Horror Movies

[Sparhawk]

Just watched Hush on Netflix.

Saw the earlier reviews here and agree that it was very well done.
Not necessarily cheap scares, but an impending sense of anticipation and dread.

With the woman being both deaf and mute, there were several obvious elements that were to her disadvantage, but others that wind up being to her advantage.

Yes, there are some head scratching moments (if you're deaf, why would you try sneaking around outside?), but there are enough clever moments that give this cat and mouse game some life.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Lights Out (2016)


Took me a few months to finally get around to watching this film, and even longer to figure out how I felt about it. If you read my preview you know that I had been waiting for this movie for some time and was very excited for it. I'm always interested when an amateur director of a promising short film is offered the chance to make a feature film out of their original ideas. But I think I amped myself up too much for this movie. At first I was disappointed, but as more time passed by I started to think it was good. I will still admit that it wasn't the homerun that I was hoping for. It is a jump scare movie but there's some depth and story to it. Character development was great as most of them were likable. You actually get to care about the characters and want to see them survive. Acting was pretty good and the cgi/fx was good. Cinematography wasn't overly dynamic, but each scene was crisp & clean. The angles are well chosen and the play with light & shadow is creative. I guess my main gripe with it was the plot felt somewhat weak to me. Again, that could be a result of the high expectations. The story is compact and builds the tension pretty well to its inevitable climax. You get the feeling of being dragged into it which heightens the suspense for when it finally happens, even if you find it predictable. Overall this movie was solid, and the horror elements definitely work well as it provides the suspense you look for in horror films, but the plot was underwhelming and the script was fairly boring & straight-forward which doesn't pull much emotion. I'd still recommend it as it was enjoyable even if it wasn't memorable!

Entertaining to watch but overall pretty forgettable... 7.5/10

 

[Taddy Mason]

American Poltergeist (2015)


If you are in the mood for watching a bunch of stupid bimbos slaughter acting like none-other and not even show any nudity then this one is just for you. This one has it all: bad acting, bad plot, bad writing. You will not like any of the characters, and it isn't scary at all. It used every tired horror cliché in remarkably horrible fashion. The back story surely could have been better if they hadn't tried to tack it to a real historic and researchable case. A little more imagination could have gone a long way. The acting is so wooden that it could have been done better with hand puppets. Truly awful casting on this. I found it hilarious that these people were given jobs in acting. They must have knob-slobbered their way up the food chain to get these roles. It's just a horrible, horrible movie that has already been made a hundred times over. Don't bother with this film, as I'm sure there is some drying paint that needs watching?

Get highly intoxicated beforehand... 3/10

Wish I saw this review before I watched it. One of like 3 horror movies on Netflix I haven't watched (one of the other two is a sequel to this piece of shit). Your 3 might be a bit generous unless they're all based off of intoxication. Downloaded Lights Out and Krampus (the decent looking one), will give one of them a go later tonight.

 

[Taddy Mason]

Lights out

Was shot well, like you said, but as you mention, wasn't too much to the plot. When she first took her brother to her place at the beginning of the movie, I thought, oh, so this is like Darkness falls then. They go about it in a different way, while having some similar inconsistencies with how it works.

I'd say my main gripe was

Spoiler: Spoiler: For Face

The entire film they try to set up this link between the mothers psychosis/friendship with the actual manifestation of Diana that never rang true to me, as it always acted outside of itself as a separate entity. Felt like they wrote the ending of the mother sacrificing herself first and haphazardly came up with a way for that to unfold.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Lights out

Was shot well, like you said, but as you mention, wasn't too much to the plot. When she first took her brother to her place at the beginning of the movie, I thought, oh, so this is like Darkness falls then. They go about it in a different way, while having some similar inconsistencies with how it works.

I'd say my main gripe was

Spoiler: Spoiler: For Face

The entire film they try to set up this link between the mothers psychosis/friendship with the actual manifestation of Diana that never rang true to me, as it always acted outside of itself as a separate entity. Felt like they wrote the ending of the mother sacrificing herself first and haphazardly came up with a way for that to unfold.

Great connection Taddy! And spot on with all of your sentiments. I think if they dived a little further into the mental psychosis of the mother it may have created a stronger connection.

 

[SDGuy73]

Lights Out (2016)


Took me a few months to finally get around to watching this film, and even longer to figure out how I felt about it. If you read my preview you know that I had been waiting for this movie for some time and was very excited for it. I'm always interested when an amateur director of a promising short film is offered the chance to make a feature film out of their original ideas. But I think I amped myself up too much for this movie. At first I was disappointed, but as more time passed by I started to think it was good. I will still admit that it wasn't the homerun that I was hoping for. It is a jump scare movie but there's some depth and story to it. Character development was great as most of them were likable. You actually get to care about the characters and want to see them survive. Acting was pretty good and the cgi/fx was good. Cinematography wasn't overly dynamic, but each scene was crisp & clean. The angles are well chosen and the play with light & shadow is creative. I guess my main gripe with it was the plot felt somewhat weak to me. Again, that could be a result of the high expectations. The story is compact and builds the tension pretty well to its inevitable climax. You get the feeling of being dragged into it which heightens the suspense for when it finally happens, even if you find it predictable. Overall this movie was solid, and the horror elements definitely work well as it provides the suspense you look for in horror films, but the plot was underwhelming and the script was fairly boring & straight-forward which doesn't pull much emotion. I'd still recommend it as it was enjoyable even if it wasn't memorable!

Entertaining to watch but overall pretty forgettable... 7.5/10

All I need to know is......Does Teresa Palmer get nekkid in this?

 

[Chef99]

All I need to know is......Does Teresa Palmer get nekkid in this?

I don't even know who Teresa Palmer is and I agree!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

All I need to know is......Does Teresa Palmer get nekkid in this?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Incarnate (2016)


This movie is a mixture of The Exorcist, Constantine, and Inception. Pretty unique combination that makes for a cool premise, and the movie works fairly well overall. However, it never feels like it lives up to all the potential. Eckhart is great in the lead, but I think his talents are more than this film deserves. The movie is only mildly frightening, slightly disturbing, and somewhat intriguing. It's not great, but its definitely different from the norm. Could have been pretty epic if they had the budget to feature the demon. You only get to see its arms & legs for a brief minute during the climax. Pretty lame considering all that buildup. Makes you think, "really, that's all we get?" Probably burned up all of their budget on the dream-like exorcisms which were pretty cool. I think it's worth a watch if you're a fan of the demonic/exorcist genre, but temper you're expectations.

A unique twist on the genre... 6.5/10

 

[Taddy Mason]

Patrick (1978) - About a guy in a coma or is he? Moves at a snails pace.

The Burrowers (2008) - I feel like I watched this movie before and I probably did. Old west wannabe with not much going on. Some recognizable faces in the cast, but not much else.

Mother's Day (2010) - The horror type that is about being held captive/hostage by some people of questionable values. based off of everything else I watched it was the most viewable of the three for me.

Going to try out The Loved Ones now, fingers crossed.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Patrick (1978) - About a guy in a coma or is he? Moves at a snails pace.

I've watched the 2013 remake. Pretty crazy story. IIRC, pretty sure I liked it.

The Burrowers (2008) - I feel like I watched this movie before and I probably did. Old west wannabe with not much going on. Some recognizable faces in the cast, but not much else.

Never heard of this one. Doesn't sound like you recommend it?

Mother's Day (2010) - The horror type that is about being held captive/hostage by some people of questionable values. based off of everything else I watched it was the most viewable of the three for me.

Pretty sure I remember this one. Where the group of dudes led by their mother invade a house and take a family hostage?

Going to try out The Loved Ones now, fingers crossed.

My review (if you hadn't come across it): Horror Movies

Pretty wild movie. Hope you enjoy it.

 

[Taddy Mason]

I've watched the 2013 remake. Pretty crazy story. IIRC, pretty sure I liked it.


Never heard of this one. Doesn't sound like you recommend it?

Pretty sure I remember this one. Where the group of dudes led by their mother invade a house and take a family hostage?

My review (if you hadn't come across it): Horror Movies

Pretty wild movie. Hope you enjoy it.

It was alright. I liked how it was shot and the soundtrack as you mentioned. Don't know what was added to the movie by including the character of his friend and the cops daughter he went to the dance with (along with every scene they were in). Maybe I missed something where the cop decided to go to that house in the first place. The scenes with the kid in the house were nice. Could have dressed up some of the parts around it better.

 

[DJ]

Belated Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays to all the Horror nuts in here....

 

[DJ]

This looks freaking awesome. Shoutout to @BusSport for pointing it out in the Entertainment section.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Belated Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays to all the Horror nuts in here....

Right back atcha DJ! Long time no see...

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I am waaaaaaay behind on my reviews... I have some 20+ movies I want to put in here. Guess I'll start 2017 off with a bang

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Devoured (2012)


This isn't your typical horror movie. It's slow moving, but never really boring. It's easy viewing, but unsettling. Pretty hard to explain but I think its safe to say that not many people will like it. It has good acting & cinematography, and some pretty good use of lighting. Couple of good scares with decent cgi. The director goes for a poetic theme to this movie as there is a thick layer of sadness over the course of entire movie. You get the feeling that you are headed toward certain tragedy but you are constantly guessing what is going on. The climax wraps things up nicely and it was pretty clever. The film is pretty unique in its own right and in retrospect the overall story was cool, but there is almost zero suspense so some may find it difficult to stay entertained. My wife was more enthralled by her phone during most of the movie lol. Wouldn't recommend it unless this sounds like something you might like.

Slow-burning horror mystery... 6/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Cassadaga (2011)


As B-horror movies go this was actually one of the better ones. I actually really enjoyed the ideas and it was surprisingly thematically quite strong. Without giving away too much, it explores deep-seeded issues of desire for control spawned from a tragic childhood. The film goes deeper than just showing us that the villain takes 'control' using his victims. We actually get to know a little about his psyche and why he does those awful things. Strange thing is, which might be its biggest flaw, is the antagonist that I'm talking about isn't even the main villain. The movie focuses more on supernatural elements and leads you on a murder mystery of sorts. Gets pretty convoluted but the climax wraps it up nicely. The plot idea is original even if it is trying to ride shock-values that were introduced by movies such as Saw and Hostel. The acting, cinematography & cgi/fx are great. I would not put this on my list of great entertainment, but it was worth the time watching it. The execution of the film is standard even if it is fairly messy. It won't win any awards but overall it is well made and the creative ideas are interesting enough to keep you entertained.

Not too shabby, but could use some simplifying... 7/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

The ReZort (2015)


Aside from the usual character stupidity and glaring plot holes, this was a pretty entertaining film. It doesn't have the gripping plot line, character development or drama, but the zombie entertainment is top notch. I mean, who wouldn't want to go to this resort if it was a real thing? Just when I thought the zombie genre had seen everything, this film actually presents some originality with the setting. Pretty cool idea overall even if the progression is very predictable and the climax isn't anything to write home about. The cinematography, fx, & gore are great. Could have done without a couple of the fodder characters but that's nitpicking. If you are a fan of zombie films and love gore then I definitely recommend this movie. If you are looking for gripping story with drama & blockbuster cgi then avoid it.

Mindless yet entertaining zombie entertainment... 7/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Solstice (2008)


Never heard about this movie until I stumbled across it on one of my horror searches. Turns out this movie was released straight to DVD. No clue why, but many would think that is a tell-tale sign that this movie is utter garbage. However it isn't! While it wasn't the best horror movie I've ever seen, it wasn't bad at all. It has really good pacing with a number of creepy scenes spread throughout the movie. The acting was pretty good as you get a good sense of all the inner conflicts of the main characters as they struggle to come to terms with what they're dealing with. Good setting, cinematography & fx. The only thing I didn't like was the resolution. The climax is great, but the resolution left some questions and didn't really deliver. All in all, this movie was worth watching but nothing ground-breaking.

Unoriginal, but well-made and worthwhile... 7.5/10