Halloween reviews: The Omen

Today, I look at the classic demonic horror film The Omen, directed by Richard Donner (Superman, Lethal Weapon, The Goonies, Tales from the Crypt) and starring Gregory Peck.

The Omen:
The US Ambassador to Great Britain, named Robert Thorn, after the miscarriage of his and his wife's child, adopts a young orphan, and raises him as his own. The child, named Damien, begins exhibiting strange behavior around age 5, when he freaks out in front fo church, and when his nanny hangs herself screaming "It's all for you, Damien!" Thorn begins investigating, and finds that his son may be the spawn of Satan. He and a photographer try to stop Damien from taking over the world, but they begin to notice there are "omens", such as strange photos which predict the way a person dies... Gregory Peck gives a strong performance as Thorn, who at first defends his son, but begins to notice Damien's true nature. His performance as a troubled father who slowly falls apart is breathtaking. Lee remick plays Thorn's wife, Katherine. She is a concerned mother, but isn't quite as strong as Peck. David Warner (The Lost World, Tron, Time Bandits, Star Trek V, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Titanic) plays Keith Jennings, a young newspaper photgrapher who assists Thorn in his investigating into Damien's origins. Billie Whitelaw plays Mrs. Baylock, Damien's new nanny who turns out to be a demon in service to Satan. She has a truly creepy and threatening prescense around her, as, with Thorn, she is (literally) so close to home. Harvey Spencer Stephens gives a good perofrmance as Damien, a sweet little boy who just happens to be Satan's son. This little satanic hellspawn just has creepy things happen around him, such as animals at the zoo run in fear from him, and having a demonic Rottweiller always at his side. Pretty good performance for a kid. Patrick Troughton plays Father Brennan, and old, half-crazy priest who tries to warn Thorn of Damien's origins, including his strange birth mother. The film, unlike The Exorcist, is low on special effects, but the music is really creepy. Jerry Goldsmith's iconic "Ave Satani" is truly haunting and disturbing. I found the mystery and the overall plot a little more far-fetched but a lot more disturbing than The Exorcist, due to the fact that the evil villain wins at the end, and people actually get gruesomely murdered in this film. The Omen is a truly original, creepy and haunting horror film, and Richard Donner works surprisingly well as a horror director. It's a shame he didn't do more. 5/5 stars.
(Also, the film had a mediocre remake that was released on June 6, 2006, and was marketed as "Coming 6-6-06". That's pretty cool.)

Halloween reviews: Donnie Darko

Today, I look at the acclaimed, cult sci-fi/horror thriller Donnie Darko, produced by Drew Barrymore, and starring the then-newcomer Jake Gyllenhaal, and his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal. (Mild Spoilers)

Donnie Darko:
Young Donnie Darko, a socially awkward schizophrenic in 1988, begins having visions of Frank, a dead man in a disutrbing bunny costume 9the most iconic image of the film), who warns him that the world with end in 28 days. He begins to try to cope with friends, these strange visions, his surreal home life, the discovery of time travel, and a new love interest. But, will Donnie be able to prevent this doomsday prophecy?... This film is surpirsing. It did poor at the box office, mainly due to the fact the MPAA only allowed it to be show in 58 theaters, and that was because they were pissed off at the trailer, which prominintely featured a scene in which a plane crashes. (The film was released about a month after 9/11.) The cast are excellent. A young Jake Gyllenhall plays Donnie to a tee. He's awkward, strange, intelligent, and funny. He stands up to aauthroity, but also crosses the line on occasion, and is considered a sociopath and an overall weird kid. Jena Malone plays Gretchen, Donnie's new neighbor and love interest, who is a little weird, like Donnie, and finds his outbursts at the idiotic authroity figures of the town amusing. Mary McDonnell and Holmes Osbourne plays Rose and Eddie Darko, Donnie's caring parents. They're not like most movie parents, who are oblivious to their childrens' problems. They are involved with Donnie's psychologist and genuinely care for the mental state of their fragile son. Speaking of which, Katharine Ross turns in a great performance as supporting character Dr. Thurman, whom is Donnie's uneasy psychologist, often losing hope for Donnie the more his mental state detiorates. Maggie Gyllenhaal (Jake's rela-life sister) plays Elizabeth, Donnie's sister and rival. Daveigh Chase (Lilo and Stitch, The Ring ) turns in a good supporting performance as Donnie's kid sister Sam, who got her own direct-to-DVD sequel. (S. Darko, skip it.) James Duval plays Frank, the strange imaginary friend of Donnie, who warns him of the end of the world. Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze plays opposition roles as Karen Pomeroy and Jim Cunningham, respecitvely. One is a sweet teacher who wants her students to challenge authority and ask tough questions, and Cunningham is a feel-good Christian speaker who is later found out to be a pedophile. Beth Grant plays Kitty, a local teacher and neighbor of Donnie's, who Donnie depsises for being a bitch, being blind to Cunningham's con-man act, and for being so simple-minded. Also worth a note are Alex Greenwald and Seth Rogen (back in his days of Freeks & Geeks) in small roles as some bullies. The writing and direction by Richard Kelly is fantastic. The strange hallucination scenes and the scenes of dark comedy in this surreal universe seem to blend together well. This is thanks to the fact that Kelly makes the scenes feel the same tone, and not drastically and noticeably opposite like in some movies that attempt the mixing comedy and horror thing. The music is also done well, and adds to the scenes of tension or strange visions. The special effects are below par, and minimal, with a 4.5 million budget and under a month to shoot, they had to not include so many effects, which makes the film all the more unique and cool. Donnie Darko manages to be funny, surreal, scary, thrilling, and intriguing, sometimes at once. 5/5 stars.

Halloween reviews: Dawn of the Dead

Since yesterday I reviewed the zombie classic, Night of the Living Dead, I've decided that today i will review it's sequel, and arguably the better film, Dawn of the Dead... (Mild spoilers)

Dawn of the Dead:
In 1978, the zombie plague has spread past the countryside, and has been recently invading populated society. The apocalypse is now looming more, everpresent now as small towns fall to the zombie hordes. But, a small band of survivors, including some SWAT members, stake out a small mall, but, a violent biker gang and endless swarms of flesh-eating monsters threaten their dream of peace and quiet... This film offered more gore, action, and death, all in gruesome color. The opening of the film shows a SWAT raid on a project in the slums, showing it overrun with zombies, and the news stations are running 24/7 in order to warn the masses. This shows that the epidemic is even worse, especially as in the last film, it seemed that the local cops were wrapping up the zombie situation, at the expense of Ben's life. The cast are great, cult actor Ken Forree (The Devil's Rejects, From Beyond, Keenan and Kel) plays Peter, another George Romero black protagonist, who is a SWAT member. He's a bad-ass, and another black hero who just takes charge. Scott Reiniger plays Roger, Peter's smart-ass best bud and fellow SWAT member. He's cocky and likeable, which makes his death halfway through the film more tragic. He also has a great line ("We got this man, we got this by the ass!!") David Emge and Gaylen Ross play Stephen and Francine, a young white couple,w ho know Roger, and get smuggled out on a chopper by the two after the SWAT raid. Francine works at the news station, and Stephen's her boyfriend. Tom Savini (special effects artist on this, Creepshow, Friday the 13th, and others) has a minor role as Blades, a motorcycle gang member. The tension and special effects are great. The slow-moving zombies create a more slow-moving suspense scene, and Savini's graphic special effects are great. There's some funny comedy, too. Also, the political message stays as well.  This time, it's a message about consumerism, as the zombies stumble around the mall mindlessly. This film was released in Italy under the name Zombi, and got unofficial sequels like Zombi II (a cult film, called Zombie in the US, as it's msotly unrelated). The film also escalated Ken Foree, Tom Savini, and, of course, George Romero to cult stardom.Overall, Dawn of the Dead is an excellent horro film, and the best zombie film ever made. 5/5 stars.
















 The film is famous for having a darker, alternate ending:(Spoilers) In the original ending, after Stephen and Roger become zombies and get killed, Francine starts up the hlicopter (evne though she can't fly), and Peter kills himself before being eaten by zombies, and Francine, realizing there is little hope, chops off her own head with the chopper's blades. In the theatrical ending, the director decided to have a more light ending, so as Peter is about to kill himself, he springs to action and kills some zombies, and he and Francine fly away in the chopper....

Halloween reviews: The Blair Witch Project

Due to the recent release of the fourth in the Paranormal Activity franchise, I've decided that I should review the hit found footage film that, well, founded the found footage genre. This kick-started films like The Last Broadcast, REC, and Paranormal Activity, and often seems to be forgotten nowadays.

The Blair Witch Project:
Three film students: Heather, Josh, and Mike, head out into the woods to film an indie documentary on the "Blair Witch", the evil spirit of an old woman who has haunted the Black Hills forest in Blair, Maryland since colonial times. They are non-believers, and, ignoring the warnings of the townsfolk, spend a few days filming in the woods. But, when disturbing and eerie things begin happening, they realize that the Blair Witch may be more than just a legend. This film is praised for it's interesting approach: due to extreme constrictions of the budget, the filmmakers literally show nothing. You only hear subtle noises, and see creepy little wicker statues in the forest, but that's it. Is it the townsfolk trying to drive the young people out of town? Is it the filmmaker's paranoia? Is it the real witch? No one knows until the end, and the ending truly is a shocking and disturbing one. I first watched this late at night, camping with my family and a friend. Me and my friend just sat there as it ended, and looked around, noticing the cold, barren, dark woods around us, and looked at each other. I said "Well, guess we'll have to watch Gremlins to calm ourselves, cause I can't just fall asleep after that." We did. That's how scared we were after watching it. And the rest of our friends and family had gone to another trailer on the camping site for a card game, no one was there with us. Little light was around the campsite. Truly shit-your-pants-scary stuff here. Part of what makes it more real is that the trailer just shows the infamous scene where Heather weeps into the camera, apologizing to their family and friends. She says "it was a mistake", and "we're gonna die out here". She then title-drops: "This was my project, the Blair Witch project." The marketing campaign consisted of posters including Heather's disturbed face, and of "missing" posters. TV channels aired fake documentaries about the history of Blair Witch, and the search for the filmmakers. The official movie website, to this day, still treats the material like it is historical fact. It was the first movie to convince the whole world they were watching an actual documentary, and that unsettles you. Sure, Paranormal Activity was scary, but did anyone by 2009 buy the "it really happened" thing? This was the first film to pull it off, and no movie has reached that level of phenomenon and that level of fear, because it was the only found footage movie that actually pulled the "true story" angle off. Even horror movies that actually are based on fact don't do that, usually. Also, the three main actors used their real names for the characters, making it even more realistic. The only thing that lets you know it's fake is the directing credits at the end, but some people didn't make it to the credits when it was first released in 1999 (ten years before Activity). This makes The Blair Witch Project one of my favorite horror films, and one of the creepiest and most shocking in recent memory. 4/5 stars.

Halloween reviews: Hot Fuzz

Although not really a horror-comedy (more of a spoof of action-thrillers), I'm reviewing the trio of Wright-Pegg-Frost's follow-up to Shaun of the Dead. (Check out my other blog: mattcottermovies.blogspot.com for more film reviews and news.)

Hot Fuzz:
The second of Edgar Wright's "Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy", a reference to the Italian "Three Flavours" trilogy. (The first movie being Shaun of the Dead and the upcoming World's End.) Simon Pegg plays top cop Nick Angel, who is a metropolitan investigator, who is demoted to an investigator in a small, perfect village by the name of Sandford. He begins to become friends with Sgt. Butterman, the police inspector's son who is obsessed with buddy cop films. He begins to notice a string of strange, gruesome (and I do mean gruesome) murders thoughout the village, and begins to suspect several powerful figures throughout the town, and decides to investigate, possibly with fatal consequences. A hilarious spoof/mystery/action/horror/thriller film, this movie tops even Shaun of the Dead. The cast are top-notch. Instead of playing a slacker, Pegg plays an uptight and serious character who's girlfriend ignores him due to his over-serious committment to his job. He becomes looser throughout the film, becoming a fun, likeable guy by the end of the film. His bonding with Butterman helps him get looser. Frost plays Butterman like in Shaun, a slacking, drunken, funny guy. He is well-meaning, and hopes to become an action hero. Pegg and Frost have great chemistry, but instead of being best mates from the get-go, they have to work on it, as at first, Pegg considers Frost an idiotic jackass who just embarasses himself. Timothy Dalton (one of the best Bonds ever) plays Skinner, the grocery store mogul who is slimy, creepy, and suspicous, and is Pegg's first guess as the killer. Jim Broadbent plays the police inspector Butterman, Sgt. Butterman's loving father. He is a likeable, nice fellow, but has his odd quirks, like many members of the town. In fact, besides Pegg, every characters has odd and weird quirks, reminiscent of Edgar Wright's films, which often have strange settings and surreal characters. (Scott Pilgrim is a good example.) Martin Freeman, Steve Coogan, and Bill Nighy make cameos at the opening of the film as Pegg's awkward and hilarious superiors who demote him. Cate Blanchett makes an uncredited cameo as Janine, a British police officer. The writing by Pegg and Frost is hilarious. They make the plot smart and complex, but that doesn't get pushed aside, because, unlike Seth McFarlane (no offense intended), they tie all the jokes straight to the plot. The jokes have that British flavor to them that an American writing staff couldn't capture. Also, as Doug Walker of thatguywiththeglasses.com pointed at, there are so many jokes, you can't catch them all.  The story, like Shaun, moves along quickly, due to the fact that Wright's direction and editing are impressively fast. The music is cool, with a fast-paced techno beat. The horror elements are truly creepy, but aren't so scary they overshadow the jokes. The chemistry works because the director and duo worked on the show Spaced even before Shaun. Hot Fuzz is a smart, complex, hilarious, gory, and thrilling action-slasher-comedy with great acting, jokes, writing, editing, music, and scares. Great movie anytime, and one of my favorite comedies. 5/5 stars.

Halloween reviews: Jeepers Creepers

Today, I look at infamous horror director Victor Salva's film Jeepers Creepers. Why is Salva so infamous? Well, he was convicted of molesting a young star in one of his films, now, I'm not sure if he's really guilty, but it was an awkward way to kick off a review, and has nothing to do with this film whatsoever, but it does play in the sequel a bit. Why have this as my next review? Well, this is just a rumor, but there might be a sequel in the works in the next couple years, of couse, it's been in development hell for the past few years. Plus, #2 came out in like 2002, and it was announced for a 2011 release a couple years back. Obviously, that didn't happen. I'm not too optimistic. Well, enough sequel talk, let's get to the movie itself. (Spoilers)

Jeepers Creepers:
The title is taken from the old song "Jeepers Creepers" from the 1938 movie Going Places, which MGM/United Artists (the producers of the film) happened to have the rights to. Of course, the song is used to very creepy effect in the film, but has nothing to do with the plot, it's just creepy. It follows two college kids: Trish and her brother, Darry, taking the back road home for spring break, and stumble upon a creepy truck driver who si disposing of bodies in a pit behind a creepy old chapel. They discover he has thousands of bodies stored in the pit, in a Sisteen-Chapel of corpses. They go for help, but this creepy truck driver continues to stalk them. The kids are continually bombarded with cryptic phone calls from an elderly psychic with strange warnings, and the truck driver is more than he seems.... The cast are surprisingly pretty good. Gina Phillips is Trish. She's kind of dumb, but she's not tood bad. Justing Long as Darry is also a little stupid, but he's pretty likeable and you don't want him to die. Jonathan Breck gives a good performance as "The Creeper", the mysterious truck driver who has murdered hundreds upon hundreds of people. and has apparently cannibalizes pieces of his victims. But, this creeper is more than a man. He is in fact an ancient demon who must eat body parts to regenerate rotting parts of his own body. He is incredibly fast, strong, and stealthy. He has a creepy presence and oura of mystery than make him truly terrifying. Patricia Belcher plays Jezelle, the elderly psychic who lets on less than she knows, and has a mysterious knowledge of this demon. Eileen Brennan plays The Cat Lady, a mysterious old woman who has thousands of cats who seems to have a history with this demon, as the psychic mentions her before the kids meet her. She gives a good performace, albeit brief. The cast are good, and the script is pretty damn bizarre. The universe presented in the film is strange, with surreal things happening around the creeper's lair that just don't make sense. The dialogue is okay, and the shock moments are truly disturbing. The special effects are pretty good. Sure, the CG sucks, but the make-up on the Creeper is pretty impressive. The music is pretty good, too. Albeit mediocre, Jeepers Creepers is a fun popcorn horror film with a creepy monster and a somewhat haunting ending. 3/5 stars.

Halloween reviews: Sinister

Today, I look at the hyped-up horror film Sinister.

Sinister:
The film, written by C. Robert Cargill (Carlyle, former critic of renowned website Spill.com), follows former true crime writer Ellison Oswalt, who moves into a new home, where a gruesome murder took place 9 months before. He plans to write his biggest book ever to re-start his career. He finds a box of old Super 8 films and a projector in his attic, and watches the films (titled with double entendres) which depict families having fun, then being brutally murdered. He begins to notice a mysterious, cultist symbol throughout the videos, and sometimes spots a disturbing, demonic figure in the background. When weird things begin happening around the home, Ellison digs deeper, unearthing a history of a Pagan deity known as Bughuul, who ate the souls of human children. The writing in the film is brilliant, and that is brought to life by the acting. Ethan Hawke as Ellison is just a normal guy. he can be an asshole, but you can also relate to his struggle to return to that limelight, to regain his 15 minutes. Renowned British actress Juliet Rylance plays his wife, Tracy. She loves her husband, but believes he's crossed the line by moving into a crime scene house. Fred Thompson plays the sheriff, who does not like Ellison, he has a good reason, though. Ellison is known for being critical of incompetent, small-town cops in his books. James Ransone plays the deputy, a funny side-kick who helps Ellison uncover more about the case. His scenes are not cheesy and do not feel forced, but are out of place when compared to the other, very disturbing scenes. Vincent D'Onfrio plays Professor Jonas, a historian who helps the police in researching illegal cults, and tells Ellison the legend of Bughuul.  The writing is fantastic, and the conversations sound like how real people would talk. The shock moments are truly great. Carlyle and the director, Scott Derrickson, know how to scare. There are very suspenseful scenes, and they keep the demon mysterious and shadowy, rarely showing him. There are some jump scares, in which one works very well. The home movies he finds are truly disturbing, appearing like real snuff films. They are scored well, making them 10x scarier. The music is terrifying. It goes from chanting, to subtle humming, to shrieking sounds. The talent behind the film is remarkable, from Acadamy Award-nominated stars, the good writers, to the director (who made Exorcism of Emily Rose), to the producers (one is Oren Peli, director of Paranormal Activity and producer of Insidious), to everyone else involved. I give credit to Carlyle for his excellent writing, and to the production team, and to everyone involved. Sinister is a deeply disturbing, creepy, shocking horror film with a great writer behind it all. 4/5 stars. (By the way, has anyone noticed the lack of creativity in horror titles lately? It seems like they just use negative-sounding words like "sinister" or "insidous" nowadays, or meta-titles like "cabin in the woods" or "house at the end of the street". Well, I guess it's what the public wants because it sells.)

Tales from the Crypt retrospective part I: Top Ten Episodes

Today I start the first part of my Tales from the Crypt retrospective, I'm sorry this is so delayed, but I was busy with my birthday and other things over the weekend. Also, check out part I of my Twilight Zone retrospective on mattcottermovies.blogspot.com, part II of these series will come out next weekend. (Also check out Cinemassacre.com's top 10 episodes list) Based on the infamous EC comics of the 50's, this HBO show aired uncensored, and most episodes had over-the-top gore, and usually revolved around bad people getting gruesome punishments, and if not, usually involved something creepy or surreal. Although named after the EC comic book Tales from the Crypt, many stories were taken from the other EC comic books. Also, this was not the first time this was done, there was a 1972 British anthology film based on the comics, and George Romero's Creepshow was a funny/creepy homage to the comics. Both of those were good, as was this show. But this had twice the gore and talent. The producers include Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis (who featured as a guest director), and each episode had celebrity directors, cameos, and guest stars. So, let me go through the top 10 of my favorite episodes.

10. Television Terror- Morton Downey Jr. plays an asshole host of a true crime show, who is doing his biggest show ever, the house of an elderly woman who let old men stay at her home, only to butcher them. He goes into the house with his television crew, but when creepy things start to happen, the host discovers they are not alone. The suspense in this episode is pretty good, and there are some creepy moments. You at first want the host dead, but near the end, you feel bad for him.

9. The Swithc- Directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, this episode is great. A rich, elderly bachelor wants to get with this young girl, but she doesn't like him because of his body. He begins to switch pieces of his body with a younger man, via a mad science operation. The twist ending is great, and the episode is so over-the-top and goofy, you have to love it.

8. Three's A Crowd- A young couple take a vacation to their friend's cabin. Then, the wife and the friend begin to spend far too much time with each other, and then the husband thinks they're having an affair. He decides they deserve to die. The twist ending is so sick and so horrible, this episode gets a spot on the list.

7. The Third Pig- The only animated episode, which is far better than the cartoon Tales from the Cryptkeeper. In Season 7, all episodes were shit. Then, this sick, gross re-telling of the Three Little Pigs (with a drunken wolf, a perverted group of pigs, and a franken-pig) blows onto the scene and mind-fucks the viewer. One of the few episodes played completely for laughs.

6.  The New Arrival- David Warner (Tron) plays a radio psychiatrist for children who's ratings are dipping. In an attempt to boost them, he visits the home of the woman from Poltergeist, and finds her daughter is quite disruptive, and psychotic. This episode is creepy, mysterious, and suspenseful, and keeps you guessing until the end. It's a truly great episode, but is often forgotten.

5. None But the Lonely Heart- Directed by Tom Hanks, this episode follows a con artist who woos and marries elderly women for their money, then murders them, gains their inheritance, and then moves on to the next con. He does this to one more woman, but then, this  come to bite him in the ass. A suspenseful episode with a psychotic main character, and a great, gruesome ending.

4. Tie: Til Death, and Death of Some Salesman- The first follows a man who woos a rich woman with a voodoo potion, only for her to die. But, the potion makes sure that she's his, in life AND in death. Next, a sleazy salesman is kidnapped by a deformed, backwoods family (all played in a triple role by Tim Curry, who was nominated for an Emmy for this role) who hates salesman for no good reason. Both are suspenseful, and have creepy and gruesome endings.

3. Split Personality- Joe Pesci plays an asshole con man who tricks two reclusive, rich, and beautiful twins into dating him by pretending he has a twin brother. But, these women are not to be double-crossed. Great episode, with a funny asshole character, and a great ending.

2. Yellow-  In WWI, a s young soldier, who was forced into the army by his asshole general father, gets his fellow soldiers killed because he was a coward in the line of duty. This episode contains no elements of the supernatural or anything horror, it's the only episode that's an hour long, it's directed by Robert Zemeckis, and is a war-drama. An oddball episode that proves one of the best in the series. A good twist ending though.The general is played by Kirk Douglas, whose son Eric Douglas stars as his son in the episode.

1. Strung Along- An old puppeteer begins training a young animatronics pioneer in the ways of marionette puppeteering. But, his young wife does not want the other guy around, and this causes a rift and conflict in the old guy's life. His puppet Cocoa begins to talk to him, and this reveals a dark secret about the puppet. A good episode, with suspense, good build-up, and has a creepy ending.

Next: Part II!

No Halloween review today :-(

Unfortunately, due to my busy schedule, I will not be posting a review today. But I am working on something big for tomorrow, so good night to you all. :-)

Halloween reviews: Killjoy

Today, since I looked at Killer Klowns on my other blog (mattcottermovies.blogspot.com), I might as well review another cheap clown movie, but one that's not nearly as enjoyable...

Killjoy:
A young, nerdy black kid Michael is constantly bullied by his crush's thug boyfriend, so he casts a voodoo spell on them, only to be killed ina  prank gone wrong that very evening. A year later, that same girl and her boyfriend become haunted by that very spirit Michael resurrected: "Killjoy the killer clown". This films is just heinous: The special effects, fi you can call them that, look like Microsoft Movie Maker, the acting is awful the sets (mostly a dim-lit warehouse) are shit, the makeup is bad, and how this film got two sequels baffles me (I'm not reviewing them). It was produced by infamous B-movie company Full Moon Pictures, wo created such classics as Puppet Master and Demonic Toys. But at least those films were so bad they're good. This is so bad it's fucking awful. I can't recomend Killjoy to anyone, Killjoy mugs the whole film, and says stupid lines the whole way through. Chucky's Oscar material campared to him. Hell, Leprechaun's Oscar material campared to this shit-fest. 0.5/5 stars. (Really, that's all I had to say. Go home.)

Halloween reviews: Hellraiser

(Don't forget to read my review of Candyman on my other blog: mattcottermovies.blogspot.com) Now, I look at Clive Barker's masterpiece Hellraiser, based on his own novella: The Hellbound Heart.

Hellraiser:
This film was so popular, it spawned a Pinhead comic book from Marvel, a comic book series from Image. Why? Well, let's see. A devious, perverted, evil man named Frank opens a puzzle box he bought from a Chinese man in a bar, and opens it, opening a portal to a hellish dimension of both torture and pleasures. He is torn to pieces and trapped in their domain forever. But, his remains remain under the floorboards. Months later, his nice guy brother Larry, his niece Kirsty, and his bro's wife Julia (who had sex with Frank before their marriage) move into Frank's house. When Larry cuts his hand, his blood drips underneath the floorboards and resurrects Frank. Frank, now a meaty corpse, asks for Julia's help, to seduce men, bring them back, and let Frank suck their blood. Why? So he can regenerate and be with Julia. Meanwhile, his niece Kirsty stumbles upon the puzzle box, and accidentally unleashes the Cenobites, the extadimensional rulers of the hellish, S&M dimension. To avoid capture, she makes a deal, to return Frank in exchange for her freedom. But, can she get Frank and get away from the devious demons??????? Well, I don't know what to say about this movie. It's hard to say anything about it without including "fucked up", "strange", "surreal", "terrifying", and "utterly original and fantastic". Barker brings S&M, grotesque sexuality, and fetishes to horror. The film is very graphic and disturbing, being a work of Barker. The book, Hellbound Heart, prompted Stephen King to say "I have seen the future of horror fiction, and it's name is Clive Barker." This redefined surreal horror. Hell, it redefined horror itself. The cast are great. Andrew Robinson plays the bland, everyday man as Larry, he is completely oblivious of the happenings around him until the very end. It's funny to think about. Clare Higgins is great as the bitchy and evil Julia. She's a bithc to her husband and stepdaughter, and goes to great lengths to bring Frank back from the the dead. She is even horrified by what he's done. Ashley Laurence plays Kirsty, a sweet, nice girl who begins to become wary of the strange happenings around her. Sean Chapman and Oliver Smith play Frank, both in skin and out. They play him like he is: a perverse, evil fucked-up scumbag. There's reference to weird sex fetishes, his bad home life, his strange religous beliefs, his obsession with trying all sexual perversion, possibly molesting Kirsty as a teen. This guy's just bad news, and you want the Cenobites to fuck him up bad. Speaking of those guys, Doug Bradley, Nicholas Vince, Simon Bamford and Grace Kirby do great jobs as Pinhead, Chatterer, Butterball, and the Female. They're not in the forefront, but they have a freakishimage and creepy presence that just haunts you. Pinhead isn't even called that, he's called Leader Cenobite, but Bradley stuck with that guy though all the films, good and bad. The music is really good too, strange and distubing, especially the music box tune during the scene with Kirsty and the puzzle box. Barker directed this film, and wrote it, and his gruesome style shows. It's full of surreal monets, from dream scenes, to the cricket-eating demon hobo, it's definitely not for everyone. Hellraiser will give you a severe mind-fuck, so don't take it as a fun thrill ride, it's a gruesome, shocking film that will haunt you for life. 4/5 stars.

Halloween reviews: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Based on Tim Burton's 1982 short poem (which is featured as a DVD feature), and originally conisdered as a 30-minute TV special, here is a film that is now considerd both a Halloween hit, and a Christmas classic, Tim Burton's clamymation masterpiece: The Nightmare Before Christmas. (Don't forget to check out my reviews of Frankenweenie, Taken and Hotel Transylvania on my other blog: mattcottermovie.blogspot.com)

The Nightmare Before Christmas:
In the land of Halloween, the pumkpin king, Jack Skellington, is bored of scaring people, wanting something new. He stumbles upon a portal, which shows him Christmasland. He immeadietly gets the land of Halloween to join him in his quest to give Santa a "break" this year, and to make Christmas their very own. Of course, when Halloween creates Christmas, there's inevitably going to be a few problems...      The film is a classic, what can I say? The characters are amazing. Chris Sarandon plays Jack Skellington, and really brings out a relatable character. Everyone has that shitty job they grow bore dof, and Jack has the ultimate of that, he can't stop, because Halloween must come every year on October 31st. Composer Danny Elfman provides Jack's excellent singing voice. Catherine O'Hara provides the voice of Sally, a Frankenstein-like creation whom is Jack's love interest and is skeptical of Jack's Christmas plans. William Hickey is the voice of Dr. Finklestein, a mad scientist in the vein of Frankenstein. Glenn Shadix voices the Mayor, a bipolar, but sweet man who is too dependent on Jack, who really is the one running the city. His bipolar personality is represented by his face, how is literally shifts between sad and happy. Ken Page voices Oogie Boogie, the Boogeyman. He is a villainous gambling man, with a swinger-like personality, and a fixation on die and Vegas-style games of chance. His lair is reminiscent of a neon-lit gambling den. Ed Ivory plays the whimsical Santa Claus, and Paul "Pee-Wee" Ruebens plays Lock one of Oggie's impish, but devious children henchmen. The animation and sets are stunning, very stylized with that dark, Burton charm to them. The images are iconic and unforgettable, especially the twisting hll which Jack sings upon at the beginning of the film. They both haunt and mystify you at the same time. The animation is fluent and took thousands of hours to complete. Production started in San Francisco in 1990, and the film was released in 1993, that's 2 and a half years in the making, then releasing. The music by Elfman is great, raning from eerie, to light-hearted, to demented, to heart-warming, Elfman and Burton know how to make strange music seem warm and welcoming. The songs are timeless and have not been matched by an Burton muscial since, I don't think. That's how this film, and most of Burton's films feel, timeless. Burton knows how to take a setting from the modern worls and make it look like it could take place anywhere, at any time period. Funny enough, Burton did not direct, but wrote and produced the film, as he was busy with other films at the time. But don't be fooled, Burton was heavily involved, and it really does show in the finished product. But, to give credit, Henry Selick is a great director, and moved on to other stop-motion films like James and the Giant Peach, Coraline, and, more recently, ParaNorman. The Nightmare Before Christmas will continue to both frighten and enchant children and adults alike forever. 5/5 stars.

Halloween reviews: The Silence of the Lambs

Hey, don't forget to check out my review of Bram Stoker's Dracula, and my non-horror movie reviews of The Master and End of Watch on my other blog: mattcottermovies.blogspot.com, bur eight now, I review one of the most disturbing, creepy, thrilling, interesting, and complex horror-thrillers ever created. The adaptation of Thomas Harris' crime novel: The Silence of the Lambs. (Moderate Spoilers.)

The Silence of the Lambs:
Clarice Starling, a young, determined trainee for the FBI, is assigned by her elderly boss, Jack Crawford, to interview Dr. Hannibal Lector in a mental institution, to get possible information on new serial killer "Buffalo Bill", who skins women for unknown reasons. She begins interrogating him, and begins to fall under a strange, psychological spell. Meanwhile, the FBI hunt down Buffalo Bill, who proves a more strange, complex, and elusive figure than they possibly imagined. The cast are incredible. Jodie Foster (who just was coming off her role in The Accused) is phenomenal as Starling. She comes off as independent, smart, sweet, but serious, but alos inexperienced and gullible to Hannibal's games. Speaking of which, Anthony Hopkins completely steals the show as Lector. he is so strange, smart, witty, quick, cunning, and brutal, it's unsettling. How his burning questions about life and your psyche burrow under your skin is unsettling, because once Lector's in your head, you can't get him out. Hopkins won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, for a performance that covers just 17 minutes of screen time, that's the smallest ammount of screen time ever awarded that Oscar. Scott Glenn is good as Jack Crawford, albeit not as good as Harvey Ketiel in 2002's Red Dragon (a remake of 1986's Manhunter). Ted Levine (who would later play the tuck-driving killer in the stupid slasher film Joy Ride) is good as Jame Gumb, aka Buffalo Bill. He is a quiet, strange, distubred man with a psychotic fixation on moths, and an even bigger fixation on getting a sex change, which he ensures through his crimes. Anthony Heald plays the sleazy, slimy Dr. Chilton, the corrupt owner of the asylum Hannibal is commited to. He seems like just an idiot at first, but when he scams Hannibal and tries to make a quick buck of the press, he's obviously just a douche in a position of moderate power, who abuses his position.  Frankie Faison plays Barney Matthews, Hannibal's personal caretaker. He's a sweet, kind man, and one of the few people Hannibal respects and considers decent. Faison would later plays Barney in Red Dragon and Hannibal, and even had a previous role as a security guard in Manhunter, a Hannibal film starring Brian Cox instead of Hopkins. Faison is definitely tied to this series. Diane Baker plays Ruth Martin, a senator who's daughter is kidnapped by Buffalo Bill. She starts to become a real bitch and start to almos tuse the FBI as pawns in the finding of he rdaughter, and almost doesn't care about the other girls Bill has slain. Brooke Smith plays Catherine, the senator's daughter. She appears as a somewhat likeable girl when kidnapped, so her screams of absolute terror in Buffalo Bill's basement of horrors are bone chilling. Roger Corman (famous B-movie producer known for his super-cheaply made movies, for those of you who don't know) even makesa cameo as the FBI director named Hayden Burke. The music is haunting, almost like a creepy lullaby tune at times. The film not only got controversy due to the graphic content, but also because many people thoguht the character of Buffalo Bill was anti-transgender. Ironically, Lambs director Jonathan Demme's next film, Philadelphia, showed the GLBT community as heroes, fighting oppression and AIDS. Back on the film, The Silence of the Lambs is a deeply disturbing, shcoking, gruesome, and psycholigically provoking horror-thriller, which will haunt you forever. 5/5 stars.

Halloween reviews: Insidious

Today I look at a great modern horror film, James Wan and Leigh Whannel's (creators of Saw) hit horror film Insidious...

Insidious:
Young boy Dalton has moved into a new home with his family, and decides to explore the creepy attic. He falls off a ladder, and goes into a coma. Three months later, strange sights and sounds surround his mother and his unconscious body. The family moves into a new house, believing the old home to be haunted. But, the strange sights and sounds get more extreme and frightening, so the mother enlists the help of some parapsychiatrists (paranormal psychiatrists), who deduce that Dalton is not in a coma, but in fact his spirit has wandered away from his body and become trapped in "The Further", kidnapped by a demon and his ghostly minions, and when his father realizes he has the power to "astral project" like his son, and goes into the Further to save his son. Similar to "Little Girl Lost" from The Twilight Zone, and, more famously, Poltergeist, Insidious is a new animal entirely, well, not entirely, but mostly. The performances are very believable. Patrick Wilson (Watchmen, Hard Candy, Little Kids) and Rose Byrne (28 Weeks Later, X-Men:First Class, Bridesmaids),both from superhero and horror films, are fantastic as the parents, giving very believable and heartfelt performances. They truly look terrified and shocked in many scenes, and Wilson's reaction to his son's disappearance into The Further is well played. The writing is good as well. Wan and Whanell really know how to make an excellent horror film, and this is one of the few modern PG-13 horror films I can actually, genuinely recommend to people. The music and creature effects are marvelous. The music by Joseph Bishara (who plays the creepy demon in the film) is amazing, sounding like clanging metal and screeching violins, and adds to the bizarre and surreal atmosphere of the Further. The freaky old woman and terrifying demon are truly underrated movie monsters, and the Further's suspense builds so steeply, your sitting almost uncomfortably in your seat. Insidious may be PG-13, but it is so terrifying and suspenseful, I recommend it to any horror fan. (The film is also produced by Paranromal Activity director Oren Peli.) 3.5/5 stars.

Halloween reviews: The Devil's Rejects

Don't forget to read my review of Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses on mattcottermovies.blogspot.com, but now, I review the second of Rob Zombie's Firefly family movies.

The Devil's Rejects:
Zombie took a completely different turn. It doesn't acknowledge Dr. Satan, or the previous film, and changes Otis from an albino to a regular skinned man. He completely turned and made it a realistic and brutal grindhouse movie. The killers are on the run from the cops, led by a vengeful sheriff who's brother was murdered by them. They kill a band, and are later captured by the police. But the sheriff has his own dark plans for the killers, no matter what the law says... As always, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, and Sheri Moon steal the show as the psychotic killers, enough said there. But another crazy character is William Forsythe as Sheriff John Quincey Wydell. He shows an unstable side when he outbursts at an interviewee, and totally shows his psycho side at the film's climax. (I also recommend you check out Cinemassacre's review of this film.) Tyler Mane (from Rob Zombie's Halloween) is re-cast as Rufus. Matthew McGrory returns as the giant, deformed Tiny. Leslie Easterbrook plays Mother Firefly, as a fringed, psychotic woman who is held in a cell in police HQ. Danny Trejo plays bounty hunter Rondo, and horror vet Ken Forree (Dawn of the Dead) plays Charlie, Spaulding's half-brother and ally, who's a pimp. The writing and shocking moments are truly disturbing and brilliant. The music is far more interesting, Zombie's use of Lynyrd Skynyrd and southern rock fits the "western" theme of this film more than death metal, which made the previous film feel like a music video. As much as I love Corpses, The Devil's Rejects is the superior horror film. Enough said. 5/5 stars.

Halloween reviews: American Psycho

I am not going to review Screams 3-4, simply because Welshy of bliptv. did such a good retrospective, that I won't touch anything other than the first two. My review of Scream 2 is on mattcottermovies.blogspot.com, to coincide with the 2-movies-a-day for October. Today I look at Mary Harron's adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' dark psycholgocial satire novel: American Psycho, which mocks 1980's yuppie Wall Street culture. The film is both a brilliant satire, and brilliant psychological horror film. Well, let's take a look at this cult hit based off a cult novel. (Some Mild Spoilers!!)

American Psycho:
Patrick Bateman is a rich, multi-billionaire, self-absorbed yuppie businessman in 1987, surrounded by self-absorbed yuppied billionaire friends. He begins to take a hobby in serial killing to take out his anger and resentment for his own life and high society. But, his views of the world become warped, and he begins to loose his grip on reality. Is Bateman really committing these grisly murders, or is he overly enwrapped in his twisted fantasy life? The film plays brilliantly, with surreal and creepy sequences, which are elevted by the pitch-perfect performance by Christian Bale as Bateman. Being a method actor, Bale saw the character as Ellis and director Mary Harron did, and went through months of physical and mental training to, in essence, become Bateman. This is a truly brilliant performance, Bateman's inner monolgue is twisted and shows what he truly thinks about high society. Bale plays even the most strange and odd scenes straight, and, on a whim, switches mentally from high society asshole, to suave Bond-like figure, to hapless drunkard, to goofy jokester, to unstable psychotic serial killer. The supporting cast are great as well. Willem Dafoe (Boondock Saints, Spiderman) plays an FBI investigator, Donald Kimball. While his role is minor, he comes off with this oura of strangeness to him, that makes him memorable. In fact, the world Bateman inhabits is so strange, he, the psycho killer, is the most relatable. The film centers around him, everyone else being strange little figments of his world. Reese Witherspoon plays Bateman's ditzy fiancee, Evelyn Williams. Chloe Sevigny plays Jean, Bateman's secretary, and the most non-shallow person in his life. Jared Leto (fresh off his brilliant role in Requiem for a Dream) plays Paul Allen, the richest, most stuck-up douchebag in the business world, and one who Bateman both admires, and despises, one he wants to murder, but aspires to be like. Bateman's jealousy and rage towards Allen prompts him to kill him in the infamous axe murder scene. The rest of the cast are great, but Bateman's performance is without a doubt the most powerful. (That's strange, I should have wrote Bale's performance, not Bateman's, that's how good it is, you forget he's acting, you really think he is a psycho killer.) The writing and direction are amazing, and the ending has confused many. I won't give it away, but it lets you decide what to believe, even though the director and writer clearly state what it's supposed to mean. Overall, if you want a trippy, well-acted, sophisticated, satirical, dark horror-thriller with a brilliant lead performance, see American Psycho. 5/5 stars.

Halloween reviews: Scream

Here's my look at master horror director Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Red Eye, Last House on the Left, Hills Have Eyes, New Nightmare) and writer Kevin Williamson's masterful spoof/homage/slasher film phenomenon: Scream, which turned the dying slasher genre on it's head, and caused a new wave of horror films, the "teen horror film", which is funny, as Scream almost garnered the infamous NC-17 (adults only) rating.

Scream:
Originally titled "Scary Movie" (which would become the name of the spoof of this film), which was changed by marketing at the last minute, and based slightly on the true story of the Gainesville Ripper, this film is an affectionate homage to the slasher genre and murder mystery films. Sidney Prescott, her boyfriend Billy Loomis, and their friends: Stu Macher, Randy Meeks, and Tatum Riley are regular high-school kids from Woodsborrow, California. Until Casey Becker, a local girl, is brutally gutted and hanged and her boyfriend mutilated by a masked killer wearing a Halloween costume. Later, the killer calls Sidney and begins to stalk her. Sidney, alreay being familiar with killers, (her mother was brutally raped and murdered the previous year) Sidney and her friends try to solve this mystery. But, when everyone seems to be conviniently placed around each crime, everyone's a suspect. The premise of Scream is clever, having a slasher film centered around character familiar with the genre. And they don't reference fake slasher films, either. No, they know about Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Freddy Krueger, all the great horror icons. The brilliance in the writing by Williamson, and how he makes you care for these characters is what ties the film and the series together. It also has the mystery aspect, as everyone Sidney knows are somewhere around the crime right after it takes place, leaving her suspicous of even her closest friends. The cast are fantastic in their parts. Neve Campbell is perfect as Sidney. You really believe her in the part, and she initially thinks the killer is just some random creep, but realizes he is closer to her than she thinks. David Arquette is also great as Dwight "Dewey" Riley, a bumbling police officer in the town, who tries to solve the case, and prove himself a worthy member of the police force. He is mostly comic relief, but has his really good and sometimes touching moments. Courtney Cox plays the vindictive and bitchy reporter Gale Weathers, who manipulates everyone around her to get the sotry at any cost. She becomes Dewey's love interest in a few ways, but mostly manipulates him. She a somewhat likeable bitch, who moves on to be a much more caring character as the film series progresses (but that's another story). Jamie Kennedy is perfect as film geek Randy Meeks, who has had a secret crush on Sidney for years, and doesn't like her punk-ass boyfriend Billy. He is funny, energetic, and entertainign to watch, and he can quote any movie, especially a horror movie, word-for-word. Roger L. Jackson (voice of Mojo-Jojo) lets his inner demons loose as the voice of Ghostface, the killer. He says his lines with sadistic glee, and has this smooth, awesome voice that's threatening, but very cool. Skeet Ulrich plays Billy Loomis, a dark, troubled young man who dates Sidney. He's cool, at first, but becomes more suspicous as the film progresses. Mathew Lillard plays Stu, Randy and Billy's friend who's energetic, but can also cool down a bit, whereas Randy's always energetic. Rose McGowna plays Tatum, Dewey's little sister and Stu's girlfriend. She's Sidney's best friend, and supports her friend when she's scared of Ghostface. Drew Barrymore plays Casey Becker, and was featured prominently in the marketing campaign. This was a smart move, like Psycho, using a major star to market the film, only to kill her off, brutally, very early on. In fact, the opening kill scene with Barrymore is infamous for the fact it happens before the title appears. She is good in the role for the 5 minutes she has on screen, because her screams are so realistic and shocking, it lets you know this killer means business. Henry Winkler appears in a borderline cameo role as the principal of the school, and even does his Fonzie pose in a mirror. With great characters, writing, and acting, you need great scares, and Wes Craven delivers. The pacing and shock scenes are great, but the film never lets this kind of fun feeling get away, or lets the dark moments over-take the light-hearted ones. With it's great writing, great acting, good horror and mystery elements, great direction, and fantastic ending, Scream is a reovlutionary horror film that should be seen by all. Craven also throws in a cameo by Robert Englund in a Freddy Krueger reference. 5/5 stars. (Also, go to bliptv. ot thatguywiththeglasses.com and check out reviewer Welshy's Scream retrospective videos, and his other great reviews, they're fantastic, and check out his crossover reviews with Film-Brain.)

October and Halloween reviews

Hello, if you read my other blog: mattcottermovies.blogspot.com, you would have seen this announcement already, but what the hell, I'll make it again. For this October, I'll be reviewing two movies every day, one on mattcottermovies, one on this blog. Also: check ou James Rolfe's website Cinemassacre, home of the "Angry Video Game Nerd" and the annual "Monster Madness", which started in 2007, where he reviews a horror film every day in October. Also, chekc out the Bravo specials "100 Scariest Movie Moments" and "30 Even Scarier Movie Moments" online. Different parts on differents sites, but, how many different actors, comedians, models, directors, and writers they gathered together to talk about scary movies is remarkable. (Don't use Google to search, use Bing or Yahoo.) BTW: This year, Cinemassacre's only doing one every other day in October. Check those two  out! Happy Halloween...