Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron – 8
Director – Victor Cook, Tad Stones
Cast – Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, John Hurt, Doug Jones, Peri Gilpin, Jim Cummings, J. Grant Albrecht, James Arnold Taylor
Release Year – 2007
Reviewed by John of the Dead
The animated Hellboy series continues after Sword of Storms with Blood and Iron, an equally enjoyable piece that once again gives us Hellboy & co. kicking supernatural ass in animated fashion.
We follow the crew as they investigate a large mansion purchased by a friend of the senator who funds the paranormal ass-kicking force. The mansion holds much significance to Professor Broom, who in 1939 defeated the powerful female vampire Erzsebet Ondrushko at that very mansion, and he joins the crew to ensure the the mansion is still safe. When it becomes apparent that someone is trying to bring Erzsebet back from the dead, Hellboy & co. aid the professor in finishing unsettled business after over half a century of waiting.
I really enjoyed this storyline, adapted by Kevin Hopps from Mike Mignola and Tad Stones’ story, thanks to it involving Professor Broom to a much higher level than usual. Told in the past and present time we follow Broom as he fought to vanquish a woman who believed that bathing in the blood of young beautiful women would keep her young. Of course, this dilemma was ultimately left unsettled and Broom saw the need to investigate the mansion before the senator’s friend turned it into a ghost-themed hotel. I loved watching the storyline develop with constant flashbacks to the events that Dr. Broom saw occur at the mansion, events that are now occurring all over again. Each of our characters was used positively, especially our main characters in Hellboy, Professor Broom, Liz Sherman, Abe Sapien, and newcomer Oliver Trombolt. There is plenty of action written into this piece, which I assumed would be so, and it was great in giving us numerous antagonistic character for Hellboy and his troops to destroy, including: ghosts, wolves, witches, harpies, a giant werewolf, and Erzsebet herself in several different forms. In addition to this Kevin Hopps defied cliches often associated with animated films and gave us fantastic dialogue that aiding in presenting and developing the characters so positively.
Directors Victor Cook and Tad Stones did a great job with this one, giving us awesome visuals, great sets, and the usual enjoyable elements associated with these Hellboy films. The vocal acting performances are great, and much like Sword of Storms Hellboy, Liz, Abe, and Prof. Broom are voiced by the same actors who portrayed them in the Hellboy live-action flicks, making this piece all the more enjoyable for that reason. And the action? The action was fantastic and consisted of awesome looking antagonists and plenty of brutal confrontation in this epic battle between good and evil.
Overall, Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron is an awesome animated flick sure to please fans of the Hellboy series thanks to it giving us all of the same sweet elements found in the live-action films.
Rating: 8/10
The Haunted World of El Superbeasto – 7
Director – Rob Zombie
Cast – Tom Papa, Paul Giamatti, Sheri Moon Zombie, Rosario Dawson, Brian Posehn, Ken Foree, April Winchell, Dee Wallace, Danny Trejo, Laraine Newman
Release Year – 2009
Reviewed by John of the Dead
Rob Zombie has become a household name in the horror genre these days, finding himself in a love/hate relationship with genre fans who have seen his films (I’m more love than hate), and what really intrigued me about his work was this film, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto. I have always wanted to view more animated horror films, and this one coming from a veteran genre director of the live-action variety captivated me given I would get to see his transition from live-action to animation. Coming off in a comic book-esque feel regarding its characters, storyline, and overall feel, this under-appreciated animated effort from Rob Zombie makes for one of his better films and a unique entry into the genre that was highly overlooked when it debuted.
The title says it all as we follow El Superbeasto, a washed-up Mexican luchador still eager to leave his mark on the world, as he and his sultry sister Suzi X battle against Nazi werewolves and the evil Dr. Satan.
Right from the get-go I felt the one emotion that I’m sure Rob Zombie aimed to deliver to his viewers: joy. We are immediately thrown into the fun antics of Superbeasto, now a wannabe porn star and frequent spokesperson for any product that will pay him money to promote it. He does however still harbor some of the same qualities leftover from his wrestling days: extreme ass-kicking ability, charisma/charm, and a strong weakness for the opposite sex. His character was superbly well-written, providing great dialogue and loads of fun that I expected to see but found had surpassed my expectations. It does not take long before we are introduced to Dr. Satan, a man who will soon become Superbeasto’s arch-nemesis as his yearn to “save the day” aka “save the hot stripper he just met” eventually brings him face to face with Dr. Satan. Superbeasto’s sister, Suzi X(Sheri Moon Zombie) was also used in a positive fashion, delivering a good amount of ass-kicking as well while donning skimpy spandex and often finding that it is hard to slay Nazis without her breasts popping out. Now that we are on the subject, I must say that this is a fairly “raunchy” film for an animated non-hentai (hentai is actually mentioned in the story) flick, giving us lots of breast action, a few penis shots, but mostly breast action. Some may be turned off by this, but I honestly feel that this being shown in an animated fashion definitely makes it less raunchy compared to being shown live-action, which my perverted brothers will find much disappointment in. Rob Zombie’s story, which comes aided by 7 additional writers, is an awesome one that gives much more than what I mentioned above, including many more enjoyable characters who each added their own awesome positives and laughs to the experience, and coming in at a brisk 77 minutes this is one experience that takes off quick and never slows down.
So how is Zombie’s direction for this animated piece? I must say he did a fantastic job executing it on every level. As mentioned earlier, there is a heavy “fun” feel throughout this piece, and it comes due to him giving us a visually striking experience complimented with many great positives. For starters, the acting performances are incredible, especially that of Tom Papa as El Superbeasto. His ability to voice this dynamic character is amazing given Superbeasto is a brooding yet charismatic jackass who expertly employs both heavy and soft tones to his dialogue and mannerisms, both brought to screen greatly by Papa and Zombie. I was very surprised to see that Suzi X came voiced by the ever-annoying Sheri Moon Zombie, and I am glad that I noticed this after the film as I made the revelation all the more surprising and enjoyable. We are also given a few “names” providing voices in Paul Giamatti as Dr. Satan and Rosario Dawson as one (yes there are many) Superbeasto’s love interests, stripper Velvet Von Black. The action scenes are fun and Zombie makes great use of sound effects to sell the scenes as well as the rest of the film, with the only thing missing being the outlandish gore that I expected given this is a Zombie flick, but nonetheless I was pleased with the end result of his direction.
Overall, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto is a great animated horror film from a veteran horror director who mixes his usual schlock with a fun comic feel and delivers a great experience in the end. The performances are fantastic and Zombie’s execution is as good as ever, making for a flick I would suggest you check out if you want an animated horror film and do not mind a few somewhat raunchy (it’s animated) scenes.
Rating: 7/10
Black Sunday – 8
Director – Mario Bava
Cast – Barbara Steele, John Richardson, Andrea Checchi, Ivo Garrani, Arturo Dominici, Enrico Olivieri, Antonio Pierfederici
Release Year – 1960
Reviewed by John of the Dead
His first credited directorial effort, Mario Bava’s Black Sunday is often mentioned as one of the best horror films of all time and of the 1960s, coming from one of horror’s greatest directors. An epic in storytelling and direction, this witch-themed experience is heavy in the atmosphere Bava is known for, and with engaging elements of all sorts this makes for a film that lives up to its tremendous reputation.
When Katia Vadja(Barbara Steele) and her lover Javuto are convicted of witchcraft in the year 1630, she vows to return from the grave one day and achieve vengeance against the descendants of her executioners – before suffering death via an iron mask nailed onto her face. When traveling doctors en route to a medical conference stumble upon Katia’s tomb the unknowingly unleash her from what should have been eternal slumber, she seeks to destroy her killers’ ancestors as promised by possessing the body of one of her own look-alike descendants, Princes Asa Vadja(Barbara Steele – lulz Bava).
Based on Nikolaj Gogol’s short story “The Viy”, this screenplay, adapted by Ennio De Concini and Mario Serandrei, is a well-paced experience with plenty of character play, twists and turns, and most importantly…good horror. It’s not a new tactic for a condemned person to be resurrected from the dead and exact revenge on those who they felt wronged them, but this idea is used to full potential as we follow Katia’s vengeance-fueled quest to drink Asa’s blood and deceive those she is targeting. I enjoyed that there were numerous main protagonists in this film, and despite them all sharing screentime and attention I did not feel that any of them were not used properly or simply wasted characters – each provided their own positives and helped move the story. The horror provided is great, beginning with the awesome opening sequence where we watch first-hand as Katia and Javuto have iron masks nailed onto their faces, followed by numerous deaths brought on by the deceiving Katia and brooding Javuto, all winding up to a powerful climax heavy on the horror in the same vein as the opening act.
Mario Bava does a fantastic job in what was initially his first credited feature film, giving us the same fantastic atmosphere that later developed him into possibly the most influential horror director of all time, and a master in the art of atmosphere. Shown in black and white, Bava makes use of engaging sets and near-perfect lighting to provide a high level of visual enjoyment; visual enjoyment that also happened to consist of some darn good horror. The kill sequences were enjoyable and shot in a fairly shocking (for the time) full-frontal fashion that I heavily respect Bava for employing, and with great performances from all of the actors involved (including Barbara Steele as both Katia and Asa) Bava completes his early masterpiece of horror in incredible fashion.
Overall, Black Sunday is a horror epic from one of the genre’s most influential filmmakers that gives us a fantastic story bettered by incredible direction. Bava shows that at the inception of his directing career he had the necessary qualities to deliver good horror – qualities he possessed for nearly three decades.
Rating: 8/10
Scream 2 – 7
Director – Wes Craven
Cast – Neve Campbell, Jerry O’Connell, Elise Neal, Liev Schreiber, Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy, Duane Martin, Laurie Metcalf, Marisol Nichols, Timothy Olyphant, Jada Pinkett Smith, Omar Epps, Heather Graham, Tim Hillman, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Christopher Doyle, Roger Jackson(Voice)
Release Year – 1997
Reviewed by John of the Dead
Wes Craven’s well-received Scream opened the door for the modern day slasher film, in addition to poking fun at pop culture and horror, and it was only fitting that Craven would follow up his most recent “classic” with a sequel. Debuting less than a year after it’s predecessor, Scream 2 provides more of the same antics provided in Scream except in an inferior but still positive experience that will mostly likely only please fans who enjoyed the original.
Two years after the events that haunted Sidney Prescott(Neve Campbell) a new killer dons the “Ghost Face” mask after a movie about the events hits the big screen, once again bringing Sidney face to face with a killer very close to home.
So Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson gave us a film less than a year after the first that happens to take place two years after the first – crafty guys. The opening sequence is awesome and well-written, consisting of the debut of a film portraying the events that took place two years prior, only the killer is in the auditorium and decides to bring in some real life kills not seen on the silver screen. From then on out the conflict and mental anguish takes a toll on Sidney as she is bombarded by all who know of her past, including annoying newscaster Gale Weathers(Courtney Cox), Cotton Weary(Liev Schreiber), and Dewey Riley(David Arquette) – all returning characters of the original film. The rest of the flick plays off just like the first does, with the Ghost Face killer hacking those around Sidney and continuously heckling her in increasingly antagonistic fashion, ultimately boiling down to a showdown where the true killer is revealed. Once again Kevin Williamson provided a fun story that provides numerous horror homages and the fun element of high school that we can all relate to in some way/shape/form. As mentioned earlier, this storyline is simply Scream but with a few new characters – take it or leave it.
Wes Craven’s direction was what really sold Williamson’s story, expertly providing the fun feel required for these films and once again keeping me engaged over what was going on before me. His execution of the horror was positive despite me knowing what to expect (this IS a direct sequel), and just like the film’s predecessor we are given plenty of kill sequences that lacked the gore and insane kills that I wanted to see. He also gets good performances from all involved, however his execution of the characters may turn some people off, especially when the killer is revealed – one of my qualms that also occurred in the first film.
Overall, Scream 2 is a positive sequel that brings more of the same that Scream provided, which basically results in a film that fans of the first will enjoy, and one that haters of the first will hate.
Rating: 7/10
Wake Wood – 6
Director – David Keating
Cast – Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle, Timothy Spall, Ella Connolly, Ruth McCabe, Brian Gleeson, Amelia Crowley, Dan Gordon
Release Year – 2011
Reviewed by John of the Dead
I heard some good remarks about Wake Wood last year, but reviews from reviewers I trust made the film out to be a decent watch, which turned out to be exactly the way I felt about this one. The storyline is an original one that I very much appreciated in this convoluted genre, giving us good horror in a pagan package. Of course, the storyline also held the film back at times, compounded by bipolar execution that was sometimes great and sometimes far from it – keeping this low-budget Hammer Films effort from reaching the potential it could and should have attained.
Months after the death of their young daughter at the bites of a rabid dog, the still-grieving veterinarian Patrick and pharmacist Louise move to the small town of Wake Wood in an attempt to escape the sadness associated with their old lives. Soon after their arrival they learn of a pagan ritual that will allow them to spend three days with their deceased daughter – an offer that sickens them but at the same time is too tempting for them to turn down. Eager to be reunited with their resurrected daughter, the inevitable question looms: what will happen when they have to give her back, because nothing in life is free…
I really enjoy horror films that focus on grief, and Wake Wood employs that tactic wonderfully as we follow these still-grieving parents who defy all logic and reason and take the plunge into an unfamiliar realm just to see their deceased daughter for three more days. The conflict and drama involved in the decision-making process was great, and watching them reunited with their daughter continued to play on the high level of emotion provided by this piece. Of course, this is not a fairy tale but a horror film, so you know there has to be a heavy price for what the parents did, but in addition to that the heavy price they pay is overshadowed by the fact that their daughter came out a bit…different. Soon after the initial greetings the townsfolk of Wake Wood, all involved in the resurrection process, notice that there is something not right with the girl – that something went wrong during her resurrection – and it not only comes back to haunt the townsfolk but her parents as well, in addition to their sacrifice. I found these elements to be very engaging and was even more engaged during the resurrection process, a sequence that left me applauding writers David Keating and Brendan McCarthy for its originality and horrific nature. Their storyline does suffer at times, slowing down and never fully delivering on the chaos that I wanted the young resurrected daughter, Alice, to deliver, but overall their storyline was one that I enjoyed.
David Keating also serves as the film’s director, and it was here where the flick was kept at bay and away from a positive rating. The film’s budget is low and the quality of Keating’s cinematography shows it, giving us mediocre camerawork and a gritty, unpolished tone that did not seem purposeful but inevitable given the budget. I tried not to let this turn me off and was glad to see that Keating’s execution of the horror was great, especially that resurrection scene, and he got the most he could out of a cast that did a decent job selling their performances and the horror associated with them. I did wish we were given more gore than what was shown, which happened to come via some cheap CGI FX, but given the low-budget I assume that was just not possible.
Overall, Wake Wood is a borderline-positive effort from Hammer Films that despite some good potential thanks to a great and fairly original storyline still suffers from several faults that held it back in the end.
Rating: 6/10
The Innkeepers – 7
Director – Ti West
Cast – Sara Paxton, Pat Healy, Kelly McGillis, George Riddle, Alison Bartlett, Lena Dunham, Jake Ryan, John Speredakos
Release Year – 2011(VOD)
Reviewed by John of the Dead
After making a name for himself with slow-burner horror films The Roost and 2009′s The House of the Devil, Ti West returns with one of the best horror films of 2011(VOD)/2012 in The Innkeepers. Once again blessing us with a slow-burner in the vein of 80s horror, Ti West delivers another positive horror experience that comes with not only more laughs than usual but also great horror as well. Fans of the supernatural will be glad to see Ti West taking a shot at the paranormal, a shot that he gets right – proving that he is here to stay as one of horror’s best modern day auteurs.
It’s the final weekend of existence for the Yankee Pedlar Inn and the employment of its two employees, Claire(Sara Paxton) and Luke(Pat Healy). Both have a heavy interest in the paranormal, and with their boss out of town they seek to expose the hotel’s haunted past – a past that is brought to light when strange guests check in for the weekend.
I have always given Ti West props for his good direction, but after viewing this piece I must also give praise to his ability to write a damn good story. First off: the setting and the overall elements involved in the story are fantastic. We have an old spooky inn that is near closing, so if anything crazy is going to happen it has to happen before the weekend is over, and with our protagonists being ghost adventurers of sorts you can bet your arse we are going to get some good spooks before the credits roll. The story does start off a bit slow, typical of West’s work, but unlike his other films we are given a fair amount of comedy thanks to the quirky antics going on between Claire and Luke, which aided in keeping my interest until the horror surfaced. I admit that there were several times where I literally laughed out loud over what was going on, and much to my surprise there were simple yet crafty jokes that I never saw coming nor would have experienced in the horror genre. Once the first act is over we start receiving our first bits of horror as strange/odd guests begin checking in at the hotel, which just so happen to coincide with strange events that occurred and are still occurring at the old inn. Our protagonists employ some of the usual paranormal detection equipment, which despite seeming lame was not very lame at all, and was used to full potential given it not only proved a paranormal existence in the inn but angered whatever presence there was. Most of the horror is fairly subtle during the second act, however once the third act kicks in the horror hits the viewer with full force and delivers lots of enjoyable spooks and results in a climax that I not only found a bit unconventional for the genre but pretty enjoyable too for that reason. There are a few faults in the storyline here and there, mostly having to do with a few useless characters (the estranged wife hiding out at the hotel), and of course the fact that I wanted more horror during the earlier acts – which I know by now is just the way Ti Wests writes, but still.
West’s direction rivals his writing, expertly executing his story in high detail and securing my attention for the entire 100 minute experience. The character play between Claire and Luke is fantastic, with both Sara Paxton(Shark Night 3D, The Last House on the Left remake, Return to Halloweentown) and Pat Healy(Rescue Dawn, Ghost World) providing excellent performances in unique and quirky fashion – which I would expect from two crafty innkeepers with nothing better to due but surf the web and consume vegan products. Their chemistry was fantastic and provided for much of the “fun” feel the film brings, even during the scariest sequences. Speaking of scary, Ti West gave me some delightful scares that I was not sure would be made present due to the “fun” feel of this piece, but he showed his established prominence as director in giving us a harrowing third act that contained all the horror I need to find this film and enjoyable one – although I did want more horror. The look of the ghosts was great, especially the older gentleman, and West’s camerawork made for some pretty good scare sequences without actually showing anything, a tactic perfected by Sam Raimi and other greats decades ago. The sets used were fantastic and provided a nice spooky feel to the film, and throughout the entire piece I marveled at his cinematography and crafty camerawork that seems to come naturally to this awesome director.
Overall, The Innkeepers is one of the best horror films of 2011 and once again proves Ti West has what it takes to solidify himself as a genre filmmaker. The storyline is great and highly-engaging thanks to many unique elements going on, and his direction sells the storyline and the horror involved in equally engaging fashion.
Rating: 7/10
We Are the Night – 6
Director – Dennis Gansel
Cast – Karoline Herfurth, Nina Hoss, Jennifer Ulrich, Anna Fischer, Max Riemelt, Arved Birnbaum, Steffi Kühnert
Release Year – 2011
Reviewed by John of the Dead
I heard many good things about We Are The Night after it’s debut in mid-2011, but vampire films have never really interested me much so I took my time getting to this one. While not as good as I expected it to be I did find We Are The Night to be a pseudo fresh breath for the vampire sub-genre, at least for this day and crappy Twatlight age. Well-shot and with positive acting performances this effort provides enough engaging elements to warrant a borderline-positive review despite its storyline holding it back from being a great film.
After barely escaping arrest for theft, petty thief Lena continues down the downward spiral she calls “life” and attends a secretive rave party run by Louise, a centuries old vampire who believes Lena is the women she has been waiting for all these years. After “turning” the naïve Lena the new vampire is made the newest member of Louise’s group, a group whose constant feeding and disregard for human life leaves Lena at odds over who she is and wants to be.
Sounds a lot like The Lost Boys right? This story borrows from the Joel Schumacher classic so much that this is pretty much a ripoff of The Lost Boys except with an all-female vampire cast. Lena is the usual protagonist in these types of films – a loner with no direction in life who suddenly finds herself with the ability to live forever, so long as she is willing to accept being a vampire and all of the tidbits (drinking blood, killing) that come with it. This new life does provide her with something she has never had before…a life. Along with the eccentric Louise the group includes Charlotte, a silent film star from the 1920s, and Nora, a spastic loud-mouth sure to annoy the film’s viewers, all of whom provide for a crazy lifestyle Lena has never been a part of. Constant partying, killing, and stealing high class vehicles are what these vampires do on a near-daily basis, and despite Lena’s background as a thief she finds herself way over her head, especially the killing of human beings. The killings put Lena at odds with her new group, and along with her liking of a local police officer, Tom, she is forced to choose between the life she wants to live and the life she seemingly has to live. The conflict was well-written despite its unoriginality, but I did like that each of the vampires came from a different background and added some spice to the lineup. I did find many faults in this story from Jan Berger and Dennis Gansel, and they mostly consisted of poor storytelling that hinted at some great elements but never delivered. It does not take long before Lena is “turned”, and after the initial conflict of her transformation we are given many bland sequences that did not interest me very much. This came also due to the unenjoyable characters we are given, both the vampires and Tom, and despite this being a ripoff of The Lost Boys we were never given the sense of adventure it provided despite this film having our vampires on the run when the police close in on their killing spree. I blame the writing for this, and while the writers managed to give us a vampire film coming off as an original effort for this current day they also held the film back on multiple levels.
Writer Dennis Gansel(The Wave) also serves as the film’s director, and for the most part he got things right. His cinematography is great, providing beautiful visuals and great sets that bring forth the dark gothic feel that Germany provides during its night hours. We get pretty good performances from our lead actors, including Anna Fischer as the annoying Nora who I feel was written to be as annoying as she was. Karoline Herfurth was the most enjoyable as Lena, which came naturally given she had to play different personalities as her character evolved from loner loser to confident vampire. The horror was mediocre at best, giving us a few fair kill sequences but ultimately nothing was worthwhile, making this more of a drama following Lena than a horror film, and even then it was not a great drama.
Overall, We Are the Night is a film I expected better from but sadly fell short due to poor storytelling. The direction is good and there is a decent level of “fun” in the film, but ultimately this is just a decent watch that did not live up to the hype.
Rating: 6/10
I Saw the Devil – 9
Director – Jee-woon Kim
Cast – Byung-hun Lee, Min-sik Choi, Gook-hwan Jeon, Ho-jin Jeon, San-ha Oh, Yoon-seo Kim
Release Year – 2011(US)
Reviewed by John of the Dead
I Saw The Devil was one of the most talked about horror films of 2011 – coming from A Tale of Two Sisters director Jee-Woon Kim and returning Byung-hun Lee(Three…Extremes, J.S.A.: Joint Security Area) from self-imposed exile to give us another South Korean masterpiece of horror – in this case vengeance-themed. Adorned with numerous scenes of outright maniacal torture, I Saw The Devil is not a film you will soon forget thanks to an expertly written yet simple tale that comes well-executed and beautifully shot. This is not only one of the most awesome tales of revenge I have ever seen, but results in one of the most horrific horror films of 2011 as well as one of the best so far this decade.
When his pregnant fiance is brutally tortured and dismembered by a long-time serial killer, Special Agent Kim Soo-hyeon(Byung-hun Lee) sets out on a quest for vengeance to avenge her suffering – fully aware of the monster he must become to give the killer(Min-sik Choi; Oldboy, Lady Vengeance) a taste of his own medicine.
This may be the vengeance films for all vengeance films thanks to the incredible screenplay provided by writer Hoon-jung Park in his writing debut – a feat I still cannot fathom given how great this story is. The opening sequence throws us headstrong into the experience as we watch Agent Kim’s fiance killed in brutal fashion, followed by the news hitting Kim and his former future father in law. It does not take long before Kim vows to her father that he will exact vengeance against her killer, and from then on out we are given two hours of non-stop vengeance-fueled carnage at the hands of a man who lost the most important thing in his life. After locating her killer, Kyung Chul, Agent Kim begins his descent into horror by subjecting him to cruel torture, and then employs a few unique gadgets loaned to him by a friend at his agency. What are the gadgets for? They are used to track the killer. Why would he want to do that? The answer is simple: to keep beating the hell out of and torturing her killer over and over again. We witness Agent Kim get his revenge on the killer, let him go, then catch him again and subject him to even more torture than before, then let him go, and so on and so on. I had never before seen a film employ such a tactic and I found it supremely awesome and the biggest reason behind my belief that this has to be possibly the greatest revenge tale I have ever seen (in regards to the revenge element). It is during these sequences that we see Agent Kim become the monster he has to be to avenge his fiance, and this brought forth one of my favorite scenes in the film: one of Kim’s close female friends begs him to halt his reign of terror and realize that doing what he does will never bring his fiance back. His response is everything that I wanted it to be – he brushed her off and continued his vow of vengeance. One element that did surprise me was the fact that the killer never gave up on fighting back against Agent Kim despite getting his arse severely beat on numerous occasions. He manages to get back at Agent Kim in brutal fashion as well, and doing so not by going after Kim himself but those he loves. I mean, c’mon, this really would have been a boring effort had the duel been one-sided right? Coming in at just under 2 ½ hours, this story paces beautifully and never once lost my interest thanks to a lack of needless scenes that do little to move film. The film does slow down at times, but engaging material kept my attention throughout. While simple overall, Hoon-jung Park’s story is mean, brutal, and very enjoyable for those who enjoy vengeance in films, and complimented with a fantastic and very satisfying finish we are given possibly the best vengeance film of all time.
Director Jee-woon Kim was his usual awesome self, giving us a superbly executed film adorned with beautiful visuals, engaging camerawork, great acting performances, and most importantly…good horror. Jee-woon Kim leaves little to be deciphered as he gives us a full-frontal show of everything going on, showing no haste even during the film’s most chaotic sequences involving Agent Kim severing some very important tendons belonging to a now defunct killer still aiming to get back at Kim for what he’s done. The numerous torture and kill sequences are hard to watch at times and make up for all of the horror in the film, and Mr. Kim throws in enough gore in all the right places to add to our enjoyment. This was not an overly gory film as are most Asian revenge flicks, but I found the gore to still be abundant and used in a pretty classy fashion for the type of film this is. We are given excellent performances from each of the actors involved, with Byung-hun Lee and Min-sik Choi stealing the show as Agent Kim and the killer, Kyung-chul. Choi was diabilical as the killer and brought for an excellent mix of both patience and madness in one character, and Lee was his usual badass self who let his character’s reservations go and gave us an all-out bloody affair in this fantastic experience of vengeance-themed horror.
Overall, I Saw The Devil is one of the best films of 2011 and a definite “must-see” for horror fans. From start to finish this long experience takes us for a ride you will not soon forget as we stroll along a blood-filled path of vengeance unlike any I have ever seen.
Rating: 9/10
The Messengers – 5
Director – Oxide Pang Chun, Danny Pang
Cast – Kristen Stewart, Dylan McDermott, Penelope Ann Miller, John Corbett, Evan Turner,
Theodore Turner, William B. Davis
Release Year – 2007
Reviewed by John of the Dead
I remember being pretty stoked when I first saw a trailer for The Messengers back in 2007 due to it being directed by The Pang Brothers, whose film The Eye is one of my all-time favorites, and produced by Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Productions. Supernatural films have always interested me, and taking place in a rural farm environment usually provides nice creepy atmosphere, but despite those positive elements the film never amounted to what it could have been.
When Roy Solomon(Dylan McDermott; Hardware, “American Horror Story”) moves his family to a rural farm he just purchased he does so in hopes of finding financial success again through harvesting sunflowers. All is well at the quiet farmhouse until his daughter, Jess (Kristen Stewart; Twatlight) begins seeing weird phenomena around the home stemming from dark events that took place years prior.
Sounds like a storyline you’ve come across dozens of times right? The Messengers, written by Mark Wheaton, brings nothing new to the table despite my usual enjoyment of films that employ characters moving into a new home carrying a dark past. Setting the story at a rural farmhouse has positive given it isolates our protagonists from any nearby help, and the old creepy house made for some good atmosphere to aid in the film’s few decent scares. Wheaton’s story suffers as soon as it begins, giving us the usual cliches that we see in this films and furthering the nonsense with a “twist” that I saw coming miles away with little common sense. The character play is where the majority of the nonsense occurs, with the usual doubting of Jess’ sufferings by Roy and Denise(Penelope Ann Miller; The Relic) and the inclusion of a passer-by, Burwell(John Corbett), whose purpose was known the second he appeared on screen. So how is the horror? Well the scares written into the film are nothing new, however I fell they were written to appease the film’s popular directors…The Pang Brothers.
The Pangs were so-so in this film, giving us fantastic atmosphere and great sets that set the stage for some good horror to present itself, but the horror was hit-and-miss throughout this 90 minute effort. This being a supernatural film we are given plenty of ghost action, and it comes in the usual execution we see in Asian supernatural films – ghosts with very choppy mannerisms. Some will find this cliche, as I did, and in addition to that the scenes were not very scary as well. The acting performances were also mediocre, with none of our actors – Kristen Stewart, Dylan McDermott, Penelope Ann Miller - delivering a performance that I haven’t seen before, adding more the cliched experience this film provided. While I love the Pang Brothers and still find them relevant in the horror genre, The Messengers, their first American effort, may be a hint that they should stick to the Asian films they have had great success with.
Overall, The Messengers is a muddled experience full of the usual cliches found in supernatural horror films with Hollywood’s blessing – so bad that even the Pang Brothers could not save this one.
Rating: 5/10
11/11/11 – 2
Director – Keith Allan
Cast – Jon Briddell, Erin Coker, Hayden Byerly, Tracy Pulliam, Madonna Magee, David Bertolami, Rebecca Sigi
Release Year – 2011
Reviewed by John of the Dead
I will always be the first person to call myself a moron if I do something stupid, and for that I am a moron. Why? Well, have you heard of Darren Lynn Bousman’s 11-11-11? That is what I thought I was watching until the opening credits when I saw The Asylum as the film’s production company. At first I thought, “No wonder I’ve heard bad things about 11-11-11, Darren worked with The Asylum”, THEN after seeing how awfully atrocious this film was I checked the credits again and realized I was not watching Darren Lynn Bousman’s 11-11-11 but instead a piece o’ shyte ripoff typical of The Asylum’s films.
After moving to a new neighborhood Jack and Melissa notice strange changes in their son Nathan, changes that coincide with odd neighbors who believe he is the son of Satan and will bring forth the Apocalypse on his birthday, 11/11/11.
From the get-go we are thrown into this ridiculous and poorly-written story, which was decent during the first 10 minutes or so, but once the family’s neighbors began showing up on screen everything went downhill from there. Horrendous dialogue insults viewer intelligence throughout the film, and combined with a storyline that is one of the most uninteresting and uninspired I have ever seen you have a recipe for disaster as a screenwriter, and I virtually bitch-slap writers Keith Allan and Kiff Scholl for their cinematic atrocity. I really do not want to explain what happens in the film. The storyline should be enough for you to imagine what happens, and if this were even a little better of an effort I would give more explanation, but this one just is not worth it.
Co-writer Keith Allan also serves as the film’s director, and this being his first full-length directorial effort I can say that his career is headed nowhere – unless he continues to work for The Asylum. To make his horrendously-written dialogue even worse it comes accompanied by equally bad acting performances from every actor involved. Allan’s camerawork is pathetic too, coming off very amateurish and reminding me of home videos I made with my friends during my pre-teen years. So I guess I should at least mention the horror right? Well, much like good writing and good direction, there is not much of that either. The horror we do get is very poorly executed and almost laughable (not in the good way) at times, without a single scare in this 87 minute experience that should be shown to film school students regarding what NOT to do in the film industry.
Overall, 11/11/11 is a pathetic mocking of Darren Lynn Bousman’s 11-11-11 that I suggest you stay away from. Enough said.
Rating: 2/10
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