The Invisible is a paranormal thriller that’s full of mystery and intrigue. When Nick Powell is beaten to within an inch of his life his disembodied spirit searches for a way to save his body before it dies and takes him with it. Starring Justin Chatwin, Margarita Levieva, and Alex O’Loughlin, the cast is pretty strong. The storytelling is also fairly good, and develops the characters particularly well. Still, there are a few weaknesses in the script and some plot holes. However, the visual style is quite interesting and gives the film a gritty, surrealist tone. Additionally, the soundtrack does an impressive job at complimenting the mood of the material (though at times it does get a little too obvious). Smart and compelling, The Invisible is an engaging and dramatic film.
The supernatural thriller Embrace of the Vampire is an inane and pointless remake. The story follows a college student named Charlotte who receives an athletic scholarship to an elite college, but things get complicated when she discovers that she’s a vampire hunter. The writing is awful, as the plot barely makes sense and the characters have no depth. Additionally, lead actress Sharon Hinnendael has no charisma, nor does she have any chemistry with her co-stars. While it try to do something new with the source material, Embrace of the Vampire is just as poorly made as the original.
A shallow and insipid erotic horror film, Embrace of the Vampire relies mainly on its surreal visual style. Nearing the end of his immortal life, a vampire must seduce and kill the reincarnation of his lost love or face oblivion. Alyssa Milano leads the cast and uses the film as a vehicle to change her Hollywood image...and that she does. Given what she has to work with, Milano handles the material fairly well; but the rest of cast is dreadful (particularly Martin Kemp). And the script is incredibly weak and underdeveloped, to the point that the vampire isn’t even given a name. Poorly made and incompetently executed, Embrace of the Vampire is trashy and tasteless.
“Fantasies rarely play out as you would expect.” Blumhouse reimagines the '70s television series Fantasy Island as a horror-thriller. When a group of people are brought to Fantasy Island to live out their personal fantasies, the fantasies soon take a dark turn (in a monkey’s pawn type fashion) that leads the guests to suspect that there’s more to the island then they’ve been lead to believe. Starring Michael Pena, Maggie Q, Lucy Hale, and Portia Doubleday, the film has a solid cast, and the writers work in some fun call-backs to the television show. Still, the plot is pretty thin and a little convoluted at times. Yet the chases and fight scenes are exciting, and the mystery of the island is intriguing. It has its weaknesses, but overall Fantasy Island is an entertaining adventure film.
Is this even a movie? Creepshow III plays like a bad fan film shot at some guy’s house for a couple hundred bucks. There’s no real acting, the production values are shit, and the stories don’t make any sense. A complete travesty, this garbage has no business being part of the Creepshow series.
The horror continues (well, actually it doesn’t) in Creepshow 2, the second anthology from George A. Romero and Stephen King. The film features three tales of terror, including a wooden Indian statue that comes to life, a mysterious slick that stalks a group of swimmers, and a hitchhiker who won’t die, that are tied together by an animated sequence. The acting is really poor, as is the directing. Also, the makeup effects look extremely cheap, and so do the sets and costumes. Not nearly as frightening as the original, Creepshow 2 isn’t able to deliver that many scares.
Masters of horror George A. Romero and Stephen King team up for the terrifying horror anthology Ceepshow. Starring Ted Danson, Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, and Ed Harris, the film features 5 tales of terror, including a murdered grandfather rising from the grave, the awakening of an ancient Arctic creature, and an adulterous couple being buried alive. Additionally, the frame story that connects the segments uses a creative comic book aesthetic that helps to set the right tone; which has a nice mixture of horror and comedy. And the music does a good job at complimenting the material. However, the makeup effects (done by Tome Savini) are rather hit and miss; as some are really grizzly and others are incredibly cheesy. Yet while it has some problems, Creepshow is a chilling excursion into the bizarre and macabre.
On display before you is an odd and mercurial item titled Season 3 in what is known as the Night Gallery. After a disappointing second season NBC renovated the Gallery; cutting it down to a half an hour with one story per show (with a couple of exceptions), along with a new opening and new theme music. Disillusioned, creator & host Rod Serling had all but given up on the series, delivering some of his most lackluster and cliché introductions. And the writing isn’t that ambitious either, though there are a few interesting and frightful tales; such as “The Girl with the Hungry Eyes,” “Rare Objects,” “The Other Way Out,” and “Whisper.” There are also several notable guest stars who are featured, including Vincent Price, Bill Bixby, Mickey Rooney, Burl Ives, Leonard Nimoy, and Sally Field. While the studio had clearly lost confidence in the series, Night Gallery was still able to put together a decent third season that recaptured some of Serling’s original vision.
Our second entry in the strange and ghoulish machinations of the mind is something we like to call Night Gallery: Season 2. With the tremendous success of the first season, Night Gallery was promoted to a weekly show with a full 22 episodes; and it proved to be its undoing. To help fill out the episodes producer Jack Laird decide to include a dozen 2-3 minute shorts, which became infamous for their slapstick-ish broad comedy and changed the tone of the series. Still, there are a number of impressive stories, including “The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes,” “Death in the Family,” “The Diary,” “Hell’s Bells,” “The Caterpillar,” and “Little Girl Lost.” And the list of guest stars is first rate; Clint Howard, Leslie Nielsen, Vincent Price, David Carradine, Orson Welles, Patty Duke, Edward G. Robinson, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Sandra Dee, Sondra Locke, and Bill Bixby. However, there’s a steep decline in the quality of Night Gallery’s second season, and while it has its moments, it’s strayed from Rod Serling’s original vision.
Presented for your viewing pleasure, a six episode exploration of the bizarre and the macabre, this is the first season of the Night Gallery. Rob Serling returns to television as host and script writer for this pseudo Twilight Zone anthology. However, the format is more flexible, featuring 2-3 stories of varying length per episode. And Serling once again is able to garner an impressive list of guest stars, which includes Roddy McDowall, Joan Crawford, Diane Keaton, Burgess Meredith, John Astin, and Jack Cassidy, along with an up-and-coming director named Steven Spielberg. Yet for all the talent behind it, Season 1 of the Night Gallery is fairly mediocre.
An incredibly ugly and gruesome horror film, Leatherface is a needless prequel that accomplishes nothing. After being committed to a children’s psychiatric hospital Jed Sawyer breaks out during a riot with three of his fellow patients who have taken a nurse hostage and are making a run for Mexico, and leading the hunt for their capture is a rogue sheriff whose daughter was killed by the Sawyers. The performances are rather underwhelming; even seasoned actors Lili Taylor and Stephen Dorff aren’t able to do much with the material. And the violence is excessively gory and the tone is really dark. One of the worst entries in the franchise, Leatherface fails to reenergize the series or provide a satisfactory origin to this classic horror character.
Sharpen your chainsaws, cause it’s time for another massacre in Texas Chainsaw 3D. This pseudo-reboot picks up where the original ended, as a lynch mob comes for Leatherface and the Sawyer clan, and burns them alive in their home; however a child survives and returns years later (along with some friends) when her grandmother leaves her an estate, but she finds that she’s inherited more than she’d expected. Alexandra Daddario leads the cast and does a fair job as a scream queen. But there are a lot of script problems, and the film doesn’t do anything new or interesting with Leatherface. Texas Chainsaw 3D has a few thrills and scares, but it’s too formulaic and lazy to really deliver that much terror.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning serves as a prequel to the 2003 remake, and therein lies the problem. Before shipping out to Viet Nam two brothers and their girlfriends go on a road trip and end up being preyed upon by a family that has come upon hard times and has resorted to cannibalism in order to survive. With the ending being a forgone conclusion, there’s no real suspense or mystery. Still, the cast features some impressive actors, including Jordana Brewster, Matt Bomer, and R. Lee Ermey, and they deliver fairly strong performances. Additionally, some of the action scenes are pretty intense. But the overemphasis on gore and the futility of the characters’ struggle hurts the film. While some of the backstory is interesting, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning delivers the same formulaic tripe that the previous films dished out.
Gritty and terrifying, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an impressive remake that equals the original. When a hitchhiker commits suicide in the van of a group of college kids traveling through Texas, they end up stranded and are hunted by a psychopathic family intent on mayhem. Starring Jessica Biel, R. Lee Ermey, and Eric Balfour, the film has a solid cast. Additionally, the chases are incredibly suspenseful and intense. However, the violence is overly graphic and the visual style is a bit grimy. While the gratuity gets a little out of hand at times, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is still a captivating and chilling horror film.
Poorly crafted and idiotic, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation is crazy personified. After a group of students coming back from their high school prom break down on the back roads of Texas they fall into the trap of a group of psychopathic killers. Renee Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey lead the cast and give decent performances, but the rest of the cast is just terrible. And, once again the series sacrifices scares for the crazy and bizarre. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation is an atrocious film that has no point.
Intense and horrific, Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III is a return to form for the series. While traveling through Texas a couple on their way to Florida are run off the road and hunted by a cannibalistic family. Viggo Mortensen leads the cast and gives a strong performance, and newcomer Kate Hodge is also quite impressive. And while the story follows the structure of the other films, it’s still able to remain frightening and suspenseful. Additionally, the fights and chases are exciting and action-packed. Though it’s clichéd at times, Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III is a chilling and terrifying slasher film.
Balls to the wall insanity, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 is the fevered dream of a madman. A radio DJ becomes the latest target of Leatherface and his family after one of their killings is accidentally recorded during an on-air phone call to her show. Rather than go for scares and chills, Tobe Hooper sets a comedic tone and goes for crazy and weird. Additionally, the visual aesthetic is creepy and freakish. Starring Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, and Bill Moseley, the performances are all over-the-top, but oddly charismatic; especially Moseley. Like a train wreck, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 has a strange curiosity to it, but it’s atrociously awful.
A frightful tale of the macabre, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a classic horror film. The story follows a group of college students who are abducted and tortured by a family of cannibals. The acting is really bad and is a little hard to get passed. And, Tobe Hooper’s directing is extremely raw; which can be distracting. Still, Hooper brings an impressive level intensity and suspense to the action scenes. Though it’s a bit rough and slow paced, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre delivers some chilling scares.
More of a reboot than a sequel, I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer delivers an entertaining thriller. The story follows a group of teenagers that pull a prank that gets a kid killed, and are then hunted down the following summer by someone looking for revenge. The film actually does a good job modernizing and adapting the story, however the characters aren’t that interesting or well developed. And, the actors don’t bring that much charisma or energy to their performances. Still, I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer has a fair amount of suspense and mystery that keeps it engaging and exciting.
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is yet another case of an appalling sequel made by filmmakers that didn’t understanding the material. Julie, still haunted by Ben Willis, heads off to a remove island with a new set of friends which are then hunted down and killed off. The writing is just terrible, starting with retconing the ending of the first film (which is never a good sign), and continues on to a ridiculously stupid situation full of unlikable characters that the audience doesn’t care about. Lacking the charm and cleverness of the original, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer is a pathetic film that’s reprehensible in every way.
Abigail Breslin is the Final Girl in this rather dull indie horror film. The story follows a young girl who’s trained to taken on a group of serial killers that lure women out into the woods and hunt them for sport. It’s an interesting setup, but it doesn’t really get explored at all; as there’s no real explanation as to who the killers are, or how they were found out and selected for this brand of vigilante justice. Additionally, the plot seems especially contrived and predictable. However, there is a fair amount of tension and intrigue to the hunt and the kills. And yet, in the end Final Girl just doesn’t work.
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a mixture of dark comedy, horror, and drama, done in the unique stylings of Tim Burton. The story is one of vengeance, after serving 15 years in prison Sweeney Todd returns to London to seek revenge on Judge Turpin, the man who wrongfully set him up in order to steal his wife. To tell this story Burton relies on his faithful regulars Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, along with Alan Rickman and Sacha Baron Cohen. And while all of the performances are quite excellent, it’s Depp’s brilliant performance that carries the film and makes Sweeney Todd both sympathetic and villainous. Musically, the film ranks as one of the best Broadway musicals to have been brought to screen; it has the depth and dimension of a big operatic score, yet it’s also light and comedic at times. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street seems a rather unlikely musical to translate to the screen...but translate it does, in a beautiful and stylish way unlike any other musical has.
“The sun never sets on those who ride into it.” The little known sequel to Rocky Horror, Shock Treatment is a bit of an acquired taste but it has its own sort of charm. When Brad and Janet Majors’ marriage hits a rough patch they go on a game show where Brad gets committed to an asylum and Janet gets swept up by the glitz and glamour of television. Most of Rocky Horror’s main cast returns, including Richard O’Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, and Charles Gray, but they play different characters. Jessica Harper takes on the role of Janet, and really shines; bringing a lot of charisma to the part. And, O’Brien’s songs are energetic and quite catchy; featuring a variety of musical styles. However, the story is rather weak and the pacing is too fast. Also, the satire about television culture is overly broad and unfocused. Yet despite its problems, there’s plenty of fun to be had with Shock Treatment.
“Let’s do the Time Warp again!” The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a madcap horror musical that became a cultural phenomenon. The story follows a stranded couple that takes shelter at a nearby castle and are taken on a psychedelic journey of the bizarre by Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a “sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania.” The film satirizes the sci-fi and horror genres, with particular allusions to Frankenstein and Dracula. Featuring several of the original stars from the stage production, the cast is amazingly good, giving incredible performances. And the musical numbers are especially energetic, with fun and rambunctious songs; such as “The Time Warp” and “Science Fiction/Double Feature.” A garish and irreverent film that goes all out, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is wildly entertaining.
Rings attempts to reboot the franchise for the digital age and fails horribly. The story follows a teenage girl who attempts to save her boyfriend by coping and watching an infamous video that supposedly kills you seven days after watching it, however her digital copy turns out to contain additional footage that she comes to believe was meant for her; leading her to go in search of its meaning. Once again the series tries to make Samara a sympathetic victim, but it doesn’t work. Making the villain good and the good guy bad is a tried trope that’s been played out for a while now. And, the new powers given to Samara are extremely contrived. Also, the performances are incredibly poor, particularly the lead (who has no charisma). A second rate B-horror film, Rings is incredibly dull and nonsensical.
Taking the conventional route of a horror sequel, The Ring Two is predictable and formulaic. Samara is back, but this time she’s looking to possess Rachel’s son; meanwhile Rachel investigates Samara’s origins, trying to discover a way to stop her. Naomi Watts returns and is joined by Simon Baker, Sissy Spacek, and Emily VanCamp. But once again the weak link is the child actor playing Watt’s son, only the problem is worsened by the increased focus on his character. And the writing is especially poor, playing on a lot of stereotypes and clichés, and not really explaining why things happen. However, the director does a good job at creating haunting imagery and at drawing out suspense. Unfortunately, The Ring Two is a rote and uninspired film that fails to recapture the terror of the original.
Full of suspense and intrigue, The Ring is a subtle but intense thriller. When a newspaper reporter investigates an underground videotape that supposedly kills you seven days after watching it, she discovers that it’s all too true. Featuring Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, Brian Cox, and Amber Tamblyn, the casting is pretty good, with one exception (the child actor who plays Watt’s son). And while the pacing seems slow, it just makes the thrills that much more intense when they come. Additionally, the investigation of the tape is well-plotted and engrossing. Though American remakes of foreign films have a bad rap, The Ring is an impressive horror film that delivers some bone-chilling terrors.
Tying up the series, Insidious: The Last Key is a mediocre horror film that delivers some mild scares. When Elise receives a call from a man living in her childhood home about a malevolent spirit, she decides that it’s time for her to go back and confront her past. Unfortunately the writing isn’t that good, as the plot is chalk full of clichés and tired old tropes. There are also a number of contrivances forced in to connect the film to the previous ones. And the ending doesn’t really make a lot of sense. Still, the ghost investigations and confrontations are pretty intense and suspenseful. Also, the prison setting and creature design for the main villain are kind of creepy. Insidious: The Last Key, while it has its problems, is a fairly solid supernatural thriller that’s about on par with the rest of the series.
With some mild scares and a bit of intrigue, Insidious: Chapter 3 is a mediocre horror film. In this prequel retired psychic Elise Rainier is sought out by a teenage girl named Quinn who’s trying to contact her dead mother, but unbeknownst to Quinn her efforts have drawn the attention of a dark entity that’s seeking to possess her. Stefanie Scott does a fairly good job, but doesn’t quite have the gravitas for this type of role. Also, the script is problematic and goes out of its way to tie things together in order to create an origin story. Yet despite its weaknesses, at the end of the day Insidious: Chapter 3 delivers the series’ usual brand of horror that’s creepy and chilling.
James Wan continues his tale of horror with Insidious: Chapter 2. Picking up where the first film left off, the Lamberts find that they continue to be plagued by paranormal disturbances, and start to suspect that something may have come back from the Further when they touched the astral plane. The story gets pretty crazy, constantly introducing new elements (such as time travel) into the mythos. And at times this works in the film’s favor by creating an air of unpredictability. But on the whole, Insidious: Chapter 2 is a mess that gets by mostly on some intense action and an entertaining mystery.
