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

Origin of the Zombie Obsession: Night of the Living Dead

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD: 48: --: HRR:  I soon realized that I never reviewed probably one of the most influential and seminal zombie/ horror movies of all time.  The one that started it all with respect to zombies wandering around the living and looking for their flesh to devour.  The one that is currently in the National Film Registry because the way in which is inspired many other directors to emulate it's chilling and horrific depiction of death and dismemberment:  Night of the Living Dead.


Night of the Living Dead:  The one that started it all!

To say that the Night of the Living Dead is the sine qua non of the zombie genre is an understatement.  Before this, there were very few films that captured the eeriness and terror of having the dead come back to life with a hunger for live human body parts.  Not only did George Romero start a genre of horror, but he also utilized excellent techniques in film to add to the movie's s no holds barred feel and grit that make it especially memorable.  These techniques ended up in some other horror movies as well as movies in other genres.  

  
Night of the Living Dead was gritty and unapologetic in its delivery.

The opening segments reminded me of the segments in The Shining where there is a car approaching a destination with eerie music playing in the background which set the mood for the horror to come.  This is not a coincidence and was either an ode to Romero by Kubrick or an unintentional act of imitation.

   
Both The Shining  and Night of the Living Dead started out with a car approaching a destination with eerie music setting the tone for the movie.

Don't let the fact that this movie was made in the late 40s make you think that it isn't ground breaking and ahead of its time.  Also don't let this make you think that it will be old hat and not utterly impressive.  These statements could be further from the truth. There were no elements that looked like advancements in makeup or special effects could have improved their delivery and effect.  They were simple and to the point and brutally fiendish.  

Less was definitely more and the impact was dramatic.  The scenes were the zombies are eating the couple in the truck after it burned were disgusting, revolting, and utterly effective in producing elements of fear and outright terror.  No doubt this caught audiences at the time off guard and led them to squirm in their seats.  At the time of time of its release, there were no rating systems so 9 years olds were watching this a crying, screaming and running out of the theaters due to it's brutal imagery and gore.


This feeding scene was extremely graphic and revolutionary.

The emotions evoked during this scene were some in which I haven't felt in many years.  Sure the Saw movies could definitely disgust the audience and make the viewer uneasy, but these scenes had a certain brashness to them that made them extremely realistic. The music was also way ahead of its time and created a sense of dread and an appalling atmosphere.  It truly was horrific.  There wasn't anything amateurish about it.  It was brutal beauty in the eyes of a zombie lover.


The feeding orgy of the zombies in Night was one of kind.

The acting was also right on the money and the characters all interacted well with each other, creating disharmony in conflict with the main character and Mr. Cooper, as well as creating a synergy between the female character who hardly spoke.  I also respected the fact that an African American was the hero during a time where this was probably not the norm.  Another ground breaking feature demonstrating how ahead of its time this movie was.  


The characters all interacted well and lent a sense of realism to the movie.

Little touches that gave the movie credibility were the announcements from the television and radio which slowly made the viewer understand what might have created the outbreak of the zombies.  In addition, the boarding up of the house made for a crescendo of suspense because you often wondered if they would really hold up or not.  Spoiler alert, they didn't.


Just how long were those boards on the windows supposed to hold up?

Stand out scenes were the part when the little girl comes to life as a zombie and kills the mother.  That was really scary but foreshadowed effectively.  It should be noted the that camera angle and way in which the mother was stabbed was very much like the scene in Psycho in the shower.  


This part reminded me of Psycho, another coincidence?

Another scene is when the zombies finally come in and fill the house and wreak havoc while looking for the last remaining human in the house.  That was unnerving.  


The scares climaxed when the zombies finally enter the home in a mob.

It is clear that many prominent directors saw this movie and loved it enough to have it influence their subsequent techniques in directing. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, but some of these were blatant. 


" I hate plagiarism, even in movies"

The action was non stop and there was not a single moment were the plot wasn't accelerating toward oblivion.  I will not give away the ending, although I'm sure that many of you have seen this classic.  I am embarrassed to say I hadn't, but I changed that by watching this three times in a row.  I was just enthralled by it and it took me back to college when I was dissecting Citizen Kane and other classics in film.  


This is a movie to sit back and enjoy or analyze to your hearts content.

Initially it was disregarded by critics as just having too much gratuitous violence and gore but slowly garnered a cult following to become of the highest grossing movies of it's time, bringing in over 15 million dollars.  It was the highest grossing film in Europe during its time.  

Long story short, all zombie shows, movies, video games, etc owe this movie a debt of gratitude.  There is no doubt in my mind that that movie paved the way for their creation.  The way the zombies moved, their appetites, their appearance, everything is virtually unchanged in new movies.  He took a big chance during this time to put so much gore and blood in this movie and I have nothing but utter respect for Romero.

  
There was no shortage of gore in Night of the Living Dead!

Take a moment and watch this excellent classic and realize that the modern day directors make enjoyable zombie flicks not because they created them in a vacuum, but because they were standing on the shoulders of a giant, George Romero.  It's on Netflix.  So make your sure you tilt off your hat to the one that started it all:  94%

PS:  The ending of Taxi Driver was also very similar to the ending of this movie because the scenes take an almost "outside looking in" quality and included depictions of newspaper clippings.  Even the music was very similar.  So at least three times other distinct directors emulated this movie.  


Watch this movie now, but lock your doors!

Citadel: Embarrassed of Zombies?

CITADEL: 2012: HORROR: --:  This movie had its moments.  Fledgling director, Ciaran Foy, attempted subtle use of suspense and terror to evoke fear and it didn't completely disappoint.  

The acting by Aneurin Bernard was actually pretty good and the lighting, sets, backgrounds, music and character selection was on par.  The movie had it's fair share of scares, so let's get to some of the elements of this new director's movie.


Good use of lighting, camera shots, and other things show the director's skill.

From the beginning, it grabs you due to the fact the main character's wife is assaulted by what look like children in hoodies.  She goes into a coma but the baby lives and therefore the father is left to care for the infant. On top of that, he lives in an area that is dilapidated and seems to hold some sort of devilish secret. Finally, he suffers from panic attacks and is scared of everything.


Look they're in hoodies!


Not the ideal place to live, the settings are dreary but that adds to the atmosphere.

The beings that inhabit the building in which Tommy (Aneurin Bernard) live aren't quite human but aren't zombies. They sure act like them though and many of the scares are taken directly from Dawn of the Dead, The Walking Dead, or other movies of that ilk.  So they work because they startle you, but there is nothing new or original in the way they worked.  It was a zombie movie that wanted to deny being a zombie movie.  The fact that the main character is a male caring for an infant doesn't alone separate it from all the other zombie/ living dead movies.


This scene delivered a scare, but it's used in many horror movies.


They're not zombies, but they sure act like them.

The rest of the plot is basically aimed at blowing up the building that they inhabit.  OK, that should be easy enough to do, but the main character fears everything from a bottle clanking in the distance to wind rustling leaves on the ground. Come on, this is just stupid.  


I have an idea you scared moron, just blow up the building!  Yhea, that's new!!

I'm giving the new director some leeway here and giving the movie a slight pass because it did have some scares (when the creature lunges at Tommy but is chained and the initial abduction scene). But other than some gloomy camera shoots and dreary music, this movie was a passe take on a very crowded zombie horror genre:65%


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