Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid

"Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid" (2004, Dwight H. Little, Columbia TriStar) is the disconnected sequel to Anaconda.

A group of scientific researchers journey to Borneo, Indonesia to hunt for the rare Blood Orchid which they believe has important medical properties which could extend human lives. They pay a guide to take them up river in their search, despite severe weather and flood warnings. And snakes. Lots of man eating snakes.

An adventure horror sequel which plays out pretty much as you expect it to. B-movie script, B-movie action, CGI that looks a bit clunky, some back stabbing, an obvious twist and the star of the show; Captain Bill's monkey friend.

A good bit of fun of notably lesser quality than the original film, and with more numerous, but less menacing, snakes.

[Image: Columbia Tri-Star]

Hani

V/H/S/2

"V/H/S/2" (2013, Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard, Eduardo Sánchez, Gregg Hale, Timo Tjahjanto, Gareth Huw Evans & Jason Eisener, The Collective, Haxan Films, Magnet Releasing) is the sequel to the 2012 found footage film.

Similar to its predecessor, the film is an anthology of short horrors, all found footage, encased within one wrap-around horror story, which is also found footage. Whilst following the same equation, it manages to separate itself from the original.

As in most anthologies, and the original film, some of the stories are hit and miss, and some of the effect qualities vary from pretty schlocky to 'oooh, that was gross'. But on the whole, I really enjoyed this one over its predecessor and thought it held together much better as a film.

I'm not a fan of found footage at the best of times, finding it more likely to give me a migraine that the chills, but V/H/S/2 does well in the format. Some of the 'shorts' could have been doing with being a little shorter though, as they began to get a bit monotonous and Go Pro cameras will probably enjoy all this advertising.

 

 

[Image: Magnet Releasing]

Hani

The Raid

"The Raid" aka "The Raid: Redemption" (2011, Gareth Evans, PT. Merantau Films, XYZ Films, Celluloid Nightmares, Sony Picture Classics, Stage 6 Films) is an Indonesian martial arts film that will have you squirming in your seat!

I went in thinking this film would not get a mention on this blog since it's not really horror, but I after seeing it... well...

A group of special forces cops go in to the run-down apartment block owned by a notorious crime lord to flush him out and shut down his operation. Unfortunately for them, not only is the gang aware of their presence, but every terrified tenant in the place is willing to murder a cop to get free accommodation for life.

Brutal, fast and full of action that keeps you riveted rather than becoming dull, The Raid is a roller-coaster ride of violence and expert choreography. A very impressive film that is unapologetic about its brutal fight scenes and OTT kills. Excellent fun but far from taxing on the brain in terms of plot.

[Image: Merantau Films]

Hani