Chris-369 Reviews

Dead Man's Curve (1998)

Clever and cunning

[21 February 2000]

Brilliant and clever film based around a university myth that if your room mate commits suicide you automatically graduate with grade A's to compensate.

Tim and Chris are two guys with dreams of getting into Harvard. However bad grades (is a B+ really that bad in America?!) mean their chances of getting in are becoming non-existent. The two guys decide to murder their room mate and make it look like suicide so they can get the grades they need to get on in life.

That is really all that can be said about this movie without giving too much away. Dead Man's Curve is fantastically cunning and has enough twists and turns to keep anybody interested.

For Love or Money (1993)

Feel-good film

[7/10 · 15 February 2000]

For Love or Money can best be described as a happy-go-lucky movie that is sure to make you smile.

Fox plays Doug, a concierge who has a dream of owning his own hotel - all he needs is the start up capital. He meets a guy who is keen to help but things get complicated when Doug discovers that his new found friend and financial helper is going out with the girl who he has been after for months (Anwar).

The outcome of this movie is no surprise and the love/hate relationship and chemistry between Fox and Anwar is very entertaining.

Overall an enjoyable film for all ages.

Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)

So bad it's good

[7/10 · 21 November 1999]

Ghostly tales around the campfire, killing, naked women, sex, and rock music. All the ingredients of a classic slasher film. I would personally put this movie along side such gems as Pieces, Slumber Party Murders, Happy Birthday To Me, because Sleepaway Camp 2, like those films, is enjoyable because of the fact that it is so cheesy.

As usual of 80's slasher flicks, the teens are played by twenty-somethings and have really bad hair cuts (some of the mullets are outstanding). The plot doesn't offer anything not been done before, and it is very similar to that of the Friday 13th movies (ie set in the woods). Pamela Springsteen shines as the nutty counsellor - there is one amusing scene when she is deciding on an implement with which to off her next victim. Basically if you enjoy watching harmless cheesy slasher films then this one is for you.

When a Stranger Calls Back (1993 TV Movie)

Chilling opening, and that's about it.

[7/10 · 28 October 1999]

After a chilling and genuinely frightening opening 15 minutes, this film rapidly goes down hill, picking up a little speed towards the end.

Carol Kane plays the support worker to a college girl who was harassed one night while babysitting, only to start to be harassed herself.

When a Stranger Calls Back is not a patch on the first film, the opening scenes of the original movie will be stuck in my head for years to come. This one simply tries to imitate it. WASCB is by no means a bad film, but since it is a sequel, it will always be compared to the far superior original. Worth a watch if you like being scared and have nothing better to do.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Frightening.

[9/10 · 15 September 1999]

What can be said about this film? If you are looking for instant scares (i.e. Scream, IKWYDLS) then this film is not for you.

The clever aspect of this movie is that it is not overly scary as you actually watch it. It is after the film has ended and you think back over what you have witnessed when it has its full effect. The Blair Witch Project may well have you scared to get up in the night for weeks.

The best way to describe this film would be to say that it does not offer you any relief from you fear.

In the majority of horror or scary films,the viewer sucks their breath in and curses at the stupid person who is cautiously going up the stairs to investigate the scary noise that came from up there moments ago. The viewer then breathes a sigh of relief when it is discovered that it was simple a cat knocking over a vase. TBWP does not offer you the chance to breathe that sigh of relief, you are simply left on edge because whatever is making the noise is left anonymous.

The idea of leaving so many questions unanswered is genius.

Look at it this way - when you wake up in the middle of the night and hear a strange noise you get scared, however you are relieved when you realise that it is simply your parents going to bed or the central heating going off. TBWP does not resolve your fear, you are left wondering what the noise was.

To summarise; the noises you hear in the night are always more frightening that whatever is actually making them.

Urban Legend (1998)

Ghostface, the fisherman and now the killer in the parker jacket

[7/10 · 4 March 1999]

Although this film does borrow from Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, it would be unfair to criticise it because of that fact as those movies weren't exactly original. I also fail to see how all other post Scream slashers are cashing in on the success of that movie. The slasher movie has always been made, Scream was just clever enough to bring them back to the cinema.

At the end of the day thay are all just slasher films about a crazed killer stalking and killing teenagers in a variety of fashions.

Urban Legend goes for the 'killer on campus' area of the genre with a group of 'teens' falling prey to an unknown assassin and each getting murdered in highly imaginative ways (and I mean that)!

Alicia Witt is the main star and although she is a good and very attractive actress, she is only minorly convincing. She doesn't quite project her fear enough to get the viewer scared. (Mariyln Burns was the last actress to achieve that with her relentless screaming in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - although Amy Steel came close in Friday 13th 2).

There are a few impressive death scenes in Urban Legend, the hanging is particularly inventive and the opening scene is sure to make you gasp.

Overall I enjoyed this movie, it is not trying to be clever and knows that it is just a run of the mill slasher flick. Some people criticised this movie, but it is still a lot better than the majority of the slasher films the 80s has to offer.

The Prey (1983)

Run of the mill slasher yarn.

[6/10 · 16 February 1999]

Run of the mill slasher yarn with a group of kids camping in the woods and getting picked off one by one by an unknown assassin.

The Prey adds nothing new to the teens in crisis plotline that was popular during the 1980's apart from endless shots of wild life and scenic views to pan out the running time. Although this film is not necessarily one of the better slasher flicks of the 80's, it will still no doubt be enjoyed by fans of the genre.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Terror at its best.

[9/10 · 13 February 1999]

An excellent film about the fate of five kids who stumble upon a cannibalistic family in the American outback. Not much in the way of blood and gore - most death scenes are based upon suggestion - the viewer is left to make up his/her own mind as to the fate of the kids. Marilyn Burns is outstanding as the lead victim. She gives off a genuine feeling of terror which almost drags the viewer into the nightmare with her. Her intense screaming during the scene when she is tied to the chair really makes you feel for her.

Zombie Gang Bangers (1997 Video)

Zombie movie of the cheaper kind.

[3/10 · 5 February 1999]

This is one cheap looking movie! A stripper keeps getting attacked and raped by zombies and no one believes her. She goes to the police who also rape her. She finally finds a kid who was also attacked by the zombies and they trace the zombies back to 'The Zombie Master'. The fact that Stephanie Beaton stars as the stripper is the only reason to watch this film.