THROWBACK THURSDAY REVIEW: Dance of the Dead (2005)

 Director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and the Masters of Horror series are both hit or miss with me. I've personally, never been a big fan of Hooper's work except for Poltergeist and Salem's Lot (TV movie). And, there are more episodes of Masters of Horror that I dislike than like. I've viewed "Dance of the Dead" (season 1, episode 3) before, but it's been so long since I've seen it that I couldn't remember my opinion of that particular episode. I mean, the combo of Robert Englund and Tobe Hooper sounds appealing, especially when it's based on a short story by Richard Matheson! So, when I found it on DVD (for only $3.50!) I couldn't pass up the opportunity to purchase it and give it another watch. I was hoping for the best, but expecting the worst so as to not be letdown. That all changed about 20 minutes in, when I realized that I did remember it, I just tried to erase it from my brain...

'LIKE THERE'S NO TOMORROW' (short film)

A biology student's failed science experiment has caused a deadly virus to be released on the United States. Enter Joe, an everyday working man infected by the outbreak who chooses to go into seclusion at a cabin. As he suffers through stages of grief, Joe waits to see if he is one of the lucky few to be immune to the virus. 



Like There's No Tomorrow  is a sad zombie short that's about 27 minutes long. It centers on a man named Joe who was bitten on his right forearm after trying to help an infected civilian. I really like how everything is explained and thought out thoroughly, as we find out that the zombie outbreak was caused by a man-made zombie rat created in a lab. Only 2% of the population is immune to the virus and can overcome it, and while Joe is hoping he's in that small percentile, we see him go about his everyday life and doing things like practice shooting with his rifle. But mostly, we see him worrying and feeling sorry for himself. As the story progresses we learn that Joe is separated from his wife and daughter, and misses them dearly. He also starts to decay and darken around the eyes, which is a nice touch.

'ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE' but they come back hungry

MILD SPOILERS THROUGHOUT 

RATED- Unrated
RUN TIME- 90 Mins
WRITER(S)- Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson
STARRING- Caitlin Stasey, Sianoa Smit-McPhee and Brooke Butler
DIRECTOR(S)- Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson



Synopsis taken from IMDb
A rebel girl signs up a group of cheerleaders to help her take down the captain of their high school football team, but a supernatural turn of events thrusts the girls into a different battle.




Finally, I've dug my way out of screeners for filmmakers and studios, and I'm able to review this one. I've been a fan of director Lucky McKee since his 2nd film, May. Most notably, he's the man behind The Woman, which came out in 2011 and made a name both for itself and him due to the graphic violence depicted, and all around being a very good movie. When I found out that Lucky was doing a new film, I instantly tweeted to him asking him three reasons people should watch All Cheerleaders Die, and he replied:

Throwback Thursday Review: PET SEMATARY (1989)

RATED- R

RUN TIME- 103 Mins

WRITER(S)- Stephen King

STARRING- Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, and Fred Gwynne 

DIRECTOR- Mary Lambert

Synopsis taken from IMDb

Behind a young family's home in Maine is a terrible secret that holds the power of life after death. When tragedy strikes, the threat of that power soon becomes undeniable.

"Pet Sematary" is one of the first genre pictures I ever saw, and I was only a child at that time. The film had been out for a few years already by that time, and I can't recall how old I was, but I know I was in the single digits age-wise. I also don't remember how or why I watched it at such an impressionable age, but the nerd in me is glad that it happened. I have a lot of memories with this one, my entire family are huge Stephen King fans, so this was a hot topic in my neck of the woods.

My older sister saw it when it was released in theaters, and she also was only a child when she experienced it. A story that I grew up hearing about is how my sister urinated herself in the theater at the first appearance of Pascow, played to perfection by Brad Greenquist. I also have a story that might be funny to other people, but it sure as hell wasn't funny to me at the time. As a child, I had a three foot tall Power Ranger plush toy of the Red Ranger. My dads maniacal mind deviated a plan to pose the toy in my doorway, and out of any light source, so all I could see was its silhouette.
My father quoted (at the time) young actor Miko Hughes' memorable line as Gage, "now I wanna play with you...". It was the middle of the night, and when I heard the words spoken, and turned to see what looked like a child standing in the doorway to my bedroom, I screamed out and damn near wet myself. My dad got a good laugh out of it, and I guess you can say I get my twisted sense of (torture) humor from him.

I'd probably be too scared to listen to anything this guy said. 

I mean, even the opening credits are creepy. The children's singing along with the dark, demented tombstone visuals sets the mood, but doesn't prepare you for what you're about to experience. Ya know, aside from Rachel's (Denise Crosby) father, I don't think there's a single character that isn't likable. I mean, the second they move into their new accursed home, Judd Crandall (Fred Gwynne) saves Gage from an oncoming truck, and becomes a fan favorite. You just know you're going to like him, he seems genuine.

When Louis (Dale Midkiff) can't save Victor Pascow at his new job as a doctor at the University of Maine, he's soon haunted by his image. Only Pascow doesn't want to bring harm or bad luck to Louis, instead he wants to warn him of coming events, and save Louis' life for trying to save his. Louis thinks he's just dreaming until he awakes and finds his bare feet covered in mud after dreaming of walking through the Pet Sematary. After learning of the gravesite for children's deceased animals, the door opens for the Creed's lives to change for the worse. Especially after Judd tells Louis the truth about the cemetery; that it's an old Indian burial ground with the ability to bring dead animals back to life when buried there

I wonder if Church would still be pissy if he'd been given catnip?

So when his daughter, Ellie's (Blaze Berdahl) cat Church is hit by oncoming traffic, Louis does the only logical thing there is to do: he buries the cat in the cursed Indian land that lays beyond the children's Pet Sematary. When Church arrives home, he's a changed cat. He's mean, calculating, and dreadful. Not to mention he stinks...

We get some character time between Louis and his wife Rachel, and we see that they're making ends meet, but like all family's, they have their issues and drama. We get small hints at why Louis is hated by Rachel's father, and subtle things like that that fill in gaps nicely, and add a lot to the overall story and the way we view characters. Rachel's backstory is actually possibly the scariest scene in the entire feature. I don't think there's a single person out there who isn't somewhat creeped out by Rachel's sister, Zelda, who is actually played by a man named Andrew Hubatsek. While I think we can all agree that Rachel wasn't completely wrong with letting her sister die, she also wasn't right. So with complex storytelling like that, we get the black, white, and grey areas in their lives that allow us to sympathize with them.

Screw the brains, Gage goes straight for the throat!

Then of course, poor little Gage gets hit dead by a freight truck after chasing his kite through the grass. A co-worker of mine, and avid horror fan, told me once that the scene at Gage's funeral when his casket tips is the scariest scene ever. While I disagree, I can agree that it is unsettling, and scary in an unconventional way. It's more just uncomfortable for me, really. Judd tells Louis of a past story involving a man burying his son, who died in the war, in the land beyond Pet Sematary. The story includes details of that son coming back from the grave, and savagely attacking his family, only to be stopped by townsfolk burning his house down with everyone in it.
However, logic is beyond Louis, so he doesn't take a hint. While Rachel and Ellie are at Rachel's parents house, Louis digs up Gage from his peaceful plot, and takes him up to the dreaded land and buries Gage anyway. This is where it gets really, really good.

When Gage returns from the grave, it's nothing but bad news for everyone in sight. Starting with Judd, Gage goes on a eerie killing spree. The scene in which Judd Crandall is murdered by Gage is horrifying, and it defiles the innocence of a child. Breaking down such a delicate barrier, Stephen King is really able to reach for your heart and squeeze it. While he may look cute, Gage is an animal, and kills in ruthless ways. When Rachel leaves Ellie behind, she is guided subconsciously by Pascow.
Since Louis didn't listen to his advice, he seeks the hope that Rachel will heed his warning. Only she ends up being Gage's second victim, and while her demise happens off screen, we still get to see the after effects of it.

They say beauty is only skin deep, about as deep as that knife's about to be in Louis' back

When Louis awakens to find that his friendly neighbor Judd, and his wife have met their end at the hands of his now-evil son, Louis again, does what any man would do: kills his son, burns his neighbors house down, and buries his wife, saying that she hasn't been dead long enough yet to come back messed up. At this point in the film and story, Louis has gone mad, and actually plans on picking up his life the way it was, nevermind the fact that Rachel only has one eye now, and she's rotting. But his plans don't work out in the end anyway, because Rachel makes Louis her first victim. I remember seeing Denise Crosby in her final makeup on screen for the first time, and I didn't sleep right for weeks. I used to turn my head every time it shows her at the end with her leaking eye and vehement grin. It wasn't until a few years of watching the film that I could brave fully watching the end.

"Pet Sematary" has the credit of being one of the only films to ever really scare me. Not only that, it was another lovely entry into the genre that I'd grow up to be obsessed with. It's creep factor is still intact, and it hasn't lost it's touch. I consider King to be one of my biggest idols but, I have to admit that I think the film outdid his novel in this rare case. Though the book has more details, and the ending is more open, I think the cinematic representation told the story better, and in an everlasting way. It remains one of my favorite horror movies of all time, and I recently bought the Blu-ray with the sweet holographic cover of Church.
If my house were burning down, and I could only grab a few movies before it all turned to ash, "Pet Sematary" would be one of the few picked. I've got memories with this movie, and I just genuinely think it's an amazing horror film. I also didn't mind the sequel, "Pet Sematary II", although it's nothing compared to the original.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Throwback Thursday Review: BRAINDEAD (1992)

(A.K.A., DEAD ALIVE)

RATED- R

RUN TIME- 104 Mins

WRITER(S)- Stephen Sinclair, Fran Walsh, and Peter Jackson

STARRING- Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver, and Elizabeth Moody

DIRECTOR- Peter Jackson

Synopsis taken from IMDb

A young man's mother is bitten by a Sumatran rat-monkey. She gets sick and dies, at which time she comes back to life, killing and eating dogs, nurses, friends and neighbors.  

Peter Jackson's "Dead Alive" is one of the elite films in a handful that I can watch at anytime, no matter what the circumstances, no matter what my mood. It partially has to do with the fact that it's got a little bit of everything in it. But mostly, it's because it's just a fun and enjoyable movie. This flick has attached to it a rarity, when people watch it, it gets all sorts of reactions. Laughs, gags even, and screams. It's an all around blast of a horror movie.

This is just one of the horror genre pictures Jackson has done. He's also the man behind "Bad Taste" (1987), and "The Frighteners" (1996). That's right, the man now known for the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy once tackled the horror genre. And if we're lucky, he'll make a gory return someday.

The New Zealand gore-fest has countless memorable quotes and scenes, starting with the Sumatran rat-monkey. The stop motion animation isn't something that's forgivable to pull off nowadays, but back then when horror was fun, it did just the trick. The rat-monkey hails from the fictional  Skull Island, the same location King Kong originates from. Peter Jackson has openly stated that the original Kong film is his favorite movie, ever since he was a child. And you can see it reflect in his work.

It's funny how despite how gross and bloody this flick is, it's still not as harsh and cruel as films by today's standards. It wasn't about pain and torture, it was about enjoying yourself and having a good time. And the opening says all you need to know about what you're getting into.

Now that's a face only a mother can love...

There's not a lot of character development, and it's not a character driven motion picture. However, the characters are completely likable, and even relatable to a certain extent. It's not so much that you're dreading what happens to the main characters as much as you're looking forward to seeing how they get out of their predicament. When Lionel's (Timothy Balme) mother, Vera (Elizabeth Moody) is savagely attacked by the nasty little rat-monkey, it ceases any progress that Lionel and his new girlfriend, Paquita (Diana Peñalver) are working towards. Though the intrusion was intentional by Vera, the rat-monkey taking a piece out of her arm wasn't. Lionel crawls back inside of his shell and tends to his mother, ignoring the outside world and Paquita.

Things only go from bad to gross as Vera's condition worsens and her skin starts to peel off. Not to mention one of her ears. Her refusal to lay in bed and rest, is responsible for possibly the nastiest scene in the entire motion picture: the 'custard' scene. As her bite wound aches and pusses its way into her and Lionel's guests desert, it invokes all sorts of reactions from the viewer. Most often people turn their heads, or they look in awe with their had over their mouth. Like it or hate it, it's one of the most memorable scenes from a gore-fest film ever. Only to be rivaled by the infamous 'lawnmower' scene towards the end of the picture.

Lionel tries as hard as he can to contain his mothers condition, but that proves to be an impossible feat as he loses control of his mother and the situation. After viciously snapping a nurses head back, and half off, he now has another body to watch after once it too becomes re-animated and blood thirsty. But he still keeps it a secret until a priest and punk rocker get added to the collection of zombies courtesy of Vera. Lionel even uses tranquilizer to keep the undead in his basement safe and sound. Then comes the baby that is procreated by none other than the nurse and the priest. With all of these living corpses stuffed in his dank basement, he soon can't control them anymore and is blackmailed by his uncle Les (Ian Watkin).

And to think, the house was so tidy before all the guests arrived

After agreeing to give up his inheritance from his deceased mother, Les agrees to keep Lionel's secret. But he makes Lionel take care of the zombies in the basement, a task that Lionel screws up terribly. He accidentally gives all of the living dead a poison that is actually an animal stimulant. So seeing as all this started from a monkey bite, the corpses don't die, they have even more energy. Busting down the basement door and crashing uncle Les' housewarming party full of his friends and colleagues, things get really gory. All this leads up to the unforgettable aforementioned 'lawnmower' scene.

As Lionel breaks out of his shell, he fights back in the most unconventional of ways; he attacks the now houseful of living dead by shredding them to pieces with his trusty lawnmower. What goes down is easily to this day, still one of the goriest scenes in motion picture history. The entire house is nothing but crimson, body parts, and wet chunks. But the fight doesn't stop there, because the main villain, Vera, doesn't show up until the final few minutes of the film. Only she's now monstrously tall, and completely mutated. Upon threatening Paquita, Lionel finally takes stand against his mother and kills her. 

Lionel and Paquita walk off together leaving the gritty aftermath behind them as we hear the baby conceived by the nurse and priest, screaming in the fire. I find all of the scenes with the baby to be awesome, especially the 'park' scene in which Lionel tries to act as though it's a normal baby, but to no avail.

Did someone say they need a Swiffer?

In the end, "Braindead" is a film that will be talked about for ages to come. It may not hold its appeal to younger fans nowadays as it does to those of us around when it came out, but it's a solid movie never to be forgotten. It's one of those ones that it's as easy to sit through as it is hard to watch at times. And to think I only summed up the film, I could go on and on with this one. The moral of this review is that if you haven't seen this movie yet, you need to fix that asap. And if you have seen this one, then thanks for reading, doing so shows your fandom for this classic.

4 out of 5 stars

DEMON RESURRECTION (Screener Review)

RATED- Unrated
RUN TIME- 90 Mins
WRITER(S)- William Hopkins
STARRING- Alex Golightly, Damian Ladd, and Eli Kranski
DIRECTOR- William Hopkins



Synopsis taken from IMDb
In an isolated house, a group of friends battle supernatural forces as they try to protect a young woman from an evil cult.




First of all, I want to mention how professional this screener is. Most people just send you a burned disc, and maybe a small note. Well, this one came in a full-fledged DVD case, complete with movie cover and bonus features including a making of documentary and even commentary by writer and director, William Hopkins. So I was actually looking forward to this one, because it seemed to me that the filmmakers themselves took this project seriously, and aimed a little higher than just being a "backyard epic".

The film starts pretty quickly, introducing you to a few characters at an archaeological dig site who uncover some bodies said to be dead members of an evil cult. Then follows a brief explanation and some back story, allowing you to understand the whole picture before the proverbial crap hits the fan.

Then we go to a group of friends, who are oblivious to the fact that they're so close to the recently uncovered bodies and burial. They're in town for an intervention of their friend Grace, who they think is troubled and needs help. Eventually we get some more back story, this time from some of the characters, especially Grace, played by Alex Golightly. We find out how she's been forced to join an evil cult against her will, and was branded with the cults symbol. She was then bound and raped by an evil essence, which for the sake of the movie is green fog.

This of course, results in her pregnancy. My only complaint about her unfortunate events, is that I wish it were more depraved. I appreciate that they kept it cleaned up and to a minimum, but I think going the route of being a bit more graphic for the sake of the effect it would have had would have been the way to go.

The characters stumble into a few cliches such as there being no reception for their cell phones, but for the most part, "Demon Resurrection" is its own monster and offers up some good creativity, while nodding to certain classics in the genre such as "Night of the Living Dead" and "The Evil Dead". And make no mistake, this is no typical 'I'm pregnant with Satan's baby' movie.

I think my favorite part about the movie is the zombies. They're straight Lucio Fulci style, taking you back to the feel of the late 70's and early 80's era of zombie makeup. They're constantly surrounded by a green smoke and glow, like the smoke that impregnated Grace. And these zombies are pretty vicious, they fight back, and they scratch the hell out of you. Nasty gore, but throughout the movie it isn't overused or overplayed. 

As a matter of fact, there's a throat cut scene that rivals that of "The Crate" from 1982's "Creepshow". Not to mention, there's some gruesome throwback disembowelments to add to the awesomeness. The window scene in general is painful to watch, but the guy who meets such a cruel end is worthy of it, and easily the least likable character.

The evil within Grace is birthed as a creature that looked to me like a cross between a graboid (Tremors) and a Xenomorph (Alien). It's done old school with a puppet and not cgi, another throwback to older films. And although William Hopkins was open about what an aggravation it was to use a puppet, I appreciate that much more than I would have a computer generated creature.

The movie ends in a semi-happy way, but not really. Through the entire film, there's not really any score to it. I appreciate the way that using natural sounds keeps things in a more grounded level, and it is effective. However, I think a good score that gets your blood pumping adds in suspense, and would have overall improved the effectiveness the film has.

The makeup work is decent, I've definitely seen worse, and I've absolutely seen better. But, it works for the feel that the movie achieves. With some low quality lighting throughout, and some weak acting, this movie fails to be perfect. However, the good outweighs the bad, and there's some good dialogue between the characters. I just wish it was carried out in a better way.

One of the things that I disliked was the way the zombies meet their end, and wanted them to vanish differently. I guess great minds think alike, because after watching the film with commentary, I came to find out that William Hopkins actually wanted them to ignite into flames, but was restricted in doing so. I agree that would have been a better farewell. And I think that with the style of the zombies, that it would have been better if the whole movie were shot in a grainy Grindhouse type of look.

I also learned during the commentary how difficult it was to make this movie, the setbacks they had in pulling it off, and how it took a long time. All of which just builds more appreciation from me. The commentary also pinpoints some continuity issues that I honestly probably would have never noticed otherwise, and goes into how the zombies were designed to look retro, because they didn't look right in the films "Blair Witch" style. They also didn't hire friends to play parts, they hired pros, unlike most indie directors do. And they had to shoot eight pages of the script each day, which is a lot compared to a usual production.

In the end, even with flaws, "Demon Resurrection" is an indie achievement. It was created and treated very professionally, and gives the genre a big high five. It's a low-budget B movie that doesn't let up.

3 stars out of 5

State Of Emergency Isn't Just Another Zombie Movie

RATED- UNRATED
RUN TIME- 90 MINS
WRITER(S)- TURNER CLAY
STARRING- JAY HAYDEN, ANDY STAHL AND TORI WHITE
DIRECTOR- TURNER CLAY



Synopsis taken from IMDb
Chaos consumes a small town when a chemical facility explodes a deadly toxin. Moments after the leak, the town's residents show signs of mutation, causing the military to quarantine the area leaving any survivors helpless inside. The story follows Jim, a young man isolated within the red zone, as he eludes flesh eating zombies in an attempt to win back his freedom. 




Even though this movie was made in 2011, it's just now released. So technically it's a 2013 film. Same as the upcoming horror film "You're Next", which was also filmed two years ago and is just now coming out. This film, however, is actually on Netflix instant. That's how I stumbled upon it!

From the go, I had low expectations. I wasn't expecting too much from this film at all. In my mind, I instantly saw another bad zombie movie written all over it. I had nothing else to do, and it was late, so I figured what the hell. My mentality was that if it's bad enough, it'll just put me to sleep, and I love sleep. So I watched it anyway.

You can tell from the opening of the film that it's not made on a very large budget (estimated $1,300,000) but that doesn't always stop a movie from being good, so I try and not judge cinema by that alone. After about five minutes in, it appeared to me that my initial judgement on the film was wrong, and that this may actually be something special. So no, I didn't fall asleep. I did however, have to continue it the next night because I was so tired the night before. The point is, I actually stopped it to resume later as opposed to letting it play and sleeping through it. I guess you can say it hooked me.

First off, the acting does suffer a bit, but it's very good for a low-budget film. Jay Hayden isn't the strongest of actors, but he does a very descent job of holding up this movie, with the whole film being about his character Jim.

If it sounds like I'm over praising this, let me back it up a bit and clearly state that, this is in no way a perfect movie. As I mentioned above, some of the acting suffers, as well as there's some forced and unnecessary dialog. There's also editing flaws throughout the film. I'm openly stating that this film is not a masterpiece. It is however, one of the few films that stand out in the zombie genre amongst the abundance made. Even though the zombie scene is exhausted in almost every way by now, "State of Emergency" offers it's own goodies.

One of them being that, there's actually a happy ending, and get this, they actually have a cause for what caused the sickness to spread! As opposed to the ever so popular "we don't know what caused the outbreak" cop out.

Another thing that this film lacks is some deep layered character development. It doesn't seem we ever get past the "woe is me and it's the end of the world" theme. I would have liked to go in deep with some solid character story. That would have put this movie over, and it's a shame it wasn't included. Coulda woulda shoulda, right? 

This movie barely makes it over the mediocre line, but ultimately it does cross the line. I didn't mind the way the zombies looked, but again, another aspect that could have stood out, but really doesn't. The fact that this movie keeps you intrigued enough to watch through the end is the most complimentary thing I can say. It falls into the middle of the zombie pack, but far from top and further from the bottom.

"Zombie with a Shotgun" Film/Web Series

"Zombie with a Shotgun is a film/web series about Aaron, Aaron's shotgun and Rachel who both are on the run! Aaron gets infected with the zombie virus. As the story unfolds in front of us, we watch the two take a journey to find all of the answers to our zombie questions. The viewer watches in angst wondering why Aaron has not developed the full zombie virus. Will others who get infected get to see another day? Stay tuned..."

When I was first approached to check out "Zombie with a Shotgun", I immediately jumped at the opportunity. What about the title of this series doens't pique a horror fans' interest?

After watching the web series, the only thing that I really had negative to say about it is, that the episodes aren't 90 minutes long. I wish every episode was it's own full-length movie, because it's totally and completely compelling!

The first thing that came to my mind was that this reminded me of the "30 Days of Night" series that FEARnet did, only way better quality in both story and acting. So I made it a point to post about this series and spread the word, hoping that more people will be introduced to some of the really good stuff out there that isn't getting the attention it deserves.

It's a story about a guy trying to hold onto his own sanity and humanity during the end of times. The episodes are very short, and worth a watch by anyone who is an avid fan of the genre. It doesn't take up much time, and it'll satisfy your needs.

I'll be waiting, and hoping that there's more to come of this awesome little series. I'm officially a fan!


Below are the links to the episodes for you to watch, as well as the website, Twitter account and Facebook page. Check it out!


EPISODE 1
http://vimeo.com/47605437

EPISODE 2
http://vimeo.com/53552465

EPISODE 3
http://vimeo.com/65786640

EPISODE 4
http://vimeo.com/68046947



WEBSITE:
http://www.zombiewithashotgun.com/

TWITTER:
https://twitter.com/ZOMBIEWASHOTGUN

FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/ZombiewithaShotgun

World War Z is a Blast!

 

RATED- PG-13
RUN TIME- 116 MINS
WRITER(S)- MATHEW MICHAEL CARNAHAN, DREW GODDARD, DAMON LINDELOF AND J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
STARRING- BRAD PITT, MIREILLE ENOS AND DANIELLA KERTESZ
DIRECTOR- MARC FORSTER


Synopsis taken from IMDb
United Nations employee Gerry Lane traverses the world in a race against time to stop the Zombie pandemic that is toppling armies and governments, and threatening to destroy humanity itself. 



I'll be the first to admit it. I actually did what I always criticize people for doing; I judged the film based off of the firs trailer I saw and bashed it. I couldn't help it, it didn't seem like it was going to be very interesting at all. And I couldn't have been more wrong!

I mostly judged it for the use of CGI for the zombies. I didn't like that they took a shortcut instead of using real people. Now that I've seen the film, I understand why they weren't real actors and actresses. To film those types of scenes would be impossible, and the CGI is the necessary tool for the job. It wasn't overdone at all. People getting trampled on wouldn't go over well, so they did what was best for those scenes.  

The film is shot like 2011's "Contagion", in the sense that it's a disaster film. Not a zombie film. I think that point goes over a lot of people's heads and they bash it for not being a hardcore gore film. Obviously, you knew it was a PG-13 movie going in, so to complain it's not gory is a bit foolish. The movie is about infection and survival, the zombies are just background to the story. I was surprised by how well done this film is.

There were a few scenes that surprised me, and even more that had my heart going! It's almost an epic picture, the way it's done. I think it's very tasteful and thrilling. And the music will get you going! I actually liked "I Am Legend", and I think this goes right along side that. This film is superior, however. 

Brad Pitt does a great job in this picture as well. It's not his best performance, but it's damn good. He holds the film well on his shoulders. His character is smart, brave and sympathetic. Everyone in the audience can relate to him in some way, especially how he protects his family first and foremost. This is yet another good film under Pitt's belt. 

I feel as though Brad's chalked up as being a pretty boy too much. If you stop to look at his resume, the guys got talent and some great films with his name on them.

In conclusion, go in expecting to be entertained, unlike I did. You'll end up finding a lot more in the film that you like, than you expected. Give it a shot for yourself. It's a really good disaster film and it's entertaining and even pulse pounding throughout it's entirety. 

A friend let me borrow the book a few years back and it collected dust, so I gave it back. I think I'm going to look into re-borrowing it after seeing this film.

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

Grimm, Carnage and the Madeiros girl part 2. [REC] 2 (2009)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 85 MINS
WRITER(S)- JAUME BALAGUERO, MANU DIEZ AND PACO PLAZA
STARRING- JONATHAN D. MELLOR, OSCAR ZAFRA AND ARIEL CASAS
DIRECTOR- JAUME BALAGUERO AND PACO PLAZA



Synopsis taken from IMDb
The action continues from [REC], with the medical officer and a SWAT team outfitted with video cameras are sent into the sealed off apartment to control the situation.




This is the beginning of a crossover with another blogger. We discussed a theme for a crossover and since I haven't seen the second or third installment in this series yet, we decided that this would be a great topic. He reviewed the first film earlier today, you can read it HERE. I finally watched [REC] 2 and tomorrow we'll be co-writing the third film review together.

I saw the US remake of [REC], "Quarantine", before I saw any of the [REC] films. I was very fond of the US version and still am. However, once I finally saw [REC] I knew what all the hype was about. And I was definitely a big enough fan to want to see the sequel.

I didn't read any spoilers, I had no idea what part 2 was going to be like, or about. To my surprise, it takes place right after the first film, on the same night. I always like when films do that. It makes watching them back to back come off as one big movie. I've recently done this with "The Collector" and "The Collection". Both of which I've seen before, just never back to back.

This film doesn't take any time to pick up like the first film did, it's intense and nail biting 10 minutes in! Yet again, the viewer is thrown into the chaos. There's so much going on, that it's hard to keep track among all of the havoc. 

This film delves deeper into possession, allowing us to understand more than we could in the original film. The idea of possession going around as a virus isn't exactly original (they did it on the hit CW series "Supernatural") but, it's never been done this well before. As most of you know, possessions are the type of movies that scare me the most. I don't play when it comes to that stuff. So this one had me more scared than I was in the original, just because you know now that they aren't just rabid people. They're evil and that's why they're attacking everyone.

I thought it was cool that some of the characters from the original film were in this as well. A lot of people would have just moved on and picked up with a new film, but that's not the case with this one. It adds to the authenticity of it being a continuation, to see the little girl and the lead, Angela Vidal,  from the first film in this one. When Angela shows up, questions immediately arise.

The aren't allowed to leave unless the doctor gives the orders for the doors to be opened. He'll only do that when they get the blood from a possessed human, so he can come up with a cure. As if that isn't hard enough to accomplish, the situations never go as planned and they always end up worse. They're on the run for their lives inside the apartment building but can't leave.

I liked that we get introduced to new people, who are residing on the roof with their camera. Once they're involved, we watch things through their camera too. The film makers did a good job of making these teens or young adults come off as real people and not actors. 

As the film reaches its climax, a lot of death and twists are bestowed. Including one that I didn't expect, but had a slight suspicion about. This film is non-stop scary, it's the scariest parts of the first film and then some.

It's a really tough call to make on if I like this film, or the first more. It's one of those ones I'll have to let sit with me for a while and give it time to sink in. Solid horror film though, no doubt. And a damn good sequel.

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

ParaNorman (2012)

"You Don't Become A Hero By Being Normal"

RATED- PG
RUN TIME- 92 MINS
WRITER(S)- CHRIS BUTLER
STARRING- KODI SMIT-McPHEE, ANNA KENDRICK AND CHRISTOPHER MINTZ-PLASSE
DIRECTOR- CHRIS BUTLER AND SAM FELL

Synopsis taken from IMDb

A misunderstood boy takes on ghosts, zombies and grown-ups to save his town from a centuries-old curse.

STORY: Norman Babock is a young boy who can speak with the dead, including his grandmother that lives with him and his family. Due to this reason he is looked down on by a lot of people and he's bullied in school. Soon enough Norman meets a friend at school named Neil Downe, a chubby boy who's used to ridicule and bullying himself. They get along just fine.

During a rehearsal of a school play commemorating the town's witch execution from 300 years ago, Norman gets a ghastly vision that he's being pursued as a witch by the townsfolk. And Norman's uncle, Mr. Prenderghast, a local bum, warns Norman that the vision was a sign that he will have to take up the regular ritual to protect the town. The same ritual Uncle Prenderghast has been doing up until this point. A ritual that shields the town from the witches curse.

Soon after, the small New England town of Blithe Hollow, Massachusetts is being relentlessly pursued by zombies. Norman must find the answers on how to save the town before it's too late, and that includes contacting the witch the town executed 300 years ago.

Norman and his friends run from the living dead taking over their town

ANIMATION: The animation in this film was really good, I love good old claymation. CG is incredible and all, but it was a breath of fresh air to see a movie that went a little old school with things, though there was still some CG in the film. I liked the overall appearance of this film.



ACTION/FX: The scenes of intense action were well done, the CG looked great and I really liked how they didn't hold back with this movie. It's a horror film for children, what's not to love? It gets a little violent when the residents of Blithe Hollow strike back against the zombies, and it really puts a new perspective on things.


OVERALL: This film is funny, cute and fun. It does get a bit too serious at the end and I think it may go deeper than some kids can understand, but it's a solid film that adults will love just as much as kids. It's creepy and a good way to introduce your kids into horror, or to just have a good time with some friends. ParaNorman is a must-see for all ages. The main message in this film is acceptance and forgiveness.

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

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012 3D)

RATED- R
RUN TIME- 96 MINS
WRITERS- PAUL W.S. ANDERSON
STARRING- MILLA JOVOVICH, SIENNA GUILLORY AND MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ
DIRECTOR- PAUL W.S. ANDERSON



Synopsis taken from IMDb
The Umbrella Corporation's deadly T-Virus continues to ravage earth, transforming the global population into legions of the flesh eating Undead. The human race's last and only hope, Alice, awakens in the heart of Umbrella's most clandestine operations facility and unveils more of her mysterious past as she delves further into the complex.  




This was the movie I was looking forward to most in September, and I got to see it last night in 3D. I usually don't make it a habit to see movies in 3D, but I thought this would be one worth seeing because it's bad ass action literally in your face. This is the first Resident Evil movie I've seen in theaters, but I've been a fan of the movies since the first one hit DVD, I got it as a birthday present.

Now, I know these movies get alot of flack because they don't follow the game and yadda yadda yadda. Truth is, I was never a big gamer. I played video games here and there and still do, but I never followed a game the way real gamers follow them. So to me, I could give a damn if the movies are following the games or not, as long as their entertaining. I played the first RE game as well as part 4, and they were good, but I didn't get into it enough to hate the movies.

This movie has a awesome beginning; everything happens in reverse during the credits and it's the aftermath of what went down in the ending of the last film, Afterlife. Explosions, bodies and bullets everywhere, I loved this opening.

This movie has a scene in it in the beginning that reminds me strongly of 2004's Dawn of the Dead remake, where they wake up in the best of spirits only to find the world outside has gone to hell. Wreckage and death everywhere. Not to mention the zombie infestation. I like the scene in Dawn of the Dead better, but this one was still well done. There were quite a few jumps in this scene as well.

As you've seen in the trailer they've brought back some familiar faces such as Jill Valentine, Rain, Luther West and Carlos. But they've also brought in some new characters such as Ada Wong and Leon. Johann Urb looks just like Leon, they did a great job on his appearance.

One thing you should know is that this movie was made for 3D. It's not like The Avengers, where it's a regular movie and they release it in 3D, this movie was made for 3D. So if you don't see it in 3D you may not find it as entertaining because it's not as visually stunning.

The action in this movie is non-stop. It's just bang, bang, bang. Fight after fight, explosion after explosion. My favorite fight scene is the scene between Alice and Jill Valentine. That was a great scene, and the 3D during these action scenes was top-notch.

The Umbrella Corporation is out of control and has gone to far. Humanity is on it's last breath and it's a bitter fight to the end. The dialog in this movie wasn't exactly the best, it was cheesy one-liners alot of the time and some very bad acting at points. But these movies are about the ass-kicking action and the bloody deaths of zombies and the spread of the sickness killing the world. If you're out there and still expecting that Academy Award winning Resident Evil film, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I, however, knew what I was going in for and I enjoyed myself.

As Alice tries to save the world she uncovers more mysteries and no answers, adding to the total darkness we're kept in throughout this series. At any second they can twist something and drop us on our heads. Nothing and no one is ever safe. 

The movie unravels and leaves us with a cliffhanger leading up for a sequel, and I say bring it. These movies are great movies on the scale of entertainment value. I see them as nothing but over-the-top action/horror films, and I watch them to see great action and scary scenes. I don't have anything invested in them, just the fact that I expect to be entertained, and so far this series is doing it for me. Some are clearly better than others, but I'm always up to watch a Resident Evil film. They're fun, plain and simple.

The ending is grim and doesn't look promising. But that means one thing- that there is going to be some serious things going down in the 6TH installment. And more action packed zombie slaying action.

THIS FILM GETS 3 REAPERS OUT OF 4

V/H/S (2012)

Synopsis taken from IMDb
A POV, found footage horror film from the perspectives of America's top genre filmmakers. A group of misfits are hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house in the countryside and acquire a rare tape. Upon searching the house, the guys are confronted with a dead body, a hub of televisions and an endless supply of cryptic footage, each video stranger than the last.



That's right! If you have Comcast as your cable provider you can view this movie now. I was waiting for this day since I first saw the trailer. I'm on a mission to see everything Ti West does or takes part in. For those of you who don't have Comcast, you'll have to wait to see the movie in theaters on October 5TH.


I'll start off by saying what I thought over all by the movie. I loved it. I thought it was brilliant. This movie has my vote for best horror film of the year thus far. Incredibly original. Every story is from a POV perspective.

Some people may complain about the movie do to there being some unknown dialog being said due to bad sound. However, this movie is totally authentic, they keep everything realistic. They didn't give you cliche's. It really felt like you were watching people and not actors. 

I thought the concept was engenius and top of the line in quality. I enjoyed every one of these stories. It's too early to say but it may be my favorite anthology movie. It definitely ranks among the elite.

The endings are really open and none of the stories explain anything. They kept it authentic. It's like you really just found someones video and watched it. It's very realistic.





TAPE 56
DIRECTOR- ADAM WINGARD
WRITTEN BY- SIMON BARRETT
STARING- CALVIN REEDEER, LANE HUGHES AND KENTUCKER AUDLEY

This story starts with a band of punks, guys looking for nothing but trouble destroying and graffiti-ing houses and running up on girls and pulling up their shirts all while recording it. We see them break into an old mans house, which they were hired to do. Their objective is to get a V/H/S tape from the house, only the old man has tons of tapes and this makes it impossible to know which is the right one. They then find the old man and owner of the house dead in his easy chair.


I liked this story and was intrigued to see where it was going and you knew that guys like this had something bad coming. 




AMATEUR NIGHT
DIRECTOR- DAVID BRUCKNER
WRITTEN BY- DAVID BRUCKNER AND NICHOLAS TECOSKY
STARRING- HANNAH FIERMAN, MIKE DOHLAN AND JOE SYKES

This story is about a group of guys who buy their friend glasses with a built in camera and go out on a guy night to score some chicks. And they do. And it's a night they'll never forget...

I loved this one and it may be my favorite of the bunch. I'm going to re-watch it again before I make my final assessment. I truly didn't know where this one was going and I was creeped out. 




SECOND HONEYMOON
DIRECTOR- TI WEST
WRITTEN BY- TI WEST
STARRING- JOE SAUNDERS, SOPHIA TAXAN AND KATE LYN SHEIL

This story is about a couple on their second honeymoon being stalked by an unknown female. While in their hotel room the couple receives a knock on the door to reveal a girl asking for a ride somewhere tomorrow. Later that night while they sleep, the girl returns to stalk them and watch them as they sleep.

This story had creepy written all over it. To think of someone watching you like that chills me and is disturbing. Ti West did another good job. The end has a pretty gnarly twist I didn't see coming.




TUESDAY THE 17TH
DIRECTOR- GLEN MCQUAID
WRITTEN BY- GLEN MCQUAID
STARRING-  NORMAN C. QUINONES, DREW PERLEIN AND JEANINE YOGER

This film was a new take on slasher. A group of teens go into the woods for camping only to find out they're in the woods of a maniac serial killer.

I thought this film was a very clever. The deaths are brutal and gory. This one is a salute to the slasher fans. The killer is somehow unable to show up on tape as other than a blur or pixelated. 




THAT SICK THING THAT HAPPENED TO EMILY WHEN SHE WAS YOUNGER
DIRECTOR- JOE SWANBERG
WRITTEN BY- SIMON BARRETT
STARRING- HELEN ROGERS, DANIEL KAUFMAN AND LIZ HARVEY

This one is about a girl named Emily who moves into what she finds out is a haunted apartment. She and watch the horror happening in her apartment through web cam.

What an original idea, right? I loved this one. This one stands out as one of the best to me. The ending is pretty crazy and twisted.




10/31/98
DIRECTOR- RADIO SILENCE
WRITTEN BY- RADIO SILENCE
STARRING- CHAD VILLELLA, MATT BETTINELLI-CLIPIN AND TYLER GILLETT

This bit is about a group of teens going to a Halloween party only to see a murder about to be performed in the basement. They rescue the girl but their troubles are far from over.

This one was solid, very chilling tale. This one gets good points for creativity.

THIS FILM GETS 3 1/2 REAPERS OUT OF 4