This wasn't easy as horror fared a little better on television this year than in the movies. In the year to come i think one hand is going to feed the other and the success of American Horror Story will fuel more horror on television which in turn will help what we see in theaters by the end of 2012. so here we go in countdown format.
10-the Devil's Rock- I had fun with this one I think with a little more money sunk into this it could have more fully realized, though budget aside the monster reveal looked like a throw back from Angel. But any time you have a female Satan you have my vote.
9-the Thing - So it wasn't supposed to be a re-make but a prequel, yet it sure as hell felt like a remake .Lots of eye candy it didn't scare me but was a helluva a lot better than the remakes of Fright night or Let the Right One in. Considering the grudge i have with remakes , the fact it made the list should say something.
8- We are the Night - a trio of Pseudo lesbian Vampires bling it up. The opening scene on the airplane was a great way to open the film, another fun but not scary one , the different take on vampires was enjoyed though i suppose it was like if the L-word was combined with the Vampire Diaries, yet it turned out better than that sounded.
7-Wakewood- This one will sit nicely along side the other late period Hammer Films. It felt very Wicker-man to me , but any movie that deviates from vampires , zombies and serial killers works for me .
6-Red State- Hostel in Jeeeezus name . Nutbags for Christ are pretty scary and i could see this sub-genre catching on. From the guy who brought you Dogma.
5-Hostel 3 - Recently reviewed this, this one caught me by surprise. A straight to video sequel that holds up against the originals.
4-Stake Land- The next four all have their distinct identities . This one was Zombieland with out the sense of humor and the bleakness of the Road. The overlooked gem of the year and the vampires are mean as shit . No sparkle here.
3-The Last Exorcism- why put paranormal activity on the list when you have this one. I like the end and am a firm believer in horror movies should have no survivors or happy endings . I predict the Devil Inside won't be able to touch this one and i won't even bring up the Rite.
2- I Saw the Devil - Since this is number two you can already guess number one if you know me . So some of you can interchange the two and be happy or not . While in some ways this turned into more of a twisted action movie, i think the beginning and end bookend it nicely. This will stand the test of time as a classic.
1-Human Centipede 2 : the Full Sequence- Tom Six, Knew what you wanted and turned it into a beautiful piece of grime and blackness. Take my earlier review and gush over it some more as other viewings allowed me to fully appreciate this. I Saw the Devil set the bar high for this one, but the artistry put behind this is amazing. I already saw the interview with Tom Six and the third film and i would honestly rather see his take on other elements of the genre, but if he out does this film put him up there with Lynch and Hitchcok.
so the break down is
torture porn - 4
vampires -2
devils - 2
monsters -1
sounds about right - look mom no zombies
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Hostel 3
At first glance i was quick to dismiss an Eli Rothless straight to video installment in the Hostel Franchise . It came out under the radar with little press. Not that a hype machine makes for a good film. But after reading an interview with the director on shock til you drop which was the only source i heard anything about this film up til this point. so being a rainy day today so i decided to give it a stream and was presently surprised.
Director Sam Spiegel 's last movie that i had heard of was the underwhelming "from dusk til dawn 2" , so he is building a legacy on picking up abandoned franchises. Hopefully this will break that cycle for him, as he stylistically captured the feel of the first two films.
This film was set in Vegas rather than Europe. Here the company from the first two films sets up shop amid the Vegas neon. They were presented as a more refined hi-tech operation that what appears in the first two films. With out giving away too much of the plot, yes there is one , i can say it's a little more of a betting spectacle, which works well with the setting.
The second remains my favorite, but this one improved upon what the first film set out to do . It cut down the party til you drop pseudo-teen vacation elements of the first one.We get into the meat of the murdering a little earlier on and other suspenseful plot points help move the film along.
As far as torture porn goes this is much more of an hbo after dark fare, more often than not going straight for the kill. What i liked the most about the second film was the sexual undercurrent seemed heightened.Here even though we get a female victim, though the majority of the kills are men, the sexual element seemed like an after though common in like an 890's action movie , in fact the final ten minutes of the film felt a little more like an action movie than a horror film to me.
Overall in a year slim on horror i found this to be a satisfying and fun film, i enjoy the variation even if the gore was diminished as well as the some of the tension a key element in making torture scary was only capitalized on earlier on . the film over came alot of hurdles and managed to win me over even with out being my perfect torture porn movie, which i don't think has been made yet.
Director Sam Spiegel 's last movie that i had heard of was the underwhelming "from dusk til dawn 2" , so he is building a legacy on picking up abandoned franchises. Hopefully this will break that cycle for him, as he stylistically captured the feel of the first two films.
This film was set in Vegas rather than Europe. Here the company from the first two films sets up shop amid the Vegas neon. They were presented as a more refined hi-tech operation that what appears in the first two films. With out giving away too much of the plot, yes there is one , i can say it's a little more of a betting spectacle, which works well with the setting.
The second remains my favorite, but this one improved upon what the first film set out to do . It cut down the party til you drop pseudo-teen vacation elements of the first one.We get into the meat of the murdering a little earlier on and other suspenseful plot points help move the film along.
As far as torture porn goes this is much more of an hbo after dark fare, more often than not going straight for the kill. What i liked the most about the second film was the sexual undercurrent seemed heightened.Here even though we get a female victim, though the majority of the kills are men, the sexual element seemed like an after though common in like an 890's action movie , in fact the final ten minutes of the film felt a little more like an action movie than a horror film to me.
Overall in a year slim on horror i found this to be a satisfying and fun film, i enjoy the variation even if the gore was diminished as well as the some of the tension a key element in making torture scary was only capitalized on earlier on . the film over came alot of hurdles and managed to win me over even with out being my perfect torture porn movie, which i don't think has been made yet.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Human Centipede 2
with his cult classic " human Centipede" Director Tom Six, could have stuck to a formula and had a sequel fans of the torture porn sub genre would have still applauded. but rather than play it safe he took dramatic creative chances, making a black and white with little dialogue . Going into the movie i was aware of these elements. The first film was one of my favorite horror movies of all time and one of that films strengths was Dieter Laser's performance. Laurence Harvey, an unknown was really behind the 8 ball, when it came to measuring up against Dieter. With Harvey's character Six took it in a much different direction and here is where the EraserHead comparison's begin. It some ways it feels like a torture porn homage to the Lynch film. any time David Lynch is an influence i'm all for it . This however is not what the audience expected.
Since the first film, a serbian film was released, and her the heavy metal analogy comes into play, as with metal where the listener need harder faster music to meet their fix, horror requires increased stimulus as you are searching for the grail of what will shock or horrify you more. Six obviously aware comes at it with finesse and hit you like a savvy boxer with different combinations and flourishes than the first film. with the first sequence , there was relatively little gore, this movie picks up the blood and guts or gaping holes in the face, though it shot in a way where this doesn't seem to be the case ,as the black and white gives it a coat of grime.
It wasn't until i was at the end of the film that i realized the actual human centipede had little to do after it's construction took place in the last twenty or so minutes of the film, however i do get Tom Six's thinking of " well they have already seen ass to mouth and adults crawling around in diapers, so lets go this route."
with out giving away to much , the end was not as satisfying as the first film and felt as if it took me into the more predictable realms of the genre, but over all i look forward to more viewing and entering the lush filth of this re-envisioned world and only hope this movie gets more recognition than it has thus far
Since the first film, a serbian film was released, and her the heavy metal analogy comes into play, as with metal where the listener need harder faster music to meet their fix, horror requires increased stimulus as you are searching for the grail of what will shock or horrify you more. Six obviously aware comes at it with finesse and hit you like a savvy boxer with different combinations and flourishes than the first film. with the first sequence , there was relatively little gore, this movie picks up the blood and guts or gaping holes in the face, though it shot in a way where this doesn't seem to be the case ,as the black and white gives it a coat of grime.
It wasn't until i was at the end of the film that i realized the actual human centipede had little to do after it's construction took place in the last twenty or so minutes of the film, however i do get Tom Six's thinking of " well they have already seen ass to mouth and adults crawling around in diapers, so lets go this route."
with out giving away to much , the end was not as satisfying as the first film and felt as if it took me into the more predictable realms of the genre, but over all i look forward to more viewing and entering the lush filth of this re-envisioned world and only hope this movie gets more recognition than it has thus far
Friday, October 7, 2011
American Horror Story
Wow, some real horror on tv ? say it's not so , with Walking Dead more of a post apocalyptic urban sci-fi, not sure how many times i have been afraid watching that show after the first episode, and while American Horror Story didn't scare me per se , it had the right amount of darkness , it felt at times like Six Feet Under and other times something a little more John Water's , but we have ghosts and pyschos which is a good combo in my opinion and who knows what that was in the basement.
The cast great, Connie Britton,from Friday night lights , carried over enough of her charm to play a scorned wife trying to heal from a miscarriage. Denis O Hare from True Blood as the former tenant who killed his family, this part gives it a little bit of a Shining feel and adding another Shining touch is Frances Conroy from Six feet under as the creepy house keeper who is a ghost of some sort as she appears as a hot maid to the dad but as a old woman to others , giving a uncomfortable dynamic to the show ,but in a good ,way , i have seen message boards criticizing the editing , which i thought was solid stylish and creative . i mean at times i think of a horror six feet under meets Shining , which to me you can't go wrong with and any time you bring a gimp into the equation well that speaks for itself.
I have only seen four episodes listed on imdb, so i am hoping it runs longer as an actual shows for ten episodes. so watch it and suport real horror or we will be stuck with teenage vampires in love.
The cast great, Connie Britton,from Friday night lights , carried over enough of her charm to play a scorned wife trying to heal from a miscarriage. Denis O Hare from True Blood as the former tenant who killed his family, this part gives it a little bit of a Shining feel and adding another Shining touch is Frances Conroy from Six feet under as the creepy house keeper who is a ghost of some sort as she appears as a hot maid to the dad but as a old woman to others , giving a uncomfortable dynamic to the show ,but in a good ,way , i have seen message boards criticizing the editing , which i thought was solid stylish and creative . i mean at times i think of a horror six feet under meets Shining , which to me you can't go wrong with and any time you bring a gimp into the equation well that speaks for itself.
I have only seen four episodes listed on imdb, so i am hoping it runs longer as an actual shows for ten episodes. so watch it and suport real horror or we will be stuck with teenage vampires in love.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Dexter Season 6
This is going to contain spoilers for the first episode of season 6 , if you have yet to watch this, go watch it here...http://tubeplus.me/player/1747366/Dexter/season_6/episode_1/Those_Kinds_of_Things/
Dexter might be at the more drama, csi -ish end of what is considered horror, but i think the character of Dexter Morgan, over the past 6 years has taken his place along side the Hannibal Lecters and Norman Bates, he is every much the protagonist as those serial killers are in there respective films and lets face it even the slashers Pyscho paved the way for , does any one every cheer for the teens having sex in the woods that Jason impales or are we cheering for mr . Vorhees?
The first thing very noticeable about the season opener is how fleshed out these characters have become, the cast's chemistry is undeniable. Hall is charming as usual in the lead role, with Friday Night Lights out of the way , and Madmen, not making a come back is any one standing in his way for an Emmy?
like true Blood, we have long veered from the path of the Lindsey books, where supernatural elements had begun to be introduced , at least where i left off , the books are never at the library or on paperback when i have the money for them, though it's a series i would like to continue reading .
This season's theme is very blatant , religion, with the new big bad using Biblical themes in his killing , to Dexter enrolling his son in Catholic school, there is a good balance of story and violence, the snakes in the intestines scene was the high light of this episode, Dexter gets three kills in polishes off an old high school class-mate, i wonder what his body is at i'm sure , it's higher off camera as we don't get the highschool to where the first season began updates in flash back sequences , but if i remember correctly he already had a good collection of blood samples by the time we first see this case, i'm sure there's a site dedicated to that .
the threat of getting caught isn't present , there were of course several tense moments with that last season and a chunk of time has past in between seasons as Harrison is old enough for pre-school. While it's not a cliff hanger to drag you into the season, it was a satisfying start for me and i'm glad he's back on the air, six seasons , should see the show in the twilight years, i can't see it going on as long as Smallville for ten years so would expect next season to sadly be the last , but who knows ,after watching a stream i now have 3 weeks to wait and shows like Supernatural, which will get a review , the Secret Circle and vampire diaries to tide me over, i imagine board walk empire and the walking dead should be cranking it back up as well and another season of Californication should not be far behind. i know those two they aren't horror, but i watch them , both well written.
Dexter might be at the more drama, csi -ish end of what is considered horror, but i think the character of Dexter Morgan, over the past 6 years has taken his place along side the Hannibal Lecters and Norman Bates, he is every much the protagonist as those serial killers are in there respective films and lets face it even the slashers Pyscho paved the way for , does any one every cheer for the teens having sex in the woods that Jason impales or are we cheering for mr . Vorhees?
The first thing very noticeable about the season opener is how fleshed out these characters have become, the cast's chemistry is undeniable. Hall is charming as usual in the lead role, with Friday Night Lights out of the way , and Madmen, not making a come back is any one standing in his way for an Emmy?
like true Blood, we have long veered from the path of the Lindsey books, where supernatural elements had begun to be introduced , at least where i left off , the books are never at the library or on paperback when i have the money for them, though it's a series i would like to continue reading .
This season's theme is very blatant , religion, with the new big bad using Biblical themes in his killing , to Dexter enrolling his son in Catholic school, there is a good balance of story and violence, the snakes in the intestines scene was the high light of this episode, Dexter gets three kills in polishes off an old high school class-mate, i wonder what his body is at i'm sure , it's higher off camera as we don't get the highschool to where the first season began updates in flash back sequences , but if i remember correctly he already had a good collection of blood samples by the time we first see this case, i'm sure there's a site dedicated to that .
the threat of getting caught isn't present , there were of course several tense moments with that last season and a chunk of time has past in between seasons as Harrison is old enough for pre-school. While it's not a cliff hanger to drag you into the season, it was a satisfying start for me and i'm glad he's back on the air, six seasons , should see the show in the twilight years, i can't see it going on as long as Smallville for ten years so would expect next season to sadly be the last , but who knows ,after watching a stream i now have 3 weeks to wait and shows like Supernatural, which will get a review , the Secret Circle and vampire diaries to tide me over, i imagine board walk empire and the walking dead should be cranking it back up as well and another season of Californication should not be far behind. i know those two they aren't horror, but i watch them , both well written.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Deadliest Warrior - zombies vs vampires
Ok , the premise in and of it's self was silly as their was know way a zombie could beat a vampire at anything except most movies made under the same premise,so i think to make it fair it was 37 zombies for every one vampire. it was however entertaining , the most entertaining element was the fact 30 Days of Night Author Steven Niles , was on the show. He gave the guys trying to argue the case of zombies some pretty good looks and his one comment to the defense that zombies could pass the zombie virus on to a vampire was, well vampires survived the black plague and well.. they are dead.. a fact that seemed to go over the heads of most.
Another point in question was when they were trying to reason a vampire could be bled out by a zombie bite on the right artery, i have never heard bleeding out a vampire as a method of killing them, the closest thing is decapitation. i wondered by a better match up wasn't made like dracula vs frankenstein or the wolf -man , i think any horror fan could appreciate adults arguing this on national tv , it's not like it doesn't happen on fan-boy message boards ,but the presentation was cool to watch. overall i think this season of deadliest warrior has been bland, as there has been too much of an emphasis on modern weaponry and guns bore me i want hacking and slashing.
Another point in question was when they were trying to reason a vampire could be bled out by a zombie bite on the right artery, i have never heard bleeding out a vampire as a method of killing them, the closest thing is decapitation. i wondered by a better match up wasn't made like dracula vs frankenstein or the wolf -man , i think any horror fan could appreciate adults arguing this on national tv , it's not like it doesn't happen on fan-boy message boards ,but the presentation was cool to watch. overall i think this season of deadliest warrior has been bland, as there has been too much of an emphasis on modern weaponry and guns bore me i want hacking and slashing.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
bereavement
I have been waiting for this one even though stevan mena's first film malevolence didn't do much for me and this was supposed to be the prequel, the hulu trailer looked good and frankly the screaming busty alexandra daddario was looking too good to pass up.for once being inspired to check out a movie for the hot screaming woman in the trailer paid off. what ever mena learned from the first movies mistakes have really paid off here.
alot of slasher films there is no component that the killing machine in question is crazy enough to do this, the killer here struggles with a wide range of emotion and the twists his actions take can be brutally unexpected . no one is safe this is an indispensable quality in a horror, and it hold true here as well. the tone is dark and real , there are only a few hiccups in the suspension in disbelief , they are clustered around killing at the end , it would be major spoilers but the acting is a little lack luster in the reaction to the stabbing , but this could be nit oicking which i am prone to do , wouldn't say this is as flawless i saw the devil , but i am certain this will make it onto my top ten of the year .
alot of slasher films there is no component that the killing machine in question is crazy enough to do this, the killer here struggles with a wide range of emotion and the twists his actions take can be brutally unexpected . no one is safe this is an indispensable quality in a horror, and it hold true here as well. the tone is dark and real , there are only a few hiccups in the suspension in disbelief , they are clustered around killing at the end , it would be major spoilers but the acting is a little lack luster in the reaction to the stabbing , but this could be nit oicking which i am prone to do , wouldn't say this is as flawless i saw the devil , but i am certain this will make it onto my top ten of the year .
dear god no
Local atlanta film maker Jimmy bickert 's low budget homage to the biker exploitation films of seventies " dear god no " is a blood splattered camp fest. also Bickert not only wrote and directed but stars in the film. it's fun drive in -fare , i like my grindhouse a little more serious but enjoyed it more than over hyped, hobo with a shotgun. while i can appreciate them working with in the confines of their low budget diy ethics ed wood it's not. it stands shoulder to shoulder in the gore department with films like hachet 2 and is more well made than say zombie christ. the sound production is the main problem as bits of dialogue often sound distant and mumbled , this flaw is followed by acting and script...mostly the heavy handed dialogue, show don't tell is thrown out the window, the script could have used a few rewrites, obviously not considered a key component to the film, nor was the audience in attendance there to see anything but boobs and blood, both of which would have made more of an impact with character development. run bitch run did a much better job in this regards and the nudity when it came into play was more effective. the rape scenes seemed obligatory to the genre and carried no sense of menace, though to their credit there were alot of ...oh no are they going to go there moments but mainly from the violence which seemed to be the key components to the rape as well as rest of the movie. Of course iim a lover or rape scenes and find them to be highly erotic and felt the eroticism was absent and never felt the girls were properly debased in a sexual manner.
where the movie shined was the more experimental moments use to capture psychedelia and the camera work used to transition scenes, i think if this attention to detail had been applied through out and perhaps more of a grainy filter and grime to the lighting this would sit well next to the movies it pays tribute to . the lighting at times was too bright and gave the film more of a john waters feel. the mish mash of styles was wink at rob zombie and could have stood to have been expanded upon. a fun move that could use a little more love in the post production dept and could be a classic in grindhouse unless left as is .
where the movie shined was the more experimental moments use to capture psychedelia and the camera work used to transition scenes, i think if this attention to detail had been applied through out and perhaps more of a grainy filter and grime to the lighting this would sit well next to the movies it pays tribute to . the lighting at times was too bright and gave the film more of a john waters feel. the mish mash of styles was wink at rob zombie and could have stood to have been expanded upon. a fun move that could use a little more love in the post production dept and could be a classic in grindhouse unless left as is .
dragon- con wrap up and review part 3
check out my blog willsmashforcomics if you have no clue what dragon-con is , this is part 3 of a blog series covering the event. horror gets a fair shake at dragon-con, ranging from the zombie -prom, to guests from the field Elvira to robert englund in attendance. the for horror cosplay was present with the doll face killer from the hills run red being the most memorable , in years past i know i have seen leather face and pinhead. horror get mixed into the dark fantasy track, panels i caught were the highly entertaining supernatural panel where micsha collins stole the show. the true blood panel featured writer charline harris who came off as a creepy old rich lady intent on flirting with the panelists, the monster hunter panel featured both sherrilyn kenyon and laurell k hamilton.
the lower profile panels i attended ranges from the normal gambit of genre topics, the occult fact or fiction, vampires, and were-wolves. mainly writers in the field pimping there products , combating twilight and the inevitable back lash. there rather horrifying trends were ya...which when i was a kinda i was reading king and barker from the get go so , not sure why we need to play it safe for the kids? and one author who i had to bite my tongue when she brought up the fact she was wrting christian vampire fiction,i can't believe people were ok with this, it is encouraging to see while zombies are on the rise as well as the were-wolves horror might go the less teeny bopper romance route and one day attempt to scare us again.
the lower profile panels i attended ranges from the normal gambit of genre topics, the occult fact or fiction, vampires, and were-wolves. mainly writers in the field pimping there products , combating twilight and the inevitable back lash. there rather horrifying trends were ya...which when i was a kinda i was reading king and barker from the get go so , not sure why we need to play it safe for the kids? and one author who i had to bite my tongue when she brought up the fact she was wrting christian vampire fiction,i can't believe people were ok with this, it is encouraging to see while zombies are on the rise as well as the were-wolves horror might go the less teeny bopper romance route and one day attempt to scare us again.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Fright Night
While the original film was far from a classic it earned a place in my heart as a kid . I was surprised this was even made , but as the flux of re-makes go this was a decent blend of staying reasonable true to the source while given that modern spin hollywood loves as they think kids can't relate to anything that does not resemble their lives.
Collin Ferrel as the vampire was the weakest performance of the ensemble, the mother and son dynamic for some reason felt more like lost boys to me. the under current of sexy was not present in this version, which with the true blood trend of sexy vamps , this surprises me , though i did enjoy the more monstrous take on the myth, i think micheal c hall would have pulled off the sociopath role better , and his range as an actor i'm sure he could have pulled it off in away that made people forget for a minute he's Dexter .
The cgi effects , got no complaints , with the exception of the arm lost by Christopher Plasse, who played the red mist in kick ass, as he take the turn to the undead as evil ed, i think in the original this character was handle more effectively
the other problem with the movie lies in the way it was paced was not as effective as the original either much like let me in, it tried to be different for the sake of being different than building any sort of tension.
the peter vincent character who is a criss angel type performer rather than a creature feature host was the only area where being different worked . the character had a real charm . Much like the original , i can't say this movie would be considered scary to any one who is out of diapers. i think most horror fans can appreciate the fact it is well made and the general lack of horror on screen this year we are taking what ever we can get unfortunatly it's sequels to tepid franchises like final destination...none of those movies will ever grace this blog as they are little more than cw teen dramas.
If you have 11 dollars to burn this movie is entertaining if nothing else, though less blood the true blood. It at least was a good timekiller as i wait for decent copy of don't be afraid of the dark to pop up online.
Collin Ferrel as the vampire was the weakest performance of the ensemble, the mother and son dynamic for some reason felt more like lost boys to me. the under current of sexy was not present in this version, which with the true blood trend of sexy vamps , this surprises me , though i did enjoy the more monstrous take on the myth, i think micheal c hall would have pulled off the sociopath role better , and his range as an actor i'm sure he could have pulled it off in away that made people forget for a minute he's Dexter .
The cgi effects , got no complaints , with the exception of the arm lost by Christopher Plasse, who played the red mist in kick ass, as he take the turn to the undead as evil ed, i think in the original this character was handle more effectively
the other problem with the movie lies in the way it was paced was not as effective as the original either much like let me in, it tried to be different for the sake of being different than building any sort of tension.
the peter vincent character who is a criss angel type performer rather than a creature feature host was the only area where being different worked . the character had a real charm . Much like the original , i can't say this movie would be considered scary to any one who is out of diapers. i think most horror fans can appreciate the fact it is well made and the general lack of horror on screen this year we are taking what ever we can get unfortunatly it's sequels to tepid franchises like final destination...none of those movies will ever grace this blog as they are little more than cw teen dramas.
If you have 11 dollars to burn this movie is entertaining if nothing else, though less blood the true blood. It at least was a good timekiller as i wait for decent copy of don't be afraid of the dark to pop up online.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Troll Hunter
While it will be lumped in with horror films, in the same manner Cloverfeild is i have a hard time with it as a horror movie, though the running through the woods using night vision might be scary to some, bringing us back to the psychology of what scare people. I for don't have a fear of giant monsters, Godzilla and King Kong are icons of the genre but are they scary, i would like to meet some one who is scared by a godzilla movie.
This movie like cloverfeild , a comparison very easy to make though , i found Troll Hunter the superior film, never for once did i buy the disaster movie element to cloverfeild, or Monsters for that matter , which might have beaten Trollhunter to the theater , i might even have like Monsters better than Cloverfield and i think it has a higher fear factor than all three. While we are on giant monsters it should og on the record that the Host is the superior movie of the new wave of monster movies.
Where troll hunter excels is painting the picture , the suspension of disbelief and for having the balls to put those goats on the bridge but not make the gag too heavy handed .. or hoofed. i could also raised to a toast to the fact any under used monster appears on the screen, i think minotaurs are due a better shake than the narnia movies . Up until this point lotr and the 80's comedy-ish troll series were the only trolling on screen.
The acting in troll hunter succeeded in the sense , you believed thats what these people were really doing , despite the cgi troll, i think for realism and the aiding of the suspension of disbelief the trolls could have been shorter. I doubt it will make it onto my top ten horror list though i suppose it's bubbling under as the competition isn't very stiff , see next post for the mid year report card. i think with trolls the scene on the bridge was handled best because less was more, in other scenes the trolls looked more like the creatures from the where the wild things are movie, losing their menace , when you are trapped in a cave by ugly teddy bears. so i will conclude it by saying , i was entertained , kinda like a band who wears there influences on their sleeve but does such a good job in the execution you let it slide. recommended to those willing to keep their expectation low and then they will be pleasantly surprised. so while i am not on the fence about if this is a good movie or not i am trying to figure out how good was it , good not great .
This movie like cloverfeild , a comparison very easy to make though , i found Troll Hunter the superior film, never for once did i buy the disaster movie element to cloverfeild, or Monsters for that matter , which might have beaten Trollhunter to the theater , i might even have like Monsters better than Cloverfield and i think it has a higher fear factor than all three. While we are on giant monsters it should og on the record that the Host is the superior movie of the new wave of monster movies.
Where troll hunter excels is painting the picture , the suspension of disbelief and for having the balls to put those goats on the bridge but not make the gag too heavy handed .. or hoofed. i could also raised to a toast to the fact any under used monster appears on the screen, i think minotaurs are due a better shake than the narnia movies . Up until this point lotr and the 80's comedy-ish troll series were the only trolling on screen.
The acting in troll hunter succeeded in the sense , you believed thats what these people were really doing , despite the cgi troll, i think for realism and the aiding of the suspension of disbelief the trolls could have been shorter. I doubt it will make it onto my top ten horror list though i suppose it's bubbling under as the competition isn't very stiff , see next post for the mid year report card. i think with trolls the scene on the bridge was handled best because less was more, in other scenes the trolls looked more like the creatures from the where the wild things are movie, losing their menace , when you are trapped in a cave by ugly teddy bears. so i will conclude it by saying , i was entertained , kinda like a band who wears there influences on their sleeve but does such a good job in the execution you let it slide. recommended to those willing to keep their expectation low and then they will be pleasantly surprised. so while i am not on the fence about if this is a good movie or not i am trying to figure out how good was it , good not great .
Monday, August 8, 2011
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
While this isn't a horror movie , the movie's tone darkens through out and reminded me of the man vs nature horror movies of the sixties and seventies , so i am sure horror fans can definitely appreciate this even if they were born after 1980 and lack a fondness for the original file. As a kid the planet of apes movies were my favorite series right along side of the Frankenstein, Tarzan and Sinbad series. The original series served as metaphor for civil rights issues at the times . That tone is absent here, instead we get a science gone wrong flick. Well acted and shot the cgi apes are the stars James Franco earned his paycheck.
The film gives many blatant winks at the first film, but takes it's self seriously other wise. My only complaint is the actual rise of the apes is in the last twenty minutes of the , though the movie didn't drag , it could have been paced a little differently to have afforded the apes big day. With out being a major spoilers i can say they left another room to wedge a sequel to this in between where the film leaves off and Planet of the apes begins, one promising little tidbit is this makes no illusions to the awful tim burton remake and is directly related to the original series, so no Micheal Jackson looking Zeera's.
Other recent movies i have made and attempt to watch have not keep me this wrapped up in it , so even with the lacking build of the apes takeover , i was highly entertained , it was respectful to the source material , though different in tone .
The film gives many blatant winks at the first film, but takes it's self seriously other wise. My only complaint is the actual rise of the apes is in the last twenty minutes of the , though the movie didn't drag , it could have been paced a little differently to have afforded the apes big day. With out being a major spoilers i can say they left another room to wedge a sequel to this in between where the film leaves off and Planet of the apes begins, one promising little tidbit is this makes no illusions to the awful tim burton remake and is directly related to the original series, so no Micheal Jackson looking Zeera's.
Other recent movies i have made and attempt to watch have not keep me this wrapped up in it , so even with the lacking build of the apes takeover , i was highly entertained , it was respectful to the source material , though different in tone .
Saturday, July 23, 2011
The Devil's Rock
It's been a minute since i have been able to sit through a horror movie that keeps my attention in one sitting. With the devil's rock i did just that , small cast and the budget flaws seen in the gore effects budget add up to this not reaching a wide audience but it entertained me. Breaking away from the more conventional premises, i think demons don't get there fair share on the screen , as most movies of the past ten years have been vampire, were-wolf, serial killer and ghost flicks , so any monsters that break the mold are welcome. No i have not made it through troll hunter yet , but i am about to watch wake wood .
The nazi's dabbling in the occult is another welcome subject in horror for me , and this movie is chalk full of it though , a limited range in the presentation of the subject, the movie gives winks to inglorious bastards as much as it does the exorcist . Well acted and what they had at there disposal they made the most of , the succubus in her natural state , looks like the little sister of tim curry from legend, so like a metal album cover , i would have gone the hp lovecraft route on this one and had less be more , because the full monty on it looks like a stripper on halloween. Granted even then this is heads above alot of the straight to d vd garbage or the syfy movie dreck, but what i feel like keep a good movie instead of great one.I think this lack of realism took away the fear factor , say what you will but the paranormal activity movies scare the shit out of movie and they are made on nothing. if you like occult based horror with a high suspension of disbelief then this one is for you.
The nazi's dabbling in the occult is another welcome subject in horror for me , and this movie is chalk full of it though , a limited range in the presentation of the subject, the movie gives winks to inglorious bastards as much as it does the exorcist . Well acted and what they had at there disposal they made the most of , the succubus in her natural state , looks like the little sister of tim curry from legend, so like a metal album cover , i would have gone the hp lovecraft route on this one and had less be more , because the full monty on it looks like a stripper on halloween. Granted even then this is heads above alot of the straight to d vd garbage or the syfy movie dreck, but what i feel like keep a good movie instead of great one.I think this lack of realism took away the fear factor , say what you will but the paranormal activity movies scare the shit out of movie and they are made on nothing. if you like occult based horror with a high suspension of disbelief then this one is for you.
Monday, June 27, 2011
this is what it comes to ...
Quarantine 2 ... a very loosely tied sequel must have been made by the same people who made that Thor movie for the syfy channel, i have only made it the first 20 mins , but that is what alot of the more recent horror movies have come to, studios wanna bitch about movies leaking online...i say thank god because i would have been pissed as hell to have wasted money on something like the ward , Yellow Brick Road is slightly more engaging , but the effects when they come into play and some of the acting is luke warm at best, it's a masterpiece next to Quarantine 2 , i think horror's next best bet is going to be don't be afraid of the dark,
True blood- is surely fantasy now if any one has seen the fairy segment of the first episode, i suppose i need to hunt down the remake of i spit on your grave which will come across like the dawson creek version of i know what you did last summer , now if they tone down the rape in this straw dogs remake,... we can only pray human centipede 2 is out by then to take the sting out , looks like stake land and i saw the devil won't have much competition for end of the year top ten lists
True blood- is surely fantasy now if any one has seen the fairy segment of the first episode, i suppose i need to hunt down the remake of i spit on your grave which will come across like the dawson creek version of i know what you did last summer , now if they tone down the rape in this straw dogs remake,... we can only pray human centipede 2 is out by then to take the sting out , looks like stake land and i saw the devil won't have much competition for end of the year top ten lists
Friday, June 10, 2011
taking the sparkle out of horror
Ok , to get this one started let me come clean on the fact i did read the twilight books, did i think they were horror , no bubble gum fantasy, think i went through all of them in a couple weeks, but i like cotton candy some times, buffy, anite blake etc -so i am tolerant of entertainment for the sake of mindlessly wanting to check out , but do i hold the harry potter books in the same regard as robert e howards conan , no
i would not call any of the twilight movies good, the acting has been horrendous, what i am more concerned about is this marketing ploy studios are taking to make this teen horror lite every where you turn, granted the ya aisle in the book store is filled with the crap and hopefully they won't make tv shows or movies out of all of it before the day is done, some times it works better than others - i personally liked the show the gates which only got one season, i also think supernatural is a good show , its dark fantasy not horror- horror you are being scared or repulsed in some way , well why am i worried about this trend and how do i think it's going to effect real horror
not sure if you have heard about the bbc banning human centipede 2 , it contains more of a sexual element ,
for what it was i think human centipede was the best film that came out that year, it used restrain and threatened to show you the gore , played it cards well
i think if it came out in the late 80's in the heyday or the gore films , no one would have batted and eye, aside from some nervous giggles at the premise
i think this sanitizing of horror and trying to make it teen friendly is dangerous as studios are pitched these things granted i think little red riding hood from a butts in seats perspective showed there is only so much gas in that , the kids who were into twilight if they stick to genre films are going to want something with more meat as they get older or then trend will fade, i think Dracula is going to make a comeback, but in the sense of the more Vlad like warrior vampire, just from what i have read about movies coming out, granted they could turn him into a romance novel vlad, like the phantom of the opera's last appearance on screen
the thought of all this crossed my mind while watching teen wolf , its not as bad as you might think and i am glad were wolves are getting some solo time with out having to share the spotlight with vampires - but while i like game of thrones , at the moment teen wolf is my only option for monsters on tv , sure true blood is coming back , Charline harris books do not belong in the horror section either, neither do most of anee rice's lestat books though the may fair witches can stay there - the show true blood comes across darker than the books- due in part to alan ball - entertaining as hell but not horror- what happened to the masters of horror show?
is dexter and the walking dead our last refuges ?
i am confident human centipede the full sequence will see the light of day stateside even if it goes straight to video - the out look for the rest of the year is a little bleak , and yes i saw troll hunter back in feb,
its august for don't be afraid of the dark and the apparition , and um the remake of fright night,
sept the month ramping up to october nothing - apallo 18 is science fiction
the month of halloween - the thing remake and paranormal activity 3 - i really like these films but don't want them to be the only worth while thing in october- where the release date on lords of salem?
december nothing from paranormal 3 to the end of fucking jan of 2012 amityville the lost tapes and then tim burtons dark shadows in may -
in giving holly wood the vote of my dollar, all of this sugar coated dark fantasy crap - will be streamed on my computer if you want to sell me over priced pop corn - make it worth my while
grim times ahead for horror - here's my review of preist - it wanted really bad to be underworld and i am legend - file it along side jonah hex
i would not call any of the twilight movies good, the acting has been horrendous, what i am more concerned about is this marketing ploy studios are taking to make this teen horror lite every where you turn, granted the ya aisle in the book store is filled with the crap and hopefully they won't make tv shows or movies out of all of it before the day is done, some times it works better than others - i personally liked the show the gates which only got one season, i also think supernatural is a good show , its dark fantasy not horror- horror you are being scared or repulsed in some way , well why am i worried about this trend and how do i think it's going to effect real horror
not sure if you have heard about the bbc banning human centipede 2 , it contains more of a sexual element ,
for what it was i think human centipede was the best film that came out that year, it used restrain and threatened to show you the gore , played it cards well
i think if it came out in the late 80's in the heyday or the gore films , no one would have batted and eye, aside from some nervous giggles at the premise
i think this sanitizing of horror and trying to make it teen friendly is dangerous as studios are pitched these things granted i think little red riding hood from a butts in seats perspective showed there is only so much gas in that , the kids who were into twilight if they stick to genre films are going to want something with more meat as they get older or then trend will fade, i think Dracula is going to make a comeback, but in the sense of the more Vlad like warrior vampire, just from what i have read about movies coming out, granted they could turn him into a romance novel vlad, like the phantom of the opera's last appearance on screen
the thought of all this crossed my mind while watching teen wolf , its not as bad as you might think and i am glad were wolves are getting some solo time with out having to share the spotlight with vampires - but while i like game of thrones , at the moment teen wolf is my only option for monsters on tv , sure true blood is coming back , Charline harris books do not belong in the horror section either, neither do most of anee rice's lestat books though the may fair witches can stay there - the show true blood comes across darker than the books- due in part to alan ball - entertaining as hell but not horror- what happened to the masters of horror show?
is dexter and the walking dead our last refuges ?
i am confident human centipede the full sequence will see the light of day stateside even if it goes straight to video - the out look for the rest of the year is a little bleak , and yes i saw troll hunter back in feb,
its august for don't be afraid of the dark and the apparition , and um the remake of fright night,
sept the month ramping up to october nothing - apallo 18 is science fiction
the month of halloween - the thing remake and paranormal activity 3 - i really like these films but don't want them to be the only worth while thing in october- where the release date on lords of salem?
december nothing from paranormal 3 to the end of fucking jan of 2012 amityville the lost tapes and then tim burtons dark shadows in may -
in giving holly wood the vote of my dollar, all of this sugar coated dark fantasy crap - will be streamed on my computer if you want to sell me over priced pop corn - make it worth my while
grim times ahead for horror - here's my review of preist - it wanted really bad to be underworld and i am legend - file it along side jonah hex
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Stakeland
Didn't have to wait long for this one , ok at least as long as i though i would , now for red state . WoW , is what i have to say after just finishing this movie, first lets get the comparisons out of the way zombieland... zombie land is a joke , a well crafted joke but a comedy non the less , this movie takes it self very seriously , the other the road, a movie i loved, the road was grim , but not horror , the cannibals popped up for a minute but i would say it was sci-fi drama, i will say it is more of a feel good movie than the road , though most films are spider and tarnation aside, the road has a bigger budget and they apocalypse did not come from vampires , so it was more visual than this movie, the make up effect here are ok though the vampires do come across as fast zombies , as they are very feral, i think un-romanticizing vampires could be a trend in the twilight back lash, as film makers take back the night so to speak,what the film does well it excels at , very character driven , several oh shit how are they going to get out of this suspenseful moments, and thing i was oh shit i'm scared , like the basement scene in paranormal activity 2 , no i thought it was good story telling and film making but , i suppose there are some who might find this scary, it would be scarier than say last years over hyped indie film monsters, if zombie scare you then yes , if you are easilly creeped then yes , if not and you like horror see this anyway, the holly wood moments were kept to a minimum, this always scores big with me , am i a little jaded perhaps, but as an avid horror fan i am this audience you gotta throw the curve ball and if you are reading this chances are you might be as well
I Saw the Devil
the director of a tale of two sisters, returns with a revenge epic, and Min-sik Choi from old-boy stars ,alongside the guy who played storm shadow in gi joe, in case you are wondering when he pulls out some of the dope moves in this film. received a foreign release in 2010, but i saw it this year, so i would count it thus far as the best film this year, though - it hasn't gotten it's fair share of competition yet.
a good cop goes, bad and you will be surprised at how far he goes to get revenge when his pregnant girl friend falls victim to a serial killer.
going into this film there was a lot of hype about about how extreme this was supposed to be and asian cinema has set the bar pretty high for it's self with stuff like visitor q .
the violence is graphic , to non-horror standards when called for but , much more restrained than you might think, the film is pretty tasteful all the way around considering the subject matter and the antagonists fetish for rape,
the main crux of the movie is the toll it takes on the cop's descent to make this serial killer pay, my only complaint is Min-sik Choi's character could have stood to have been a little more of a bad ass, i thought he tends to give up quick at times when the fight is brought to him, maybe there is an irony in this i was supposed to wink at but i wanted him to be more ford tough like hannibal lecter
oh well,
like charlie sheen says about partying ..whats not to love could be said about this film, tough guy quirks aside, very well paced and acted. if you love gritty and in your face this movie is for you very meat and potatoes, no cerebral lets looks at your daddy issues and see what makes this nut job tick , in either case, its more like a collision course, normally i prefer a sexual element to my torture movies, guy on guy doesn't do it for me , but it was so spy vs spy, it worked
it took me along time to find the subtitled version online but most streaming site should have it , i think i posted a link on my facebook, yes lecture me about supporting horror cinema at the box office and i will say- it never came to my city atlanta with this supposedly great horror scene this movie did not play at the plaza or midtown art- so there i'm sure if it had zombies it would have
a good cop goes, bad and you will be surprised at how far he goes to get revenge when his pregnant girl friend falls victim to a serial killer.
going into this film there was a lot of hype about about how extreme this was supposed to be and asian cinema has set the bar pretty high for it's self with stuff like visitor q .
the violence is graphic , to non-horror standards when called for but , much more restrained than you might think, the film is pretty tasteful all the way around considering the subject matter and the antagonists fetish for rape,
the main crux of the movie is the toll it takes on the cop's descent to make this serial killer pay, my only complaint is Min-sik Choi's character could have stood to have been a little more of a bad ass, i thought he tends to give up quick at times when the fight is brought to him, maybe there is an irony in this i was supposed to wink at but i wanted him to be more ford tough like hannibal lecter
oh well,
like charlie sheen says about partying ..whats not to love could be said about this film, tough guy quirks aside, very well paced and acted. if you love gritty and in your face this movie is for you very meat and potatoes, no cerebral lets looks at your daddy issues and see what makes this nut job tick , in either case, its more like a collision course, normally i prefer a sexual element to my torture movies, guy on guy doesn't do it for me , but it was so spy vs spy, it worked
it took me along time to find the subtitled version online but most streaming site should have it , i think i posted a link on my facebook, yes lecture me about supporting horror cinema at the box office and i will say- it never came to my city atlanta with this supposedly great horror scene this movie did not play at the plaza or midtown art- so there i'm sure if it had zombies it would have
Sunday, May 29, 2011
we are the night
haven't enjoyed a vampire movie this much since let the right one in, though genre film both not sure either would be a true horror film if we are going to nit pick here , because we are the night never scared me, neither did let the right one in, both films the main character comes from desperate beginnings that's where the similarities end, the only faults are one of the main character, who comes across like alice from twilight, and the heavy handedness to the climatic battle scene, a problem i also had with the wolf-man remake. the theme is familiar but with a different feels more lost boys than anything else which comes to mind aside from the beginning which i found to be slightly girl with the dragon tattoo , but is not a cut and paste of vampire films, it adds to the mythos slightly though the broader origins are left out, but thats where the film strength lies is what they don't tell you, there were several opportunities the could have cheesed it up and gone in a glitzy direction but use restraint. the cinematography had some cool moments , not a dazzling as say night watch and the violence wasn't as brutal as 30 days of night a vampire movie , i felt was actually scary, but it did me well and should hold me over until i can get my hands on a copy of stakeland , which i have the feeling is going to come across as how i am legend should have been made
up next ... we'll say tues my review of i saw the devil
up next ... we'll say tues my review of i saw the devil
Monday, May 9, 2011
House Of The Wolf-Man
Had this ordered for my birth day, after a long hunt for it, a very limited release, even shorter than human centipede's , talking select showings then straight to video which is elusive to making online purchase your only option. Low budget, though not on the ed wood level, the film is a homage to the universal classics , though it spots it could have stood to take better cues from the celluloid gods its worshiping as it is pace more like the haunting on the hill house rather than Dracula , Frankenstein or the Wolf-man, who all make appearances here. The appearance of a monster doesn't occur until an hour into the movie.
The script is a mixed bag and the story veers wildly off from the mythos of the characters, making me wonder why Ron Chaney whose acting the films weakest , did not make the role more of a lawerence talbot , thing and leave the mad genius to some one else. Unknown Cheryl Rodes, who looks to be a scream queen on the rise is the films stand out.Granted the element of camp is a part of it's vintage charm, the universal films did not directly wink and took themselves seriously, the stereotypes, hunter , nerd ,vixen etc play into the genre but some of the characters could have been more solidly fleshed out though i started believing them in time, right when the movie takes the turn to monsters who dispatch of some of main characters rather quickly, which i give the film the guts for doing, the violence is blood free and rather , tame off camera, monster make up in some case works better than others, the wolf man's body looks like a teddy bear sleeping bag in some shots, the Frankenstein vs the Wolf-man battle is one of the highlights, plays out like a no dq anything goes wrestling match, much more physical , the monster is fleet on his feet rather than a lumbering buffoon, it's a power vs speed thing. the film leaves the movie open for a sequel which with certain elements from this film and a bigger budget, so it doesn't blatantly appear the castle walls are stage flats when the monster slams the were wolf against them , it was a little bit of a distraction, if you are not a true fan of the universal movies , then this might not be for you, but is fun if you can go into it with low expectations and a gentle train of thought on its production short comings and cartoon like story line, glad its part of the collection and if any movie deserves to be remade on a bigger budget with better writing this is one that should be thought of as a pilot or demo reel for a bigger studio
The script is a mixed bag and the story veers wildly off from the mythos of the characters, making me wonder why Ron Chaney whose acting the films weakest , did not make the role more of a lawerence talbot , thing and leave the mad genius to some one else. Unknown Cheryl Rodes, who looks to be a scream queen on the rise is the films stand out.Granted the element of camp is a part of it's vintage charm, the universal films did not directly wink and took themselves seriously, the stereotypes, hunter , nerd ,vixen etc play into the genre but some of the characters could have been more solidly fleshed out though i started believing them in time, right when the movie takes the turn to monsters who dispatch of some of main characters rather quickly, which i give the film the guts for doing, the violence is blood free and rather , tame off camera, monster make up in some case works better than others, the wolf man's body looks like a teddy bear sleeping bag in some shots, the Frankenstein vs the Wolf-man battle is one of the highlights, plays out like a no dq anything goes wrestling match, much more physical , the monster is fleet on his feet rather than a lumbering buffoon, it's a power vs speed thing. the film leaves the movie open for a sequel which with certain elements from this film and a bigger budget, so it doesn't blatantly appear the castle walls are stage flats when the monster slams the were wolf against them , it was a little bit of a distraction, if you are not a true fan of the universal movies , then this might not be for you, but is fun if you can go into it with low expectations and a gentle train of thought on its production short comings and cartoon like story line, glad its part of the collection and if any movie deserves to be remade on a bigger budget with better writing this is one that should be thought of as a pilot or demo reel for a bigger studio
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Welcome
ok, I have willsmashforcomics , but needed a forum to discuss my love for horror in print and on screens, those of a theater or computer these days as i don't pay for cable. So what will and won't you see here ? It's my blog and when it comes to the macabre i have my preferences , there will be a lack of teeny bopper vampires or anything geared to that demographic, so don't hold your breath for breaking dawn or scream 4 reviews. I am not a fan of americanized re-makes they are for idiots incapable of reading subtitles and don't mess with the classics either , if it isn't going to be a different or improved take on something why bother. The dawn of the dead re-make is the only one i really tolerate ,so yes there will not be coverage of the fright night re-make as it will fall into the previously mentioned demographic. Horror with comedic elements aside from the uk's being human is not my thing. i liked shaun of the dead and zombieland but neither was horror so would not belong here.
Yes there will be tv shows on here, being human, supernatural...ok they balance the humor , true blood and walk dead . i'm sure preist, bereavement, insidious and lords of salem will get there time in the spotlight here as well.
Now what do i like ? Exorcisms, monsters and torture porn are my faves, the realer the better unless we are talking about monsters then suspension of disbelief goes out the window. My fave movie monster is Frankenstein, but don't call him a zombie and i won't hit you with my monster manual to prove other wise . the last horror movie that really did it for me was i saw the devil. anything depraved gets points for me. I'm kinda burned out on zombies, i know atlanta is the horror capital of the south but it seems any horror hipster in town is hung up on them and they have bored me, though i did like rec 2 .
there's
Yes there will be tv shows on here, being human, supernatural...ok they balance the humor , true blood and walk dead . i'm sure preist, bereavement, insidious and lords of salem will get there time in the spotlight here as well.
Now what do i like ? Exorcisms, monsters and torture porn are my faves, the realer the better unless we are talking about monsters then suspension of disbelief goes out the window. My fave movie monster is Frankenstein, but don't call him a zombie and i won't hit you with my monster manual to prove other wise . the last horror movie that really did it for me was i saw the devil. anything depraved gets points for me. I'm kinda burned out on zombies, i know atlanta is the horror capital of the south but it seems any horror hipster in town is hung up on them and they have bored me, though i did like rec 2 .
there's
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