Martyrs (2016) #424

"Marytrs" is the 2016 American remake of the 2008 extreme French film of the same name. As the trend with most remakes, the new version is rarely as good as the original. This film is both too much like the original and yet strays horribly astray when it tries to be different. The first half of the film feels like a shot for shot redo that scales back the intensity while the second half fails to deliver any scares and the story feels weak; the choice to write a new third act is commendable only if the new material actually adds to the established narrative because what takes place feels uncreative.

Besides having questionable story choices, the elements that makes the original do scary are either reduced or removed altogether. Why remake a tame version of a movie that is considered to be one of the more extreme films of the past ten years? It's a confounding move that doesn't do well for the film.

Lucie is a young girl who is being held captive and being systematically tortured in a rundown industrial building. She manages to escape but her captor is unable to be found. She is placed in an orphanage where she becomes close friends with Anna, a girl who's her age. Even though she physically heals, she is still tormented by a monster that only she can see. Ten years later, the two friends find Lucie's abusers but end up discovering something far more terrifying.

The Hallow (2015) #423

"The Hallow" is a fun "creature feature" that is inspired by the dark and violent fairy tales of Irish folklore. Even though fairy tales are timeless, this story feels fresh and original. Writer and director Corin Hardy gives us characters that we can relate to and care about without over explanation and place them in an environment that is filled with approaching doom and impending danger. The sense of isolation, brought upon by the rural setting of a small town surrounded by a large forest as well as the stand-off nature of the locals, really hits home when the main characters look for help. And because this is a creature feature, the creatures featured are effective and fiendish looking and they possess a unique trait that I haven't seen in fairy-folk before.

After Ireland legally claims all park and forest land for government use, Adam, a British conservationist, and his family is sent out to a remote Irish village to begin planning a large scale lumber operation. Adam discovers that something is unique about the area after discovering a fresh animal carcass with odd bacteria growing on it. While Adam is out in the forest, his wife Clare is left at home having to deal with an angry neighbor who used to own the land that Adam is working in. Rumor has it that the neighbor, Colm, is still angry and grieving the loss of his young daughter, who vanished into the forest a few years ago. That night, a window is broken in the baby's room and once the police arrive, the officer merely tells the young couple that they're not in London anymore and things DO go bump in the night. Adam and Clare soon realize that Colm is not the one trying to scare them away and learn that there is something fiendish hiding among the shadows and the trees, something that does not like the newcomers at all....

Closer to God (2014) #422

More thriller than horror, "Closer to God" is a slow burning, suspenseful, updated reimagining of the "Frankenstein" story. Familiar names and the controversial theme of creating life and it's implications are evident, as well as the "village mob" from the classic 1931 "Frankenstein". Technically the film's pacing could move slightly quicker and the background music could be darker and more menacing, but otherwise the film is solid. The stoic acting, primarily from Jeremy Childs portrayal of Dr. Victor Reed, adds a level of gravitas to the serious subject matter.

Dr Victor Reed is a leading researcher in the field of human cloning, and as the movie begins, he is delivering the news that he has successfully cloned a baby girl that he names Emily. The board of directors are less than happy and bring up all of the legal and ethical concerns that are sure to arise. Dr Reed and his staff experience a social backlash after giving a news conference about their medical break through, and after their lab location is exposed, Dr Reed is forced to bring his experiment home, effectively placing his family and house keepers under house arrest as their estate is surrounded by angry protesters. As Dr Reed continues to study and experiment on Emily, pressures from his family and past begin to mount, coming to an enevitable grisly end.

Thinner (2006) #421

In his typical fashion, Stephen King takes an obvious and yet grossly over looked premise and writes a simple story that can carry an entire movie. In this case the premise is about a man who is suffering from the ill effects of a gypsy's curse in the film "Thinner". More camp than scary horror, "Thinner" is a fun movie even if you can't take it seriously. 

The star of this particular film isn't one of the actors but rather the special effects. Defense attorney Billy Halleck, played by Robert John Burke, begins the film as a very heavy set man before slowly but steadily losing weight and becoming deathly thin and frail. The fat suit isn't too obvious in the beginning but becomes so when he is reduced to the actor's actual weight. The special effects for when he continues to lose weight are pretty solid for the time, way back in the year 1996!

For me, the movie really shines in the absurdity of mob boss Ritchie Ginelli, played with cheesy zest by Joe Mantegna. His loyalty to his lawyer is commendable, and the way that he attempts to deal with the gypsies is simply hilarious. It's different, maybe not appropriate for a horror movie, but fun.