Day 312: The Devil's Carnival

The Devil's Carnival

The Grimmest Show On Earth

“Rock Opera” isn't something you normally hear when talking about a horror movie. It's not something you normally hear in 2012, either. A loose definition of rock opera is a music album with a storyline told through multiple parts. These rock operas proved so popular that full-length movies were created, based on the story and songs. The most famous examples would be The Who's Tommy, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Pink Floyd's The Wall. The genre died out by the 80's and was long thought forgotten. A few years ago, a pseudo-horror movie movie written and composed by Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich came out that made people change they way they saw rock operas. That movie was Repo! The Genetic Opera. The movie didn't have much appeal to me, so I've never seen it, but Zdunich's latest movie intrigued me.

The Devil's Carnival is a 2012 experimental horror/rock opera starring Sean Patrick Flannery (Boondock Saints, Masters Of Horror: The Damned Thing) as John, Briana Evigan (Sorority Row, Step Up 2) as Ms. Merrywood and Jessica Lowndes (90210, Autopsy) as Tamara. Initially unconnected, the three are brought together following their deaths: a grieving John commits suicide over the loss of his son, thieving Ms. Merrywood is gunned down during a police standoff, and naïve Tamara is killed by her enraged boyfriend. They awaken in what looks like a large carnival. Lucifer (Terrance Zdunich) reads three Aesop's Fables to John's missing son which parallel the three stories in the movie. The Ticket-Keeper (Dayton Callie, Deadwood, Undisputed) prepares the carnival workers for their new guests, selecting the Painted Doll (Emilie Autumn), the Twin (Nivek Ogre from the band Skinny Puppy), the Hobo Clown (Ivan Moody from the band Five Finger Death Punch) and the Scorpion (Marc Senter, Cabin Fever 2, I Know Who Killed Me). John and Ms. Merrywood find each other and approach the Ticket-Kepper's booth where he explains the 666 rules of the Devil's carnival and the consequences for breaking them. John goes searching for his missing son while Ms. Merrywood engages in a game of chance with the Twin. At the same time, Tamara meets the Scorpion and instantly trusts him and agrees to take part in his knife-throwing act. Ms. Merrywood loses her game of chance, stripped of her clothes and whipped by the Tamer (Shawn Crahan aka Clown from the band Slipknot). As this is happening, the Hobo Clown sings “A Penny For A Tale” describing Ms. Merrywood's downfall. Tamara finds the Scorpion kissing the Painted-Doll, but she still trusts him. She goes through with the knife-throwing act, only for the final knife to hit her in the chest. The Painted-Doll sings of her demise with the song “Prick! Goes The Scorpion's Tale!” Only John remains, desperately searching for his son. He finds his son in a room with Lucifer, but it is an illusion. What does Lucifer have in store for John and how does Heaven play into it?

That's how Emilie Autumn looks on a weekday

I think it's safe to say that I'm not exactly a big fan of musicals. I've seen Les Miserables and Miss Saigon on Broadway and I've enjoyed occasional musical episode of The Simpsons, but that's about as far as it goes. You won't see me singing the praises of Glee, though that's not just because there's singing in it. The initial idea of a horror movie with singing will initially keep many people away, but it would be a mistake to miss The Devil's Carnival. The songs are all very good and incredibly catchy. You'll have the initial “Devil's Carnival” theme stuck in your head for days. I may not have even watched it if not for well-known metal musicians Shawn Crahan and Ivan Moody were in it. Moody's hauntingly hollow voice sounds fantastic in the movie and gives a certain weight to his song. His performance is also very solid. The same can be said for Emilie Autumn and Nivek Ogre, though their roles are less of a stretch than for some other people.

While the songs do play a central role in the movie, thankfully not everything is in song. All three main characters play their roles well and never look out of their depth. The movie also contains small roles form Bill Mosely, Alexa Vega, and Paul Sorvino as God. The sets and costumes look utterly amazing as they are rich in both detail and color. Director Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Repo! The Genetic Opera) does a good job of capturing everything without being too intrusive. The horror in the movie is more subversive and introspective than most horror films. If you're looking for genuine scares and blood, this isn't for you. The Devil's Carnival has a deeper fear to it that can easily be missed through all the whimsy and bright colors. The movie is very short, only about an hour long, and the movie moves quickly, which could make the story hard to follow.

If you're 555, then I'm 666

The Devil's Carnival is not your typical horror movie, but that doesn't make it any less entertaining. The movie smartly casts real singers and it pays off as all the songs sound great. The story is engrossing and entertaining, but just a little too short. Everyone puts in a good performance thanks to solid writing and direction. The costumes and sets look great and are truly a feast for the eyes. The horror of the movie will not scare you, but it may make you feel uneasy. If you like horror or hate it, you'll still enjoy The Devil's Carnival.

8.5/10

Day 311: Pig Hunt

Pig Hunt

Treif

Happy Election Day, all my American readers. I hope you voted if you're eligible. I just spent an hour and a half waiting in line and would have waited even longer. I love politics and I'm thrilled to vote. I am going to keep today's review short and sweet so I can go back to watching MSNBC like a hawk, cheering and booing like I'm watching WWE. I haven't watched an animal-based aka creature feature horror movie in quite some time. They all kind of blend together for me as the animal is usually a shark or some type of insect, with a few bears and tigers thrown in. This movie caught my eye though, focusing on a killer pig. That's so goofy, it has to be fun, right?

Pig Hunt is a 2008 horror movie starring Travis Aaron Wade as former soldier John Hickman. Along with his girlfriend Brooks (Tina Huang) and his friends Ben, Wayne and Quincy, John travel's to his uncle's cabin in the California woods at his uncle's cabin. On the way to the cabin, the friends runs into a strange cult of pseudo hippie women, led the Hippie Stranger (Bryonn Bain). He carries a large knife and terrifies the group. They learn from a local shop owner about “The Ripper” a legendary wild boar that lives in the area. It supposedly ways over 3,000 pounds and is a vicious killing machine. On the way to the cabin, they come across a group of hillbillies from the area. The next morning, John's childhood friends Jake and Ricky join the hunt. Wayne is injured by a wild pig and the group goes ahead to get help. Quincy discovers a large crop of marijuana on the land with Ricky and Jake trying to steal it. A standoff occurs and and Ben shoots Ricky. Jake flees and rounds up his hillbilly kin, one of which is played by Les Claypool from Primus. The hillbillies attack the group, eventually killing Quincy. John and Brooks come across the Hippie Stranger who helps them fight off the hillbillies. At the same time, Ben arrives at the hippie commune. They treat him for his wounds and then lock him in a pig pen where The Ripper is waiting. With John and Brooks on their way to the compound, will they be able to fight off the giant killer pig and the hippie cult?

"Hey, how ya doin'?

Despite being called “Pig Hunt” there really wasn't a lot of killer pig in it. That's the entire reason why I bothered to watch the movie. I wanted to see a giant pig kill and eat people for an hour and a half. Instead, we get a movie that focuses on killer hillbillies, killer hippies, and jerky main characters duke it out. The hillbillies make sense, but the hippie cult is just too weird for words. When the pig finally arrived, I was actually surprised by how good it looked. I was expecting a cheap, SyFy-style computerization. The big is large and has a lot of detail, down to the razor-sharp teeth. It makes me wonder, if the pig looks this good, why didn't you show it more?

The first half of the movie is downright painful to get through. They try to have character development, but every character is just too annoying to care about. The little back-story with John as a veteran is unnecessary and adds nothing to the movie. It doesn't help that some of the acting is less than stellar. It's not all bad, but there are some unpleasant moments as a viewer. The movie has a good amount of violence and takes a dark turn about halfway through when Quincy is killed. That's also when the movie becomes more interesting. Les Claypool of Primus fame contributes to several songs, making the music the highlight of the entire film. Though his role is relatively small, Claypool also does a good job as a hillbilly preacher. 

Jerry was a racecar driver...

When I pick a horror movie called “Pig Hunt”, I expect to see lots of absurd killing and gore by a giant pig. Sadly, that only comes in the last few minutes. The first half of the movie is far too slow, focusing on weak character development that really holds no sway over the story itself. Things don't pick up until halfway through with a decent amount of action and violence. The acting is mediocre, but the music is very good, thanks to Les Claypool. The pig itself looks very good and scary which is a shame because we barely see it. Ultimately, Pig Hunt wasn't as bad as I was expecting, though it wasn't really what I was looking for. If you can tough it out through the first half, you may enjoy the second.

4.5/10

Day 310: The Last Exorcism

The Last Exorcism

Twister: Satanic Edition

There have been possession/exorcism movies before and after but none come close to the sheer terror and quality of The Exorcist. It is the alpha and the omega of possession horror. Many have tried to emulate it and many have failed. It's almost unfair to compare other movies to The Exorcist. It is a movie unto itself. All that being said, it's hard not to do so because the themes that run through that movie are identical to all others. The heavy religious imagery, religious commentary, the questioning of faith, and some scary violence. Those things could describe countless possession movies. Because of this, newer movies are required to come up with new ideas, new twists, and new gimmicks to differentiate themselves from the standard bearer of exorcisms in horror. One of those gimmicks is my old “favorite,” found footage.

The Last Exorcism is a 2010 found footage-style exorcism movie starring Patrick Fabian (Bad Ass, Providence) as Reverend Cotton Marcus. Cotton is followed be a small documentary crew to expose exorcism as a fraud. He has performed exorcisms in the past, but does not believe in demons or possessed individuals. Along with the crew, Cotton travels to a small town in Louisiana after receiving a letter asking for his help in performing an exorcism. The letter is written by Louis Sweetzer (Louis Herthum, True Blood, JAG) claiming that his daughter Nell (Ashley Bell, The Day, United States Of Tara) is possessed. After meeting with Nell, Cotton tells her father that she is possessed by a demon called Abalam. Cotton uses a myriad of tricks and props to make it appear that he is casting a demon out of Nell, to the satisfaction of her father. That night, Nell randomly appears in Marcus's hotel room in a disheveled state. They take her to a hospital to get checked out and everything comes back normal. Cotton visits the Sweetzer's former pastor, Joseph Manley (Tony Bentley, Cadillac Records, From The Rough), who explains that he hasn't been in contact with the family in a few years. After his wife's death, Louis became ultra religious and pulled his family out of the church and homeschooled his children. Nell inexplicably cuts her brother's face and Louis chains her to her bed. Cotton and the film crew free her, but her strange actions continue. A doctor from the hospital leaves a message, stating that Nell is in fact pregnant. Convinced that Louis raped her, Cotton and the crew wait for him to come home. Tempers flare and Nell attacks Cotton. He agrees to perform another exorcism, but things are not what they same. Is Nell really possessed or is there something else going on and how is Pastor Manley involved?

Power slide!

As with every other exorcism movie, religion does play a large part of the movie, but not in the typical way. The Last Exorcism puts a twist on the “loss of faith” theme. The movie doesn't focus on Cotton's return to faith and allows the movie to progress. The movie doesn't feel too preachy and doesn't rely heavily on Christian imagery. That was quite a relief as other movies tend to bash the audience over the head with crosses and Jesuses (Jesusi?). By not being as straight-forward as other exorcism movies, The Last Exorcism is free to craft better characters without having to force cliches and stereotypes. Both Patrick Fabian and Ashley Bell put in good performances, making both of their characters likable and believable. This likability is important because it makes the audience care about what is going on. The story itself is on the fairly mundane side with a few twists and turns that didn't really work for me. Things felt rushed and convenient with the express purpose of getting to the “shocking” ending with about 3 minutes left in the film. The movie lacked the proper amount of foreshadowing to be believable and felt too random. The final few seconds were straight out of the Blair Witch Project and I hated that movie.

The main gimmick of this movie is the use of found footage. As I've said in other reviews, I'm not really a fan of this style. It does allow for quicker scares, but it really isn't necessary for a movie like The Last Exorcism. Beyond the fast jolts, there really aren't many scary things about the film. I can't stand the shakiness of the camera and the phony focusing that occurs. Personally, I think a few quick scares are not a good tradeoff for a good story. There is a bit violence, though most is directed at a cat, which I didn't care for. The movie is rated PG-13 which blows my mind. Why would you handcuff your movie and take out the necessary and desired violence from the horror crowd? Do you really want a 14 year old to see a movie talking about rape and incest and demonic possession? By going soft on the violence and language, the movie becomes watered-down and generic. It doesn't have to be a splatterfest, but a few more scenes of violence and some real-life dialogue would have improved the movie immensely.

All the kids are doing the "Possessed" at the dance clubs

The Last Exorcism has a few good things going for it, but it tends to blend in with all the other exorcism movies. The story is fairly mediocre and the twists are too convenient and not very surprising. The ending feels very rushed and a lack of foreshadowing made it appear to come out of nowhere. The found footage may appeal to some, but I found it unnecessary and occasionally nauseating. The acting in the movie is good and there is solid character development. I truly think the PG-13 rating held the movie back and made it too bland for your average horror fan. While it's not a terrible movie, there were just too many thing in it that I didn't like.

5.5/10

Day 309: Slither

Slither

At least the slugs will be clean when they crawl inside you

Happy Daylight Savings! Sorry I didn't get you a card. It's always nice to sleep in and then realize you haven't completely wasted half of your day. Having comedy in a horror movie is always a delicate balancing act. The horror has to be able to stand on it's on before comedy even comes into play. If it's the other way around, the horror suffers and you just get a goofy comedy with monsters. Each comedic situation needs to be appropriate and timed correctly. The jokes need to be more than simple slapstick, though the occasional pratfall can be funny. Above all else, you need actors who can be convincing in serious moments as well as genuinely funny in the lighter moments. It's not easy to do, but it's not impossible. It also helps if you have lots of blood, gore, and special effects.

Is this love that I'm feelin'?

Slither is a 2006 horror comedy starring Nathan Fillion as Sheriff Bill Pardy and Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Scrubs) as Starla Grant. In the small town of Wheelsy, North Carolina, local car dealer Grant Grant (Michael Rooker, Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer, Mallrats) discovers a meteor that crashed in the woods. An alien parasite is freed from the meteor and infects Grant, taking over his body. The newly-infected Grant begins to change, both physically and mentally. He puts a lock on the basement door and soon local pets start to disappear. Grant's wife, Starla is concerned about his health and confides in Bill, her childhood crush. Grant visits Brenda (Brenda James) who was with him when he was initially infected. Under the pretext of sex, Grant infects Brenda using two long tentacles protruding from his chest. He takes her to an empty barn, feeding her the dead pets and other livestock that he has killed, making her swell to gigantic proportions. Grant's physical changes continue, eventually looking like a slug/squid-like creature. Bill gets together a posse to take on Grant when they discover an enormous Brenda. She is literally torn apart, exploding with hundreds of slug-like babies. The slugs infect Bill's posse, reanimating them as zombies with Grant's collective consciousness. Soon, the entire town becomes infected. A teenage girl named Kylie (Tania Saulnier, The Wicker Man, The Invisible) is able to stop her infection, but is able to learn the parasite's history in the process. The parasite goes from world to world, infecting it's inhabitants and procreating. How will Bill, Starla, and Kylie stop Grant before he destroys the entire world?

I love what you've done with the place

Slither manages to include all sorts of horror sub-genres in such a short amount of time. We have zombie horror, viral horror, parasitic horror, body horror, and gore horror just to name a few. Having all of these crammed into one movie is both a good and bad thing. The wide variety allows the movie to appeal to a wider audience. If you like George Romero, you'll appreciate the zombie aspect. If you like David Cronenberg, you'll like Grant's hideous transformation. It keeps the movie from becoming too stagnant and keeps the audience engaged with it's twists and turns. The problem with all of this, though, is that the movie sometimes feels cluttered with too much going on at once. I love zombie movies, but these zombies, tend to come out of nowhere in the middle of the movie. If they appeared a little sooner, it wouldn't have felt as random.

Luckily, the movie has so much action, violence, over-the-top gore that these small complaints didn't really matter. And wow is there a lot of violence and gore, way more than I expected. The special effects and makeup used to show Grant's physical changes are quite good and would make David Cronenberg proud. While the subject matter is serious and the horror is genuine, the movie manages to have some very funny scenes and one-liners. The comedy doesn't dominate the film, allowing the story to play out with just a sprinkling of jokes here and there. The movie knows when to joke and when to back off and allow the horror to progress. Both Nathan Fillion and Elizabeth Banks play their parts very well as they come off as very believable and likable. Michael Rooker is good as well, but that's no surprise. This is director/writer James Gunn's first major Hollywood movie, but you've never suspect it. He does a good job of capturing the horror and does not shy away from violence or the aftermath.

"Welcome to Wal-Mart!"

Slither is a highly entertaining horror movie with just enough genuinely funny comedy to bring in the non-horror fans. There is a little bit of everything in the movie, ranging from zombies and aliens to body transformations and viral plagues. The special effects look great and there is enough violence to fill the next Grand Theft Auto video game. The writing is smart and the direction is solid. Thanks to some very good acting by Nathan Fillion and Elizabeth Banks, a movie that could have been totally goofy, was given a sense of legitimacy while still being fun. If you're looking for a good time full of violence and laughs, definitely check out Slither.

8/10

Day 308: Ju-On

Ju-On

Ju-in, Ju-on, and Ju-out

OK, I admit it. I've been ignoring Japanese horror movies for too long. Sure, I reviewed Masters Of Horror: Imprint and Masters Of Horror: Dream Cruise, but those were made for an American audience. I'm talking about made in Japan for a Japanese audience. I've reviewed horror movies from Canada, France, India, Spain, Norway, Belgium, South Africa, Great Britain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Holland. It's about time that I give some proper attention to Japan. What better way to do that than with one of the more well-known movies to be remade in the United States? Or more accurately, one of a series of movies remade in the United States.

Ju-On (also know as  Ju-On: The Curse) is a 2000 supernatural horror movie from Japan. The movie follows the lives of multiple people in connection with a specific house in Nerima, Tokyo. Shunsuke Kobayashi (Yurei Yanagi), a teacher, pays a visit to his student Toshio (Ryota Koyama), who has been absent from school. Kobayashi finds Toshio alone in his house, covered in bruises and surrounded by garbage. While waiting for his parents, Toshio begins to make a strange, meowing sound. The story then jumps to the next family to live in the house, the Murakami family. One of the daughters hears a strange croaking sound coming from the attic. When she inspects, she is attacked and killed by some sort of ghost or spirit. The spirit then goes on to attack other people connected with the Murakami family. When we return to the story of Kobayashi, we learn that Toshio's mother was obsessed with Kobayashi. He reads her journal which expresses her intense obsession with him. As he goes to leave, Kobayashi receives a phone call from Toshio's father. His father, jealous about his wife's feelings towards Kobayashi, takes his revenge on Kobayashi's wife and unborn child. In a state of shock, Kobayashi is unable to move when he begins to hear the same croaking sounds from the other story coming from upstairs. What unspeakable horror is coming to meet him and where is exactly is Toshio's mother?

"Help! I've been attacked by Windows 98 graphics!"

I initially thought I was going to be watching the original Japanese version of the Sarah Michelle Gellar movie The Grudge. Unfortunately, I was sort of wrong. Ju-On is actually a series of direct to video horror movies with this one being the first. The American version of The Grudge is actually a remake of Ju-On 2. I've only seen bits and pieces of The Grudge (and some jokes from the Scary Movie franchise) so I was quite surprised to see that the movie didn't really focus on the spooky meowing child. That's what happens when you don't do your research. The creepy meowing child is in the movie, though not as much as The Grudge. The movie does have some genuinely scary parts thanks to a good amount of suspense and sound. There is a good amount of tension and lead-up during the movie. We know something is going to happen and it pushes the audience to the edge of their seats. The strange croaking vocal sounds are actually done by director Takashi Shimizu and are probably the most memorable thing about the movie. The unnatural sound and some unnatural movements are very unsettling, similar to the spider-crawl scene in The Exorcist. Most of the action and violence is implied rather than shown, but we do get a decent amount of blood.

One thing that always worries me when I watch foreign films is that I may not understand certain cultural themes or ideas that the movie is focusing on. While it hasn't been a problem before, I did find myself a bit lost during certain scenes. I have a general idea of the significance of cats in Japanese culture, but not to the point where I could relate to one characters incredible fear of them. Maybe I just missed something in translation. The movie has a tendency to jump around too much, telling multiple short stories. I couldn't feel a strong connection with most of the characters because they only had about 15 minutes of screen time here and there. It doesn't help that the movie has a run time of about 68 minutes. Maybe that's all just the stupid American in me, but the movie would have been better off focusing on, say, 3 extended stories. The acting and directing are fine with not serious complaints. The film quality is on the cheaper side which I find brings down the entire viewing experience.

Did I just walk in on a Danzig music video?

Though it wasn't the movie I was expecting to see, it was nice to find out where the story began. The haunted house/curse is interesting on the surface, but the movie jumps around way too much. I find it hard to connect with the characters and follow just what is happening on the screen. There are too many small stories and with the short run time, everything feels rushed. The movie has a few good scares thanks to good suspense and the creative use of sound. If you liked the American version of The Grudge, you may enjoy seeing where the story got it's start. Otherwise, there's no need to rush out at see Ju-On: The Curse.

4.5/10

Day 307: 30 Days Of Night

30 Days Of Night

They could reuse this poster for the Red Dawn remake

Comic book movie adaptations are all the rage nowadays. Thanks to the success of movies like Spider-Man, The Dark Knight, The Avengers, and X-Men, you can barely go two months without another comic book movie popping up. Flying under the radar, though, are movies based on horror comic books. While not as popular as they were in the EC comics days, there is a steady stream of horror-centric comic books. At the forefront of these stories is Steve Niles, whose work I've previously reviewed in “Remains”. Niles has come out with a string of enjoyable comic books, most notable Criminal Macabre, Bad Planet, and his most famous mini-series, 30 Days Of Night. 30 Days Of Night proved to be so popular that it was only a matter of time before it made it to the big screen.

30 Days Of Night is a vampire movie based on the comic book of the same name written by Steve Niles. The movie stars Josh Hartnett (The Faculty, Pearl Harbor) as Sheriff Eben Oleson and Melissa George (Turistas, The Amityville Horror) as his estranged wife Stella. Eben is the sheriff of the small Alaskan town of Barrow, famous for having no sunlight for a full 30 days. As the town prepares for the month of darkness, a stranger (Ben Foster, 3:10 To Yuma, Pandorum) arrives via boat and begins sabotaging the town's phones and power supply. Eben receives a call from Stella, asking for him to pick her up after she misses the final plane to Anchorage. Still angry at her for their pending divorce, Eben sends his deputy Billy (Manu Bennett, The Marine, The Condemned) to get her while he investigates a call about sled dogs being killed. Eventually, Eben comes across the stranger in the town diner and arrests him. In jail, the stranger taunts Eben and Stella, telling them that death is coming. Just then, the power goes out and a group of unknown creatures viciously attack people around town. The assailants are vampires that have come to Barrow to feast during the month of darkness. Led by Marlow (Danny Huston, The Constant Gardener, Clash Of The Titans), the feral vampires cut a bloody swath through town, using both the brains and brawn to feed. Eben and Stella hold up in an attic with a few other survivors, trying to figure out what they can do. Weeks pass and still they cannot come up with a solution. With food running low and time running out, how will Eben and Stella kill the vampires before it is too late?

The dreaded "Circle of Vampires and Flames" death match

The biggest thing 30 Days Of Night has going for it is the fairly original idea of the setting. The unique combination of frozen tundra and seemingly never-ending darkness makes for a fun and interesting background that most other vampire movies lack. The vast emptiness and the black abyss create a hopeless atmosphere which feeds into the overall despair and helplessness from the vampire attack. These are not your weepy, sparkly vampire either. These vampires are shown as vicious, remorseless blood-thirsty animals, complete with extra sharp teeth. They speak in their own vampiric language, which is a fun touch, though the sounds they make do get a little grating. There was one scene where a little vampire girl spoke in perfect English, which I found strange, considering the movie went to great lengths showing these vampires didn't really speak it. They even make it a point to mention that the girl isn't from the town. It's a very minor point, so it doesn't really matter, it just kind of bugged me. If anyone has an explanation, please let me know. The vampires look very similar to the illustrations in the comic book and I give the filmmakers credit for trying to stay true to the comic.

The story itself follows the comic fairly well with some changes here and there. There is plenty of action and lots and lots of blood and gore. The camerawork during the action is all over the place and while it does help increase the frantic nature of the violence, it does become nauseating. Certain action sequences, like when a vampire jumps onto Eben's truck, looks very cartoonish. That would have been fine if the movie went in that direction, but that wasn't the case. After the initial attack, the movie loses it's direction and can't seem to find itself until the last 15 minutes or so. Part of the problem is that the movie runs just a little too long for no particular reason. Both Josh Hartnett and Melissa George play their parts well, but Ben Foster steals the show with his excellent performance as the stranger. Without even saying a word, Foster is able to convey a sense of discomfort and fear in the audience. Despite having a relatively small role, Foster makes it incredibly entertaining.

Oh, (neck) snap!

30 Days Of Night is a good horror movie and a good comic book movie. The story is fairly unique and the action is fast-paced. There is plenty of blood and enough gory scenes to satiate the true horror fan. The movie slows down after the initial excitement and has trouble finding it's footing. It's a little too long and doesn't know how to bring everything together. The camerawork is all over the place, causing the action to be hard to focus on. The acting is good with Ben Foster putting in the best performance. You don't have to know the comic book or even like comics to enjoy 30 Days Of Night. It's a fun horror movie with great action, good suspense, and a few scares.

7.5/10

Day 306: The Mothman Prophecies

The Mothman Prophecies

Na na na na na na na na na Mothman!

I hope everyone had a good Halloween. Mine involved wearing a Luchadore mask, a suit, and getting cheap burritos. Sadly, the fun ended this morning when I saw that the entire side of my car had been keyed. Fucking assholes. If only I had some precognition or idea that it was going to happen, maybe I could have prevented it (with my fists of course). We've all had hunches or certain feelings that something bad is going to happen. Is it just a coincidence, a sixth sense, or something more supernatural? We've seen a few horror movies explore the ideas and repercussions of seeing the future, such as The Eye and Final Destination. Those movies tended to be a little abstract in the nature of their foresight, but today's movie goes in a different, more tangible direction.

The Mothman Prophecies is a 2001 psychological/supernatural horror movie, based on the book of the same name by John Keel. The movie stars Richard Gere (Pretty Woman, Primal Fear) as Washington Post reporter John Klein. One night, John and his wife Mary (Debra Messing, Will & Grace, Along Came Polly) get into a car accident after she apparently sees something with glowing red eyes in the road. The accident reveals that Mary actually has a brain tumor and dies shortly thereafter. John discovers pictures that Mary had drawn, showing a dark figure with glowing red eyes. Two years later, John is driving to Richmond, Virginia when he gets lost and ends up in the small town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, near the Ohio border. His car breaks down and when he goes to a house to see if he can use their phone, the owner, Gordon Smallwood (Will Patton, The Punisher, Brooklyn's Finest) pulls a gun on him. Gordon claims that John has been appearing at his house for the past few days at the exact same time. Local police officer Connie Mills (Laura Linney, Mystic River, The Truman Show) diffuses the situation, and John stays in town to get his car fixed. Connie reveals that strange things have been happening in town and John begins to investigate. Gordon reveals that he is hearing voices, including one warning him about something involving “99” and “Denver”. Soon, a tragedy strikes when a plane crashes in Denver, killing all 99 passengers. The next night, Gordon explains that he met the person behind the voices, revealing his name is Indrid Cold, the fabled Mothman. Indrid Cold contacts John, revealing that he has both precognition and some sort of omnipotence. He warns John of a future tragedy involving the Ohio River and the number 37. Will John be able to prevent the tragedy and what exactly is this Indrid Cold?

Life inside the Kool-Aid Man

I had never heard of the Mothman urban legends prior to seeing the movie and was generally interested in learning about it. Apparently there were actual events in the 1960's involving some sort of Mothman, so it has some basis as an urban legend. Sadly, The Mothman Prophecies fails to even scratch the surface in regards to explaining just what the Mothman is or was. The first 45 minutes or so are genuinely interesting as events begin to unfold and we finally hear from Indrid Cold for the first time. The scene where he speaks to John Klein is quite creepy, almost like a supernatural “When A Stranger Calls”. From there, the movie begins a slow, agonizing death march for another hour. Just when things started to get interesting, the film puts on the brakes. The movie becomes meandering and unfocused, losing any and all potential for horror and excitement. Too much focus is given on the prophecies and not on the mothman itself. The prophecies weren't the fun part of the movie, the scary sounding monster that sees and knows everything is. That's like focusing on the nature of dreams instead of Freddy Krueger.

Another issue with the movie is the large amount of missed opportunities. We never actually see Indrid Cold, which was a huge disappointment. I wanted to know what this thing looked like and we barely get a hint. Why not have a showdown with the main character? And to make things even more confusing, it's not clear if Indrid Cold and the Mothman are the same thing or separate. The relationship between John and Connie feels completely forced and lacks any sense of genuine interest. The acting is fine, it's just their relationship that doesn't work. The movie does have some very good suspense in the beginning, but it loses steam about halfway through the almost two-hour long run time. There really isn't much in the way of action with no blood or gore. Much like the suspense, there is horror in the beginning, but it doesn't last long. The directing and camerawork is all over the place, quickly switching from scene to scene with all sorts of wacky angles and establishing shots.

That's his "Why am I in this movie?" look

The Mothman Prophecies had a lot of potential, but was bogged down by a confusing and muddled script that didn't know where it was going. The movie is way too long for it's own good and kills all interest. I would have really liked to know more about the Mothman and would have loved to see it. Other than a creepy voice and some poor CGI effects, we get nothing. The acting is fine, but the direction just doesn't work. Any potential interest I had in learning about the Mothman legend is now gone. The legend of Richard Gere and the gerbil still remains.

4/10