Horror Movies Watched & Books Read (July 2011)

July 2011

MOVIES


Eyes of the Mothman (2011) ****
A very in depth documentary on the legend of the mothman and the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia who had its share of sitings in 1966-1968.
This covers what the monster could be, the strange events in the town during these years, and the general creepy history of Point Pleasant.

The Prowler (1981) *1/2
A crazy man comes back to a college years later to pick up where he left off.
I only watched this bad 80's slasher because Tom Savani did the special effects. I wished that I would have skipped it though.

Unholy Women (2006) **1/2
A Japanese anthology film with a theme of haunted women. As in most movies like this, certain segments stand out more than others.
"Rattle, Rattle" - A woman gets chased down by the ghost. The ending & beginning were rather cool. The middle part was simply running around and screaming.
"Steel" - A girl is wrapped in a burlap sap from the waist up. Her father lures boys in to date her. One falls for her and gets to see underneath the sack, which leads to his demise. The girl remains lonely. This was my favorite segment as it simply bizarre and unique.
"The Inheritance" - A grandmother is hiding a secret from her young grandson. This was one the creepiest and more in the traditional J-Horror.

The Frankenstein Syndrome (2010) ***
A group of scientist illegally work on a serum to revive the dead. They have a breakthrough but with dire consequences.
This movie exceeds its B movie budget with an good cast and interesting script. Plus the lovely Tiffany Shepis stars.

The Screen At Kanchamod (2007) ***
A doctor tries to recreate an incident which occurred in 1987 as a group screened a movie in the jungle to a seemingly empty audience. When the film ran out, the group sees spirits.
Like many Thai movies the good guys aren't necessary good and the break up in linearity storytelling makes for a good mystery as you are trying to figure out how all the pieces come together. A nice ending too.


Halloween: 25 Years of Terror (2006) ****
A documentary covering the success and failures of the Halloween movie franchise.
I cant believe that I never watched this before as it's a few years old. A tad on the short side, as most horror fans cant get enough of this stuff, but excellent none the less.

Chawz aka Chaw (2009) ***
A giant boar roams a muck and terrorize a small Korean village. The police call in hunters to help kill the beast.
This Korean movie has some strange this happening in it and plays many scenes for comedic value. A nice blend which works. I have no idea why America distributors but a 'z' on the end of the title.

Prowl (2010) **1/2
A group of kids have a breakdown. They get a rid from a trucker. He dumps them off in an abandoned warehouse where they get hunted. If that part sounds cliche, well, it is. The hunters are actually a subspecies of human. And it turns out that one of kids is actually part of the pack, but she didn't know it.
I loved the concept of this movie with the hunters/pack. But I have to think if story was centered on the pack instead of teens in peril it would have been far better.

Spasmo (1974) **1/2
An Italian giallo where a man rescues a woman on the beach. They spend some time together and weird stuff starts happening. Like people getting killed and missing corpses. Is it all in his mind?
A good mystery but it felt like nothing more than standard giallo of its time.

Cherry Tree Lane (2010) ***
Some local hoodlums bust into the house of a couple. They are looking for their son, who they have an issue with. They hold the couple hostage while they wait for his return. Tension fills the air as night goes on and ends up in a violent outcome.
In new subgenre of urban terror this movie does provide a good premise and acting. But I really didn't like any of the characters, including the victims, who are basically bound and gagged after the first ten minutes while the hoods sit around talking and acting tough. Take a shot at it, maybe you'll like it better than me.

Demon Seed (1977) **
This movie, based on a Dean Koontz novel, is about super computer locks a woman inside house and wants to mate with her.
Not even Julie Christie could save this thing. Like many films where new technological advances are the center piece, they quickly become outdated.

Diagnosis Death (2010) **
During a cancer clinical drug trial two test subjects start think the medical facility is haunted.
The movie tries to be a dark comedy and doesn't really succed. Some parts are amusing and some parts are slightly creepy but they dont play well in this New Zealand flick. It does have cameos from the Flight of the Conchords members though.

Cannibals (1980) *
A man loses his daughter to some jungle natives. Years later he tries to retrieve her.
This is the worst Jess Franco movie I've ever seen. Nothing was enjoyable about the movie and not sure why I stuck it out until the end.

Torchwood, Season 1 (2006) ***
It's another one of those sci-fi, adventure, horror hybrid shows like you'd find on SyFy except this series comes from the UK. This Doctor Who spin off is about a team of people who battle alien and supernatural things.
Not being a Doc Who fan, I didn't know what to expect. Overall I found the series to be fun. It's a well mixed concoction of the things I tend to like. I'll probably continue on to season 2 before long.

Feng Sui (2004) **1/2
A movie from the Phillipeans about a mother who finds an charm that brings her family good luck. Of course for all the amount of good luck it also brings equally bad luck later on. The mother must solve the mystery behind the curse before its too late for her family.
Kind of a typical Asian haunted item movie. It's not bad but not anything special either.


The Last Wave (1977) ****
A lawyer must defend a group of Abrigonies who commited a ritual killing of one of their members in this Aussie classic.
Combine a court room drama with mystery and creepy supernatural elements and its makes for an unique flick. Highly recommend.

Scarce (2008) **
Some kids get lost in lower Pennsylvania during a blizzard. They wreck their car. They search for help and stumble into a man's cabin, who gladly gives them shelter. What they dont know is he's a cannibal.
An ultra low budget movie with a couple slick twists and turns ultimately falls short due to no one to cheer for. I hoped for the hillbilly to feast on Jersey college kids.

Horror Express (1972) **1/2
An anthropologist find a frozen creature. He transports it via the Trans-Siberian railroad where the creature thaws out and starts brain melting people.
A cast of greats pack this wildly bizarre flick. It is campy deliciousness.

Beneath Still Waters (2005) **
On the 40th anniversary of a dam being built strange things start happening around to towns people. Perhaps its the abandoned village which got flooded because of the dam many years ago.
Nothing riveting about this Spanish flick. In fact some parts just dont make any sense.

Shadow (2009) ***
A ex-soldier is biking through the woods of Germany where he meets a girl biker and a couple of brutish hunters. After an altercation the hunters want payback and chase the other two into part of the woods supposed haunted by crazies. Well, the rumor is true and the crazies capture the others. Then the fun begins.
Even though the movie has flaws I ended up enjoying it. It's nothing new, especially the ended. And the wood scenes are beautiful.

Ban the Sadist Video (2005) ***1/2
This documentary deals with the UK's ban on the "video nasties" in the 1980's. Movies deemed too violent, gory, and sexual for view. It's fascinating as both sides are laid out fairly equal and shows the kind of power a few can hold over the many.


Dont Look Back (2009) ****
A woman starts to see changes in her apartment, her family, and eventually herself. Is she going mad? Is there another reason behind all of this?
I loves me a good mental breakdown film. When you add the lovely Sophie Marceau and Monica Belucci (playing basically the same person) then I am surely on board. The movie is full of cool special effects, powerful performances and pure emotions.

Amusement (2008) **1/2
Three woman are captured by a man they dismissed as weird when they were children.
This familiar plot goes slightly above the norm slasher flick with some good kills and set ups.

Burned at the Stake aka The Coming (1981) **
A small girl is possessed by the spirit of a witch in modern day Salem.
I've never seen a child actor have such a command over a character yet be so damn annoying. Probably that is where the film lost me.

The Final Destination (2010) *1/2
A group of people once again escape death only to have it catchup with them.
The usual from the franchise. Some decent sequences but once again watching a movie made for 3D in 2D makes the movie look terrible.





BOOKS


Dead Man's Song by Jonathan Maberry ****1/2
Book number two in the Pine Deep Trilogy picks up where number one ends.


Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ***1/2
In the near future North America is divided up into a capital and 12 districts. Each district's main reason for survival is to supply the capital with resources. Each year, the capital holds The Hunger Games as a reminder to the districts never to revolt against the capital again. One boy and one girl between the ages of 12-18 from each territory are selected to fight for survival against the others where there is only one winner. Katness Everdean volunteers for the games after her younger sister is chosen. And the games begins.
I admit to getting sucked into this story as the familiar tale had enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.

Horror Movies Watched and Books Read (June 2011)

MOVIES

Venus In Furs (1969) **1/2
A stylish Jean Rollin movie about a woman, who may just be a ghost, and holds a trance over a man. Like most of the director's movies, much wont make sense, but it certainly captivates the viewer.

Dracula (1979) ***
This version is beautifully crafted and pits Frank Langella as Dracula against Donald Pleasence as Van Helsing. A must see for Drac fans.


I Saw the Devil (2010) ****1/2
A grizzly cat and mouse Korean flick about a serial killer who kills the wife of a detective, who then sets out for revenge.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead (2009) ***
An out of work playwright lands a job in a small theater directing Hamlet. The theater is ran by an eccentric. It turns out he's the original Horatio and several cast members are vampires. The movie rides a line of comedy and horror but falls closer to comedy. Still a worthy watch.

Philosophy of the Knife (2008) incomplete
At nearly 4 hours long, I couldn't make it through and turned off at the two hour mark. It's part documentary and part film about the human experiments Japan did during WWII.


Troll Hunter (2010) ****
Two students start out filming a bear hunt but they get sidetracked when they find out one of the hunters actually kills trolls. The students quickly learn this is no joke and follow the hunter on his expeditions.

The Rite (2011) **1/2
A young priest goes to exorcism school and shadows a veteran priest on a case of possession. Weird things happen. Nothing you haven't seen before. However Anthony Hopkins makes it worth a watch.


Red, White, and Blue (2010) ****
A story about a woman who uses sex to hurt men, a guy who stays at the same boarding house as her which she wont have sex with, and one her conquests. A twisted, deep tale that I dont want to give away. A slow burn movie with a nasty ending.


Noroi: The Curse (2005) ****
This documentary style movie from Japan follows a man who investigates the paranormal. He stumbles upon several strange cases that seem to be linked by a demonic possession and tries to solve the mystery. This is a very creepy flick. Find it, watch it, and be impressed.

High Lane (2009) **
A group of friends go mountain climbing and run into a crazy man who wants to kill them all. Very cliche, though the mountainous scenery is amazing.

Jesus Christ: Vampire Hunter (2001) *
Some flicks you know will be bad going into it. But at 1am with a buzz you dont really want to watch anything too heavy. The title has all you need to know combined with lots of martial arts. A stinker for sure.

Sella Turcica (2010) **
A soldier comes home from Iraq in terrible shape. Mentally is distant and physically he's falling apart. Top notch gore and good story cant save this from just being too boring. Nearly just 90 minutes of talking and thin characters before it finally explodes at the end.

Living Hell (2004) ***
Now this is one which keeps you guessing till the end. It's over the top, but in a good way. An old woman and her granddaughter come to stay

Husk (2010)**
A car full of college students encounter a breakdown in the middle of nowhere. They find a house surrounded by corn with scarecrows posted all around. Too bad they dont realize the the real secret the farmhouse holds.

Durham County, Season 1 (2007) ***1/2
A high strung homicide detective moves back to home town after his partner gets murdered and his wife recovers from cancer. He's thrown right in the middle of a serial killing case, where he believes the lead suspect is his next door neighbor. A nice twist on some usual themes and the line between the good guys and bad guys aren't so different.

Sanctuary, Season (20110) ***
The series still combines elements of horror in its steampunk style setting. This season saw the cast escape from Middle Earth and end up on the verge of an uprising of Middle Earth dwellers. The saw still manages to peak my interest.

Seconds Apart (2011) **1/2
Twins with telepathy and mind control abilities start making movies of classmates killing themselves. Soon a girl comes between them and brothers battle it out. All while a detective tries to piece the puzzle together.

The Living and the Dead (2006) ***
A man must leave his grand estate to find work. He leaves behind his severely ill wide and mentally challenged son. While away the son thinks he should be the man of the house and barricades them in the mansion. Then the fun really begins. Slow, stylish, and strange makes for an interesting flick.




BOOKS

Hellboy vol. 4, The Chained Coffin and More ****
A nice series of unlinked tales surround Hellboy.

Horror Movies Watched and Books Read (May 2011)

MOVIES

Men Behind the Sun (2003) **
This film about secret experiments the Japanese army performed during WWII packs enough gruesome torture scenes and body mutilations to satisfy gore hounds. Unfortunately there was little else to keep me interested.

Vampire Circus (1972) ***
One of the more unique Hammer Studio offerings. Villagers slays a vampire. He puts a curse on the village. The plague takes over quarantines them from outsiders. Until the day a circus rolls into. But this disturbing bunch of performers have a secret.

Bled (2009) 1/2
Couldn't even get through this snooze fest about a woman who is given an amulet which when she smoke the blood on it, allows her to cross over to another dimension where a vampire lives. Or something like that

Samurai Zombie (2008) **
Pretty much what is sounds like, a zombie samurai attacks a family and some thieves who cars break down in the middle of dark forest. I didn't expect much. And didn't get much either.


Black Swan (2010) ****1/4
This memorizing tale of a ballerina and her fall into madness is simply outstanding. The movie is filled with a great cast, tight direction, and visceral images.

Grapes of Death (1978) ***
This atmospheric flick from director Jean Rollin is packed with all his stables, gore and nudity. Pesticides being used in grape vineyard turns folks into zombie like creatures.

Dorian Gray (2009) ***
A nice movie version of the classic Oscar Wilde story.

Hunger (2009) **1/2
Five seemingly random people are kidnapped and locked away in a hole to see how long they can go without food. People start turning each other and do unspeakable things to survive.

My Soul To Take (2010) *1/2
Seven kids were born prematurely on the same night a serial killer was murdered/disappeared. Sixteen years later, the killer seems to have returned. I expected much better from director Wes Craven.

Body #19 (2007) ***
A Thai horror flick about a guy who has nightmarish visions of a girl being killed. The mystery leads him to a morgue. A little gorier than many Thai films and plot keeps you guessing until the end. At over two hours, parts felt to drag out. It's a minor complaint.

Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966) **1/2
Kind of a lazy, run of the mill Dracula film from the good folks at Hammer Studios. Watchable, but nothing memorable about it.

Rawhead Rex (1986) *
Such a cool short story, by Clive Barker, and such a horrible flick. Laughable, but not in a good way.

Eaten Alive! (1980) **
If you've seen one cannibal movie made in Italy during the 80's then you've seen them all. Nothing too new territory here, except a fanatical cult be the reason why people stray into the jungle.

Home Movie (2008) ***
Killer kid movies creep me out. This "found footage" tale about a couple of homicidal twins is above average. What makes it all the more creepy is reason behind the children's motives. Seemingly none.

Dead in 3 Days (2006) **1/2
A group of friends and recent high school grads start being killed off by. And guess what? They all harbor a shared secret. Nothing really stands out about this average movie with retread themes from Germany.

Alone (2007) ***
A Thai film about sisters who are conjoined twins. They get separated as young girls and one dies. The other one lives her life until one day she starts seeing the her dead sis. A good slow burn mystery with some general spooks and scares.

The Violent Kind (2010) *1/2
A bunch of rockabilly ghosts (I think) bust up a party being held by bikers in order to take a girl who's been possessed by some sort of demonic monster that will bring on the end of days. Decent characters and acting cant make up for a script that is all over the place and incorporates too many different themes while not explaining nearly enough.

Primal (2009)
A group of students head out to the Australian Outback to look at cave drawings. One of them gets ill and starts changing into a creature, which then attacks the remaining group.

The Kindred (1987) **
This 80's sci-fi/horror hybrid is about a doctor who learns his mother was performing DNA experiments. Naturally there's a mutated creature involved. Rather cheesy flick but the great Rod Steiger is awesome as a demented doctor.

Summer's Moon (2009) **1/2
A girl trying to locate her birth father gets picked up by a nice guy. She goes home with a guy only to find out he's a bit off his rocker and likes to collect girls. And his mother is a little off too. Not

Drive Angry (2011) **1/2
A man escapes from Hell to save his grandaughter from being sacrificed by a Satanic cult. Bloody fun if you want to kill a couple of hours.




BOOKS


American Conspiracies by Jesse Ventura *****
I've always enjoyed good conspiracy theory. What makes this book truly frightening is it covers conspiracies and cover-ups by the American government perpetrated upon the American people. Ventura covers the assassinations of JFK, RFK, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr.; how George Bush tampered with votes to twice win the Presidency; Watergate; drugs; and Wall Street. I like how Ventura lays out each subject. He gives the reader mulitple facts and sites the resources to cover all theories on the subject, then gives his opinion. A fascinating read and one that if even part of it is true, the American public has much to fear from the powers that be.

Horrorr Movies Watch & Books Read (April 2011)

MOVIES

Rubber (2010) ***1/2
A movie who's premise revolves around a tire coming to life, having telepathic powers, and killing people shouldn't be any good. However, the filmmakers let audience in on the joke at the beginning at it never lets up. Definitely unique.

The Entity **1/2
The flick starts out creepy enough. I mean a unseen raping entity is always cause for concern. Too bad there was a bad hard rock track playing every time an attack occurred. Then the movie goes into this weird paranormal experiment and that's when the movie loses me.

# Being Human, Season 1 (2011) ***1/2
This SyFy remake of the great UK series had me a tad skeptical going in. The cast is superb and while the show stays along the same lines as the origin material, it also adds enough new things to keep me interested. In case you dont know the premise: A vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost living together in an apartment and try to help each other have "normal" lives. Of course their past comes into play constantly putting up road blocks on the goal.

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) ***1/2
A better than average sequel/prequel. Misses out a little bit on the tension from the first movie. Still has moments of sheer uncomfortableness. A decent follow up worth your time.

P (2005) **1/2
A young Thai girl moves from a rural area to Bangkok and becomes a dancing girl so she can make money to help her Grandmother. The girl knows magic and uses it to help her at the club but in the process gets taken over evil forces. Watchable flick.

Case 39 (2009) *1/2
Crapper of flick about a little girl who is possessed by a demon. The movie never really deals with the how or why the demon possessed the girl, just that it's evil and needs to be destroyed. There's a reason this movie sat on the studio shelf for a couple of years. It's terrible.


A Serbian Film (2010) ****
A simple story. A former porn star turned family man is lured back into the business for one last movie which will set his family up financially for a long time. Though the details are sketchy, he agree to star. When he finds out the movie is pushing boundaries he doesn't want to perform, the producer drugs him and makes him take part. For people who label this film as "torture porn" or "shock cinema" they are missing the point of the movie. Below the mind numbing nastiness is commentary on what people in a poor, corrupt country will & can do to survive. It's brutal, disturbing, and at its core heart breaking as you care about the actor and his family.

Parasomnia (2008) **1/2
In a hospital, lives girl with parasomnia (aka "Sleeping Beauty" disorder) has her dreams invaded by a serial killer with incredible hypnotic powers, who happens to be roomed down the hall. Then a boy comes along and falls in love with her. He breaks her out of the hospital, which the killer does not like. The killer escapes and a battle for the girl ensues. Even though a lot of things about this movie didn't work for me, I did find it interesting enough to set through.

Automaton Transfusion (2006) *
Cliched ridden zombie outbreak tale with zero characters I gave a crap about.




BOOKS
A Stir of Echoes by Richard Matheson ****
A creepy story about a man who gets hypnotized. After his mind is opened up to the paranormal, which is a gift neither he nor his wife want. He sees apparitions and can predict the future but at what cost. While Matheson's tale is a little out dated with the setting, written in 1958, the suspense is top notch.

Horrorr Movies Watch & Books Read (March 2011)

MOVIES


The Chaser (2008) ****1/2
A horror/thriller from Korea. A former cop turned pimp keeps having his worker disappear. He concludes it could be possibly be the work of a serial killer. When one of prostitutes goes on a call with a shady individual, he decides to track her down. By pure chance he runs into the killer and both men are arrested. While the killer is being interrogated, the pimp tries to locate the missing prostitute. From there things really get interesting. This gut wrencher is one of the better flicks I've seen in awhile. One scene had me squirming and another nearly brought me to tears. Also a good commentary on the South Korean law enforcement.

Twins of Evil (1971) **1/2
I'm really glad for the amount of old Hammer Studio movies which stream on Netflix. This is another one I found. Starts out about a group of Puritans burning witches but turns quickly to vampires.

Meadowoods (2010) **
Three teens plan a murder of a random classmate because they have nothing better to do. The concept is truly frightening. The execution in the movie lacks a tad. Too much of teens talking about how empty the feel inside.

Devil's Diary (2007) **1/2
Two teens find a book which grants wishes to whomever writes in it. Evil wishes. This Lifetime Network movie has some decent,yet familiar plot, but also contains huge amount of bad dialog and stereotypical characters.

The Rig (2010) *
An mysterious, underwater creature attacks an oil rig which crosses its path. It gets on board and starts killing the crew. The plot holes are huge in this suck fest of a movie.

House {Hausu} (1977) **1/2
What a trippy film. I cant even properly describe the insanity of the Japanese cult film about a group of girls in a haunted house. Watch it for the complete nuttiness, like a floating severed head biting a womans butt. Yeah, it's that's type of good.

Creatures of Darkness (2009) *
Kids are camping near a military base when they find out an alien wants them as trophies. Yep, as this is Predator style rip off and it's just horrible.

Psycho Ward (2007) 1/2*
A group of kids want to film a movie in an abandoned psycho ward. There's a serial killer on the loose. I made it through about 25 minutes of this uninteresting crap fest before shutting it off. Perhaps it got better, but I doubt it.


Buried (2010) ****1/2
I was skeptical about a 90 minute movie with Ryan Reynolds in a coffin, but this movie passed my expectations and ended up being one of the better movies I've watch this year. The camera work is outstanding making the coffin seem bigger than it is at times yet extremely claustrophobic. The creative use of lighting is amazing as most of the time it's only from flashlight, cell phone, or a lighter. And kudos to Reynolds who pulls off the role to perfection. This is a must see movie.

# Face Off (2011) ***
This is a reality show/contest on SyFy which gives an inside look to make up artist effects in movies. I've always enjoy knowing about the process of special effects make up. The show focuses more on the craft and less on the drama between contests, which I like. Nothing great but for movie nerds who like to see how more of the process it's an enjoyable show.



Let Me In (2010) ****1/2
I enjoyed this movie far more than I anticipated. It kept the tone and feel of the original, yet made itself feel authentic. The kid actors is this are simply awesome. A very enjoyable flick with some truly moving moments. And it's beautifully shot.







BOOKS


Swan Song by Robert McCammon ****
A post apocalyptic saga with survivors of a nuclear war trying to survive against themselves and an ancient evil force. I've been a fan of McCammon's work since the first novel I read by him. This was one I've looked forward to reading for a long time. It's an epic novel which often draws comparison's to Stephen King's The Stand. While similiar in scope, the stories are different and I feel well worth the read.