2005. Rated R.
Hands down the best horror film released during the first decade of the new millennium. Filled with a claustrophobic setting, tension between the characters and terrifying creatures, this film does for caves as Alien does for space and Jaws does for water.
A group of daredevil girlfriends get together for a fun-filled cave exploring trip and quickly find out they are not alone below. The creatures are tertiary to the story; the real terror is the breakdown of communication between the friends and what one will do to survive.
Thoughtfully written with excellent character development. And the special effects aren’t half bad either.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Prom Night (1 Star)
2008. Rated PG-13.
This ridiculous remake only has one thing in common with its predecessor: the story takes place on prom night. One feels they are watching an episode of the new 90210 with a killer on the loose. WB network drudgery all the way.
The story of a girl whose is stalked by a child predator could have been a sociological thoughtful storyline and absolutely terrifying to any parent, but the creative team on this mess chose to make it more of a teen soap opera.
The highlight is when the killer rushes towards his victim in Matrix-style photography. And I must add the killer (when cleaned up) is way too cute to be menacing.
Skip this absurdity all together unless you are researching on how to make a terrible film.
This ridiculous remake only has one thing in common with its predecessor: the story takes place on prom night. One feels they are watching an episode of the new 90210 with a killer on the loose. WB network drudgery all the way.
The story of a girl whose is stalked by a child predator could have been a sociological thoughtful storyline and absolutely terrifying to any parent, but the creative team on this mess chose to make it more of a teen soap opera.
The highlight is when the killer rushes towards his victim in Matrix-style photography. And I must add the killer (when cleaned up) is way too cute to be menacing.
Skip this absurdity all together unless you are researching on how to make a terrible film.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
P2 (2.5 Stars)
2007. Rate R for strong violence/gore, terror and language.
The story of a young executive who is accidently locked in her office building on Christmas Eve with a disturbed parking garage attendant is a promising set-up for an all out cat-and-mouse bizaar. This could have been just as good as the ultra-suspenseful Wait Until Dark. However, it seems the writers ran out of ways to terrorize the lead and it shows with the endless chase scenes through the corridors of the parking garage.
I expected better writing from writer/director Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes), but was somewhat disappointed. In the end, the film is not a total lost; we still receive a couple suspenseful moments mixed with "head crushing" and "eye-popping" special effects.
The story of a young executive who is accidently locked in her office building on Christmas Eve with a disturbed parking garage attendant is a promising set-up for an all out cat-and-mouse bizaar. This could have been just as good as the ultra-suspenseful Wait Until Dark. However, it seems the writers ran out of ways to terrorize the lead and it shows with the endless chase scenes through the corridors of the parking garage.
I expected better writing from writer/director Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes), but was somewhat disappointed. In the end, the film is not a total lost; we still receive a couple suspenseful moments mixed with "head crushing" and "eye-popping" special effects.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Friday the 13th (4 Stars)
1980. Rated R.
Camp counselors fix up Camp Crystal Lake (aka 'Camp Blood' from the locals) after many years of closure. There is a reason why the camp stayed closed for so long: a drowning, two murders, fires and bad water mixed with a superstitious town folk's mutterings of it being cursed. One by one the counselors are murdered by a knife/axe/machete wielding maniac until there is only one left to confront the killer and find out the reason behind the killings.
This is the grandmama of slashers; the one that started the killer-in-the-woods subgenre. It is a guilty pleasure by many, since a majority of critics dismiss it for it being nothing more than a bloodbath without substance. Closely following the "Halloween" formula and displaying both the delicious effects of Tom Savini and tight direction of Sean Cunningham , this film is scary and cannot be ignored for the way it propelled the early 80's slasher genre into the limelight.
You will find many duplicates during this era, but none that match its splendor.
Camp counselors fix up Camp Crystal Lake (aka 'Camp Blood' from the locals) after many years of closure. There is a reason why the camp stayed closed for so long: a drowning, two murders, fires and bad water mixed with a superstitious town folk's mutterings of it being cursed. One by one the counselors are murdered by a knife/axe/machete wielding maniac until there is only one left to confront the killer and find out the reason behind the killings.
This is the grandmama of slashers; the one that started the killer-in-the-woods subgenre. It is a guilty pleasure by many, since a majority of critics dismiss it for it being nothing more than a bloodbath without substance. Closely following the "Halloween" formula and displaying both the delicious effects of Tom Savini and tight direction of Sean Cunningham , this film is scary and cannot be ignored for the way it propelled the early 80's slasher genre into the limelight.
You will find many duplicates during this era, but none that match its splendor.
Friday, December 5, 2008
The Strangers (3 Stars)
2008. Rated R for violence, terror, and language.
The story of a couple (Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler) who return to an isolated vacation home after attending a wedding and soon find out they are not alone. Packed with suspenseful moments by utilizing sounds rather than visuals, giving the film that extra umpph! The way the back story unfolds between the couple is executed quite nicely, but in the second act, the same suspenseful tricks that are used over and over get tiresome. The brutality of the final act is reminiscent to the killings in Last House On The Left. A good first entry into the genre from director, Bryan Bertino.
Take note: nothing is ever known about "The Strangers". Histories of killers usually drag down storylines if not handled properly.
The story of a couple (Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler) who return to an isolated vacation home after attending a wedding and soon find out they are not alone. Packed with suspenseful moments by utilizing sounds rather than visuals, giving the film that extra umpph! The way the back story unfolds between the couple is executed quite nicely, but in the second act, the same suspenseful tricks that are used over and over get tiresome. The brutality of the final act is reminiscent to the killings in Last House On The Left. A good first entry into the genre from director, Bryan Bertino.
Take note: nothing is ever known about "The Strangers". Histories of killers usually drag down storylines if not handled properly.
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