Haunt

"Haunt" (2019, Scott Beck, Bryan Woods, Broken Road Productions, Nickel City Pictures, Sierra/Afinity) is a film about an extreme Halloween haunted house attraction.


Are extreme Haunts a real thing? Regardless, this story follows a group of students who go searching for a way to keep the party going after the clubs close on Halloween night and venture into an extreme Haunt they find on a secluded road. But the convincing scares they witness at the start of their tour might be more than clever tricks and they soon realise that they themselves may be the next part of the attraction.


It's a premise that's been done before in films such as 2014's "The Houses October Built" , however, I'd hasten to add that filmmakers Beck and Woods, who are better known perhaps for "A Quiet Place", have selected a different style of storytelling and steered clear of the found footage style, which differentiates this work from others of its kind. The action is pretty good and the gore is very well realised. The pacing of the film is also fairly sturdy with very few long pauses between action.


My main and only gripe with the film, really, is that the characters are so unlikeable that I didn't feel like I was rooting for anyone in particular. Even protagonist, Harper (Katie Stevens), is not as sympathetic as she could have been. This isn't a comment on the acting, however, and is admittedly not uncommon in slasher movies, where most of the cast are really just fodder anyway. In that respect, the film delivers a good bounty of kills and gore as well as not delving too far into trying to explain the reasons behind the murder and mayhem. Certainly worth checking out this spooky season on Shudder.

[Image: Broken Road Productions, et al]

Hani

Would You Rather

"Would You Rather" (2012, David Guy Levy, Lambrick Foundation, LLC, Periscope Entertainment, Social Construct Films, Dreamher Productions, IFC Films) is a film about how far a group of desperate people can be pushed if they think it will end all of their problems.


Iris (Brittany Snow) looks after her sick younger brother (Logan Miller) but cannot pay for his expensive treatment. Her brother's doctor introduces her to a philanthropist called Shepard Lambrick (Jeffrey Combs) who offers to make Iris a deal; if she wins a game at his dinner party, he will pay for the treatment. After thinking about it, Iris agrees to attend the party.


Once at the party which takes place at Lambrick's manor home, Iris is introduced to the other guests; Lambrick's petulant son, Julian (Robin Lord Taylor), and fellow contestants; Travis (Charlie Hofheimer), Lucas (Enver Gjokaj), Linda (June Squibb), Peter (Robb Wells), Cal (Eddie Steeples), Amy (Sasha Grey) and Conway (John Heard). Before the game officially begins, Lambrick begins offering large sums of money to his guests to perform simple tasks that make them uncomfortable; a vegetarian eating a steak, a recovering alcoholic drinking scotch... Although the guests are outraged, the thought of all that money makes them stay and they decline to leave before the lockdown and the official game begins. Assuredly, the real game has higher prizes and even higher stakes...


I was pleasantly surprised by this film after I eventually gave in to Netflix's incessant advertising of it to me by seemingly adding it into every possible category on my homepage. It's silly, fun, fairly ridiculous, contains several familiar cast members including, of course, the wonderful Jeffrey Combs; a man who can chew scenery in the most entertaining way, and it actually boasts a fair few grim scenes.
The parlour game is equal parts cheesiness and darkness with just enough tongue-in-cheek dialogue to keep it from being bleak. While it's hardly a classic by any means and suffers from some pacing issues, I found it to be entertaining and not to spend too much time pondering over whether its core message or taking itself too seriously.

[Image: IFC Films, et al]

Hani

The Perfection

I seemed to be in the mood for watching films about cellists this weekend as I checked out "The Perfection" on the back of watching 2009's "The Soloist". I can confirm that this was completely incidental and both film's could not be further from one another in plot and genre. But it did make for good viewing. Since this is a more horror/thrilller aimed blog, however, I guess we should focus on "The Perfection"...

"The Perfection" (2019, Richard Shepard, Miramax, Capstone Film Group, Netflix) is a horror about the dangers of aiming for perfection at all costs based around a prestigious music school.

Charlotte (Allison Williams) is a talented cellist who was forced to give up on her dreams of becoming the protege of her teacher and head of the Bachoff music school, Anton (Steven Weber), when her mother became terminally ill and she was needed to care for her. Upon the death of her mother some years later, Charlotte reaches back out to Anton and is invited to be a guest judge on a panel judging some promising young cellists in China hoping to win entry to the Academy along with Anton's current protege, and Charlotte's replacement, Lizzie (Logan Browning). Although reluctant at first, Charlotte and Lizzie strike up a friendship (and then some) and decide to spend a couple of weeks together off the beaten path in China. Things do not go to plan... or do they?

An engaging film that kept my attention throughout the full run time due not only to good story telling and excellent acting, but also some nicely spaced out and visually pleasing gore.

I was not sure what I was in for in this film and went in essentially blind, having only heard that it was "up my street". I can confirm that I found it to be an extremely entertaining 90 minutes with a few plot twists that kept the pacing lively and some really gruesome effects. The first twist caught me completely off-guard and really grabbed my attention.

I enjoyed the way the film managed to get me to flip-flop between loving and loathing different characters as each piece of the puzzle was unveiled and both Williams and Browning give great performances throughout.

Fairly gripping and delivering more than I went in expecting, this one is certainly worth your time.

[Image: Netflix et al]

Hani

The Eyes of my Mother

"The Eyes of my Mother" (2016, Nicolas Pesce, Borderline Presents, Tandem Pictures, Magnet Releasing) is a black and white horror drama about trauma.

Francisca's mother (Diana Agostini), an ex-surgeon from Portugal, teaches the young girl (Olivia Bond) about anatomy. One day, a creepy stranger (Will Brill) asks to use the family's bathroom. Against her instincts, Francisca's mother lets the man into the house, where he brutally murders her. Francisca's father (Paul Nazak) comes home and beats the murderer bloody before dumping him in the barn - An event that the murderous intruder will live to deeply regret. Francisca (Kika Magalhães) grows into a disturbed young woman, with an unusual fascination with death...

A slow burning film punctuated with disturbing scenes of suggested  mutilation and gruesome ideas. Francisca is a lonely girl, who's young experiences with horror have left her broken and unfeeling. There's a lot of unsettling content in this film.

Despite this and despite Magalhães' engaging performance as the main role, the film does suffer from being so slow and quiet, however, its bat-shit, mental content makes up for this in abundance. A truly awful vision.

[Image: Magnet Releasing, et al}

Hani 

Dysmorphia

"Dysmorphia" (2012, Andy Stewart, Stay Curious Productions, Koozlick Media) is an award winning horror short from the talented Scottish horror journalist and director, Andy Stewart, which both satisfies the viewer with a horror thrill and theatrically explores some mental health themes.

Our main character (Gordon Holliday) narrates his thoughts as he sits at a table with a bag. We slowly come to realise his horrific intentions (if you haven't guessed from the name of the film) as he reveals his thoughts and also the contents of the bag. Tools, towels, something to bite on...

Dark and artistic, but not in that annoying art student way, this film is clever. While we enjoy some  gore and some very smart cut away scenes which let your imagination go wild and we hear a lot of deliciously sickening sounds, we're never given reason to begin thinking on what the props and effects are. This is the sign of a good film for me. If I start to imagine how they put it together while I'm watching it, it usually means I'm bored of the scene. It all seemed very real and very methodical.

The tension is high and the viewer is with the character through the whole ordeal. While feeling  nauseous, the film keeps your attention rapt. I could barely look away from the screen while also wishing he would just do it quickly.

The acting is intense and very effective, conveying a lot of depth in such a short run time.

The effects are fantastic and have been recognised as such.

The film has a very dark kick of an ending too!

Excellently executed and a fantastic and simple plot. You might want to leave your lunch until later before watching it, though!

If you haven't had a chance to see it yet, you can watch it here:You Tube Video

I'm now looking forward to Andy's newest film, "Split".

[Image: Stay Curious Productions]

 

Hani

Devour

"Devour" (2005, David Winkler, Bigel Entertainment Productions) is a film about Satan, satanists, the human mind, odd compulsions to murder, destiny and evil online computer games. Also, I'd say in today's world, it could also be seen as a film about online security and just how much info. about ourselves is out there floating on the internet, accessible by anyone in the know. But mainly, it's about Jensen Ackles being, in the words of Zoolander, really, really ridiculously good looking!

Now, that may seem like an indepth set of themes there, but don't be fooled. There's not much depth to this film.

Basically, we meet Jake Gray (Jensen Ackles, the reason I even bought this film!), a college student who is being haunted by disturbing flashes of him murdering people and also mutilating himself. Flashes he can't explain, but compulsions that he fears and kind of enjoys. We meet his two weird friends, Dakota (Dominique Swain), a pretty, blonde, alternative chick, who's *cough* 'flirtatious' nature has gotten her into an uncomfortable arrangement with her lecherous lecturer, and Conrad "Conny" (Teach Grant), a stoner, layabout non-achiever.

Conny has become a little off-kilter recently.... well, he's bought a gun and seems to be intent on using it. Jake questions him on it, and Conny tells him that he's begun playing an online RP-game called "The Pathway", where you give it all your details, it periodically phones you and gives you 'challenges' which allow you to progress through the levels. Only, these 'challenges' generally involve murder, mayhem and suicide. Oh, and Conny has signed Jake up as a birthday present. What a nice friend!

Jake meets a girl, Marisol (Shannyn Sossamon), when he 'fixes' her laptop for free, costing him his wages and job in the IT shop. As Conny and Dakota begin to get wrapped into the game and then commit suicide (I did like the gruesome suicides!), Marisol and Jake work to free Jake from "The Pathway" and its satan-worshipping creator's grip.

There's some low-budget special effects, fire, shouting, demonic revelations, log cabins, pentagrams, satanic rituals... satanic incest.... you want it, it's there.

The script is not the best, the characters are 2 dimensional and disposable, the plot twist is just weird, but they did have quite a good satan-lady outfit, so they get points for that.

It's not a good film, but Jensen's performance keeps it going, although he did seem to get over his satanic discovery pretty quickly...

All in all, I've seen MUCH worse, and I'm not exactly going to take it to the charity shop, but it's not a scary film, and may only be fun for 'Supernatural' fans and B-movie lovers.

[Picture: Bigel Entertainment]

Hani 

The People Under the Stairs

"The People Under the Stairs" (1991, Wes Craven, Universal Pictures) is a fun little horror about a sick couple. It's also a comment on racism and child abuse. But don't let that put you off!

A young boy living in the ghetto, Poindexter aka 'Fool' (Brandon Adams), lovingly nicknamed by his older sister as whenever she reads his Tarot cards the Fool card always comes up, decides to get involved in a robbery in order to help his family. His mother is sick, his sister, Ruby, is a young mother and his family are about to be evicted from their home unfairly. The landlords, The Robesons, are Fool and his friend Leroy's (Ving Rhames) target.

The Robesons are a creepy, incestuous couple, who keep their daughter Alice (A.J. Langer) locked up in her room. Alice behaves herself as she is painfully aware of what will happen to her if she misbehaves.

As is predictable, Mr. and Mrs. Robeson (Everett McGill and Wendy Robie) hide behind 'faith' to tell themselves that the evil they commit is ok. The couple are portrayed amazingly by McGill and Robie; manic and crazy.

In the basement are the Robeson's old children. See, they like to snatch babies and then when the children get too old or begin to display 'misbehaviour', they cut off the offending part (wicked tongues, eavesdropping ears...) and then throw them into the cellar to live like animals. They also feed them intruders, visitors and door-to-door sales people. So far, all the kids in the basement are boys. Alice is the only girl.

One child, a smart and manic kid called Roach (Sean Whalen) has escaped the cellar and now lives in the walls of the house. Roach is awesome! He is constantly being hunted by Daddy Robeson (who likes to wear a gimp suit for hunting...) with a rifle. Roach is Alice's only friend.

Fool finds himself in trouble when he and Leroy find their partner in crime dead and then cannot escape the house before the Robesons return. Leroy, being a big man, doesn't last long as he can't sneak about like Fool can.

Fool manages to escape (with the loot!) but can't live knowing poor Alice and all those crazy mutilated kids are still in that house, and goes back in to save the day. Does he make it? Watch and see!

Adams gives an enjoyable performance as our young hero.

A nicely paced movie with lots of jumps. The kids in the cellar like to jump out at opportune moments. Prince the bloodthirsty dog is a nice addition, too. Although, if you don't want to see a fake dog get stabbed through a wall with a machete.... I'm just sayin'.

A nice cheesy happy ending manages not to ruin the film. The cellar kids manage to sneak out into the big bad world, but they neglect to grab any of the free money. Dolts! Plus, they all look like gollum with hair, surely someone spotted them?!

Another small issue I have with this flick is that all the kids look about the same age. Surely they didn't steal 15 - 20 babies at the same time?

But on the good side, some blood, angry puppies, knives, guns, crazy religious people, incest, cannibalism, robbery, good intentions and explosives; what's not to like?

Worth a look, don't expect to be scared though.

[Picture: Universal Pictures]

Hani 

Hellraiser

"Hellraiser" (1987, Clive Barker, New World Pictures) is based on the book "The Hellbound Heart" (also by Clive Barker) which I've never read, so I can't comment on.

I only own the first three Hellraiser films because quite frankly, they start off weird and then just move into the trippy. Put it this way, I own all of the 'Nightmare on Elm Streets' and they get odd after the second movie, but for some reason Hellraiser just seems worse to me!

"Hellraiser" is gross, disturbing and hilariously 80s. So, naturally, I like it! The plot is pretty simple; magic wooden puzzle box, if you solve it the Cenobites; a bunch of sado-masochistic humanoids sent from hell to collect and torture people who solve the puzzle; come and torture you. See? Simple!

A man called Frank (Sean Chapman) solves the puzzle, why, I do not know. Pin-Head, the adopted name for the lead Cenobite (Doug Bradley), comes and rips him apart, and then puts the puzzle box back into its original state for someone else to solve.

Soon Frank's brother Larry (Andrew Robinson) and cheating second wife, Julia (Claire Higgins), move in with their teenage daughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence), some blood is spilled in the attic and for some reason this brings the mutilated Frank back to life (hell knows why...).

Frank's gorey escape angers the Cenobites who have clearly failed in their mission, and soon there's carnage everywhere while people solve the puzzle, Frank wreaks havok and other general torture takes place.

There's a lot of flayed corpses, skin-stealing and general gore. The cenobites are all very interestingly mutilated, clearly the costume designer had some fun.

All in all, it's not scary, just bloody. It's more of a mystery movie with some gore in there. But it's an 80s classic, and a horror marathon favourite. Plus, the special effects are impressive.

[Picture: New World Pictures]

Hani