Halloween October 31, 2008
Posted by nugster in horror movies, movies.Tags: donald pleasence, halloween, horror, horror movie, horror movies, jamie lee curtis, john carpenter, michael myers, mike myers, movie, movie review, movie reviews, movies
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What other movie could I possibly review on October 31st, than Halloween?
So here it is, my 31st post in 31 days, and the end of my October horror review oddesy. I would say I saved the best for last, but in this case I don’t really feel that I did. Mainly because I like other movies I reviewed this month a lot more than Halloween, but I saved it for today simply because. I should also mention that this is a review of the 1978 original by John Carpenter, and not the 2007 version.
So I stayed up late last night and watched Halloween again for the first time in years, and I found myself oddly bored at times. Perhaps having watched so many horror movies over time has made me a bit jaded. There are aspects of it that I really did like. The use of shadow, and the score definitely give you the creeps. But I found that some things took away from the movie a little bit. Jamie Lee Curtis does a fine job as Laurie Strode, but the acting done by her two friends in the film is laughable. Also, it seems that most of the movie is build up, and anticipation of Michael Myers actually doing something, then the action is over as quickly as it began.
For those who don’t know the story here is what you get. The movie opens with a 6 year old Michael Myers sneaking into his older sisters bedroom after her boyfriend leaves, and kills her with a large knife. We see him just standing and staring as his parents come home and find him knife in hand on the front lawn. Fast forward 15 years, and we meet Dr Loomis (Donald Pleasence) who is on his way to the mental hospital where Michael is kept, to bring him before the courts and advise that he never be let out. Upon arriving, it seems that the inmates are loose, and Michael steals the good doctors car. Of course we know he is heading back home, but we aren’t sure why. The rest of the movie is Dr Loomis trying to convince the cops in Haddonfield that death itself is coming, and trying to track Michael down. And Myers himself stalking Laurie and her friends so he can go on a killing spree.
I suppose because of the sequels the loose ends of this movie don’t bother me as much because I already know the answers to them, but they could certainly frustrate somebody watching this for the first time. For the most part though, this really is a classic that inspired a lot of other slasher films and deserves credit for being great for its time, and for bringing us a horror icon like Michael Myers. I just find myself not as impressed as I used to be. I guess now would be a good time to check out Rob Zombies re-imagining of it again, so I can compare the two.
A Nightmare On Elm Street October 30, 2008
Posted by nugster in horror movies, movies.Tags: a nightmare on elm street, elm street, freddy krueger, heather langenkamp, horror, horror movie, horror movies, johnny depp, movie, movie review, movie reviews, movies, nightmare, nightmare on elm street, robert englund, wes craven
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One, Two, Freddys coming for you, three, four, better lock your door, five, six, grab your crucifix. Hey wait, I thought those things only worked on vampires?
Now on the day before Halloween we come to my favourite slasher, the man of your dreams, Freddy Krueger and the classic horror movie, A Nightmare On Elm Street. Lots has been written about the series itself over the years, and now with the rumour that it will be remade, much like Halloween, and now Friday the 13, I cringe at the thought of how somebody else will try and make this movie better, and who besides Robert Englund could possibly play Freddy? But thats something to write about later, for now lets focus on the first Nightmare movie. I remember watching it for the first time and being surprised at how original it was compared to most slasher movies, but I was also a tad confused at times. Naturally when dealing with dreams, confusion is a bit of a given since nothing seems to make sense in a dream. Well, not in mine anyway. But lets move on to the plot for a bit.
We focus on Nancy Thompson, and some of her friends on Elm street. Life was good, until she started having nightmares. In these nightmares she is being stalked by a horribly burned man with a glove that has razors attached to the fingers. Soon she discovers that her friends are having the same dreams. Then of course, the friends start to die. Nancy of course goes in search of answers, and eventually finds out the secret of who Freddy is, and why he has come back to kill the children of Elm Street. She comes up with a plan to lure him into the real world, where she can finish him off herself.
Of course with undead, supernatural killers like Freddy, you are never really gone. As you can tell by the endless sequels that came out later. As for those sequels, they are mostly hit or miss. In my opinion, number 2 is good, and 3 is great, but after that they begin to slide, as Freddy becomes more of a jokester, killing off his victims with horrible one liners. The salvation of the series would be Wes Cravens New Nightmare, which is set in the real world. And Freddy vs Jason certainly had its moments, capturing the feel of the older Nighmare movies, and meshing it nicely with the Friday the 13 vibe.
Pleasant Dreams.
Bram Stokers Dracula October 28, 2008
Posted by nugster in Uncategorized.Tags: anthony hopkins, bram stokers dracula, dracula, gary oldman, horror, horror movie, horror movies, keanu reeves, movie, movie review, movie reviews, movies, vampire, vampires, winona ryder
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You just knew that I would have to include the king of the vampires at some point.
Having watched this in the theater when it first came out, I was lucky enough to enjoy it the way it was meant to be seen. All these years later, and with a decent television and sound system I was able to enjoy it again. For the most part Its a solid movie, with a few parts that drag a bit. But then again they are staying true to the more traditional telling of the Dracula story.
Starting with how Dracula became what he is, in this version vowing to rise from his grave and take revenge on a god that would allow the love of his life to die, while he was in battle defending him. From there he moves to London to basically be evil and feed on Lucy Westenra. Naturally Van Helsing pops up at some point and all hell breaks loose, but you get the idea.
Francis For Coppola did a wonderfull job with the look of this film, making it very dark and gothic. And the casting was pretty much A -list at the time, with names like Gary Oldman, Anthony Hopkins, Winona Ryder, and Keanu Reeves. Ive never been a big fan of Reeves, but the movie manages to be good despite his wooden performance.
The Crow October 27, 2008
Posted by nugster in horror movies, movies.Tags: brandon lee, horror, horror movie, horror movies, michael wincott, movie, movie review, movie reviews, movies, sofia shinas, the crow
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You move and you’re dead!….. And I say, I’m dead, and I move.
That has to be one of my favourite lines from The Crow. It has many other great moments, but for some reason that line always cracks me up. Now once again Im reviewing a movie that isn’t exactly a horror movie in the classic sense, but still you have somebody that comes back from the dead to seek revenge on the people that killed him and his fiance the night before their wedding, which happened to be the night before Halloween. So I think It still qualifies. The Crow became almost an instant classic in large part because of the death of its star, Brandon Lee. Accidently shot by during filming, the movie was finished without him. As sad as it was, it is a good thing that it was completed, because in my opinion its a fantastic movie about love and loss. The acting is convincing, and the films dark and menacing look give it an atmosphere that most horror movies could only hope to ahcieve.
For those that don’t know, the story goes like this. Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) and his fiance Shelly Webster (Sofia Shinas) are due to be married on Halloween, but the night before they are murdered by a gang of thugs. A year later Eric comes back. The legend of the Crow is that it brings back souls that have unfinished business, so along with his guide, Eric tracks down and begins to exact revenge on the gang that killed him the year before. Of course the gangs leader will be his hardest target, and that sets up a great final confrontation.
There are very few movies that I could watch over and over and never get sick of, but this is one of them. It is a yearly routine to watch it on the night before Halloween itself. And its still very sad that Brandon Lee died. He turned in such a good performance, it would have been nice to see just how far his career could have gone.
The Craft October 26, 2008
Posted by nugster in horror movies, movies.Tags: fairuza balk, horror, horror movie, horror movies, movie, movie review, movie reviews, movies, neve campbell, rachel true, robin tunney, the craft, witch, witchcraft, witches
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Going through high school can be rough, but being in a coven of witches must really be hard on the social life.
I saw The Craft a long time ago and thought it was pretty clever, and even now it stands up as a fairly decent little horror flick. Its mostly light, and not all that scary, but it should appeal to the younger crowd. The premise for it was borrowed from heavily for another movie, this time with young guys getting supernatural powers, called The Covenant. Either way, the acting is not all that bad, as we do have some good talent here. Neve Campbell, Rachel True, Robin Tunney, and my favourite, Fairuza Balk. Fairuza steals most of the scenes she is in, and plays her part with psychotic glee.
Now as for the story itself, it centers around Sarah (Robin Tunney) who moves to L.A. with her family. She has had some issues in her past, and this could be a fresh start for everyone. Except once at school she is befriended by a trio of girls who are social misfits for the most part. And as she learns later, practice a form of witchcraft. The three of them notice that Sarah is what is refered to as a natural witch, and adding her to their coven would benefit them greatly. Once they complete their coven with Sarah, they indeed conjure up some incredible power. At first they use this power to amuse themselves and get some payback on people that have wronged them. But as it goes with power, it tends to corrupt, and things start to go downhill from there, eventually leading to a final confrontation.
As I stated earlier, this is the sort of horror flick that would be great for younger viewers, and a good way to get more women into liking scary movies. It wouldn’t be for everyone, but it is a well made movie with witches, that doesn’t have anything to do with Hogwarts.
Deathproof October 25, 2008
Posted by nugster in horror movies, movies.Tags: horror, movie review, horror movie, movies, movie, horror movies, movie reviews, rose mcgowan, robert rodriguez, deathproof, kurt russell, zoe bell, rosario dawson, quentin tarantino
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Buckle up, this one is a bumpy ride.
Yep, that was a pretty cheesy opening line, but then again I am commenting on a rather cheesy movie, so it seemed appropriate. Deathproof is the other half of the Grindhouse double feature, brought to us by Quentin Tarantino, and Robert Rodriguez. Of course this movie is Tarantino’s conbtribution. Even if you didn’t know who had made it, you could probably guess. Tarantino’s fingerprints are all over this movie. Now normally that would be a good thing, except that he is supposed to be making a movie that looks and feels like a grindhouse pic from the 70’s. Unsure of what a Grindhouse pic is? Either read my last post, for Planet Terror, or look it up, I hate to repeat myself. At any rate, the movie itself doe’s look like it came straight from the past, and has all the cliche’s you would expect. Its really the dialogue that gives Tarantino away. If you are familiar with his earlier works, you will be able to pick up on it right away. Now as for the story itself. Like my previous post, there isn’t a whole lot to tell.
Kurt Russell plays Stuntman Mike. A former stunt car driver, who now gets his kicks by stalking and killing groups of women with his reinforced “Deathproof” cars. After dispatching with his first victims in Texas, he moves on to Tennesee to target a new group. Unfortunately he is sloppy, and this group of girls is a whole lot more trouble than he expected. Not only does Stuntman Mike fail to get the job done, the girls have decided to turn the tables on him, and now he is the prey.
In all, its good cheesy fun, and has a chase scene that is excellent. Do yourself a favour and watch both of the Grindhouse movies back to back the way they were intended. You see, they were such a commercial flop at the theater, that they split them up for the U.K., and DVD release’s.
Planet Terror October 24, 2008
Posted by nugster in Uncategorized.Tags: bruce willis, freddy rodriguez, grindhouse, horror, horror movie, horror movies, josh brolin, movie, movie review, movie reviews, movies, planet terror, robert rodriguez, rose mcgowan
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Guess what folks, Its zombie time again. But this time Its done B-movie, grindhouse style.
In 2007, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino decided to each make a horror movie in what is refered to as Grindhouse style. It is called this, because back in the 70’s and even the 80s It was common for low budget studio’s to “grind out” as many lousy horror movies as possible to make a fast buck. Typically they had bad acting, even worse effects, and terrible plots. They also had lots of sex and over the top violence. Some achieved cult status, but most were disposable. So why on Earth would two good directors waste their time makeing movies to look and feel like this? Because It was fun. And both of the Grindhouse pics turned out to be rather decent. Now by decent, I mean that they were intentionally bad on purpose. Making the film look as if it was scratched and dirty. Having missing reels. And even making a fake trailer before the movie even starts.
Planet Terror itself, is basically a zombie movie. A nerve gas of sorts gets loose, turning people into the undead, and a small group of people band together and try to stay alive and even stop it from spreading. Really I can’t say a whole lot about the plot because It really doesn’t matter all that much. Its more about the characters, and a whole lot of blood and guts. Seriously, if you have a weak stomach, don’t watch this movie.
Of the two grindhouse movies, I kind of liked this one a bit more, because It seemed to capture that old B-movie look and feel a bit better. So if you want a good laugh and a bit of a gross out, this one is for you. Oh yes, and if you only watch it for one reason, it has to be Rose Mcgowan having a big frigging gun for a leg.
Sweeney Todd October 23, 2008
Posted by nugster in horror movies, movies.Tags: alan rickman, helena bonham carter, horror, horror movie, horror movies, johnny depp, movie, movie revie, movie reviews, movies, sweeney todd, tim burton
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All right, who’s up for a shave?
When I first heard that Tim Burton was making a movie out of Sweeney Todd, I couldn’t help but be excited, as I had seen the play in high school and loved it. Knowing that Burton and spooky go together like peanut butter and jam, I had high expectations. Then finding out that he once again got the ever skilled Johnny Depp to play the title roll was icing on the cake. Naturally I did worry a bit, since this is a musical, that it would not work on the big screen, especially given the limited, or non existent singing skills of the stars. But once I finally got to see it, I as not disappointed.
For those who don’t know, the story of Mr Todd is rather twisted, yet simple. Benjamin Barker has a good life. He is a skilled barber with a wife and baby girl, but a corrupt judge wrongfully sends Todd off to Jail in Australia so that he can try to have the wife all to himself. Barker escapes and makes his way back to London 15 years later, changing his name to Sweeney Todd. Upon arriving he learns that his wife is gone, and the judge is raising his daughter, and has plans to marry her. Plotting his revenge, Todd finds his old barber shop, above Mrs Lovetts meat pie shop. Mrs Lovett realizes who Todd is, and decides to help him with his plan for revenge. And in what is a sick twist, as Todd takes his anger out on anyone foolish enough to sit in his barbers chair, Mrs Lovett grinds them up and cooks them into her meat pies.
Yep, this isn’t the sound of music. Its a musical with buckets of blood, revenge, and meat pies. Not for the light hearted, but Sweeney Todd delivers.
The Strangers October 22, 2008
Posted by nugster in horror movies, movies.Tags: horror, horror movie, horror movies, liv tyler, movie, movie review, movie reviews, movies, scott speedman, strangers, the strangers
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Well, this movie certainy makes me want to re-think renting that log cabin in the woods next summer.
I missed seeing this in the theater and finally got a chance to watch it on DVD last night. I must say It was worth the wait. The Strangers is one of those movies that works best when you just get a glimpse of what might happen, and let your imagination do the rest for you. We have all had that experience where we are alone in the house and hear a strange noise, or think we see something move. That chill that goes up your spine is exactly the sort of vibe this movie gives you. Mainly because we know that when the characters look out the window, they are actually going to see something.
The story itself is supposed to be “inspired” by true events. That term bugs me, because realistically you can make up 99 percent of the story, but throw in a few facts about a case that is real, and there you have it, a story that was “inspired” But aside from that, this is about a couple, James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) who after leaving a wedding reception go to his parents secluded summer home. His premature wedding proposal, and her rejection of it, has ruined what would have been a romantic night, followed by a road trip. As they are talking over what comes next, there is a knock at the door. A strange girl arrives and ask’s for a girl that obviously doesn’t live there. Once she leaves, James goes out to pick up some cigarettes. It is now that the girl and her friends return wearing masks, to begin their game. They terrorize Kristen and manage to throw her cellphone in the fireplace. James finally returns, but the strangers continue their assault, and make escaping impossible. I won’t give away the details, but suffice it to say that things don’t look good for Kristen and James.
What got me the most about this movie is that it is kept fairly simple. The strangers trap the couple, torment them, and cut off the means of escape, all without uttering a single word till almot the end of the movie. Also, it uses lighting, mood, and music to build the drama, rather than shocking you with graphic violence. And of course people wearing funny masks while doing terrible things is always good and creepy.
