Trick r' Treat CR:11 Halloween Special!

The time is upon us...

YES!!!! It's one more day 'till Halloween, Halloween, Halloween... dang it I knew it was going to get stuck in my head again.  Anyway, to celebrate this wonderful holiday I'm going to review a classic Halloween themed horror movie that was been scarring audiences for years...

What? Were you expecting some other masked killer?

Let's begin.... 

PLOT

Trick 'r Treat is an anthology movie which means that it follows many different story's with all of them being connected in some way, in this case being that that they all take place at different times on Halloween night.   

A man trying to hide a dead body, a couple of kids paying respects to dead trick 'r theaters, and a young women trying to find a date are some of the terrifying tales you'll find here.

PROS

All of these story's are cleverly connected together, even referencing upcoming tales of horror in creative ways, like hearing a wolf howl in back-ground and then the next story will involve werewolves.

This movie doesn't go over board with the usual modern horror stuff, you know like excessive blood and gore or some girl taking her shirt off every 10 minutes, while it's still in here it's toned down by a lot. The most gore you see is some fake organs, no literally they are fake organ, and the most nudity you see is 1 shot of breast and that's it.

The movie actually surprised me. You know most horror movie today are so predictable that you can tell who's gonna die first in the first 5 minutes, well this one doesn't. There were many times that I predicted something was going to happen, and it took a completely different direction then I thought it would.

The movie is very well shot. I'm the best at knowing if a movie is "shot" well of not, but I could tell here. It has some very cool shots and one creepy shot that's just seeing a girl's face while hearing horrific sound in the back-ground.

For the third time this month, I'm reviewing a film that has good real effects. While it only shows up every once in a while, there still a lot better than if it was CG.

This is more of a personal pro, but there is a scene here that pays homage to one of my favorite horror movies, Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn, at least I think it does.

CONS

The film has a dark sense of humor that, well, only worked sometimes. Most of time it felt a little out of place. When the film wanted me to laugh, I was confused at what it wanted me to laugh at.

The acting and writing at the begging of the movie aren't that good. While it does get a whole lot better after words, It could still turn off some people.

CONCLUSION

This is the perfect film to watch on Halloween, it got me into the Halloween spirit, heck, I want to dress up as that kid on the poster! So I strongly suggest watching this tomorrow while you give out candy to the kids. You also have hardly any excuse not to watch it, you can probably rent it at your local video store, it's very cheap to buy on DVD or Blu-ray, it's on Netflix instant streaming, AND the cable channel FEARnet is having a 24 hour marathon of Trick 'r Treat on Halloween. NO EXCUSES!!!!

RATING

RUN TO!!

       

The Thing (1982) CR: #10

To continue my month of Horror, I'm going to review a classic horror movie that is SO classic it got a remake this week...or is a a prequel...um...a remake/prequel? Who cares, it probably sucks anyway! So let's look at the source material that the prequel rips off from! Or does it rehash the scenes if it's a remake...GAH, I have to stop doing that, where was I? Oh yeah! This is John Carpenter's classic...

Let's Begin...

PLOT

Our film follows a team a researchers in the Arctic who have recently has there communications cut off. They find a dog being hunted down by a crazy man! They shoot him don and discover that he was with a Norwegian research team. They investigate the research facility and find that they had found someTHING in the ice. Once they return back to base, The discover that the dog is not a dog, but what the Norwegian had found in the ice, an alien who can absorb living organism and take them over! Once they think it's dead, they soon realize that this Thing has token over someone in the base! Now they just have to find out who is real and try to survive until a search party comes.

PROS

This is one of the definitive bottle films, A bottle film, for those who don't know, is a film where a group of characters are stuck in an isolated, claustrophobic area trying to find a way out and this does it with barley any flaws. It feels like a psychological horror film that let's you know that, yes, there is a Thing, but doesn't tell you who it is. 

One important aspect of a bottle film is that you have good characters, and The Thing succeeds in that level.

None of them are annoying and their motives are clear and make sense.

The Thing is mostly known for it's gore, and boy does it deliver. One great example is a scene where one of the researchers is using a defibrillator on another guy. At one point, the guys chest opens up like a mouth, with  teeth and all, and bites the researchers arms off!

The practical effects are some of the best ever seen for its time, and even today. There are some scenes where it looks so real, there is no way they did it with effects. They had to have killed that dog, It looks to real!

The film does a great job at giving you the feeling of isolation. For example, there is a scene where a guy is watching the price is right on T.,V., he then takes a VHS (remember those?) out of the T.V. and puts in another. This shows that they have little to no access to T.V. and have to watch things they've seen over and over again.

The film does a great job at hiding who is the Thing, There is a famous seen where they test to see who is real and whose the Thing. It's very suspenseful and leaves you guessing 'till the end. 

CONS

While the characters aren't annoying, they're not three-dimensional either. I just didn't really feel anything when a character was killed.

The special effects get worse as the movie goes on. While the first time you see thing is just plan nasty and creepy, the last you see it is just ridiculous.

CONCLUSION

While not perfect, The Thing is still a must see for horror fans, but I say go in with caution if gore is not your thing. And if you see it, you can see the remake/prequel, compare it to the original, and hate it!

RATING

WALK TO

P.S. For next weeks review, I just can't choose which one I want to see, so I'm letting you, YES specifically you, choose which movie I watch, leave a comment on the Facebook post of this which movie I should see..

Movie A: Misery

Movie B: Basket Case

Movie C: Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Movie D: Buried

Just type the letter of the movie you want me to see. Thanks!  

  

An American Werewolf in London CR: #9

Everyone this month who does reviews are doing Horror themed movies. We'll I'm going to be ENTIRELY un-original and do the same. And, I'm starting with a classic 80's movie, and then another next week, and another..BUT after that, I'm doing a NEW movie! that was released in 2007...anyway, my first Halloween review is...

Let's begin...

PLOT

Location: Northern English country-side, Time:early 80's, People: best friends David and Jack, Context: Best friends hiking in the Northern English country-side. After leaving a strange pub, David and Jack are attacked by a werewolf! while Jack is killed, David survives and is in the hospital. After a few weeks, shocking dreams, and a visit from Jack's bloody and mangled ghost, David goes home with a hot nurse and just as soon as they get home, they start a moon dance and romance. The next day, David transforms into a werewolf. The next day he doesn't remember a thing, but soon puts 2 and 2 together and the only option left? David must die!

PROS

  This movie has a perfect blend of terrifying horror, and gut-busting comedy. This was John Landis's third film after Animal House and The Blues Brothers, so of course it has comedy. but, it's mixed well with the horror. One minute, you'll be jumping out of your seat it's so scary, the next, you'll be rolling out of that same seat with laughter.

The music collection for this film is very clever. Landis uses up-beat catchy music just because they have moon in the title. Songs like Bad Moon Rising and Blue Moon are used and, just like the comedy, mixes well with the horror.

     

This film is most known for having the best transformation scene in any form of entertainment EVER, and I have to say, I agree 110%. The amazing fact is that it's all done with practical effects, no CG. The guy who did the special effects, Rick Baker, even won an Academy Award for his work. He was even hired to do the special effects for The Wolf Man remake last year. But they were all cut out and replaced with crappy CG... screw you Hollywood.

The scenes with Jack's ghost are great. Every time David see's Jack his body is more mutilated and decomposed than the last time. Shaun of the Dead even did a parody of the famous "Mirror" scene.

The night David changes, he kills 6 people, and you barley see him actually kill them. I liked the restraint Landis had in showing the deaths. Any movie today would have stopped the movie for 20 minutes just to show WereDavid gruesomely killing the victim, but you would have no idea what was going on because the camera would be shaking like it was in a washing machine on it's highest setting.

CONS

The movie's pace moves a little too fast after David is put into the hospital. The pace goes back to normal the next day, but it still affects the movie.

CONCLUSION

This is a classic horror movie that anyone who loves horror MUST SEE. Also, if you think practical effects are "Fake" and "Stupid" then watch this movie and if you come out of it still thinking that, your a Lier and should be banished from this Earth!

RATING

RUN TO

P.S. Next weeks review will be of the original of a remake coming out next week, BUT WHICH ONE!?!?!? Find out next week!