tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63170121298457708232024-03-06T08:24:34.564+00:00Horror ClubFinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12463656545383245129noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-55537313862832297582012-11-15T22:47:00.000+00:002012-11-15T23:41:25.735+00:00Ally's Cinema Review: Stake Land<div style="text-align: justify;">
I was really looking forward to seeing Stake Land. Fin is notorious for hearing about upcoming films and building expectations to unreachable heights. I usually try to steer clear of his hyping-up habits, because I can be guilty of doing the same thing. So I tried to avoid finding out too much about Stake Land to avoid the inevitable let down. Still, from what little I had heard I couldn’t help anticipating good things.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsLfQQarTnOI4MXnO9oJIgSJoi2E_CC5jnRhFvnzM0RdQXKrAXIp7uMIMhepv2mF8t3sm4LVXfX4Idj0srf6bFxxoMMrUy1vFBfNJUgvF0rcng57-XLdA4OIFPOdvpI6a8bilg3Buaz44/s1600/Stake-Land-UK-Quad-Poster.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620793913725945330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsLfQQarTnOI4MXnO9oJIgSJoi2E_CC5jnRhFvnzM0RdQXKrAXIp7uMIMhepv2mF8t3sm4LVXfX4Idj0srf6bFxxoMMrUy1vFBfNJUgvF0rcng57-XLdA4OIFPOdvpI6a8bilg3Buaz44/s320/Stake-Land-UK-Quad-Poster.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 234px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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As always, I like to start with the positives... The film is absolutely gorgeous. The vast landscapes of a deserted America are as haunting as they are spectacular. As the group travel north the landscapes change with them, as do the seasons, and it works very well with the unfolding events. The music is very important to the overall mood of the film, due to the sparse use of dialogue, and it combines very well with the cinematography to give the movie a really beautiful feel.</div>
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What struck me most about the film was how (incredibly) similar it is to The Road (only with the addition of vampires). It’s the first thing Clarky said as we left the cinema, and he was bang on. I wasn’t much of a fan of the Road, but this film is much better (an excellent book that should never have been adapted... just my two cents). Perhaps you could argue that it borrowed a little too much from it (and many zombie apocalypse movies). I have to say that it doesn’t feel like a hugely original film, although that’s not necessarily a bad thing.</div>
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The characters are very interesting. Mister has jumped right into the mixer as my favourite vampire killer. He’s absolutely tremendous to watch. Blade would still have him in a fight, but he’s one tough son of a gun. He’s actually kind of like Whistler – only younger and without the gammy leg. The main character, the narrator, is well portrayed – the film is really about him becoming a man and I think this is well handled. We see him toughen up over time, but he retains part of his innocence and optimism. It is a very realistic character development, and credit must be given to the fine performance of the central actor. The relationship between the two main characters is understated, but very compelling too. Lots of little things are hinted at in the film, without them being rammed down your throat, and I appreciated the subtlety used by the director.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PyeLdZ5PLVEVqmId5SgmO9rRL_fIvudFOLe-tljZJ18VdR3ydAVeo1VPU8Co2qA_iLI53wSvkwb-cZaC7QCrfDEa0UR5kjGp_pcV-xSeLaOH6VeEy3esKrFnIEG9gnuMRjyYbWqBClgf/s1600/Stake-Land-2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5620795073790790306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PyeLdZ5PLVEVqmId5SgmO9rRL_fIvudFOLe-tljZJ18VdR3ydAVeo1VPU8Co2qA_iLI53wSvkwb-cZaC7QCrfDEa0UR5kjGp_pcV-xSeLaOH6VeEy3esKrFnIEG9gnuMRjyYbWqBClgf/s320/Stake-Land-2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 180px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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I was expecting big things from this film, and while there was much to admire I can’t help but feel a little disappointed. Perhaps I can blame Fin for building up this film? Even though I tried to ignore the hype, I definitely went in to this one expecting great things. For that reason I feel more critical of it than other (poorer) films. There is no doubt that it is a good, maybe even very good, film. But can it be considered a great film? I think it falls short of this mark. As I said previously, it lacks a little bit of originality that I think a great film needs, although that isn’t my main criticism…</div>
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The film has very little dialogue (most of the story is told through narration) and it doesn’t quite work for me. When the dialogue does come it is a little bit clunky and wooden: full of slightly well-used clichés. It’s a shame because the narration is actually very good in its own right, and the film is well acted. You don’t feel you are missing anything when the actors aren’t speaking – it’s just that when they do something about it feels a little out of sorts.</div>
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Aside from the two leads, the other characters come and go without really allowing the audience to build a relationship with them. For that reason, when events do unfold, I felt strangely unmoved by some of the goings-on. Perhaps it was due to the sparse dialogue/interaction on display. For me, this chosen style helped to create an atmospheric and beautiful movie, but the side effect was that I felt a little removed from the emotional side of the film. The glimpses at the characters are just too fleeting to really engage with them. In a film that seems to want to pitch itself as character-driven, this seems like a fundamental flaw.</div>
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I also think that the film could have been a lot scarier, quite a few opportunities for jumps are missed, which was a shame. The vampires are pretty scary – although apart from the fangs, and aversion to sunlight, they seem more like zombies (the running ones from 28 days later, not George Romero’s slow movers).</div>
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Don’t get me wrong though, this film is certainly worth seeing – it’s entertaining, well acted and beautiful to look at. It’s just not quite up there with the gold standard of horror. Still, it’s certainly one of the better horror movies of 2011.</div>
Allyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10766075039691672616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-13564486262185964212012-11-15T21:52:00.000+00:002012-11-15T23:38:53.116+00:00Clarky's Cinema Review: Stake Land<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is a film that, as Ally noted, Fin has had on the HC radar for quite some time now. As such it was always going to struggle to live up to the hype that Fin had steeped upon it (if Fin hadn't been on holiday then he would have joined Ally in his <a href="http://www.thosemovieguyspodcast.blogspot.com/">podcast</a> debut this week).</div>
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Having said that I did really enjoy this film. As has been noted by a number of other reviewers this film has a lot in common with The Road. In fact it has been compared to The Road with vampires or Zombieland without the comedy. And whilst part of me feels that this are lazy comparisons, they are incredibly apt.</div>
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However, I found this a far more enjoyable film The Road, partly due to the action scenes, but also due to the legend that is "Mister". He is the stand out character and is played to perfection by Nick Damici, who also co wrote the film. </div>
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I did have a few problems with this film however. Whilst it is very tense, incredibly so at times, during numerous scenes there are only a couple of genuine scares which make you jump out your seat. Whilst this is more than most other films, there are numerous wasted opportunities for other jumps throughout the film.</div>
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I also felt that the final "showdown" was firstly not really required, and secondly given that they did go down this route it was a bit of a damp squib. I really liked the variations between the different vampires, with the older ones having a harder breastplate and with the later ones starting to evolve. </div>
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There was no need for the bad guy to return at the end of the film, and it seemed to go against the earlier messages in the film, and was out of step with the episodic nature of the rest of the film. However, given that they did go with this I thought that they should have then gone for a balls out fight scene. The end result is a bit of a let down in my opinion.</div>
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There is also an incredible scene set in one of the lock down villages where vampires are dropped in fro above by the religious nuts. This should have led to a massive set piece where Mister got to show the vampires who was boss. Instead they hide upstairs and the scene is over as soon as it began. This was a great idea for a scene and really dark and interesting, but they could have made so much more for it.</div>
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" 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The acting is uniformally good in my opinion. I loved Mister and Martin, a nod to the George A Romero vampire film, really does make a physical transformation as he moves from boy to man. Kelly McGillis also makes a welcome return to our screens. Maybe it was the make up artist depicting how hard the post apocalyptic world is, but she has had a hard paper route!</div>
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Finally, the vampires themselves are incredible. They look horrendous. Just compare them to the CGI monstrosities of I am Legend and the benefit of a good make up and special effect artist has never been more apparent.</div>
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" 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In summary, there is a lot to enjoy here and the film pulls no punches. I was surprised with regards to some of the events, who survives and how dark it is, but there are light moments here as well and it looks gorgeous. But for every two good things there is a missed opportunity. A good film that could have been great.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-45440351925536327662012-11-15T17:41:00.000+00:002012-11-15T23:38:24.779+00:00Clarky's Cinema Review: Mother's Day<div style="text-align: justify;">
I saw this without my usual cohorts (Ally and Fin) this week for my <a href="http://www.thosemovieguyspodcast.blogspot.com/">Those Movie Guys podcast</a>, and wasn't going to post a review until I heard that this film was being marketed as as a horror film and, incredibly, was also getting some good reviews. With this in mind I felt duty bound to warn any horror fans to avoid this film at all costs.</div>
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This is one of the worst films that I have ever seen. It is so bad it is incredible. Within 5 minutes the warning signs were clear yet I struggled on and watched all 110 arduous minutes. Unfortunately, this film was not a difficult watch for the same reasons as films such as House of the Devil or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. No this was a difficult watch in the same way that Catwoman was a tough watch. Watching a piece of excrement smeared across the screen dry would have been more enjoyable.</div>
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This film features some of the worst dialogue, acting, twists and plot development of any film I have ever seen. Actually, that's unfair because there is no plot development as such characters just act in whichever way is required in order that the plot can go where it needs. Never mind if this is against everything that the character believed in 10 minutes ago, no matter how contradictory, no matter how nonsensical, these characters do what it takes to ensure that this plot trundles along for an excruciating slow 110 minutes.</div>
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I won't bother going into the ins and outs of the "plot" save to say it involves a group of brothers who are robbers, and their mother, taking a group of friends hostage.</div>
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At one point one of the Beth's (who I think is meant to be the main character) husband is accused of having an affair with one of the other characters. A character whom I didn't even realise was in the house as she had spent so little time on screen and hadn't actually uttered a single word.</div>
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Incredibly, every single actor turns in a career worst performance. The direction is lacklustre and any possible tension is vanishes as quickly as it appears due to the ineptitude of the cast and director. Added to the fact that the main characters are so unlikeable and it is hard to root for them to escape. Eventually I just wanted the "bad guys' to hurry up and kill everyone just so the film would end.</div>
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I say bad guys. We have one brother who is doing an over the top Tim Roth impression of Mr Orange in Reservoir Dogs, except without any of the charm or skill or likeability. We have the "crazy" brother who has more tics than a mingy dog and we have another brother who has no real character other than when asked how badly his brother is hurt he replies with the following zinger -</div>
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"He's hurt so bad that the only time it stops hurting is when you don't wake up".</div>
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And that's not the worst line in the film.</div>
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This band of renegades are led by a 51 year old woman who wears a cardigan and has no weapons - scary!</div>
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With all this in mind please also note:</div>
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- This is not a horror movie. I think it was meant to be a thriller but certainly did not succeed.</div>
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- There is not one ounce of tension in any scene. At one point at the "climax" of the film the entire audience at the screening I was at were laughing!</div>
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- At no point was there a threat level within this film. They are being bossed about by a 51 year old woman who doesn't have a weapon and her children are such terrible actors that any possible threat is wiped out instantly.</div>
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- There are so many ridiculous twists and turns it is beyond funny. But even then the whole script is so lifeless and flat that by this point I no longer cared and just wanted it to end.</div>
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- Every "character" (and that is a stretch) is a 2D imitation of people that apparently have no thought process and don't show an ounce of development over the flabby 110 minute running time.</div>
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- In an attempt to create tension or horror or something there are many acts of graphic violence. At one point a character gets boiling water poured over his ears. At this point in the film I would have happily taken that to avoid hearing any more of the clunky dialogue. If they would also have washed my eyes out with bleach then maybe I could remove some of the stains on my mind that this movie subjected me to.</div>
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- In the middle of a suburban neighbourhood you can apparently shoot a 12 gauge shotgun without anyone noticing!</div>
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- In another cringeworthy scene the mother attempts to make her dying son's wish come true by forcing one of the woman to sleep with him, even though he can barely open his eyes due to the blood loss and has already had CPR! In what should be a creepy scene all possible tension is lost when the mother attempts to help the women to arouse her son (with the use of the rudder technique).</div>
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- Even more incredible the son survives to come back for a terrible twist at the end (even though we are informed on numerous occassions by the resident doctor that there is no way his character could survive!).</div>
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- However, these scenes are still better than the scene where the mother interrogates the main character (Beth I think, but I no longer cared by that point) whilst she is on the toilet. Pausing in the middle of one of her points to tell Beth to "wipe". Wow.</div>
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A truly awful film that I would implore everyone to avoid like the plague.</div>
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Allyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10766075039691672616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-21723571570117919702012-11-14T22:41:00.000+00:002012-11-15T23:37:45.651+00:00Clarky's Film Review: The Vault of Horror<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTs-a8PqFxFRGGDwdKKeDQ8UbQNxCzPDjWvGp6rBhfQd6wfqESR" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTs-a8PqFxFRGGDwdKKeDQ8UbQNxCzPDjWvGp6rBhfQd6wfqESR" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 278px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 181px;" /></a></div>
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I stumbled across this <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070868/">film</a> at 1 in the morning on Saturday night. The opening credits looked so bad that I decided that I had to watch at least some of this film. An hour and a half later and I was still there!</div>
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This is not a great film, nor is it scary, but there was something incredibly enjoyable about it. Maybe it was the sheer "Britishness" of the proceedings, but I couldn't get enough of it, no matter how bad things got.</div>
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The story of 5 men who get stuck in a lift and for no particular reason decide to tell each other their nightmares. Each of which ends with them being killed in one way or another and them uttering the phrase "..but it felt so real. Almost as if it had happened." The "shock" twist at the end being that the gentlemen are in hell / purgatory forced to relive their deaths every night.</div>
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In each vignette the man telling the story carried out a wrong against someone before they died. Whilst at times the moral message may be a bit thick, the acting shocking and the special effects even worse, this film is just about worth a watch. If only to see Marcus Brody from Indiana Jones in an earlier screen appearance and one from Tom Baker (indeed his story is the most interesting).</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; color: #0000ee;"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTvgsei16tTfGLJV2q9XA_gccqqivrVGGFUy8qgQEEtqg5DZ8F9" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 164px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify; width: 308px;" /></span><br />
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Midnight Mess involves a character in a vampire occupied town, and has a nice touch with the Vampire restaurant and the unmasking of the vampires, but also has some of the worst fake fangs I have ever seen in a film.</div>
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Based on Tales from the Crypt the segments were as follows:</div>
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The Neat Job has a character driving his new wife to murder as he is so anal about keeping his flat tidy!</div>
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" 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This Trick'll Kill You has a magician travelling around India (?) tries to steal a street magicians trick to take back to America.</div>
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Bargain in Death where the main character tries to claim life insurance by faking his death and being buried alive. Only to be killed by some grave robbers who want his remains for their medical studies.</div>
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Drawn and Quartered is by far the pick of the bunch, and stars Tom Baker as an artist who gains voodoo powers over his paintings. Some ridiculous set pieces see the grisly end to a number of characters, but there is some interesting concepts here and some genuinely dark stuff.</div>
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Directed by Roy Ward Baker, who directed HC favourite Quatermass and the Pit, this is a fun little film that is worth checking out if you like old school movies and don't take it too seriously.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-72719428521418678002012-11-14T19:08:00.000+00:002012-11-15T23:37:15.280+00:00Clarky's Review: Stormhouse<div style="text-align: center;">
<a 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I ended up seeing this film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival last weekend, and to be honest I went in knowing nothing about it. On the whole I was pleasantly surprised.</div>
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Set in an underground military base in 2002, before the Iraq war, the film focuses on "ghost whisperer" Hayley Sands and her contact with a supernatural entity that the army have captured.</div>
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The setting for the film is incredibly eerie, and the lighting and cinematography is fantastic for a low budget British film (just check out the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzrquJf94DA">Fast Romance trailer</a> for how bad a low budget British film can look). The main room where the entity is housed is hideous and every time the characters moved into the room my entire body tensed up, and I would breathe a sigh of release when they came out. </div>
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At times the tension is unbearable and the sound design has a lot to do with this, and also provides numerous scares at times. In fact I probably haven't jumped so often at a film for a long time. Sure seeing the film at the cinema probably enhanced a number of the jumps, but it was still very effective. The pacing for the first half is also brilliant, with the action moving out of the "room" for just enough to give you a breather before the tension is ratcheted up again. Setting the entire film in the "room" would haven't have worked as the tension would be lost eventually and the film would have become stale.</div>
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Unfortunately the film loses its way in the last half hour when it turns out that entity has escaped. The film kicks it up a notch, unfortunately not in a good way. It becomes a lot more action based and a lot of the tension is lost as it is often obvious where the entity is. There are still some good scares, with the stand out scene being the scene in the medical room.</div>
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This scene also provides some of the best acting, and one of the best transformations. Unfortunately, not all of the acting is this good. There are some dodgy accents and when the man from Whitehall comes to visit I thought they would need to get a chainsaw for his death scene given how wooden he was. He was incredible, I can't remember seeing acting this bad for a while (even worse than some of the acting in Mothers Day - although this is a far superior film and genuinely terrifying at times).</div>
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The basketball scene is also so ridiculous that the film almost collapses under it, thankfully this is offset with a genuinely creepy notion, that I won't spoil. What I will say is that I felt that the film should have ended here, unfortunately another scene is tacked onto the end and it just didn't work for me, providing more questions than answers (and not in a good way). </div>
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A character shows up at the end, that in the muddled last half hour I thought had died (and who almost certainly should have), to provide one last scare. Unfortunately I just didn't feel this added anything to the film, and made me wonder why the entity had decided to torture the people who didn't know what had happened in the army base.</div>
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Although I have mentioned a lot of negatives above, I would recommend this film. When its good, it is very, very good and it builds up enough goodwill to survive the ridiculous climax. Definitely worth a watch in my opinion and I hope it gets a wider cinema release later this year.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-21196070850161835122012-10-18T22:08:00.000+01:002012-11-11T01:47:07.370+00:00Ally's Cinema Review: Don't be Afraid of the Dark<div style="text-align: justify;">
We all went to the cinema last week to watch this because myself and Fin were invited to be guest reviewers on the wonderful Those Movie Guys weekly <a href="http://thosemovieguyspodcast.blogspot.com/">podcast</a>. When I was told this was going to be the film we reviewed I was pretty disappointed, and after watching the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFE4lGvRt8E&ob=av3e">trailer</a> my expectations were incredibly low. Other than Kate Winslet, Katie Holmes might be my least favourite actress, so the chances of this movie being any good seemed slim to none. Yet the one silver lining was the involvement of Guillermo del Toro, who has of course produced some of the finest horror/fantasy movies this side of 2000.</div>
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My original scepticism turned out to be well founded. There was a consensus between myself, Clarky, Fin and Ryan that this was a poor movie, with each one of us scoring the film around 4/5 out of 10. Yet I was actually surprised to find some elements to this film that I enjoyed, and plenty of potential for a better film to exist. The barebones of the story is actually quite interesting, and well told, even if it feels a little too familiar. I liked the idea of little mythological creatures being released in a renovated mansion, hellbent on collecting children's teeth. It's a creepy premise. The creep factor is upped during the opening scene of the movie which shows a pretty horrific flashback.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbib6I-QWy2tjYyQBM0xHc1kC58EGlkCp1Ubm0pUJyzFaym-pvCrBByZKBnVYY8UZlHMWKu-2Q-_Ub_f5vNiuOhhoY8cxayIfnYwqEfvVFvhW4at7nEKg4nhYHtKhywQ-ZLAHtDKh66yiK/s1600/dont-be-afraid-of-the-dark-2011-movie.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664200499454680946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbib6I-QWy2tjYyQBM0xHc1kC58EGlkCp1Ubm0pUJyzFaym-pvCrBByZKBnVYY8UZlHMWKu-2Q-_Ub_f5vNiuOhhoY8cxayIfnYwqEfvVFvhW4at7nEKg4nhYHtKhywQ-ZLAHtDKh66yiK/s400/dont-be-afraid-of-the-dark-2011-movie.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: justify; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
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Unfortunately, the film is just poorly made after this promising beginning. The acting is truly substandard. Katie Holmes is Katie Holmes, so I don't need to say much more than that. But Guy Pearce absolutely phones this one in, as he has done way too often since the glory days of Memento and L.A Confidential. The main protagonist is a little girl played by Bailee Madison. Although her acting is probably the best on display, she is a largely unsympathetic character, devoid of any real warmth or charisma. This is a major issue with the film on the whole, as it lacks any humour or heart. The other flaws of the film (chief among them, the formulaic narrative, and the poor use of the creatures) could probably be overcome if the film had a bit more warmth to it, but it feels as cold as the renovated house. </div>
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The creatures themselves are not used to maximum effect. We see them too much, and they soon lose their ability to scare or shock the viewer at all. Fin made a good point during the podcast; this film would have been far better if they had aimed it at a younger audience. With more humour, warmer characters and a bit less violence, it would have made for a great children's scary fairytale film. Instead, it feels like it isn't really for anyone. The script, acting and effects are too sloppy to engage with this film as an adult cinemagoer, much less a fan of horror.</div>
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It's not the least entertaining movie I've ever seen, but I couldn't recommend it to anyone.</div>
Allyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10766075039691672616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-15309060277058305782012-10-17T23:16:00.000+01:002012-11-11T01:39:11.310+00:00Horror Club: Top 5 Creepiest Characters<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ally's Top 5</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">5) Grandfather in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (John Dugan) </span><br />
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We don't see Grandfather for very long but he's hard to forget. In the most disturbing family dinner in any film, the audience is left absolutely disgusted and puzzled by the old man. What is he? How is he alive? What's his backstory? The word creepy doesn't cover it.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">4) Mrs Blaylock in The Omen (Billy Whitelaw) </span><br />
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Sent to look after Damien following the untimely death of his previous nanny (in the most shocking scene of the entire movie), Mrs Blaylock is absolutely terrifying. Her eyes in particular give you chills, and when she attacks? Buurrghh!! She easily makes the list.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">3) Raymond Lemorne in The Vanishing (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu) </span><br />
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His character is so strange that it can't help but be creepy. A family man, who is also incredibly polite even to those who know his deviant secret, something in his head is just not quite right. His methodical and deliberate approach, coupled with an astonishing lack of empathy, is truly shocking. This paradox makes him one of the most unsettling characters we've encountered at Horror Club.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">2) Regan/Pazuzu in the Exorcist (Linda Blair) </span><br />
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One of the icons of cinema and still hugely unsettling even to this day, the demon possessing Regan is truly one of the creepiest characters ever on screen. The voices, the laughing, the power… yeah, it's not something you can watch too many times.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">1) "Mother" in The House of the Devil (Danielle Noe) </span><br />
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If I never see a picture of this 'woman' again it will be too soon. For the entire film we are waiting in suspense for the ghastly secrets of the house and when we find out what's in store for the protagonist it is truly horrifying. The sort of character that threatens to give you bad dreams after a viewing. Unbelievably creepy.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Honourable Mentions:</span> Toshio in The Grudge (Yuya Ozeki), Margaret White in Carrie (Piper Laurie) and Chris Cleek in The Woman (Sean Bridgers), The Cenobites in Hellraiser, Paul in Funny Games (Arno Frisch)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndYRUNGqJEBGhM9suLBT-S0dGaospSa9JtoLEYsuw5LNeI52JeY_jH5gJT-oNY7bjrRIW_AC6bnBCtdnU1qkQsC3RE8h1h2NKYzG_TabJ4_05T4gX4PtE2fXHJfR66Peg9ZQ8OupKrUkG/s1600/House-of-the-Devil.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702650563267779714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndYRUNGqJEBGhM9suLBT-S0dGaospSa9JtoLEYsuw5LNeI52JeY_jH5gJT-oNY7bjrRIW_AC6bnBCtdnU1qkQsC3RE8h1h2NKYzG_TabJ4_05T4gX4PtE2fXHJfR66Peg9ZQ8OupKrUkG/s400/House-of-the-Devil.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 272px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">Fin's Top 5</span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">5) Chris Cleek in The Woman (Sean Bridgers)</span><br />
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A more contemporary character for my number 5 but equally creepy. Chris Cleek is the all American family man and small town lawyer who also happens to be seriously twisted. Chris Cleek's insanity knows no bounds weather he is emotionally abusing his terrified family or 'civilising' a feral women. If you doubt his place on the list check out his unique form of dog ownership.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">4) Margaret White in Carrie (Piper Laurie)</span><br />
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Abusive, mentally ill and a fanatic, nobody's ideal mother. When Margaret punishes her daughter for starting her period you know that she is bad shit crazy. However this is only the tip of the iceberg and as we see more glimpses into her twisted mind her true horror become clearer and increasingly frightening.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">3) Rev. Harry Powell in The Night of the Hunter (Robert Mitchum)</span><br />
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The two characters at number 1 and 2 in this list are terrifying partly due to their appearance. Harry Powell creates terror not from outward appearances but because of the twisted and ugly evil which lies inside is charming and handsome exterior.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">2) Grandpa Sawyer in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (John Dugan)</span><br />
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Grandpa Sawyer is the patriarch of the most frightening and disgusting screen family of all time. If your son turns out like Leatherface you must be one twisted dad. It is the mystery that surrounds Grandpa that makes him so scary he is an enigma who oozes a sinister presence. He is barely human and seems barely alive Grandpa is without doubt one of the scariest and vile screen characters ever.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Regan/ Pazuzu in The Exorcist (Linda Blair)</span><br />
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What more can you say about this character. One of the most instantly recognisable icons of not just horror cinema but all film. Pazuzu is the embodiment of evil, Pazuzu terrified me on first viewing and remains incredibly unsettling.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Honorable Mentions:</span> Raymond Lemorne in The Vanishing, Dr Carl Hill in Re-animator, The Cenobites in Hellraiser, Michael Myers in Halloween, Roman Castavet/ Mini Castavet in Rosemary's Baby, Mother in House of The Devil<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6YERjcaQUUYMjeZDZAkkcYvrOzAaKOp9sTcTqIROC0OmtFXjJOyurooHFD-yNxR8NL1dlcseytOy21kAURFGw7NJWrr7HqyLKjhw44tv0kmcQRA9JRFMoZqmu7bE0XH__EZdBJSBe3WC/s1600/55021278_de1e032e82.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702650710041265234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP6YERjcaQUUYMjeZDZAkkcYvrOzAaKOp9sTcTqIROC0OmtFXjJOyurooHFD-yNxR8NL1dlcseytOy21kAURFGw7NJWrr7HqyLKjhw44tv0kmcQRA9JRFMoZqmu7bE0XH__EZdBJSBe3WC/s400/55021278_de1e032e82.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 276px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 350px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Clarky's List</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">5) Le tueur in Switchblade Romance (Phillippe Nahon)</span><br />
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Whilst this film will go down in HC folklore as a film that completely loses the plot, literally, in the last 10 minutes, up until then le tueur is a horrible character. His shabby exterior, the dirt under the fingernails and his unrelentlessness (if that is a word) disgusted me to my very core whilst watching this film. If it weren't for the fact that he is a figment of Marie's imagination then he would be higher up the list.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">4) Eun-joo (Stepmother) in A Tale of Two Sisters (Jung-ah Yum) </span><br />
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A Tale of Two Sisters is a film that we watched a while ago, and I almost forgot how creepy a character the step mother was until I started making this list. She is an oppressive figure throughout the film and incredibly unsympathetic to the clearly troubled daughters.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">3) Roman and Minnie Castevet in Rosemary's Baby (Sidney Blackmer and Ruth Gordon)</span><br />
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The elderly neighbours from Rosemary's Baby have to make my list. Whilst they seem "off" from the start, you don't know what their ulterior motives are. They are conniving and deceitful, and incredibly creepy.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">2) "Peter" and "Paul" in Funny Games (Frank Giering and Arno Frisch)</span><br />
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Peter and Paul (if that is their real names) from Funny Games nearly make it to the top of my list. This film was like a punch to the gut and that is in no small part due to the the faultless performances from these two antagonists. Their lack of emotion and sheer coldbloodedness stay with you for days, if not weeks, after viewing. Sure it is a bit of a cheat having two characters in my list, but they are a double act and have to be included as such.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">1) Grandfather in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (John Dugan) </span><br />
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There can only be one winner here and it has to be the grandfather from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The scene dressing is incredible and is incredibly unsettling, just when you think Tobe Hooper can't push you any further we are introduced to the greatest butcher there ever was. The look of him is enough to turn even the strongest stomach. He is barely alive and doesn't utter a single word of dialogue, and even though he makes the briefest appearance he sticks with you longer than any of the characters, even Leatherface. Even know, thinking back to when I first saw this over 10 years ago, he is still the first thing that pops into my head when I think of this film. Surely, testament enough that he is the creepiest character going.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsE5d2txAwGjyHlaA0eR6DysWL8ZsNnNOyWD3SDvgNEaGY3DI8M9kzEoQXzIolH0r8e_AHrGknumgz9kfsEid02dAofP1i7TCxnZOqkFWueBaOgd8B5Gil5n9igkjcyn0lWIyTyRbtXGO/s1600/16.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5702650797869683026" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsE5d2txAwGjyHlaA0eR6DysWL8ZsNnNOyWD3SDvgNEaGY3DI8M9kzEoQXzIolH0r8e_AHrGknumgz9kfsEid02dAofP1i7TCxnZOqkFWueBaOgd8B5Gil5n9igkjcyn0lWIyTyRbtXGO/s400/16.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Honorable Mentions: </span>How can I possibly reduce 2 and a half years worth of horror, and creepiness, into 5 characters! With so much scope I've decided to provide a slightly different list from that of my cohorts. That's not to say that their characters aren't creepy, it's just that I feel I need to bring something different to the table, to provide as diverse a list as possible. Having said that, there is some crossover with my number 1 as he is simply the creepiest character out there!<br />
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Firstly I have to give honourable mentions to Raymond Lemorne from The Vanishing as noted by Ally. The landlord from To Let, has to be mentioned as well. Whilst not the greatest film, she is genuinely creepy and unsettling right from the off.<br />
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Martin, from Martin, is creepy, but not nearly unsettling enough to make my top 5. Whilst Damien, another titular character, from the second Omen film is an incredibly unsettling character, as he is throughout the series, however, the underrated second film encapsulates everything that is wrong with Damien and shows him becoming a willing accomplice in the the dark lords plans.<br />
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Finally, Chris Cleek is another almost ran. He is undeniably creepy, but as he is on Fin's list already I thought I would add something different to the mix.</div>
Finhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12463656545383245129noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-12836074233099123852012-10-16T20:06:00.000+01:002012-11-11T01:36:04.531+00:00Horror Club: Top 5 post-2000 Horror Movies<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">Ally's List:</span><br />
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5) <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Woman">The Woman</a> - I didn't have very high expectations when I brought this film to the table, but I was really surprised by how good (and original) it was. A really interesting film, with some memorable and shocking moments, it is very well acted (particularly Pollyanna McIntosh and Sean Bridgers) and the music wonderfully adds to the unsettled tone. The violence isn't overt (*cough* <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/Inside">Inside</a>): the director doesn't <span style="font-style: italic;">rely</span> on the sight of blood to produce moments of brutality and horror, and that's a skill many horror directors could learn from. Not perfect, but certainly underrated.<br />
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4) <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Orphanage">The Orphanage</a> - One of those rare horror beasts (along with my number 1) that stands up to being a good film regardless of genre. It is just an excellent film that happens to be a horror movie too. Achingly sad and beautifully shot, it's a film that stays with you for days afterwards. Think it might be the only horror movie that I had to pretend to have 'something in my eye' during the final moments. It also has some real frights.<br />
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3) <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/%5BREC%5D">[REC]</a> - It has been a superb decade (or so) for Spanish Horror. I've seen [REC] twice and both times I found it absolutely terrifying. It's just a first rate horror film - it has wonderful tension and jumps, the story unfolds quickly all the way to a menacing (and shocking) conclusion. If I had to recommend one film on this list that would guarantee a true horror (visceral) experience this would be it.<br />
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2) <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20House%20of%20the%20Devil">The House of the Devil</a> - I've only seen this film once, and I've wondered if it would have anything like the same impact on second viewing. The thing is, my reluctance to ever see it again tells you everything you need to know about how scary I found this movie. While I've been critical of his other work, I can't fault Ti West for anything here. It's an absolute triumph. Particularly the way he manages to make it authentically look like a film made in the 80s. It might be the type of film that some people don't find scary, but for me this remains my most terrifying movie watching experience since I first saw The Exorcist.<br />
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1) <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/Let%20the%20Right%20One%20In">Let the Right One In</a> - In a similar vein to The Orphanage this stands up against any film, regardless of genre. In fact, if I was composing a top 5 (post 2000) movie list this would make a strong case to be number 1 on that too. It's just a really beautiful, tragic vampire tale with some of the best child acting I've seen. Not hugely scary (although it has its moments) Authentic and atmospheric, I just couldn't get enough of this film when we watched it, and we continued to talk about it for weeks. A remake is sacrilegious, this film is nearly flawless.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMUYA7G_VOcdOGsGlnOy16j8L-ZN4WLwahU8QYgUIXZF0jZSEm5WnboAsVDnJFXqvT-SWif0bcnIhioes13HPkA6iOzQa7qcnvW7X52z2F0L_0vzLE4HwGnx6sRT2a806K4a-IcSqvX3G/s1600/letrightonein_final.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687917366288152210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMUYA7G_VOcdOGsGlnOy16j8L-ZN4WLwahU8QYgUIXZF0jZSEm5WnboAsVDnJFXqvT-SWif0bcnIhioes13HPkA6iOzQa7qcnvW7X52z2F0L_0vzLE4HwGnx6sRT2a806K4a-IcSqvX3G/s400/letrightonein_final.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 227px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
(Honourable Mentions - The Mist, A Tale of Two Sisters, The Descent, 30 Days of Night, Session 9)<br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><b>Fin's List:</b></span><br />
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5) <b style="text-decoration: underline;">[REC]</b>- Watching The Rec felt like a short sharp slap to the face, in the short space of 78 minutes directors <span style="color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span>Jaume Balaguero and Paco Plaza put the viewer through an emotional and physical trial. The directors manage to take the genre of the found footage horror film, a genre that has basically run out of ideas, and create something new and fresh. It is rare that a horror film genuinely scare you but REC manages to be truly terrifying.<br />
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4) <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Mist"><b><u>The Mist</u></b></a>- Stephen King adaptations have a long history of being terrible. For every Shining there are 5 or 6 The Langoliers or Pet Cemeteries. As a result I went into The Mist with very low expectations. It was therefore even more satisfying when this film turned out to be a modern classic monster film. This is a rare film where the story and emotional impact of a number of great acting performances are more important than the monsters. Like all great monster films Frank Darabont uses his creatures as a tool to tell a story and not the other way round and this is a much more emotionally affecting film than one would expect. The acting is universsaly strong and Marcia Gay Harden's performance as the religious fanatic is Oscar worthy. Darabont created a modern prison classic with the Shawshank Redemption and he does the same with the creature feature with The Mist.<br />
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3) <b><u>Let The Right One In</u></b>- With the glut of mediocre vampire fare we have been served up with this decade Let The Right One In was a breath of fresh air. It is one of those rare horror films which are of such quality that they cross into mainstream culture. I would recommend this film to anyone and that is not something I would say for most of the films we watch at horror club. Let The Right One In is film of depth and emotion which manages both scares and poignancy. It is a well acted and beautifully crafted film and is a must see for any fan of cinema.<br />
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2) <b><u>The Women</u></b>- Lucky McKee's ferocious chiller of small town madness and barbarism hiding behind the trappings of respectability came right out of left field for me. I watched this film on the back of a number of strong reviews however much of these reviews portrayed The Women as a continuation of much modern horror focusing on gore and violence to the exclusion of anything else. And while the film is indeed brutal Lucky Mckee has a the skill to portray this violence in an effective, unique and powerful way without resorting to gore. The Women has a look and style that is both exciting and unique and strangely moving. The Women is definitely a film you have to see.<br />
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1) <b><u>House of the Devil</u></b>- What more can be said about House of the Devil anyone who reads this blog will know that we are all big fans of this film. I came to this film completely fresh with no expectations and was absolutely blown away by it. It is brilliantly made- stylish, cool, retro but so fresh it is unlike anything else you will have seen. However most importantly it is balls out scary with enough tension to cause a heart attack. This film is Ti West's masterpiece and as much as I'm looking forward to the upcoming release of Innkeepers it would have to be something special to better House Of The Devil. Not only the best of the decade but for my money one of the best horror films of the last 30 years.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 130%;"><b>Clarky's List:</b></span></div>
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In an attempt to shake things up a bit and ruffle a few feathers I have put up a slightly alternative list to the films I have recognised in my all time list. I'm not going to pretend that it's not been painful to cut out some films (Let the Right One In especially) and its not that I don't enjoy all the movies on the other 2 lists, because I do. I really like them all and would have probably had them on my list if I didn't feel the need to mix it up. This is primarily because there is a lot of crossover between the three of us, and mainly because I like to antagonise Fin and Al!<br />
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5) <u style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/Drag%20Me%20to%20Hell">Drag Me to Hell</a></u>- The first bone of contention no doubt. Slated by Al and Fin I feel I need to give this film the respect it deserves on the blog. By no means a classic, this film is however a pure thrill ride. The reason it works is the fact that Sam Raimi knows exactly what this film is and doesn't try to get the film to punch above its weight. Its funny and scary all at once and is sure to get your adrenaline pumping and leave you with a smile on your face. Best viewed in a big group or at the cinema if you can.<br />
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4) <u style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20Tale%20of%20Two%20Sisters">A Tale of Two Sisters</a></u>- Another film that I viewed at the cinema and it really added to the proceedings. Almost half the cinema left at some point during the screening and the tension at times was unbearable. This was the first South Korean film we viewed at HC and whilst at the time this was a benefit, I can't help but feel that <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Host">The Eye and The Host</a> have somewhat tainted the memory of my cohorts. This film creeped us all out at the time and provided a (possibly the only) scare that caused all three of us to jump of the couch (and possibly let out a little shriek!).<br />
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3) <u style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Descent">The Descent</a></u>- A film that for whatever reason doesn't seem to have stood the test of time for Fin and Al, but one that had the heart pumping at the time. Even though I had seen this film numerous times before I had forgotten how tense and nerve wracking this film was and the incredible job that Neil Marshall does in giving a real sense of claustrophobia. The tension does drop off once the monsters start to have more screen time, but this is true for almost every horror film I have ever seen, and what comes before is so damn good that it deserves a place in my top 5.<br />
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2) <u style="font-weight: bold;">The House of the Devil</u>- When Fin brought a haunted house story to the table I wasn't sure what to expect. Especially when the opening credits looked like they were straight out of the 80's. Was this going to be another one of Fin's 80's style B movies like Re-animator or Fright Night? I couldn't have been more wrong. Whilst there is nothing fresh with regards to the story line, it is the matter in which this story is told that is impressive. Ti West has complete and utter faith in slowly racking up the tension. Playing with your expectations, from seeing other horror movies, there are surprisingly few jumps but the tension never dissipates. A masterful piece of direction that shows the Saw generation how nuanced and effective horror can be if done correctly, rather than focussing on gore to make the viewer uncomfortable.<br />
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1) <u style="font-weight: bold;">The Orphanage</u>- There can be only one winner for me and it is my inaugural choice at horror club. The Orphanage is a stunning film that is hauntingly beautiful. A horror film, but also a portrayal of grief and a mothers love. This film has it all - stunning direction, incredible acting (not least by Belen Rueda as the grief stricken mother), a strong script that takes its time to unravel, genuine jump out your seat scares, high tension, incredible cinematography and a shock ending that is truly shocking, Guaranteed to shock and delight in equal measure, this is not just a great horror film, this is one of the great films post 2000 in my eyes.<br />
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(I realise I have left out Let the Right One In out of my top 5 and this is not a decision I took lightly, but given the love it has already and the fact that it is not an out and out horror as it has hardly any scares or jumps I have had to leave it out in order to portray a wider range of films for this list. It's a great film and I don't want anyone believing I think otherwise! Also honourable mention must go to REC as well, a film that reinvigorated the somewhat tired found footage genre.)</div>
Allyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10766075039691672616noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-55646932022190518172012-04-10T00:37:00.000+01:002012-11-16T01:11:24.834+00:00Clarky's Review: Hour of the Wolf<div style="text-align: justify;">
The most intriguing part of horror club is always the unveiling of that weeks choice. Two of us are left in the dark guessing at what you might bring with regards to previous form and your interests. Most of the time whilst you might not know the film itself, the style of film is not always that far from what you think, although Inside from Ally was a notable exception. Maybe because of this I should have expected Ally to bring a 1968 Swedish horror by the auteur Ingmar Bergman!</div>
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To be fair, I don't know if I would describe this as an out and out horror. There are some horrific scenes no doubt (especially at the denouement which throws a woman with no face, a birdman and all other sorts of atrocities onto the screen), and the film aims to unnerve and discombobulate the viewer, but it is not scary necessarily. However, given the fact that The Night of the Hunter is hailed as a horror film, then this has to make the list, as it is certainly more of a horror film than it is.</div>
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Focussing on a young couple in love on an isolated island (one of whom is a young Max Von Sydow), the film is preoccupied with how this affects the couple mentally. Devised as a companion piece to Persona (itself not a horror film, in fact Hour of the Wolf is Bergmans only horror) it was born during a period of illness for Bergman - and it shows. The film blurs the line between dreams, reality and madness, and as a viewer you never know where you stand. That's about it for plot. But that's not what this film is about, it's all about the mood. And Bergman captures that perfectly.</div>
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The lack of coherent plot, the sparing use of the score and the incredible use of the camera all aid to unsettle you as a viewer. Unfortunately the lack of plot and character development, whilst one of the films strengths, is also the films greatest weakness. It's very hard to sympathise or connect with either Johan or Alma. If Bergman had made Alma sympathetic and more likeable then it may have increased the tension and been more shocking when Johan loses it. That's not to say that she is particularly unlikeable (apart from reading Johan's private diary) but she just doesn't have enough screen time for you to develop a relationship with her.</div>
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As I noted earlier there are some undeniably incredible shots here. The dinner party scene is particularly unsettling as the camera spins wildly around the table of degenerates and weirdos. The use of sound is also incredible and as a viewer we have no idea what is happening. We hear snippets of discussion here and there, and sometimes not at all as the score overshadows the actors and we just see them mouthing the words. The end effect is that you have no idea what is happening and that is undeniably what Bergman is aiming at. </div>
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The scene with the woman and the young man on the beach are also unsettling, and the latter is particularly creepy - the score in this scene as he winds up his fishing rod is simply incredible and will have you on the edge of your seat. however, the film is almost just a collection of set pieces, and whilst each one has something to enjoy it is not the most fulfilling experience.</div>
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I'm glad Ally brought this to the table, but I'm not sure where I stand with this film. I enjoyed parts of it and felt it lacked in others. One one hand it is technically superb but seems to have no soul. Yet at the same time this is a film wholly about the human condition, madness and everything that this entails. It's all about the mood here and it succeeds on every level with that in mind. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-32408901465874910422012-04-09T22:43:00.001+01:002012-11-11T01:23:08.842+00:00Guest Review - Ryan: We Are What We Are<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 13px; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When Clarky whipped out “We Are What We Are” at my last appearance at Horror Club, I was genuinely excited. It was one of the few films that I had wanted to see – but missed – during 2010, and if you know how many films I see every year for our <i><a href="http://www.thosemovieguyspodcast.blogspot.co.uk/">Those Movie Guys podcast</a></i>, you’ll know this doesn’t happen very often.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had always been intrigued by this Spanish language horror – it was pretty well received by critics and certainly had an interesting premise. You probably know the basic story already – a family of cannibals living in the poorest parts of modern day Mexico lose their father - not only is he the provider in the monetary sense, but also in the sense of the mysterious “ritual” they talk about. It’s then left to the remaining members to take the reins and find a victim for the family to feast on.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What follows is a very unsettling (in a good way) mix of kitchen sink drama meets slow-burning art house horror, interspersed with some exceptionally dark humour. It’s also a genuinely interesting piece of low budget film-making. I can honestly say I enjoyed the film on both levels. It succeeds in meshing a realistic situation with a shocking premise, making you believe that the situation could happen.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After a striking opening sequence where the patriarch of the family dies on a busy street, the film admittedly takes a while to get going. He’s from the lowest class, so the rest of the family carry on their daily business, unaware of his fate. It doesn’t initially make the most gripping viewing, but absolutely highlights the family’s situation – someone being so poor, that it doesn’t register immediately when they keel over and die in the street.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The issue of cannibalism isn’t immediately revealed, but there’s a slow-building sense of unease between the family members from the off. The mother seems unhinged, the brothers constantly get at each other, and the sister is an obvious manipulator from the start. Tensions grow throughout the first section, especially as you know what they’re into but they don’t openly address it. This to me works well (admittedly I’m probably more patient than your average film viewer) as when the true horrors of the “ritual” are revealed, it makes them even more chilling.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">The whole film has a washed-out, sepia style to it, which works very well. Not only does it look good, but it plays well to the grim, uneasy mood of the film – giving it an almost dream like quality – and you feel something isn’t quite right from the very beginning. The air of sick desperation grows as the plot unfurls and all the family members take matters into their own hands, as they’re so set on carrying out their “ritual” in the wake of the father’s death.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The tension is ratcheted up, when the older brother finally grabs the bull by the horns and goes out hunting a victim. It’s a strange sequence that only just works, where he plays a game of cat and mouse with a guy in gay club – but the whole time the viewer knows what’s coming. When the fish finally takes the bait, it moves the film into its final section.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It’s at this point – when the unease reaches its peak – that the gore is finally brought out. When it does come it is pretty shocking. The mother and the sister (who’ve really worn the trousers throughout the plot) strap up the victim and get the tools out. It has the look of a Saw film, but because the set-up has been so meticulous and precise it doesn’t feel like a cheap move. The sister, who’s spent the film typically arguing with her brothers, is now biting a chunk out a victim’s leg. The crazy mother is wielding a knife like a well-trained butcher. It acts as a total turn-around from what’s gone before. All the tension-filled build-up pays off, as the family’s true colours are revealed in their grim glory. But before the scene descends into a full blown feast for four, the plot takes another twist, moving away from the gore and setting up a closing act which is all about survival. I will leave it for you to watch, but I will say that I thought the ending worked very well and it was far cleverer than I expected. Make sure you pay attention. It also stops what has been a very well put together film descending into a mess of blood and guts, leaving the worst of it to your own imagination (always a shrewd move in horror, if you can pull it off).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The film also manages to weave in some of the blackest humour going – the scene were the autopsy on the father is being carried out and the mortician uses a dismembered finger to flick the bird at two hapless cops investigating the case is a fine example. It’s used sparingly, but it does work when it comes round.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Where this film may fall down for some viewers (not for me though, I may add) is the complete detachment you feel from the characters. This is something that Clarky rightfully pointed out in his review, and may not sit well with some people. If you need a character to root for during a film, you’ll not find one here. It’s nigh on impossible to feel sorry for the family given the depravity of their actions. I personally don’t feel that’s the point of the film, but I suspect some traditional horror fans may be disappointed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is not an easy watch but I found it rewarding at the finish. It’s all about the set-up, which demands patience and concentration from the viewer. It’s an exceptionally slow-burner, but when it does get to the pay-off, the meticulous preparation makes the horror of the situation feel all the more realistic and chilling. I really enjoyed it and found it stayed with me for a good time afterwards.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">An interesting final note – the rights for an English remake have been picked up. It’s to be directed by Jim Mickle, who’s writing the script along with Nick Damici. You may recognise those names as the men behind 2010’s most excellent vampire/survival flick “Stake Land”. I’ll be very interested to see what they do with it.</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-15812777290815846732012-03-28T00:00:00.000+01:002012-11-11T01:23:48.517+00:00Clarky's Review: We Are What We Are<div style="text-align: justify;">
We Are What We Are (or "Somos lo que hay" in it's native Mexican) is a film I knew very little about when purchasing it. It seemed to have the usual flurry of 4 or 5 star reviews (as every box set seems to have these days - even <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Hatchet">Hatchet</a>!) but I thought it was worth a shot. Only afterwards did I realise that Ryan, my fellow ThoseMovieGuys cohort, had mentioned this to me before, and that it was meant to do for cannibals what <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Let%20the%20Right%20One%20In">Let The Right One In</a> did for vampires. This is high praise indeed and I was dubious as to whether it could live up to it and my, now sky high, expectations.</div>
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So did it? In short, no (although what could) but there is more here than meets the eye and I can understand the comparison, to a certain extent. Much like LTROI the myth of vampires isn't front and centre, it's the relationships between the characters, and for the most part this film plays out like a Mike Leigh kitchen sink drama - albeit one in Mexico that features a family of cannibals! Cannibalism isn't the main concern here, although it is the major plot device and accounts for most if not all of the characters actions.</div>
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What's at the heart of this movie is the family, their dynamic and the fallout after the loss of their father figure. Who will step up to the plate and take control of the family and lead them through this troubled time. It's a universal issue, and something that almost all of us will have to face at some point or another, even if cannibalism is not!</div>
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So what's the issue? This takes a universal theme and apply's it to a horror background much like LTORI. The problem is that none of the characters here are that likeable. In LTROI Oskar is bullied at school and is an outsider, and whilst Eli may be a vampire this is something that was thrust upon her. Rather than kill for fun, she kills to survive.</div>
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Whilst there is no doubt that the children of this family have their issues, and you could even argue that they don't know any better and that they are killing to survive, its hard to have any sympathy for them. The oldest child is a bit of a wet blanket and you never really root for him, the sister is conniving and the younger brother is an imbecile and a brute. And don't get me started on the mother! And whilst you could argue that they too are killing to survive, it's not quite the same. This film is more grounded in reality and they clearly know and understand the repercussions of their actions.</div>
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But maybe that's not the point. Why should we sympathise with a family of cannibals? We shouldn't of course, but when they are the main focus of the film it is difficult to connect with them without some likeable moments. Another issue is that the other "stories" and plot strands are marginalised and are introduced without being given much thought thereafter. If we had followed the police investigation as well then maybe we would have had someone to root for, instead these characters are pushed to the sidelines and are almost used for comedic effect.</div>
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The film is also quite slow, especially to start, and whilst I hung in there (determined to enjoy it) I couldn't help but feel it slipping away from me. I'm not sure if this is a problem indicative of this film, or of the fact that after seeing so many horror films I am also preconditioned to expect the action to kick off pretty quickly. However, apart from the general feeling of unease that permeates every scene within the house, and a couple of flashes of gore (although most of that is off screen, which is actually worse as you are left with the sound effects and your imagination) you would be hard pushed to classify this as a horror movie. </div>
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In fact the feeling of unease has to be applauded. Not that I enjoyed it, but it can be an incredibly difficult thing to create a mood, or feeling, on film yet, We Are What We Are had it in spades. Sure it was one of the most disgusting, insidious and unsettling moods doing the rounds, but it was incredibly effective. There are lots of hints at things that are unspoken and this simply adds to the feeling whilst also adding something extra to proceedings. I liked the fact that we don't have a full back story, it's almost as if the film starts off half way through the story and expects us to catch up or come to our own conclusions as to what has led this family here. Whilst this not only added enjoyment to the film for me personally, I feel it also saved the film from having to deliver on its promises. Which although frustrating, also probably saved the film.</div>
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As noted many times at HC before, a lot of horror films have a great premise that is undone in the last third of the film as filmmakers either don't have the courage of their convictions, or they feel like they have to explain themselves. Thankfully, this is not a problem here and instead of being disappointed as a viewer by having the meaning of the ritual explained and spoon fed to us, here we make up our own minds. This saves us the despair of being disappointed by a sub par explanation and also allows us to spend time postulating and coming up with our own more satisfying reasons. </div>
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One thing that I did find interesting was that every single victim in the film arrived at their situation because of sexual relations. Whether it be a whore on the street corner, the taxi driver that takes the mother for a ride (pun intended) or the homosexual who comes home for a one night stand. All of them find themselves faced by a family of cannibals because of their sex lives. I couldn't help but think that for a film that seemed to focus on the grey areas in life, this was very black and white and almost harked back to earlier horrors that were satirised in Scream.</div>
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In many ways I think this film undersells itself as a gory horror film, although it is genuinely tense and unnerving at times, yet it under performs in comparison to Let the Right One In and is a bit slow to start. There are certainly some interesting ideas, some nice touches and it was well shot, but I couldn't help but feel that there is a great film hidden somewhere inside an ok one. Although I did love that ending.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-46106918608165855292012-03-20T19:00:00.003+00:002012-11-11T01:24:19.506+00:00Clarky's Review: The Shrine<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Shrine is a film I had never heard of before Fin brought it along to HC last week. I always enjoy it when Fin sources something new and niche to bring to the table, as it is always interesting (and in the case of The House of the Devil - terrifying!). However, the cover of this looked like it would put it would put Inside to shame, so I was pretty worried.</div>
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Directed by Jon Knautz, who also wrote the film, it is his second full length feature following his 2007 film "Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer" which looks like it is downright awful (although the B-movie fan inside me thinks it may also be amazing), if you were to ask me to judge a <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=jack+brooks+monster+slayer&hl=en&biw=1280&bih=616&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=HjvTjIPNYTMuSM:&imgrefurl=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jack-Brooks-Monster-Slayer-DVD/dp/B001AU3G64&docid=Q_5t97RVPFinBM&imgurl=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LMW2TLwTL._SL500_AA300_.jpg&w=300&h=300&ei=eDJyT9_4JsSU8gO9wdx1&zoom=1">DVD by its cover</a>! Unfortunately at times his direction was lacking and I was losing interest, although this may also be due to the fact that half the film is in Polish and the characters make decisions that would put the kids from Friday the 13th to shame. </div>
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The main issue I had with the film was that it looked rather cheap, almost like it was made for TV rather than for the cinema. Whilst I understand that this was a low budget film by a second time director this is not an excuse in my opinion, that's part of the staple of horror films and why they are so good for cutting your teeth as a director. With a limited budget the story has to be tighter and you have to think of ways of making things look fresh and interesting. Unfortunately, the direction is staid and half the budget seems to have been spent on the CGI fog/smoke. </div>
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All you have to do is look at a film like Kill List which, although it was not completely to my taste and did suffer at times from excess shaky cam, does look mightily impressive and cinematic, thanks to some nice directorial touches, good cinematography and an interesting story. This is all the more impressive given that its budget was only £500,000, half of what Knautz had to play with here. The budget certainly wasn't spent on the actors. The main couple are pretty terrible and you find it hard to believe that they are in a relationship, and as for the "Polish" locals, the less said about them the better. At times they didn't even seem to be attempting to hide their American accents!</div>
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SPOILER ALERT!!!</div>
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That's not to say that this film is a total write off. The scene with The Shrine itself was especially creepy and was actually good at creating tension. There just isn't enough created elsewhere. There is only 1 scene with The Shrine and the scenes with the locals just didn't hang together well enough for me. Maybe it's because the plot twist was a bit telegraphed for me - why would you have half your film in Polish and not provide subtitles unless you were trying to pull the wool over the audiences eyes. Whilst it did add to the sense of the unknown as you were put in the protagonists shoes (although they were so annoying that I was never sympathising or rooting for them!) it just seemed a major flaw unless something else was going on......</div>
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The <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054067/">Mario Bava style mask</a> was an interesting touch, although Knautz showed us this in the opening scene and it was difficult to ramp up the gore, or tension, thereafter, and I also liked the very last scene. Unfortunately there just weren't enough scares or tension for a horror film, and it wasn't bad enough to be held up as a cheesy "so-bad-its-good" B-movie. It was in the nothingness in between which, with the exception of the scene with The Shrine itself, is what I felt afterwards. It was an easy enough watch and at under an hour and a half is not going to test your patience, but I just wanted more. </div>
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I feel like I may be being overly harsh on this film at times, and I'm sure if we had seen it at the start of season 1 we would all have enjoyed this a bit more. Maybe I'm a bit desensitised, or maybe this was't up to scratch, but after 3 seasons, a few Argento flicks, and even some gore with Inside, this no longer cuts the mustard. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-16363944742433731102012-03-19T14:07:00.004+00:002012-11-11T01:24:45.595+00:00Ally's Review: The Shrine<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'd never heard of this film before Fin brought it to the table on Thursday. After briefly reading the synopsis on the back of the DVD I began to worry that we were in for another very uncomfortable watch.<br />
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The Shrine tells the story of a (very irritating) journalist who sneaks away to Poland on the hunt for a potential big news story with her gormless colleague and hapless boyfriend. An American tourist went missing in a small town in Poland with no trace, so she goes to investigate. Soon we discover that the small town has some bizarre secrets, most notably a strange fog in the forest. Unwisely (have they never seen a horror movie??) the three of them go off to find out what's happening, with very bad results...<br />
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I actually quite enjoyed this movie, probably more than I should have. I enjoyed it despite the very obvious problems. First of all the acting is substandard: the three Americans have no charisma and struggle to convey the more subtle emotions, the natives are quite clearly not Polish (the children are especially comical), although for a small budget movie this is probably an unfair gripe. It suffers from having the characters do the very common horror movie practice of making incredibly dumb decisions - in a tongue and cheek movie that's fine, but in a film that's trying to be serious it adds an unintentional comedic element.<br />
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Despite these grumbles I did enjoy the movie, even if I forgot about it soon after the credits rolled. It has some solid scares and it is a genuinely creepy premise for a movie. With some better acting and a bit of polishing (unintended pun) of the script, I think it would have been a surprisingly good film. The twist is well handled (a rarity for a horror film), and not immediately obvious… unless you're Clarky and you call it after about 20 minutes (ruining it for me and Fin in the process!)<br />
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In other words, this film is a bit of a mixed bag. It has enough originality and creepiness to be worth a watch for any horror fan looking for a decent 80 minute film. But it's quickly forgotten because the flaws are a bit much to overcome.</div>
Allyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10766075039691672616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-76951674459397564362012-02-22T12:25:00.001+00:002012-11-11T01:26:10.333+00:00Fin's Review: Inferno<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm on record as being a huge Dario Argento fan I love his vision and the balls to the wall craziness of his films. What ever else you can say about his films they are never boring and almost always a unique experience. However it can be difficult to review Argento's films in the same way as you would most other films out there. This is primarily due to the fact that the Italian directors approach to film making is truly unique. Argento is not concerned with logic and even coherent story telling instead he attempts to create a hypnotic dreamlike vision infused with woozy, fluid camera work and strange outlandish lighting. The result of this is two fold, firstly Argentos films are both scary and fascinating and make the viewer feel that they are observing a bizarre nightmare world which they recognise but which is weirdly out of focus. Secondly the directors disregard for the central core of most film making: script, story and acting can make aspects of his films suffer. In a strange way Argento is operating at the level of genius and amateur at the same time. Beautiful lighting and inspired camera work go hand in hand with wooden scripts and seriously cheesy acting. But for me and fans of the directors work this is part of the charm of an Argento film and if the viewer can judge these films on their own grounds and not based on the criteria of other films it is an experience like no other.</div>
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Inferno is the sequel to Argento's most famous and best film Suspiria and as a result it is hard not to compare the two films. Ultimately Inferno falls short of the heights of Suspiria but only just. Inferno is a fine example of 'Absolute Cinema' where the style and atheistic of the film overrules the actual content of the story. Inferno's hypnotic combination of beauty and strangeness pull the viewer in to an experience which is made scarier by the lack of any conventional patterns or traditional markers of the horror genre. Anything can happen in this world and it often does. If being scary is the basic benchmark of success of any horror film Inferno succeeds. The film keeps you going both due to the beguiling mystery on screen and the feeling that the answers to the mystery are just around the corner. Argento never intends for his films to make sense and this is particularly true of Inferno and despite having a very basic story building upon the mythology first encountered in Surspiria it is a pretty token effort and the story is of secondary importance to the enjoyment of the film. The lighting in Inferno is simply stunning it is both bright and dark beautiful and menacing. Every scene is lit with an artificial glare of shades of blue and red. Much of the horror of Argento's films are, unlike most horror films, seen in the full glare of these strange lights. In a way the terror is heightened as there is no dark to escape towards. Events occur in no pattern or rational order and often are never mentioned again. Characters do things which make no logical sense. And for me this incoherence is the main strength of Inferno. Argento draws his horror from the disorientation the viewer feels. </div>
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As much as I love Inferno I mentioned above that it doesn't quite reach the heights of Suspiria. This is partly because Argento is more restrained here doing without the frantic Goblin soundtrack we associate with most of his films. The action on screen never reaches the intensity of pitch which Suspiria manages. However the ultimate reason Inferno falls slightly short of Supiria is the ending. For all the madness on screen it is the promise of a pay off that keeps the viewer interested but ultimately in Infenro there is no pay off. The mystery we feel so close to unveiling is simply forgotten and instead we get an ending which is dangerously close to a spoof of the worst moments of Hammer horror. We are given a very convenient fire and frankly cheesy make up effects. Having said this the weak ending should not take away from a unique and chilling viewing experience. </div>
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Finhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12463656545383245129noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-9401094428955091092012-02-22T00:48:00.000+00:002012-11-11T01:26:36.103+00:00Clarky's Review: Inferno<div style="text-align: justify;">
I wasn't sure what to make of the news that Fin was bringing another Argento film to the table. On the one hand I really enjoyed Deep Red, his most coherent film (narratively speaking), but I was left cold by Suspiria (a film which has almost no narrative structure). My fears worsened when Fin explained that Inferno was a sequel to Suspiria and is often cited as one of Argento's most incoherent films.</div>
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It was with a great surprise that I found myself quite enjoying Inferno, so much so that I am open to re-watching Suspiria. On first viewing Suspiria I had no idea what to expect and as such was shocked by the lack of narrative. Whilst some viewers may find that this is more of the same, there was enough of a gap between me watching Suspiria and Inferno for me to appreciate both of them, especially once I knew what to expect.</div>
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As noted above Inferno is a sequel to Suspiria, and is actually the second part of the Three Mothers trilogy that was finally completed in 2007 with The Mother of Tears. Argento took his inspiration from Levana and Our Ladies of Sorrow, a section of the Thomas De Quincey collection of poems Suspiria de Profundis. De Quincey's work suggests that there are three Fates, three Graces and three Sorrows:</div>
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Inferno focuses on Mater Tenebrarum, the youngest and most cruel (although she doesn't appear to be particularly more cruel than Mater Suspiriorum). Mater Tenebrarum lives in New York, Mater Suspiriorum in Freiburg and Mater Lachrymarum (the most beautiful and powerful) lives in Rome. Unfortunately at times the whole Three Mothers backstory became a bit distracting as it wasn't well enough explained and because I was under the impression that Suspiria was set in Rome!</div>
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I realise this was my mistake but Argento isn't easy to follow at the best of times. I was especially confursed when Mater Lachrymarum turned up in Rome. She certainly is the most beautiful, but surely Tenebrarum is meant to be the youngest of the Three Sisters! I realise this is nit picking (Fin is sure to pick me up on this) but at times Argento's lack of logic really hinders a viewers enjoyment of the film.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mater Lachrymarum and Mater Tenebrarum (the youngest!)</td></tr>
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Once I finally got things straight in my head I was able to sit back and let the film wash over me. I actually thought that this was more coherent than Suspiria. This may be due to the opening narration describing The Three Mothers, or down to the fact that I knew what to expect. Either way I was able to make (rough) sense of what happened in the film afterwards, just don't ask me to explain it to you as every time I think I have it sorted a plot hole rears it's ugly head (why did the hot dog vendor kill Kazanian? Were the caretaker's feeding the cat's, Van Adler's body, in cohorts with Tenebarum and if so why did she then kill them?).</div>
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When thinking back about the film I actually struggled to remember what actually happened, almost as if it was a dream and this is, I think Argento's intention. The whole film has a dream like quality to it, from the colour scheme, to the actions of some of the actors. Storylines are picked up and dropped, actors come and go and no / very little explanation is offered to the viewer, allowing you to make your own interpretation of what is happening (much like in a dream). In fact at times Argento just jumps randomly to different scenes and at one point we see a random woman being hung, much like the hanging scene in Suspiria. It's almost like the film is rooted in the subconscious and isn't a direct sequel to Suspiria, but does share a lot of the same traits and mood.</div>
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Whilst I noted in my Peeping Tom review that point of view shots are used by director's are often used to make us complicit with the villain's here Argento uses the point of view shots for the victims. This simply adds to give the impression that we are in the dream / nightmare alongside them. (Although Argento himself, as per usual, commits all the murders in the movie!)</div>
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Indeed the first scene in the basement has many dreamlike qualities to it. Firstly, why on earth would you ever wander into a basement by yourself and then swim into a wholly submerged room! Within the room itself we are treated to yet more lurid blues - the water is ridiculously clear allowing for an incredible set piece. This isn't the only instance of dream logic that can be evidenced here - why isn't the room overflowing with water up into the basement? How is Rose able to hold her breath for so long? The trick here, as with all of Argento films is not to think too much and just let the film wash over you. How else do you explain the random woman stroking her cat in the middle of a lecture! </div>
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The lighting is simple incredible, as in Suspiria, and the deep reds and blues will haunt your memory for hours afterwards. This simple device helps to set the mood of the film, and acts as a trigger for your brain. Any time you see these colours you know the person on screen is a goner. Again, this reminded me of a dream where you wake up in the morning and you have the shadow of the dream / nightmare hanging over you but you can't quite place what happened, although you know the mood. Eventually, something will trigger your memory and the dream will come back to mind instantly, just as if you see red or blue after Inferno you will be filled with a sense of dread.</div>
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As if this wasn't enough Argento has a number of motifs, some of which also tie in to Suspiria, that are evident prior to each death (although some of these seem to be forgotten about towards the end). Running water, broken ornaments and cut's to the hand (even by rat) are all prominent before death. I'm sure there is a deeper psychological meaning to all this (perhaps each one relates to one of the three keys!).</div>
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I'm really unsure where to place this on my list as there are aspects I really enjoyed and as a piece of art it evokes a real sense of mood and dread. There are some classic set pieces and some real jumps and I even enjoyed the out there soundtrack! However, it does struggle narratively and ultimately never lives up to the fantastic premise. If the Three Mothers rule the world and Mater Tenebrarum is the most cruel, then how is she overcome by this guy!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-54203578217546314422012-02-13T16:11:00.004+00:002012-11-11T01:27:38.121+00:00Guest Review - Amanda: Mulberry Street<span style="font-style: italic;">(Amanda kindly agreed to write a guest review for the blog this week. She runs an excellent horror blog called Mandy's Morgue of Horror that you must <a href="http://www.mandysmorgueofhorror.com/">check out here!!</a>)</span><br />
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Rats. Not only do they look disgusting but in the 2007 horror, Mulberry Street, they are cause for a zombie virus that overtakes Manhattan. I pray to God that this never happens.<br />
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The film, which was a part of After Dark Films Horrorfest, follows a group of tenants who have just been evicted from their apartment building located on Mulberry Street. To make matters worse, the poor homeless bastards begin to realize that the city is falling apart around them and people are beginning to become violent.<br />
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Slowly, things around the city begin to unravel and shut down as reported attacks come pouring in. News reports play in the background, informing residents that rats have been attacking people unexpectedly. It’s only a matter of time before the rat attacks make their way to the soon to be extinct apartment building where our protagonists reside.<br />
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The building’s landlord gets bitten by a rat hiding in the boiler room and he starts to notice changes in his appearance as the infection builds inside of him. But does he go to the hospital or say anything? No. Um, I’m sorry but if a diseased-ridden rodent bites me, I’m going to the hospital and pumping my veins with rabies shots and anything else that will prevent me from getting sick. The people in this movie clearly aren’t that concerned about their health. Then again, if they were, we probably wouldn’t have a movie to watch.<br />
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Anyway, in the midst of all the rat attacks, the daughter of one of the tenants is on her way home from serving in the war. While on her journey, she experiences the madness that is occurring first hand as she is thrown in the middle of all the violence.<br />
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As the virus takes over the city, the tenants seek refuge in their apartment building, trying their best to fight off anyone who has been infected. Soon, they realize that the best way to fight off the infected is through the use of light, i.e. a camera. Eventually, the safe haven becomes overrun as well, resulting in a full on battle between good and evil. Only the strong survive as they fight not only to save their humanity, but their home as well.<br />
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Technically, this film isn’t a zombie movie. The infection is spread by dirty rats and in turn the individuals who fall victim to the disease turn into rat-people. These rat-people act like zombies, attacking and eating whoever they can land their hands on. They’re fast and they have not only a good sense of smell and sight, but they can also hear their prey very well too.<br />
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I thought the overall concept for the film is very interesting and creative; the filmmakers took an old idea and revamped it in their own way. Although the individuals in the film aren’t exactly zombies, the virus is spread similarly to the way a zombie virus is spread: through a bite. The events that take place in the horror are what audiences should expect to see in a traditional zombie movie, just through a different host.<br />
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Although the special effects aren’t overly terrifying and amazing, the aspect that I found scary was the idea that a creature, which can be found anywhere you go, is spreading a disease to people. The movie played on the fear of how quickly a situation can get out of hand and it made me wonder how they would stop an infestation of infected rats in the first place. It would probably be extremely difficult.<br />
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I enjoyed the grittiness of the atmosphere and the performances by the actors made the film seem a whole lot more real. The dark colors that the director used for each shot helped to build a sense of dread and anticipation of what was to come.<br />
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It was interesting to have the foreshadowing of the eventual chaos with the news reports playing in the background and I enjoyed seeing how the infection began to spread from person to person. It was cool to see one person in the bar become sick after being bit by a person and then get to see how that individual spreads it on to more people. The buildup was nicely done and while all of this is occurring, our protagonists in the apartment building are pretty oblivious as to how badly the situation is becoming.<br />
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I didn’t particularly enjoy the storyline involving the war veteran daughter; it just bored me a little bit and I was really more interested in the people living on Mulberry Street. I guess by showing the daughter, the audience was given a bigger view of just how bad the infection was spreading but I still didn’t like it. It would have been even creepier if we were kept in the dark as much as the characters in the apartment.<br />
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Overall, I would say that this movie was worth a watch but I wouldn’t go into the film with extremely high expectations. The concept behind the film is a new and creative take on the zombie genre but zombie fans may be a little disappointed in the lack of zombie action. The film is fairly quick; the infection begins immediately, spreading from person to person, eventually overtaking the busy city of Manhattan. Although it is quick in getting the virus started, it is simultaneously slow as it shows how the infection spreads, which I found to be really interesting.<br />
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I think that a lot of people are hard on the film and I’ve even heard some people say it was HORRIBLE, however, I think that’s completely untrue. Is the movie a cinematic masterpiece? No. Is it a different take on the zombie genre? Yes. Give it a chance and you might like what you see.</div>
Allyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10766075039691672616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-52269029972650271752012-02-13T12:21:00.001+00:002012-11-11T01:28:32.379+00:00Clarky's Review: Mulberry Street<div style="text-align: justify;">
As Ally noted, for some reason the UK distributor's of Mulberry Street tried to minimise it's sales by giving it the overlong, and slightly misleading, moniker "Zombie Virus on Mulberry Street" as well as one of the worst DVD covers I have ever seen (especially when you compare it to the rather cool and subdued US DVD cover). Thing's didn't improve on reviewing the quotes on the box with Billy Chainsaw (what a name) claiming that it was "The best Zombie Flick since Romeo's Diary of the Dead". Yes, that's right, Romeo (I'm not sure if it is Juliet's star crossed lover or the one from So Solid Crew) has made a move into directing zombie movies!</div>
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As if the lack of attention to detail to spell Romero's name wasn't bad enough, the film that they use for comparison is Diary of the Dead! Woof. Things were not looking good. So why bring this film to the table I hear you ask. Two reasons - Nick Damici and Jim Mickle. The actor and director combo's (who also co-wrote the film together) sophomore effort was the rather enjoyable Stake Land, and I was keen to see more of their stuff.</div>
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With this in mind, it was hard for me not to draw comparison's between the two and it is clear to see that Zombie Virus is the film where they cut their teeth. And unfortunately, this means that Zombie Virus is more flawed than Stake Land. Whilst, both film's boast short running times, you can't help but feel that some of what is in Zombie Virus should have been on the cutting room floor. Primarily, as noted by Ally and Mandy, the sub-plot featuring Clutch's daughter (Nick Damici knows how to give himself a kick ass name - see Mister in Stake Land) feels particularly obtuse and I could have done without it.</div>
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The main reason for this is that her back story is not fleshed out enough and as such it is hard to feel any empathy for her. Her story feels like a distraction from the main event, and you want the story to get back on track with Clutch. I can't help but feel that this was added to give the film more scope and appear to have a bigger budget than it had. However, for me this had the adverse effect as the scenes weren't as effective and looked lower budget. I also thought that the idea of setting it in a block of flats, like REC, would have been very claustrophobic and far more effective.<br />
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In addition to this I would find it hard to tell you the name of any of the other characters without a visit to IMDB and again, this makes it hard to feel for any of the characters. There were a lot of characters that seemed to make fleeting appearances and it made it hard to keep track of them all. Some of them were off screen for quite some time and then seemed to turn up in the last 5 minutes as an after thought! I did like the inclusion of the old man upstairs and I would love to know the back story between Clutch and his flat mate, but the story is never really fleshed out.</div>
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Having said all this, there are a lot of positives to take from this film, the main one being the fresh take on the zombie story. By making the cause of the disease something that we all love to hate, the rats bring about a primal fear by themselves and the "zombies" are pretty horrible. The sound design incredible and really makes you squirm in your seat as they eat the flesh. The shot's and editing of the "zombies" is also excellent. Mickle shows us enough to give a sense of what the transformation is like, but at the same time does not hamstring himself by showing too much of them. They don't have much screen time and are always shown in the shadows, much like rats themselves, but this simply helps to increase the sense of disgust as he allows your imagination to run wild. A particularly nice touch is when the rats get into the walls!</div>
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Whilst I didn't really connect with the characters and found some of the plot holes too much (Clutch travels all the way to the bar and manages to find the woman downstairs somehow with no inkling of where she is or what is really happening!) there were enough interesting wrinkles to keep it interesting. The end of the film included a particularly nice touch with Clutch and his friend, which also provides an over the top hero moment - but I still enjoyed it.</div>
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Like Stake Land, Mulberry Street takes lots of well worn horror trope's and provides a fresh take on them. Whilst there are some issues, it's charm cannot help to win you over and if you can look past the horrible UK DVD design you will discover a B-movie that is punching above it's weight. Not one for repeat viewing, but for the horror fanatic it has a couple of jumps, some tense moments and is an interesting addition to the zombie genre.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-40004988253628606122012-02-12T16:04:00.000+00:002012-11-11T01:29:39.230+00:00Ally's Review: Mulberry Street<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you are reading this review in Britain and you happen to stumble across the DVD box to 'Zombie Virus on Mulberry Street' then please don't let appearances put you off, this film is not nearly as atrocious as it looks - in fact it's a surprisingly good film. I wasn't too familiar with the movie and once I saw the box I was pretty sure that this was going to a film that would rank very low in our list of choices. I guess the UK distributors wanted to ensure that they made the film as unappealing as possible (not sure why they felt a need to change the name either). However, once Clarky told me that it was from the guys behind <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/Stake%20Land">Stake Land</a>, I felt a little bit more optimistic.<br />
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Mulberry Street tells a pretty familiar story of zombie apocalypse, this time told through the grubby streets of New York. I've not been to New York for almost 10 years, so my memory is a little hazy, but if it's anything like how it's portrayed in this movie then I'll never be back. This film is the worst thing to happen to New York tourism since <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/2011/05/allys-weekly-review-friday-13th-part.html">Jason Takes Manhattan</a>. Fortunately, for the purposes of making an unsettling and visceral horror experience, the depiction of New York adds a wonderful layer to the storytelling.<br />
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The familiar zombie story has the added twist this time of the virus being passed on by the bites of the (plentiful) rats in New York, with the infected eventually turning into a sort of half rat/ half zombie creature. The creatures are pretty hideous and the director does a good job of showing flashes of them to make it far more arresting (as well as to squeeze out the impact of the limited special effects budget). I mentioned Stake Land and it's hard not to draw comparisons between the two films. Nick Damici (who also co-wrote both movies) plays a character that is eerily reminiscent of Mister in Stake Land… which isn't a bad thing, as that was one of the most memorable horror leads in years. Damici does the strong, silent type very, very well.<br />
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The other characters provide some comic relief, as well as the inevitable zombie fodder. Unfortunately the pace of the film gets a bit bogged down by the increasing onscreen presence of Damici's daughter, who is returning home after a military tour overseas. We are given hints of the relationship between the two (as well as their neighbour) and it's pretty clear that she has post-traumatic stress, but the story doesn't really add anything for me. She's not particularly interesting and the scenes involving her take away from the more compelling action in the main apartment block. I can understand the intentions of the director to create a different dimension to the story, I just think it fell a bit flat.<br />
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From the two films that I've seen from Mickle and Damici it appears that creating secondary characters (ones that the audience cares about) is not a strong point. In both films there are death scenes of significant characters where I can remember feeling very little when they happen. A difficult skill to quantify, but the lack of emotive response was characteristic of my experience of both films.<br />
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The scares are pretty good in this film: I definitely jumped a couple of times and the creatures are hideous enough to help ramp up the tension. The film did feel like it limped towards the finish line though, which was a shame. I think the increased role of the daughter became a problem, and it honestly felt as though they just weren't sure about what would make a good ending.<br />
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Because I went in with very low expectations I was pleasantly surprised by the film. It's far from perfect (probably not a film you will spend much time discussing after the credits roll) but if you are looking for a solid horror film that will entertain, while giving you a few frights, you could do far worse than this. </div>
Allyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10766075039691672616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-46949438991632786922012-02-01T22:06:00.000+00:002012-11-11T01:32:42.656+00:00Clarky's Review: Freaks<div style="text-align: justify;">
Once I heard what Ally's choice was this week I was nervous. From what I had heard, despite being made in the 1930's, this film was a tough watch, it was originally banned in the UK for 30 years after its release! I can cope with most things at horror club (just look at <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/Inside">Inside</a>) but that's because it is "make believe" and I can always keep telling myself that it isn't real. With Freaks this isn't really an option. </div>
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Maybe this is why the film gained so much opposition upon its release. It's almost as if the film is a documentary at times showing you behind the scenes at a circus and there are numerous scenes that do not "further the plot" in the traditional sense and which are just there to show off the "Freaks". Not only is this quite avant garde for a film in the 30's but it also presents a dilemma for the modern day audience in my mind.</div>
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On the one hand this film is the complete opposite of what I had expected, yet at the same time is exactly what I feared (not in the horror sense). Freaks was a lot deeper than I expected, it is a morality tale about discrimination and prejudice in which the "normal" people are the real villians. Yet at the same time the film is called Freaks and clearly plays upon the fact that the casts deformities and differences. It seems hypocritical at times and at times I felt uneasy because of this. Not least in the final scene where the "freaks" are shot as if they are archetypal villain's in a "monster" movie.</div>
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The film was actually classified as a horror upon its original release, hence the reason we watched at horror club, but if it was released today I can't imagine it would be sitting beside Friday the 13th in your local video shop (if you still have one). Given the storyline I assume that this was the opposite of director Tod Browning's intentions, however part of the reason that this film was misclassified may be due to the fact that Browning had become better known as a horror director at this stage in his career, directing Universal's Dracula that starred Bela Lugosi, as well as the fact that these prejudices were part of society in the 30's. One woman even complained to MGM that the film was so disgusting that it caused her to have a miscarriage.</div>
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I really enjoyed watching Freaks, the oldest film we have watched at HC, and am glad to have seen it. But I'm still unsure as to the motivations of the film and can't help but feel that some of the cast were taken advantage of (some even denounced the film years after it's release). Part of the reason may be that, like last weeks Peeping Tom attempts, this film made me question myself. I found myself unable to look away from the screen as my curiosity with those different to myself took hold and I ended up thinking I was no better than the "normal" people portrayed on screen or those who visited sideshow attractions. Having said that I defy anyone to watch Prince Randian (the Human Torso) light a cigarette and not be impressed.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-81354374075586359412012-01-27T23:48:00.011+00:002012-11-11T01:33:07.221+00:00Ally's Review: Freaks<div style="text-align: justify;">
If you take a look down the list of films we've watched over the years at Horror Club it's probably fair to say that there are some noticeable gaps on our list. One of the most glaring is the lack of pre-1970s films. Although we've watched (and enjoyed) some classic oldies, for the most part I think it's fair to say that we usually stick to more modern fare. With that in mind, I thought it was about time we watched a film that - if you're serious about horror - you have to get around to at some point, Freaks.<br />
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I've always been curious and wary of Freaks. It's one of those films that you see in classic movie lists and it looks a bit, well, freaky. I've also tended to see the date of the film (1932) and think that the chances of me connecting with it are pretty slim. To my surprise, I found it to be a film that's extremely easy to connect with, and one that packs a real emotional punch.<br />
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Freaks tells the story of performers in a travelling circus. Along with your classic clowns, strongmen, trapeze artists etc we are introduced to members of the Freak Show: the non-PC part of the circus from a bygone age. When we first see the 'freaks' laughing and playing, I immediately noticed myself feeling uncomfortable. I think like a lot of people, seeing people with major physical disabilities is not easy for me to deal with. I'm not entirely sure why it is, but I know it's a common reaction. We then see two able bodied men approach and one of them is appallingly cruel to them. We see their sensitivity and childlike qualities (many have severe learning disabilities too) and as an audience I think you feel a bit of guilt and shame for your original feelings. This opening scene very much sets the stage for the theme of the entire movie: how cruel and ignorant some 'normal' people are to those who are disabled (the film does show some 'normal' people with true compassion and kindness, in fairness).<br />
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The film itself tells the story of a dwarf, called Hans, who falls in love with Cleopatra, an able bodied performer. She plays on his affections, manipulating him to give her gifts, all the while making fun of him behind his back. Soon she finds out that he is astonishingly wealthy and she hatches a plot to marry him, with the intent of poisoning him so she can collect his money. But after the wedding, her plans are drunkenly found out by Hans and the other 'freaks' and revenge is plotted.<br />
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As the film moves to its final act, we as the audience are in no doubt about who is good and bad. We are disgusted with the treatment of Hans and others at the hands of the able bodied. If the intention for Tod Browning was to show the disabled as people with real feelings and emotions, who should be treated with sympathy and decency, then I think the film succeeds to an extent. However, the final act left me feeling a bit uncomfortable.<br />
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When the freaks take their revenge on Cleopatra it's a very uncomfortable watch. On the one hand, seeing deserved retribution is always quite a satisfying conclusion - and this particular revenge is very much out of the karmic tradition. Cleopatra deserves what she gets. However, the freaks change from being sympathetic humans to being the monsters they are ignorantly understood to be by the man in the opening sequence. The scene where they hunt down Cleopatra is disturbing, as we see them crawl in the mud towards her, but their humanity is lost. It's a strange message that Browning is giving the audience. Are we to think that they are monsters? The message that the 'freaks' should be treated with sympathy and decency has been hammered home, but what about equality? The horrific retribution, while in some ways justified for the purposes of a horror film, is truly disgusting and lessens the 'freaks' humanity. The final scene acts to absolve Hans of too much blame for the events, as if to say that it was the others who were the real monsters, but it feels a bit haphazard and disingenuous (not least because we see him chase her down with real gusto!)<br />
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Despite my reservations over how the events of the film unfolded, I was genuinely moved by this film. It's one of the most thought provoking pieces of cinema that I've seen, and to say that about a film made in the thirties is quite amazing. It's very easy to see why Freaks is still mentioned today as one of the most important movies of all time. It's a groundbreaking piece of cinema. Any film that has the power to make the audience look at their own responses to people who are different deserves to be given great credit. I'd be very interested to know what campaigners for disability rights make of the film, because there seems to be a lot to love and hate in that regard. As well as being moving, it's a short film that is pretty well paced and the acting is very good.<br />
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I think a good argument could be made that it's not actually a horror film, but regardless Freaks is a very memorable and enjoyable addition to our list of films.</div>
Allyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10766075039691672616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-68424898665464764132012-01-24T22:58:00.004+00:002012-11-11T01:34:12.379+00:00Guest Review - Ryan: Peeping Tom<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I was told I was making my first guest appearance at Horror Club in 2012 to view a “classic”, I was very encouraged. I had heard of Peeping Tom and the cult following it had gained over the years – the tale of the film is almost a movie script in itself (The film ended Michael Powell’s career, only to become a cult hit and cause many critics to re-evaluate it many years on.). I have to admit my expectations were high, as I thought I was about to view a hidden gem. What I got was a film that has many interesting and controversial themes, but does not age well at all.</span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Having read Fin and Clarky’s reviews, it’s interesting to see the split between their views. I can understand why Clarky enjoyed the film when you break it down into its base elements – the voyeuristic themes, the use of POV camera work, its comparisons with Psycho, etc – but I have to agree with Fin, in the fact that the film ultimately falls flat because the elements on screen do not stand up to the test of time and take away from the final product.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The acting and scripting is incredibly dated, to the point that it’s almost comical. The lead character – Mark Lewis – is meant to be a cold, calculated killer, driven by the desire to see pure fear in his prey’s eyes. On screen, he’s badly acted by Carl Boehm across as an oddball loner who could barely hold a conversation with someone, let alone carry out a murder. Some may say this is exactly the point of the character – but Boehm’s performance is verging on the ridiculous, to the point that it completely removes any feeling of threat or menace, an element that is essential to a psychological thriller. Sadly, the rest of the cast also follow the same route for me – wooden and downright silly at points. Anna Massey as the “beauty” to Boehm’s “beast” - Helen Stephens - is truly terrible and cringe inducing.</span></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The biggest nails in the coffin for me are the complete lack of fear-inducing moments and a plot that is full of unbelievable coincidences. When I watch a horror/thriller, I want to be on the edge of my seat, I want to be biting my fingernails, and I want to be drawn into the film. I was never able to reach that point as I just couldn’t take the film seriously. The dialogue sounds like something out of a Mr Chomondly-Warner sketch. There’s a scene where Mark Lewis sets up an actress to meet a grizzly end and instead of it being tense and creepy, I ended up guffawing my way through it as she turned it into a dance sequence via the sixties equivalent of a boombox. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">By the time the idiotic cops need a chance meeting with an on-set psychologist (yes – really) who just happens to mention “scoptophobia” (the psychological name for being a peeping tom) to finally piece it all together, I had completely checked out. Thank you Mr Powell and good night.<br /><br />Look, I can understand the cult buzz around this film – it’s interesting to think how uptight British society was in the early sixties to bea so offended by a film like this. There are also interesting themes that have found their way into many horror films over the years. Some of the camera work is also quite forward-thinking, given it was made in the sixties. But I really struggle to get anything out of Peeping Tom purely as a piece of cinematic entertainment, and would struggle to recommend this to anyone other than the most die-hard fans of film history.</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-28993499761683318272012-01-24T12:07:00.002+00:002012-11-11T01:33:54.247+00:00Fin's Review: Peeping Tom<div style="text-align: justify;">
Peeping Tom Michael Powell's 1960 release is an undoubted classic and despite the revulsion it caused in the 60s it is now considered by many to be a masterpiece. Martin Scorsese has identified the film as being hugely influential to the development of his career. Scorsese loved the film so much he used a significant amount of his own money to re-master the film. The British Film Institute included Peeping Tom in its poll for best British film ever made. As a result I feel slightly unqualified to criticise a film which has so much critical respect and admiration. However I really didn't like this film, in fact I thought it was pretty terrible. Clarky has done an excellent job of analysing the film and its importance which I do not dispute but I'm going to base my review on my experience of watching the film As we have mentioned many times on the blog many of the classic films that have been hugely influential to the development of the genre can occasionally be underwhelming to the modern viewer. Despite this it is usually possible to see why the film is so important and well loved. However in Peeping Tom's case I could not see what the fuss was about I found it to be poorly acted, boring and perhaps most damaging really silly. It also does not help that Peeping Tom has aged so poorly.</div>
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Peeping Tom is the story of Mark Lewis a lonely, troubled film fanatic. Mark Lewis has turned his entire life into a film carrying his camera with him everywhere he goes. Unable to form relationships Mark lives alone in his small flat which doubles as his dark room. However Lewis is much more sinister than your everyday loner he is in fact a murdering psychopath. As a result of his upbringing by his sadistic psychoanalyst father Mark is obsessed by the effects of fear and of recording these effects on camera. Mark records himself killing his victims in a twisted attempt to capture the perfect moment of fear on their faces. </div>
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This is undoubtedly a strong set up and an intriguing premise but despite this the film never really gets going. The film initially manges to keep you attention with an unnerving and bizarre tone particular in the scenes in the seedy sex shop. However this effect soon wears off and the film becomes a bit of a bore-fest. Powell never manages to translate an interesting premise into an interesting film and in some ways the strength of the backstory is part of the films problem. The story of Marks upbringing and his emotionally sadistic father is much more interesting than the main story being told on screen . I wanted to know more about Mark's fathers experiments in fear and the effect this had on Mark. Instead we get the bland story of Mark as an adult. Part of the problem is Mark himself the actor Karlheinz Bohm is very poor and his lack of on screen Charisma makes him very hard to be interested in. It is however really unfair to single out Bohm as the acting is universally poor.</div>
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Peeping Tom's biggest problem is its tone, at times I didn't know if I was watching a benchmark horror or a Carry On film. There were moments of bizarre inappropriate humour throughout this film. I have no problem with humour in a horror if it works but I felt it had no place in this film and therefore it was even more jarring. </div>
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The lowest point has to be the bizarre dance sequence before Mark's second victim is killed it was quite simply ridiculous. Combine this bad acting, bizarre tone and a dull romance and you get a poor film.</div>
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I had looked forward to seeing Peeping Tom for a long time and I'm glad I have finally seen it. However in my opinion it is massively overrated. I think much of the hype comes from people involved in film making and for them I'm sure it has a real appeal however if you are simply a viewer there is very little to recommend. </div>
Finhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12463656545383245129noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-50262026926410533722012-01-24T01:02:00.001+00:002012-11-11T01:34:36.377+00:00Clarky's Review: Peeping Tom<div style="text-align: justify;">
It's no great surprise to me that Fin didn't enjoy this film as to a certain extent Peeping Tom, although 37 years its predecessor, shares DNA with <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/Funny%20Games">Funny Games</a>. Both look at the audience's relationship with horror and violence on screen. But I think Peeping Tom attempts to say more on the matter. Whilst Haneke's film is an attack on the horror film, american horror in particular, Powell's film attempts to get the audience to question their position, rather than hold them in contempt.</div>
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Michael Powell was one of British cinema's treasures in 1960 before the release of Peeping Tom. As one half of Powell and Pressburger he had directed some of the greatest, most distinctive and beautiful films ever to hit the silver screen. The shock, to the critics when seeing Peeping Tom can therefore not be understated. Neither can the fact that this film effectively ended Powell's filmmaking career in Britain following the scandal.</div>
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However, Psycho, a like minded voyeuristic and sexual film (Norman Bates is an Oedipal character who is infatuated with his mother and wants him all to himself, the murders becoming a substitute for sex with the knife representing a phallus) was released in the same year (3 months later to be exact) but garnered more praise, from filmgoers, and cemented Hitchcock's reputation as the master of suspense. It too did not receive a good response from the critics, but it has been noted that Hitchcock cancelled pre-release critics screenings, possibly in wake of the Peeping Tom debacle.</div>
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So why was one film mauled, and the other praised?</div>
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I think one of the reasons is that in slasher films the killer is often shown as a one dimensional character. However, Mark Lewis is a troubled soul who at once disgusts you, yet also demands empathy as we learn his back story. It's not hard to sympathise with him given his upbringing (exposited through old footage that he shows Helen). The audience is immediately complicit with Mark in these scenes. We know something that Helen doesn't and by making Mark the lead in the film (whereas Psycho follows the victims) we are "on Mark's side" (for want of a better term). We have to sit and watch passively over scenes for which we have no control, yet we know Mark's true nature, and it is these scenes that invoke the most terror and were possibly too shocking for the 1960's audiences.</div>
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Another reason may be that whilst Psycho has a tacked on ending that nicely sums up everything and "justifies" Norman Bates' actions, we are given no such clearance or easy outs by Powell. We have enough of a backstory to formulate what exactly drives Mark Lewis, but we are left with a feeling of unease at the end of the film, and ultimately this is far more shocking and terrifying.</div>
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What is for sure is the influence of both these films can still be seen in horror today, and both effectively created the aforementioned slasher film. Whilst Psycho gets most of the credit, as it is better known, the similarities between the two (and what followed) is astonishing. It could be argued that both films are at the forefront of a new sub-genre of horror - the terror film. These are rooted in reality and the threat comes from normality (a landlord or a motel owner). Horror films before this were either set in a different period and set in fantasy (Frankenstein, Dracula) or the threat came from abnormality (The Haunting, Them). In Peeping Tom and Psycho, these are both set in present day and feature seemingly normal people. No wonder this was shocking at the time!</div>
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What can't be denied however, is that the roots of the slasher film can be distinctly seen in both these movies. Each has the following key components:</div>
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<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Killer - </b><i>a psychotic product of a sick family, but still a human being. </i>There is no denying that Mark Lewis is both psychotic and the product of a sick family. Following in his fathers footsteps he is obsessed with film, fear and he has attached sexual satisfaction to both of these.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Location - </b><i>the Terrible Place. </i>In Psycho this is clearly the motel room, in Peeping Tom I would argue that this is being captured on celluloid.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Weapon - </b><i>anything other than a gun, this is often phallic. </i>The weapon could not be more phallic in Peeping Tom. The tripod leg of the camera rises up as Mark gets excited and moves in for the kill. You can see his excitement growing as he moves towards the victims. This was a non too subtle subtext, and maybe one of the other reasons for the scandal at the time (there was indeed some nudity and sexual content cut out of the scenes with Vivian and Dora by the BBFC). The camera itself becomes the weapon, and this itself is a part of Mark Lewis. Without it he feels naked and vulnerable and can be seen to grasp for it when he see's something he wants to capture and preserve forever. The camera is an extension of his brain, his memories and therefore himself. </li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Victims - </b>mostly, if not wholly, beautiful young woman (often sexually active).</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Final Girl - </b>the lone survivor who vanquishes the killer. In Peeping Tom this is Helen, who vanquishes the killer as he has genuine feelings for her and does not want to hurt her.</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;"><b>Shock - </b><i>sudden and graphic depictions of gore and violence. </i>The subject matter from someone like Powell at this stage in his career was shocking enough, but its not hard to see that this film would have been shocking at the time. Whilst Psycho, which was undoubtedly shocking, was filmed in black and white, Peeping Tom is in lurid technicolor, and therefore more shocking.</li>
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Fin noted that he found the film quite dated, and I can't disagree with him. However, Psycho is also quite dated but is held in much higher esteem. I think this is due to the fact that Psycho is so embedded in the culture's psyche that it will always be regarded as a classic and you are more accepting of its flaws. Who here doesn't know about the shower scene, hasn't seen an homage to the film in <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV0lSpgMsxM">The Simpsons</a>, heard Bernard Hermann's shrieking score or even seen it ripped off in a shite advert for a budget hotel chain with Lenny Henry. Psycho is so well known that you know it before you even see it and, I believe, that this makes the differences of 60's cinema more palatable. In Peeping Tom the Britain that is portrayed on screen is so far away from what we know today of course it seems ridiculous and dated at times. </div>
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Also, a little like Citizen Kane the first time I saw it, it is easy to write off Peeping Tom by today's standards. It's difficult to imagine a world without crane shots, zooms, depth of field etc. Some of the direction and shots in show here are incredibly skilful, and if I hadn't been so caught up in the action on screen I may even describe them as dazzling! One of the biggest things about this film is that the viewer sees things through the camera lens from Mark's point of view.</div>
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Whilst the first point of view shot was as early as 1900 (Seen Through The Telescope) it was often used as an editing technique. Here however, the POV shot has much more serious connotations. Powell uses it as a storytelling device, a plot point and to make us, the audience, complicit in the act of murder. This is a film that is all about voyeurism. And what better way to show an audience how complicit they are in horror films and voyeurism by making a film about an obsessed filmmaker and showing us things from his point of view. How can you not identify with Mark Lewis, given by your very nature of entering the cinema or watching a movie you are voyeuristic. </div>
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As noted by Sigmund Freud in his 1917 essay The Uncanny - terror has such a hold on us as it represents the eruption into adult life of the most powerful and infantile wishes and fantasies (violence, murder, torture etc). These are all things that lie repressed in our psyches since babyhood but by seeing them on screen we identify with them as part of ourselves. By showing us this not only on the big screen (the events are larger than life, just as a childs point of view of the world) but by, literally, putting us in Mark Lewis' position Powell makes us question ourselves as filmgoers to determine what exactly we get out of this voyeuristic act. This was not easy for a 1960's audience to accept here and whilst POV shots have been seen as early as 1931 in horror films (P Rouben Mamoulien's Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) this was not the norm in 1960's British films. Now you are hard pushed to find a slasher film that doesn't have a POV shot, just look at Black Christmas and Halloween).</div>
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As if Powell's metaphor isn't clear enough, he has one final trick up his sleeve at the shocking denouement. Mark attaches a mirror to the top of the camera so that his victims can see themselves being stabbed, and see how scared they are. Fear invokes fear. This is Mark's life work and by holding the mirror up to his victims, and asking the audience to look at themselves, he asks us all to see ourselves for what we really are.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-2324785628584162832012-01-18T22:01:00.000+00:002012-11-11T01:35:06.388+00:00Clarky's Review: Night of the Creeps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Thrill me!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Never before in a film have I heard these two words said so often. In fact, never in a film have I heard any phrase uttered so often. But such is the demented wont of Fred Dekker, writer and director, that this is all part of the proceedings. This film is the definition of tongue in cheek.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">What is this? A homicide, or a bad B-movie?</span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The film opens with one of the strangest, and most hilarious (I'm still not sure if it's intentional or not), scenes I have ever seen. From there we are treated to a homage to a 1950's B horror movie, before the film turns into an actual 1980's B movie! The acting, throughout, is so over the top that it almost hurts, but at the same time you can't help but enjoy yourself. Especially with chunks of dialogue like this:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0040662/" style="color: #136cb2;">Detective Cameron</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">: I got good news and bad news, girls. The good news is your dates are here.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Sorority Sister</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">: What's the bad news?</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0040662/" style="color: #136cb2;">Detective Cameron</a></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">: They're dead.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Detective Cameron has a monopoly on the worst dialogue of anyone in this film, which is quite an achievement when you look at characters like Brad, Chris Romero (the ugliest leading man I have ever seen) and J C Hooper - the "comic relief". At one point Detective Cameron literally stops to smell the roses! Later he admits to Chris that he had committed a murder for no reason whatsoever. A secret that he had previously kept for over 30 years.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Zombies, exploding heads, creepy-crawlies... and a date for the formal. This is classic, Spanky</span></b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The film is still undeniably enjoyable. Fred Dekker clearly loves old horror movies and there are indefinite homages to previous horror films including Plan 9 From Outer Space on TV in one scene (maybe the greatest worst film ever made), Corman University is a reference to director Roger Corman and the last names of the main characters are based on famous horror and sci-fi directors: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001681/">George A. Romero</a> (Chris Romero), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000118/">John Carpenter</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001361/">Tobe Hooper</a> (James Carpenter Hooper), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000343/">David Cronenberg</a> (Cynthia Cronenberg), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000116/">James Cameron</a> (Det. Ray Cameron), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000484/">John Landis</a> (Det. Landis), <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000600/">Sam Raimi</a> (Sgt. Raimi) and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0591171/">Steve Miner</a> (Mr. Miner - The Janitor). </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Hee hee hee - like a banshee!</b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 18px;">The film also offers up one of the greatest 80's horror breezies I have set my eyes on in recent memory, or at least since the last Friday the 13th, in the form of Jill Whitlow. Wowser.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Night of the Creeps is mindless enjoyable fun, and actually had a couple of decent scares. I can't imagine I will be watching this again, but I'm glad Fin brought it to the table in an attempt to "Thrill me".</span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317012129845770823.post-90742986387284351092012-01-17T12:15:00.005+00:002012-11-11T01:35:28.255+00:00Ally's Review: Night of the Creeps<div style="text-align: justify;">
As has been noted on the blog before, Fin is the member who's the connoisseur of late 70s/1980s B-movie horror. He promised us this week that he's moving away from any more selections from this genre, but before he did he had to bow out in style by bringing one more to the table. He brought a film that I'd only heard of in passing… Night of the Creeps.<br />
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Like <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/Phantasm">Phantasm</a> or <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/Re-Animator">Re-Animator</a>, these films are kind of difficult to review in a typical way. Part of the appeal is that the audience knows that they are pretty ridiculous and dated. The very things that should make the film terrible, are actually what make it very enjoyable. I suppose it's why I love Friday the 13th <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/Friday%20the%2013th%3A%20The%20Final%20Chapter">part 4</a> but don't have much time for <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/Hatchet">Hatchet</a>: both are pretty poor films, truth be told, but the sheer 80's-ness of the Friday the 13th sequels make it so much more fun.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sSyy26vXzgrHqB-z5fJAuqhigQvNAAw2QiCRU3aU9L2A-SbTYpMqhuqafIINtaIfc9BrQzOukZK6zYV8ltswH2b5SBoVj1iE7LZ39a9MU3T8iEBmFwGJ0ONn8SNe6XYK2fYkJfhzbJFQ/s1600/wwo77bg8dc6lcdlb.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698573853843238546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6sSyy26vXzgrHqB-z5fJAuqhigQvNAAw2QiCRU3aU9L2A-SbTYpMqhuqafIINtaIfc9BrQzOukZK6zYV8ltswH2b5SBoVj1iE7LZ39a9MU3T8iEBmFwGJ0ONn8SNe6XYK2fYkJfhzbJFQ/s400/wwo77bg8dc6lcdlb.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 280px;" /></a></div>
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Night of the Creeps follows the tradition of not actually being a very good film, but because there are so many ridiculous lines, dated special effects and dubious acting performances, all three of us spent the entire film laughing and enjoying the events on screen. It's not a film to watch by yourself, you need a group of friends so you can basically just laugh at everything that happens.<br />
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The plot itself - from what I can gather - is basically some strange worm-like creatures are sent to earth by hilarious looking aliens (who I really wished had more screen time) in the 1950s. They are then cryogenically frozen in a dead body until a couple of hapless, geeky freshmen unleash them on a University town. There are lots of frat parties, a teenage boy's fantasy of what a sorority looks like, fantastically bad wardrobe choices, cartoonish violence… it basically ticks all the boxes.<br />
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Special mentions have to be made to two of the cast members. Tom Atkins as the grizzled detective Ray Cameron. Already his catchphrase of "Thrill Me" has entered the Horror Club lexicon. I also have to mention Jill Whitlow as Cindy. Not entirely sure what she sees in our 'hero' Chris, as he's one of most painfully boring protagonists I've seen. Either way, she's joined all time HC favourite <a href="http://edinburghhorrorclub.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20House%20of%20the%20Devil">Jocelin Donahue</a> as having a special place in our hearts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4XLpBwXpikXmPaf1AJPKp461NGef_E26IXc-YvB7Aw-iPMpJjCmTjj3w3DHNpNieHhX_8SEtCfzqdAomcP0mVLGLLV1mee82JcIl2f3kIxUz3XYK3GdSaboHm_9UHfNhEv1A5JlGriM1/s1600/Jill_Whitlow.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5698573851429600162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4XLpBwXpikXmPaf1AJPKp461NGef_E26IXc-YvB7Aw-iPMpJjCmTjj3w3DHNpNieHhX_8SEtCfzqdAomcP0mVLGLLV1mee82JcIl2f3kIxUz3XYK3GdSaboHm_9UHfNhEv1A5JlGriM1/s400/Jill_Whitlow.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 292px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a></div>
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Would I recommend this film to anyone? Only if I thought they shared a love of very dated so-bad-they're-good movies. Which is definitely the niche category that this films falls into. I just wonder how Fin will be able to leave the genre behind?Allyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10766075039691672616noreply@blogger.com0