Horror Review #10 - "The Conjuring" (2013)

Horror Review #10 - "The Conjuring" (2013)

The key ingredients for a horror movie to be good in my opinion are likable characters and legit scares. It doesn't have to be dirty or violent. As long as we have people to care about in a terrifying situation, I'm sold. The Conjuring does exactly that.

Set in the early 70's, we follow a family who has been terrorized by a demonic presence in their new house. They contact a couple of paranormal researchers, simply known as the Warrens, hoping to have them solve the problem.

Director James Wan (Saw, Insidious, and the upcoming Furious 7) has crafted an old fashioned movie that relies more on tension buildup and heavy atmosphere than cheap jump scares and gross out gore scenes. There is very little blood onscreen and yet, it was the scariest movie of 2013 for me.
The characters are super believable. We care about their well being and want them to be safe. Ed and Lorraine Warren might be my favorite dynamic duo in the horror genre. When they investigate possible paranormal cases, there's usually a logical explanation on those "weird noises" that's happening in the attic. One scene has Ed telling a young couple that the strange noises they're hearing is because of a pipe expanding. However, when they meet the Perron family and make the confirmation that there really IS a demonic presence lurking in the house, the Warrens do their homework and do their best to help them out.

There are also little snippets where we see their affection for each other. You can really tell that Ed and Lorraine love each other. They're portrayed beautifully by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Without these two, The Conjuring would not be as perfect as it is. It's great chemistry I never expected to see in a horror movie.

As for the scares, they're all done with technical skill. None of it is lazy. There's a fantastic scene where one of the daughters thinks she sees somebody behind her bedroom door. We never see anything and yet, it had me covering my eyes a lot. Another scene has the camera following the mother around the house after she heard a noise downstairs. It's a long take that creates tension because we know something bad is nearby. The idea may be obvious but it's the execution that makes it work.

Filmed with flawless technical skill and supported by a talented cast, The Conjuring delivers legit scares and is one of the best modern horror movies in recent years. 5/5

Horror Review #9 - "The Terminator" (1984)

Horror Review #9 - "The Terminator" (1984)

The Terminator can be considered as a horror film. Think about it very carefully. Unstoppable cyborg on a mission to kill a woman. It will do whatever it takes to complete the task, no matter what. Here's a quote from one of the characters in the movie:

"Listen, and understand. That terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead."

That sounds quite frightening to be honest.

One of the movie's most intense scenes takes place in a police station. The Terminator knows that Sarah Connor, his target, is in there. He asks if he can see her because he knows her. The desk cop says visiting hours are over and the Terminator replies back with, "I'll be back." He steps out of the front door, only to crash into the front of the building. What follows after is a shootout where the police have absolutely no chance against the killer.

By the time we get near the end of the movie, the Terminator is shown in its full glory. No human flesh, only metal. It's chasing after our heroes and there's a part where they find a door with the Terminator closing in from behind. Now back then, technology wasn't so advanced so the director had to resort to stop motion on a few parts. It's effective though because the Terminator's movements look very nonhuman like. During this specific part, it really felt like a slasher movie where our killer was chasing after his next victim.

With its cast of actors, terrifying vision of the future, kinetic pacing, awesome soundtrack, and a one of a kind performance from Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Terminator is an excellent film. 5/5

Horror Review #8 - "The Thing" (1982)

Horror Review #8 - "The Thing" (1982)

If I had to name my top 3 favorite horror movies of all time, The Thing would definitely be on the list. To this day, it still holds up. The amazing practical creature effects, the tension between the characters, the increasing paranoia, and the creepy synth score. The damn blood test scene still managed to scare me last night when I watched it.

If you haven't seen The Thing, it's about a shape shifting alien that enters a base and begins to inhabit its occupants. The movie always has this eerie feel and you are never sure who's who. 

During the occasions where the creature's cover is blown, we get these extremely grotesque transformation break outs where it tries to get away. The effects are absolutely fantastic and it makes me wonder how they even managed to pull them off so perfectly. One of the first scenes where we get to see the creature is in a dog pen. It's truly impressive but I never want to know how they actually did it. I love watching behind the scenes footage but on certain films like Star Wars and The Thing, I do not want the movie magic to be ruined.

Watching the characters dealing with the situation is part of the fun. When they gather together to talk about it, one of them asks,

"So, how do we know who's human? If I was an imitation, a perfect imitation, how would you know if it was really me?"

It's a great question that later leads up to a suspenseful scene where they find the answer.

The Thing is one of the greatest horror movies of all time. It's one of my favorites and I try to watch it every year around October. See it if you haven't. 5/5

Horror Review #7 - "30 Days of Night" (2007)

Horror Review #7 - "30 Days of Night" (2007)

After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires (taken from IMDB).

I'm not a fan of vampire movies. Plain and simple. They never appealed to me. The idea of a well dressed being who had pale skin and sucked blood wasn't scary. They're usually elegant in their movements and talk in some sort of sophisticated way. That wasn't my type of horror. It wasn't until I saw 30 Days of Night that made me go, "Hey you know what? Vampires can be pretty cool."

The movie paints them in a bold new way. They're fast, aggressive, violent, and have no mercy preying on their victims. There's a little part where somebody tries to shoot the main vampire and it has no effect on him. The scene keeps going and the shooter realizes that he can't do anything. It's very brief but I thought it was extremely effective on showcasing the hopelessness of the humans in that situation.

30 Days of Night isn't the best horror movie out there but it does have a few decent strengths. The cinematography has to be mentioned. There are some spectacular shots sprinkled in this movie. You can see one of the shots in the images provided below. Another shot in the movie that impressed me is a bird's eye view of the town where the humans and vampires are fighting each other. The camera follows the action and it's something you rarely see in a movie like this.

Another aspect that I liked about 30 Days of Night was Ben Foster, who plays The Stranger. Every line he delivers here is golden. He is by far the best actor in the movie.


As for the weak points, some of it has to be the acting. Josh Hartnett isn't exactly good but he's serviceable and easy to root for. The same goes with Melissa George. However, I did buy their relationship and it was one of my favorite things about the movie. Seeing it develop throughout was nice.

Another weak point was the anticlimactic battle near the end. Really? I'm not gonna spoil anything but that was not satisfying at all.

With its unique graphic novel-like visuals and unflinching violence, 30 Days of Night offers some decent goods to horror fans. Go in with an open mind and you might find yourself enjoying it. 3/5

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