Day 282: The Innkeepers

The Innkeepers

Cloudy with a chance of evil spirits

It's my favorite month of the year, October. The days are getting shorter, the weather is cooler, the leaves are changing, pumpkin pie is plentiful, and horror rules. It's the time of ghouls, monsters, and especially ghost stories. What is it about a ghost story that scares us so much? Is it a fear of the unknown? Perhaps a secret desire of an afterlife? A love of sheets with holes in them? Whatever the reason, ghost stories are as old as time, being passed down from generation to generation. There are countless ghost tours, haunted hayrides and other attractions for fans of horror and the paranormal. The United States has no shortage of haunted places, be it houses, cemeteries, or in the case of today's movie, a hotel.

The Innkeepers is a 2001 ghost-centric horror movie written and directed by Ti West (The House Of The Devil, V/H/S). The movie stars Sara Paxton (Shark Night, Superhero Movie) as Claire, an employee at the Yankee Pedlar Inn, a formerly grand hotel that is now in its final week of operation. The only other employee is Luke (Pat Healy, Six Feet Under, Ghost World) who created a website about the supposed paranormal events that take place in the hotel. Both are amateur ghost hunters trying to find the spirit of Madeline O'Malley, a bride from the 1800's who hanged herself in the hotel after her husband left her on their honeymoon. It was also rumored that her body was hidden in the basement by the hotel owners at the time. The hotel receives a new guest, former actress Leanne Rease-Jones (Kelly McGillis, Top Gun, Witness) who claims to be in town for an actor's convention. That night, Claire uses Luke's ghost-hunting equipment to record various strange sounds in the hotel. She picks up the sound of faint voices and music and even sees the piano playing by itself. She runs into Leanne and explains what she heard. Leanne reveals that she is actually a medium and is in town to meet with other psychics. She also warns Claire to stay away from the basement. The next morning, Claire awakens to see an apparition of Madeline O'Malley sitting in her bed. Later that day, a strange old man asks to check into a honeymoon suite on the third floor, even though it has already been stripped of furniture. Luke and Claire decide to investigate the basement where Madeline's body is supposedly buried, ignoring Leanne's warning. Luke freaks out and flees, leaving Claire alone in the hotel. Panicked, Claire wakes Leanne who goes down into the basement to contact the spirit. She tells Claire that she is in great danger and must leave the hotel now. How is the old man connected to the events in the hotel and will Claire survive?

Did you have that dream about being Reese Witherspoon again, honey?

Many people say that writer/director Ti West is the new master of the “slow burn” in horror. I think it's more accurate to say that Ti West is the mast of the 10 minute horror movie. Of course, that's a problem when the movie is over 100 minutes long. Much like his other movie “The House Of The Devil” the majority of The Innkeepers teases the horror out almost to the point where he risks the audience leaving before things happen. Besides the one scene where the ghost appears in Claire's bed, almost nothing of importance happens until the final twenty minutes. There are a few creepy scenes here and there when Claire is listening to the ghost-hunting machine, but it's not heavy-duty horror. It's like West enjoys forcing the audience to sit through most of his movies bored in hopes of getting a few big scares in at the end. Unfortunately, the scares at the end of The Innkeepers weren't particularly frightening. The final events in The House Of The Devil was far more unsettling than The Innkeepers. I actually had a countdown during this movie to whens something was going to happen. “There's an hour left, something better happen. There's 45 minutes left, something better happen. There's 30 minutes left, something better happen.” Forcing your audience to be bored for most of the movie just to have a “thrilling” ending is never a good idea. It makes the movie feel like a chore instead of a form of entertainment.

That being said, everything else in the movie is very good. The acting is solid with it's small, but competent cast. The conversations feel very fluid and natural, though they're not always pertinent to the story itself. It sometimes feels as if West is trying to channel his inner Quentin Tarantino, having his characters have full conversations and witty rapport rather than advancing the story. Most of the movie comes off almost as a comedy between Luke's dorkish slackerism and Claire's awkwardness and wacky Jim Carrey-style flailing. Sara Paxton does a fine job, thanks in part to her gigantic eyes conveying fear, and Pat Healy was a good foil for her. Ti West is unquestionably a good director as he has an eye for great shots, both close up and far away. There is good character development throughout, almost too much to be honest. There is an actual Yankee Pedlar Inn in Torrington, Connecticut and parts of the movie were shot there. I felt that that was a nice touch, going above and beyond what was needed to give the movie an authentic feel. 

This movie is authentic, right down to the boredom we share with the characters

The Innkeepers is essentially two movies: The first is a cutesy and occasionally funny exploration into a few oddball characters. The second is an average ghost-tale with a few jumps and decent makeup. The main problem is that this “second” movie is about twenty minutes long and if you're going into this movie hoping for horror, you'll be sorely disappointed. The film moves at a snail's pace and will truly try the patience of people looking to be scared. It's not that the movie is bad, because it really isn't, it's just not what it promises to be. If you're thinking of seeing The Innkeepers, you should, because thanks to good acting and direction, the non-horror parts are well done. It's the story itself that is the true problem as nothing of particular interest occurs until the very end. If you're looking for scares, you can probably skip the first hour of the movie. That's never a good thing to say in a horror movie.

4.5/10

Day 262: Mirrors

Mirrors

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the Kieferiest of them all?

Using a mirror in a horror movie is one of the oldest tricks in the book. They're always good for a quick scare and fun special effect. Some say that mirrors are a window into the soul. Personally, I think they're just a shiny surface that occasionally get covered in toothpaste when you don't close your mouth during brushing. Either way, the mirror is a useful horror tool, whether it was in Prince Of Darkness or A Nightmare On Elm Street or Stir of Echoes or The Ring. One can even say that the use of mirrors in horror is a cliché. Would an entire horror movie based on mirrors fit or break the mold?

Mirrors is a 2008 horror movie, based off ideas from the South Korean movie Into The Mirror, starring Kiefer Sutherland (24, Phone Booth) as former NYPD Detective Ben Carson. After an accidental shooting, Ben was suspended from the police force and fell into a downward spiral of alcohol and depression. His wife Amy (Paula Patton, Precious, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol) left him and tries to limit his visits with their children Daisy and Michael. Ben is reduced to living in an apartment with his sister, Angela (Amy Smart, Road Trip, Crank) and has to take a job as a night security guard. His post is at Mayflower, a luxury department store that was gutted by a fire which killed many people. Unknown to Ben, the previous guard, Gary Lewis, was killed by supernatural means after his own reflection cut his throat. On his first night of guard duty, Ben sees all the mirrors in the building covered with hand prints, but the prints are on the reflected side of the glass facing out. Over time, he begins to see and feel visions of people on fire and begging for help. Ben actually receives a package sent from Gary, the now dead guard, with newspaper clippings about the fire and how a previous guard murdered his family, blaming their deaths on something in mirrors. As Ben begins to research the incident, Angela is viciously killed when her reflection rips pulls her jaw apart. In a fit of rage, Ben tries to break the mirrors in Mayflower, but they cannot be damaged. He asks the mirror what is wants and the name “Esseker” appears on the mirror's surface. By using his detective skills, Ben discovers that the department store was built on top of St. Matthews Hospital which housed a room full over mirrors used to treat mental patients. The name Esseker belonged to a young schizophrenic patient named Anna Esseker who had escaped a mass suicide at the hospital before it closed. Ben is able to find Anna who has since become a nun. She explains that she was not schizophrenic, but had some sort of demon inside her that escaped into the mirrors. With his family in terrible danger, with Ben and Anna be able to stop the mirrors in time?

And you think you had a bad day

I don't know if I've ever seen another movie that started out so strong and ended with such a thud. The first twenty-five or so minutes of Mirrors is a great mixture of suspense, mystery, and horror. The story is set up properly, giving us a bit of action in the very beginning and then filling in all the details of Ben's personal life. His story plays out like the typical “fired cop” character, complete with alcohol problem and shattered family life. It's so clichéd that I half-expected him to report to an irate chief and work with a partner that's “too old for this shit”. The beginning of the movie has a great horror atmosphere with the burned-out department store as the perfect setting. Everything is broken and burnt except for the immaculate mirrors. The special effects used to show the spirits in the department store look very good and Amy Smart's death scene is incredibly violent and disturbing. The inclusion of the evil being able to reach his loved ones was quite smart as it forced Ben to solve the problem. Many horror movies are lazy and keep characters in a haunted spot with no good reason not to leave. It's when the movie is taken out of the department store that things begin to fall apart.

The movie focuses too much on uncovering the mystery and gets far too complicated for it's own good. The addition of the hospital, a demon and Anna Esseker takes the story into a strange and unnecessary direction. One would think that the spirits (or demon, whatever it is) inside the mirrors were trapped souls looking for some measure of peace or something along those lines. It's far easier and entertaining to just have Ben looking for the real culprit of the fire than sending him on a wild goose chase. The department store was such a good setting that taking him out of it takes away from the horror of the movie. It doesn't help that the movie spends a good 20 minutes focused on Amy trying to save her kids while Ben tries to convince Anna to help him. These scenes just drag on for way too long and force the movie into a run-time of 111 minutes. That's unnecessary and it brings down the entire movie. Kiefer Sutherland is good, channeling a healthy dose of his Jack Bauer character from 24. Paula Patton does well enough, but like a lot of horror movies, the children are just too annoying for me to handle. Director Alexandre Aja (Piranha, The Hills Have Eyes) has some good moments, but doesn't get the most out of what should have been easy scares.

"I'm sorry, I got lost in my handsomness for a second."

Mirrors is a convoluted story that fizzled far quicker than it should have. What started out as a promising and fun horror movie became a complicated and boring supernatural mystery that was neither exciting nor thrilling. There are a few good scenes of violence and gore, but not enough to sustain the extra long run-time. It makes you wonder, if they're capable of showing extreme violence, why only settle for one or two scenes? The acting is decent and certainly helps make the movie more tolerable than if it were done by less-skilled actors. It's a shame that the movie turned out the way it did, because it really had a lot of potential, but potential can only take you so far.

4.5/10

Day 260: The Bunker

The Bunker

Pvt. Skeletonface reporting for duty, Sir!

War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing! There are no shortage of war movies and there are countless horror movies out there, but rarely do the two genres meet. It's actually surprising how few war/horror movies are out there given the fact that "war is hell". There is already so much blood and carnage in war that you'd think it would be a natural setting for horror. The same could be said for Westerns in horror. These movies do exist, there has just never been a great standout. What is it about war and horror that are so difficult to mix together into one great movie? All it takes is one great war-themed horror movie to spawn a a practically untouched subgenre.

The Bunker is a 2001 supernatural/psychological horror movie directed by Rob Green (House [2008], The Trick). Set near the German-Belgian border in 1944, a group of German Panzer soldiers are ambushed by American soldiers. They seek refuge in an old bunker being manned by a teenage soldier named Neumann (Andrew-Lee Potts, Primeval, 1408) and an old soldier named Mirus (John Carlisle, The Omega Factor, The Avengers). When they contact their commanding unit for instructions, they are told to just wait. Mirus informs the soldiers that there are tunnels below the bunker holding ammunition, but he has never ventured far into them. He tells a story of the forest they are in, how a plague ravaged a town and a priest convinced people to murder the infected. As the night progresses, strange sounds are heard from the forest, which the soldiers believe to be Americans. We also see flashes of a traumatic event that occurred previous to the soldiers' arrival at the bunker. Soon Mirus ventures down into the tunnels, believing he is speaking to his dead son. Another soldier follows, and when their commander wakes up, he believes they have deserted and forces the rest of the group down into the tunnels. Deep inside, they discover a pit filled with bones and rotting corpses. The soldiers begin seeing things in the tunnel, believing they are being tricked and psychologically tortured by the Americans. The Germans begin turning on each other, unable to get a grasp on what is going on and who is down there with them. Who or what is haunting the soldiers and how does it fit in with the recent past?

"You can't just yell "Blammo!" You have to actually shoot!"

Initially, I thought The Bunker was going to be a supernatural revenge movie involving dead villagers getting their revenge on Nazi soldiers. Sadly, this isn't the case, which is a shame because who doesn't like seeing Nazis die horrible deaths? The movie puts me in a tough spot because I don't want to feel sympathetic towards Nazis. The Bunker goes for a mixture of psychological horror and supernatural horror, though neither are very good. While we do see shadowy soldiers towards the end of the movie, most of the supernatural elements are implied with shadow and flickering light. Paranoia is the main factor in the movie, and while not executed perfectly, the movie does well enough to get us from point A to point B. It makes me wonder why the filmmakers even bothered trying to make this a horror movie instead of just a psychological thriller. The movie clearly doesn't have a large budget, so if you can't pull off spirits, then it's just not worth it.

Most of the money went into sets and uniforms, which both look very good. The acting is good throughout with a cast of people that you may recognize from bit parts in other movies. The film is fairly dark, not in content, but in actual color. While it makes things difficult to see at times, this styling actually serves a purpose. The dark colors are juxtaposed with the bright, dream-like flashbacks that inform the audience of what transpired before the soldiers arrived at the bunker. The atmosphere is fairly good and there's enough suspense to keep the audience interested in seeing what will happen. Unfortunately, the big reveal is kind of a dud, especially when you look at the DVD cover and expected something else. There is a mediocre amount of violence with one good scene involving a flare gun. It's certainly not enough for a movie set in World War II.

"Who left ze smoke machine on again?"

The Bunker had a lot of potential, but just couldn't pull it together for a good horror movie. The psychological fear and paranoia is decent, but the supernatural elements are too sparse to make everything come together. The movie would have been better off as a straight war film than horror. There is nothing particularly scary about the film and the lack of violence in a war movie is disappointing. The costumes and sets look very good and the solid acting helps carry the movie. The Bunker isn't a bad movie, I was just expecting a lot better. If you're looking for a better mix of war and horror, you're better off with Deathwatch.

5/10

Day 216: The Others

The Others

What, the lamp doesn't get top billing?

Can a movie still be entertaining when you know the surprise ending? People are connected now more than ever thanks to smartphones, lightning-fast internet, and social media. Nowadays, it's almost impossible not to have at least parts of movies spoiled for you by a status warning free of spoiler alerts or references in other media. I love going to the theater to watch a movie, but I hate going to the theater because of the people. For whatever reason, there are tons of people who think they're at home because they don't shut up. I have specific examples, like when I saw Gran Torino in the theater and the old bat behind me felt the need to croak “Larry had diarrhea last night!” right before the lights went down. When I saw the Star Trek remake, the woman in front of me kept laughing at inappropriate moments. Because going to theaters is so painful, I wait a few weeks to catch a movie, hoping the crowds have thinned. This wait is dangerous because a movie can be spoiled in that time. If a movie is good enough, does it matter if you know the ending?

The Others is 2001 horror movie starring Nicole Kidman (Far And Away, Cold Mountain) as Grace Stewart. Grace lives with her two small children, Anne and Nicholas, in a large, but remote country house island of Jersey in the 1940's. Three servants arrive at the house, Mrs. Bertha Mills (Fionnula Flanagan, Brotherhood, Lost), Mr. Tuttle (Edmund Sykes, Theatre of Blood, The Big Freeze), and a young mute girl named Lydia (Elaine Cassidy). Mrs. Mills is tasked with taking care of the children who suffer from photosensitivity and must remain in darkness at all times. Grace instructs Mrs. Mills and Lydia to close and lock all doors when leaving a room. After their arrival, strange events occur in the house such as bizarre noises and locked doors opening. Anne says it is the ghost of a boy named Victor and after scaring Nicholas, Grace forces Anne to read the Bible for three days. Anne draws a picture of a man, woman, Victor and an old woman, all of whom she claims to have seen in the house. Grace tries to hunt down the intruders, but finds no one. Convinced that something unholy is in the house, Grace asks Mr. Tuttle to search for a cemetery that may be on the grounds. When she leaves, Mr. Tuttle covers up a headstone with leaves. Grace goes to get the priest but on her way, she discovers her husband Charles (Christopher Eccleston, Gone in 60 Seconds, 28 Days Later) has returned from the war. He is distant and in shock from the war. The next day when Grace is preparing Anne's communion dress, she finds her daughter has been replaced by an old woman. She violently shakes and hits the old woman, only to discover that she has been hitting her daughter. Charles leaves soon after, apparently unable to acclimate to the life he once lived. Mrs. Mills, Mr. Tuttle, and Lydia have cryptic conversations about Grace, making ominous comments about the living and the dead. Who are the intruders and what do the servants want from Grace and her children?

Haunt this!

I'm not sure exactly when or where I heard about the surprise ending, but it has been years and I decided to watch the movie anyway. It's no longer a surprise thanks to countless parodies. Even the DVD box touts the surprise ending. Despite knowing how things were going to turn out, the movie is still very enjoyable. Writer/director Alejandro Amenabar crafts an atmosphere throughout the movie that is both scary and sad. There are some jolts and general scares, but the fear in the movie comes from the anticipation of the unknown. We know something is going to happen, it is just a matter of where, when, and how. The sets look great along with the style of clothing for the time period. The story itself is good with proper pacing. There are hints of foreshadow, but not as much as you'd expect for a movie with a big surprise ending. I give credit to Amenabar for being able to hold off on giving too many hints. Of course, that does put in to question his storytelling ability. Occasionally, the movie does put more emphasis on style than substance, wandering away from the meat of the story.

What makes the movie work is the performances of the actors. Nicole Kidman is great as Grace with her ability to be both strong and fragile. We believe that she is a normal mother trying to keep her family together and her faith intact. Fionnula Flanagan is very good as well. She is motherly and calm with the children, but in other scenes she portrays herself as having a hidden agenda. A certain look from her or the tone of her voice works wonders for setting the mood of the entire movie. The children are thankfully not unbearably annoying. Horror movies love to make kids either incredibly annoying or incredibly stupid. The Others managed to avoid this trap and just make the children “normal”. The movie is a bit slow in parts, taking it's time getting to the point. There are a few scenes of excitement, but to call them “action” wouldn't be correct. There is not blood or real violence to speak of as this movie is geared towards a much wider audience than what the hardcore horror fan is used to seeing.

This is her happy face. Or sad face. It's hard to tell.

Despite knowing the end of the movie, I still enjoyed The Others. The Others is a creative psychological horror movie with good direction and great acting. Nicole Kidman and Fionnula Flanagan make the movie work and Alejandro Amenabar creates a dark atmosphere. The story is good, but sometimes goes off course to favor film making over storytelling. There are a few creepy scenes, but there isn't much action to speak of. It is clever and creative with a good twist that is not ruined by earlier events in the movie. If you like psychological horror, you'll enjoy The Others.

7.5/10

Day 193: Insidious

Insidious

It's Justin Bieber! Kill him!

Everyone loves a good haunted house story. From little girls at a sleepover party to seasoned horror aficionados, there is something special about this genre of horror. It could be because we all hear bumps in the night and are secretly afraid that something supernatural is lurking in the darkness. Perhaps it is just a fear of the unknown. Or maybe we're all just terrified of houses coming to life and eating us while we sleep. Whatever the reason, haunted houses stories go back centuries and span the globe. But what if the house isn't haunted and it's a person that is haunted.

Insidious is a 2010 supernatural horror movie starring Patrick Wilson as Josh Lambert (The A-Team, Watchmen) and Rose Byrne (X-Men: First Class, Bridesmaids) as his wife, Renai. They move into a new house with their three young children, Dalton, Foster, and Cali. Dalton hears something in the attic and goes to investigate. Something scares him and he falls off a ladder, bumping his head. He claims to be alright, but the next day he does not awaken from sleep. Doctors are baffled to his unexplained coma and can only make him comfortable at home. Renai begins to hear strange noises over the baby monitor and see visions of people in the house. Terrified, she convinces Josh that the house is haunted and the family moves to a new location. Unfortunately, the spirits that haunted the previous house appear in the new one. Josh's mother Lorraine enlists the help of her friend Elise Reiner (Lin Shaye, 2001 Maniacs, There's Something About Mary), who deals in paranormal activities. She explains that Dalton is an astral projector and can leave his body when he sleeps. He projected too far and is now stuck in a sort of limbo of tormented souls, which she calls The Further. While stuck in the Further, Dalton's body is an empty vessel and spirits are desperate to enter this world through his body, including a particularly evil demon. She makes contact with Dalton's spirit, but the demon possesses his body and attacks the group. Elise explains that Josh is also an astral projector and was haunted by a spirit when he was younger. He is the only one who can save his son's spirit. Will Josh be able to astral project his spirit and find his son before it is too late?

So, they're haunted by a racist Pokemon?

The first half of Insidious is really strong with some legitimate scares. The concept of a person being haunted rather than a house is different and adds a unique perspective to the haunted genre. The reveal that Dalton himself is haunted should have been a bigger reveal, but it was actually in the description for the movie. What ever happened to a little mystery? Regardless, it's still an interesting concept that is helped along by some good jolts. The scares come more from music swells and quick flashes of the demons more than any lasting psychological scares. The movie does have a slight creepiness to it with some of the more decrepit looking spirits standing behind the characters, but it never goes full out.

The acting is pretty good, with Rose Byrne putting in a good performance as the terrified and frantic mother. Lin Shaye is also great as the knowledgeable Elise. The movie inexplicably shifts from her perspective about halfway through and the movie shifts into a separate story focusing more on Josh. The final act where Josh goes into the astral world and fights off the spirits completely changes the feel of the movie and makes it come off as a much cheaper movie. The mystery and fear is gone and is replaced by a weird sub story that I was unable to follow. They try to go for a more generic action finale and it just doesn't work. It doesn't help that the ending is cliched and eye roll-worthy. James Wan (Dead Silence, Death Sentence) does a better job directing in Insidious than Dead Silence. There are some good camera shots and a nice atmosphere throughout. One real minor complaint with the movie is that they named the little boy in a coma after Patrick Swayze's greatest character ever, Dalton from Road House. Pain don't hurt indeed.

Do you like my formal gas mask?

Insidious (great word) is more than your average haunted house movie with a creative twist and some good scares. The first half of the movie is really good, but the movie loses steam halfway through and ends with a bit of a thud. You know a horror movie is good if it sticks with you long after the credits role. That doesn't happen with Insidious. The scares stopped which left the movie flailing and focusing more on action than traditional horror. The acting and directing are both good, it's just the story that doesn't hold up. If you like your haunted houses, you'll probably enjoy Insidious. If you like complete movies that keep the horror going from beginning to end, you may be a little disappointed.

6.5/10

Day 192: Evil Dead 2

Evil Dead 2

Never lose your smile, kid

Horror has come a long way in the past 30 or so years. What was once relegated to the corners of local video stores and only talked about amongst your two or three friends has become a global cash cow. There are now film festivals, video games, clothing, and action figures dedicated solely to horror. These are all great things, but horror's rise in popularity also brings about the rise in elitists. Thanks to internet anonymity, every website has it's share of elitists, trolls, and trouble makers who feel the need to ruin everyone's fun. I always have a fear when doing a review that some mega-nerd will unleash their nerd wrath upon me. I can practically hear their chubby, Cheetos-encrusted fingers angrily typing away that I forgot to mention a crucial part in a movie or that I wrote an incorrect date. This goes double for reviewing a classic horror movie, but I won't let some mouth breathers keep me from doing what I like to do.

Evil Dead 2 is a 1987 horror comedy directed by Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead, Spider-Man) and starring Bruce Campbell (Bubba Ho-Tep, The Evil Dead) as Ash Williams. Ash and his girlfriend Linda (Denise Bixler) take a vacation to a supposedly abandoned cabin in the woods. Ash plays a recording from a Professor Knowby that recites passages from the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, The Book Of The Dead. The incantation unleashes an evil force that possesses Linda and turns her into a murderous zombie. Ash decapitates her and buries her body in the woods. He is briefly possessed, but the morning sun returns him to normal. He tries to make a run for it, but the bridge that leads to the main road has been demolished. When he returns to the cabin, his hand becomes possessed and tries to kill him. He cuts off the possessed hand and tries to deal with a cabin possessed by evil spirits. At the same time, Professor Knowby's daughter Annie (Sarah Berry) arrives at the cabin, along with her boyfriend Professor Ed Getley and two locals, Jake and Bobby Joe. Annie has brought along missing pages from the Necronomicon in hopes of translating them. They mistake Ash for a criminal and throw him into the cellar. Annie listens to more of the recording which explains that her mother Henrietta had become possessed, forcing her father killed her and buried her in the basement. A demonic Henrietta rises from the cellar and attacks Ash. He is able to escape the cellar and the group traps Henrietta. Members of the group soon become possessed or killed by various spirits, leaving Ash and Annie. To battle the spirits, Ash grabs a shotgun and attaches a chainsaw to his stump. That's right, a chainsaw. How will they be able to stop the evil spirits from coming into this world and how will they survive?

Groovy, indeed

While technically a sequel to The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2 incorporates many scenes and the same basic story as the original Evil Dead. Whereas the first movie focused more on horror, Evil Dead 2 goes off in a slightly different direction, focusing more on comedy and special effects. That's not to say there aren't some scary moments, because there certainly are, but you can tell that they wanted more jokes. If you know that going in, you'll enjoy it far more than expecting to see a straight-forward sequel. The story moves fast, almost too fast in parts. Within the first 10 minutes or so, Linda has already been possessed and killed and the bridge is out. It takes horror movies a good half hour to get to that point. Because of this speed, it may be difficult for people to follow, especially if they haven't seen the first Evil Dead.

Bruce Campbell is wonderfully over-the-top and a bit hammy, which helps play up the humor aspect of the movie. This movie is really where Bruce Campbell became “Bruce Campbell”. The supporting cast does well in their roles, but the true support comes from the special effects. Evil Dead 2 employs a vast array of filming tricks and movie magic. Sam Raimi uses various creative camera angles and shots that keep the movie interesting without overdoing it. The special effects range from traditional makeup and prosthetics to animation and blue screen technology. The effects are so numerous that at times it feels like Sam Raimi was saying “What else can I do?” The monsters have lots of detail and are pretty terrifying. The movie has a lot of action and a good amount of blood. If you've seen the first movie, you'll catch plenty of references and similar scenes that will make you smile knowingly.

Donal Trump looks terrible

Some may call Evil Dead 2 a satire of earlier horror movies, but if anything it's a loving tribute that is both scary and fun. Whether it's a sequel or a remake, the movie does justice for the original Evil Dead. If you haven't seen the first movie, it may be a little difficult to follow the movie at first due to it's fast pace, but don't let that discourage you. Evil Dead 2 is a great example of creative film making and horror movie magic. The special effects and makeup are great and Bruce Campbell's performance is just plain fun. The movie has a lot of comedy, which I wasn't expecting. I would have been happy with a straightforward horror movie, but I still enjoyed it. Hopefully this review will not garner the rage of a thousand sweaty neckbeards. After all, it's just one man's opinion.

8.5/10