Trailer for your Weekend: The ABCs of Death 2
In just a few days, The ABCs of Death 2 (2014) will be available online, followed by a limited cinema release in some markets. I didn’t love the first film. A few inspired segments were overwhelmed by a barrage of average ones and a couple that were pretty offensive. But apparently this sequel got a really good reception when it premiered at Fantastic Fest recently and the concept is so rad I will probably check this one out. Trailers for anthology films are often a waste of time. I like this one though. The delightfully absurd start which left me wondering if I had opened the right video gives way to a smattering of different grabs from the film that left me wanting to know and see a bunch more. What do you guys think of this one?
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: A Fortnight of Terror: The ABCs of Death and A Fortnight of Terror Trailer for your Weekend: Patrick.
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Trailer for your Weekend: The Guest
Adam Wingard impressed many with You’re Next (2011), one of the most popular horror films of last year when it was finally released. I was also a big fan of his “Q is for Quack” segment in The ABCs of Death (2012). Wingard’s next film is The Guest (2014) which has been steadily building some buzz over recent times. This is only a very short first teaser, but it looks as though this will be a pretty atmospheric little film, with hints of the home invasion genre Wingard has mined before, even if it does not totally fit within the genre. Thoughts?
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: 2013 Horror Wrap (featuring a review of You’re Next) and The ABCs of Death.
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The Omen
There is something distinctly 70s about The Omen (1976). That is not to say it has dated, but it has a sort of aura about it that only films from that decade such as Don’t Look Now (1973) seem to share. Just as many of our most beloved slasher films are distinctly and fundamentally 80s as well.
One hallmark of the 70s horror film, and indeed great horror films of other decades, that The Omen nails is the genuinely creepy opening credits sequence. Church chanting and singing as well as aggressive music form the backdrop to a kid casting a crucifix shadow. From there, the early parts of the film focus on the successful American diplomat Robert Thorn played by Gregory Peck and his wife Katherine played by Lee Remick. Desperate for a baby, Katherine devastatingly delivers a stillborn child. A dodgy priest in the Italian hospital where this is taking place convinces Robert to adopt a replacement kid, without her ever knowing. Especially through the first half of this film there are a number of really atmospheric set pieces that are genuinely shocking. The most confronting of all, in one of the most shocking moments I think I have seen in a film, takes place at a child’s birthday and really sets up the course of the film. A large black dog appears to one of the party guests shortly before a truly outrageous death. In a chilling finale to the sequence the same large dog appears to Damien, the child of Robert and Katherine. There are other similarly wonderful sequences that take place in a zoo and then later in a cemetery. The latter lifts the film from a bit of a second half funk, as it had run out of some of the steam of the first half, before finishing strongly.
I have already mentioned Nicholas Roeg’s Don’t Look Now and it is a film my mind kept returning to as I was watching this one. They both share a very washed out colour palette, a dank fogginess that seems to permeate the furthest reaches of the plot and characters. I think that is the intent behind the palette as well, to convey a definite mood, not just a British locale that rarely sees the sun. Biblical symbolism and elements are the other elements that permeate the entire film. Much of the core of the film’s plot comes from a contemporary interpretation of the bible and the antichrist, whilst priests, crucifixes, Satan and even a little of the redemptive power of Christ make their way into the film. And whilst I did not find the second half of the film as engaging as the first, I quite liked how it shifted into an almost Indiana Jones-esque adventure flick for a time even rocking a little globetrotting and archaeology. Also, if you are into reading behind the scenes accounts of films, do some snooping around on The Omen. It was one of those creepy cursed productions where the cast and crew had planes they were in hit by lightning, there were near misses with IRA bombings, creepy car crashes with links to the plot of the film and plenty more horrid luck afflicting those who worked on the film and their loved ones. A real life curse on a horror film can only improve it in my estimation.
The Omen is a hell of an atmospheric horror film but it also brings a fair bit more than that to the screen, with a whole bunch of quite shocking scenes. Grounding the plot in much symbolism, Christian and otherwise, means there is plenty there to mull over if you so desire. If not, a dude gets his head sheared straight off by a massive piece of plate glass in a slasher kill par excellence that comes a decade before its time, so there is always that.
Verdict: Pint of Kilkenny
2014 Progress: 16/101
Progress 112/1001
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: The Black Cat and The Masque of the Red Death.
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Cheap Thrills
Cheap Thrills (2013) is an indie horror film that has been garnering a fair amount of hype recently. Featuring David Koechner, aka Champ Kind on the cast and a simple, relatable, yet able to be taken to the extreme premise, it is easy to see why plenty have fallen in love with this film.
Craig is a man down on his luck. His morning root was interrupted by his crying baby, a final notice has been pinned to his front door and to top it all off, he gets fired. This basic, effective, characterisation is filled out as the film progresses. We learn that the now fired mechanic was once a writer, who has clearly either fallen out of love with his art or lost the ability to produce. This back story is obviously not the point of a film like this, but it does definitely help to elevate the narrative and that level of detail and craft makes you (well me at least) a little more willing to overlook some of the film’s later flaws. Down on his luck, Craig finds himself in a dingy bar, trying to drink away the pain of losing his job, before heading home to see his wife and baby, who he now has absolutely no way of supporting. At the bar he runs across an old mate Vince, and they are in turn befriended by a rich couple played by Sara Paxton and David Koechner. These two are out for her birthday and Colin, played by Koechner, has an obsession with making memories which leads to the two old friends being challenged to a serious of dares with increasing financial stakes and correspondingly increasing levels of risked attached to them. I won’t give too much away, but the gauntlet kind of runs from taking shots to public toileting to severing limbs, with more than a few diversions into other stunts, which can be anywhere from unoriginally crude to intriguingly psychological.
I am really not sure how I feel about the ending of Cheap Thrills. I for one did not see it coming, though I think I have heard others peg it as a little obvious. At first I was really not a fan. But now after letting it stew a little bit, even though I still don’t love it, I kind of respect it as a choice of ending. I definitely feel that, even though it is briefly touched upon, the financial aspect to the motivations of these characters really should have been fleshed out a little more. The film is clearly a comment on the haves and have nots in our societies. But the idea is just plonked there a little and I wanted some interrogation of it. Having said that though, it is great that a horror film even puts the ideas out there though, plenty of films would have focused totally on the crassness and the one upmanship. Morally, it was good that the character of Craig was at least a little conflicted to begin with and again this should have played out a little more through the economic exploration that the film was lacking. Ditto the almost immediate breakdown between Craig and Vince. It is kind of plonked there but the point that could be made is either not there or it is at the very least not wholly rounded out. The performances are pretty solid overall. As one of the two leads, I thought Ethan Embry who played Vince was the pick of them, seeming to channel Tom Hardy a little and he nicely mixes up a sense of fun with a definite dash of intensity. His comedic sense is great and it would be cool to see this film lead to more opportunities for him. Koechner is probably the most famous person on the cast. Initially he is just so ‘big’ with the performance it’s distracting. You can’t help seeing him a little as Champ Kind, with his uber obnoxious loudmouth air. As the film goes on though, this tempers a little and he actually establishes pretty easily a character that stands well apart from Champ, so it is good to see that he has the ability to pull that off.
Cheap Thrills is an interesting film with a great core concept. It definitely could have taken that concept, and the commentary on us as individuals and a society further, but at the very least those ideas are there. At its best, this is really, really good. As it stands though, its just good, but the kind of good that is different enough from the norm it is probably worth your while checking out.
Verdict: Stubby of Reschs
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: The Tunnel and Devil.
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Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
It was my hope when starting Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) that this series would turn out to be the inverse of the Elm Street films. That is, whereas with that series the odd numbered films were far and away better than the others, hopefully with this series it would be the even numbered ones. And that is true to a degree. The even numbered Friday the 13th films are at least moderately enjoyable, unfortunately the same cannot be said for the rest of them. There is also not really a centred marketing approach or narrative through line in these films like the Elm Street ones. The DVD edition I have of this is actually quite comical. The front obviously has the title Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter on it, whilst the first sentence on the back goes to lengths to explain that this is “the fourth – but not final” film in the series. Say what now?
The issue with this series for me is the sheer lack of ambition. Whilst I quite enjoy Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, there is very little that feels like it has not just come straight from all the other films. Though there is a brief revenge sub-plot that does actually feel new. But it is almost comical just how quickly that is dispensed with. Even though I bag the plot and repetitiveness of these films, this is better than most of them in that regard. I really like the start of the film, as the fuzz and ambos clean up after Jason’s rampage in the previous film on a delightfully dark and rainy night. Then it moves onto a really atmospheric section in a hospital. And let’s face it, outside of an isolated cabin in the woods, a hospital is about as excellent a slasher setting as you can get. But from that point on, the film settles back into what is essentially the exact same plot as the first few films – teens sexing and Jason killing. Unfortunately you can’t help but thinking that if the film had of been based more on the revenge sub-plot I mentioned earlier, told from that point of view, this would have been a much more interesting watch.
I don’t really have any issue with films following a formula. Hell, I am a James Bond nut. But these really should build up more of a sense of both story and character. In each film, the first 45 minutes are achingly slow and not much at all happens. This is where there should be slather of atmosphere and character interactions built. But each film meanders along, not really doing anything until the killing kicks off in the second half. Nostalgia wise, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter delivers a couple of classic appearances on the cast. Both Cory Feldman and Crispin Glover appear. The film really has to be seen for Glover’s dance moves at one point which are essentially the 80s distilled into a bite size morsel for you. As for Feldman… well wow. If you have seen this film, that sentence will probably be pretty self explanatory. If you haven’t though, let me just explain that it involves a half cocked head shaving sequence to kill the big bad. It is all rather woeful, albeit with a brutal kill at the end. And it has to be said that the very last shot, with creepy sorta bald Feldman, is exceptionally badass.
Unfortunately Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter sees this series continue on a pretty painfully formulaic run. Fortunately though, despite that, the film is enjoyable enough. It is not going to wow you, but it will give you 90 minutes of pretty mindless escapism. And there are worse things in the world than that.
Verdict: Stubby of Reschs
Updated franchise ranking below:
- Friday the 13th Part 2
- Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
- Friday the 13th
- Friday the 13th Part III
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The Silent House
There is a fine line between gimmicky and ‘high-concept’. Thankfully though, single shot Uruguayan horror film The Silent House (2010) comes down on the right side of that equation.
The set-up is simple enough. A man and his daughter arrive at an isolated house in a rural area to clean it prior to sale. Initially the pace of the film is measured as it sets up the location, the characters and the atmosphere. This section is very assured, as the creepy tone is set without feeling the need to slap you in the face with over the top haunted house aesthetics. In terms of frights, the film is notable for reinforcing just how bloody freaky things literally going bump in the night can be. The film is moseying along early, but then a few bumps jolt you and certainly frightened me a lot. I generally don’t find horror films too hard to sit through, but this made me squirm more than any flick since The Conjuring (2013). Perhaps inevitably given the structure of the film, it does certainly drag at times. Thankfully though, the film never goes too far along without wrenching you right back into what it is aiming to do. Much of the credit in this regard goes to the lead actress Florencia Colucci who has the bulk of the screen time. She is definitely convincing in conveying the terror of her situation, not to mention her crying and screaming game is on point the whole way through.
Everything about the film, from the title onward, screams classic haunted house flick. Thankfully it’s a bloody good one too, managing to be a homage to the subgenre without feeling derivative at all. Even if on a couple of occasions some elements become a little overworn, such as the use of mirrors. But then again, some of these familiar elements also help bring the film’s best moments. I’m looking at you polaroid camera sequence that is borderline unwatchable it is so terrifying. Perhaps it shouldn’t have strayed too far from the old fashioned norm though, because as the plot shifts away from convention in the second half, some of the intrigue is definitely lost. Not to mention that the film closes with a monumentally crap twist. One of those twists that is not just annoying, but it actually really effects how you feel about the film as a whole. As for the double gimmick of (supposedly) being filmed in one shot and being real time, these add to the film rather than detract from it. If the film is indeed just one shot (I never have the concentration to concentrate hard enough to actually make sure) it is a pretty exceptional effort. Rather than a staid camera that follows the characters around, the camerawork in The Silent House is noticeably bold. It’s not afraid to show off that it is a singe shot, but it never feels gimmicky and the camerawork is handheld but able to be steady in its movements and move in and out of focus when required. There is some great stuff on the sound design side of things as well. It mixes up silence, music and good ol’ fashioned effects to bring both atmosphere and scares
For the most part, The Silent House is an excellent film. One of the few films I find genuinely terrifying, it is also very slick in its design and construction. It is a shame then my final opinion of this sharp homage to haunted house flicks is so tainted by a misfiring twist ending.
Verdict: Stubby of Reschs
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: 2013 Horror Wrap and Worth Watching September 2013 (includes a review of Russian Ark).
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Friday the 13th Part 2
After not enjoying the first film, I was not particularly enthused as I popped Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) into my blu-ray player. I have no real issue with bad films. I watch plenty of them and enjoy writing about a lot of them too. I have real problems both watching and writing about boring films though, and Friday the 13th (1980) was certainly that, at least for me.
Thankfully though, this sequel is a definite improvement on the first film, even if it perhaps never reaches the heights of many of its slasher brethren. The setup is essentially the exact same as the first film. Set five years later, a group of camp counsellors again gather for training. Whilst not at Camp Crystal Lake, the new camp is a short distance away, actually on the same lake that Jason jumped out of at the end of the first film, scaring the utter shit out of absolutely everyone. You know the drill, the counsellors start to get knocked off, generally whilst either about to have sex, or having just finished up. Like the first film, though possibly even more so, there is little character development of the counsellors before they meet their doom. I am not really sure why they persist with this approach and utilising a much larger number of characters than they really need to. Especially since on the occasions they actually build up a character, it greatly improves the story. Thankfully though, this time the dialogue and interrelationships between the counsellors is much improved. You can actually buy the connections between them and they are able to convey the lust or love they are feeling a lot better in this film. This is equally down to an improved script and also the fact that the film is generally quite well acted. I really liked the ending to this film. There were some really original moments that actually worked, especially the ‘child psychology’ bits. It was good to see something new. I was also pretty excited to learn that the next film in the series is a straight sequel to this film, because the ending genuinely did leave me wanting more. Turns out I won’t have the same dread of putting part III on as I did with this film.
Oftentimes with sequels to successful low budget films, you find they are rushed out to cash in on the success of the first and there are no improvements in terms of production values. Whilst you can still see that this is a cheap film, there is a definite step up in terms of the production. There is a lot of tight in camerawork used that helps to create a heap of atmosphere. You are always wondering what lies just beyond the edge of the frame, which is really effective. Unfortunately though, the film still relies on cheap ‘jump’ scares, rather than building to the kills through actual narrative, like better horror films do. Perhaps this will change in the series going forward, given that the identity of the killer is really set in stone now and there is not as much need to keep a sense of mystery around that fact. Most of the film takes place in a pretty stock standard camp setting, but there are small amounts of really cool set design in this as well, another improvement on the first film. The grimy, decrepit, homemade vibe of Jason’s shanty style shack in the forest looks great and like a place you would most certainly not want to find yourself. The score continues to riff on Psycho (1960), indeed there are again multiple allusions to Hitch’s film in this one, but overall it is better than the first, helping to set the tone and hitting all of the right beats.
Friday the 13th Part 2 is a marked improvement over the first film and a rare franchise entry that actually leaves you both satisfied and hanging out for the next film. It is still not a particularly scary film at all, but much improved writing and a slightly more committed approach to building a plot made this a far less boring watch than its predecessor.
Verdict: Stubby of Reschs
Just like with the Nightmare on Elm Street films, I will be keeping an updated ranking with links to the earlier reviews:
1. Friday the 13th Part 2
2. Friday the 13th
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Friday the 13th
The contemporary marketing for Friday the 13th (1980) is quite interesting. The blu-ray copy I bought recently has cover art heavily emphasising the franchise’s iconic hockey mask, a mask that does not even feature in the film for one second. It’s a strange franchise where the first film is not the most iconic of the bunch. After watching the film, I can sort of see why they have fallen back on this marketing strategy, as there is not all that much to be overly enthused about in this first entry in the series.
Friday the 13th takes place at Camp Crystal Lake, which is just about to reopen after a number of strange and deadly incidents saw it shut down. As a group of horny young teens work to get the camp ready to welcome new kids, they start getting violently knocked off one by one. One of the concepts that determine how successful the narrative of a horror or thriller film turns out to be, is the way the villain or threat is revealed. In terms of mystery, there is obviously a big benefit of masking the identity of the killer as long as possible. But the downside of this approach is that it makes it harder to build a sense of that character and therefore the menace at play. Unfortunately the balance in this film is not quite right, veering to the latter of these two. There is so little character developed, no clues as to who is on this murderous rampage, that the audience becomes too disassociated from the threat. In addition to that, the core narrative is weak and neither builds any sense behind the crimes, or sense of character to make you affected in the slightest when yet another of the teens is murdered. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) was clearly a big influence on the film. The score feels like tracks that didn’t quite make the cut for that classic, full of screeching and pace to ratchet up the tension. The ending of the film, definitely the strongest section of the film for me, is essentially a reverse Psycho, cleverly inverting elements of that film’s iconic closing sequences. Throughout this period there is a richness in plot that was totally lacking up until then and it also puts the two best performers onscreen together. Whilst the conclusion was an improvement on the rest (including a great, but somewhat cheap shot near the end, which scared the shit out of me), it also presents some illogical moments that I found hard to let slide. The killer is so inept at the end, so weak and slow, that it seems inconceivable that they could have so easily killed so many other people.
Just like relatively close contemporaries Halloween (1978) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Friday the 13th would launch a massively profitable horror franchise, which continues more or less to this day. Despite those similarities, this film falls short of those two classics on a number of levels. For starters, even though they are of a similar vintage, there is something timeless in the first outings of Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger. This film, with its cringeworthy 80s teen dialogue, does not hold up anywhere near as well on that front. Probably the one aspect of the slasher that this film does better than those ones though is the gore and kills. Throats are cut, axes meet heads and arrows fly. At times it does seem like the rest of the film is just filler before Tom Savini gets to weave his warped, bloody magic onscreen. Just as it shows its age, the film also shows its low budget roots as much of it feels like an episode of a TV show in the way it is shot. This is not totally true, the prologue shows some of what could have been, with a stylish kill incorporating slow motion, point of view shots and some cool use of stills. Overall though, outside of the use of point of view shooting, which is actually utilised better here than in most films which utilise the technique, there is little stylisation through the rest of the film. This film pushes the whole promiscuous teenagers getting killed cliché more than other films I have watched. I was looking for some sort of insight or commentary for this. But I couldn’t really find any. Sure it is explained from a plot perspective. In terms of connecting it to anything broader though, there was little evidence. Obviously a film does not have to make any broader point, but I think that some sort of commentary around the choice of victims would have perhaps made this a more satisfying film.
The star of this film is undoubtedly Tom Savini and it is plain to see why his reputation as a premiere ‘gore guy’ remains to this day. Unfortunately the rest of the film was pretty middling for me. The marketing suggests I need to wait around until Jason appears rocking his hockey mask. Hopefully he brings more than just a cool prop with him though.
Verdict: Schooner of Carlton Draught
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
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A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
When discussing my love for Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), which I reviewed here, I was constantly warned by people that I should not bother with the sequels. They told me to either steer clear completely, or to focus on a couple of specific ones that were decent, generally those that Craven returned to direct. But I thought it would be fun to check them all out and track the evolution of the series, beginning with A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985).
Craven chose not to return for this sequel, passing on the film after reading the script. Some of his concerns that came through in the film include the trashing of the mythology around the character of Freddy Krueger that had been built in the first film. In the first film, Krueger can really only cause damage inside dreams, but in this second entry he seems to have attained the ability to leave the dream world and hit up pool parties at will. It is a frustrating dilution of part of what made the first entry such an original horror story. Missteps such as that are even more annoying because there are some very good ideas contained in the script. Much of it concerns Freddy attempting to recruit a the main character Jesse, through intimidation and trickery, into murdering on his behalf. As the deaths start piling up, so does Jesse’s mental instability as he becomes more and more convinced that he is the one doing the deeds.
The action starts out rather originally with a set piece involving a school bus and a bus driver who turns out to Mr Krueger himself. I was pretty hopeful at that point, but most of the film from there on out is content to just hit the same notes as the first film – falling asleep in class, a gory death or two, doubt over who is doing the killing, boiler room showdowns and so on. When the film does try and do something more original, it does not do it very well. I have already mentioned Krueger being able to escape dreams in the film, which just confuses his menace. Add to that the film’s most bizarre sequence where the teenage protagonist Jesse goes to a leather bar, sees his bully of a gym teacher and then gets invited back to the school. Whilst he is having a shower, Freddy Krueger appears and kills his teacher in a really homoerotic fashion. It is totally absurd. I am not sure if there was meant to be a little commentary in there, but it definitely did not come through clearly. Also, I really hope that every film in the series is not going to finish with the same lame little coda/epilogue style sequence. I don’t mind some ambiguity or sequel bait, but the first two films both end in cheap little scenes that add nothing to the film and just serve to undermine the satisfactory (sort of) resolution of the main narrative.
There is something pretty timeless about the first film in this series. In comparison though, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 is beset by 80s-ness. The wooden performance from Mark Patton as Jesse definitely plays into that. Luckily though both Robert Rusler as Ron and Kim Myers as Jesse’s love interest Lisa are much more comfortable and mitigate the bad acting somewhat. Actually the most surprising bit about this film for me was that the teen romance sub-plot between the two main characters was actually pretty decent. A shame it is wasted in this film. More disappointing than the poor acting is the change in genre. The first film was a really innovative mixture of supernatural horror and the slasher film. This film dumps all of that I think for what is basically a straight up supernatural film, with a few teen film subplots going on as well. Aside from a couple of moments, the stark and horrifying imagery that was all through the first film is also lessened a great deal here. Freddy still looks very cool and the scene where he bursts out of an old dude’s chest is satisfyingly gruesome. But there is nothing that really matches a couple of the great and gory kills that take place in the first film in the series. Especially not dogs with baby masks on. What the hell was that?
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge has some really interesting ideas that if done right would have made this a worthy follow up to a true horror classic. Unfortunately though the film is not done properly and a combination of poor acting, the rubbishing of some of what made Krueger such a great villain and tamer kills make this pretty weak. Which is such a bummer, because the convergence of the characters of Freddy and Jesse is an idea that deserved to be pulled off much better.
Verdict: Schooner of Carlton Draught
I’m going to be reviewing one of the Nightmare on Elm Street films every week for the next little bit. So I hope you enjoy reading the reviews and looking forward to hearing your thoughts on all of these films if you have seen them.
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