Reviews #20 to 24 here.25.
Fire in the Skyspoiler (click to show/hide)
Interesting movie. The first half basically plays out like a murder mystery, and if you don't know anything about the movie going in, it's likely to be pretty engaging. Just what exactly did happen?
However if you know anything about the movie, it's likely to be less exciting. To be fair, I liked the murder mystery aspect. It felt like The Exorcism of Emily Rose where it's focusing more on the human, secular aspect and how a society would react to such a supernatural occurrence.
What people usually talk about when they discuss this movie is the examination scene, and it is some pretty frightening (if a bit 90s-cheese) stuff. Well done, and a pretty good payoff for the build up.
A downside of the movie is that it just looks cheap. Like, uber cheap. I looked it up and apparently the budget was $15 million (in 1993 money), but it looks far cheaper than that. No real standout actors either (the acting in general was hit or miss.)
All in all, a distinctive take on the whole "alien abduction" horror subgenre, with one standout scene but looks cheap and kinda meanders otherwise.
2 / 5
26.
Devil's Advocatespoiler (click to show/hide)
Interesting movie. A bit on the long side, but I appreciate that it takes a while to build up. In fact, I was wondering if there was actually any supernatural stuff in the movie at all. It doesn't show up until like an hour and a half in, and I really liked that. It forced me to get more invested in the characters and their human problems. Plus, when the supernatural stuff turns up, it's very subtle in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it way.
The climax of the movie kinda goes off the rails and overexplains things, which is a shame since the movie does such a great job building everything subtly and meticulously. That said, the end was worth it to see Al Pacino lose his shit and scream and yell and ham it up. Possibly my favorite Satan on film.
Keanu Reeves does an absolutely fantastic job in this movie. I loved his southern drawl, and he looks the sharpest he's ever been here. I know he doesn't age and everything, but he just had an amazing look in this entire movie. Theron is also a favorite of mine and she does a great job.
This was more of a morality play than a horror or even thriller, but it did have a nice ramp up for tension and plot and I really enjoyed it.
3 / 5
27.
Dead Alivespoiler (click to show/hide)
What the heck did I just watch?
Oh my lord, this movie man. I went into it knowing pretty much nothing other than it was supposed to be gory, and
man that doesn't even begin to describe it. I would not be surprised if this was the goriest movie of all time. What's great is it's 100% practical effects, which sometimes don't entirely hit their mark but considering the low budget I'm amazed what they pulled off.
The story and characters aren't really worth noting, after the movie's set up you can pretty much guess all the story beats. Even still, there's some brilliant unexpected black humor, like when Lionel takes a zombie baby out for a stroll. I was rolling at that part. And who could forget the Priest? "I kick ass for the Lord!"
The editing is ridiculous. The entire thing feels like you're taking speed or something with dialog and movement cut so fast you barely have time to absorb anything before the next thing is there. It reminds me a lot of the wackier moments in Evil Dead II, and to be honest, I'm surprised Sam Raimi didn't direct this movie. It really feels right in his wheelhouse. But no, it's Peter Jackson. Can we get some more of this instead of wanking off Tolkien constantly, Peter?
The final thing to note is that the movie actually does have an attempt at a message, and while I appreciated the movie trying to make itself seem deeper, I don't think it was really necessary. It doesn't hurt things though.
5 / 5
28.
Hellraiserspoiler (click to show/hide)
Haven't really been able to pin down my thoughts on this one. I dislike it, that much I know, but it's hard for me to explain why that is.
I suppose principally it's because the most screen time is devoted to the "bad guys." Not the Cenobites (whether they're actually bad guys is up for interpretation, as they only do what they do after asking or are explicitly summoned.) I mean Julia and her skinless ex-lover Frank. Both of these people are repugnant - they kill without remorse, betray the trust of husband/brother Larry (before eventually killing him too), and 80% of the movie is focused on them. The "protagonist" is ostensibly the step-daughter/niece Kirsty, but she's barely a factor until the third act requires her.
The gore effects and makeup on the Cenobites are phenomenal, possibly some of the best I've seen in a horror film. However, it's all flash and no substance. There's no story or real characters here, just an excuse to take the world of BDSM and play with it in a supernatural way.
1 / 5
29.
The Changelingspoiler (click to show/hide)
A legitimately creepy movie, the less you know going in the better. Some real good stuff here, and I like the main character being an old guy instead of some teenybopper girl. His reactions and actions are all logical, which was also a nice change of pace.
However, it stops being frightening around the halfway point and switches more to being a mystery movie. Which was fine, I was very interested in seeing why things were the way they were. I just feel it was a little squandered potential considering how good the horror direction was in the first half. That said, the chills don't go away entirely, but they do take a backseat.
The ending is kinda eh, going a little overboard and coming off as weird for the sake of weird, but everything is wrapped up pretty nicely. All in all, a really good "creepy" movie that doesn't use blood or gore or jump scares, and for that it should be commended.
3 / 5
30.
Drag Me to Hellspoiler (click to show/hide)
This might be Raimi's most accomplished horror film. Everything in this movie shows a mastery of film-making craft: editing, writing, effects, acting, and direction are all top notch stuff. This feels like a Raimi movie.
There are so many parts of this movie that now rank among my favorites in the genre. Things like the Looney-Tunes-esque anvil fall (which squishes her eyes out), the infamous goat scene ("You black-hearted whoo-oore!"), and the car struggle. So much fun.
While Raimi's return to slapstick and gross-out humor is highly, highly welcome, it doesn't come at the expense of the scares. If I can explain in terms of the Evil Dead series, with the first being outright horror, the second having a mix of scares and silliness, and the third going over the edge with comedy, Drag Me To Hell feels most similar to the second one. The scares here are great and keep forcing you to ask "What's going to happen next?"
I've seen people say the movie sucks because of the ending, but I disagree. The ending makes sense with the themes of the movie. I do have a complaint about the ending, though: It's way too obvious. As soon as she drops the envelope in his car I was like, "Welp." I did think that Justin Long was gonna be the one to bite it, but her being the one makes more sense.
The world could use many, many more movies like this one. Get on it, Raimi.
5 / 5
31.
Trick 'r Treat (yearly rewatch)
spoiler (click to show/hide)
This was a rewatch so there isn't much for me to say. This is the most perfect "Halloween" film ever made. It sums up everything that one could love about the Holiday and constantly plays with expectations. This is the Cabin in the Woods minus most of the snark and plus a boatload of Halloween mythos.
The format is especially deserving of praise. As I mentioned in my VHS: Viral review, "anthology" stories aren't new for the horror genre. I'm personally not a huge fan myself, but what makes Trick 'r Treat stand out is that the shorts do weave together as the film goes on. The most obvious connecting thread is the pumpkin-headed tyke Sam, but the script goes even further than that by thankfully showing where certain scenes and characters intersect. By the end, you learn it's pretty much all connected in one form or another, and seeing that all play out is an incredibly satisfying experience.
The music is fantastic and really captures the essence of Halloween. I'm sure some disliked the inclusion of Marilyn Manson's "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", but it totally made that scene for me. Acting is also fantastic, with Dylan Baker and Brian Cox stealing the show. Everything here has such an incredible level of polish. The set design is is just so, so good and combine that with the flawless cinematography and this movie is one hell of a looker. I used a frame of it as my Facebook cover photo, and it was damn hard to choose which part of the movie for it. This movie oozes the Halloween spirit.
To say I'm excited for the sequel is an understatement. Nobody thought there would be a sequel. I remember giddily anticipating this movie hitting theaters in October 2008 before it was unceremoniously pushed back an entire year and released straight to video. Rumor has it this was done because WB got cold feet over the movie's kid-killing, which I suppose is fair enough, but come on. This is such a perfect movie. Hopefully, history doesn't repeat itself for Trick 'r Treat 2.
5 / 5
Finally done with my month of horror movie watching, which turned out to be almost two months lol. Gotta pace myself better next year.
EDIT- HORROR MOVIE TIER LIST
spoiler (click to show/hide)
5 / 5
The Blair Witch Project
Evil Dead II
The Thing (1982)
Shaun of the Dead
Fright Night (2011)
The Silence of the Lambs
Mulholland Drive
Dead Alive
Drag Me to Hell
Trick 'r Treat
4 / 5
[REC]
Jacob's Ladder
The Last House on the Left (2009)
House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Home Movie
Fright Night (1985)
Hannibal
3 / 5
Irréversible
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
The Sacrament
The Ninth Gate
Devil's Advocate
The Changeling
2 / 5
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Prince of Darkness
Dead Silence
The Arrival
Fire in the Sky
1 / 5
The Last House on the Left (1972)
V/H/S: Viral
Hellraiser
