Horror Review #6 - "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974)

Horror Review #6 - "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974)

Five friends visiting their grandfather's house in the country are hunted and terrorized by a chain-saw wielding killer and his family of grave-robbing cannibals. (from IMDB's description)

The original Texas Chain Saw Massacre is not a fun movie to watch. I have only seen it two times in my life. Once on DVD with my brother back in 2006. We both found it somewhat boring but there were definitely a few effective scenes. The second time was a few weeks ago at Beyond Fest in Hollywood, CA. It was playing at the Egyptian Theatre with a live rescore performance. Basically a new re imagining of the soundtrack for the movie, but performed in person. This experience made me watch "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" in a whole new way.

It was very interesting to say the least. The movie had this very surreal feel to it. Every scene became suspenseful and the pacing felt right. In the original version, there was barely any music in the movie (from what I remembered).

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has a few memorable moments. For me, they were all the encounters with Leatherface, the chainsaw wielding maniac. I still remember jumping out of my seat when he kills his first victim. It's quick, brutal, and you know it's coming but it's jarring. Another moment is the final scene where he's in his full glory. No spoilers here but it's by far my favorite scene in the entire movie. There's also the infamous kitchen scene. It's very grueling to watch but I'm sure the director wanted the viewer to feel what our main protagonist was experiencing at that moment.

As for my problems with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, it's the pacing. Some scenes drag on for too long. A couple of the characters are downright annoying. These two attributes are showcased in the beginning of the movie where the group picks up a hitchhiker.

It's not a fun movie to watch, but The Texas Chain Saw Massacre will no doubt leave a very strong impression. It's one of the first great horror slasher movies in its genre and the influence is obvious. 3.5/5

Horror Review #5 - "As Above, So Below" (2014)

Horror Review #5 - "As Above, So Below" (2014)

Tomb Raider + The Descent + Found footage = As Above, So Below.

When a team of explorers ventures into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead. (taken from IMDB) 

As Above, So Below was surprisingly enjoyable. I had very low expectations going into the movie and came out satisfied.

Favorite parts were the puzzle solving aspects. There are several scenes where the crew had to solve things in order to get further into the catacombs.

Least favorite was the very last scene. The resolution was weak.

As Above, So Below is forgettable after a couple hours but it's worth watching if you' got nothing to do and don't mind found footage movies. 2.5/5

Horror Review #4 - "Possession" (1981)

Horror Review #4 - "Possession" (1981)

Mark (Sam Neill) comes home from a business trip and discovers that his wife, Anna (Isabelle Adjani) wants a divorce. When asked why, her answers are very vague. Anna always leaves home without explaining herself and this makes Mark curious. He hires a private investigator to follow her and the audience soon finds out Anna's secret.

Possession is a very interesting film. The first half is almost a pure drama about a married couple having a marital breakdown. We understand from both points of views on why they're frustrated at each other. Honestly, if the movie kept going at this direction, I would have been totally fine with it.

When the movie hits the midway point, things get very odd. There is something clearly wrong with Anna and once we find out what she's up to when she leaves home, Possession shows its absurd horror side. It's a major contrast to the first half and if the director's intention was to gross out the viewer, then bravo. The creature in the movie is disgusting and let's just say I never wanted to see live action tentacles having fun.

One of the best things about this film is the performance of Isabelle Adjani. Her character Anna goes through a ton of bizarre events but it's never corny. She is always believable. In fact, Isabelle plays two roles in Possession. She also portrays Anna's doppleganger, Helen, who's much more angelic when compared. There's a scene in the middle of the movie where Anna goes through an intense seizure. It's quite something and Isabelle performs it with fearless energy.

The cinematography is another high point about Possession. I'd imagine this is what a Terrence Malick horror film would look like. The camera is always dynamic. Constantly moving and never stabilized to the ground. Most of it is handheld and we get up close with the actors. Sometimes the camera would pull back on its dolly only to push in during a critical moment. Possession is a very stylish movie.

If there were any problems that I had with Possession, it's the vagueness of the plot. We never get detailed answers about what's going on. What made Anna become like this? Maybe it WAS explained but I might have missed it. There's a lot that can be interpreted for the viewer. Some of the performances are very over the top as well. Almost as if they're all possessed in some way. No explanations at all.

The movie isn't particularly good as a whole, but it does have some strengths. Shot with great kinetic energy in its camerawork, Possession is a uniquely stylish horror flick. There's also a great performance here by Isabelle Adjani that's worth watching. 3/5

Horror Review #3 - "Deliver Us From Evil" (2014)

Horror Review #3 - "Deliver Us From Evil" (2014)

New York police officer Ralph Sarchie investigates a series of crimes. He joins forces with an unconventional priest, schooled in the rites of exorcism, to combat the possessions that are terrorizing their city (taken from IMDB's description)

Eric Bana in a horror movie? Sign me up! That was the first reaction I had when I heard about Deliver Us From Evil. Prior to this, I don't believe he has ever done a movie in the horror genre. This alone made me interested.

Deliver Us From Evil has a very bleak and grim look. The color palette is mostly black and blue. There's not many daytime scenes. You rarely see any sunlight. The New York setting certainly helped the atmosphere. This was one of the strongest points for the movie.

The other strong points in Deliver Us From Evil is the casting of Eric Bana, Edgar Ramirez (who plays the priest, Mendoza), and Sean Harris (the villain). They're always believable in their roles and if it weren't for them, the climax would have been lackluster.

When I'm watching a horror movie, I know there's going to be some jump scares. However, when the movie fully relies on them, it's really annoying. That's my biggest beef with Deliver Us From Evil. The movie has no other techniques to scare the viewer. All it has are cheap jump scares. There are no genuine moments of fear. Okay, MAYBE that one scene where the little girl is in danger because of a stuffed animal.

Deliver Us From Evil looked promising. Summer release date, intriguing premise, good lead actors, and a director whose previous movie was Sinister. Unfortunately it's very disappointing with the constant cheap jump scares and I would never recommend this movie. 1.5/5

Horror Review #2 - "V/H/S" (2012)

"V/H/S" was a movie I saw with a buddy back in 2012. It was playing at one theater about 25 miles away and I really wanted to go. Fortunately, we were able to make the trip and it was by far the strangest theater experience I've ever had.

About ten minutes into the movie, somebody in the audience stands up and attempts to walk out of the room. He suddenly passes out in the aisle and one by one, people nearby begin to get up to see what just happened. Next thing you know, the entire left side of the theater is up on their feet. The man who fell down is carried by two people and they walk out of the room. I look at my friend and we were both going, "Holy ****!."

"V/H/S" is an anthology movie where we have one central story that revolves around a gang looking for a certain videotape in a house that's filled with hundreds of other tapes. They go through the footage and we as the viewer get to see what's in them.

Other than the central plot, there are a total of five other short films. Each of them done by a prolific director within the indie horror genre. The best ones in my opinion were "Amateur Night" and "10/31/98". They are the first and last tapes that are viewed by the misfit gang, which means "V/H/S" begins and ends on a high note with the tapes. "Amateur Night" is full of crazy moments and the kinetic energy from its POV style of film making makes the short stand out from the others. Meanwhile, "10/31/98" is a simple story where a bunch of friends attend a haunted house party and wind up getting themselves into something that's not exactly a party.

 

The other three shorts (and the central plot) are full of dumb characters and dumb decisions. They also feel incomplete and leave the audience with questions. The thrills don't deliver and drag the entire movie down. However, that doesn't mean they don't have their moments.

"Second Honeymoon" is a slow paced short that follows a couple documenting their road trip and find a stranger stalking them. It's definitely creepy and the tension builds up but the ending isn't satisfying and more of a cop out. "Tuesday The 17th" was by far my least favorite short. The characters are obnoxiously stupid and I honestly wanted it to end ASAP. The concept of the villain is interesting but that's all it had. Finally, we have "The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger". It revolves around two characters using Skype to communicate. While there's nothing particularly terrible about this short, there's also nothing impressive about it either.

If you're looking for some quick scares, "Amateur Night" and "10/31/98" are quality shorts worth watching in "V/H/S". The rest range from decent to terrible. 2.5/5

Horror Review #1 - "The House of the Devil" (2009)

Horror Review #1 - "The House of the Devil"

In the 1980s, college student Samantha Hughes takes a strange babysitting job that coincides with a full lunar eclipse. She slowly realizes her clients harbor a terrifying secret (from IMDB's official description).

The House of the Devil is a movie from 2009 that looks like it came straight out of the 70s and 80s. This was intentional from director Ti West, who approached it as a period piece rather than an homage.

The style alone immersed me into the movie. From the beginning, we get zoom shots and freeze frame opening credits. I was not familiar with it compared to the movies of today but it was a great breath of fresh air. Instead of rushing to get as many jump scares as possible, "House of the Devil" takes its time and lets the audience soak in the atmosphere. Very slow burn. There's not many actual scares, but the setting is undeniably spooky, especially when you watch the movie with a great sound system. I had the opportunity to watch "House of the Devil" in theaters recently and the difference was unbelievable compared to watching it on DVD at home.

There aren't many great horror flicks out there. It's hard to stand out because a staggering amount of crap gets released every year and puts a bad name to the genre. However, once in a while a gem comes along and in my opinion, "The House of the Devil" is one of those worthy titles. 4/5