A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

A Persian-language horror film shot in black and white, Ana Lily Amirpour’s debut continues to be fresh almost ten years after its Sundance premiere. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night primarily follows Arash (Arash Marandi) and his life in Bad City, caring for his heroin-addicted father (Marshall Manesh) and trying to avoid the wrath of the pimp and drug dealer Saeed (Dominic Rains). It’s not long though before life in Bad City takes an even grimmer turn as chador-wearing skateboarder The Girl (Sheila Vand) appears and begins doling out vampiric retribution to sordid men.

Amirpour seems hesitant to call the film feminist, but it’s hard not to see The Girl as an avenging force. Despite the heavy political implications, there are some moments of beauty. The ending reminds me of The Graduate, but more hopeful. White Lies’ “Death” spinning on The Girl’s turntable in her basement apartment is one of the most gorgeous long takes in recent film. Speaking of music, the soundtrack mirrors John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) score in its flawlessness and enhances each scene where it plays. These days when so much horror goes direct-to-streaming as cheap knockoffs of better movies, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night shows that maybe all that’s really needed is some fresh blood. Recommended food pairing: hamburger and red wine. 4.5 out of 5 sacs of blood.

—Nate Logan