Author's Note - 100 reviews and top 7 suggestions!

I can’t believe that I have already posted my 100^th review! What started off as a mere writing exercise has become a fun and amazing experience. I’ve had more hits on this blog than I ever expected and I’ve begun writing my own short stories in my free time, which was the entire point of this in the first place. I have also seen some great new horror films that I know I wouldn’t have otherwise. Having this blog is an incredible motivator to go out to Scarecrow Video and rent movies every week or scour Netflix for a film that fits the theme I’m working on. And I believe that it’s only proper that I now list the seven movies that I had not seen before this that I highly recommend anyone and everyone who loves a good horror movie to see at once!

1.”The Last Exorcism 2” – A strong sequel that keeps the viewer engaged.

2. “REC 3” – Breathes new life into a franchise and takes a serious movie and adds a little black comedy to keep things interesting.

3. “Grave Encounters” – A lower budget POV style film with some fun ghostly scares.

4. “The Bay” – Unique use of POV filmed vignettes that tell a haunting story.

5. “Angel Heart” – Perfect blending of film noir and horror genres, a true classic that I should have seen years ago.

6. “Atrocious” – On the same level of “Blair Witch” (which I love), a POV that is willing to show what happens after…

7. “Midnight Meat Train” – Great cast with a killer story adapted from one of my favorite authors.

I can’t wait to see what I get to see and review for my next 100 films!

Grave Encounters (2011) #8

"Grave Encounters" was a pleasant surprise that I recently saw for the first time. It's a found footage movie about a group of ghost hunters who are filming a reality show and spend the night locked in an old mental hospital, never to be seen again. The host and his crew are trying their best to appear polished and professional but are clearly desperate to make their show successful. While some of the daytime interviews with the caretaker and a local historian are decent, they feel it necessary to bribe a landscaper to lie and say that he has seen a ghost at the site. Finally, the psychic arrives, declaring the hospital to high levels of spiritual activity. The personalities being film are over the top and one dimensional but laugh about it after the shoot is over. But once they are locked in and ghost-like activities begin, you can see the cast becoming real and relatable.

The actions of the host, Lance Preston, remind me of Heather from "Blair Witch" with his constant need to record what's going on when it might be a better idea on trying to survive the next encounter. But I give kudos to his film crew because they did set up ten stationary cameras in the ghost "hot spots" and these vantage points give the viewer something besides the standard Point of View to watch.

Favorite moment – The film crew and host are getting upset because they haven’t found any ghost activity that they can use. At this moment the hair on the host’s assistant is lifted up on one side and she begins to freak out.