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 - Some Kind Of Hate

Some Kind Of Hate

2015

The Cast

"Relentless bullying has turned Lincoln's life into a nightmare. But he soon learns the true meaning of terror when he is sent to a remote school for troubled teens and the harassments start all over again. Only this time, someone is watching - a teenage girl named Moira who was driven to suicide by vicious bullying years ago. When Lincoln accidentally summons Moira from the grave, he unleashes a vengeful and unstoppable force on a mission of blood-soaked revenge."  Image Entertainment

At the start of the movie, I wasn't expecting to enjoy myself as it appeared to be another "loner" gets bullied and fights back scenario.  There's also a lot of washed-out colours in the opening sequence where we see Lincoln getting bullied.  I think this would have worked a lot better had Lincoln not been the stereotypical loner-come-nerd - your typical movie bully fodder.  They had a chance to address the whole bullying issue but missed a common truth, anybody can be bullied.  Also, the entire scene would have been more striking if you weren't expecting it; get rid of the diffused colours for normal light.  This would have also added a deeper and more prophetic character later in the film.  In fact, it's the stereotypes that let this film down the most, even though they are well acted by a decent cast.

As I stated above, the director likes to use colour effects to create atmosphere, which on the most part works well, though he doesn't stick to his own formula for the whole film, which gives it a jagged feel at times.  Also, some more imaginative camera shots wouldn't have gone amiss and would have helped in a couple of murder scenes, especially as the murders were carried out in a specific way.

For me, the best selling point of the film is the kills.  Just for the original way they are executed.  The fact that Moira has to cut herself for those slashes to appear on her victims is a magnificent idea... particularly when those cuts cause her pain.  This is a woman willing to suffer in death to give death.  The other good detail of the film is when Lincoln realises what's happening to his bullies and tries to stop Moira... believing she's acting on his wishes...  Though it's the story's climax where writer and director, Adam Egypt Mortimer, and writer, Brian DeLeeuw, make up for not addressing bullying correctly.  The scene where Moira meets her nemesis is well written and acted with feeling by Sierra McCormick.  You can feel Moira's anguish, fear, anger, and hate seeping out of her dead pores.

As for the rest of the cast, they are okay, though are restricted by the writing, in general.  This could have been a stronger and more relevant story had a few things been altered. 

I would have to warn people, though, that the scenes of self-harm are a little hard to watch at times.  So I have to give respect to the director for this.  It shouldn't be an easy thing to view.

If you like vengeful ghost stories this is the film for you... or if you've been bullied it's nice to see the bullies get their comeuppance, even if it's fictional.  For the gore-meisters out there it's worth a watch for the originality of the kills.

I give this a Revengeful Slash-tastic Death of 6.5 out of 10.

The Trailer