31 Days Of Horror - 2015
For the third consecutive year, I´ve done the 31 Days Of Horror October movie marathon. This are the titles I´ve seen during the month of October, one for each day of the month. This year I only watched movies I haven´t seen before.
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- DirectorJustin BensonGregg BishopTodd LincolnStarsPatrick LawrieEmilia AresCelia K. MiliusA Los Angeles police chase sends a fame-obsessed man on a wild ride to save his girlfriend from a cybernetic terror.The V/H/S Franchise always mixed two of my favorite subgenres of horror, the found footage genre and the anthology movies (both will be heavily featured here for the next month).
The found footage movies can provide a more immersive experience to the viewer and as they are normally extremely cheap to make, it gives younger directors an opportunity to make a movie.
Horror is something that sometimes works far better in small doses and anthology type movies are the best way to present short horror movies.
The first V/H/S was a solid anthology with a good connector linking some very entertaining stories with Amateur Night and Tuesday The 17th being my personal favorites. It also had some of the best young horror directors like Adam Wingard (The Guest, You´re Next and currently working on Death Note) and Ti West (The House Of The Devil, The Innkeepers).
V/H/S 2 didn't stray to far from the blueprint created by the first one but this time they called one of the granddaddies of the found footage genre, The Blair Project´s Eduardo Sanchez, who worked on an entertaining zombie fueled Ride In The Park.
While most of the directors had roots in the horror genre, the standout story came from The Raid 1 & 2 director Gareth Evans. Safe Heaven is such a great horror short that it could and should be a feature film on it´s own. Seriously, everyone needs to watch it.
After avoiding Viral for almost a year after all the terrible reviews and impressions I read, I decided to give it a shot on the start of this horror marathon.
Unfortunately the reviews were spot on...
Viral´s stories are awful. Dante The Great is a story about a weak magician whose life changes after he finds an old cloak and he suddenly turns into the world´s greatest magician. But all that power comes with a price...
It has two decent scenes but it´s all very predictable and there´s nothing remarkable about it, the worst part is that it all goes downhill from here.
Nacho Vigalondo´s (Timecrimes, Open Windows) Parallel Worlds is a story about a man who builds a parallel world travelling machine on his basement only to find out that a version of him of another world did the same and they decided to visit each others worlds for 15 min. At first glance, everything seems to be the same but soon there will be some shocking differences to both men. This one had some potential at first and it made some interesting choices with the designs of the "things" but it never goes anywhere with it.
The 3rd story commits a cardinal sin, it is extremely boring. 3 skateboards and a cameraman go to Tijuana to film some skating scenes but they end up on a scene straight out of hell. I was shocked to find out that this comes from Justin Benson and Aaron Scott Moorhead, the men behind a movie called Spring which seems really nice and a tad bit original.
There´s no redeeming feature about this short, the only thing amazing about this is how they made fighting skeletons look super boring. It just fizzles out in the end without a proper closing.
The "wrap around" story tries to make a point about viral videos, how people do everything for internet fame, how all this garbage is affecting people.
The best thing I can say about it is that at least it wasn´t boring.
In the end, this is definitely the lowest point of the V/H/S franchise and it kind makes me glad they are stopping with it, at least for a while.
Avoid at all costs. - DirectorDallas Richard HallamPatrick HorvathStarsCamilla LuddingtonPatrick FischlerAmy PietzA woman who is plagued by nightmares involving a serial killer learns her dreams have a horrifying connection to the real world.The first movie was one of those enjoyable surprises I stumbled on in a previous October marathon.
Unfortunately the second one lost all of the originality and intelligence of the first. Camila Luddington (Tomb Raider, Rise Of The Tomb Raider, Grey's Anatomy) takes the lead this time as June, a crime scene cleaner who has to clean a crime scene where a woman was killed by someone using the same M.O. as the Judas killer from the first movie. That cleanup job will have deep consequences in June's life and will make her face some terrible secret s from her past. The plot is predictable and while Miss Luddington and Caity Lotz (Arrow, The Machine) are gorgeous, they aren't exactly top actors but even if they were, no one could do much with such a weak script.
There's nothing really outstanding about the Judas killer to make him worthy of a franchise, which seems what they are trying to do. Everything about this "smells" like a quick cash grab after the first one got some small acclaim. If you haven't seen the first one, try to watch it as it is worth your time but avoid this one as the plague.
And speaking of plagues... - DirectorDavid PastorÀlex PastorStarsChris PinePiper PeraboLou Taylor PucciAs a lethal virus spreads globally, four friends seek a reputed plague-free haven. But while avoiding the infected, the travelers turn on one another.The world has gone to hell after a terrible virus has killed most of the population. Chris Pine (Star Trek, Unstoppable), Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly, Covert Affairs), Emily VanCamp (Revenge, Captain America : The Winter Soldier) and Lou Taylor Pucci (Thumbsucker, Evil Dead) pack their things into a car to try and reach an old motel near the sea but the road is full of dangers. There's nothing really wrong with Carriers and I would probably would have enjoyed it more back in 2009 but thanks to the smashing hit that was The Walking Dead, we've been "infected" with tons of representations of post apocalyptic world and there is nothing here that we haven't seen hundreds of times.
Harmlessly average, there are worse ways to pass the time. At least it was better than V/H/S Viral and The Pact 2... - DirectorSean ByrneStarsXavier SamuelRobin McLeavyJohn BrumptonWhen Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she concocts a wildly violent plan for revenge.What a great movie. Always heard good things about The Loved Ones but only managed to watch it now and oh my, it really is good.
It feels like Australia´s version of Texas Chainsaw Massacre but with a teenager in a pink dress with a drill instead of Leatherface. The comparison isn´t in terms of gore or body count but in its more in terms of atmosphere and of both having two of the weirdest *beep* families to appear on the big screen. Lola is a delight to watch, she could really become one of Australia´s horror icons. To see her wearing a pink dress and plastic crown pretending like she´s in prom while she does some twisted stuff to her "prom" date makes for a great contrast. It´s rare to have a female as the main villain of an horror movie, especially on such a successful way as it is portrayed by Robin McLeavy.
There really isn´t there much to say except watch it, it´s a fun dark twisted ride. - DirectorPhedon PapamichaelStarsElizabeth RiceThomas DekkerKelly BlatzA small Maryland town is gripped by a curse which causes residents to take their own life one after another.As a series of strange suicides start to occur on an extremely christian small town, the population seems to think that they are linked with the "accidental" death some years of a woman accused of practicing and the sudden return of her sons to the town.
There´s nothing really wrong with From Within, the plot is okay and there are few recognizable faces in the cast like Adam Goldberg, Thomas Dekker, there´s also nothing really exceptional about it. It´s the pure definition of mediocre, doesn´t fail but doesn´t do anything to separate itself from the rest.
It does the job of keeping you distracted for 90 minutes but you´ll probably forget most of the movies as soon as the credits.
Speaking of the credits, I have to say one positive thing about the movie, I liked the scene played during the credits even if the twist was painfully evident. - DirectorStuart GordonStarsIan Patrick WilliamsCarolyn Purdy-GordonCarrie LorraineA dysfunctional family of three stop by a mansion during a storm -- father, stepmother, and child. The child discovers that the elderly owners are magical toy makers and have a haunted collection of dolls.As I love full motion animation and puppetry work, this movie was just right for me. 5 people arrive to an old house in the middle of a storm. An old couple greats them and offers them refugee from the storm but they aren´t the only residents of the house as every room has hundreds of old toys. A young girl with a vivid imagine begins to think that the dolls are alive, no one believes in her but they soon will...
I really miss 80´s horror movies, there´s a playfulness about the whole movie even when people are getting killed. If it wasn´t for the whole blood and gore that appears once in a while, you could almost think that this is a kids movie. It is directed by the great Stuart Gordon, the man behind some classics like From Beyond and Re-Animator.
Highly recommend for someone who enjoys 80´s horror movies and/or killer dolls. - DirectorAntonio NegretStarsOrlando JonesEdmund EntinGary EntinSeth and Jonah are twins with a dangerous ability: telekinesis. Things spiral out of control as their classmates die one by one. But jealousy soon divides them and they can no longer trust each other leading to a battle against themselves.Seth and Jonah are twins with telepathic powers who embark on a evil project to recover something they felt once. Twins are scary, twins who look like bootleg versions of a young Jared Leto with telepathic powers are even scarier. Seconds Apart was a nice surprise, it had higher production values than I expected and I enjoyed the plot, it managed to surprise me a couple of times.
Orlando Jones on a serious role was something that caught me off guard as I´m used to him in comedic roles but he did well as a tormented detective who suspects than twins are linked to a series of mysterious suicides.
It´s not going to be a classic or considered a top horror film but I found it to be a pretty decent horror movie that does a lot of things right. - DirectorRyûhei KitamuraStarsVinnie JonesBradley CooperLeslie BibbA photographer's obsessive pursuit of dark subject matter leads him into the path of a serial killer who stalks late night commuters, ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways.Based on a Clive Barker tale, Bradley Cooper plays Leon, a photographer who is captivated by the things he sees on the subway every night and captures it all through his lens. He becomes obsessed with a mysterious looking man without knowing that the man is a serial killer who kills people every night in the subway carts in brutal way.
I loved this movie...up until a certain point. The director Ryûhei Kitamura does an outstanding work, the whole movie is stylishly filmed, the actions scenes have a fantastic kinetic energy to them, the deaths are impressive and Vinnie Jones as a serial killer is a great casting decision. I was really enjoying the movie until near the halfway line where something happened and the movie changed a bit. Even worse, the final explanation of why the deaths occurred felt really dumb to me and I absolutely hated the way the movie ended.
While I hated parts of the movie, I would recommend everyone to give it a chance. It gets lots of things right and it´s worth watching because it´s so well filmed and probably many people will enjoy the story. - DirectorBobby RoeStarsBrandy SchaeferZack AndrewsBobby RoeFive friends are stalked by a group of mysterious and disturbed individuals while on a road trip looking for the ultimate haunted house attraction.A group of friends decides to take a road trip to find the scariest horror houses attractions in America. During the trip, they interview workers and owners of the attractions while also trying to find out the location of one secret extreme horror house attraction...
This one had potential that it´s never quite fulfilled, extreme horror house attractions is an interesting subject and they have one of the creepiest characters to show up in recent horror movies but they never do much with it except for two or three scenes. Also the ending wasn´t very good and some of the characters take stupidity to a new level.
I actually wished that the movie had more of interviews and research about the horror houses. There´s a few articles around the Internet around some of the more extreme ones and they are taking things to some dangerous and disturbing level.
It was not a bad movie but I wanted to like it more than I did. Still, that girl...I would *beep* myself if something like that scene in the RV ever happened to me. - DirectorBryan BertinoStarsAlexandra LydonTodd StashwickAudrey Marie AndersonA couple are given a camera and a set of instructions which they must follow or else someone will die.And here we have another found footage movie, there´s like a 100 of those coming out each year. A couple looking for some alone time without their kids, a young student girl living in a guest house and a loser still living with his mom all receive a strange package at their doors. Inside lays a video camera and the promise of a monetary price if they follow the instructions.
Mockingbird does some things right, it´s creepy at times and it´s not very long as it only runs for 80 minutes. But damn, is the plot dumb. It´s just impossible that the people behind the game would be able to put all of that in motion and it would all work so perfectly. It also tries to give a reason for people to keep filming everything but I don´t feel it worked that well.
It´s not as bad as I expected since it got stuck on a shell for 2 years waiting to be released, I even enjoyed it a bit but it´s all a bit silly. - DirectorEli RothStarsKeanu ReevesLorenza IzzoAna de ArmasA devoted husband and father helps two stranded young women who knock on his door, but his kind gesture turns into a dangerous seduction and a deadly game of cat and mouse.I was kind of excited by this. An home invasion movie directed by Eli Roth with Keanu Reeves as the man whose house gets invaded by two hot girls seemed like it could be a good time but damn, it is stupid as hell. The motivation for the invasion makes little sense, the ending is almost comical, it´s an home invasion movie for the social media generation.
I say it was worth watching for the lovely ladies and for Keanu hamming it up, especially in this absolutely amazing meltdown scene :
Death? Death? You're gonna kill me? You're gonna *beep* kill me? Why? WHY? Because I *beep* you? You *beep* me! You *beep* ME! You came to MY house! You came to ME! I got you a car, I brought you your clothes, you took a *beep* BUBBLE BATH! You wanted it! You wanted it! You came on to me! What was I supposed to do? You sucked my cock, you both *beep* sucked my cock! It was FREE PIZZA! Free *beep* pizza! It just shows up at my *beep* door! What am I supposed to do? "We're flight attendants. Come on, *beep* us! No one will know. Come on, *beep* us!" Oh, twosomes, threesomes. It doesn't matter! Starfish! Husbands! You don't give a *beep*, you'll just *beep* anything, you'll just *beep* anything! Well, you lied to me, I tried to help you! I let you in, I was a good guy, I'm a good father! And you just *beep* *beep* me! What? Now, you're gonna kill me? You're gonna kill me? Why? Why? 'Cause you *beep* me? What the *beep*-*beep*-*beep*, this is *beep* insane! - DirectorGiulio De SantiStarsRayner BourtonMichael HoweJessica CarrollAssigned the easy task of assassinating a couple in a hotel room, instead, a hardened contract killer finds himself fighting for his life in a maze-like place crammed with demonic henchmen. Can he escape from the nightmarish Hotel Inferno?*beep* *beep* *beep* and more *beep* This what I think of this goddamn horrific excuse for an horror film. What a good damn turd. I didn´t expect it to be very good when I watched the trailer but a First Person (as in the character´s POV and not filmed by a camera as usual) horror movie is at least a bit original. Well, diarrhea is still diarrhea, it doesn´t matter what perspective you use.
We start this cinematic piece of *beep* on the back of a taxi seeing it all through eyes of the "highly" professional killer Frank Zimosa as he gets the details of his next job, killing a couple on an hotel room. I think the Frank is supposed to be american but like everyone else in the movie, he has an heavy italian accent and everyone is reading their lines like it was an horrible mid 90´s video game. After getting the info on the job, Frank calls his "lovely" wife. I don´t like Frank, he is a *beep* that stars on one of the worst movies I ever seen, but goddamn, his wife is worse. During the movie, Frank calls his wife multiple times, trying to be sweet to her and to say that he loves her. The woman doesn´t give a *beep* about Frank, is always trying to hang up the calls and is constantly being annoyed by him. Frank, my man, I think she is cheating on you.
Before entering the hotel, Frank is given a pair of glasses with HUD display that records what he is seeing. International hitman Frank Zimosa is shocked by this, he never thought such technology existed. Frank, you going to *beep* yourself when you find out that there´s self driving cars now.
His contractor asks him if he can see well, Frank replies affirmatively but there some things that appear that he doesn´t quite understand what they mean. Let´s look at this suspicious text : "Server : Active / Status : Online / Video : Active / Mic : Active / Contacts - lumen-agency : online".
Clearly, all this tech talk is too complicated for our international man of action, Frank Zimosa.
Frank gets inside his hotel room and goes straight to the mini bar to drink water from an uncapped bottle, seems like a good idea.
He is then shown a video of one of the victims of the couple he has been ordered to kill. Frank is shocked to see the man getting his throat slit open. Frank claims that it looks like a ritualistic killing. Frank, if this thing of being an international hitman doesn´t work out, you have a bright future as a profiler. Of course that slitting someone´s throat isn´t just an effective killing method but it is also an automatic sign of a ritual killing.
Frank is ordered to smash the couples brains and take out their insides with a special hammer and knife, and by special I mean clearly made of plastic. Frank smashes the brain of the woman first in a disgusting fashion followed by some weird sound effects from the woman. He then goes after the man who is sitting in a bathtub full of blood facing the wall. The man goes on a long monologue explaining that he and his woman were also hired killers like him, that they were ordered to kill to appease some creature but with time they started to become something else. He then turns to Frank and shows that he has a demon like face. Frank immediately kills the guy with a gory headshot and freaks out. His employer orders him to continue his mission but Frank refuses and destroys the glasses. Being an highly intelligent man, Frank decides to not use the hammer that is in front of him but instead punches the glasses multiple times. I guess hammers are for pussies and Frank Zimosa, highly professional international hitman, isn´t a pussy.
Then starts Frank´s attempt to leave the hotel while fighting a few weird looking thugs in gory battles. Like this wasn´t looking enough like an awful video game, the employer who keeps narrating the actions mentions not once but twice that Frank found "a secret area". Frank even finds a very video game looking map that mentions a secret room with ammo. In said room, Frank grabs a few grenades and heads to the woods where fights the thugs on more fights full of gore. Frank, the expert killer, decides that throwing a grenade 5m is enough but "unluckly" gets thrown a few meters back. He recovers in time to kill a few more guys and then gets his hand on a shotgun. We are now full on the video game territory as the whole thing looks like a terrible Doom in the woods clone. But poor Frank isn´t a match to all those thugs and gets captured.
While being chained up, his employer tells him that they´ve been doing this for centuries and if the creature isn´t fed with pain, she will awake and kill everyone. In an unbelievably unpredictable twist , the creature is awaken before she can be fed. Frank is then chased through the hotel by the dumbest looking creature that seems to be vomiting fireworks. Frank manages to run into a elevator that takes him to a terrible looking CGI version of what I suppose is Hell. Speaking of CGI, the director of the 3D visual effects is credited as Piranhasoldier. Yes, a professional released movie has a guy named Piranhasoldier as part of the crew. Frank is once again face to face with the terrible creature but Frank Zimosa, man of action is no pussy so he grabs his gun and shoots her many times, then proceeds to punch and stomp on her head. It all seems like it´s over but a masked man informs Zimosa that the creature can´t be killed and the creature rises again. The masked man puts her down once again and knocks Zimosa out.
Chained up once again, Frank is informed that there´s no escaping, he will be killed to feed the beast and because he brought so much trouble, they will kill his girlfriend in 5 minutes. Just before the masked man starts to torture Frank, the creature enters the room and kills the masked man but for some stupid reason gives Frank some time to call his girlfriend for the 5th or 6th time since the movie started. She seems much more relaxed now and says to Frank that they need to talk later as she feels very much alone. Frank agrees and ends the call by saying that he loves her. Frank, by the way she sounded so relaxed in comparison to all the other calls, even when you just woke her from her sleep, I think she will next tell you that she has found someone else. So for now, you dodged that bullet.
Unfortunately you won´t be able to dodge the vicious monster that is in front of you. Sorry, mate, but you´re dead.
So the end credits start to roll on the 73th minute of this horrible piece of *beep*
After a bit of resource, I managed to find that the company behind this movie was also behind a gory fighting game called Death Cargo that was sold but apparently was never released. - DirectorSeverin FialaVeronika FranzStarsLukas SchwarzElias SchwarzSusanne WuestTwin boys move to a new house with their mother after she has face-changing cosmetic surgery, but under the bandages is someone the boys don't recognize.A wonderful surprise. Two twin boys welcome their mother back home after she had a serious facial operation but something doesn´t seem right and the boys start to suspect that the woman isn´t their mother. This Austrian movie will creepy you out as the boys ordeal begins to go into a very dark path. It is beautifully filmed and the filmmakers were clearly influenced by the Austrian master, Michael Haneke.
There are a couple of flaws that were already discussed previously on this thread but in my opinion try to go into the movie knowing as little as possible, it´s worth it.
The movie was even selected by Austria to be their candidate to the Oscar of Best Foreign Movie, so give it a chance. - DirectorAnthony DiBlasiStarsJuliana HarkavyJoshua MikelHank StoneA rookie cop is tasked with taking the last shift at a police station before it is permanently closed, but it turns into a living nightmare.A young rookie, daughter of recently dead cop, is tasked on her first shift to monitor an old police station that will be closed down on the following day. Watched due to EldritchTrapStar´s recommendation but although I didn´t enjoyed it as much as he did, I still found it to be a competent horror movie. It actually surprised me a bit as the synopsis and the poster made me think it would be an horror version of Assault On The Precinct 13 but it actually turned out to be a more intimate and creepy movie. The acting is a bit poor but I enjoyed the plot and the atmosphere of the movie, it almost had a Silent Hill like quality. It seems to be a movie that is causing a bit of a split in a opinions, like Laboured who hated it, but I think it´s worth a watch if you are an horror fan. It´s not an essential movie like Goodnight Mommy or The Loved Ones but I found it to be quite ok.
- DirectorLarry CohenStarsTony Lo BiancoDeborah RaffinSandy DennisA New York detective investigates a series of murders committed by random New Yorkers who claim that "God told them to."A man in a water tower shoots down 15 people with a rifle. A Catholic NYPD tries to talk the man down from the water tower and asks the man why he did that, the man answers "God told me to." and jumps to his death. Soon the detective will start an investigation that will go down unforeseen paths. What the *beep* hell did I watch????? Seriously, this is one of the strangest, most bizarre movies I´ve ever seen. The ending is just complete bonkers. It all ends with the detective facing a Jesus look-a-like hermaphrodite with a weird looking vagina in the middle of his torso and mind controlling powers. Oh and get that, the "Jesus" is a son of woman who was raped by aliens.This movie is proof that people in 70´s were taking drugs like it was popcorn. Really, my mind was absolutely blown by the complete madness of this plot. I don´t think it is a particularly good movie but man, what a weird ride.
- DirectorChris SparlingStarsRya KihlstedtWilliam MapotherSharon MaughanWhen the US government attempts to weaponize the power of a possessed woman, they soon discover that there are forces that exist in this world that simply cannot be controlled.Faux documentary about an Institute dedicated to investigating paranormal activities like ESP and telekinesis that stumbled in something more dark. The fake documentary style works really well in this, is structured just like a real documentary with archive footage being interlinked with modern day interviews with people who were connected with the project. It also offers a commentary at how far will a country go to get an advantage in a possible war against another country. Found it to be quite enjoyable and a good addiction to the genre.
- DirectorTodd Strauss-SchulsonStarsTaissa FarmigaMalin AkermanAdam DevineA young woman grieving the loss of her mother, a famous scream queen from the 1980s, finds herself pulled into the world of her mom's most famous movie. Reunited, the women must fight off the film's maniacal killer.This will most likely end up to be my favorite movie of the marathon and quite possibly my favorite movie of the year. It´s a brilliant homage to the slasher genre that is isn´t afraid to make fun of the usual cliches while at same time respecting them and showing a deep appreciation for all they represent. I am a big fan of slasher movies from Friday The 13th, Halloween, The Burning, Sleepaway Camp and all the rest so this movie was bound to have a special place in my heart.
Speaking of heart, it was way more emotional than I ever expected. If you don´t feel a thing about the scene right before the big climax then you are most likely dead inside.
Seriously, I can not recommend this movie enough. If you are just going to watch a movie this Halloween, make sure it is The Final Girls and preferably with a group of friends.
It has that meta angle that worked so well on The Cabin In The Woods, it´s hilarious at parts with actors like Adam DeVine, Alia Shawkat, Tory N. Thompson and Angela Trimbur providing tons of laughs, it´s scary at times and is so smartly written. Taissa Farmiga was brilliant as was Malin Akerman.
Watch it, talk about it with your friends, spread the word. The Final Girls deserves to be watched by as many people as possible. - DirectorLevan GabriadzeStarsHeather SossamanMatthew BohrerCourtney HalversonA group of online chatroom friends find themselves haunted by a mysterious, supernatural force using the account of their dead friend.Skype The Horror movie. It sounds stupid but it is kind of brilliantly executed. I´m not a teen, haven´t been for a decade, so I´m not the kind of person who does group chats on Skype and all the other social media stuff that this kids do all day but having a younger sister, I know that a lot of the teens this days are like this. Even if you´re not a kid, most of us spend lots of time looking into a monitor screen so to have a horror movie happen through something that is so linked with our day to day lives is a smart idea. I know it´s not the first time they do something like that as Nacho Vigalondo tried something like that with stalkerish Open Windows last year but I haven´t watched it yet so I can´t say if it worked there.
What I can say is that Leo Gabriadze deserves a mention because he worked out a decent horror movie in such a restrictive scenario.
While I liked Unfriended more than I expected, I can not recommend it. Most of you will hate it and I can understand that. I can also understand that this more of a movie made for teens who live through social media and group chats and I think it succeeds in hitting right points for that target group and is no surprise that the movie pulled an outstanding 62M$ worldwide on just a 1M$ budget (although I can´t really understand how they spend that much money, I guess Macbooks are really that expensive). - DirectorMark NeveldineStarsOlivia Taylor DudleyMichael PeñaDougray ScottA priest and two Vatican exorcists must do battle with an ancient satanic force to save the soul of a young woman.It´s your standard "young girl gets possessed, priest finds out and tries to contact the Vatican to do an exorcism". It has been done a thousand times before and almost every single time they did it better. The Vatican Tapes is boring, doesn´t do a single thing do distance itself from a sea of exorcism movies. Actually, that´s not completely true. The end is a bit different, it starts to finally set up something interesting and then...it just ends.
Even the bad The Devil Inside was a lot better than this bland piece of *beep* There´s really nothing even a bit decent about this. Avoid at all costs. - DirectorPeter MedakStarsGeorge C. ScottTrish Van DevereMelvyn DouglasAfter experiencing tragic personal losses, a music professor rents a Seattle mansion, haunted by a slain boy.Now this one is a a classic. A man who recently lost his wife and his daughter in a tragic accident moves to a big Victorian mansion to try and rebuild his life but he soon realizes that he isn´t alone... The movie is full of iconic scenes from the burning staircase to the creepy wheelchair.
It´s a good old ghost story with a great plot and lovely acted by the legendary George C. Scott. It took me a long time to watch it but I´m thankful that I finally did. It has become one of my favorite horror movies and one that I will rewatch many times. - DirectorGil KenanStarsSam RockwellRosemarie DeWittKennedi ClementsA family whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces must come together to rescue their youngest daughter after the apparitions take her captive.I know I am in the minority, I really enjoyed the Poltergeist remake. The first is a classic (the sequels not so much) that has an important place in movie history but I thought the remake was well made as it clearly is inspired and does it´s version of some classic scenes but also introduces some new stuff that works well. I really liked their vision of the other dimension. Maybe I´ve seen so many *beep* movies in the past days that I just welcome any decent movie and this version of Poltergeist is quite decent. It has the great Sam Rockwell, there are some scary scenes, a couple of jokes and it works. It might have helped the fact that I watched the Extended cut that adds almost 10 min as one the biggest criticisms of the original release is that it all felt rushed in terms of pacing. It still happens a bit on the Extended cut but probably not as much as the theatrical release. Yes, it´s not a classic as the original but it kept me very entertained for 100 or so minutes.
- DirectorLeigh WhannellStarsDermot MulroneyStefanie ScottAngus SampsonA prequel set before the haunting of the Lambert family that reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity.A prequel that shows the possession case that made Elise Rainier come out of retirement and united her to the Specs and Tucker. The Insidious franchise is back again for another lucrative sequel and while not as good as the first, this prequel does a decent job on showing the early days of Elise and her ghost hunters. It´s a movie full of jump scares and some fast cuts but the story provides some depth. The Insidious franchise is a weird one for me, I enjoy the movies, think the mythology is kind of interesting but the whole thing is a bit empty and I barely remember what happened in them. They are not the kind of movies I will rewatch once in a while but they are perfectly watchable and enjoyable horror movies.
If you liked the previous one, this one is another solid entry. If you didn´t liked the other ones, there really isn´t much on this one that will make you chance your mind. - DirectorKevin KölschDennis WidmyerStarsAlexandra EssoeAmanda FullerNoah SeganA hopeful young starlet uncovers the ominous origins of the Hollywood elite and enters into a deadly agreement in exchange for fame and fortune.A young woman´s dream of stardom seems headed to failure but when a surprising big break comes her way, she has to ask herself of far can she go to fulfill her dreams. This is a weird movie for me, I know there´s a decent movie here but I didn´t particularly enjoyed it. It´s a big metaphor for the Hollywood machine that crushes people´s souls and bodies every day that borrows a bit from Rosemary´s Baby and other cult worship movies. While not completely original, it is still a good idea that was neatly executed but I couldn´t really connect to it. I had the same issues with Contracted on a previous marathon so it must be that I just don´t like this particular kind of body horror, although Starry Eyes is far better. That quote on the poster actually makes some sense as it has that bizarre feel of both directors. It´s definitely worth a look if any of this seemed appealing to you.
- DirectorAaron HannMario MiscioneStarsAllegra MastersAimee McKayAshley KeyHeld captive and faced with their imminent executions, fifty strangers are forced to choose the one person among them who deserves to live.I didn´t expect much of this barely known movie I stumbled on Netflix as it had a very low rating there but I really liked it. 50 people wake up on a strange place. They are in a circle around some strange sphere with only darkness around them. If they move from their spot, they die. If they touch another person, they die. Every 2 minutes someone has to die but the group can decide who. How do you decide who should live and who should die. Suddenly every factor in your life from religion, to sexuality, to gender and age can affect the value of your life...
This is a very different horror movie. There are deaths but they are mostly off-screen or with almost no violence, still the movie keeps the tension high at all times. This is almost a movie purely based on a dialogue and it was able to keep me on the edge of my seat than most movies with demons and other scary things jumping on to the screen every 10 minutes. It also proves that man can be the most terrifying of creatures.
I know many people will probably hate this movie but I truly loved it and it will most likely end on the top 5 of my marathon. - DirectorTravis CluffChris LofingStarsReese MishlerPfeifer BrownRyan Shoos20 years after a horrific accident during a small town school play, students at the school resurrect the failed show in a misguided attempt to honor the anniversary of the tragedy - but soon discover that some things are better left alone.In 1993, a student is accidentally hanged during a live performance of a high school play and dies in front of all the audience. 20 years later, the school is ready to perform the play again but something lingers in the backstage...
And here we have another found footage horror movie. I like the genre as it can be extremely effective in the right circumstances and The Gallows is another proof that this sub-genre is a fountain of money for studios as it made nearly 40M$ worldwide from a budget of just 100.000$ so there´s no way they are stopping making them any time soon but for *beep* sake, at least put a little effort in it.
The movie doesn´t have a drop of originality in it, the story is full of cliches, the twists are predictable and laughable, the design of the "boogeyman" is stupid, there really isn´t a single positive thing I can say about the movie. If you are trapped in a room and you forced to watch a screen but you can choose between watching The Gallows or watching static for 4h, choose the static. It will be more unpredictable and better acted. - DirectorNacho VigalondoStarsSasha GreyElijah WoodNeil MaskellA jilted fan soon finds himself pulled into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse after he accepts the opportunity to spy on his favorite actress via his laptop.The owner of a fan site of a famous actress wins the opportunity to have dinner with her but after she cancels the dinner, a strange benefactor gives the fan access to her phone and laptop. Voyeurism turns into something way more deadly.
If at the start of this marathon someone had asked me which of the "computer screen movies", Open Windows or Unfriended, would I like more, the answer would be clearly Open Windows. So I´m shocked to say that Unfriended is the far better movie.
Elijah Wood is becoming a regular in horror movies but after a decent turn in Maniac, he is a bit *beep* on this one. To be fair, he isn´t the only one because Sasha Grey is lovely but she also turns a very bad performance. Neither of them could do much with the stupid script. Nacho Vigalondo goes for a Shyamalan type twist that is just dumb. I really didn´t like this at all. - DirectorJustin BensonAaron MoorheadStarsLou Taylor PucciNadia HilkerFrancesco CarneluttiA young man in a personal tailspin flees from US to Italy, where he sparks up a romance with a woman harboring a dark, primordial secret.A young american guy decides to escape to Italy after his life back home starts to crumble. After reaching a secluded village by the sea and there he meets a gorgeous girl. It seems like there´s a chance this will be the start of a beautiful romance but some dark secrets may change everything...
This feels like the horror version of Before Sunrise and it is brilliant. Original, filmed in some beautiful locations and with two leads with great onscreen chemistry, this is a truly welcome breath of fresh air. I may be extremely biased as Before Sunrise is one of my favorite movies of all time and this was able to hit a very similar tone to Linklater´s masterpiece with a touch of horror so I was bound to love it.
The horror parts, while being an important part of the plot, are very subdue and the movie isn´t scary as it is mostly a romance. But I really wish everyone would take a look at this. It is one of those movies that deserves a larger audience. - DirectorLucio FulciStarsChristopher GeorgeCatriona MacCollCarlo De MejoA reporter and a psychic race to close the Gates of Hell after the suicide of a clergyman caused them to open, allowing the dead to rise from their graves.The suicide of a Priest in a small town opens the gates of Hell and it´s up to a reporter and a psychic to try and close them before it´s too late.
Before EldritchTrapStar´s review I hadn´t heard about City Of The Living Dead, I really liked it. It´s clearly has the Fulci touch in terms of gore and it has that late 70´s/80´s Italian horror movie style to it that I am a fan of.
The plot and the acting is a bit silly and over the top at times but that was to be expected. The movie has some creepy moments and I liked the method the living dead used to kill most of the living, worked really well in terms of gore without being overused.
Definitely need to check more of Fulci´s movies, I always were more of an Argento fan when it comes to Italian masters. - DirectorVictor SalvaStarsNathan Forrest WintersBrian McHughSam RockwellJust before Halloween, three young brothers alone in a big house are menaced by three escaped mental patients who have murdered some traveling circus clowns and taken their identities.3 brothers (including a very young Sam Rockwell on his movie debut, making his second appearance in my marathon and again in a movie that some creepy clown imagery) are alone at their house making them easy preys for a trio of escaped mental patients who killed a few circus clowns and stole their stuff.
I was reluctant to watch this at first because I knew I had some reason to avoid this for so long but some issues with my ISP capped my Internet speed so Netflix was pretty much useless and I had to relay on Youtube so I gave it a shot.
It´s a very typical killer clown with some weird directing choices. The true horror was happening behind the cameras but I´ll get to that soon.
There´s nothing very violent about the movie, it´s more creepy than in your face shock scenes but that was to be expected with a movie with a trio of young boys on screen most of the time.
The kids weren´t terrible, it is specially fun to watch Sam Rockwell being an ass. The younger kid was annoying me with his performance, with his scared voice that was irritating as hell...
First weird thing, they showed a 12 year old´s ass on screen. Why the *beep* would you do that? There was also a few scenes where the boys would be bare chested which I found it to be a bit peculiar.
Let´s go down to reason why this movie is so horrifying and infamous.
Clownhouse is Victor Salva´s feature film debut. He created the Jeepers Creapers franchise and also directed the weird Powder for Disney in 1995.
During the production of Clownhouse, Salva kept the younger kid, Nathan Forrest Winters, behind after daily shooting had ended to help him improve his on screen performance. Some of Salva´s acting exercises included filming Winter while he gave and received oral sex.
Winters told his parents what happened soon after the movie was released and Salva´s house were raided where they encountered a lot of pornographic material including other kids besides Winters. Salva was arrested and sentenced to 3 years in prison, of which he served 15 months.
What´s Salva´s first big directing job after getting released from jail? He gets hired by Disney (!!!) to direct Powder. For those who don´t remember, Powder was the story of an young albino boy who was highly intelligent and had telepathy and other paranormal powers.
Once again, the movie had a few scenes where they filmed the boy´s naked body for a bit too long and includes a very creepy scene where one of his professors, played by Jeff Goldblum, talks with Powder on an empty room, says "You touched me and I’ve had better sex than I’ve had in ten years... I want to be a friend. Did you ever have a friend?" and then proceeds to caress Powder´s face and bald head for more than 15 seconds.
Seriously, *beep* Victor Salva. - DirectorEli RothStarsLorenza IzzoAriel LevyAaron BurnsA group of student activists travels to the Amazon to save the rain forest and soon discover that they are not alone, and that no good deed goes unpunished.A group of activists goes into the Amazon to stop a company´s plan to mine an ancient tribe´s territory and kill them all. On the way back, their plane crashes and the tribe welcomes with arms wide open...and so are their mouths.
After being postponed for a year due to legal issues and with a bit of hype behind it, Eli Roth´s Cannibal homage was finally released to mixed reception. I actually loved the movie. It was a fun throwback to old Cannibal movies, really well filmed and with some so so acting with Roth´s wife once again taking the lead role a bit like she does on the recently released Knock Knock.Speaking of actress, indie pop sensation Sky Ferreira has a small part and she is absolutely *beep* in it.
One of the main criticisms has been the Roth´s social commentary against some type of activists but I thought it was entertaining and Roth clearly had fun with it. He clearly hates activists, portraying them as mostly people who are more interested in showing the world that they care about issues than actually caring about those issues.
The tribe was amazing, they were scary and so interesting. Loved the use of colors, it makes for a great contrast between all those beautiful colors and the horrifying acts they are committing.
This might be my favorite Eli Roth movie and I hope they go through with a sequel. - DirectorDarren Lynn BousmanAxelle CarolynAdam GieraschStarsAdrienne BarbeauHunter SmitCameron EastonTen stories are woven together by their shared theme of Halloween night in an American suburb, where ghouls, imps, aliens and axe murderers appear for one night only to terrorize unsuspecting residents.Started the marathon with an anthology so it is fitting that I should ended it with another anthology. Tales Of Halloween is a collection of 10 stories that happen during the same Halloween night, just like Trick ´R Treat (probably the ultimate Halloween movie). Tales isn´t particularly scary as it goes more after humor than creepiness, a bit like the old Tales From The Crypt.
They got some interesting directors for this project like Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II-IV), Neil Marshall (The Descent, Dog Soldiers), Lucky McKee (The Woman) and Andrew Kasch (Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy).
There was also a few great cameos from horror legends like John Landis (An American Werewolf in London), Joe Dante (Gremlins 1 & 2) and John Carpenter´s former wife Adrienne Barbeau who acts as the narrator.
While there were a couple of weaker segments, there were 4 that really stand out for me :
The Night Billy Raised Hell - A young boy gets a lesson in pranking from the master.
Friday the 31st - A Jason Vorhees type finally meets his match in an hilarious intergalactic confrontation.
The Ransom of Rusty Rex - A kidnapping goes wrong in the most unusual of scenarios.
Bad Seed - Man eating pumpkin terrorizes the streets and it´s up to a badass female detective to stop it.
In general, I found it to be an hilarious addition to the genre and one movie that will be now part of my Halloween selection, although Trick ´R Treat is better just because of the wonderful Sam. The little alien came close to being as adorable but it lacked the creepy factor.