Movie Review - The Sentinel

The Sentinel

1977

The Cast

Alison Parker (Raines) is a working model who is not yet ready to marry her boyfriend Michael (Sarandon) and who needs to find a place of her own to get her mind and thoughts right.  However, the city isn't cheap and Alison is about to give up when she comes across an apartment in an old house.  The house and the apartments inside are in the process of being renovated, giving her the opportunity to rent for a reasonable amount.  However, once there, things start to get strange... not only are the other tenants peculiar in the way they act and behave towards her... but she starts to get a feeling of apprehension and a sense of being watched... there's something not quite right with this big old house and it may have something to do with the priest in the top apartment; though he's blind he spends every hour sat in front of his window looking out over the city...

Michael Winner opted to go the route of the original Rosemary's Baby with this little "Big" horror flick of good versus evil.  The entire atmosphere of the film is reminiscent of Polanski.  Even the camera work, at times, has a similar feel.  However, it's Winner's direction and use of actors that make this a more enjoyable affair.  I have to admit I found Rosemary quite boring, though it was nicely shot and had a decent cast.  Winner injects a little more action and tries for a more ominous and eerie atmosphere, which he doesn't quite pull off.

Another positive is the story, based on a novel by Jeffrey Convitz (which I now want to read as the movie had so many elements that could only be expanded and improved upon in written form), as this has more than a few twists and turns along its way.  It would have been nice to see some of these utilised a tad better as it could have made for a stronger movie.  Though, back in '77, movies were frowned upon when they went over an hour and a half, which probably meant quite a few bits of celluloid on the floor.

As for the actors, well the cast is massive for a horror flick.  Granted the big names are in supporting roles, though this is a good ploy by Winner, as the story is mostly revolving around the occupants.  We have Burgess "WARK! WARK!" Meredith as the enigmatic and gentlemanly Charles Chazon; Sylvia Miles and Beverly D'Angelo as the uninhabited lesbians Gerde Engstrom and Sandra; and as the omnipresent blind priest Father Halliran we have John Carradine.  But the names don't stop there, and Winner has a good eye for up and coming talent as there's Christopher Walken, Tom Berenger, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Dreyfuss thrown into the mix for good measure.

However, though the cast is great it's too big.  There are too many characters knocking about and this gives the entire film the feeling of being crowded.  This would work well in a novel as there's more space to work in.  However, in the confines of an hour and a half, it may have been better to reduce the cast to essential characters and built on them a little more, giving them more depth and making the film stronger in the process.

That said, I will say this is worth at least one watch, especially if you're an old-school-horror fan who likes the religious good versus evil twist... or if you just want to give zombies and wimped out vampires a miss...

I give this a Blind For God Creepy 6 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - The Hills Have Eyes

The Hills Have Eyes

2006

The Cast

There's not much difference between this remake and the 1977 original.  A family of campers have decided to drive across America.  Unfortunately for them, this includes the desert, wherein the 1950's the army carried out a series of nuclear tests.  After stopping for gas, and inadvertently offending the station attendant, he tells the group of a shortcut through a valley in the hills...  Just as it starts to dawn on them that the shortcut is turning out to be a long drive, their tyres blow out...  This is a 50th wedding anniversary they'll remember until they die... which won't be long...

This may sound disrespectful of Wes Craven, but the best thing about this film, by far, is the direction.  Alexandre Aja, who had only previously directed the acclaimed, magnificent, and one of my favourite films, Haute Tension, does the story proud.  His eye for panoramic shots and the ability to create an atmosphere of aloneness with them, and then his use of the nuclear-blasted "Little America", complete with creepy mannequins, creates a really uneasy eeriness that's exactly what the story needed.

Also opting to get rid of the dreadful electronic soundtrack was a bonus.  This was a major hindrance to the original.  Without it, the excitement is created in different ways;  camera shots, angles, lighting, acting, and sound effects.

The other nice thing was the cast... though a cameo by Michael Berryman wouldn't have gone amiss.  There are a more than a few solid actors in the film.  Ted Levine as Big Bob the ex-policeman and father of the group.  He gives a solid reliable performance in a supporting role, though he's yet to come across a role as meaty as his Buffalo Bill Silence Of The Lambs character.  His wife, Ethel, is played by the beautiful and talented Kathleen Quinlan.  Though the stand out characters is Tom Bower as the gas station attendant, Robert Joy as Lizard - he really does appear to enjoy this role, Dan Byrd as Bobby, and Emilie De Ravin as Brenda.

Also, the special effects have moved on a long way from 1977... instead of the bright red blood which flowed copiously back then, we have a more realistic crimson, which gets slashed, gouged, and blasted insanely all over the place.  Not only do the hills have eyes, they also run red...

This is how a remake should be made.  It was brave of Aja not to change the story but to bring it up-to-date, not just in the story but also with the filming techniques.  Aja, just adds his skill into the mix and the outcome is beautiful, brilliant, and spooky as hell enjoyment.  Because of this, I would recommend every horror fan or wannabe to check this out rather than the original 1977 film.

I give this Re-Dux a Nuke-Blasted Mega Mutation of 7.5 out of 10. 

The Trailer

Movie Review - Mom & Dad

Mom & Dad

2017

The Cast

This story smacks of writer and director Brian Taylor having an idea... but not fully visualising that idea to it's maximum.  I believe the idea was this... what happens if you wake up one morning and you just want to kill your children?  And this is just what you get.

There's very little in explanation of the new drive parents, all over the globe, are feeling.  There's a couple of scene's which have telly's, monitors, and electrical equipment being affected by some electronic or magnetic signal.  But this is by-the-way and not looked at in-depth.  Instead, Taylor decides to focus all his attention on the results of the "infection".  This I reckon is a good idea as it shows a "slice of life" view of the event, which gives is a more realistic feel as this is how it would appear to anyone in this situation.

Though the story is pretty simplistic Taylor makes up for it with his direction.  He is adept at creating atmosphere, whether it be tension, suspense, or action.  He's also skilled at setting a rollercoaster pace throughout the film.  There are some really nice sections where he slows the killing spree down so as to build up the characters.  The basement man-cave-come-family-playroom is a good example.  Here, we learn a lot more about the Ryan's.  This gives the audience a chance to relate to the individuals whilst the characters themselves grow.  Another positive is the black humour, though there could have been more.  The best part of this for me is when Lance Henriksen appears because you have to remember that your parents are somebodies children.

As for the acting, well, it's no surprise that Cage plays Cage as Brent Ryan.  Luckily I'm a fan so I found his performance enjoyable.  Blair is great as the mother.  Her performance is quiet and understated.  For me, she was the scariest parent.  Her quietness gives her the air of being a thinker and a planner... I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her.  The rest of the cast is above average and help to make the film better and keep it enjoyable.

I think the true horror of this film is the enjoyment... not of the audience, but of the parents stalking their kids.  They are having way too much fun.  This is both darkly funny and a little creepy and actually made the movie for me.

If you enjoyed The Happening then you will probably like this one too...  Though if you prefer your stories to be fully thought out and explained then I'd say stay away.  If you're still undecided, it's not a bad way to waste an hour and a half; though it may be worth you leaving your brain at the door...

I give this a Killer Mater And Pater A Quietly Lunatic 6.5 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Victor Crowley

Victor Crowley

2017

The Cast

Oh, Dear what can the matter be?  Victor Crowley is back on my TV!!!

Now, I don't have anything against Crowley (Hodder) as horror film monsters go, he's climbing up there.  It's actually Green's story and direction which irked me the most about this film.

Firstly, the story is pretty much non-existent.  Ten years after the first attack, the sole survivor, Andrew (Shen) is doing the rounds pushing his book on how he survived Crowley's attack.  This puts him on his ex's TV show Sabrina (Brown).  She's over antagonistic and bullies him in the interview.  She later cons him into another interview, this time an outside broadcast back in Crowley's swamp.  Meanwhile, a film crew accidentally resurrect Crowley and his killing spree starts up once again...

The major problem with the writing is the characters, particularly that of Sabrina and her relationship with Andrew.  Supposedly they were a loving couple, though there's no evidence of it here.  You're not even given a reason for why she treats Andrew so vehemently.  This is unrealistic and unbelievable.  It's also so obvious that their relationship is there as a comedic element.  However, it's more annoying than funny.  To be truthful, though labelled as a comedy there are very little laughs in the film.  Not once did I smile at a joke, let alone laugh.  Had this been played as a straight horror then it would be a stronger film.  Another thing is Green relies on characters to add humour, such as Dillon (Sheridan).  The trouble is we've seen this type of character so many times so you need to add something new to make it funny.  There's nothing new in any of the characters.  Though I have to say that Sheridan does put his heart and soul into his portrayal of the character, which was nice to see as other actors are less enthusiastic.

This could come down to direction as Brown, who plays Sabrina, is too shouty and angry.  This needed to be toned down a little.  As it stands, the handling of the character is part of the reason she comes off so badly.  Then there's the scene at the shed.  This is meant to be funny, but it's telegraphed too early so you know what's coming and you're waiting for it to happen.  So when it does eventually come the comedy has been rendered unfunny.  This is the case with a lot of the sight gags.  As for the direction of the rest of the film, it's standard and dull, especially the scenes within the plane, of which there are too many.

In fact, the only saving grace to the whole film is Victor Crawley himself and his slaughters.  The special effects team have my respect, these are gloriously nasty wet-work.  I was just sad to see the turbine kill effect was shot at a sideways angle so there was little viscera.  Shame they missed out on the chance for a nasty and grisly ending.  If they could have pulled it off it would have gone down in history.

This is not the best in the Hatchet franchise and I'd not recommend it to anyone except those steadfast horror fans who have watched the previous three flicks.

I give this a Gloriously Bloody Boring 4 out of 10.

The Trailer