Tag: #horror

Killing Ground (2016)

Killing Ground (2016)
R | 1h 28min | Horror, Thriller | 21 July 2017 (USA)

A couples’ camping trip turns into a frightening ordeal when they stumble across the scene of a horrific crime.
Director: Damien Power
Writer: Damien Power
Stars: Harriet Dyer, Mitzi Ruhlmann, Tiarnie Coupland

Damien Power, the director here, is my namesake so he’s got that going for him. This is an incredible thriller filmed in the outback that raises the question, “Why hasn’t violence gone this far before?” He’s been a writer years before directing. My favorite movies are often the type where the visionary writer is also the director ie; the films of Quentin Tarantino. Damien is one to watch.

The acting is pretty solid. I think all the actors are Australian names so I haven’t seen them much. Harriet Dyer who plays “Sam” gives what could be argued as the best performance. She is scared but not hysterical, recklessly trying to escape without losing her grip on reality. She is also quite pretty as are all the female cast. I don’t know, we used to camp a lot when I was around 10 years old and I always saw so many hot girls out there. One time they were even topless! I don’t know why I felt the need to share that.

It’s a simple story with simple but abject violence. I read one byline that said this will make you never want to go camping again. The hunt is on! Go see it thriller/horror fans.

9/10

Nina Forever

“I’m so sorry.” Rob

I think viewers will find there isn’t much more that Rob can say. His girlfriend has come back from the dead to haunt him and his new love interest every time they have sex.

Nina Forever (2015)
Cast
Fiona O’Shaughnessy

as Nina

Abigail Hardingham

as Holly

Cian Barry

as Rob

Directed by
Ben Blaine
Chris Blaine

Written by
Ben Blaine
Chris Blaine

Other Info

Comedy, Horror, Romance
Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, bloody images, and language
1h 38min

The film is a surprising triumph as a horror movie. I didn’t detect much romance. The black humor is such that we’ve never seen but you find remnants of it in “American Werewolf in London,” “Reanimator” and other campy horror extant. There is a lot of nudity but it’s hard to find it sexual given the subject matter. I kept asking myself, “What is really being said here?”

For me it worked on one level as that nagging depression one feels after a breakup or even after a romantic lover has died. Thankfully for me, I haven’t had to experience the latter. Rob has. He even unsuccessfully tries to commit suicide to escape his sadness. Nine is never going to let him forget her, or so it seems.

I like the tone of this film, both somber and scary with a bit of sarcastic humor thrown in. It’s blood along with sexual content is woven into a really great horror movie. I kept wondering what would happen next. For me that’s the sign of a great “any genre” movie. This one didn’t make me jump out of my seat but I liked being out of control, watching how far the movie would venture out beyond what we’ve seen before. There is a twist I didn’t see coming, nothing earth shattering but I applaud the writers for it.

I’ll look for more for this directing duo in the future. I did feel it got a little repetitive toward the final 1/4 of the film. We’d see the events go in a circle enough and it could have ended about 2-40 minutes earlier ad I would have been content. I think they fell victim to thinking their quirky idea was so innovative it would carry a movie of 1h 38min. For me, I wanted another smaller idea to break things up. Unfortunately, it dragged toward the end for me so it lost a star. For horror fans, this is a MUST SEE! I recommend.

A Dark Song (2016)

Horror movies have talked about love and loss before but not usually this deeply. The issues are so deep in fact, one might question whether they belong in a horror film. They exist just the same and while watching this film you don’t just see them on screen, you absorb them. The longing of the protagonist and her helper calling on the black arts becomes our own … “poor us,” as the ritual master says, in that sense.

A Dark Song (2016)
1h 40min | Drama, Horror | 28 April 2017 (USA)

A determined young woman and a damaged occultist risk their lives and souls to perform a dangerous ritual that will grant them what they want.
Director: Liam Gavin
Writer: Liam Gavin
Stars: Mark Huberman, Susan Loughnane, Steve Oram

I can sum up this, Liam Gavin’s directorial debut, by saying it moves way too slow for the first 3/4 but the last act is the stuff you take home to your nightmares. We needed the visuals in the first 3/4, they were sadly absent. I hope when Liam gets his next project he remembers that. I really can’t recommend this film to all horror fans because I found it nearly impossible to sit through but I might say if you have fast forward abilities, go to the final act. You’ll see things there you’ve never seen.

Back to non-spoiler territory: The protagonist has lost her son to occultists who ceremoniously murdered him. She pays another occultist to take her through rituals to enable her to talk to her guardian angel and her son to seek revenge. It’s gritty and you expect typical demonic stuff that only lightly comes. It is basically a hodgepodge character study of two dysfunctional people churning, tortured by desire and vegeance, seeking to call on the supernatural realm for relief … and failing. The end third is worth it. This is a movie to discuss, without a doubt. Watch for Liam Gavin’s future work as I will.

8/10

Escape from Tomorrow (2013)

Escape from Tomorrow (2013)
Not Rated | 1h 30min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror | 19 July 2014 (Japan)

In a world of fake castles and anthropomorphic rodents, an epic battle begins when an unemployed father’s sanity is challenged by a chance encounter with two underage girls on holiday.
Director: Randy Moore
Writer: Randy Moore
Stars: Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber, Katelynn Rodriguez

I watched this weird film last night. I must admit I didn’t stay up late enough to finish it. Maybe I felt like I’d seen enough by 10:30p. It’s shot in black and white and the director is very new. He hasn’t done a whole lot other than this. Most the scenes seem forced, the acting is not too convincing. I really really liked the concept though and would recommend that horror and sci fans watch it.

It’s about a family staying at Florida’s Disney World, visiting the park, riding the rides. All the while, the father keeps being drawn to watching a couple of adolescent French girls who are constantly hugging and giddily riding rides like Dumbo and Space Mountain. Among all this, the father “sees” things differently. For example, a sign with Mickey smiling will suddenly melt into a frown. I really was curious about why but seriously, the movie is SLOW and I gave up. It does get the weird tag from me so that’s a plus. If I wasn’t so tired, I might have finished it.

I read a few reviews on IMDB which were very entertaining and I also read the ending on Wikipedia. If you aren’t going to see this movie but are slightly curious I recommend doing the same, I’ve linked those pages below. Like I said, it’s a cool horror/sci fi concept. The problem is the apparent lack of skill in delivery. HAVING SAID THAT, it is kind of cool as an independent film if you can leave your critical expectations at the door.

6/10

Wikipedia summary of this film.

IMBD user reviews of this film.

Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

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Like most horror movie fans, I was not impressed with the first Ouija film. It was flat and lacking in almost every aspect. For that reason, I didn’t plan to spend my hard-earned money on a prequel (this film takes place before the original). The surprise part of my story is that my daughters dragged me to see it and I really liked it. It was a whole different concept than the first film and it worked on many levels to be what I feel is one of the strongest horror films of 2016.

As with many horror films, it does take a while to really get going. In fact, despite some good scares and creepy atmosphere in the middle, the best scares are in the last 1/3. A story must be told so I get why they have to tell it calmly in the beginning. There are two daughters: an 18 and 9-year-old. They live with their mother and their father has died. The mother runs a psychic medium business out of a parlor in her house. She gets customers in touch with their dead ones and she knows what she does is a scam. She has no guilt because, as she tells her daughters, she is helping these grieving people. Her daughters know it’s all BS. I must mention this was directed by Mike Flannigan (Oculus, Hush) who I have tremendous respect for. He really made a good horror film here and I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future. Spoilers ahead.

There is a rather intricate plot here which reminds me of recent horror films like The Conjuring 2 and Lights Out. In a way, it was too busy for me but I appreciated the story, it sort of came together and worked in the end. Again, it was very complicated. Does anyone miss movies like Halloween where horror is simple?

After one daughter gets seemingly possessed by a demon spirit and helps her mother do readings, the older one meets a boy and reports strange letters her sister wrote in Polish to the headmaster priest at their school. And, that priest is “sort of” dating their mother but not really because he made a vow he won’t break. See what I mean by complicated? It gets more complicated. Suffice it to say Nazi German history weaves in and … well, the ending is sad beyond what you normally would see in a horror movie. Bring your kleenex.

All in all, despite the convoluted, overlong plot, I really liked the scares and creepy atmosphere in this film. I would recommend it as a 7/10 for horror fans.

Antibirth (2016)

Antibirth (2016)
Not Rated | 1h 34min | Horror | 2 September 2016 (USA)

In a desolate community full of drug-addled Marines and rumors of kidnapping, a wild-eyed stoner named Lou wakes up after a wild night of partying with symptoms of a strange illness and … See full summary »
Director: Danny Perez
Writer: Danny Perez
Stars: Natasha Lyonne, Chloë Sevigny, Meg Tilly

Director Danny Perez has only done this one film. He’s dabbled in a couple other small scale releases. It gives me the impression he is into horror that gets out there into the weird tag. I think directors like this are important! Some social and personal messages are better delivered through “the weird” and this film definitely fits in that category.

It starts with a woman who will take any drug she can find. She’s a pretty young thing, who is also a “tweaker.” Lovely thought right? Natasha Lyonne does a great job with the role, blending the macabre and profane with the plight of your average partier. The gory stuff is there too as she begins to see she is pregnant. She doesn’t know who the father is but it isn’t human, we certainly can surmise later. From there, the story falls to the wayside and it becomes a birthing blood, flesh, and gore fest. Is that anything like birth? Maybe. After all, it’s the entry of new life like Frankenstein right? The visuals are gloriously disgusting. She gives birth to many things including the head in the photo that gets pulled away from the cord connecting it to a full grown body.

This one is one of the more odd ones I’ve seen. I do want to watch it again for any deep meaning I missed. I have a feeling it’s there. My main complaint is that it took too long for the gore to come.

8/10