YellowBrickRoad (2010) #375

Some movies have such unique and creative concepts but end up failing to deliver a solid film from beginning to end, which only frustrates the horror movie loving fan. "YellowBrickRoad" is such a film, beginning with a strong first half but somehow losing its way, just like the characters in the movie do, in the final half. The story introduces elements that are never explained and the ending feels like the writer had just given up and threw in a random final scene just to be done with it all. Watching the film, I felt cheated by the ending because the movie did introduce a very unique element in particular and I enjoyed the journey that the characters were forced to endure.

I honestly don't know how they could have explained the "why's" and "how's" of some of the questions that are left unanswered within the film. It may have been best if the film makers had decided to use tried and true story elements rather than trying one that they themselves could not explain. Luckily, only one of the several characters is left to deal with the odd and wonky ending.

What I did enjoy about the film is that the characters do die off in believable and interesting ways, including one of the more unique and violent acts I've seen in a few months. I also appreciated seeing how the characters dealt with their individual emotional and psychological break downs after they passed the point of no return.

The movie is about the residents of a small New Hampshire town who one day left en mass up a trail that headed north and was called the Yellow Brick Road. All of the residents either died from hyperthermia or were killed in violent ways; some were never even found. There was only one known survivor but he was delirious and couldn't help the authorities figure out what had happened. 50 years later, a group of professionals, including two cartographers and a psychologist, embark on a multi-day hike up the Yellow Brick Road to see if they could find any clues.

Crowsnest (2012) #374

I'm a fan of the point of view, found footage sub-genre and so I'm willing to give most movies with this premise a chance even though these films are quickly running out of unique and interesting sceniores. "Crowsnest" is a film that has some unique moments that I hadn't seen before in a "found footage" movie but it also contained plenty of scenes I've seen before, which sadly slowed the film down and tested my patience. When the film was finished, I was left feeling slightly disappointed and wishing for an extra few scenes that could have made the movie truly unique and fresh. The actors and the characters they portrayed were all in their mid twenties/post college age and felt too similar and typical to really root and cheer for; as always, there's always the one character that has to spell out the coming doom and danger and does a super cheesy job of it. 

Without spoiling the unique scenes too much, I'll simply say that this film felt inspired by "The Blair Witch Project", "Wrong Turn", and a little bit of the original "Jeepers Creepers"  for excitement. 

Imprint (2006) #373

If anyone was going to create an episode that was going to be considered too outrageous and inappropriate for a Showtime Channel original series, it would be the famed Japanese director Takashi Miike. His entry in the "Masters of Horror" series proved to be too much for Showtime executives to air as planned, so instead this episode is only found on DVD. The content within is a bit graphic at times and the torture scene is overly gratuitous to the point that I feel that this particular production could be as offensive as the material seen in "A Serbian Film". Some people may disagree with that conclusion but I would say that "Imprint" is at least darker and more horrific than his well known film "Audition".

An American is travelling across Japan in the 1800's looking for a woman who he promised to come back to an marry someday. His journey takes him to an island populated with whores and their masters. The American is forced to stay the night on the island so he agrees to the company of a whore, choosing one that stays in the shadows while the others clamour for attention. The whore begins to tell the American that she knew his bride to be, Komono, and that Komono had recently killed herself. He refuses to believe the story, so the whore tells him more about her own history and the reasons that led to Komono's suicide. The whore repeats the story several times, adding new details and truths with each telling until the American can't take anymore and acts upon his grief, a grief that haunts him for the rest of his life.