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FilmWarrior2006
Reviews
Haunt (2019)
A film is really only as good as it's dumbest moment
There are some great moments in the first and second acts. I liked the characters. The cast did a really good job in their roles. But, a film is really only as good as it's dumbest moment.
SPOILERS
That dumb moment comes in the third act, when the main characters are unarmed and being hunted by some dangerous creepy bad guys. In one scene, the main character is trying to release a shotgun from a mechanical contraption. I thought, "That's very smart trying to do that." But, sadly, she is unable to get to free of the device, and has to run. that is absolutely forgivable. Also, I should mention, even with it fixed in that contraption, she managed to use it to kill two bad guys. Nice! Right? Then, she and another character manage to catch and severely injure a freak who has a handgun. In fact, they practically amputate the arm holding the gun. I was like, "There you go, kiddo! That one is NOT locked in place. Grab it!" But, no. She doesn't. Instead, she and the guy grab each other's hands and run away, leaving that nearly fully loaded pistol behind. Well...I stopped caring about the movie right there. I didn't care anymore if they lived or died. The inconsistency of the character broke the fourth wall, the veil was lifted and I was reminded I was just watching a low budget horror film. I watched the film to the end, without caring, and afterward, I got something to eat, and then went home and put in John Carpenter's The Thing on, hoping to get rid of the bad taste that movie left.
Lady in White (1988)
Beautiful Horror
It's rare when one can combine Beautiful and Horror, without coming off as ironic. But, it's true. Lady in White is one of my favorite horror films of all time, much less the 80's. It was like Peter Straub's Ghost Story and Harper Lee's To Kill A Mocking Bird had come together and gave birth to this little gem. Lady in White is at its heart a wonderful coming of age ghost story, about a square peg. It felt like director Frank La Logia wrote this film just for nerds like me, because we quickly identify with Lukas Haus' protagonist, and are drawn in and feeling his peril to our core. Many of my personal favorite horror films involve kids at the center, because most of us remember feeling overwhelmed by the world as kids, and quickly identify with children in peril. There are a handful of kids in peril films on my top list of films, Cat O' Nine Tails, ET, The Goonies and #1 is Lady In White.
The Thing (2011)
Solid acting with faithful writing makes this a worthy prequel
No spoilers here, just a commentary about the quality of The Thing film, itself. This new film (prequel) was quite enjoyable and offered some great shocks, but most of all, its filled with that same paranoia we loved in the film this is a prequel to. The monster FX was not bad at all, like some here would complain. Those types would pretty much complain about anything. Now, I do wish the filmmakers had used less CG in two scenes in particular, but, in the end, it didn't distract me from the story, which was extremely faithful to John Carpenter's 1982 film. I would and will go back and see it again, as well as buy it on blu ray when it comes out. Oh, and have recommended it to all my friends, who are also die hard fans of the 1982 film.
For those who have not seen the 1982 film, they will still enjoy this flick, as its just a lot of fun, and will hopefully immediately make them go and either rent or buy the original. I want this film a success, so we can maybe see more from the franchise.
Oh, and if you haven't read it, read the The Thing pre-prequel comic series by Steve Niles, that has a Viking village being threatened by something evil under the ice.