The 13th Day of Halloween

The Evil Dead (1981)

     If there has ever been a perfect cult horror film, then this is it. This film is amazing. Sam Raimi shows his genius here because if you can make a shoestring budget horror film truly terrifying, then you have got talent. Bruce Campbell in his breakout role of Ash is brilliant. One of the creepiest scenes is when the porch swing just stops hitting the cabin. I don't mean it peters out and is really scary when that happens. No, I mean it just stops. No warning and no reason. Raimi is a genius here because he had no money for FX and decided to go for atmosphere. There are a lot of POV shots to represent the evil spirits. Truly an amazing film.
     For those who are wondering why I didn't review the recent remake, it sucks. There's a plot hole so big you can fly the Death Star through it.

Evil Dead II (1987)

     This is where Sam Raimi ups the ante. While more tongue in cheek than the first one, it ramps up the creeps and is much more disturbing. As in, I forgot how fraking scary these two films are and am ending my reviews here because I am a huge scaredy cat.

Overall Rating: 6/5

Day 12 of 13 Days of Halloween

The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns (2001)

     These movies are awesome. They are fun adventure films that have just the right mix of comedy and seriousness in order to make them enjoyable. The third one is not as good hence why it isn't included in this review. My favorite character is Ardeth Bay mainly because of how nonchalant he is in the second movie. The first movie is more serious in tone which works because the characters are thrust in to a situation beyond belief and now have to deal with it. The second one has more humor in it because they've been through this before and they're settled in their lives. One of the best scenes in when they have to fight mummies on a double-decker bus speeding through London.

Overall Rating: 5/5

Day 11 of 13 Days of Halloween

The Underworld Series

     I'm not going to review each of the movies separately because there are four of them and I would be saying almost the same thing about each of them. I really like these movies a lot. That being said, a really weird thing these movies do is have memories be stored and shared through blood. That never gets explained. I just want to know how or why that is a thing.

     The main reason why I like these films is how they portray vampires. First off, vampires don't sparkle! They, in these films, burn up in sunlight or exposure to UV radiation. They don't burst in to flames, but experience the same effect as being set on fire. They also don't need to kill people for food because they invented/help fund research for cloned blood. 

     The other reason is the werewolves. They are huge and like to fight. The werewolves can be killed by silver and some of the older ones can change at will. The rest still have to wait for the full moon.

     An interesting addition to the lore is a reason for the blood feud between werewolves and vampires. This how mess started because one of the vampire elders hates werewolves and enslaved them. The werewolves didn't like that. The other cool addition is that of a common ancestor to both vampires and werewolves. This immortal can make a vampire a day-walker if they drink his blood.

Series Rating: 4.5/5

Day 10 of 13 Days of Halloween

Carrie

     I am a big Stephen King fan. Mainly his more dark and creepy or supernatural works over his outright nightmare inducing volumes. Today's pick is Carrie. Both versions. I want to talk about how well the source material was adapted in each version. I'm not one of those people who will be up in arms if a film isn't exactly like the book, but,in all fairness, Carrie isn't that long of a book.

Carrie (1976)

     The original is definitely an interesting movie. First off, Sissy Spacek is amazing as Carrie White. She portrays the victim of some serious bullying (borderline abuse) with subtlety instead of going overboard. Piper Laurie as the mother is also very good. The scenes where Carrie is alone with her mother in their house are disturbing. Unfortunately, the main bully and her boyfriend are way too campy. I could forgive that if they didn't kill the gym teacher. She was the only adult who cared about Carrie and tried to help her. The gym teacher doesn't die in the book. Why she dies here I'll never know.

Carrie (2013)

     I prefer this version for two main reasons. First, it is closer to the book. The gym teacher doesn't die and it ends on Sue Snell delivering her testimony on what happened on prom night. Carrie saves Sue because of two reasons, The first being that Sue asked her boyfriend to take Carrie to the prom and giver her one good night. The other being that with Carrie's telekinesis, she felt that Sue was pregnant and pushed her out of the way. The second reason that I prefer this version is that the characters feel a bit more real and less like caricatures.


Update 10/29/15: I found out shortly after writing this review that there's a 2002 version of Carrie. I didn't know it existed and couldn't find a copy, so that's why it isn't included.

Day 9 of 13 Days of Halloween

Alien

     Horror can be easily combined with many genres. Science fiction just happens to be one of them. Ridley Scott takes the story of a crew visiting a derelict ship and something hitching a ride back. Adding to the story is the hitchhiker is not welcome, has acid blood, and wants to kill everyone on board just adds to the suspense. And let's not forget the fact that it is set in space which means there is quite literally no place to go and no one to hear you scream.

     Normally, here is where I would talk more about the writing or the acting or some other part of the film, but that's not what I'm going to do tonight. Instead, I want to spend a brief moment talking about H.R. Giger's work on Alien. Giger created the concept art for the alien and its ship. He liked to fuse creatures and humans with machines to create biomechanical surrealism and to terrify people. Giger's original concept art for Alien can be found here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/danieldalton/original-alien-concept-art-h-r-giger#.wx6Py665m3 and it is much darker than the film which I didn't even think was possible.

     The film itself is almost a masterpiece in both story and set design. Sigourney Weaver is brilliant as Ripley. She can move between being scared to relieved to angry to sad and back again with an ease that I've rarely seen. My only complaint with the film is the inclusion of a killer android when there already is a killer extraterrestrial running amok. Truthfully, this is a minor annoyance as it does add to the intensity if the film. Also, my favorite character might be the cat.

Overall Rating: 4.8/5 

Day 8 of 13 Days of Halloween

Practical Magic

     Witches have had a varied history throughout Hollywood. They have been cackling hags flying about on broomsticks, seductresses out to ensnare both men and women, innocent girls, and mocking women chasing after children. Practical Magic takes a different approach to witches by portraying them as regular people.

Story:

     A family of witches lives on an island off the coast of Massachusetts. The inhabitants have heard and spread rumors of them being witches for generations. No one wants to prove it as everyone already "knows". The witches have been under a curse for over two hundred years that any man who loves them dies unnaturally early. One of the sisters gets in to some trouble with an abusive boyfriend and things go downhill from there. Of course things get straightened out and everything ends well. I really like the fact that the witches are just regular people. They're not trying to cause evil or chaos. They're just trying to make a living. The only problem I have with the story is that the curse is broken almost as an afterthought.

Magic:

     Magic is depicted as,well, practical. Nobody attempts to hurl lightning bolts or fly (floating down from the roof doesn't count). The sky doesn't darken as a curse or hex is cast. The use of magic is downplayed to an everyday occurrence. I really like this because it makes them to be outsiders instead of feared and sinister.

     I really like this film both as a supernatural story and as a romance. Both plots are given equal weight and equal attention.

Overall Rating: 4.6/5

Day 7 of 13 Days of Halloween

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

     Halloween, the one day of the year where society finds it acceptable to dress up in costume and be somebody else. Nothing epitomizes this feeling as much as going to a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. To be perfectly clear, this is not a review of the whole experience with the dressing up, props and shadow cast. This is a review of the film itself. Although the fact that Tim Curry can work a pair of heels far better than I ever will is a bit troubling.

Story:

     The plot is outlandish and weird and hilarious and self aware. What I mean by that is the fourth wall does not exist and probably never existed throughout filming. People appear and disappear with nary a reason. The whole film is told as if it was a highly strange police file. This works because it gives the film a way to demolish the fourth wall without having it be out of place.

Songs/Music:

     Easily the most famous song from The Rocky Horror Picture Show is "Time Warp". It's catchy, easy to sing plus, the dance is really fun to do. The songs, overall, are catchy little ear worms that help with the atmosphere of each scene they're involved with. "Damn It, Janet" is a breezy little old style pop/rock number reminiscent of the fifties. "Hot Patootie - Bless My Soul" is a rock n roll number that involves Meat Loaf on a motorcycle. The ending song (or both depending on if it is the US or UK version) seem sightly out of place with the frenetic energy of the rest of the film.

Acting:

     The acting in this film is amazing. Everyone seems to not take the script too seriously and just have fun. Tim Curry as an alien transvestite is absolutely remarkable. The man can pull off fishnets and sparkly platform heels like there's no tomorrow. Susan Sarandon is brilliant as the innocent heroine. The rest of the cast is superb as well.

     All in all, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one hell of a good time. For those who wish to see it, not on the Halloween anniversary showings, The Nuart theatre in Los Angeles has showings every Saturday night at midnight complete with a killer shadow cast. 

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

Day 6 of 13 Days of Halloween

Halloween (1978)

     I don't like the original Halloween. There I said it. I don't like the slasher genre as a whole. I find most of the films to be an excuse for gratuitous amounts of blood and gore with little to no plot.

Story:

     The story of Halloween revolves around a deranged man who escaped from an asylum near Halloween. He then goes around killing teenagers with a knife. An original idea for the time, but not well executed. I found the tension to be lacking as well as no sense of danger for the characters. The only scare that "got" me was when the cat jumped out of the closet. Even then, I was just startled.

Acting:

     Most of the budget was spent on hiring Donald Pleasance and he is misspent on this film. His experience shows and makes it glaringly obvious that the rest of the cast probably haven't been acting for very long. Jamie Lee Curtis does fairly well considering that the script isn't all that good. Some of her screaming was a touch over the top, but not by much.

Gore:

     There is surprisingly very little gore shown onscreen. In fact, the most blood is when Michael gets shot multiple times at the end of the film.

     Overall, I found the film dull. I spent the entire time waiting for something to happen. For anything to attempt to cause some amount of tension, but nothing ever happens. Bit disappointing really.

Overall Rating: 1/5

Day 5 of 13 Days of Halloween

Trends in Recent Horror Films

     Today I decided to take a break from reviewing films and instead talk briefly about recent story trends in horror films. I've noticed how many of the horror films that have been released in recent years deal with evil ghosts/spirits wanting to cause harm or kill people. I am talking about The Woman in Black, every Paranormal Activity, The Conjuring, The Ring (both versions), The Grudge (both versions), and many others. Now, I'm not saying that this is a bad thing. On the contrary, I love a good ghost story as much as the next guy, but what I don't like is how all of these films involve evil and harmful ghosts. The only exception that I've seen is the recently released Crimson Peak. There the ghosts are trying to both help Mia Wasikowska and ask for her help.

     It's not that I don't understand the appeal of only telling stories using evil ghosts especially for horror. I just wish they weren't the only stories told. The Boy, release date in January, is a film that I feel would be much more interesting if the doll wasn't possessed by an evil spirit. The doll can still be possessed by the boy's spirit, but I believe that the story would be much more interesting if he wasn't evil instead his parents were the evil ones and he is trying to keep the heroine safe. It is still a horror film just without an evil possessed doll.

     Another recent film, The Forest, release date in January as well, would be much more interesting and complex if not every spirit in the forest was evil. I refuse to believe that every single spirit in a forest wishes to do the living harm. An idea would be to have the heroine's sister (who dies either right before the film starts or at the beginning) plus some of the spirits, not all, try to help and protect the heroine from some of the darker forces that have taken up residence in the forest. Again, still a horror film just with some depth.

     I'm not suggesting that horror, as a whole, needs to be more "highbrow" or anything remotely close to that. I just wish for horror films to have a more in-depth story and not just keep recycling the same old tropes.

Day 4 of 13 Days of Halloween

The Black Cauldron

     This gem of animation is one the forgotten films of Disney. The Black Cauldron is a MUCH darker film than any other animated film that Disney has done. 

     The Black Cauldron's story is a simple one. Through the power of a prophetic pig named Hen Wen, Taran, goes out in search of the Black Cauldron. A magical object that if possessed by evil, would raise an army of the dead to control the world. The pig gets captured by the Evil Horned King's forces because he wants the cauldron. Taran goes after Hen Wen and does free her from the Horned King. He gets captured and is helped by Princess Eilonwy. They discover a magic sword in the tomb of a king. This is also where they pick up the friendly, non-scary, and furry version of Gollum, Gurgi. Our merry band of adventurers eventually, with the help of three witches, find the Black Cauldron. Unfortunately, the Horned King finds them too and takes everyone (except Gurgi) prisoner. The Horned King uses the Black Cauldron and raises an army of the undead called Cauldron-Born. Gurgi then leaps in to the Black Cauldron because the only way to stop it is for someone to climb in of their own free will. The price of doing so is Gurgi's life. After this, the witches reappear to take the cauldron but, Taran trades his sword and the cauldron for them to revive Gurgi. And they lived happily ever after.

     This movie has an interesting history. The Black Cauldron is loosely based on the first two books in the Prydain Chronicles which in turn are loosely based on the mythology of Wales. The film had to be edited twice in order to avoid a PG-13 rating and also because the original cut scared children. Fans are still trying to get the original cut restored and released. This film is not suitable for young children.

Pros:

Great animation

Cool story

Magic pig (don't see too many of those)

Cons:

Taran is a bit annoying throughout the film.

Because quite a few of the darker scenes were cut, the movie jumps around a little bit.

In one place you can tell that something was cut out because the soundtrack cuts there too.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Day 3 of 13 Days of Halloween

Ghost Voyage (2008)

     This is a made-for-TV, SciFi channel (it was before the name change) movie. I like most of the movies that SyFy (or SciFi channel) make because they're usually fairly well made and are good entertainment for two hours. There have been exceptions to this with the most notable one being about giant mosquitoes. Ghost Voyage is one of the good ones. The basic plot is that a group of strangers wake up on a cargo ship in the middle of nowhere. None of them have any idea how they got there or why they are there. Our group is made up of a party girl/possible escort, a sleazy fourth-rate movie producer, a convict, two bumbling mob enforcers, a junkie, the son of a Russian mobster, a mechanic and an art dealer. The only other person on board is The Steward (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) who proceeds to give the passengers three rules. 1) Do not breach any closed doors. 2) Do not refuse a request from any of the crew. 3) No smoking. The last one seems a bit random. The movie is about this group of people trying to figure out what's going on.

Here are the deaths in order (along with important plot points):

1. The convict is killed by a smoke monster because he goes on deck to smoke.

2. The junkie refuses to give his drugs up to The Steward and is promptly killed by one real freaky looking chick.

3. The party girl and the producer open the door to the captain's quarters. While they start to have sex, she gets pulled into the mirror headboard which then explodes and kills them both.

   During this, the rest of the group are trying to find anybody else on the ship. There is nobody else but, the cargo hold is full of funerary objects from many cultures.

4. The mob enforcers chase The Steward through the ship. They then pour a flammable liquid onto the closed door (presumably between them and The Steward) and proceed to light it on fire. They get killed by a huge flame monster.

   After this, The Steward appears before the other three and informs them that they haven't broken any rules so that's why they're still here. They then figure out that they're already dead and are on this voyage to redeem themselves because they committed some sin while they were alive. they get on a funerary boat that was in the cargo hold hoping it will carry them to safety. It soon becomes clear that the boat won't carry all three so, the Russian guy hits the mechanic in the head to in an attempt to throw him overboard, the art dealer attacks the Russian guy to save the mechanic and she is thrown overboard, the mechanic then jumps in after her. 

5. The Russian guy thinks that he'll survive only to be eaten/dragged under/killed by strange water creatures.

   The storm abates and the skies clear when the mechanic and art dealer break the water's surface. They are then shown meeting for the first time? in front of her gallery yet, there is a sense of familiarity between them.

     The only way for a soul, at least on this ship,to be redeemed is to selflessly try to save another's life. The film ends with The Steward informing a new group of passengers the rules.

Pros:

Good story with passable special effects.

The leads are engaging and don't make the really stupid decisions that audiences like to mock them for.

Cons:

The convict seemed like a throw away character as we learn almost nothing about him and he dies like ten or so minutes in.

The last rule seemed to be included specifically to kill the convict off as no one else attempts to smoke.

Overall Rating: 3.7/5

Day 2 of 13 Days of Halloween

Zombieland

     This review is really short for two reasons. First, I love this movie and don't want the review to turn into a long pitch. The second reason is I've had midterms this week and am quite fried but, I did promise 13 days of reviews.

     Zombieland is the hilarious sort of spoof/parody of zombie apocalypse movies. Zombies have killed the vast majority of people in the US (and presumably the world) and four disparate strangers come together to survive and maybe create a family of sorts. It is incredibly funny and mocking of itself. Woody Harrelson as a man in search of the last Twinkies in existence provides both a realistic view of what happens as well as providing what is probably the best running gag I've seen in a while.

Overall Rating: 5/5

Also....... TWINKIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

13 Days of Halloween

Day 1: Corpse Bride

     For Halloween and the month of October, I decided to review Halloweeny type movies that don't necessarily try to cause nightmares for weeks on end. No, these shall be movies that are creepy or spooky but definitely fall under the realm of Halloween and they, for the most part, won't be the typical Halloween movie. First up, Corpse Bride.

     Let me start off by saying that Corpse Bride is not my favorite Tim Burton movie for reasons that I'll be going in to later. Corpse Bride tells the time old tale of boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy accidentally marries the spirit of a murdered bride, then everyone tries to figure out how to make this right. With songs! Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp) is betrothed to Victoria Everglot (Emma Watson) because the Everglots (old money) need money or they'll be destitute while the Van Dorts (new money) would appreciate the prestige and higher social standing. After messing up the rehearsal, Victor goes off to practice in the woods where he manages to finally say his vows perfectly. Unfortunately for him, he places his ring on the hand of the Corpse Bride (Helena Bonham Carter) and awakens her spirit. (At the very end do we find out her name is Emily.) She made a dying vow that she would marry whoever says wedding vows and placed a ring on her finger. The rest of the movie is tasked with how does Victor get back to Victoria, is the mysterious Barkus Bittern going to help (spoiler alert: no), and what is going to happen to the Corpse Bride? 

     And here are the answers of course they get together, Bittern's crimes are revealed and the Corpse Bride is finally released from the vow she made so long ago. Now, Bittern isn't punished by any court of the living. The denizens of the realm of the dead like the Corpse Bride and are quite attached to her so, when Bittern accidentally drinks poison, they pull him behind a closed door with a rather sinister sounding "New arrival." Earlier in the film, it is shown that when someone dies, they become a "new arrival" and their presence is welcomed and celebrated. Not so much with Bittern...

Pros:

The animation is outstanding. 

Danny Elfman as Bonejangles is amazing. 

Cons:

The songs (except for the one about the Corpse Bride) seemed shoe horned in and didn't really flow with the story.

The ending could have been done differently. I wish the Corpse Bride (and the spirits of the dead) stayed and watched Victor and Victoria get married.

  The only unanswered question that I'm left with is what do the spirits of the dead do to Bittern?



Overall Rating: 3.5/5