Hallonween II (1981)

The original sequel to Halloween starts right where the first one left off.   Michael Myers is still alive and still hunting down poor Jamie Lee Curtis who's on the way to the hospital.   The film is more like your typical slasher flick with the death toll higher and some of the scenes being lamer (like the nudity shot of the nurse in the hot tub).  What makes it a good part two is John Carpenter and Debra Hill's brilliant twist toward the end that makes it all worthwhile.  Rich Rosenthal directs and while he does a decent job I can't help but wonder how John Carpenter would have handled the film, considering he is one of my favorites.  Grade: B+

Top Ten Horror Films (Commentary)

Happy Halloween!  As I eat my trick or treaters or . . . I mean, greet my trick or treaters I thought it would be fun to list the best of this goulish genre known as Horror.

10. The Descent (2005) - Being trapped is terrifying, but being trapped in a cave deep in the Earth where there's no where to go but down is horrific.  To double the fear add monsters.   Some advice: don't see the USA cut with the awful ending.  The UK version is fantastic. 

9. 28 Days Later (2003)  - Danny Boyle re-invents the zombie movie with rabid, fast moving Zombies that hunger for the living.  Cillian Murphy is great and the empty streets of London are eerie.  One of the better zombie movies made this decade.  Skip the sequel though. 

8. Dawn of the Dead (1978) - George A. Romero's sequel to the Night of the living dead.   Who better to expand on the idea of zombies, subtly adding social commentary, then the guy who made zombies more than just voodoo people.   

7. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - The terrifying remake starring Donal Sutherland that had me thunderstruck when I saw it.  Is there anything scarier than a loved one or friend suddenly being different?

6. Hellraiser (1987) - Clive Barker's most beloved horror fantasy about a puzzle box that opens the door to Hell, where its gate keeper, a demon without a name (but we know him as Pinhead) enacts pain on he or she that opened the door.  The sequel is pretty good too. 

5. The Thing (1982) -  John Carpenter really out does himself with a horror film that works as a film noir too.  Ground breaking special effects and a fantastic cast help make this one of my favorites. 

4. Night of the Living Dead (1968) - Creepy in black and white, Romero's original still packs a punch.  One of the best endings to a zombie movie ever, actually it's one of the best endings to a film no matter the sub-genre.

3. The Ring (2002) - Sure it's a remake of a terrific Japanese horror film but there's something about this film that really hits you in the gut.  The visuals are perfect and beautiful and as creepy as I've ever seen.   The twist at the end leaves a haunted feeling that just gets worse. 

2.  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) -  When I first watched this movie I couldn't believe it.  It really grabbed me by the throat and held me hostage.  Leather face is the monster Jason wishes he could be. 

1.  The Blair Witch Project (1999) -  For me, this is the first film that really scared me.  It builds so wonderfully that by the end I couldn't control myself.  Goosebumps spread across my body when we see that last image.  Personally there was something about those film makers too, they reminded me of friends I knew (I was the same age) and I just could relate.  Some people dislike the shaky camera but for me it works. 

Honorable Mentions
The Exorcist (1971) -  Yes, it's frightening but it's also really slow.  I will say though the version with the Spider-walk scene is the one to see.   The sound work and the acting and the make up are so gruesome it makes you believe in exorcisms. 

Paranormal Activity (2007) -  I'm going to wait to put this on the list because I want to see how it all pans out.   What I will say is that if there's one film that will knock off one of the above top ten films it's this one.   What a terrifying event.

Black Christmas (1974)

Bob Clark of A Christmas Story fame directs and writes the best Christmas-themed horror film ever made, a film that chills one to the bone.  Made years before Halloween, this is the one that really inspired the Slasher genre but in some ways its more complex.  The story is about a crazy maniac that sneaks into a Sorority house and calls the house after every kill to vent or unravel like a crazy maniac does.  The phone calls are what really freak you out, with the multiple voices and the strange back story that is mysterious as the killer.  Not to ruin the film for you but the end really is special.  Don't miss it.  Grade: A.

The Children (2008)

A dark and effective horror film that shouldn't be missed by those who love the genre.  I had a problem with some of the obvious forehadowing moments but flaws aside this is a gruesome gem.  A family of five drive out to the English countryside to visit their mother's sister's family for Christmas.  Their son vomits when they arrive and they assume he was car sick.  But next the littlest cousin becomes sick too and the horror begins to build with excellent tension and satisfying evil.  The main character is the teenage girl, who is the first to realize something is going on with the children.   Who will believe her though?  The writer and director, Tom Shankland delivers the goods here and I'm curious to see what else he might have in development.  Grade: B+.

Spoiler:  As stated above there are some flaws that nagged me enough to keep it from an A rating.  First is the use of the "disappearing pet" cliche.  Really?  The second you see the cat you know it's going to be tortured.   Secondly I always hate it when the main character can't just tell everyone what is going on.   She knows the children have become evil but doesn't say anthing, supposedly because she's in panic mode.   I guess that would explain how stupid she becomes at the end of the film, choosing to pound on a solid wood door instead of breaking the window, climbing outside and rushing to help her mother.   Still there's some wonderful implied violence and build up.  At the end you're led to believe the teenage girl is next which begs the question: is it because, no matter how grown up she thinks she is, she's just as much a kid as her siblings; or does this evil zombie like disease up from the youngest to the oldest, eventually turning adults as well.  I like endings like this that let you're imagination continue the story.

The Seventh Victim (1943)

Horror films of this era are really not that scary and a lot of the time I think they're not horror films at all.  This one produced by Val Lewton and directed by Mark Robson is mix between film noir and horror and I enjoyed how it unraveled.  It's the story of a young woman, named Mary, who leaves school to find out what happened to her older sister, Jacqueline?  What's especially twisted about this story is there's nothing really violent about it but there's an invisible psychological threat hovering over the central characters.  Check it out if you enjoy film noir with a sense of doom.  Grade: A-

Spoiler:  The scene that really affected me the most was when Jacqueline is being told by the Satanic worshipers that she must drink the poison.  It's a tense scene because you really think she might do it and the idea that a group could pressure you into killing yourself is a subtle but evil concept.  I didn't expect this film to go where it did.

Vampyr (1932)

This partly silent film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer, who a film earlier delivered upon this world the classic film The Passion of Joan of Arc giving us one of the greatest performances by an actress ever, here dabbled in Vampires.   It's a slow film but with great frightful textures.  Not for anyone who dislikes dramatic silent films.   Grade: B+

At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul (1964)

José Mojica Marins becomes Coffin Joe in a Brazilian horror film about an evil undertaker who kills people and seems to enjoy it.   He wants to find a woman to bear him a child but ends up leaving a trail of dead people.   Yet the forces of nature will have their justice of him and the spirits will have their revenge, even if he laughs in their face denying their existence.  While dated, his vileness is still very horrific and you can see why this first of a trilogy became a classic.  B.

Scream 4 (2011)

Why make another Scream film?  The trilogy is already fine.  Yet to my surprise Wes Craven and crew give us a good reason: play off the remake, reboot trend affecting Hollywood.  The result is a thriller/comedy that's as effective as the originals.   The cameos are fun, the suspense high and the mystery constantly ambiguous.   It was a joy to see the primary cast return and the new additions seem to fit just right.  Not really a horror film (a trend this month for sure) but an exciting horror-movie themed entertainment.  Grade: B+.

Masters of Horror: Pelts (2006)

For my first entry into the Masters of Horror series, I started out with this gory gem directed by Dario Argenta and based on a  F. Paul Wilson Story.  Meatloaf plays a scumbag fur trader.  One of his fur hunters discovers a temple in the forest with many mystical Raccoons.  From those Raccoons is made a fur coat that sends those near it into crazy land.  Lots of fun and short too.  Grade: B+.

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

The third installment in the best series of horror films to be made in the last decade.   Okay, I'm not sure that's true, time will tell, but I am really enjoying what the makers of these movies are doing.  I was a big fan of the first film and thought the decision to make another one very silly.  The second film took me for surprise because it was a great sequel, a sequel that continues the story while at the same time adding to it in a clever way.  But lightning never strikes three times, right?  Wrong.  What we have here is a scary continuation that stands on its own while giving us more back history about the sisters, Katie and Kristi.  If you have not seen the first two films, you must; its better to see the story unfold backward although technically it could work in reverse.  But if you hate being scared or you don't like "found-footage" films like the Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield then you should stay away from this one too.  For me, these Paranormal films are the only ones I've seen in a long while that have actually scared me.  They freak me out and there's not a better communal experience then seeing this in the theater, where everyone jumps and scream at the same time.  Grade: A-

Spoilers:  I do not believe in ghosts or demons.  But these films tickle my imagination and inspire me to doubt my own beliefs, if only for a few hours.  That's an achievement.  For those out there that find these films boring and not scary, I can only assume you're lying or that you lack an imagination.   The reason these films work for me is because they "feel" real.  Sure, I know they're actors.  I understand the gimmick is just that but it works.  When the camera pans back and forth on Dennis' fan contraption the tension is as uncomfortable as waiting for the shark in Jaws pop up.  This is a brilliant film with only a few minor flaws.  (Witches?  That's a little uninspired.)  I can imagine that Paramount will want to keep milking this cash cow and I pray they don't screw it up.   There are a lot of possibilities for a fourth film.  I do wonder if the "let's-tape-everything-while-we-sleep" concept can be stretched out for another film but I have decided to stop second guessing these guys.  They know what they're doing and that's making it hard for me to get to sleep at night.

The Human Centipede: First Sequence (2010)

This is a hard film to write about because my thoughts on it are all over the place.  Unless you've kept your head buried in the sand, you've probably heard about this controversial horror film about a surgeon who sets out to sew three people together mouth to anus as the title suggests.   Yes, it's a grotesque image and for a horror film the idea is brilliant.  I declare it the most horrific idea for a horror film since Freddy Kruger's ability to terrorize dreams.  It's such a creative concept I can imagine every horror writer from Stephen King to Clive Barker are gnashing their teeth in jealousy.  But alas, Mr. Six, the writer and director, botches it.   Maybe worried someone else would attempt a similar themed film, he rushed his into production with a script crammed with cliches and victims who frustratingly act without much believable common sense.  Not that the film is all bad, there are moments of true gruesomeness, scenes that force the viewer to imagine the suffering in a way that would make anyone flinch.  I applaud Six also on having a good visual eye, he knows how to frame and direct a scene.   I just wish the script was better.  But as I write this another question pops up: when did suffering become entertainment.   I'm not saying I think Torture Porn (as this sub genre is coined) is evil and should be banned.   These ideas aren't new.  The Marque de Sade wrote stories filled with debasement like this over a hundred years ago.  I actually think it's healthy for society to have artists like Six to be allowed to explore the sickest and most evil of ideas.  The only problem I can foresee with these movies is that usually the story is about the torture instead of the torture being a result of the drama.  There's only one moment of true drama in this film, and it's at the end and it's so brief it's almost not worth mentioning.   For some with a sick sense of humor, you'll laugh a few times, mostly because what transpires is at times so over the top you can't help it.  You'll probably gag.  You'll not want to eat anything for awhile.   And if you're like me, you'll wonder if such a surgery could really succeed.  The producers of the film say it's 100% medically accurate but this is a big exaggeration.   For a horror film this is certainly going to become a cult classic, but as a film it's pretty much garbage.   Grade: B-. 

Spoiler: Such a film doesn't really deserve much analysis but I can't help it.  I'm really mad at Six for tainting his film with such mediocrity.  First, the two girls are not the best actresses in the world, sure they're fine at playing scarred but in the first parts of the film they're really bad. It doesn't help that the script is so trite. The car-breaks-down-and-the-victims-knock-on-a-stranger's-door-for-help start is a very lame beginning. (Might as well name one of your characters Janet and have the other sing "Damn it, Janet"). Also the villain in this film is great looking and he's probably a fine actor but his character has no other side to him than cruel bastard. Wouldn't it be more horrific if he did what he did out of love, if he considered what he was doing to these poor people a privilege? Instead he acts like some Nazi nut job and that's not very entertaining to watch. It's much easier to brainwash people with kindness than with cruelty. I also like it when I feel a screenwriter is smarter than the viewer, always one step ahead of what the viewer thinks is going to happen. This makes for more tension. I hate it in a movie when the characters make choices that only a complete moron would make. Examples: Lindsay escapes the house but decides to go back to help her friend (who is unconscious). The Japanese guy (section A) stabs the villain in the leg and then tries to escape without using that same weapon to finish the baddie off. The sicko just sewed a woman to you ass and you let him live? I know the Japanese guy is probably not thinking straight after all that he's been through but not to kill your enemy when you have the chance is down right impossible to believe. Then there's the cops who at first act as police investigators should until the end when all their training goes out the door and they don't call for backup. Oh well, I will add one compliment; the last series of images are great, and as the movie closes I kept asking myself will Lindsay survive, and will she want to survive? The paramedics will be able to detach her but her face is ruined and she'll need therapy for the rest of her life. Then maybe I'll need therapy too for watching this movie.
. 

Insidious (2011)

Next to Paranormal Activity 3, this is the other great horror film to come out this year.  Made by James Wan and Leigh Whannell of Saw fame, here we have the kind of horror film that really succeeds at spooking you out.  Instead of a house that is haunted you have a child in a coma who attracts ghosts to come out and scare.  The always good Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne play husband and wife trying to save their son from a demon.   What I admire about this film the most is how they used practical effects to tell their story instead of relying on CGI.  If this film doesn't make you jump just a little bit than your a braver person than me.  Grade: A-.

The Beyond (1981)

I was disappointed in this film because of some buzz I'd read on the Internet (shows you how little you can trust what's written online).   Directed by Lucio Fulci, who made the more entertaining horror classic Zombie, I was excited to see what he did with a new location.   The location is pretty creepy, an old New Orleans hotel and its flooded out basement.   But all the rest is boring, really boring.  No matter how good of a story it might have, every horrific scene is shot without concern of pacing.  You watch a bunch of spiders kill a guy bite by bite for an extended amount of time.   The random killings have no reason and the story about the hotel being a gate way to hell is under-developed in the sake of more zombies.   I did like the final image on screen, an image that really does haunt but that's about it.  If Hollywood wants to make a remake, I say do it, because it couldn't turn out any worse.  Grade: C+.

Phenomena (1985)

Dario Argenta's horror fantasy about a teenage American girl (played by Jennifer Connelly, in a role that proved she was star worthy) moving to a Switzerland boarding school.   With the power to communicate with insects, she sets out to find a killer in the area who preys on young girls.  Atmospheric with a slow pace, it almost doesn't have enough going for it until the end which does succeed at being entertaining.  Too bad the entire film isn't as well paced.  Grade: B-.

The Perfect Host (2010)

David Hyde Pierce stars in this little film that delights.  I had a devilish good time watching bank robber Clayne Crawford become a guest to one of the most memorable dinner parties I've seen on film (the best of course would be The Exterminating Angel, but that's a different blog.)  The man that was Niles Crane dabbles in the dark depths of a new character and the result is a funny dark comedy that's not at all a horror film but who cares.   Many plot twists (most completely ridiculous) keep the film pumping all the way to the end.   Very fun rental, well worth checking out if you like dark comedies with a zany punch.  Grade: B+.

Trollhunter (2011)

Another film of the "found-footage" sub genre, this Noregian entry is a real winner.  I enjoyed this film more than I thought I would.  It's funny, it's exciting and well-made.   Three documentary film makers decide to follow a man who they assume is a bear poacher.  But he's not, as the title states, he's a troll hunter and after he agrees to let them film him the story really takes off.  There's shakey camera moments and night-vision sequences that some people might not like but I'm impressed at how well-filmed it actually is.  I recommend this for anyone who likes fantasy films and enjoys clever use of mythology.  Grade: A-

The Ward (2011)

John Carpenter returns to the director chair in this mild horror film that does what Sucker Punch wish it had.  It's more of a thriller and I wouldn't say its Carpenter's best film, in fact it's not that great really but it was entertaining and did have me second guessing myself.  Nothing really worth praising but it could have been a lot worse. Grade: B.

Spoiler:  I've read some people's reviews of this film saying it copies the plot twist from a film called Identity.  I can see where their coming from but I like how this film is set in an asylum instead of a motel.  Identity felt forced to me but in this one the twist is more believable.  So what I guess I'm saying is even if it is the same plot twist I actually think it works better in this film.  Who cares who came up with it first.  I'm certain Identity wasn't the first story to use the multiple personality twist.

The Final (2009)

I don't know the purpose of this film.  It's anti-bully and at the same time seems to glamorize high-school terrorism.  A film like this made ten years after the Columbine High School shootings seems irresponsible.  I don't care how cruel these "popular" kids were to the five outcasts turned monsters in this film, their night of payback is not justified or entertaining as a horror film.   If the film had been more of a conflicting drama and less a cheaply made torture film I might see a reason for it being made.  Instead what you have here is a bad horror film that lacks any moral complexities.  A slasher flick pretending to be something else, something its makers don't even understand.  Skip this trite, predictable and worthless film.  Grade: C-

Onibaba [Demon Woman] (1966)

This is pure cinema magic, a spell binding fable with dark consequences.  The story takes place during Japan's dark ages as two women survive by ambushing samurai and selling their armor and weapons to a nearby trader.  The young woman is the wife of the older woman's son, who went to war along with a neighbor.  The neighbor returns to inform them that her son and husband was killed.  Sexual tension rises between the two youths and the older woman will do anything to stop their romance.  Enter into the picture a samurai with a freaky mask.  If you hate foreign films, especially old foreign films then stay away from this one, but if you're like me this is a story that will stay with you for many days.  I loved it and thought it had an ending to rival the best of the genre.  Grade: A

Spoilers:  Remake?  I have to admit as I was watching this I thought to myself could this same story be told as an American horror film set during the Civil war.  It might be difficult with the mask part of it but I'd love to see someone try.

Scream 3 (2000)

It took awhile but I finally finished the Scream Trilogy, and just in time to watch the fourth film that's come out on DVD.  Why the wait?  The first time I tried to watch this film, on VHS, the tape was broken and I was too lazy to get a replacement.  The second time, many years later, I was able to watch the first thirty minutes only for the DVD to skip so badly that I gave up.   Then I just forgot about it.  I'm glad I finally finished it though because this is a fun and satisfying conclusion (or so we all thought it would be) of the Scream series.  The new killer is out there trying to find Sydney who is in hiding, and to get her attention Ghost-face kills cast members for the newest Stab film.  What's interesting about these films is that they're not really horror films but comedies that pay tribute to horror films while satirizing the genre and our media obsessed culture.  Here they take on the rules of a Trilogy and its very fun.  Again what I like about these movies is that they always find a way of surprising me.  I have yet to guess who the Ghost-face is.   While the scares are never as good as the first film the comedy just gets better.  Grade: B+.

I Walked With A Zombie (1943)

More of an elegant supernatural mystery than a horror film (at least for today's standards), this film features Zombies in the Voodoo tradition.  A young nurse named Betty (played by Frances Dee, who is really memorable in this movie) travels to West Indies to care for the catatonic wife, Jennifer, of a plantation manager.  Betty uncovers that there was a love triangle set against two brothers and that the woman she's caring for might not be a live anymore. Grade: B+.

After.Life (2009)

Christina Ricci stars in a movie about a teacher who wakes up in the basement of a funeral home and is told by the funeral director, played by Liam Neeson, that she's dead.  She doesn't feel dead but the director explains to her that he has a gift where he can talk to the recently deceased and that she's like most corpses and must come to accept that her life is over.   This film has a lot of promise but gets bogged down by too many story elements.  You have the boyfriend played by Justin Long having to cope with her death and a little boy who was a student at Christina's school.  No one delivers a great performance but at the same time there's nothing really horrible about the film either.  One thing I liked about it is its message that we should all appreciate our lives more than we do.  Grade: B-.

Ju-On: The Grudge (2003)

While I don't understand the curse of this story, I don't think its necessary and maybe that's why this is such a scary film.  Takashi Shimizu directs what starts out as a haunted house film but quickly becomes more.  A social worker visits a house where an old woman is staying with her son and family.  But when she gets there she stumbles upon the tormented ghost of a woman and her son who set out to kill anyone who sees them, no matter where they are.  The haunting is passed from victim to victim and plays out over a few years.  Later remade by the same director as the American film, The Grudge, I recommend just watching the original which is scarier.  I wish I had. Grade: A-.

The Rite (2011)

Anthony Hopkins plays the Vatican's top Exorcists in a film supposedly based on true events from a book by Matt Baglio.  Director Mikael Hafstrom makes a beautiful looking film but the story is pretty boring.  Mr. Hopkins is the only part of this film worth watching and to be honest he's not even that good.   This film's main problem is with the skeptical priest played by Colin O'Donoghan who keeps seeing these extraordinary proofs that possession is real only to deny it over and over again.  I wish it had been as good as the trailer made it out to be.  Grade: B-. 

A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors

Freddy is back in this third installment to the franchise and he's in great scary form.  Here he haunts the dreams of teenagers locked up in a mental ward.  What a delicious idea.  Everyone thinks they're crazy as they die one by one.  Back from the first film, Heather Langenkamp brings some needed consistency as the psychologist who tries to help the group of troubled teens.  While dated it's still creepy fun.  Grade: B+.

Halloween (1978) - Revisited

I purchased the Blu-Ray of this classic film the other day for a good deal and watched it wondering if it would hold up, having not seen it in fifteen years.  All I can say is that I was impressed.  It's as exciting and creepy as it was the first time I saw it and I can appreciate how innovative it was.  John Carpenter didn't invent the slasher genre but its his patience and skill telling a story that makes this the best.  Jamie Lee Curtis plays high school student Laurie Strode who is stalked by an escaped insane inmate named Michael Myers, a maniac who ends up killing everyone around her to get to her.  There's an image that I can't get out of my mind from this film and that's when Laurie is in class and she looks out the window and sees Michael for the first time, standing next to a stolen station wagon looking at her.  He's wearing his famous mask (designed by from a Captain Kirk mask if you can believe it) and he's there, just watching.  Such a simple moment expertly shot.  While this film inspired a lot of clones (and still is inspiring them even today) most never come close to mastering what makes this film one of the best. Grade: A-.

Spoiler: I also want to give props to Nancy Keyes who plays Annie in the film.  She's so natural and funny in the movie it's a shame she has to die because I loved her character.  This leads to one of the primary reasons this film succeeds: no matter how cool Michael Myers is it's his victims that the audience roots for to somehow survive.   Most slasher films follow the easier concept of making their victims unlikeable so you root for the killer.  This is evident in the Friday the 13th movies, were you could careless about anyone and you're just waiting to see how Jason kills them.   How is this exciting? 

[REC] (2007)

A Spanish film that takes from the "found footage" concept, about a reporter who follows a squadron of fire fighters into a building only to run head into a zombie outbreak.   This is a fun and scary film, with top-notch performances and solid effects.  Remade as the American film, Quarantine which I haven't seen.  Grade: B+

Zombies of Mass Destruction (2009)

Zombie movies are great as vehicles for social commentary.  The makers of this film though need to learn subtly.  Much of the "commentary" is heavy handed and worse not that funny.  Probably inspired by Shaun of the Dead's humor, here they attempt to explore our Post 9/11 world with zombies.   You have the Muslim girl who gets kidnapped by her white neighbors who believe her to be a terrorist behind the outbreak.  And you have two gay men trying to survive in a Christian Mob.  These aren't bad ideas but this is a bad movie.   The gore is decent but never fantastic.   Not a complete waste of time but it is pretty forgettable too.  Grade: C+

October Horror Movie Month (Commentary)

October begins my traditional Horror movie month.  I plan to cram as many horror films I can in celebration of Halloween.  It's my favorite holiday and it's my way of getting ready for the spooky season.   The horror genre is one of my favorites because it reaches across every story convention.  There are horror comedies, horror thrillers, horror dramas, over the top Horror B movies and many other sub genres.  I love this about this genre, it's so versatile.  It's the only genre I know of that even when its bad its good.  Sometimes I even crave the bad ones.  I've started picking out a mix of new and old, so here's hoping for a successful run.