Begotten Review
In 2011 I made a drawing of a character I liked in black and white, which an old friend told me reminded him of this movie’s style. When I watched the trailer not only did it drive me away but I ended up checking out Eraserhead instead first (which a reviewer compares to in a less scary way). What’s funny, though, is that I was also a huge Marilyn Manson fan at the time and even discovered/watched Cryptorchid as well, the music video which nearly feels like a tie-in to the movie yet was released a few years later. But I ultimately ended up watching Begotten a decade after I first discovered it. Much like Audition the film was more messed up then than it is now, despite still being unflinchingly grotesque from someone who is known to make films with an ample amount of skill and care. On one hand I’m grateful to have seen this movie before watching Beyond the Black Rainbow as Mr. Cosmatos admits to have based a scene from his movie off of Merhige’s style. On the other hand I feel as though I only (or at least mostly) watched this movie for the same reason I saw Marabunta: just to say I did. Otherwise I’d recommend anyone else who isn’t as into 80s arthouse horror to watch his non-scary diet/abridged alternative: Din of Celestial Birds .