An American Werewolf in London (1981) Review

I like me some good scares. And some comedy. And sometimes I like both of those things together. Hey, good that I finally got around to watching An American Werewolf in London!

The Witches (1990) Review

Is it possible to take a critical look at a childhood favorite without falling into the nostalgia trap? Well, I don't know, but guess what, I'll try to review The Witches anyways.

Re-Animator (1985) Review

Let's make it really short. You like Evil Dead 2? You're a fan of practical effects? You think Braindead is one of the funniest movies ever made? Congratulations, chances are you're already familiar with Re-Animator, but if you're not then hear me out.

The Wicker Man (2006) Review

Wow, just wow, where to even begin? The Wicker Man starring Nicolas Cage. Doesn't that say it all?

Prometheus (2012) Review

This is the movie that I personally anticipated more than any other release so far this summer. While I was genuinely excited for "The Dark Knight Rises", "Marvel's The Avengers" and a handful other productions, none of them matched my eagerness for "Prometheus". But does it deliver?

The Cabin In The Woods (2012) Review

Wow, just wow. Spoiler alert but "The Cabin in the Woods" is insane fun. You've seen the trailers? Good, I bet you thought this film would suck badly, right? Standard set-up, stock characters, what can be good about that? But guess what, it's all part of the plan...

The Strangers (2008) Review

I like writing about films, it's fun to me. That's actually the main reason I started this whole blog, because I'm  enjoying writing about movies. But as much as I enjoy it, sometimes it can be a pain in the ass and that's mostly the case when I am dealing with a film so generic and uninspiring that it is mental torture to come up with anything at all. So here we go, welcome to "The Strangers"!

The story, if you actually care, is barely existent, we have a couple, played by Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman, being terrorized by some strangers in a house in the woods. So far, so generic. The setup is nice and creepy, the intruders wear some freaky masks and the movie is (for today's standards) surprisingly low on gore.

The end result is a mostly chilling but never scary horror film that suffers from the same weaknesses others did before. Too often we question the stupid actions of our supposedly heroes Tyler and Speedman who behave according to the rules that Wes Craven so perfectly parodied in 1996's "Scream". The big problem is that there is no post modern subtext or self awareness of the characters to generate any kind of originality.

"The Strangers" is outspokenly old-schoolish but that doesn't help the fact that we've seen all of its scenes in other (and mostly better) movies. On top of that we get some unnecessary religious symbolism at the end in the form of two Mormon boys.

If you've never seen any horror or slasher movie in your life then "The Strangers" might offer you some scares but everyone else will have forgotten the movie by the time the credits roll.

Martyrs (2008) Review

I think I've seen a couple of really weird movies in my life but I feel there has never been a movie like "Martyrs" that just made me want to stop watching. Not because it is a terrible movie but because of how gruesome, disturbing and unpleasant it is. Seriously, this was a real test of endurance but let's break it down.

"Martyrs" is a French horror movie from 2008 that has since its release repeatedly been named one of the most shocking movies of all time. I was not sure whether this should be taken as a compliment or as a warning but now that I've made it trough I know viewer discretion definitely is more than advised.

Part of the whole experience is not knowing what's about to come so I won't spoil you the story besides the fact that after a rather generic first half about a tortured girl taking revenge the movie takes an unexpectedly hellish turn. From this point on "Martyrs" will split audiences, there will be a) the ones who just get sickened by what's presented on screen or b) the ones who see beyond what's being shown and get the critical message writer and director Pascal Laugier tries to bring across.

The film's really well done, the bleached colors and the shaky cam are used perfectly to create a feeling of terror in the audience and the minimalist approach with basically just one location and a handful of actors and actresses helps heighten the tension. As an example of the modern gore film craze this movie will remain as one of the most terrifying but it will leave audiences alone who will be put off by the questionably sadistic and misogynistic execution.

I don't believe there are people who actually enjoy "Martyrs" for what it is but if you feel like you've seen everything and want to really test your limits then check out this more than controversial film.

Don't Look Now (1973) Review

Controversial movies are good. And I don't mean controversial as in "Man, Hostel is probably the goriest and most violent film ever"-controversial. That's what I normally call BS with a capital B. What I mean by controversial are movies that challenge the viewer not on an entertainment basis but on an interpretive one, movies like Don't Look Now.