Vinyan

Plot:

Paul and his wife Jeannine decide to visit Thailand and spend some of their vast fortune taking care of those who need help. When the 2005 tsunami hit, their young son disappeared, but because his body was never found, they never gave up hope. At a dinner party, they see a video of young children being held captive and Jeannine becomes convinced that she sees her son on the tape. Paul isn’t as sure, but he agrees to go off and try to locate the boy. They find a local guide, but quickly find themselves caught up in a world they don’t understand. Jeannine is obsessed with the idea that her son is just around the next bend and unwilling to give up.

Trivia:

Director Fabrice Du Welz was also responsible for the thriller Calvaire.

Thoughts:

I’m actually surprised that more people haven’t heard of Vinyan because it’s actually a fairly dark movie. I stumbled across it in the cheap bin at Big Lots and found it confusing, fascinating, annoying and sad all at the same time. The character of Jeannine wins my vote as one of the most annoying female movie characters of all time. She’s so obsessed with her own thoughts that she doesn’t notice anyone else and wrecks her relationships. Paul should have smacked her several times over the course of the movie. If you have yet to see it, take some time and you might be surprised. It’s not the typical horror movie, but it has a very dark and disturbing feel.

Desperation

Plot:

A group of random people are all arrested or attacked by a police officer in the Nevada desert. Among the trapped are a father and son and a famous writer. The cop seems a little off, talking funny and not making sense. The group realizes that he was possessed by a presence known as Tak, which came from a nearby mine shaft. Their only hope lies in one small boy and the two younger people who may know what’s going on.

Trivia:

Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name.

Directed by Mick Garris, who also directed the King TV adaptations The Shining, The Stand and Riding the Bullet.

Steven Weber also starred in the Steven King TV adaptation of The Shining and Matt Frewer had a major role in The Stand.

Thoughts:

This one isn’t a favorite of mine because Desperation is just too long and too confusing. I read the book again not too long ago and I kept thinking that the actors in the movie just didn’t match the characters that they’re meant to play. I find it hard to picture Weber for example, as a happy go lucky guy just riding around behind a major writer. Maybe back in the day it was a good fit, but not anymore.

After Dark Horror Fest: Dark Ride

Plot:

Two twin girls venture into a dark ride attraction at a boardwalk park. They’re brutally killed by a figure that comes out of the shadows. Years later a group of college students head off on a spring break trip to New Orleans. Cathy, her on again/off again boyfriend Steve, her friend Liz, Liz’s ex-fling Jim and their friend Bill are all along. They stop and discover a flyer for the dark ride and decide to stop. After picking up a female hitchhiker, they find themselves trapped in the dark ride, with a killer on the loose.

Trivia:

Jennifer Tisdale (Liz) had roles in Ted Bundy and The Hillside Strangler.

Part of the first After Dark Horror Fest.

Trivia:

I actually like Dark Ride, though I’ve heard that quite a few other people hated it. It has some good kill scenes, like one that takes place during a blow job and a funny little fake out scene, where you think one thing happens, when something completely different happens. It also has a nice little twist ending that you might not see coming. The friend I recently watched it with, thought it was surprising and so did the boyfriend the first time he saw it. It was one of the better releases for the first After Dark set.

Saw

Plot:

Adam and Dr. Lawrence Gordon wake up in a weird bathroom, chained to the floor, with a dead body laying between them. They find a tape recorder that when played, gives them messages about what to do. Gordon realizes that it’s the work of a serial killer known as Jigsaw for the way he traps his victims in puzzles. A man holds Gordon’s wife and daughter hostage, until he’s ready to play the game. Meanwhile, a police detective is trying to track down the killer.

Trivia:

Tobin Bell (Jigsaw) appeared in all seven of the films, as did Shawnee Smith as Amanda. Cary Elwes surprised many by returning for Saw 3-D, after only appearing in the first movie.

Thoughts:

I actually saw this one in the theater, without knowing anything about it. I left, thinking it was an okay movie, but little more. Then a few days later, I realized what a good flick it was. I think on its own, Saw is still a great horror flick and it has an ending that no one saw coming. I doubt anyone thought this would become one of the best modern day horror movie franchises.

Vampires

Plot:

A group of vampire hunters tracked by the Vatican, kill a house full of vampires in New Mexico. Later, the master vampire emerges and comes to the hotel where they’re staying. He turns a prostitute sent to the hotel, as well as most of the hunters. The hunters, along with the a young priest and the prostitute who hasn’t yet turned, set about working together to kill the master before they’re all killed.

Trivia:

John Carpenter was given two scripts by two different writers, based on the same book. He used a little of both to make the final film.

Thoughts:

I always have good thoughts about this movie, but when it came time to actually sit down and watch it again, I kept putting it off. I couldn’t seem to sit down and watch the whole thing through. The movie isn’t that long, but it feels long. There’s a lack of big surprises and it tends to drag at times. The one bright spot is James Woods. Seeing him as a bad ass vampire hunter, makes it all worthwhile.

Growth

Plot:

Once upon a time (i.e. the 1980’s), a group of scientists worked on an experiment on a small island, hoping to make better soldiers. The experiment backfired, the experiments attacked and most of the island dwellers died. Years later, a young girl goes back to the island with her boyfriend, brother and friend. Someone wants to buy her dead uncle’s house and she needs to clear it out first. Once there, they discover that whatever happened to the original residents isn’t quite over.

Trivia:

Director Gabriel Cowan also worked on Breathing Room, while Brian Krause appeared in Sleepwalkers and on “Charmed.”

Thoughts:

I have to admit that I was a little surprised to see this one rated so low online because I actually liked it. The DVD cover art got to me first and then when I read the back, I thought it sounded interesting. The movie gets going really fast, unlike others that try to build up suspense. Within the first few minutes, you get the first death and then it just takes off from there. Growth did have a few characters I could have lived without and some of the scenes seemed convenient, but it kept me entertained.

Pumpkinhead 3: Ashes to Ashes

Plot:

A group of local townspeople discover that the mortician is giving them all the shaft. Instead of cremating people, he’s stealing organs and tossing the bodies in a swamp. They track down Haggis, a local witch and force her to call forth the spirit of Pumpkinhead. Once he’s “alive” again, he sets about killing everyone. The doctor decides to kill all the people who called him, which will make him disappear again.

Trivia:

Lance Henrikson comes back to play the same role in had in the original movie.

Horror movie connection: Doug Bradley (Hellraiser).

Thoughts:

This is another one of those movies that my boyfriend walked in on, wondered what the hell I was doing and then proceeded to watch the whole thing. I’m not exactly sure what to say about this one because it kind of came out of left field. I watched the second one recently, then jumped to this one, which completely ignores the last one. It didn’t seem to have a lot going on. I was hoping for some more gore, but I guess you shouldn’t expect too much from a television movie.

Grizzly Rage

Plot:

Four friends decide to head into a marked off area of the forest, as a way to celebrate their recent graduation from college. Wes and his girlfriend Lauren are joined by his friends Rich and Sean. They accidentally hit something, which turns out to be a bear cub and in the distance, they can hear the sounds of the momma bear. They attempt to escape, only to discover that the car is severely damaged and in need of water. It’s a battle of wills, as the bear grows closer and their numbers diminish.

Trivia:

Part of the Maneater series, which had its premier in the United States on the SyFy Channel.

Thoughts:

I’ve heard a lot of bad things about this movie and I’m going to play devil’s advocate because this is by far not the worst movie I’ve seen. It’s easily one of the more entertaining movies from the Maneater series and I think I’ve seen most of them. The problem is that it isn’t really a horror movie. You have scenes of a bear in the wild and then scenes of people running from the bear or acting scared of the bear. It kind of reminds me of a 70s flick, where they mix scenes of nature with scenes of actors. It doesn’t really work, but the actors are some nice eye candy.

Slither

Plot:

Local businessman Grant is pissed off when his much younger wife refuses to fool around and ventures out to a bar. After heading outside with another younger woman, he’s attacked by weird snake like creatures and completely changes. A few animals start turning up missing, including pets and cattle and then people disappear too. The local sheriff, who secretly crushes on the man’s wife, gets involved when everything circles back to Grant.

Trivia:

Director James Gunn also wrote Dawn of the Dead and later went on to judge the first season of “Scream Queens” on VH-1, where the winner got a part in Saw 6.

Thoughts:

I can’t even begin to explain how much I hated this movie when it first came out, I mean really hated it. I thought it was stupid, not funny and not scary either. While looking for a completely different movie at my used store, I found a copy of this for $2 and decided to try it again, mainly because I like Nathan Fillion. Much to my surprise, I discovered that I actually kind of liked the movie this time. It had enough humor in it, to cut through the horror, without ruining the movie. It definitely feels like a tribute to the cheesy horror movies of past generations, without taking itself too seriously.

The Fourth Kind

Plot:

Dr. Abbey/Abigail Tyler is an Alaskan resident, who lost her husband in a freak accident and is now raising their kids. She begins working with patients who all claim that a white owl visited them at home and that weird things are happening. After one of her patients dies and another is paralyzed, the doctor begins having odd experiences of her own. Eventually she discovers that she and her patients all went through the same thing, but that she repressed her memories and somehow it’s tied into her husband’s death.

Trivia:

The studio actually paid money to an Alaskan group because of its negative portrayal of the state.

Supposedly based on a true story, but now revealed to be based only on a few cases of disappearances in the area.

Thoughts:

I wanted to see this movie for awhile and bought it pretty cheap. The BF and I planned on watching it one night, but halfway through it he decided to go to bed, rather than wait up to finish it. I kind of wish I did the same thing. It’s not necessarily stinky, but the movie is just lame. It didn’t have anything to capture my attention and I felt my mind drifting off and thinking about other things. I think this one could have been a lot better, especially with the cast it had.

After Dark Horror Fest: The Hamiltons

Plot:

Francis, a teenage loner, begins filming his family and documenting them after their parents die. His older brother moves the family, including twins Wendell and Darlene, to a new town. Wendell and Darlene keep themselves away from the family. While the family seems normal, though a little dark, we’re treated to scenes of what they do, including kidnapping, torturing and killing young women and men. Francis appears to be the only normal one in the family, but the others warn him that soon he too will change and become just like them.

Trivia:

Part of the After Dark Horror Fest’s first lineup of films.

Thoughts:

In honor of Halloween, I decided to blog about a horror movie that’s not very well know, but it pretty damn good. I have a list of movies I need to write reviews for and I skipped about four that are in line, just to review this one. I saw it when the first After Dark flicks were released and promptly forgot about it. Seeing it this time was like seeing it through fresh eyes, especially since I forgot the ending. This is the kind of twist ending that you should see is coming, but doesn’t and that ending is why I recommend it. You might be surprised to learn that the family isn’t just another group of serial killers.

So I made it through my goal of reviewing one horror movie a day for the entire month of October. My new goal is to list at least 15 reviews for November. I figure that if I start off with a small goal, I might hit another review/day like I did this month…

Zombie Strippers

Plot:

A group of scientists working on improving soldiers, accidentally creates a new breed of zombies. They call in a group of elite fighters to combat the zombies, but one gets bitten and runs off. He hides in a strip club, but accidentally infects one of the dancers. She’s such a popular dancer that all the other girls decide to turn into zombies too. Suddenly the shithole strip club becomes super popular, even though the dancers are quick to bite and feed off customers.

Trivia:

Horror movie connection: Robert Englund, man that guy sure gets around!

Thoughts:

We stopped by Big Lots because I heard that the stores had a new shipment of cheap horror movies. The boyfriend picked this one up and made a joke, but I put it right in my pile. I know it’s horrible and I think that’s why I like it so much. I saw it when it first came out and had some vague memories of it, but that was nothing compared to how bad it was when I watched it this type. Despite that, it had some fun scenes and made me laugh, so I guess it can’t be all bad.

Scream

Plot:

A young girl is taunted over the phone by a slasher who later appears, kills her boyfriend and kills her. The movie then jumps to Sydney, a teenage girl who lost her mother the previous year to a presumably different killer. She’s suddenly taunted by this new killer, who also taunts her friends and begins killing them off one by one.

Trivia:

References a number of other horror movies, including A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Exorcist, Prom Night, The Howling, Halloween and Psycho.

Thoughts:

Do I really need to write a review of Scream? I’ve had the boxed set pretty much since the day it came out on DVD and I’ve seen it a dozen times at least. I’d like to call it a new classic, but that sounds kind of cheesy. I’ve also noticed that it tends to lose something over time because it just doesn’t seem as much fun and different today, as it did back then.

I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer

Plot:

A group of friends play a prank at the local carnival, making guests think that the guy from the other movies is back for revenge. One of the group is accidentally killed during the prank and they decide to cover it up, rather than take responsibility for what happened. Despite keeping it a secret, the following year someone comes back, wearing the same outfit and killing off those involved. They learn that the dead boy told others of their plan and now they have more than one suspect.

Trivia:

Rumors exist that there *might* be yet another sequel to the franchise. This one is rumored to have some of the same characters and possibly the original writer back on board, or at least have some connection to the originals.

Thoughts:

There’s a nice attempt to kind of connect the movies, by explaining that what happened in the others is thought to be an urban legend. Later they explain that it actually happened, but no one in this movie was involved. What I hate is that they went overboard with the red herrings. Every time you turn around, there’s yet another person who knew about the “secret” prank and yet a new suspect. By the time it got to the actual reveal, I could care less.

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever

Plot:

Poor Paul is struggling to survive the events of Cabin Fever and even though he’s diseased, he manages to make his way out of the woods and onto the road. Unfortunately, he’s hit by a bus and killed. Our loyal cop friend Winston, makes the bus driver think he hit a moose and covers the whole thing up. Yet the bacteria filled water is already making its way around the world, or at least to neighboring towns, as a water company fills up bottles with the infected water. The water is used by a local school at its prom and of course, whacky hijinks ensue. The group of teachers and students get trapped inside the school, even as the government attempts to stop the spread of the disease.

Trivia:

Both Rider Strong and Giuseppe Andrews reprise their roles of Paul and Winston from the first movie.

Director Ti West actually asked for his name to be taken off the movie because he was so disappointed with the end result.

Thoughts:

I was excited when I heard about this movie, in part because Rider Strong, who was presumably dead at the end of the first movie, was coming back. When he died within 5-10 minutes, I had a feeling that I would end up disappointed…and I was. This movie isn’t at all what I expected. It doesn’t really fit with the original Cabin Fever and seems like it was played more for jokes, than it was for horror. The way the virus/disease spread doesn’t fit with the original and it doesn’t seem to act in the same way either. Paul’s makeup at the beginning was a little too overdone and once it started hitting others, it was almost instant. Like one girl drinks the water and in the next scene, she’s completely infected and spreading it to others. That’s one fast acting virus!

The Mist

Plot:

David Drayton lives on a lake with his wife Stephanie and son Billy. After a huge storm hits the town, he starts cleaning up and runs into his neighbor Brent. He notices a weird patch of mist coming across the lake, but shrugs it off. When he, Billy and Brent decide to head into town and stock up on groceries, they realize that there’s something in the storm. Tentacles come from the mist and weird creatures attack the store. Those who survive barricade themselves inside and hope for the best, even while a smaller group looks to the “lord” for help.

Trivia:

Based on the Stephen King story of the same name, though it has a much bleaker ending.

Horror movie connections: Thomas Jane (The Tripper, Dreamcatcher, Laurie Holden (Silent Hill), Andre Braugher (“ ‘Salem’s Lot”) and William Sadler (Devour, Demon Knight, Bordello of Blood, The Hills Run Red).

Thoughts:

I drove the boyfriend pretty much insane when we watched The Mist recently because I read the story and had it stuck in my head throughout the whole thing, so I kept telling him crap about the story. I know I was highly annoying. That said, I really like this movie. I think that the CGI stuff is a little lacking and dare I say, a little lame? That ending though, makes the whole movie. It was completely unexpected and something that stuck with me well after seeing it.

The Final Destination

Plot:

Nick and a group of friends hit the local track for a race one day. An accident on the track spirals out of control, sending debris into the crowd and killing a number of people. Bobby realizes that he just had a vision, like the other people in the other movies. He freaks out and leaves the tack and a few random people follow. Not long after, everyone he saw die in his visions, starts dying in real life and the surviving members must find a way to cheat death.

Trivia:

Despite being called The Final Destination, there’s actually a new movie coming out in the franchise.

Horror movie connections: Nick Zano (Joy Ride 2), Krista Allen (Feast) and Justin Wellborn (Dance of the Dead).

Thoughts:

Expect to see a future review of the movie from the 3-D perspective. I made the mistake of renting the basic version of the movie (rather than buying the damn thing) and basing my review on that. Less than a week later I found the disc on sale, complete with 3-D glasses, for just a few dollars more than I paid to rent the thing. Anyway, it’s the typical Final Destination movie, complete with random deaths, but it didn’t really have anything that stuck out in my head. Yeah, the pool scene was kind of gross and I liked the car wash scene, but the overall feel was fairly bland.

They

Plot:

Julia’s friend Billy calls her and asks her to meet him. The two were friends as kids, but haven’t spent much time together recently. Billy warns her that the night terrors they had when they were kids have started coming out and he somehow connects those dreams to demons/ghosts from another world. He warns her to watch out and then kills himself. Not long afterwards, he kills himself and she begins experiencing night terrors of her own.

Trivia:

Horror movie connections: Marc Blucas (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, Thr3e) and Ethan Embry (“Freakylinks”, Vacancy, “Masters of Horror”, “Fear, Itself”).

Thoughts:

They is such as odd movie that has some good scenes and a kind of twist ending, but it’s hard to classify. There’s really nothing new or unique about the movie and at times it feels like a rehash of other flicks. I used to really like the movie, but it’s kind of worn off on me. When I watched it recently, I found myself looking for the remote and checking how much time was left.

Wishmaster

Plot:

The Wishmaster was a type of genie that granted wishes, but made people wish they never asked. He’s captured in a jewel and the movie then jumps to the present day, or present at the time anyway. The jewel is taken to an auction house and given to Alex, an appraiser. She accidentally releases the Wishmaster, who begins granting people’s wishes in dark and disturbing ways. Alex is the only one capable of stopping him before he turns earth into hell.

Trivia:

Horror movie connections: Robert Englund (Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.), Kane Hodder (Friday the 13th, etc.), Ted Rami (The Grudge, Evil Dead franchise), Tony Todd (Candyman) and Andrew Divoff.

Thoughts:

This is another one of those movies that I originally saw in the theater and I now think I own three different copies on DVD, which was an accident. I bought the movie originally because it was cheap, then found a copy with the first two movies and then I picked up one of those super cheap sets that included other movies I didn’t have. Wishmaster is kind of a bad movie. I have to give big props to all the horror movie icons that were assembled here, including Wes Craven who was executive producer. The movie just doesn’t seem all that interesting to me now.

Raging Sharks

Plot:

This is what happens when sharks meet aliens! Two spaceships collide and a vessel is accidentally dropped into the ocean. Mike Olsen and his wife Linda are on board a research ship, but Mike is called away. The sharks that lived in the water near where the vessel crashed, start attacking humans and boats that come into the water. Mike becomes determined to get back on the ship and save his wife, before she too becomes shark food.

Trivia:

The seventh film in a row from Nu Image Films that combined acting with stock footage of shark attacks.

Thoughts:

I really don’t know what to say about this movie. It was so bad that it kind of circled back around and became good again. Does that even make sense? The boyfriend wandered into the room, while I was watching it and made a comment about my taste in movies. Then he proceeded to sit down and watch the rest of the movie without moving. It cracked me up. It’s one of those movies that kind of sucks you in and you aren’t sure why. To top it off, it was the kind of movie that you don’t feel guilty about laughing at because it kind of seems like actors get the joke too.