Halloween Insanity...R RATED

HALLOWEEN INSANITY

Well, the time is upon us to celebrate Halloween, and what better way to top off a night of debauchery then to watch some of my slickest and sickest recommendations..just pick from a few, I know that you will enjoy!  I will be updating this list throughout the day. Don't forget to click on the movie trailers in each review!


Let's start with this interesting look at the side of body modification and what horrors it can bring..


American Mary:  2012: Horror:  It didn't take me a long time to watch this movie.  Once it came up on my Netflix cue, I selected it immediately.  I wasn't disappointed.  American Mary combines sex appeal with a truly dark approach to the medical arts.  



American Mary

Fusing elements of reality with fantasy, The Soska Sisters make you remember why you liked them in the first place.  See No Evil was a good movie but American Mary combines their finesse and shock factor in a really interesting movie that will make you think twice about getting that next surgery.  B-


Re-Animator:  1985:  Horror:  OK, so your sick of the modern day use of CGI and other elements that bring down the realism in horror movies and dial down the gore factor.  No problem, look up this cult classic and you are back in the era of real special effects. Blend in old school horror comedy and you have a winner.  

Re Animator



Not really the movie to give you dreadful nightmares, it does have a place in the annals of horror and all of it's fans can't be wrong.  You will be cringing as well as laughing during this feature.  It does "borrow" some elements from Pet Semetary, but if you read my blog you will see that many movies do..



Stand out scenes are definitely when the whole movie climaxes at the end and of course, the scene with the beheading.  Enjoy!:  B+



The Town That Dreaded Sundown:  1976: Horror:  Enough with the pleasantries, let's dive right into real horror.  That is to say real in the sense that it actually happened.  Enter the small town of Texarkana, where a serial killer is loose.  Not only is this killer inventive in his killing tactics, but he might have created the whole Friday the 13th, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw phenomenon of masked killers.  It starts to hit home that all of those movies were based on one, real killer..



Town that Dreaded Sundown

Impress your horror film friends by asking them who the first true masked killer was and I bet they won't say it was the Phantom. This movie blends quaint story telling with a natural flow of killing to make this a must see if you are a fan of any of the other movies I mentioned in this review.  Did I mention he uses a trombone to kill someone?  Well he does...A-


Well, I never thought that could kill, but I guess I was wrong..


FUNNY GAMES:  1997: HORROR:  Sometimes horror can be right next door.  Sometimes it can be what you make it.  What if two unassuming men came to your home asking for eggs and then manipulated the whole situation to make it that you were wrong and that they were entitled to hurt and potentially maim you?  Enter Funny Games, an extremely effective mind game movie that will leave you wanting to find these actors..Oh but they're just actors.  



It took me a couple of times to appreciate this "under the radar" horror but what makes this movie truly unique, is that it manipulates your image of what seems right and what is right.  Just don't forget to follow their rules..They look innocent, but they are ruthless serial killers..B+

Funny Games not so funny after all




MONKEY SHINES: 1998: HORROR:  There was something about the 80s and horror movies. There was no CGI, so the makers really had to rely on excellent special effects and makeup to make a movie really live.  Oh and did I forget that George A Romero, creator of everything ZOMBIE, made and directed this movie? Well those are two reasons why you should watch this clever and well imagined movie about a Monkey on drugs that goes AWOL. 'Nuff said..


Careful with that thing..it might get you high..


Yep that's part of the movie.


NO Justin Beaber this is not your monkey ok?

Part of the charm of this movie is simply seeing the monkey perform all these amazing tasks.  Truly one of a kind..also pretty creepy!  B

Monkey Shines..awesome!!



THE CALLER: 2011: HORROR:  I love movies that blend in time changing elements and time shifting, because I think that the phenomenon is a distinct possibility.  Watching The Caller,I got a chance to enjoy some devilish scenarios and it was worth watching, especially if you like a good mystery with horror elements.

 

The Caller

It was somewhat light on the gore, but it made up for that in its psychological elements.  B-



The UNREST:  2006:  HORROR:  So what happens to those cadavers that are donated to medical schools?  Rather, what happens to those medical schools that use cadavers of serial killers..The Unrest will show you.



The unrest


SO, if you can handle these movies, you should move on..

PART TWO><<<INCOMING

Home Invasion Horror: Kidnapped VS. You're Next

     VS.  

The thought of having intruders interrupt your normal day to day life in your home is a pretty disturbing and frightening situation. Often times you assume that you are safe in a home because you have alarm systems, cameras, neighborhood watch and even an aggressive watchdog.  These two movies will show just how wrong you are..

  

NOT exactly your ideal watchdogs.

KIDNAPPED: 2010: Horror:  Kidnapped, which was originally released as Sequestrados in Spain, is an interesting movie because it uses some distinctive use of camera angles and some slick editing to keep the story of a family invaded by thieves interesting.  The premise is simple, as it is in the other movie(s) in this comparison, so it helps to have a director infuse some original elements in it.  


Don't look know, its an home invasion movie.

The home invasion premise is a fairly common one and I had no problem finding at least three movies that fit this comparison. The aspects that end up separating these movies are the invaders and whatever type of personalities or unique factors make them memorable, their reasons for the invasion, and how the family either conquers them or is conquered.  Kidnapped, while it had some interesting interactions between the kidnappers and the family, really didn't give you a solid reason to hate the invaders. Also they were very bland and unassuming.  If you're going to make an invasion movie, at least give the invaders some personality. Black ski masks just do it for me.  

  
Backpacks and black ski masks just don't cut it for interesting kidnappers.

The other movies you will see in this comparison excel in this category, while Kidnapped  fails.  This has huge ramifications on the movie with regard to the overall image and also whether or not you care if they kidnappers are killed or not.  It goes so far to make the kidnappers generic as to call them Head Thief, Strong Thief, Young Thief etc.  That being said, the movie did take a violent turn in many areas which did give it some substance.  It also displayed some cool killing scenes.


Some of the killing scenes in Kidnapped  were pretty impressive.

Another element in these movies is whether or not you associate with the family that is being kidnapped and want them to beat the kidnappers or kill them.  This is one of the most important parts and if not given proper attention, the movie can lack some substance and cause the viewer to lose interest.  Kidnapped gave you adequate amounts of interaction of the family before the invasion, so you get to know the people before the movie starts moving.  The only problem in this movie, is you tend to dislike the family.  In this sense you actually want the thieves to win.


You better want us to win, otherwise we'll come to get you!

Regarding pace and length of the movie, this movie was a little on the long side, but after awhile, the director made clever use of split screen to show two pieces of action simultaneously taken place. At first this seemed a little distracting, but then it actually was effective and I caught myself wondering how this could have been done without two screens.


Kidnapped used dual screen shots to convey more action at the same time.

The music was average in this movie and I felt that it could have given some of the scenes more of an impact.  When it came to the ending, was surprising and I won't give it away.  I felt the ending was one of the better parts in the movie and had one of the only twists in the movie, although it's hard to define it exactly as a twist.  It's just a hard ending to stomach:  64%

Kidnapped Trailer



YOU'RE NEXT:  2013:  Horror:  There were some elements in You're Next that actually make it humorous in many ways. Sometimes horror movies can take this sort of angle, especially slasher movies because the action that takes place is so over the top that it defies logic and just becomes a caricature of itself.  Don't think that this movie is scary.  It had some pretty eerie and dreadful aspects of it.  Sometimes Adam Wingard just infused some comedy in the movie for balance.  An example of this is when one of the killers sits down next to one of his victims, and admires his word while listening to music.  


Some scenes in Your Next are actually pretty amusing.

The characters in this movie are much more interesting, at least for most of the movie, because they wear masks.  A simple unifying element like this, that is more than just ski masks, can have a huge impact on your view of the killers and on their overall efficacy in making the movie scary.  The irony of being barnyard animals while killing is what makes the masks great.  


The masks that the killers wore made the killing more interesting .

The actual family that is invaded is developed somewhat and the viewer definitely has ample time to get to know them and since there are at least 8 people, the death count is more numerous than in Kidnapped.  This gives the movie much more innate ability to show more killing and murders, which in a horror movie is like currency.  In addition, some characters are genuinely annoying and it's easy to hope that "so and so" gets it before "so and so".

 
Some of the characters in You're Next just beg to be killed.

In addition, the use of the "You're Next" when characters are killed was a pretty good touch and gives the movie a great idea that you can encapsulate the movie by.  It gives it character.  In home invasion movies, character is important, I've said.  Without that, these movies can simply fall into the generic killer/ slasher film.


The lead female character was intense and a huge reason to like this movie.

One of the elements in Kidnapped and You're Next  that are similar is that they both had strong female roles.  The daughter in Kidnapped goes ape shit on one the thieves, crushing his skill repeated with a blunt object.  The female role Erin in You're Next takes on a Rambo sort of function and kills more of the killers than the killers kill people.  She was nothing sort of awesome.  Her accent was also pretty exotic.  She is a huge reason to like this movie and want to watch it again.  


Erin contemplates who the next victim will be.

I liked this movie and it will be a movie I see again because it flowed well and I would want to watch it with someone that hasn't. The music was there but almost indistinguishable and the scares in the movie weren't distinctive, but made me jump a few times, especially with the bed scene.  That was one of my favorite parts in the movie and a high water mark overall.


The bed scene was excellent and gory.

This is a movie I would recommend but don't expect it to change the way you think of horror.  If you are in the mood for a movie that has some comedy elements, violence, and a strong female role to rile your interests as well as your libido, watch You're Next.  It was an enjoyable, easy to watch and enjoy horror movie:  72%

You're Next Trailer

BONUS BONUS BONUS BONUS BONUS BONUS


TORMENT: 2013: Horror:  Did I mention that the home invasion genre is jam packed full of movies?  Another movie I just recently watched is Torment which takes the story a step further by infusing some psychological elements that distinguish this from the other two movies reviewed.  This ultimately makes it the better of the three and I will explain why.


Torment had some psychological elements that differentiated it from the previous two.
No it's not Deadmau5, maybe after a long set..

The character development in Torment was probably the weakest element at first glance, but as the movie progresses, it fills in the gaps, or should I say kills in the gaps.  It quickly jumps into the invasion scenario and gives you very little chance to get acquainted. This actually helps the movie because it makes the pacing very smooth.  It also gives it a sense of urgency.


Torment doesn't waste any time getting to the killing.

This movie also gives the killers personality and unifies them with the masks of the little boys stuffed animals.  This was a great touch and it was funny how similar it was to the masks in You're Next. The killers themselves had traits which were divulged to the viewer through their actions and their interactions with the family.  They function as a cohesive team and inspire dread and terror more effectively than the two previous movies.


The killers in Torment were the scariest of all the movies reviewed.

Not only were they the scariest, but they had the most twisted and demented reasons for kidnapping the family.  I won't give too much away from the movie, but the scene where the eldest killer is questioning the father of the family was both a highlight as well as the scariest part of the movie.  


The scene in which the father is questioned is very unsettling.

I do have to mention that the music resembled the theme from Halloween.  I didn't like that at all... It's hard to go into the movie much more without giving it away.  This is a movie I recommend, perhaps the most of the three. The ending was a little suspect, but overall it scores higher than the previous three, although it was close to the overall score of You're Next:  74%

Torment Trailer


Not a very cuddly character is it?