Autopsy (20008)

“Autopsy” is a fun horror movie that takes advantage of some simple plot points, classic make-up effects, and good casting choices. The film never tries to take itself too seriously or to push the limits on a particular style or theme. The more films I see from this series, the more I come to love the “After Dark Horrorfest” film selections. This movie is from the 3^rd series of the 8 Films to Die For.

The story is simple; a group of young adults who were in New Orleans for Mardi Gras end up hitting a tree on a lonely deserted road. They’re all ok but discover that they also managed to have hit someone as well as a tree. Before they know what to do, an ambulance comes driving up the road and the orderlies get out and collect the man. When they notice the kids, they suggest that they come to the hospital for an evaluation for trauma and to call a tow truck for their vehicle. They all go and end up at Mercy Hospital. Once there, they are slowly separated one by one for various reasons, the first being Bobby who was actually injured during the accident. Slowly, Bobby’s girlfriend Emily realizes that something is wrong when she isn’t allowed to see him after a few hours and she begins to sneak around the hospital. The reveal is that the hospital was closed down after Hurricane Katrina and is being run by a nurse, two orderlies who were former prison mates, and a mad doctor intent on saving his wife with whatever means necessary; she’s suffer from some kind of terminal cancer that they never explain. Emily’s friends are slowly killed one by one by either the doctor’s experiments or by the orderlies who are having a little aggressive, violent fun. The end result is the same as the victims have various organs taken as replacements for the doctor’s ailing wife. Emily uses her cunning and luck to survive the encounter and finally finds the wife and how she’s being kept alive….

Favorite moment – there is a scene when Emily kills one of the orderlies and the effects are great and realistic without the use of CGI.

The Attic Expeditions (2001)

“The Attic Expeditions” was one of the films that graced the screens of the H.P. Lovecraft Festival during one of the years that I decided to skip. Knowing what I know now, I wish I had gone and was a part of the collective audience and that fantastic energy that flows throughout that theater. It’s a perfect movie for that festival besides the fact that Jeffery Combs is one of the stars. It deals with magic tomes, false identities (like “The Thing in the Doorstep” style), and magic rituals gone astray.

I don’t want to spoil the movie so I’ll keep the outline simple.

Trevor and his girlfriend are really into magic and spells and during a ritual he kills her as a sacrifice. He doesn’t remember this or much of anything after he wakes up and finds himself in a hospital of some kind. He is then placed in a home for troubled young adults where he is quickly befriended by Douglas (played by Seth Green). The house is under surveillance by Dr. Ek (played by Jeffrey Combs), and Dr. Ek is delighted to share his technique and philosophies to Dr. Coffee (played by Ted Raimi). Ultimately, Dr. Ek wants the book that Trevor used and will resort to some very unethical means to get want he wants

Favorite moment – As always, Seth Green is a hoot to watch and you can tell that he is having a lot of fun with his role in this film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSkNYyd_WyI

Frankenstein (1931)

“Frankenstein” was always my favorite of the Universal monster movies. It felt dark, scary, and serious when I was little and for a movie from that time period, it did a solid job of being just that. It was a huge success when it first came out so I wonder how many people had read the book or did so after seeing the movie just because it is so vastly different. Were they upset by all of the changes? Did they prefer the movie version of the written one? I’ll never know but seeing how many sequels and variations that were created over the next two decades, it seems that it wasn’t a big deal. I personally don’t think it is either because both were so creative and take the concept in two different but serious directions. The only element that I don’t care for is how Fritz was tormenting the Monster while it was locked up; I understand that this was used as a plot device to make the Monster look like a killer but the Fritz character needed more of an explanation as to why he was such a sadistic prick.

The quick rundown.

Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with to bring a collection of body parts and electronic devices to life. His concerned fiancée seeks help and finds out about his passion. The experiment works, the creature is locked up, the creature is tortured by Henry’s assistant, and the creature kills the assistant. Henry and his mentor decide that the creature must be destroyed and give it drugs that knock it out. Henry leaves and joins his fiancée to plan their wedding. The creature wakes up, kills Henry’s mentor and escapes. Creature finds little girl, kills little girl, and feels bad. Mob finds out and hunts down creature. Creature takes Henry as a hostage. Henry is thrown off of a mill and creature is burned alive. The end. 

Author's Note - Mad Scientists

The crazy, loner, brilliant, and sometimes absurd “Mad Scientist” archetype sure has come a long ways since their heyday in the old black and white horror movies. Actually they haven’t! They still commit outlandish acts that only they understand, they still perform unnatural experiments on people, and some still employ an assistant or two to help them with their schemes. I’m going to take this opportunity and explore some of the recent additions to this sub-genre. But before I do, I will begin with one of the most famous Mad Scientists to ever grace the silver screen, Henry from the original Universal Pictures film “Frankenstein”!

The Last Exorcism 2 (2013)

I’m beginning to love horror movies that are rated PG-13 more and more. Why? Because they don’t solely depend on violence and gore, they don’t need sex scenes (because how many times has that been the cause for terror in a horror movie anyway?), and they can keep the profanity to a minimum. Most, not all, of them are amazing and tend to have stronger stories and more real scares than their R rated counterparts. “The Last Exorcism 2” is a perfect example of a great PG-13 horror movie, just as the original film was too. The atmosphere and pacing were perfect and set up the second half of the film just right.

This is a great film to end a week about possession because it’s all about a girl who was possessed in the first film and is now trying to keep the demon from taking over once again.

The film begins almost immediately after the first film, when Nell was last seen giving birth to a demon. She ends up scaring the crap out of couple when she ends up invading their home and found crouching on their kitchen counter. Fast forward a bit and Nell is now in a house for troubled/orphaned older teens. She slowly let’s her guard down and becomes friendly with the other girls (remember, she was home schooled after her mother died). She gets a job as a maid for a hotel and develops a crush on the owner’s son. She gets to experience Mardi Gras and while she’s out, a street performer tells her that “they’re happy” that she’s back. This is when the film begins change and takes its tragic course as the followers and powers of the demon Abalam begin to surface, beginning with Nell having hallucinations of dead father.

La posesión de Emma Evans (2010)

“La posesión de Emma Evans” is a Spanish film that takes place in London with an English speaking cast. This film is different than the typical “The Exorcist” inspired possession movie in a few of ways. First, it shows that the teenage girl who becomes possessed actually summoning the demon on her own accord. Second, the exorcism ritual is performed in a series of sessions over several days and feeling more like therapy appointments (that is until you see the recordings that the priest is keeping for himself). Finally, the big twist in the end is unique for this theme and I liked it. The rest of the movie, on the other hand, was a difficult chore to get through. The acting is subpar and the storyline is boring at times. Even Doug Bradley’s appearance (all 2 minutes worth) is dull and flat. This could have been a great movie had the film makers simply cast a talented actor in the role of Emma rather than some typical teen-angst filled teen.

The Exorcist (1973)

"The Exorcist" is a true horror classic, frightening and disturbing audiences ever since it came out in 1973. My parents first date was seeing a showing of "The Exorcist" the day after Christmas (I wonder if that helps to explain why I love horror so much?). When it was rereleased in theaters in the early 2000's with a few deleted scenes, it continued to scare those who watched it. 

Now I will admit that I was not scared by the movie the first time I saw it. Much like "Halloween", I had seen the first few minutes numerous times before being kicked out of the room. So when I finally saw it, I was a little disappointed because I had such high expectations. The only thing that really gave me the chills was the haunting soundtrack. But then in 9th grade I read the book and after gaining a solid understanding of the story, the movie proved to be chilling the second time I saw it. Lesson of the day is to wait until you're old enough/mature enough to realize that what you're watching is creepy as hell!

It's about Regan, a tween who becomes possessed by a very powerful and diabolical demon and the priest who is losing his faith who must confront the demon and make the ultimate sacrifice in the battle if good versus evil. That's all I'm going to say. If you've seen it, you know what happens. If you haven't seen it, you should!

Favorite moment - when the priest asks the possessed Regan why she doesn't break her bounds if she wants to be loose but had the ability to do so, the demon cooly responds that " it would be a vulgar display of power"

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

“The Exorcism of Emily Rose” is the cautionary tale about the aftermath of an exorcism gone wrong. Sometimes people who are possessed die and this movie follows the court trial of the priest who performed the exorcism, switching from scenes of the court case to flashbacks involving Emily Rose. It’s an effective court drama as well as a reasonable horror movie. Jennifer Carpenter did a fantastic job of bending her body in the various demonic contortions without the aid of visual effects.

“The Exorcism of Emily Rose” focuses on Erin Bruner, a defense lawyer who is working on a case where her client, Father Richard Moore, is charged with negligent homicide after he attempted to perform an exorcism on Emily Rose. Erin approaches the case with a clear and realistic point of view and ignores Father Moore’s request to let him take the stand. Father Moore truly believes that what he did was in the best interest of Emily Rose and her family, and as the movie goes on, Erin begins to understand his assertions. When Emily Rose first became possessed, she was diagnosed with epilepsy and having seizures. But as the drugs that she was given didn’t have the proper effect and her conditioned worsened, her family asked Father Moore to intervene. He tries to help but is unable to cast out the demons. Before she dies, Emily Rose has a vision that gives her hope and release and once awake, she writes a letter explaining her options. At the end of the movie, Father Moore reads the letter to the court before receiving his judgment. 

Favorite moment – I really like the flash back scenes of Emily Rose and how the scenes were tense, effective, and engaging without having to be violent of gory.

The Amityville Horror (1979)

“The Amityville Horror” is one of the quintessential horror movies from the 1970’s, complete with a stellar cast, a memorable and outstanding story, numerous sequels, and its fair share of controversy. The movie is based on the book of the same name which a recounting of real events of a mass murder in a house in New York and the supposed occurrences that took were witnessed by the Lutz Family who had moved in after the tragedy. Although this is clearly a great ghost story, the possession element is obvious when George Lutz slowly goes mad and begins acting like the crazy father that killed his family without reason in the past. Luckily for George and his family, he recovers quite easily from his possession unlike many of the others who become possessed in the other film I’m reviewing this week.

George and Katy Lutz decide to buy and move their family into a beautiful old house that happened to have been the location of a mass murder the year before. In that event, a father killed his wife and four children with a rifle for no apparent reason. George and Katy are well aware of this (which is very refreshing) and realize that this is why the house is so cheap. It doesn’t take long after they move in for the weird ghost like occurrences to begin such as objects moving, chairs rocking, and a room full of flies. A catholic priest that he couple had asked to bless their home realizes that something is amiss and his judgments are only confirmed when the wife of George’s business partner senses the paranormal activity. George becomes withdrawn and begins acting oddly and is slowly possessed by the evil within the house while Katy has persistent dreams that reveal minor details of the murders. Eventually the family learns that their house is/has a gateway to Hell. Katy finds a picture of the killer and sees that it looks just like George, is able to get back to the house just in time to save her children from a possessed George, and the family safely escape the house and never return.

Favorite moment – I really like the flashback scenes of the murders as George and Katy are first walking through the house with the real-estate agent. I also like George’s very 70’s look and his hair that just becomes more and more crazy and unkempt as he loses his self-control and sanity.

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)

I consider “Paranormal Activity 2” to be a vast improvement over the original installment; just because a movie has a small budget, or almost no budget at all like “PA1” had, isn’t always an excuse for subpar acting. “Paranormal Activity 2” finds the perfect balance between the daytime scenes versus the more exciting nighttime scenes. The daytime are informative and are not used as filler like they felt in the first film. And the ghostly effects are just as effective if not more so. I’m even more impressed with the pacing knowing that this is the longest movie of the series so far.

Like the original “Paranormal Activity”, the film is seen through the lenses of video cameras located around the house. This time they are security cameras that are installed after a bulgary at Kristi and Dan’s house. The daytime scenes are all about the interactions of the family and their reactions to the scenes that happen at night and the nighttime scenes are when the ghostly activity takes place. The action starts slowly but builds quickly enough to keep the viewer engaged and spooked during the night scenes. The ending connects the two movies in an exciting fashion and sets the stage for the third installment.

Evil Dead (1981)

It’s the one and only….errr, I mean the original “Evil Dead”! Before there was “Evil Dead 2” there was a creepy, low budget movie filmed by a group of friends from the Detroit area including that included Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi, and Sam Raimi, who had just turned 20 when filming began. This was a group of young kids who had no real idea what they were doing out in the wood of Morristown, Tennessee. When it was released in theaters, it quickly became a favorite in the UK but was branded as too violent and banned in some countries. Although it’s a cult and mainstream favorite now, it might have disappeared and gathered dust on the rental shelf if Stephen King hadn’t gave it his approval by calling it one of his favorite movies at the time of its release.

“Evil Dead” is about five college aged friends driving out to a cabin in the woods for a nice spring break getaway. Along for the trip are Scotty and Shelly, Ash and Linda, and Ash’s sister Cheryl. At the cabin they find a tape recorder and an ancient book that was left behind by the last people there. They listen to the recording and by doing so, they release and summon a host of demons. One of the girls, Cheryl, goes out into the woods and it attacked by a tree and that happens to be possessed by the demons. She manages to escape and tries to tell the others what happened. No one believes her but her brother Ash decided to drive her back into town; on the way to town they find that they are trapped in the woods because the a bridge that they crossed earlier is now destroyed. Back at the cabin, the demons begin to possess the group of friends one by one. First Cheryl becomes possessed and is locked in the cellar. Next Shelly becomes possessed and is killed by Scotty after she tries to attack him. Linda is next to fall victim to the demon’s power. Soon Scotty is possessed as well, leaving Ash in a room full of demons. He is forced to defend himself when he is attacked, killing his friends in order to stay alive.

Favorite moment – So many to choose from! Some of the most memorable moments include Linda sitting on the floor while she is possessed, just giggling even when Ash begins to punch her repeatedly in the face. Another is the way that Shelly’s body is quivering after Scotty chops her up with an axe. Another is when Ash beheads Linda with a shovel. 

Author's Note - Possession

I’ve covered quite a few movies about ghosts so far so now I think I’ll shift into the similar but slightly different theme of possession. Possession is really fun topic, when related to horror movies, because there are so many different ways that a possession can happen. You’re given an ancient holy relic, you get possessed. You move into a creepy old house with some history, you get possessed. You listen to the tape recording that your friend found and suddenly everyone is possessed. And then the movies can focus on what to do with the person who is possessed, from a good old fashioned exorcism to just trying to survive the night and maybe try not to kill too many friends or family members in the process. And using the umbrella term of “Possession”, I’m able to review several really cool movies this week!

Pulse (2006)

“Pulse” is a 2006 American remake of a Japanese film of the “Kairo, with a script by Wes Craven and Ray Wright. It’s another ghost film where technological advances with electrical devices make it possible to bridge the world of the living with the world of the dead. In this case, a programmer is responsible for finding a frequency that spirits are able to use to cross over into our world, and all he was trying to do was find an unused frequency for cell phone usage! These spirits are angry and evil and kill without provokaction. The only way to protect yourself is to completely cover your surroundings in a particular shade of red tape…or to be somewhere where there isn’t a phone or computer! There are a few plot holes here and there but if you ignore these the film is pretty enjoyable if you like stale characters and well used horror clichés. Um… the visuals are amazing! I liked it and I seem to be very forgiving of these mainstream, theater released ghost movies.

Favorite moment – The scene where Mattie watches her friend Isabelle die after being infected by a ghost.

White Noise (2005)

It’s never fun to see one of your favorite actors star in a horrible movie and phone in their scenes, but that is exactly what Michael Keaton admitted doing when in the 2005 film “White Noise”…and I don’t blame him. There was very little that he could have done to save this movie; the script was weak and the first time director chose to use some very odd and annoying camera shots throughout the film. Sadly, most of the movie is just Michael Keaton standing or sitting next to a radio or TV and listening to the static. The focus of the movie is contacting the dead via EVP and while this technique is used in many ghost hunter style movies, in “White Noise” it’s not enough to keep the viewer interested. 

Jonathan is successful architect who is happily married to a successful writer named Anna. One day Anna goes missing and it is assumed that she might have died while she was changing a flat tire. Eventually her body is found and the cause of death was by drowning. Jonathan is approached by Richard who claims that he has recordings of Anna that were made after she died. Jonathan’s grief and curiosity win over his common sense and he visits Richard to see what he can offer. Richard has a large set-up of electronic equipment that he uses for EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) purposes and shares a recording of Anna’s voice with Jonathan. Jonathan becomes an instant believer and becomes obsessed with trying to contact Anna’s spirit. He ends up attracting the attention of three evil spirits who begin to interfere with Jonathan’s life. Jonathan discovers that he can also catch glimpses of people who are still alive and area about to die, so he does what he can to save them. People die, the three evil ghosts possess people, and Jonathan makes the ultimate sacrifice at the end.

The Grudge (2004)

The American remake of “The Grudge” came out in 2004, a year after the original debuted in Japan. Both movies were directed by Takashi Shimizu, a young Japanese film maker who went on to create two sequels to “Ju-on) series as well as a handful of other Japanese horror movies. The American version stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Bill Pullman, and Ted Raimi and was the first official movie produced by Ghost House Pictures which was started by Sam Raimi and Robert Tapert. It’s a great movie with amazing effects and some pretty decent scares for a horror movie with a PG-13 rating. The film was part of the craze of remaking Japanese horror movies from the 1990’s and 2000’s but what I find unique about this remake though is the fact that it still takes place in Japan; It’s as though it could be the same exact movie but with American actors replacing a few of the Japanese ones. I’m not sure if this is true because I have not seen the original although it will be one of the films I review when I begin my ambitious themes for Japanese and other Asian produced horror movies.

The storyline for “The Grudge” crisscrosses between flashbacks and present day scenes that involve a few sub-plots that revolve around the curse of the Saeki family. One plot line is about the Saeki family and how the housewife Kayako fell in love with her teacher and was murdered by her jealous husband Takeo, who in turn killed his son Toshio before hanging himself. The second subplot is about the Williams family moving into the Saeki house several years later and becoming victims to the angry spirits of the Saeki family. The third subplot is about Karen, a student social worker who is sent over to the Saeki house to assist Emma Williams, an older woman who suffered a dementia related breakdown after moving into the house with her son and daughter-in-law. Karen survives her first encounter with the ghost of Kayako and eventually discovers that anyone who enters the house becomes cursed by the never ending rage of the Saeki family.

Favorite moment – I really liked the scene when Karen watches a ghost/flashback of Peter finding Kayako’s diary and then finding her. It ties up the mystery of the Saeki family effectively. My other favorite moment is the very beginning of the movie when Peter kills himself; it’s so sudden and without warning and sets a great feel for the rest of the movie.

Gothika

“Gothika” is a 2003 horror movie starring Halle Berry, Charles S Dutton, and Robert Downey Jr. (during the time period when he wasn’t very high on the top of a directors list). This was another in a long list of movies that was produced by Joel Silver during this time period and as such it shares many of the same traits as the other ghost movies he helped create such as great visuals but few scares and sub-par storylines. “Gothika” isn’t a fun movie like “Ghost Ship” or “Thir13en Ghosts” were; this film tries to take the serious content of the story but never quite delivers the emotional impact that it was going for. The movie is most notable for an accident that occurred during filming when Robert Downey Jr. broke Halle Berry’s arm, forcing her to wear a cast throughout most of the film. Yes, the most exciting part of the movie happened off screen…

Dr. Miranda Grey is a psychiatrist who works with her husband at a women’s mental hospital. One night while driving home, Miranda has a car accident and becomes possessed by a ghost and loses her memory. When she wakes up, she finds that she is being held in the hospital and that she is the primary suspect in her husband’s brutal murder. While she tries to regain her memory, she bonds with her former patient and finds out that her claims about being raped at night are true. Miranda eventually escapes from the hospital (she worked there, she knows how) and goes to the farmhouse that she shared with her husband, hoping to find clues as to why she killed him. Like most Hollywood ghost stories, the ghost leads the way to the truth and Miranda does what she can to set everything right.

Favorite moment - it's not a moment at all, but I have to say that I like the title. 

Ghost Ship (2002)

Another fun and stupid ghost movie is “Ghost Ship”.  And when I say stupid, I’m referring to a movie where you shouldn’t try to take it seriously and just enjoy the ride because the plot or production mistakes or a million other little details might make you go nuts. It stars Gabriel Byrne, who was going on his own horror movie tour around this time (“Stigmata” and “End of Days”), and is supported by a decent cast including Isaiah Washington and  Karl Urban. Of course the main star is the cruise ship itself; by no means nearly as fantastic as James Cameron’s version of the Titanic but still pretty cool. This ship, the Antonia Graza, is very similar to the Event Horizon is nature and overall character; they have both been somewhere that we would rather not go and are determined to take us there against our will…and will find the perfect minion to make sure it happens.

The film opens as a salvage crew is desperately trying to save their current find. Just when they are about to lose the wreckage, they manage to save it at the last moment and cash in. That’s just the kind of crew that they are so it’s no wonder that they are approached by a shifty pilot who wants to hire them to salvage a large mystery vessel floating in international waters. The crew agrees and set off to the Bering Sea. They find the Antonia Graza, a ship that disappeared on its maiden voyage (Event Horizon?). The crew explores the ship and start repairing the areas that need immediate work. Then ghosts show up, the salvage crew becomes stranded on the Antonia Graza when their own ship is sabotaged and destroyed (Event Horizon?), piles of gold bars are found, and people die. The plot is sketchy and has a “meh” ending but is worth watching for the hell of it.

Favorite moment – The opening scene of a party taking place on the Antonia Graza in 1962 is pretty amazing.

Thir13en Ghosts (2001)

“Thir13en Ghosts” might have made it onto Roger Ebert’s list of “Most Hated” films but I like it! It’s a fun, stupid ghost story that is full of cool eye candy and action. It doesn’t have many scares in it and it has an absurd plot but I like how there is enough quick glimpses at the various ghosts to give a basic back story to some and leave you curious about the others. Matthew Lillard is great in it and Tony Shalhoub is too shabby either. Why and how Shannon Elizabeth was cast is beyond me; this is just another stop on her horror movie circuit tour that she seemed to have made when she was still…um…relevant? What a scary place it would be if she ever was! Luckily for the viewer, she has less screen time than the babysitter who is watching her little brother. This version is a remake of the 1960 film by William Castle, who also made the original "House on Haunted Hill".

Cyrus Kriticos is on a mission to complete his collection of various ghosts, employing a crew of ghost hunters and a reluctant psychic named Dennis. While capturing the extremely dangerous ghost known as the Juggernaut, Cyrus is killed and his estate is handed over to his nephew Arthur, a struggling widower trying to raise his two children. Arthur, his children, and their babysitter accompany Cyrus’s lawyer to his home, a large mansion that is full of glass walls covered in elegant script and clockwork features. (I feel that this concept was directly inspired by “Hellraiser” and is a great tribute if I’m correct). Dennis meets the family at the entrance and talks his way in, claiming to be an electrician that needs to finish some work. Inside, everyone finds weird 3-D looking glasses that allow the wearing to see the ghosts. The lawyer sets off a trap left by Cyrus, the family and Dennis are locked in, and the ghosts are released one by one. It is a trap that Cyrus made in order to capture the last ghost needed for his collection, the 13^th ghost.

Favorite moment – The opening scene is quite effective as well as the scene where Dennis faces off against the Juggernaut. For a ghost, the Juggernaut sure has some sway in the physical realm!

The Gift (2000)

It’s not often that you have a high quality ghost movie that has so much talent involved. Directed by Sam Raimi, written by Billy Bob Thorton, and staring Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Greg Kinnear, Hillary Swank, Katie Holmes, and Keanu Reeves, “The Gift” was perhaps the best ghost movie from the early 2000s. Set in the Deep South, it has lovely swamp landscapes, townsfolk with old money and those who are nearly dirt poor, and good Christians who think that fortune telling and psychics are the product of the Devil. The script was inspired by Billy Bob Thorton’s own mother’s rumored psychic talents.

Annie Wilson is a widowed mother of three young boys who makes a living reading cards (a form of fortune telling) for her neighbors. Most people in town like her but her favorite admirer is Buddy Cole, a troubled mechanic. One person who hates her and makes it well known is Donnie Barksdale, an abusive husband whose wife sneaks out to seek advice from Annie. When Jessica King, a young woman from a very effluent family, goes missing, the police turn to Annie for help. She has visions of a swamp and it turns out to be on Donnie’s property; he’s arrested and charged with murder when Jessica’s body is pulled from the water. Jessica’s ex-fiancée turns to Annie for comfort, but she is still bothered by visions and dreams that lead her to suspect that perhaps Donnie wasn’t the killer after all.

Favorite moment – I think the most intense scene in the movie is the showdown between Buddy and Donnie. Donnie was harassing one of Annie’s young sons when Buddy comes to intervene. When Donnie tells him to get lost because it’s none of his business, Buddy makes it his business by taking a crowbar and hitting Donnie’s truck. When Donnie pulls a gun on Buddy, Buddy presses it against his own forehead and starts daring Donnie to pull the trigger. 

Author's Note - Ghosts

I love ghosts! I love the idea, the concept, the stories, and the possibilities. I write ghost stories and I love to watch a good ghost movie. They’re not always horror movies but the ones I’m going to review this week most definitely are. Ghost movies never seem to go out of style and I’ve found seven movies that were produced one year after another. These seven movies were all shown in theaters and were relatively violent. Because there are so many great (and so many horrible!) ghost movies, there will be more ghost theme weeks to come!

Offspring (2009)

It was inevitable that I would end up watching a movie about tribal cannibals at some point but I honestly never thought that the movie would take place in Maine. “Offspring” is about a family of caveman-like cannibals that migrate up and down the East coast between Maine and up into Canada. They have their own language, tactical strategies in how they take over a house, look ridiculous and way to clean. I personally didn’t care for it but I could see others really liking it because it does go way over the top at some points. The film also tries to make the comparison between the tribe and how evil some modern, civilized people can be. From what I’ve read about the sequel “The Woman”, this attempt goes even further.

The storyline is minimal. The family of cannibals have returned to a small coastal town known as Dead River. The town’s former sheriff thought he had killed them ten years earlier, but after a gruesome murder scene is discovered, he joins the current police department in their search for the murders. The tribe it seems is looking for babies (for sacrifice?) as well as eating whoever they find. They attack a house where a family lives and who currently has visitors. The husband is killed, the woman are taken to the cave and beaten, and a twelve year old boy hides his baby sibling in a tree house and follows the tribe to their cave. The sheriff finds the boy who points out the cave, goes in and kills a few before being stabbed in the chest and dying. The women escape, there is a final fight between the boy and a tribal child, and the leader of the tribe, the mother, escapes only to be stabbed by the only other survivor of her clan. She kills him and wanders off into the woods. The end. Thank god.

Wrong Turn (2003)

“Wrong Turn” is your average, mainstream horror flick filled with a cast of pretty people and a storyline that has a few thrills but nothing that really stands out. What it does show, with newspaper clippings and medical reports during the opening sequence, is how the inbred hillbillies of West Virginia have increased strength and a high resistance to pain. They also indicate that numerous people are reported missing every year in that area. Like other cannibal movies, it’s a family that is performing these dastardly deeds. And like other movies I’ve noticed, they like to leave a dead body lying around with a leg missing. Why?

Chris is on his way to a very important job interview but he’s running late. To bypass a messy accident on the highway, he takes the back road but ends up hitting another vehicle that was stop in the middle of the road. Everyone is ok but is quickly creeped out when they find a barbed wire tire trap that was laid out and ruined the tires of the first vehicle. The group of six breaks up; four walking around looking for a phone while two stay with the broken cars. The two quickly get killed (surprise!) by the cannibalistic hillbillies while the other four find the hillbillies house. There are piles of sunglasses, cell phones, watches, and other items collected by their victims over the years. The three hillbilly brothers come home, the four hide and hear/watch their dead friends get hacked up. Hacking up bodies is tiring, so when the hillbillies take a nap, the four survivors escape from the house. The rest of the movie is about the hillbillies chasing and sometimes killing the four remaining survivors. Of course Eliza Dushku makes it to the end, but that isn’t revealing much.

Dying Breed (2008)

“Dying Breed” blends two real life events into one storyline that is both entertaining and gruesome. The main source of inspiration comes from Alexander Pierce, a convict that escaped multiple times from Tasmanian penal camps and hid out in the bush. While on the run, he and his fellow escapees turned to cannibalism to survive before they were finally caught and hung. The movie claims that he started the small township named “Sarah” and that his decedents live there and also practice the tradition of cannibalism. The second event that the film focuses on is the extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger and the various claims people make at seeing one alive. This is what brings the unfortunate zoologist and her friends to “Sarah” and the surrounding wilderness. “Dying Breed” is part of the After Dark Horrorfest Season 3 and features Leigh Whannell (writer of “Saw”) and Nathan Phillips (“Wolf Creek”).

Nina’s older sister went to Tasmania to study and to find a living Tasmanian Tiger but eventually ends up drowning. Eight years later Nina follows in her sister’s footsteps to complete her work. With the help of her friend Matt, the trip into the wilderness is made possible by Jack and his girlfriend Rebecca. They make their way to the isolated town called “Sarah” where they find the locals odd and different. One even points out a pair of shackles and says that those belonged to his great grandfather who founded the town. The four leave early the next morning and travel down the river by boat before landing and hiking for several miles. They find a small cave and camp inside, waking up in the middle of the night and believing that they see a Tasmanian Tiger in the distance. As they grab their cameras, and Jack grabs his crossbow, they make the fatal horror movie flaw of splitting up and that’s when the action really begins.

Favorite moment – The scene where Matt and Jack find Rebecca’s body and how, in his traumatic pacing, Jack falls onto two large man-traps, once snapping onto his legs and the other onto his head. The pacing and visuals are perfect for this intense moment and is acted out extremely well.

Ravenous (1999)

“Ravenous” is one of my all-time favorite movies ever; it’s the perfect film to have playing in the background while you’re busy or to totally grab your attention and holds you from beginning to end. I love how this movie incorporates the Wendigo legend that is shared among various Native American tribes, the time period in which it takes place, and the background music. I love the music! There are some great choices in the casting and the ending is an awesome test of endurance. The plot was inspired by real life events and people such as the Donner Party and Alfred Packer.

While fighting in the Mexican-American War, Second Lieutenant Boyd becomes traumatized during the heat of battle and pretends to be a dead body. He is buried under a pile of actual dead bodies and ends up ingesting a fair amount of blood. He eventually regains his resolve, as well as a new found strength and stamina, and is able to overtake the enemy post. He is promoted to Captain but reassigned (exiled) to a far off post at Fort Spencer because his commanding officer finds his version of how he won the enemy post suspicious. At Fort Spencer, Capt. Boyd meets the small detachment that is keep there during the winter months. A short time after his arrival, a strange man named Calqhoun shows up, telling the soldiers that he was part of a wagon train that had met dire circumstances. Half of the detachment goes with Colqhoun to rescue the survivors of the wagon train from Colonel Ives, a man who was leading the train but had turned to cannibalism when they became lost. It turns out to be a trap as Calqhoun is Colonel Ives and he is quickly able to kill off the rescue party. Capt. Boyd decides to jump off a cliff rather than face Calqhoun in a fight. He survives the fall but breaks his leg, landing near the dead body of a fellow solider. He ends up eating the soldier after several days and begins to heal. When he arrives back at Fort Spencer, he discovers that Colonel Ives has been assigned as the commanding officer until the spring. Boyd and Ives begin to play a cat and mouse game of wits, with Ives clearly in the role of the cat.

Favorite moment – I really love the scene when the rescue party arrives at the cave where Calqhoun claims the wagon party is hiding in. Calqhoun acts so strangely and leaves the viewer wondering what the hell is he doing. Then when he starts killing the soldiers, his actions are so fluid and precise and the gleam of insanity and joy in his eyes is priceless!

We Are What We Are (2010)

What would happen if a family of cannibals lost the sole provider of fresh flesh? That is the question that “We Are What We Are” examines. This Mexican film is about a standard family, a father, a mother, two sons and a daughter, who need a fresh body so they can complete a ritual before its too late. Father has been the one responsible for obtaining the bodies in the past but he dies in the beginning of the story, leaving his eldest son with this gruesome task. His younger brother tries to help but ends up challenging all of his decisions. The mother doesn’t have faith in him while the sister has nothing but faith and hope. He tries to make his family proud but a hooker is isn’t worthy and so the search continues. By the time someone worthwhile is found, the police have caught on to what’s going on and interrupts the ritual. Only one family member survives with the sole intent on finishing the ritual…whatever that might be.

Favorite moment – I have never been as delighted to discover such a rare and wonderful moment as this! There is a scene in a morgue where the corner is preparing the corpse while the funeral director watches. It took me only three seconds before I realized that I’ve seen this seen before, with the same actors repeating the same dialogue! I researched the actors and found out that they are indeed the same people who were in the same type of scene in Del Toro’s “Cronos”, another Mexican film from 1993. What a perfect tribute as well as a plot device for this movie as well!!

Frontier(s) (2007)

“Frontier(s)” is a French movie that doesn’t really know what it wants to be. It’s a horror movie at least but the  focus of the film keeps changing. First violent mobs and riots are causing trouble all around Paris because of election results. The police are being overwhelmed and martial law and curfews come into effect. But this situation is quickly forgotten as soon as the main characters drive out of the city and onto their way to Amsterdam. The movie then takes on a “Hostel” kind of vibe as the main characters check into a small roadside motel in the country and are seduced by the woman running the front desk. Then the movie switches to cannibalism without directly saying so (hinting that the dinner is cooked in pork fat when asked what it is that they are eating) then onto the bizarre family dynamics and their Nazis-like father then onto the problems of deformed inbred children who are seen munching away on various corpses that are kept in a storage area. The staff of Scarecrow Video in Seattle list this movie as one of the most disturbing films they have in their horror section; it’s good but not nearly as disturbing as “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” , which by the way didn’t even make their list. It’s an interesting movie that just tries to do too much; this is the kind of film to approach with no expectations and simply enjoy the ride.

Favorite moment – When Yesmine kills Goetz, essentially pushing him onto a table saw.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The 1970’s had more than its fair share of cannibal themed movies but the one that stands out for me the most is “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. It’s perfectly creepy with the soundtrack, grainy film quality, and bizarre cast of characters...and I’m talking about the ones you see before you even get to Leatherface. Even though he became a major franchise onto himself, I strongly feel that “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” should have been a single, stand-alone film. It doesn’t need to answer the questions that might linger after the end credits begin rolling. Do you really need to know who Leatherface is or what he looks like under his creepy mask? No. Do you really need to know if the family ever gets caught or how long they’ve been robbing graves? No. Just knowing what you see is enough.

As the opening describes, this is a story about five young adults who get caught up in something gruesome and terrifying. They drive out to check out a graveyard that has been having problems with grave robbers. Two siblings have a grandfather buried there and they want to make sure that his grave wasn’t disturbed. Afterwards they decide to check out an old family house that their father grew up in. On the way to the house they pick up a hitchhiker who quickly runs out his welcome when he begins to start a fire and cutting one of the teens; they kick him out and continue on their way. Once at the house, they begin to split up and eventually find their way to the neighbors’ house. No one seems to be home but they go in anyway only to be killed off by Leatherface. When Sally and her brother go looking for the other three in the evening, they are attacked Sally’s brother is killed. She is runs throughout the house being chased by Leatherface, finally making it to a gas station where she is tied up by another member of Leatherface’s family (brother or dad). Sally wakes up and finds that she is surrounded by Leatherface, the gas station guy, the hitchhiker, and Grandpa. They try having Grandpa kill her but she manages to get away and after an almost comical chase, Sally rides away in the back of a pickup truck and Leatherface revs his chainsaw in the soft sunlight of the morning.

Favorite moment – I honestly love the moment when Leatherface hits Kirk in the back of the head with a mallet, drags his body into the alcove, and slams the metal shutters closed. What the hell kind of noise was he making??? 

Author's Note - Cannibals

After watching "Pandorum", I became inspired to work on cannibals as my next theme. I'm neither a fan nor do I have any interest in movies involving tribal cannibalism but that doesn't mean that there are enough other fun choices to watch. A common theme in cannibal films is that of family or at the very least, a sense of brotherhood. The shared experience of a taboo like cannibalism might be why it’s a family affair. Granted, there a plenty of movies (and real life examples) of cannibalism being performed by individuals, but they are typically called serial killers and that’s an entirely different sub-genre. 

Species (1995)

“Species” was an interesting movie that blended a strong cast of actors, scenes designed for nothing more than making the audience jump in their seats, and nude scenes featuring former model Natasha Henstridge. It also includes work designed by H.R Giger; he designed the Sil alien and the nightmare train. I feel that the main reason this movie was made was to showcase Natasha and Giger, although there is nothing wrong with that. Three sequels were made that include more of the same action and quest to fulfill one’s sexual urges.

In the early 80’s, the SETI satellite picked up a transmission from an alien source telling us how to create an endless source of fuel. Shortly after that, it received a transmission telling us how to splice a strand of alien DNA to a human’s. Several experiments are performed and with the one named Sil being the most successful. The government officials in charge of the project decide that she should be killed when they see that she has grown from an infant to a 12 year old girl in a matter of a few short months. While the technicians attempt to kill her with gas, she escapes from the scientific complex that she was created in and manages to get onto a train and disappear. A group of various experts is called in to hunt her down and kill her before it’s too late, not knowing what she might do to an unknowing population. As they begin their search, Sil creates a cocoon and transforms into a full sized adult, leaving the train once it arrives in Los Angeles. There, she begins to look for a potential mate to spawn with. Her first few attempts fail, with the crew finding the bodies shortly after she kills them. She realizes that she is being hunted to she fakes her own death. Believing that she is dead, the team goes to celebrate. She follows them to their hotel, and after being denied the chance to mate with the member of her choice, she tricks another one into having sex with her. As soon as she is impregnated, she kills the team member and is chased into the basement levels of the hotel by the others. The basement area isn’t what I would expect to find but it makes for the perfect setting for the final showdown of the elite team and Sil.

Favorite moment – proving how adaptable and durable she is, I like the scene where she is hit by a car, taken to a hospital, and heals herself as a doctor is examining her injury.

Ghosts of Mars (2001)

"Ghost of Mars" is an odd movie; some may say its horrible but I just call it odd. It has classic John Carpenter qualities all through it including his use of crazy looking angry mobs, a rocking guitar heavy soundtrack (that doesn't work), and actors that people know. The movie stars Ice Cube and Natasha Henstridge. It actually includes a relativity unknown Jason Stratham as well.

A squad of interstellar police officers go to Mars to transport the criminal mastermind Desolation Williams. Everything goes to hell straight away when they arrive to find the colony empty. All of the teraformers all missing and when they are found, they all appear possessed....because they are by the past spirits of Martians. The police and Desolation team up and try to escape. Most live, some die.

Pandorum (2009)

“Pandorum” is a science fiction heavy film that has enough horror type elements to fall into both categories. It’s a bleak film that revolves around a member of the flight crew trying to restart the reactor before it goes offline and trying to stay alive and avoid a mob of cannibals that are running rampant throughout the ship. The crew member meets five other survivors and has deal with them each in their own way. The film is solid enough and is similar and yet different enough than the movie “Sunshine”, where both center on the psychological effects of long distance space travel.

Favorite moment – When the three survivors kill their first cannibal.

Pitch Black (2000)

"Pitch Black" was one if the best horror movies I've ever seen in the theater. I knew very little about it beforehand, I went in opening night with a few friends, and the theater was sold out with energized and excited people. And every one left pumped. Awesome monsters, a great and simple story, and a breakout movie making moment for Vin Disel. 

A transport ship in deep space enters an unidetified asteroid field and is badly damaged, being sucked into the gravity pull of a nearby planet. The captain is killed so two other flight crew members hustle to save the ship and themselves. The woman who takes the controls has no choice but to begin purging extra weight...including sections of passengers. She jettisons two sections and is about to release the third when they finally crash land on the planet. The remaining survivors thank her, not knowing that she killed the others and was seconds away from killing them. 

She's an ethical villain and so is the cop/bounty hunter and his "cargo", the dangerous criminal Riddick. Their petty differences quickly lessen in importance when the survivors learn that they are stuck in a planet with a very mean, very vicious creature that comes out only in the dark. And the planet is about to become a very dark place once its multiple suns set. 

Favorite moment - I love how quickly Claudia Blacks character is eaten alive as one of the first victims.

Critters (1986)

“Critters” was a movie I enjoyed watching as a kid and I’m a little sad that it didn’t hold up as well as I thought it might when I saw it recently. Even back then I knew the bounty hunters were cheesy looking so I’m not concerned about them. What struck me is the fact that only two people died and that it wasn’t that violent. I’m not sure why I thought it was but I was wrong. Oh well! It’s still a decent movie and it far better than any of its sequels. It’s just your basic story about killer aliens escaping from a prison planet and going to Earth where they begin feeding and terrorizing a farm family. They eat, they grow, lay eggs, and shoot little poison quills from their backs. And they roll around and swear. What more do you need?

Event Horizon (1997)

“Event Horizon” is one of the ultimate outer space themed horror movies because it utilizes several elements that could only be found in that kind of environment. At its core it’s a simply search and rescue storyline, much like the movie “Ghost Ship”; little ship finds big ship which happens to be the find of a lifetime, little ship is destroyed and crew is forced to try to survive on big ship…and usually fail. And the Event Horizon is a REALLY BIG SHIP. But instead of the Bermuda Triangle or what not, the ship the Event Horizon is lost while trying to perform a death defying feat of physics and ends up going to Hell. With this story happening in space, the idea that the crew is literally weeks away from help really sinks in and if they fail, they die. And to prove this point, a few crew members nearly die in space related accidents. Critics and fans have both described “Event Horizon” as being very similar to “Hell Raiser”; if this is true or not can be debated. But as Sam Neil’s character eerily claims, “Where we’re going…we won’t need eyes to see!”

The Event Horizon was lost in one of the worst space tragedies in history; on its maiden voyage, the ship suddenly disappeared without a trace when it neared the planet Neptune. Seven years later it mysteriously appears and the search and rescue team of the Lewis and Clark is sent out to check for survivors and to find out what happened. Joining Capt. Miller and his crew is Dr. Weir, the designer of the Event Horizon as well as person who developed the experimental gravity drive engine. This massive device was meant to fold space and make travel from one point in space to another practically instantaneous. Once the crew of the Lewis and Clark arrive, they find evidence that a gruesome massacre had taken place on board the Event Horizon and that there isn’t a single survivor. Soon several of the crew members begin to have hallucinations based on their personal fears. Weird accidents occur, Dr. Weir becomes obsessed with his ship and ultimately possessed by the evil that emits from the gravity drive and the ship itself. The crew discovers only too late that the Event Horizon has been to Hell and back and is determined to go back with them as her crew.

Favorite moment – I really like when Capt. Miller is telling his story about his greatest fear and regret in leaving a crew member behind during a past rescue attempt. The crew member was burned to death in a room with zero gravity, and the way that Miller described the fire was poetic. Seeing the visual later in the movie does not do his story justice but it was a decent attempt.