Category Archives: Horror Movies

Insidious 4: The Last Key Opens in US

07 Sunday Jan 2018

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Insidious 4: The Last Key

Chapter 4 in the popular Insidious franchise opened a month earlier than expected this past weekend. Still, there was plenty of time for movie critics to review and to thoroughly trash the film. Filmed on a meager $10 million-dollar budget (considering the entire franchise has brought in over $378 million), the film takes parapsychologist Dr. Elise Rainier back to her former home to investigate strange phenomena. The film is expected to pull in $26 million in the US and land in 2nd place behind Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. From the reviews I’ve read, I’ll wait for the film to stream.

The first Insidious (2010) made $97 million worldwide. This was a huge margin of profit considering the estimated budget was a paltry $1.5 million. The initial film was the strongest and best; however, Chapters 2 and 3 grossed more. The production company rubber-stamped a Chapter 4 and seems fine with the lackluster film. [Note: The films should be viewed in their story order which is 3, 4, 1, and 2.]

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The Guardian gave Chapter 4 2 stars. Jordan Hoffman likens Elise’s sidekicks Specs (played by screenwriter Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (played by Angus Sampson) to the Scooby-Doo gang with their Mystery Machine van. Hoffman bluntly states that the film “squanders its opportunities to get interesting.”

Although NPR’s Scott Tobias enjoyed the interplay between Lin Shaye’s Elise with Specs and Tucker, he tired when the film enters the predictable “The Further.”

RogerEbert.Com’s Simon Abrams warns viewers to bring a friend. He writes that the films really are improving but some viewers may miss the subtlety. He writes: “This one is almost good.”

Insidious: The Last Key’s release date was moved up in anticipation for February’s highly anticipated Winchester starring Helen Mirren as the haunted heiress to the Winchester gun fortune and the Irish film The Lodgers which has garnered solid reviews. If you’re a monthly moviegoer, see all three; however, if you must select one, choose The Lodgers.

#10: Stranger Things, Season 2 (2017)

03 Friday Nov 2017

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#10: Stranger Things, Season 2

Nearly 16 million people tuned into Season 2 of Stranger Things. Further, Nielsen’s Ratings Service estimates that 361,000 Netflix subscribers binged the entire season on the first day of its release, October 27th. Season 2 delivers new horrors and is everything fans expect.

The 9-episode second season captures the essence of 1984, from the video arcade to trick-or-treating. However, a new evil lurks within the small community of Hawkins, Indiana.

No worries—no spoilers here. Just the announcement that the Duffer Brothers, creators of the immensely popular series, have confirmed that Season 3 will be released at the end of 2018 or beginning of 2019. Seems too long to wait!

#8: Black Butterfly (2017)

29 Sunday Oct 2017

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#8: Black Butterfly (2017)

Not another Misery in the woods film, Black Butterfly is a fantastic rainy day film that’s long on thrills and less on blood and gore.

A successful, though aging, Spanish writer (Antonio Banderas) is convinced to move to the US to ramp up his career. He finds himself living in the backwoods of a town with an abundance of mysterious disappearances. Searching for inspiration, Paul invites a hitchhiker, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, to stay awhile.

Based on the French film Papillon Noir (2008), Black Butterfly was filmed entirely in Italy. This thriller runs an hour and 33 minutes and is rated R for violent content. Black Butterfly is surprisingly good.

#6: Residue (2017)

23 Monday Oct 2017

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#6: Residue (2017)

The pickings are slim with my informal “rules” for selecting the 10 new horror movies I’m watching this month. First and foremost, the movies have to be available through my Roku on the three services I subscribe to: Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix. I usually view movies multiple times in order to review. Usually. If I don’t like the movie, I either stop watching (i.e., Hell House LLC) or don’t re-watch (i.e., Oculus). I also want to watch the film as the director intended; therefore, I don’t review movies playing on cable. I may watch a movie on cable and then re-watch it on a streaming service to write the review. Thus far I have been able to avoid renting movies, but that changes with #10. Needless to say, my goal was to experience predominantly low-budget horror movies that suffered from small PR budgets. My hope was to share some of the gems I uncovered.

Tonight’s offering introduced me to the horror-noir sub-genre. The horror-noir film is atmospheric and includes a private investigator. Residue (2017) fits the bill.

ResidueBook

Luke Hardy (played by James Clayton) is a down-on-his-luck P.I. who takes possession of an evil book from a distant land. The enchanted book places him and his daughter, who conveniently needs a place to crash, in danger. Writer/director Rusty Nixon adds enough technological nuances to alert the reader that this is a futuristic film, as well.

Devoid of bloated budgets and overused CGI effects, the film relies on dialogue and acting—you know, elements of the craft. Nixon does well.

The film had a Sin City feel with the editing and intrigue. Make no mistake. This film is not based on a comic series; it merely feels like it does.

Nixon paced the movie well. The actors, especially the supporting ones, excelled. It’s more of a time-travel story with aspects of horror instead of a true slasher pic. Still, it’s worth viewing. It will round out the horror offerings.

The movie runs 82 minutes long and is not rated since it was distributed as a VOD (video on demand).

#5: Saw (2004)

23 Monday Oct 2017

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#5: Saw (2004)

I have a confession. I’ve never seen the Saw franchise movies. Not one. I’m a huge fan of James Wan and Leigh Whannell. Enjoyed all of the Insidious films. Yet, Saw (2004) came at a time when I wasn’t watching many horror movies. All has changed. Saw wasn’t anything I presumed and everything I crave in a horror movie.

Lots of people have benefitted from attending film school. However, James Wan and Leigh Whannell are the exception. They met and formed a friendship that has transformed the horror movie industry. And it began with a short film titled Saw.

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Whannell penned a riveting full-length feature horror film based off of the short. Two men (Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell) awaken in an abandoned building. These seemingly strangers backfill their stories to show how intertwined their lives truly are. But the audience is focused on the handsaws. As with Whannell’s characters in Insidious, the characters are fully visualized and haunting. The ending sets up the sequel—one I look forward to viewing.

Saw is a certified blockbuster. Filmed on a shoestring budget of $1.2 million, it earned over $103 million worldwide. If the storyline didn’t warrant a sequel, the ticket sales certainly did. Six films later and audiences still watch as the body counts increase.

Saw is rated R for grisly violence and language and runs one hour and 43 minutes.

#4: The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)

22 Sunday Oct 2017

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#4: The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)

Sometimes it’s all in the timing. The Blackcoat’s Daughter debuted March 31, 2017, two years after production ended. Oz (Osgood) Perkins wrote and directed this independent full-length feature film. Originally titled February, this movie is another exorcism, low-budget film worth viewing.

The all-female lead actors save this incredibly slow movie. Two boarding school girls are left at the school over the break. Not friends (played by Kiernan Shipka and Lucy Boynton), they battle their own evil. Enter Emma Roberts. She’s a drifter heading toward the Catholic prep school. The movie unfolds, or rather unfolding backwards. Multiple viewings are encouraged.

Film critics enjoyed the film. The Washington Post’s Michael O’Sullivan sums it up: “Although very little happens in the way of traditional horror-movie jump-scares, Blackcoat builds and builds toward a profoundly disquieting sense that something really bad is coming.”

If there was a genre of arthouse horror movies, this film would be the shining example. Rated R for bloody violence, the movie runs an hour and 33 minutes.

#3: I am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House (2016)

18 Wednesday Oct 2017

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#3: I am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016)

This art house thriller isn’t for everyone. It’s not truly a horror story but more of a ghost/mystery film. Variety called it “minimalistic.” That it is. What it’s not is mainstream enough for the average viewer. This movie requires dedication and a couple of viewings to understand. But don’t let that dissuade you from viewing.

Lily, a young live-in nurse, is hired to take care of an elderly housebound bestselling mystery writer. The woman is old, possibly senile, and confuses Lily with her most popular character, Polly. Lily reluctantly reads the book discovering Polly’s secret.

The cast is solid. Writer/director Osgood “Oz” Perkins did well in casting Wilson, Paula Prentiss, and Lucy Boynton. Fans of Wes Anderson will recognize Bob Balaban (The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom).

My only issue is the title. Long titles are tongue twisters. Although for British actress Ruth Wilson (Luther) it rolls off her tongue. But it’s a difficult title to sell.

Variety nails it. The set is simple. The colors crisp white against black. The house is sterile, devoid of props. The house has a Massachusetts witch-trial feel. I’m sure it was intentional.

This Netflix original is streaming this month. Go in knowing that it’s a ghost story without jump scares and that the story-line slowly unfolds, and you may end up watching this one again.

#2: The Rite (2011)

15 Sunday Oct 2017

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#2: The Rite

Exorcists are fascinating. However, there are few riveting movies dealing with exorcisms. It may be that critics unjustly compare every exorcism movie to the classic, The Exorcist (1973). And that’s unfortunate. The Rite is one of those movies that critics bashed because it wasn’t gory, slasher, violent enough. Instead, critics and audiences should have evaluated on its own merits, which are many. The Rite is an interesting look into the Catholic Church’s not-so-secret exorcists and their training.

Matt Baglio’s book, The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist, debuted in 2009. It was quickly optioned for a movie. It follows Father Gary Thomas as he heads to Italy to train as an exorcist. Ultimately, Father Thomas participated in over 80 exorcisms. Indeed, the Devil is at work and seeking to possess as many as he can. The Catholic Church is one of a few qualified religious organizations properly equipped at handling exorcisms. Baglio’s book was altered to fit Hollywood’s formula.

Rated PG-13, The Rite is a hybrid horror/drama film. The premise is a young seminary student, played by Colin O’Donoghue, is approached by Father Matthew (Toby Jones) to travel to Italy and train in the Church’s exorcism practices. While there, Matthew meets Father Lucas Trevant (powerfully portrayed by Anthony Hopkins) who is exorcizing a demon from a pregnant teenager. Matthew has to reconcile his meh attitude about God and if the Devil truly possess people. He’s a skeptic on all levels.

The movie treats exorcisms as the serious stuff they are. There isn’t a one-and-done ritual. The movie is enjoyable because it doesn’t rely on pea soup for jump scares.

Filmed on an estimated $33 million dollar budget, the film generated nearly $100 million worldwide. Catch it streaming on Netflix.

The Awakening Is Traditional Ghost Story

15 Sunday Oct 2017

Posted by in Hoaxes, Horror Movies, Movie Reviews, Movies, Uncategorized

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Halloween is quickly approaching. I have challenged myself to watch 10 new horror movies this year.

First up is The Awakening (2011). The Awakening is a traditional ghost story. It’s contains the elements used back in the day before slasher movies exploded onto the movie screen. This English film is set in 1921 after the war. Florence Cathcart debunks paranormal frauds and works with police to expose these criminals. She has been invited to the boys’ boarding school where staff has reported seeing a child ghost. This film is a traditional ghost story. The tagline: “All the children are gone…except one” drives the film. This film satisfies horror movie aficionados and newbies who freak out over too much blood. This film was crafted in the British horror tradition.

View this movie on Netflix before Halloween ends. Rated R for horror content and running at 1 hour 42 minutes.

It won several awards including London Film Festival’s Best Newcomer for Director Nick Murphy. Mr. Murphy took home three awards at the Gérardmer Film Festival and “The Golden Raven” award at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film (BIFFF). Lead actress Rebecca Hall was nominated for “Best Actress” at the British Independent Film Award.