Posted by Hallo | 0 Comments

9 Dead – Review

reviewed by hallo
directed by Chris Shadley, 2010
___________________________

Chris Shadley, who has several appearances in Hollywood blockbusters as a video assistant, tackles his first directorial debut with the Saw knock-off 9 Dead.  Nine seemingly random people are kidnapped, locked in a room with no windows, and are forced to discover why they are there.  If they are unable to come up with the answer, one of them will be killed every 10 minutes.  As you would expect, the group has a difficult time getting along with each other and wastes all kinds of time with needless jabber or drawn out storytelling.  They finally manage to figure out the reason, which unfortunately is not as fantastic of a tale as we would have hoped, with three of them still alive.  One of the three survivors, Kelley, is a female prosecutor who is unwilling “at all costs” to let her secrets get out.  So, she ends up killing the kidnapper and remaining survivors.

9 Dead takes place almost entirely in a small room where the group are chained to poles.  Because there is virtually no action or much body language, this film lives or dies by the acting and script.  Neither are exceptionally good.  Melissa Joan Hart, who is most famous for successful “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “Clarissa Explains It All” is the female lead and only survivor.  This is certainly not her best performance.  She is accompanied with other mediocre performances leaving the film feeling a bit flat.  Although the dialogue is fast paced and the urgency of the 10 minute recurring deadline is always looming, somehow the movie still feels to slumber its way through the story.

The movie is all about confession, which is fitting since one of the victims is a priest.  If they are willing to dive deep inside their souls and reveal their darkest secrets, there is a chance for survival.  It seems the movie is attempting to say that for some, death is a better option than revelation.  Kelley is willing to murder the father of her son and another “innocent” victim just to keep her secret a secret.

9 Dead tells a decent story with a fair amount of suspense, par-for-course acting, and a horrifically bad ending.  I wouldn’t completely stay away from it, but it should go pretty low on your updated “movies to see” list.

Click Here to purchase 9 Dead

Read More

Posted by Hallo | 0 Comments

Dark Night of the Scarecrow – Review

reviewed by hallo
directed by Frank de Felitta, 1981
____________________________

Dark Night of the Scarecrow was originally released as a made-for-television movie and aired on October 24, 1981 as part of the CBS Saturday Night Movies.  Today, DNOTS is considered to be the scarecrow movie by which all others are judged.  After the film had been somewhat forgotten, briefly released in the 80’s on VHS format, it was re-released as part of the “Texas Frightmare Weekend” in April of 2010.  In September of the same year, it found a home on DVD format, being distributed by VCI Entertainment.  Immediately after its release, horror forums, magazines, and ezines began heavily promoting the return of the classic.  When I attended the “Spooky Empire” horror convention in October of 2010, there was entire display and table devoted to its release.

The movie is about a mentally challenged 36 year old man named “Bubba” who has the mind of a 9 year old.  He is best friends with a little girl named Marylee.  Several of the men in the small county of Bodan do not like the relationship between Bubba and Marylee are eagerly wait for any opportunity to take violent action.  The ringleader of this posse is Otis Hazelrigg, portrayed by the veteran actor Charles Durning.  Otis is a postman and never takes his official postmaster outfit off the entire movie, even donning the cliched rounded mailman hat.  When Marylee is attacked by a vicious dog, Bubba steps in and saves her life.  Unfortunately, the town folk assume Bubba was the reason for her injuries.  The doctors expect Marylee to die, sending Otis and his band of beer chugging men out as a lynch mob to hunt down the innocent Bubba.  Meanwhile, Bubba has ran back home where he explains to his mother what has happened.  She tells him they are going to play “the hiding game.”  The hiding game consists of Bubba dressing up as a scarecrow and standing in the field until danger passes.  It has worked in the past, but this time the redneck boys have dogs with them, and Bubba’s scent is picked up.  Once the men realize he is the scarecrow, they empty 21 rounds into him.

Moments later, “Harless” (played by Lane Smith, the man who played the prosecutor in My Cousin Vinny), gets a call on his radio that the girl is not dead and she has explained to the authorities that Bubba actually saved her life, not attacked her.  Oops.  To cover up their crime, the men place a pitchfork in the hands of Bubba.  Cut to the worst courtroom scene that has ever graced the screen where the men get off due to a “lack of probable cause.”  Bubba’s mom freaks out and screams that “there is other justice in this world besides the law.”  You can probably guess what happens from here.  A scarecrow starts popping up in the mens yards, and one by one they start dying.  Otis is left to the very end where he ultimately meets his doom from the pitchfork of Bubba that he had originally placed in his dead hands to cover up his crime.  The movie ends with Marylee and Bubba exchanging a flower.

Interestingly, Bubba in scarecrow form never shows up as the “killer” until the last couple of minutes of the film.  We are left guessing that it might be his mom, the disgruntled prosecutor, or even Marylee.  In this way, DNOTS doubles as a great suspense film that most anyone could handle.  There is zero gore and the scares are mild.  Still yet, the film succeeds in being a fun, well written, and decently acted thriller that was no doubt perfect for a late night television audience.  I was a little underwhelmed by the “chase scene” at the end with Otis running from a slow moving tractor.  All he really had to do was take one step to the right or left.  And, of course, the competence of the Bodan County judicial system leaves something to be desired.

At the core of DNOTS is a tale of revenge.  Although we are left guessing throughout the movie, I was hoping that the killings were coming from the hands of Bubba’s reincarnated scarecrow form so that he could have the pleasure of dispensing the kills rather than someone acting his place.  All of the kills, save for the last, come from the point of view of the victim; we never really see the threat with our own eyes, but only through the reactions of the targeted men.  This makes DNOTS rely more on story than on effects, which suited the film perfectly.  This movie is still better than a good bit of the horror garbage released even today.  Pick up a copy when you get a chance.

Click Here to purchase Dark Night of the Scarecrow

Read More

Posted by Hallo | 1 Comment

Trick ‘r Treat – Review

reviewed by hallo
directed by Michael Dougherty, 2007
______________________________

Trick ‘r Treat is quite simply the best horror movie I have seen in years.

Chances are good that you, like me, have only briefly heard of this movie or maybe recognize it from its memorable dvd cover.  Because I am a fan of any movie related to the holiday of Halloween, I decided to finally watch Trick ‘r Treat through my Netflix Instant Queue.  It was one of those rare – very rare – experiences where I just couldn’t believe what I was watching.  How could a movie this good not have made more of an impact in the movie world at large?

The plot of the film is somewhat complex and to provide a detailed account would take up too much space.  The movie revolves around 4 separate stories that are interwoven together throughout the film.  Think of a Creepshow without the breaks in-between the segments.  Common to each of the stories is a mysterious, small figure named “Sam” who wears a burlap bag over his head and is noticeably ticked off when someone dares to break Halloween tradition.  Sam is a wonderful figure, has a great, spooky look, and could easily be an icon of horror.  The stories themselves involve a serial-killer school principal, a group of 4 girl friends going to a Halloween party, a group of children returning to the scene of a town legend, and the fateful night of a man named Mr. Kreeg.  By the time the movie wraps, the viewer is able to tell how the night worked together as a whole.

That this movie did not make a theatrical release is madness.  It was apparently poised for an October 2007 release, but for whatever reason got pushed back, eventually being released direct to dvd in 2009.  Every single aspect of this movie is a home run.   First, the 4 stories work together incredibly well and Michael Dougherty does a superb job of making sure the viewer is not confused by the way the film flows from one scene to another.  Many movies that try to “blend” several stories into one film fail miserably, but Trick ‘r Treat does it seamlessly.  The movie itself looks phenomenal, capturing and maintaining the perfect atmosphere for an eerie Halloween night full of the bizarre and macabre.  Cinematographer Glen MacPherson is to be praised for his work on this movie.  The dialogue is fantastic and I was not left cringing over brutally absurd lines and forced conversations that so typically make up direct to dvd releases.  The acting is very solid and the movie boasts a wonderful cast including Dylan Baker (an under-appreciated actor), Anna Paquin (of X-Men fame), and Brian Cox (Troy, Braveheart).

Trick ‘r Treat clearly gives tribute to influential films of old, especially paying homage to the Evil Dead series with the appearance of a severed hand that has its own personality.  The ongoing influence of Carpenter’s masterful Halloween is noticeable throughout the movie as well, even with a slight head tilt by Sam, the strange recurring figure.  Trick ‘r Treat provides great scares, wonderful suspense, and a downright creepy and satisfying ending.  I kept feeling like I was watching the very best of old school, throwback horror not just copied, but done even better.

What criticism do I have of Trick ‘r Treat?  None.  This movie is as perfect of a horror movie as I have ever seen and will now be an annual, traditional October viewing.  Shame on you Warner Bros for not promoting and pushing this film.  Michael Dougherty, please, please, please get back to directing another horror film.  And to all of you out there in horror land – if you have not yet seen Trick ‘r Treat, then this must be the next movie on your list.

I just can’t believe how good it really is.

Click Here to purchase Trick ‘r Treat.

Read More

Posted by Hallo | 0 Comments

Pelts (Masters of Horror) – Review

reviewed by hallo
directed by Dario Argento, 2006
___________________________

Pelts is one of the two entries by legendary Italian director Dario Argento (Suspiria) featured in the Masters of Horror series put on by Showtime television.  Running under an hour in length, these short-films feel a bit more like a Twilight Zone on steroids than an actual feature film.  They are a blast to watch when you don’t quite have time to sit down for a full 90 minutes.

Jake Feldman (Meatloaf) is a fur trader who is obsessed with an exotic stripper named Shanna.  After being denied his sexual advances time and again, he decides the way to her heart is to locate the greatest furs in the world and create the perfect coat.  He finally finds those furs after Jeb Jameson (John Saxon) stumbles across the all-time greatest catch of raccoons in what appears to be some kind of magical section of wilderness.  As he and his son are toting their treasure from the field, they are given an eerie prophecy by a local resident that the critters will have their revenge.  And boy, do they ever.

As best as I can tell, whenever anyone is touching the furs or is even near them, they end up going completely insane.  Jeb’s son crushes in his dad’s face with a baseball bat for no reason, followed by plunging his own face into one of the animal traps.  When Jake arrives at the scene to collect his furs, he is so impressed with them that he essentially overlooks the carnage at hand and gets to work making the best fur coat of all time.  Which he eventually gives to Shanna.  Unfortunately by this time, he has gone mad and decides there might just be a better coat than those luxurious furs; his own skin!  So, Jake makes incisions into his own body and “pulls off” his chest to proudly hand over to Shanna, who is rather disgusted by the gesture (big shock).  The film ends with Jake falling down an elevator shaft and Shanna dying due to blood loss.

This movie, apparently driven in part by Argento’s love for animals, has some visually effective and stunning scenes, which is not surprising considering it is Argento behind the camera.  As is typical for many Argento films, the lack of solid acting and narrative is more than made up by the stylish array of intense and bloody sequences.  Although fun to see Meatloaf in this role, he doesn’t really live up to the performance at hand.  The best role by far in the film is portrayed by John Saxon as the unfortunate fur trapper, and due to his untimely demise at the hand of his son, it is a brief role.  Still yet, it is easy to see how fast and deep the well of obsession can run and Pelts reminds us that the world of the grotesque is not too far removed from the common, ordinary, struggling life of the workingman.

This is a must see for the name Argento alone.  Take a look.

Read More

Posted by Hallo | 1 Comment

The Gravedancers – Review

reviewed by hallo
directed by Mike Mendez, 2006
___________________________

There is a universal creed among horror movie lovers as it pertains to unknown films:  We live to stumble across that rare gem of a movie that nobody seems to know about and that delivers on all counts.  Let’s face it, for every 15 unknown horror movies we watch, we are lucky to find one that actually is worth the 90 minutes of viewing time.  I took a chance on a movie called The Gravedancers.  I was smiling at the end.

Mike Mendez, a director you have never heard of, takes a fairly bland idea of bringing the spirits of the dead back to life, and has a lot of fun with it.   Three old college buddies are mourning the death of their close friend and decide to visit the cemetery late at night for one last goodbye.  Drinking a little too much and stumbling across a card someone left behind with a rather bizarre poetic sentiment, the trio recites the poem and dances on three random graves.  That recitation (think Evil Dead) and dancing were not so good ideas since the ghosts of those three dead bodies are now out to kill whoever was dancing on their grave.  For Harris, it is an ax murderer.  For Kira, it is a rapist.  For Sid, it is an arsonist.  Once the three collectively realize they are being haunted, they consult some paranormal researchers.  Come to find out, they recited an ancient Irish curse that has now brought the spirits of these dead upon them and they won’t stop until the living are dead.  Actually, it seems that the dancing is really what ticked the dead people off, but I guess the poem was equally effective.  Anyway, after a lot of creepy interactions with the spirits, they finally discover the way to end the curse; dig up the bones of the dead and re-bury them.

This is old-school horror film making done pretty darn well.  I don’t care how many times you see it, whenever an old lady is playing a creepy tune on the piano with her back to you wearing a blood-soaked white gown, you just don’t want her to turn around!  Classic haunted house scares abound in this film, aka The Changeling, but they are not overdone and come across with a glitter of fright.  Mendez also makes sure he covered every possible location for filming that horror movies have been built around for year.  We find the trio being haunted in their house, in a hospital, in a cemetery, and in a Gothic looking mansion in which they get trapped.  One of the highlights of the film was the appearance of Tcheky Karyo as one of the ghosthunters.  Karyo is probably best known for his role as the French military hero in The Patriot alongside Mel Gibson.  He brings a mature and grounded element to The Gravedancers.

The movie certainly has its flaws.  The acting is sub-par, the dialogue is even worse, the audio has issues, and Mendez’s camera seems like it is not always where it needs to be.  Still yet, the look of the film is beautiful, the scares are plentiful, and the build-up of the film works nicely.  By the end, we are thrust into a world of complete paranormal psychosis, which is probably overdone, but I applaud the filmmakers for their willingness to show us what these old friends were actually dealing with.  I found myself laughing, fist-pumping, and at times, flinching throughout the movie.  Really, what more could I want?

If you have Netflix, check it out On Demand.  You will enjoy it.

Click Here to purchase The Gravedancers

Read More

Posted by Hallo | 1 Comment

Circle of Eight – Review

reviewed by hallo
directed by Stephen Cragg, 2009
__________________________

Originally released in ten-minute segments on MySpace.com, Circle of Eight tells the story of a New Year’s Eve tragedy that continues to be re-lived day after day.  Director Stephen Cragg, best know for his work on television, creates a movie short on action and heavy on dialogue, where 90% of the film follows the wanderings of a young lady through the halls of an apartment building.  Although there are plenty of reasons I should have walked away from the film with a bad taste in my mouth, I actually give the movie a favorable rating and if for nothing else recommend it for its incredible ability to pull of a plethora of non-sequiturs every couple of minutes.

Jessica is a young lady who is moving from the boring farming country of the mid-west to a more exciting life out west in the big city.  She is also moving away from a tragedy that has plagued her life – losing her younger brother in a drowning accident.  We learn that Jessica, in fear for her own life, let her brother drown.  She moves into the “Dante” apartment building and from about the 5 minute mark, we are greeted with a host of bizarre, creepy, and at times funny characters.  These folks seriously have issues, not the least of which is an tremendous indifference to the private life of Jessica as they will barge in on her at any given time, even while she is bathing.  Much of the conversation is difficult to follow, tipping the viewer off that we might have to wait till the end of the film for it all to make sense.  Evan is the love interest for Jessica, and although he certainly is not quite as whacked out as the rest of the apartment residents, he nevertheless comes across as mysterious and unique.  The dialogue during a majority of the film is at times downright hilarious – including unbelievably random lines in the midst of great turmoil.  For example, only seconds after Jessica discovers another murdered body, she and a few other people are greeted by Ed, the eccentric landlord, and he asks if anyone wants half of his uneaten burrito.  Nevertheless, apart from the funny moments, there is also an overall feel of uneasiness throughout the film that works very well.

Essentially, Circle of Eight takes the “Groundhog Day” concept to the next level.  The apartment building name is obviously drawing from Dante’s Inferno, the famous first part of the epic Divine Comedy.  We are left to think of the apartment as a certain kind of purgatory where the only way its residents will survive is if Jessica makes the right decision.  Unfortunately, after 90,000 plus days, she has yet to do so.  Unlike Groundhog Day where the other characters were unaware of the repeated day, all the residents know exactly what is happening and this explains some of their incredibly “off” behavior.  After all, when you are experiencing the same day 90,000 times in a row, you begin looking for new ways to live it.

The film has way – and I mean way – too long of an opening credit sequence, followed by what can only be described as yet another opening credit sequence without the credits.  That, combined with a completely unexplained and pointless lesbian make-out scene from two characters we never see or hear from again, shows that the filmmakers were needing to add some “stuff” to their film to fill it out.

Still, the movie makes the viewer think.  It does a pretty good job of providing enough detail to explain what is happening but leaving just enough for us to figure out on our own.  It seems that the “8th circle” could be a reference to the 8th circle of Dante’s Inferno, pointing to the concepts of purgatory and fraud.  It is a movie of second chances, and third chances, and fourth chances, and so on, until Jessica finally learns what she needs to do.  Our past experiences should and must shape us into people who learn from them and have the discipline to do the right thing.  The film ends with Jessica finally figuring it out and saving the residents of Dante.  Mysteriously, her and Evan’s body are never found.

The movie speaks to a crucial aspect of spirituality, that being second chances.  The character of Jessica mirrors all of humanity by knowing full well what she ought to do, but failing time and time again to actually do it.  In this way, the film accurately describes a Christian position that it is “never too late” to change.  The film also deals with the reality of Hell, although it does so in a way that uses Hollywood liberties.  Although we certainly have second chances while on Earth, the same cannot be said of the afterlife.  Thus, the film aligns more with a Roman Catholic view of eternity than it does a Protestant view.

Overall, I enjoyed Circle of Eight much more than I expected.  Take a look when you have 90 minutes and nothing much else to do.

Read More