Blog Category - General Horror
All posts from category 'General Horror' are shown below.
Check out some independent horror films
From category: General Horror
For the longest time I've been a fan of indie horror movies. Its not the most popular genre out there unfortunately. It just doesn't have the following that many think it deserves. I think one of the problems is, it seems we're being programmed for wide released, big budgeted films, and remakes. Limited releases and straight to video features sometimes get the shaft. When in reality, they are a much more dedicated movie and way more fun to watch. For the most part, these films don't have the budget of the Hollywood "blockbusters". They don't have the $20 million a movie actors either. But, what they lack in the major funding department, they more than make up for in other areas.
You've probably been there too. Watching a movie that’s suppose to be the next big thing. Its not bad, could be worse, but in the end it sure didn't feel like you got their $100 million worth. What did they spend their money on? Hollywood's biggest names and a bunch of special effects that takes the place of any type of plot and questionable acting. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of these movies that ooze quality and are lots of fun to watch. But, every time I see some supposed Hollywood blockbuster or ANOTHER remake I can't help but sigh, and think… "Here we go again." Especially if it’s a remake / reboot of an awesome classic just hoping to bank on the title. We all know the atrocities that have come out in the past years. Some of them border on insulting to fans of the originals, and fans of horror all around.
I suppose part of the reason I'm drawn to indie horror flicks is because, I grew up watching these types of movies 20-25 years ago. When movies didn't suck you in with CGI and most of the scenes filmed on a green screen. Special effects seemed to consist of a great make-up dept and tons of bloody latex.
One of the best reasons is fan interaction. In my limited experience writing blogs, reviews, and interviews. I've had the most luck and help with those involved in indie films. They’re willing to talk to the fans and not just look at us like another dollar sign. They really appreciate all of us that support their work and in turn try to make films that we'll enjoy. Then bust their asses to do it. It just seems like the movies have a little more personal feel to them. I like to think, "This was made with me in mind."
Below is a list of some movies I thought up that I really enjoyed, or I'm really looking forward to. If you haven't seen any of them, I would recommend checking out a couple and maybe find yourself a new favorite. If we stop supporting indie horror, we might not have any left.
Tim Sullivan (2001 Maniacs) believes independent films are the genre's lifeblood. "I really think the future is the indie horror filmmaker." (Interview with rabiddoll.com)
Hatchet / Hatchet 2 - In theaters soon.
Deadlands / Deadlands 2
Trick of the Witch - coming soon
2001 Maniacs / 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams
Let The Right One In
Dead Girl
Dead and Breakfast
Feast
Altered
Frozen (DVD / Blu Ray release this fall)
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
Evil Aliens
Dead Snow
The Rage
Gutterballs
Midnight Movie
Dark Reel
The After Dark Films (3 years and still going of the “8 Films to Die For”)
Either way, if you’re a fan of indie horror a little, a lot or not much at all. You’ve probably supported it in some way shape or form. There is a great deal of bad ass horror movies out there for every taste. If you love the Hollywood hits, stick with it. Fans of all types of horror movies keep movies in production, keep people scared, and keep sites like this going.
Enjoy
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What Movies Scare You?
From category: General Horror
Remember your earliest horror movie? The first one that scared the shit out of you. Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Shining, Friday the 13th, or maybe Psycho? No matter who you are, there was something that fascinated you with horror and kept you wanting more. Or got you running into your house late at night to get all the lights on.
I remember my first horror film that I watched. I didn’t know what it was at first till a few years later… The Evil Dead. I remember walking down into the living room when I was 5 or 6 years old and my parents were up late and they had some movie on. The only scene I remember was one of the characters that had gotten possessed sitting there wearing a demonic smile and that CREEPY laugh. I stood there and watched it for a few mins before my parents caught me and told me to get back in bed. But, to this day, that scene has never been forgotten. Even now when I watch Evil Dead 25 years later that scene brings back memories. I don’t remember being more afraid of anything else around that age. I kept coming back for more punishment though. Eventually I would get to the point where I was wanting to watch these movies regularly. Every once in a while I would find something that would really creep me out and keep me awake. Over the years, it almost became a challenge to find something that would have the same effect that the demon girl in Evil Dead had on me so long ago.
More and more it seems society is getting numb to horror movies. Its hard to find a movie that is different or something that is truly made to scare nowadays. A lot of movies rely on insane amounts of gore and torture. Mutilation isn’t really that scary though. When was the last time you had real fear though? Its hard to do something new and improved that nobody has seen. We all know the scenes in horror movies to look for. Music gets creepy, the cat in the closet that jumps out, a strange noise coming for a seemingly empty room, the power goes out. I could go on forever, and we all know them. Us hardcore horror fans out there know when something is going to happen. What’s even funnier sometimes when the movie tries to trick us by throwing on of those scenes and then doesn’t deliver. Remember what happens then?? Something jumps out RIGHT after that.
Know what type of movies scare me? Well, good ones first off. But, beyond that, its movies that show our killer with intelligence and humanizing them. Thinking, sadistic, playful killing machines. That’s what would scare me in a movie. Walking dead, monsters with an appetite for flesh, comedic supernatural, animals, and most horror movies with children as the killers are all fun movies for sure. Just not something that keeps me awake at night. Early Friday the 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, for example, are pretty creepy movies. You start putting that power glove on Freddy, and you’re more likely to find a plush toy rather than a nightmare. I suppose if you lived by an ocean, Jaws could scare you some. But, for me I found that movie far from scary, even when I was a child.
A couple of movies in the past few years had the proper formula to give me the creeps. Speaking of which.. Jeepers Creepers. The Creeper had a lot of human traits and intelligence. He would whistle while he worked, and toyed with his prey. He even dressed the part and knew what he was after. Along with that, adding a little bit of the torture and his Frankenstein type experiments got a little freaky too. The other movie that I can think of that I thought creepy was Dead Silence. The movie had some fairly well placed scares. it’s a guilty pleasure of mine. I’m not proud out it, but, I just really liked that movie. Last but not least, Arachnophobia. I F’N HATE SPIDERS. I even got the chills typing that. I went to the theater to see that movie and ended up getting sick, for other reasons. But, I can’t watch that movie to this day without thinking I got a spider on me.
So what makes you jump? What’s the earliest movie you remember watching that scared you? Does it haunt you to this day?
Everyone has their movie, and everyone is scared of something. Because of horror movies, we know what could be hiding in the shadows.
Cheers.
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'SAW Alive' Opening Night at Thorpe Park!
From category: General Horror
Following on from last years grand opening of the unpredictably popular 'SAW: The Ride', that opened at UK based theme park Thorpe Park, they've gone and done it again with the celebrity opening launch night of 'SAW Alive: The Live Action Horror Maze'. And my colleague and I were lucky enough to attend.
"Be forced to 'Face Your Fears' by navigating that attraction's six rooms depicting the most grisly and iconic scenes from the six 'Saw' movies to date. Those who survive Jigsaw's ultimate test, 'SAW Alive', will also have their nerves pushed to the absolute limit on Thorpe Park's adrenaline-fuelled rides. The nation's thrill capital just became a whole lot more terrifying. Can you handle it?"
The evening kicked off with everyone's favourite experience, the FREE bar. And so after a few bottles and glasses of wine were necked we were all herded and forced to congregate outside in the bitter cold. Amongst the celebrities (can I use that term loosely here?) in attendance were previous Celebrity Big Brother housemates Lady Sovereign and Chantelle Houghton, mockney tit Danny Dyer, Gary Lucy, Bill Bailey, Hollyoaks stars Mark Littler and Darren Jeffries (Max and OB), along with dancer Brendan Cole and music stars Dizzee Rascal and Lemar. Amongst others.
 And with our drinks well dispensed, our electric-shock warning waiver forms(!) and tightening feelings in our chest we made our way over to 'SAW Alive'. My expectations for this new 'experience' were actually quite high, possibly too much so. I for one am a bit of thrill seeker and am happy to take on any ride big or small. This however had a whole different feeling to it. It's effectively a walk-thru horror house - each room mapped out and decorated as memorable scenes from all 6 'Saw' movies (to date). And the one thing that disturbed me beforehand was the mention of live actors being allowed to touch you!
A small group of us were led into the warehouse building and instructed to place our hands on the shoulders of the person in front of us as we were led around. As we entered the initial room a maniacal actor playing the part of some kind of security guard who had had waaaay too much coffee began hyperventilating and instructing us to watch a video of the infamous Jigsaw puppet. And as the clock ticked down we entered the next room. And fans of the 'Saw' franchise would have instantly picked up that this room was the bathroom from the first 'Saw' movie. Complete with actors crawling across the floor to another sawing off his foot in the corner. YES! These guys grab your ankles.
Next up you're met with people jumping at walls, person or persons walking around in cloaks and pig heads, but more notably a topless actress hanging in a cold-room scenario (from part 3 I believe) and you could tell it was a COLD room! Apparently there was some form of electric shock administered throughout the maze, however, no one could be quite sure where and when it happened. And ultimately the whole experience was over in a matter of minutes. Whether this is due to the hysterical bunch of girls in front of us (leading this bizarre conga) racing through each room and not really stopping to see just what the hell was going on. Asides from that it wasn't bad. I'm just trying to imagine when it opens officially if they would be letting in people under a certain age as there are some quite graphic elements included in the experience that I'm not sure parents would want their son or daughter to be subjected to.
After all that excitement (or lack of(!?)) it was time to head back over to the one THEY GOT RIGHT! 'SAW: The Ride' - with the UK's most vertical drop (Oblivion at Alton Towers? PAH!). Having been on the ride numerous times now in the past year it still holds as one of the best rides I've been on ever. And experiencing it in the dark is a must.
After assimilating ourselves into numerous groups and once again sneaking our way into the celeb group being marched around privately we were able to enjoy a number of other night time goes on Thorpe Parks more popular rides. All in all it was a pretty successful night.
Thorpe Park reopens its doors for the 2010 season on Thursday 18th March! And you can win tickets to go right here on the Horror Asylum. Win FREE Thorpe Park tickets!
And don't forget that 'Saw VI' is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray from all good stockists. And if you'd like to win your very own copy simply enter our latest Saw VI Blu-Ray and DVD Giveaway.
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After Dark Horrorfest 4 - 8 Films To Die For
From category: General Horror
The "8 Films To Die For" returns to selected theaters with 8 new horrors on January 29th. This is the fourth year of the After Dark Horrorfest, and looks to be an awesome line up. I talked with Sara Finder a couple days, Director of Horrorfest. She gave me a little background on After Dark Films, and how they put together each years release.
It started a little over four years ago when Lionsgate noticed Courtney Solomon's An American Haunting. Mr. Solomon and Lionsgate made a distribution deal and started looking at horror films from all over. Checking out events like Sundance, New York, and Toronto Film Festivals he discovered many great horror movies that deserve a theatrical release. Within four months of collaborating with Lionsgate, the first After Dark Horrorfest was set to go. Included with the 8 movies every year, After Dark Films throws in a foreign film too. Sara made special mention about the movie Frontiere(s). Its an After Dark Films movie. The movie was never included in the horrorfest because the MPAA wanted to cut it down to fit into an R rating. The films need to be rated R to make it into the festival.
Sara says, "We refused to cut the movie down, so we pulled it. We wanted to put the movie out as it should be seen. Its an incredible film. It ended up getting its own release." She went on to say that it is probably one of her favorites and she highly recommends it.
You can keep checking the website for updates and more info on the movies. Trailers, pictures, and everything you need to find out where the movies are playing in your area. Also, if you don't have the option to see these in the theater, don't worry. All 8 of the movies will be released for rental and purchase towards the end of March.
Listed below are the movies and links to the After Dark Films and Horrorfest websites to check out. As well as links to Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to also check out the movies from Horrorfest 1, 2 and 3.
"Its the 4th year of After Dark's Horrorfest. We're back!" - Sara Finder, Director of Horrorfest.
Dread
Staring - Jackson Rathbone, Shaun Evans, Laura Donnelly, Hanne Steen
Synopsis – This is the second in Clive Barker's Book of Blood franchise. Three college students making a documentary about what people dread in life. But they have no idea that their partner Quaid, witnessed his parents being murdered by an axe-wielding lunatic and wants to make others experience his own personal horror.
Hidden
Staring – Arthur Berning, Knut Morten Brekke, Gabriel Gjonnes.
Synopsis - Kai Koss unwillingly returns to the small town he ran from 19 years ago. His cruel mother has recently died, and left him the house he grew up in. He means to leave as soon as he has made all the necessary arrangements, but with his heritage comes dark and deadly secrets, and he soon finds himself tangled up in a series of event that seem beyond anyone’s control.
Kill Theory
Staring – Don McManus, Ryanne Duzich, Teddy Dunn
Synopsis - Are you capable of the unthinkable? That’s the question seven college students face when they visit a secluded vacation home to celebrate graduation and are put to a horrific test by a mysterious killer. By 6 am the following morning, only one of them can remain alive. Whoever that person is will be allowed to walk away with his or her life. However, if morning comes and more than one is still breathing, everyone dies.
Lake Mungo
Staring – Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, Martin Sharpe
Synopsis - In Lake Mungo, sixteen-year-old Alice Palmer drowns while swimming in the local dam. When her body is recovered and a verdict of accidental death returned, her grieving family buries her. The family then experiences a series of strange and inexplicable events centered in and around their home. The Palmers seek the help of psychic and parapsychologist, Ray Kemeny. Ray discovers that Alice led a secret, double life.
The Final
Staring – Marc Donato, Jascha Washington, Whitney Hoy, Justin Arnold
Synopsis - Dane, an awkward student with a deadly vendetta and suicidal tendencies, leads a group of outcasts who plot to avenge the years of humiliation they faced by the popular students at Hohn High School. Employing ideas inspired both from their classes as well as from horror films they watched, the outcast turn the tables on the popular students who made sport of them.
The Graves
Starring – Clare Grant, Jillian Murray, Bill Moseley, Tony Todd
Synopsis - On their last weekend together, Megan and Abby Graves are lost in a remote part of the Arizona desert where they are lured to Skull City Mine, an abandoned mine town. But they soon learn Skull City is anything but abandoned, and there’s no way out. The sisters are now prey, forced to unleash their most primitive instincts in a desperate, all-out battle for survival against unspeakable horrors, both human, and supernatural.
The Reeds
Starring – Scarlett Alice Johnson, Geoff Bell, Will Mellor
Synopsis - A boating party loses its bearings and cuts through the vast reedy tidewater in search of the main channel. After the first casualty by a freak accident, the boat runs aground. One by one the friends are terrorized by young punks and killed by a hooded man with a gun. There is no escaping this vast waterway, a place of endless return, presided over by Croker who killed a group of young people decades before and initiated the hellish curse which traps all who take passage on the Corsair Star.
Zombies of Mass Destruction
Staring - Janette Armand, Doug Fahl, Cooper Hopkins, Bill Johns
Synopsis - In ZMD, a conservative island community is under attack! Port Gamble, Washington is being overrun with braineaters, and the people seem powerless to stave them off. A rag tag band of rebels led by Frida (Janette Armand), an Iranian college student suspected of being an Iraqi terrorist, and Tom (Doug Fahl), a gay business man who has returned to town with his partner to come out to his mother, tries to turn the tide and push the invading hoards of undead back.
Official website: http://www.horrorfestonline.com/
Follow on Twitter: afterdarkfilms
Follow on Facebook: After Dark Films and After Dark HorrorFest: 8 Films To Die For
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Mayhem Festival: The Broadway, Nottingham
From category: General Horror
Showcasing the bloodcurdling endeavours of horror veterans and fledgling filmmakers alike, the ordinarily cosy confines of the Broadway played host to an altogether more chilling array of cinematic revelries. Typically the favoured haunt of arthouse enthusiasts, this ultra-modern venue witnessed a choice selection of cult titles, live experiments in fear and special guest appearances. Testament to Mayhem’s ever-burgeoning reputation for innovative entertainment, Friday featured a fast-paced succession of eleven “Scary Shorts.” Despite scanty budgets and timescales, the screening proved an engrossing, bewilderingly creative success.
Vault Of Horror 2009: Scary Shorts – Friday 30th October
Captured within the picturesque grounds of local beauty spot, Clumber Park, The Soldier evoked a poignant, unmistakable aura of gloom amid an atmospheric smattering of black and white shots. A veritable feast for gothic horror fanatics, the breathtaking Séance was an aesthetically pleasing, ghoulish affair. Replete with costume drama glamour and occult intrigue, this Croatian piece bodes remarkably well for Robin Kasparik’s directorial prospects.
Seance
Opening on a disarmingly sublime scene, My Grandmother oozed blood and black comedy in equal measure, unravelling toward a macabre, riotously amusing climax. Ghoulish and unashamedly flamboyant, shadow puppet masterwork, Suck-A-Thumb crafted a literally razor-sharp cautionary tale turned wondrously sour.
My Grandmother
An unexpectedly lengthier instalment, Mark Macready and the Archangel Murders formed a pleasingly light-hearted grand finale. Rife with slapstick tomfoolery, shape-shifting demons and action movie satire, Sean Candon’s horror comedy debut prompted much amusement from the audience. Amid a barrage of carnage and profanities, gruffly spoken hero, Mark Macready was a comedic standout despite the storyline’s occasionally confused progression.
Mark Macready and The Archangel Murders
For further details on Nottingham’s Mayhem festival, please visit: http://www.mayhemhorrorfest.co.uk/
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Things to Know in Case of a Zombie Attack!
From category: General Horror
The trailers for the upcoming Zombieland movie got me thinking. What if a zombie outbreak happened? What the hell would I do? But, then I thought, there are so many zombie themed movies available that would mean a different strategy for each one. What movie should I use to base my zombie survival skills on. I landed on the mother of all living dead movies. George Romero's Living Dead series. Night, Day, Dawn, and Land of the Dead. I think everyone has seen at least one of those movies. How does one gauge their skills on making till the end against walking, stinking, rotting corpses that want to eat you? Knowledge is power my friends. It reminds me of the "Now you Know" clips at the end of GI Joe. Lets start with the basics.
1. Most important. The dead are alive. They want you as dinner, and they are like flesh eating lemmings. They basically just keep on walking till they come across someone to eat and then will walk and crawl till they get it. If they are stopped by a door, wall and anything similar they'll keep pounding and pounding until they get lucky or break a window. BUT, more and more will come.
2. They are REALLY slow. A big guy like me would be very lucky to be in a Romero survival situation because my slow ass can't get away from much more. Which is good for everyone at the same time. You can save your stamina and plan your moves pretty well. However, back to them attacking in groups. Its ok at first when you just see a couple. Seems like those maggot bags have a cadaver beacon in them or something. As soon as one of them has the smell of life. The rest in the area will come a limping.
3. Zombies are the farthest thing from smart. They make up for it in numbers. 20 stupid zombies will probably win against 1 with a pulse. Which brings me to another rule. Make good smart friends as fast as you can. Or find your friends fast. A lot of people will be out to help themselves. So you need some numbers too. Not only will you have to kick zombie ass. But, when all hell breaks loose you're gonna need all you got. And when supplies are running slim zombies aren't the only brainless jerks you will have to beat down.
4. The more open area you have available the better. You'll wanna see them coming. But, still have a secure place to fall back on. Remember the mall right? They just sat there for days with hardly a care in the world. Only thing you need to worry about is keeping your supplies up. Oh, and don't make it a goal to announce your residency. Makes it hard to leave. The movies haven't taken place in a really cold environment. Maybe the farther north you go the safer you are. That was the goal in LotD. Maybe he was onto something.
5. On to fighting zombies. Like I mentioned before, they are not very strong. They can't break through much except glass and very weak obstacles. As you know, zombies are just decaying flesh. No muscle, rotting skin, no coordination. Just walking up to one with a bat or something similar is plenty enough to at least keep them back or away. Fire has always seem to be a decent enough weapon as well. Light a few of those stinky fools on fire and they'll fall. However to kill one you gotta puncture the brain somehow. Don't ask me why it does. It just does it. What you need to watch out for is getting one that can latch on to you with its cavity infested chompers. You're as good as gone.
Wrapping things up. When you're looking out the window and see a few dead dudes walking around in the yard. Get your computer up and print screen this and keep it in your back pocket. Just incase you forget. THEN, go grab the family, the dog, and some beer and hit the road to Alaska. Because I just saved your life.
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How Do You Pick Out That Right Movie?
From category: General Horror
Its a rainy Saturday night perfect for a new scary movie. Ever get into one of those new release moods? But, you got a lot to choose from. Walking down that aisle at the video store there are lots of potential victims to be had. So how do you choose? Do you go with the flashy packaging and the creepy picture on the front. How about a main stream film with the most popular stars in Hollywood gracing the cover. The movie with two dozen available copies on the shelf because they think its going to be a HUGE rental. Or the one lonely title that was straight to DVD. Could be a diamond in the rough you know.
Its a hard choice. Every one of these movies is like a little mini infomercial. Seems like they try to grab ya by having some sort of catch on the case. The Hollywood stars, the awesome art work on the front, or the creepy sounding name of the movie. I'm a victim of it right now. I'm watching The Messengers 2: Scarecrows. Never really wanted to watched the first one. And this movie, from what I understood has nothing to do with it either. Its got some bad ass art work on the box, and I think movies about scarecrows are creepy. Never made it to the theater, here anyway. I am liking it, good movie. Kind of slow starting, highly predictable. Overall not a bad waste of an hour and a half.
The next thing are the reviews. Sometimes I'll go online to get the current "top picks" of the week. See what everyone else has to say, what's the big thing everyone is buzzing about. Other times I will go at it alone. Role the dice and see what comes up. But, even reading the reviews can be a double edge sword. I don't know how many times I would read the reviews on something and then want to pull my eyeballs out rather than watch another min of this crap. How do you know unless you try right? Because if you base the movies you watch solely on the reviews you read, or from what people say. You're gonna miss out on a lot of good flicks out there. I've gotten movies on my own instinct that I wanna put in my top 10, then read up about it and see how much people hated it. Unfortunately that doesn't happen as much as I would like it too. In the last 5 or more years it seems like anyone with a camcorder can put a movie out. Then they put all of there $2000 budget into making some awesome artwork to market it. They got me there. That's the good thing about Netflix though, I just gotta send it back and I get to start over again. I got the time.
I think the best thing to do though is always keep an open mind. You know what you like better than anyone else.
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UK Rockers Unleash Zombie Horror Music Video
From category: General Horror
Spawned from an ingenious fusion of urban degeneracy and blood-spattered, undead antics, Chickenhawk’s “I Hate This, Do You Like It?” is set to redefine the music video genre. Defying the apparent limitations of a scanty £1,000 budget, director, Danny North supplies sufficient gore to sate even the most depraved appetites. Shot in the bleak, concrete confines of inner city Leeds, “I Hate This…” positively oozes an unmistakably English aura of gloom.
Citing the likes of 30 Days of Night and 28 Days Later as his primary inspiration, North’s swift, ultra-modern legions of the living dead provide the ideal cinematic accompaniment to Chickenhawk’s hyperactive, punk-infused hard rock. Choice cuts include a series of unnerving camera angles, and a particularly gratuitous scene in which drummer, Matthew Reid, turns unexpectedly rabid, gushing blood from multiple orifices.
Promising additional adrenalin-fuelled thrills, Chickenhawk’s blistering EP, “The A.Or Not?” is available now on Brew Records at: http://brewrecords.bigcartel.com/product/brw008-chickenhawk-a-or-not-enhanced-ep-cd-dl
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Let The Right One In (film review)
From category: General Horror
Confined to the airbrushed, formulaic realms of Hollywood, vampirism has, essentially speaking, been drained of its capacity to horrify. Frequently de-fanged, corset-bound and peddled as the stuff of preteen sexual fantasy, this bloodstained legacy is, at long last, reanimated by the pioneering efforts of Swedish director, Tomas Alfredson. Adapted from John Ajvide Lindqvist's acclaimed novel, Let The Right One In is at once a savagely beautiful reworking of the genre and heartrending tale of isolation. An American re-make of this subtitled treasure is already in motion, bearing the rather unimaginative namesake, Let Me In. Doubtless, the glittering trappings of mainstream production will reduce this gritty masterpiece to a slick, though ultimately soulless affair.
By turns sombre and extraordinary, a series of sinister events unfold within the uniformly bland confines of Stockholm-based dormitory town, Blackeberg. Alongside this grimy, characterless backdrop, the region's snow-laden beauty is vividly enhanced. With close-up shots of aptly crimson-hued berries and nocturnal scenes in which the landscape adopts an eerie luminosity, Let The Right One In is haunting in visual and psychological terms alike. Amid this inhospitable scene of bleak midwinter, the unhappy existence of twelve-year-old serial misfit, Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) is documented with harsh, faintly voyeuristic realism. The hapless boy's miserable life takes an unexpectedly intriguing turn following his encounter with the beguiling, urchin-like Eli (Lina Leandersson). As Oskar’s attachment to his newfound friend intensifies, Eli’s bloodlust is inevitably unveiled. A trail of fast-paced carnage ensues, yielding devastating and darkly comedic consequences.
From random decapitation to a surreal, feline attack scene, Alfredson's approach to horror movie gore is an agreeably depraved departure from the American, blood-soaked archetype. Poignant in equal measure, Lindqvist's captivating account of alienation is stunningly realised by Hedebrant's uncannily organic performance as Oskar. With his Scandinavian pallor and timid mannerisms, the young actor exudes an authentic aura of fragility, even when virtually motionless. As such, Hedebrant's tenderness interplays explosively with Leandersson's gloriously inhumane interpretation of Eli.
As a 200-year-old vampire frozen forever in adolescent form, her unmistakably mature composure is horrifying yet sufficiently understated to avoid overblown exaggeration. While Eli's lack of emotion is something of a vampiric calling card, it is, moreover, painfully tragic as we witness her receive Oskar's heartfelt embrace and offer of sweets with icy indifference. Shunning sunlight, occasionally foul-smelling and predatory, Eli encompasses the modern world's most faithful depiction of vampire lore since Nosferatu first stalked the silver screen in 1922.
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Edward Scissorhands: '90s Horror Revisited
From category: General Horror
Adopting a momentarily nostalgic, though always unsettling, angle for the present instalment, Horror Asylum pays homage to the groundbreaking, razor-sharp work of imagination that is Edward Scissorhands.
Edward Scissorhands - 1990
A nineties fairytale fantasy chilled to the core by legendary director, Tim Burton’s eerie glacial glamour.
A pallid, wild-haired Johnny Depp breathes dark charm and tragedy into Burton’s visionary blade-wielding icon of otherness, Edward Scissorhands. The incomplete creation of a deceased inventor, Edward’s “hands” of razor-sharp steel compel him to remain concealed from the occupants of creepily kitsch neighbouring town, “Suburbia”. Edward haunts the confines of a deserted gothic castle until a kindly Avon lady (Dianne Wiest) offers to adopt him. Weary of the immaculate, yet bland social bubble that is “Suburbia”, the townspeople flock to become acquainted with the mysterious newcomer whose penchant for quirky hairstyles and topiary entertains and astounds them.
Depp assumes this psychologically complex character with organic ease and talent, a remarkable feat given Edward’s limited vocal interactions. A series of surreal, nightmarish flashbacks assist in character development while composer, Danny Elfman’s sweetly sinister score provides expression in the absence of spoken words. However, it is Depp’s fragility and endearing bewilderment, which render Edward’s transition, from script to screen, wholly complete.
Co-star Winona Ryder delivers a convincing rendition of suburban adolescence as she initially abhors Edward’s unconventional appearance and then finally warms to his tender disposition. Their attachment unfolds towards the close of the film, demonstrating sound chemistry between the pair. As the inventor, Vincent Price exudes precisely the kind of frosty, enigmatic stage presence one would expect from a seasoned horror veteran of his calibre.
Manifested from a teenage flight of imagination, Edward Scissorhands is a tale so blissfully severed from reality as to have acquired an aura of timelessness. An aesthetic delight of Halloweenish frights and spooky yuletide themes, Edward Scissorhands possesses sufficient creative scope to permit Burton’s imagination to run riot. Masquerading in a wealth of festive, snowy splendour, the film could, at first glance, be mistaken for a vacuous slab of family fun. Albeit charming, the film’s initial playful mischief swiftly dissolves like a dream gone bad, reassembling in a warped, menacing guise. A bittersweet fantasy grounded in the reality of human isolation, Edward Scissorhands presents a haunted, wintertime world of unforgettable beauty.
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'Saw - The Ride' Grand Opening at Thorpe Park
From category: General Horror
Yesterday me and my colleague attended the grand opening of 'SAW – The Ride', the latest piece of franchising from Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures. Yes, if 5 movies with a 6th in production and even a video game coming soon wasn't enough the companies behind Saw teamed up with UK based theme park Thorpe Park to create and develop a new ride based on the movie. Yep, its new £13.5 million Saw ride, which has the steepest drop on a rollercoaster yet, was pretty damn good!
Following a quick drive down the M25 we arrived at Thorpe Park and were met by a couple of freaky looking dudes on stilts who decided it would be fun to scrape their claw like hands across our heads before we decided to run for our lives and head for the free bar.
As I was driving just the one was sufficient then orange juice to follow. Helen on the other hand decided to knock them back :) - all the while adamant that she would go and give Chantelle from Big Brother UK fame some choice words about her extensions and orange complexion. Luckily she played it cool long enough for the utter hate to dissolve.
A few other celebs were about to celebrate the opening including Edith Bowman, Ralph Little, Dermot O'Leary, Jessie Wallace, Joe Swash and Kara Tointon. And just shy of being set on fire by a 'showing off too much' fire spinning guy we decided to head on through the park with another group.
We managed to get onto a few of the rides that were open including the dribble enhancing Zodiac, the sick-to-the-stomach inducing Vortex, the frantically whiplash making Colossus and of course the one we were there for 'Saw - the Ride'. The world's first ever horror movie-themed rollercoaster is the most terrifying ride in the world, testing the nerve of all who dare ride as it leaves you at the mercy of the film's master manipulator, Jigsaw.
We had by this time lost our original group and managed to blag our way into the 'celeb' group and managed to mooch about with chat show host Jonathon Ross who was there with his wife and family. And a few stars of Eastenders past and present. So it was pretty sweet. That was however, until the ride decided to break down with us literally a few feet away from the start of the ascending 'beyond vertical' part of the ride.
The idea is to sit there waiting for the timer above to countdown, much like the movies, however when ours hit zero we were still there. A couple of indie cindys who seemed to have enjoyed the free bar a little too much sat next to us singing and decided to light up a cigarette whilst Joe Swash and Co behind were trying to discover why everything had come to a sudden halt.
I have read on a tabloid sites this morning that one guest who was trapped said: 'We'd only moved a few metres when we stopped. The group behind was screaming, "Let us off now! We want to get off this minute! She’s having a panic attack!" 'Even though we could have walked off, officials insisted on fixing harnesses to us and walking us off for health and safety.
Now thankfully this was just after we managed to enjoy the entire ride (albeit with a short wait break in the middle) and I must say it was pretty damn awesome. Twists, turns, major unexpected drops, a complete vertical ascension (which unnerved me the most) and a few squirts of water to liven it up, although my colleague Helen was more concerned about her hair.
All in all it's a great ride and well worth hellraisers and thrill-seekers checking out when they're around the Surrey theme park.
Thorpe Park will be inviting visitors to 'Face Your Fears' on their new terrifying attraction when the ride opens to the public Saturday 14th March.
If you would like to win tickets to Thorpe Park and a copy of 'Saw V' on DVD don't forget to enter our Saw Giveaway.
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Danse Macabre
From category: General Horror
Danse Macabre:
Burton's musical translation of the horror genre
Cleaving aside the saccharine conventions of the modern musical, Tim Burton’s visionary horror hybrid, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, arises, blood-soaked and brilliant, from the mires of mediocrity. Faye Coulman examines the legendary director’s darkest offering to date
Albeit a painstaking stage-to-screen adaptation of potentially catastrophic consequences, Burton’s penchant for dark theatricality has once again prevailed. Documented by an unsettling array of dizzying camera angles synchronised flawlessly with a lavish, 46-piece orchestral score, the tormented barber’s descent into madness is one of dramatic proportions. Johnny Depp’s 2008 Oscar nomination for his haunting portrayal of the homicidal barber saw the culmination of Sweeney Todd’s creative triumph. Scarcely is the artistic and innovative so widely rewarded in what is swiftly becoming a technological, unimaginative cultural environment.
Perhaps the eccentric director’s choice of subject matter appeared all the more outlandish given the prevailing social climate, in which the musical genre has undergone a commercial renaissance of sorts. The formulaic ideology publicised by these Prozac-happy movie musicals is presently at the forefront of the reality television phenomenon. Having, in recent years, all but exhausted the mass allure of pop music talent shows (with the exception of the annual resurgence of The X Factor) producers were left clawing for fresh sources of mass marketing potential.
BBC1 initiated the national trend in 2006 with the groundbreaking, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? which entailed a ruthless endeavour to select the lead for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s adaptation of The Sound Of Music. The production made a stellar £12 million in advance ticket sales, while winning contestant, Connie Fisher’s solo release enjoyed similar commercial victory.
The BBC swiftly followed suit with Any Dream Will Do and this year’s latest production of Oliver: I’d Do Anything. Performing popular music-based auditions presided over by a panel of scathing judges and riotous audience, these mainstream manifestations constitute little more than an X Factor rehash. Speaking on BBC Radio 4, acclaimed Hollywood star and theatre director, Kevin Spacey, defined such themed reality TV shows as “essentially a 13-week promotion for a musical.” He concluded: “The BBC is not a commercial operation and I thought it was crossing the line unfairly.”
Speaking of the musical’s mainstream revival on both stage and screen, director of the London Film School, Ben Gibson, said: “There is a lot of musical theatre in London at the moment and much of it is shockingly middlebrow. People attending these productions will assume that they have seen something incredibly cultured, when what is being shown is in fact very pastiche. I am most definitely of the school of thought that both Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice should be deported and have their passports removed.” He later concluded: “On the other hand, if these musicals are helping people to appreciate theatre again, then so be it.”
In an age where the instant gratification of technical wizardry is favoured over genuine artistry, Burton’s continued use of stop-motion animation is something of a rarity. His 2005 animated Victorian gothic, Corpse Bride, is just one example of Burton’s consistent dedication to artistic vision. Perhaps one of Burton’s greatest directorial accomplishments is his unfailing ability to fascinate and frequently charm us with a ghoulish procession of misfits and murderers, whose enigmatic personas are expressed via the medium of song. Indeed, each protagonist lays claim to his own custom fragment of the soundtrack, often some small lament or ditty, which manifests itself at poignant intervals.
From the spooky cabaret-like antics of Beetlejuice (1988) to Edward Scissorhands’ (1990) tragic, almost ballet inspired soundtrack, music is a prevalent fixture of Burton’s work. His animated classic, Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) conveys direct reference to the stage in a particularly amusing scene in which the cadaverous Jack Skellington extravagantly plucks off his head and sings: “And since I am dead I can take off my head to recite Shakespearean quotations.” Trapped, like so many of Burton’s anti-heroes, between two parallel realms, Jack (The Pumpkin King) often takes to wandering alone, chattering to himself in a manner akin to that of a classical soliloquy. Significantly, when he addresses his adoring subjects, he does so from the vantage point of a stage.
Despite its understated musicality, Edward Scissorhands is by far one of Tim Burton’s most evocative pieces, not least due to his artistic affinity with celebrated composer, Danny Elfman. A lament of sublime and chilling intensity speaks volumes for a character whose disfigurement and timidity render him predominantly devoid of speech. Although Johnny Depp was cast to play the role of Edward Scissorhands almost two decades ago, something in Sweeney Todd’s ghastly pallour and haunted eyes evokes this past incarnation of an individual utterly at odds with his fellow men. While Edward is unwillingly bound to the inhumanity of cold steel, Todd embraces its potential for cruelty and bloodshed. Cradling the silver straight razor in his hands with the utmost tenderness, he raises the blade triumphantly in the air before announcing in a cockney snarl: “At last! My arm is complete again.”
Todd’s relationship with accomplice, Mrs. Lovett, played by Helena Bonham Carter, is one of purely functional means. Her clever yet corrupt plan to dispose of Todd’s victims by making use of the flesh in her meat pies is met with fleeting enthusiasm from the barber. This is one of the few occasions where the pair sing in unison as opposed to discordant vocal harmonies, symptomatic of Todd’s misanthropy.
Todd’s criminally insane flights of fancy allow Burton to preserve the frenetic energy of the original stage performance. It is not until the camera cuts to Todd kneeling motionless and bewildered on the shop floor that we realise that his rampage through the streets of London was nothing more than a figment of his imagination.
Also instrumental in assisting Burton in his adaptation of the musical were the historical associations between vocal expression and Victorian London. All manner of tuneful tradesmen, beggars and urchins stalk the foggy streets of Burton’s haunted city. Unhampered by the physical constraints of the stage, this touch of period realism attains, on screen, both melodramatic and menacing visual impact.
One moment prostrate with grief and the next gleefully intoxicated by blood lust, Sweeney Todd’s raving insanity faithfully preserves the humour of the original piece, while injecting into the subject matter a dose of melancholia as dark and fatal as the Black Death. In short, it is the perfect antidote to the mainstream musical.
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The Horror Dimension: Scary Movies in 3-D
From category: General Horror
The horror film has long played a leading role in the evolution of 3-D cinema. The visceral nature of the genre and the format’s immersive effects go together like, well, slashers and scream queens. In fact, the first big hit of the “Golden Age” of 3-D was the classic chiller House of Wax (1953), starring Vincent Price. Audiences were captivated by the film’s stereoscopic visuals and Price’s performance in a role that would make him virtually synonymous with the genre.
Many of the most successful films of the first 3-D boom were, if not outright horror, jolting genre exercises such as Bwana Devil (1952), It Came from Outer Space (1953), The Mad Magician (1954) and Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder (1954).
Perhaps the most significant of this crop of 3-D fright-fests was The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), the story of a team of archaeologists menaced by a prehistoric half-man, half-fish. Creature’s use of 3-D cinematography was limited but memorable. It spawned two sequels and its iconic Gill Man character rightfully took its place among the ranks of Universal’s famed monsters.
For various technical and financial reasons, Hollywood’s first 3-D craze was brief, but horror kept the format’s flame lit over ensuing decades in low-budget independent films. In 1961, a Canadian B-movie called The Mask chilled U.S. audiences with its eerie hallucinatory sequences shot in 3-D. Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein (1973) combined 3-D horror with another popular genre of the ‘70s: softcore porn.
In the early 1980s, three-dimensional bogeymen stalked mainstream cinemas once again. Friday the 13th Part III (1982) was loaded with innovative 3D imagery hailed for “going past the lens”—an effect in which objects appear to thrust from the screen into the theatre. The slasher sequel nearly doubled the box office of the franchise’s previous instalment and paved the way for major studio releases Jaws 3-D and Amityville 3-D the following year.
Due to the high costs and lingering technological challenges associated with the format, 3-D once again fell out of favour with studios and theatre owners in the mid1980s. 3-D cinema was largely relegated to IMAX documentaries for most of the next 20 years. Gradually, however, the obstacles limiting widespread 3-D exhibition in the United States have been overcome. Today, the format is more attractive than ever before to the industry, artists and audiences.
Innovations in camera technology have reduced the cost of shooting in 3D and allow filmmakers to create more exciting visual effects. And audiences are no longer subjected to the old headache and eyestrain-inducing red and blue (“anaglyph”) glasses. The predominant 3-D formats today, Real D and Dolby 3D Digital Cinema, use polarized glasses that are comfortable and provide crystal clear images.
3-D presentations of films such as Polar Express (2004), Chicken Little (2005), Beowulf (2007) and Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) have dramatically outperformed their “flat” screenings. In 2009 alone, no fewer than nine animated 3-D films are scheduled for theatrical release. Major franchises such as Shrek, Cars, Kung Fu Panda and Toy Story will make the leap to 3-D in their next instalments.
Given the format’s recent successes and promising new technologies on the horizon, the combination of 3-D and horror is likely to keep audiences on the edge of their seats for years to come.
In 1981, the slasher film craze was at its peak, driven by the box office success of films such as Halloween and The Last House on the Left. Then, out of Canada came the controversial low-budget sleeper My Bloody Valentine, whose enormous cult following shocked even its creators. Now, MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D brings the fear factor to a new level with an immersive and utterly terrifying remake of the ultimate campfire story.
“This is the marriage of old school horror mixed with a great story and unbelievable new technology,” says director Patrick Lussier. “There’s also some good old-fashioned gore. It’s the intersection of so many different things. We’re doing a 3-D movie; we’re doing a slasher film, but it’s much more than that. It requires a new way of looking at storytelling, and it’s a very exciting opportunity.”
All 3-D photography creates a three-dimensional illusion by recording a pair of 2-D images with two cameras or lenses set slightly apart. By providing each of the viewer’s eyes with a slightly different image of the same scene, 3-D produces an illusion of depth and volume.
“When I first experienced 3-D, it was a gimmick,” producer Jack Murray adds. “It got people in the seats because they’d never seen it before. But it wasn’t about storytelling. It was a carnival trick, just a series of opportunities to set up the next moment where something would come out into the audience. That’s not what we’re doing in this film. We’re letting the 3-D fill out the environment we’re working in, and, at the same time, finding those moments where that third dimension makes it even scarier.”
Michael Paseornek, president of Lionsgate and executive producer of MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D, elaborates: “Our film uses traditional techniques with very few special effects, plus dimensional space to place viewers’ attention where the director wants it. It immerses the audience in the environment, as opposed to just throwing effects at them. When you’re thinking about creating an environment of tension, if you’re in it—as opposed to watching it—it’s much scarier. Even down to the fact that when someone shines a flashlight around, it blinds you. And when the Miner swings his pickaxe at you, it swipes across you.”
When it came time to select a director for a state-of-the-art update of this blood-soaked classic, the producers found a filmmaker with just the pedigree they were looking for. Lussier, the editor of films including Scream, Dracula 2000 and New Nightmare, is a long time collaborator with legendary horror auteur Wes Craven.
“Patrick’s vision was very much tied to using 3-D to do what it does really well,” says Murray. “There are times where 3-D needs to be right out there grabbing you, but there also need to be moments when the audience gets to relax and just enjoy the story. Along with other techniques and devices like prosthetics, stunts and visual effects, it lets the audience viscerally feel and experience the terror.”
For Lussier, the use of 3-D photography was an intrinsic part of the storytelling. “The feeling of claustrophobia, the feeling of being trapped and the feeling of the horror are all heightened to a point that will take audiences beyond what they have seen before. The 3-D makes them feel even more like they’re part of the story. It envelops them, so they’re not just watching it as a spectator sitting in the front row, they are participating in the horror.”
None of this would have been possible without the groundbreaking technology and techniques created by Paradise FX, some of which were developed especially for MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D.
“Once we knew we wanted to make the movie 3-D, we were fortunate enough to find Paradise,” says Lussier. “Our stereographer Max Penner allowed us to do things that many 3-D filmmakers said couldn’t be done. We were constantly able to push the envelope because we had real pioneers in the realm of 3-D on our side. Everything was manufactured specifically for MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D and our camera operator, Howard Smith, invented much of the equipment.”
Jensen Ackles, who plays Tom, says there’s one moment he is looking forward to seeing in the theater. “The moment the Miner’s pickaxe first comes right out of the screen is going to be awesome,” says the actor. “I’m going to be just as much of an audience member as everybody else, and I’ll be thrilled to see it.”
MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D was shot in fully optimized 3-D using the new HD 4K format, which can record 4,000 pixel images at 30 frames per second, as opposed to the 2,000 pixels used by standard HD. The filmmakers used two state-of the-art digital cameras: the Red One and the Silicon Imaging SI-2K Digital Cinema Camera. Both are far smaller and lighter than conventional 2-D or 3-D cameras and more intuitive to operate.
The equipment and techniques used on the shoot were revolutionary even for veteran 3-D stereographer Max Penner. “Earlier 3-D cameras had much bigger motors and were much more cumbersome to use,” says the film’s stereographer.
Another difference is that the new equipment uses neither tape nor film. Instead, digital images are stored on compact flash cards and later downloaded to a computer hard drive. The filmmakers were at the forefront of this cutting-edge technology, which Penner says created an on-set rhythm reminiscent of a 35mm film shoot.
One of the biggest benefits of the new digital format was it allowed live on-set playback of dailies in 3-D, providing far greater creative control of the image. “In the past, we wouldn’t see how anything looked in 3D until a month after shooting,” Penner says. “On this project, what we were seeing on the monitor was what the audience was going to get in the theatre.
“All the 3-D you see in the film was done on the set,” Penner continues. “We were able to dimensionalize the picture on the set in the same manner a focus puller makes his mark or a camera operator composes his schedule. The technology enabled us to look at the situation and judge what we needed right then and there.”
MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D takes filmmaking into a new realm, according to Lussier. “We have gone beyond what audiences have seen before, even in CG films. This is totally different because there’s always an artificial quality to that, and this is the actual real events. You are there and part of the story. It has an interactive quality unlike anything you’ve ever seen.”
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Does Bad CGI Kill The Devil's Rejects?
From category: General Horror
Rob Zombie's masterpiece The Devil's Rejects is one of my favorite films of all time, and i'm not just talking in the horror genre. When I first laid eyes on the movie that was gracing the big screen, I was so blinded by my love for what I was bearing witness to that I don't think I even noticed the huge flaw inherent throughout almost its entire run time. In more recent viewings however, I simply cannot help but take note of this flaw. The afformentioned flaw of course being the use, or over use, of computer generated images, CGI. But how much of a problem is it and does it take away from the overall greatness of the film? Let's take a closer look.
It's a good 50 minutes before the bad CG rears its ugly head, which is also when the gore in the film amps up,and it's the scene of Zombie's wife throwing her knife into the Threes Company chicks heart that kicks it off. The knife looks totally fake and as she falls to her knees after being hit, it wobbles around and doesn't even stay in the same place as it originally was. There's no excuse for the CGI to be this bad. I will say though, that the knife does look a lot better coming out than it did going in.
Diamond Dallas Page shooting that quickie handjob gal between the eyes is the second time you probably noticed something very wrong. The little red/black dot appears on her head out of nowhere and strange fake looking blood begins to ooze out. It looks utterly ridiculous and sucks a good portion of the intensity out of the scene. Should've diamond cut her, Dallas. When it's obvious what we're seeing is not real, how the hell are we supposed to believe it?! There was an awesome head shot on Brian Posehn just a half an hour or so before this. Why couldn't they just employ the same effect?!
Perhaps the most obvious use of CG comes when Ken Foree gets Scatman Crothers-ed by Wydell. When the axe comes out, so does a neon looking red liquid, which hardly resembles blood. I understand it's kinda tough to get the red stuff to show up in a dark location, but I hardly think this was the proper solution. A major characters death becomes a laughable scene, as opposed to a memorable one. You deserved better, Ken.
The same neon looking blood makes an appearance when Tiny pulls the Jesus nail out of Otis' hand. Take a look at that screenshot! Need I say more?! The second nail pull out is done entirely with practical effects and it looks fuckin awesome. What gives?
And then we come to the end. This is by far the coolest ending ever in a horror film and even the worst misuses of CGI couldn't take that trophy away from the film, but the stuff is there and it does hurt the overall impact a tiny bit. Seemingly every bullet hit and blood splatter in every second of the final minutes of the film were done via CG, but everythings going by so fast (even though it's in slow mo) to really notice or be bothered by it. The bullet hits (aka perfectly round black dots) towards the end in particular are pretty bad, but it's such an awesome fuckin scene that we'll let all that slide.
So does all this CGI ruin the film? Absolutely without question not. It's so good that it overcomes any flaws. In fact, the average horror goer probably didn't even notice any of it (hope I didn't ruin the film for ya with subsequent viewings!). It sticks a knife into the film, but manages to miss all vital organs and most definetly does not deliver a fatal death blow, like the ones that have been dealt to so many horror films before by the silent killer known as CGI. It's just that i'd expect so much better from Rob Zombie. He's a true horror fan and surely he should know that horror fans wanna see practical effects, not computer generated crap. I understand it saves time and all, but we as horror fans deserve better.
All that said, Devil's Rejects is still a masterpiece and I still bow down before Mr. Zombies feet. I take comfort in the fact that at least the flaws lie in the hands of tech geeks and not Zombie's filmmaking aptitude, and I bet he does too. Although the director is allowed to say "cut that out...that looks horrible".....
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Is There Really a Problem With Horror Remakes?
From category: General Horror
Horror remakes are becoming as common as the sight of Britney Spears in the tabloids or the over-the-top hype that surrounds every goddamn reality TV show these days. Everyone slates them, most people don't want them but why do the studios keep getting them made and why do they keep making money? So it begs the real question. Is there a genuine problem with horror rehashes?
Im the past few years we've seen an incredible increase in the amount of horror movies that have been remade. We've seen remakes of existing non-english speaking international horror's such as The Ring and The Grudge. We've seen remakes hiding behind descriptions such as 're-imagining' like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. And hell, we've even seen remakes of remakes!!! So clearly we're swamped, we're spoilt for choice. Is Hollywood completely out of ideas, has it dried up that quick that no-one can be bothered anymore.
It's not just horror of course, most genres in the past decade have been victim to the dreaded remake status. Yet horror seems the most popular choice. But the truth is they don't exactly get rave reviews but they make a pretty penny. So as long as money outweighs the artistic flair and creativeness of writers and filmmakers out there we're gonna be stuck with them for a very long time to come.
Everyone has their opinion when it comes to a whether or not you think a movie works, or even if it's good or not. I admit I appreciate tripe sometimes and love mindless dreg. But not always. But in all cases I would ALWAYS suggest trying the original first. It's easy to be sucked into the campaigns these days that 'big up' the latest horror fest, especially if you're young and more willing to pay your bucks to see a fresh and vividly coloured gore-fest as opposed to old grainy black and white horror flick that wouldn't these days look out of place on afternoon tv. But I would ask you to reconsider and always expericence the original, for what it is, before taking on the modern retelling.
And in case you were really interested. Here's a little shortlist of what I consider to be the best of the remakes in the past 10 years.
Dawn of the Dead (great retelling and the original is actually my fave zombie movie)
Halloween (brave and brutally shocking, extremly well executed)
House on Haunted Hill (my guilty pleasure, well hammed up by Geoffrey Rush)
The Ring (not as genuinely terrifying as the original but a damn good effort)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (gory and nasty and pretty well done really)
The Hills Have Eyes (shocking and sick - loved it!)
And here are the ones to avoid - but keep in mind, it might not all be down to it being a bad remake. But I think it would be better to check out the original first
Dark Water (absolutely terrible)
The Grudge (better than Dark Water but still disappointing)
The Omen (absolutely pointless project)
The Haunting (best bit was seeing Owen Wilson decapitated)
Psycho (ideal for modern audiences, but probably a pointless shot by shot retelling)
Black Christmas (made me almost lose faith in horror and life)
The Wicker Man (tried to forget about this. god damn you Cage!)
And finally.....
When A Stranger Calls (f'cking pointless and equally awful. nuff said)
And finally how about the remakes that scare the hell of me just thinking that people would even consider redoing...
The Evil Dead (why even try. still feel Evil Dead 2 was good enough to be a remake)
The Fly (will have to pretty special to beat Cronenbourg's 1986 effort)
Last House on the Left (gonna have to be pretty shocking)
Prom Night (going out on a limb and saying this will be hugely disappointing)
Piranha (oh go on then)
The Thing (why oh why again!!!!?)
Friday the 13th (will have to do something special!)
There you have it. Agree or disagree but unless we can get out of this creative rut in the genre we're gonna be bogged down with rehash after rehash until we don't have a creative bone or brain cell left.
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