30 Days of Terror 2013
My yearly routine of the 30 horror films i watched for Halloween. One for every night in October. Yet this year I have started early. I'll give a small review of each film.
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- DirectorJames DeMonacoStarsEthan HawkeLena HeadeyMax BurkholderA wealthy family is held hostage for harboring the target of a murderous syndicate during the Purge, a 12-hour period in which any and all crime is legal.I was excited about this film for it's originality, something truly lacking in Hollywood right now. Yet the film left me with mix feelings. The premises is that you have one night a year to give into your primal instincts and commit any crime without any persecution of any kind. Yet this film makes the ruling out as if everyone just wants to kill someone. Now maybe I missed something but I don't feel murder would be the leading crime if such an idea was ever brought to reality. Truth is thievery and rape would be the leading committed crime. And what about pedophiles, they just get one night to do what they wish without any repercussions. I guess with this concept it was easier to focuses on murder and not the more troubling crimes. Truth is murder is more common during an act of passion or for some other stupid reason. Holding out to one day a year to commit such an act is in no way feasible. The story it self is okay, not real scary and filled with moderately likeable lead characters. The girl who played Zoe kept making me think of a younger Eliza Dushku. Truth is this story has so many holes it puts it in high competition for Looper for the poorest thought out script. Truth is it's just another way to make ethnic cleansing, on the poor and feeble. Yet the poor and feeble would be higher up the food chain for the crimes seeing how they would go to greater lengths from desperation to get what the wealthy and beautiful people have. hence why rape and thievery would be the top committed crimes. So a sequel is in the work and my hopes is that you have an avenging angel who kills those who try and harm the less fortunate. Yet I doubt it.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsSissy SpacekPiper LaurieAmy IrvingCarrie White, a shy, friendless teenage girl who is sheltered by her domineering, religious mother, unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated by her classmates at her senior prom.A classic film and not much to be said about it. It's one of Steven Kings better adaptations from his novels. I am a little excited about the remake and hope they don't both like most of the other remakes.
- DirectorYam LaranasStarsJesse BradfordAmelia WarnerCarlos LeonAn ex-con moves into an old apartment building, where he encounters a domestic problem involving a police officer, his wife, and their daughter. When he tries to intervene, however, a mysterious curse entraps him.Again another film I have mixed feelings about. The plot is thin and the characters are not all that likeable. i will give total props to the director for his choice to use light and shadow instead of SFX. It definitely gave the film a grittier feel
- DirectorRichard RaaphorstStarsRobert GwilymHon Ping TangAlexander TerentyevIn the dying days of WWII, a battalion of Russian soldiers is lured into the secret lab of a deranged scientist and forced to face off against an army of horrific flesh-and-metal war machines.Cool creatures and a very interesting story line. Love films of this nature. Not real scary but a lot of fun.
- DirectorBrett DonowhoStarsSteve BacicTara WestwoodAlix Elizabeth GitterA small town is haunted by the twin daughters of a wrongfully convicted man. Young Jordan is sent down the path to who the real killer is, only to find the killer is very close to her.Another film with an interesting idea but very poorly executed. Typical story line of urban folklore's. This one revolves around a haunting in the forest. Young girl finds a ring in the woods and it some how finds it's way onto her finger. Thus the haunting begins. The worse part of this film was the aunt and uncle who made me wanna punch the screen. Terrible film.
- DirectorScott DerricksonStarsEthan HawkeJuliet RylanceJames RansoneA controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.Loved the opening sequence with the family being hung. I thought it was very creepy. This movies was cool up until the ending which was a weak attempt at "twist" which just fell flat. Great eerie atmosphere, love the 8mm style work and cool looking villain. My only gripes is the son, thin plot line, and "cop out" ending.
- DirectorJames WanStarsPatrick WilsonVera FarmigaRon LivingstonParanormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.Hear so many great things about this film and gotta say when a film lays the "based on true events" claim it just looses cool points. You have seen this story told a thousand times and sometimes better. This is another story that leaves you mislead by the trailer. This film borrows from so many other better films like Poltergeist, Exorcist, An American Haunting, Friday the 13th The Series and several more. It's basically another "Bell Witch" style legend. It has it's highlighted moments and I really enjoyed the cast, especially the family and Ghost Hunters. So for that I will give it better props. i did like a few of the scares like the hanging laundry sequence, hide and seek game, and the destroying of the family photos. Not as good as it could have been but i am old school horror and pretty much have seen it all before.
- DirectorWilliam LustigStarsTom AtkinsBruce CampbellLaurene LandonA killer dressed in a police uniform begins murdering innocent people on the streets of New York City.Classic film cult horror. Love Bruce Campbell and really love the theme for this 80's classic slasher. Not the best writing or FX but a lot of fun.
- DirectorTobe HooperStarsSteve RailsbackMathilda MayPeter FirthA race of space vampires arrives in London and infects the populace, beginning an apocalyptic descent into chaos.Big fan of Tobe Hooper & I cannot believe I just now saw this masterpiece. Tobe Hooper is a master of horror and his campy FX make his stories all the better. Love the plot line, FX and characters. Patrick Stewart was a great surprise appearance. Love this movie.
- DirectorJosh ReedStarsZoë GameauKrew BoylanLindsay FarrisA group of friends travel into the Australian wilds to view ancient cave paintings but soon find a horrible sickness gripping one of their own, which leaves them with nothing in their mind but a primal blood lust.
- DirectorKimberly PeirceStarsChloë Grace MoretzJulianne MooreGabriella WildeA shy girl, outcast by her peers and sheltered by her religious mother, unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.I never read the book but am a fan of the original film. Yet for me the remake was better than the original in many areas. I know this statement may upset the cult followers but I''' explain. I have only enjoyed a few horror remakes, Dawn of the Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween and now Carrie being the few. Most like Friday the 13th, Evil Dead and A Nightmare on Elm Street are crap and complete insults to the original. Yet with my few exceptions I felt they paid true homage to the original and added a much needed touch of update. Although I hold them dear to my heart as the originals. That being said I'll explain what I liked and thought could have been done better with Carrie.
First off Sissy played a great timid, shy, lonely girl who's sheltered life was displayed with great relevance in the original. Julianne was good but not as creepy as the original mom. My thoughts would had been to get Sissy to play the role of the mother as a nod to the fanboys. I also liked the original coach and felt she played a far better hardass.
Chloe (whom I love) brought the role of Carrie to a new light. She kept true to Sissy's role (remember I haven't read the book) but added a much needed strength behind it. Chloe is naturally beautiful so it's hard to make her less appealing over the popular girls. I did love how the director showed more emphasis on several situations adding more belief and explaining a lot more of the story. For instant the shower scene where expresses pain in her stomach making her believe something was very wrong. Carrie practicing more with her powers. Where the bucket hits her date in the head at prom, killing him. Showing more of the mother and just how insane she really was.
I don't wanna give to much away but Carrie 2013 paid great homage to the original and probably to the book as well. I explains more and keeps it true to modern times. Shedding light on how hard it is for kids being bullied today with camera phones and the internet. Some of the lines and scenes were almost identical to the original. Chloe gave a strong performance. And with today's FX it gave Carrie a whole new level of power. You should definatley check it out. - DirectorSimon BarrettJason EisenerGareth EvansStarsLawrence Michael LevineKelsy AbbottAdam WingardSearching for a missing student, two private investigators break into his house and find collection of VHS tapes. Viewing the horrific contents of each cassette, they realize there may be dark motives behind the student's disappearance.Loved the original and I had little hope of liking this one. You can imagine my surprise when i felt this one held true to the original. Now you have to a fan of the single camera or the POV camera style to appreciate these films. Being a huge fan of Cloverfield, The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity and more I will add these two films to my fave list.
Story line for VHS 2 seems bland at first as they show you stories we have seen a thousand times. Yet they come at it with a different angle adding a whole new perspective to some of the events. You have four stories; Ghost, Zombie, Occult, and Alien Abduction where you experience them through the camera attached to the said individual.
This one is very gory and has a no holds barred approach which i love. So i highly recommend this if you can stomach, the gore and camera style. - DirectorEvan GoldbergSeth RogenStarsJames FrancoJonah HillSeth RogenSix Los Angeles celebrities are stuck in James Franco's house after a series of devastating events just destroyed the city. Inside, the group not only have to face the apocalypse, but themselves.I really enjoyed this movie due to it cast and visuals. It did drag in the middle and just became silly with the very end but it was a lot of fun. I know it's not really a horror movie as much as a comedy. Yet the apocalypse is a favorite theme of mine. Lots of cool creature effects and clever jokes. You also have you toliet humor which is common with these guys. Cool to see them poking fun at one another in a real life setting.
- DirectorJonathan LevineStarsNicholas HoultTeresa PalmerJohn MalkovichAfter a highly unusual zombie saves a still-living girl from an attack, the two form a relationship that sets in motion events that might transform the entire lifeless world.A fresh take on the Zombie Apocalypse. Funny and fun with an ending I didn't see coming. Well worth checking out although not very scary film. Great to watch on Halloween with some friends or that special someone.
- DirectorDon CoscarelliStarsA. Michael BaldwinBill ThornburyReggie BannisterA teenage boy and his friends face off against a mysterious grave robber, known only as the Tall Man, who employs a lethal arsenal of unearthly weapons.I remember loving this film as a kid but seeing it today i couldn't help but count the glitches. With the poor editing it was hard to tell what was real or memories. This made it hard to follow. And the acting isn't the best in the world. Although i do love The Tall Man and feel he does make a great villain. The sphere was also one of my favorite aspects of the film. Yet for me the series got better as it moved forward, this I am sure was due to a better budget.
- DirectorDon CoscarelliStarsJames Le GrosReggie BannisterAngus ScrimmMike, now released from a psychiatric hospital, meets with Reggie, and discover his dreams (the events of the original film) are real, and they both journey to find and stop the evil Tall Man from his grim work.For me this was far better because it showed just how powerful and devastating the Tall Man really is. Destroying entire towns as he keeps building his army of crushed human slaves. Better visuals and a more intense story line. Now you have three spheres to play with. A lot of fun.
- DirectorStephen HerekStarsDee WallaceM. Emmet WalshBilly Green BushA group of small but vicious alien creatures called Crites escape from an alien prison transport vessel and land near a small farm town on earth, pursued by two shape-shifting bounty hunters.Loved this series when i was a kid. I thought the Bounty Hunters were so cool. Great story and a lot of fun. I also thought the mom was hot.
- DirectorMick GarrisStarsScott GrimesLiane CurtisTerrence MannEggs of the small but voracious alien creatures called Crites are left behind on earth and, after hatching, set their appetites on the small farm town of Grover's Bend.This time around they upped the ante with more Crites to hunt and bringing back the badass Bounty Hunters. This film like the first was a lot of fun but it was easy to see how they took a lot from Gremlins. I really loved the Crites joining together to make a large ball.
- DirectorKaare AndrewsAngela BettisHélène CattetStarsIngrid Bolsø BerdalIván GonzálezKyra ZagorskyA 26-chapter anthology that showcases death in all its vicious wonder and brutal beauty.26 directors from around the world were given a letter and asked to come up with a short horror story. Some of these stories tried really hard to just gross you out. Yet some were pretty clever. My picks are; A is for Armageddon, B is for Bigfoot, D is for Dog Fight, L is for Libido, V is for Vagitus & W is for WTF.
Worse ones have to be F is for Fart, G is for Gravity, H is for Hydro-Electric Diffusion, J is for Jidai-geki, K is for Klutz, M is for Miscarriage, X is for XXL.
After watching this I was like this was the best idea you could come up with. Some are just disgusting, which would often not bother me but when you had sheer stupidity to it, then it's just insulting. I added X for a reason being society deems fat as an acceptable thing but this girl was far from fat. She was natural an lovely just the way she was. Fat are these people too lazy to walk or waddle and need a Hover Round. X made it out like big boned women are picked on to such a horrible degree. Yet maybe in the East but in western culture it has become, "Oh it's no my fault" excuse. And F what the hell? - DirectorTom SixStarsDieter LaserWinter WilliamsAshlynn YennieA mad scientist kidnaps and mutilates a trio of tourists in order to reassemble them into a human centipede, created by stitching their mouths to each others' rectums.This concept was just plain dumb. The entire time i kept thing The Human Centipad. And why is it always the pretty women that get into these ridiculous situations. Such a cliche thing, maybe it's to get people to watch. Or maybe the world of horror hates attractive women. Then again it could be the need to rescue or make the audience believe it could happen to anyone. That being said here is my take.
I am all about an original idea but when the best you could come up with was this 'ass-to-mouth' scenario then maybe you should rethink your idea. if you wanted to gross out the audience then you probably succeeded with most, not me.
Two girls are left stranded and try to get help from the creepy guy who lives deep in the woods. Oh wait he wants to do terrible things to them, what a real surprise. I know less be clever about it and make him a mad doctor/scientist. Not original enough well lets take these three victims and find away to create a new human conjoined creature species. Yeah still not original. Okay lets sew their mouths to their anus and create a centipede. Like Two Girls and One Cup this is a swell idea.
So if that wasn't enough the writing is terrible and not in an "excusable because other things make for it" kinda of way. You know like great visuals, great characters, cool plot twist, nope no of that. I mean how many times can you overcome your attacker/abductor without knocking them out, tying them up or just taking them out. This would make your escape simple. I know I know it'll kill off the story way too early. Yet people in horror movies is really stupid.
So once in for all this movie was disappointing and very cliche. - DirectorVíctor GarciaStarsJolene AndersenSteven BrandDan BuranTwo college friends unwittingly release Pinhead and his minions.Love this series but the first three are the best. This has to be the worst of all. The guy playing Pinhead was horrible. Also he looked very goofy. I couldn't get through this film and stopped it twenty minutes in. Pure trash.
- DirectorMitchell AltieriPhil FloresStarsCory KnaufSamuel ChildJoseph McKelheerFour young adult siblings, who harbor some dark secrets, try to fend for themselves after the mysterious death of their parents.Another Netflix winner. Couldn't get twn minutes into this before just stopping it.
- DirectorEvan KellyStarsSteve ChambersJames GilbertDavid Patrick FlemmingFriends on a weekend excursion take a path into a forest that leads to death and destruction.A group of friends try to reconnect after a tragic event. They then discover a mysterious corridor in the middle of the woods which gives them a new look on life.
Very original idea and well played out. dragged at parts but this exceeded my expectations. - DirectorWilliam A. LeveyStarsRon PalilloAbigail WolcottCarel TrichardtA motorcycle gang kidnaps a young woman, Josie, from a diner and brutally kills her. Many years later, the girl's father finds a magic crystal that can bring the dead back to life and uses it to re-animate his daughter. He lets her seduce any young men who visit the small town--Hellgate--then kills them. Four young students, two boys and two girls, spend a vacation near the town,hear about the story, and get involved.This was so low budget. You have a bat on a string, a pic of the innocent daughter posed like a pro model from the 80's on the wall in a 60's scene. Bad hair, makeup, fake mustaches, just horrible Got twenty minutes in and stopped it. Just crap.
- DirectorDarren Lynn BousmanStarsSean Patrick FlaneryBriana EviganJessica LowndesLost souls enter The Devil's Carnival, where they're each faced with the sins they committed during life.This was a very cool movie and one I didn't expect. It's more of a dark twisted musical, something you may see Tim Burton do.
Three people end up in a nightmarish carnival where they must face their sins. Very well done, great cast and nice visuals. Campy in parts but i feel it adds to the overall theme of the story. Definatley check it out if you want something funa and light hearted. - DirectorTobe HooperStarsNeville BrandMel FerrerCarolyn JonesA psychotic redneck, who owns a dilapidated hotel in rural East Texas, kills various people who upset him or his business, and he feeds their bodies to a large crocodile that he keeps as a pet in the swamp beside his hotel.Two years after the release of Texas Chainsaw Massacre Tobe Hooper releases another backwoods hillbilly threat. Still in Texas we encounter the Twilight Hotel. A place where unsuspecting guests meet an untimely death if they upset the caretaker. He'll feed you to the giant croc of his front porch swamp. Fun movie and keeps up with the crazy that Tobe is known great for. Although this film didn't have the budget and elements that made TCM so great it's still worth checking out. Keep an eye for some great appearances by Robert Englund and Carolyn Jones (Addams Family TV Show).
- DirectorFritz KierschStarsPeter HortonLinda HamiltonR.G. ArmstrongA young couple is trapped in a remote town where a dangerous religious cult of children believes that everyone over age 18 must be killed.Small town becomes overrun by occult driven children in this Stephen King classic. I for one find nothing intimidating or scary about children. Although the opening diner sequence is great I really felt this film falls flat. I loved it when I was younger but seeing it today it just doesn't hold as true as other Stephen King classics like Cujo, Christine, Maximum Overdrive, The Shining, Pet Semetary and many more. The kids could kill of the Outlanders fast enough. Although ti has some classic lines and themes that are often mentioned in several other stories or websites I felt this one was weak. And no it didn't need twenty something sequels.
- DirectorKazuo 'Gaira' KomizuStarsSaeko KizukiNaomi HagioMegumi KawashimaMembers of a film crew making a soft core porn are dismembered by a demon in a warehouse.An unsuspecting film crew becomes hapless victims to a monster that wants to mate with the ladies. I not real into Asian horror and this one is no exception. Although i enjoy films that are not afraid to get freaky with the nudity sexy and gore, this film felt trashy. I couldn't make it past the first thirty minutes. I tried to give it a chance but just couldn't do it. So much of it was laughable and had not likeable characters.
- DirectorWilliam MaloneStarsStan IvarWendy SchaalLyman WardAfter a member of a geological research team who was sent to Saturn's largest moon: Titan crashes their spacecraft into a space station, another team is sent to Titan to investigate, not knowing the terror that awaits them.A space exploration team must find a missing ship and check in with the crew on one of the moons of Saturn. With the popularity of Sci-Fi films like Alien it's no surprise a film like Creature would come into light. Although i am not sure if this film went straight to video or chanced a box office release. Very low budget and some pretty bad acting made this film tough to get through. Although I did enjoy the gore aspect and the Creature itself, this film just felt like an Alien knock-off. Another one of those films where you really gotta ask yourself, are people really this bland and stupid.
- DirectorGregory LemkinStarsJennifer Lee WigginsOcean MarcianoChris FaceyGuards and inmates in a maximum security prison have to fight for survival when they become trapped inside with demonic beast that begins preying on them. Together they must find a way to uncover the supernatural secret behind the beast.A demon masquerading as a human gets sent to prison for an all you can eat buffet. Didn't get a chance to finish this film although it started out promising with a nice death sequence and a sexy naked chick. Plan to finish it but felt I should add it to my Halloween list.
- DirectorPhilippe MoraStarsBarry OttoMax FairchildImogen AnnesleyA female werewolf runs away from her family, and falls in love with a man who works in the movie business, while a sociologist who studies these creatures is looking for proof of their existence.I really liked the Howling films as a kid. Yet this one had it's cheesy parts and cool aspects. A young woman sick of her over domineering brother leaves her tribe to join a film crew making a werewolf film. Yet her tribe is a new breed of wolfs or that posses a more marsupial aspect. I like the girl and the concept of this film but like so many films from this decade it suffers from cheesy fx. The saving grace is that you are more out to protect the tribe from the government who is hell bent on exterminating the species. I also really liked the aboriginals who added a likeable sense to the story. Not the best in the series and definalty not the worse.