Jakob's Wife (2021) #498

Watch the trailer here

"Jakob's Wife" is so much more than just a well-made vampire movie, it offers a serious examination of the dynamics of a married woman working through the struggles that had slowly developed over the years. While the husband thinks everything is fine, she wife is living a life of regret and boredom. This is perhaps one of Barbara Crampton's finest performances, as this script gives her plenty of dynamics to work with. She gets to be quiet and demure and then sexy and commanding. This may also be the most screen time that she has in a single film. Co-starring Larry Fessenden, watching these two old friends on screen together again is a pure joy.

To say that Anne is a rut would be an understatement. She feels trapped, underappreciated, and that she's wasted her youth after she married Jakob, the minister in the small town that they live in. When her old high school crush takes the opportunity to work with her renovating the old mill, Anne's temptation flares in the moment. Unfortunately for her and her old flame, they are attacked by the Master, a Nosferatu/Barlow looking vampire that had made the abandoned mill it's new lair. 

Over the next few days, Jakob notices that his wife is acting different, and he naturally suspects that something happened between her and her ex. While Anne begins to experience life as a vampire as she slowly turns, Jakob finds the vampire nest when he is attacked by a former parishioner. He rushes home just in time to clean up the mess that Anne makes after devouring a curious neighbor. Jakob loves his wife, so together they try find a way to move forward and free Anne from the sway of the Master. Does she belong to Jakob or the Master ultimately, or does she become the master of her own destiny?

This film has fantastic makeup and practical visual effects. It also has some memorable body horror moments, something that is often skimmed over in monster movies when it's such an obvious choice. For example, Anne's bite puncture begins dripping blood while she is taking a bath, so heavily that you can hear the drops hitting the bath water. Another moment is when she is having her teeth bleached at the dentist office. Her sensitivity to bright UV lights causes her face to alit and scorch and blacken her skin. Once she feeds, a horrific body mutilated moment in itself, she heals back to her pale, pasty new normal.

Session 9 (2001) #469

 

"Session 9" is a dark, haunting psychological thriller about a team of asbestos removers working in an old asylum and how one the the team members comes across tape recordings of one of the more puzzling cases that took place there many years ago. Directed by Brad Anderson and starring David Caruso, Peter Mullan, and Larry Fessenden.

Gordon owns an asbestos abatement company that wins a highly sought after contract to clean out a large abandoned mental hospital with it own infamous history. Part of the contract that Gordon agreed to was that his team would finish the job in only one week, much to the dismay of the team's supervisor Phil. Before the project even begins, the team members have their own personal demons to contend with. Phil is dealing with a breakup with his girlfriend, Hank has a gambling problem and is sleeping with Phil's ex, Mike who is a law school dropout with an anger problem, and Gordon's nephew Jeff who has an extreme fear of the dark. It's not long before the project starts to fall apart, including Hank's disappearance and Mike finding a set of tapes from the sessions of one of the patients. 

The narrative's pace is steady throughout so it never feels too slow or fast and the scenes build well upon each other while the session tapes act as interludes. It feels like a proper ghost or haunted house story, achieving a chilling and frightening atmosphere without gore and violence. This movie makes you think and multiple viewings offer hidden clues that you may have missed previously. It's all about the interpersonal relationships and the rundown hospital.

The movie was filmed in Danvers State Hospital in Massachusetts. The hospital itself greatly inspired Anderson's script as well as a real life trial concerning a man who violently killed his wife after she burnt his dinner one night. The crew had no need for sets, using what was already left in the hospital. The hospital has since been demolished, but not before leaving a part of it's legacy on film for all horror fans to enjoy

We Are Still Here (2015) #427

"We Are Still Here" is an amazing ghost story that doesn't pull any punches and just wants to have gruesome scary fun. The first act is full of over used tropes and themes that makes you wonder why you're bothering with this movie at all but then it all makes sense and comes together as the second and third acts kick in and the film surpasses any and all expectations. Horror veterans Barbara Crampton ("Re-Animator" and "From Beyond") and Larry Fessenden ("Jug Face" and "I Sell the Dead") drive the film forward wit the help of Lisa Marie ("Mars Attacks") and Andrew Sensenig. Director and writer Ted Geoghegan delivers a great film and makes the brilliant move of keeping the movie under 90 minutes long; every scene is there for a reason, even during the ending credits. What I love most about this ghost story is that it turns into a monster movie and the supporting make-up and special effects are outstanding. More movies need to be brave enough to be so bold and have fun.

After the accidental death of their son, Anne and Paul move out into a snowy rural area of New England, where they hope the seclusion will help them heal from their emotional wounds. However, Anne soon begins to believe that their son's spirit is with them in their new home. After two weeks, they are visited by a couple of the townspeople who tell Anne and Paul about the horrible history associated with their house, which was originally built in 1800's as the town's mortuary. Still believing that the ghostly activity is due to their son, Anne invites her friends, two spiritualists, to come and determine if the ghost is their son or the previous owners. Soon the dark secret of the town is revealed and the all hell breaks loose.

You're Next (2011) #386

"You're Next" is a thrilling standout in the home invasion horror sub-genre. The premise presented delivers an excellent reason as to why there are so many potential victims and an even more delightful and satisfying reason as to why the film's heroine is so well suited for the chilling situation that she finds herself in. The acting is solid, the pacing is perfect, and the movie's twist and turns feel fresh and exciting even if you see them coming (which I didn't). Finally, the way that the victims are killed off one by one are creative and varied, making "You're Next" a must see horror film.

Like other home invasion horror movies of recent memory, like "The Purge" and "The Strangers", "You're Next" hides the identities of the invaders by using simple and not overly complicated masks. The use of the animal masks, which were heavily used in movie posters and other forms of advertisements, effectively strike a chord and heighten the sense of terror.

The adult children and their respective significant others gather together in a large rural house to celebrate their parent's anniversary and their father's recent retirement. During dinner, the family is attacked by a group of unknown assailants wearing animal masks. The family is killed off one by one until Erin, a new girlfriend of one of the sons, begins fighting back.

Favorite moment - A clever use using a blender to kill someone.

Stake Land (2010) #382

"Stake Land" is an interesting blend of vampires and survival horror set in a post-apocalyptic setting. The vampires are feral and mindless which make them feel more like zombies, travelling both solo and in packs during the night, are difficult to kill, and are just plain nasty. The human survivors live in tightly guarded communities, trying to live normal lives. In the outskirts, a dangerous band of religious cannibals known as the Brotherhood rule the highways and pick off and terrorize innocent travelers. It's a combination of elements that are typically not presented so smoothly in a horror film, especially one that presents all of the horrific moments with a gentle touch of humor and humanity. The characters are likable and relateable and are brought to life by a very talented cast which includes Danielle Harris, Kelly McGillis, and Larry Fessenden. Although the film's stars, Nick Damici and Connor Paolo, are both new to mainstream horror, they carry the weight of the film wonderfully and I would love to see them in this genre in the future.


A vampire hunter known only as Mister takes a teenage boy as an apprentice after saving him from vampire. The two travel from town to town, steadily travelling north to "New Eden". Along the way they met and save other survivors, the Brotherhood and their leader Jebedia Loven, and a host of animalistic vampires. For every triumph to achieve, they suffer a tragedy. As they near the borders of "New Eden", Mister and Martin come across a thinking vampire, a creature that tests their resolve, wits, and skills.


Favorite moment - The scene where the Brotherhood demonstrate how deranged they are by dropping vampires inside the confines of a secured town, killing innocent victims in an instant bloodbath.

Jug Face (2013) #377

"Jug Face" is a refreshing and unique horror film that I came across while searching around the Internet for recently released movies. Although it had a limited budget, the film looks and sounds beautiful, choosing to use simple camera tricks and a strong story and well developed characters rather than trying to scare the audience with gore and frightful visions. The script was strong enough that it won the Slamdance Screenwriting Competition in 2011, which drew the attention of the producers who would help it become a full length feature. Sean Young and Larry Fessenden ("You're Next" and "I Sell the Dead") were cast as the parents of the main character Ada and as the leaders of their truly backwoods community. Sean Bridgers ("The Woman") was delightful in the role of Dawai, giving the character a real sense of humility, simpleness, and awkwardness as being the chosen "potter" for the community. Finally, Lauren Ashley Carter gives a solid appearance as the main character Ada, the poor girl who has been chosen as the next sacrifice whose life must be given to satisfy the demands of the local "healing pit". This movie reunites Lauren Ashley Carter and Sean Bridgers after they both appeared in 2011's "The Woman".

An extremely superstitious backwoods community worships a mysterious hole that they refer to as the Pit. It heals them when they are sick and soothes them when they need to pray for answers. The Pit also demands sacrifices from the community, placing dim witted Dawai into a deep trance, during which time he crafts detailed jugs. If a jug is created bearing some one's face, that person is sacrificed in front of the entire village at the Pit. When Ada finds her face on the newest jug that Dawai has crafted, she steals it and hides the jug in the woods. Besides not wanting to die so young, Ada also wants to try to save the life of her unborn child. Unfortunately, the child's father is her own brother, a selfish boy who wants nothing to do with her or the child after she is betrothed to another young man in the community. Ada begins to have gruesome visions and her neighbors and family members begin to be killed by the demonic spirit of the Pit. The longer that she denies the Pit her blood and life, the closer the killings come to her loved ones. A deep family secret is soon revealed and Ada learns what happens when the Pit is denied what is demands.

Ada steals the jug that bears her resemblance, starting a gruesome and deadly chain of events

Dawai shows the jug that he created while in a trance, the face belonging to the next chosen sacrifice

After having his face appear on a jug, a local is then sacrificed to the Pit

Dawai and Ada chained up as offerings to the Pit

I Sell the Dead (2008)

"I Sell the Dead" is a fun little film about the various adventures of two grave robbers and the different kinds of supernatural beings they come across. More comedy than horror, the movie features actors that are very familiar with the horror genre including Angus Scrimm, Ron Perlman, and Dominic Monaghan. Although the film had a low budget, the dark humor and the talents of the actors more than make up for the lack of special effects (that are not even needed).

Willie Grimes has just been executed and his young partner and former apprentice Arthur Blake is currently waiting for his turn. He is guilty of murder and grave robing and when he is visited by Father Duffy, who has come to obtain a written confession, Arthur is more than happy to share his story. Arthur tells Father Duffy that his story is a "cautionary tale", beginning with how he met Willie and how he became his apprentice. Arthur goes on to tell Father Duffy about Willie and his working arrangements for Doctor Quint, and how their career slowly began to include more and more supernatural beings. Finally, Arthur tells about his run in with the Murphy's, a murderous and violent grave robbing crew, and how Willie and Arthur tried to out smart the Murphy's when a job that was too good presented itself, and how that adventure didn't end as planned...