John of the Dead(1978)'s Horror Flick Reviews

Director – James Watkins

Cast – Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer, Misha Handley, Lucy May Barker, Shaun Dooley, Mary Stockley, Tim McMullan

Release Year – 2012

Reviewed by John of the Dead

While not initially stoked when I first learned of this remake/adaptation of the 1989 TV film and Susan Hill’s 1983 novel of the same name, I was eventually brought on board the bandwagon when I saw the first trailer for this one. The trailer looked dark, gothic, and like the Hammer films of decades ago that so brilliantly employed atmosphere to sell their work, and I must say that this work of the rejuvenated Hammer Films stayed true to form. This effort also stayed mostly true to the original story, giving us good levels of creepy fun as scares were chosen over gore, and with good direction from Eden Lake director James Watkins and positive usage of Daniel Radcliffe in his first post-Harry Potter role we are given one of the better horror remakes of recent time.

Daniel Radcliffe stars as Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer tagged with the responsibility of traveling to a small village to sort through an old widow’s paperwork at her island-esque estate. After arriving at the remote seaside village he learns that there is much more to the estate than paperwork when he comes face to face with the ghost of a scorned woman terrorizing the locals.

This is one story that I just love. The original novel terrorizes the reader, and based on that novel we have now been given two adaptations that both provided their own usage of the original story to provide good horror. Naturally there are some differences, like name changes, certain details left, and additional ideas thrown in that were not in the original story (changes in the way characters die). Aside from those differences the two films give the same overall storyline, and both result in a good horror experience. In regards to this newest version of the story, adapted by Stardust/Kick-Ass/X-Men: First Class writer Jane Goldman, we are given all of the most important of the original storyline and in well-told fashion. The story paces very well, taking its time but managing to deliver enjoyable scares early on. It does not take long before Arthur Kipps arrives at the small village and begins to suffer the haunting trauma that the townsfolk have suffered for years, and from then on our the scares and jolts never subside for longer than required to move the story. I applaud Jane Goldman, in her first horror writing credit, for giving us mostly well-written scares that were simple yet effective so long as the director does his/her job (more on that later) and not settling for too many cheap gimmicky scares, although there were a few of them. I was not surprised to see a few cheap scares given this is still a PG-13 Hollywood effort, and thankfully did they little to ruin the horror. The usage of the woman in black was positive and reminiscent of the TV movie that preceded it, and we were given more usage of the supernatural than merely the woman in black. The dialogue was great and it made for good character play between all of the characters involved, most of whom were used pretty well and not so much just to take up space. We witness Arthur suffer much hostility from the townsfolk as his very presence brings forth death to their quiet and subtle community, making for good conflict and additional obstacles to stand in his way as he aims to complete his work in a weekend’s time. In addition to the conflict associated with being harassed by a vengeful spirit and the townsfolk we also witnessed Arthur experiencing personal conflict regarding his family. His young son lost his mother during his birth, and Arthur’s job has kept him away from his son during a developmental age where parenting is very important. Of course, there is also the possibility of harm done to his son due to his interactions with the woman in black.

Director James Watkins did a pretty good job executing this piece, with much of his success resulting from his excellent use of dark and gloomy atmosphere. The sets are fantastic, bringing forth a big sense of eeriness throughout the small village that was made even more remarkable during the scenes at the old woman’s estate, an estate surrounded by muddy marshlands that make the place an island when the tide rides in. This atmosphere was essential to providing good horror as it made for many dark shadowy corners for the woman and other ghosts to hide in, and when they made their presence known it usually resulted in something good. The jump scares were so-so, with one of them giving me a nice jolt, but the rest of the scares were simpler yet very effective thanks to Watkins’ execution. Most of the ghosts are CGI, especially the scenes with the woman in black, but surprisingly enough the CGI did not detriment from the film and I suppose made possible some scares that would have been hard to achieve via live-action FX. So, how was Daniel Radcliffe, one of the film’s highest selling points? He did a pretty good job in this piece, as did all of the other actors involved.   Long gone was the young boy who grew into a young man while dressing funny and carrying around a magical stick for almost a decade– instead we are given a young solicitor(lawyer) with a lot to lose if he fails to finish the job, and he takes on the woman in black headstrong. I admit it was kind of fascinating to watch him portray such a mature character after playing the same one for a decade, but he managed to sell each emotion in his performance as a veteran actor should – although only a few emotions apply in this case.

Overall, The Woman Black (2012) is a positive adaptation of the esteemed classic novel that much like its TV movie predecessor brings forth a great experience of spooky supernatural horror by focusing on simple but effective scares and a darn good story that will keep you engaged throughout.

Rating: 7/10

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

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

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

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

Director – Steve Miner

Cast – William Katt, George Wendt, Richard Moll, Kay Lenz, Mary Stavin, Michael Ensign, Erik Silver, Mark Silver, Susan French

Release Year – 1986

Reviewed by John of the Dead

I knew I saw this film as a kid but honestly remembered absolutely nothing about it and figured it was time to refresh my memory given this being a notable 80s horror film. While I did not really know what to expect I did expect to enjoy this piece and thanks to its heavy usage of re-animated corpses and Steve Miner’s direction I received what I wanted from this experience – one that includes the usual 80s horror elements that we love so much. Coming off comical and zany in the vein of The Evil Dead, House makes for a fun experience not meant to be taken seriously but one that sure enough provides good horror and spooks.

When Vietnam veteran / horror novelist Roger Cobb’s young son disappears while visiting Roger’s aunt his life is thrown into shambles – losing his wife and ruining his writing career. When Roger’s aunt dies in mysterious fashion, in the very house she herself said was haunted, Roger moves in in hopes of finding the solitude needed to write a new book and revamp his life. However, soon after moving into the home he learns that his aunt was far from crazy and that the same spirits that drove her to her death will do the same to Roger.

I really do love films like this one. While I did not absolutely love House I loved the look and feel it brought with it. You should know by now that I love films that involve the supernatural as well as those that employ a character moving into a new home and suffering the consequences of the secrets it harbors. We get both of those elements used very well in this piece and it does not take long for the carnage to get going. Night of the Creeps and The Monster Squad writer/director Fred Dekker came up with this story, later scripted by Ethan Wiley in his debut writing effort, and gave us plenty of awesome and gory antics that left me enjoying this more than I expected to. Things start off a little slow at first but it does not take long for Roger to make his way into the home and almost immediately after setting foot in the place he is bombarded with the demons and spirits possessing the home he once grew up in. We get plenty of monster and creature action, which I adored, however what really surprised me was how crafty the spirits were in bringing up the darkest moments of Roger’s life and manifesting them before him in an effort to bring back his personal demons that have always haunted him within his mind, except now they are appearing before him in violent fashion. Once things get going the story paces well and continually provides good horror until the end credits roll.

Friday the 13th Part 2 (the best one) and Friday the 13th Part III director Steve Miner followed these solid efforts with this piece, solidifying himself as one of the best early-80s horror directors and eventually one of the best of all time thanks to the enjoyable films of his latter years (Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Lake Placid). From the get-go we are thrown into awesome atmosphere that comes off a bit comical due to the tranquility of the neighborhood the house is located in that heavily contrasts with the events going on inside in, events Roger Hobbs would have liked to avoid. The horror Steve Miner provides is great and includes numerous instances of life-action creature FX that were downright spooky and awesome to watch as well, which as I mentioned earlier came off with a slightly silly feel much like that displayed in The Evil Dead. I really marveled at the look of the creatures, which were downright horrifying and used greatly in their mannerisms. We get good performances from all involved and the musical score replicates the heinous events going on within the home, a home I am glad I did not grow up in.

Overall, House is a fun 80s horror feast that provides plenty of good horror via live-action creature action and re-animation that made for enjoyable horror sure to please fans of these types of films. The execution is a bit silly at times, which only added to the fun, and in the end this low-budget effort proved to be another solid horror experience from a veteran genre director incepted by the mind of Fred Dekker.

Rating: 7/10

Director – Jim Sheridan

Cast – Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz, Elias Koteas, Marton Csokas, Taylor Gaere, Claire Gaere, Rachel G. Fox, Jane Alexander, Brian Murray

Release Year – 2011

Reviewed by John of the Dead

A boring night lead me to the local “dollar theater” (that charged $1.50 per evening showing) and while I really wanted to see Drive I figured it was about time I give this mostly-horror film a watch for review. I went in expecting mediocre results at best and that is almost what I was given in this silly waste of time, one that I am glad I only spent $1.50 on instead of full price. Now can I have my $1.50 back?

After quitting his job in hopes of spending more time with his young family, Will Atenton(Daniel Craig; Cowboys and Aliens) joins then in a new home purchased in hopes of new beginnings and a published novel. Soon after moving into the home they learn of the dark events that have plagued it for years, but nothing is as it seems in this ever-developing psychological horror/thriller.

Before going into this I had heard of this being a failed attempt at replicating The Sixth Sense, and I can see where those comments arose from. While the storylines are nowhere near the same, Dream House plays on Will Atenton suffering a life-changing revelation when he realizes that the traumatic events that occurred in his “new” home were committed by none other than himself, and that he is not actually Will Atneton, but a killer who escaped charges for the killing of his family. He of course refuses to believe this and the rest of the film follows him as he tries to understand what he has just learned and learn the truth behind what happened, if it even happened at all given he still sees his family every day in his home. I do give props to writer David Loucka for coming up with a fairly complex and always-developing storyline that is fairly unique in its own right, however in all honesty I thought this storyline was too mushy at times. It really felt like there was too much going on for most the film after the revelation was revealed, and from then on out things only become worse in how silly things became. When I say things became silly I REALLY mean things became silly, when was ever-present during the final act where Will’s wife Libby(Rachel Weiss; The Mummy) was speaking riduculous nonsense to him from “the other side”. I was honestly thinking to myself “How on earth can established actors like Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts, and Rachel Weiss stand to speak such pathetic nonsense?” but I guess that is the price to pay when work is slow and you desire a paycheck.

Director Jim Sheridan did well with this piece, giving us awesome atmosphere and good performances from all of the actors involved. His execution of the film was great, giving us decent tension at times from a storyline that held back the experience from being a worthwhile one. There really is nothing scary about this piece, can frankly I don’t remember it ever claiming to be scary, but nonetheless the filmmakers chose to market this as one and it will be forced to endure the resulting criticism regarding the horror it doesn’t provide. Much like Daniel Craig and Rachel Weiss I was very surprised to see Naomi Watts(The Ring) and and director Jim Sheridan attached to this pathetic effort, and while to their defense it was the storyline that made this such a horrible experience they are still a part it whether they like it or not.

Overall, Dream House is a film you should stay away from due to the extremely silly nonsense brought on by a pathetic storyline that should have stayed on writer David Loucka’s table and not on the silver screen. The performances are good and the direction is positive, but they are nowhere near enough to make this a film worthy of a watch, EVER.

Rating: 4/10

Director – Brian Gibson

Cast – JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O’Rourke, Oliver Robbins, Zelda Rubinstein, Will Sampson, Julian Beck, Geraldine Fitzgerald

Release Year – 1986

Reviewed by John of the Dead

Poltergeist remains one of my favorite childhood horror films and one that I still enjoy watching to this day, but I really could not remember what went on in it’s sequel, Poltergeist II: The Other Side and whether or not it was even worth watching. I saw the opportunity to give this one a watch and after doing so I must say that not only does this pale in comparison to the original but this was not nearly as enjoyable as I expected it to be.

After the supernatural events that haunted them in the previous home the Freeling family has relocated to a new home in hopes of starting new lives, but their troubles are far from over when the malevolent force returns to their new home.

I didn’t expect this to be as good as its predecessor but I did expect it to be better than it turned out to be. The storyline is so-so, continuing the troubles of the Freeling family just in a different location, with a few new prominent characters added to the mix. The usage of Taylor, a Native American shaman, was positive, as was his nemesis Kane, a creepy old man with ties to the horror the Freelings are experiencing. Once again Carol Anne is on the front lines of this battle between good and evil, and thankfully her character was not wasted either. Those of you familiar with the mysteries surrounding this series may be wondering what was made of Carol Anne’s sister Dana Freeling given the beautiful actress Dominique Dunne was killed after the release of Poltergeist, and to answer your question there is absolutely no mention of her in this film. Yes, that is right, she simply disappeared. From what I have read it seems there was a mention of her filmed in which her parents state that she is away at college and the clip was removed from the final cut. If that is true then I guess I cannot blame Steven Spielberg and his other two writers for this gaffe, which is a stupid one to say the least. Sadly Spielberg’s writing did little to help the film aside from that as most of this flick consisted of uninteresting material. Sure we are given a few creatures here and there in scenes that I enjoyed, this really was a pretty toned down experience compared to its predecessor, and the climax to the film is absolutely ridiculous and one of the most laugh-out-loud sorry endings I have ever seen.

Director Brian Gibson did an OK job with this piece, giving us good atmosphere and positive sets to help keep the viewer engaged, and the creatures used were pretty sweet looking and well-executed. Sadly the horror overall was pretty tame and never the least bit scary or even creepy, although he got a stellar performance from Julian Beck as Kane. This film definitely had more of a childhish feel too it and I believe that negatively affected my enjoyment, which coupled with his poor direction of the stupid and moronic made for faults that I just cannot forgive.

Overall, Poltergeist II: The Other Side is a letdown for those who wish to see more of what went on in Poltergeist. While we get the same family and another haunting presence that brings forth some fair creature action at the end, the rest of the film lacks the punch given in the first and adjoined with a horrible climax this flick is one that could have been better, but is far from that.

Rating: 5/10

Director – Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman

Cast – Christopher Nicholas Smith, Lauren Bittner, Chloe Csengery, Jessica Tyler Brown, Dustin Ingram, Katie Featherston, Sprague Grayden

Release Year – 2011

Reviewed by John of the Dead

This is one film we in the horror community knew was coming when Paranormal Activity 2 raked in big profits last year. Obviously it’s climax pretty much left any advanced storylines off the table, and the only option was to take on Hollywood’s newest trendy way to keep you spending money on the same franchise…a prequel. This time focusing on what lead to the hauntings suffered by Katie in Paranormal Activity and her sister Ali in the sequel, we are given more haunting material shown in the same POV fashion that ultimately results in another fun ride for this franchise.

Before the events that occurred in Paranormal Activity and Paranormal Activity 2, Katie and Ali stumble across a box of old video tapes from their childhood – tapes they have no recollection of. Upon playing the tapes we are thrown into year 1988, in which the young girls befriend an invisible guest residing in their home who has sinister plans for them and their family.

I admit I was a bit curious as to how these two girls wound up in the hauntings they were in, and my interest grew with every film as more and more details emerged. Disturbia and Blood and Chocolate writer Christopher B. Landon seems to have helped me out with that a bit, and I credit him for coming up with some clever tactics that made what should have been a repetitive experience a fairly creative one instead. Delving into the girls’ childhood forced us into a different era that made for a different “look” for the film, both with the sets used and especially the camera quality. Overall the events that take place are pretty much the same as the other two films: a camera is set up to record suspicious activities, the activities grow in supernatural presence, and in the end we are given a strong final act that bleeds high tension. The only real difference is the time frame and the fact that we already know what happened to the little girls – they became big girls who got in a nasty fight with a demon – so throughout the piece you have the calm feeling knowing that they are not going to die…yet. Each of the characters involved provided positively to the film, with none of them useless or merely used to take up space. The parents of the girls were the usual parents, not believing the girls at first but then soon realizing that they should have been listening all along. This was especially prevalent in the usage of Dennis, the girls’ step-father, and their mother Julie. Dennis is the one who sets up the cameras (it’s always the male doing so in these films) and in this case it is him who is trying to convince Julie that something is going on. This spousal conflict is pretty much a staple in supernatural horror films, with one of the spouses believing in the paranormal and the other being the rational one who believes only in what they can see and explain – sadly for them, what you cannot see or explain is what kills you in this story. I was very surprised to see that it was Julie who refused to believe in what was going on and it was the man, Dennis, trying to convince her. It was the opposite in the two previous films, so it was a nice touch to see something different for a change. So now that I’ve written all of this boring nonsense you probably want to know about the horror right? Well, I am pleased to say that once again this series has provided us with worthwhile horror. If you enjoyed the first two films then you know what to expect with this one and it does deliver. I will admit that most of the scares were pop-up ones, with some of them a little silly (in a fun way, you’ll see), but in the end I was pleased with the scares written into the film. My only real beef with this piece is the climax, which seemed to be what most people disliked about the films in this series, and given that they all seem to end in the same tone it is safe to assume that that is just how the filmmakers wish to end these flicks.

Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost serve as the film’s directors – directors who made themselves known with a little indie documentary film from 2007 titled Catfish. I was unsure as to how the direction would be due to this two director combo, something we had yet to see in this series, but in the end I was pleased with the results. Their atmosphere is great and they use positive sets that allow for creepy angles for the video cameras to be placed in, and their ability to provide good tension left me very pleased. I am a huge fan of drawn-out scenes that force the viewer to squirm in his/her seat in anticipation of what is going to happen, and those scenes were employed numerous times in this 81 minute experience. We were even given a pretty creative tactic involving a panning video camera on a homemade device, an idea that was used to full potential to provide these drawn out scenes that I just mentioned. The acting performances were fair and each of the actors came off as real as can be (an important element in these POV pseudo-documentary films), but my only slight gripe was the execution of the scares. Their execution of the tension was great, but I honestly felt that the scares lacked the punch felt in the first two films. Not one time did I get chills during this piece, which I received plenty of in the previous ones, but I did feel my heart in my throat at times in regards to the tension they created. This could partially reflect on the writing in that Mr. Landon chose to write scares that would have been hard to execute properly, but I just don’t see that and I blame the directors for this. Aside from that this is a well-directed effort that shows these guys have what it takes to hang in the genre for now.

So is the series over? I believe it is. The first two films pretty much closed off the advancing storyline regarding the two sisters, and this one aims to take care of what happened previously to them. I can see how they would continue the series by giving us ANOTHER prequel taking place between this film and the previous two, but I cannot see how the filmmakers could make that interesting enough to give us another solid horror film.

Overall, Paranormal Activity 3 is another solid effort in this series that gives good horror and great tension thanks to positive direction and an interesting storyline who together managed to keep things fresh and interesting for those who have kept up with the series. Recommended.

Rating: 7/10

Director – Gregory Hoblet

Cast – Denzel Washington, John Goodman, Donald Sutherland, Embeth Davidtz, James Gandolfini, Elias Koteas, Gabriel Casseus, Michael J. Pagan, Robert Joy

Release Year – 1998

Reviewed by John of the Dead

This is a film that had been on my queue for a very long time, but I could never find a solid two hours to devote to it’s 124 minute runtime until now. I knew going into this film that it would not be a devout horror effort but more of a supernatural thriller instead, however the elements of horror at play were plentiful and made for a film that most horror fans can find joy in. The storyline is an interesting one that I found unique for the genre, and coupled with good direction it made for an enjoyable two-hour experience.

Homicide detective John Hobbes can finally chalk up another victory in the name of justice when he personally witnesses the execution of Edgar Reese, a seasoned serial killer caught by Hobbes himself. His joy and relief are short-lived though when soon after the execution a series of murders matching Reese’s style occur around the city, with each murder hitting closer and closer to home for Det. Hobbes.

What I really wanted going into this piece was a smart cat-and-mouse game adorned with good kills and a satisfying climax, and despite my enjoyment of this piece only a few of those qualities were achieved. The storyline included many of the usual serial killer vs. cop antics, but things got creative when the supernatural element kicked in as we learn the serial killer had managed to swap his soul with an ancient demon capable of possessing different bodies simply by touch. This allowed the killer to keep Hobbes constantly out of the loop and always several steps behind him until he figured out what was going on, which still left him at a severe disadvantage against a killer with a strong agenda to hunt down the man that hunted him down. Nearly all of the film deals with the investigative process as well as Reese’s torment of Hobbes through his peers, strangers, and even family, which made for good conflict and tension as well. Once the third act kicks in we are given a few twists and turns, and sadly writer Nicholas Kazan built them up to fall when he gave us a truly pathetic and stupid climax that I left me with my head in my hands. This was really the only major fault in the film so it did not hurt the overall experience very much, but this definitely was not a good way to end a positive film.

Director Gregory Hoblit did well with this piece, giving us great atmosphere and engaging visuals that kept my interest throughout this two hour film. The sets used are fantastic, and along with his grainy and somber cinematography the atmosphere really envelops in the gloomy world that Hobbes is forced to live in as he is tortured by an unseen killer. Of course Denzel Washington is great in his role and sells every line of his with great poise, and thankfully several other great actors were cast to aid him in this, including Donald Sutherland, John Goodman, and James Gandolfini. I really wanted to see better kill sequences in this film, and while I knew better than to expect kills like those in Se7en (a relative film), I did expect better than the ones we were given here. We see little to no gore, and what little gore we do see comes at the end of the film via a few bullets to the heads of some unfortunate fellows. Hoblit’s credits show that he has a knack for these thriller type films, and given his lack of gore in every other effort it seems it is just not his style.

Overall, Fallen is a positive supernatural thriller giving us some cool concepts not normally seen in the cop vs. serial killer sub-genre, and along with good direction from Gregory Hoblit we are given an engaging film that never loses touch during its two hour runtime. The kills are nothing special but they failed to affect this film in a negative manner. Recommended if you enjoy these thriller-type flicks.

Rating: 7/10