AKA: Kaidan, Ghost Stoies
Reviews / Author Comments due: 06/09/2014
Position on TimeOut list: 48
More Info: Wikipedia, IMDB
DVD: Link
TRAILER:
Sunday 31 August 2014
Week 172 - Kwaidan (1964)
AKA: Kaidan, Ghost Stoies
Reviews / Author Comments due: 06/09/2014
Position on TimeOut list: 48
More Info: Wikipedia, IMDB
DVD: Link
Saturday 30 August 2014
Vampyr - Will's review
A real tough review this week; Vampyr is remarkably well made, and would no doubt be a wonderful movie to study... But thoroughly failed to entertain me.
I'd like to be able to put my lack of appreciation down to it not having aged well, but sadly it received very poor reviews on release, and has only relatively recently come to be appreciated; proof f proof were needed that it is appreciated more for its technical excellence than it's value as a piece of entertainment.
I'd like to be able to put my lack of appreciation down to it not having aged well, but sadly it received very poor reviews on release, and has only relatively recently come to be appreciated; proof f proof were needed that it is appreciated more for its technical excellence than it's value as a piece of entertainment.
Vampyr - Lisa's Review
*** SPOILERS ***
Back to the 30's this week. When this movie started, I thought that, despite my general dislike of old movies that we were maybe on to something special, but nah... sadly not.
The general 'feel' and spooky atmosphere for the first half hour or so made me feel kind of unsettled, which when you're watching a horror, is a good thing. Sadly the spooky feel turned into a getting ever more bored and desperately trying to work out what the hell is going on. A case of "Is this actually happening or is it a dream/vision?". As time went on, I cared less and less what was going on, which is sad as this one started out with everything it needed to be impressive.
Sunday 24 August 2014
Week 171 - Vampyr (1932)
Switchblade Romance - Will's Review
Marie travels with her best friend Alex, to stay with Alex's family for the weekend and study. During the night a serial killer enters the family home and kills everyone except Marie (who avoids detection) and Alex (who the man kidnaps). Marie takes off after the psychopath to save her best friend, and both women endure a night of terror at his hands.
Cécile de France, gives (in the movies first act at least) an understated but brilliant performance as Marie; despite no obvious actions, it is clear that Marie is romantically attracted to Alex long before she peeps on her getting ready for bed (the first overt sign of either the attraction, or Marie's sexuality), and once the horror element kicks in the movie is a fairly standard, if gory and effective slasher.
Cécile de France, gives (in the movies first act at least) an understated but brilliant performance as Marie; despite no obvious actions, it is clear that Marie is romantically attracted to Alex long before she peeps on her getting ready for bed (the first overt sign of either the attraction, or Marie's sexuality), and once the horror element kicks in the movie is a fairly standard, if gory and effective slasher.
Week 170 - Switchblade Romance
Saturday 23 August 2014
Switchblade Romance - Lisa's Review
*** SPOILERS ***
Switchblade Romance this week. This is a sub-titled movie - french, with english subtitles. It was re-named for a UK audience (why, I have no idea). The original title was Haute Tension (High Tension). Personally I think the new title, as slick as it sounds, gives a bit more away than it should. Then again, who remembers the movie title when you're engaged in the action.
Week 169 - Night of the Demon
Night of the Demon - Will's review
In a short introduction a paranormal investigator, Dr. Harringtonton, meets with cult leader Dr Karswell, begging the satanist to "call it off", Karswell makes a half-hearted promise to "do what he can", but the scientist is killed by a demon on his way home.
Cue the bulk of the movie, in which Dr. Holden, an American scientist and friend of the now diseased investigator, travels to England to look into Harrington's death (which Holden believes to be either an accident), and himself take over the work of exposing Karswell as a fraud.
Friday 22 August 2014
Night of the Demon - Lisa's Review
*** SPOILERS ***
Ok, this one took me several attempts, stops and rewinds. Maybe I've got terrible concentration today and I'm very aware this is a late one from me, or maybe it was just that mind numbingly dull. Sadly since anyone I know who has seen this movie seems to have enjoyed it, it seems it's my own personal taste this time. So why didn't I enjoy it?
Sunday 17 August 2014
Week 168 - The Others (2001)
The Others - Will's Review
Spanish produced (but English Language) film, Set against the immediate aftermath of The Great War. Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidmen) lives in her mansion home with her two photosensitive children. Her hiring of three new servants co-insides with a series of strange events, leading Grace to believe that there are intruders in her home.
Saturday 16 August 2014
The Others - Lisa's Reviews
This is a movie that I have watched quite a few times, but one where I forget the finer details, so I watch it with 'almost fresh eyes each time. So after yet another watch, on to the review.
The Others stars Nicole Kidman as a conservative, religious woman called Grace, widowed by war, who lives in a a large isolated house with her 2 children Anne and Nicholas. The children suffer from a condition which means they are light sensitive so all the windows and possible sources of light are covered, making for a very dark and dreary home, hence giving us the mood for the movie.
Wednesday 13 August 2014
Week 167 - [Rec]
[Rec] - Will's Review
Spanish found footage movie: A reporter and her cameraman accompany a fire crew to what should be a routine call-out to an elderly lady apparently trapped in her apartment. Things quickly go awry when the lady appears to be suffering some kind of violent hysteria, and the health department seal everyone inside and declare the apartment complex a quarantine.
Sunday 10 August 2014
Week 166 - The Wicker Man (1973)
The Wicker Man - Will's Review
I'm going to plough ahead carelessly with spoilers and opinions for this one, on the assumption that you've seen it; if you haven't, stop calling yourself a horror fan until you rectify the situation! And if you don't intend to, you may as well skip this one; it'll make little sense, as I'm talking here directly to people that have.
Friday 8 August 2014
Kill Baby Kill - Will's review.
As some of you may know I have fallen many weeks behind with my reviews, and with the film stats (props to Lisa for soldering on in my near-absence). I'm not going to bore you with my excuses, but I will let you know that this movie is not making catching up easy.
You see, I've decided to get up to speed, then publish all of the missing pages in a catch-up week; and having torn through the last three reviews, this one ground me to a four-day halt again.
Week 165 - Kill, Baby… Kill! (1966)
Thursday 7 August 2014
The Old Dark House - Will's review
A flooding and landslides cause a group of strangers to seek shelter at a rundown mansion, inhabited by Horace and Rebecca Femm, an ageing brother and sister, and their mute butler (Karloff). As the night progress, the family's secrets come to torment them, and their unwitting guests.
Week 164 - The Old Dark House (1932)
Wednesday 6 August 2014
Poltergeist - Will's Review
As well as having Writing, Story, and Production credits for Poltergeist it's also pretty much an open secret that Spielberg was the real director too. Yes Hooper gets the credit, but it's well known that Spielberg wanted to direct, but legally couldn't because of his E.T. Contract, and all word from everyone on set (besides Hooper and Spielberg themselves) says that Hopper did the setup, but Spielberg made all final adjustments.
Week 163 - Poltergeist (1982)
Tuesday 5 August 2014
The Silence of the Lambs - Will's review
Another bone-fide modern classic this week.
I first saw Silence of the Lambs soon after it's release, which would have put me at 12 or 13 years old; I guess back then expected a bit more killing from my serial killer movies, and a bit less talking, because I never watched the whole thing.
Monday 4 August 2014
[REC] - Lisa's Review
It's getting good climbing the Time Out 100 best horrors list... for one thing the movies keep getting better. It's definately been more positive than negative of late and the same is the case for this weeks movie - [REC].
Weird title I hear you say, and yes, it is. I'm sure it's something we all recognise as the abbreviation for 'Record'. The title also has the little red circle which also denotes 'recording'. As the movie is a 'found footage' movie taken on a video camera by a Spanish TV crew, the title makes sense. The found footage in question is from the Spanish reality TV show 'While you were sleeping', which tasks itself with following people who make their living while the rest of the world are sleeping. This movie is taken as the crew follow a Barcelona fire crew; pretty young presenter Ángela (Manuela Velasco) and camera man Pablo (Pablo Rosso).
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