House of the Devil (2009) #397

The only real way to enjoy director Ti West is 1) watch his films with an open mind and 2) watch more than one of his films. While I appreciate his efforts in the 2013 film "Sacrament", I was ultimately disappointed with the final product. So when I watched and finished "House of the Devil", I felt almost the same way. Both films offer the viewer a very, very slow "burn" before the films reach their climax, and when the big reveal or plot tilt occurs, it doesn't feel like it's enough. But when I sat down to write this review for "House of the Devil", I found myself looking back at both films rather fondly. These are the kind of films that require multiple viewings perhaps; both offer enough substance and tension to chew on for a while and so maybe with a second viewing, both movies might prove to be more rewarding. Having said this, I do prefer "Sacrament" over "House of the Devil" at the moment although the latter is worth checking out. I confess that I'm excited to watch both movies again in the few days!

"House of the Devil" is set, and filmed as if was made, during the early 1980's. The music style, the clothing, the angles that the camera is used to film the movie, and other techniques are all expertly applied. Even the opening and closing credits show traits that were popular during the horror films of the 70's and 80's. The movie itself is about a satanic cult, a lunar eclipse, and a college student in need of cash; all elements that were popular in the 1980's. The way that the story plays out is simple and obvious, playing on the fear of satanic cults in a subtle way. When the action takes place on screen, it's quick and brutal, unlike other horror movies currently that try to drown the viewers with gore and violence.

Kill Theory (2009)

"Kill Theory" falls into the group of movies in which a single stranger forces a large group to do horrible things to each other with the promise that one of them will be able to leave the horrid event alive. These other films include "Vile" and "Hunger".  In "Kill Theory", a group of friends are forced to turn each other to prove the point that sometimes you have to kill your loved ones in order to survive. The unseen killer had been convicted of manslaughter when he had to cut the rope and kill two or three friends below him while they were out mountain climbing. To prove his point that he was innocent and had to do it, he finds a group of friends out at a remote summer house and sets up traps to ensure that they don't escape and are forced to play his demented game. As always, favoritism comes up as well as feelings of being bullied and former flings come to light, testing the loyalty and will power of the group. Some die early on while others stick it out and last longer than you might imagine. The movie has some heart churning moments of betrayal and keeps things interesting. Most definitely worth watching at least once.

The Collector (2009)

Since I've already reviewed "The Collection" http://hauntingchillingthrilling.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-collection-2012.html , it only made sense that I would get around the the original film, "The Collector". Being the first film it is smaller in scope, has a slightly lower budget, and a much smaller death count. Although writer/director Marcus Dunstan originally wanted to make this film into a "Saw" prequel (Dunstan had written the final four "Saw" films), the producers made him make this into an new film franchise. While the movie takes place in a single, large family home, the traps that the Collector has set feel more like booby traps than "Saw" like games, where as in "The Collection", there are a few traps that do feel like games. What's great about "The Collector" when compared the "The Collection" is that we fully see Arkin's character, learn in a bit more about the Collector, and that the film doesn't feel to over the top. Some may say that this is just another Torture Porn film but I see this particular film less in the vein of "Hostel" or "Saw" and more akin to "Last House on the Left".

Ex-felon Arkin is trying to live a life on the straight and narrow but he's forced back into the life of crime when he finds out that his wife owes a large sum to violent loan sharks. Up to this point, Arkin has been working as a handyman for a nice family who is restoring their giant house. For some reason they have a huge gem in their safe and that is what Arkin is planning on using to pay of his wife's debt. Unfortunately for everyone, a serial killer with an appreciation for bugs, torture, and deadly traps has decided that this nice family are to be his next victims and that Arkin is now also a would-be victim as well....


Favorite moment - I was truly impressed by the effects and filming techniques used when an ambulance is hit and you see the people and supplies inside fly around as the ambulance tumbles over.

After.Life (2009)

The film "After.Life" is a bit of a head scratcher; it's meant to be a psychological thriller but the only one that seems to be psychologically thrilled is Christina Ricci's character. The film had an interesting concept but the production and the script fail to full take advantage of it. The story is murky and full of moments that make you feel stupid for the the actors on the screen. As I continued watching, I kept hoping for some clear explanation as to why Christina's character was so challenged and what motive Liam Neeson's character had, but alas, the answers were vague at best. I'm confused as to why Neeson took this role and I've even more confused as to why Christina's acting chops have gone down the hill over the past 15 years??

Anna is a middle school teacher who is having an rough patch in her relationship with her boyfriend Paul. It's clear that they don't listen to each other and it feels like they really should break up. One day, Anna goes to the funeral of her old piano teacher, where she meets the owner of the funeral home, Mr. Eliot Deacon. Later that night she meets Paul at a fancy restaurant where things quickly go to hell when he says that he's moving to another city; she assumes he's breaking up with her and leaves when his real intention was to ask her to marry him. As she drives away full of rage during a heavy rain storm, she ends up in an accident on the freeway. When she wakes up, she finds herself in the prep room of the funeral parlor, unable to move. She sees Eliot standing above her, preparing her for her funeral which is to be held in a few days. He tells her that she's dead and continues to do so when she tries to insist that she is very much alive. The truth (?) is that he's sedating her (often) and is making it seem that she is dead. She's too weak and her mind it too boggled to escape, and every time she tries, she fails horribly. Justin tries to find out the truth but his efforts are just as wasted as Anna's. It's only when it's too late that Anna realizes that she is indeed still alive....

Shadow (2009)

In yet another film that contains a villain torturing his captives, "Shadow" is a film full of little plot points that you don't expect. I have probably already said too much but I did find it enjoyable and I was pleasantly surprised by a few moments in the film. It takes place in an unnamed country in Europe where people speak English with an accent from somewhere in the UK. The film was directed and produced by an Italian crew, so that doesn't help narrow down where the story takes place. But does it really matter? In the grand scheme of things, no it really doesn't.

The movie opens with a voice over from the main character David, a young American soldier who is serving in the Iraq War. He is writing home to his mother, telling her that he plans to go biking in a gorgeous area in Europe, a forest that is called The Shadow in a magazine article that his friend gave him. The movie then shows him biking around a lovely forest. He stops by a small bar where he meets a cute girl and the bar owner; they are the nice people. The mean people are two hunters and their dog that begin harassing the girl for no reason. David intervenes so she can leave and then the bar owner intervenes so David can leave. The girl, Angeline, is also biking around the forest and the two meet up and travel together. They come across the hunters about to kill an elk so Angeline yells out and ruins their shot. The hunters are pissed off and chase the two down, shooting at them and hitting David in the arm. David and Angeline get away for a moment before the hunters are on them again. They take refuge in a part of the forest that Angeline was told is haunted. Not exactly but close enough because an unseen menace captures the four and kills the dog. When David wakes up, he finds himself tied to a metal table in between the two hunters. A skinning European (he reminds me of a young, hairless Richard O'Brien) wearing leather pants comes in and begins torturing the men, first by cooking one of the hunters and then cutting off one of David's eyelids. David escapes and the rest of the movie becomes your typical cat-and-mouse movie except for the plot points that I mentioned before. Hmmm......

The Hills Run Red (2009)

What's more fascinating than a film that is screened only once and then is never seen again because of the impact that it had on it's viewers? This concept is explored in two separate movies, each offering a unique take and exploring the reasons why. The first film is "The Hills Run Red", which is about a slasher film that is shown once but is pulled after the audience declares that the violence is too life-like and scary. A young college kid named Tyler becomes obsessed with the film, collecting every little clue and picture that he can find that is related to the movie. He eventually learns who the director's daughter is and kidnaps her after he goes back to her place. She's a junky and he forces her to get clean so she can take him to where the movie was filmed. After a week she finally agrees and takes Tyler, his girlfriend Serina, and his best friend Lalo. Alexa, the director's daughter, takes them deep into the backwoods where the group runs into violent rednecks and the actual killer from "The Hills Run Red", Babyface! Tyler quickly learns that the scenes from the film were real, that the victims were actually killed, and that the deranged director Concannon is casting him and his friends as the newest stars of his movie!

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever (2009)

It never occurred to me that there should be a sequel to “Cabin Fever” because what could they possibly add to the story? It turns out that there is nothing to add, only more scenes of the infection affecting people in different surroundings. Like a high school prom. Why not? Well, because that would be a lame idea; the infection takes time to spread and develop. Of course but not in sequel land! Here the infection takes a matter of minutes, 30 to 60 or so, before you see it and get killed by it. So freaking lame!

It is fun to see Winston again, this time a little bit more on the ball and slowly aware of what’s going on. Besides that….not too much more to root for in this film directed by Ti West. Even Mr. West has distanced himself from the movie after re-shoots and re-editing were performed after he submitted a final version. I’ll sit through a showing of his version if it ever becomes available but I’m not really expecting much of a saving grace from that movie either. After all, he wrote the script as well...

La Horde (2009)

Unlike “Mutants”, “The Horde” takes place in Paris and is teeming with thousands of hungry undead. This movie is filled with action sequences which feature the survivors going one on one with a zombie at various points; these scenes are fine but last too long and feel repetitive. The film is more action than horror and doesn’t try to build suspense, the closest it gets is when a gun jams or they run out of ammo right when a mob of zombies is closing in on them. It’s one of the better zombie movie choices on Netflex at the moment but it doesn’t offer anything new to the genre.

The plot is simple but interesting; a group of rogue cops try to extract revenge on a drug dealer after he kills one of their own. Everything goes downhill pretty damn fast when they realize how poorly thought out their attack plan is and how prepared the drug gang is. While the gang is dealing with the cops, the zombie apocalypse begins and they realize that they should work together in order to survive. The ending is surprising and fulfilling in one respect but makes you slap your head in another.

Favorite moment – When this scene happens!!! (see picture below).

Mutants (2009)

I love movies that take place in snow covered settings. There is an extra level of isolation and unquiet that happens which takes a horror movie’s suspense that much further. Great examples include “The Shining”, “30 Days or Night”, and “Cold Prey”. The French film “Mutants” is another fine example, an otherwise typical zombie outbreak story that happens to take place in a large abandoned building out in the snow covered mountain side. Half of the film focuses on Marco and his slow and painful transformation into a zombie/mutant and Sonia who is trying to ease his pain and find help. The other half of the movie is about Sonia trying to stay alive once other mutants arrive and trying to not find herself in the position where she has to kill her infected lover. There is nothing truly exceptional about this film, in the zombie genre or French style, but I still really enjoy watching this one every few months as it’s simply a solid, entertaining flick.

Daybreakers (2009)

“Daybreakers” was a great idea that turned into an ok movie. While it has some “meh” moments in the plot such as how Willem Dafoe’s character is cured from his vampirism, I do appreciate the side effects of what happens to a vampire when they don’t drink fresh human blood after a while. Turning into an animalistic killing machine is pretty cool and makes sense in addition to being awesome to watch and a great motivator to solve the vampire society’s most pressing issue. Besides some weak story choices, “Daybreakers” does offer a cast of known actors such as Ethan Hawke, Sam Neill, and Willem Dafoe to keep us entertained.

In 2019, most everyone has become a vampire and the human blood supply is quickly running out. If you don’t drink your blood, you’ll eventually turn into a mindless beast that kills anything and everything you see, so the vampire boss types want to find a cure as quickly as possible. Edward is a scientist who is working on finding a cure but falls into the wrong crowd, normal humans, and finds a cure that he was not expecting. Now cured but human, Edward is in a world of trouble and is being hunted down by his boss because becoming human and losing your vampire powers was not the objective!

Favorite moment – Sam Neill being creepy as the vampire boss, trying to have as much fun with the role as he can.

"I can be a vampire and look all pensive like Brad Pitt too!"

Slaughter (2009)

“Slaughter” rounds out this week’s theme of stalker movies, a film from the After Dark Horrorfest 3 8 Films to Die For collection. In this movie we see the stalking element in full effect as a reckless teen from the county goes to the big city and lures men back to her family farm, has an intimate evening with her date who goes missing in the morning. If any killer was going to be compared to a spider, then Lola is the perfect example. She spins a delicate and devastating web that entraps Faith, a young woman on the run from an abusive and obsessive ex-boyfriend. This movie claims to be based on real events although it never says which ones and research into this matter has proved that there are several stories that this could be inspired by.

Faith is moving to Atlanta to escape her abusive boyfriend Jimmy. While out in a bar one night, Faith notices a guy being rough with a very young woman who looks distressed by the situation. She comes over and tells the woman that she’s been looking for her all evening; the girl plays along and leaves the guy behind. The girl, Lola, thanks Faith for the help and after a while the two become friends. Faith visits Lola at her family’s farm and the two go out to the bars later that night. Faith joins Lola on a date with a well to do but much older guy, and when he asks if they are sisters, Lola says yes; they are about the same height, build, and have similar hair. Faith stays the night in the barn that Lola lives in and catches the teen having sex with her date. In the morning her date is gone but has left his expensive watch behind. Lola is afraid that Faith thinks that she’s a slut but Faith is only concerned about Lola’s safety. When Faith returns home she finds out that Jimmy has found out where she lives. She tells Lola this who then invites her to stay at the farm, to which Faith agrees to.

 As Faith stays, and helps out with farm chores, she learns that her father and her brothers live in the farmhouse and won’t talk to Lola. Faith becomes suspicious of Lola’s father and the missing dates that Lola brings home. After snooping around the slaughter house and discovering the family’s dark secret, Lola’s father knocks Faith out and drags her to the pond, ties and concrete block to her legs, and pushes her in. As Faith comes to, she sees a graveyard of cars that have once belonged to the many dates that Lola has brought to the farm. Faith blacks out and is saved, but by who and why?

Favorite death scene – the on screen killings don’t really begin until later in the film and some of these are pretty horrendous, context-wise. I can’t say that I have a favorite because they are a little unnerving. 

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.

Hunger (2009)

“Hunger” is about a guy who kidnaps five people and locks them in an underground cavern and watches them starve to death, waiting for the moment they turn on each other and result to cannibalism. This fascinates him because as a small child, he had to cannibalize his mother after she drove their car off the road and he was trapped in place. He had studied and profiled each of his test subjects before kidnapping them and he occasionally writes notes when happens. He is so obsessed with this experiment that he kills two young adults who come across the covering of the cave. People starve and people die and people do things that they would rather not do.

I’m not sure what to think about this movie. I like the concept but the execution of the film mostly fails. Most of the faults I saw had to deal with appearances. The walls of the cave looked to smooth to be rock and I really want to know what this carved out hole in the middle of nowhere was originally supposed to be. The actors’ clothes never look dirty and the guys barely grow any facial hair; by the way, the group is locked in the cave for over 30 days. The group looks lethargic but never hungry. In comparison, the character Cheryl from the movie “Dread” was completely believable and she was only without food for six days. These people lasted over thirty days and never looked as haggard or hungry as she did. 

"Do you prefer your doughnuts frosted or jelly filled?"

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.