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The Orchard (2020)
'Hunter's Moon' (2020)
Was excited to see something with Jay Mohr in it again, since I rewatch 'Cherry Falls' all the time, as it's one of my favorites, and how can you go wrong with Thomas Jane? But unfortunately they have minor bit parts, the rest of the cast is basically unknown to me and probably you, the acting slightly above amateur at best, the dialog is okay, but slightly cheesy. The cinematography / production value is decent, we'll give credit where it's due, but the entire plot and story line is completely nonexistent. Even the opening sequence seems to be two separate scenes sloppily slapped together for whatever reason. There is no climax, nor hardly anything interesting or exciting happens throughout the entire film. I'll give it the 4 for Jay Mohr and Thomas Jane, but a 3 is definitely more accurate of a rating, as reflected by the users here on IMDb.
Silo (2019)
'Silo' (2019)
Moving, well-written, well-acted original story and an important message combined; this film tells the risks that America's farmers face every day in the Heart Land. Not sure why this film has such low ratings here on IMDb; the cinematography is excellent, the scenes are all beautifully shot throughout the entire film, and the acting is top notch, especially considering I didn't recognize any of the members of the cast, aside from Chris Ellis in a small role, who also acts near the top of his career. I see now that IMDb has created a 600 character limit for reviews also, which is an extreme pity, since I've said all I came to say about this film, and is especially tragic when the NEGLECT that has been given to this site over the last 15 years is all been overlooked (bot reviews, reviews that are literally two lines long, troll reviews, etc.) but here we are, with me writing a legitimate review and I'm forced to chock out 94 more characters because now you you fkheads think we should have a limit. Choke. Anyway, the movie is good. Recommended.
SILO -----8/10.
Vengeance (2022)
'Vengeance' (2022)
'Vengeance' is a slow-burner of a flick that takes its sweet time. A bizarre mixture of comedy & thriller, it's got a hard time choosing which one it really wants to be. I'll admit I only watched this because of Boyd Holbrook, and I was disappointed in pretty much his entire character, and saw it mostly as wasted potential, much like the rest of the movie. There is far too much of B. J. Novak involved here, from the beginning to end, all he does is plug his love for podcasts and bad indie rock. I'll admit it took me a while to figure out where I knew him from, and I had to IMDb his filmography - it was from his role in 'Inglourious Basterds'; His relationship with the victim, the acting, the plausibility of the entire story feels strained and fake. The cinematography is nice, but the writing feels weak, just like the ending. Like a bad mix of 'The Kid Detective' (with Adam Brody, way better of a flick), and 'Wind River'. There are limited laughs and thrills, and the need to watch this ever again will probably never arise. Dove Cameron is 10/10 sexy however, and probably makes the entire thing worth watching, but again, beyond that her scenes are contrived, boring, and full of wasted potential. Like this whole movie.
VENGEANCE -----5/10.
Ted Bundy (2002)
'Ted Bundy' (2002)
Fairly low-budget fare, I believe it was direct to video back in the day, as I remember owning this movie on VHS along with the other serial killer docu-dramas 'Ed Gein' (2000) and 'Dahmer' (2002). This one stands out as being one of the better of those flicks; decent acting & the story moves quickly, covering a great deal of Bundy's life and crimes. This film is pretty violent, and full of rape, so I can see where it might not appeal to everyone, but for die hard fans of early 2000's horror / serial killer flicks, this one hits the spot; Look for the small cameo by Tom Savini, who also does the make-up.
TED BUNDY -----7/10.
Prey (2022)
'Prey' (2022)
A very worthy prequel to the original series; fresh storyline, great acting by Amber Midthunder (also from 'The Ice Road' with Liam Neeson), good special effects which at times give a slight nod to the original bad effects of the early films, I was intrigued and thrilled throughout. Part 'Apocalypto', part 'The Revenant', part 'Evil Dead', this is definitely without any kind of doubt better in every way than 'The Predator'. Good runningtime, good action, not exactly a horror, but definitely one of the better thriller/horrors of 2022.
PREY -----7/10.
Mass (2021)
'Mass' (2021)
Powerful acting & storytelling make this directorial debut from Fran Kranz (who I know as Marty in 'The Cabin In The Woods') well worth watching. Virtually every player in the film does a great job at enacting realism in its finest form. Cinematography is good, as does the best it can with the small spacial structure; there are only a few shots of us looking in. The script is most powerful; the film consists mostly of just dialogue, and very little action, but despite this, there is not a moment of the film that feels dull or seems to drag. The story is tense & the performances so emotionally charged, I felt at times as if i were watching some sort of thriller rather than just a character piece / drama. Very nice outing; highly recommended.
MASS -----8/10.
The Invisible Man (2020)
'The Invisible Man' (2020)
A nice achievement from Universal & Blumhouse; lots of authentic scares to be had here, with good mounting suspense throughout, which seems to be something a lot of writers and directors forgot how to do. Nice directing and good original storytelling from Leigh Whannell; this film is more of a re-telling of the story in itself than it is a remake at all; it has virtually nothing in common with the original 1933 film besides the name. The science fiction element of the film is fresh and doesn't seem too far beyond the grasp of reality as we chug along through the 21st century. A memorable and spooky score by Benjamin Wallfisch accompanies us through the film, and strong acting from Elisabeth Moss and Aldis Hodge make this a highly watchable outing.
THE INVISIBLE MAN -----8/10.
Leaving D.C. (2012)
'Leaving D.C.' (2012)
I came here expecting to find a barrage of hate thrown at this movie through the reviews, but strangely what I found was quite the contrary. As a huge fan of the "found footage" genre, I was happily intrigued by the premise we have here, and what starts out well-enough as a nicely shot, atmospheric, and at times even creepy movie, befalls short of nothingness, as there is literally NOTHING that happens in this movie the entire time. The short run time made me think this would be a fun little flick, but the last 30 minutes of the movie drags on, and the final act is literally so anti-climactic, with about 2 minutes left of the movie, I was left thinking that SOMETHING worthwhile better happen, but no. As others have said, the basically lone actor here does a decent enough job, but I have to agree, one man talking to a camera for 76 minutes straight is not a horror movie. 4 out of 10 for the genre, and that is being VERY generous. Watch 'Rough Cut' instead.
LEAVING D. C. -----4/10.
Mesmerized (1985)
'Mesmerized' (1985)
A semi-average flick that gives off some pretty 'made for TV' type vibes, I'll admit I was immediately intrigued by the filming location, costumes, and set design. The acting is far from great, but Jodie Foster and John Lithgow are both nice to see in early (early?) roles. Despite the PG rating, the film is pretty gruesome at times, with underlying violent themes. The film seems to drag at times, and the relationship between Jodie Foster and John Lithgow's characters is extremely underdeveloped. As far as I'm aware, this was my first Michael Laughlin film, and I'll be watching 'Two Lane Blacktop' next.
MESMERIZED -----6/10.
Men (2022)
'Men' (2022)
Tense, creepy, dark, & atmospheric throughout; needless to say I'm always intrigued by good original horror, and this was quite a pleasant surprise. Beautifully shot picturesque landscapes. The actors, none of whom I'd heard of before, all did a fantastic job. The film quickly roots itself in your mind, deeply relatable psychological horror, without being too over the top. Gave me 'Midsommar' vibes for most of the first half of the film, and fans of "gothic" or "folk horror" will be mighty pleased with this offering. The end seems to turn a bit into a rehash of 'Annihilation', another one of the director Alex Garland's movies. Recommended viewing for sure.
MEN -----8/10.
Deep Hatred (2022)
Deep Hatred (2022)
Low-budget horror flick, apparently coming from Brazil according to IMDb, but very decent for what it is, especially when taken with a grain of salt. Acting, writing, storytelling, directing, all decent enough to keep watchers going until the end. The eye-appealing cinematography and well-produced soundtrack take the cake. Not particularly scary by any right, but it contains some slow-burning suspense. Don't expect much and you won't be disappointed.
DEEP HATRED -----6/10.
Spree (2020)
'Spree' (2020)
The dialog and acting is corny and amateur at times, but the premise alone is enough to make this one watchable. "Found footage" has always been my genre, and the idea of dash-cam footage mixed with video streaming is a pretty fresh idea for the genre. The acting isn't going to win any Oscars, but our lead Joe Keery does a decent job, David Arquette's presence is a welcome addition and also sort of kitschy within the horror genre, but Sasheer Zamata really steals the show here. The film is sort of confined to it's medium at times, and the middle of the film drags just a bit, but there are some notable scenes, memorable kills, and fun to be had. Not really "horror" at all; but a fun direction for this sort of social commentary. Watchable.
SPREE ----- 6/10.
The Last Son (2021)
'The Last Son' (2021)
A worthy addition to the genre, especially in 2021, and it was nice to see Sam Worthington in a lead role again, however, I'll agree with other users that this film could have been a lot better. There was a ton of unrealized potential with the excellent cast, as well as within the script itself - the film could have easily been 30 to 45 minutes longer than it was, and could have given some more character development to minor players, and especially to Thomas Jane, who's character is very negligently managed. Sam Worthington's character feels like an ultimate badass when on screen, but again, is underplayed. Instead, the film feels more like a showcase for us to see how much of a badass Machine Gun Kelly is. I'm sorry, I meant Colson Baker. Are we taking him more seriously as an actor now? I didn't think so. All of his scenes are overdone and repetitive; he was definitely on way too much of the film's screen time. I would rather look at more pictures of landscapes. How many times do we need to see him effortlessly shoot someone in the head? MGK's scenes were predictable and boring. The rest of the film is gritty, dirty, and violent. The cinematography is wonderful, the scenery is beautiful, the soundtrack by Phil Mossman is moody & edgy, and is an excellent addition to the film. Would recommend and would watch again.
THE LAST SON -----6/10.
Gags The Clown (2018)
'Gags The Clown' (2018)
On the undying quest to view everything "Found Footage", I stumbled across this one on an IMDb Found Footage film list. The premise for this one is nice, the clown is a refreshing take on this particular genre, and the end product comes off as perfectly psychotic blend of Blair Witch and It. Of course, the acting is mediocre at times, and the dialog is somethings ad-libbed, but this all adds to the charm of the film. The setting is creepy & atmospheric at times, the dead-silent shots of what i presume is the real Green Bay, Wisconsin are nice. Those who suffer from a real fear of clowns would be 100% terrified of this movie, there's no doubt in my mind about that. Not exactly a "comedy", at least not intentionally; there doesn't seem to be a lot of pre-scripted humor present. It occasionally loses steam, but otherwise this one was a real pleasure to watch. I don't finish a lot of indie films thinking "Well that was fun", but with this one, I did. Highly recommended.
GAGS THE CLOWN -----6/10.
Survive the Hollow Shoals (2018)
'Survive The Hollow Shoals' (2018)
As a huge fan of the "found footage" genre, I'm always excited to find something new. This one follows in the vain of our beloved 'The Blair Witch Project' (1999): extremely minimal cast, crew, directing, and story. The premise is decent & interesting enough; a man alone in the wilderness on a survivalist trip harassed by an omnipresent evil in the woods. There isn't a whole lot to delve into with this one, especially not very deeply. The acting between the male & female actors in the opening scene comes off corny & unrealistic. No kiss goodbye!?
The film is definitely creepy & atmospheric at times, so I give it points for that, but at other times drags and becomes repetitive & uninteresting. Our leading man does a decent enough job acting by himself, but the scares in the film eventually all resort to the same shock tactic: loud noises coupled with a quick flash of something scary. This happens at least 15 times and it becomes stale quickly. The stock sourced 'wilhelm scream' is cliche, but amusing. The filming & editing techniques are nice, and pay good homage to the original Blair Witch film nicely. Nothing terribly new, but worth a watch if you are a fan of the "found footage" genre, or just low-budget / amateur horror in general, as there are some actual good scares to be had here! 4 stars out of 10, and recommended!
SURVIVE THE HOLLOW SHOALS -----4/10.
Rough Cut (2020)
'Rough Cut' (2020)
"Found footage" has always been my genre, so I'll never pass up the opportunity for something new. The trailer seemed amateur, but well enough to pique my interest. The acting and dialogue are not always pleasant, and it seems to be at it's worst during the heavily scripted moments; improvised scenes and dialogue come off better and more natural. The filming has a dirty and gritty feel to it at times, although the acting is still bad enough to frequently make you remember that real people would never behave this way during an actual home invasion. The costumes are their real clothes, the house is probably home to one of the cast or crew; there were some dull moments, but this one managed to pull it off all the way until the end without being truly TRULY painful to watch like some low-budget trash that gets released. Some might disagree, but it depends on your own tolerance for low-budget cinema; some scenes are pretty bad - minimal violence, hardly any blood, guy does a line of coke, but the same amount of coke is still on the tray afterwards. Not traditional "horror" by any means, but if you enjoy found footage films, then i do recommend this. The ending was actually pretty decent. We'll give it a generous 4/10.
ROUGH CUT -----4/10.
Yesterday (2019)
'Yesterday' (2019)
'Yesterday' comes off as a wholesome movie, even safe for family viewing I'd say, aside from the odd curse word here and there. The cast is relatively unknown aside from Kate McKinnon who some might know from 'Saturday Night Live' and little more than a cameo role by Ed Sheeran; I learned Himesh Patel isn't really in anything else other than 'Tenet' which was released the year after this film. Directed by Danny Boyle, who I know from directing '28 Days Later'. The film is well-produced and acted, but the story comes off as predictable at times, and the dialogue & comedy sometimes falls flat. Again, suitable for watching with your kids, and Himesh Patel does have a decent enough singing voice, making the musical parts of the movie enjoyable enough. It comes off at times as kind of a half-baked idea, but it works.
YESTERDAY -----6/10.
Shutter (2008)
'Shutter' (2008)
As much as I wanted to enjoy 'Shutter' and as intriguing as the premise was, this film just fails to deliver on so many levels. The writing is lackluster, and has clearly been written with haste and was obviously doctored by three or more people. The acting isn't terrible, Joshua Jackson has always been convincing, even in a sh**ty role, and John Hensley of 'Fifty Pills' fame is a nice added touch. Rachael Taylor is a beautiful new face to me, but she isn't really anything to brag about, and I feel like she was probably only given the role because of her similarities to Naomi Watts. Upon a repeat viewing, I'll add that there far too many shots of Jackson and Taylor kissing and having romantic moments over absolutely *nothing*.
No real scares to be had here at all, although I suppose if you were watching it alone late at night & if you scare particularly easily, the film does give off a creepy vibe in the scene with James Kyson Lee at the spirit photography office. Although, I must admit, I would much rather skip this film and just watch the episode of 'Celebrity Ghost Stories' with James Kyson Lee in it, because that is actually scary and is actually real.
SHUTTER -----5/10.
One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
'101 Dalmatians' (1961)
'101 Dalmatians' has all of the conventions to stand the test of time and rightfully claims it's place among the rest of the Disney classics. To me, it will always be one of my favorites, it is fast-paced, well-written and adapted from a book that I have never seen nor read. The characters are all colorful personalities that almost stand out as Charles Dickens-esque creations, and being that the story takes place in and around the city of London and it's neighboring countryside, it seems only fitting.
The animation is nicely done, and the static backgrounds at times remind me of other 1960's animated cartoons, specifically 'Jonny Quest' or 'Birdman' which I also happened to love when I was a kid. And the opening sequence is definitely something to brag about, trippy as hell, and was probably inspirational to acid freaks and sober minds alike who were lucky enough to see '101 Dalmatians' when it was released in 1961.
Disney villains are always something to be talked about, and '101 Dalmatians' is no exception: Cruella De Vil, voiced by Betty Lou Gerson, is one of the most memorable of all Disney villains, as are Jasper and Horace. The ending sequence is a suspenseful chase scene down a snowy mountainous road that still holds me in it's grasp today. Definitely stands the test of time, and definitely still worth watching.
101 DALMATIANS -----9/10.
Dust Devil (1992)
'Dust Devil' (1992)
Very unknown and definitely very under appreciated early 90's horror film, revolving around a particularly unique idea, and a particularly unique villain at that. The film is definitely a slow-burner, Richard Stanley's final cut clocking in at around two hours long. Not saying that is an entirely bad thing, but there are moments when the film drags its feet.
The film is slightly sparse on the dialogue, giving way to let the haunting musical score do most of the talking. The visuals speak on their own terms as well, the African sunset to an abandoned movie theater in the middle of the desert filled with sand, the film comes off as some kind of bizarre western. The acting isn't anything to brag about, but it is definitely of a very high caliber for horror movies, although 'Dust Devil' is so ripe with slow-moving action, I would almost not even consider it horror at all. Inspired probably by 'El Topo' and probably did inspire films like Larry Fessenden's 'Wendigo' just a little bit, 'Dust Devil' has a very unique story behind it, which is probably the film's strongest point.
Zekes Mokae is probably most notable as the detective, and he definitely outshines Chelsea Field, and Robert John Burke as the 'Dust Devil' himself. All in all, recommended for the horror buff who can tolerate slow-moving melodrama and a good story to back up their thrills.
DUST DEVIL -----7/10.
Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972)
'Silent Night, Bloody Night' (1972)
Extremely campy, low-budget, Christmas cult horror flick from the early 70's? I'll take it. Take it for what it is though, which is a cultastic piece of low-budget goodness. The film moves along slowly for the first half hour or so, but by the middle of the film, things begin to pick up speed. None of our players are very notable, with the exception of the beautiful Mary Woronov, James Patterson, and the wonderful John Carradine, who doesn't utter a single word throughout the entire film.
The film is mostly visual, and is pretty scarce on every character's dialogue for most of the film, but the visual telling of the story is nice and atmospheric, and the diminished quality of the 16mm print only adds to the film's nostalgic feel. The ending of the film begins to drag again, but like I said, it is well-photographed and still manages to keep you intrigued enough to finally see the mystery solved. The long flashback sequence near the end is very Warholian, which makes sense when we realize that a lot of these people were involved with Warhol during his Factory days in the 1960's, and the end even manages to look a little 'Night Of The Living Dead' at times. And dare I say that I might possibly be able to pick out some images and some storyline that may have inspired John Carpenter to write 'Halloween' a few years down the road? In all, it is definitely well-written, and worth watching for the holidays, to get your fill of Christmas horror.
SILENT NIGHT, BLOODY NIGHT -----7/10.
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)
'Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark' (2010)
I always feel really bad in disliking a movie that I wanted so badly to like in the first place. 'Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark' is undoubtedly one of those movies. I just find it tragic to see such a nice premise go to waste like that, but I suppose that's what they get for remaking a British horror film from the 70's and trying to crossbreed it with Guillermo Del Toro's 'Pan's Labyrinth'.
Seriously, Del Toro's touch adds a nice bit of atmosphere to the film, but enough is enough, we don't need a complete replay of a little girl strolling off, getting lost in the garden or whatever and running into fairy folk all over again.
This is not to say that Bailee Madison doesn't do a good job. She is a nice young up and coming actress with a bright future, but seeing Guy Peace and Katie Holmes both go to waste is such a shame. Guy Peace is particularly oblivious for pretty much the entirety of the film, and the ending is just so ridiculously anti-climactic, and everyone just seems completely bored to tears by this point anyway, so no one cares.
No real scares here, some nice effects, but the "creatures" themselves which should have been the movie's highlight, also managed to just be dull and boring. And am I the only one who thinks they look like miniature versions of the Morlocks from the 2001 remake of 'The Time Machine', which Guy Pearce also happened to star in. In all, I guess it's good to see once, if you've run out of better things to watch.
DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK -----5/10.
Urban Legend (1998)
'Urban Legend' (1998)
'Urban Legend' starts off strong. And I mean, like, really strong for a horror movie of the late 90's ilk. The kind where the characters are all self-aware intellectuals but have no problem being dumb as hell anyway. Yeah, the opening sequence is *that* kind of good. But then it all goes pretty much as downhill as it can get from there on....
It's sad to say that Brad Dourif may be the highlight of this feature, given that he is only included in one scene, but whatever. The rest of our cast is the typical montage of up-and-coming late teens/early twenties stars. Jared Leto would of course go on to make great things with 'Requiem For A Dream' two years later, Joshua Jackson has been in a handful of good movies and is recognizable, which is probably a good thing since he is probably the most recognizable face in the whole movie to me. However, Loretta Devine really steals the show here. Forget Rebecca Gayheart and the trying year she had with making not only 'Urban Legend' but appearing in 'Scream 2' also. The ending few minutes are predictable to say the least. But like I said, Loretta Devine makes the whole crap scenario tolerable. The entire movie pays more than enough homage to 'Scream' and gives us an extremely generous helping of 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' worship. But, sadly for 'Urban Legend', we've all seen both of those two movies, and Kevin Williamson did it a lot better. The end sequence features one scene that throws 'Halloween' homages in your face, but it just doesn't work like how it did for John Carpenter.
See 'Urban Legend' because it has a lot to say. However, it feels more essential than it actually is.
URBAN LEGEND -----6/10.
Drag Me to Hell (2009)
'Drag Me To Hell' (2009)
'Drag Me To Hell' invokes a ton of mixed feelings, like a lot of Sam Raimi's work does, for me at least. The opening scene starts off strong, the prologue is always creepier and more authentic when filmed in a language other than English (lol?), but quickly diminishes into the type of movie that the lame ADD-ridden junior high school crowd will think is totally awesome, but completely fails on any level of maturity. I'm probably being overly harsh, but it could definitely have been better, and a lot of what killed it was the fact that Sam Raimi seems to favor ridiculously cheesy special effects. And we are talking like extreme levels of cheese, here. I didn't like the effects in 'Spider-Man', either. They too, were packing on extreme layers of cheesiness. Which is fine every now and again, but not when you're working on something like 'Drag Me To Hell' which had a lot more potential to it than some ridiculous looking FX.
It pains me to say that 'Drag Me To Hell' was a slight disappointment, especially when I loved Raimi's 'A Simple Plan' so much, but he had a very strong story and extremely well-written book by Scott Smith to go by on that one.
On the other hand, 'Drag Me To Hell' definitely does have some genuine scares to be had. Alison Lohman does a fantastic job, and Dileep Rao adds a nice touch, but Justin Long is what helped attract me here because this dude rocked the sh*t out of 'Jeepers Creepers' hard and I wanted to see him do it again, but he does his best job at being a "grown-up" with a "career" and he has such "nice" parents, and his whole character is another one of those potential wastes.
All in all, I enjoyed it, but I don't know how many more times I am going to wanna see it again.
DRAG ME TO HELL -----6/10
From Within (2008)
'From Within' (2008)
Thoroughly well-made, well-acted, well-written, and well-photographed underground horror film. I was very pleasantly surprised by how well done everything seems to be here; the acting is far above average for this type of low-budget horror. Elizabeth Rice is a new face to me, but a beautiful one at that. The only person I easily recognize is Adam Goldberg of 'Saving Private Ryan' and 'The Salton Sea', and while he does well, his character is slightly forgettable.
The story is fresh and original, and plays out something along the lines of 'Final Destination' meets 'The Blair Witch Project', but don't take my word for it, there is no gratuitous nudity or extreme amounts of bloody gore to be had here, just well made psychological trauma mostly. And I must say, unlike most endings, 'From Within' definitely pays off in the end. Highly recommended.
FROM WITHIN -----8/10.