Rawhead Rex (1986)

Raw head Rex is precisely what you would expect a monster on the loose movie to be like from the mid 80's. Cheesy make-up and gore, inconsistent acting, and a monster that looks more mangy than scary. So what I'm saying is that it was over the top, stupid and fun! Perfect for a late night viewing when you’re in the mood for something not too serious.

This is an adaption of a Clive Barker story of the same name; one of the few that I have yet to read. It's a gruesome tale about a demon that runs rampant across the Irish countryside after being freed by a farmer trying to pull up an old tree trunk in his field. Rawhead Rex cannot be stopped by normal means, and only an ancient weapon hidden in a church can vanquish him. Only Howard Hallenbeck, who is in Ireland with his family to study religious artifacts, can vanquish Rawhead Rex.

Shocking moment - When Rawhead Rex kills Howard's son. This still stands out as the part I remember the most (I rented this movie on VHS if that gives you an idea how long ago I saw it!) because I knew it might happen and when it does, I was shocked and in disbelief. No chance to try to save him, as you would expect in most movies, and the actors really seemed devastated.

The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

Shortly before I began this horror review project, I learned that a few of Clive Barker’s short stories had been turned into movies in recent years. I was only aware of the final installments of the “Hellraiser” series so I was of course quite excited. “The Midnight Meat Train” is such an example, a film from 2008 that was adapted from the story of the same title. I had not read that story so I had no idea what to expect while watching this tonight. I can now say that this is a wonderful discovery and a great horror movie all around; plenty of gore and cheesy special effects that don’t distract too much, awesome casting (Bradley Cooper and Vinnie Jones), Clive Barker as a producer, and a Japanese director who has a Godzilla credit on his resume!

Leon is a photographer trying to make his way into the art scene. His girlfriend Maya pulls some strings and sets him up for an interview with a prestigious gallery owner. At the interview, he’s asked what it is that he that he’s trying to show in his photos; he explains that his art is to capture the essence of the city. Leon is told to come back once he has something that “really” shows the nature of the city. That night, Leon goes out and takes pictures of a gang harassing a model as she’s waiting for a subway. They leave once Leon points out the security camera that he’s standing next to and stays until the model gets on her train… to only never be seen again. It turns out that there is a killer who rides the subway late at night, and once the train is nearly empty, he goes about killing the riders with a large metal mallet hammer.

Leon makes the connection that the model’s disappearance and the killer (Leon saw a ring the killer’s hand) and follows him to a meat packing factory. Leon begins stalking the killer, known as Mahogany, and one day takes a few pictures of him at the plant. Mahogany notices and the two play a game of cat and mouse among a store room full of hanging sides of beef, as Mahogany gives chase with a meat hook in his hand. Leon gets away and is later able to get on the subway without having Mahogany notice. As the train is going along its course, which at this time of night it leaves its actual standard route, Leon watches as Mahogany ruthlessly kills two passengers and begins to remove their teeth and eyes, shave their hair, and neatly pack up their clothing in plastic bags. The meaning behind it all is unique and an excellent example of early Clive Barker.

Favorite moment – The fight scene between Leon and Mahogany on the subway.

Second favorite moment – The guest appearance of Ted Raimi. It’s short and to the point. 

Dread (2009)

Quaid is a mentally disturbed young man. As a small child, he witnessed his parents being killed by an intruder with an axe who had come to their front door asking for help with his broken down car. His suffers from flash backs, hallucinations, and vivid dreams of this event. Quaid meets Stephen, another college, who has he own dreadful experience; when he was 15, his brother went out driving and was killed in a crash, leaving Stephen to wonder if he had driven would his brother still be alive. From this, Quaid proposes that they begin a study on the causes of dread for their final thesis. Stephen agrees and enlists the help of Cheryl, a film student who worked with Stephen on previous projects.

Quaid finds the first round of interviews as useless so Cheryl takes a sit in front if the camera to share her story of how her dad, who worked at a meat packing factory and come home late every night stinking of blood, would come and molest her while her mother slept in the next room. Because of this she can’t eat meet or stand the sight of it. Quaid loves it and says that’s what they need more of, real traumatic events. So the next person that they interview is a man named Joshua who tells them how he was hit by a car as a child and lost his hearing for a while. Now, whenever he hears a ringing in his head he fears that he’s going deaf again. Joshua delivers the best line of the movie, the one that sums up the entire film. “It brings back a feeling of dread. And I suppose that is the worst part of it all. You live with the notion that the thing that causes you the most terror, could come back at any time.” Stephen then films an interview with a girl named Abby, who has black birthmarks over half of her body. She has a crush on Stephen and undresses in front of the camera while it’s still recording. Stephen doesn’t feel the same and leaves, asking Quaid to pick up the interview…which he does.

While dealing with his inner demons, Quaid believes that people have to address their fears. After a huge fight with Cheryl over how he treated an interviewee who lied about her experiences, Quaid destroys all of their equipment. Cheryl and Stephen leave only to find out later that Quaid had saved the film on an external hard drive and turned in their report. Quaid then tells Stephen and Cheryl that it’s time to take their fear study to the next level. First he plays the video of Abby on a looping feed at the college right before spring break; Abby doesn’t take this very well. Quaid then invites Joshua to his house only to tie him up and shoot a handgun next to each ear, bursting both eardrums; he also doesn’t respond very well to this. So what does Quaid have planned for Stephen and Cheryl?!

Favorite moment – Nothing really stood out in this film. It was overall interesting and worth watching but I like the concept more than the presentation. 

Nightbreed (1990)

"Nightbreed" is the second professional movie that Clive Barker directed and also his most awkward. Heavy handed studio executives telling Barker to add more here and there, effectively altering the film into something that he was not expecting. Watching the movie, you get the feeling that there are bits and pieces missing but honestly, the short story doesn't answer those questions either. This was also when Barker came out as being gay and the movie is his metaphor for that.

"Nightbreed" is about a man named Boon, who keeps having vivid dreams about a city full of monsters. He has been going to a psychiatrist for help for a few years. Dr. Decker reveals that Boon has been behind a rash of violent murders around town. He gives Boon some lithium and tells him to turn himself in. Before Boon can do so he is hit by a truck and taken to a hospital. While there, Boon meets a patient who tells him about the city of Midian before slicing his face to shreds.

Boon drives out to Midian and comes across two of the Breed, monsters that live in Midian and hide from humanity. One of them becomes enraged and bites Boon, even though it is against the law for the Breed to spill blood. Dr. Decker sets Boon up to the police, who end up gunning him down outside the gates of the city. Boon awakens in a morgue, now a member of the Nightbreed due to the bite he suffered. He returns to Midian and becomes its guardian. The movie ends with a climatic fight between Dr. Decker, the local oppressive police force, a closeted priest, the Nightbreed, Boon and his girlfriend Lori.

One of the problems I have with the movie is how is it possible that everyone is able to find Midian so easily? Boon is told where it is by Narcisse, but how did he know? How was able to find it by just stopping by a seedy trucker stop bar? Isn’t a hidden city of monsters supposed to be…hidden?

It's worth noting that Dr. Decker is played famed director David Cronenberg, Dirk Lylesberg is played by Doug Bradley, and the score was written by Danny Elfman!

Favorite moment – Any scene where Dr. Decker is dressed as his murderous alter ego.

Candyman (1992) (edited)

“Candyman” is a 1992 horror film based off of Clive Barker’s short story “The Forbidden”. Like the novella “The Hellbound Heart”, certain changes were made to the story and characters so the narrative could be transferred into a full length feature film. “Candyman” has two sequels and a reboot/spiritual sequel is coming out June 2020.

Many people consider “Candyman” as a classic horror movie and it’s easy to understand why. Besides having a very memorable villain, performed perfectly by Tony Todd, the narrative of the film is taunt is chilling. There is very little violence on screen; “Candyman” is not about senseless killing. Instead, it is a smart movie that builds tension and unease throughout. When the violence is seen, or at least alluded to, it’s effectively shocking. I recently watched the film for the first time in many years and it’s more satisfying than ever.

The Candyman is nothing more than a conglomeration of different urban legends, or so grad student Helen believes. While doing research for her thesis, Helen begins hearing tales of a local legend which has several of the common themes that the most notorious legends have. These include spirits in mirrors, deranged killers, and babysitters in trouble. The one thing that everyone who is telling her about the Candyman is the same; say his name five times and he’ll appear.  As Helen continues her research, her sense of reality and legend blurs as Candyman begins to convince her that he is indeed real

Favorite moment – Whenever Candyman talks! Just how Doug Bradley is the only person worthy of playing Pinhead, Tony Todd is the only man I will ever accept at Candyman. Their voices are perfect for their respective roles and bring so much to the movies.

Author's Note - Clive Barker

Clive Barker is one of the horror industry’s most recognizable names in the world today. First and foremost, Barker is a prolific writer, having completed several collections of short stories and dozens of novels. He is also passionate about painting and his drawings, sketching out and visually creating the worlds and characters that he is writing about. But Barker is perhaps best known for directing two movies that introduced the world to his creations Pinhead and the Candyman, two devilish beings that come directly from his writing. Even though he has been involved in over a dozen major movies, he has only directed three of them;”Hellraiser”, “Candyman”, and “The Lord of Illusions”.

I am truly delighted to be reviewing the work of one of my favorite horror director/writers of all time, Clive Barker. I began to read his work when I was 16 and found that I could not get enough of it. Over the years I’ve the majority of his work and even had the privilege to meet him at a book signing for his book “Sacrament”. One of the aspects about his work that I really enjoy is how he melds horror and fantasy together and how he isn’t afraid to deal with the metaphysical and intangible. His work goes beyond “Hellraiser” or “Candyman”, so I understand how some people who love those films are at times put off by his other less than outright horrific stories. Barker is a man with range and vision, an explorer who is untethered to everyday limits and boundaries.

I follow Clive on Facebook and he had the most insightful quotes. I love that he is so open and commutative with his fan base. Here are a few recent examples.

“Before I did Hellraiser, I went to my local library to find a book on film directing, and they had two but they were both checked out and I thought, "Oh, I'm so fucked, I don't even have a book!"

“Our lives are full of miraculous little things that happen. It's difficult to remember the miraculous moment when you first realize that you're in love, or the miraculous moment when you hear a piece of music for the first time, which moves you in an extraordinary way.”

“I want to be remembered as an imaginer, someone who used his imagination as a way to journey beyond the limits of self, beyond the limits of flesh and blood, beyond the limits of even perhaps life itself, in order to discover some sense of order in what appears to be a disordered universe. I'm using my imagination to find meaning, both for myself and, I hope, for you.”

Cloverfield (2008)

If the found footage premise can be used for ghost hunters, documentaries about witches and exorcism, or an epidemic that is caught on every possible device that is capable of recording then why not a giant monster movie? Something like “Cloverfield”! As I have mentioned before, this is the kind of event that I could see myself trying to record every moment possible so it makes perfect sense that their camera is never turned off. “Cloverfield” easily had the largest budget of the seven films I reviewed for this week and that’s not surprising in the least; “Cloverfield” was meant to be a major block buster and it was. This is another found footage film that has a PG-13 rating; it’s what you don’t see that’s the scariest, and the shaky-cam and all of the chaos make it so that you never really get to see the monster in all of its glory.

Rob is leaving New York so he brother Jason is throwing him a big going away party. Jason’s girlfriend Lily wants everything filmed and asks Rob’s best friend Hud to record some testimonials from various guests. Hud doesn’t take the responsibility to heart and uses it as an excuse to hit on Marlena. Later on, Hud over hears Rob and Beth (an old platonic friend of Rob’s) fighting and discovers that they had slept together. As Hud and Jason try to console Rob, a large explosion is heard. Everyone at the party, as well as most of the other tenants in the apartment building, rush to the roof just in time to see another explosions happening in the harbor. Large burning pieces of debris flying across the sky towards the apartment building, forcing everyone out onto the street. Just as Rob and his friends are catching their breath, Hud records the head of the Statue of Liberty being thrown into a building and falling into the street only feet away. The group takes shelter in a mini-mart as the ground shakes, buildings start to crumble, and a cloud of dust and dirt flood the street. After the chaos settles, Rob and his friends try to leave New York by crossing the Brooklyn Bridge; while crossing, a giant tale crashes into the bridge and destroys it, killing Jason in the process.

With his brother dead and now trapped in the city, Rob decides that he has to try and save Beth, who happens to be trapped and injured in her apartment building in another part of town. The group makes their way towards Beth until they come across an army unit engaging the cause of the night’s events, a large monster of some kind that has smaller creatures dropping off of it and leaping towards the battalion. The group is able to take shelter in a subway station right before a large explosion happens. They begin to travel along the rail tracks in the dark and are overcome by the smaller creatures. Marlena is viciously scratched by one before they are able to find a supply room off of the tracks. They eventually find their way back to the street level and to an emergency center, where Marlena is quickly separated from the others…just before she explodes. Even after that, Rob is steadfast that he goes to Beth, forsaking an opportunity to be transported to safety; Lisa and Hud join him and their night only gets worse…

Favorite moment – The scene where the Statue of Liberty is tossed across the city like it was a baseball is really cool. When it lands, you can see large dents and scratches all across it. I also loved how real and natural it is that everyone standing around it begin to take out their phones and cameras and take pictures of it.

The Last Exorcism (2010)

“The Last Exorcism” is a single camera, found footage movie that’s about a disillusioned reverend who is working with a film crew to expose his secrets on how he performs fraudulent exorcisms. This movie is a great example that not every horror movie needs an R rating (this is PG-13) to be effective. Horror movies don’t have to have endless gore, nudity, and profanity to be scary.

From a very young age, Reverend Cotton Marcus was groomed to be a man of god. As a child he began delivering riveting sermons and even performed his fist exorcism when he was ten. Now as an adult with a family of his own, Cotton has lost his faith and is giving up his career as an exorcist. He always believed that he was helping people and performing a service, for a fee, but after reading about an autistic child dying while having an exorcism performed made Cotton decide to give up this line of work. Before doing so, Cotton has agreed to perform one last exorcism and have the entire process filmed to prove that what he does isn’t real. So with director/producer Iris and her cameraman Daniel in tow, they head to the back country of Louisiana to help a teenage girl named Nell.

Nell is a sweet young teenager who lives with her father and brother out on a secluded farm. The father, Louis Sweetzer, has kept his children at home and away from town since their mother died. Louis wrote to Cotton asking for help after some of his livestock is killed and Nell is found covered in blood and unable to remember what had happened.  After assessing the situation and confirming that Nell is possessed by a demon named Abalam, Cotton rigs Nell’s room with various tricks and effects that he’ll use during the fake exorcism. During the ritual itself, the bed begins to shake and Nell lies on top of it and a speaker programmed with over 800 demon sounds is heard. Afterwards, Cotton declares that Nell has been freed from her possession and leaves with his payment. Later that night while staying at a motel in town, Cotton finds Nell awake but in a trance in his room. As they try to figure out what really is going on, Cotton discovers the dark truth and a reason to find faith one last time. 

Favorite moment – A possessed Nell takes Daniel’s camera , and after beating a cat to death in the barn, is standing over Cotton while he is sleeping, about to bludgeon him to death as well.

Paranormal Activity (2007)

“Paranormal Activity” is a great example of how to create a found footage style movie without the use of the shaky-cam technique. In this movie, all of the scenes are recorded by either a camera on a tripod or by security cameras around the house. This allows people who don’t care for this technique to watch this show without too much discomfort. It also allows for the clever use of effects to really shine throughout the film. It’s also an example of how cost effective this style of movie can be; it is rumored to be the most profitable movie ever made. With an estimated budget of only $15,000, “Paranormal Activity” has earned over $194 million worldwide. Four sequels have been made with the newest one coming out this October.

Are Katie and Micah being haunted in their new home? Not really because it’s a demon that’s moving things around and going bump in the night, or says the psychic that Katie hires to figure out what’s going on. The psychic tells them not to talk to the demon, so of course Micah starts yelling at it. Katie begs Micah not to buy an Ouija board, so of course he goes and brings one home. Micah covers the floor outside their room only to find weird footprints leading to the attic. Lights flicker, noises continue, shadows appear, the suspense builds until the big ending!

The simple, believable effects are the main reason to see “Paranormal Activity”. The actors and dialogue are bearable but I was honesty bored during many of the day time scenes. All of the action happened at night and I felt at the suspense and building tension suffered from the constant back and forth of day to night. The time span that the movie takes place over felt too long to me; why would a demon need almost a month before it’s able to do what it’s trying to do? Speaking of the demon, I was very dissatisfied how the scene revealed that it wasn’t a ghost but rather a demon. Or perhaps I was disappointed it wasn’t a ghost? In any case, I enjoyed “Paranormal Activity 2” more than this one. And I appreciate how the series is connected to each other and the twists that are revealed.

Favorite moment – When Katie is suddenly pulled out of the bedroom by an unseen force.  

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

It might not be the original Found Footage movie but “The Blair Witch Project” made this style popular and profitable. It’s a story about three college students going out into the woods of Maryland with video equipment to film a documentary about the fabled Blair Witch. The three students, Heather, Michael, and Joshua, were never seen again but their video cameras were found and the film within reveals their final days.

 “The Blair Witch Project” begins innocently enough by showing the three would be film makers meeting up, driving to Burkittsville (formerly known as Blair), and shooting a few interviews with various locals and are told about the different odd events that have occurred in the past. On the second day the troupe enters the forest, interview two fishermen, and film the area known as Coffin Rock. They set up camp and sleep through the night. On the third day the trouble begins as they hike deeper into the woods and become lost. While they continue deeper into the woods, the three come across various unexplained oddities such as seven piles of carefully stacked piles of stones and then bizarre stick figures hanging from the trees. During the nights they begin to hear noises in the distance as if someone is walking around their camp. As their tensions build and horrible events begin to occur, the movie keeps the viewer curious until the end. I won’t lie, the ending is abrupt and it leaves you wanting answers but it stays true to the style; if they don’t film it, you don’t get to see it.

My only issue that I have with the “Blair Witch Project”, and a few moments in other movies of this style, is that they are filming when it doesn’t feel like it’s the best time to be doing so. It doesn’t feel natural but rather forced. This is an inherent flaw of this style and it’s hard to work around. Unless they have stationary cameras like they do in the films “Paranormal Activity” and in parts of “Ghost Encounters”, they should then be required to explain why they don’t drop the camera and run for their lives. I appreciate the moment in “Quarantine” when Angela tells her cameraman to record everything otherwise their boss and editors are going to be pissed off. On the other hand, I would try to record everything if I was running away from a giant monster attacking the city….

To this day I’m still highly amused to know that there are people out there who thought that this was a real event. The marketing for the movie included a TV special in a style of a news program talking about the discovery of the tapes and the mysterious disappearances of the three students. There was a similar promotion for the movie “Independence Day” three years before and I’m sure there are others as well. One reason why there was so much marketing for “The Blair Witch Project” is because it was so cheap to make, in the range of $50,000 to $75,000, and acquire the rights for. The studio knew that they had a hit after the stunning reviews it had earned at the Sundance Film Festival.

Favorite moment – When they are in the tent and begin to hear what sounds like children laughing outside their tent, in the middle of the night. 

Quarantine (2008)

“Quarantine” is a remake of the highly successful Spanish film “REC”, which follows a new reporter and her cameraman as they tag along with a fire fighting crew for a typical night shift that soon goes horribly wrong. I have only seen clips from a trailer about the original but I get the distinct feeling that this remake followed the action pretty closely, so don’t let the reviews that the original is better deter you from checking this one out. I enjoyed it, found it pretty entertaining, and the ending makes sense. Due to the nature of this found footage movie, the shaky-cam is very erratic; this might be one of the more difficult movies to watch if this style bothers you. 

TV news reporter Angela and her cameraman are filming a ”slice of life” segment about a local firefighting crew and what a typical night might be for them. The two are given a tour of the fire station and get to the camaraderie among the firefighters, in particular Jake and Fletcher. It’s not before the first emergency call of the night comes in; a distress call at an apartment building. The crew is joined by two cops and they proceed to check out a unit on the second floor where the door is locked and screams had been heard from inside. After breaking down the door, the police and others find an old woman covered in blood. As they are trying to assess the situation, the woman lunges at one of the officers and bites him violently in the neck. They quickly take him out of the room and back to the entrance of the apartment building only to find that the door has been locked from the outside. As the immediate confusion grows, an announcement from outside is heard declaring that the CDC has quarantined and sealed the building completely. They soon discover that the old woman is infected with some kind of mutated form of rabies and it’s only a matter of time before it begins to spread. Thus the terror truly begins.

The movie stars Jennifer Carpenter as Angela and was previously in the horror movie “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”. Jay Hernandez also stars as Jake and is known for his roles in “Hostel” and “Hostel 2” as Paxton.

*Intense moment – An infected little girl attacks the cameraman and he is forced to beat her off with the camera.  

The Bay (2012)

“The Bay” isn’t your typical lost footage style film; this is a movie where a particular fatal outbreak occurs and as a result, all of the recordings of all kinds are collected and confiscated so the government can cover up the incident. As far as everyone is concerned and is told, warm tide waters and high algae levels were responsible for killing thousands of fish. The real events are revealed over the course of the movie by one of the survivors as she gives an interview to a reporter over Skype three years after the incident. As she explains what happened, you the audience watch the various news reports, cell phone recordings, security cameras, online conversations between an ER doctor and the CDC, and so on. “The Bay” took a popular filming technique and used it in a fresh and exciting way. The best thing about this movie is that there is very little shaky-cam, which means that you won’t feel too motion sick if that kind of thing bothers you.

I appreciate the nature of the film and how it deals about an avoidable environmental disaster without being preachy about it. This movie avoids feeling like a morality lesson because the main tragedy happens in a single day rather than a realistic span of weeks or months, and the results are disturbing and grotesque. Without spoiling anything, I will share that certain realistic decisions concerning local businesses and a lack of government approval or certification have a drastic effect on the bay. After the outbreak begins, there is a poignant scene near the end between the CDC and a Homeland security officer showing an absolute breakdown in communication and a feeling of indifference about the situation at stake.

“It’s just a small town.”

“What are you saying?”

“It’s a small town. You have to keep these things in perspective.”

Favorite moment – The video evidence of the aftermath at the hospital, filmed by the lead doctor of the ER.

Grave Encounters (2011) #8

"Grave Encounters" was a pleasant surprise that I recently saw for the first time. It's a found footage movie about a group of ghost hunters who are filming a reality show and spend the night locked in an old mental hospital, never to be seen again. The host and his crew are trying their best to appear polished and professional but are clearly desperate to make their show successful. While some of the daytime interviews with the caretaker and a local historian are decent, they feel it necessary to bribe a landscaper to lie and say that he has seen a ghost at the site. Finally, the psychic arrives, declaring the hospital to high levels of spiritual activity. The personalities being film are over the top and one dimensional but laugh about it after the shoot is over. But once they are locked in and ghost-like activities begin, you can see the cast becoming real and relatable.

The actions of the host, Lance Preston, remind me of Heather from "Blair Witch" with his constant need to record what's going on when it might be a better idea on trying to survive the next encounter. But I give kudos to his film crew because they did set up ten stationary cameras in the ghost "hot spots" and these vantage points give the viewer something besides the standard Point of View to watch.

Favorite moment – The film crew and host are getting upset because they haven’t found any ghost activity that they can use. At this moment the hair on the host’s assistant is lifted up on one side and she begins to freak out. 

Author's Note - Found Footage

The popularity of the Found Footage premise has continued to increase since the film “The Blair Witch Project” showed how cheap and effective the method could be. All you need is one camera, someone to hold the camera, and film. The more cameras that are involved only means that the viewer gets to watch more than one point of view. A point a view, I should add, that is usually bouncy and at times sporadic…usually as the cameraman is running for their life. Because of this chaotic nature of the film, people who suffer motion sickness are often times unable to watch these films.

Besides being a possibly cheaper way to film a horror movie, the other advantage of a Found Footage film usually means that you are watching the movie from a Point Of View (POV) perspective. If you see what the cameraman sees, then it can feel as if you are there with them. And typically these films feel more like home movies where the characters that are being filmed and are filming are regular people experiencing irregular events. Overall, I’ve enjoyed the Found Footage movies that I’ve seen and have been impressed with the quality; just because it can be done cheaply doesn’t mean that everyone is made so.

Ginger Snaps (2000)

What happens when you take the curse of a werewolf’s bite and a victim who is a teenage girl who hasn’t started puberty? You have “Ginger Snaps”, a clever and entertaining movie about that special time in a young woman’s life when her body is going through certain changes…or not. I love how this movie takes this premise and utilizes it for all it’s worth.

“Ginger Snaps” is a movie about Ginger (16) and Brigitte (15), two sisters whose  are obsessed with death. They spend their free time posing for pictures depicting horrible death-like scenes and talk about various ways that they could kill themselves. Of course their behavior makes them outcasts as their high school and they get in fights with the other girls from time to time. Late one night, the girls are out at a playground when Ginger realizes that she’s having her first period. After this realization they are attacked by a werewolf. Ginger is bitten but the werewolf is killed when as it continues to chase them into the street, being hit by a local drug dealer named Sam. Over the course of the movie, Ginger begins to experiences changes, which their mother says is all a part of becoming a woman. As Ginger tries to hide her tail and other wolf-like qualities and starts to date, Brigitte forms a friendship with Sam as they try to find a cure. Time is running out as Ginger becomes increasingly violent and deadly, steadily losing her humanity and turning into a giant wolf.

This movie is followed up with the sequel "Ginger Snaps: Unleashed" and a prequel "Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning". Both films were filmed back to back in 2003 and continue to star Emily Perkins as Brigitte and Katharine Isabelle as Ginger.

Favorite moment – I really enjoyed watching the steady visual changes that Ginger goes through in the film. First a few white strands of hair appear, and then so on. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, or what’s left of it.

28 Days Later (2002)

“28 Days Later” is one of the few movies that truly gave me chills the first time I saw it. Director Danny Boyle was already internationally known after helming “Shallow Grave”, “Trainspotting”, and “The Beach when he took on his first major horror movie. For this endeavor, he brought in a talented British cast consisting of Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, and Christopher Eccleston aka Dr. Who. Using a script written Alex Garland (who also wrote the “Beach”), the movie is a gritty and realistic thrill ride in present-apocalyptic England, beginning 28 days after the infection Rage is unintentionally released upon the world.

“28 Days Later” has, in my opinion, the best explanation as to how or why its “zombie apocalypse” begins. I want to say that I use the term zombie lightly because the monsters are not undead like they are in every other movie. Instead, they are living, breathing, mindless creatures who live only to kill. They become infected in the same manner as zombies infect the living in most movies, by biting, scratching, and any form of blood transmission. This is the only movie where I have seen the “zombies” die of starvation. Its’ also a pleasant change of pace where the infected don’t have to be shot or damaged exclusively in the head.

The second half of the film is a frightening scenario of how a military, or any group that outnumbers another in both people and/or firearms, could treat others looking for help. It’s a shame that the only member of the military who did not agree with the popular plan was displayed as overly philosophical during the dinner scene. I’m being vague in case you have not seen this movie yet or in a long time.

My favorite moment – I love how the film quality seems gritty as if this was a low budget film. I also love the soundtrack, or lack thereof, throughout the movie. These two elements helped to create an atmosphere that drew the viewer even deeper into the film than they were expecting. 

Evil Dead 2 (1987)

“Evil Dead 2” is a unique movie to say the least. It’s more of a reboot than a sequel; the first portion of the film goes over some of the same story points that the first film was about before going on to new material. “Evil Dead 2” is also unique because it includes some very dark comic moments throughout the film but still remains a horror movie. Most of the horror movies I have seen fail whenever they try to change the mood more than once.

The movie is about a couple who go to a cabin in the woods for a romantic weekend. In the cabin they find a tape recorder and when it’s played a professor of sorts is heard explaining his research about the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, also known as the Book of the Dead. After the tape is played Ash’s girlfriend becomes possessed. He is forced to kill her and shortly after becomes possessed as well. He recovers when the sun comes out and he returns to the cabin after seeing that he is trapped in the forest. The movie continues with new the material which includes laughing inanimate objects, more possessions, more people coming to the cabin, and a creepy demonic hand.

Note - The Book of the Dead has a different name in the original Evil Dead and it's recent remake. In those films it's known as Naturon Demonto. I wonder why there was a change between the films...

Favorite moment – I have to be predictable and say that my favorite moment of “Evil Dead 2” is when Ash’s hand becomes possessed and smashes plate after plate against his head before noticing a knife and dragging his body towards it.

The Fly (1986)

In 1986, famed horror director David Cronenberg decided to remake one of Hollywood’s most famous horror movies from the 50’s, “The Fly”. The basic premise is the same; a scientist who has created a machine that allows teleportation but is forever changed when tries to use the machine himself, unaware that a single household fly is in the pod with him, and the horrifying results that come from this experiment. In the original film the doctor and the fly swap body parts, an arm and their heads. In this version it’s not as simple. Instead the scientist Brundle and the fly are merged and throughout the film, we watch as Brundle slowly becomes a human sized fly. The change comes slowly first effecting his confidence, strength and stamina. Soon fingernails and teeth fall out and the doctor discovers new methods to eat. The movie is graphic and violent and we love it.

Practically everything about this movie is perfect from the quality of the story to the strength of the actors; both Jeff Goldblum, as Brundle, and Geena Davis delivery quality performances throughout the film. And since the movie was produced in the 80s, the special effects are clever and relied more on make-up more than anything else. I strongly believe that a movie of this nature would include too many CGI effects if this was filmed today. I also strongly believe that this is one of the best remakes of any movie I've seen; it honors the original while feeling updated and current. This is a horror movie for people who like horror movies.

Favorite moment – When Gina Davis delivers the famous line “Be afraid. Be very afraid.” 

A man and his teleportation machine

A man and his baboon

A fly-man and his food

The Thing (1982) #3

Anytime you have an intense weather condition occur in a movie, the feeling of helplessness automatically rises. And if the setting is somewhere such as the Arctic and the intense weather condition is a blizzard that is about to hit, the overwhelming sense of isolation and despair take that feeling of helplessness even higher. Throw in a thawed out alien that can change shape and wants to consume everyone at the base camp and you have John Carpenter’s remake of “The Thing”.

The premise is your basic “start with a large group and kill them one by one in entertaining ways” story arc with the fun twist of not knowing if and who in the group is the killer alien. The feelings of paranoia and distrust are fairly acted out and I enjoy the attempts that are made to confuse and frame the various crew members. Never knowing if someone is who they really are continues up to the credits as the last two survivors wait for either the other to act or for the freezing temperatures to finally kill them.

"The Thing" showcases a stellar cast led by Kurt Russell as MacReady, Wilford Brimley as Dr. Blair, and Keith David as Childs. Their performances, along with those of the rest of the cast, have the perfect chemistry as a scientific research team in the middle of the Arctic. They have their friendships, their annoyances, and personality quirks believably established before the chaos truly erupts. The soundtrack, composed by Ennio Morricone, elevates the sense of cosmic dread and paranoia. 

The alien is this film is really fun to watch. It will do whatever it needs to in order to survive including tearing a portion of itself off and growing its own legs to crawl away. The special effects in “The Thing” are amazing and has me longing for the days of long ago when CGI wasn’t available. I have seen the prequel of the same name that came out in 2011 and while I appreciated the familiar sights and forms that the alien took in that film, seeing them rendered in CGI made the effects look silly and less frightening. Puppets, models, anything physical will (almost) always look more believable.

Favorite moment – The scene when some of the survivors check the cabin to see how the exiled Wilfred Brimley is doing and seeing the noose hanging in the background.

One of the best, original alien forms I've ever seen!

The Shining (1980)

I was nine when I first caught a glimpse of “The Shining”. It was the moment when Shelly Duval was staring at the elevator as it opened and a wave of blood came spilling out of it. Having witnessed one of the most graphic parts of the movie at a young age, I had an iron will and was prepared for anything when I sat down to watch it from beginning to end many years later. The film was slower than I had expected, wasn’t as graphic as I had imagined, wasn’t nearly as eventful as I thought it would be, and was easily one of the best movies I had ever seen. This is what a ghost story is meant to be like!

The atmosphere is perfect for a ghost story; the visuals of the hotel and the grounds are gorgeous, and the background sounds, especially the sounds from Danny’s Big Wheel as he is racing through the hallways over the rugs then on to the hard wood floor and on to rugs again, is in itself haunting. Casting Jack Nicholson in the role of Jack Torrance might at first seem unwise since he already looked so disheveled and manic but as the movies progresses and he slowly succumbs to cabin fever and his own inner demons, you see exactly how fantastic of an actor he really is. Shelly Duvall is impressive in her own right, looking absolutely terrified and helpless during the last quarter of the film.

Famed director Stanley Kubrick had claimed that “The Shining” was going to be the scariest movie of all time. Not everyone may agree with this but I think most people would give this some serious thought. Stephen King would be the first to disagree since he has always been very vocal about how this movie doesn’t follow the book precisely, and I’m thrilled that it doesn’t. I have only read the first few chapters of the book but I did see the made-for-TV series that came out in the late 90’s and I feel that Kubrick made the right choice in slimming down the importance of the ghosts and their roles from the book.

Favorite moment – Every moment.

Ghastly visions

Mr. Torrance at the bar

Halloween (1978)

“Halloween” is my all-time favorite horror movie. I love this movie so much that I’ve had the theme music as the ring tone for my phone for the past 7 years; or perhaps I just like the movie and really love the music…Anyway, the story is about Michael Myers, a homicidal maniac bent on killing his sister and her friends who happen to be near-by. Does this plot sound familiar? Will it should! This low budget movie from 1978 became the highest grossing independent film for years and, for better or for worse, encouraged a wave slasher flicks to be produced as well as a dismal franchise of its own. The success of “Halloween” proved that young director/writer John Carpenter and newcomer producer/writer Debra Hill were going to be well known and leave a lasting mark. “Halloween” also introduced the world to Jamie Lee Curtis, who would earn the title of Scream Queen just like her mother, Janet Leigh. “Halloween” has had such an impact that in 2006 it was included into the United States National Film Registry due to its significance.

I feel like I’ve known this film most of my life. I remember catching a glimpse of the first few minutes before being told to leave the room when I was little. Hearing that amazing and haunting melody and not being able to watch only increased my curiosity. When I finally was able to see it, while it was shown on broadcast television, I was blown away. It didn’t matter that it was edited for TV because the film really isn’t that violent or filled with nudity or drenched in profanity, it didn’t need those elements to tell the story. The other element that it didn’t need was the NEED to explain everything. When asked why Michael was so dangerous, Dr. Loomis replied that Michael was pure evil. That’s it and it was enough.

Favorite moment – When Dr. Loomis is hiding behind a hedge near the old Myers house and whispers creepy-like at the children who are daring each other to go up to the front door. His amused look after they run away terrified is priceless. 

Author's Note - Personal Favorites

The first theme week of my horror blog will be comprised of my top seven favorite horror movies of all time. These are the films that have not and will not grow old. These are the films that I know other people get excited about (sometimes). These are the films that in most cases have solid actors, respected directors and/or producers, and pretty decent writers. These seven movies either launched careers or reaffirmed the talent of those involved.

My seven favorite horror movies are –

Halloween (1978)

The Shining (1980)

The Thing (1982)

The Fly (1986)

Evil Dead 2 (1987)

Ginger Snaps (2000)

28 Days Later (2002)

I wonder if there is any significance in the fact that the majority of my favorites were made in the late 1970’s to the mid 1980’s? Certain movies that come out around the same time period often share a similar cultural reflection on what is happening in the real world but I’m not sure if this is the case here. Is there an important reason as too why I don’t have a favorite movie from the 1990’s? Most likely but the reason escapes me for now.

Author's Note - A blog about horror movies

Hello!

I want to thank you for stopping by to see what this is all about. I have decided to begin writing a blog that will showcase a review of a horror movie once a day. I’m doing this for two reasons. One, I love to talk about horror movies and I know plenty of other people who share this passion.  I’m hoping that some interesting conversations begin because of these reviews and that some healthy debates take place. One of the great things about horror movies is that they are so subjective from person to person and I love finding out why people love or hate certain movies. I have found that most movies will have at least one solid moment; it might not be enough to redeem the film but it’s worth pointing out.  

The other reason why I’m creating this blog is so that I have a reason to write on a daily basis. I believe that this will be a great writing exercise while giving me the opportunity to watch and research the genre that I typically write when I’m working on my short stories.

Please leave any comments relating to the movies I review; I look forward to reading what you have to say.

Enjoy!

B