Cabin in the Woods

Joss Whedon's horror film...and that word is used loosely as the balance of horror and comedy blend not unlike a Buffy episode. In fact it feels like Season 4 of Buffy compressed into a movie. I kept waiting for Reily to make an appearance. Several familiar faces to the Whedonverse do, most fittingly a couple from DollHouse, which this movies bears the conspiracy tinged influence of. Obviously as a confirmed Whedonite, I can't do much more than praise this film. It could have used a few more scares, but you know zombies just don't scare me, even bear trap wielding ones. Whedon can take the cliche and give it his own spin and he does so here masterfully. Like Buffy it takes liberal jabs at conventional horror, though not as heavy handed as scream there are several homages , the most blatant being to Sam Rami .

The underlying message of the movie seem to be very pro-stoner, smoke weed to you can see through the web they are weaving. While I no longer partake of the wacky tobacky, Whedon obviously does which explains certain slants of his humor. The movie adheres to my golden rule of horror, which I uttered on this blog before so at the risk of spoilers dare not repeat it. One thing I am most proud of is how Whedon digs into the monster manual and deviates from the zombie / were-wolf/ vampire love triangle, and brings things like a mer-man and unicorn into the fray.I'm always saying there are so many other species of monsters that need screen time and Whedon gives a wink to many of these.

This is going to be the movie to beat this year, funny enough because it has sat on the shelf until Whedon became attached to the Avengers. It's encouraging because in show biz the more money you are making the studio the more free-reign you have. Whedon is establishing himself as the creative genius he is , and after seeing this movie you will agree he should be given the keys to the kingdom.

The Woman in Black

Daniel Radcliffe, uses this horror vehicle to shake off the Hogwarts blues. The movie stays in a similar tone to Hammer's other haunted fare. While I preferred Wakewood to this film, Hammer is redeeming themselves for doing the re-make of "Let the right one in" and it makes me curious enough to want to check out " the Resident" which appears more thriller than horror. Radcliffe plays a much older role than Potter and is rather blank in an almost Keanu Reeves manner. The setting is the star of the film and lends the most ominous element to the proceedings. The creepiness is where the movie excels, having a command of the acting isn't this directors strong suit, but an eye for scenes. The ghosts are almost Grudge -like in nature and their are the creepy kids fading in and out. The pacing slows in the last fifteen minutes but the end adhere's to my golden rule of horror, so that was pleasing. Younger fans of modern horror, more than likely won't get the film's homage to Hammer classics, having grown up with a more in your face cgi'ed style. The gore is non-existent and I'm assuming this film was rated pg, so it appeals to a very specific horror demographic. While it didn't scare me I enjoyed the atmosphere and so far this year you have to take what you can get when it comes to horror.

Days of the Dead 2012

This was the Con's atlanta debut, so it was small. The hotel was nice , but location made me feel like it took as long to drive down there as it did so browse every room. The word today is next year's is being moved to the Marriott down town, which is encouraging as the trek discouraged me from attending all three days. The high light for me was meeting Laurence R. Harvey of Human Centipede 2 fame, who was very sweet and humble man, as well as Ogre from Skinny Puppy/Repo! a genetic opera, who stopped to talk to my daughter about her Cthulhu doll and the finer points of picking your nose as a baby.
Interesting to see the pseudo celebrity status some of local cos-players have taken on. Chambers of Horror and Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse were represented but there was a noted lack of presence in terms of the other Georgia haunts. I think the healthy Haunt community keeps the Horror scene in Atlanta as vital as it is today, while guys like Shane Morton and Luke Godfrey, keep the horror arteries unclogged and flowing with monthly/quarterly events its also something more hands to need to come to the table to keep the horror scenes growth.
I think a hug opportunity was lost to not have fan tracks/ panels , as they dark fantasy panel has proven at dragon-con, it is a huge element to the sub-culture and other mediums like comics,books and even video games keeps the larger horror pulse throbbing. I think aside from vampires and zombies, occult studies, bdsm lifestyle and even forensics / true crime would have been welcomes additions.
For me mission was accomplished in supporting the horror community and getting to see friends, I looke forward to the growth in this cons future

The Innkeepers

Ti West's newest film the InnKeepers, had high expectations after i loved the creepy factor of his previous effort " house of the devil" . I was not prepared for the stylistic shift , but can appreciate a film maker who wants to have a boarder range and not just be a one trick pony. At times i think The Innkeepers , is no more horror than say Shaun of the dead, but it's not a comedy either , falling into more of a Napoleon Dynamite slacker ethos , sure there is a haunted hotel , there is a serial Killer in last year's day dream nation but that didn't make that film horror either , not that it tried to be.
The characters are real , fleshed out and well acted , so that keeps the movie moving a few scenes tease you as you can see something happening from a mile away . I liked this movie in the same way i liked Ghost World or high fidelity, so despite the spooky poster art i wouldn't classify this as a horror movie per se , dark comedic drama ? Sure he pulls out a scare of sorts i suppose at the end but where house of the devil worked is that the tension was kept taunt through out the whole movie, here it feels more like yeah , here's this boo.
Here the haunted house didn't really carry the sense of menace, it needs to loom as the monster or be convincing , 1408 in it's first hour before it turned into a scary Jumanji didn't give you the imposing structure like Amityville, or the isolation factor like the shining , even movies like paranormal activity and poltergeist which occur in the burbs created enough myth to keep you on edge , after all isn't that the purpose of a ghost story. Normally i am the most scared by a good haunting , even a haunting in Connecticut, here the atmosphere of menace , just wasn't there perhaps purposefully so to add to the slacker realism.
Hope Ti goes back to horror on his next , films , if you want to watch something with a slight spook to it perhaps with a friend who isn't into horror , this would work, it's well acted and made , and not a bad movie , perhaps mis marketed

The Devil Inside

I have heard a barrage of bad reviews despite the box office this one opened, and there are a few factors here which could explain what you are going to read , number one i have a soft spot for anything involving demonic possession and number two, the found footage trend doesn't irk me.
The front end of the movie is a mock documentary,i think it captures the feel of that very feel, interspersed with new footage. Set in the always creepy Vatican city the film works well uncluttered by a lot of special effects , i like the fact the possessed aren't cgi'ed or slathered in make up ,though the whole contortion bone cracking thing can officially be over be labelled over done if it is used in another movie ,In hindsight the character development is a little on the thin side but the flow of the film brushes it under the carpet. I couldn't tell if i just know my horror movies or if the foreshadowing was a little heavy handed, as i saw most of the second half o of the movie coming , that that it took away from my enjoyment, in fact i was glad they went where i hoped it would go , the scene with the priest and the baby is one of the best moments on film i have seen since human centipede two.
I am not complaining but the influx of found possession films makes me wonder are these being made by the studios for economic reasons or is this a reflection of societies fears concerning the collapse of the western religious institution . More than likely as with most answers it falls some where in the middle , the role of the priest shows them as more flawed and how can they not for there has hardly been a month in the past decade where the church was not dealing with a sex scandal of some sort, in the Exorcist the priest came across a a demon slaying van helsing and here the weakness is much more in the fore front, similar to that of the rite , though this movie stands head and shoulders over the Rite and hangs shoulder to shoulder with the last exorcism.
Sure is not going to be for those who want the floor splitting about and demons akin to a heavy metal album cover running amok, if you liked any of the past few years crop of exorcism movies then i would be surprised if you were disappointed with this one , which i am sure will prove to be superior to any para normal activity sequels to come.

the top ten Horror Movies of 2011

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

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.