HALLOWEEN 2016

Hi readers. Hope everyone had a spooky but safe Halloween. How did you celebrate? What did you watch? As I have mentioned on this blog in the past I have something of a ritual on the night of October 31st of having a little mini horror marathon, to enter into the creepy spirit. I normally choose what to watch myself but this year I held a poll over on our Facebook group page (do check it out and join us by the way... "join usss"). Anyway the 3 winners of the vote to decide which films I'd watch and write about, as you may have guessed from the picture above, were [•REC], The Cabin in the Woods and John Carpenter's original Halloween.

What follows is a spoiler-y discussion about these 3 movies. It's not a summary and won't take you through every inch of the films, but if you haven't seen them and don't want to be spoiled at all then don't say I didn't warn you, and please watch these films. They are all most definitely worth your time. Now, to the movies.

[•REC] 

 This one I don't want to get too in depth about as Mr Butterscotch and I had a discussion as to whether this film or it's sequel is better which we're hoping to have pieces about up on the site soon. What I will say is that the movie is great but didn't hold up as well as I'd hoped or remembered. That said, this is probably the fourth or fifth time I have watched this movie and I put the DVD in at around 3 in the afternoon whilst it was still a bright and glorious day outside so the atmosphere was hardly conducive to horror. The positives are still very much present, however. The movie maintains it's central conceit of the found-footage trope/genre extremely well, even coming up with the clever reason of needing the camera light to explain it's continued usage at the film's end and thus leading to one of the most iconic images of modern horror as the protagonist, bathed in green night-vision, is dragged off screen into the darkness.

I would also commend any foreign language horror film for even getting noticed in our English speaking countries. It is also, remarkably, a very fresh take on the zombie genre, inventing a fascinating and clever reason for their existence which seems wholly original despite it's heritage potentially being traceable back to the "when there's no more room in Hell..." speech in George A. Romero's original Night of the Living Dead. The sense of claustrophobia and dread is palpable, achieved by a combination of the set design, plot devices like literally sealing us in and the aforementioned fact that we are viewing everything through one camera. It does place the viewer in the thick of the action without release, but all good found-footage movies should.

 And now, the negatives. Unfortunately the characters, outside of our protagonists Angela and Pablo, can be quite hard to follow. I genuinely found myself not knowing when certain people had been bitten or had turned and become zombies. The cavalier attitude to killing these people with a savvy awareness that they are no longer human or salvageable does also betray that this is a movie a little too jarringly to be fully effective. The film becomes a little jumbled in it's hectic middle section and at only 75 mins long could perhaps have used a few minutes to better establish characters and events here. The breakneck pace racing to the film's climax would still be something that I'd keep though, as it's a great tension builder before the appearance of perhaps the most terrifying creature I've seen on film, as the protagonists, and we, work our way to that ending in the dark.

 ***1/2 (3.5/5)

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS

I love this film. I suppose I was pre-disposed to love it given that it is produced and co-written by Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly etc). As such it has all the whip-smart sassy dialogue that I love (but which could easily come off as smart-ass and annoying to others, I appreciate that). More than that however the film is an absolute horror geek's treat and a solid commentary and deconstruction of the genre.

 "Society is binding. Right? It's filling in the cracks with concrete. Everything's filed or reported, logged, right? Chips in our kids heads so they won't get lost. Society needs to crumble. We're all just too chicken shit to let it.... You will come to see things my way." ' - Marty

 I really dig it when a movie sneaks it's central plot and ending into an early line of dialogue that goes completely unnoticed at first. It's done to great effect in Shaun of the Dead and the dialogue above shows that this movie does the same. By the end the film's protagonist and potentially the audience will indeed agree with Marty. The film starts out showing the odd clash of worlds that will inhabit it as we watch a scene of what seems like office banter which leads abruptly into a clever and unique jump scare, which only shows the title. Lol indeed. Next we set up our teen archetypes (whore, jock, scholar, fool and "virgin"/final girl). It's only through the course of the movie that we learn that the characters have been forced (via drugs, mind control etc) into these archetypes.

 Pretty soon our teens have to stop in a lonely, desolate gas station to meet the stereotypical creepy old man with a warning. This is also brought to our attention in dialogue as this "Harbinger" calls the office that we are following, which acts as both a filmmakers and audience substitute, and he is told:

 "Well, you're doing a great job out there. By the numbers, man. You got us started off just right..." 

 This cleverly draws attention to this trope but then subverts it with a very post-modern bit of humour:

 "Cleanse them, cleanse the world of their ignorance and sin. Bathe in the crimson of .... am I on speaker phone?"

 You either hate this subversive humour or love it, and I love it. We then see the teens develop into their roles as the office workers behind their eventual sacrifice explain the limits of their power, again channeling the horror screenwriter:

 "If they don't transgress..."
 "...they can't be punished." 

 The film then explicitly draws a comparison between the office drones watching events play out and the horror film viewer. They watch intently but unfeelingly as a girl shows her breasts, even remarking that they aren't the only ones watching when someone displays disgust at this (referring to their demonic masters AND the horror audience). They then continue to watch, totally desensitized, as the girl, Jules, is brutally offed by a zombie, despite Marty's post-modern protests that they should not have read the Latin in a book they found in the cellar (Evil Dead fans will appreciate this). The cellar, the betting board and the cages seen later are a wealth of geek thrills with references to the monsters eventually seen here, as well as multiple other horror films (I especially noticed the puzzle sphere and demon being a nod to Hellraiser but there are multiple easter eggs).

I also love that the teens are initially forced into making the poor decisions of stereotypical horror characters, such as using mind-altering gas to lead them to think it's a good idea to split up. The direction too, I find, enhances the post-modern connections, I noticed at one point that the director made a scene change by the camera going through/into a TV screen. I don't want to go into too much detail about the film's final act, because it should really be experienced rather than spoiled. Suffice to say there are a lot of monster cameos and a final great one by an appropriate horror actress.

The only negative I could personally give the film is that I don't truly appreciate the nihilistic ending. I realise it is the central points personified but it's just such a bummer and a little too weird for me.

 ****1/2 (4.5/5)

HALLOWEEN (1978) 

What's left to say about John Carpenter's seminal classic? It's a masterpiece, a perfect film to watch on dark, spooky nights. It arguably kick-started the slasher genre (though I'm aware that Psycho, Peeping Tom and Black Christmas all came before but I'd argue were less successful). It has a sense of atmospheric dread that's never been bettered, and it created our very first Scream Queen in Jamie Lee Curtis (who continues to play up this role in the appropriately titled Scream Queens TV show).

 The film opens with a minimalist but extremely effective opening credits sequence. This sets the mood beautifully with just a Jack-O-Lantern, orange text and the iconic and exceptional musical theme. This still gives me chills and evokes so much in me so perfectly. In the films opening scene Carpenter deftly employs an early pov shot to place the audience in the mask of the killer and continue bringing the horror closer whilst showing very little of Michael Myers' murder of his sister Judith.

 The film then builds up tension brilliantly as our final girl heroine, Laurie, increasingly sees "The Shape" (as Myers is described brilliantly in the end credits) behind bushes, in the corner of her eyes, small but shockingly scary in fleeting frames. The boiler suit and William Shatner mask here just add to the other-worldly menace and fear. We hear throughout the film as Doctor Loomis uses dialogue to dehumanise Myers, something which the mask and costume also achieve. He is evil incarnate, the "boogeyman" of our irrational nightmares.

 And this leads me to the only flaw in this near perfect film as we briefly see Laurie unmask Myers and reveal the person beneath. Sure, he looks dead-eyed but it's a bit like when Darth Vader took off his helmet to reveal a pasty old white guy. Not knowing what's under the mask is scarier. This is a small niggle though, as Carpenter expertly uses the camera, sets and even the shadows to make the masked killer so effectively, chillingly scary.

I adore this film. It has a mass appeal (even my mum loves it), and just feels eerie and compelling at the same time. Aptly enough the film is perfect for dark Halloween nights. And it's led me to discover and finally order the sequel.

   ***** (5/5) 

 MM

The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 1

"THE DAY WILL COME WHEN YOU WON'T BE"

First up let me just start with a SPOILER WARNING. This review and discussion will include spoilers for the episode. Although I truly can't believe there is anyone out there with any interest who hasn't seen the episode and/or knows what happens please be aware that this review will spoil some big moments.

Wow!... and breathe. That's how I felt after 7 months of waiting and then the intense wringer that was this episode. It started out as frustratingly as last season ended: still playing tricks and using cheap shots to torture us in our rabid desire to find out what happened as surely as Negan was teasing and torturing our group of characters. The show runners knew that we, too, were metaphorically lined up and waiting nervously to see who was about to become a vicious human pinata, and boy did they milk it. I initially feared that we'd have an episode of slower, character stuff with just one or two characters before revealing the big moment at the very end of the episode. The Walking Dead is known to do this, often for a complete episode or two, and whilst it has its defenders I'm firmly on the side that it is mostly filler. Too many episodes, too little budget, too many characters...

 Thankfully that wasn't the case here. It wasn't long before we flashed back (and even before that Rick spat out another cool quote directly from the comic) and, boy, did we get our answers. Whether you were shocked at who was written off the show or not (and I wasn't), what you saw was truly shocking stuff. It shredded my nerves and left me feeling genuinely queasy... and I loved it! Maybe I'm a masochist, I don't know. You kind of have to be to watch this show and others of its ilk. At first I did think that the show might have gone too far but then I realised that the death of the great Sgt. Abraham showed very little at first, observe:

Sure the context was horrific but this moment was even tempered by great humour that was totally within character (and possibly the greatest defiant last words ever!). The aftermath is when things got a bit out of hand: showing the audience the bloody pulp that was once a beloved character's head and then trying to make Rosita look at these shards of skull on Lucille, the bat. But that was perhaps to justify Daryl lashing out. We were so "there" that we might have felt the same. And I for one genuinely thought that this could mean the end of even the immortal Daryl for a while there. Bravo Scott Gimple, you got me! I don't even like the character but I still cared in that moment. But I knew that something was going to go down. I wasn't shocked but I know from YouTube reaction videos that several people were. Back to it...

 ... and goodbye Glenn. At last. I thought you were dead last season and hated that stupid mislead. At the time I even suspected it was to raise questions about whether he might survive the moment that he notoriously perished in the famous comic issue 100. And yet that bat hit me hard too (thankfully metaphorically speaking). The direction and cinematography here were outstanding. I felt it. And I was grossed out. This was where I again thought that the show might have gone too far. Glenn's make-up effects and half-dead state were horrifying... but then I realised that I dug that it, like a lot of the dialogue, was straight from that famous comic issue. Even though it was cut from the 9pm showing on Sky here in the UK, I don't think this image was just there to shock. Sure it did that but I think it was a cool geek touch. In much the same way as fans may get a thrill from seeing Iron Man and Captain America recreate a classic Civil War splash page on the big screen, here we saw a profound and affecting image writ large across two mediums:

I can't end this review without mentioning the incredibly tense moment between Rick and Carl. it was handled perfectly, as we felt the same feelings as Rick. I complained that if Rick went through with the act of chopping off his sons arm it would be farther than I think Rick would go, despite the consequences, and yet I knew that there would be consequences. It shows how well balanced the episode and show were that it didn't punish us with more carnage. Even the heroic moment when Carl tells his father to go for it is completely in character but a welcome relief for the audience at this point. Imagine how much more harrowing this scene might have been if Carl was begging for mercy. And yet this was still the most tense scene in the episode! My younger brother, watching with me, said as much out loud and I'm inclined to agree. It played skilfully with our knowledge of limb loss from the comics, teases littered throughout the episode, and the fact that we had seen how far Negan would go by now. Kudos on breaking us down along with Rick so that we could go through the journey. We, too, started out angry and defiant and ended up completely broken and compliant.

 Let me finish by adding that I loved a couple of great, littler character moments. Like many people I missed Abraham's final gesture of affection to Sasha but it's great and heartbreaking when you see it. I also loved that Michonne stayed strong in the smart way, not pleading with Negan desperately but acknowledging his power and their understanding. For now. And I adore that Maggie remained defiant, even when Rick wasn't any more. Fans of the comic know how important this moment could be going forward. Finally I love how Sasha, who we watched struggle and battle her way through grief and depression, was the one who said that she would help Maggie "get there" beyond these traumas. I dug this, even though I initially forgot that she had just lost someone too. Emmy standard acting all round, great writing, fantastic direction. Cheap shots not required. I just hope we get some levity for a little while now. Phew.

 One final thought: I love that this show, whilst on a surface level is about the classic horror of the undead, is more about the horrors of life for the living, and how people can be the biggest nightmare you can face. Never has this been made clearer than in the final shot of a lone "walker", come to devour scraps of flesh, now looking so insignificant and feeble as it gets smaller in Rick's rear-view mirror.

How clear can I put this, for the next few Monday nights, The Walking Dead is in charge!

**** (4/5)

 MM

We're Making A Comeback...

So, I was informed that we - Marvel Man and I - were overdue for a comeback. Granted the blog had lain dormant for a while. So long it was in fact that I couldn't even remember watching Bedlam on the BBC. What I have done however is watch a shitload of other horror programmes and movies that are worth a mention.

The most recent of this was Tickle Monster, a horror short that featured as part of the FilmFear Fright Bite series. A great little piece of cinematography this one, all close, claustraphobic shots with a fantastically monstrous payoff at the end. At only 9 minutes long, this one is well and truly worth your time. The tickling hands affecting the protagonist prior to the reveal may just give you nightmares.

It's good to be back folks, so bear with us and we'll get this train right back on track in no time.

Bedlam - Some Thoughts

For our British readers, I thought I'd very quickly offer my thoughts on Bedlam (the new so-called 'psychological horror' featuring Will Young. Here are my observations (after watching two episodes):

• It features some extremely poor cliches of the genre
• Will Young is trying hard to pass himself off as a straight guy, which appears slightly implausible despite going for the 'hottie' in the first episode
• Will Young is probably the best actor in the show
• Theo James is an ok actor but the amount of times he appears without clothing is starting to really grate
• There's a large amount of scenes that appear cringeworthy and 'cheap'
• Hugo Speer has an extremely bizzare part in the programme and I can't work out what he's meant to be doing in it, apart from being the sinister 'father figure' of Kate
  

I don't know why or how British supernatural drama keeps going so wrong. Such programmes as the seminal Ghostwatch, the well written Sea of Souls and the deeply disturbing Chillers all hit the nail dead on. Yet we've recently had a spate of less than average programming.

If you're interested, Wikipedia has quite a good page of collected UK supernatural drama.

Shock Labyrinth 3D

Outline
It's another scary Japanese movie with a female ghost/monster stalking a group of attractive teens/young adults. It is however still worth watching because of the slightly mind bending storyline and the fact that it's filmed in 3D.

Yet again, Takashi Shimizu is making scary movies, and this is no exception. Throughout the atmosphere continues to ratchet up notch by notch, until you realise that it is telling a story of some sort of bizzare time travel. Then this concept gets totally turned on the head until you're not quite sure of exactly what you've seen or who is meant to be mad (or not). Trust me, it's one to see.

As is commonplace in non-westernised horror, the Aristotelean narrative form is frequently let by the wayside in order to pursue more complex concepts or just plain scary visual images. Shock Labyrinth 3D lives up to this by putting a bunch of protagonists in a real-life location - Fuji-q High Land, an amusement park near Mt. Fuji. This amusement park really does have a haunted house that you can walk through and after this film I'd think twice about doing so! The protagonists actually explore this location twice. Their first foray being as children and they later return as young adults after seeing an unexpected face from the past (yes the girl from the box art).

A film in 3D
Of course I couldn't finish the review without talking about the 3D element. At times it works extremely well, with a true depth of field for some shots. However, it does no favours for the film when the subtitles come on. These can appear blurred and may irritate the eyes when watching. For the record, I watched both the 3D and 2D versions of the film and personally found the 3D version the superior. However, my other half felt that the opposite was the case, with the 2D DVD providing richer colours and far greater clarity.

Should I watch it?
If you're a fan of Asian horror films, you should probably watch Shock Labyrinth 3D. There's nothing wrong with it per se, but it doesn't light up the genre as The Grudge did. 3D brings another element to the film and makes it slightly more interesting and there are far worse ways to spend an evening (probably with an average Hollywood horror).

Final score
7/10

Let The Right One In

This is only a short commentary regarding the film and the book - but I feel an important one.

I'm talking here about the original movie, not the Hollywood remake named Let Me In.

I can confirm that in some respects, Let The Right One In is very close to the original material, but unfortunately it falls short in many ways. Not least by missing out some of the far more interesting subtexts that take place in the novel. It even cuts out exactly what happens to Eli's older protector following a fall from the hospital window. This element of the storyline serves as one of the most sinister chapters of any book I have ever read. It may not have given me night terrors but the concept left me with images in my mind that took a long while to leave.

Let The Right One In is ultimately served far better as a novel as it is nuanced, subtle, terrifying and detailed. The film misses out so much that frequently you're asking 'eh?' or 'what?' with relationships in the film, which is what the book is about.

Back In Business...

Sorry for the delay guys, but we're going to be back in business, albeit sporadically. Naturally, this means more horror news, views and reviews.