Grace: The Possession (2014) #409

"Grace: The Possession" may seem like just another story about a sheltered naive young girl who becomes possessed by an evil demon who is eventually freed through the efforts of an exorcism, but there is more to this film than meets the eye. What sets this movie apart from films such as "The Exorcism of Emily Rose", "La Posesion de Emma Evans", and "The Last Exorcism" is how you watch the events unfold, through the eyes of Grace, the girl who is possessed. Everything in the film is seen from the point of view of Grace, giving the movie the feeling that you are watching a found footage movie, just like the recent remake of "Maniac". Beyond this clever and effective use of shaky-cam, "Grace" doesn't deliver anything new to this sub-genre. The movie hits the typical plot points that are common for this theme from the slow discovery of the possession, to the demon taking control, to the timing of the exorcism; even the "twist" ending is exactly what you expect. Alexia Fast gives a fine performance as Grace and I hope to see her in future horror films.

Annabelle (2014) #403

Taking inspiration from the real life files of Ed and Loraine Warren and the commercial success of "The Conjuring", 2014's "Annabelle" is a prequel/spin-off combination film that is entertaining and yet misses the (perhaps unfair) expectations set by the original film in this franchise. This film creates a back story for the possessed doll that was locked away in the Warrens basement collection room in "The Conjuring". I'm not a fan of over explaining scary or evil things but this is exactly why "Annabelle" was made. At times the story feels a little predictable and some of the visual effects reminded me of other movies I had recently seen. The movie did have some tense and scary moments so I would recommend this film to those who have not see "The Conjuring" already.


Inspired by Ed and Lorraine Warren's invesigations into the supernatural and paranormal, "Annabelle" is a story about a doll that becomes possessed by a Satan worshiper. The young family that owned the doll becomes haunted by it and their attempts to rid themselves of it prove nearly impossible.

Lost Souls (2000)

To wrap up my themed week dedicated to big Hollywood names that appeared in a horror film, I've chosen "Lost Souls" because it stars Winona Ryder and was produced by Meg Ryan. MEG RYAN of all people?!?!?! These are two names that you would not think would be associated with a demonic/satanic movie. Including John Hurt and Elias Koteas to the cast helps to give it some genre credibility. The overall story of "Lost Souls" is pretty simple and feels like a watered down, realistic version of "End of Days". The lighting is inconsistent and at times annoying and film quality made it feel like the movie was produced years before it's time. The good thing about the film is that the clues to the mystery of the film are revealed in a moderate pace and nicely build upon each other.


Peter Kelson has been raised and tailored to become the human host of Satan himself. Peter is unaware of this and only finds out when Maya, a member of a small Roman Catholic group that knows about this secret, tries to warn him of his fate. She begs him to find the clues for himself, and when he begins to find such clues, he realizes that everyone around him and his entire life has been a lie....

Demons (1985)

"Demons" is the perfect example of what a violent and demonically possessed crowd looks like after watching one of those films that should never have been screened! Directed by Lamberto Bava and produced by Dario Argento, this classic Italian horror film from the 80's has all of the traits known for this sub-genre; gore, more gore, horrible voice overs, a sound track by the band Goblin, and an inexplainable storyline. All you need to know about this classic is that free tickets are passed out to a single showing of a brand new movie. Everyone with a ticket goes, watches the movie within the movie, and one by one the audience members become possessed by the demonic spirits that are released within the film. Those who don't turn find themselves trapped in the theater without an exit, forced to fight and kill their former loved ones. 

The Conjuring (2013)

One of the surprise hits of the 2013 Summer line up was "The Conjuring", a little 20 million dollar budget film that managed to bring in over 300 million at the box office. Directed by the incredible James Wan and staring one of his regular actors, Patrick Wilson, "The Conjuring" is a clever, scary horror movie is about Ed and Lorraine Warren, real life paranormal investigators, and one of their encounters while investigating the home of the Perron Family. Along with Patrick Wilson, the movie stars Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, and Vera Farmiga. The movie has a great script, beautiful and effect scenes, and some of the best practical effects I've seen in a horror movie in a very long time. The use of digital effects is kept to a minimum which allows the other effects to feel real. This film is intense and unforgiving and is smart enough to avoid out right gore or extreme violence. I think it's great that James Wan came out with two superb horror movies in the same year and that he was able to make them almost equally as intense while having one rated be "R" and the other "PG-13".

"The Conjuring" follows Ed and Lorraine Warren as they go about their lives teaching classes about their paranormal research and investigations as well as solving two distinct cases. The first case involves a doll that was allowed to be possessed by a demonic force. The Warrens take the doll, Annabel, to their home and add it to their vast collection of demonic and haunted artifacts for safe keeping. The second and prominent case revolves around the Perrons, a large family of two parents and five daughters, who move into an old farmhouse in Harrisville, Rhode Island. Strange occurrences and frightening disturbances are witnessed by the family, including unexplained bruises that appear over the mother's body. When the mother, Carolyn, reaches out to the Warren's, they agree to go to the farmhouse and take a look. Lorraine immediately sees that there is a sinister force that has already attached itself to the family. With the help of the Warrens and their assistants, the Perron family attempts to stay strong and survive the ordeal at being at the mercy of an ancient evil...

Favorite moment - I love the scene when Ed Warren is showing the artifact room to a reporter and explaining that they keep the items here, where the room is blessed weekly by a priest, because destroying the items would only release the evil trapped within.

 Annabel, the possessed doll

 Ed Warren and the vision that only his wife can see...

Lorraine Warren trying to help during the exorcism 

Evil Dead (2013)

It’s truly a rare occasion when a horror film is remade and is equal to the original and the 2013 version of “Evil Dead” is such a film! This is a movie in which I will not blink twice and have any issue with people saying that they loved the newer version more than the original. The original was made by a group of college aged friends who only knew the basics of film making at the time, barely had a budget, and had to come back several times to the cabin in Tennessee to finish the filming the movie, and yet it’s a classic that has inspired a legion of other film makers and has a massive fan base. The new “Evil Dead” had a small but modest budget, had a cast with some real credentials, and a story concept that was as good as gold, which turned out to be a great film and is easily one of the best movies I’ve seen all year. This project is an example of people who love the movie so much that they get together and present the basics of the story in their own way. It doesn’t hurt that Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Robert Tapert gave their blessings as well as served as the producers. Director and co-writer Fede Alvarez saw the project as happening 30 or so years after the original events took place but by avoiding any attempt to point that out (besides the car!), this movie plays out as a remake and not as a sequel of sorts. There are too many coincidences between the two films not to be a remake, but enough differences that this is truly its own film.

There are several similarities in the two films that you have to look closely to notice.

1.       The most obvious is that the cabin looks the same, at least from the front. In the original, we never got to see the cabin clearly from any other angle. The car that Ash and his friend used to get to the cabin is parked and rusting in the back behind the cabin.

2.       There are two couples and a sister of one of the guys.

3.       All of the characters in the remake become possessed in the same order as their counterparts in the original, beginning with the sister who is attacked by the tree/forest.

4.       David, Ash’s counterpart, is dressed in the same colors and has the same hair color and frame.

5.       A character in both films cuts off their hand after it shows signs of possession. This is one of the two elements from “Evil Dead 2” to be used in this film.

6.       A great and powerful entity is summoned and is vanquished by a lone survivor. This is the second element borrowed from “Evil Dead 2”.

7.       The Naturom Demoto is found in the basement.

There are differences as well, which make up the rest of the film and don’t need to be listed. It’s best to watch the film and see what they’ve changed.

SPOLIER!                              SPOLIER!                              SPOLIER!

What I REALLY didn’t like about the film was a moment during the prolonged showdown. When Mia becomes pinned to the ground by the jeep, she finds the strength to rip her arm apart and run away. What?? Is she a lizard? No! How the hell can anyone do that?? It’s not like her arm was that badly damaged from the jeep falling on it at any time before that. And I feel that it completely takes away from the act of self-mutilation of when Natalie cuts her hand off in the kitchen.

Mia, the "Cheryl" counterpart

 Natalie, the "Linda" counterpart

 David, the "Ash" counterpart

1981 demon

 2013 demon

Ash, Linda, and Cheryl,  1981

David and his friends, 2013

Sinister (2012)

"Sinister" was my favorite horror movie that I saw in the theaters last year. I was hooked and enthralled from the very beginning and up to the last 15 or so minutes. When the big reveal came as to why and not who the killer was, I was sadly disappointed. I was really hoping for any other reason than for the one that was given. In my opinion a secret cult would have been the most awesome explanation. But when I noticed that the dates of the murders were at times too close for a mentor/victim relationship to occur, I knew that my hopes were dashed. But this is still an awesome movie with its storyline, spooky home movies, and decent cast. 

Ellison Oswalt is a true crime novelist who is struggling to write his next big hit. He moves his family into the house where a gruesome murder took place and doesn't tell his wife about it. He soon finds a box full of Super 8 home movies that contain graphic murder scenes including the one that happened at his new home. He becomes obsessed with finding out who filmed the movies, hoping that he can solve the murders and gain the fame (and fortune) that would come from it. Unfortunately it only leads him and his family further down a dark and dangerous.

Favorite moment - there is a scene that was very beautiful in the way that it was timed. Ellison (played by Ethan Hawke) is walking through his house, surrounded by the ghost/spirits of children. They move out of his sight just at the right time, running around him and simply being creepy.

Insidious (2011)

I felt that the movie “Insidious” offered a unique and refreshing look into the theme of possession and other worldly spirits. This is the only film that I can think of offhand that involves astral projection and the way that it’s used here is pretty clever. Like Carol Ann from “Poltergeist”, young Dalton is a beacon to lonely ghosts and a rather dangerous demon that wants to possess the child and cause havoc in the real world. The difference here is that Dalton has the ability to astral project his conciseness while he sleeps and he does this often enough that he gets “lost” and is kept hostage by the evil spirits until they can control his body. Only his father Josh can save him because like his son, he can project himself as well and by doing so, he must face the dangers that he has fought since his own childhood. To say anything more would ruin the movie!

“Insidious” was created by the same team that started the “Saw” series; written by Leigh Whannel and directed by James Wan. They took a different path, making a film that was PG-13. The movie is still has their sense of intelligence and smart use of effects to tell this creepy demon/ghost story that keeps the viewer entertained and engaged.

Wishmaster (1997)

"Wishmaster" is a perfect example of a movie about a dangerous and deadly demon, specifically a demon known as a Djinn. It's a great update to the classic story premise of a "genie" that grants three wishes and once those wishes are fullfilled, he is released and unbound in our realm. 

One of the fun aspects about this film are the various horror movie veterans that appear here and there throughout. From Robert Englund (who plays a main character) to James Hodder and Tony Todd. It even has Ted Raimi! Angus Scrimm even has a small part as the narrator. It's a fun treat for horror fans of the 80's and 90's.

An ancient Djinn is trapped within a gem and which was then encased in a statue. When the statue is broken, the gem is discovered and given to a jeweler to appraise it. She accidentally released the Djinn and begins a deadly game to banish him before he's set free and opens the portal between our world and his.

Favorite moment - when the Djinn collects the souls from the unknowing victims who made a wish that he granted throughout the movie.