I know this isn’t a horror or sci fi film but after watching My Dinner With Herv’e I could not hold back the urge to review this HBO Original film presentation.
My Dinner with Herv’e tells the story of reporter Danny Tate and how in 1993 he was given the assignment of doing an interview with author and screenwriter Gore Vidal. Also, his editor decides that while he is in LA he will do another interview with former Fantasy Island co-star Herv’e Villechaise for the anniversary of the James Bond film Man with The Golden Gun, which Villechaise acted in. Tate is trying to get his life back together after being twenty days sober and being separated from his wife and child. His editor has told him that he can’t screw up these interviews because his job is on the line.
Tate meets and has dinner with Villechaise. Villechaise, who hasn’t done an interview in years, is surprised by how boring and standard Tate’s interview is. Villechaise starts prodding Tate and offering “the real story”. Tate tells him he has to leave because he has another interview, but Villechaise is insistent and even resorts to calling Tate a “Junior” which irritates the reporter. Tate leases frustrated and ends up being twenty minutes late getting to his interview with Gore Vidal. Vidal is angry and refuses to do the interview. In an attempt to try and salvage his trip Tate goes back to Villechaise to hear the real story. The result is an evening of Villechaise going from one crazy antic to another while telling Tate the story of how he was rejected by his mother for being a dwarf through his time as an artist, and on through becoming an actor and in the end destroying his own career over his marriage to a money grubbing actress.
Actor Peter Dinklage is fantastic as Herv’e Villechaise. Through Dinklage is quite a bit taller and looks nothing like the late Villechaise, he still manages to capture the feel of this tragic celebrity. Also, Jamie Dornan does a good job as reporter Danny Tate. But some serious credit needs to be given to Andy Garcia for his performance as Richardo Montalban.
Director and writer Sacha Gervasi presents a very tight and well written film that shows a no holds barred presentation of the rise and fall of this much beloved television star. This is a film you don't want to miss. I cannot give a higher recommendation for this film.
Gore and scares everyone. Well, this time I’ve got a genre busting film that is neither a drama, mystery, or horror film, but has aspects of all. That film is 2013’s House of Thaddeus.
House of Thaddeus tells the story of Tom and Claire. Tom is a science teacher who believes in reason. Claire is a pianist who has a belief in the spiritual. They’ve gotten a great deal on a four level house that was once a bed and breakfast. The inside of the house is rather odd in the in every room are these strange gold symbols with orbs with red crystals in them. The man who sells them the house tells them they were made by the man who built the house, who was a sort of cult leader named Thaddeus, so he could watch over the house in death.
Soon after moving in Claire gets injured when a windows slams down on her hand. Claire ends up with her hand in a cast and the doctor informs her that there is a chance she will never play the piano again. Then to make things worse one of Tom’s fellow teachers tells him that the house was location of a brutal murder. After hearing about this Claire becomes obsessed about learning more about Thaddeus and the murders. Tom is opposed about this. Then people start showing up wanting to see the house because of the murders. Tom keeps trying to kick them out while Claire welcomes them. Claire starts putting on tours of the house while Tom is at work. This causes stress with their marriage when he finds out.
It is at this point that Claire meets a medium who tells her that she needs to find the surviving daughter of the family who was murdered so she can let her talk to her family and close her wounds. Claire does this even though Tom is opposed. Claire finds the daughter but Tom ruins the séance. After he tells her he wants a divorce. Claire tells him she wants the house.
This film is not for most horror fans because it doesn’t have ghost FX, creepy lighting or music, nor does it even have a stormy night scene. The ghosts in this film are simply presented as the history of the house and how it affects the people living in it. This film is mostly about differences in ideologies and beliefs and how these differences destroy the main couple’s marriage. It is the writing and performances that propel this film rather than special effects and camera tricks.
So in the end I have to highly recommend this film if you want to see something intriguing without any jump scares….
Gore and Scares everybody! For my review this time I’ve got the 2017 English art house horror film Ghost Stories.
Ghost Stories tells the story of paranormal debunker Professor Goodman. Goodman one day gets a message from his mentor, who he thought was dead, Professor Charles Cameron. Goodman travels across England and finds his mentor living in a broken down trailer in the middle of nowhere. Goodman asked Cameron why he went into seclusion and he tells him because he had found that the paranormal was true and he was living in fear because of it. Goodman asks him why he didn’t share his findings, but instead of giving him a straight answer Cameron hands Goodman the files he had of his last three cases. He tells Goodman to look into these three cases and that will give him his answers. But as he leaves he sees Professor Cameron watching him and behind him is a mysterious dark figure he can’t clearly see. So, Goodman takes up the challenge and investigating these three chilling stories. But what Professor Goodman doesn’t realize is this investigation is going to twist his ideas of reality.
I have to say I loved this film. First time filmmakers Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman (who also plays the part of skeptic Goodman) show they know what they are doing. The story which was created by Dyson and Nyman as a stage play is complex and full of twists and turns and clues to the final plot twist that turns the story in a totally new direction. The film work is incredible for a film that was shot on a shoe-string budget. The locations where the stories take place are shot with extreme shadows that make them that much more creepy. The ghost FX and makeup are top notch and not over the top yet stunning and freak inducing. I have to say the last time a movie ghost freaked me out like these did was the ghost in the Guillermo Del Toro classic The Devil’s Backbone. But a great film can’t be great without wonderful performances and this film has them with the standout performance being Andy Nyman as Goodman, Martin Freeman (Sherlock, The Hobbit) as Mike Pribble, and Alex Lawther as the frightened teenager Simon Rifkind.
So, if you like a scary film that keeps you guessing and is loaded with interesting characters then Ghost Stories just might be the film for you. I know it was for me.
Gore and scares everybody! For my review this time I have the latest film in the Hellraiser franchise, Hellraiser: Judgment.
Hellraiser: Judgment tells the story of police detectives Sean Carter (Damon Carney), his brother David Carter (Randy Wayne) , and Christine Egerton (Alexandra Harris). They are on the trail to capture a serial killer who is called The Preceptor. Unfortunately during the investigation Sean finds himself going through a new portal to Hell and having his life auditor by the minion of hell known as The Auditor. It seems Hell has found that the Lemarchant boxes are outmoded and are now inviting the wicked to come to their hell house for judgment. But when the Assessor and the judges are overwhelmed by Sean’s sins the Auditor must consult with the hell priest Pinhead. It is then they are approached by an Angel from Heaven who demands that Sean be released. The Auditor goes to check on Sean only to find that he has escaped and has taken one of the Lemarchant boxes the Auditor had on display. So, will Sean and his associates solve the mystery of The Preceptor or will Sean fall for the trap that is The Lemarchant Box?
I have to say that Hellraiser: Judgment was the most enjoyable Hellraiser outing I’ve seen since the Hellraiser anthology, Hellraiser: Bloodline. Director Gary J Tunnicliffe (who also plays The Auditor) weaves a wonderful twist filled tale of brutality, judgment, and madness. He corrects the mistakes he made in his last Hellraiser outing, Hellraiser: Revelations, and brought back the Cenobytes as well as expanded the hell started by Clive Barker with a bunch of interesting new minions of hell including The Auditor, The Assessor,The Cleaners, The Judges, and The Surgeon. Also he brings us a new reimagined Pinhead played by Paul T Taylor, who brilliantly takes over for Doug Bradley. And Tunnicliffe further expands the Hellraiser world with the Angel Jophiel, played by Helen Grace Donald. Also, Nightmare on Elm Street actress Heather Langencamp makes an appearance as a creepy landlady.
The only bad part of this film is that it was made on a small budget and you can tell. But this is still far better than the last five films which is unfortunate for a once groundbreaking horror franchise.
For my review this time I have the fourth film in the Hatchet franchise, though this time director/writer Adam Green has simply titled it Victor Crowley after the film’s supernatural slasher.
In this fourth edition of the franchise we are introduced to Cloe (Katie Booth), her boyfriend Alex (Chase Williamson), and their friend Rose. These three are trying to make a film on Victor Crowley and Cloe came up with the idea to have Andrew Yong (played by Parry Shen), the survivor from the last time Victor Crowley (Kane Hodder) massacred people in the film and the trailer they are planning to shoot to entice investors. They try to meet and talk to Andrew at a book signing for his book I Survived but his agent Kathleen (Felissa Rose) pulls him away when she gets a call about a big interview at the scene of the massacre. So Cloe and her friends head to the swamp and meet up with Dillon (played by Dave Sheridan), a swamp tour guide with aspirations of being an actor. Cloe has Rose recite the magic spell that rose Victor Crowley from the grave but Rose can’t pronounce it right. Cloe uses Rose’s phone and programs videos of various people saying the spell from Youtube. Suddenly they hear a loud plane crash. It is the plane Andrew Yong was in to get to his interview. It ended up crashing right near the ruins of Victor Crowley’s house. Unfortunately in their rush to check out the crash Rose drops the phone which is still playing the spell being said. The spell brings Victor Crowley back and Cloe, her friends, and the survivors of the crash must now this undead terror….
First of all, I can’t say I’m a fan of the Hatchet franchise or Adam Green’s writing. I’ve seen all of them and I have to say this is the weakest installment to the franchise. The acting was way over the top which really messed with any attempt at tension that Green tried to create. Honesty, the only performances that I found even slightly tolerable were Parry Shen as Andrew and Tiffany Shepis as the camera girl Casey, even though she spent most of her performance trapped and unable to move under some metal pieces waiting to drown. The humor in this film, yes this is supposed to be a horror comedy, was really crude and didn’t impress me at all. Finally, due I suspect to lack of budget the gore FX looked horrid, like they were done by amateurs. Shoot, the fake head of the girl in the opening scene where she gets her limbs hacked off and then her head did not even look like the actress at all. It looked like the majority of the makeup budget went to the Victor Crowley character makeup.
So, I can honestly say that even if you are a fan of the Hatchet franchise I doubt you’re going to really enjoy this outing but who knows.
Gore and scares everyone. I know I just posted my top 10 favorite horror films of 2017, but just consider this film the eleventh, because I would have definitely added this one to the list.
Ghost House tells the story of American couple Jim (played by James Landry He’bert) and his girlfriend Julie (played by Scout Taylor-Compton) who are vacationing in Thailand. Upon arrival Jim and Julie hire the polite chauffeur Gogo and his van at the airport. They sightsee Bangkok and learn the legend of the ghost houses, miniature houses where spirits peacefully live and do not haunt the living. Then Jim proposes Julie to marry him with an engagement ring. They meet the British Robert and Billy in the hotel lobby and are invited to celebrate their engagement with them. Robert summons Jim to visit a fleshpots and Billy stays outside with Julie. When they leave the spot, Julie has an argument with Jim that is drunken and accepts Robert's invitation to visit ghost houses at the outskirts. Robert puts a piece Julie's scarf about a doll's neck and then he flees with Billy leaving the American couple in the middle of nowhere. Julie does not feel well and Jim calls Gogo to find them and take Julie to a hospital. However, when Gogo sees Julie, he takes her to a nearby village where his aunts live. Then they take Julie to a monk that wears amulets about her wrist and Julie recovers. They return to the hotel and when Julie removes her amulets, she has dreadful visions. What has Robert done with Julie? Now Jim and Julie along with GoGo are being pursued by the raging spirited of a betrayed woman who will stop at nothing to drag Julie’s very soul to the spirit realm.
The one thing I really loved about this film is the fact that it takes place in Thailand, a country rich in ghost lore. The whole ghost house lore was definitely an interesting subject to explore. Also the ghost in this film is plain scary and far more interesting that the ghosts in the films The Ring or The Grudge. Also besides the character of Gogo there was the amusing performance by actor Mark Boone Junior as the sort of underworld getter of all things Reno. He was for this film what Lin Shaye is for Insidious.
So, to put it simply this is another outstanding horror film for 2017 and I highly recommend you find it on VOD, but more importantly on DVD/ Blu-ray because this one is a keeper.
Gore and scares everyone! 2017 has been a prime year for great horror films, especially for Stephen King. So, here are my top ten best horror films for this year….Enjoy.
1. Get Out
Chris and his girlfriend Rose go upstate to visit her parent's for the weekend. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he never could have imagined.
2. IT
From the mind of Stephen King….In the Town of Derry, the local kids are disappearing one by one, leaving behind bloody remains. In a place known as 'The Barrens', a group of seven kids are united by their horrifying and strange encounters with an evil clown and their determination to kill IT..
3. Annabelle Creation
The manufacturer of dolls Samuel Mullins is a happy family man with his wife Esther and their daughter Bee, who dies hit by a car. Twelve years later, Samuel welcomes a group of orphan girls and a nun from a closed orphanage at home. He tells that only a closed room (that belonged to Bee) and Esther's room would be off limits for the girls. The crippled girl Janice sneaks in Bee's room during the night and sees a doll inside a closet. She plays in the room and soon she is haunted by an evil force. What has Janice unleashed in Bee's room?
4. Happy Death Day
A teenage girl, trying to enjoy her birthday, soon realizes that this is her final one. That is, if she can figure out who her killer is. She must relive that day, over and over again, dying in a different way each time. Can she solve her own murder?
5. Alien Covenant
Almost eleven years after the futile and disastrous expedition on the distant moon LV-223, the deep-space colonisation vessel Covenant equipped with more than 2,000 colonists in cryogenic hibernation, sets a course for the remote planet Origae-6 with the intention to build a new world. Instead, a rogue transmission will entice the crew to a nearby habitable small planet which resembles The Earth. The unsuspecting members of Covenant will have to cope with biological foes, beyond human comprehension. Ultimately, what was intended as a peaceful exploratory mission, will soon turn into a desperate rescue operation deep into the cold infinite space.
6. Gerald’s Game
From the mind of Stephen King….When a harmless game between a married couple in a remote retreat suddenly becomes a harrowing fight for survival, wife Jessie must confront long-buried demons within her own mind - and possibly lurking in the shadows of her seemingly empty house.
7. Leatherface
A violent teen and three others kidnap a young nurse while escaping from a Texas mental institution. Pursued by a vengeful sheriff, the disturbed young man embarks on a murderous rampage that shapes him into a legendary killer known as Leather face.
8. 1922
Featuring shades of Edgar Allen Poe's, "A Tale-Tell Heart", 1922, based on the Stephen King novella of the same name, centers on simple but proud farmer, Wilfred James, who, with his young son, murders his wife to gain ownership of her inherited land. Shortly after, however, strange and supernatural occurrences begin to plague both James and his farm. Is it just simple bad luck, or is it the work of something much more sinister?
9. Houses October Built 2
Recovering from the trauma of being kidnapped last Halloween by the Blue Skeleton - a group who take "extreme haunt" to another level - five friends decide they must face their fears in order to move on. Heading back out on the road to visit more haunted house attractions, signs of the Blue Skeleton start appearing again and a new terror begins.
10. The Monster Project
When aspiring horror filmmakers post an online casting call looking for "real life" monsters to interview for their upcoming documentary called, The Monster Project, they find three individuals claiming to be a skin-walker, a vampire, and a demon. Meeting these monsters at a remote mansion in the woods on the night of a total lunar eclipse, the filmmakers invite the three subjects to share their haunting, personal experiences. Working on the crew is a recovering drug addict who suffers withdrawal and paranoia. As a person of faith, he fears his friends underestimate the dark powers they are summoning. When the interviews turn deadly, he must battle the demons, inside and out, to escape the house and defeat the rise of evil incarnate.
So, there you have it. You might disagree with some of my choice, but that is your opinion and opinions are like backsides, we all have them. I just happened to write mine down and share it with you. Nothing wrong with that…
Gore and scares everyone! For my review this time I’m going once again into the intriguing sub-genre of found footage films with the first film from filmmaker Faith R Johnson, The Faith Community.
The Faith Community tells the tale of three young documentary filmmakers who go to a supposed religious get away to film a promotional video. When they get to the location they are greeted by The Messenger (played by Jeremey Harris) and his “flock.” Soon the three filmmakers find that things are not as they expected. For one thing on their way to the “getaway” they are lead past a number of wooden crosses set to the side of the trail. Then when they get to the getaway instead of finding cabins and facilities they are met with a bunch of tents and folding chairs. When they question this The Messenger simply tells them that they are living simple to get closer to God by getting closer to nature. After that things get disturbing. The camera person, Colin (played by Jeffrey Brabant), interviews The Messenger, but is unable to get his name, the leader insists that The Messenger is his only name. Then Colin interviews one of the members named Michael who turns out to be a former soldier who was thrown out of the army for killing an officer because he was having delusions of seeing a dark, demonic, shape. Then after having a meal with the group Colin finds his associates acting odd. Are they drugged? Of course it is after the after meal entertainment that things unfold and becomes deadly. Their hosts are not a simple religious group, but a twisted cult whose focus is to find those who are worthy. Will Colin and his friends escape this cult or will they become its latest victims.
Though I’m not a huge fan of found footage films, there are some that break the mold of the simple cookie cutter plots and stereotypical faults of this sub-genre. I find this to be one. For one thing there wasn’t the typical introduction expressing that this is actual footage found hidden in the woods. Nope, Johnson forgets those trappings and lets the footage speak for itself. Also, she adds to the fake realism by not even having the camera operator keep the camera level. There are several shots that are of people’s feet and several shot where the camera is trying to auto adjust and all we see is flared and barely intelligible images. Also, there is no attempt at making this film over dramatic or Hollywoodish. This film is as rough as it gets and does look like someone with little camera skills was shooting true events. The unfortunate drawback to this is the film loses a lot of its impact by being too far away from the main action, much like a person at a concert trying to film the action with their camera phone.
So, in the end I found The Faith Community a disturbing look at the very real horror of the extreme religious cults that have popped up in the world. This film is a cautionary tale that warns you to look closer into any religious retreats, because they might not be what you expect….
Gore and scares everybody. I’m back yet again with another movie review on a new film either on DVD or VOD. This time it the new film in the subgenre torture porn, Talon Falls.
This film tells the story of a group of four teenagers who decide to check out an extreme Halloween attraction located in the Kentucky woods. The attraction, The Talon Falls Screamland, features the usual jump scares, killer clowns, and chainsaw welding psychopaths. But it also features sections that feature people being horribly tortured, and these look unsettlingly real. Well, when two of the group decide to slip in behind the scenes they find out the horrifying truth, that the torture scenes are exactly what they appear to be, very real. Now, they have been chosen to be the next featured attractions and now they must find a way to get free before they become part of the fun.
I have to say, besides the recent SAW film I haven’t seen any torture porn films in years. This was never really a favorite with me. Honestly I have to say that besides the SAW franchise, with its complicated plot, I’ve found torture porn films very cookie cutter and not very interesting. This film on the other hand I found a tad more interesting. I liked how they took the idea of an extreme Halloween attraction and took it to this extreme level. It is one reason I avoid such things like the plague. I fear that one day I will hear on the news that one of these operators might do exactly the same thing this story tells.
As for the acting, writing, and film technique, there was nothing special. Even the twist at the end was actually telegraphed and was expected.
So, if you are a fan of torture porn films and films like The Houses that October Built you will definitely like this film. If you are every other horror fan I would grab yourself a twelve pack, then it will be a party….LOL… Oh, also they could have done a bit better with the title. Talon Falls brings to mind a creepy town film or a murder mystery. I think if they had titled it Talon Falls Murderland or something more descriptive of what the film actually is it would have been better, but that’s just me….
Gore and Scares everybody, this time I’m reviewing the new found footage film by filmmaker Steven Degennaro, Found Footage 3D.
This film tells the story of Derek and his film crew who are planning to film their own found footage film in a cabin in an isolated wooded area. Derek, who is the producer, surprises his director with his latest great idea. They are going to shoot their found footage film in 3D. The director isn’t thrilled with the idea, given that it is a found footage film and the idea breaks the illusion that this is “found footage,” but in the end Derek convinces him. On the way to the location they stop at a store to get food and end up asking a couple of old rednecks to be the creepy warning givers for the film. After the rednecks do their parts they ask where the crew is shooting. When they are told they give the crew a real warning. After that in true horror fashion the crew goes to the cabin and their found footage shoot becomes a real life horror as a mysterious force, like the one in the story they are shooting, starts causing chaos with the shooting and takes them out one at a time.
I have to say I found this film amusing. I’m actually a fan of this subgenre and I loved how they played around with the stereotypical hallmarks of the typical found footage film. There is one sequence where they have to do a surveillance footage shot. The director reminds Derek that that footage won’t be in 3D like the other footage. Derek fixes the problem by taping two cameras together. Also, there is a sequence where they are doing a POV running scene and Derek complains about the fact that the “shaky cam” is going to make the audience sick in 3D. The director tells him that there is nothing that can be done because the camera is in the hand of the girl who is running. Derek straps a shoulder harness on the girl and hooks to camera to it to lessen the shaking. The director argues that it won’t look real, because the girl in the story wouldn’t have a harness. Derek reminds him that it isn’t reality and they are going to do it his way. The director huffs off complaining that he has no control and why does Derek need a director at all since everything is done “his way.”
There is one thing that really messes with the film for me. The thing is they never really make a clear separation between the scenes shot for the film they are making in the movie the characters are filming and the footage “behind the scenes.” There are times that it gets a bit confusing at times which is kind of distracting. But all in all, if you are a fan of found footage films, Found Footage 3D will be and an amusing time for you, no booze required….
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