Monday 26 October 2015

10 films to watch this Halloween

With the spookiest time of the year approaching I thought I would compile a short list of horror films to keep you scared this year. This list is in no particular order and I have picked films I feel are appropriate for horror lovers and the casual viewer alike.
Enjoy and feel free to share with me your scariest film!

1. Evil Dead 2013
I chose 2013's remake of the classic Evil Dead because I feel it keeps the key components of the original, whilst bringing the tale bang up to date. You wont find any corny one liners and goofy acting here, just awesome splatter effects and nail biting tension. A brisk pace and gore galore make it a superb popcorn flick.



2. Laid To Rest
A straight forward but stylishly executed slasher film. The character of Chromeskull easily stands among the greats in terms of a memorable villain. This film also features one of my all time favourite death scenes in any horror film, can you guess which?



3. Jennifer's Body
Megan Fox as a cheerleader possessed by the spirit of a Succubus and only Amanda Seyfried in thick rimmed glasses can stop her! I am still adamant this will be a cult classic in a few years!



4. Macabre (2009 Indonesian)
A nail-bitingly tense horror which steadily descends into absolute carnage. 2 newly weds and 3 of their friends are pitted against a house full of sadistic killers when they offer the wrong girl a lift home.



5. The Uninvited
A much more simple take on the classic Japanese film A Tale of Two Sisters. This is a great mystery with a really well executed 'who done it' theme. Emily Browning and Elizabeth Banks provide the Hollywood names in this larger budget remake.




6. REC.
A brilliant jumping on point for the found footage side of horror films. A television reporter and cameraman follow emergency workers into an apartment building and quickly discovers the terrors within. REC builds tension nicely and has some genuinely heart pounding moments, I guarantee the final act will have you peering through your fingers!



7. Wrong Turn
Fantastic slasher romp centred around teens in the wood being pursued by bloodthirsty cannibals. Solid scares, good action and practical effects makes this film a real all rounder.



8. The Descent
A great British horror film! The Descent is smart, gritty and extremely claustrophobic. This one will leave you holding your breath and wondering what really lies within our countries cave system.



9. The Loved Ones
Hilarious but also really unsettling Aussie masterpiece! When Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to prom, she wildly concocts a brutal plan for revenge.



10. Ginger Snaps
A film really close to my heart, Ginger Snaps deals with family, adolescence and the horror that is growing up. Wrap all these up in a gothic/werewolf/fantasy theme and you've got a real gem here!


Sunday 11 October 2015

Review: The Visit

2015 Olivia Dejonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Kathryn Hahn

Director M. Night Shyamalan is one of those directors you either love or hate as the years go by, he is capable of making thought provoking and tense films such as Signs, but on the other hand he can produce uneven messy films such as The Last Airbender and the disgraceful After Earth.
I am sad to report that this years entry in the form of handheld horror flick The Visit is yet another misfire...

The Visit begins with a mother sending her 2 children to stay with there grandparents for a week whom she lost contact with due to a quarrel when the was a girl. The girl of the pair decides to video tape the whole week (because that is what children do these day apparently!?). All seems normal when they arrive and the boy of the pair (and also the comic relief for this film) wastes no time telling his Grandmother all about rap music. However when the first night approaches the duo soon learn that not all is as it appears when the long lost Grandparents are concerned...

This film sticks to a very formulaic plot in which the Grandparents increasingly become unstable as the nights pass by. This predictable approach meant I was able to guess the outcome halfway through the film. You could even skip to the Friday night showdown/finale point in the film and literally not have missed anything of value. Shyamalan uses his usual tricks of red herrings, jump scares and of course the extremely outdated and tiresome approach of 'shaky cam'.
The characters are as 2 dimensional as they come, funny boy character and sensible older sister are the main stars. The villainous Grandparents were laughably bad, going for the creep factor yet never for one second did I see them as any kind of threat to our protagonists. They were geriatrics, geriatrics aren't scary!

The overall effect of the film was just a mishmash of set pieces and ideas strung together by a wafer thin plot. Horror has never been the most intellectually challenging of genres but there were so many instances where characters made questionable decisions just to advance the plot or drag out what was meant to be a frightening scene. I cared little about the characters or thier outcome and found myself checking my watch more that once, a real stinker in what should be the spookiest month of the year.


The Verdict

The Visit fails across the board as horror/thriller, it is neither scary, nor funny, or even remotely engaging. Bland characters and a ridiculously predictable plot make this film unworthy of a visit.

1/5