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Housebound (2014)
A Fun Comedy Horror
Title: Housebound
Format: DVD Language: English Released: 2014
Director: Gerard Johnstone
Starring: Morgana O'Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru
Recently a steady stream of horror films have made their way to this small Island from down under. Housebound, is the latest, hailing from New Zealand. Gerard Johnson's debut film is a mix of both comedy & horror in the style I expect from that part of the world.
It's not in any way straightforward, by that I mean, what you get is not what you expect with this film; this is a good thing. The comedic content is there throughout but acts only to enforce the horror aspect of the film in a way that has become something of a signature for work from this area of the world.
Our heroine is Kylie Bucknell (Morgana O'Reilly), a troubled youngster with a criminal list that would make a London 'mobster' proud. Sentenced and placed under house arrest, she is tagged and sent back to her Mother's house to serve out said sentence.
It's not long after this that 'things' start to happen that give her cause for concern. The scene is nicely set with a radio phone-in, near the start. Kylie's Mother, Miriam Bucknell (Rima Te Wiata) has called to share her experience of a paranormal incident from her past. Giving us, the viewers, all the background we need to start to create a backstory in our minds.
The film then follows what seems like a normal haunted house story until it's twisted on its head and we are shown other possibilities (can't really say more without ruining it for you). This is played on throughout by Gerard, when you think you have worked out what is going on, he throws in another smokescreen, using all the rules of horror to twist it around and then as you start to get on top, he throws in another misdirection with the use of some top comedy to knock you off the scent.
It's not a complex story nor does it try to be, it just a fun roller-coaster of a ride through one outrageous situation to another. All in all, this adds up to a satisfying conclusion and leaves a good feeling once it is all over.
Housebound is a simple but clear story. Well-made and with some great acting in it. Watch it on your own and it can be creepy as hell; watching it with friends gives it a whole different, fun feeling. Housebound is a film I personal can watch over and over again but still enjoy it as much as the first time I saw it.
Mandy (2018)
A cinematic masterpiece - But not for everyone
Title: Mandy
Format: DVD Language: English Released: 2018
Director: Panos Cosmatos
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roache
I'm a huge Nicolas Cage fan, when he is good there really aren't many that can match him on screen, so when a horror film comes along with him in it, it's a no-brainer, I'm going to watch it. On top of this you have Linus Roache, another incredible actor, thrown in for good measure.
Panos Cosmatos, the creator of Beyond the Black Rainbow, is a director I've heard many good things about, sadly said film doesn't have a UK release, so I went into this film not knowing anything about his style, other than the high praise from my American friends.
It's hard to review this film in a short blog, I could write a thesis on it, it really is that complex and deeply layered. So, bear with me as I try to keep it short. It opens as a love story between two, well, lovers, Red Miller (Nicolas Cage) and Mandy Bloom (Andrea Riseborough), they live in a small house in a forest.
From here the film takes a dark turn when a cult called the Children of the New Dawn, led by a failed pop star, Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache) catches a fleeting glimpse of Mandy as he passes her on the road. I would ruin what happens if I said more, so I will only say this, bad stuff happens and Red goes on a revenge mission to hunt down the Children of the New Dawn.
Seems simple enough, yet it is so very much more. The style of the film starts as a tripped-out art-house film when introducing us to the two lovers, but it never becomes so much so it pushes you away. Instead we are drawn into, and can feel for, the life these two hippy lovers, have together. I really felt I knew them; how they lived; how they thought. I cared for them as a couple, everything was bliss, perfect between them.
Then the Children of the New Dawn show up and tear everything apart. Red is left with life threatening wounds, as he slips in and out of consciousness, we see him slowly start to break. Putting myself in his shoes for a moment, would I have done things differently? Maybe phoned the police, gotten help? Given how deeply in love Red and Mandy are, I've got to say no; I would have done the same thing.
The second part of the film changes slowly in style as we watch Red fall deeper into madness. Gone is the hippy art-house colours of love and peace. Everything starts to get more defined, the shapes, lights, environment, it all becomes sharp and clear around Red, symbolising his focus on this newly found mission.
Yet now and then when Red slips into unconsciousness the world becomes an animation, showing us his thoughts and dreams, reminding us of his love for Mandy, she seems to be a spiritual guide, letting him know she is with him through this downwards spiral, that he is never alone on his journey into hell. Later these dreams and reality become intertwined with each other, another insight into the breaking mind of Red.
It reminds me somewhat, of the Greek tale of Orpheus and Eurydice, where Orpheus journeys into Hades to get Eurydice back. That's the thing that hit me the most, Panos use of mythology. Religious symbolism, from Greek and Norse myths, to Pagan and Christian ones, they saturate his film with their bloodiest tales. No matter what you believe or know, you can't help but see the mythos behind his style of film-making.
And like the heroes of old there comes a point of no return. When the hero is tested, does he become what he fights against or does he pass the test and remain pure? In this example we have Red standing, axe in hand, in front of Sister Lucy (Line Pillet), one of the Children of the New Dawn, does he kill her, cementing his downfall into Hell or let her pass and save what is left of his soul? Well I'm not going to tell you, you will have to watch the film!
This is another example of the complex story that Panos, weaves into his film. It is never a black and white or right and wrong story, you can never say, well these are the good guys and these the bad guys. Lines are blurred between right and wrong, victim and abuser. You never know if what you are seeing is the reality of the situation, or how Red is justifying it all in his mind.
This is reinforced towards the end of the film when we look into the car right at Red, he is bloodied and dirty but looks like a warrior from legends, then in an instant we are in the car next to him, looking at a crazed killer, soaked in blood with wild eyes and equally wild hair. Which one is the real Red? That's left up to you to decide, can you justify what just happened or are you horrified by what you have just witnessed.
This film is truly amazing, it's beautifully shot, thoughtfully edited, the cinematography and sound is all carefully planned and executed. From the location, set, clothes, makeup, acting, it all works seamlessly together to present an organic story of love and loss beyond almost anything I've seen or read for a very long time.
Not since I saw Guillermo del Toro's, Pan's Labyrinth, have I been so silenced and moved by a story on screen, my only wish now is to get hold of a copy of Beyond the Black Rainbow. Panos Cosmatos, has, in my humble opinion, created a masterpiece of cinematic storytelling.
The Nun (2018)
Nice to look at but story-wise it's just boring.
Film Review - The Nun - 2018
Title: The Nun
Format: Cinema Language: English Released: 2018
Director: Corin Hardy
Starring: Demián Bichir, Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet
'The Nun', a spin-off from the 'Conjuring' series of horror films, has been placed in the hands of Corin Hardy, director of the rather excellent, 'The Hallow'. I had high hopes for this, hence spending the small fortune to watch it on the big screen; sadly I was not impressed.
Kicking things off, we are shown a little of the back story and the history of the Nunnery in which the film story would take place. The whole thing finishes with the suicide of a young Nun (no, it's not a spoiler; it's the opening). Said Nun's body is found my Jonas Bloquet playing what can only be described as a one dimensional and highly annoying character called Frenchie.
The action then cuts to the Vatican, where Father Burke (Demián Bichir) is instructed to go and find out what is happening at the Nunnery. He links up with Sister Irene and they set off together. The problems for me, start here. I've got to wonder, after getting to the end of the film, and once you are shown the so-called twist and have the complete story, how the Vatican found out about the suicide in the first place? It just makes no sense. Also, why has Father Burke been teamed up with Sister Irene? Again, there just isn't a reason for this. Sadly, it's a dilemma that's repeated throughout the film, the plot really doesn't fit together well. I would say that it's just a series of stuff that sounded like a good idea at the time, half-heartedly slapped together.
'The Nun' bumbles along with pointless sequence following meaningless section until the twist comes near to the climax. If you haven't left by then or fallen asleep (we'll come to that in a minute) you are treated, for lack of a more pertinent term, to an uninspired, colour by numbers, ending.
That's really all I can say about the story! There is some good stuff here, the film is well made, looks amazing, sounds amazing and it's edited very well, it's just so very boring. On a number of occasions throughout the film, I found myself almost falling asleep, totally uninterested in the events onscreen. Add to this the mediocre and disappointing performance from the actors, I just couldn't find a reason to care about any of it. There is little that warrants my time, or money, spent watching 'The Nun'; and that is disappointing at I do love the 'Conjuring' series.
The Visit (2015)
Great little horror gem
The Visit
Format: Amazon Prime Language: English Released: 2015
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie
Something I must confess before I start, I clicked on this film by mistake, but due to laziness on my behalf and the fact Kirk, (my dog) ran off with the control, I just couldn't be bothered to change it; which, as it turns out was a good thing, for I thoroughly enjoyed this little gem of a film.
The film kicks off with Becca (Olivia DeJonge) interviewing her Mother (Kathryn Hahn), as to why she is not on talking terms with her parents. In this direct but short intro, you are not only given the full story of the family troubles and why they have them but also the plot and the style in which the story is told. This as it turns out, is shown entirely through the home recording of siblings Becca (Olivia DeJonge) and Tyler (Ed Oxenbould) in such an engaging way it adds to the end result and does not, as is with so many home recording style films, become boring or off-putting.
What follows is a classic little story with so many twists and turns that it keeps you engaged (at least it did me) to such an extent you are genuinely caught off-guard at the end. This film is all about the story, which is a refreshing thing in these spoon-fed jump scares horror film times we are sadly made to endure. The hand held camcorder style of the film never once becomes annoying, the child actors are not only superbly portrayed by Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould respectably, they are fully likeable and I really became concerned for them as the film when on. Without giving anything away, one scene in particular stands out for me.
When the siblings are in bed and you are shown something going on outside their bedroom door, it switches back in the room where they are debating whether or not to open said door, it had me shouting at the screen urging them not to do it!
Such is Shyamalan's skill at direction, that this film is littered with these type of moments, it never becomes slow or repetitive but moves at such as pace it keeps you on the edge of your seat. Sometimes funny, sometimes moving, other times just downright scary, The Visit, never overstays it's welcome. This is reinforced by the characters in the film, as I mentioned before, the two siblings were portrayed perfectly but I feel I should also give a shout out for Deanna Dunagan and Peter McRobbie for their portrayal of Nana and Pop Pop.
This isn't to say that the film is perfect, it isn't; there are some areas that feel just a little out of place, some fillers that could have been edited out without anyone noticing but, the biggest gripe for me, was the 'post' ending. Again, without giving anything away, the film should have ended ten minutes earlier. The interview with the Mother at the end, explaining some answers to questions that where best left unanswered should not have been added; nor should the pointless 'funny' rap from Tyler at the end credits. This succeeded only in turning the film ending from a genuinely unnerving horror film to a film with a needlessly cheesy, family friendly ending, which was a shame.
All in all however, if you ignore that post ending part, this film is a must for fans of horror, and driven mainly by a strong story and not jump scares or over-the-top gore, and is well worth your time.
Sinister 2 (2015)
Shameless Cash In
Sinister 2
Format: Amazon Prime Language: English Released: 2015
Director: Ciaran Foy
Starring: James Ransone, Shannyn Sossamon, Robert Daniel Sloan
Let me start with a question; one that you would have hoped the film studios asked themselves before giving this film the green light; How do you follow up a sleeper hit such as Sinister? Their answer, sadly, seems to be,
"We don't care, just make us some money".
The story revolves around two boys, whose Mother, Courtney Collins (Shannyn Sossamon), is on the run from her violent ex-husband, being made to watch homemade films by what I can only imagine are meant to be ghost children. The boys Dylan Collins (Robert Daniel Sloan) and Zach Collins (Dartanian Sloan) are not only unconvincing as brothers (which is highly amusing as they are real life siblings) they are also so blood boilingly annoying that you end up hoping they fall prey to the demon, Bhughul, as soon as possible. On the subject of Bhughul, the demon responsible for making the children commit such horrific crimes in the first place, he seems to have been reduced to nothing more than a cameo in his own film for reasons unknown.
The main triumph of the first film, was, in my opinion, the 8mm films of the killings. This helped, not only build up the atmosphere but created some good off-screen space in terms of the world the characters inhabited and character development. They are a mess in Sinister 2. It was like watching scenes from one of the Final Destination films in 8mm; there was no point to them other than to try to add shock value; but Foy, failed utterly and they were just so bad it wasn't even funny.
This film is in no way, shape or form, anything other than mediocre, even the acting from James Ransone as Ex-Deputy So & So and Shannyn Sossamon as Courtney Collins is nothing special. It is sadly like the rest of this film, just about passable.
It's hard to put my finger on what Ciaran Foy was thinking when he made this film, a weak story filled with weak performances and at times questionable film-making made this a huge let-down. Where the first film gave you an engagingly creepy and eerier atmosphere, albeit light on plot, this film doesn't even try and I am left asking if Ciaran Foy even watched the first film. Sinister 2 is nothing but a simple cash in on the first and a completely forgettable one at that.
Willow Creek (2013)
Really good horror and the best big foot horror film EVER!
Willow Creek
Format: DVD Language: English Released: 2013
Director: Bobcat Goldthwait
Starring: Alexie Gilmore, Bryce Johnson, Laura Montagna
I almost passed this film by, even though it only had a price tag of 79 pence, as the words independent and found footage together send a shiver down my spine for all the wrong reasons. However, the director Bobcat Goldthwait, caught my attention. I was genuinely intrigued how Zed from Police Academy (now I'm showing my age!) could write and direct a horror film without it being silly, well as it turned out, very well in fact!
Willow Creek follows Jim (Bryce Johnson) a bigfoot believer and his disbelieving girlfriend, Kelly (Alexie Gilmore), to Willow Creek, the birthplace of the Bigfoot legend. Kelly has reluctantly agreed to go with her 'significant other' and is filming their journey together on her camera. I admit it's not very original as plots go but it does help to set everything up quickly, allowing us, the viewers, to relate to the characters in one way or another.
Normally this is where these films crash and burn, but thankfully that is not the case with Willow Creek. Director Bobcat Goldthwait 's skills as a filmmaker shine throughout this feature, both from a technical point of view and in the clear understanding of his subject. While I personally have no idea if Goldthwait is a Bigfoot believer or not, he clearly knows his stuff in terms of the folklore that surrounds the legends, this makes for a more intense and interesting film than any other Bigfoot film I have seen.
Added to this, his clear understanding of how a film is made both in theory and in practice makes for a truly enjoyable film. Right from the start you are fed the American Folklore that has built up around Bigfoot, which from my point of view is great thing. As a non-American, apart from the odd documentary where some questionable 'experts' walk around a forest making distressed cow noises and some poor low budget horror films I have no prior knowledge of the Bigfoot Folklore.
This is also helped by some strong performances given by the cast. Bryce Johnson's Jim, is completely believable as a Bigfoot nut and via his role as presenter to the equally believable Kelly, portrayed by Alexie Gilmore, with her home footage, we are given enough background on the subject to understand the danger, real or imagined, they find themselves in later in the film.
The end result of all this is a gripping, tense and at times frightening horror film that keeps you hooked until the end. A film where no matter what your option on the subject is you are interested in this couples journey into hell.
This is a film where you want to grab your popcorn, turn off the lights and allow yourself to be lost the story.
The Diabolical (2015)
Good little film
The Diabolical - 2015
Format: Amazon Video Language: English Released: 2015
Director: Alistair Legrand
Starring: Ali Larter, Max Rose, Chloe Perrin
Another debut film pulled out of the hat, this one by filmmaker Alistair Legrand. A film with an intro that sets the pace for what is to follow even before the opening titles start rolling, this is a slightly predictable tale but enjoyable never the less.
'Something' is tormenting single mother Madison (Ali Larter) and her two children, Jacob (Max Rose) and Haley (Chloe Perrin). The 'something' as the film goes on, gets more intense and violent as well as changing from a skinless freak of a creature to a more human looking being, why I can't tell you without ruining it.
Now the plot is good with some nice twists (some less predictable than others), it's a well-made and put together film barring the odd decision from Legrand to have overly loud music over pretty well the entirety of the film, making it hard at times to hear the conversion (if like me you are hard of hearing you may need the subtitles). The acting from the entire cast is believable, and in parts outstanding, which all adds up to a great little gem of a film that at least tries something new in the terms of its story.
What I really want to talk about however is the family. Not only are they all fantastically portrayed by Ali Larter, Max Rose and Chloe Perrin but all approach the 'entity', at least at the start, in their own unique way. The Mother, Madison, fears it, yet is driven by her motherly instinct to protect her children so confronts it as one would expect a caring parent to do. As well, she tries to understand and unravel the mystery of what it is, which, in turn helps progress the story.
Max Rose is a troubled young boy who is the only male member of the family living in the home. He, as one might expect, focuses his anger on the entity while trying to help his Mother by protecting his Sister both at home and school. This inadvertently makes things worse, adding to his Mothers woes which in turn trouble him even more, resulting in a believable emotional turmoil that any family may find themselves in.
Haley approaches the creature as one might also expect from a young & innocent mind; with curiosity and friendship at the start as she tries to befriend it while not fully understanding the danger she is in. It is these differences of approach, as well as the interplay from the three main characters that make this film worth watching. You really do get to care about the family members and what happens to them over the course of the film. Even when the somewhat predictable ending plays out, the goodwill that Legrand has built up with the character development, keeps the good feeling that I at least have for them, firmly with the film.
Overall a good little horror film, the only real, albeit, slight flaw, was the constant loud music. It is well worth watching and makes me curious enough to want to check out any future films by Alistair Legrand.
Unlisted Owner (2013)
Film Review: Unlisted Owner - 2013
Title: Unlisted Owner
Format: Amazon Prime Language: English Released: 2013
Director: Jed Brain
Starring: Chris Ash, Levi Atkins, Chloe Benedict
A found footage film...still here? I know, I can't stand them either, however, I have seen one or two that end up being good, so I still watch them in the hope I can uncover a gem.
Is this one? Well, yes and no to be truthful. The debut film from Writer, Director and Actor, Jed Brain, he does try and approach this flooded sub-genre with fresh ideas. Most found footage films are shot in a standard movie format, not making them believable as they are meant to mirror the everyday life of the person shooting them, instead they end up covering months at a time over the course of the film.
'Unlisted Owner', doesn't do this. It follows a group of 'friends' over the course of a day, from loading a pickup to the bloody finale. For me, this really helps us get under the skin of the people in the film, to understand them to a better degree than other films in the genre.
I'm jumping ahead a little, so back to the start. The film opens to a family moving into their new home, they are quickly taken down by an unseen killer, setting up the plot of the film. From here we meet your hapless friends getting ready for a camping trip.
This is where the biggest problem for me starts. Now, being English, the word 'friend', may mean something different over here in the UK, than in the U.S.A, but I can not understand how this group call themselves friends. They are constantly at each other's throats and even say several times throughout the film how much they hate each other.
In particular, the two women were so unlikable and annoying, I was hoping they where killed off first in a justifiable gruesome way. Yet for every bad there is a good. The interaction between these different people seems believable if you consider them mates at best and not friends. Add to this the acting wasn't bad either, making the viewer believe these people could easily exist. In turn, this made the finale quite a tension filled jaunt through the murder house as one by one, they fell. In my opinion we could have done with getting to the murder house a lot faster than we did, as again (in my opinion), the set up wore out its welcome, mainly due to those annoying girls.
So, will it redefine the found footage sub-genre, no, but to his credit, Jed Brain does try something new and almost pulls it off. With a little tidying up in the editing studio this could and should have been much better. Yet, as it is, its not bad and it is the first time in a long time I've made it to the end of a found footage film, so that for me, counts for a lot.
Mimic (1997)
Could have been a masterpiece if the studios backed off
Mimic - Director's Cut
Format: BluRay Language: English Released: 1997
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Starring: Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Josh Brolin, F. Murray Abraham, Charles S. Dutton
Mimic roars onto our screens with one of the US's iconic cities in the grip of an epidemic. The children of New York are dying and there is no cure; within months the mystery plague will spread across the US and from there, across the world, spelling the end of the Human race. Using a series of news reports and insects' imagery as well as some clever voice overs, del Toro, gets us up to speed with the what, why, who and where before the opening titles even finish.
Then with the same amount of haste we are introduced to the Heroine, Dr Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino) and her trusty sidekick, Dr Peter Mann (Jeremy Northam), who not only promptly cure the epidemic, by releasing genetically modified cockroaches which they name the Judas Bugs, they get married and live happily ever after; or so we are lead to believe.
Fast-forward three years and the Judas Bug has grown up and is not only mimicking Humans but feasting on us. This is where the film seems to develop a split-personality. On one hand you have the stunningly visual storytelling that uses all the tools of a filmmaker art. Stark images, religious iconology, sound, music, lighting, set design, human nature etc. are used to portray a struggle to understand and stop what is happening as well as focus on our actions as a race not being as superior to nature as we sometimes believe we are.
On the other hand, you have some disruptive personality that seems to try and undo the storytelling of the above mentioned by adding pointless action scenes and gun play which does nothing to enhance the film. To add further insult to injury they've added some rather dire and patronising dialog to explain every little detail instead of allowing us, the audience, to use our imagination.
This is not to say Mimic: Director's Cut is a bad film, as it isn't. It's still a good story that is underpinned in part by a standout performance from Charles S. Dutton as Leonard, one of NYPD's finest. It's just that it could have been so much better if Guillermo del Toro, was able to make the film he wanted.
I highly recommend watching the included featurette 'Reclaiming Mimic' and hearing what del Toro, wanted to do for the film as it will give you a deeper understanding and appreciation for Mimic. A prime example is the ending (I shall not ruin the end, don't worry), it's your standard Hollywood ending, which in its self is not a bad thing, yet, if del Toro was allowed, it would have been a spine-chilling, through-provoking finale that would have had people talking about the film for a good while after its release.
Ghost Stories (2017)
Ghost Stories, Starts well, weak ending
Format: DVD Language: English Released 2017
Director: Jeremy Dyson, Andy Nyman
Starring: Andy Nyman, Martin Freeman, Paul Whitehouse
The last in my insomnia driven horror movie marathon is 'Ghost Stories', a twisting horror anthology. Borrowing heavily from 60's and 70's English horrors such as the Hammer Horror films, as well as mixing in their own style of black humour and bleak storytelling, 'Ghost Stories' feels familiar yet refreshingly modern.
The film's three main stories follow a sceptic professor named Phillip Goodman (Andy Nyman), who makes his living exposing paranormal frauds on his television show, mainly in the form of medium readings and paranormal investigations. He is contacted out of the blue by an old television show idol of his, who was presumed dead many years ago after his car was found abandoned on a rural road.
From this point the film branches off into three different, seemingly unconnected cases, although each is more extreme than the previous one. The first a standard haunted asylum tale, where a night watchman, Tony Matthews (Paul Whitehouse), is visited by the increasingly active spirit of a child.
The second case finds our protagonist Phillip, interviewing a paranoid and mentally disturbed young man, Simon Rifkind (Alex Lawther), in the lad's home. Here the professor starts to notice things that may or may not be real. Simon spins a yard about a nightmarish incident late at night in a dark forest when his car breaks down. Yet, throughout his tale we are shown Simon's relationship with his Father in the form of conversations over the phone and led to believe that he is a little loose with the truth; leaving both Phillip and the viewer trying to decide what parts of his story are true, if any of it is.
Finally, the third case brings us to the home of a wildly successful former banker, Mike Priddle (Martin Freeman) now lording it up on his rural estate. He tells the tale of a violent poltergeist that appears from nowhere and starts to harass him in his newly built, state of the art home.
After this the film starts to take a downturn story wise, the three cases start to connect and intertwine with Phillips life as well as his experiences with increasingly creepy coincidence. We see him struggle with his own inner demons and start to question his own beliefs and judgement.
It's hard to continue without giving away the plot twist (sadly through the plot twist is so obvious you see it coming from early on in the film) so I'll just say that the last act of the film, while a solid piece in its own right, jars with what came before. The excellent tension and creep faction that is slowly built up from the three stories is brought to a sudden and disappointing end as the film turns into more of a melodrama than an outright horror.
After the conclusion of the film I can't help but feel a little short changed with the whole experience. The stellar performances from Paul Whitehouse (good to see him in a film, he is an underused talent in England), Martin Freeman and the simply amazing talent of Alex Lawther, all builds up the awkward tension of the film only to be wasted on a poor and obvious ending.
Having said that, 'Ghost Stories' is well worth a watch and did have me looking behind myself at some points in the film, something that doesn't happen much with modern horror films in my experience.
I would recommend watching this film late at night with the lights off and an open mind. Don't come with preconceived expectations and you'll go away with as smile for the fun to be had with the first half of the film. While the final act was indeed creepy and slightly disturbing with Martin Freeman, giving us one of his better performances, it will sadly, in my honest opinion, leave you a little disappointed.
Extinction (2018)
Great Sci-Fi Horror
***Minor Spoilers***
Format: Netflix Language: English Released 2018
Director: Ben Young
Starring: Michael Peña, Lizzy Caplan, Amelia Crouch, Erica Crouch
For my second movie in my insomnia enforced horror movie marathon, I went for a Sci-Fi Horror, just so I could have a totally different experience, as the amazing amount of paranormal inspired horror that is flooding the scene right now is wearing a little thin with me.
Right here we go; we are quickly introduced to the main characters that will be our guides through the film, again, a typical family set up. Hard working Father, Peter (Michael Peña) highly successful but slightly stressed loving Mother, Alice (Lizzy Caplan) and their two daughters, the 'rebellious' early teen, Hannah (Amelia Crouch) and the 'adorable' young Lucy (Erica Tremblay).
The film kicks off with a monologue from Peter over the top of a series of scenes that switch from normal life to an alien invasion and back to normal living. As it turns out, this is simply a nightmare and is one of many that are plaguing our protagonist, Peter. While he seemingly isn't overly concerned at the start, we learn that his wife, Alice, is starting to worry about the frequency of them.
The first act of the film sets up just how much these dreams are affecting Peter, both in home life, with missing 'family time' and at work where he starts making mistake. Eventually after constant concern being express not only by Alice and his daughters but also by his boss, David (Mike Colter) and his best friend Phil (Michael Absalom), Peter finally books himself into a well-being centre.
Here he meets Chris, who, as it turns out, happens to be suffering the exact same nightmares as Peter. After a little bit of a conspiracy infused rant from Chris, Peter starts to wonder if they are indeed dreams or some sort of sign/vision about an impending disaster that will hit Earth. He leaves before seeing the doctor and then tries explaining this whole conspiracy theory to Alice. She, of course, is far from impressed with him and as they are about to have a party to celebrate her promotion, she asks him to act 'normal' for their friends. The scene really hammers home just how much all this is affecting the family life.
With his mind preoccupied, Peter spends most of the party alone on their apartment balcony, as the party draws to a close, he is joined by his friend Phil. Here, of course, is where that impending disaster kicks off in a seriously brutal and lightning fast way, one minute all is fine, the next, half the city is in ruins or on fire as the invading force clearly shows they have no intention of taking prisoners.
What follows is your typical sci-fi alien invasion, brought to life by some impressive effects, editing, sound and directing as well as some very strong cinematography, not to mention the fantastic acting. While all this kicks off, our family make their way to the factory where Peter works using his previous 'visions' as a guide. In the process, they take an alien prisoner and Alice suffers a life-threatening injury.
Up until this point in the film, for me, it has been an extremely fun and enjoyable watch, really edge of the seat stuff, this is helped by some top acting from the cast playing the family as I've already mentioned. I truly deeply cared for them and even at one point, caught myself yelling at the screen (in a good way, unlike, say, 'A Quiet Place', where I couldn't stop yelling at the family's stupidity but that's for another review!).
Yet, it hasn't had any standout moments to set it apart from other films in this sub-genre, that is however, up until this point.
It is here, with Alice, seemingly dying, that the twist takes place and boy I didn't see it coming. It was both breathtakingly powerful and wholly unexpected for me. As the editor started to rotate the shot upside down, enforcing the idea that Peter's world was turned upside down at that moment, it also matched my own perception of the film which was flipped on its head in a split second.
I can't say anything without giving away the twist, so I won't, and while the films quickly returns to the family trying to escape the city, this small scene stood out as one of the best I've seen in a film for a long time. In his directing, Ben Young, in one swift moment is forcing you to question not only everything you have believed up until now in connection to the film characters and their world, but also makes you question what humanity is. What we stand for outside of the story playing out onscreen.
How would I deal with it if it happened to me? I can't say, it would just knock the wind out of me and I would still be there, stunned, trying to work out my life and why I exist, which would no doubt lead to my death at the hand of the invading aliens.
While overall 'Extinction' is a solid but standard Sci-Fi Horror, the story-line makes this film stand out as a powerful statement, which if we look back at other defining Sci-Fi tales such as Alien or Blade Runner, for me means this film will be talked about and studied for years to come, quite likely becoming a cult classic as the aforementioned films did.
All in all, the technical side of the film was superb, the acting was top class, the sounds, SFXs, Editing, Directing and Cinematography were on another level, all coming together to create a believable living world. All this for me makes a Sci-Fi Horror do what it should do, in the sense that it asks questions from the viewer and forces us to engage with the characters on screen in ways other genres and sub-genres don't.
Many of you may not agree with me, but in my opinion this film is not only a must watch for horror and sci-fi fans alike, but film lovers in general. If you have Netflix watch it now, if not grab a copy as soon as you can.
Be Afraid (2017)
Be Afraid is okay.
*** WARNING MILD SPOILERS ***
The film kicks off with a chaotic scene, Dean Booth (Kevin Grevioux) is loading a shotgun ranting about 'them' being out there, while his hysterical wife, Christine Booth (Michelle Hurd) is begging him to stop, screaming there is nobody there and it's just the lightning.
With lightning flashing, thunder roaring and rain pelting the windows of their house, it's a nice set up for the film. Already bringing conflict as well as questions to the forefront of the viewers mind. The scene finishes with a tragic climax, setting up the theme of the movie and moving to our main family, four years later.
Our host family are the Chambers, successful Father Dr John (Brain Krause), stressed but loving Mother, Heather (Jaimi Paige), ever so slightly annoying youngest son, Nathan (Michael Leone) and a little later, college dropout, eldest son, Ben (Jared Abrahamson). A 'typically normal' American family, who have relocated to a small rural town somewhere in Pennsylvania, for reasons we never really learn or care about, not a bad thing as in the greater scheme of the film as it doesn't affect the story in the slightest.
The family works, the relationship between the characters is believable and I really did start to care for them. Mainly due to the good writing, in the sense of a family interacting with each other, and the acting and directing. Brain Krause as Dr John, put in a strong leading performance for a film, that if I'm being honest, was a little thin on the ground when it came to plot. Meanwhile the others were above average for a B movie, which of late, is a rare thing indeed.
The slow burning plot did well to bring up the mystery of paranormal happening around the town, while small but creepy scenes kept me interested in what was unfolding on screen. The story itself was odd, full of plot holes and at times made no sense at all, yet none of that really took away from the overall experience of the film.
As expected the Chambers suffer the same tragic circumstances of the Booth family, and it leads to a tense final act. My problem was the built up to this finale, one of the big questions was why these creatures were taking the towns children and why only certain children and not all of them that lived in the town. Major questions that I would expect to be touched upon, at some point in the film but they were simply ignored.
While not really affecting the film, it still left a slightly bitter taste in my mind at the end, not knowing fully what was going on and why. Yet, even with the odd plot hole, the overall pace of the film and an emotionally charged final act, ultimately made up for it and left me satisfied with the experience.
The technical aspects of the film, the acting, directing, editing, sound, cinematography etc, where also strong and really help move the story along, as well as creating a believable world for the whole story to take place. Having said all this, however, the film still only felt average as a result but for a B movie, that in itself, can only be good thing.
If you are looking of a slow burning, slightly creepy horror film with a silly but enjoyable premise, then 'Be Afraid' is worth a viewing and will leave you satisfied. However, the following day you may struggle to remember anything other than it being okay.
Haunt (2013)
Haunt Review
Format: Amazon Video Language: English Released: 2014
Director: Mac Carter
Starring: Jacki Weaver, Liana Liberato, Harrison Gilbertson
Haunt opens with a bereaved Franklin Morello (Carl Hadra), who while endeavoring to contact his dead family using an EVP device, gets murdered by a spirit hand.
As an opening it's rather good; setting a scene of vengeful spirits, emotional regrets and mysteries and generally propagating so many questions that you want to hang on to the end to see them answered.
Regrettably that's where it seems Mac Carter runs out of story. What follows for the next one and a half hours is a dull attempt at stretching what could have been a good short story across a picture plagued with pointless filler shots, bad editing and mediocre acting.
To be fair Liana Liberto does manage a good performance, in places. Harrison Gilbertson however, is just appalling; he is unconvincing, uncaring and looks bored and detached from the story throughout the production, which is exactly how I felt by the time the all too predictable 'twist' was played out.
There is some good in the film, if you can stick with it long enough to spot it, yet with every good piece there is a downside. For example; when the spirits turn up (and they do so alarmingly often) they look suitably unnerving and sinister, yet from the opening titles the editing and shot set up makes it obvious when they're coming; now in a film that relies on its 'jump' scares that makes the whole thing redundant - the appearance of ghoulies and ghosties is supposed to be a surprise!
Another example of this good/bad content is the sound editing (Mandell Winter is credited as Sound Editor). The sound, especially when the EVP device is in use is chilling and extremely unnerving and this is good, it's a horror film. The down side in this case is the reaction of the characters. Evan Asher (Harrison Gilbertson) and Sam (Liana Liberato) just don't look bothered half the time (actually Evan doesn't seem bothered any of the time) and this means the viewer is not really bothered either.
While I can pick out the Sound Editing, CGI/SFX and some of the cinematography for praise the rest, acting editing etc., kind of defeats the purpose of a film. The sound and effects should be used to create a visual whole that sucks the viewer in and makes them care about the characters and what is happening, not be picked out and used as examples of good bits in a mediocre film.
If you find it on television one evening and you have nothing else to do then yes, give it a look. As background to reading the paper or taking your mind off the ironing (!) it might be ok, or maybe you could organise a 'spot the emotion' competition, but I can't see why anyone would watch it otherwise.
Silver Bullet (1985)
Silver Bullet Review
Format: DVD Language: English Released: 1985
Director: Daniel Attias
Starring: Gary Busey, Everett McGill, Corey Haim
Silver Bullet is based on a Stephen King story; now before you recoil in horror, given the appalling history of films based on his works and I fully understand your reaction; give me a moment to convince you it's not half bad.
This film is unashamedly an exploitation film, Daniel Attias doesn't even try to hide this in his direction of the film. He and his cast, right from the onset, are clearly embracing this and having a lot of fun with it. You too should just let go, enjoy the overly hammed up performances and unashamedly over-the-top gory fun that this film offers.
Unlike some exploitation films, and in recent times a number of massive multimillion dollar blockbusters, the acting from the lead character Corey Haim is very good. He plays young Marty Coslaw who is paralysed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair for the entire film, although thanks to his anti-hero Uncle Red (Gary Busey), these are stooped up power chairs that resemble classic motorcycles more than your normal wheelchair.
For someone so young and in such a genre of horror as the exploitation sub-genre, his ability to carry a film in such a convincing way is a credit to his acting skills. A cocky, happy go lucky, all American boy is, for once in a film, a joy to watch, even with the other main cast member, Gary Buseys', great, totally over-the-top, performance.
There is a plot of sorts, albeit the type you could fit on the back of a postage stamp, yet it never seems to matter as you are from the start, on board a roller-coaster ride with Marty as he slowly unravels the mystery of who or what is killing his fellow townsfolk in such a grossed out fashion. The fact that I cared so much about Marty, his sister Jane (Megan Follows) and Uncle Red by the final showdown with the werewolf was something I didn't expected from such a film.
If you are looking for a deep, scary horror film about werewolves, just move along, as you won't find anything that even remotely resembles that here. If, however, you are looking for an over the top gory, fun, slightly hammy ride you can't go wrong with Silver Bullet. It never tries to be anything other than a fun film that will, surprisingly at times, pull at your heartstrings and have you rooting for the kids as well as their alcoholic anti-hero Uncle Red.
Ju-on: Shiroi rôjo (2009)
Ju-On: White Ghost Review
Format: Amazon Prime - Language: Japanese (English Subtitled)
Released: 2009
Director: Ryut Miyake
Starring: Hiroki Suzuki, Ichirota Miyakawa, Naysuki Kasa
Where to start? Well it's short, which is a blessing!
To be strictly fair to the film it does start out well enough, with the initial building up of tension that I have come to expect from Japanese horror films; then sadly, rather then building on the initial success, the whole thing falls apart.
Ju-On: White Ghost is the story of a house that was the location of a brutal mass murder. The film consists of a series of short segments, each one showcasing the history of a different character and setting out why they eventually come to their various unfortunate ends, as well as giving the background to the murders.
As a direct to DVD film it is very low budget and it shows, badly. Yet for all the appallingly bad and cringe-worthy acting there are occasional moments of great, outstanding performance; for all the unbelievably poor stories there are some strong, genuinely creepy tales.
At an hour long it is worth sitting though the rubbish mainly because when this film gets it right, even with the cringe fest that some of the actors put us through, it delivers some genuine scares. It just unfortunate that director, Ryuta Miyake, comes across as not having the slightest clue about how to make/direct a film.
Like this film this is really all I can think of to say on the matter, short and pretty much lacking in any direction.
The Borderlands (2013)
Great Indie Horror
The Borderlands (USA Title: Final Prayer)
Format: DVD Language: English Released: 2014
Director: Elliot Goldner
Starring: Gordon Kennedy, Robin Hill, Aidan McArdle
The Borderlands is the first outing by British director Elliot Goldner, and it's good. While it's not going to revolutionise the horror genre, it certainty does it justice. A simple story pulls together elements from British Folklore, Pagan and Christian beliefs, and intertwines them in such a way that is alien enough to keep you on the edge of seat because your really not sure what is coming next.
Goldner approaches the film in a minimalist style that is a hybrid between a found footage film and a documentary; the end result being a rather excellent, eerie moodiness throughout that builds tension all the way to the end.
If on top of this, you add a fantastic job by Gordon Kennedy as Deacon as well as some good supporting roles by Robin Hill as Gray and Aidan McArdle as Mark you get a genuinely unnerving film that fits nicely in to any horror fan's collection.
Before I get carried away however, I must add that the film ending for me, is a little disappointing. Don't get me wrong, it not that it's bad as such, as it is an interesting take on an old Pagan legend, it just feels out of place with the rest of the film giving it an abrupt finish in what was an other wise well-paced film.
Credit however must go to Goldner for trying to bring something new to the table and not relying on an overused run-of-the-mill finish as numerous low budget films do.
With that out of the way I would say that this is a must watch film for a fan of horror, it's clever, chilling and at times truly horrifying, the burning sheep scene is one such moment that sticks in my mind. All aspect of a filmmaker's toolkit is used to overcome the budget constraints with special praise going to the sound, editing and cinematography. Elliot Goldner is now firmly on my radar and I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.