Horror

Poltergeist (2015)

/ Shawn / 3 Comments

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If I could say three things to the “geniuses” who continue to remake classic horror films, they would be:

  1. Stop it.
  2. No, really. Stop it.
  3. “More” is not always “better.”

Regarding one and two, let’s just admit that it’s about the money. But there are lots of “not so classic” horror films out there that would probably benefit from a remake/reimagining. And there are lots of writers out there just waiting to get a crack at doing something a little more original. Perhaps Hollywood could take advantage of those. Number three is the result of just a warped, wrongheaded understanding of what makes the “classic” horror film classic. Poltergeist has some great examples of that. Continue reading →

The Expelled (2010)

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Based on what I had read about this one, I had semi-high expectations for it. I probably shouldn’t have. It does very little new in the slasher genre, none of the characters are very developed beyond a single trait (“he’s an alcoholic,” “he’s a coward,” etc.), and the ending was frustrating. The worst thing, though, by far, was the “slasher.” And although I NEVER want to reveal the ending to a film, in this case I’m going to make an exception. If you really don’t want to know, skip the entire following paragraph. Continue reading →

Maggie (2015)

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What would you sacrifice for your child? That’s a question that keeps cropping up in Maggie, the feature debut by director Henry Hobson. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Wade is the father of the title character, and has more to deal with than prom dates and puberty.  Maggie has been bitten by one of the infected, and is slowly going through “the turn.” The authorities want the infected to be able to spend as much time as possible with their families, but the threat of “quarantine” and what happens there is always looming. This is not your usual zombie pic. It’s not about killing zombies in lots of nasty and cool ways. It’s a film about watching a loved one suffer, and being able to do little to stop it. It’s an entire movie about that emotional aspect of the zombie genre that most films address with maybe one or two quick scenes. This could just as easily have been a drama about a father trying to deal with his daughter’s terminal cancer, for example. Continue reading →

Grabbers (2012)

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Don’t make the mistake I made and watch this alone. Not because it’s scary, although there are a few well-done tense moments. Watch it with others because this is a really fun movie, and it deserves that kind of viewing. You’re going to want to make fun of it, compliment it, point out all the various homages to other “creature” films…and just have a good time with it. You’re not going to understand half of what the characters are saying, anyway. The Irish accents are so thick, you’ll probably want subtitles. But that doesn’t really matter. Like I said—have fun with it! Continue reading →

Don’t Blink (2014)

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Another film that surprised me. I expected a slap-dash, made-for-tv, paint-by-numbers horror film. After all, it stars Brian Austin Green, and the guy who I always refer to as “the dude who played Christopher Titus’ stupid brother” (Zack Ward). But although the story did have a “made for TV” vibe about it, the overall quality was pretty good. Ward was a little over the top, but from him, we can buy it. He does “crazy” well. Green and the others did a good job. I liked him in the Fox show “The Sarah Conner Chronicles,” too, so I guess he’s slowly been converting me. Good for him. The others are solid, especially Joanne Kelly as Claire. Continue reading →

Dead Snow 2: Red vs Dead (2014)

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This film was tasteless, wall-spatteringly gory, and incredibly simplistic…and was the most fun I’ve had watching a movie in a long time. This sequel to 2009’s Dead Snow couldn’t help but remind me of another sequel—Evil Dead II (1987). First, because it didn’t take itself too seriously, and included a good deal of humor with the gore, and secondly because it’s one of those rare exceptions in Hollywood where the sequel is quite a bit better than the original. Continue reading →

The Forgotten (2014)

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You know how when a film is marketed as a horror film, but it’s not really a horror film, but more of a drama, and everyone hates it because “it’s boring and nothing happens”? Well, you don’t have to worry so much about that with this film because even though it IS a drama masquerading as a horror film, it’s a pretty decent drama, too. Continue reading →