The Voices review

Genre: Black Comedy, Psychological Thriller, Horror, Comedy, Drama.
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick, Jacki Weaver, Sam Spruell, Adi Shankar, Ella Smith.
Year Of Release: 2015
Certificate: 15 (UK) R (US)
Runtime: 103 Minutes
Director: Marjane Satrapi

Synopsis: "A likable guy pursues his office crush with the help of his evil talking pets, but things turn sinister when she stands him up for a date." IMDB

When I first heard about "The Voices" I was pretty excited, finally a film that Reynolds would get to act and we can see if/what he can really do given a good script. Reynolds has had a bit of a bad run in the cinema in recent year I mean we will all never forget how horrifically bad "Green Lantern" and you would be hard done by to find another person like myself that enjoyed "R.I.P.D". HUGE thanks to Peter Noble PR for the opportunity to review the film.

Arrow Films are bringing the hugely loved "The Voices" to UK shores this coming Monday July 13th, the film is being released on DVD, Blu-Ray and Steelbook, the wonderful steelbook is a Zavvi exclusive. Either of the options will take you to the best place to purchase said copies.

"The Voices is directed by Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian author and filmmaker best known for the Academy Award nominated animated film Persepolis (2007). Ryan Reynolds stars as a troubled, med-addicted factory worker driven to murder by his talking pets, a psychopathic cat called Mr. Whiskers and Bosco, his peace-loving dog. Reynolds also voices both of the animals, while Jacki Weaver, Gemma Arterton and Anna Kendrick play the women unfortunate enough to cross his path."

Firstly let's start with the cast, the decision to cast Ryan Reynolds in role was an inspired one he is a truly talented actor that not many people get the chance to see actually act. His roles in "Buried" and "Safe House" I can't recommend any higher, same goes for this, playing Jerry Hickfang he disturbingly felt at home. Reynolds played the character so well that there was times the viewer is dragged in deep into illusion of lost connection with reality. Gemma Arterton and Anna Kendrick play Hickfang's unwilling accomplices, Arterton was a wonderful comedic break from the dark story Kendrick on the other hand I personally struggle to enjoy not sure what it is, this time she has won me over playing the smitten Lisa she was a fun addition to the cast. Then we get to Reynolds voicing Bosco the dog and Mr Whiskers obviously the cat, some of the lines for these characters were so hilariously executed by Reynolds you actually fall in love with them even if Mr Whiskers is a bit on the naughty side. The entire cast were thoroughly enjoyable.

This is the first film I have seen by director Marjane Satrapi and if this if anything to go by I am quiet sure I will be following her career for a long time. She blends perfectly the highs and lows of a Jerry's struggle between reality and imagination, be it from the belly laughs you get from Mr Whiskers and Bosco to the rock bottom lows of Jerry's realisation of the real world. Satrapi succeeds in keeping you entertained from start to end, in regards to the end don't skip the credits you're in for a wonderfully funny treat which I did not expect but loved.

Onto the story, people constantly complain about Hollywood being lazy and constantly remaking the same stuff, this film is certainly NOT the case. Writer Michael R Perry ("The River" TV show & "Paranormal Activity 2") really excels in making something new and fresh his character development and witty written conversations between Jerry and his pets were incredible, not only did he write something extremely funny, he writes a script in which we really get to see Reynolds perform his best role to date in my opinion.

Overall, I found the film to be wonderfully funny was a brilliant mix of dark and light Comedy, Marjane Satrapi does very well at blending the two into one cohesive mix. This film is the perfect film for any fan of the black comedy genre, everything coming together from Reynolds superb performance, to the pacing of the film to hilarious retorts by Mr Whiskers and Bosco you're in for 103 minutes of pure fun. In short I absolutely loved this film, I couldn't recommend it any higher to Reynolds fans or just Comedy/Horror lovers in general. Plus it gives us an insight into what Reynolds can do with a disturbed character with a warped view of reality, *cough* Deadpool *cough*.

8/10

The Voices is released on DVD, Blu-ray and limited edition Zavvi.com Steelbook through Arrow Films on Monday July 13th

The Cutting Room review

Genre: Found Footage, Horror.
Starring: Parry Glasspool, Lucy-Jane Quinlan, Lydia Orange, TJ Herbert, Jason Rhodes, Mkaya Carrigan, Louisa Adams.
Year Of Release: 2015
Certificate: 15 (UK) PG-13 (US)
Runtime: 76 Minutes
Director: Warren Dudley

Synopsis: "College students Raz, Charlie and Jess are about to start work on their end of year Media Studies project... unaware of a malevolent force lurking deep below their sleepy town. A recent wave of apparent Cyberbullying and the disappearance of two local girls lead the group to an abandoned army barracks situated deep in the forests that surround the college. What they find there is a terrifying labyrinth of tunnels from which there seems no escape... and a dark figure hell bent on tormenting them. Hunted, frightened and lost, Raz, Charlie and Jess must now escape the barracks or suffer the unspeakable fate that awaits them." IMDB

Before I start my review, I just want to start off by informing you guys/girls I am doing a new rating scale for Horror. It came to my attention, when rereading some of my reviews, that it looks silly when I rate a film like say Grave Encounters as a 9 along with Guardians Of The Galaxy as a 9, it just doesn't seem to translate, so I will from now on, be rating my Horror films on a 1-5 scale. I just feel it looks better, if you have any feedback let us know in the comments or Twitter sorry for going off topic a bit, back to the review.

I always go in to Horror films very apprehensive, I have been burnt so many times over the years, that being said I am a huge lover of the genre especially the found-footage subgenre. So when director Warren Dudley got in touch with me on Twitter and offered me the chance to review his upcoming film of that genre I jumped on the chance. 

Firstly let me start with the story, the film was very well written, writer and director Warren Dudley did a great job at building suspense and making you feel very uneasy. I really enjoyed how there wasn't an attempt at twists and turns every so often to try and disorientate the viewer, also the use of comedy at times to keep the viewer calm really helps when the scares come. There is one scare that really stands out, that I can guarantee will leave you panting for a good few seconds. A nice combination of humour and feat leave you wanting to watch more from the team, I really hope this isn't the last Horror Mr Dudley does. From a nice slowly paced Horror in the third act, the film really kicks up a gear with a twist you will not see coming, an ending that will stick with you for a while, it was on my mind for a good few days.

The acting is so much better than I expected, no offence intended to the leading three of Parry Glasspool, Lucy-Jane Quinlan and Lydia Orange, I have just found in recent years Horror directors go for the cheapest option possible in Horror. However, all three were great in their roles, by no means are their performances say Oscar worthy, that being said, they really do get to showcase their acting talent. Especially for three people in their early 20s (educated guessing sorry), they are better than some of the more experienced people you see in the genre. Not solely down to the actors themselves the writing helped a lot, but the characters are so likeable you find yourself routing for them to survive, they were truly convincing as a group of friends

The use of gore is absolutely disgusting, but in a good way, not overly used, but when used you will scrunch up your face because it nasty but really conveys what was intended. It is great to see a film that isn't heavily reliant on gore, just uses it when they really need too. Speaking of being not reliant on modern tropes of the genre, I was pleasantly surprised at how somebody today made a Horror film without showing nudity, feels like everything in the genre is sold on boobs. This time around the director relied on his ability to write a great script and pacing it well enough to the point that you realise a lot of the modern tropes are unnecessary.

The use of locations in the film were great choices, most of us, if not all of us are familiar with the constraints of project work in school so the entire premise of the film was relatable which I loved. A fair amount of the filming took place in Newhaven Fort in the Southern part of England, the use of the fort was genius, I like many suffer from severe claustrophobia, so the dark, tight and never ending tunnels really got to me. Making the film incredibly uncomfortable, but in a great way which I do not get very often.

Overall, the film was a great watch, plus has the bonus of being British which for me adds the proud factor to the film. In recent months I have seen the likes of  "As Above, So Below" and "The Pyramid" which I imagine "The Cutting Room" was made for an absolute fraction of the price, yet manages to completely blow the two out of the water. The Cutting Room is easily one of the best British Horror films in the past 15 years, I'd personally put it up there with "Dog Soldiers", "28 Days Later" and "Eden Lake". I sincerely hope this film isn't slept on due to it being a British indie Horror, I enjoyed it more than I did a lot of the huge budget Hollywood Horrors in recent years, I implore my readers immensely to get their hands on a copy. Truly a low-budget diamond, shining in genre packed with mediocrity.  Pre-order yours NOW on Amazon here!

5/5

The Babadook review

Genre: Psychological Horror, Drama, Thriller, Horror.
Starring: Essie Davies, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney, Barbara West, Benjamin Winspear, Cathy Adamek, Craig Behenna, Adam Morgan, Peta Shannon, Hachi.
Year Of Release: 2014
Certificate: 15 (UK)
Runtime: 94 Minutes
Director: Jennifer Kent

Synopsis: "A single mother, plagued by the violent death of her husband, battles with her son's fear of a monster lurking in the house, but soon discovers a sinister presence all around her." IMDB

!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

The Babadook is based on director Jennifer Kent's short from 2005 entitled "Monster", this is her debut into directing a feature which is hard to believe when watching the film. Jennifer delivers a truly disturbing Horror film, that from start to finish will have your brain going a mile a minute trying to work out what the heck is going on.

The MAIN thing you have to understand going into this film, is not just about The Babadook as a monster, I don't really want to say too much about it without ruining the story. The Horror isn't fast paced and in your face like a lot of films in recent years, it is a slow burner that makes you feel invested in the characters and thrives on the tension the director builds in scenes. Director Kimberly Peirce who directed Carrie in 2013 should take a look at this film and see where she went wrong in the tension building department, while Carrie failed in drawing the viewer in, The Babadook thrives doing such.

The acting of Essie Davis was incredible she really encapsulates the loving mother who is right at the point of snapping due to circumstances surrounding her life. She is extremely convincing in her portrayal of the character even down to the pale and exhausted look of a single mother living on no sleep and a young child who borders on a monster himself. As for said child Noah Wiseman was brilliant in his role of Samuel he really had that disturbing creepy vibe you reminding me of Miko Hughes as Gage Creed in Pet Sematary. As I read on another review "There are times when the pair almost fuse into one traumatised entity." I couldn't agree more, they really bounced off each other great, but at times they really did feel like the one character fighting the monster.

Some long serving Horror fans may find this a bit different to what they are used to, The Babadook monster serves as a secondary factor in the film. The story itself is the main character, a truly terrifying story filled with scares, tension and twists second to none. While the film still has its "traditional" scares, it plays on the larger story of life and coming to terms with huge drastic and emotional changes we all succumb to in our daily lives and gives us lovers of the genre something new to enjoy instead of loud noises to make us jump.

Well wasn't this the shock of the year when it comes to Horror, who would have thought a little known Australian film would have had cinephiles from all backgrounds watching. I personally know people who dislike Horror as a genre but genuinely enjoyed this film. Everything about this film was incredible considering the genre and the fact it is a feature debut, the film will stick with you for days thinking about how well written and directed it really was. I will admit at times it is hard to bare with Samuel's crying/moaning early on, to the point you're wanting the "monster" to get him ha, but when you sit back and think about it after the fact he acts exactly how ALL children would in such scenario. It is films like this that make me incredible happy to be a lover of the Horror art form, truly hope some more Horror comes from Jennifer Kent in the future if her debut is anything to go by, she can only get better. I still to this day about three months after watching the film find myself saying "ba... ba... . dook... dook... DOOK!"

8/10

ITV commisions Beowulf series

A few weeks back it was announced that ITV were moving forward with an adaptation of Jekyll & Hyde, today we are hearing news that they have also commissioned another classic Horror story. They are adapting Beowulf, which is being described as "an epic re-imagining of one of literature's greatest and most enduring heroes" this series is being created by James Dormer, Tim Haines and Katie Newman. Filming will start in April 2015, no casting has been made as of yet.

ITV have said about the series "a western set in the Dark Ages of Britain’s mythic past, the story unfolds on a huge canvas, filmed amongst the breathtaking beauty of England’s North East."

"Hundreds of years ago our ancestors listened to the story of Beowulf because it was a great adventure story – it scared them, thrilled them, made them laugh and cry," Dormer who will write and executive produce the series went on to say, "But they also listened because they recognized themselves and their fears in it. By holding a mirror up to them this story helped define them and thus – us. So it’s incredibly exciting to have the opportunity to make it relevant again for a wide audience – to let them own it again. To let them see themselves in it."

"Beowulf is a series with a charismatic protagonist at its heart," Director of Drama Steve November said. "Equally it’s a spirited and fascinating ensemble drama with each character taking their own emotional and sometimes perilous journey. We’re delighted to be commissioning Beowulf and to be working with Tim Haines and his production team,".

New trailer for Horror "The Pyramid"

Next month Fox are releasing their latest Horror, "The Pyramid" another found footage attempt, must be the millionth one surely.
"In The Pyramid, the ancient wonders of the world have long cursed explorers who’ve dared to uncover their secrets. But a team of U.S. archaeologists gets more than they bargained for when they discover a lost pyramid unlike any other in the Egyptian desert. As they unlock the horrific secrets buried within, they realize they aren’t just trapped, they are being hunted."

Meet "The Goosebumps" monsters!

So here we are 1,000th post, and is there a more befitting piece to talk about than a piece that took over my childhood nearly completely. I watched the episodes continuously on Jetix (I believe), so when the film was announced my inner Horror loving child was excited. Check out the monsters from the film below.

Dracula Untold review

Genre: Dark Fantasy, Fantasy, Epic, Adventure, Action, Epic, Horror.
Starring: Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, Art Parkinson, Charles Dance, William Houston, Ferdinand Kingsley, Noah Huntley, Paul Kaye, Zach McGowan, Ronan Vibert, Diarmaid Murtagh, Thor Kristjansson, Joseph Long.
Year Of Release: 2014
Certificate: 15 (UK)
Runtime: 92 Minutes
Director: Gary Shore

Synopsis: "As his kingdom is being threatened by the Turks, young prince Vlad Tepes must become a monster feared by his own kingdom in order to obtain the power needed to protect his own family, and the families of his kingdom." IMDB

!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

The reboot in the Universal Monsters franchise we all (well at least me) have been waiting for, and they decided to start with THE ultimate movie monster Dracula. This franchise comes at the right time, just when cinematic universes are on the up and up, and the Universal Monsters was and still is one of the most enjoyable franchises to date. 

Luke Evans truly carried this film from start to end, that is not to say that everybody else was poor, just that Evans was a complete and utter standout in his role as Vlad Tepes. He truly came across as an emotionally driven man willing to do absolutely anything for his family and people, even if that meant the ultimate sacrifice of himself. The progression that Vlad has throughout the film was great, he went from Prince of a calm and quiet land to the head of his own domineering army.

With that all being said about Evans, doesn't mean I didn't enjoy other performances, Charles Dance for one was brilliant as Master Vampire, a truly terrifying performance I'm hoping will continue for more instalments in the franchise. I will say Cooper's character of Mehmed was a little bland in the way that there wasn't much progression on his behalf, however a bit bland he was played well by Cooper.

I'm a huge fan of the vampiric subgenre of Horror, but found it be getting a little diluted with boring modern relationship driven stories and forgetting about the true nature of the greatest movie monster of all time. This film is a brilliant mixture of both, while we get to see the emotional struggle of becoming such a creature, we also get to see how a man striving to protect his world can use his now animalistic attributes to fight many men especially in that scene when he defeats an army and casually walks back to his people like he done nothing. "Men don't fear swords. They fear monsters".

The cinematography was brilliant, it was a beautiful film to watch, it had a very artistic feel to it all the scenes made sense like they themselves were part of the story. There is a fair amount of computer generated scenes, but that's a given for the type of film it is, I usually advocate for practical over computer effects when possible. However, within this film the CG if the right approach it adds so much to the story, when Vlad flicks into bat mode to move quicker is phenomenal to watch.

Overall, a great watch, I personally enjoy every second of the film, I will say it was not what I expected but in a good way I really enjoyed more than I ever imagined. I'm surprised this film only has a 6.3 (at time of writing) on IMDB, I understand this isn't a complete game changer in the genres it covers, however, I feel the low rating is unwarranted.

In recent years there has been countless attempts to reboot classic fairytales into modernised Horror's, Gary Shore on his directorial debut, yes this is his debut film, what a way to kick it off, has done a great job. I was extremely apprehensive and equally excited about the prospect of the reboot, if this film is just the introduction to this world I can not wait to see where it goes. Seriously hope Luke Evans and Charles Dance sign on for further instalments after that ending!

8/10

A new Wolf Man coming soon?

Just a week after it was revealed Universal Pictures had a mystery film set to release in 2017, we now have confirmation that the film is set to be a revival of The Wolf Man. Deadline are reporting that Universal are looking at Aaron Guzikowski known for "Prisoners" and "Contraband" to write a rebooted to the classic.

Supernatural ending?

Let's talk Supernatural, I have been hooked on the show since roughly Season 2 due to the UK being delayed massively when it came to television shows a few years ago. Ever since then I have hung on to every word of the show like a little fan girl (I'm a 24 year old man right now and still do), however since about Season 6/7 when the ratings took a hit I began to think about how the show could wrap up and I would still be happy that it ended. I know right, tall order for a day one (UK permitted) fan, I have literally given the ending of this show more forethought than any other show I watch.

Anyway, back to why I started this article, I think that Sam and Dean having a "happy ending" meaning that they both get out the life, get married and have kids live the normal life, would be the completely wrong way to go in my opinion. Yes, Sam and Dean worked their asses off and even died multiple times in their line of work for mankind, however a decade of them doing what they do and they have became so entwined up in that existence that life outside of it makes no sense for the pair story-wise.

Since day one, for Dean is has ALWAYS been about being a hunter and nothing else besides his Dad and Sam really mattered to him especially after John died. So for Dean to have a normal life outside of the hunting world, for me, makes absolutely no sense at all. Sam on the other hand, he spent his entirety getting away from that world until John died. So for me it's as simple as Sam gets his life free of the demonic/hunting while Dean has to die doing what he believes he was put on Earth for. Which would be unfortunate for Lisa & Ben (if they still remembered), however I see them playing a part in the ending.

The way I see it, the world can NEVER be 100% free of demons/ghosts or anything monstrous the brothers have came across in their time hunting. Far too much has happened with new and evil beings for them truly all to be wiped out. I mean they already closed the gates of hell in Season 2 and there still is countless occurrences of evil happenings (coincidentally only in the US, got to love television shows ha).

So, anyway, back to why I started this piece I wanted to give you guys and girls my thoughts on how I think the show should end leaving me in a state of happiness or as close as can be considering my baby is no more.

Castiel & Crowley

Castiel will become the ruler of Heaven, a new version of God if you will, not the creator just in name alone he will be the "God" people adhere to. With Castiel being the new ruler, the war among Angels come to an end and peace is restored above. As the saying goes the "as above, so below", after Castiel becoming the top dog upstairs, Crowley is now the king of Hell, the devil in the absence of one. Same rules apply to Crowley as Castiel, when taking power the take over responsibilities once held by their predecessors. Before returning to their rightful places as God and the Devil, Castiel and Crowley come to an agreement (or as close as those two entities would allow) in which the good will go up, while the bad will go down. Kind of back to how it was pre the end of days.

Sam & Dean

So back to what truly matters, what will happen to Sam & Dean, the way I see it the truly happy ending is a no go. For me, Dean has to go out doing what his was put here to do, fighting the evil of this Earth, Dean dying in the line of duty and Sammy is left here to live his "normal life" that he wants.

THE END!

I know I have gone into the details of what I would like to see, however this is how I see the finale actually playing out some specifics. I see Dean on deaths door (specifics I do not mind, as long as it is a serious situation), while on the floor Castiel is over him ready to heal him as countless times before. Dean looks him in the eye and says "it's my time Cas, I can't do this anymore".

While Dean is left dying due to his injuries, Castiel continues the fight with Sam (not sure who or what they are fighting) upon defeating said "baddie", Sam rushes to Dean and starts yelling that he has to stay, there is no life without each other, you know, the typical Sam and Dean back and forth we have seen many a time. Dean continues to tell Sam how he can not continue to do this all the time, at some point they have to die and Dead has had enough and wants the sweet relief he has earned from three decades of of fighting. 

Before crossing over, after he has given the Dean speech, he leans in and whispers something to Sam, which we do not hear and also passes him something we can't see. Fade to black, cue Sam knocking on an oddly familiar door, the door opens to Ben, Sam hands him the keys to the Impala and informs him it was his fathers who was a great man (giving him a traditional Winchester speech, we do not hear the specifics of).

"Happy 1st Birthday Dean" is a banner we see hanging above a crib, "Goodnight, Dean" says Sam and the show ends, a nice way to wrap it up, considering that was Dean's first ever words in the show. Sam's now wife, leans over Dean's crib an starts to sing this...

Universal Monsters mystery film in 2017???

 Universal Monsters character The Mummy already has release date set, that is scheduled to release June 24th, 2016. Now, Universal Pictures have set a release date for an upcoming Universal Monsters film of April 21st, 2017. As it stands there is no official title to go with the film yet so let the speculation begin.

Personally I would LOVE to see a Van Helsing film released, the 2004 Hugh Jackman film was incredible for my 14 year old self. I can only begin to imagine how epic they could make a version now with the advancements in effects and the ability of actors/actresses being of a much higher calibre I have very high hopes for this Universal Monsters cinematic universe.

Leatherface has directors, yes plural!

The next instalment in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise has found its directors, yes that is more than one director signed on the for the next film. It was only a few weeks ago that a shortlist of directors and the two who got the job were on it these are French directors Julien Maury & Alexandre Bustillo the directors behind French Horrors "Livid" and "Inside".

ShockTillYouDrop.com speculated some potential details;
"The story will begin with the Leatherface character in his teenage years. He resides in a mental institution until he joins a pack of fellow patients who all break out and go on the run from the authorities."

MTV taking Scream to series

The rumours came around about two years ago that MTV were planning on taking Wes Craven's Ghostface to the small screen in a "Scream" television show. We are now getting news that MTV plans to have the show on air in October 2015.

The show is set to star Willa Fitzgerald, Bex Taylor-Klaus, John Karna, Conner Well, Amadeus Serafini, Carlson Young, Joel Gretsch, Bobby Campo, Tom Madden and Anna Grace Barlow.

The pilot is being scripted by Jay Beattie and Dan Dworkin, with Jill Blotevogel is serving as showrunner on the series and executive producing alongside Wes Craven, Cathy Konrad, Marianne Maddalena and Bob and Harvey Weinstein.

Grave Encounters review

Genre: Supernatural, Found Footage, Horror.
Starring: Sean Rogerson, Ashleigh Gryzko, Merwin Mondesir, Mackenzie Gray, Juan Reininger, Arthur Corber, Bob Rathie, Matthew K McBride, Ben Wilkinson, Alex Timmer, Eva Gilford, Michelle Cummins, Shawn Macdonald, Fred Keating, Max Train, Marita Eason, Luis Jamer.
Year Of Release: 2012 (UK) 2011 (US)
Certificate: 15 (UK)
Runtime: 95 Minutes
Director: The Vicious Brothers (Colin Minihan & Stuart Ortiz)

Synopsis: "For their ghost hunting reality show, a production crew locks themselves inside an abandoned mental hospital that's supposedly haunted - and it might prove to be all too true." IMDB

After recently reviewing "Extraterrestrial" which was made by The Vicious Brothers, I had to review the film that made me fall in love with their work. I know a lot of people find the whole Found Footage sub-genre to be boring and played out, however when done correctly it is terrifying, here is what I thought of the "brothers" directorial debut.

Opening up with Jerry Hartfield (Wilkinson) who is the producer of the popular "Grave Encounters" a paranormal investigation television series, he introduces us to the hose Lance Preston (Rogerson) [who to me is clearly a parody of Ghost Adventures host Zak Bagans]. Hartfield goes on to tell us that the show was cancelled after its fifth episode and the footage from the sixth episode went mysteriously missing, the footage was found some time later and brought to Hartfield. The film is headlined by Lance, Sasha Parker an occult specialist, Matt White the camera guy, T.C Gibson and Houston Grey who are all set out to investigate the notoriously haunted and abandoned Collingwood Psychiatric Hospital were nearly 100,000 patients were treated.

Caretaker (Rathie) of the Hospital gives them a tour of the site, that night the crew set up their investigatory equipment and begin their overnight investigation while locked within the hospital. It is now when the truly strange things begin to occur, creepy noises, unexplained events and slamming doors. Lance notices ghostly apparitions and orbs in a picture they have taken, while retrieving their cameras to check for evidence Matt goes missing. This is when it ALL kicks off!

Overall, the film was a resounding success in my opinion, while the film is obviously not an original concept by any stretch of the imagination. The Vicious Brothers really make it their own, if you're a fan of the sub-genre or not you will struggle to find a better paranormal based Horror in the past decade in my opinion. For me it's at least on par with "Paranormal Activity" and that film completely changed the Found Footage/Paranormal genre.

The acting is pretty good considering the film is such a low budget production, acting is usually the first thing directors give up when they have no money in Horror, however the brothers seem to have cast more than capable actors/actresses for their film. The asylum they use leaves the audience feeling uncomfortable and uneasy knowing even to walk the halls in the day would be a horrific experience. The location scout on this hit the ball out the park with this location.

I highly recommend you check this film out especially if you're a fan of the sub-genre, if you are not check it out anyway I have a feeling it may sway you to becoming a believer in the sub-genre once again. While the concept is unoriginal, I GUARANTEE the scares are all original, these guys do more than just scare they make you feel like you're stuck right there with the crew. If you're looking for some scares this Halloween, this film is for you!

 

9/10

See No Evil 2 review

Genre: Slasher, Horror.
Starring: Danielle Harris, Kane, Katharine Isabelle, Chelan Simmons, Kaj-Erik Eriksen, Greyston Holt, Lee Majdoub, Michael Eklund, Soska Sisters (cameo).
Year Of Release: 2014
Certificate: 15 (UK)
Runtime: 90 Minutes

Director: Soska Sisters
Synopsis:"A group of friends pays a late-night visit to the city morgue to surprise Amy (Harris) on her birthday. But the surprise is on them when the one-eyed corpse of brutal psychopath Jacob Goodnight (Jacobs) unexpectedly rises from a cold sub-basement slab. Their wild party quickly turns into a terrifying slay-fest as the sadistic mass-murderer resumes his savage rampage complete with hooks, surgical knives and power saws." IMDB

Here we are with the obligatory Horror sequel, it feels as though 9/10 everything Horror related today is either a sequel/prequel/remake/reboot. That is less annoying when it is a Slasher, just look at Halloween that spawned 9 sequels and I still watch every one of them.

The film opens up with Amy (Harris), Seth (Eriksen) and Holden (Eklund) who are stuck working the graveyard shift at the city morgue where they are all employed. Amy is getting ready to leave in order to celebrate her birthday with her friends. Holden gets the news that a huge number of bodies are coming in, victims of the mass murder committed by Jacob Goodnight (Kane) an event which takes place in the first film. Amy abruptly cancels plans to leave deciding instead to stay and help process the bodies including that of notorious killer Goodnight.

Knowing she can't make the celebration, Amys friends Tamara (Isabelle), Kayla (Simmons), Carter (Majdoub) and her brother Will (Holt) decide to surprise her by throwing her a party in the morgue. During the party Seth and Will have a falling out resulting in Seth leaving the party and going back into work. Tamara is disturbingly obsessed with serial killers and all things that fall under that bracket, she and her boyfriend leave the party to hunt down the body of Goodnight to check it out. Finding the body causes Tamara to get a little bit on the frisky side shall we say, she and Carter begin having sex in turn somehow waking up/reviving Goodnight and that it when the proverbial shit hits the fan.

Overall, the film is a thoroughly enjoyable flick while all set in modern time, it has a brilliant 80s Slasher vibe to it. The Soska Sisters must have grown up watching countless Horror and Slasher films, they get this one down to perfection. Yeah the film lacks character development, however the first film told us all we needed to know about Jacob so this film just needed to be a full on gore fest Slasher flick. Which it was, the film reminded me of the first time I watched the greats like "Halloween" or "Friday The 13th", far superior than the modernised slashers we have.

I also loved how the Sisters gave their own twist to Jacobs look, they made him look more like a true Horror icon, one that when you see you can imagine having a franchise of films built around him. If you are a fan of either the Soska's work or the Slasher sub-genre you would be a damn fool not to check this out, if the twins continue to make films half as good as this they have a LONG career making Horror.

How they managed to get both Katharine Isabelle AND Danielle Harris in a direct-to-dvd sequel of a WWE film is beyond me, but bringing them together was one of the best parts of the film they are both Horror icons in their own right and them sharing the screen rocked! Isabelle's performance was sublime in all she done throughout the film, not to take away from anybody else, heck even Kane upped his game and played a much better "monster". The film uses a lot of practical effects which is by far the best way to make Horror, there is some CGI, more practical though. The death scenes are incredible, the death of Katharine's character completely stands out, it was a beautiful death has to be seen to be appreciated.

Here's to decades more from these genius sisters!

7/10

Annabelle review

Genre: Supernatural, Horror.
Starring: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Tony Amendola, Alfre Woodward, Kerry O'Malley, Brian Howe, Eric Ladin, Ivar Brogger, Tree O'Toole, Keira Daniels, Morganna May, Amy Tipton, Michelle Romano, Christopher Shaw.
Year Of Release: 2014
Certificate: 15 (UK)
Runtime: 98 Minutes
Director: John R Leonetti

Synopsis: "A couple begin to experience terrifying supernatural occurrences involving a vintage doll shortly after their home is invaded by satanic cultists." IMDB

When I heard that "The Conjuring" was getting a sequel based on the unbelievably disturbing "real" story of the Annabelle doll I was so pumped! Not only am I a HUGE lover of the Horror genre, I am also a pretty keen follower of the "real" paranormal (not to say I am a believer, just a very keen enthusiast of the subject). The doll still sits today in the museum started by The Warrens, how messed up is that a museum dedicated to the most sinister paranormal objects in the world, I'd LOVE to visit it one day!

Opening up with the same scene in which "The Conjuring" did, two young women and a young man are telling Ed and Lorraine Warren about their experiences with what they believe to be a haunted doll they call Annabelle. Cut back a year and we are now with John (Horton) and Mia (Wallis) who are expecting their first child, John gives his wife a doll that she has been searching for, for a long time.

As Mia closes in on her dude date, something unbelievably horrific happens, a couple/pair of Satanic cultists break into their home attacking Mia and stabbing her in the stomach, both cultists end up dying in the house. The female cultist named Annabelle Higgins dies with the aforementioned doll in her hands he blood lands on doll starting what will be the worst experience of the young couples lives. A short time passes and Mia is now seeing shadows, shadowy figures, hearing noises resulting in her horrible realisation that something evil is after her new born baby.

Overall, the film was a complete and utter let down, if ANY Horror writers/directors see this read this line carefully;
!!!LOUD NOISES ARE NOT HOW JUMP SCARES WORK!!!

Lazy film making at its best, making watchers wince through using loud noises is NOT how Horror works, it NEVER has been, ANYBODY could make a film in that way an call it Horror. The scenes do make you jump, not through fear of the film, just shock in the boom as you do when you wake a sleeping person with a bang.

The main problem is James Wan when creating the film that spawned this prequel "The Conjuring"  created a beautifully made Horror that felt like it took place in the 70s. Unfortunately, John Leonetti fell on his face in this aspect, he just robbed tropes and elements from 60s & 70s Horror. He fell into the trap that lots of modern Horror directors do, just paying homage to the greats does not add to your film, if anything it takes away from your film leaving the fans with a sense of let down. There is an over use of panning reveals (if you are not familiar is panning through a room an passing a door/window to reveal something in the background) it happens so many times that you feel no suspense watching them.

All "Annabelle" truly offers is the chance to wince four or five times through sheer ear pain, none of the scenes will built any tension for the viewer, they try to build up but fall flat on their face. Unlike "The Conjuring" which builds scene to the point in which you feel the tension, this film is a misguided idea of how to rob a genre by using "jump scares" to bring in a younger/inexperienced audience who know no better due to the massive decline in modern Horror. Most fans of the genre will be sitting there twiddling their thumbs waiting for the film to actually end, and may I add I did not they needed to redesign the look of Annabelle I personally find the doll much creepier, I get why they did it though, the fear of porcelain dolls is a mass fear. 

The film itself is really not the only problem, Wallis and Horton are boring throughout, Wallis mumbles most of her lines and you struggle to truly grasp what she is feeling while Horton is the opposite his overly emotion acting feels forced. There is one scene that was done pretty well, which is the only reason the film didn't get a zero or a one star rating, that is the basement/storage unit scene, I can highly recommend you check that scene out on maybe YouTube or something. Other than that, I highly recommend you get your evil doll Horror fix from "Child's Play" (1988), "Dead Silence" (2007, which was director by producer of this film James Wan) or "Dolls" (1987).

2/10

Extraterrestrial 2014 review

Genre: Found Footage, Science Fiction, Horror.
Starring: Brittany Allen, Freddie Stroma, Melanie Papalia, Jesse Moss, Anja Savcic, Gil Bellows, Michael Ironside, Sean Rogerson, Emily Perkins, Mike Kovac, Ian Brown, Fred Keating, Mackenzie Gray, Reese Alexander.
Year Of Release: 2014
Certificate: 15 (UK)
Runtime: 106 Miutes
Director: Colin Minihan (Half of The Vicious Brothers who together wrote)

Synopsis: "A group of friends on a weekend trip to a cabin in the woods find themselves terrorized by alien visitors." IMDB

Here we are, another "teen slasher in the woods", or is it? They take the overly used concept and put their own twist on it only like The Vicious Brothers could. These two are brilliant in the Horror world with two previous films which I really enjoyed in "Grave Encounters" and "Grave Encounters 2".

The film opens with April (Allen) and Kyle (Stroma) who are getting ready to spend their weekend at April's parents' cabin in the woods (yes that cliche ha) which is now being sold due to her parents being separated and divorcing. However, Kyle has other plans to their couples getaway, he decides to do the stereotypical Horror film plan of taking a bunch of idiotic and loathsome friends (Papalia, Moss and Savcic) along with. Obviously annoying his girlfriend in the process who planned on giving Kyle some huge news.

Kyle on the other hand, had his own huge news to propose to April, turns out that everybody has something to get of their chest. Upon arriving in town they are abruptly stopped by local Sheriff Murphy (Bellows) who gives them a stern warning about how they should be acting while staying.

Overall, the film was the Alien related Horror/Science Fiction that the genre has been waiting for, the film apparently written by The Vicious Brothers back when they were in college and it shows it has nuances and tropes of newly comers to the Horror world. The film was nicely paced and had a nice blend of thrills, science fiction and scares, it played well on the "lore" of extraterrestrials and abductions, the acting is less than desirable at times, however that is a given due to the low budget nature of the film. The acting from legendary actor Michael Ironside was brilliant he is enjoyable in most he does.

The film at times itself is a saving grace for a genre I have seen countless films for, they are usually overly paced and lacking in story. However, this time around the story was fresh and new in its own way, the final forty minutes or so was a beautiful mix of darkly shot scenes, alien stalking and goosebumps causing shots of "the mother ship". I will say though, the aliens do seem to be coming for no reason at all there is no back story to what is going on so we are just thrown into this world in which these things exist. I will say, the end of this film was a shock that was a wonderful inclusion to the genre.

A very well produced film with brilliant camera work, strides better than their previous tries in "Grace Encounters 1 & 2", the CGI is incredible considering it is such a low budget film. I'm very much excited looking forward to The Vicious Brothers future work, up to now they have failed to disappoint me I have been a huge fan of their work to date.

7/10

"Insidious: Chapter 3" trailer

Check out the trailer for the upcoming Supernatural/Horror "Insidious: Chapter 3" brought to us by James Wan.

"The newest chapter in the terrifying horror series is written and directed by franchise co-creator Leigh Whannell. This chilling prequel, set before the haunting of the Lambert family, reveals how gifted psychic Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) reluctantly agrees to use her ability to contact the dead in order to help a teenage girl (Stefanie Scott) who has been targeted by a dangerous supernatural entity."

30 Days Of Night review

Genre: Thriller, Vampire, Horror.
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster, Mark Rendall, Mark Boone Junior, Megan Franich, Amber Sainsbury, Nathaniel Lees, Joel Tobeck, Elizabeth Hawthorne, Manu Bennett.
Year Of Release: 2007
Certificate: 18 (UK)
Runtime: 109 Minutes
Director: David Slade

Synopsis: "After an Alaskan town is plunged into darkness for a month, it is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires." IMDB

I remember the first time I seen this film, was during its original run in the cinema in 2007 I was 17 at the time so getting in for an 18 certificate film was ALWAYS fun back then. I miss the old days of sneaking in or tricking cashiers into believing the age. Anyway, on to the review.

As night falls on an Alaskan outpost village where it will stay dark for the next month, a murderous crew of vampires come creeping into the village for a feast where they plan to feast on the mortal souls of the skeleton crew that keeps the village going. Main trouble is Marlow's (Huston) crew are almost feral like monsters like vampires should be. When the vampires arrive so does the loss of power including phones and internet, with the nearest town over 80 miles away the inhabitants know they are in trouble.

It takes them more than a few hours to realise how dire the situation they have found themselves in has become, meanwhile the crew of vampires are attacking with brutal violence and humans being ripped apart after they are running the streets expecting to actually fight these monsters. Each time resulting in their earlier demise, it is around this point that Sheriff Olseon (Hartnett) and his band of merry men are starting to realise they have no hope or chance of survival so they go to ground to play the waiting game. Which does not result in the outcome that they want, the vampires just keep coming picking people off like it is all for fun.

Overall, the film isn't your typical Horror film it is a far cry from some of this boring ass vampire crap we have had in recent years, I would go as far to say it is the best vampire film in the past decade potentially the past two excluding Blade while a vampire film I still consider it prominently a comic book film. The film is also beautifully gorey and refreshing in its approach to the deadly action and the fact they do not use silly one-lines or use the typical jokes when something gorey happens. They try to humanise the world in which these vampires exist, making the actors fear what they see or are experiencing like a lot of other films.

The film is a thoroughly enjoyable watch, full of gore, action, Horror and brilliantly written scenes. There is some missed opportunities in the film like in all others, their main could be said that they under use the talents of Danny Huston he doesn't nearly get enough usage as he deserves. In conclusion the film is a triumph by relatively new director (at the time) David Slade the best vampire film since Coppola's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" over two decades ago.

8/10

FOX orders modernised Frankenstein pilot

Yet another revival of a classic Horror story for TV, this seems to happen A LOT in recent years, Horror seems to be the go to now-a-days and I for one am kind of happy it is my genre. According to Deadline, FOX have ordered a pilot from Rand Ravich ("Life") which is simply title "Frankenstein";

The new show, described as a "grounded sci-fi drama" loosely inspired by Mary Shelley's classic 1818 novel, centres on Adam Tremble, "a morally corrupt FBI agent who is given a second chance at life when he is brought back from the dead. Now younger and stronger, Tremble will have to choose between his old temptations and his new sense of purpose — dealing with threats beyond the FBI’s capabilities. All the while navigating the complicated relationship with his “creators”: an antisocial Internet billionaire and his bio-engineer twin sister."

There is truly something about this shows concept that I REALLY like and I can't seem to put my finger on what it is. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this concept progresses.

Malek Akkad offers "Halloween 3" update

LONG time Halloween producer Malek Akkad has recently been speaking about the future of the Halloween franchise, here is what he had to say;

"It's been a joy to work with so many creative people - ten films," Akkad said, touching the franchise's legacy. "We're working on eleven as we speak. We're working on a script right now. A new draft - perfect timing - is supposed to hit the day before Halloween. Hopefully my Halloween night reading will be a good read."