DARK CIRCLES leaves you wide awake

RATED- R

RUN TIME- 87 MINS

WRITER(S)- PAUL SOTER

STARRING- BRET BEOUBAY, ASHLEY BRAUD, AND PHILIPPE BRENNINKMEYER

DIRECTOR- PAUL SOTER

Synopsis taken from IMDb

Alex and Penny are sick of the hectic city life and decided a move out to the country to raise their newborn child. But they don't expect the horrors threatening their relationship and family.

   

Once again, I knew next to nothing about this film before I watched it. I only saw the trailer, that's it. And believe it or not, I'm not one to say this often but, this movie creeped me the hell out! I was both shocked and excited about that. Not too many films generate that type of response from me nowadays.

Alex (Johnathon Schaech) is a man torn with his life. He's being forced into big life choices that he's going to have to live because his partner, Penny (Pell James) is pregnant with their son. We see both that Alex is not happy with the choices that he's allowed himself to make, but also how Penny is worrisome and paranoid. It's the reason she wanted to move in the first place. Alex is just along for the ride, and he's very patient with her. He even leaves his band behind to move away with Penny.

From agreeing to move, we see Alex losing his cool more and more, even though it's within himself. We see him struggle with always biting his tongue or always being picked at. All on top of the fact that he didn't want to move away from his life. He becomes so stressed that he can't even practice on his piano, add to this that he and Penny haven't been sleeping due to the odd hours newborns keep. So the stress factor was really high amongst both lead characters. Now, adding on to all of that, they're both seeing a mysterious woman in their home at random times, in random places.

This film is really smart in the sense that it goes in new directions. Just from what I've described above, most would assume it's going to play out the same way. And that would be that they're going crazy due to lack of sleep and stress. Or, one would assume that it's a ghost and they're so out of reality that they don't know if it's real or not. Rest assure, it's not that simple and easy. It not only makes sense but, it completely plays out and makes total sense.

It's not one of those trippy films that make you lost like the characters are. It keeps you watching with tons of suspense and quick jumps, both of which caused me to check over my shoulder several times throughout the duration of the motion picture. 

The first film that comes to mind when I think of this is 1990's "Stir of Echoes", which I love and consider my favorite horror/thriller. The scenes with the female in Alex and Penny's house will get you good and paranoid, especially if you watch it alone in complete darkness, as I did. Finding out how it all plays out is worth it, and I was extra pleased with the fact that it had a payoff ending.The final shot is a bit slow, but the point is well taken.

The fact that Alex and Penny are so exhausted, and frustrated, and stressed out is really played up to create a claustrophobic atmosphere that will keep you very edgy. This movie is as psychological as it is a haunting film. The twist is great, and reminded me of an episode from the CW's hit series, "Supernatural" that I remember from when I liked the show.

In conclusion, if you're the type of person, like me, who likes watching films that dig inside your brain and get under your skin, then you should watch this. I am really satisfied with this one. It's not cheap looking, it's well shot, and it's a good scary movie. Only faults it has are the acting, and the story. The acting suffers from all ends, but has stand out moments as well, I'll admit that. And the story really is non-existent, because it's simply about a guy and his girl problems, more or less. 

There's no real plot to this film but, somehow it's held together well by the suspense and atmosphere created. 

Berberian Sound Studio will trip you out!

RATED- UNRATED
RUN TIME- 92 MINS
WRITER(S)- PETER STRICKLAND
STARRING- TOBY JONES, SUSANNA CAPPELLARO AND ANTONIO MANCINO
DIRECTOR- PETER STRICKLAND



Synopsis taken from IMDb
A sound engineer's work for an Italian horror studio becomes a terrifying case of life imitating art. 




Going into this film, I heard a lot of good things and nothing really negative. I've heard that it's like an acid trip, and that it's like a Stanley Kubrick film, reminiscent of "The Shining". My suspicions were very high on this one. I love atmospheric horror films, and that slow, dreadful feeling you get when watching them. So I was game from the start and ready to see what this film offered.

After seeing this film two days ago, I'm still mulling it over in my head. I'm still absorbing it, taking it all in. This is a movie I'm going to need to re-watch a few times, to make sure I've gotten it all. It left me with so many questions. It's very vague and confusing. Some don't like this type of horror, but I like any and all kinds. I like the way this movie was made, it's very artsy and classy for a horror film. 

Toby Jones (The Mist) does a great job as the lead in this film. His character Gilderoy is well played and portrayed. The films starts off a little slow, and I wasn't sure what was coming. But as the film built up more and more, we started to see the effect the music compositions are having on Gilderoy. It becomes a game of what's real and what isn't. It's a very effective and unsettling film.

The music and sounds going on in this film give you that annoyed, creepy feeling that comes along with watching the original 1974 "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". People claim that the noises are what makes the classic film so scary, and the same goes for "Berberian Sound Studio". It's a great film for those of us who don't want, or need every little detail explained to us. This is for those of us who like a little mystery in our horror.

"Berberian Sound Studio" is original, well acted, and well written. It's a horror film for the true horror fan. The fans who adore films from the 70's and even 80's. This isn't a torture movie, it isn't a gore movie. It's a pure horror film, that is borderline a psychological thriller. As a matter of fact, some may even genre it as a thriller. But to me, it's definitely a horror film.

As the film concluded, it became more intense and I started to understand it a bit more. Then it added more mystery and left me guessing. As I mentioned before, I'm going to be giving this a second viewing. I just want to let everything sink in a little more. But even after the first viewing, I can tell you that I'm a fan. I just want to make sure that I understand it as best I can. 

Much like "Kill List", I loved the mystery aspect of  the film and not knowing what just happened. A film that makes you think is a well written film, most of the time. I don't give films thumbs up, that's for other critics, but if I did give thumbs up, I would give this film two thumbs raised high. It's great to see another refreshingly original horror film to come out. Horror is doing all sorts of great things right now, if you just look beneath the surface...

THIS FILM GETS 4 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

The Ungodly (2007)

"a.k.a "The Perfect Witness"

*** S  P  O  I  L  E  R  S ***

"Do You Fit His Profile?"

RATED-R

RUN TIME- 100 MINS

WRITER(S)- MARK BORKOWSKI AND THOMAS DUNN

STARRING- WES BENTLEY, MARK BORKOWSKI AND JOANNE BARON

DIRECTOR- THOMAS DUNN

Synopsis taken from IMDb

Mickey is about to get his big break as an amateur film maker, from a serial killer who turns him and his camera into 'the perfect witness'.

STORY:  "The Perfect Witness" had me intrigued instantly by it's description. However, I wasn't sure how well it would hold up. There's a lot of movies out there that sound intriguing and when I put them on I shut them off 10 minutes later. So I was pleased that this film brought the good stuff. This isn't just a slasher movie. It takes you inside the mind of a killer, it's as psychological as they get.

 Mick (Wes Bentley) has been tracking down a local serial killer James Lemac (Mark Borkowski) and the movie picks up with him finding James in an alley talking to a woman. While Mick hides behind a dumpster with his camera he records James sweet talking the broad before stabbing her to death. This scene was shot very gritty and raw, so I knew this movie had some potential and wanted to see where this was going. James sees Mick behind the dumpster and is shocked. Mick has James meet him on a public bench in a park the following day to make a deal; Mick won't turn James in or show anyone the tape, in return James has to allow himself to be filmed and interviewed by Mick on camera.

James is is hesitant and doesn't open up immediately. He even tries to snake in some conversation to get Mick to say somethings about himself, like where he goes to school and where he lives. Luckily, Mick isn't stupid and sees right through it and keeps it professional. He just wants James to open his mind to the camera and show people how he functions. Most importantly, Mick wants to get to the root of why James murders women so savagely. Mick starts to get closer than he wants as James opens up with him completely and introduces Mick to his sister, Megan (Joanne Baron).

Mick interviews Megan and learns that James and Megan's mother was a wretched woman and extremely abusive. This is proven to him when James takes him into the basement where his mother used to keep him chained up to pipes. There's even old drawings and notes that James made stuck between the pipes from when he was chained up. Mick comes to the conclusion that James kills women because in his mind he's killing his mother for all the abuse and torture he endured. Only his mother's already dead and in an ern in the house.

When Mick gets home he finds out his mother gave a strange man their address. She said he was nice and charming. Mick knows it was James and that despite playing along with Mick's deal, James has been doing some digging on his own. Soon after, Mick's mother goes missing and James won't let her go until Mick plays along with his new game. To tag along with James during his kills and assist him as well as record them. The stress and insanity of the whole situation drives Mick to heavy drinking and pill popping. Mick re-evaluates the stories told by Mick and Megan about their mother and puzzles together that their mother isn't dead, Emma Lemac (Beth Grant) is alive.

After disclosing this information with James things go from bad to worse when James gets violent with his sister for lying to him all these years about their mother. Mick does some work and discovers where Emma Lemac is so James can finish his work and cut out the root of his evil. Once face to face with his mother, James is faced with the toughest choice of his life. And Mick is too far gone to save.

James (left) and Mick (right) pay Emma Lemac a visit

ACTING: The acting in this movie is good. Mark Borkowski does a great job at playing a twisted maniac. Wes Bentley did some overacting, but kept it on point. These characters really make you feel something psychological and emotional and that's what's so convincing.



KILLS/GORE: The kills are done in a gruesome way that not only makes it realistic but makes you uneasy as the viewer. James Lemac is a twisted, sick man and getting in his head isn't good for anyone. I love how they showed you his methods and how he gets the ladies to open up to him. It was well done and made it rough to watch him when he go going.



OVERALL: This movie takes you into a psychopaths head but what it really shows you is the extent some people are willing to go to make a name for themselves. Regardless of how egotistical and low he has to be, Mick gives up everything. Risks his life and the lives of those around him for the sake of his own potential fame. Ultimately it's all Mick's fault. James says something like, "if it wasn't for you we wouldn't be here. If you'd turned in the tape and done the right thing we wouldn't be here right now." and that pretty much sums it up.

THIS FILM GETS 3 1/2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

Chained (2012)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 94 MINS
WRITERS- DAMIAN O'DONNELL AND JENNIFER CHAMBERS LYNCH 
STARRING- VINCENT D'ONOFRIO, EAMON FARREN AND EVAN BIRD
DIRECTOR- JENNIFER CHAMBERS LYNCH




Synopsis taken from IMDb
This movie is about a cab driver called Bob (Vincent D'Onofrio) who picks up women and takes them back to his house where he kills them. But on this one day he picks up a woman and her 9 year old son, Tim. Bob then makes Tim live in the house with him all while he keeps killing women.  Time grows up there, watching, seeing all that happens. Bob wants to make him his protege. Will Tim carry on the legacy?




Jennifer Lynch comes out swinging with this psychological horror film that completely envelopes you. The movie is full of despair and it makes your heart sink to see the torment Tim goes through and how he's forced to live a life of hell after being captured by Bob, the cab driver. It hits everyone's worst fear, the fear of hopelessness and of being stuck somewhere with no where to go and no one to turn to.

Tim and his mother get dropped off at the movies by Tim's father at the movies. After being dropped off, Tim's mom tells him that since his dad isn't there she'll allow him to see the horror film he wants to see. It'll be their little secret.

After seeing the horror movie they catch a cab home. On the way home the driver takes a wrong turn, alarming Tim's mom. The cab driver gets out of the car and knocks out Tim's mom. Shortly after, Bob takes Tim and his mom to his house where he proceeds to murder Tim's mom.

Bob tells Tim that he didn't want him but now he's stuck with him, so he lays down the ground laws for Tim. He tells Tim that he is owns him and that Tim will obey him, turning Tim into his slave and making him do such things as clean his house and have dinner ready for him after work or else he'll face the consequences. He gives Tim the name of Rabbit.

Vincent D'Onofrio does a great job at playing Bob. This film really shows off Vincent's acting ability that some may not have known he had. Vincent delivers a chilling performance that showcases his acting in this film. Bob was the victim of being bullied by his father, taking the brunt of his father's abuse to protect his younger brother. Vincent transforms himself in this role, giving himself a hunch in his back and making himself have a lisp and a stutter that almost made him unrecognizable to me at first.

This film mainly focuses on how Bob is an average man who could blend in anywhere, nothing stands out about him to make you suspect him of anything. Jennifer Lynch takes advantage of how this could happen anywhere and drives it home with a suspense and fear that gnaws at you the whole movie.

As Rabbit starts to grow up, Bob decides he's going to start teaching him things he'll know to "be a man". To Bob, this means that Tim will learn how to hate women and kill them, making him see how they all "deserve" it because they're all born "whores".

The actors playing young and late-teen Tim do great jobs, Tim is a sympathetic figure you feel pitiful for. He's subjected to seeing Bob kill women on a regular basis and has to clean up the mess for years. We see how emotionally damaged Tim is, and how his hopes of escaping dwindle as the years pass. He's only allowed to eat what Bob leaves on his plate and can only speak when spoken to and he lives like this for years.

The most terrifying thing about this is how Bob doesn't see a thing wrong with what he's doing! When Tim grows up and starts to see that what Bob does is wrong, Bob calls Tim sick in the head! To think of people living with that type of "normal" standard is disturbing and terrifying.

Bob starts to make Tim learn the human anatomy so he can start killing women like Bob does. Teaching Tim the tools of the trade. Even with resistance, Tim goes ahead and reads the anatomy books.

Will Tim become truly hopeless and suffer the same fate as Bob, or will Tim hang on long enough to make an escape?

Bob makes Tim pick out a girl he likes, Tim picks a girl named Anne. Bob catches her for Tim in high hopes that Tim makes Annie his first kill. This was a breaking point in the film because it begs the question of how much of Tim's humanity has he lost after growing up in such a twisted environment.

When I first saw this trailer I knew I was going to like this movie. Overall I was very impressed with it. I didn't think that it dragged on too much at any part, I found it consistently entertaining. I thought the acting was top-notch and added to the well written story. This film is atmospheric and shows you how horrifying "daily life" can be.

This is one of the best horror film of the year for me, no doubt. I liked it instantly and it has a good twist.

THIS FILM GETS 3 1/2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

The Barrens (2012)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 94 MINS
WRITERS- DARREN LYNN BOUSMAN
STARRING- MIA KIRSHNER, STEPHEN MOYER AND SHAWN ASHMORE
DIRECTOR- DARREN LYNN BOUSMAN




Synopsis taken from IMDb
This movie is about the Vineyard family and their trip to the New Jersey Pine Barrens. There is a legend that the Jersey Devil lives in these woods. It came about after a woman known as Mother Leeds had 13 children, but she offered up the 13th child to the Devil so she and her other children didn't have to leave their house as they were going to be forced out by the town folk because she was having too many kids in the area back in the 1700's. So it's now the present, and the Vineyard family are going to camp there so the father ('Stephen Moyer') can release he father's ashes. But while there they hear that someone has gone missing, and Richard (Moyer) thinks it's the work of the Jersey Devil. So they move their camp site to get away from the rest of the campers only to find that they're in more trouble than they were before. But is the legend of the Jersey Devil real, or is it just another story?



Darren Lynn Bousman has had success with his previous films, Saw II, Saw III and Saw IV as well as Repo! The Genetic Opera. Bousman wrote The Barrens soon after finishing Saw II (2005), the film was shot in Toronto, Ontario.

Mia Kirshner, most recently know for her role on The CW's hit series The Vampire Diaries as Isobel Flemming. I am most familiar with her from her role as adult Sarah in The Crow: City of Angels (1996). She was also recently in 30 Days of Night: Dark Days (2010) as Lilith, which I wasn't a fan of. In The Barrens, Kirshner plays Cynthia, Richard's wife.

Stephen Moyer, who's popularly know as Bill Compton, Sookie's love interest on HBO's smash series True Blood. I've been watching the show from the beginning, but one thing that I've learned about Moyer is that he apparently has trouble picking what movies to be in outside of starring in True Blood. The movies I've seen with him have been underwhelming, but with Bousman on the case I figured this one was a sure thing. So you can imagine my disappointment when this movie failed my expectations.

The movie starts off with a couple walking through the woods to find a grisly discovery. It was a nice surprise to see Shawn Ashmore in this film playing Dale, the boyfriend.

The Vineyard's are getting ready to leave to go to the Barrens and we see that Richard's daughter, Saddie, doesn't like nor have much respect for Richard's wife, Cynthia. After some convincing Richard is able to get Saddie to hurry along with getting ready.

Soon after arriving to the campsite Richard realizes things have changed since he was a child and used to com to the Barrens. The campers are teens and disrespectful, they're texting and partying. Not the ideal camping trip Richard wanted with his family. He wanted to have a wholesome trip and free of all electronics including cell phones.

While sitting around the campfire a teen tells the story of the Jersey Devil, and a goofy stunt startles and frightens Richard's son. Richard overreacts and gets hostile with the teens.

During the night Richard has a nightmare where he's chased by an unknown creature. When he awakens the next day he looks like hell, looks ill and Cynthia notices.

He decides they need to move their location to deeper into the woods to get away from the crowds of mischievous teens. His family objects but they go anyway.

Richard starts to have more hallucinations and claims the Jersey Devil is after him. He becomes sickly and aggressive. He becomes dangerous.

The reason this movie was such a letdown for me is because I thought that it had a good story here and they could have gone in many directions with it. The movie starts off slightly creepy and keeps you invested for about 35 minutes.

The suspense wasn't there, it was absent. There was nothing suspenseful about this movie. The scares were just as sparse and dry. It wasn't what I was expecting. It's like you're watching a guy make a fool of himself and make it apparent he's losing his mind. But they try to keep you guessing because they may want to twist it on you for the startling effect.

The problem is, by that point in the movie you don't care anymore if it has a twist or not. It lost it's appeal long ago and the payoff doesn't matter because quite frankly it's predictable and lame.

The creature Richard sees is ridiculous looking and not scary at all. This movie wasn't scary, it was more of a psychological thriller reminiscent of The Mothman Prophesies, which was better. The ending of The Barrens is completely lackluster.

This movie was quite bad but it's far from the worst I've seen this year. I'm sure some people will like this but it's not for me.

THIS FILM GETS 1 1/2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

ATM (2012)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 90 MINS
WRITERS- CHRIS SPARLING
STARRING- ALICE EVE, JOSH PECK AND BRIAN GERAGHTY
DIRECTOR- DAVID BROOKS



Synopsis taken from IMDb
On a late night visit to an ATM, three co-workers end up in a desperate fight for their lives when they become trapped by an unknown man.



Let me start off by saying how weird it is seeing Josh from the Nickelodeon hit series Drake & Josh in a movie like this. Total opposite of what he's usually doing. I suppose this is his way of trying to be taken as a serious actor and good for him.

ATM was one of those movies that seem to find you instead of you finding the movie. I first came onto this movie when I was using the nearest Redbox machine and I passed on it. But it seems like I started seeing the movie everywhere and a friend even asked me if I've seen it. So I used my free rental and picked it up. What's the worst that could happen? I got it for free!

I liked the vibes I was getting from the start of this movie, it had a chilling atmosphere where you could feel something just under the surface. The music seemed good and was setting the mood right. I was already beginning to get high hopes for it.

There was alot of character development in this movie, which I loved because whenever you have alot of character development it makes you feel for the characters and makes the movie all around more believable. Corey (Josh Peck) and David (Brian Geraghty) had good screen chemistry and were convincing as well as Emily (Alice Eve) who is David's love interest. They made a good trio. Nothing overly impressive but this group did a good job.

On their way home from a party Corey interferes with David's attempt at hooking up with Emily due to being drunk. On the way home he insists they stop at an ATM so he can withdraw some money to get food. Here's where the movie picked up.

The whole time Corey is in the ATM David and Emily stay in the car to chat. When Corey starts taking to long David and Emily go into the ATM to see what the hold up is. On their way out of the ATM is where the problem lies...

I thought the suspense was great. The killer is very mysterious, keeping you guessing who it is and why they won't let them leave. It could be anybody. A robber, a killer, a rapist or an escaped mental patient. He just stands there and watches them. Very psychological.

After watching the movie I gotta say that I didn't like the killer or his scheme, but after it sat with me for a few hours I came around. I think this villain is a good choice.

We see even more character development when the trio is forced into "survival mode" and it's a nice addition to the movie. Making you see how real and grounded this trio is and how they act in desperate measures.

As if problems aren't bad enough the trio realizes they have to leave the ATM or else they're going to freeze due to the weather dropping.

Towards the very end there is a jaw-dropping scene of something wickedly unexpected happening that I loved. It made the characters more vulnerable and I liked that touch. The ending disappointed me because I saw it coming from about half way through the film. To see this film become predictable was hurtful.

I thought the film could have had a better ending for sure, and as much as I give the actors credit for acting their butts off I gotta admit that there were points here and there where the acting suffered. The idea of the film was creative and original, which is why I took to it so much.

This movie didn't try to be hip which I give it credit for, it was a straight shooting horror film. And it definitely makes you think twice before using a ATM a night. You never know who's out there.

It wasn't a perfect movie but it was pretty damn entertaining watching this trio fight for their lives. I'm a fan of this movie and I think it's a nice addition to the better horror films of 2012.

THIS FILM GETS 3 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

Smiley (2012)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 90 MINS
WRITERS- GLASGOW PHILLIPS AND MICHAEL J. GALLAGHER
STARRING- CAITLIN GERARD, MELANIE PAPALIA AND SHANE DAWSON
DIRECTOR- MICHAEL J. GALLAGHER



Synopsis taken from IMDb
This movie is about a girl named Ashley, as she goes to her new college while getting over the death of her mother. She meets some new people there including Binder ('Shane Dawson') while at a party and she learns about an urban legend of an online killer that has the nickname "Smiley", who can only be seen on the web. He apparently kills people after they type in "i did it for the lulz" three times. Soon after going to the party Ashley and her flatmate Proxy go online to test it out with horrific results. She becomes paranoid and she starts to think she sees Smiley all over the place and feels he may be chasing her, but how can that be if he is not real? Have they somehow released him from the internet? 



Smiley is a limited release just hitting select theaters, video and streaming. It will hit DVD and Blu-ray in early 2013. It opened to alot of criticism and negative reviews.

I didn't know to much about Smiley, I tried to stay away from spoilers and read several reviews about it that piqued my interest. So I went and had to see it for myself.

Right of the bat I smelled horrific acting, I could see what kind of movie it was going to be. It reminded me strongly of the "Urban Legends" series where it attempted to be hip but tried to maintain that feel of a slasher film. And this film did a somewhat decent job of that, although I wouldn't say it's necessarily better than it's elders. It also reminded me heavily of I Know What You Did Last Summer, and thus making it easy to see the type of audience this film was aimed at. Teenagers.

The fact that it's a teen-horror flick doesn't automatically make me turn my back or judge this film in the negative, I just know that most movies like this are quite awful. I will watch any horror movie and give a fair assessment, that's how you find diamonds in the roughs.

Smiley got my interest because despite the acting I was wanting to know what the story was with this guy "Smiley". The film had a fairly decent start and got a jump out of me. The mystery behind him, is he supernatural? An Urban Legend? Human? Human makes sense but how can he just show up at anyone's house instantly to kill them?

When Ashley (Caitlin Gerard) first sees the Smiley video floating around on the net she instantly becomes obsessed and paranoid. She starts to see him everywhere.

Weird things start to happen as people start to die around her, showing up with Smiley videos online. Her friends start to turn on her and blame her for the weird happenings. They think her prowling and digging into Smiley has brought the evil to them and they want her to stop looking for answers.

Ashley can't live without knowing, she has to know if Smiley is real and if he's following her. This becomes a cat and mouse game for Ashley's life and sanity.

The jumps and scares in this movie are fair. There's a few jumps along the way, but the movie feels like a cheap Scream (1996). The kills are good, somewhat mediocre, and not very gory.

Finding out the mystery of Smiley was clever, but the ending falls into being cliche. It's like they're giving you what you were expecting but trying to be accepted anyway. I liked the way it was done in this film, but this film had so much potential to be scary! It's a good concept somewhat and I appreciate the internet aspect of this film, however, I think they went with what would be cool and hip over what would make a great horror film. Bloody Disgusting said "took a strong, modern idea, over-thought it and turned it into a generic '90's movie that'll have you throwing popcorn at the screen."

Smiley delivered mild scares, some laughs and some jumps, but it didn't hit it out of the park. This was a second baser at best. It allowed you to see to much of it's influences and it came off like you rented a straight-to-video teen-horror movie, which I guess essentially it practically is. It tried to be a slasher film and almost had the feel right, but it was off.

On another note, Smiley was very entertaining and the fact that this film had so much potential kept me watching. In my eyes it wasn't as bad as some made it out to be. It kept you entertained and is what I consider a "popcorn" film, where you sit on the couch with a girl and some popcorn for a laid back and relaxing evening.

THIS FILM GETS 2 REAPER SKULLS OUT OF 5

Rosewood Lane (2011)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 97 MINS
WRITERS- VICTOR SALVA
STARRING- ROSE McGOWEN, LAUREN VELEZ AND BILL FAGERBAKKE
DIRECTOR- VICTOR SALVA


Synopsis taken from IMDb
The Psychiatrist and host of the radio talk show Talk Line, Dr. Sonny Blake, returns to Rosewood Lane, in Stillwater, one year after the death of her father to live in his house. Sonny was raised by brutality by her father and is a traumatized woman that was submitted to therapy by Dr. Cloey. Sonny's boyfriend, the DA Barrett Tanner, helps to bring her things to her new home. On the arrival, her next door neighbor advises Sonny that the paperboy is a dangerous weirdo. Sonny finds that the paperboy has broken into her house and might have killed her father, but Detective Briggs and Sabatino do not believe Sonny and think it's her imagination. When Barrett is attacked and missing, Sonny and her friend Paula Crenshaw call the police, but he is not found in the house. Is Sonny freaking out or is the paperboy an evil being?

This film is directed by Victor Salva, you all know him as the writer/director of the Jeepers Creepers movies. I'm still looking for answers on if there will be a third installment in the Jeepers Creepers series. I keep hearing about a third film subtitled Cathedral, definite's on this are none, so I'll wait and see. Salva was charged with pedophilia for doing some despicable acts to a 12 year old boy during production on Salva's 1989 horror film, Clownhouse. The film was about some boys who go to a carnival and are tormented by escaped mental patients dressed as clowns. I've never seen it, but it's on my list. I'll get to it.

With Rosewood Lane, Salva delivers another shocking, twisted tale. I've credited Salva before for being a good director and writer, and in this movie he brings the shocks and suspense that has become his standard of film making. This film keeps you on edge and engulfs you, wrapping you in a mystery and keeping you enthralled until the end. You're surrounded by so many unanswered questions that you have to keep watching and see where it's going. Salva also gives a nice nod to his Jeepers Creepers series by making the town of Stillwater right next to Poho and Pertwilla, the towns the Jeepers Creepers films took place in.

Rose McGowan plays the lead, Sonny Blake, who specializes in psychology after having to go through therapy herself after growing up in an abusive home. McGowan, who's mostly known for her role as Paige Mathews on the hit Television series Charmed, puts on a convincing performance that helps make you, the viewer, scared for her. You're rooting for her, hoping she can find help and find answers before she finds herself in deeper trouble that can mean life or death. She's a stunningly elegant woman, but very powerful and brave.

Daniel Ross Owens plays Derek Barber/paperboy. Daniel was in a movie I didn't like too much that I watched here recently called The Final, funny thing was that I didn't recognize him when watching Rosewood Lane. He plays a weird lunatic who is feared by all the residents of Stillwater, due to his unorthodox behavior. The dogs of the town know when he's around, it drives them into barking fits and they chase him down several times in the movie. Another weird thing about the paperboy is that he has black eyes, pure black, no color at all. It helps add to the mystery of this character.

I knew this movie was going to be good when I first put it on. Like most of us horror junkies, we have our fair share of bad horror films. You get to seeing so many bad ones that you can start to tell within the first 10 minutes if it's going to be good or not. This was one of the ones I knew I wasn't going to have to turn off.

Rosewood Lane starts off very real and grounded, getting you to see Sonny and what her life consists of. You see how her life is barely back together when she comes to be involved in the paperboy's shenanigans. What's interesting to me is how she reacts to being stalked by the weird and black-eyed paperboy who neighbors won't even talk about. Then the question of whether or not he's supernatural enters the equation, and it makes Sonny and the viewers thirst for answers.

One thing that gets me is how weird the concept of the movie is. If someone came to me with the idea of a paperboy who's also a stalker I'd think that the idea was already done. Maybe not done with a paperboy, but the idea of a woman being stalked has been done just about every way possible. But this isn't your average stalker film, Salva takes an ordinary and overused concept ad makes it fresh and original, which is pleasantly surprising and enjoyable.

Sonny finds out that her house has been invaded by the paperboy when she returns home from work to see her nick nacks are rearranged. That is just the start as she also starts receiving phone calls at work from him, speaking nursery rhymes to her on the air of her radio talk show for all her listeners to hear. The situation progresses even more as he starts to target ones that are close to her.

To me, Sonny was a little to lenient, she gave him too many chances before pulling out the big guns. There's a scene where she has a baseball bat and only threatens to swing it and giving him the chance to advance on her. At this point she's been through enough, and whatever pain she can inflict on him she should inflict on him. Even if he is a minor.

The situation is allowed to worsen because the police and her companions think Sonny is losing her mind and making a big fuss about a silly paperboy for nothing. They even suggest she goes back to therapy and that she's still not stable since her fathers death. One scene that stood out to me is where Sonny is driving home from the radio station and sees the paperboy on the side of the road, way out in the middle of nowhere where she works. I won't spoil anything, but this scene was chilling and it's one of those scenes that just sticks with you.

Overall I liked the movie. I thought it was off the wall and totally original and creative. However, it isn't Victor Salva's best. The ending was what hurt the movie for me. It has a disappointing ending for what I consider to be an above average horror film. If the ending were strong like the movie it would rate higher with me. It deserves a better ending but it's a genuine chiller.

THIS FILM GETS 2 1/2 REAPERS OUT OF 4

Dread (2009)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 108 MINS
WRITERS- CLIVE BARKER AND ANTHONY DIBLASI
STARRING- JACKSON RATHBONE, HANNE STEEN AND LAURA DONELLY 
DIRECTOR- ANTHONY DIBLASI



Synopsis taken from IMDb
The outcast cinema student, Stephen Grace, does not drive cars due to the trauma of losing his brother in a car accident. He befriends, Quaid, who since the age of 6 has experienced dreadful nightmares and daydreams about the death of his parents. Quaid purposes they research about each one's innermost fear. Stephen sees the chance of developing an original thesis for college, and invites his friend, Cheryl, to work with them. Among the interviewees, Stephen talks to his colleague, Abby who works with him in the library. Abby has a complex about the way she looks. When the work is almost complete, Quaid has an outburst at one of the interviewee's and ends up destroying the camera and editing equipment. Stephen begins to re-evaluate the situation.



When I first heard they were doing this movie I was instantly skeptical. Because what we have here is the potential to make a landmark horror film. Totally original concept and it's from the mind of Clive Barker.

Dread is my favorite short story off all-time. I got Clive Barker's Books Of Blood Volume 2 at a Farmer's Market for only about fifty cents. I read it and Dread stood out to me the most out of the overall engenius  book. Dread had balls. It took you places that you weren't sure you wanted to go but you go anyway. Dread instantly became my favorite short story I've ever read.

So I was instantly prepared for failure when I heard the movie was being made, because I knew it was damn near impossible for the movie to be better. Unless they followed the book to a T. But let's face it, who does that anymore?

The ending to the book was so brilliant! I actually passed the book along to about 3 or 4 friends and they all loved it as well.

I liked the cast right away, I thought they were young, attractive kids who fit the parts. Shaun Evans did a good job playing Quaid, especially when Quaid starts to lose it. They were sympathetic characters who get caught in a mess.

The story is different. They changed several key things about the book and I noticed the differences right as I started watching. Noting them in my mind to see how this changes the outcome. And what you got was a watered down version of the book. I don't know why they would feel they needed to change the ending, but regardless, it wasn't for the better. I don't blame the cast for this, I blame the writing. The cast did their jobs well, the story just wasn't what it was supposed to be.

The film still has some "turn your head" moments, and it goes pretty deep on the torture factor. But like in the book, it isn't about the physical torture, it's about the mental torture of confronting your worst fear. This part of the movie was good. The best part in the book as well as the movie is the part where Cheryl has to eat the steak. For those of you who haven't seen this, I won't spoil it, but I don't recommend eating while watching this scene.

It all gets worse once Stephen discovers that Quaid is a twisted man in need of help. Quaid won't stop though. He won't stop until he gets his answer. What can you do to stop your own Dread. He plans on finding out by making his victims confront theirs.

The things the people go through in this movie are horrendous and vile. They don't deserve what's being done to them. But Quaid the coward, wants to make his companions face their dread so he won't have to face his. He claims this is helping his victims, sort of like Jigsaw from Saw, but he's only torturing them for his own research.

There's a scene involving a guy who used to be deaf and isn't anymore, and his biggest fear is to be deaf again. To feel that desperate and hopeless again. And let me say it isn't pretty when Quaid decides he wants to use him as a test subject.

I love the relationship between Stephen and Quaid and how they start off becoming good friends. And seeing the character development between them as Stephen starts to realize Quaid is off his rocker. However, this was better done in the book. I didn't feel the chemistry there between them like they portrayed in the short story.

The basic elements of this story are in the movie but they updated some things that didn't really need it. For those who haven't read the book you might like this movie more. For those who have I believe you feel MY Dread.

This film isn't terrible, but I hold Dread in high regard and so I expect a certain standard that I did not feel they were able to execute for this movie. All they had to do was keep it as true to the book as possible and leave the ending alone. But I guess that's a hard question to ask of them. I'm disappointed in this movie. This story deserves a better adaptation.

THIS FILM GETS 1 1/2 REAPERS OUT OF 4

Silent House (2011)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 88
WRITERS- GUSTAVO HERNANDEZ AND LAURA LAU
STARRING- ELIZABETH OLSEN, ADAM TRESE AND ERIC SHEFFER
DIRECTOR- CHRIS KENTIS




Synopsis taken from IMDb
This movie is about Sarah as she and her dad go to their lakeside retreat to pack things up inside because it is being sold. While there, her uncle also helps get the place up to scratch so they can sell it. The uncle has to leave to get an electrician to check the wiring, but after he goes she starts hearing noises and seeing are people inside the house. Soon she and her dad are attacked by someone or something and they end up in a fight for their lives. But there's something more going on here than she thinks.




When I first saw the original foreign version I was hype to see it but ended up being disappointed. I loved the  concept but it just didn't mesh well. I think all the things it had going for it were great but there was just something that didn't click well with me.

So I was hoping this one would be better and maybe smooth out the rough edges that the original had. I wasn't as hyped to see this one as I was the other due to being let down the first time. So I didn't have alot riding on this one, but I always remain optimistic.

From the instant the film started I liked Elizabeth Olsen as Sarah. I'm not familiar with her, haven't seen any of her other work, so this helped me see her as the character and not as someone acting. She was believable and sympathetic. And the scenes where she's freaking out due to the chaos going on were well done and really put you in the moment.

When Sarah starts hearing taunted by the intruder things pick up intensely. I knew where the film was going, I knew the twist so it hurt these scenes a bit for me because I wasn't really effected by them.

I think that if you pay close attention it's kind of easy to predict who the intruder is. Especially in this one. They make it very obvious and that hurts the film bad. At first I liked where they were going and then I changed my mind. I didn't find it creative at all. They're trying to fool you but are making it too obvious.

When the uncle returns to help out with the hunt for whoever is screwing with them things quickly go even faster down hill. But like I mentioned, the suspense didn't do anything for me since I knew the payoff. I was kind of hoping they'd go somewhere else with it but it was pretty close to the original.

When the truth comes out and Sarah figures out just who exactly it is who's screwing with her and her father and uncle it hits home. It's a good twist but was executed way better in the original. It was overly obvious and that hurt this film alot.

Long story short. What could have been a better attempt at the original concept turned out to be worse. The payoff isn't worth the 88 minutes you sit through.

THIS FILM GETS 1 REAPER OUT OF 4