Tag: #horror

This post is part of a series I am experimenting with where I review the films now streaming on Netflix. I’m attempting to make them non-spoiler previews.

Holidays is an anthology of horror stories that share the theme of holidays including Easter and St. Patrick’s Day. They range from creepy and unsettling to gory and outright macabre. Anthologies can be great because they get to the conflict and solution much faster than other genre films. There are some truly scary anthology horror films out there, but can this one compete? Let me tell you what I think.

Holidays

“HOLIDAYS is an anthology feature film that puts a uniquely dark and original spin on some of the most iconic and beloved holidays of all time by challenging our folklore, traditions and assumptions.” -IMDB

Cast

Lorenza Izzo Jean
Seth Green Pete Gunderson
Harley Quinn Smith Holly
Clare Grant Sara Gunderson

Directed by

Anthony Scott Burns, Kevin Kolsch, Kevin Smith, and more

Written by

Dennis Widmyer, Kevin Kolsch. and more.

Other Info

Horror
Not Rated
Fri 29 Apr 2016 UTC
105min
IMDB Rating: 5.1

Among the directors is Kevin Smith of Tusk fame. Since that is one of my favorite horror films from 2014, I had high hopes for what he did her. I’ll go ahead and say there isn’t anything as horror-comical as Tusk but there is some stuff just about as twisted. In one, religious folk may be offended. If you decide to give it a go, keep your mind open with the jaws of life. I think I’ll be a recovering religious person my whole life and I loved it. Traditionalists should steer clear. The first three are generally vanilla.

The 5th, Halloween, stars Kevin Smith’s daughter Harley Quinn Smith and gets into sex webcams. The girls say fuck quite a bit, which is not necessarily bad depending on how much you enjoy hearing that from cute girls. Basically the 5th takes you into the twisted, vengeful mind of Kevin Smith. I’ll hold back on details but I can safely tell you we see an asshole get his without spoiling anything.

I’m a big horror fan. I love watching what can be done in this genre. Kevin Smith pushes the limits and gets great results in my opinion. Smith’s contribution may be seen by some as unimaginable but when you’re dealing in vengeance art, you never know what will appeal to people. I’m reminded of the rape scene in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

FINAL THOUGHTS
The 6th, Christmas, stars Seth Green. It’s fun to watch but not unique to me. See Brainstorm 1983 for more info on that (what’s a little remake posing as plagiarism between friends?). Oh, there’s a little sleight of hand from Dexter playing in there as well. For the genre of anthology horror, I’d say this one is worth my time. How open minded do you have to be? Well, enough see a climax per sequence which, if you think about it, better than the single big one we’re usually limited to. The final sequence takes place on New Year’s Eve and I will call it the most predictable. The anthology could be better in places but it also could be a lot worse overall. My verdict: Worth watching.

Wondering what you’ll see? Let me know in the comments. Then, get on Netflix where it’s currently streaming and see for yourself.

8/10

This is one of those horror movies I have heard of for years but for some reason never got around to seeing. If you like horror, and this is your situation, I’m happy to report this is an awesome flick worth seeing. It’s got scares and a creature, and some humor to get you through it.

Jeepers Creepers (2001)
R | 1h 30min | Horror, Mystery | 31 August 2001 (USA)

A brother and sister driving home through isolated countryside for spring break encounter a flesh-eating creature which is in the midst of its ritualistic eating spree.
Director: Victor Salva
Writer: Victor Salva
Stars: Gina Philips, Justin Long, Jonathan Breck

We know this director from “Powder” and the franchise of Jeepers Creepers. He has put together a very fun horror story and it has taken wing in our culture to be a well known household word. I see this as an accomplishment.

From the opening segments where the brother and sister characters are driving their old beat up car across a one lane highway to the end where the creature is showing us his exemplary appendages, this film rocks the horror. I think the most notable part for me was the discovery Justin Long’s character makes down the septic pipe. “Alien,” eat your heart out. I am told by a movie pal that part II is worth watching so I surely will be. This is a great horror movie, check it out if you haven’t already. I rate it 8/10.

I’d been waiting for this film to come into theaters and once again: we have a Netflix movie that never made it there. Is that bad? This is the first real horror film of 2018 and it certainly watches like one. Unlike some movies that have come down the pike in a forest that really weren’t horror like “The Witch” and “It Comes at Night,” this one has the elements of a horror and delivers as such.

The Ritual (2017)
1h 34min | Horror | 9 February 2018 (USA)

A group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that’s stalking them.
Director: David Bruckner
Writers: Joe Barton, Adam Nevill (novel)
Stars: Rafe Spall, Arsher Ali, Robert James-Collier

The director is David Bruckner, known for “V/H/S,” “Southbound,” and “The Signal.” Looking at these titles makes me realize he has a solid background in horror and “The Ritual” is his foray into the big time. This one will probably be enjoyed by more than the others. It’s an “on location” piece meaning it is filmed in the woods. This must have proved challenging. I found some pparts of it to be a little misguided but as a whole, this is a directorial accomplishment.

There is a house the hikers happen upon in the film. Upstairs there is an odd piece of ritual like art. It looks rustic and religious in form. I found not much was explained there and it never really added up for me what was happening there. It was if it was just being blamed on the supernatural when the scenes could have held better clues.

Other than the house scene, the film develops well throughout. The ending is a massive crescendo and it’s nothing you’d expected up to that point. By saying less, he says more. By suggesting the size and shape of creatures, he makes them all that more scary. Because it’s supernatural, we can’t really argue logic here which is good for the director because it’s lacking a bit there. Having said that, I found this horror film scary and full of suspense. There are many roads to Rome and this one definitely finds its way there. I give it a 8/10

After seeing Alice Lowe as the love interest in “Sightseers” I will recognize her in anything she does I think. She a unique look, beautiful and yet just on edge. You’re left wondering what she will do in every situation. That is very true in “Prevenge” only most would never guess what she’s planning next in this film.

Prevenge (2016)
Not Rated | 1h 28min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy | 24 March 2017 (USA)

Widow Ruth is seven months pregnant when, believing herself to be guided by her unborn baby, she embarks on a homicidal rampage, dispatching anyone who stands in her way.
Director: Alice Lowe
Writer: Alice Lowe
Stars: Alice Lowe, Dan Renton Skinner, Jo Hartley

Alice Lowe gives us a triple blow here: She is director, writer, and leading lady. This undertaking always impresses me. Sometimes, the quality of the film suffers but in this case it doesn’t. This reminds me of some crazy idea she had maybe in a restaurant some night out after a lot of beverages. The difference between this and most ideas directors have is that she saw it through. The idea for a horror movie is a novel one and it follows a specific rhythm. It is comedy, but black comedy at that. Not everyone will find this funny. Fans of horror surely will. I give this one a 9/10.

Biography films can be long and even boring sometimes. This is a break from that mold. We see the Czechs go after Hitler’s third man in charge. They call him the butcher. What seems an impossible task becomes a tenacious one and as Cillian Murphy’s character says “We are Czechs, we will never surrender!”

Jamie Dornan Jan Kubis
Cillian Murphy Josef Gabcík
Brian Caspe Antonín
Karel Hermánek Jr. Ignác

Sean Ellis

Sean Ellis, Anthony Frewin

Biography, History, Thriller, War
R
Fri 09 Sep 2016 UTC
120min
IMDB Rating: 7.2

Director Sean Ellis who gave us the funny and sexy Cashback., really made a sideline here for a gritty, violent biography. I don’t usually gravitate toward these films but I’m glad I did this time. A slow starter, this film does pick up with a passion and takes the audience along for a helluva ride.

Cillian Murphy plays the lead role. He’s an assassin from the resistance against Hitler. He sets out to kill Hitler’s third in command, after Himmler. Jamie Dornan also gives a powerful performance as the accomplice. Viewers may remember him from the not so stunning Fifty Shades of Grey.

The story is about a pair of Czechs whose country has been decimated by Hitler and his cronies. They set out to assassinate the third in command who has been put in charge of terrorizing and occupying Czechoslovakia . The hit many walls along their journey and the end is a scene of bittersweet historical fact.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I really liked this film in the way it presented the characters in a slow way but sped up during certain exciting scenes which kept my interest. It’s a must see for fans of World War Two films with an emphasis on the horrors of Hitler. I recommend it to historians and casual biography watchers alike. There are times it does go a little slow and I didn’t truly embrace the way the ending was presented even though I liked it very much.

4/5

“I can smell it. My God, I can smell my friend being cooked.” -Lars

Some cannibal footage is Nat Geo, other is embarrassingly faked, and yet other footage is so well done it’s scary. “The Green Inferno” is a cannibal movie done so well, Nat Geo may purchase clips for its nature show.

The Green Inferno (2013)

Cast

Lorenza Izzo

as Justine

Ariel Levy

as Alejandro

Daryl Sabara

as Lars

Directed by

Eli Roth

Written by

Guillermo Amoedo, Eli Roth

Other Info

Adventure, Horror
Rated R
1h 40min

We are all such idealists after we graduate from high school. People often enlist in the Peace Corps when they want to make a difference. And there are those “groups” at colleges. Remember those how hand out leaflets and say things like “Don’t think, ACT?” This film starts out on a college campus where a group of activists are recruiting fresh meat.

The leader is intense and so are his followers. They want to stop illegal cutting down of trees in the rainforest. Basically, a group of college kids end up getting on a plane to protest the illegal cutting down of trees. They have an impact but the true plot is what happens when they are captured by a tribe of cannibals.

It’s amazing and scary to watch the scenes at this point. Much attention to detail has gone into making the viewer believe these people are being sauteed and eaten. Justine (Laura Izzo) does a great job as the protagonist. She learns some hard lessons as a result of going on the trip. There are others that didn’t make it who may or may not have learned lessons as well.

This is a graphic, bloody, unapologetic film. There were times I got chills of fear but I never could turn my eyes away. This film took a lot of work to make happen. The cannibals seem like real cannibals. The director did a really good job assembling them and getting them to tell their part of the story through acting. It’s a truly great horror movie. I recommend it!