Movie Review Thread

[Mitch Henessey]

Fright Night 2: New Blood (2013)

Spoilers, as usual


After enrolling in a student exchange program, Charley Brewster (Will Payne), “Evil” Ed Bates (Chris Waller), and Charley’s ex-girlfriend, Amy Peterson (Sacha Parkinson) travel to Romania to study European art. Charley is still fighting for a second chance with Amy after he was caught kissing another girl, but Amy refuses to accept Charley’s gifts (a box of chocolates, roses, etc.). As a die hard fanatic for all things horror, Ed is salivating at the thought of meeting his idol, Peter Vincent (Sean Power), the famed host of Fright Night, a paranormal reality show, and Peter is recording the latest episode in Romania.

One night, Charley witnesses a woman biting another woman in the neck through his hotel window. The very next day, Charley comes face to face with the same woman. Gerri Dandridge (Jaime Murray) is Charley’s professor for the European Arts class, but no one believes Charley, when he tries to warn everyone about Gerri’s secret life as a vampire. Determined to prove everyone wrong, Charley investigates Gerri’s apartment for more clues.

At Gerri‘s apartment, Charley witnesses the ritual sacrifice of an unsuspecting victim, and Charley spots a Renaissance style painting with a woman, who resembles Gerri. Ed’s research confirms Gerri is the woman in the painting, and her real name is Elisabeth Bathory. As a countess, Bathory was turned into a vampire by a monstrous creature, and as “The Blood Queen,” Bathory went on a murderous rampage for centuries, until she decided to settle into a more inconspicuous lifestyle to avoid any unwanted attention.

Charley and Ed try to recruit Peter Vincent for help, but Gerri attacks the trio of Charley, Amy, and Ed on a subway train one night, after Peter runs away. Gerri is able to attack and turn Ed, and Gerri eventually captures Amy. Unable to convince a petrified Peter, Charley attempts a rescue mission for Amy alone.

Armed with a wooden stake, garlic, and holy water, Charley prepares for a one on one showdown with Gerri, but the rescue mission takes a bizarre turn, when Charley discovers the truth behind Amy’s kidnapping: in order to receive the gift of immunity from sunlight, Gerri must turn a virgin (Amy), who was born at midnight during the Blood Moon……and this virgin turned vampire must murder her true first love (in this case it’s Charley) to complete the ritual. Will a vampiric Amy murder Charley to help Gerri achieve her dream of becoming a Day Walker?

Will Payne is no William Ragsdale. Hell, I think Anton Yelchin did a better job with the Charley Brewster character in the 2011 remake. Despite a strong effort, Payne is on the bottom of the Charley Brewster totem pole in the Fright Night series for quality performances. Unlike Christopher Mintz-Plasse (who almost ruined the fucking character in the remake), I thought Chris Waller did a nice job of mimicking Stephen Geoffreys’ Evil Ed. Ed is supposed to be a whacky and eccentric horror buff, who’s kind of a dick at times, and Waller really embodied this persona. Although, the dialogue for his character was just awful (more on that later). Oh, and we see a third last name change for Ed here. In 1985 you had Ed Thompson, in 2011 we had Ed Lee, and now it’s Ed Bates. Sacha Parkinson is harmless as Amy. She’s not as good as Amanda Bearse, so as far as quality goes, I’d have to put her on the same level as Imogen Poots (can’t compare Poots’ Amy and Parkinson’s Amy, because Poots was the “hottest girl in school” as Amy. Two completely different characters).

The honor for best performance goes to Jaime Murray, and it’s not even close. Murray is fun to watch as this brutal and delightfully evil vixen. I guess you could say Murray’s Gerri is the modern version of Julie Carmen’s Regine from the original Fright Night 2. But unlike Regine, Gerri doesn’t use her good looks to play mind games with Charley. Instead, Gerri constantly torments Charley by mocking and taunting him with a “I might be a vampire, but nobody else is gonna believe you” approach. So in the end, Julie Carmen’s Regine was more of a seductress, but New Blood doesn’t rely on Jaime Murray’s sex appeal as a weapon, because Gerri is more vicious and nasty than Regine, and she’s willing to fight (remember, Regine ordered her entourage to do most of the dirty work for her in the original).

The worst performance? Sean Power’s Peter Vincent, easily. They tried to copy the blueprint used for Roddy McDowall’s Peter Vincent: the pompous and pretentious “expert,” who turns into a jumpy coward, when he runs into real vampires, but when the moment of truth comes, he mans up, and shows some courage to help save the day. David Tennant’s Peter Vincet in the remake was the star of a stage show at a hotel, and in New Blood, Power’s Peter Vincent is a famed host of a Ghost Hunters-esque reality show. McDowall set the bar, and Tennant’s portrayal of Vincent wasn’t bad, but Power is just awful. He’s not believable at all, and his performance drags the quality of this cast down a lot.

Director Eduardo Rodriguez’s style isn’t something to brag about, but there’s one unique technique that deserves some recognition. Gerri uses echolocation to track down Charley and Amy in the tunnels of the subway station. Rodriguez shows select shots for different parts of the tunnel, while Gerri is bobbing her head around looking for Charley and Amy. What’s weird about all of this is, Gerri isn’t in bat form, when she uses echolocation. Oh well. Still a cool little technique for Gerri‘s character, and a refreshing change for vampire flicks.

For the most part, New Blood is about as predictable as predictable can be. You knew Gerri was going to turn Evil Ed at some point, kidnap Amy, and force Charley into a big showdown at the end. The finale? It’s a clusterfuck for good and bad reasons. Going back to the predictability, you KNEW Peter Vincent would find his courage, and return to help save the day, and he did.

Before that happens, Charley fights vampire Ed to the death. Vampire Amy turns Charley, they fight and roll around in this gigantic pool of blood, and Peter uses this half axe, half sword contraption to pierce a hole in Gerri’s chest, but he misses the heart. For a second, you think vampire Charley is dead, but a stake misses his heart. Gerri, in her mutated form, tries to kill Peter, but Charley screams to the top of his lungs to break all the windows during sunrise, and the rays of sunlight are enough to finish off Gerri.

They were able to throw in a few surprising twist and turns during this finale, but at the same time, it’s just too much. Instead of a thrilling conclusion, New Blood ends with this hectic calamity, that’s too frustrating to sit through. And Charley screaming to break the windows creates a ridiculous and unintentionally funny moment.

A weak cast outside of a select few is a big problem for New Blood. With the exception of two scenes (Charley shoving a cross into one of Gerri’s eyes, and Ed’s torso busting open, after Charley pours a bottle of holy water in his mouth), the gory stuff in New Blood isn’t shocking or gruesome enough to pull a reaction out of you. And some of the dialogue here is cringeworthy, with Walker’s Ed receiving the worst lines (“She’s fuckin’ smokin’ hot dick face!” or “Penis breath!” a lame insult used by a thirteen year old).

What happened to the memorable moments? Fright Night ‘85 was loaded with memorable moments. You had Charley spying on Jerry for the first time, Jerry dancing with Amy at the club, Jerry turning Amy, Jerry turning Ed, the moment of Peter finding his courage, when he spots the sunrise behind Jerry, and Jerry’s demise. And in Fright Night 2 ‘88, you had the dance scene at Regine’s party with Charley and Regine. New Blood? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Kind of hard to categorize New Blood. They want you to believe New Blood is a sequel to the 2011 remake, but that’s impossible. Charley killed Ed in the remake, and Gerri has no relation to Jerry Dandridge whatsoever. So considering all that, I’m viewing New Blood as a remake of the 1988 original. But that’s where the dilemma becomes more complex, because New Blood clearly mirrors events in the ’85 original. Gerri takes Amy from Charley, turns her into a vampire, and she forces Charley to fight the vampiric Amy by locking him in a room with her. Jerry did the same thing with Amy and Charley in the ‘85 original. Gerri turns Ed, and Ed tries to kill Peter as a vampire, because Ed is disappointed his idol is just a phony coward. After Jerry turned Ed in the original, Ed goes after Peter with intentions of killing him. Although, Ed and Peter only have one battle in this film. On the other hand, Ed and Peter fought each other twice in the original.

That’s my biggest problem with New Blood. I never got the sense they were genuinely trying to pay homage to the original Fright Night films. They copied the steps from certain parts in the original Fright Night, but you don’t get the feeling you’re seeing a wink moment, or something to remind you of how great the original was. Instead, New Blood takes a half-hearted and lazy approach to try and deceive Fright Night fans into thinking they’re paying homage to the original. I mean, I guess you could count the play on words with Gerri Dandridge paying homage to Jerry Dandridge as a wink, but with no real connections to the previous films, the play on words feels like a mere coincidence.

And the ONE true attempt at paying homage to the original is horribly botched by Power. During the end, Peter shouts “Welcome to Fright Night, bitch!” To give a brief backstory, McDowall’s Peter would say this (minus the bitch part) to open his TV show, Tennant’s Peter also said this to open his stage show, and both Jerries (Colin Farrell and Chris Sarandon) mocked Peter with his signature catchphrase. Anyway, Power sounds like a goof, and tacking on the “bitch” part made everything worse.

But I guess you have to expect that from a straight-to-video horror “sequel,” because my worst fears were confirmed about halfway through the movie: they just used the Fright Night name to lure Fright Night fans to this film with the hopes of selling some DVDs and Blu-Rays, and you can’t forget about the rentals.

I appreciate the effort to give Gerri a more thorough and detailed backstory, but if you decide to pass on New Blood, you’re not missing anything special. Remove Fright Night from the title, and New Blood is just another generic straight-to-video horror flick with a lot of blood, an overall sub-par cast, some respectable gore, and some T&A (not from Murray, though. A few tease shots with Murray, but that’s about it). Going with a deserved mediocre score for this shameless cash-grab sequel, because New Blood is a mediocre film.

Rating: 3/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Black Rock (2013)

**Spoilers**


Sarah (Kate Bosworth) devises a plan to reunite her two best friends, Abby (Katie Aselton) and Lou (Lake Bell). Abby is still holding a grudge against Lou for a one-night stand with an old ex-boyfriend, so Sarah tricks both of them into going on a vacation together. With one last desperate attempt to reunite the trio, Sarah leads a camping trip to a remote island off the coast of Maine. Abby, reluctant to go at first, decides to give Lou another chance after some prodding from Sarah.

Using nostalgia from past trips (Sarah, Abby, and Lou frequently visited the island as kids), Sarah relies on childhood memories as a source of healing for Lou and Abby, but Abby is still too bitter to let go of the grudge. One day, the trio crosses paths with three local deer hunters on the island: Henry (Will Bouvier), Derek (Jay Paulson), and Alex (Anslem Richardson) are ex-soldiers, who received a dishonorable discharge from the Army.

During a campfire gathering one night, a drunk (and married) Abby flirts with Henry, and eventually, Abby lures Henry into the woods alone. Abby, realizing her mistake before it’s too late, rejects Henry’s advances, but Henry tries to rape her. Abby is able to grab a rock and smash Henry in the head with it, and Abby kills Henry in self-defense. Furious over their friend’s death, Derek and Alex pummel Sarah, Abby, and Lou into unconsciousness. The next morning, Sarah, Abby, and Lou awake tied to each other, while Derek and Alex discuss a systematic execution, starting with Abby. But Abby is able to goad Derek into releasing her for a one on one fight, giving Sarah the opportunity to throw sand at Derek and Alex. The trio is able to escape, but the fight is far from over. With intentions to kill in honor of Henry, Derek and Alex hunt Sarah, Abby, and Lou, and with no communications to the outside world, the fight for survival becomes more difficult with each passing minute.

Funny, I thought Kate Bosworth would provide the best performance (going by the trailers) here. Instead, it’s a toss up between Aselton (who also directed the movie) and Bell. Not saying Bosworth was bad or anything like that, but she’s overshadowed by Aselton and Bell, and Sarah’s screen time is cut short (more on that later). Aselton’s Abby is an annoying whiner, who complains about everything at first, but as the movie progresses, Aselton’s Abby emerges as the leader in the pack. Aselton is fearless, as a more aggressive version of Abby, and she brought some believable intensity to this character. Bell is able to feed off of Aselton’s performance as Lou. Lou is the more fragile member of the trio, so Abby has to push the courage out of her. Still, Bell deserves a lot of credit for being able to pull off the transformation, as Lou breaks out of her shell to become a scrappy fighter, who won’t quit.

It’s too bad the male side of the cast can’t match the quality of the performances from Bell, Aselton, and Bosworth. Of course, it’s easy to have feelings of anger for their despicable actions (taunting and beating up defenseless women, attempted rape, etc.), BUT the actual performances from Bouvier, Paulson, and Richardson are mediocre at best. That’s one of my bigger pet peeves for Black Rock: when you compare the women to the men, the painfully obvious imbalance for the quality of performances is impossible to ignore.

I’ll admit, this one took me by surprise, but Black Rock isn’t without its problems. First of all, WHY would you trust three (well, two I guess, because Henry is the younger brother of an old high school friend, who knew Sarah, Lou, and Abby) creepy guys you don’t know on a remote island?

Also, there’s a scene at night, where Abby comes up with a plan to crawl across the beach, so the trio can jump on the hunter’s boat for safety. Uncharacteristically, Sarah, completely freaks out, and as she makes more noise, Derek or Alex (it’s unclear, who took the shot) kill Sarah with one shot to the head. So Sarah is easily the most calm and level-headed member of the group, who plays the role of peacemaker between Abby and Lou, but she has a meltdown out of nowhere?

It’s a double-edge sword moment. Sarah’s death was genuinely shocking for me, because with Lou’s panicky behavior, I thought she would be the first one to go. But at the same time, it’s an incredibly stupid mistake from Sarah. You know two hunters fueled by revenge are watching your every move, and Sarah is supposed to be the sensible leader, so why would she make so much noise all of the sudden?

On top of that, after Sarah blows their cover, Lou and Abby still jump in the water to swim, but the water is too cold, so they have to get out, and hide on a different side of the island? Eh, they all knew the water was too cold to swim in beforehand, so in a lot of ways, the plan was doomed from the start. Unfortunately, Black Rock features a few stupid character decisions, and it’s a shame, because without them, Black Rock could’ve been a much better film.

Still, I really enjoyed Black Rock. The fight to the death between Abby, Lou, and Derek (Abby killed Alex on the beach after he injured his leg) is a real nail-biter, because as the fight unfolds, it’s not so easy to pick a clear cut winner. Black Rock is a bloody and gritty tale of survival, friendship, forgiveness, and with the help of some strong performances from Bell and Aselton (especially Aselton), you can really feel the heartbreak and misery from the main characters, as they‘re forced to endure and outsmart the hunters. Black Rock isn’t a groundbreaking entry in the survival horror genre, but at the same time, Black Rock isn’t some unbearable and frustrating abomination. Believe me, that’s saying a lot, when you compare Black Rock to other awful survival style horror films (i.e. Wolf Creek, A Perfect Getaway, The Divide, and those shitty straight-to-video Wrong Turn films).

Rating: 8/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane (2013)

**SPOILERS**

First, there’s an interesting backstory for this film. All The Boys Love Mandy Lane was on the shelf for over six years. The film was completed in 2006, and ATLBLML premiered at various film festivals in 2006 and 2007. The Weinstein Company bought the rights to ATBLML, but they didn’t know what to do with it, so they sold the rights to Senator Entertainment, a company that eventually went bankrupt. Earlier this year, The Weinstein Company reacquired the rights to ATBLML. The film received various VOD releases in September, and tomorrow, ATBLML hits theaters for a limited release.

During the summer in Texas, Dylan (Adam Powell) invites Mandy Lane (Amber Heard) to a pool party at his house. Reluctantly, Dylan allows Mandy to bring her nerdy best friend, Emmet (Michael Welch) to the party. Mandy is the last of a dying breed at high school. She’s the hottest girl in school, and Mandy is still drug free, alcohol free, and without a boyfriend, so Dylan sees the perfect opportunity to make his move on Mandy.

At the party, Emmet pushes a drunk Dylan to jump off the roof of his house with him, and into the pool. But the risky stunt to impress Mandy ends in tragedy, when Emmet pulls back to stay on the roof at the last second. Dylan jumps, he misses the pool by a few inches, and the back of Dylan’s head hits the concrete.

Nine months after Dylan’s death, Mandy’s still holding a grudge against Emmet. After joining a new circle of friends, Mandy is invited to a weekend vacation on Red’s (Aaron Himlstein ) ranch by Chloe (Whitney Able). Red, Chloe, Jake (Luke Grimes), Bird (Edwin Hodge), and Marlin (Melissa Price) focus their efforts on Mandy, as they launch a mission to break Mandy out of her shell. With the ranch hand Garth (Anson Mount) watching over them, the kids try to enjoy a peaceful weekend. But having some harmless fun takes a backseat to bigger problems after a string of random disappearances, and the sighting of a stalker……

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane is a frustrating film for a number of reasons. First of all, don’t let the mysterious ambiguity of the trailer fool you: Mandy Lane barely rises above average quality for any run-of-the-mill slasher flick. With the obvious foreshadowing, you’ll be able to tell Emmet is the killer, who’s stalking everyone at the ranch, instantly. At first, you’ll just see this creepy guy in a hoody, and they don’t actually show Emmet’s face until the tail end of the film. Still, it’s so obvious Emmet is the killer.

The characters? Yeah, Mandy Lane is loaded with the typical bunch in a teen slasher film: the airheaded blonde, who falls down a lot while running (Chloe), the jock (Bird), that one guy, who’s a dick to everyone (Jake), and that one person, who’s not the sharpest tool in the shed (Marlin). Of course, Mandy breaks the mold, as the innocent and beautiful blonde, who doesn’t crack under peer pressure. Mandy is uncorrupted for the most part, but the direction for her character takes a surprising turn towards the end (more on that later).

The story? Well, it bored me to tears, until the finale rolled around. Red, Bird, and Jake compete against one another for the honor of being the first one to have sex with Mandy. Sorry, but watching a bunch of horny male teenagers fight over and stab each other in the back for Mandy didn’t do anything for me.

But Mandy Lane deserves credit for two shocking twists during the finale. So Chloe is being chased by Emmet in a car. Mandy’s standing on the other side of the field with a knife in her hand, and as Chloe runs into Mandy’s open arms for safety, Mandy stabs her in the chest. Here, it’ revealed Emmet and Mandy worked together as a team to kill everyone on the ranch.

With Chloe dead, Emmet pulls out two suicide pills. The final stage of the plan involves Emmet and Mandy dying together…..but Mandy double crosses Emmet at the last second, when a wounded Garth returns. Funny how Garth is still alive, because before this scene, Garth was shot in the chest, AND during the struggle with Emmet, Emmet stabs Garth with his machete three or four times. And somehow Garth makes it out alive? If his last name was Myers or Voorhees, I wouldn’t have a problem with invincibility, but that’s not the case here. Anyway, with Garth’s help, Mandy is able to kill Emmet, and as Mandy and Garth are driving away together, Garth praises Mandy for being the savior.

The series of twists at the end really saved Mandy Lane from mediocre status. Throughout the film, you’re lead to believe Emmet is killing off everyone (including any witnesses), who’s trying to get close to Mandy, because Emmet believes he should be Mandy’s “first.” After years and years of paying his dues in the infamous friend zone, Emmet developed an unnatural obsession for Mandy. This obsession drove him to madness, so he decided to go on a killing spree for Mandy.

I love the diabolical ending, with a devious Mandy escaping the massacre, and maintaining her reputation as the pure and untarnished “good girl.” Plus, before the credits start rolling, ATBLML replays footage from the scene with Mandy and everyone else at the gas station. During the replay, there’s a pause to show one final shot of Mandy looking at the camera with this evil look in her eyes. It’s a chilling shot in retrospect, because you would never believe someone like Mandy is capable of killing.

The cinematography is gorgeous, and director Johnathan Levine provides some great shots of an empty countryside. Still, All The Boys Love Mandy Lane could’ve been so much more. With Mandy Lane, you had the perfect character to take a chance on doing something different. Instead, you’ll have to sit through another slasher flick, where some creepy weirdo stalks a bunch of unsuspecting victims in a house.

On top of that, ATBLML is loaded with clichéd slasher characters, overall the gore and blood isn’t shocking or grotesque (the scene where Emmet uses his machete to slice open Bird’s eyes is really nasty, but that’s about it), the entire cast is average at best (yes, that includes Heard), and ATBLML features one too many stupid “Why would you do that?” moments.

Yeah, the twists are great, but without them, ATBLML is another random and forgettable slasher. I wouldn’t be surprised if ATBLML developed a cult-classic fan following over the years, and despite all my complaints, I actually enjoyed the movie. I appreciated the effort to take a “throwback to Grindhouse films” approach, but ATBLML isn’t a groundbreaking horror film, and it won’t change the landscape in the slasher genre, so don‘t get your hopes up too high for this one. And it’s a damn shame, because ATBLML had the potential to be that one film.

Rating: 6/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Come Out & Play (2013)

**SPOILERS**

During a vacation to Mexico, Francis (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) and his wife, Beth (Vinessa Shaw) take a boat trip to a small remote island. With Beth seven months pregnant, the happy married couple decided it was the perfect time to take a break from a busy life and two kids in the real world.

Franics and Beth wander the streets of the seemingly deserted island with no one in sight, but after a while, the couple notices groups of small children. A relaxing day in paradise turns into a hellish life or death fight for survival, when Francis and Beth realize they’re horribly outnumbered by an army of murderous and vicious children.

A pair of solid performances from Bachrach and Shaw, and the children are appropriately creepy and menacing. The other adult characters in this film don’t receive a significant amount of screen time, so it’s not fair to judge their performances.

Come Out And Play is like Turistas meets Children Of The Corn, or Turistas meets Village Of The Damned. Unfortunately, Come Out And Play is very predictable and generic. They follow a step by step process: strangers (Francis and Beth) wander into quiet town, strangers realize something is wrong, but they don’t do anything about it at first. Strangers discover horrifying secret (in this case, hordes and hordes of killer kids and the dead bodies of adults), strangers look for a way to escape, but they can’t find a clear path (in this case, the kids are blocking the path to the boat) to any forms of transportation, or every vehicle is destroyed. Strangers fight back, but they’re out numbered, so they have to outsmart the bad guys.

Come Out And Play goes through the motions for the most part, but Beth’s death is the lone “moment” here. As Beth and Francis hide in a local jail cell, Beth has a miscarriage out of nowhere, but it’s not an ordinary miscarriage. Earlier in the movie, a small girl touched and listened to Beth’s stomach. Beth believes the girl put some kind of curse on her unborn baby. The fetus attacks Beth from within, and Beth bleeds to death. Francis won’t leave his wife’s body to the children, because Francis witnessed the children carving out and playing with the decaying corpse of a woman. So Francis drenches Beth’s corpse in gasoline, and Francis burns Beth’s corpse covered in a sheet. It’s a gut wrenching scene to watch, and Bachrach did a good job of portraying a heartbroken and vengeful man full of rage, who didn’t give a damn about any consequences during the finale.

Come Out And Play has the perfect creepy and eerie atmosphere (especially during the nighttime scenes). There’s an unsettling silence throughout the island, and the sporadic laughs from the children add the necessary chilling touch. Also, as I alluded to earlier, the finale isn’t bad, and there’s a decent amount of suspense during the desperate last stand to clear a path to the boat. Still, Come Out And Play is loaded with one too many formulaic elements, and when you strip this one down to the core, you’ll just find another run-of-the-mill horror/thriller.

Bottom line, Come Out And Play is a so-so remake of Who Can Kill A Child? Going with a reluctant positive score, because I didn’t hate Come Out And Play. And if you’re the squeamish type, you should avoid this one. Come Out And Play is loaded with graphic bloody gore, and the nasty stuff reaches extreme levels as the film progresses.

Rating: 5/10

 

[#tamale]

I saw this one a couple of weeks ago while we were surfing through Netflix. Agreed with your review. The atmosphere the film creates is tremendous, but the story falters and fails to deliver up on the scares. This is the frustrating part of this horror film. The most difficult part of a horror film is creating the atmosphere.

strangers (Francis and Beth) wander into quiet town, strangers realize something is wrong, but they don’t do anything about it at first. Strangers discover horrifying secret

Like Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, and I maintain that it is a very underrated film which got shit on because they weirdly included it in the Halloween series.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Like Halloween 3: Season of the Witch, and I maintain that it is a very underrated film which got shit on because they weirdly included it in the Halloween series.

My thoughts exactly.

Season Of The Witch is a forgotten classic in my eyes. But fans of the franchise never accepted this one as a Halloween film (no Michael Myers, Dr. Loomis, Laurie, disrupting the continuity, etc.), so Season Of The Witch is shit on by the vast majority of Halloween fans, and some of them still feel the need to bitch now a days.

It's laughable when you think about, because Season Of The Witch is much, MUCH better than that piece of shit Resurrection and Halloween 6/The Curse Of Michael Myers. Hell, you can make a argument for Season Of The Witch being the better film, when you compare it to 4 and 5. Remove Halloween and III from the title, and I guarantee you Season Of The Witch receives more praise as a cult classic.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Carrie (2013)

Synopsis: Teenager Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz) is her high school's primary social outcast. To make matters worse, she has an evangelical zealot (Julianne Moore) for a mother. After experiencing her first "monthly bill" in her high school gym's shower, and also in the presence of her unsympathetic female classmates, Carrie comes to know of her telekinetic abilities. These abilities will realize their full potential at prom, where Carrie's tormentors are planning for a prank that no one will forget.

Analysis: While not a terrible film, Kimberly Peirce's reimagining of Stephen King's bestseller is nonetheless extremely disappointing. This disappointment arises from horrible casting and a significantly less cruel and mean-spirited interpretation of the source material. Let's start off with the casting.

Firstly, Chloë Grace Moretz should not have been cast as Carrie. Ten minutes into this movie, I saw exactly what Y 2 Jake saw when he commented on this film in The Bar Room: Moretz is way too pretty to play Carrie. Anyone who sees this film will come to the same conclusion I did: regardless of her frumpy, home-made clothes and not wearing makeup, I, and every other red-blooded male classmate of mine, would have tried to fuck this version of Carrie White six ways to Sunday had she attended my high school. The only thing that would have possibly caused less than 25% of us to stop pursuing her is if she was very, very, very socially awkward. But, Carrie's not socially awkward, at least in this version; she's just naive, shy, and a tad skittish. Not only do Moretz's looks prevent her from giving a realistic performance, but her age also holds her back. At 16, I have no doubt that Moretz has an extremely bright and promising career ahead of her. That being said, although a teenager, Carrie White is way too complex and demanding a role for someone of a similar age to play them, unless that person was uber-precocious and had an established acting career as a child on Broadway (I'm thinking of someone along the lines of an 18-/19-year-old Anna Kendrick, who already had a Tony nomination under her belt at the age of 13/14). It's important to remember here that Sissy Spacek was around 25/26 when she filmed Carrie.

As for the rest of the casting, the only two standouts were Julianne Moore as Carrie's mother and whoever played the role of Billy Nolan in this version (although much different than John Travolta's dimwitted jock, he's just as good). When compared to the actors and actresses in De Palma's Carrie, everyone in this version will either raise ire or complete indifference in viewers who have seen both.

Secondly, Carrie 2013 is nowhere near as mean-spirited as Carrie 1976. This isn't bad in itself, but the media bombards us every day with truly heinous accounts of bullying throughout the high schools of America. In light of such a widespread social problem, why the hell would you tone down the harassment and torment Carrie faces from her peers? If anyone sees this film and, given what they know about bullying in today's America, is truly appalled by what Carrie's endures, then it is safe to say that we have become a bunch of *****es. A good filmmaker would have made this Carrie's high school experiences much more shocking and cringe-worthy compared to those of the original Carrie. That Kimberly Peirce fails to do this makes me more inclined to believe that her one great film, Boys Don't Cry, was a fluke and not indicative of her middling talent.

Overall, Carrie is not a horrible film. I might have thought this had the A Nightmare on Elm Street remake not come out more than three years ago, but this film is a masterpiece compared to that heap of shit. But, if you're going into this film expecting it to be at least a third as good as Brian De Palma's film, you're going to be sorely disappointed, my friend.

Rating: 4/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

You Can't Kill Stephen King (2012)

Spoilers...

With hopes of meeting Stephen King, six friends take a road trip to Encomium, Maine to meet the famous author at his cabin deep in the woods. Lamont (Justin Brown), Nicole (Kayle Blogna), Ronnie (Ronnie Khalil), Lori (Kate Costello), Monroe (Monroe Mann), and his sister, Hilary (Crystal Arnette) stop at a local diner for some rest and food. Here, they receive a foreboding warning from a waitress about disturbing Stephen King, and disrupting the peace and quiet in Encomium. Monroe is trying to repair a broken relationship with Lori after a stint in the Army during the Iraq War, but Lori is still hesitant to trust her boyfriend.

Lamont is forced to fill up on gas after losing a surprise vote. Meanwhile, the rest of the group heads to the cabin after renting a motorboat. In the cabin, Ronnie, the lone diehard Stephen King fan, finds an assortment of King’s novels in the basement. As time passes, Lamont’s random disappearance forces the group to go into town to find some answers. But instead of answers, Monroe is horrified after identifying Lamont’s scattered body parts.

Petrified, the group returns to the cabin for safety, but returning to the cabin proves to be a deadly mistake. A mysterious hooded figure dressed in all black stalks the group, and the remaining survivors slowly disappear one by one. Ronnie notices the killer is mimicking murders in King’s novels and short stories step by step, which leads the group to one startling question: Is Stephen King the killer?

The body count rises quick in You Can’t Kill Stephen King, but I couldn’t feel any sympathy for the deaths here. Why? Too many loathsome characters. Hilary is the bland prude, who’s supposed to be the serious one in the group. Nicole is the whiny narcissistic airhead, who’s sole purpose is to be the number one option for eye candy. Lori is supposed to be the innocent one, but Kate Costello’s big blue eyes aren’t enough to cover up the clueless dunce side of Lori’s character. Monroe is this insecure baby/boyfriend without a backbone, but the “traumatized war veteran” layer for his character is cringeworthy (more on that later). Ronnie is this creepy and perverted douchebag/nerd, and as the film progresses, Ronnie emerges from the pack as the most unlikeable character. Plus, You Can’t Kill Stephen King pulls out all the stops to remind you Lamont is just the “token black guy” in a horror film, and they reinforce their mission to make SURE you know this by killing off Lamont first.

Overkill is another massive problem here. The raunchiness loses its shock factor after thirty minutes. A prime example would be a barrage of close up shots for Kayle Blogna’s cleavage, a scene with Blogna taking a shower, and there’s a shot of Blogna shaking her fanny towards the camera for no reason at all. Again, we get it. Nicole is supposed to be the eye candy, we don’t need a reminder in every other scene. The humor is atrocious, and You Can’t Kill Stephen King tries to milk Ronnie’s creepy obsession over Nicole for cheap laughs throughout the movie. Yeah, the perv jokes lose a lot of steam fast, and towards the end, Ronnie’s stalker routine reaches a too annoying point.

If they were trying to pay homage to King’s work, You Can’t Kill Stephen King failed miserably. The winks include, but are not limited to The Shining, Carrie, It, and Beachworld, but something is off here, really off. Most of you recognize the iconic Friday The 13th theme, right? Well, there’s a sample of it here, when Lamont is killed off. That’s right. In a horror comedy that’s supposed to parody King’s work, they use a horrific sample of the Jason theme. Why? I don’t know.

Which leads me to another complaint about this film: what’s the point here? Instead of putting a real tasteful effort into paying tribute to King’s work via the parody approach, You Can’t Kill Stephen King lazily piles on the references and winks in this frustrating and schizophrenic cut and paste “style.” Need an example? Ronnie randomly envisions a dead Lamont naked as the It clown, and the Lamont clown has this excited sensual look in his eyes during a stare-down with Ronnie.

So if You Can’t Kill Stephen King is supposed to be a parody of King’s work, then why did I get the feeling of watching a parody for the slasher genre? The stereotypical stupid characters I listed above is the first obvious sign. On top of that, you have a bunch of terrified young kids hiding in a cabin deep in the woods, while a mysterious killer eliminates his victims one by one. This approach creates a mind-boggling dilemma for a number of reasons:

- Is Stephen King famous for writing characters that resemble Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees? Your usual stupid bunch in a slasher film? Nope. Last time I checked, Carrie White, Jack Torrance, Danny Torrance, and George Stark don’t fit this mold.

-Stephen King isn’t known for creating generic characters and stories. Using famous King characters and novels/short stories in a slasher style parody makes no sense whatsoever.

-Stephen King isn’t famous for straightforward and predictable storytelling. In You Can’t Kill Stephen King, you’ll be able to see every “twist” and turn coming from a mile away.

The plot holes? Okay, the cabin in the woods is supposed to be Stephen King’s cabin…but at the same time the cabin is supposed to be a gift from Monroe’s grandparents? How is it possible the cabin is a home for Stephen King AND Monroe’s grandparents? You Can’t Kill Stephen King doesn’t bother explaining any of this. Earlier I mentioned Ronnie discovering various Stephen King novels in the basement. Right, so why would Stephen King keep a pop up book signed by himself in his own basement? Again, that makes no sense at all. Towards the end, we’re lead to believe the killer stole the motorboat after murdering Nicole, so Monroe, Hilary, and Ronnie won’t have a way to escape the cabin safely…..but the killer returns with no problem? It should take him a while to swim back to the cabin, right?

The finale is mind-numbingly stupid. You Can’t Kill Stephen King leads you to believe Ronnie is the killer, as the obsessed fan, who’s honoring his idol by acting out his stories in real life. But after a while, you start to realize Ronnie being the killer is WAY too obvious for a shocking ending, and the lazy attempts at foreshadowing didn’t help anything. Over and over again, I repeated to myself “Please don’t reveal Stephen King as the killer. Please don’t do that.” Guess what? Stephen King is the killer! Ugh, it’s an underwhelming finale that created a disappointing facepalming moment for me. After all that time, waiting, and anticipation, they reveal Stephen Freaking King as the killer for a lame, and I do mean LAME reveal at the end. Revealing Stephen King as the killer as a tie-in for an obvious pun in the title is supposed to be clever and shocking? Seriously?

To make matters worse, You Can’t Kill Stephen King relies on a plethora of lowbrow tactics for laughs and “I can’t believe they did that!” reactions from the audience. Seventies style porn music, pedophile jokes, random footage from a porn film, a girl on girl kissing scene between Nicole and Lori, where Nicole bites Lori’s bottom lip for no real reason, and the townspeople constantly referring to Lamont as a “negro.” They take a satire approach for Monroe being this traumatized Iraq war veteran. Monroe freaks out after having flashbacks from the battlefield (i.e. remembering sounds of a firefight), but Ronnie reminds Monroe of his status in the Army: he wasn’t an actual soldier. Monroe was a line cook, who never experienced the hardships of fighting in a war. So revealing Monroe as a delusional wimp is supposed to be funny?

You Can’t Kill Stephen King is a tasteless and unfunny mockery of Stephen King’s work. It’s a clustered mess of a film, that’s unsure of its own identity, and the laundry list of problems are impossible to ignore. Wooden dialogue, too many unlikable characters, a terrible overall cast (minus Arnette and Blogna,), idiotic plot twists, plot holes, and unsatisfying reveals. You want tingly feelings of nostalgia for Stephen King’s work? Read one of his books or short stories or watch Brian De Palma’s Carrie. But whatever you do, please avoid this film (or poor excuse for a horror comedy) at all costs.

Rating: 1/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Madison County (2011)

Spoilers as usual

James (Colley Bailey) invites his best friend, Will (Matt Mercer), his girlfriend, Brooke (Joanna Sotomura), and Brooke’s friend, Jenna (Natalie Scheetz) on a road trip. James leads the group to the small town of Madison County to interview a local author. David Randall (Dayton Knoll) wrote Devil In The Woods, a book based on a local serial killer named Damien Ewell (Nick Principe), and through a series of letters to each other, David granted James a one on one interview for his thesis.

As a photographer, Will plans to snap some pictures of the rural countryside, but he’ll have bigger problems to worry about, when Brooke’s overbearing older brother, Kyle (Ace Marrero) tags along for the trip. Kyle isn’t aware of Brooke’s relationship with Will. Kyle and Brooke’s father don’t approve of Will, so Kyle forces his way into James’ plans as a self-appointed watchdog.

Before James and the group arrive in Madison County, James ignores a local stranger’s suggestion for a shortcut. In Madison County, the group receives an awkward and icy greeting from the townspeople at the local diner. Here, the head waitress, Erma (Adrienne Harrell) reveals the location of Randall’s house in the woods. Kyle stops an angry resident from using his knife on Will, but the knife wielding maniac leaves Kyle and everyone else with a foreboding warning about disturbing the peace in Madison County.

James’ discovers pictures linking David to Damien at David’s seemingly abandoned house, and a bigger problem emerges, when each member of the group slowly disappears one by one. Will encounters Damien wearing a pig mask in the woods, and to satisfy his unquenchable blood lust, Damien plans to eliminate the unwelcomed visitors in Madison County.

I’ve seen my fair share of horror films over the years, and it never ceases to amaze me how a group of twenty something city kids or teenagers wander into this little quiet town with a dark secret during a road trip, and they NEVER suspect anything fishy until it’s too late. You know the formula. Kids wander into the little, quiet town, because they’re on a vacation (oddly enough it‘s a vacation to a lake house or cabin 85% of the time), need directions to their final destination, someone has to use the bathroom, or they stop for a quick bite to eat. Then, each member of the group mysteriously disappears one by one, the creepy townspeople are either a. apart of some underground killing network/conspiracy, b. they’re cannibals, or c. they’re helping and/or protecting the local maniac/killer, who‘s a deranged and mentally ill inbred hillbilly.

Unfortunately, Madison County follows this formula step by step, and it’s hard to ignore the frustrating levels of stupidity from the main characters. From the MOMENT the group steps foot in the diner, you can sense something is wrong during a tense moment of eerie silence. All the townspeople in the diner refuse to take their eyes off of James, Will, Brooke, Jenna, and Kyle, and you can’t ignore the looks of disdain. Outside, this lunatic threatens Will with a knife, while promising a gruesome end for the group, but that’s not enough to convince you to leave? Seriously? Randall’s house is empty, there’s no one around. Get. The Hell. Out of there! Are you waiting for a mangled corpse to fall out of the sky, as a foolproof sign to leave Madison County? “Hey guys! A dead body just fell from the sky! I Think we should leave…maybe.” Ugh.

On top of that, you have the stupid, STUPID “Let’s split up!” strategy. It starts with Kyle, who takes the only working vehicle in the group to return to the diner to ask questions? Yeah. Back at the house, for no logical reason at all, James, Will, Jenna, and Brooke split up into teams of two (James and Jenna, Will and Brooke)? Of course, with the numbers game in his favor, Damien is able to pick off and kill everyone with ease.

And I can’t forget about this idiotic chase scene with Jenna and Brooke in the woods. Jenna and Brooke are running from Damien. Jenna comes up with a plan to create a diversion, so Brooke can escape. During a struggle with Damien, Jenna is able to knockout Damien for a brief moment…..but Jenna doesn’t make a run for it. Instead, she gives an unconscious Damien a chance to get back up, attack her, and yes, Damien eventually murders Jenna. Brooke? Instead of taking the opportunity to run for an escape (because you know, that was the whole point of Jenna’s diversion) Brooke hides behind a tree during Jenna‘s antics and her death, giving Damien time to notice Brooke’s presence. I was speechless, and I don’t mean that in a good way. Sorry, but it’s hard to have sympathy for the deaths of stupid characters.

Generic characters? Yep. You’ll see your fair share in Madison County. Will is the insecure nerd, Brooke is the sweet good girl, Jenna is eye candy as the hot blonde, and Kyle’s that one guy in the group, who’s a jerk to everyone, filling the role of your typical buzkill.

Damien Ewell? Eh, sorry, but he’s not intimidating enough. The pig mask and his dirty clothes are a nice touch, but Damien doesn’t have the essential ominous presence. He’s a scrawny guy, and that’s okay for a crony, but the lead antagonist? No…just no. It’s hard to adjust to and fear Damien, when you consider other hulking and towering behemoths in the horror genre (Michael Myers, Jason, etc.). Plus, Damien’s muffled squealing brought a few unintentional laughs out of me.

I don’t understand the unrated tag for Madison County. For an “unrated” horror film, Madison County is VERY tamed. I’m talking about gore, violence, dialogue, nudity, everything. The scene where Damien shoves a broken baseball bat into Will’s mouth? Yeah, that’s nasty, but Will’s death isn’t enough to justify an unrated label in a film with mild blood and gore, and one timid topless scene. When I see a box cover with a creepy guy wearing a pig mask, dressed in filthy clothing, and wielding a bloodstained axe with a handful of human hair, I’m going to have big expectations for a repulsive and cringeworthy horror flick.

Although, I’ll give credit where credit is due. Madison County caught me off guard with a few genuinely surprising twists towards the end. Erma being Damien’s mother? Didn’t see that one coming. David is the stranger, who told James about the shortcut at the beginning, and David is the father of Kristen (Katie Stageman). Long story short, Kristen is shown as the victim of a kidnapping at the beginning. She’s a victim of Damien, so David lured James and his friends to Madison County to help with a rescue mission.

Plus, I enjoyed the clever finale. James and Kristen escape Madison County on a pickup truck together, but a wounded and traumatized Brooke wanders into the diner to seek Erma’s help. Remember, Brooke never returned to the diner with James or Kyle, so she doesn’t know about the conspiracy involving the townspeople and Erma. Erma promises a visit to the doctor’s house for medical care and a phone call to the local sheriff, but as Brooke waits outside for a ride in Erma’s car, Erma sneaks up behind her, and Erma viciously stabs Brooke to death. Director/writer Eric England did a great job of setting up the shot with Brooke missing the sight of the fleeing pickup truck containing James and Kristen. A nice little surprise, because the innocent good girl usually makes it to the end, as the sole survivor, but Brooke suffers a brutal end here.

Still, I can’t go with a positive score for this one. Madison County is a frustrating, FRUSTRATING horror film with stupid characters, and you’ll see plenty of “Don’t do that!” moments here. I can picture others having some mindless fun with Madison County as a guilty pleasure, but for me, the sporadic rewards can’t outweigh the mound of mind-numbing horror clichés, a mediocre cast, and an overall so-so story I’ve seen more times than I can count.

Ratings: 3/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Haunter (2013)

Spoilers as usual,

Lisa Johnson (Abigail Breslin) can’t bask in the joy of her upcoming sixteenth birthday. Living with her mother, Carol (Michelle Nolden) her father, Bruce (Peter Outerbridge), and her little brother, Robbie (Peter DaCunha), Lisa struggles to discover the secrets behind a daily repetitive routine that never changes. Robbie wakes Lisa up with a walkie-talkie transmission for a treasure hunt with his imaginary friend, Edgar. Pancakes are for breakfast, Carol makes meatloaf with macaroni and cheese for dinner, chocolate ice cream is served for dessert, the family plays board games together, and as a group, they all watch Murder She Wrote. And for some alone time, Lisa goes up to her room to play the clarinet. Sounds like a peaceful, fun, and happy life, right?

Well, Lisa is sick and tired of reliving the same day of events over and over again. Determined to find more answers to the puzzling dilemma, Lisa takes a bicycle ride into the foggy night to find another house, more people, or some much needed help. But during her journey in the fog, Lisa is unable to find anything. No people, no more houses, no streets, nothing.

Eventually, Lisa uncovers the devastating truth behind the time warp in her house: years ago, Lisa and her entire family were murdered by a malevolent entity, who possessed her father. The entity known as The Pale Man (Stephen McHattie) jumps from different time periods to murder unsuspecting families living in Lisa’s house by possessing the father. With help from spirits of past victims, Lisa plans to outsmart The Pale Man, so she can set everything back to normal, and save the victimized families. But if Lisa fails in her mission, herself, her family, and all the other victimized families of the past will suffer an eternity of continuous monotony.

The two best performances come from Breslin and McHattie, easily. Breslin shows a commanding presence in the leading role as Lisa. Before the story develops, you’ll quickly get the impression Lisa is your typical rebellious, punk teen, but there’s more to her character. Breslin does a fantastic job of expressing the emotional heartache Lisa is forced to suffer throughout the film, as she fights to save her family and other innocent victims. And McHattie is the perfect foil for her character. McHattie has this creepy and cold-hearted demeanor as The Pale Man. He’s a menacing adversary, who enjoys toying with and torturing Lisa’s soul, and McHattie really nailed this character. The supporting cast isn’t bad at all, featuring a handful of solid performances from Outerbridge, Nolden, DaCunha.

You’ll have to have some patience with Haunter. They take the slow burn approach to unraveling the mystery behind The Pale Man here. Lisa has to pay careful attention to the little clues (missing laundry, missing spark plugs, plans for her birthday party, etc.) and hints in the repeating timelines for a better chance to fight The Pale Man on an even playing ground, because The Pale Man controls everything in the house. Trust me, all the pieces to the puzzle won’t fall into place until the very end.

How is Lisa going to stop The Pale Man’s murderous rampage once and for all? It’s the big question for Haunter, and the answer isn’t so simple. First, Lisa receives help from a past victim named Olivia (Eleanor Zichy). Olivia points Lisa in the right direction to stop The Pale Man….but it’s not over yet. After a while, Lisa realizes Robbie’s imaginary friend Edgar (David Knoll) isn’t imaginary at all. Edgar is The Pale Man as a child, and Edgar murdered his own parents in the house before embarking on a killing spree for decades as a vicious entity.

Yeah, a few problems here. First, Haunter leads you down a path to believe The Pale Man solely kidnapped and murdered young girls, but the story takes another turn, when they reveal The Pale Man possesses the fathers of families to murder entire families. Okay. Apparently, Lisa is capable of time travel, because she’s able to jump to different time periods with help from Olivia and The Pale Man. Somehow Lisa has the ability to speak to the bones of murdered victims to call for their help? Seriously? Sorry, but The Pale Man helping Lisa is a huge gap in logic here. Why is Lisa’s enemy leading her in the right direction to stop him? That doesn’t make sense.

Absurdity is a noticeable problem, and I rolled my eyes at the tired and clichéd “mirror jump scare” trick in horror films. Lisa is standing in the mirror, there’s no one else in the reflection of the mirror, Lisa bends down to pick something up, and when she looks in the mirror again, Olivia’s ghost is standing behind her! Surprise! Ugh. This jump scare didn’t do anything for me, because it’s so predictable, and I’m pretty sure a lot of my fellow horror fans have seen this trick over and over again in various films. The shock factor isn’t there anymore, and it’s not scary, because the mirror trick has been done to death over the years.

And to make matters worse they had to insert a freakin’ Ouija board into the movie. To make contact with the spirits, Lisa digs up a Uija board in the basement for some help. Of course, at first, nothing happens then all of the sudden, when you least expect it, the Oujia board’s indicator mysteriously moves by itself to answer Lisa. Again, there’s no shock factor for this trick, because we’ve seen it before, and for first-timers, you can easily anticipate the Oujia board coming to life and answering Lisa.

The story strays into a convoluted mess towards the end, but with all my complaining, I still had a fun time with Haunter. Director Vincenzo Natali deserves a lot of credit for creating a genuinely creepy and spooky atmosphere for Haunter, and the one chilling image of a shadowed Pale Man standing in the background of an old home movie with Lisa’s family. And I can’t forget about the two strong performances from Breslin and McHattie. Haunter is loaded with problems, but the intriguing mystery and the deadly game of cat and mouse between Lisa and The Pale Man will keep you guessing until the very end.

Rating: 7/10

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Waking Ned Devine​

*Spoilers*

What a weird movie. Not bad, just not my usual cup of tea. Definitely had some funny parts as well.

Basically Jackie and Michael are two best friends who live in a small town (around 50 people) in Ireland. They get wind of someone from their town winning the lottery. Curious as to who it is, and hoping to get in their good graces, they investigate around town to find out exactly who won. Eventually they discover that the character Ned Devine won. So Jackie rushes to his house in hopes of flattering him and it turns out Ned died from the shock of winning the lottery, the ticket still in his hand.

Without going into too much detail, the rest of the film involves Jackie (his wife knows the situation as well) and Michael doing what they can to try and fraud the government into thinking Michael is Ned Devine so they can split the winnings.

It's definitely a quirky movie and I think many people would enjoy it. Though the movie is based around fraud, an obviously illegal activity, it's very good natured and you can see that with how everything works out.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The Night Flier (1997)

**Spoilers**

Fed up with censorship and having to report on dead end garbage, Richard Dees (Miguel Ferrer) is looking for his next big story. As a veteran employee, Richard works for Inside View, a paranormal and exploitative tabloid, and Richard is tired of picking up the scraps to make a living, but a new story could change Richard’s fortunes.

Merton Morrison (Dan Monahan), Richard’s editor-in-chief, urges Richard to report on a new story about a murderer, who uses a private plane to kill helpless victims in small towns. Using a black Skymaster draped in thick curtains, Dwight Renfield (Michael H. Moss) quietly swoops into select communities at night to massacre everything in his path. The body count rises with each passing night, and gruesome evidence suggests Dwight could be a vampire.

Richard refuses to accept the story, until Katherine Blair (Julie Entwisle) comes into the picture. Katherine is the newest employee for Inside View, and Morrison is impressed by Katherine’s ambitious and energetic persona, so Morrison gives the story to Katherine. But Richard has a change of heart after he considers the potential for a headline, and Katherine can’t compete with Richard’s personal airplane and pilot’s license. Using the urge for a long-awaited return to the front page, Richard goads Morrison into changing his mind. Richard is assigned to report on the story, and against her will, Katherine is forced to relinquish her research to Richard.

Richard uses “The Night Flier” as a nickname for Dwight, and Richard’s sleuthing into the mystery behind the vampiric murderer reveals a dark past. As Richard inches closer to exposing the secrets behind the brutal murders, The Night Flier forces Richard to reconsider his investigation with a series of foreboding warnings written in fresh blood………

Miguel Ferrer delivers the best performance here. His portrayal of this scummy and miserable creep is spot on, and Ferrer brings the essential shameless presence to the Dees character. Dees will stop at nothing to be the top man at Insider View, and his despicable actions include photographing fresh dead bodies (i.e. Dees snapping pictures of deceased victims after a tragic car wreck). Dan Monahan is good for a few laughs as the slimy and perverted boss, and kudos to Julie Entwisle for a noteworthy performance. Katherine is the only ray of sunshine in a backstabbing and merciless snake pit. It’s easy to feel sympathy for Katherine, because Entwisle’s vibrant and perky performance as this harmless newcomer is very convincing.

During his scandalous search for the truth, Dees is stuck in an unbearable frustration point every now and then, because he’s always one step behind The Night Flier. Towards the end of the film, Dees finally catches the big break he’s looking for with some help from Katherine (long story short, Katherine agrees to form a team with Dees to work on the story together). Of course, Dees wants all the glory to himself, so he double-crosses Katherine by locking her in the closet of a motel room.

Dees takes his personal plane on one last trip to confront The Night Flier at a rural airport in the middle of nowhere. Dees arrives at the airport, but instead of running into The Night Flier first, Dees is horrified at the sight of scattered and mutilated dead bodies in the lobby. Eventually, Dees meets The Night Flier in the bathroom. Here, The Night Flier forces Dees to handover his only form of proof (a roll of film in the camera).

The Night Flier destroys the roll of film, but it’s not over yet. Dees begs for one last chance to see The Night Flier’s face (throughout the movie, we never see a full or clear shot of The Night Flier’s face, and if you need a visual, just look at the movie poster). The Night Flier reveals himself to Dees, and The Night Flier forces Dees to drink blood from his wrist. After tasting The Night Flier’s blood, Dees is thrust into a nightmarish vision of the murdered victims in the airport coming to life as vampires. Out of fear, Dees grabs an axe to hack and slice anyone in front of him.

In reality, Dees is just cutting into a bunch of lifeless corpses, and Dees becomes a victim of bad timing, because during his crazed frenzy, two police officers and Katherine burst through the doors of the airport. Two policeman walk in, they see a pile of decapitated dead bodies, and this deranged man covered in blood is wielding an axe, so guess what happens? They shoot and kill a disorientated and dangerous (yeah, Dees had the worst intentions with that axe) Dees. Unbeknownst to the policeman, Katherine spots The Night Flier quietly walking away from the scene of the crime in the storm outside, and a speechless Katherine watches The Night Flier escape in his plane.

Instead of telling the police the truth, Katherine taking Dees advice from a rude pep talk during the early stages of the movie, submits a story to Morrison about Dees being The Night Flier. On the front page for the latest edition of Inside View, Katherine’s picture is next to the story, with “Jimmy” (Dees constantly referred to Katherine as a Jimmy throughout the movie as an insult for Katherine being a clueless and naïve newbie) as her middle name.

A nail-biting series of events for this finale. Dees was so close to walking away with his life and health intact, but in the end, his obsession with The Night Flier got the best of him. Earlier, Dees gave Katherine a warning about the dangers of Insider View consuming a stressed and tortured soul. Dees told the story of Dotty Walsh, a former employee. Dotty’s work at the Insider View drove her to insanity, and Dotty eventually committed suicide by wrapping a plastic bag around her head in a bathtub full of water. The same thing happened to Dees. His unnatural obsession with The Night Flier drove him to madness, and you can sense some pitiful sympathy from Katherine, as she takes one last disappointed look at Dees’ corpse.

The Night Flier could’ve been a lot better. Unfortunately, some noticeably poor production values really hurt this one, because you get the feeling you’re watching a bargain basement made for TV movie. Still, The Night Flier is one of the more respectable Stephen King adaptations. It’s a creepy and ghoulish vampire flick, featuring a handful of eerie and unsettling nighttime scenes. Plus, there’s more than enough nasty gruesomeness and blood to satisfy the gore fiends, and The Night Flier delivers some genuine gross-out (i.e. a reflectionless Night Flier peeing blood into a urinal, and Dotty Walsh’s head exploding) moments.

Rating: 6/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Ice Cream Man (1995)

**Spoilers**

As a child, a young Gregory Tudor awaits the arrival of the Ice Cream Man one day. Gregory is seconds away from receiving his daily cold treat, but the Ice Cream Man is murdered after a drive by shooting in front of Gregory. Unable to handle the trauma of witnessing the death of his hero, Gregory is sent to the Wishing Well Sanatorium for treatment.

As an adult, Gregory (Clint Howard) returns to the same neighborhood he grew up in as a child to continue the legacy of his idol as the new Ice Cream Man. Nurse Wharton (Olivia Hussey) took care of Gregory as one of her favorites in the sanatorium, and as Gregory’s landlord/legal guardian, Nurse Wharton protects Gregory at all costs. But Gregory isn’t the same innocent child anymore. Too many years in the sanatorium transformed Gregory into a bloodthirsty maniac, and instead of adding chocolate chips, peanut butter cups, or hunks of brownies to his ice cream, Gregory stuffs his tasty treats with body parts from people, insects, and the mangled corpse of a dog.

Against their parents wishes, three children named Tuna (JoJo Adams), Heather (Anndi McAfee), and Johnny (Justin Isfeld) take it upon themselves to investigate Gregory’s peculiar lifestyle. Heather tries to outsmart her strict father, Reverend Langley (David Warner), and Johnny has to endure some bullying from his big brother, Jacob (Karl Makinen), but the trio runs into a bigger problem, when Gregory kidnaps Small Paul (Mikey LeBeau), another friend in the group, one night. Detective Maldwyn (Lee Majors II) and Detective Gifford (Jan-Michael Vincent) suspect something fishy after a brief encounter with Gregory, and they’ll have to work with the kids to save Small Paul’s life before it’s too late.

Howard’s parody performance of an unhinged loon is good for a few cheap laughs, but the majority of the supporting cast is mediocre at best. LeBeau is spot on as the geeky outcast, but the rest? Nothing special at all. Majors is just going through the motions as the clueless member of the duo, Makinen is the generic douchey big brother, and Isfeld’s Johnny is supposed to the “cool kid” in the group. Warner is the other recognizable name from this cast, but he’s limited to a forgettable and dull character, as the self-righteous and delusional preacher.

Honestly, I don’t get the cult following for Ice Cream Man. Yeah, I know most horror fans won’t hesitate to give this one the B-Movie pass, but I’m not one of them. Sorry, but Ice Cream Man has one too many legit problems to ignore for my taste.

My biggest pet peeve for Ice Cream Man? The tone of this film is too confusing. Anyone remember Goosebumps? For those who don’t know, Goosebumps was a popular horror anthology TV series for kids based on the books by R.L. Stine, and I LOVED this show as a kid (I was also a big fan of the books). Anyway, each Goosebumps episode was based on a book, and for those who know anything about the Goosebumps TV series and the books, Goosebumps was horror for kids with a lighter and more comedic take. Very campy most of the time, and from what I remember, not too much or no blood at all.

Why am I using Goosebumps as an example? Because I got the feeling I was watching an episode of Goosebumps with adult themes. In Ice Cream Man, you’ll see a husband cheating on his wife with a scantily clad and promiscuous woman, sex photos, and lots of blood and gore. That doesn’t sound like an episode of Goosebumps, right? Well, there’s a cast of kids here, and they’re trying to solve the mystery of a bogeyman-esque character as sleuths.

Yeah, that sounds like an episode of Goosebumps, but Goosebumps never featured infidelity, and noticeable blood and gore. The mash-up of hokey ridiculousness and gruesome horror didn’t work for me, because Ice Cream Man tries too hard on both sides, and I was burnt on the goofy stuff after twenty-five minutes. The worst example of mixing gruesome horror with stupid comedy? Somehow, Gregory manages to stick a victim’s severed head inside a BIG waffle cone. I tried, but I could not laugh at this scene no matter what.

Ice Cream Man is loaded with a number of eye rolling moments. One that sticks out is Detective Maldwyn eating one of Gregory’s “special” ice cream cones. The ice cream cone contains a few scoops of ice cream…. and an eyeball. There’s a close-up shot of Maldwyn’s mouth as he’s eating the cone, and unknowingly, Maldwyn is playing around with the eyeball in front of his teeth. Seriously? Maldwyn and Gifford visit Wishing Well Sanatorium to dig up some dirt on Gregory, and EVERYONE in the sanatorium (including the staff) is hopped up on medication and completely nuts. Maldwyn and Gifford are running away from an angry horde. Maldwyn is running with a sense of urgency, and while Maldwyn is waiting at the car, Gifford is casually walking, while a large group of deranged patients follow him?

First, I’m pretty sure if I had a fucking eyeball in my mouth, I would be able to taste/feel it, and spit it out immediately. Second, I know I’m watching a movie, but you’re being chased by a group of deranged nutcases, and you casually stroll to the car? Sorry, but that doesn’t work for me. Again, I know I’m watching a movie, but Ice Cream Man pushes the suspension of disbelief limits too far.

Ice Cream Man was chore to sit through, and the creepy box cover fooled me into believing I might enjoy this one. Well, I was wrong. I tried, but Ice Cream Man didn’t click with me. There’s a semi-creepy shot of Small Paul playing with a bucket of ice cream inside a sanatorium after he murders Gregory to close the film. It’s an attempt at foreshadowing for Small Paul as the next ice cream killer, because for a while, Gregory trusted Small Paul as his apprentice. But this cliffhanger didn’t do anything for me, because I don’t have the slightest urge for a sequel. Clint Howard is good for a few cheap laughs, the black and white prologue is a nice nostalgic treat, and I appreciate the wink to One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975). There’s a scene, where Maldwyn refers to “That Cuckoo movie” during a scene at the sanatorium. Cool moment.

Still, Ice Cream Man is an awful film. Ice Cream Man is a mess of laughable production values, poor writing, inconsistent tones, an overall mediocre cast, pitiful campy humor, and lame jokes. It’s a shame, because Ice Cream Man features a fun premise for the horror comedy sub-genre, and with a better screenplay, director, and overall cast, Ice Cream Man could’ve been a much better film. Maybe I’ll have a change of heart on a second viewing, but for now, I’ll remember Ice Cream Man as an avoidable abomination.

Rating: 2/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The Wolfman (2010)

Spoilers as usual,

After his brother’s brutal death, famed stage actor Lawrence Talbot (Benicio del Toro) returns to his hometown for the funeral. Lawrence befriends his brother’s fiancee, Gwen (Emily Blunt), but Lawrence isn’t too happy about a reunion with his father. Living in Lawrence’s childhood home with Singh (Art Malik) as his bodyguard, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins) provides housing for Emily, and Sir Talbot is surprised by the unexpected visit from his “prodigal son.”

Lawrence tires to block out memories of a dark past, including the tragic death of his mother during childhood, but Lawrence is forced to deal with bigger problems after viewing his brother’s mangled corpse. Local residents fear the realistic possibility of werewolf attacks, so Lawrence visits a gypsy village for more answers. During Lawrence’s visit, the village is attacked by a werewolf. Lawrence pursues the werewolf in the woods with a rifle, but the werewolf gains the upper hand during the chase, and Lawrence suffers a bite to the neck.

Lawrence recovers from his injuries after some help from residents at the gypsy village, but Lawrence experiences some abnormal changes during his rehabilitation period. Lawrence can’t escape the light from full moons and the inevitable transformations afterwards, so one night, a group of townspeople set a trap for Lawrence with a deer as live bait. But the townspeople’s mission to capture Lawrence fails, after Lawrence escapes the trap.

After the massacre, Lawrence leaves a bloody trail of evidence for Inspector Francis Aberline (Hugo Weaving), a top man at Scotland Yard, with an esteemed reputation. Lawrence is the prime suspect in Inspector Aberline’s investigation, and Lawrence fears for a returning Gwen’s safety……….

Del Toro receives the most screen time here, but I give the nod to Anthony Hopkins for the best performance. Hopkins is spot on as this eccentric and unapologetic old man with a dark sense of humor, and Hopkins shows us a more devilish side (more on that later) towards the end. I’m not trying to undercut Del Toro, because he’s a solid leading man here, but Hopkins upstages him (especially during their scenes together), and it’s not even close. Emily Blunt is believably sympathetic and innocent as Gwen, and Hugo Weaving is a nice fit for the distinguished and stern authority figure.

Lawrence is haunted by his mother’s death, and the inescapable image of seeing her bloodied corpse as a child……but Lawrence’s mother didn’t commit suicide. Throughout his life, Lawrence was lead to believe his mother slit her throat with a straight edge razor, but that’s not the truth. Instead, Lawrence’s mother was murdered by a werewolf: Sir John Talbot. That’s right. During a hunting trip, Sir John was bitten by a feral boy. The boy passed the curse of a werewolf, and Sir John is the werewolf, who murdered Ben (his second son and Lawrence’s brother).

Sir John reveals everything to an imprisoned Lawrence (Lawrence is being held captive in an asylum after recent attacks as a werewolf). Enraged and disgusted, Lawrence asks Sir John to commit suicide for a self-inflicted and deserved punishment, but Sir John refuses, because life as a werewolf is too “glorious.” And Sir John offers Lawrence a solution for his werewolf problems with a straight edge razor as a gift.

Eh, I’m sorry, but if they were trying to use Sir John Talbot as a werewolf for the major shocker, they failed miserably. First of all, the foreshadowing is way too obvious. You can easily see there’s something off about Sir John Talbot. He’s this creepy old reclusive guy with an attitude problem, and there’s a telling scene with Hopkins and Blunt. Gwen is on the staircase, and she runs into Sir John. He’s standing there eating an apple with this cold and mischievous look on his face, and Gwen speaks to him, but Sir John refuses to answer. Yeah, if you’re trying to pull off a SHOCKER, you should be more subtle with dropping hints every now and then.

The final battle between werewolf Lawrence and werewolf Sir John is anticlimactic. They’re fighting together in Sir John’s burning house, and for the final blow(s), Lawrence kicks Sir John into the fireplace. A frantic and flaming Sir John emerges from the fireplace, giving Lawrence the chance to knock his head off with one swipe. In the woods, Gwen is forced to kill Lawrence with a shot to the chest after a struggle, and we’re left with a little cliffhanger, because Lawrence bit Inspector Aberline. Talbot manor is engulfed in flames, and we hear one last howl from another werewolf to close out the movie.

A deflating series of events for a few reasons. For starters, Sir John’s beheading wasn’t shocking, because The Wolfman gave away a similar kill before this scene. Second, Lawrence’s slaughter of the townspeople during the whole failed trap fiasco was more fun to watch. When a throwaway scene is more entertaining than your final showdown, you’re in trouble. And the tragic series of events (Talbot manor burning to the ground, Gwen killing Lawrence, etc.) during the finale didn’t do anything for me. The underwhelming fight between Lawrence and Sir John didn’t help, and Gwen killing Lawrence was too predictable. Again, the obvious foreshadowing (Gwen’s chat with the gypsy, who took care of Lawrence after the attack) is a big problem, because death was Lawrence‘s only shot at freedom.

Pay close attention to the transformations in The Wolfman, and you’ll be able to see why this film won the Academy Award for Best Makeup in 2010. Sir John and Lawrence are genuinely intimidating in their werewolf forms, and Lawrence’s transformations are painful to watch.

Usually, you’ll get a “Wow! That’s cool. I wish I could do that!” feeling after witnessing a werewolf transformation in a movie. Well, The Wolfman should change your mind with an “OUCH! That’s gotta hurt!” reaction. During Lawrence’s transformations, you’ll see a lot of stretched contortions with bones pushing up against the skin, and you’ll clearly see Lawrence’s bloody gums, as his fangs come through during a scene at the asylum. The Wolfman doesn’t rely on a lot of flashy CGI to get the job done, and it’s a refreshing change.

Still, The Wolfman is a disappointing horror remake. There’s enough nasty and bloody gore for horror fans, who love gruesomeness, and The Wolfman features a handful of spooky atmospherics. But the screenplay is tepid at best, The Wolfman is void of any true scares, and the unsatisfying reveal towards the end sucks the life out of everything. Really? I had to wait for this? That’s the best way to describe my reaction for the lukewarm confession.

With all that said, The Wolfman doesn’t deserve a spot in the top three worst horror remakes of all time. The Wolfman was panned by a lot of critics, and the vast majority of horror fans still hate this film with a burning, white hot passion. On top of that, director Joe Johnston issued a public apology for The Wolfman a few years ago.

Is The Wolfman a good film? No. No it’s not, and the 1941 classic is still superior by a long shot, but the excessive bashing is unnecessary. Do you remember A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010), Sorority Row (2009), The Omen (2006), and The Hitcher (2007)? Yeah, they’re all abominable train wrecks, and when it comes to failed horror remakes, each film is worse than The Wolfman. Bottom line, I’ll always remember The Wolfman as a misfire, but it’s not a smoldering and unwatchable mess, and The Wolfman doesn’t deserve so much hate.

Rating: 4/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Daybreakers (2009)

Minor spoilers, nothing major...

In 2019, the world’s population is stuck in an age of darkness after an outbreak of vampirism. The remaining humans are hunted and harvested for blood to feed the vampires, and the humans, who refused to turn are forced to live a life of secrecy in the night shadows and daylight for their only chances at survival.

As a vampire, Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) works for Bromley Marks, a powerful corporation that remains at the top of the list for the largest blood supplier in the United States, as the Chief Hematologist. With help from his trusted colleague, Chris (Vince Colosimo) Edward plans to invent a blood substitute to salvage what’s left of the human population. But the first human test for the blood substitute is a failure, after the test subject is forced to suffer a painful death.

The world’s blood supply is running low, and without a proper feeding source, the vampires will transform into subsiders, a mindless and feral creature. Fearing the worst, Charles Bromley (SamNeill), Edward’s boss and the owner of Bromely Marks, urges Edward to work out all the kinks for the blood substitute.

The vampires are forced to deal with a dwindling human population and a shortage of blood, and recent projections uncover a startling discovery: the vampires will run out of blood in less than a month, if Edward and his team are unable to perfect a new substitute. Edward pushes for a cure, but Mr. Bromely is more concerned with making money from blood sales. On top of that, Mr. Bromley rejects Edward’s proposal to use the substitute as a primary source of blood with the promise of allowing humans to roam free in a vampire world with no worries, because customers will always pay extra for the “real thing.”

With a limited number of options in front of him, Edward takes a risky chance, when he agrees to join a vampire resistance movement. Audrey Bennett (Claudia Karvan) and Lionel “Elvis” Cormac (Willem Dafoe) work with other dedicated team members to find a cure to end the vampire plague once and for all. Elvis plans to use sunlight for the cure, and Edward is willing to help with the tests.

But Edward’s brother is a loyal and dedicated solider in the US Vampire Army, a force dedicated to hunting all humans for the never ending harvest. Frankie Dalton (Michael Dorman) makes a promise to Mr. Bromley: he will bring Edward and his partners to justice for his crimes as a traitor. And Mr. Bromley needs some help with his estranged daughter, Alison (Isabel Lucas), so he asks Frankie for a favor. With each passing second, the world’s blood supply is running low, and Edward is running out of time to come up with a cure, as military search parties monitor his every move……

Ethan Hawke is a solid leading man, as the conflicted hematologist, who’s motivated by a newfound sense of morality. Willem Dafoe delivers an entertaining performance as Elvis. Elvis is a cocky warhorse, who won’t back down from a fight, and Dafoe brought an enjoyable sense of humor to this character. Claudia Karvan’s Audrey isn’t bad at all, but in the grand scheme of things, her character is a third wheel most of the time.

Sam Neill’s Charles Bromley is your typical greedy and soulless business tycoon, who’s obsessed with making more money at all costs. Neill is a suitable fit for this character, and Bromley is a respectable antagonist. Dorman’s Frankie is a shameless loyalist to Bromley and the vampire population. You can see Frankie’s change of heart coming from a mile away, but Dorman’s performance is decent enough. Isabel Lucas? I can’t say too much about her, because Alison is limited to a few sporadic appearances here, so it’s not fair to judge Lucas’ performance.

I appreciate the noticeable attempts to authenticate Daybreakers’ all vampire world. Vampire patrons have the choice of adding blood to their coffee, and of course, the amounts of blood are regulated to 5% during the blood shortage. At the subway station, you’ll see an Uncle Sam-esque poster urging citizens to join the US Vampire Army, so they can help with the hunt for humans. Cars feature a “daylight” mode, so vampires can drive safely in the daytime, and each car is equipped with dark tinted windows and monitors to see everything on the outside.

And you get to feel the burden of unwilling vampire citizens, who can’t live with the guilt of feeding on humans. The movie opens with an intro of a small vampire girl, who commits suicide by sitting outside during sunrise, and in her journal, she explains how she couldn’t live with the shame anymore.

Will Daybreakers change the landscape of vampire films forever? No. No it won’t. In fact, I think it’s safe to say Daybreakers is on the forgotten list for vampire films, and this one was released in 2009. You can blame some of that on the influx of vampire films over they years (same thing happened with zombie flicks), because Daybreakers is stuck in a crowded bunch now. On the flip-side, Daybreakers succumbs to a lot of familiar genre tropes and a few generic characters. It’s a shame, because Daybreakers could’ve been that one film that changed everything.

Still, Daybreakers is a satisfying treat for horror fans. I’ll give credit, where credit is due, because Daybreakers takes a refreshing chance on being something different. Daybreakers gushes blood as a viscerally violent vampire flick, and the disgusting finale should please any gore fiend. Daybreakers is one of my personal all-time favorites from any genre, and if you love vampires and bloody horror, you NEED to give Daybreakers a try, because it’s worth the time.

Rating: 7/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Night Of The Scarecrow (1995)

Spoilers.....

After a lengthy hiatus, Claire Goodman (Elizabeth Barondes) returns to her hometown of Hanford. Here, Claire has a tense reunion with her bitter father, Mayor William Goodman (Gary Lockwood). Claire befriends a local farmer named Dillon (John Mese) after Dillon's heated confrontation with Danny (John Hawkes), one of Dillon's more disgruntled workers.

At the Mayor’s house, Dillion is introduced to the entire Goodman family one by one. Dillion meets the town sheriff, Frank Goodman (Stephen Root), his wife, Lorraine (Cynthia Merrill), and their two children Toby and Martha; the town priest, Thaddeus (Bruce Glover), his wife, Barbara (Martine Beswick), and their daughter, Stephanie (Cristi Harris); and George (Dirk Blocker), who lives alone on a farm after the death of his wife, Doris.

Claire tries to ignore the friction with her father, so she can enjoy a happy and peaceful reunion with her uncles, but The Goodmans are forced to deal with a bigger problem. One night, a drunk Danny and his buddy, Ben (Robert Harvey) accidentally disturb the tomb of an evil warlock. After Danny urinates on a post with The Scarecrow (Howard Swain) attached to it, The Scarecrow comes to life, determined to complete one mission: Murder all The Goodmans, and anyone, who tries to stop him.

After Thaddeus survives an attack from The Scarecrow, Thaddeus explains the dark history behind The Scarecrow’s past. Over one hundred years ago, Silas Goodman led The Goodmans to Hanford. Under Silas’ guidance, The Goodman’s settled in and founded Hanford. But infertile soil and harsh winters destroyed all the crops, and eventually the entire town was stuck in a period of famine with no help, until a warlock offered his help. Using his evil spell book, The Warlock (John Lazar) made a deal with Silas, promising to restore the soil and provide more than enough food to feed the town. In return, The Warlock was free to do anything in Hanford with no restrictions or questions asked.

As the desperate leader, Silas agreed to The Warlock’s terms to save his people. Eventually, The Warlock used his black magic to corrupt the townspeople, so Silas drugged The Warlock’s drink one day. With help from other Goodmans and the townspeople, Silas crucified The Warlock, and to leave no room for error, Silas and others burned The Warlock’s body. The Warlock’s spirit was confined to a scarecrow, and his bones were buried underground in a sealed tomb.

For protection Silas stole and hid the evil spell book, and as the oldest living Goodman, William received the spell book as a gift. Motivated by revenge as a scarecrow, The Warlock has returned to retrieve the hidden spell book, because The Scarecrow can use the spell book to reunite his bones with flesh for a return to the living world.

During the chaos, Mayor Goodman is more concerned with protecting a lucrative land deal for Hanford’s first shopping mall, and William sees an easy target for a scapegoat in a hot-headed Dillon. Claire struggles to locate the spell book, as The Scarecrow wreaks havoc in Hanford. Failure isn’t an option, because if The Scarecrow succeeds, The Warlock will return as a powerful and unstoppable force.

I’m used to seeing a few generic and clichéd characters in a slasher film, but Night Of The Scarecrow has a bad case of overkill in this department. Claire is the innocent good girl, who transforms into the unlikely heroine as the movie progresses. Mayor Goodman is the typical greedy and corrupt politician. George is the angry booze guzzling drunk, who totes a shotgun. Thaddeus is the self-righteous priest. Dillon is the guy, who inexplicably falls for the leading lady (Claire), he’ll do anything to protect her, and Dillon forms a team with Claire to fight The Scarecrow. And I can’t forget about Danny, because he’s the one guy, who’s a jerk to everyone, so when his character is killed off, you either don’t care or you’re happy he’s dead.

Although, Stephanie is a nice refreshing change for this cast of characters. At first glance, you’ll get the impression Stephanie is pure and harmless as a priest’s daughter, but behind her father’s back, Stephanie is a loose and promiscuous teenage girl, who’s in a secret relationship with her boyfriend, Danny.

And yeah, the characters are clichéd and generic, but you’ll see the familiar faces of a few veterans here. Root gives one of the better performances, but Root also had more breathing room to work with as Frank, because Frank is the conflicted sheriff, who’s torn between doing the right thing, and obeying strict orders from his overbearing brother (William). Overall, the cast isn’t bad, and Barondes is a decent leading lady.

Night Of The Scarecrow’s mundane through the motions predictability really annoyed me at times. The most obvious choice is Claire and Dillon surviving. You knew both of them would make it to the end after some big, epic battle with The Scarecrow, and they did. You knew Frank would find a way to return after a fight with The Scarecrow, and he did. And of course, two people (Stephanie and Danny) are murdered after an attempt at sexual intercourse. To make things worse, you have that one person (Stephanie), who unknowingly flirts with the killer, until they open their eyes to witness their own demise.

The horror clichés? Oy vey. You name it, and you’ll see it in Night Of The Scarecrow. Frank’s cop car won’t start TWICE, as Claire and Dillon are trying to make an escape. Victims fall down while running, Danny and Ben disturb The Scarecrow, when Ben clearly senses something is wrong, and during the finale, you have the miraculous Hail Mary comeback from Claire and Dillon.

Still, if you’re the type of horror fan, who enjoys mindless fun, Night Of The Scarecrow is a passable guilty pleasure film. Night Of The Scarecrow is loaded with some really gruesome and creative kills, and you’ll see some genuine cringeworthy moments (i.e. The Scarecrow sewing Thaddeus’ mouth shut…ouch). Night Of The Scarecrow is a corny B-movie slasher flick with some hilarious one-liners, including Claire’s “How bout some fire Scarecrow!” during the finale. But I’ll warn you now, if you watch Night Of The Scarecrow with a serious mindset, you’ll have a miserable viewing experience, and I’m pretty sure you’ll hate yourself for taking the time to watch this one.

Rating: 5/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Trick 'r Treat (2007)

Spoilers......

Trick ‘r Treat is a horror anthology film, and characters from different storylines interact with one another every now and then, so I’ll do another separate synopses and my thoughts after each one breakdown review. Trick ‘r Treat is set on Halloween night in the small town of Warren Valley, Ohio, and the story follows various residents in Warren Valley, who encounter a series of bizarre and supernatural disturbances throughout the night. And yeas, this step by step synopses/breakdown of Trick ‘r Treat is in chronological order.

Intro- Emma & Henry

Emma (Leslie Bibb) “hates” Halloween, but her husband, Henry (Tahmoh Penikett) is a devout believer in Halloween and the traditions attached to the holiday. After a stroll Warren Valley’s annual costume parade, Emma pushes Henry to remove all the decorations before her mother arrives for a visit. Henry warns Emma about breaking the sacred rules during Halloween night, and Emma learns her lesson the hard way, when a tiny enforcer/demon named Sam (Quinn Lord) decides to teach her a lesson she’ll never forget.

My Thoughts: Shocking. That’s the one word I would use to describe this storyline. This was a GREAT opener for Trick ‘r Treat, and the image of Emma’s demise is more than capable of pulling a reaction out of you. You knew something bad would happen to Emma after she blew out the candle in the jack-o-lantern, but it wasn’t so easy to predict the severity of her punishment. Sam’s plan? After Henry takes some time to watch a dirty movie inside, Sam waits for the right moment to attack Emma, while she’s alone. Henry awakes from his nap to find Emma crucified as a scarecrow. Limbs dangling, Halloween lights wrapped around her body, blood everywhere. It’s a real nasty sight. This opener sets the tone for Trick ’r Treat, because you know you’re about to see a movie with some sick and twisted stuff, and more importantly, this opener establishes Sam as a lethal threat.

Principal Wilkins

Steven Wilkins (Dylan Baker) is the town Principal for Warren Valley’s elementary school. Steven lives alone with his son, Billy (Connor Christopher Levins), but unbeknownst to other Warren Valley citizens, Steven lives a secret life as a cold-blooded serial killer. For his first victim on Halloween night, Steven poisons young Charlie’s (Brett Kelly) candy, but Steven runs into some problems during Charlie’s burial in the backyard.

My Thoughts: Dylan Baker is an ideal choice to portray the nerdy and quirky outcast, but there’s a dark side to his character here. Steven receives a dose of his own medicine later on, but there’s a genuinely surprising twist here. Throughout the early stages of Steven’s story, Bill constantly badgers Steven into carving a jack-o-lantern. When Steven is finished with Charlie, Steven accompanies Billy to the basement, so they can start on the jack-o-lantern together…but Steven and Billy aren’t carving a pumpkin. No, they’re carving Charlie’s severed head. And Billy puts an extra effort into carving out the perfect eye holes.

Another good swerve. Two thoughts ran through my mind after the first time. 1. Billy’s going to discover his dad’s secret, and freak out. Or 2. You know, Billy carves out a normal jack-o-lantern from a pumpkin. Steven teaching his own son how to kill, dismember, maim, and torture helpless victims? Yeah, I didn’t see that one coming.

Scavenger Hunt

Led by Macy (Britt McKillip), Chip (Alberto Ghisi), Schrader (Jean-Luc Bilodeau), Sara (Isabelle Deluce), and Rhonda (Samm Todd) take a trip to an abandoned rock quarry to test the limits of an old legend. Years ago, after receiving a collective payment from their parents, a school bus driver was ordered to murder eight mentally ill children by driving the bus into the quarry head first.

Although, before the bus driver hit the gas pedal, one of the eight chained children escaped, and drove the bus off the cliff. The bus sunk to the bottom of the quarry, killing the eight children, and the bus driver mysteriously disappeared after the incident. Throughout the years, this tragedy was dubbed the School Bus Massacre.

Macy has plans to summon the zombified versions of the eight children by collecting eight jack-o-lanterns, and using them as peace offerings for the children. But a harmless hoax takes a turn for the worst, when something unholy emerges from the depths of the quarry.

My Thoughts: As the leader, Macy is the “mean girl” in the group, so she decides to pull a prank on the geeky outsider, Rhonda. With Chip, Schrader, and Sara’s help, Macy tries to scare Rhonda with costumes resembling the eight children. Rhonda is frightened, but things go too far, when Rhonda bumps the back of her head on a rock after a fall, but it’s not over yet.

Schrader puts a stop to the prank, because Rhonda is freaking out, but during Rhonda’s hysterical meltdown, the REAL School Bus Massacre children emerge from the lake. The jack-o-lanterns can protect anyone against the eight children, but Macy defiled the ritual by kicking a jack-o-lantern in the water. Rhonda locks herself in the only elevator that’s capable of reaching the top of the quarry, clinging to her jack-o-lantern like a hunk of precious gold. For revenge, Rhonda rides the elevator back to the top alone, leaving the rest of the group to suffer horrible gruesome deaths at the hands of the eight children. As Rhonda ascends to the top, she gives a cold and unapologetic wave good-bye.

Jaw-dropping stuff. After a while, you knew it was only a matter of time before the real School Bus Massacre children showed up. But Rhonda abandoning everyone else? Yeah, it’s another Trick ‘r Treat twist that hit me like a slap across the face. It’s easy to feel sympathy for Rhonda, but her willing decision to let everyone suffer a painful end really caught me off guard.

Laurie’s First

At a young age of twenty-two, Laurie (Anna Paquin) is still waiting for her “first.” With some prodding from her older sister, Danielle (Lauren Lee Smith) and her two friends Maria (Rochelle Aytes) and Janet (Moneca Delain), Laurie agrees to attend a party deep in the woods with a wide variety of men for different tastes. But during the trip to her big night, Laurie is stalked by a masked man with fangs.

My Thoughts: With all the teasing and sexual innuendos, you’re lead to believe Laurie is about to lose her virginity, and she’s beyond terrified about the big night, but that’s not the case. At the party, Laurie attacks her mysterious stalker. Here, it’s revealed Laurie, Danielle, Maria, and Janet are werewolves, and Laurie isn’t looking to lose her virginity, she’s looking for her first kill as a werewolf. If you’re jaw doesn’t hit the floor after Lauire’s revelation, then you’re apart of a tough, tough crowd.

Mr. Kreeg VS Sam

Living alone with his dog, Mr. Kreeg (Brian Cox) is a miserable codger, who loathes Halloween. Mr. Kreeg uses his dog and a glowing mask to scare trick-or-treaters into dropping their bags of candy at his doorstep, so Mr. Kreeg can have all the sweet goodies to himself. But Mr. Kreeg is stuck in a life-or-death fight, when Sam invades Mr. Kreeg’s home to punish the grumpy old grouch for his crimes during Halloween.

My Thoughts: Trick ‘r Treat set the bar high with the previous shorts, the film needed to end with a bang, and Mr. Kreeg VS Sam didn’t disappoint at all. During the fight, I seriously had no idea, who would come out on top, as Mr. Kreeg struggled to defeat Sam. It’s funny, because Sam constantly toys with Mr. Kreeg at first, but when Sam prepares to deliver the final blow with his pumpkin lollipop, Sam decides to walk away? That’s right. Sam uses his lollipop to remove and eat a candy bar from Kreeg’s chest, and he causally strolls out of the house like nothing happened. It’s a baffling conclusion, but everything changes, when some old friends (more on that later) from Kreeg’s past show up.

Summary: Director/writer Michael Dougherty packs a plethora of genuinely surprising twists into Trick ’r Treat, and he uses a smooth interweaving technique to connect the dots with each storyline. And more importantly, Dougherty never clusters everything together to the point where you get the feeling you’re watching a clumsy attempt to be too tricky failing before your very eyes. No, Dougherty carefully moves the pieces of the puzzle into place, and Doughtery’s is able to drop a layer of clever hindsight on each storyline.

A prime example for clever hindsight is Mr. Kreeg’s storyline. During the beginning, Mr. Kreeg insults Steven in his backyard, as he’s burying Charlie. Moments later, you see Mr. Kreeg BEGGING for help from Steven’s POV. To return the favor word for word with a cold shoulder, Steven responds with “Screw you,” and Steven walks into his house without looking back. After Steven leaves, an anonymous attacker strikes Kreeg. Later on during Kreeg and Sam’s fight, it’s revealed Sam was the anonymous attacker.

And Laurie’s First is my favorite storyline in Trick ‘r Treat. Dougherty’s set up for this twist was perfect. Laurie is strolling through the woods by herself. The masked stranger reveals himself as a vampire, and he bites Laurie on the neck. Seconds later, a body falls into the campfire party with Danielle, Maria, and Janet. You think it’s Laurie……but you see a terrified Steven. Steven posed as a vampire with fake fangs (earlier in the film, Steven murdered a young woman during the parade using the fangs), but in a shock, Laurie turned the tables on him. Steven was such a despicable and cowardly lowlife weasel, and he FINALLY got a taste of his own medicine in the end. Oh, and Marilyn Manson’s “Sweet Dreams” was a nice fit as a background song for the nightmarish ambiance during this scene.

It might take some time, but I can picture Sam gaining a loyal fanbase, as the next true horror icon. Sam doesn’t speak a word in Trick ’r Treat, but his menacing presence casts a dark shadow over each storyline throughout Trick ’r Treat. And those who disrespect Halloween in any way, shape, or form, will suffer the consequences after learning an unforgettable lesson from Sam.

If you love horror and Halloween, Trick ’r Treat is a MUST-SEE. Most horror anthology films suffer one big problem: Inconsistency. Well I can tell you, Trick ’r Treat doesn’t suffer from this problem. Trick ’r Treat is loaded with enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat, dark humor, bloody gruesomeness for the gore fiends, and enough spooky atmospheric tension to provide a handful of bone chilling moments. It’s a festive treat with everything any die hard horror fan could possibly ask for, and after one viewing, you’ll understand Trick ’r Treat’s strong cult following. I can’t wait for Trick ’r Treat 2!

Rating: 10/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Grave Encounters (2011)

Spoilers............

Paranormal investigator Lance Preston (Sean Rogerson) leads his team to Collingwood, an abandoned psychiatric hospital with a dark past, for another adventure. As the host of Grave Encounters, a paranormal reality show, Lance receives support from his team to film the latest groundbreaking episode. Sasha Parker (Ashleigh Gryzko) is the occult specialist, Matt White (Juan Riedinger) is the equipment tech, T.C. Gibson (Merwin Mondesir) is the cameraman, and Houston Gray (Mackenzie Gray) is the psychic medium. As the executive producer, Jerry Hartfield (Ben Wilkinson) anxiously awaits the footage from “Episode 6.”

The crew benefits from Kenny Sandavol’s (Bob Rathie) guidance as a caretaker, and Lance learns more about the history surroduning Collingwood with some help from Morgan Turner (Shawn Macdonald), a historian, who’s the most reliable expert on all things Collingwood.

The team prepaers to film Episode 6, and Lance wants to capture a strong sense of realism for the new episode, so Sandoval agrees to an eight hour lockdown during the night with no interruptions. During the early stages of filming, Lance’s mission to uncover the secrets behind Collingwood’s hauntings is just another a harmless and routine episode of Grave Encounters, but as the hours pass, open windows and blocked exits point to signs of a bigger problem: the crew is not alone in Collingwood. Evil forces lurking in the quiet hallways will stop at nothing to eliminate the entire crew one by one, and Lance is forced to come up with an escape plan before it’s too late.

Decent enough cast, but two unlikable characters annoyed me. He changes towards the end, but during the first half of the film, Lance is a smug douchebag, who walks around this inflated (and undeserved) ego. Houston Gray? He’s a pompous nitwit (Gray is actually a trained actor in real life), you can sense the phoniness from his persona as a “professional” psychic, and Gray‘s tacky emo look doesn‘t help anything. T.C. is the most annoying character here, because he’s always whining about everything, and it‘s not fair to judge Wilkinson‘s Hartfield. You’ll see Wilkinson during the intro, and that’s it.

Another found-footage horror film that relies on the route formula of a paranormal reality show crew investigating an abandoned and haunted building? Seriously? And of course, the crew tries to stage all the scares, but everyone freaks out, when the REAL ghosts show up. Ugh. I won’t go on another one of my long rants here, but it feels like I’ve seen the same movie fifty times or more.

Anyway, Grave Encounters deserves credit for staying true to the documentary POV. Faces are blurred during interviews, the one on one interviews feel natural (i.e. Lance interviewing Gary Crawford, a contractor, who witnessed an unexplainable attack on one of his employees), and there’s a nice intro featuring Lance, Sasha, and Matt to set up Grave Encounters. Also, Grave Encounters opens the window for a “breaking the fourth wall” dynamic. Lance bribes a local gardener named Javier Ortega, so he can lie about a fake ghost sighting, and Lance devises his fair share of strategies to catch the best shots, so he can stage the best scares.

The stupid stuff is kept to a minimum here, because after a series of attacks, Lance realizes escape is the only option for survival (initially, Lance was determined to stay no matter what, because he wanted to capture all the chaos within the asylum). Still, Grave Encounters succumbs to familiar found-footage horror tropes. You’ll see the shaky cam stuff, for the most part, predictable jump scares that are easy to telegraph, and Lance refuses to leave the cameras behind, because Lance is motivated by a moral duty to show the public the footage.

Truth be told, I was ready to trash Grave Encounters with no mercy, but the spooky stuff kicks in around the thirty-three minute mark. The crew finds a petrified Matt in a room full of bathtubs (Matt mysteriously disappeared earlier), and he’s wearing a hospital gown. The crew rescues Matt, but T.C. is pulled into a bathtub full of blood by a girl, who slit her wrist in the same tub years ago. The crew dumps all of the blood out of the tub, but T.C. disappears with the girl.

After a while, the crew realizes there’s no clear path for escape from Collingwood. Exits are blocked by moving concrete walls, and jumping out of the window isn’t an option, because the fall will kill anyone, who tries. And there’s a creepy scene, where Lance spots a bloody tongue on the floor. Lance looks up, and there’s a tongueless demon perched in the far corner of the ceiling. Good stuff.

For the finale, Lance and Sasha are the only remaining survivors, but Sasha is showing signs (vomiting blood) of an unknown illness, and Sasha disappears in a cloud of steam. Lance is alone, and he accidentally discovers a hidden room in the tunnels. Evidence (a skull, candles, evil scriptures, etc.) suggests the room was used to perform satanic rituals, and a team of ghostly surgeons catch Lance. They perform a lobotomy on him, and to close out the film, Lance, with fresh blood running out of his eyes, signs off as the host of Grave Encounters.

Strange. During the first half of Grave Encounters, I almost fell asleep a few times, because the boredom was too much. But Grave Encounters hits you with a strong mule kick, when the evil forces show up. Although, I can’t ignore the stupidity of trusting Matt. CLEARLY there’s something wrong with him. The guy is in a hospital gown, he’s talking to himself, and Matt is visibly disturbed. During the search for an exit, Matt is just dead weight, and he’s obeying orders from the evil forces. In the end, Matt commits suicide by jumping down an elevator shaft. Matt’s suicide provides a jaw-dropping moment, but it’s frustrating to sit back and watch the rest of the team trust Matt, when they know something is wrong with him.

Is Grave Encounters perfect? No. It’s not. Grave Encounters isn’t a groundbreaking film at all, and you won’t see any freighting jump scares here. So if you’re expecting something “different,” you should look for another film.

Still, when you compare it to other found-footage horror abominations (i.e. The Devil Inside), Grave Encounters is a respectable entry in the crowded sub-genre. The cast is decent enough, you’ll some genuine gross-out moments here (the aftermath of Matt’s suicide, a deranged Lance eating a rat, the tongueless demon with a bloody mouth, Sasha vomiting blood, etc.), and when all hell breaks loose, Grave Encounters delivers a good amount of suspense and eerie tension. On top of that, the finale is a real nail-biter, and Grave Encounters ends with a nice cliffhanger, because the tantalizing unanswered questions will leave you wanting more.

Rating: 6/10

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

American Hustle

I love movies about con artists. Robert Redford and Paul Newman in THE STING. Leonardo DiCaprio‘s portrayal of Frank Abagnale Jr. in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. These kinds of characters bring film to life. It’s like watching a great mystery unfold, but secretly hoping Professor Moriarty can pull one over on the great Sherlock Holmes, if only just this once. Cons are charismatic, driven and above all else come from the background of an underdog – which is why we empathize so well with them – but on the same coin represent the antithesis of the “American Dream”. There’s are the stories you don’t want your children learning from: that if you want something bad enough, all you have to do is be clever enough to take it.

Enter Irving Rosenfeld, a New Jersey glass salesmen, dry cleaner owner, part-time art dealer, and small-time con artist. Christian Bale steps into the character of Irving, delivering his second 2013 performance that will likely earn him an Oscar nomination (OUT OF THE FURNACE). After this year, I believe Bale may be one of the least type-cast character actors in Hollywood. From Bruce Wayne to Alfred Borden to an “American Psycho” there seems to be no persona he cannot master. And yet Bale isn’t even the best actor in AMERICAN HUSTLE – not even the best con. Amy Adams has had an interesting 2013, struggling as a shallow Lois Lane in the disappointing MAN OF STEEL reboot (I blame the writer), but she totally finds her place here as the stripper-turned-hustler Sydney Prosser. This is Adams’ best role in already stellar career, and it’s worth seeing the flick just to watch her character’s evolution.



I won’t spoil the art of the con here, but Irving and Sydney fall in love, pretend to have associations with a British investment company, and steal cash $5,000 at a time away from poor fools just looking for a quick loan. After an FBI bust that puts Sydney in prison, Irving strikes a deal to assist agent Rickie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) in bringing down white collar criminals across the state. This quickly gets out of hand as the determined detective goes after Jersey’s white knight mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner), transforming into a long-con that involves the mob, several members of US congress, Irving’s wife Rosalyn – played by the magnificent Jennifer Lawrence – and love triangles convoluted by an inability to trust anybody involved with the deal. It’s a great story that had me hooked for the entire 138 minute run-time.

The acting chops of HUSTLE’s cast are just incredible. Bale, Adams and Cooper all deserve a nod from the Academy for best actor/actress, and I’d be astounded if J-Law didn’t pick up an Oscar for supporting actress. Jeremy Renner might be in that equation as well. David O. Russell both wrote and directed the film, and it was fun watching the SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK crew come back together for another outstanding project. Every actor associated with this film did a terrific job, and the finished product was one of those rare “this is why I go the theater” reactions. That includes a surprise guest appearance from my current favorite stand-up comedian.

AMERICAN HUSTLE is one of those movies I love writing reviews about, because it’s just so darned easy. I get to gush about the genre, the actors, their performances, the story – everything was done perfectly, and it makes my job effortless. The film makes a great case for “Movie of the Year”, and will be competing alongside some truly great last-minute candidates. I had all but given up hope for 2013, as the first half of this year was void of meaningful storytelling, save for one or two gems. Christian Bale has, in part, changed my mind.

Verdict: Two Thumbs Up

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Out of the Furnace
Directed by: Scott Cooper
Written by: Brad Ingelsby and Scott Cooper

OUT OF THE FURNACE is a dark and gritty drama following a soft-spoken man named Russell Blaze. Russell works a blue-collar milling job in the Rust Belt, in a town clinging to life one day at a time. An unfortunate accident lands him in prison while his father is on his deathbed, the mill is in danger of shutting down at a moment’s notice, and his younger brother Rodney is serving his fourth tour in Iraq. Everything is falling apart around Russell, and for the entirety of this two-hour journey things continue to get worse.

Spoiling the significant events that occur throughout this film would be a crime. The plot is simple, sometimes overly so, and I’d rather just leave it at that. What really matters is the tone and feel of OUT OF THE FURNACE. It’s utterly dismal, and director Scott Cooper takes so many steps to make sure you never quite feel hopeful about any character’s future. In one form or another Russell loses everything that matters to him, and the slow, painful journey to the final scene is constantly depressing.

So what makes the movie worth watching? Sad for the sake of being sad is just masochistic.

Our lead protagonist Christian Bale is at his best work in years here; maybe ever. He plays a simple guy just trying to make it from day to day, living with the consequences of his actions, and doing the best he can to take care of his troubled younger brother. Bale doesn’t overact or try to bring too much personality to the character. He’s not Bruce Wayne, John Connor, Alfred Borden or Patrick Bateman, but a quiet every-man symbolic of a blue-collar class of people that experience pain in their every day lives. He’s every bit as run down and dreary as his surroundings, but his will to carry on has that “American Dream” feel you can’t help but be inspired by.

Christian Bale is damn good in OUT OF THE FURNACE, but it’s not as if he has to put the film on his back and carry the cast and crew to the finish line. He is surrounded by a brilliant host of great actors, directors, writers and producers. Casey Affleck steps in as Rodney Blaze, the younger brother who can’t stay out of trouble and has a major issue adjusting to civilian life. He’s got a chip on his shoulder and a “you owe me one” complex that could be considered contrived, but neither would he be wrong, all things considered. Zoe Saldana plays the ex-girlfriend who leaves Russell while he’s in prison, hooking up with the local sheriff. Her moments in the film are brief, but she steals every minute she gets with one of the best looks of empathy in the business. The always brilliant Willem Dafoe is here, until he’s not any more. And then there’s Woody Harrelson, the man who brings with him all the color the others seem to be missing. Harrelson plays the big baddie; a drug addict, AAA crime boss and head of an underground human fighting ring, and boy is he awesome.

Behind the scenes you’ve got Scott Cooper directing and co-writing. Scott won two Oscars in 2009 for his last picture CRAZY HEART, including the career-affirming win that Jeff Bridges had been chasing for decades. He might be going 2-0 here, as both Christian Bale and Woody Harrelson should be in the running for best actor/support acting, as well as a medley of other possibilities. And of course a crew is only as good as its production team, with OUT OF THE FURNACE held together by a huge list of names. From Riza Aziz, who also did work for THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, to Ridley Scott and a few members of his team, to Leonardo DiCaprio, who is having himself a pretty stellar year.

There’s certainly a lot of experience here, even with the newer Scott Cooper at the helm, and it certainly shines through in the overall product. OUT OF THE FURNACE feels almost out of place in 2013, as it takes its time getting from one scene to the next. I was never bored, but I don’t think the film much cared what I thought, as it had a tone as stubborn and self-reliant as those who inhabit its run-down towns. The people, the places, and the drama all felt incredible real, largely due to Christian Bale’s performance, but a big heaping of responsibility falls on the atmosphere the film provides. It almost had a slice-of-life feel, as if I was looking down on something that had been going for long before I got there; as if I could return in five years time to check up on Russell. And I think that maybe I will.

Verdict: Two Thumbs Up

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Frozen
Directed by: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Written by: Jennifer Lee

Disney has found unparalleled levels of success with their standard Disney Princess formula, churning out some of the best and most profitable animated features in history. But this year, their instant hit FROZEN looks to break down some of the walls put up by one too many Cinderella stories, even taking some time to poke fun at its past.

Anna and Elsa are sisters, princesses of Arendelle, who become estranged after the later, older sister fails to control her developing magical power. Elsa, voiced by Broadway legend Idina Menzel, is locked away to keep Anna (Kristen Bell) safe, and when the king and queen of Arendelle die suddenly, the two are forced to grow up orphaned in the same empty castle. When Elsa comes of age, people from all across the land – including various foreign royalty – come to witness the coronation of a new queen. After the ceremony, the sisters get into an argument as Elsa, who was kept completely ignorant of Anna’s mysterious abilities, demands to know why she has spent her entire life alone. Again Elsa is unable to control her powers, terrifying their guests and the townspeople with a display of her icy witchery . Fearing the backlash, she quickly flees into the mountains, her grief freezing the entire land of Arendelle in a permanent winter.

The bulk of FROZEN sees Anna journey through the snow-covered forests and mountains, accompanied by an oddball assortment of allies that includes a magical snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad), Kristoff the ice merchant (Jonathan Groff) and his reindeer Sven. This is where the movie falls into familiar territory, with the unlikely team encountering all manner of ridiculous situations. They all have some fun quirks that keep the story going and provide material to sing about, like Olaf’s impossible obsession with summer.

The music in FROZEN is something I feel Disney is really proud of, but it’s also a bit different than most of their past work. Maybe it’s just that I’m used to Idina Menzel singing, but a lot of the tracks felt taken directly out of a Broadway musical. Take one of the film’s major recurring tracks, “For the First Time in Forever” – it’s full of exposition and sounds fantastic, but if you close your eyes Anna and Elsa could easily have been replaced by Wicked’s Glinda and Elphaba. Fortunately, different isn’t necessarily a bad decision; “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” is incredible, emotional and perfectly frames the story of the two sister’s childhood. There’s throw-away tracks like “Fixer Upper” that I just didn’t get into, but overall the soundtrack is one of Disney’s best since the mega-hits of the 1990s. What’s surprising, but completely welcome, is that Kristen Bell not only keeps up with Idina Menzel, she really carries a huge bulk of the movie.

As I mentioned, Disney also includes a fair bit of progression in their storytelling with FROZEN. Pretty early on Anna meets a picturesque blonde-haired prince that she falls madly in love with. They are quickly engaged, which actually leads to the falling out of the two sisters, but the whole relationship comes off as an amusing jab at past Princesses like Snow White or Cinderella, whose love interests are ridiculously shallow. They turn that formula on its head throughout FROZEN, and the conclusion includes a really nice twist; a proper “take that” on behalf any girl who’s been told she “needs” a man to save her.

FROZEN is a movie about two sisters that at times can fill as contrived as any animated kids feature. But it borrows from some really good source material, and while the plot could have hinged on falling in love like the vast majority of films in its genre, FROZEN completely shrugs of patriarchy to tell its own story, with a fun twist on the age-old “true love” trope. The music is mostly great, with at least two songs standing out, and a great cast of voice actors round out what will surely be an instant Disney classic for the holiday season.

Verdict: Thumbs Up

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Thor: The Dark World
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Written by: Christopher Yost, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

The best thing about the latest installment in the Marvel film franchise is that after seven, now eight movies based around The Avenger’s in the past five years, the series still feels fresh. THE DARK WORLD had a fantastic team of different perspectives that came together to make this project, from Game of Thrones and Mad Men director Alan Taylor, to animated super hero writer Christopher Yost, to Chris Markus and Stephen McFeely, the team behind the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA trilogy. All those different styles come together quite nicely, as this entry both feels like a Thor movie, but separates itself from the pack at the same time.

After the events of the first film, and with minor references to the Battle for New York, our Asgardian prince has been spending all his time re-uniting the nine realms as their sworn protector. After trying to conquer Earth Loki has been imprisoned, while Jane Foster remains on Earth with her snarky sidekick Darcy and their brand new intern Ian Boothby (played by British actor Jonathan Howard). Natalie Portman and Kat Dennings still make a pretty fantastic dynamic duo, bringing some much needed comedic relief to the table. Chris Hemsworth is even more jacked up than he was in the first THOR, and Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki continues to steal the spotlight in all his scenes. In fact, he probably has the most interesting journey in terms of character development from beginning to end.



THE DARK WORLD’s villains are a particularly nasty brand of ancient evil known as the Dark Elves, whose leader Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) seeks revenge on Asgard for the destruction of his home and its population. To do this, Malekith must absorb an even more ancient power called the Aether, which is essentially pure darkness that’s been around longer than the known universe. This power was taken from Malekith during the first war by Odin’s father, and locked away deep inside an unknown tomb where nobody was ever supposed to find it (apparently it can’t be destroyed, because you know…plot). So of course, who should stumble through a rift in time and space and become one with an ancient evil but our very own Jane Foster. This is made possibly by the alignment of the nine realms: an incredibly rare happenstance that occurs once every thousand years or so. It sounds kind of complex, but the team does a good job of simplifying the nonsense that truly doesn’t matter, and focusing on moving the story forward.

The rest of the movie is a race to protect Jane from Malekith, defeat the ancient evil, and stop all the nine realms from falling into complete and irreversible darkness. It takes place mostly off Earth, which is an extremely welcome change to every single one of the Avengers films so far. Here we get to see Thor and his comrades in their natural environment. That is, kicking all sorts of ass, and looking really cool while doing it. The sequel is a bit darker than the first THOR, if you couldn’t tell by the title, and that also helps to keep the series fresh when it could have gone bad so easily by this point. It’s nice to see so many dedicated crews of talent coming together to make each of these movies feel truly special.

It is interesting to me that the creative minds behind the Marvel dynasty are letting each character have their own films, especially after they came together for The Avengers. Chris Evans has a brief (and hilarious) cameo which I wont’ spoil, but this is truly a Thor movie from beginning to end. With London all but destroyed and the Dark Elves settling in for victory, it felt like a perfect time to bring in Iron Man or Hulk, or at last a few SHIELD agents to help save the day. There’s one moment at the end that would have been particularly good for Hulk to show up utilize his unparalleled strength. I’m not saying it’s a negative thing that THE DARK WORLD was all about Thor, because this is one of the best entries in the series so far. If anything, it just goes to show how highly I’m anticipating the second cross-over in 2015.

THOR: THE DARK WORLD ranks as one of the best Avenger’s Initiative films in the now eight-film-long collection, and gives a ton of hope for THE WINTER SOLDIER, and the peculiar GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY project that is a huge unknown at this point. I don’t know that it was better than the original THOR, but I will say they are both fantastic for separate reasons, and at the very least I enjoy them both just as much.

Verdict: Thumbs Up

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Ender’s Game
Directed by: Gavin Hood
Written by: Gavin Hood

Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat: No, ENDER’S GAME the movie was not as good as Ender’s Game the 1985 science fiction novel by Orson Scott Card. It was never going to be. Those who went in with that level of ridiculous expectation surely left disappointed. It’s like expecting Peter Jackson to out-do Tolkein. Even with three movies at 14+ hours of cumulative material, Gavin Hood and his team didn’t have a chance.

That said, was ENDER’S GAME any good? Did it stand on its own? Did it do justice to what is arguably the greatest science fiction work since Frank Herbert’s Dune? In order: yes, sort of, and not really.

OSC’s mid-80s classic is a story about a small boy named Ender Wigger, who lives in a post-war totalitarian world and is both a product of, and a slave to the government. His journey is intensely emotional, as Ender is torn from his family, isolated from the very start, and forced to run rigorous tests and brutally physical battles for hours on end, every single day, at a moment’s notice with little rest. And that’s nothing compared to the mental toll going to war takes on a young boy, especially one tasked with annihilating an entire alien species, with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance.

The film tries to capture the spirit of its source material, but ultimately I was left feeling like Gavin Hood simply took all the scenes that made for good Hollywood special effects, and left the rest. To his credit, there’s no way to tell the entire Ender’s Game story in two hours. It’s a relatively short novel, but there’s so much going on with so many deep, troubled characters that they really had to pick and choose what could and should make it into the final cut. And the characters really are what bothers me most about the adaption.

Asa Butterfield plays Ender, and with him I take no issue. He’s already proven himself more than capable with films like HUGO and my personal favorite, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS. The veterans are also totally capable, including long-time science fiction legend Harrison Ford, playing the cold Colonel Graff, and Ben Kingsley, whose presence in the film is kept brief. That’s very smart; there’s a lot to do, and he’s not essential to the flow of the film. It’s the rest of the kid actors that really make ENDER’S GAME a chore at times. When Asa is speaking, the movie is fine. When just about anyone else interacts with him, the inexperience of the nearly all-child cast is blatantly obvious. I don’t think Orson really designed his iconic piece of fiction with the foresight that young teen actors generally suck at acting. Hailee Steinfeld’s Petra Arkanian isn’t terrible, for what it’s worth.

In the book, Card’s ability to define and detail individual characters is what makes Ender’s Game incredible. The whole thing is less than 400 pages (on average, depending on the actual size of the book), and it will take just a long afternoon to get through, but by the end you really feel like you know all the different players. Valentine and Peter Wiggen, Ender’s siblings, are relegated to a few short scenes. Their roles as Locke and Demosthenes are completely left out in order to steamroll through Ender’s journey from student to commanding officer. Most of the battles, which are told in vivid detail in the book, are summed up with a few stylish action shots. While they do get across the message that Ender is a tactical genius, his team isn’t hand-picked, there’s no real drama between any of the characters, and you don’t get the feeling the Battle School is a living, breathing place. The Giant’s Drink, one of the most important aspects of the novel, is summed up in a few minutes.

enders-game-poster-imax-lead
The ultimate “Noob Tube”. Eat your heart out Call of Duty fans.
Even though the film is two hours long, ENDER’S GAME feels incredible rushed. There’s no stopping for character development; no slowing things down to explain major plot devices. Key tools like the Ansible and the “Little Doctor” are thrown in with very little explanation. I imagine if you’ve never read the book, the movie probably leaves you with more questions than answers. I barely invested myself in the film, and I re-read Ender’s Game annually. Even the Formics – the alien race that wasn’t even labeled as such until later on in Card’s series – don’t feel like a clear and present danger, because so little time is spent profiling them. Characters aren’t the only aspect of the film that get the shaft either. Core themes from the novel are glanced over, as there’s very little emotional depth until the movie’s final scenes.

Despite my overwhelming frustration with what Gavin Hood did wrong, there are some things to be enjoyed from ENDER’S GAME. The movie is gorgeous, but I’m tired of using that as an excuse for action flicks with poor writing. It’s 2013 – everything coming out of Hollywood is gorgeous. What few montages we did get of the Battle School’s war games were fun. I’ve been imagining those fights in my head since I was a boy, so it’s crazy to think the technology is out there now to make those dreams into a pretty solid looking reality. They honestly could have gone on for two hours just about the various armies and the different battles Ender has to win, and I wouldn’t have minded. They are such an important part of making him who he becomes.

So ENDER’S GAME is largely disappointing, when compared against the original book, and I think we all expected that. But there are some really impressive scenes in the film, and Asa Butterfield’s performance is worth watching; that kid has some serious potential and his future looks very bright. That being said, if you love any of the other major characters – Beans, Peter, Valentine, Alai, Dink, Bernard – you’re likely going to be disappointed by how much of an afterthought they are. Only Petra and Bonzo really get any major screen time, outside of Ender and the cast of adults, obviously. After seeing some of their performances, that’s maybe not a terrible thing though. I don’t envy any director who has to work with that many young actors, and I think Gavin Hood did a decent job with what he had to work with, including a two hour time frame.

Just, don’t expect to live out your childhood fantasies of Bugger wars, zero gravity battles and neuro-reality games with giants. For that you’re going to need to pick up the book and dust off your imagination. Even the 13th time it’s better.

Verdict: Meh.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Grave Encounters 2 (2012)

Spoilers.........

Alex Wright (Richard Harmon) is a young film student and director, and he’s a passionate horror fan. Alex reviews Grave Encounters 2011 for a video blog post, and Alex dismisses Grave Encounters as another lame low budget horror film. As time passes, Alex notices a few red flags in the production credits, and Alex develops an obsession for Grave Encounters.

Alex believes Grave Encounters was a real film with real ghosts, spirits, demons, and deaths. The entire crew from Grave Encounters is missing, and a visit to Lance Preston’s (real name Sean Rogerson) mother doesn’t help anything, because Lance’s mother is suffering from a bad case of dementia. Alex runs into another roadblock after a meeting with an uncooperative Jerry Hartfield (Ben Wlikinson), the executive producer of Grave Encounters. Although, Alex receives a helping hand via YouTube messages from an anonymous source named DeathAwaits666. DeathAwaits666 invites Alex to a meeting at Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital at 3:00 am sharp, and Alex agrees. Grave Encounters is the number one priority on Alex’s list, so Alex immediately cancels production for his new horror movie.

Motivated by his mission to find the truth, Alex convinces his team to work on a documentary to expose all the secrets behind the first Grave Encounters. Alex receives support from his cameramen Trevor Thompson (Dylan Playfair) and Jared Lee (Howie Lai), a camerawoman named Tessa Hamill (Stephanie Bennett), and Jennifer Parker (Leanne Lapp), the lone actress in the group. A pesky security guard (Sean Tyson) is determined to ruin Alex’s movie at Collingwood, but Alex and his team are forced to deal with a bigger problem, when DeathAwaits666 attacks.

The group struggles to locate an exit in Collingwood’s tricky maze, and the situation becomes more complex, when a feral Sean Rogerson appears. For nine years, Rogerson survived in Collingwood by eating rats, and Rogerson had more than enough time to study Collingwood’s layout, and Rogerson is the only one, who can anticipate Collingwood’s traps. After years of searching, Rogerson found a big red door wrapped in chains on the lower levels of Collingwood.

The red door could lead to the only exit in Collingwood, so Alex and his group team up with Rogerson. The evil forces of Collingwood eliminate members of Alex’s team one by one during separate attacks, and Rogerson’s erratic behavior worries Trevor. Alex plans to escape Collingwood with all the recorded footage intact, but an unexpected request complicates a life-or-death dilemma…….

Sean Rogerson delivers the best performance here, easily. I’m not saying Rogerson deserves an Oscar or a Golden Globe, but he’s the best in a mediocre bunch. The dirty and hairy wildman look helps, and Rogerson is believable as the deranged recluse.

Grave Encounters 2 takes a more serious approach to breaking the fourth wall. The movie opens with an intro of random video bloggers (including Alex) praising and trashing Grave Encounters 2011, and Alex does some research to find more info for the whereabouts of the cast members and crew, who worked on the original film. At Collingwood, Alex and his team retrace the original crew’s steps to analyze and explore the mysteries behind their deaths and disappearances.

Every now and then, the approach to be more realistic annoyed me for one big reason: Grave Encounters 2 is too full of itself. There’s a scene, where Alex pins a hidden camera onto his clothes during a meeting with Hartfield at a film studio. Alex had plans to force a confession out of Hartfield about the truth behind Grave Encounters, but Hartfield wouldn’t budge an inch. Anyway, during the scene at the studio, Hartfield constantly praises his own brilliance for deceiving the viewers, and the genius behind his plans (using The Vicious Brothers, the writers and directors of the original and the screenwriters for the sequel, as interns, using no-name actors and actresses for the original, etc.) to produce Grave Encounters.

On top of all that, I rolled my eyes during a few scenes at Collingwood. Alex and his crew are dissecting the What-ifs behind the events of Grave Encounters, and you can feel a sense of amazement from the main characters, as they’re studying the deaths of everyone from the first film (i.e. T.C. being pulled into the bathtub full of blood). Look, I enjoyed Grave Encounters 2011, but let’s not kid ourselves here. At BEST Grave Encounters was an above average found-footage horror film/guilty pleasure. So it’s kind of annoying, when the sequel constantly pats itself on the back with a “Hey! We’re smart!” smile.

What’s behind the red door? Freedom. Well, not for Rogerson. It’s nighttime, and the remaining survivors are sleeping. Jared and Tessa are dead, Jennifer and Alex are sleeping together, and Trevor takes a trip to the bathroom. Meanwhile, the evil forces of Collingwood order Rogerson to kill Trevor. Moments later, Rogerson murders Trevor. Jennifer and Alex need the bolt cutters to break the chains on the big red door, and they use Rogerson’s map to navigate Collingwood’s tricky maze to find their bag of tools.

At the red door, the evil forces reveal their plans. First, someone has to finish Rogerson’s movie, and release the finished product to the public. Second, the evil forces will only allow ONE person to leave Collingwood. During the fight to the death between Rogerson and Alex, the evil forces open a vortex in the wall, and Rogerson is sucked into the abyss. Alex and Jennifer are the sole survivors…..but Alex remembers the request. A demented Alex bludgeons Jennifer to death by repeatedly smashing the camera into her face. The red door opens, and as Alex leaves, the door crumbles behind him. As the sole survivor and a free man, Alex walks into an open field outside of Collingwood. Eventually, a wandering Alex is arrested by two cops in the middle of a busy street.

Alex murdered Jennifer for two reasons. He wanted to be the sole survivor, and he wanted to give Jennifer her perfect death scene (earlier in the movie, Jennifer stresses the importance of having the perfect death scene). To close out the movie, a disturbed Alex is sitting next to Jerry Hartfield, and they’re discussing Alex’s recorded footage for Grave Encounters 2. Hartfield corrects his mistake, when he reminds everyone Grave Encounters 2 isn’t a real horror film (to open the original, Hartfield told the audience the truth, when he stressed the authenticity of Grave Encounters).

A few problems here. First, why did Alex transform into this sociopathic murderer out of nowhere? He’s fighting Rogerson to the death to protect Jennifer, and a few moments later, he obeys the forces in Collingwood, and he murders Jennifer? The same woman he swore to protect and rescue throughout the movie? I don’t get it, and I don’t care how you spin it, Alex murdering Jennifer, and joining forces with Hartfield at the end doesn’t make any sense. Second, why, WHY would you trust Rogerson? We’re talking about a mentally disturbed guy, who’s been locked inside a haunted hospital for nine years, and he’s been eating live rats to survive. You trust this guy? Unbelievable.

So let me get this straight, as an aspiring horror filmmaker, Alex wants to do something different, because he’s tired of generic and formulaic horror films. Okay, so you decide to make another found-footage/documentary “This actually happened in real life!” horror film? Seriously?

Also, there’s a HUGE gap in logic for Alex’s motivations to find out more about Grave Encounters. If you believe everything in Grave Encounters 2011 is real, why in the name of all things holy would you risk your lives and your friends/crew’s lives to discover the truth? If we’re following Alex’s thought process, he KNOWS demons, ghosts, and other evil forces control Collingwood, and you’re going to dive head first into the madness?

And there’s no way around this, but Alex isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. I get the point of needing some inside info to help with your research on Collingwood, but you’re going to trust an anonymous YouTube user named DeathAwaits666???? Of course, DeathAwaits666 is an evil spirit, who makes an appearance via Ouija board (Alex finds the Ouija board, and DeathAwaits666 uses the board to spell out the name. Yeah, we’ve all seen this trick in numerous horror films so many times) at 3:00am, and DeathAwaits666 attacks everyone surrounding the Ouija board. They should’ve changed DeathAwaits666 YouTube name to ImGoingToKillYou@3am for more laughs.

Grave Encounters 2 won’t set the bar for successful horror sequels, but the follow-up film features a few redeeming qualities. The spooky tension inside Collingwood helps the sporadic scenes of terror, a few gross-out scenes are guaranteed to pull a reaction out of you (Rogerson eating a live and struggling rat…..yuck), and the death scenes are brutal (i.e. Trevor’s death scene, Jared’s death, and the security guard’s death scene. To give you more info, the security guard is electrocuted to death, and his convulsing body catches fire), and the big red door really works as the most ominous and creepy image in Grave Encounters 2.

To add to that, there’s a scene, where Trevor, Alex, and Jennifer “escape” Collingwood. They go outside to see Jared’s lifeless body (an evil spirit pushed Jared out of a window on the top floor) on the hood of the security guard’s car. Together, the group jumps in Alex’s car, and they drive back to the hotel to gather their belongings.

They step in the elevator, and as the camera cuts away, you can see this weird emotionless look on a maid’s face. The elevator descends to the final stop, but when the doors open, the group doesn’t see a lobby in front of them. Instead, they’re in the underground tunnels of Collingwood. Here, it’s revealed the group never left Collingwood. The escape was just an illusion. Grave Encounters 2 suckered me in with this fake-out scene. There’s a sense of relief, when Trevor, Alex, and Jennifer escape, but they pull the rug out from underneath you at the last second, and the timing was perfect. Good stuff.

The snooty superiority complex is annoying at times, I can’t ignore the stupidity (Alex is responsible for 90% of the idiocy here), and the lame farting gag is cringeworthy, but Grave Encounters 2 is a decent enough sequel. Bottom line, if you're a fan of the original, you should enjoy Grave Encounters 2, because they stick to the same blueprint for the most part. Plus, you won’t leap out of your seat, and crouch on the ground with your eyes covered, but Grave Encounters 2 delivers a solid jump scare (if you need a sneak peek, just look at the box cover at the top), and yes, that’s a noticeable improvement over the first film.

Rating: 5/10

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Gothika (2003)

Spoilers..........

Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is a dedicated psychiatrist, and she’s trying to help a troubled patient. Chloe (Penelope Cruz) pleads her case to Miranda, but Miranda dismisses accusations of rape within the hospital as paranoia from Chloe’s mental illness.

At the same mental hospital, Miranda works with her boss and husband, Dr. Douglas Grey (Charles S. Dutton), another psychiatrist named Pete Graham (Robert Downey, Jr.), and Phil Parsons (Bernard Hill). During a stormy night, Doug’s best friend and the town Sheriff, Sheriff Ryan (John Carroll Lynch) instructs Miranda to take a detour on the routine trip home to avoid a dangerous sinkhole.

On the back roads, Miranda spots a petrified girl standing in the middle of the street. Miranda tries to help, but the girl catches fire out of nowhere. The flames engulf Miranda after the girl touches her, and Miranda is the victim of an unexpected blackout.

Miranda awakes in the mental hospital, but she’s not a doctor anymore. Miranda is wearing a hospital gown, and she’s locked in her cell as a patient. Confused and desperate for answers, Miranda learns the reasons for her imprisonment from Pete: Doug was murdered on the night of the storm, and Miranda is the prime suspect.

As a patient, Miranda is forced to rely on Chloe and Pete as allies, and Chloe’s stories about a mysterious attacker could lead Miranda in the right direction, and give her the answers she‘s looking for. And a bitter Sheriff Ryan won’t stop until he punishes Doug’s killer. Phil takes control of the mental hospital after Doug’s death, and Miranda tries to learn more about the girl in flames. Is Miranda a cold-blooded killer, who snapped and murdered her husband? Or is Miranda the victim of an uncontrollable and deadly demonic possession?

Halle Berry delivers the best performance as Miranda Grey. Miranda Grey is a broken and confused woman, who’s struggling to find some solace in her life after an unspeakable tragedy. Berry is head and shoulders above everyone else in this cast, as the rattled widow, who’s determined to uncover the truth, and Berry will convince you to believe in Miranda’s side of the story.

Penelope Cruz provides the second best performance in this cast, as the unhinged victim with a quirky sense of humor. Robert Downey, Jr. is decent enough as Pete, and it’s not fair to judge Charles S. Dutton’s performance as Doug. Doug has ONE scene within the first ten minutes of the movie. After that, Doug’s appearances are limited to sporadic flashbacks, and that’s it. And John Carroll Lynch is harmless as Sheriff Ryan. You’ll see his true colors during the finale (more on that later), and there’s a scene, where Sheriff Ryan loses his cool during a tense Q & A session with Miranda, but one outburst isn’t something to brag about.

Who’s the girl in flames? It’s Phil’s deceased daughter, Rachel. Rachel’s death was an apparent suicide, but Miranda escapes the hospital to search for the truth. Miranda’s investigation leads her to Doug’s farmhouse in Willow Creek, Rhode Island. In a secret underground lair, Miranda discovers a torture chamber with a bed. Here, Miranda learns the truth: Rachel didn‘t commit suicide. Instead, Rachel and other young girls were Doug’s victims in a series of brutal sexual assaults and murders.

For years, Doug lived a double life kidnapping and killing young girls, and Miranda never suspected anything, because Doug embodied the persona of the perfect husband. As a ghost, Rachel used her powers to possess Miranda. Under Rachel’s influence, Miranda killed Doug.

But it’s not over yet. As a warning sign, Rachel carved “Not alone” in one of Miranda’s arms. Miranda couldn’t figure out the meaning behind this warning at first, but everything comes together towards the end. Rachel was trying to drop a hint about Doug’s partner in crime, or his disciple.

During an awkward conversation with Sheriff Ryan in her jail cell, Miranda finally puts the pieces of the puzzle together. As Doug’s best friend, Sheriff Ryan was Doug’s accomplice, and Ryan is the one, who continuously raped Chloe, because Sheriff Ryan had easy access to the mental hospital. And Miranda used Sheriff Ryan’s tattoo of a woman in flames (Anima Sola) as a crucial clue to expose Ryan as the second killer (Miranda also spotted the tattoo during a rape involving Chloe at the hospital).

Sheriff Ryan tries to attack and kill Miranda, because she has the evidence to convict Ryan. But Rachel’s ghost shows up at the last second to help Miranda during the fight. Rachel uses her powers to burn Sheriff Ryan, and Miranda uses a gun to kill Ryan with one shot to the head. To end the movie, Miranda and Chloe embrace as free women, and Chloe thanks Miranda for her help. In return, Miranda thanks Chloe for opening her eyes.

My thoughts on the big reveals at the end? It’s a double-edged sword for a few reasons. Yes, BOTH reveals are genuinely shocking. First, Miranda unknowingly wanders into this dungeon of horrors to learn about the other side of her husband’s double-life, and Berry did a job of selling the surprise with this horrified and shocked look on her face.

The Sheriff Ryan reveal was executed to perfection. Miranda and Ryan are just sitting together, and they’re having this casual chat. But Miranda uses her skills as a psychiatrist to analyze Ryan’s personality, and in a matter of moments, Miranda realizes Ryan is the disciple. It’s a good swerve, because one minute you get the impression Miranda and Ryan are one step closer to solving the mystery of the second killer together. But Miranda is forced to fight off a crazed Sheriff Ryan after his confession.

The bad side? Two big plot holes. Okay, so if Rachel uses her powers to burn Ryan alive, then why did she possess Miranda, and force her to kill Doug? When you stop and think about it, possessing Miranda was unnecessary, because Rachel had the power to kill Doug AND Sheriff Ryan by herself with no help.

Also, I’m supposed to believe NOBODY at the hospital notices the town Sheriff, who removes his shirt to reveal the big tattoo on his chest, and his suspicious behavior? You know, the guy, who constantly “sneaks” in and out of the hospital on a weekly basis. Seriously? Sorry, but Gothika opens the gap in logic problems, when they show off the complex security system.

Gothika is far from perfect. The preposterous stuff (i.e. Miranda’s escape from the hospital) and the plot holes will annoy most people, and Gothika has an infamous legacy as a panned turkey. But I guess I’m in the small crowd of twenty people, who actually enjoy Gothika.

Yeah, I know it’s loaded with problems, but Gothika features an intriguing murder mystery, and the constant twists and turns will keep you guessing until the very end. Who’s the culprit? Is it Pete? Chloe? Or is Miranda a ruthless murderer, who waited for the right moment to unleash her rage on Doug? The answers to Miranda’s questions aren’t so easy to figure out, because Gothika constantly shifts the spotlight to different suspects throughout the movie.

Plus, Gothika doesn’t rely on tons of blood and gore to get the job done, and that’s a refreshing change for mainstream R-rated horror films. During a flashback, Miranda relives Doug’s murder, and you can see Doug’s bloody legs twisted behind him, but it‘s a quick shot, so you barely see anything. And when she returns to the house, Miranda has a vision of herself sitting in a bathtub full of blood, but that’s it, because you won’t see anything too gross or extreme in Gothika.

Rating: 6/10