Day 353: The Howling

The Howling

My worst fear involves a locked room, Sarah Palin, and no ear plugs

Werewolf movies are all about confronting the beast within. It's man vs. nature at the most intimate level. As humans, we are taught to curb our basic animal instincts. Society frowns upon us swiping at the dominant male, fighting over carrion, and urinating on everything, despite what the subways in New York may smell like. It's this struggle that makes werewolf movies compelling. Will the character give in to his animal nature, killing and eating everything in it's path on will he be able to control the monster trying to get out? Of course, having lots of gory violence also helps make a werewolf movie fun. A balance is necessary between the emotional turmoil and the physical violence. Is it possible to have a good werewolf movie if you only have one and not the other?

The Howling is a 1981 werewolf movie based on the novel of the same name by Gary Brandner and directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins, Masters Of Horror: Homecoming). The movie stars Dee Wallace (E.T., The Hills Have Eyes) as Los Angeles television reporter Karen White. Karen is being harassed and stalked by a man named Eddie Quist (Robert Picardo, The Wonder Years, Wagons East) and cooperates with police in order to capture him. Eddie meets her in an adult video store movie booth and forces her to watch a video of a woman being raped. When she turns to look at him, Eddie begins to turn into some kind of monster before being gunned down by a police officer. Karen suffers from amnesia due to the traumatic event and has horrible recurring nightmares. At her therapist Dr. George Waggner's (Patrick Macnee, The Avengers, This Is Spinal Tap) suggestion, Karen and her husband Bill (Christopher Stone, Cujo, The New Lassie) go to a resort in the woods called “The Colony”. There are other people at The Colony who all suffer from various types of afflictions. A woman named Marsha (Elisabeth Brooks, Starsky and Hutch, The Rockford Files) is a nymphomaniac and tries to entice Bill. One night while in the woods, Bill is attacked and bitten by a wolf-like creature. Bill begins to change and eventually meets with Marsha in the woods where they both transform into werewolves and have sex. Karen is unaware of the extent to which Bill has changed, but is still scared of both him and The Colony and enlists the help of her friend Terri (Belinda Balaski, Gremlins, Small Soldiers) and her boyfriend Chris (Dennis Dugan, director of Happy Gilmore and Big Daddy). They discover that The Colony is actually a group of werewolves living amongst humans. Even more terrifying, Eddie Quist is actually alive and is part of The Colony. Will Terri and Chris be able to save Karen and expose The Colony for what it really is before it's too late?

Is that werewolf part Corgi?

Despite being based off the novel by Gary Brandner, The Howling makes a number of changes, both in story and in tone. The novel is far more serious while the movie takes on a self-aware semi-humorous tone. I say semi-humorous because there really aren't any “laugh out loud” moments in the movie. Director Joe Dante, known for his in-jokes and obscure references, fills the movie with all sorts of little jokes that the average viewer will miss. I mean, I've watched a year's worth of horror movies and missed a majority of them. There are references to wolves throughout the movie, such as 'Wolf Brand' chili and a cartoon of a wolf playing on the TV. More obscure, though, it the names of characters that are actually references to all sorts of other werewolf and horror movies. I honestly had no idea about any of this and only found out while researching the movie. Maybe some of the effort gone into making jokes should have gone into making a good movie. The Howling lacks any real emotion that one would find in a typical werewolf movie. We never really care about Karen as she is portrayed as a weak character right from the beginning. We don't really care about Bill since he's kind of a jerk anyway and turns into a werewolf fairly quickly. The movie takes a strange turn and makes Chris, Terri's boyfriend, the hero. Why make what is essentially a random guy the hero? It's a strange way of writing the story and leaves the audience without a strong connection to the characters.

While The Howling disappoints as a story, it does impress with it's special effects. There werewolves look very good thanks to state-of-the-art effects (at the time) which give extreme detail to the creatures. There is a great extended scene where Eddie transforms into a werewolf, rivaling the transformation in An American Werewolf In London. Of course, the transformation happens when Eddie has Terri cornered and it takes a good 3-4 minutes for the transformation to complete. What, Terri couldn't just walk out while he was busy? There is a decent amount of violence and blood, but not as much as one would expect. The movie is well-made and Joe Dante does a fine job of directing. The acting leaves a little bit to be desired, but it is fun to see someone like Slim Pickens with werewolf teeth. The ending had potential, but

Bark at the moon

I suppose I shouldn't take the movie so seriously (clearly the people involved didn't), but I just didn't find the movie all that humorous. Maybe it's because I'm seeing this 1981 movie in 2012, but a lot of the references were lost on me. When you take the humor out, you realize that there isn't much to the story. There's no real struggle between man (and woman) against his animal instincts and no emotion to make us really care. The movie manages to stave off a complete collapse thanks to good special effects, entertaining action, and solid horror. There are a few scares and decent atmosphere when the movie decides to actually be a horror film. While it's not the best werewolf film, The Howling does have some very good werewolf moments. It's still worth a watch, but temper your expectations.

6/10

Day 338: Dog Soldiers

Dog Soldiers

Sup, dog?

Today's movie is a special request from Julian of the super catchy band Glory Days. You should go listen to them now and follow them on Twitter. I'll wait. If you're on Twitter follow Julian at @juliandimagiba and Glory days at @weareglorydays. Now that we're all done swooning, back to the horror. I have had a few requests spread out over the course of this past year. Most people pick a movie that they think I'll like or may have missed. Not so much with this request. I was given this movie to watch with the knowledge that the movie was not good. A quick search on Rotten Tomatoes shows that it actually had a pretty high rating. Who would be right?

Dog Soldiers is a 2002 British werewolf movie starring Kevin McKidd (Grey's Anatomy, Trainspotting) as Private Cooper and Sean Pertwee (Soldier, Event Horizon) as Sergeant Harry Wells. An unnamed young couple are camping in the woods when they are viciously attacked by an unknown beast. Private Cooper has a tryout to join an elite military unit. In order to pass, Captain Richard Ryan (Liam Cunningham, Safe House, Game Of Thrones) commands Cooper to shoot a dog. Cooper refuses and Ryan shoots the dog himself, failing Cooper in the process. A month later, a group of British soldiers, including Cooper, drop into the Scotish highlands for a training mission with the elite unit. The find the unit savagely murdered with Captain Ryan wounded, but alive. He mentions being attacked by someone or something, but doesn't make much sense. The group is attacked by a pack of large werewolves and they try to fight back. Sgt. Wells is badly injured Their guns prove relatively useless and they make a run for it. The find a road and are picked up by a woman named Megan (Emma Cleasby, Doomsday, F). She takes them to an empty house where they tend to Wells' wounds and fortify their positions. They fight off the werewolves, but ammunition begins to run low. Surrounded, the group decides to plan for an escape. Will they be able to survive and are both Megan and Captain Ryan hiding something?

Awoooo werewolves of Scotland

This may be one of the few times where I've watched a movie in English and desperately needed subtitles. It's even worse than in Dead Cert. The combination of thick accents, foreign slang, fast talking, and a sprinkling of military terms left me utterly lost and confused in certain scenes. It didn't make much of a difference in terms of the story, but it would have been nice to know just what people are saying. Speaking of the story, it's a fairly predictable werewolf movie with more gun play than some war movies. There are plenty of guns and explosions which is all well and good except they don't really stop the werewolves. What's the point of wasting the ammo when it's not really doing anything? The movie tries to go with a few surprises, but they were pretty obvious. The movie also makes it a point to inject humor into many scenes. Some are funny, but others are eye roll worthy.

Dog Soldiers knows it's a low budget B-movie and revels in it. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it's a bad thing. The camera work was a little shaky and erratic during the action scenes making it hard to focus on what's happening. About 80% of the movie is action scenes so you can see how that would get old fast. The werewolves actually look good, but a little stiff. It's a shame the camera never really focuses on them as we get quick shots and individual body parts instead. What the movie lacks in story and logic it makes up for in loads of blood and gore. Sgt. If you like the color red, you're really like this movie. Wells actually has his guts spilling out yet manages to push them back in and get patched up for a majority of the movie. Come one, really? Injuring him makes sense, but don't eviscerate the guy and play it off like he's fine. Some may think this is nitpicking for a cheap horror movie, but it's just too hard to ignore. The direction is fine and the acting is good. 

Plunker! Tallywhacker! Wanker! Uh...Loo!

Between Julian requesting Dog Soldiers because it was terrible and online reviews saying it was great, I have to side with Julian and not just because we're both wrestling nerds. While the violence is good and there's plenty of blood and gore, it wasn't enough to keep me from slipping into bored annoyance. The accents were so thick that I was reminded of the scene in Austin Powers: Goldmember where he and his father speak “English” English. I know it's supposed to be a B-movie, but I found it too hard to ignore plot holes and predictable twists. The werewolves look good, but the film doesn't really focus on them. If you look at a movie like The Wolfman or An American Werewolf InLondon, we see plenty of werewolf. Why hide them? There are better werewolf movies out there and I suggest you find them before settling for Dog Soldiers.

4.5/10

Day 276: Ginger Snaps Back

Ginger Snaps Back

Snap into a Slim Jim

I've spoken about my wariness towards sequels before, but I've never discussed prequels. There's a good reason for that because I can't recall ever watching one. I mean, I'm sure it's happened at some point, but nothing comes to mind. I tend to avoid these even more than sequels. I never feel the need to see events “before” the original movie or watch different actors play iconic parts. You now may be wondering why I'm reviewing a prequel today. Well, it wasn't my intention, as I actually thought I was watching a sequel/prequel. Confused, well so was I, especially when I found out that this was the third movie in the series, not the second.

Ginger Snaps Back is the 2004 prequel to Ginger Snaps and Ginger Snaps: Unleashed, once again starring Katharine Isabelle (Freddy vs. Jason, Insomnia) as Ginger and Emily Perkins (Juno, She's The Man) as her sister Brigitte. The movie takes place during the 19^th century in the Canadian frontier. The girls are traveling through the wilderness when they come across an elderly Native American woman. She refers to them as “the red and the black” and warns them that if they do not “kill the boy” one of the sisters will die. Their horse flees and Brigitte chases after it, only to have her leg caught in a bear trap. She is freed by a Cree hunter (Nathaniel Arcand, Crazy Horse, American Outlaws) and, along with Ginger, taken to a nearby fort. They are given food and shelter by the leader Wallace Rowlands (Tom McCamus, Mutant X, The Newsroom), though the men inside are tired and wary of strangers, particularly Reverend Gilbert (Hugh Dillon, Trailer Park Boys, Surveillance). The fort has been under siege by werewolves for some time and their supplies are running low. One night, Ginger is awakened by a voice and searches the house where she finds a young boy cowering in a corner. She approaches him only to be shocked that he is in fact changing into a werewolf. The boy bites her and flees. The sisters discover that the boy is actually Wallace's supposedly dead son, Geoffrey. Ginger begins to change into a werewolf and Brigitte desperately tries to hide her sister's transformation. They learn that only way to reverse the curse of the werewolf is to kill the one who bit you. Will Ginger be able to kill the little boy before being discovered or will the werewolves get into the fort first?

"That's not a knife, this is a...well, it's a sword. Whatever, just die!"

The first Ginger Snaps movie had a pretty definitive ending, so when I saw that Ginger Snaps Back was a prequel, I figured “Well, there was no way they could make a sequel, so this makes sense.” Turns out I was wrong as there is, in fact, a sequel. I apologize in advance if some things are revealed in the second movie that connects the other two. That's my fault, so please let me know if I miss something. The good thing about this error is that Ginger Snaps Back is able to stand as it's own movie. There aren't a lot of references from the previous movies to confuse newcomers and the story self-contained. Of course, the reasoning behind making their story take place in the 19^th century frontier is a bit odd to me. It's not that I don't enjoy the setting, because I do, I'm just not sure how we go from late 90's horror metaphor for puberty to the Canadian wilderness. In lieu of that, the movie's commentary focuses on racism and sexism. It does a fair job of addressing these issues, though the original Ginger Snaps did a far better job of mixing humor and serious commentary.

There is very little explanation to how Ginger and Brigitte got to where they are or how they're connected to the previous movies (besides using the same names and actresses). I was a bit disappointed that more effort wasn't given to the “why” of the movie. Most people speak without accents, which is disappointing, and certain phrases used by the girls are far too modern. The acting is good and I'm glad that both Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins reprized their roles. Sadly, Ginger Snaps Back lacks a lot of the black humor from the first movie which is a shame because it was that humor that separated it from other werewolf movies. The sets and scenery are very good with a grey and dying atmosphere. When shown, the werewolves look good thanks to some nice makeup and special effects. There is a fair amount of action and violence in the movie with decent blood and gore. 

Awoooo, werewolves of Saskatchewan!

I'm not really sure if the Ginger Snaps series needed a period prequel, but we get one anyway. It's a decent werewolf movie, though it could have easily been called something other than Ginger Snaps. The movie can stand on it's own from the series which is both good and bad. There is some good social commentary throughout the film, more than your average werewolf movie. I really enjoyed the original Ginger Snaps and was disappointed in this movie's lack of humor. Despite my disappointment and concern of the necessity to have a prequel, Ginger Snaps Back is still a decent watch with some fun violence. You're better off with the first movie, but this one isn't so bad.

6.5/10

Day 240: Ginger Snaps

Ginger Snaps

What's this all aboot, eh?

It's hard to find a good werewolf movie these days. Sure, you can point to the Lon Chaney Jr. “The Wolfman” or “An American Werewolf In London” as proof that good werewolf movies exist, but those are classics. For every “The Howling” and I can give you ten “Beasts Of Bray Road”. Perhaps werewolf movies are similar to zombie movies in that the great ones are truly great, but it's much easier to just throw some makeup on, splash some blood around, and call it a day. It's far easier to make a bad werewolf movie than a good one. Of course, that doesn't mean good newer werewolf movies don't exist, you just have to look a little harder for them.

Ginger Snaps is a 2000 Canadian werewolf movie starring Emily Perkins (She's The Man, Juno) as Brigitte Fitzgerald and Katharine Isabelle (Freddy vs. Jason, Insomnia) as her sister Ginger. Both girls are social outcasts and obsessed with death, even promising to kill themselves at some point in the future. One day at school, they are overheard making fun of Trina Sinclair (Danielle Hampton) a popular girl at school. Trina takes offense and knocks Brigitte to the ground. Brigitte lands on the bloody remains of a mutilated dog, one of many in town who have been killed by an urban legend named the “Beast of Bailey Downs”. The sisters plan to kidnap Trina's dog one night, but come across another mutilated dog. They are attacked by a large creature and Ginger is dragged off into the woods. Briggit is able to rescue her and they flee into the street where the creature is hit by a van driven by Sam (Kris Lemche, Final Destination 3, My Little Eye), the local drug dealer. Ginger is bitten by the creature and badly hurt, but begins to recover abnormally fast. After a few days, Ginger begins to change, both mentally and physically. She finally gets her period, which appears to be heavier than expected as well as strange hair growing from her wounds. She also becomes more aggressive, forcing a boy at school to have unprotected sex with her. Ginger also starts to grow a tail and fangs. Frightened by Ginger's changes, Brigitte reaches out to Sam to find out what is happening, telling him that she is the one that was bitten. Sam suggests that the creature he hit with his van was a lycanthrope (werewolf). Brigitte pierces Ginger's stomach with a silver ring, but it has no effect. Jason, they boy Ginger had sex with, starts to show signs of lycanthropy as well. Trina goes to the Fitzgerald's house, claiming they took her dog. During a scuffle, she slips and smashes her head on the counter, killing her instantly. The girls bury her in the backyard and Brigitte tries in vain to keep Ginger from going out any more due to her violent behavior. Sam discovers a plant that can reverse the werewolf curse and Brigitte uses it on Jason. With the cure in hand, will Brigitte be able to save Ginger before her transformation is complete?

I've seen uglier people at Canadian Tire

Ginger Snaps is equal parts good horror movie and darkly funny after-school special. There's no question that the movie is a allegory for puberty and high school. It's a pretty sound idea and I'm surprised it hasn't been done more often. The metaphors are pretty transparent, but it's OK because the movie treats the subject with a good deal of dark humor. The sister's mother (Mimi Rogers, Austin Powers, Lost In Space) is delightfully clueless to the entire situation, just trying to do her motherly duties and explain their pubescent changes. Some may find this frustrating, but most will “get” the humor in the parental figures of the movie. Maybe it's because it is a Canadian film, but the movie reminds me a lot of the Canadian school drama, Degrassi. I think the film quality was also similar to that of the aforementioned television show, but it could all just be in my head, thanks to a desire to watch MuchMusic.

The horror is very good, with a slow, but steady build towards Ginger's full transformation into a werewolf. While there is no fantastic transformation scene like in “An American Werewolf In London,” there are enough changes to Ginger to keep things visually interesting. The final incarnation of the Ginger werewolf looks good on a budget. It's not highly-detailed, but far more realistic than a person in a hairy werewolf costume. The film is very much like David Cronenberg's work in this respect. There is a large amount of blood and violence throughout the movie which keeps things fast-paced and entertaining. The movie does wrong a bit too long at almost 110 minutes and the final act drags a bit, but overall the whole story is fun. The ending was actually surprisingly downbeat in comparison to the rest of the movie's tone, but it was still enjoyable.The acting throughout the film is what makes the entire movie come together. Both Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle are great in their roles. They have the angsty outcast teenager ideal down well and show good emotion when needed. 

"Ugh. Let's just go to Tim Horton's and watch the Maple Leafs game."

Ginger Snaps is both a great horror movie and a great teenager movie. There is plenty of action and violence with enough blood and gore to keep even the most brutal horror fans happy. I wasn't too happy with all the dead dog shots and references, but I understood no dogs were actually hurt. The effects and makeup used to show Ginger's transformations were good, if simple. Her final werewolf stage looks good and far more realistic than what other werewolf movies try to use. The puberty metaphors are obvious, but still enjoyable thanks to some funny writing and believable performances. Ginger Snaps is highly entertaining and highly recommended.

9/10

Day 140: The Wolfman

The Wolfman

Na na na na na na na na, Wolfman!

I remember seeing previews for The Wolfman remake and thinking that it looked pretty cool. They had a good mixture of horror, action, and excitement. It didn't hurt that the cast included Anthony Hopkins, Benicio del Toro, and Hugo Weaving. When the movie came out, though, the reviews were not good and I decided not to see it in theaters. It was time to see if the reviews were right.

The Wolfman is a 2010 loose remake of the 1941 horror classic, The Wolf Man, starring Benicio del Toro (Sin City, Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas) as Lawrence Talbot. In the late 1800's, Lawrence has received a letter from Gwen Coliffe (Emily Blunt, Wind Chill, The Adjustment Bureau), his brother Ben's fiancee, stating that Ben had been killed. Lawrence returns to his family's estate, which he hasn't seen in many years. He is also reunited with his estranged father, Sir John (Anthony Hopkins, Silence of the Lambs, Amistad). Lawrence views Ben's body which has been horribly mutilated by some sort of beast. Among his personal items, Lawrence finds a medallion with three wolves on it, apparently purchased from gypsies that camp near the town. During a full moon, Lawrence speaks with a gypsy named Maleva to gain answers for his brother's death. At the same time, local townspeople come into the gypsy camp to claim their dancing bear, whom they believe is the cause for various animal attacks. A werewolf tears through the encampment, brutally killing people and biting Lawrence. Gwen cares for him and he makes a miraculous recovery. Inspector Abeline (Hugo Weaving, The Matrix, Lord of the Rings) visits the manor and implies that Lawrence is behind recent murders in the area. That night he turns, and kills local villagers trying to capture him. Lawrence is committed to the same asylum he was in when he was younger, due to seeing his mother's suicide. The doctor's believe his lycanthropy is psychological, but are proven very wrong when he turns into a werewolf and goes on a killing spree. It is revealed that Sir John is also a werewolf and had in fact, killed Lawrence's mother. Lawrence and his father have an all-out werewolf throw-down with Lawrence killing his father. Will Gwen be able to set Lawrence free from this horrible curse before it's too late?

This is my war face!

I have seen the original Wolf Man, but it has been so long that I really shouldn't try to compare the two that much. Why some say that there was no need to remake the original, I don't really have a problem with it. The remake certainly has of elements of the original, but goes off into it's own territory about halfway through. That's fine with me because the story needed an update in terms of today's audience which needs more action and sleeker production. I'm happy that the kept the general look of the original Wolf Man and didn't go for a straight werewolf look used in more recent werewolf-based movies like Underworld. They also keep the basic werewolf rules, following the full moon, silver bullets, and being released from the curse by a loved one. I'm not sure why they changed the name from The Wolf Man to the Wolfman. Maybe they made him Jewish. L'Chaim!

The story itself is decent, but it suffers from being uneven. One example of this is the character of Gwen. It felt like she was missing for about half the movie and her romance with Lawrence came out of nowhere. The movie also tries explain Lawrence's relationship with his father, but it barely scratches the surface and comes off more as filler. It's not particularly clear why Inspector Abeline suspects Lawrence of the murders, which comes off as convenient to the story and not logic or reason. There are some moments of horror and a few jolting moments of surprise, but nothing particularly scary. The movie makes up for the lack of horror with lots and lots of bloody action. There is a large amount of blood and gore for a mainstream movie. The Wolfman enough blood and guts for me to think they knocked over a butcher shop before filming certain scenes.

"Oh shit, I left the oven on!"

The acting throughout the movie is pretty good, but that's no surprise with this cast. Anthony Hopkins is pretty great in his domineering, sinister role as Sir John. We know we should be fearful of him, even if he's not a werewolf. Benicio del Toro does well as Lawrence, creating a sympathetic character for the audience to both root and mourn for. I could have used a bit more Hugo Weaving, who's mustache makes him look like a more dapper Lemmy from Motorhead. As I've said before, Emily Blunt's Gwen isn't in as much of the movie as you'd expect, but she is fine in her role. I'm still a bit annoyed from that terrible movie Wind Chill she was in, but she didn't annoy me here. The other big star in the movie is special effects. The transformation scenes look great and the makeup artists won a well-deserved Academy Award. Unfortunately, the movie relies too heavily on other computerized and blue-screen effects, making it look particularly fake in certain scenes. It would have been better to use the real night sky instead of a clearly fake moon. 

 

The Ace of Spades!

Despite a good amount of bad reviews, I didn't find The Wolfman to be particularly bad. It's not as good as the original, but it wasn't an abomination unworthy of the name. There are plenty of differences, but they do keep some of the heart from the original. The acting is very good and there is plenty of blood and violence. The story is uneven and could have gone much smoother for my liking. Overall, The Wolfman was an OK monster movie with some fun scenes. Is it worthy of the Wolf Man legacy? Maybe, maybe not, but it's still a decent watch.

6.5/10

Day 138: Trick 'r Treat

Trick 'r Treat

Give me something good to eat

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love Halloween. Maybe it's all the costumes and candy, but just that time of year is perfect. The weather is getting cooler, the days are getting shorter, football has started, and lots of horror is on TV. Some horror movies just use Halloween as background, just to set the scene or an excuse to have actors dress up in silly costumes. Other movies, though, fully immerse themselves in the holiday to create an atmosphere perfect for horror. It doesn't hurt when it's produced by Bryan Singer (X-Men, The Usual Suspects).

Trick 'r Treat is a 2007 horror anthology consisting of 4 stories: The Principal, The School Bus Massacre Revisited, Surprise Party, and Meet Sam. Unlike other horror anthologies like The Creepshow and Deadtime Stories, these stories all take place on one Halloween night in a small town. Each story is connected through various ways including the presence of a pint-sized trick-or-treater in an orange onesy and a burlap sack mask.

In The Principal, Dylan Baker (Spider-Man 2, Road To Perdition) plays the school principle, Steven Wilkins. He catches a young trick-or-treater stealing candy from his yard. He carves a pumpkin while talking to the boy and hands him some more candy. The candy contains poison and Wilkins buries him in the backyard. His neighbor, Mr. Kreeg (Brian Cox, X2: X-Men United, Red) yells at him to keep the noise down and is attacked off-screen by an unknown assailant. Wilkins' son Billy is home and almost catches his father burying the body. Billy continues to nag his father about carving a jack-o-lantern. What does Steven have in store for Billy?

Sorry, I just thought about something funny while I was burying this child

In The School Bus Massacre Revisited 4 kids have plans to scare another girl in their class, a savant named Rhonda. They tell her the story of the Halloween School Bus Massacre, where a school bus carrying mentally handicapped children, was driven off a cliff at the behest of their parents. The kids head to the spot where it supposedly occurred. They try to scare Rhonda by saying the children have come back from the dead, but all is not what it seems.

Surprise Party stars Anna Paquin (X-Men, True Blood) as Laurie, the insecure virgin. Dressed as Little Red Riding hood, she attends a Halloween party with her skanked-out sister and friends. They pick up a few guys and head to a bonfire in the woods. Meanwhile, a vampire has been claiming victims and is stalking Laurie. Have we already seen this vampire before and is Laurie really the one in danger?

When does Wolverine jump out?

The final story, Meet Sam, visits Mr. Kreeg, whom we saw being attacked in The Principal. Kreeg is in a life or death battle with the diminutive Sam. During the fight, Kreeg is able to rip off Sam's mask, revealing a disfigured jack-o-lantern skull face. Sam brutalizes Kreeg, but leaves before the killing blow. It is revealed the Kreeg was the bus driver from the Halloween School Bus Massacre. Even though Sam left, is Kreeg really safe?

This movie was flat-out awesome. The stories are all creative and interesting, not an easy task when trying to cram so many stories in a short amount of time. What's even more impressive is that they all connect in unexpected ways. The work very well for the most part, though I was a bit confused while watching, but all is eventually revealed. The writing is fluid and tight while the dialogue never feels unnatural or forced. I'm not sure if each individual story could stand to be a feature-length film, but they all compliment each other so well that it would be unnecessary to stretch each story out. While there's no outright fear induced by the movie, there are a few scenes that will make you feel uneasy, in a good way. 

Deadwood trained him well

There is lots of good action and violence with plenty of excitement to keep you on the edge of your seat. There is a decent amount of blood and gore, but nothing over the top. The movie really succeeds because of the great acting from all involved. Anna Paquin, Dylan Baker, and Brian Cox all play their parts perfectly which strengthen the already strong stories. Director and writer Michael Dougherty (X2 and Superman Returns) has a good eye for capturing the action without resorting to fast cuts and shaky cameras. If I have one complaint, it's that the movie is a bit too dark in certain scenes, but really, that's just nitpicking.

Trick 'r treat is a well-crafted horror movie through and through. The stories are interesting and are weaved into a creative and cohesive connection that is truly unexpected. The writing and direction are old solid, bolstered by great acting performances. There is a good amount of action and violence, enough to keep you entertained for the entire movie. Trick 'r Treat is a fun ride from start to finish and worth your while, no matter time of year you watch it.

9.5/10

Day 54: Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

Little bark and no bite

What's the best way to follow-up a video game review? A comic book review. Personally, I'm a Marvel Comics fan. DC comics and their characters never interested me. I'd pick up the occasional indie release if the subject interested me or the hype was too much to ignore. Unfortunately, comic books are far too expensive nowadays to keep up. Who wants to spend $3-5 per comic when the story only contains 15 pages and most are splash art? The way things are going, it's easier and cheaper just to wait for the movie to come to theaters. If you're even cheaper, you wait for Netflix and Redbox.

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night stars Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World) as the title character. Dog is an ex-paranomal P.I. That decided to leave the ghouls and goblins behind when his former love was killed by vampires. He is thrust back into the world of horror when a beautiful young woman named Elizabeth Ryan (Anita Briem, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Tudors) comes to his office looking for help. Her father, a wealthy importer was brutally murdered by a werewolf and only Dog can help. Joined by his apprentice Marcus Deckler (Sam Huntinton, Not Another Teen Movie, Superman Returns), Dog scours the city for clues and encounters vampires, werewolves, and unfortunately for Marcus, zombies. Dog crosses paths with his old nemesis, a vampire by the name of Vargas (Taye Diggs, Malibu's Most Wanted, The Wood). A war is brewing between the vampires and the werewolves over an ancient artifact that will shift the balance of power and make Vargas unstoppable. How does this all relate to Elizabeth and will Dylan and a zombified Marcus be able to stop Vargas or will vampires and monsters bring hell on earth?

No, you touch the creepy looking butler holding a cross!

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night is based on the Italian comics series, Dylan Dog. In the past few years, it has been adapted by Dark Horse Comics, but it still eluded my radar, so I have absolutely no idea if the movie is faithful to the material. The story is just okay and I have the strangest feeling that I have seen a very similar movie plot before. It's as if someone mashed up Underworld with The Maltese Falcon and added a dash of humor to the mix. Brandon Routh and Sam Huntington have good chemistry, almost reprising their roles as Clark Kent and Jimmy Olson. Routh has his moments, but Huntington does very well in his comedic role. Scenes where he is coping with being a zombie are good for a few laughs. Kurt Angle (TNA, WWE wrestler) also does well a tough werewolf named..wait for it...Wolfgang. Yeah, I know.

There are some decent action scenes, but nothing extraordinary. The film had a relatively small budget, which is unfortunate, because you can really tell. I would have liked some flashbacks of previous cases or some more creative monsters. Heck, I like zombies, vampires, and werewolves, but why not stray from the standards and have some fun? Why not try something with a troll, or a Wendigo, or hell, even a unicorn. It would break up a bit of the monotony and could even be funny. The ending feels cheap and tacked on, making you feel like you just wasted the past 90 minutes.

 Lousy zombie hipsters

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night has a few entertaining moments, but not enough to make it a truly enjoyable watch. It tried to include monsters from different genres, but came off like a cheaper Van Helsing. Routh is decent and Huntington is enjoyable in their respective roles. If you're a fan of the comic book, then by all means check it out. Otherwise, you may want to just read a graphic novel at your local book store instead.

5/10

Day 33: An American Werewolf In London

An American Werewolf In London

There's a bad moon on the rise

I have to admit, I was a little gun-shy about watching another werewolf movie. Wolves of Wall Street was so bad that I never wanted to see anything involving werewolves for weeks. It's so easy to make a bad werewolf movie, let alone a bad horror movie. I thought that they only way to get back into the genre was to not take any risks and watch a well-known and much-liked werewolf movie. That's where this movie came in.

An American Werewolf In London starts off with two young Americans, David and Jack, backpacking across Northern England, on there way to Italy. When night falls, David and Jack stop in a small pub called “The Slaughtered Lamb”. After a strange encounter in the pub followed be a warning of “Beware the moon,” David and Jack head out into the moors where they begin to hear terrifying baying and growls. Jack is brutally murdered by a werewolf and David suffers wounds before the people from the pub kill the creature. David wakes up in a London hospital where he is cared for by Dr. Hirsch and the beautiful nurse, Alex. David suffers from horrible nightmares and is visited by a mutilated Jack, who informs David that he is in limbo and that to end his torment, Jack must end the werewolf bloodline and kill himself before the full moon. David falls in love with Alex and goes back to her apartment where the the nightmares and visits from Jack continue. Dr. Hirsch travels to The Slaughtered Lamb to question the locals about the attack and learns the truth. Meanwhile, the full moon rises and David goes through a horrific transformation into a werewolf and goes on a killing spree throughout London. How will they stop the transformations and save David from killing again?

Werewolf? There, wolf.

AAWIL has a seriously good mix of scary moments and lighter moments. The scenes of horror and not just scary, but frightening. The transformation scene is the best example. In previous werewolf movies, such as the classic Wolf Man, the transformation into a werewolf was partially scene or done completely in the shadows. In this movie, the scene is brightly lit and is shown in it's entirety. You see muscles grow, hair spread and bones snap while David screams in agony. It is easily one of the best pre-CGI special effects ever used in a horror movie. Scenes in the Underground have great perspective and you really feel the werewolf bearing down on you. The subtle humor and upbeat music is juxtaposed well with the horror, so you never feel like the movie is slipping into actual comedy and losing it's edge.

The acting is solid all around and the story is good all the way through. John Landis knows what he's doing with some creative shots and great direction. Good location choices help to fill out each scene and convey whatever feeling Landis is trying to create. The makeup and effects for Jack and the transformation are the real stars of the movie. It makes me long for the days where paint and supplies were used over computers and programs.The romance does feel a little bit forced and convenient, but for the sake of moving the story forward, it's ok.

Sloppy Joe Day is the best!

Simply put, An American Werewolf In London is a good movie. It sounds silly, but its so hard to find a good movie nowadays. The story if entertaining, the acting and directing are solid, there is plenty of horror, and the effects are amazing. Well worth your time if you're a fan of horror movies or just a fan of movies in general. It's so easy to make a bad werewolf movie, but when you know there is a good one out there, take the time to watch and enjoy. Your brain and your heart will thank you.

9/10

Day 9: Wolves of Wall Street

Wolves of Wall Street

More like Dudes of Bro Street

Movies usually don't outright lie to you. Sure there's swerves, misleads, and falsehoods, but they never really lie to you. Wolves of Wall Street lied. I thought I was going to watch a movie involving Werewolves. It was in the “Werewolves” section. It has “Wolves” in the name. There's a gigantic full moon on the poster. Lies. Every single one of those are lies. There is not one werewolf in this movie. Let me repeat, with a little more emphasis. Ahem: THERE ARE NO FUCKING WEREWOLVES IN THIS FUCKING MOVIE!”

Wolves of Wall Street follows the story of Jeff and his perfect hair, teeth, and prominent jaw-line. For some reason, Jeff has always wanted to be a broker on Wall Street. Sure, lots of kids want to do that for a living. He comes to New York City to find work and meets a pretty bartender played by Elisa Donovan (Amber from Clueless). She recommends he gets in touch with the company Wolfe Brothers. Yes, really. The members of Wolfe Brothers all look like Calvin Klein underwear models with a touch of Frat Boy douche. Why do I say this? Because we see them in their underwear for NO REASON. Jeff is hired and taught all about the cutthroat world of business and how he must work with his pack, go in for the kill, and lots of other wolf-related cliches.

Nipples of Wall Street

We never see anything resembling a werewolf in this movie. Not a regular wolf, not a dog, not even a guy with too much body hair. The closest we get is some growling noises and a little bit of silly makeup to show veins. That's it. I know horror movies can have tight budgets, but they couldn't swing by a barber shop, pick up some hair, and glue it on to someone's face? Of course not. That would mean someone was being creative.

I swear there is only 35 minutes of actual film shot for this movie. The rest of the time is filled with quick shots of scenes from earlier in the movie. That's not being a creative director; that's being a lazy director that likes to cheat. The same shot of the full-moon next to the Empire State building is shown so many times it deserves top billing. And to keep the budget under $50, the same ridiculous nu-metal song is played over and over. 

This is the closest a Werewolf has ever gotten to this movie

I wasn't expecting much from a movie called Wolves of Wall Street, but I expected better than this. Maybe someone getting mauled on the floor of the Stock Exchange or the price of silver skyrocketing after werewolf attacks. Those two hypothetical ideas are far more entertaining than this movie was. I kept checking how much time was left in the movie, hoping to be relieved from the pain of watching this brain-numbing disaster. I would rather watch a Sex In The City marathon with Marcus Bachmann than watch this movie again. Don't torture yourself by watching this movie. Don't even look at the pictures for too long. Its just not worth it.

1/10

Day 1: Dead Cert

Dead Cert

You Think You Know Shitty Moves? Think Again.

What is a Dead Cert? A death certificate? A concert by the Grateful Dead? While the name of the movie may be a common turn of phrase in the Queen's English, the incomprehensible accents make it impossible to tell if it was even used in the movie. The accents were so thick at times that I honestly think they're not speaking English, but Stereotype. I'm reminded of Austin Powers asking his father to speak “English-English”.

Dead Cert is a movie about fighting undead creatures amid the seedy criminal world; or at least that's what they want you to think when you look at the advertisements. Instead, Dead Cert is really 2 separate movies in one: 3/4 of the movie is focused on underground fights, a strip club, Romanian gangsters, and drugs. The viewer needs to make a serious effort to get through the first half, watching unlikable characters plod along in what feels like a generic, gritty gangster movie and not a horror movie. On top of that, it's hard to get emotionally attached to characters when you don't know or care to remember their names. By the time anything starts to really happen, you're cheering for the monsters to kill them just so you don't have to see them anymore. The constant line running through my head while watching is “WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH HORROR?!”

Dead Cert FINALLY picks up in the last 35 minutes, where it actually becomes a horror movie. It closely resembles From Dusk Till Dawn thanks to the vampire strippers attacking the customer plot line. The special effects are passable at best, but at this point, I'm just happy to seem some fangs. There are some lopped off limbs and spurting blood that help you forget about the first half of the movie. The movie does deserve some props for a giant crucifix-to-the-head death and a creative way to dispatch the head vampire baddy.

I was greatly disappointed to find out that this movie had absolutely nothing to do with breath mints. I was hoping for a cool, refreshing dose of horror and was left with the taste of aluminum foil. Maybe Dead LifeSavers or Dead Jolly Ranchers would have been better. The only thing that saved this movie from receiving a 1 is the decent last half hour. I think if they focused more on, you know, actual horror, this movie might have been enjoyable. While I still don't know how they chose the title, I'm dead cert I wouldn't recommend it. Fangs for nothing.

What a way to start off this project. If the next 364 movies are like this, I'll lose my mind.

4/10

Welcome

Hi all. My name is Jordan. I plan on watching at least 1 horror movie a day for the next year. I will post my reviews of each movie on this blog. Hopefully they will be informative and make you laugh. This will not be easy because sometimes life gets in the way, so I may enlist some friends to help when I am unable to watch a movie.

Once I get the ball rolling, I will take requests for movies. First review begins January 1st, 2012!


Some ground rules:
No "torture" movies. I don't need to see someone cut up for an hour and a half. I'm watching this to have fun, not be grossed out or made to feel massively uncomfortable.
No movies where people/animals were harmed in the filming
Subgeneres will be allowed, as long as there is an element of horror. ie: Slasher, sci-fi, thriller etc.
All films must be in English or have English subtitles.
I'm sure I'll think of more as I go on.