Ah, the holiday season. A time for happy little movies full of holiday cheer. Or you can watch A Christmas Horror Story, a horror anthology complete with zombie elves and Krampus. All of a sudden, we have three movies about Krampus, and honestly, I don't remember hearing of him before. But maybe I just don't pay enough attention. I have not seen the other two movies featuring Krampus, but in this one he is rather frightening and the battle between him and Santa is pretty awesome, if somewhat brief.
This is similar to Trick 'R Treat, the Halloween horror anthology, and runs in the same way: as an anthology that is cut into separate segments that jump around a bit. Going back and forth builds the suspense in each story, which helps in the clichéd "kids go ghost hunting in an abandoned asylum" one. It is not terrible but not all that great either, with a predictable plot and resolution. The segment with the little boy possessed by a demon isn't much better but I enjoyed it, and the family running around in the woods trying to get away from Krampus is probably the second best.
The storyline that everyone seems to agree is the best, the Santa vs. zombie elves and Krampus, is fun. The fun is, as I mentioned, short-lived but great while it lasts. There is also a twist that I felt was unnecessary. There are hints to it but you have to really be paying attention and while I did have that feeling of wait, what am I missing, it is not at all obvious. The twist didn't make me angry, as they often do, but it just felt tacked on. Anyway, it all ties together fine and makes for enjoyable holiday viewing. There just aren't many Christmas-themed horror movies (aside from the much darker and more violent Black Christmas and the ridiculously fun Santa's Slay) and if you're in the mood for some horror with your Santa fix this holiday season, I do recommend this one. William Shatner is also in this, if that helps sway your decision. He spends all his scenes in a room doing a radio show by himself but he's pretty good and also ties in with the other stories, No spoilers here, though, so you'll have to watch it to find out how.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Friday, November 13, 2015
Last Shift
It's a rookie cop's first night on the job, and she is given the unfortunate task of babysitting a police station that is closing the next day. All of the other cops are at the new station a little ways away, and all calls are supposed to be routed to the new station. But of course, on a night like this one, all hell is going to break loose and at least a couple calls make it through. The repeated calls from a girl needing help, however, are not what they seem and this night only gets worse as it goes on.
What I liked about this movie, first of all, is the main woman. She is young and inexperienced but doesn't show any fear or shrink away from anything, from the homeless guy who wanders into the station to the weird, singing people who come and go all night. I liked her pluck and fearlessness, a refreshing change from the screaming, half naked young women you usually see in horror movies. They make us all look bad, while this cop stays calm and gets it done.
So we have the usual weird happenings and general strangeness, and the empty police station gives a real sense of isolation and panic. I have to admit, my heart was pumping a little harder while watching this. There are some great scenes in the dark, and several creepy moments. I'm not going to lie, I was watching this all alone and actually had to turn it off and finish it the next day.
As for the ending, some are calling it a twist but it's really not and I thought it was a little bit of a letdown after how good the rest of the movie was. It didn't make me angry (if you've read my other reviews you know I get a little worked up about crappy movie endings) but I felt that this main character deserved a better ending after how admirably she survived the whole thing. Maybe that's just me. Either way, I recommend it for a few thrills and a kick-ass main character who isn't afraid of the dark or a few crazy cult members.
What I liked about this movie, first of all, is the main woman. She is young and inexperienced but doesn't show any fear or shrink away from anything, from the homeless guy who wanders into the station to the weird, singing people who come and go all night. I liked her pluck and fearlessness, a refreshing change from the screaming, half naked young women you usually see in horror movies. They make us all look bad, while this cop stays calm and gets it done.
So we have the usual weird happenings and general strangeness, and the empty police station gives a real sense of isolation and panic. I have to admit, my heart was pumping a little harder while watching this. There are some great scenes in the dark, and several creepy moments. I'm not going to lie, I was watching this all alone and actually had to turn it off and finish it the next day.
As for the ending, some are calling it a twist but it's really not and I thought it was a little bit of a letdown after how good the rest of the movie was. It didn't make me angry (if you've read my other reviews you know I get a little worked up about crappy movie endings) but I felt that this main character deserved a better ending after how admirably she survived the whole thing. Maybe that's just me. Either way, I recommend it for a few thrills and a kick-ass main character who isn't afraid of the dark or a few crazy cult members.
Insidious
I don't know how I've gone this long without writing a review of this movie. Horror movies in recent years have mostly disappointed me, but this one is creepy and interesting enough to rate it as one of the best of the last few years. A family torn apart by their son's strange affliction (a coma-like sleep that is actually astral projection) seeks help from some paranormal investigators, including Lin Shaye (who is great in these movies) and Leigh Whannell (who should be in more movies; I've liked him since Saw, even though he was kind of whiny in that). Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne play the parents of the boy who are freaked out and willing to do anything to help their son.
Why did I love this movie? This is the first movie in a very long time that actually creeped me out. Like, had to sleep with the lights on creeped out. The spirits in the other world (the one Patrick Wilson must venture into in order to save his son) are so creepy and smiley that I was glad I didn't watch it alone. With an interesting plot and some serious creep factor, this movie is definitely worth a rent. Although I did bust up laughing at the very end when, after all this scary stuff happens, the movie title bursts onto the screen in red letters with loud music like something out of a Vincent Price movie. Still, a great time to be had and I highly recommend this one. If you, too, are looking for an excuse to sleep with the lights on, go out and get this one.
Why did I love this movie? This is the first movie in a very long time that actually creeped me out. Like, had to sleep with the lights on creeped out. The spirits in the other world (the one Patrick Wilson must venture into in order to save his son) are so creepy and smiley that I was glad I didn't watch it alone. With an interesting plot and some serious creep factor, this movie is definitely worth a rent. Although I did bust up laughing at the very end when, after all this scary stuff happens, the movie title bursts onto the screen in red letters with loud music like something out of a Vincent Price movie. Still, a great time to be had and I highly recommend this one. If you, too, are looking for an excuse to sleep with the lights on, go out and get this one.
Kristy
A college student (Haley Bennett) hanging out at school alone during Thanksgiving break is terrorized by masked strangers and Ashley Greene (who doesn't feel the need to cover her pretty face with a mask).
The main girl, Justine (no her name is not Kristy), wanders around the big, empty campus and chats with the security guard on duty (the only other person who will be around for the whole weekend), then goes to the local convenience store to grab junk food. There she runs in Ashley Greene, who acts weird and creeps Justine out, then chases her down the road for no apparent reason. I won't give away the killers' motivations or the reason this movie is called Kristy, because it doesn't really matter. This is a suspenseful, fun little movie that feels kind of like an adult version of Home Alone. In fact, toward the end I kept yelling, "Go all Home Alone on their ass!" And then she did.
All in all, I really enjoyed this one and my only problem with it was the last act of the main character; it was another one of those horror movie moments where the main character does something they wouldn't normally do, not really in self defense but because they've had it. But it doesn't ruin the fun of the movie and I would definitely recommend this if you're in the mood for some suspense and not too much gore.
The main girl, Justine (no her name is not Kristy), wanders around the big, empty campus and chats with the security guard on duty (the only other person who will be around for the whole weekend), then goes to the local convenience store to grab junk food. There she runs in Ashley Greene, who acts weird and creeps Justine out, then chases her down the road for no apparent reason. I won't give away the killers' motivations or the reason this movie is called Kristy, because it doesn't really matter. This is a suspenseful, fun little movie that feels kind of like an adult version of Home Alone. In fact, toward the end I kept yelling, "Go all Home Alone on their ass!" And then she did.
All in all, I really enjoyed this one and my only problem with it was the last act of the main character; it was another one of those horror movie moments where the main character does something they wouldn't normally do, not really in self defense but because they've had it. But it doesn't ruin the fun of the movie and I would definitely recommend this if you're in the mood for some suspense and not too much gore.
Thursday, July 23, 2015
It Follows
Full disclosure, I am scared to death of people not really being there or of people I know suddenly not being who they are. So if these concepts scare you, you'll enjoy this as much as I did.
So this college student is dating a cute boy who she decides to sleep with for the first time in the back of his car even after he has an odd freak out at a movie theater but hey, he's pretty. He then chloroforms her and ties her to a chair and explains what he has just passed on to her. From this scene on I was hooked. Seriously creepy. And every time It shows up I wanted to hide my eyes but I also didn't want to miss out on being actually scared. If you've seen a horror movie in the last few years you know this is hard to come by.
The movie seems to be set in the 80s (old cars, lack of cell phones and computers) and yet one character has what seems to be a Kindle in a compact case so I was confused by this. I think the retro look is supposed to be a nod to 80s horror films. Now, I've read a lot of reviews that compare this to Halloween and other 80s classics, but I didn't really see this. It does have a classic look but it just didn't scream Halloween at me. Way too much of a slow burn with more of an insidious fear that builds up, instead of the instant terror of a guy in a mask breaking into your room and slashing about.
The tenaciously creepy atmosphere is what kept me watching, even when I knew it was going to keep me awake. "It" shows up somewhat randomly, and a couple of times It confused me because it looked so much like a couple of the actors. Then I remembered that It has the ability to look like someone you love. There were also times where it wasn't clear if the person walking by or looking at the main characters was It or just some random person passing by.
The ending is not groundbreaking or all that exciting, but it doesn't take away from the rest of the film. Watch it for the creepy It that follows the main characters and the building tension. Again, I was really creeped out and thus I enjoyed this movie thoroughly. If you're looking for something suspenseful and a little different, check it out. Maybe not by yourself like I did... but then again, the person you're with might not be who you think they are anyway so you might be better off alone.
So this college student is dating a cute boy who she decides to sleep with for the first time in the back of his car even after he has an odd freak out at a movie theater but hey, he's pretty. He then chloroforms her and ties her to a chair and explains what he has just passed on to her. From this scene on I was hooked. Seriously creepy. And every time It shows up I wanted to hide my eyes but I also didn't want to miss out on being actually scared. If you've seen a horror movie in the last few years you know this is hard to come by.
The movie seems to be set in the 80s (old cars, lack of cell phones and computers) and yet one character has what seems to be a Kindle in a compact case so I was confused by this. I think the retro look is supposed to be a nod to 80s horror films. Now, I've read a lot of reviews that compare this to Halloween and other 80s classics, but I didn't really see this. It does have a classic look but it just didn't scream Halloween at me. Way too much of a slow burn with more of an insidious fear that builds up, instead of the instant terror of a guy in a mask breaking into your room and slashing about.
The tenaciously creepy atmosphere is what kept me watching, even when I knew it was going to keep me awake. "It" shows up somewhat randomly, and a couple of times It confused me because it looked so much like a couple of the actors. Then I remembered that It has the ability to look like someone you love. There were also times where it wasn't clear if the person walking by or looking at the main characters was It or just some random person passing by.
The ending is not groundbreaking or all that exciting, but it doesn't take away from the rest of the film. Watch it for the creepy It that follows the main characters and the building tension. Again, I was really creeped out and thus I enjoyed this movie thoroughly. If you're looking for something suspenseful and a little different, check it out. Maybe not by yourself like I did... but then again, the person you're with might not be who you think they are anyway so you might be better off alone.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
7500
To begin with, I waited two years to see this movie. I was so excited for a real, scary ghost movie set on a plane that featured actors I at least recognized (I'm easily amused). But then, six months went by, then a year, and now two years and no release date. I checked online every once in a while to see if there was a new release date, but still nothing. Finally, after all this anticipation, I was finally able to watch it. I am going to break my own no-spoiler rule and this review will contain a big SPOILER because I am still angry at the way this turned out after the long wait. You've been warned.
Several people are on a flight to Japan, all with the usual obligatory personal problems that movie characters need to have in order to make things interesting. The most shady-looking guy on the plane starts to feel ill, coughing up blood and convulsing, and Ryan Kwanten is a paramedic who jumps in to try to save the guy but is unsuccessful. The dead guy had a mysterious box with him and was very nervous about the flight or what was in the box or... well, it doesn't really matter.
The problem with this movie is that it had potential, with somewhat good actors, an interesting premise (you see a lot of movies set on planes, but they're usually straight action or terrorist plots, never creepy or supernatural) so I thought yes, this will be different, this will be good. There's even a creepy "death doll" that has nothing to do with anything. Why they didn't build on that and make it the focus of the film, I will never understand. But just when I was really enjoying it and there was a definite creepy vibe and some mysterious things happening, it hits you with the twist.
SPOILER
So at some point the oxygen masks come down and the plane almost crashes, but it pulls out and everything is fine. Oh but wait no it isn't. Because (wait for it, you're gonna be shocked) everyone on the plane is dead and has been for half the movie. Gasp! So the fog and the hands reaching out to grab people from the toilet, not to mention the dead guy who mysteriously started moving again, had nothing to do with anything. This is a cop-out ending of the worst kind. It isn't even hinted at, and there's no way you could have guessed it. The previews make it look like a ghost-on-a-plane movie, and I expected to be creeped out and enjoy a nice little ghost movie. But no. Either the writers wrote this movie and it was filmed before every other horror movie with this same ending in the last ten years (hence it getting shelved once they realized their mistake) or they just didn't watch those movies at all and thought they were being really clever. Either way, after the long wait it was more than a let down. It makes the rest of the movie a complete waste of time. If the characters have been dead the whole time, then everything that happened didn't happen at all. I don't understand why this ending is so popular.
I was really enjoying this one until the last five minutes, so I can't say I don't recommend it at all. If you're not as easily annoyed by lazy writing as I am you will probably enjoy this. I just wish Hollywood would go back to putting some effort into movies and not just recycling.
Several people are on a flight to Japan, all with the usual obligatory personal problems that movie characters need to have in order to make things interesting. The most shady-looking guy on the plane starts to feel ill, coughing up blood and convulsing, and Ryan Kwanten is a paramedic who jumps in to try to save the guy but is unsuccessful. The dead guy had a mysterious box with him and was very nervous about the flight or what was in the box or... well, it doesn't really matter.
The problem with this movie is that it had potential, with somewhat good actors, an interesting premise (you see a lot of movies set on planes, but they're usually straight action or terrorist plots, never creepy or supernatural) so I thought yes, this will be different, this will be good. There's even a creepy "death doll" that has nothing to do with anything. Why they didn't build on that and make it the focus of the film, I will never understand. But just when I was really enjoying it and there was a definite creepy vibe and some mysterious things happening, it hits you with the twist.
SPOILER
So at some point the oxygen masks come down and the plane almost crashes, but it pulls out and everything is fine. Oh but wait no it isn't. Because (wait for it, you're gonna be shocked) everyone on the plane is dead and has been for half the movie. Gasp! So the fog and the hands reaching out to grab people from the toilet, not to mention the dead guy who mysteriously started moving again, had nothing to do with anything. This is a cop-out ending of the worst kind. It isn't even hinted at, and there's no way you could have guessed it. The previews make it look like a ghost-on-a-plane movie, and I expected to be creeped out and enjoy a nice little ghost movie. But no. Either the writers wrote this movie and it was filmed before every other horror movie with this same ending in the last ten years (hence it getting shelved once they realized their mistake) or they just didn't watch those movies at all and thought they were being really clever. Either way, after the long wait it was more than a let down. It makes the rest of the movie a complete waste of time. If the characters have been dead the whole time, then everything that happened didn't happen at all. I don't understand why this ending is so popular.
I was really enjoying this one until the last five minutes, so I can't say I don't recommend it at all. If you're not as easily annoyed by lazy writing as I am you will probably enjoy this. I just wish Hollywood would go back to putting some effort into movies and not just recycling.
The Prowler
I've been on an 80s slasher movie kick lately, and this is one I had never heard of. I'm not sure the title is really the best they could have done, but maybe I missed something. I've been having a hard time finding enough movies like this, where people are killed off one by one and the most fun part if figuring out who the killer is, but I enjoyed this one in spite of my desperation.
A masked killer in an Army uniform is bumping people off (with a pitchfork, randomly enough) and there's some back story about a murder back in the 40s. Good, suspenseful kill scenes (the suspense is my favorite part of these movies) and a hint as to who the killer is kept me watching despite the bad acting (it's an 80s horror flick, enough said). I will say, the way I figured out who the killer is was based on a cliché near the beginning of the movie, but this was before that was a cliché so you can't really blame them. It's always fun to watch these old movies and get upset at all the clichés and then realize oh, no that hadn't been done yet 47 times at that point in time.
If you're into 80s slasher flicks, you'll enjoy this one. Not the best I've seen, but pretty good. It's a little bit gory, not too slow, and it kept my attention. I know, not a glowing review but a fine way to spend a night in.
A masked killer in an Army uniform is bumping people off (with a pitchfork, randomly enough) and there's some back story about a murder back in the 40s. Good, suspenseful kill scenes (the suspense is my favorite part of these movies) and a hint as to who the killer is kept me watching despite the bad acting (it's an 80s horror flick, enough said). I will say, the way I figured out who the killer is was based on a cliché near the beginning of the movie, but this was before that was a cliché so you can't really blame them. It's always fun to watch these old movies and get upset at all the clichés and then realize oh, no that hadn't been done yet 47 times at that point in time.
If you're into 80s slasher flicks, you'll enjoy this one. Not the best I've seen, but pretty good. It's a little bit gory, not too slow, and it kept my attention. I know, not a glowing review but a fine way to spend a night in.
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