The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014) #407

One of the more intelligent POV films from the last few years, "The Taking of Deborah Logan" was a pleasant surprise that delivers intense thrills that involve characters that are you care about. What begins as a documentary about Deborah and the effects of Alzheimer's Diesease quickly spirals into something dark and supernatural, with the documentary crew and Deborah's daughter racing against the clock to save to her. Everything about this movie runs smoothly, from the acting to the story to the special effects; the plot twists were surprising and kept the movie felling fresh. Without giving anything away, I can say that this film is a must see for anyone who is looking for a solid horror movie.

Oculus (2013) #387

I've never liked split narratives that follow separate story lines that occur in the past and the present because I feel that any tension that is built is lost in one timeline when it switches back to the other. In the 2013 horror movie "Oculus", this technique is used to various degrees of success; the first 30 minutes was difficult to follow but the film finds a pleasant rhythm switching back and forth in the second act. It follows two siblings, both as pre-teens and as young adults, as they deal with an evil, possessive mirror that has a long history of being owned by people who have all suffered bizarre and gruesome deaths. The movie was written, edited, and directed by Mike Flanagan, expanding a short film that he had created in 2005. Overall, I enjoyed the film and noticed several similar themes that are found in the film "1408" and "The Amityville Horror".

A young family moves into a new house, where the father purchases a gorgeous antique mirror to decorate his office. The mirror is evil and soon possesses the parents who turn viciously on their two children. The son is blamed for his parents death and is sent to a psychiatric facility for 11 years while his older sister becomes obsessed with learning the history of the mirror and eventually obtaining it for a scientific experiment to prove that it is supernatural. The two siblings meet at their childhood home, where the sister has set the mirror up with a series of video cameras and computers to record and track the occurrences within the room. It's not long before the mirror begins to effect the two and the objects within the house, including making the plants wilt and influencing the siblings without them realizing it. Will the siblings resist the mirror's evil force or will they end up victims like all of the mirror's previous owners?

Favorite moment - When Kaylie (the sister), bites down on a light bulb after the mirror tricks her into thinking that she picked up an apple.

Kuchisake-onna (2007)

"Kuchisake-onna" aka "Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman" is a Japanese horror film based on the urban legend from the 1970's about a disfigured woman who kills children after asking them if she is pretty. The film is able to incorporate the urban legend and gives it an origin and expands on it in modern day Japan. The film also deals with the theme of child abuse by having the two of the main characters being victims and another being an abuser. This adds an interesting and deeper element that often isn't seen in horror movies but at the same time doesn't look in to the issue as deeply as it might have been if it was an American film.


Kyoko Yamashita is a teacher who becomes involved with the Slit-Mouthed Woman after the Kuchisake-onna kidnaps one of her students. The matter is extremely personal because Kyoko is trying to make amends for abusing her own daughter by trying to save her student, Mika, from a similar situation with her mother. Kyoko teams up with another teacher from her school, Noboru Matsuzaki, when she learns that he hears the faint words "Do you think I'm pretty" right before a child is kidnapped. The two manage to rescue a boy from the Kuchisake-onna just in time, killing her in the process. But when the corpse of the murderer suddenly turns into a local housewife, they realize that the ghost possesses people and that the terror is only beginning....

Mika and her teacher Kyoko

The Kuchisake-onna kidnapping Mika

Kyoko and Noboru fight with the Kuchisake-onna

The Kuchisake-onna makes an example of her victim

The Kuchisake-onna unmasked

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.