Tag: #horror

Troubled teen Milo is training himself to be a better predator. He also has a fixation on Vampire lore. A young lady is about to come into his world who just might take it all to the next level. It’s a film about desperate people in lifeless situations. How do these kids deal with it? Through fantasy and other means.

Not Rated | 1h 37min | Drama, Horror | 21 April 2017 (UK)

When troubled teen Milo, who has a fascination with vampire lore, meets the equally alienated Sophie, the two form a bond that begins to blur Milo’s fantasy into reality.
Director: Michael O’Shea
Writer: Michael O’Shea
Stars: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine, Jelly Bean

We’ve had a trend of superheroes in the real world type films. Now we have one in the vampire theme. Milo tries to be a vampire in secret. It’s his way of coping with a very bad family situation being raised by his dope addict brother. His therapist at school can’t see what he’s up to though she does ask him about harming animals. We watch him sink deeper and deeper into his fantasy. When Sophie enters his life, a bad situation becomes worse and Milo slips out of control into his delusion.

The director is Michael O’Shea and he does an amazing job with dark lighting and sound. This film is very entrancing because of his talents. I’ll be looking for more from him in the future. All horror films need to see this film, it’s very good in my opinion. If you can handle the vampire and blood content, it’s also a good drama. There is much here to be analyzed over coffee and I love that about this film.

My rating: 7/10 Something took her husband away but what? It took him to a place we think, but where? These are some of the hypotheticals the viewer is asked to contemplate in this film. Are they answered? I’d say yes. Will many make it through to the end I say some brave and patient ones will.

R | 1h 27min | Drama, Horror, Mystery | 11 April 2013 (Argentina)

A woman and her sister begin to link a mysterious tunnel to a series of disappearances, including that of her own husband.
Director: Mike Flanagan
Writer: Mike Flanagan
Stars: Catherine Parker, Courtney Bell, Dave Levine

Written and directed by “Hush” director Mike Flanagan, this film does a lot on a low budget, $70,000 to be exact. Oculus, Before I Wake, and Gerald’s Game are just three other amazing works he has created for us. This was an early endeavor in 2011. He has skills in making creepy films, I have seen that tested and it’s true. Because it is low budget, this one takes place in limited settings with real life ones like a suburb neighborhood tunnel. Still, he uses all these pieces to weave a creepiness that ends in a satisfying conclusion. The husband has been lost for 7 years. This is the story of what happened to him.

The acting is ok. The two sisters have a good chemistry together. The tunnel works for scares and Flanagan already had some chops at this point with everyday settings to scare you 100% as much as any CGI. It’s a bit of a slough but it takes you somewhere pensive and scary which is definitely a positive aspect in my book when I see a horror film.

7/10

It’s “hurry up and wait” as a shady hit-man and part time family-man weighs his options on a new big payoff job with some unexpected darkness surrounding.

Not Rated | 1h 35min | Crime, Drama, Horror | 2 September 2011 (UK)

Nearly a year after a botched job, a hitman takes a new assignment with the promise of a big payoff for three killings. What starts off as an easy task soon unravels, sending the killer into the heart of darkness.
Director: Ben Wheatley
Writers: Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump
Stars: Neil Maskell, MyAnna Buring, Harry Simpson

Free Fire and High Rise are two outstanding films by this director, Ben Wheatley. This preceded both and carries a sort of British low-budget charm. Wheatley has made a film for some to identify with in the family relationship present. At the same time, it’s a film we will cringe at because the acts of violence for hire and occultic consequences are unknown to us.

The actors are fine. Nothing extraordinary there and that’s ok because this story is so odd, it sort of awes the watcher all on its own. I did find the pre-job home scenes brutally over-long.

The hit man is hired to kill people on a list. As he does so he realizes there is something much deeper at play. I recently saw “A Dark Song” and enjoyed it quite a bit. The occultic theme is prevalent in this film as well. While I liked the occult aspect in the sense of spookiness, the writing was lacking. I found the beginning scenes dragged on far too long. It took a long time to get to the actual “Kill List.” I can’t recommend this one, though I know many really love it.

5/10

The black and white appearance belies the mood colors of this sleepy yet powerful vampire tale. It’s an instant classic.

Unrated | 1h 41min | Drama, Horror | 20 April 2015 (USA)

In the Iranian ghost-town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, the townspeople are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire.
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
Writer: Ana Lily Amirpour
Stars: Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Marshall Manesh

Filmed in Iran where women are not always treated as they should be, this film stands out as a bit of a vengeance piece. Ana Lily Amirpour who also gave us The Bad Batch shines as the director here. The scenes and crops are all amazing choices she had to make while creating this film.

What if that woman with her head covered walking the streets at night was not the victim but a bloodthirsty vampire? Some men are easier to hate than others though and therein lies her predicament. Perhaps not all men are bad? Either way we have enough bad ones in this film to make for some great kill scenes. Having said that, this film is rather tame when it comes to horror. A hiss and showing of the teeth is about as bad as we get with this. The rest of it is hypnotic like being put into a trance. This is trippy and different. I loved this movie.

10/10

It’s deja vu all over again. This time it’s a sexy female college student living the day of her death over and over et al.

PG-13 | 1h 36min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller | 13 October 2017 (USA)

A college student relives the day of her murder with both its unexceptional details and terrifying end until she discovers her killer’s identity.
Director: Christopher Landon
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Stars: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine

The director has already impressed us with some great films. He wrote the Paranormal Activity films and directed Disturbia. Because of that, I won’t be too hard on this latest film because it does not register with me as horror.

It pays homage to Groundhog Day in the final scene. Good thing too because people would have been slamming it if it had not. It is Groundhog Day with a hot blonde and a kill aspect. Thank you you may go home now.

Seriously though, I was entertained until the end when nothing was resolved. You could make an argument things fit but I just didn’t get that Ohhhhhhhh feeling when a mystery comes together. That made me sad because there was a long buildup just to find out … I’ll leave that to the viewers.

Not horror. I kinda felt misled.

5/10