Day 251: Jennifer's Body

Jennifer's Body

Wait, isn't she in high school? Have a seat over there...

Rarely do I feel like I am not the target audience when watching a horror movie. I fit into the coveted 18-34 male demographic so a lot of television shows and movies are aimed towards me in an effort to get my spending money. They joke is usually on them because I have no spending money, plus I'm not easily swayed by whatever is “in” at the moment. With 250 reviews this year, only once did I ever feel like a movie was not really created with my “bracket” in mind and that was the urban zombie/vampire movie “Dead Heist”. Even then, it was still a bloody testosterone fest. Will a movie about teenage girls written by (gulp) Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult) make me feel left out as well?

Jennifer's Body is a 2009 horror/black comedy movie starring Megan Fox (Transformers, Jonah Hex) as Jennifer Check and Amanda Seyfried (Mean Girls, Red Riding Hood) as her best friend Anita “Needy” Lesnicki. The movie is told mostly in flashback, starting with Needy in a women's mental institution explaining how she got there. One night, Jennifer takes Needy to a dive bar in their tiny Minnesota town, Devil's Kettle, to see an indie rock band called Low Shoulder. Jennifer flirts with the lead singer and Needy overhears him talking about her, guaranteeing she is a virgin. Needy confronts him, confirming she is a virgin (despite not being once since junior high school) in hopes of scaring him off. A fire breaks out during their set, killing several people, but Jennifer and Needy escape through a window. The singer from Low Shoulder convinces Jennifer to go with the band despite Needy's pleas for her not to. That night, Jennifer shows up at Needy's house, covered in blood. She vomits a black viscous liquid and leaves quickly. The next day, to Needy's surprise, Jennifer is perfectly normal. With the town in mourning, Jennifer lures the school's football to the woods in an effort to seduce him. She attacks, viciously disemboweling him and cannibalizing his body. Since the incident, Low Shoulder has become incredibly popular thanks to a rumor saying they saved people at the show. One day, Jennifer comes to school looking sick and weak. She accepts a date from emo kid Colin (Kyle Gallner, A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Haunting In Connecticut), killing and eating him later that night. After the murder, Needy nearly hits an almost feral Jennifer with her car. Jennifer explains that on the night of the accident, the band sacrificed her to the devil in order for the band to become famous. Because she was not a virgin, a demonic spirit took over her body, turning her into a succubus. In an effort to protect her boyfriend Chip, Needy breaks up with him and begs him not to go to the school dance. Needy goes to the dance to make sure Jennifer will not hurt anyone else. Little does she know that Jennifer meets Chip before the dance. How will Needy stop Jennifer and save the town?

Her gigantic eyes can see the future!

Jennifer's Body is one part Mean Girls and one part Carrie. A lot of the movie focuses on the toxic relationship between Jennifer and Needy. Jennifer is the pretty one, always taking from the doughty nerd, Needy. Female relationships have occasionally been addressed in horror, but never to the extent that Jennifer's Body does. I give the movie credit for trying to add a different type of substance to the horror genre. I never experienced anything like that in my own life, but the movie manages to convey the relationship well enough so that I didn't feel completely left out. The story itself is decent, though I don't understand why they told it in a flashback. The beginning and after portions weren't necessary and hurt the movie's momentum. The movie goes for that evasion comedic horror movie, but manages to miss both targets. The biggest problem for me is Diablo Cody's style of writing. I had to suffer through Juno and as much as I hated the “witty” dialogue from that movie, it at least made sense because it was a quirky indie movie. For every funny one-liner (and admittedly, there are a few) there are about 5 eye-rolling pieces of dialogue. It tries so hard to be hip that the movie becomes another high school flick with a few horror scenes. The movie tried to show some sort of weird psychological connection between the two girls, but it was never explained and just left me confused. The horror itself is decent with some good, but brief scenes of violence. There are also some good special effects, but again, they're brief. For a movie that's geared towards high school girls, it's weird that they made the movie rated R.

One thing that initially caused me some pause before watching the movie was the inclusion of Megan Fox. Now, I've never seen Transformers and have zero intention of ever doing so. Despite never seeing that effects-laden explosion fest, I have read countless criqitues of Ms. Fox's acting and didn't have high hopes of Jennifer's Body. The say “Never judge a book by it's cover” for a reason. Megan Fox is actually very good in this movie, convincingly pulling off both comedy and horror. Amanda Seyfried is good as well, though I wouldn't normally have casted her as the “nerdy” one. There are a few cameo scenes with J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man, OZ) and Amy Sedaris (Strangers With Candy, Elf) which were enjoyable. The movie does essentially ignore adults, making them goofy or just non-existant. I thought it was weird that the satanic band was an indie rock band. You'd think making them a heavy metal band would make more sense, if not a little cliched. Speaking of music, there are a few good bands played throughout the movie (The Sword, Screeching Weasel, It Dies Today), but there's also some weak indie rock that I could have done without.

 A little something for the boys that got dragged to see this

It's nice to see a horror movie focus on female characters and their relationship. Jennifer's Body isn't the first to do that, but it's probably the first to focus on it so much at the high school level. This focus does tend to drag on too much over the course of the movie. The Diablo Cody signature “snappy” dialogue is in full effect and becomes annoying. Saying a guy is “salty” instead of “hot” is neither funny, clever, or hip. It's just annoying. The horror is decent with some fun violence and gore, though I wonder why they geared the movie towards high school girls if they couldn't initially see it in theaters. That would probably help explain why it did poorly at the box office. The acting is surprisingly good, considering I was expecting the worst. Jennifer's Body has it's moments, but it's never as good as it thinks it is. The real travesty is that Jennifer's Body has a much longer and in-depth Wikipedia page than, say, the page for Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. Come one, people.

5/10

Day 250: Prince Of Darkness

Prince Of Darkness

Pretty. Insane, but pretty.

Satan. Lucifer. Beelzebub. Scratch. Dick Cheney. The Devil has many names and comes in many forms. Some believe he is a physical being, torturing condemned souls in the fiery pit of Hell while others believe he lives within every human being, causing us to do evil. Whether you believe in Heaven and Hell or God and Satan, the Devil makes for a pretty good horror movie villain. Since just about everything regarding his Goatship is open to interpretation, writers and directors are free to design how he looks as they see fit. While some movies go for the traditional pitchfork and horns, others go for something abstract. And then there's John Carpenter who adds his own little twist with his brand of horror.

Prince of Darkness is a 1987 horror movie written and directed by John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing). The movie stars Jameson Parker (JAG, Simon & Simon) as metaphysician/student Brian Marsh and Lisa Blount (An Officer And A Gentleman, Box Of Moon Light) as fellow student Catherine Danforth. Father Loomis (Donald Pleasance, Halloween, Escape From New York) approaches their professor, Howard Birack (Victor Wong, Seven Years In Tibet, The Last Emperor), in need of help. A fellow priest who had recently died, left a box containing a key to an underground labyrinth beneath an abandoned church in Los Angeles. Inside the labyrinth is a cylinder filled with a swirling green liquid that appears to be growing in power. Birack gathers his students at the church, including Brian and Lisa who have begun to fall in love, in an effort to find out just what is in the cylinder. They are joined by other specialists including a woman to translate ancient text from a 2,000 year old book found next to the cylinder. The group notices that homeless people, led Street Schizo (Alice Cooper, Suck, Wayne's World 2), begin to encircle the church. When a group member leaves the church, Street Schizo impales him with part of a bicycle. After parts of the book is translated, it is revealed that the liquid is a conscious, living embodiment of the Prince of Darkness, Satan. Satan's powering is growing, changing the sky and overloading their computers. Loomis tells the group that the Church had been keeping the information about Satan a secret for thousands of years in order to protect humanity. Various members of the group begin to share the same dream, which appears to be a warning from the future. Satan is able to finally free itself from the cylinder, shooting liquid onto Susan, a radiologist with the group, making her into a slave. She begins possessing other members of the group including Kelly, who had a strange mark on her arm earlier in the day begins to physically change. She becomes the ultimate incarnation of Satan, complete with fantastic powers. Birack and the priest discover that Satan is the the son of an even more powerful entity and plans to bring him into this world. Surrounded and out-numbered, how will they be able to stop Satan from bringing his father into our reality?

Who wants Jell-O?

I'm a fan of John Carpenter's work so it came as a bit of a surprise when I came across Prince Of Darkness because I had never heard of it before. How can a movie by the man behind such classics as Halloween, The Thing, and Escape From New York just go completely under the radar? I think part of the problem is that the movie is too abstract for the average movie-goer. Thanks to mainstream media, we all have a preconceived notion of what the Devil should look like and a swirling green liquid doesn't fit that idea. I appreciate the desire to be different and I feel it works in the movie's favor since it's not your average horror movie. The general idea for the movie came from Carpenter's interest in theoretical physics and atomic theory and it shows. It's nice that the movie tries to give a scientific explanation for things, but it occasionally gets bogged down in specifics, leading to some confusion and bordedom. There is a good amount of action in the movie, though, with some nice violence and traditional horror scares. A lot is crammed in to the movie and certain aspects, like the dream message or Brian and Catherine's relationship, aren't really given enough time, especially given their importance.

Carpenter creates a great atmosphere that lasts throughout the movie. Shot with wide-angle lenses in an anamorphic format, the movie is very unsettling. The gothic feel of the church adds to the overall creepiness brought out by Carpenter's signature synthesizer music. What really sticks out to me are the small, minor changes in the actors when they become possessed. Much like spider-walk and head spinning scenes in The Exorcist, the unearthly sounds coming from the possessed group really touches a nerve. The acting is pretty good all-around and every plays their parts well. Jessie Lawrence Ferguson, who plays a group member named Calder, mixes strange giggles with weeping that send chills up my spine. The ending is quite good I actually had a nightmare related to this movie, so you know it has something working for it. The movie doesn't have your typical scares, but it manages to stick with you.

"We can't find Waldo anywhere!"

Prince Of Darkness is an underrated and undervalues horror movie from one of the masters. John Carpenter is able to craft a scary, surrealistic movie with a good amount of action and suspense. The abstract ideas and specific detail may keep some people away, but it's worth sticking with the movie. The atmosphere throughout the movie is very good thanks in part to the creepy music and creative camera shots. While it may not be the most well-known John Carpenter movie, it is well worth the time to watch. It is fun, scary, and unique. If you need a movie that will make you think and feel that you may not have seen before, Prince Of Darkness is a good choice.

8.5/10

Day 249: Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

High-five!

A movie doesn't need crazy special effects, lots of blood, or even a big budget to be scary. Sure those things help, but a good story and solid acting trump any amount of severed limbs a movie can throw at the audience. A movie that allows the imagination to fill-in the blanks is smart and clever to do so. It doesn't take much to let the mind run wild and great storytelling gives the audience just enough of a push to make it happen.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers is a 1956 science fiction horror movie adapted from the novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney. The movie begins with a distraught Dr. Miles Bennell (Kevin McCarthy, Death Of A Salesman, The Howling) being brought into the emergency ward of a hospital by police. Miles composes himself enough to explain to doctors why he is so franctic. A few days back, Miles, who is a doctor in the small California town of Santa Mira, begins receiving calls from patients insisting they were sick. Inexplicably, each patient cancells their appointments with Miles. People from around town also begin to express a strange fear of their loved ones, claiming they are no longer who they used to be. A former girlfriend of Miles, Becky Driscoll (Dana Wynter, In Love And War, Sink The Bismark!) has a cousin named Wilma who believes her Uncle Ira is no longer the same man. Miles meets with her and sees Uncle Ira for himself, convinced that he has not changed. That evening, Miles' friend Jack Belicec (King Donovan) discovers a body that shares Jack's features, though not completely developed. Miles sees the body for himself and realizes that Becky might be in trouble since her father was acting strangely earlier in the night. Miles sneaks into Becky's house and discovers her duplicate in the cellar. He runs upstairs and carries a sleeping Becky out of the house. When calls Dr. Dan Kaufmann, a psychiatrist from town, Jack's duplicate has mysteriously disappeared. They then go to Becky's house and discover her duplicate gone as well. Dr. Kaufmann believes that both Miles and Jack are suffering from a mass hysteria that is the cause for all the strange behavior in town. The following night, more duplicates are discovered, this time emerging from giant plant-like pods. The conclude that the townspeople are being replaced in their sleep by these pod people. Miles and Becky hide out in his office and watch the people of the town load up trucks and cars with giant pods. Dr. Kaufmann and Jack corner them and explain that the pods are extraterrestrial seeds that crash landed in a local farm. By being replaced, they no longer have feelings or emotions, completely devoid of their human nature. Miles and Becky run for the California hills, evading the pod people. How will they be able to survive when everyone, even sleep, is an enemy?

Looking sharp is important, even during an alien invasion

The modern movie audience has come to expect the big summer blockbuster when it comes to an alien invasion movie. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers comes from a simpler time in movies when big explosions and effects didn't equal entertainment. Granted, the special effects from that era can't even come close to today's effects, but that's not the point. If you watch other science fiction movies from the 50's, there are space ships on strings and actors and goofy-looking rubber suits. This movie doesn't need that because the fear doesn't come from the aliens, it partially comes from friends and family. Much like a zombie movie, everyone can become an enemy. Your loved ones are no longer who they used to be, replaced by an unloving, uncaring monster. The other scare factor comes from the loss of self. The loss of free will and identity is quite unnerving and plays into the overall fear of the movie. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers can be seen through many different political scopes. Some may see it as a commentary on Communism while others see it as the homogenization of the United States after World War II. The allegorical subtext is evident, though the filmmakers stated that the movie has no strict political point of view.

The movie is a good mixture of science fiction, traditional horror, and thriller. The science fiction aspect is treats the audience with respect, as it never becomes too fantastical or cartoonish. The pods look like plants from Earth, just larger. Kevin McCarthy, who some younger viewers may recognize as R.J. Fletcher from Weird Al Yankovic's “UHF”, is particularly good in his role. He plays the everyman, strong and confident. Initially skeptical, we see that confidence start to slip as things become bleak. The iconic scene where Miles stands in the highway, yelling directly into the camera, “They're here already! You're next!” is downright fantastic. The audience knows the truth and aches when no one believes Miles, making us as powerless as he is. Unfortunately, the movie does not end there as the studio felt it was too dark. They book-ended the movie with a prologue and epilogue that hurt the flow of the movie, but added a slightly more optimistic ending. It's a shame, because the original dark ending fit the movie's overall despair far better. 

Happy Anniversary, baby!

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers is a mixture of multiple genres that blend into an enjoyable and frightening watch. The science fiction aspect does not overshadow the rest of the movie. The story is simple, but very enjoyable with Kevin McCarthy having a fantastic performance. The writing is smart and the dialogue is believable. Invasion manages to be scary without relying on visual effects, violence, or even a big budget. There have been a few remakes over the years, including one starring Donald Sutherland and an adaptation starring Nicole Kidman. The film was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry for good reason. It is smart, scary, and entertaining.

9/10

Day 248: Tales From The Crypt: Bordello Of Blood

Tales From The Crypt: Bordello Of Blood

Oh, 1996

The 1990's were a simpler time. The economy was going strong, Bill Clinton was president, people still used America Online, and people were generally happier. It was also the prime time for the Tales From The Crypt television series on HBO. Based on the 1950's EC Comics horror series, Tales From The Crypt used a mixture of horror and humor to create an entertaining horror anthology. By being on HBO, TFTC had the freedom from basic television censorship. This allowed the series to have more adult content, more violence, and more nudity. Thanks to the success of the show, Tales From The Crypt came out with a trilogy of movies. I've already reviewed Demon Knight and Ritual, so it's time to complete the trilogy with a horror movie starring...Dennis Miller. Damn you, 90's!

Tales From The Crypt: Bordello Of Blood is a 1996 horror comedy movie starring Dennis Miller (Joe Dirt, The Dennis Miller Show) as Rafe Guttman. The movie begins with a man named Vincent (Phil Fondacaro, Evil Bong, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch) exploring a forest in South America. Joined by a few locals, Vincent enters a cave, believing the treasure he seeks is inside. The group discovers a coffin containing the skeleton of Lilith (Angie Everhart, Last Action Hero, Denial). Vincent places her still-beating heart back inside the skeleton, bringing Lilith back to life. The revived Lilith kills the locals, but Vincent reveals he is carrying the Key from Demon Knight, which contains the blood of Jesus inside. The key causes prevents Lilith from hurting Vincent and the two team up and make their way to the United States. We are then introduced to church worker Katherine (Erika Eleniak, Under Siege, The Beverly Hillbillies) who tries to prevent her delinquent brother Caleb (Corey Feldman, The Lost Boys, Stand By Me) from going out and getting into trouble. He ignores her and goes to a bar with his friends, meeting a strange biker who tells them of a brothel in town. Caleb and one of his friends travel to the address, which turns out to be a funeral home. They are placed in a coffin which goes down into the secret brothel. To their horror, the prostitutes are vampires being led by Lilith. When Caleb disappears, Katherine tries to get the police to search for him, but they are no help. Private detective Rafe Guttman overhears Katherine and offers his services to help her. After picking up some leads, Rafe sneaks into the bordello and discovers that the money raised there is given to the church where Katherine works. He returns the next night and meets with one of the prostitutes who is horrified when she sees Rafe's cross. He escapes, but Lilith is able to find him and tries to seduce him. Katherine receives a frantic call from Caleb and Rafe joins her to find him. Caleb has been turned into a vampire and captures Katherine and puts Rafe in the hospital. Joined by Reverend Current, who is looking to redeem himself for profiting off the deaths of sinners, Rafe fills Super Soakers with holy water and heads to the brothel. Will they be able to save Katherine and kill Lilith before it's too late?

There are worse ways to go

Movies always run the risk of casting someone who is popular at the time the movie is being made. Dennis Miller's television show on HBO was quite popular in the mid-90's and was known from his time at Saturday Night Live. His acting resume, though, wasn't particularly long and it showed in Bordello Of Blood. The movie tries so desperately to be funny, and while a few puns can elicit a chuckle, most fail to make the audience even crack a smile. The jokes come too quickly, mostly in the form of one-liners delivered by Miller's unique brand of comedy, which comes off as too sarcastic for the role. Action movies can be funny, it's just all in the delivery. Bruce Willis in Die Hard is a perfect example as his sarcasm is well-placed and well-timed. If John McClane made obscure topical references instead of saying “Yippy kay-yay, motherfucker” the movie wouldn't have worked. Angie Everhart is good in her role, though she is forced to spout some cringe-worthy one-liners of her own. Erika Eleniak does well and I appreciate the idea of making a former Playboy Playmate a church worker. Chris Sarandon is quite entertaining as the reverend as well.

Bordello Of Blood also tries to have a lot of action, which is more successful than the comedy. The violence is delightfully over-the-top and with gore and blood by the buckets. The movie has exploding vampires, beheadings, dismemberments, and everything in-between. The makeup and special effects look very good and convincing. The story of a bordello filled with prostitutes is actually quite creative and I'm surprised more horror movies haven't tried to emulate it. One thing I noticed about the movie, was that during the vampire fighting scene, Rafe and the reverend used water guns filled with holy water. If that sounds familiar, From Dusk Till Dawn had the same idea and the same year that Bordello Of Blood came out. It is entirely possible that it was a coincidence and I have no idea who came up with it first, but compared to the greatness of From Dusk Till Dawn, Bordello ends up looking silly. Speaking of silly, my autocorrect is filling in “Bordello of Blood” with “Bordello of Bloodsport”. That is a movie that needs to happen as soon as possible.

Hole in one

Originally, the trilogy was to include “Dead Easy”, “Demon Knight”, and “Body Count”. For whatever reason, only Demon Knight was actually made with Bordello of Blood and Ritual replacing the other two movies. Demon Knight is referenced a few times in the movie, such as a poster on Caleb's wall, and the inclusion of the key was a nice touch. The problem, though, is the key is destroyed in Bordello of Blood. Doesn't that mean the world will end, since the key was the only think keeping the demons from destroying the world in Demon Knight? Why include the key and express it's importance, just to destroy it and ignore the ramifications? I guess it doesn't matter since Bordello Of Blood did so poorly at the box office, essentially killing the TFTC movie series. When Ritual was released, it didn't even include the “Tales From The Crypt” banner or an intro from the Crypt Keeper. Thankfully, the Crypt Keeper was still in this movie, bringing his goofy puns and macabre jokes to the table. The inclusion of William Sadler (The Shawshank Redemption, Die Hard 2) during the Crypt Keeper's scenes were fun. 

Please, no more Chelsea Clinton jokes

Bordello Of Blood has some fun vampire action and lots of blood and gore. It's cartoonish violence, but it is still entertaining. The cast is a who's who of the early-to-mid 1990's with most putting in decent performances. Dennis Miller essentially plays Dennis Miller, cracking wise without making the audience crack a smile. His acting career wasn't long as he spent a brief time not being funny on Monday Night Football and is currently a conservative commentator being funny for all the wrong reasons. The movie tries too hard being funny with bad jokes made worse by Miller's delivery. The movie never reaches the level of it's predecessor in terms of horror or genuine humor, but it still has it's entertaining moments.There is a considerable amount of nudity, adult content, and violence, so it may not be for younger viewers. If you need something goofy and violent, you could do worse than Bordello Of Blood. It's watchable, but should have been much better.

5/10

Day 247: Misery

Misery

If this was made today, he'd be a blogger

Some of the scariest horror movies ever have no monsters in them. Movies like Psycho, Silence Of The Lambs, Audition, and Cape Fear have terrified audiences for years without the need for anything supernatural. Sure, vampires, zombies, and demons can give us jolts and make us worry about darkened corners, but Man is usually the scariest villain. By having a human as a horror films antagonist, it creates a sense of realism that no amount of makeup or special effects can equal. Of course, it doesn't hurt when Stephen King is doing the writing.

Based on the novel by Stephen King, Misery is a 1990 psychological horror movie starring James Caan (The Godfather, Rollerball) as famed novelist Paul Sheldon. Paul's series of novels based on a character named Misery Chastain is highly successful, but Paul feels the need to branch out. After finishing his new novel in Silver Creek, Colorado, Paul starts to drive back to Los Angeles when he gets caught in a blizzard. The white-out conditions cause Paul's car to go off-road and crash. He is rescued by a nurse named Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates, Titanic, Fried Green Tomatoes) who claims to be his biggest fan. She takes Paul back to her isolated home to care for him since he has broken both of his legs. He wants to call his publicist and his daughter, but Annie tells him the phone lines are down. Initially, Annie appears to be friendly, if a little quirky, but her harsh nature is soon revealed. After purchasing Paul's latest book, Annie has an angry outburst after reading that Misery has been killed off and locks Paul in his room. Meanwhile, the local sherrif, Buster (Richard Farnsworth, The Grey Fox, The Straight Story) investigates Paul's disappearance, discovering his snow-covered car. While others believe Paul died somewhere in the woods, Buster believes that someone pulled him from the car and rescued him. The next day, Annie reads Paul's latest manuscript and is not happy. She forces Paul to burn it, insisting that when he is better, he can rewrite something worthy of the Misery series. Fearing for his life, Paul begins to write a new story and tries to stay on Annie's good side. One day when Annie leaves the house to go into town, Paul manages to escape his room and steals painkillers from a closet. He tries to drug her with a glass of wine, but she spills it before she can drink any. During another escape, Paul discovers a scrapbook of Annie's filled with newspaper clippings describing infant death's at a local hospital and Annie's subsequent trial. Knowing that Paul will never love her the way she loves him, Annie breaks Paul's ankles in brutal fashion. How will Paul be able to escape and will Buster find him before it is too late?

It could be worse. I could've been in the Rollerball remake

Misery takes what is essentially a very simple story and crafts a thrilling and horrifying tale. The characters are all believable, which makes truly scary. Paul's vulnerability throughout the majority of the movie and his dependence on Annie create a palatable anxiety. Without her help, Paul will die, but her brand of “help” is just as dangerous. The movie gets to the point quickly and keeps the excitement going with a fast pace. Annie's insanity isn't obvious at first, but we get enough of a drip so that the horror grows exponentially. There are a few traditional jump-at-you scares, but most of the fear comes from knowing that Paul is helpless. He is surrounded by an atmosphere of dread never quite knowing what will happen, but sure that something will happen. The audience wants to help Paul escape, but we are just as helpless as he is. While a majority of the movie is based on psychology, there are still some very violent scenes. Annie “hobbling” Paul with a sledgehammer is extremely vicious and difficult to watch. We may not see blood and gore, but we're given just enough to be completed horrified, with the rest left to our imagination.

It's true that the story is good, but it's the execution that puts Misery over the top. James Caan and Kathy Bates are absolutely fantastic, together and separately. The majority of the movie is just the interaction between both of them. With lesser actors, the movie would not have been able to succeed, but they are so incredibly strong in their roles that nothing else is really needed. There's a good reason why Kathy Bates won an Academy Award for her role as Annie. She is so incredibly good that it is almost hard to separator her from the role. She is able to flip the crazy switch at a moments notice, going from loving caregiver to raging lunatic in a split-second. James Caan is equally as great in his role. He is essentially the audience's avatar and he is able to convince us to feel the way he does. Every painful movement, every fearful glance just increases the horror and fear. Director Rob Reiner (When Harry Met Sally, Stand By Me) is incredibly comfortable in a movie that is outside his usual comfort zone. His direction is smart with no scenes being wasted or unnecessary. 

Hammer time!

Misery is a movie that grabs that audience and never lets go. It is a thriller, a chiller, and a psychological horror movie all wrapped in a neat, disturbing little bow. No supernatural creature is needed to make this movie scary as a human being is scary enough. The story is simple, but compelling with good scares and action. There isn't a lot of violence compared to other horror movies, but what violence is shown is extreme. Kathy Bates and James Caan are both superb and I feel that the movie wouldn't have been as good without their talent. Rob Reiner creates an intense atmosphere that compels the audience to keep watching and hoping for Paul's escape. While it may not be one of the first movies to come to mind when thinking of all-time great horror movies, Misery certainly belongs there. From start to finish, it is scary and entertaining.

10/10

Day 246: The Eye

The Eye

There's no "eye" in team

If there's one country that can wrest the Horror throne from the United States, it's Japan. With movies like The Ring and The Grudge getting remade in America and finding success, it's no surprise that other countries have gotten in on the idea. China isn't the first country to come to mind when most people think of horror movies, but like India and part of Europe, their scary movies are slowing making their way across the globe. These international movies are a blast of fresh air in a genre that is becoming increasingly overcrowded. They bring different culture, attitudes, and ideas to the screen which can great new and interesting stories. Today's review, The Eye, has been remade in the United States, but I am sticking with the original.

The Eye is a 2002 horror film from Hong Kong directed by the Pang brothers (Re-cycle, Bangkok Dangerous). The film stars Angelica Lee (Re-cycle, Sleepwalker) as Wong Kar Mun, a violinist who has been blind since the age of 2. Mun undergoes an eye cornea transplant with the hopes of regaining her eyesight. The transition to sight is painful and difficult at first, occasionally seeing shadowy figures that aren't really there. While in the hospital, Mun befriends a young girl named Ying Ying who is being treated for a brain tumor. One night, Mun awakens in her hospital bed to see another shadowy figure standing beside an old woman's bed. The figures leave the room together and Mun is shocked to find out that the woman died during the night. Mun begins seeing a psychologist named Dr.Wah (Lawrence Chou, Re-cycle, Forest Of Death) who is to help Mun learn how to associate objects by sight, not touch. Mun begins to see a little boy in her apartment building who asks if she has seen his report card. She talks to him on several occasions, but soon realizes that he isn't really there. The visions continue and become more disturbing, causing Mun to become isolated and shrouded in darkness. After a fainting spell, Mun returns to the hospital where she speaks to Ying Ying again. Ying Ying says she no longer needs surgery and walks away with a shadowy figure. Initially, Dr. Wah doesn't believe her, but seeing her in serious trouble brings them closer together. He is able to find out who the eye donor was and he and Mun travel to Thailand. Their search leads them to a hospital where a doctor tells them about Ling, the donor. Ling had visions of people's deaths, but the people of her town believed she was a witch and shunned her. One day, she had a vision of a horrible disaster to come, but the town ignored her and 300 people died in a fire. Unable to deal with her visions, Ling hanged herself in her house. Mun and Dr. Wah go to her house and meet with her mother who has never forgiven Ling for her suicide. That night, Ling's spirit possesses Mun and attempts to recreate her suicide. What will happen and will the visions ever stop?

Oh, snap

This movie is certainly not laid our like a typical American horror movie and that's a good thing. The horror in The Eye comes more from creepy atmospherics than brutal gore or “jump-at-you” moments. The movie could best be described as a subtle chiller. Within the first few minutes of the movie, it is already established that something is not right with Mun's vision. Rather than having to wait 20 or 30 minutes for any hint of horror, The Eye gives us the notion right from the start and then gives us the character development and back story. The audience is right there with Mun when she gets her eyesight back and are along for the ride as the strange visions begin. Typically, you would think that the shadowy figures she sees, ushering people after death would be seen as the villains of the movie, but they're not treated as such. Surprisingly, there are no villains in the movie, something I think would be more difficult to pull off for an American movie. We like our good guys and bad guys and it was nice to see the movie focus just on Mun and her new found “gift”. There is very little violence to speak of , and with the exception of a scene at the end, I'm not really sure why the movie received an “R” rating.

The Pang brothers do a fantastic job of directing. Their shots are creative and various with nothing being too overdone. Angles are just used for the sake of being different. They capture the subtle emotion and poignancy of the characters. The movie has a decent pace, especially considering there is very little action to speak of. It did feel a little long though, clocking in at about 98 minutes. Maybe it was just my American mind craving an explosion that made it feel too long. I can see being being bored with the movie as it dips into various genres and goes for subtle psychological scares instead of big, visual ones. The acting is very good with Angelica Lee putting in the best performance. While there are many special effects, some of them are a bit weak, like one scene where the ignition of a car is unnecessarily computerized. The computerization looking closer to Windows Flight Simulator than the real thing. The ending tries to end on a happy note, despite it being quite depressing. I think it would have been better either to have a straight happy ending or straight sad as the mixture of both just felt awkward.

Pin the tail on the spirit

While the story itself has been done before, The Eye puts more effort into character development and emotion than most. It makes for a better movie, but it does drag at times in the entertainment. The scares are subtle, foregoing the blood and violence, for twists and turns. There is a cultural difference when watching from a Western point-of-view, but it doesn't really take away from the movie. The acting is good and the direction is great. I could have done without some of the special effects and a little more action would have been good. The movie was thankfully in it's original language, but there are dubbed versions out there in multiple languages if you don't feel like reading. I'm not quite sure if The Eye is a ghost movie or a spirit movie, but it's a modern take on Greek tale of Cassandra. The Eye has spawned multiple sequels and a remake starring Jessica Alba. It's best to stick with the original.

7/10

Day 245: The Burning

The Burning

So the killer's head is a volcano? The Sun? What the hell am I looking at?

A group of horny teenagers are brutally murdered by an unseen killer. Sound familiar? During the “slasher boom” of the mid-70's and early 80's, a lot of horror movies followed this simple formula. Black Christmas is widely considered to be the first true slasher film, followed by Silent Night, Bloody Night and Savage Weekend. Thanks to successes like Halloween and Friday The 13^th, studios desperately tried to cash in on slasher movies, amping up the gore while keeping the same basic story. Despite being a subgenre, slashers are one of the most popular and best-known styles of horror. Does it matter if a slasher is generic as long as there's lots of gore?

The Burning is a 1981 slasher starring Brian Matthews (The Young And The Restless, Days Of Our Lives) as Todd. When he was a teenager, Todd and a group of campers played a prank on Cropsy, the camp's caretaker. They placed a rotting skull with candles in it's eye sockets on Cropsy's table, hoping to scare him. When Cropsy woke up, he inadvertently knocked the skull onto his bed, setting himself on fire. He managed to survive, though he was permanently scarred and disfigured. 5 years later, Cropsy was released from the hospital and Todd has become a counselor at a summer camp. Alfred (Brian Backer, Fast Times At Ridgemont High,The Money Pit), an outcast camper, is caught peeping on one of the girls at camp and is threatened with expulsion. He tells Todd that he was just playing a prank to get back at another camper, a meathead named Glazer, for giving him a hard time. That night, Alfred sees someone outside his cabin, but no one believes him. Todd and his girlfriend Michelle (Leah Ayres, Bloodsport, The Brady's) take a group of campers down river for a few days. Unknown to them, Cropsy is out in the woods, stalking them. When their canoes go missing, a small group builds a raft to get back to camp. They spot one of the canoes and head towards it. When they reach it, Cropsy jumps out, brutally hacking and slashing them to death with garden shears. Cropsy kills more of the group, killing Glazer and his girlfriend Sally. Alfred sees this and grabs Todd. When they find the bodies, they are attacked by Cropsey. How will they survive and how will they get back to camp?

"Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

If this story sounds familiar, it's not your imagination. Friday The 13^th came out in 1980 and it's sequel came out the same year as The Burning. The then new company Miramax Films was looking to cash-in on the slasher craze of the time. Harvey and Bob Weinstein (Gangs of New York, Kill Bill) wrote and produced the movie and put about $1.5 million into making it, a much higher budget than some of it's slasher brethren. They also hired makeup and special effects wizard Tom Savini (Dawn Of The Dead, Friday The 13^th) away from Friday The 13^th Part 2 to provide all the gore and makeup. Slasher movies rarely require much in the way of story, but it's so similar to the Friday The 13^th series that it feels like I'm watching the same movie. There are oversexed teen counselors being murdered by a sharp metal object in the woods. That's not “like” Friday The 13^th, that is Friday The 13^th. Despite essentially being the same movie, The Burning has a lot more bloody violence and gore, some of which got them in trouble with the Motion Picture Association. While the scenes are tame by today's standards, they were pretty shocking for 1981. The violence is pretty entertaining thanks to Savini's creative makeup and effects. The violence is pretty entertaining thanks to Savini's creative makeup and effects.

Speaking of effects, the makeup used for Cropsy's disfigurement looks less like a burn victim and more like a pink California Raisin. Apparently, Savini only had about 3 days to work on the makeup giving Crospy a melted look instead of burns. We go through most of the movie never seeing him and it was disappointing when his face is finally revealed. The film uses the first-person perspective from Cropsy's point of view when he is stalking his victims. Friday The 13^th did the same exact thing. The movie's final scene takes place in a mine shaft, reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine, which came out in the same year. Either these are incredible coincidences, or the Weinsteins just didn't care and took from other movies. The acting is decent throughout, though Brian Backer is a little annoying. His delivery is a little too desperate and sweaty. Part of that is the writing because he's supposed to be a somewhat sympathetic character, but still comes off like a creep. The Burning has smaller roles played by future stars like Jason Alexander (George from Seinfeld) and Holly Hunter (Raising Arizona, O, Brother Where Art Thou?) and it's fun to see them before they got their breaks. 

At least you can still do the "I'm talking on the phone" hand gesture 

The Burning is a by-the-numbers slasher movie very similar to other slashers. It's not terribly original, but what it lacks in creativity, it tries to make up with blood and gore. The violence is very entertaining and quite messy for the time period. Tom Savini works his magic with some very good effects, though his makeup for the villain is lacking. The acting and directing are fine and it's fun to pick out some famous actors in smaller roles. The Burning is by no means a bad slasher movie. It gives the audience what it wants: blood and guts. While some scenes in the movie are cliché or don't make sense, like why Cropsy killed a random prostitute in the beginning, the movie's quick pace tries to erase lingering questions. It's not a classic and doesn't have great name recognition, but The Burning is still worth a watch if you're feeling nostalgic or want to catch a lesser-known movie from the slasher boom.

6.5/10