Horror Movies

[UVA_Guy81]

Anything in the Evil Dead series.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Just stumbled onto this... Anybody see this? Looks good!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

And another... The still shot for the trailer ought to grab some attention in here

@Win TWINS!!!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

1408 (2007)


As requested (@Chef99), here is my stab at a review for this heavyweight contender in the supernatural thriller genre.

Based on Stephen King's 1999 short story with the same name, this 2007 adaptation is one of the better modern ghost stories that I've ever seen. Directed by Mikael Håfström (Drowning Ghost, Shanghai, Escape Plan), and adapted screenplay co-written by Matt Greenberg (Halloween H20, Mercy, Pet Sematary (2019)). This is a very creative & stylish film that has excellent filming styles & a great script. Funny thing about King's short story... It was only created to use as an example of how his rewriting process works for his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000) but King did admit that he became interested in the plot he had created for his protagonist, enough so that he concluded the story & published it. It's still important to note that Greenberg did a helluva job adapting the screenplay into a full-length feature film. This movie moves fairly quickly and maintains a tense atmosphere from start to finish. It has a roller-coaster style arc that takes you from eerie lows to suspenseful highs that deliver some solid scares to keep you on the edge of your seat. Some of the jump-scares felt unnecessary & a tad telegraphed. Not all of them though.

The movie, IMO, upgraded King's story immensely. Not just because it was able to heighten the visual details with surreal imagery & creepy score, but also because it took certain liberties with the plot elements to create a more emotional experience. It added a lot more grisly detail, and more character background & development to enable us to connect with Enslin better. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book. It just leaves a ton of it up to your imagination in King's breadcrumb style, whereas this film paints the picture better in a more linear & personal fashion. But that isn't to say that we wouldn't have gotten the same experience had King taken this book further into a full length novel. If I had to nitpick both, I would have preferred that Enslin died to make the experience more realistic. Everything about the experience in the hotel room leads you to believe he should have died. But both the book & theatrical cut of the film had Enslin walk away, turning the non-believer into a believer. Luckily the directors cut has an alternate ending where he does die, and features some excellent extended scenes. I recommend it! Although the theatrical cut ending was pretty solid. Seeing Mike stare at his wife as they listened to the tape recording with their daughter's voice was a classic "full circle" moment, albeit cookie-cutter Hollywood.

The acting is excellent. John Cusack stars as Mike Enslin, the author & skeptic that made a living debunking supernatural locations around the country. Cusack is sort of a rich man's Nicholas Cage. A jack of all trades that never turns down a role. He was stellar in this film, proving he has great range & realism, far greater than I originally thought. I would even go as far to say that he carried this film at times. Some of the eerie moments may not have landed as well. Samuel L Jackson was a good supporting role. He had just the right combo of mystery & menace.

Overall this is one of my favorite supernatural thrillers. It does tend to drag a little between heightened suspense moments, but it allows the experience to marinate better and showcases Cusack's acting chops. Going full-tilt would have removed the book more & came off as a cheesy thriller. This film has a well-structured & immersive plot that delves deeper into the story than merely providing visual scares & cheap thrills. It does leave you with plenty of puzzling questions, but it makes the experience all the more memorable.


Surreal adaptation of a great supernatural thriller... 9/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Just stumbled onto this... Anybody see this? Looks good!

Simple concepts in this movie with ideas we've seen before in previous movies, but the acting in it was definitely the highlight & carried the film. It was a fun movie with lots of gags, but it could have used... more. The gore at the end was great. Could have used more of it during the film. And more explanation for the insane homeowners would have been nice. Unless I missed something, they never explained how or why they were so f*cked in the head.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[Shanemansj13]

Just stumbled onto this... Anybody see this? Looks good!

That does look good. I'm sure I will be watching it soon...one of my wife's favorite actresses is in that movie, Maika Monroe.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Rewatched The Guest this weekend. My wife never saw it but it was one of the those weekends where you rewatch movies forgetting you saw them. You get about 5 minutes in a realize you have seen it you just can't remember what happened, as you watch more and more you remember Rewatched about 3 movies like this uggh

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Rewatched The Guest this weekend. My wife never saw it but it was one of the those weekends where you rewatch movies forgetting you saw them. You get about 5 minutes in a realize you have seen it you just can't remember what happened, as you watch more and more you remember Rewatched about 3 movies like this uggh

This is the reason why I started making a list... After 1200 or so Horror Films they tend to start blurring together. I'm lucky that I have such a good photographic memory that I can typically recall a movie just by the movie cover & not necessarily what the movie was about or what happened in it lol, just bits & pieces.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

That does look good. I'm sure I will be watching it soon...one of my wife's favorite actresses is in that movie, Maika Monroe.

I've been a pretty big fan of hers since It Follows (2014). Great performance, but I loved that movie. Such a simple concept and yet absurdly effective!

 

[Shanemansj13]

This is the reason why I started making a list... After 1200 or so Horror Films they tend to start blurring together. I'm lucky that I have such a good photographic memory that I can typically recall a movie just by the movie cover & not necessarily what the movie was about or what happened in it lol, just bits & pieces.

Yeah absolutely. By looking at the cover and actors I always am weary but not as sure as you, then 5 minutes in I usually realize I've seen it...just have to go with it bc my wife gets annoyed if I say, "Actually pretty sure I've seen this" LOL

 

[Shanemansj13]

I've been a pretty big fan of hers since It Follows (2014). Great performance, but I loved that movie. Such a simple concept and yet absurdly effective!

Yeah at first I thought it was going to be one of those cheesy movies but it actually turned out to be a good movie!

 

[Chef99]

This is the reason why I started making a list... After 1200 or so Horror Films they tend to start blurring together. I'm lucky that I have such a good photographic memory that I can typically recall a movie just by the movie cover & not necessarily what the movie was about or what happened in it lol, just bits & pieces.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Any takers? I'm lookin forward to it! A horror movie trailer without a jumpscare? Rare. Senile old people are inherently scary.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[Shanemansj13]

Tried finding that Villains movie...couldn't find it anywhere and I have a jailbroken firestick

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Tried finding that Villains movie...couldn't find it anywhere and I have a jailbroken firestick

Wife & I splurged the $2-3 on Amazon to rent it... It's been probably over a year since we've done that so I guess its worth it when you consider how many movies we've streamed on bootleg sites since then.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Wife & I splurged the $2-3 on Amazon to rent it... It's been probably over a year since we've done that so I guess its worth it when you consider how many movies we've streamed on bootleg sites since then.

It's weird bc I get a lot of movies on Amazon prime for free, even if it's lower budget which it doesn't look like this is really low budget. I might have to splurge as well...considering I get NFL Sunday Ticket, NBA, NHL MLB, HBO, etc. as well as newer movies for essentially $50/month. I'm a cheap SOB lol

 

[Taddy Mason]

Tried finding that Villains movie...couldn't find it anywhere and I have a jailbroken firestick

it's available on hulu or SportsHoopla