers, the since-discredited tome that helped impress that pocket of mass hysteria. Though it typically feels extra like a paranoid conspiracy thriller than a horror film—the ticking-clock gimmick that propels 60 Minutes to Midnight cleverly enhances the pressing tempo—History of the Occult is equally filled with spooky breadcrumbs to remind you the place its coronary heart is basically beating. There’s a diary filled with unusual claims and even stranger languages, a mysterious lab whose proprietor is keen to probe into Belasco’s soiled dealings, robust recommendations of systemic thoughts management, references to witchcraft and rituals, and a personality who can’t fairly keep in mind the place he heard the phrase “the future is over”—however has a dreadful feeling it’s completely true.

With such a dense, rapid-fire plot crammed into its 80-ish minutes, History of the Occult can really feel a bit overwhelming. But front-loading the film with a certain quantity of confusion feels intentional; the 60 Minutes to Midnight producers, who huddle collectively to observe their closing program from a secure home, are additionally doing their finest to piece collectively a weird lead they’ve been pursing for months. Black and white cinematography—with occasional dramatic punches of pink—enhances the retro vibes at play right here, whereas the movie’s documentary-like title enhances the concept possibly we are watching a real story, or not less than one model of the reality that’s been pasted over by historical past. Much like The Kirlian Frequency, History of the Occult means that unusual issues are occurring round us always… and we should always maybe really feel fortunate that we haven’t but seen.

History of the Occult is now streaming on Screambox; it’s additionally accessible for rental by means of Prime Video. The Kirlian Frequency shouldn’t be formally streaming anyplace in the meanwhile, however we’ll hold you posted when it turns into accessible once more.

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