Paranormal Activity - Some Commentary

Yes, yes, I know. Of course I've bloody seen it (nice of my co-author to check back with me I must say!). Is it a shameless rip off? Well, you could say that about any film genre ever that's represented - in fact you could say that slasher films have many times more 'rip off' films than the 'found footage subgenre, but that's another argument for another time. I am after all providing some commentary to one film, rather than debating it's existence within the sub-genre in which it sits.

One thing that Marvel Man hit the nail on the head with is the implication that this is a marmite film. It most certainly is. Let's set the scene:

Story - there's a spoiler in here, but only one
A couple, one a well off male named Micah and the other, Katie (a student who apparently only studies once in the whole film) live in a big, nice house. Katie claims she's been haunted at various periods of her life, so Micah suggests they use a video camera to record it. This provides the 'found footage' that the film entirely comprises of. So, what is shown? Well, a variety of scenes unfold including a ouija board setting alight, doors opening and closing by themselves, lights going on and off, strange noises etc. Eventually rolling into a possession story (sorry if you didn't expect that).

Positives
It's a great film for the horror fan who prefers to leave much to the imagination when it comes to scenes. It's not all background music, swelling scores, blood all over the place. Quite the opposite. It's naturalistic almost in style. To top this, a fan of the genre who is familiar with apparent 'real life' cases of hauntings will spot the poltergeist build up and will get a thrill from the way in which the action ratchets up a notch every night. Finally, Paranormal Activity keeps the action claustraphobic and places the protagonist in danger in the place we are meant to feel most safe/secure - our own bedroom.

Negatives
The film is over long. Some may disagree, but I felt it just strayed into the slightly too long territory, with a little much exposition for my taste. This brings me to another criticism - Micah. It's almost as though the two things are tied togther. I find that some of his actions were completely inexplicable to me - the thing with the flour was sensible enough, but he offered up no alternative when they couldn't reach the demonologist - when everyone who has seen any single haunting type horror would have been shouting 'go and see a priest!'. Micah also repeatedly goads the demon or whatever it is, despite seeing evidence literally in front of his eyes that supernatural activity is taking place - yet not denying it is happening.

The ending
Perhaps the biggest let-down for me was the ending. I've no doubt that getting the ending of a 'found footage' film is a tricky thing, but man... I heard that Steven Spielberg had something to do with it. How do you say no to a guy like that? In this case, I think they should have done. I'm not offering an alternative, I'm just saying that the ending didn't resonate with me. It wasn't terrible, but it did feel awfully 'Hollywood' for my taste.

Should I see it?
The question really is, why haven't you seen it yet? You'll either love it (flaws and all) or are possessive of no imagination and hate it. Entirely up to you, but it's a worthy addition to the genre. One can only hope that, if there is a sequel, it takes a more standard narrative progression for a possession tale.

Paranormal Activity

Has anyone out there actually been to see this film. It has really caught my attention, even though I feel it would be very polarising and I could either love or despise it. According to the various reviews and conversations I've been having it's either terrifying and original, taking the Blair Witch themes and plot one step further or quite tame and a total rip-off, nowhere near as good as it or other people think. If I ever do get round to catching it somehow I'd be intrigued to see what I make of it, and will post my thoughts. Likewise let me know yours if you're out there and have an opinion, I'm very interested.

MM

Vampire news to sink your teeth into...

... (sorry.) No I am not talking about the god awful Twilight franchise which seems to have hypnotised teenage girls and the quality impaired, that will NEVER be covered by me. However what I did come across were a couple of other interesting tidbits about undoubtedly better upcoming movies starring the fang-baring blood suckers:

First up I noticed that there is a 30 Days of Night sequel headed our way, along with yet more future releases planned, and thought this worth mentioning. I liked the first flick, which I bought and watched around the same time as Mr B, but I think he got more out of it. Still a very enjoyable movie, ripe for a rewatch, and this still definitely interests me.

Secondly whilst sifting for gems through the news on this especially bored Saturday I came across a synopsis and trailer for an interesting sounding film called Daybreakers. Upon viewing the promo piece it looks a little tame and perhaps too geek-based and less horrific than could be good for it, but the premise still seems really enticing, and don't get me started on the cast. BD (of course) says of the film:

With all of the remakes shrouding the box office, it's nice to see some unique and thought-provoking horror films hitting theaters. Lionsgate is gearing up for their January 8, 2010 release of the long-delayed Daybreakers, Peter and Michael Spierig's sophomore genre effort that follows a race of vampires who have all but wiped out the world's blood supply. Interesting premise, no? Check out the second full trailer by reading on.

BD Horror News - A Second Trailer for Lionsgate's 'Daybreakers'

MM

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever!?

As if any further evidence of the differing fandoms of Mr B and myself were needed I'd guess that today we both saw news which interested us respectively on the same site, during down time and random surfing. Yes Mr B, I too occasionally visit bloodydisgusting.com, where I found out for the first time about an upcoming (but worryingly DTV) sequel to a film I love, Cabin Fever. Without the original director and only the surviving cast member signs didn't look good. The synopsis provided intrigues a little but with potential for it all to be so very hokey... let's just hope its in a good way (like the original or i.e Drag Me To Hell) and not as terrible and Prom Night-ish as it sounds. The official press release reads:

"Cabin Fever delivered terror in the flesh but your flesh will crawl with Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, the bloodcurdling sequel to hit horror film. Days after a killer virus consumed his friends, Paul emerges from a ditch by a river. Though his body has been ravaged by the virus, he is determined to survive and to warn others of the danger. However, a water bottling plant has already distributed contaminated water to the local high school. The school’s students are excitedly preparing for the prom, unaware they’re about to have a grisly date with death. The DVD contains thrilling bonus materials including audio commentary, a “Making of” feature and gag reel. An Official Selection of Screamfest L.A., Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever will be available in rated and unrated versions on February 16, 2009, coinciding with the Blu-ray debut of the original."

Also debuting is the cover art for the piece, which does little to dissuade my fears as it tows the line between genius visual imagery and unnecessarily cheesy, and loses. Sigh, hope sometimes pans out right?



MM

Hierro Trailer

If you like your horror a little more cerebral, Hierro is definitely going to be for you. A Spanish thriller with a difference, I'm looking forward to it.

3,4, better lock your door...

Hi again gang. I'm getting pretty hyped about the Nightmare on Elm Street reimagining heading our way next year, enjoying the pre-release excitement before the often inevitable disappointment. To that end forgive the fact that this is barely news but the first clear picture of Jackie Earle Haley's new interpretation of Freddy Kreuger was released today. Unfortunately it's only the action figure but it does show you clearer than we've yet seen how they're going with this and, yes, it's remarkably similar to what we've already seen. Good or bad thing? I don't know, looks good to me. The image originated at figures.com but is gradually being removed from the net by a sweeping and presumably panicked marketing department. Doesn't stop this fearless reporter though. Thanks to AICN for the heads up on this. See what you think below, oh and clicking on the image should give you a larger and clearer picture:



MM

Scream Queens

Hey loyal few! Apologies for the reduction in rate of posts here, it'll probably dwindle to a bit less than we got used to as we head into this busy time of year, and it's eventual end. I did want to mention something I saw last night though and which I figured would be appropriate to bring up here.
As I was doing my usual channel surfing I hit upon an obscure digital channel named "Viva". Recently launched and kind of a weird music and shows mix showing everything from reality shows to sitcoms. In this particular case it was screening a show named Scream Queens. Has anyone seen this? I had, truthfully, in passing and disregarded it. For anyone unaware who gives a damn it is a cheesy, fairly typical american reality show in the whole Bachelorette/Beauty and the Geek etc mould, but related to horror. Basically a bunch of wannabe horror actresses (get the title yet?) are competing for a role in Saw 6 (obviously the show is not live or in the least bit up to date). Along the way they are mentored by an acting coach I haven't heard of, film director James Gunn (Slither), and Saw actress Shawnee Smith. The girls must complete various challenges to impress these judges and win the day.
Now I get that the show isn't great, as I say it took me this long to even bother properly watching it and half the contestants are gone. It's also the worst genre of t.v spawned by the depths of Hell. Add to that the blatant attempts at titilation and exploitation of these girls and yes it looks bad.
But something last night drew me in. The craziness and sheer wtf moments of the tasks I saw perhaps? Everything from being dumped in a swamp of blood and told to act, to being locked in a morgue just to achieve an acting effect that a good imagination could utilise (or a better actor). Finally this culminated in our director dropping live cockroaches on each girl. The first thing that sucked me in was this sheer lunacy. Then something happened, I started buying into the melodrama, recognising the Hollywood nature of how this is probably what the "biz" is like. Along the way it was interesting to see the trade being plyed in the form of watching Mr Gunn at work, or seeing a glimpse into acting coaching. There are some truly terrible actresses, some greatly fitting B-movie ones, and a couple of potentially great new stars, though they have no visible or interesting personalities as such. The real meat here is perhaps the glimpse into the industry itself, imagining being there in front of and behind the camera and just the voyeurism typical of the genre, but in this case showing me something that interests me in the putting together of horror and utilisation/manipulation of it's tropes. We'll forget the pointless attempts at poignancy from the contestants' sob stories and say that this might just become a permanent guilty pleasure, I'd be interested to know what others' thoughts are on this and what they make of it.

MM

Friday The 13th Part 3 IN 3-D!!! - Quick Thoughts.

This movie aired twice over the weekend as part of the whole season described below. I didn't watch the whole thing (partly due to the hazy, coloured effects which were just headache inducing without the glasses on, but also because of what I saw). I thought I would chime in with opinions on what I did see though.
The first scene was an attack in a barn with a rake, which wanted so badly to be shocking and did feature a corpse hanging in an almost affecting way in the 3-d but after realising that implements of imapling could point almost from the screen this death was milked to, well death, and robbed of already ropy impact.
The next thing I happened across whilst channel hopping was the entire last half hour. Up to now Texas Chain Saw Massacre had the most annoying final act in horror but no more. The worst synth score of the 80's, climaxing in electronic and irritating shrieks with every jump shot as if the 3-d effect itself demanded it and happening every 3 seconds, a lame chase, effects rendered impotent and overkilled, a completely lacklustre and non-threatening Jason, a criminally boring scene and even a rehashed first film shock at the end which robs both of any impact. If anyone has seen the full thing let me know if the effect works and what it's like. It is not one I will be going out of my way to catch properly.

MM

Greatest 3-d horror moments.

To those who didn't catch this, Channel 4 here in the U.K last night aired an hour long special of the greatest moments of 3-d on tv and film to date. A lot of the scenes and clips shown were from horror so if you get a chance do catch the repeat tonight, ideally with 3-d glasses if you have them and the technology works for you. Unfortunately it doesn't for me due to my lack of decent eyesight but I still watched the piece and got the intent. What's featured were everything from the terrible to the, well frankly worse, but with a couple of good moments and a wow factor. Spoilers lie ahead but viewers saw,or can expect to see, scenes from:

Flesh For Frankenstein: sample dialogue "You cannot truly know death until you have f@*ked life,... in the gall bladder", no seriously I was already in stitches at this hilariously crazy level of terrible but the scene shown itself, with the comedy "spleen on a stick" lunging at the audience member confirmed this as just excellent comedy. That was the intent, right?

Creature From The Black Lagoon: No, not Brooke Shields, the classic monster creature feature star, extremely well designed with, as Kim Newman states in the show, great dimensionality anyway in a seminal film.

Jaws 3: Truly abysmally filmed effects, already poor, slowed down and bearing at you but still a slow, rubber shark doing so even in three dimensions.

...and another piece which eagle eyed viewers will note has been left out, because it is, of course, above this little box...

MM

Scariest Who ever?

About a week ago the BBC aired the first of the last episodes of its popular flagship sci-fi show Doctor Who to star David Tennant before his announced departure, entitled The Waters of Mars and featuring an H2O based villain possesing the crew of a Mars base 50 years from now, yes I know it's a show aimed primarily at a younger or family audience and not our genre as such but I wanted to focus on horror elements ok? Put down the pitchforks (fitting though they might be). Hey, my blog, my rules, allow me the indulgence.
Ignoring the excellent s-f elements except to say that the climax was excellently written and unbelievably well played what got me thinking about horror is specifically when people came up to discuss the show with me post airing (I am kind of a well known and renowned geek and, as such, sort of a spokesman for these things at work and among friends). When describing the episode many people said their younger child viewers, the target audience remember, commented on how scary the villains seemed. I had heard this in pre-publicity but it comes up a lot, being a show about strange monsters so I thought nothing of it. Likewise when watching the episode initially under the gaze of this hardened extreme horror viewer I found it beyond tame. It did get me thinking though, would this be a lot of kids' first experience of horror tropes and conventions? Maybe even an early memory of being switched on to the genre? Surely that can only be a good thing right?
Watching back I saw the point, if you didn't know, for example, zombie movie conventions then here they are. A bunch of protagonists in a combined space fall prey to an infection, it changes them into the same people but looking different, almost decomposed somehow. The aim is merely to infect others whilst shambling slowly and speaking as little as possible, if at all. It was quite effective as an early, tame version of this. So kudos for that in an already great episode.
The final point of interest comes back again to my idea of horror potentially also coming from good storytelling and horrific ideas, sometimes emotional (see the previous piece on horror as heart breaker). I doubt anyone, child or adult, was prepared for the moment at the climax of the story where the main female character (the stereotypical survivor of this show's set rules and arguably the equivalent of the "final girl") realises that she should have died, our hero was wrong to save her and the consequences could be vast. Shockingly she uses her blaster gun to end her own life in an exceptionally dark and shocking moment, which will no doubt echo and cement the horror nature of this in most younger memories, and the piece will doubtless be remembered and labelled as dark due to this and the ominous portents of the central characters death and frightening defiance during his change of character. I cannot recommend this enough but I am somewhat biased, if you're interested in a score from this uber geek though...

**** (4/5)

MM

An Exorcist Mini Series?

Oh god, I hope so. Bloody Disgusting has the news...

Harry Brown - Representative Of Real Life Horror?

I'm going to see Harry Brown tonight, a film that I'm hugely looking forward to. In my younger, formative days I wasn't very impressed with Michael Caine but as I've got older I've enjoyed his acting more and more. Some have said this is his magnum opus, his Gran Torino. I do see where the comparisons are coming from, but it's a different take for reasons I'll go into in the review after I've seen the film.

So, what's this commentary of a British thriller doing on a horror blog? It's more simple than you think. Whilst ghosts, the supernatural, insane masked killers etc are frequent tropes of the genre, Harry Brown confronts a more apparent and readily accessible true-life horror - the breakdown of society. The hoodies, the druggies, the low-lives, the chavs, those with disregard for the law and others - this is where true horror is for some and also where the phrase 'Lawless Britain' was spawned.

If you've ever walked down the street feeling nervous about who you might bump into, if your phone has ever been half inched, if you've ever been threatened or attacked then you've probably felt more real fear than 100 horror movies provide. This is Harry Brown explores and the reasons behind the will of one man to fight back.

Dead Snow - Quick Thoughts

I'd been looking forward to Dead Snow for a while - I'd heard that it was a fun film with lots of in-genre references, some (very) black humour and playing out a cliched but cool story. I wasn't disappointed I can assure you of that. Much intestinal tearing viewing later, and I'm glad to say it was worth the anticipation. Look out for the full review in the next few days.

Why Great horror is heartbreaking.

One of my fondest genre memories is of going to a local art-house cinema with Mr B to watch the original Dark Water. After being initially underwhelmed I was terrified and heartbroken by the end revelations, finding myself deeply affected by the past history of this ghost, and abuse suffered of a young child, far scarier than any unexplained supernatural force or o.t.t demon etc in my opinion.

Why do I bring this up? Well I'd ask you all to check out this article at IO9 on the subject of why heartbreaking horror is great. An interesting piece which plays to my fan strengths so be warned there is a heavy emphasis on the work of Joss Whedon (though not exclusively).

Big hello to everyone who has been coming to mention the blog and any new viewers. Hope to catch you all soon.

MM

Real Life Horror/Ghost Stories

Unfortunately, due to a variety of conspiring circumstances I haven't had a chance to write up some of my most recent horror watching. However, as every day is like Halloween to some degree (i.e. I'm probably reading about some sort of horror) I'd like to continue the scary angle and provide a link to a bunch of apparently true ghost stories.

You can read them here on The Apron Stage blog. Perhaps best of all is the fact that they take place in am asylum! Surely one of the scariest places ever!

Halloween round up

So how did everyone enjoy their night? Sadly a combination of illness, tiredness and indeciseveness prevented it from being such an event as I would like, and has previously been the ritual. I did still watch a couple of television specials (as is my tradition) and part of a movie. Here's the brief blow by blow.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Season 6 Episode 5 "All The Way"

Included mainly because of the atmosphere of the day evoked. I usually watch the series 4 special (Fear, Itself) but opted for this one for a change. As a stand-alone it's a bit too bogged down in continuity, which is to be expected for an ongoing show. Did have a brilliant cliche reversal though as an old man is set up as crazy and even given a horror film style back story, lures in children and is then killed by them as they are revealed as vampires, the show's twisting of such established formula being displayed in a microcosm. The seasonal touches were nice and give a great feel, particularly of the U.S love for Halloween, there is one hilarious joke moment but the whole thing is let down by a plot which, now, is culturally overdone and detestable, the whole "Twilight/Vampire Diaries" teen girl pining for a monster schtick which I have no tolerance for. Still a great show though with good acting, believable characters and a sense of fun.

*** (3/5)

The Simpsons
Treehouse of Horror 14

Sadly the opposite of that last sentence. Nowhere near as good as some of this show's specials, relies now on doing crazy things which the show proper couldn't do, and homaging films quite poorly, some great (The Dead Zone), others not even horror (Fantastic Voyage? seriously?). Crucially not very funny or imaginative, a real shame.

* (1/5)

Halloween

O.k, honesty time, I fell asleep about half an hour in. I will do a proper review, with scoring, at a time when I can watch the whole thing properly. What I did notice is the bold and unsettling nature of where Carpenter places the camera, adding to the disturbing feel. Point of view shots in the place of the killer, or even nobody in particular mesh with glimpses of the bogeyman far scarier than the excesses of modern horror, including the remake. Struck me as just a good film, outside of it's generic and historical background. I genuinely look forward to seeing it again properly on the DVD I bought over a year ago, and still haven't watched (though I have seen the film before, I like my opinions to be fresh though).

Hope the weather isn't getting people too down where you are, hope to catch up again soon...

MM

Halloween 1 and 2 - On T.V Tonight

Somewhat obviously John Carpenter's classic (and still so superior) seventies slasher (some argue the original slasher) is getting an airing tonight. It will be featuring on BBC 2 at 11.20pm, immediately following a showing of a Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror" special on Channel 4 at 10.50. The original Halloween will be immediately followed by it's vastly underrated sequel if you can stay up that late (I will be taping). Halloween 3, the one with the cult following but without Michael Myers, replaced by a plot involving mind controlled children, will be shown tomorrow by the same channel at midnight. Tonight is, again unsurprisingly, an embarassment of riches for we horror fans. Whilst Simpsons and the first Halloween will be forming part of my horror night others can take their pick from these, the aforementioned Dead Set or:

Ghost Ship on ITV1 at 11pm
The Watcher on Film 4 at 11pm
Prom Night on Five USA at 9pm (oh I wish this didn't clash with my plans)

and a variety of other options to satellite, cable or other viewers. Let us know what you watched and what you thought of it and enjoy the scares...

MM

Dead Set - On E4 tomorrow night!

If you're looking for perfect gory, apocalyptic, frightening fun to compliment your Halloween then look no further. I have been championing this to anyone who would listen ever since it first aired last year and if you haven't seen it then I heartily recommend you do so now.
I will avoid a long, detailed review, partly for time and also to avoid too many spoilers for anyone wanting to watch it untainted by knowing too much. What I will say is that it is one of the best written horrors, big or small screen, of the last ten years. Charlie Brooker (of critical journalistic fame) sets his satirical sights on the reality t.v, specifically Big Brother, phenomenon of British culture and how its all turning us into zombies, here literally. In this way the piece employs similar themes and metaphors to the best of early George Romero, and I recall telling Mr B at time of viewing that this is what Diary of the Dead should have been like, given both were tackling the same subject matter.
Originally aired as a mini series across 5 consecutive nights the whole piece will air as a bumper length movie tomorrow and is arguably one of the best you will see, certainly the best choice on free t.v stations. I envy new viewers who will see the piece uninterrupted in this way as I'm sure it will work.
The piece is intelligent, inspiring, witty, surprisingly thought provoking, sometimes challenging and in places jarring and shocking. Despite this there are also oodles of quotable lines and suitably iconic moments, the gore quotient is amply filled alongside some really sick gross out moments but the characters are well rounded (even when not supposed to be, weirdly, see the BB contestants). British viewers will get more from the recognisable nature of this apocalypse but it deserves a wider audience. I don't stick my neck out often but here I suspect everyone will get something from watching this, and I can't heap enough praise. You'll be entertained without being patronised, feel like you're being given a treat if you are a genre fan and/or aware of our cultural obession with fame and if nothing else you'll be scared and go along on a roller coaster zombie-fuelled thrill ride.

***** (5/5)



MM

Happy Halloween

Just a special treat for those, like we at the site, who love both genres: horror and comedy (and if, like me, you get a kick out of seeing them collide).





"Alright it's inconsistent,... I'm not having a go at anyone, I'm having a pop at the undead."

:-)

MM

News - Brit Horror

It's with a sense of pride and slightly wary dread that I read of yet another Brit attempt at doing a credible, pseudo-psychological tense horror flick. It will be called "Basement" according to Bloody Disgusting and Screen Daily and will, of course, star Danny Dyer. Says the news article:

"Danny Dyer, who starred in both Jake West's Doghouse and Chris Smith's Severance, will topline the psychological horror Basement for Pinewood Studios, reports Screen Daily. Shooting is already underway. Written and directed by first time feature film-maker Asham Kamboj, it tells the story of five people who inadvertently enter an underground base and run into a nightmare scenario. Other cast members include Kierston Wareing, Lois Winstone (Beyond the Rave), Emily Beecham (28 Weeks Later) and Jimi Mistry."

As I say I can't help but feel a swell of pride at the abundance of films of this genre particularly coming from my homeland recently. I haven't seen a lot of them but I thought Severance was deliciously subversive and quirky, I hear on the other side that Donkey Punch was terrible, at least according to Mr B. I'm curious to see Doghouse and a few others but haven't yet. Can anyone fill me in on what they're honestly like?

MM

Halloween part 2 - GhostWatch

I had originaly planned to do a list of top ten t.v horrors (it may still happen at some point) but this would have been top, it was all inspired by and comes down to this small BBC1 show, aired one Halloween when I was younger. Billed crucially as a serious documentary, featuring all the names you would expect from that, not fiction, the sense of realistic dread has never been matched. Did anyone else see this? For those that did it remains in the memory, lodged like a nightmare made real, more effective than many horror films, all the more so because we believed it. In this way it was like a precursor to the likes of The Blair Witch Project. The sad fact is it would never be allowed to happen now, misleading the viewers in such a way. Still it worked fantastically and may have even scarred a generation a bit, in a good kind of way.
To those unfamiliar the show as it was had been billed as lasting a whole night, featuring a man in the studio (I remember Sarah Greene's husband and Michael Parkinson both doing this) linking to outside broadcasts of reporters, including Ms Greene (leading to a chillingly terrifying moment later as husband and wife were separated by a power loss), Craig Charles and others. These people were supposedly investigating "real" supernatural occurences and interviewing the families of supposed hauntings, filming things and collecting evidence. Nobody expected what came next, as I said it's worthy of a horror movie. We had a frightened group of children claiming that a ghost named "pipes" (even the name and thinking about it still makes me shudder) was haunting their house, causing weird noises and appearing at times. Nobody would have thought it serious at first but gradually we were sucked into this world of odd occurences, children's drawings of the ghostly creature, his back story and then, the piece de resistance, the outside link was cut off by an unseen, unknown force, Parkinson began acting strangely, Auntie had been taken over for one night only (though we didn't know that). I was too young to truly appreciate it at the time but looking back what a brave experiment and a great little narrative, if you haven't seen it think yourself lucky and try and hunt it out, maybe for this weekend.

**** (5/5)

Special mention to the other shows that would have featured including the seriously scary Childen of the Stones, great episodes of The X Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (you may snigger but Der kindestod and The Gentlemen are monsters who springs to mind here as genuinely disturbing) and various anthologies like Tales From The Crypt.

I would say more but there is a monstrous figure leaning over me, that's weird, no, wait, I was kidding, what's that? aaaggghhhhhhhhh!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

I'm sorry, couldn't resist.

MM

Halloween's coming...

The perfect holiday for this site is almost upon us and I just wanted to share my own recollections and odd rituals to do with this (admittedly Americanised) day. It only really started when I was a kid watching t.v specials but a few years ago things really stepped up and the importance became greater. I was working at a cinema to help get me through university. On that fateful night of October 31st the cinema was having a special "Halloween Horror Night" where they stayed open all night long (from 11pm to 5am) showing 4 movies. Customers could pay to take part, ideally in costume, but we staff could stay for free. The four films on offer I still remember clearly, they were:

Ring

The original Japanese version, thankfully up first. Made me realise how slow and foreboding it is, working in airs of menace and not as captivating nor over the top as most U.S horror including its remake but with a suitably iconic last moment that was awesome to experience at all, let alone in a crowd of like minded fans. It was also parodied by a girl in Sadako fancy dress crawling from the cinema screen. Fun times.

The Evil Dead

Sam Raimi's original low budget classic, held the attention admirably as I fought to stay awake. I still remember being jarringly awoken by the card-reading sequence and loving how creeped out and messed up it was. Also reminded me that whilst it's often overlooked in favour of its sequel this is an excellent movie, a wild, fast ride with scares, shocks, gross moments and freaky atmosphere all in spades.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

I'd be lying if I said I was awake during this, due to a combination of the mid-morning time and the fact I'd seen it in class a couple of months previously. My opinion is well documented elsewhere on the sight (good, solid movie if not a five star classic) but I will say that the annoying last half hour is the best and worst thing to happen to a sleeping cinema patron wanting to be alert for the next movie. Like the worlds most irritating alarm clock.

Friday The 13th

The very first in the now looong running franchise, surprisingly tame and very steeped in a time and cultural place but holds the viewer well enough, with a few surprises, some oddly quaint horror moments and the best last minute scare of the night.

I slept in the staff room the morning after these movies finished and always remembered it as a great time, we all dressed up (I bought a Scream costume for it which I still have) and ever since then I have tried to keep up that tradition of watching a Halloween Horror Night, usually involving two or more movies on DVD and possibly Halloween specials of t.v shows (Buffy being a mainstay in recent years). Yes, even for a guy who doesn't label himself as a huge horror afficionado, this time of year changes all that, brings out my love of the darker side and I will be doing the whole ritual again this Saturday, probably with similarly toned movies as that first night, like always. Stay tuned to hear how it went and what makes the cut and enjoy your own horror themed fun this weekend...



BOO!!!

MM

Who's afraid?

Hey guys. I know I have been following this before but thought you might like to check out the latest trailer for Joe Johnston's Wolfman remake.



Loving the old school look and feel of the piece, a potentially great homage to the original universal monster classics that has a lot of people excited. The acting for the most part looks excellent even if Hopkins veers dangerously close to cheesy and his old Van Helsing schtick. The special effects even look fine, despite the usual complaints. I'll certainly try and catch this next year...

Oh, and for the record Mr B Shaun of the Dead is an underappreciated gem... and dogs CAN look up.

MM

Top Ten End Of The World Films...

Check out this list over at Bloody Disgusting of the top ten end of the world films. What do you make of it? I'm still not convinced that Shaun of the Dead really is that great. In fact, I'd rather watch Zombieland again. Maybe brits love 'American things' more?

N.B. That last comment was one for the Alan Partridge fans out there...

Zombieland - Some Thoughts

Really - if you haven't seen this yet then you really should. I rarely start reviews or rather commentary in such a way, but Zombieland is the exception that proves the rule that I should do so more often and give a direct suggestion.

Spoiler alert!
The world has become a titular Zombieland, leaving poor Jesse Eisenberg confused, worried and full of not a little bit of angst. He sets out to see his parents and smashes a few zombie faces on the way, before bumping into Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Witchita and Little Rock (the two females of the group). They fight zombies, have adventures and bump into one of the greatest (and weirdest) cameo roles of all time. As I've said spoiler alert, you won't mind me saying that the sequence with Bill Murray is worth the price of admission alone - especially his rather nasty fate!

Moving on from spoiler territory, the greatest asset of the film is the tone. It's wonderful, simply put. Drama, comedy, action, you name it, it's all in there. The scripting is tight and the elements of the film blend wonderfully well together, making it seem like a great mix of The Wonder Years (Jesse Eisenberg's voiceover), Dawn of the Dead and Superbad (gross out comedy moments).

Zombieland is a movie that, taking each element separately, is merely average. However, thanks to various elements being blended so well, it really goes work. The characters are on the whole likeable though kudos has to go to Woody Harrelson for his turn as Tallahasee. If you were trapped in Z(ee)land, you'd want him by your side. A badass and man who knows how to have fun - although he does suffer from a candy obsession in the form of Twinkies.

Ultimately, don't expect Zombieland to tax your brain cells - but do expect it to provide some wonderful entertainment that gives many nods to the genre and provides a whole lot of laughs.

**** 4/5

Saw 5 - Review

Hi guys. If you read my previous posting you'll know that I promised this and part of the reasons behind it anyway but I wanted to add that this is here because I just finished watching the DVD. Yes I did buy it in part due to the hype surrounding the sixth installment's recent release but not for the blog alone, it's just the sort of thing I do anyway. I'm a sucker for hype but I quite enjoy that part of film fandom. I am hoping that will gain the piece some extra relevance though.

SPOILER COUNTRY - YOU KNOW THE DRILL!!!

In a nutshell this movie naturally picks up where the previous one left off. (find my review of that elsewhere on the blog). Detective Hoffman has picked up the torch of previous protagonist Jigsaw. With no loose end present one is presented as the FBI agent from the previous movie, Peter Strahm, is seen as supposed to die in the mass house death orgy that made up Saw 3, 4 and now the start of 5 but he survives in quite a clever way and with John Kramer dead sets out to find the new man responsible, putting Hoffman's secret in jeopardy. Along the way we see in flashback how he and Jigsaw met and, unknowing to us in the audience, the ways in which Hoffman was present at the events from all 3 films (conveniently with both other villains foolishly killed off). This is done surprisingly well despite being necessary but more on that later. Concurrently with the investigation and attempts by Hoffman to cover his tracks by framing his pursuer we follow a Saw 2 style set up of 5 victims (get it?) in a series of rooms set as traps as they attempt to survive grisly fates, and learn a valuable life lesson about morality. No sarcasm intended, you do get that in a non-overt or ironic way. Now to the review...

We open as ever with a traditional straight-into-the-action trap. Like the previous movies this is the best one here and starts us off well, done excellently, presented well practically and with a later story purpose that justifies even the biggest annoyance that it was not "winnable", since this is, as we learn, Hoffman and not Jigsaw responsible, killing the man who murdered his sister and framing Jigsaw, much to his initial annoyance and setting up their partnership and to a degree all the previous films, or aspects of them. This playing with time and never hall marking where we are in all films' narrative is done better here than before, still bold but with more help than before for the clued in and up to date. This also brings up the best ideas from previous Saw's about the nature of Jigsaw's twisted morality and why these things are happening to people. This along with many other parts of the movie show a major shift away from gratuitous gore and so called "torture porn" to a half way decent story which kept this viewer intrigued and hooked. It is also more comprehensible than the previous attempt at this and easier to follow as a result. That said anyone with no knowledge of previous events would presumably still be very lost. It also brings me to one of my annoyances. I am angered by the idea, presented by ignorant and hack media types mainly, that these films, especially the continuous sequels, are just lowest-common-denominator set pieces and mass market fodder, there is way too much going on, here at least, and credit is due for that. This part of the plot takes in some frustratingly unexplained plot threads regarding Jigsaw's estranged wife but one assumes that is hedging bets for inevitable future revelations. The rest of the linked men's histories reminded me of the Scream 3 description of the last part of a trilogy, we do go back to the beginning and discover something we thought we knew which is shown differently, explaining things in this case, allowing us a whistle stop tour of the first few films which leaves fans feeling rewarded and tying things up surprisingly effectively, never feeling forced. The ending too is one of the better attempts at shocking us as we deeply empathise and encourage the newest victim, Strahm, to do as he is told and learn the rules, as justice is once again perverted and we end on an unfortunately jarringly gruesome scene but brave plot climax as the bad guy wins again, even covering up his deeds as they are blamed on the victim.

The other main plot is also surprisingly decent. We learn as we go the crime these 5 people have commited which made them a target for Jigsaw (though seriously he's dead, that's enough with the "oh but do just set up these last bad people" stuff). Their amoral actions led them to be targets but whats interesting is how clued up the film lets them be, and cleverer, since the audience would presumably be more savvy by now too as we follow along. This part shocks a couple of times by doing the unexpected, first killing off the groups seeming leader then again seeing the less moral-seeming guy saved as the helpless female character is persecuted and killed. The big twist is really cool as we learn that these 5 thought they had to be sacrificed one by one but actually should have worked together, this seems to earn the last, truly awful and grisly, trap a lot more as they have to allow their arms to be carved up to spill enough blood to open their final doorway to freedom. Ordinarily this would seem OTT, especially in lieu of the more reserved tone of the rest of the film but the plot makes it have more of a point, as it does with these people's presence, though like before they seem to serve no point to the continuous narrative being displayed and are just here to give us some main focus for this one film, not brilliantly woven in but still good enough as Jigsaw fodder generally. Another gripe, held over from previous reviews is how the traps again, like many of the franchise's traps, seem to have no basis in actual medical reality and are not nearly as survivable you're left feeling which can take you out of the narrative a tad.

The writing here seems vastly improved however, perhaps the best plotting since the first film or two and better than the last 2. The direction too is noticeably accomplished. Whilst constrained by the hyperactive flashes and cuts which have become the Saw hallmark there are a surprising couple of flourishes playing with time changes within the scene by cutting using a pendulum and other objects passing by camera. All in all a very enjoyable night in, less gratuitous and gross than the more inferior efforts, a great plot not too difficult to follow, some fan pleasing stuff without seeming overtly winking at the audience, great ways to still keep Jigsaw involved, which I was worried wouldn't work (and fear won't next time) but was well presented here. Solid, does what it sets out to and I can't find too much to fault and a fair bit to praise, though maybe that's relief after the dropping quality of the previous two films or a good mood, or just good old personal preference. I can't promise everyone will get the same as me out of this but similar viewers and fans will. Whatever, my final score is in...

**** (4/5)

MM

The Dead Zone - On Five USA Right Now!

Some Stephen King adaptations are an absolute pile - they become some sort of weird, convoluted mess that does no merit to either the film or the book. The Dead Zone however is a classic - made all the better by a star turn by none other than Christopher Walken.

Thoughts naturally to follow, as well as those concerning a certain Zombieland, which I was fortunate enough to watch this evening at the cinema.

One Hundredth Post!!!

Wow. It's crazy to think already how this blog has influenced my life. Now seems a good time to take stock, and point out that because of this and my friendship with Mr B I have watched so many odd and varied horror films over the last 4 months. Do check out the reviews. Likewise because of it I have bought DVD's recently of Saw 5, the original A Nightmare on Elm Street and Ju-On: The Grudge 2 which I hope to watch and review over the coming weeks (or knowing me, months). Also the horror holiday of Halloween is coming up so I will probably end up doing some variation on the usual horror movie marathon (more on that at a later date). Similarly I'm pretty psyched for the DVD release of the film Drag Me To Hell, which I have on pre-order. I would like to thank everyone who is visiting the site, Mr B and I know you're out there and whilst he wishes to remain somewhat anonymous I offer heartfelt congrats on the milestone to him from me too, anyone else wishing to get in touch can find me on Facebook here, Twitter here or here. Do get in touch with thoughts, opinions, comments or anything regarding the horror genre. Finally to celebrate this landmark number, because everyone loves lists and because it feels like I'm occassionally too negative here are the films I do genuinely love, my considered and much mulled over personal top ten horror films of all time, in reverse order:

10. The Evil Dead

9. Night of The Living Dead (1968)

8. The Shining

7. Carrie

6. Profondo Rosso (Deep Red)

5. Psycho

4. Scream

3. Aliens

2. Ju-On: The Grudge

1. Halloween (1978)

I fully expect controversy for what wasn't included, rather than what was. For the record just missing out on making the grade were such diverse films as The Birds, Scream 2, American Psycho, and the original Texas Chain-Saw Massacre. Likewise some of the films mentioned above might have made it in had they been fresher in my mind or after a considered re-watch (particularly Nightmare). I now throw down the gauntlet to Mr B to share his list, undoubtedly very different, to compare tastes and because it's a great way to judge a person's area of fondness for the genre. Look forward to seeing it and you over the next hundred...

MM

Event Horizon - Discussion

Coming at Event Horizon from a slightly different angle than MM's post, I'd like to tell you all first off that I'm a fan of the piece. As correctly highlighted, Alien showed that sci fi and horror could mix (and for my money, not just that but that sci fi could actually be interesting and offer something beyond a guy with a Mars bar stuck to his forehead being angry).

Overrated or not, it set out the stall for what we were to see in the future, and the impact of the film can still be seen today with the likes of Outlander (what a bizzare mix of genres that is!).

Anyway, coming back to the film in question, Event Horizon actually poses an interesting question. Were we to somehow develop technology that could bend space, exactly where would we end up? There are allusions to hell in the film, as well as 'chaos', which I think is probably a more apt description of where the Event Horizion (the titular spacecraft) has been and gone using a fancy new drive. A rescue ship that includes the original designer finds the ship after a determinate time (was it 4 or 7 years), to find all the crew dead or gone. Then, the strangeness breaks out.

At this point, I'd like to explore some of the points made in the previous post by Marvel Man as a way to discuss some of the plotting and storyline, which in my opinion is far better than given credit for thus far on the blog:

"It seems a touch slow for the horror side of things but sadly one suspects the filmmakers knew that" - the film was sold as a sci fi with horror elements - the sequence involving Weir at the beginning I thought was actually excellent at setting the tone, mood and introduction of the horror to come. Incidental stuff played a big part in this too (the music etc).

"William Weir is somehow receiving messages which could either be from his dead ex-partner or the ship he helped create. This psychic relationship and these more unusual aspects are not explored or expained at all." - this is explained - but only to a fashion. Weir is the creator of the drive and is implicated in the building of the whole of the Event Horizon. The ship has some sort of entity/intelligence on board and, much like the superior Solaris, this entity makes contact psychically. The ship and the lifeform/intelligence was intent on using Weir to survive, which explains his actions as seen by insane by everyone else on board. Weir would never destroy the ship as he's being manipulated by (the vision of) his dead wife.

"The great idea, touched upon then dropped, that there is no hell as such, everyone is merely seeing the darkness inherent in themselves and being tortured by bad acts and events from their past is so intriguing." - again, not the case. Hell (or chaos, as it's actually described twice in the dialogue) is where the ship has been. However, the intelligence that has returned with this ship has power to show the fears/act on the darkness within, or as stated the events from their past. Of course they're not only seeing, the force can persumably also bring to life these memories/characters, as the Captain (Fishburne's character) feels the heat from the fire.

"but to then feel the need to clarify it with gubbins about actually entering another dimension of chaos where the ship came to life (and don't get me started on how that makes no sense)." - as above, the intelligence belongs to the dimension, they "brought something back" - it's not the dimension itself. They are two different things.

"The ending gets progressively worse until we even end up with a hackneyed villain version of Weir, never explained or given any motivation, simply appearing, looking all scarred and cut just because it looks awesomely horrific and even somehow shape shifting, gaining a Lazarus complex and now haunting Joely Richardson (maybe having gained this transfered psychic ability from before." - I agree with the first part, in that the possessed Weir is a little odd. He has no eyes, seemingly superhuman strength and yet makes some incredibly stupid mistakes that see him being finished off. The final scare with Richardson was completely unnecessary though, but I read it as a nightmare - nothing more. In the same way that Ripley has a nightmare in Aliens.

"In conclusion a decent sci-fi, terrible horror that smothered a great concept for exploration of evil, human fears, psychosis or the unimaginable horrors of our cultural collective unconscious. But dude come on, it had exploding heads and people with no eyes and scenes that were just awesome. Personally this viewer would have preferred more awesome respect for his intelligence and fear tolerance and a decent plot, basic as it may seem, with a touch of coherency. And please stop clubbing me over the head with your ideas of freaky/scary/hellish; blood, bodies, scars and lacerations, exploding people, flame-consumed villains, it has all been done before. And better. Throwing them at me quickly and loudly is not big or clever and frankly I feel a little sick." - Re the first point of this final section - the true horror here was the vastness, the unknown of space and what could potentially lie out there in wait, beyond space and time. It's almost Lovecraftian and so is very worthy. Actually, the 'gore' I found to be quite watered down, especially in the tv edit. Clive Barker's Hellraiser it was not. W S Anderson is fond of the quick cutaway shots, so very rarely did we actually see anything that might raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Disappointing from a horror perspective.

Ultimately, I really enjoyed Event Horizon, though for different reasons I do agree with Marvel Man that the potential was there for something greater than it was. Nonetheless, a good addition the sci fi/horror subgenre and a worthy watch for all and sundry *** 3/5.

Event Horizon - Personal Review

And that's an important qualifier up there. I wish to stress that this is not a definitive view of fact, but one fan's opinion. I welcome disagreement, and I realise this film has a cult-ish following, the reasons for which I plan to explore a little. So keep an open and calm mind and it should go without saying that SPOILERS will be involved.
Back in the sixties the starship USS Enterprise launched. Zipping through the universe at impossible faster than light speeds in a shiny, uber-advanced vessel with a diverse, completely harmonious crew it was a vision of the sci-fi future as we dreamed it could be: near perfect. A decade later the rag-tag group of miners and very human crew of the space vessel Nostromo lived and worked in a much more realistic, closer to life spaceship. THis was our world as it is now transposed onto the future, and what's more into this slice of sci-fi as possible realistic future came a monster: and with it the horror genre itself meshing perfectly. It's not a stretch to say that Paul Anderson and the makers of Event Horizon were probably inspired by Ridley Scott's masterwork. Now the controversy, I think that earlier film may be slightly, very marginally (whisper it)... over-rated. Can you live with that? If not then it might be time to opt out of this particular post.
Alien is, however, a good film. I recognise that, I see it's impact and feel like it's just a bit subtle for me personally. I do, however, plan to re-watch and re-evaluate, and it is still my second favourite of that franchise. The best parts, as mentioned above, have been transposed onto our earliest moments here. The sci-fi actually seems somewhat realistic, and cooler for it. The plot line paying respect to the idea that frankly even travelling in our solar system would ba a taxing, arduous task. The stated point that you should not be able to break the law of relativity is so cool, and surprisingly intelligent, as is the way around it. As a sci-fi movie the start of this film thus works, it sucks you into this world of the not massively distant future, clearly establishes where we are and what we can and can't do and doesn't dwell too long on it. It seems a touch slow for the horror side of things but sadly one suspects the filmmakers knew that. Unfortunately this leads to a never explained idea which, as far as I can tell, suggests that Sam Neill's Dr William Weir is somehow receiving messages which could either be from his dead ex-partner or the ship he helped create. This psychic relationship and these more unusual aspects are not explored or expained at all. I know they come up later but only when we are on the ship, and they are constantly only used as an excuse to give us SCARY QUICK IMAGES AND SHOCK MOMENTS that seem designed to get the teenage boy "awesome, cool" demographic on side by going "sci-fi, spaceships, boring stuff, character beat, cool warp drive, HEAD FUCK!!!". Sigh.
This was my primary problem with the film, it seemed in what could be construed of a plot that we were supposed to be getting a depiction of hell (or something like it), and true horrors to freeze the soul. If that is so then it's unfortunate and a bit twisted that it's all played so "woah! cool" and almost emphasises the fun of the craziness of evil. I know hell itself is not something we could ever argue is presented well or otherwise, having never experienced it, but these scenes have all the subtletly and menace of a rock music video. The closest comparison I coul conceive would be trying to understand the nature of violence in our species by watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon.
The sad fact is there are things here which could have been played for a great plot, and an excellent horror aspect to the piece. The great idea, touched upon then dropped, that there is no hell as such, everyone is merely seeing the darkness inherent in themselves and being tortured by bad acts and events from their past is so intriguing. This provides some excellent Solaris-esque exploration and a couple of brilliant scenes, some top notch acting and character motivation (for example Captain Miller is a hard ass because he watched one person die horribly under his command and silently vowed to lose no-one else, good stuff which in a subtle, unspoken way adds so much gravitas to the later scene as he struggles to save Justin and the others).
The horrors themselves are unfortunately dragged down to hokey cliche. This is a depiction of a possible hell so naturally we get flames, rivers of blood, mutilations, ... yawn. Far more impressive is the scene where Weir is forced to watch the lover he abandoned slit her wrists and die again, as she did one before because he wasn't there. That is hell, and if we all make our own perhaps psychologically our characters could be presented as living in theirs. Play that up more.
Sadly this is dropped in favour of fudged, unexplained and inconsistent possession of Weir, the ridiculous and stupid extreme deaths and visions of the cliches mentioned above and even some ridiculous back tracking from the central idea. It would be fine to say that the gateway breached the walls of hell, and quite simple, but to then feel the need to clarify it with gubbins about actually entering another dimension of chaos where the ship came to life (and don't get me started on how that makes no sense). Sure it could still be hell but why the sci-fi possibility, surely any viewer would have to be comfortable with the horror moments.
The ending gets progressively worse until we even end up with a hackneyed villain version of Weir, never explained or given any motivation, simply appearing, looking all scarred and cut just because it looks awesomely horrific and even somehow shape shifting, gaining a Lazarus complex and now haunting Joely Richardson (maybe having gained this transfered psychic ability from before. It's not important how, it just gives us a great telegraphed jump scare to end on).
There is a good movie here, buried deep by the layers of dirt. The twisted and deranged may enjoy the evil-as-fun elements, worryingly. The infantile or those who enjoy disengaging the brain may get a kick from some of the obvious moments of strobe-riddled, quick cut "awesome, it looks gross/freaky/intense" stuff. One can even see the aeteur elements of the director begin to emerge, bad as they may be utilised in later films such as Resident Evil (still better than this by the way. I know: controversial). I can understand the whole "Steak every day gets boring, have a hamburger" mentality and those who watch for the ride and the ability to watch intense imagery with brain firmly disengaged are not wrong, I just cannot condone it when there are so many good plots and films still unseen.
In conclusion a decent sci-fi, terrible horror that smothered a great concept for exploration of evil, human fears, psychosis or the unimaginable horrors of our cultural collective unconscious. But dude come on, it had exploding heads and people with no eyes and scenes that were just awesome. Personally this viewer would have preferred more awesome respect for his intelligence and fear tolerance and a decent plot, basic as it may seem, with a touch of coherency. And please stop clubbing me over the head with your ideas of freaky/scary/hellish; blood, bodies, scars and lacerations, exploding people, flame-consumed villains, it has all been done before. And better. Throwing them at me quickly and loudly is not big or clever and frankly I feel a little sick.

* (1/5)

MM

Event Horizon - On Tonight!

Unless I end up at the pub (a possibility given it's a Saturday) rather later than planned, I'll be checking out Event Horizon (again) tonight. It's a classic sci-fi horror mix and one of the few decent titles by a certain Paul W S Anderson...

Predators - Casting News

Regular readers around here will know that I've been following this film for a while with great ineterest. The meshing of sensibilities of those involved with product and the promise of geekdom and a close match to Aliens has got a few people's attention. Well now we hear that Oscar winner Adrien Brody has sought out and fought for the part of the lead (and head of the films main team of marines-alikes). Joining him and the already announced Danny Trejo will be Alice Braga (me neither), Oleg Taktarov (a body builder apparently), Mahershalalhashbaz Ali (thank you copy/paste!), Louiz Ozawa and t.v star Walt Goggins. Interesting, not sure how they'll gel as a team but I'm hopeful. Bloody-Disgusting also report that Derek "Jason Voorhees" Mears could be on board but in what capacity remains unknown. And The Hollywood Reporter says Topher "Venom" Grace is in negotiations. Much thanks must go to AICN who broke this story and the other sources mentioned for clarifications.

MM

The Exorcist 3 - Extremely Belated Review

Apologies all but Mr B and i actually watched this at my place almost 2 weeks ago I think, illness, work, and other life complications have eaten my time but indulge me if you will as I randomly attempt to splurge some coherent thoughts about this, a film which regular readers will know Mr B loves, and initiated a quest for amongst me and my family.
The picture opens frankly slowly, there are some good but cliched pieces of visual creepy imagery, usually harking back to the stair tumble from the first Exorcist film (our first hint of how important that will be and one of very few early references to the earlier picture). Slight visual clues and tricks appear which are a bit confusing and jarring (at least for me), an atmosphere is created but non-fans or those slow on the filmic uptake may find it a tad frustrating. More criminal still is the lack of any real horror. Sure there are murders but at least two occur off screen and more is implied than shown, a shame for me but I know this is part of the charm for my esteemed colleague and I can see how that might be so even though I don't agree and was less forgiving of this.
As things progress we end up almost in a straight police procedural for a while. Maybe it's necessary exposition, perhaps it's giving the actors some meaty stuff to play against outside a genre that may be seen as less worthy, whatever the case I found this to be the weakest part of the movie. Again though by comparison my viewing buddy was loving the set up and mood and even noticing things like little subtle shapes in the shadows and other eerie moments which were lost on me (I'm still not convinced these were intentional, at least in the one example he pointed out to me).
Eventually we end up in the cell of the man claiming to be the Gemini killer (who was killed via execution years ago around the end of Regan's possession ordeal) but who looks, to our protagonist, exactly like The Exorcist's Father Damian Karras. This is where the film earns its status for me (and a visibly awed and transfixed Mr B). This first scene in that cell has since become one of my favourite in the genre, we have detailed horror dialogue and descriptions, excellent creepy dialogue and even two actors playing the same part which really shouldn't work but it's amazing how well it does and how completely captivated we are by the performances that we go with it. The two actors playing this unfortunate character deserve much kudos, (including reliable genre veteran and legend Brad Dourif) as well as our lead.
As the plot goes much deeper into horror territory things vastly improve. We get a brilliantly realised, visually stylish surreal dream scene. There is much exploration of past events and lots is tied up. When we get to the obvious ending (the green-faced possession) which should seem trite and forced the imagery and depictions become truly memorable, disturbing and jarring but completely original, if horrific in the best, most thoughtful way. The final depiction of hell is one of the most powerful film images and will stay with you for a while.
Overall a really slow burner which only kicks off half way through then gets excellent just as it finishes but with some great plotting (if over complicated), a few brilliant moments (look out for a crazy old lady ceiling walk), three top notch actors and one of the best endings I've seen in a while, I still can't see why Mr B raves QUITE so much about it as it's a little too plodding and does have flaws but still a very good, surprisingly original and hard working sequel.

*** (3/5)

MM

Is Horror A Dirty Word?

As a genre fan, you're thinking 'just what the hell is this article all about?'. Well, in fact, I'd like you to go read a Fearful Feature at Fangoria. It just might make you think a little more about your favourite genre!

Horror Based On Real Life - Films

You may like to read the list at King Mag about horror films based on 'actual' events. The stories are a little tongue in cheek but nonetheless the article is worth a read. Younger readers shouldn't click the link - e.g. if you're old enough to buy Zoo or Nuts you're probably fine, otherwise you shouldn't be on this site either!

The Exorcist III - Some quick thoughts

I am now the proud owner of the 3 film set of The Exorcist, The Exorcist 2 and The Exorcist 3. This is in no small part down to the genius of MM's father, who managed to find said object of horror (pun intended) on a ghoulishly good auction site (am I on fire or what?!).

Naturally we've mentioned The Exorcist round these parts already, and I may have touched on the bizzare and unintelligible sequel. However, the third film brings the goods once again, with no less than a nicely OTT performance from genre vet Brad Dourif as the Gemini Killer.

Spoiler Alert!
A quick recap for those of you who want it/want to spoil the film if you haven't seen it already: a spate of murders was brought to an end when the Gemini Killer was caught and executed. However, the killer looks to have returned - which creates a mystery of just how this is possible. Eventually, the cop on the case (a brilliantly acted George C Scott) realises that more than simply a case of copycat killing is taking place, leading him to suspect that an asylum lunatic is somehow responsible for the murders, despite his incarceration.

The greatness of The Exorcist 3 is in how subtle the whole damn film is. It helps to have seen both films previous to it before sitting down to watch, as references are made to time frames and it'll piece together more clearly for you. Almost a murder mystery, it'll have you guessing quite early on just who is responsible for the murders, before exposing you to a shocking revelation that provides some truly unnerving imagery leading up to the brilliant climatic battle of good versus evil.

One thing that Marvel Man did mention was how engrossed I appeared to be during a number of key sequences in the film. I really enjoyed The Exorcist 3 on that particular viewing, despite having to spell out the sequences to Marvel Man who isn't as familiar as I with the plot/background story. If truth be told, there's something to be said for atmosphere - especially of the tense, nerve creating kind - and The Exorcist 3 is filled with moments that'll have you wondering not only what the hell is going on but just about whether you'll be able to get any sleep at all during the night.

As a film that hasn't seen too many bad sequels, despite casting an incredibly large shadow, The Exorcist and The Exorcist 3 should be must haves for any genuine horror fan who prefers their scares more metaphorical than literal - after all, battles for the very nature of humanity and the soul don't come much more metaphysical...

One, two, Freddy's coming for you...

And now to the huge news of the day (for me anyway). The first trailer has appeared for the much talked about re-do of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and you can watch it in all it's glory below, if you are so inclined...



I know I'm a sucker but this looks awesome. Iconography and creepy moments from the known classic, mental new pace and cool new moments, a great actor in the legendary role. The one let down is the abysmal looking make up. Still though this filled me with giddy glee, roll on next year.

MM

Big News Day

Hi all.
A few tidbits have emerged today that I felt I might share with you in bullet point, breaking news format:

- Danny Trejo has officially announced his involvement (unsurprisingly) in the Nimrod Antal directed, Robert Rodriguez produced Predators

- Interested in reading reviews from several known and unknown horror (and the recent Fantastic Fest). Scope 'em here.

- Romero could be back on form (at last!) as Survival of the Dead garners some praise.

Be back soon...

MM

Rec 2: First Review

Hey gang.
A glut of reviews have started emerging for upcoming and newly or recently released horrors. Whilst I'm not planning on sharing them all (check the usual sites if you are interested though) I wanted to link to a review by Massawyrm on AICN. Mainly because I'm super hyped for this film, even more so now. The piece is what I would call spoiler-free as it gives no specifics or detail but you may wish to avoid it if you do want to come to this film with absolutely untainted, fresh eyes. If not, and I do recommend this, check it out here.

MM

The Blair Witch Project - An Alternative Opinion

Has it really been 10 years since The Blair Witch Project? Seems scary doesn't it? Scarier than anything presented in the film itself. First up let me say that I do not disagree with Mr Butterscotch per se, nor is this piece intended as any kind of rebuttal of his previous post, argument against it or anything like that, merely a different opinion from a different horror fan. Whilst I try and be subjective in my reviews this one will be more about what it means to me as I truly believe it's one of those "Marmite" films which will leave you feeling like either Mr B or myself do. If you haven't seen the film both are legitimate views, but I can't promise which side of the fence you'll be on.
Let me also say that I think The Blair Witch Project is less an example of a great film, more a great marketing campaign. In this respect I'm reminded of The Exorcist, though that at least has a truly disturbing plot idea, great visual effects work, stand-out disgusting and shocking moments and is justifiably iconic (like that one shot in The Blair Witch Project which is shown above). It's this idea that was sold, of the film not being a film at all, which is admittedly ingenious and frustrating to a film geek, but gives the piece it's atmosphere and to an extent as a modern day filmic version of those old ghost stories told around the campfire it's quite good. I'll admit I got suckered in by this and on first watching the film I was too scared to watch past about an hour, expecting that the hype must meant something truly disturbing would hapen or be seen. Imagine my disappointment when I finished the film and just found it boring. I'm not usually one for extreme horror, don't get me wrong, but on rewwatches, divorced from cultural context, this is a poor effort. I commend the film for it's marketing, mostly the reason for it's success I feel, and for pioneering it's shooting style and new sub-genre, as Mr B touched upon. The problem is, divorcing it from this you are left with a piece where directions are already set, with no room for flair, acting that's abysmal except when it's natural and a good tale attempting to hold it all together, and coming off somewhat flimsy.
The ending is genius, like most of the writing itself, with a truly great visual image, but not if you are expecting terror to make you scream. Effective chills, a good little ghost story and a trend setter but unforgivably dull for a horror movie, definitely worth catching for its effect and cultural context but not one you'll necessarily rave too much about. I can never forgive it also for unleashing the truly, indescribably dreadful sequel Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows on the world. Now that one really isn't worth your time. As for the original, for me...

** (2/5)

MM

Something to cheer us all up.

Hello again.
Saw this on the BBC's Mock The Week last Thursday and it made me think of the blog. Well on the back of recent events, the b**tards grinding down, the state of the country and the problems that dog us I decided to go ahead and post it, we all need a laugh sometimes and I think fans will get a bit of a kick out of it. I know I did, thus recinfirming that I must be something of a horror fan boy after all. I will warn that the material is somewhat sensitive from the outset and may offend, the piece contains some strong language and is copyright the BBC. That said I hope you all enjoy and it brightens your day that little bit,



Love the whole thing but my personal fave has got to be the "Freddy's satnav" gag...

MM

Harper's Island Wrap-up.

Hi again to the few I'm reliably informed are visiting the site. Well it wasn't unexpected and yes I have finally decided to admit defeat and will not be watching the remaining episodes of Harper's Island. A lot of stuff happens in a life that makes you take stock but in this case basically the thought of slogging on, having given 4 episodes a try, simply depressed me, especially when I thought of the other and better things I haven't done or could be doing. I did actually cave in and read spoilers courtesy of the wikipedia page link I submitted in my preview piece. They merely confirmed what I had already discovered, the show is a soap opera with minor horror trappings. It seems like it might be attempting to be a tv version of Scream with it's slasher and whodunnit elements but clearly this format could not sustain a tv show's length. As such the thing became less horror the more it went along, despite introducing cliches like the psychic little girl and the resurrected villain. In short if you are still enjoying it fair play, I really wanted to as it seemed so brave, but ultimately wasn't what I'd hoped. An intriguing experiment but a failure. Like so much horror tv.

MM

Universal Studios - Halloween Horror Nights

Check out these great horror shorts and vote for your favourites, from the Scary Good film competition.

The Blair Witch Project - A Retrospective

I'm sure if you're here then you've seen The Blair Witch Project. If not, then this retrospective might give you information enough to help you decide you need to see it. And, as a horror fan, I do insist this is need and not want.

The Blair Witch Project was released in 1999, but prior to being screened a documentary was shown on the Sci-Fi channel (Curse of the Blair Witch), that sold the film as being completely real, true and factual. The legend was thus created for this documentary-style horror film (which is of course completely fictional).

The concept story behind the movie is that some tape reels were found - effectively the film - that show the disappearance of three teens who were making a film on a local legend, the eponymous 'Blair Witch'.

The film starts off with the kids mouching around, talking to locals, planning their trip into the Pine Barrens etc. Then, they go... And all manner of high strangeness starts taking place before one of the most iconic, terrifying finale sequences of any film.

It's been noted by many critics that there are a few reasons why the film is so successful in creating a high tension atmosphere:
1) It's filmed as if it's really happening directly in front of you
2) The DV-style handheld footage adds to the intimate feel, likewise the frequence pieces directly to the camera
3) The way in which the three leads gradually lose all sense of human spirit as their fear increases steadily
4) There's a definite play on the idea that things are 'out there' in the wild - unknown, unknowable things

There's no doubt that The Blair Witch project is not for everybody. You really do have to invest heavily, unlike perhaps a lot of 'popcorn' films when you can just sit there and let it wash over you. Take the time and emotional investment though and you'll receive great rewards in the form of a film that is really unlike anything else.

Everything from [REC] to Cloverfield and the upcoming Paranormal Activity (I'm sure this will be bloody brilliant!) owe a big debt to The Blair Witch Project and I can say that I'm a big fan.

**** 4/5