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

Movie Review - Jeepers Creepers III

Jeepers Creepers III

2017

The Cast

Friday Night Is Fright Night so I was happy to see that two of the better fright films have new Chapters to their stories.  Therefore, I was looking forward to watching both this movie and the gorefest Jigsaw...  How dismayed I was.

I love the original Jeepers Creepers, which is well filmed and full of atmosphere and tension.  Even the sequel wasn't too bad, which is to be expected as JC's creator, Victor Salva, had written and directed both.  And since this is his baby also what could go wrong?

Well, pretty much everything.

For one thing, there was very little creepiness around and only a smidgen of tension.  This could be because Salva opted to film most of the scenes in glorious daylight.  As is shown numerous horror films, This is a hard choice for the directors as it becomes harder to create an intense nervousness and the eeriness the genre thrives on.  So, instead of getting the audience on the edge of their seats; they're nearly put to sleep watching an unoriginal bate and catch hunter flick.  The bright sunlight also shows the daemon in all its glory.  Unfortunately, it also renders him unscary.  At least in the darker shadows of the night, the audience can let their minds and imagination run riot.  This is better than most writers can script as it allows the viewer to add personal elements to the fear.  Don't get me wrong there are a couple of scenes that really work well.  My favourite of which is the duel between JC and Sheriff Tashtego.  There are some nice shots here; The silhouette shot with the sun behind JC and the distant shot at the end of the duel.  However, there are too few of this style of shot to keep interest high.  I think that if we actually saw JC feeding, as is stated he does though we hardly ever see, this extra bit of gore, if filmed correctly, would at least have added a bit of tenseness.

As for the story, it's basically still the same time period of the first film; this is just a few more days of his 23-day killing and feeding spree.  However, there's now an elite group of Creeper hunters, who have now turned up on the scene.  This is the part of the story I found far-fetched.  JC comes out every 23 years in a different part of America, to kill and feed.  We don't even know how long he's been doing this, so it seems very unlikely that news of him would have got out and about, especially to the point where a hunting team would be patrolling for him.  To make this believable we needed more background on JC and the hunters themselves.  The only part I found entertaining, in a good way, was Meg Foster as Gaylen Brandon, the grandmother medium, being haunted by her dead son, who had been killed by JC.  This story arc was good'ish and wove into the main easily, though it didn't go far enough.  It should have added a lot more to the mythos of JC but for some reason, Salva decided not to pursue this line, which in turn weakened the story and film.  There's a section where both Gaylen and the Sheriff touch a remanent of JC and supposedly see just what the creature is and how to stop it.  Unjustifiably, neither one of them talk about it or share the knowledge with the rest of the soldiers on how to kill it, which in the long run appears to be inconsequential to JC anyway.

Then there's the acting...  Apart from Meg Foster, the rest of the cast are well below par in this film.  I've watched Stan Shaw (Sheriff Tashtego) in other roles and I've always enjoyed his performance.  Except that in this flick he doesn't appear to get in touch with his inner Tashtego and just opts to shout a lot.  The worst for this is Michael Sirow as Miller.  Miller is meant to be holding a deep-rooted anger for JC after watching him rip his father's heart out of his chest.  Though what we get is just the shouting without the emotion.

I'd only recommend that followers of the Jeepers Creepers Saga should watch this one, though only if there's nothing else worth watching... like the original Jeepers Creepers, which is way superior to this one.

I give this a daylight disgrace of 4.25 out of 10.

The Trailer

Free KIndle Horror Novella

The Suicide Plan

By Emma Clapperton

A chilling new suspense novella.

Standing up and welcoming everyone to the spiritualist church is something Patrick McLaughlin does most evenings. Most of the faces in the audience are familiar to him, except one. David Hopkirk walks into the West End Spiritualist church in Glasgow and slits his own throat in the middle of a demonstration. But why?

Patrick is then catapulted into a case, which sees the death of a child, a failed court case and a family torn apart.

Soon Patrick will have all the pieces of the puzzle but will he be able to fit them together in time?

The next instalment of this chilling new series is now available:  Beyond Evidence

Click here to collect novel

Movie Review - The Evil Within

The Evil Within

2017

Supernova LLC / The Writers Studio : Vision Films

7.5 / 10

This is a special movie, not just because it's a brilliant and original horror movie, but because of the story behind the making of the film.

The writer and director Andrew Getty started this film back in 2002 when it was titled "The Storyteller" and was released in 2017 under the current title, two years after Getty's death due to an ulcer causing internal bleeding.  This is a shame as he spent so much money on the project and wasn't around to see his creation brought to life... or take credit for it.

The story is about a mentally handicapped man, Dennis (expertly portrayed by Frederick Koehler), living in his brother's, John (Sean Patrick Flannery), care.  Dennis is plagued by twisted and dark nightmares for which a tall grey man claims responsibility.  Then one day John and his girlfriend, Lydia (Dina Meyer) bring home a mirror for Dennis' bedroom.  Dennis hates the mirror as he doesn't want to loose his hamsters like he's lost his comic collection.  However, his decision changes when his reflection starts talking to him and offers him a way to get better... to get smarter...

It was the trailer that had me salivating at the thought of watching the film.  However, be aware the movie isn't how it looks on the trailer.  Instead of an exciting run-of-the-mill horror what Getty gives his audience is a deep and powerful insight into the human psyche and not just through Dennis, but all of the other characters have some kind of dysfunction.  John is hiding a secret.  Lydia has relationship issues.  Even Pete (Tim Bagley) - who is only in the film a few minutes - hates people touching him and invading his person space.

The film can even be taken a couple of ways.  It could be a very dark psychological thriller or it could be a supernatural entity possession, making it a horror.  It works in either genre.

The star of the show is Frederick Koehler as Dennis.  He is brilliant at portraying the character, giving him facial ticks, body form, hand gestures, and a speech impediment.  His acting is really believable and draws the audience into the film more.  However, it's Flannery's and Meyer's characters that appear flat at times, a little too dimensional and wooden; I think this may be the characters they were playing or the direction at the time of the scenes, as both of them are good actors.  It just jars the mood and atmosphere at times and this is a bad thing as the movie depends on mood and atmosphere, which Getty builds beautifully.  It's also great to see Michael Berryman again.

This film reminds me of Phantasm in its essence and spirit, and like Phantasm I will gladly watch this film again... and again... and, probably, again...  There are a lot of interesting and well thought out concepts in this story, which should send a chill down your spine.  However, if you prefer shock horror over creepy and atmospheric then this probably won't be your cup of tea.

  

Movie Review - Zombies Have Fallen

Zombies Have Fallen

2017

Infinity Film Company : Green Apple Entertainment

2 / 10

With a title such as this, I was looking forward to a parody of Olympus Has Fallen and London Has Fallen movies.  An agent on the attack against an enemy that outnumbers the good guys.  This is, on one level, what you get; on another level, it doesn't come anywhere near the standards of the Hollywood movies.

Don't get me wrong, I know this was made on a shoestring budget as it's painfully obvious when you watch it.  Some of the locations are dire.  There's an opening scene where the director of the pharmaceuticals company who is holding Kyra to observe her psychic powers, gets into a lift.  This appears to be a grimy car park lift they used one Sunday morning when no one was around.  The director's office is a small room with crappy office tables and nothing on the walls... maybe he sold the stuff to make the film(?)

The zombie effects are also very weak and could have been done by the actors themselves as there are quite a few varying designs; the best by far being...

...and you only see her for a few seconds.

Sam Fountayne, who directed and wrote (under the pseudonym Sam Hampson), gives the audience a run of the mill film with no special or attractive camera shots or angles.  Along with the cast's below average acting skills, it makes the movie bland and boring, even when the action hits the screen.  This is a shame as the premise of the story could offer the viewer an entertaining hour and a half if everything had been done better.

A girl with psychic powers has been discovered, she is taken to a laboratory where she is watched and trained to utilise her talents to her best ability.  She arranges a breakout and all hell ensues as the company try to recapture their number one asset...  Wait a minute that sounds all too familiar...

Ah... That's right...

Watch Stephen King's Firestarter with Drew Barrymore and Keith David rather than this.  There are no zombies in Firestarter though the premise is the same as Zombies Have Fallen.  However, the director can direct and the actors can act pretty well, oh yeah Stephen King can write one hell of a story.

Another good thing is the poster for the film, though I cannot help but think they knew how bad the movie was so they altered the title from Bad Blood, to make use of the popularity of the "----- Has Fallen" movies.

I actually prefer the Zombies poster, it's a little more dynamic - so yay for the artists.

It's a shame this film wasn't given the cash influx it deserved as it could have been so much better.

Movie Review - Devil In The Dark

Devil In The Dark

(2017)

Co-Pilot Film Services : eOne Entertainment / Momentum Pictures

2.25 / 10

Nice poster shame about the film... well, shame about the story actually.

This is NOT a horror story, nor is it a thriller.  Basically, this is a drama about two brothers and their relationship in relation to their father and his death.  These two brothers, Clint, played admirably by Dan Payne, and Adam, nicely acted by Robin Dunne, are two very different people with different interests and lives.  Though in an effort to build some kind of connection between them Adam asks his brother to go on a camping trip with him.  Clint turns it into a hunting trip.  Adam agrees though he doesn't like hunting.

Adam suffers from a reoccurring nightmare where he's a kid lost in the woods.  He finds himself in a strange clearing of dead trees that are decorated with stags antlers.  There's something in the woods with him though he never gets to see what it is.

Imagine his horror when on the hunting trip with his brother they find themselves in the very same dead tree clearing.

It takes half of the film to get to this point.  Up until then, we see the brothers arguing with each other, remembering past times, reconciling over other things.  Even though the actors do a good job with their characters it's the story, written by Carey Dickson, that makes them unbelievable.  It's not until the second half of the film that we're told it was Adams idea to come see his brother; if this is the case then why does he arrive late to dinner, wasting time driving around the town, and leave quickly afterwards to spend time with his old drinking buddies getting drunk.  This doesn't ring true and there are plenty of other places in the script that feel the same way.

The director, Tim Brown, doesn't bring anything to the film.  Instead of creating an atmosphere of unease and terror in Adam's dreams or when the brothers are troubled in the woods, he just gives the audience a bland rendition of the story.

The big letdown of the film is the reveal of the woodland monster.  If you're a horror fan you'll know instantly where you've seen the naked blind albino humanoid form before - in a more terrifyingly atmospheric film than this, is where.  On the heels of that is the "twist" at the climax.  It's been done before and better - you just know it's coming.  It's meant to leave you with a chill.  It just left me sighing and shaking my head.

There are some good elements in the film which should have been built upon.  The dead tree clearing.  The stag's antlers.  The antler tunnel.  With these alone, a good writer should be able to form a story to chill the bones.

If you like horror films or thrillers then stay away from this movie, you won't get anything out of it.  Though if you like dramas with moaning brothers in them... I still wouldn't recommend it.

Movie Review - XX

XX

(2017)

Snowfort Pictures / Scythia Films / XYZ Films : Magnet Realeasing

6.25 / 10

This is a wonderful concept four stories directed by four women - and in that respect, much kudos for the poster artwork, sexy Lip-Skull-Kiss.

I'll break this down into the four short films, but let me say that the Dark Fantasy, stop-motion, animation segue's that tie the stories together is superb and quite haunting, in its own right.

The Box - Penned by Jack Ketchum is the best film of the four.  Jovanka Vuckovic wrote the screenplay as well as directing the film.  She does a good job of bringing a tenseness to the whole tale of a family going through a mysterious trauma after her son looks into an ambiguous present a stranger is holding, on his lap, on the subway train.  From that moment on he stops eating.

Vuckovic did a good job of casting as all the actors and actresses in the story do a commendable job of portraying their characters, along with their feelings.  Jonathon Watton is especially believable as the dad, Robert Jacobs, who is scared, angry, worried, and concerned for the safety and future of his son.  Whereas his wife, Susan Jacobs, suitable portrayed by Natalie Brown, distances herself from the happenings and troubles in her family... until it's too late.  Though one of best characterisations comes from Michael Dyson who is brilliant as the man on the train with the mysterious present; right from the moment he turns his head to look at the boy, you know this isn't going to end well.  There's something dark and ominous about the man in the black fedora.

Liked this film a lot and though you never know what's in the box... I really don't want to find out.

The Box - 8/10

The Birthday Party - This segment was written and directed by St. Vincent (AKA Annie Clark).  For me, this is the weakest of the four stories and isn't even a horror story.  What you have in this little story is a poor relative to "A Weekend At Bernie's", without the dark humour.  A rich woman wakes up in her big house and is getting the place ready for her daughters birthday when she stumbles across the dead body of her husband, who she thought had been out all night.  Instead of calling the police she decides to hide the body from their daughter and the nanny.  What's worse is that if you didn't actually get the joke, Clark decides to literally spell it out to the audience in the way of a two-part chapter heading- this is when my heart sank even further.  I won't even mention the characters except that a more unbelievable cast I have never seen.

The Birthday Party - 1/10

Don't Fall - This is a strange title for the story as it has nothing to do with falling.  What writer and director Roxanne Benjamin gives you is an action tale of possession.  While out hiking, four friends come across a strange petroglyph on a rock.  That evening one of their group goes missing...  The bad thing about this story is there's no atmosphere, no feeling of terror or horror that something supernatural is occurring.  There was plenty of instances within the story where Benjamin could have created tension but no she went for all out action.  This was a waste of a story - it could have been so much more.  The acting was average and the actresses who played Gretchen, Breeda Wool, made her too irritating. 

Don't Fall - 5/10

Her Only Living Son - Karyn Kusama is the writer and director of this bright tale of darkness.  I liked the fact she tells most of this story about a boy's eighteenth birthday and his right-of-passage into more than just manhood out of the shadows of night and in the brightness daylight.  This is a difficult thing to do as horror and tension lead itself to darker arenas.   It's the strangeness of the characters and their actions, as well as some situations, that give the feeling something isn't quite right in this town.  I would have liked a little more tension and oppressive feeling, given the ending and the reveal, but on the whole, Kusama does a good job.  The characters are believable, I particularly liked the postman, Chet, portrayed well by Mike Doyle.

Her Only Living Son - 6.5/10

I would recommend this film for The Box and the segue, though only to die hard horror fans that can sit through the bad bits.