The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter is considered by many the master of horror movies so, although I was not a fan of Christine, his adaptation of Stephen King's novel, I decided to check out The Thing, one of the most popular horror movies out there. 

The film follows a group of scientists and workers of a small research American base in Antarctica. After a group of seemingly mad Norwegians dies in the process of chasing and shooting a dog from a helicopter, the American team finds the Norwegian base only to discover that everyone is dead or missing. They also find the remains of a burned creature and decide to take it to their base and, too late, they realise the Thing is alive and dangerous as it can take over and assimilate into other life forms, including humans.

This story which is based on a 1938 science fiction novella by John W. Campbell Jr. isn't anything out of the ordinary and as such, it takes a predictable path as it essentially focuses on paranoia, which is beautifully constructed by the way, but it's not enough to fix the thin plotting and the slow pacing and because of those, it never really engaged me. At least, there isn't any pointless romantic subplot. 

The characters also are pretty bland, dull and uninteresting as they lack depth, emotions and development and therefore it's really hard to see them as human beings. They are not particularly likeable or believable, nor even Kurt Russell's, so you will never care for any of them, nor have a favourite, the one you hope will make it out alive. Also, there isn't much of a sense of tension between them and that's a bummer considering the story is supposed to rely on it to be effective. The performances, however, aren't as terrible as they usually are in these movies; actually, the actors do a pretty good job and make the characters feel a little bit more human. 

Universal Pictures

Visually though, it's a whole different story. The special effects are absolutely amazing --the gore looks incredibly real and it does not feel like watching a movie from the 1980s-- and they contribute to make the film scary. It's not the effects alone that get the job done. The haunting, at times unbearable atmosphere, the tension and suspense Carpenter delivers pretty evenly throughout the film, and the score by Ennio Morricone, they all play a huge role in scaring the audience. 

Nevertheless, The Thing is a pretty boring movie and Ridley Scott's Alien is much better. 

The Others (2001)

There's a song by an Italian rapper which spoils the ending of some of the films with the most shocking twists. I love that song but it spoiled several films for me —The Sixth Sense, The Prestige, The Game (which I'm yet to see), and The Others. This is the reason I've been putting off this film, hoping that I would eventually forget about the twist. I realised that, unless I hit my head really hard, I will never forget it so I finally watched it. 

Set around the end of WWII, the film follows Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) and her two children, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley), who are both allergic to sunlight. They live alone in a mansion on a British isle as the husband and father (Christopher Eccleston) is yet to return from the war and the housekeepers have mysteriously vanished. Suddenly, three friendly caretakers, an old lady, Mrs. Mills (Fionnula Flanagan), a mute young girl, Lydia (Elaine Cassidy), and a gardener, Mr. Tuttle (Eric Sykes), arrive, strange events occur and Grace begins to question her sanity.

It's a simple ghost story that manages to build up mystery and suspense and differentiates from most ghost stories because of the twist at the end. However, because of its simplicity, it's a story easy to figure out as it soon becomes obvious that the new housekeepers are ghosts and therefore Grace and her children are too, and it gets boring, almost excruciating to sit through the film waiting for the twist which, by the way, is brilliantly delivered and shocked me even though I knew it was coming. Also, what's up with the subplot about Grace's husband? Am I the only one who didn't get the reason for him appearing and disappearing like that? To me, he felt unnecessary as he has no impact whatsoever on the plot. 

Considering how slowly the plot develops, I was expecting the characters to have more depth. Unfortunately, with the only exception of Grace, I found them to be pretty one dimensional. I didn't feel much for them, I simply didn't care for them. 

The cast, however, does a wonderful job. Nicole Kidman gives a very strong performance as Grace Stewart, a religious, over-protective mother on the edge of sanity. Not only she nails the English accent, but she also conveys an incredible array of emotions and the hint of psychotic hysteria in her eyes is just unbelievable. Fionnula Flanagan is fantastic and creepy as hell as Mrs. Mills and Alakina Mann is terrific as Anne, the stubborn daughter who keeps seeking dead people.

Warner Sogefilms, Dimension Films, Mars Distribution, Lucky Red

While Alejandro Amenábar's script didn't fully convince me, his direction worked much better for me. He was able to deliver the same dark, eerie, haunting atmosphere from start to finish through the dark lighting, the brilliant cinematography and camera angles, the thrilling musical score, and the fantastic settings. In other words, The Others isn't the type of film that needs special effects or gore to give you the creeps, and thankfully it doesn't have either of those. 

Chopping Mall (1986)

I stumbled upon Chopping Mall many times over the years but, since I already had my share of cheap 1980s horror movies for that year, I always passed it. This year I focused more on quality horrors and I picked this one to be the crappy one. 

The film takes place in a mall where a new security system has been presented which includes three high-tech robots programmed to disable and apprehend thieves. Four couples of teenagers, Rick (Russell Todd) and Linda (Karrie Emerson), Greg (Nick Segal) and Suzie (Barbara Crampton), Mike (John Terlesky) and Leslie (Suzee Slater), and Ferdy (Tony O'Dell) and Allison (Kelli Maroney), decide to have a late night party in one of the store. They are enjoying themselves, having sex, drinking and all, when a lightning storm strikes, the robots start malfunctioning and go on a killing spree. 

The plot of the film is just as stupid and predictable as it is in any other cheesy horror film. Not only this is annoying but it's also quite infuriating because so much could have been done with the idea but it ends up being the typical, clichéd and boring horror plot where something/someone goes on a killing spree targeting teenagers. 

Same goes for the characters, they couldn't be any more clichéd than this --there's the annoying kind of frat guy, the nerd, the promiscuous girl, the sweet girl. I have to say though, apart from the cocky frat guy who I hated with all of my heart, they are not those characters you can't wait to see die. It's not like you care for them either but you don't have that desire to see them dead as you usually have with these characters. And I guess the credits go to the cast. They don't give great performances or anything but they are kinda likeable.

Concorde Pictures

As for the horror, if you are looking for a scary film, Chopping Mall definitely isn't for you as the film is not scary and there isn't even a decent amount of gore. If you are looking for something so stupid that actually ends up being kind of funny, then it's definitely something you could waste your time with. The special effects are so silly they are laughable --the killer robots look like a retarded version of R2-D2. But I guess they are pretty well done considering the film's budget. At last, the electronic score is corny as hell.

The Black Cauldron (1985)

When you think of animated Disney films, horror or dark fantasy, or however you want to call the genre of this film, is not something that crosses your mind. So I was very surprised to find Disney's The Black Cauldron in a top 10 list of best animated horror movies and out of curiosity I decided to check it out. 

This film tells the story of a young man, Taran (voiced by Grant Bardsley), an assistant pig keeper who dreams of becoming a great warrior. When Hen Wen, the magical oracular pig he was supposed to protect, is kidnapped by the evil Horned King (voiced John Hurt) who needs the pig to discover the location fo the black cauldron which has the power to create an army of unstoppable soldiers, Taran joins forces with a pestering creature, Gurgi (voiced John Byner), the stubborn Princess Eilonwy (voiced by Susan Sheridan), and a minstrel, Fflewddur Fflam (voiced by Nigel Hawthorne), to find the cauldron before the Horned King does.

At first sight, it looks like The Black Cauldron does have a story that is deeper and more complex than your typical Disney story. If you look more carefully though, as you see it unfold, you'll notice that is far from being as complex and deep as it could have been. There's barely a plot as it is pretty much a succession of action sequences and most of the important events happen by chance. It is way darker than every other Disney film I've seen, it has more mature and serious themes --self sacrifice, pride, social equality, and ecology even-- but unfortunately, they are dealt with in such a shallow way. Also, the typical Disney happy ending not only ruined the film completely but it seemed forced as well. 

The characters don't get any better. They lack characterization and development, therefore they are bland, uninteresting and boring. Gurgi's only purpose is for us to have a character we care about but I doubt anyone will care if you don't even bother writing a decent character. It's a little different for the supporting characters. They still are bland but the supporting cast provide quite funny performances which makes you enjoy the film a little more. Also, Hen Wen is quite adorable. Probably because she's a pig and would have never had characterization or development anyways. 

Buena Vista Distribution 

As for the villain, the Horned King, he kinda looks like a cheap Scooby-Doo villain. However, the magnificent voice work by John Hurt makes the Horned King one of the most memorable and threatening Disney villains ever.

The animation, on the other hand, is beautiful. There are moments when the drawings are a bit more sketchy --I'm not sure it's a problem with the movie or with the copy I had, I'm going with the first though--, but overall is lovely and the computer effects are very good considering how old the film is and that this was the first time Disney used them. Another great thing about The Black Cauldron is that there isn't even a song. How great is that?!

The Lure (2015)

While I was searching the most popular movie websites for horror movies to watch for the 31 Days of Horror challenge, whether I was looking for musicals or foreign language, there's a movie I stumbled upon multiple times, The Lure (Polish: Córki dancingu), a Polish fantasy, horror, romantic and musical film. In other words, a movie I could not pass. 

Set in Warsaw in the 1980s, the film follows two mermaid sisters, Silver (Marta Mazurek) and Golden (Michalina Olszańska), who are adopted by a family of musicians after assuring them they won't eat them and soon start performing at a nightclub as strippers and backup singers. While Silver falls in love with the bassist, Mietek (Jakub Gierszał), Golden cannot escape her bloodthirsty nature and kills people.

This is arguably a very unique and dark take on the famous tale by Hans Christian Andersen, The Little Mermaid. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for me to make a compelling film as the plot is interesting but never engaging; if anything, it gets pretty boring. Also, there's a romantic subplot that feels a little forced and like it wasn't exploited as it should have been.

The characters are kinda messy too. Although the main ones have a nice development and make a very intersting group of characters, there are too many characters popping out of nowhere and soon disappearing --we know absolutely nothing about them and they don't even have a role in the story, so what's the point?

The cast, however, is evenly good. Marta Mazurek and Michalina Olszańska are both great in their roles of mermaid sisters, more innocent and kinda naive the first, very alluring the latter. And Kinga Preis provides a solid support as the nightclub singer who adopts the two sisters.

Kino Świat

The direction by first time director Agnieszka Smoczyńska is also pretty solid. Although the mix of genres --fantasy, horror, romance and musical-- doesn't work as good as it could have, she was able to establish an intriguing and mysterious atmosphere which make the horror part work very well. And she makes the musical part work as well --the lyrics to the songs are completely nonsensical (at least they are in the English subtitles. I don't know, maybe they make sense in Polish) and yet they are enjoyable and entertaining. Definitely one of those soundtracks you want to purchase after the movie.

At last but not least, The Lure is visually stunning --not only the cinematography is impressive, but the makeup and costumes are so good they make the two sisters look disturbingly real.

Apostle (2018)

I'm not into period movies and the poster has enough, more like too many crosses for my liking, so when I saw Apostle pop up on Netflix, I passed it. After watching Aronofsky's Pi and realising it was not a horror (by the way, screw you IMDb for listing it as a horror and whoever it was that added it on a horror movies list), I remember Margaret from Cinematic Corner said we should watch it and, since I'm a great person, so did I. 

Set in 1905, the film follows Thomas Richardson (Dan Stevens), a former missionary who travels to a remote Welsh island to rescue his sister, Jennifer (Elen Rhys), who has been kidnapped by a mysterious cult demanding a ransom for her return. In order to find her, he pretends to be a follower of the cult leader, Prophet Malcolm Howe (Michael Sheen).

Plot-wise, Apostle is far from being rock solid or original. It indeed is reminiscent of The Wicker Man, and it eventually gets quite ridiculous and nonsensical, not to mention the many plot holes, inconsistencies or subplots that could and should have been left out. Also, it moves pretty damn slow. And yet it was interesting and compelling enough to keep me guessing and glued to the screen from start to finish, even when it was almost unbearable to watch.

The characters aren't that solid either. They aren't paper-thin but they come real close to that as they aren't well defined, have no development whatsoever and make some pretty idiotic choices. It's the same for everyone, even the main character, Thomas. And yet it's hard if not impossible to not get attached to him and care about his fate and that of other people on that island.

And the credits for that entirely goes to the cast. Dan Stevens does a wonderful job as Thomas with a performance that is somewhere in between Robert Pattinson's in The Rover and Nicolas Cage's in Mandy. He effortlessly carries the film and the things he's able to convey with his eyes only, it's freaking scary. Michael Sheen also gives a great performance as the cult leader which I guess is the reason I cared about him in the end despite the awful man he is.

Netflix

In addition to the great cast, Apostle also benefits from a solid direction. Gareth Evans has created a tense and atmospheric thriller that uses its slow pacing, the long shots, the walking and the watching from the characters to built suspense. The cinematography is stunning, and some camera angles are very interesting, but it's the gore that took my breath away. It's difficult to watch at times because of it but visually, it's stunning. The musical score is nothing short of great too.

Insidious (2010)

I almost watched Insidious many years ago when I mistook it for Ingenious, a dramedy starring Jeremy Renner which was awful by the way. As soon as I realised it was the wrong movie, a horror moreover, I put it off. Today, since I enjoyed James Wan's Conjuring movies, I decided to check out this series. 

This first film follows the Lambert family, Josh (Patrick Wilson), his wife Renai (Rose Byrne) and their three children, two boys, Dalton (Ty Simpkins) and Foster (Andrew Astor), and a little girl, Cali, after they move into a new home. One night, while exploring the attic, Dalton falls from the ladder and hits the head on the floor. The next morning, he is in a comatose state. Three months later, horrible things start happening in the house, Renai believes the house is haunted and asks the help of Elise Rainer (Lin Shaye), a medium and paranormal investigator. 

It basically starts off as your typical haunted house story; actually, it's your typical, simple and rather predictable haunted house story there are several elements of it that don't quite make sense and yet it still manages to pull off some interesting twists and turns, specifically at the end, and keep you interested as the story unfolds the characters explain the plot to you.

As for the characters, they are quite a mess aka your typical horror movie characters. They lack development and personality, and couldn't possibly get any more generic than this: the possessed kid, the mother/wife who can see the demons, the clueless father/husband who stays away from home as much as possible for God only knows what reason --does he have an affair with a student? Or is he just fed up with it all?--, the creepy/menacing mother-in-law and the, of course, the medium.

The cast does exactly what one would expect them to do with such a poor script, they struggle but they somehow manage to stay afloat. Rose Byrne gives a sympathetic and believable performance as the mother, and Patrick Wilson expresses his character's feelings pretty well. Lin Shaye has a great screen presence which gets her the work done.

FilmDistrict

James Wan's direction is what elevates Insidious, what makes it a little bit better than your average horror. Although The Conjuring has a way more interesting and stylish camera work that did wonders for it, the atmosphere Wan has created here is still pretty creepy. The tension and suspense throughout the film are more than decent and they deliver genuine chills and scares. Also, there's absolutely no blood and gore, and there's very little violence.

Ultimately, Insidious is not as good as The Conjuring but at least this time having a sequel makes sense. Three sequels though? You'll know in the next few days.

Vincent (1982)

As I've said in the past few weeks, finding horror animated films has been a real struggle; so when I stumbled upon Tim Burton's short stop-motion horror film, Vincent, I watched it right away. 

The film tells the story of Vincent Malloy, a 7-year-old boy who dreams and pretends to be just like actor Vincent Price. He does experiments on his dog Abercrombie to create a Zombie dog; he is obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe's tales and while reading them, he loses touch with reality completely to the point that he believes he's been deprived of the woman he loves and he is afraid of being tortured. He is a very well-mannered boy but his continuous macabre daydreaming really annoys his mother who always finds a way to get in the way and bring him back to his lonely, tedious life. 

It's a very simple and yet compelling story that manages to be humorous and twisted at the same time. It is written in verse and narrated/recited by Vincent Price himself whose delightfully creepy voice fits the tone of the film very well and gives it an Edgar Allan Poe kind of effect that works incredibly well.

It's not the story or the way it's written and told though that makes of Vincent such an interesting and compelling (short) film. It's the fact that this film is actually some sort of love letter from Tim Burton to Vincent Price, his childhood idol, that explores how it feels to be different, and celebrates some of Price's greatest films.

Buena Vista Distribution

Ultimately, Vincent has everything you love about Burton's cinema: the bizarre characters, the macabre and grotesque story, the dark atmosphere and imagery, but most of all, his stunning trademark stop-motion animation. It's still pretty raw --which is totally acceptable considering how low the budget and how small the crew were-- but it's nevertheless brilliant.

The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

I have mixed feelings about Joel Schumacher as I loved Phone Booth and Tigerland, but I hated Batman Forever and Batman & Robin. Ergo, although Katy said very nice things about it in her Against the Crowd blogathon entry, I didn't know what to expect from The Phantom of the Opera.

The film tells the story of a disfigured man known only as the Phantom (Gerard Butler) who lives beneath the Paris Opera House. He falls deeply in love with Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum), a talented and young chorus singer, and starts tutoring her while terrorizing the rest of the opera house and demanding leading roles to be always given to her. When Christine meets back up with her childhood friend, Viscount Raoul de Chagny (Patrick Wilson), and they fall in love, the Phantom, insane with jealousy, kidnaps her.

I never saw the original stage musical nor read the French novel upon which it's based on so I wasn't very familiar with the story whose execution turned out to be a huge disappointment. I don't know who is to be blamed for it, but it doesn't make a lot of sense, especially the ending --if the opera house burned down, how come there's no sign of a fire at the beginning of the film as it start in 1919 and then goes back to 1870?--, it is cheesy and predictable, simply not compelling enough to keep me interested. It is pretty much a boring love triangle story with a little bit of insanity.

I found the characters to be just as uncompelling. They are just a bunch of stereotypes with no depth, not even a personality --Minnie Driver's Carlotta, the opera house diva, is the only with some and she was fun-ish to watch. There isn't a single sympathetic character and because of that, I didn't care about any of them at all.

And the performances, oh boy they are bad. Emmy Rossum has such a lovely singing voice and her acting isn't terrible as she manages to convey the character's fragility, but she is not entirely believable as she often does things that don't make a lot of sense --surely, the blame is on Schumacher. Gerard Butler is absolutely terrible. His singing sounds like that from a drunk on karaoke night --he should have taken some singing lessons; his acting is bad as always. Patrick Wilson's performance is nothing short of bland. Miranda Richardson as Madame Giry is the only who gives a decent performance and for some unknown reason, the only with a French accent. Dear Schumacher, if you do accents, then everyone has them, not only one person.

Warner Bros. Pictures, Odyssey Entertainment

However, Schumacher's The Phantom of the Opera isn't a complete misfire. The songs, although some feel forced and the lip sync is off, are pretty good, both lyric and singing wise, and I really appreciate that the cast, with the only exception of Minnie Driver, does their own singing. 

At last, the visual aspect is nothing short of great. The cinematography is unique and charming. The colours are vibrant and the use of colour and black and white is interesting --the present, 1919, is in black an white; the past, 1870, is in colour. And the sets, scenery and costumes are gorgeous.

Dumplings (2004)

Dumplings (Chinese: 餃子 Jiǎozi) was one of the films Dell over Dell on Movies picked for his entry of the non-English language themed week of the Thursday Movie Picks series. It sounded interesting great so I decided to check it out. 

The film is set in Hong Kong and follows Mrs. Li (Miriam Yeung), a once-famous TV actress who is losing her good looks and her husband (Tony Leung Ka-Fai) with them as he's having an affair with a much younger and attractive woman (Pauline Lau). In order to rejuvenate, she seeks the help of Aunt Mei (Bai Ling), a retired gynaecologist now famous for her dumplings with a mysterious ingredient that can restore youth.

It's a pretty basic plot with a few gruesome twists that don't come off as surprising as you can almost sense right from the start what's the secret ingredient in Aunt Mei's dumplings --I figured it was human meat right away, but it took me a little longer to realise it actually was unborn babies.

It's fine though as Dumplings is not a film built on surprise and suspense but a film whose purpose is to show that we as a society are obsessed with youth and how far we are willing to go to achieve it. The special ingredient of the dumplings isn't the disturbing aspect of the film, but the fact that people go against the law but especially morals to appear is. It's yet another movie that highlights the fact that we live in a society that values more external than internal beauty.

And the character of Mrs. Li, along with the performance from Miriam Yeung, is perfect to embody that. It's hard to believe though that Mrs. Li would go through so much to get her husband back since he is nothing but your typical rich, middle-aged, unfaithful man whose favourite hobby is drooling over young women. In other words, the guy doesn't have any redeeming quality whatsoever. Which is why it was a smart choice to cast Tony Leung Ka-Fai as he is quite charming. However, the stand out is Bai Ling as Aunt Mei. She gives such an excellent and compelling performance and manages to carry the film pretty well.

Lions Gate Films

At last, there's the cinematography by Christopher Doyle (2046), the aspect of Dumplings that stands out the most. There are some out-of-focus shots that are just beautiful; the lighting gives the film a very mysterious look; the bright, lush colours make it quite unforgettable.

Ultimately, Dumplings is not your typical horror movie as it doesn't have monsters, gore, jump scares or what else you would find in a horror movie, but it still qualifies as one because of the disturbing and disgusting subject and the way is handled, it being a touch of dark humour.

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

If you have read yesterday's review then you already know that The Conjuring blew me away. I don't remember the last time a movie scared me that much. Actually, I don't believe it ever happened. That, the recurring cast, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, and the recurring director, James Wan, set my hopes pretty high for The Conjuring 2.

Just like the previous film, this one too is based on true events and follows Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) as they travel to London, England, where a single mother, Peggy Hodgson (Frances O'Connor), and her four children are being haunted by an unknown, evil entity who eventually posses the second oldest daughter, Janet (Madison Wolfe).

And just like in The Conjuring, the plot is a chaotic mess. Once again we have the typical haunted house storyline, and then a subplot involving another demonic presence --the nun tormenting the Warrens as opposed to Annabelle. There's a quite brilliant twist at the end though that connects the various plot elements and makes the plot, specifically the ending, work better than it did in the first time. Unfortunately, unlike the first time, the story wasn't compelling enough to keep me interested, and by the time the twist came, I was bored out of my mind.

The characters are still pretty good though. Just like its predecessor, The Conjuring 2 takes the time needed to build and develop its characters and the result is likeable and believable characters we care about and root for.

And once again the cast does a good job. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are both great as Ed and Lorraine and their great chemistry really makes the film work as the film heavily relies on their characters' relationship. Also, Wilson sings an Elvis song and he is amazing. However, it's Madison Wolfe who stands out with her vulnerable and frightening performance as Janet.

Warner Bros. Pictures

At last, James Wan direction is still pretty good as the camera work is still excellent and the atmosphere and tension he delivers throughout the film is quite impressive, especially considering the not so brilliant story. However, the film isn't as scary as its predecessor was. Maybe it's because instead of amazing makeup and costumes, it heavily relies on non-so good and unrealistic CGI that is rather distracting; or because every time something scary was happening, Wan cut to the next scene before something really scary happened.

The Conjuring (2013)

I'll start this by saying that I'm an atheist, I don't believe in paranormal activities and therefore I don't like to waste my time with paranormal horror movies. But there's someone in the blogosphere *cough*Margaret*cough* who keeps praising James Wan so I decided to watch one of his most loved films, The Conjuring. 

As you probably know the film is based on true events and tells the story of the Perron family who shortly after moving into their "new" dilapidated farmhouse in Rhode Island begins to experience paranormal events. Fearful, they ask for the help of Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga), two paranormal investigators that soon discover there's a witch haunting the house and the area surrounding it.

The plot certainly isn't the film's greatest strength as it lacks originality and it's a little all over the place. The main storyline, the one you just read, is pretty much your typical haunted house story and as such, it's clichéd and predictable. Everything else is quite a mess as there's too much going on --the Annabelle doll, the melodrama between and Ed and Lorraine as they want to stop doing their job but they also want to continue because helping other is their mission from God-- and nothing really gets the conclusion it deserves. And yet there's something about it that was so compelling it kept me interested and invested in The Conjuring for the whole time.

The characters are definitely one of those compelling aspects. Unlike most horrors nowadays, this film takes its time to get the audience know its characters, both the Warrens and the Perrons, which makes them more interesting and relatable than your average horror characters. We get invested in them, we care about them, and we root for them.

It wouldn't be fair to praise only the writers for this as the reason they are so effective is the cast. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are both excellent as the husband and wife --they do a great job at exploring their characters and their chemistry is pretty good. The rest of the cast does a good job too, the stand out being Lili Taylor as Carolyn Perron whose transition from innocent and loving mother to terrifying monster.

Warner Bros. Pictures

At last but not least director James Wan, the man without whom The Conjuring wouldn't be the same --I'm not sure it would even work without him. Wan was able to give the film a 70s look which makes it feel very authentic and real. His stylish camera work which includes tracking shots and very creative angles --I loved when he turned the camera upside down-- gives the film such a creepy, haunting and frightening atmosphere. He builds tension and delivers terror beautifully and, while there still are jump scares, they are effective because they have a reason to be there. Also, there's no sex, no gore and no cursing, isn't that refreshing for a horror?

Ultimately, The Conjuring isn't perfect but it's pretty terrifying. As I said above, I don't believe in these things but I was genuinely scared while watching the film. It sent chills down my spine several times, I'm not kidding.

Hereditary (2018)

I saw the trailer of Hereditary a couple of times in cinemas before the movies started but it didn't impress me so I decided I would pass it. Over the past months though, pretty much everyone in the blogosphere has been speaking so highly of it that I rethought my decision and decided to watch it for my horror challenge.

The film follows a family of four, Annie (Toni Collette), her husband, Steve (Gabriel Byrne), son, Peter (Alex Wolff) and daughter, Charlie (Milly Shapiro), after the death of the family matriarch. While each member is still trying to handle the grief their own way, a tragedy occurs and they learn things aren't as they seem. 

Despite some predictable elements --I knew there was something going on with Joanne as soon as the character was introduced--, the story is quite original and twisted, and, although it unfolds very slowly, it grabs your attention right from the start and keeps you glued to the screen, anxious and frightened, until the very (unfortunately unsatisfying) end. The first part of the film is more of a dark family drama than a horror but the drama there works beautifully and, as someone whose family has been through something like that, the blaming, the guilt, the fighting, it feels so real it's heartbreaking.

And it's thank to that drama that director and writer Ari Aster can properly develop the characters, make them believable and relatable. We find ourselves really invested in them, we care about them and root for them --maybe not all of them, but it's still impressive considering how poorly nowadays horrors do under this aspect-- and when the terrible things happen, it's has a huge impact on us.

Of course, the cast deserves to be praised for it too. First of all, Toni Collette. She gives such an intense, mesmerizing performance as the mother who descends into madness --her presence and vulnerability are outstanding, especially during the confrontation between her character and her son. Alex Wolff stole the scene for me though as he gives an exceptional performance as the son --and frankly, I don't give a damn if he doesn't look anything like the actors playing his parents. Not all kids look like their parents in real life anyway. Milly Shapiro also gives a strong performance, but the hype surrounding her (haunting and creepy) performance was so high that it kind of let me down. It's not as disappointing as Gabriel Byrne's performance as the husband/father though as he pretty much sleepwalks through the movie.

A24

As his directorial debut, Ari Aster did a really good job. Although some scenes drag on a little, he was able to establish such an eerie, creepy, unsettling atmosphere throughout the whole movie, and it's beyond impressive.

Ultimately, Hereditary is more than your typical horror as it deals with themes such as family, loss, grief, specifically dwelling into the relationship between parents and their children. It's not the kind of horror that relies on stupid scare-jumps to scare its audience, it's the kind of film that relies on the atmosphere and the beautiful and terrifying visuals. It's different and it works because of it.

Wicked City (1987)

As soon as I decided I would do the 31 days of horror thing, I realised I didn't know any horror animated movie. Actually, I did, but I already had reviewed those so I started searching and, list after list, I always came across one movie, the anime Wicked City (Japanese: 妖獣都市 Yōjū Toshi). I figured it oughta be good so I picked it.

The film is set in a world where most humans unknownly co-exist with an alternate dimension populated by supernatural demons. There's between peace between the two worlds for centuries and agents from both sides cooperate to keep it that way. However, as the end of the 20th century approaches, a group of demons wants to destroy the human world and it's up to two agents, a human playboy, Taki (voiced by Yūsaku Yara), and a beautiful demon, Makie (voiced by Toshiko Fujita), to protect a 200-year-old man, Giuseppi Mayart (voiced by Ichirō Nagai), the only one who can keep peace between the worlds.

It sounds like an interesting storyline, but unfortunately, the writers didn't put a lot of effort into it so, not only the plot is incredibly simplistic and predictable, but there's barely one as there are more holes than in Swiss cheese. It's not like it would have made much of a difference or any sense for the film to have a plot considering the pointless and useless sex going on most of the time.

The characters are just as bad as they are bland, boring and completely uninteresting. Also, other than any no development whatsoever, they are nothing but clichés --the main character is the typical playboy who eventually falls in love --he is supposed to be the hero but he's not even that likeable--, and there's even the old creep/perverted. Honestly, I felt sorry for the female lead for being in this as she is constantly subjected to the old man's sexual comments and the camera ogling her breasts.

Joy Pack Film

Another major problem with Wicked City is that the city is barely in the film. The majority of the film takes place indoors so instead of seeing the city, we see interiors all the time. We get to see the city, specifically the skyline, a couple of times and it's beautiful but it's not enough for a movie with that title.

But I guess you can't/don't have the time to show the city when your main focus is to deliver sex scenes and female nudity to please those (sick) individuals who get turned on by watching anime porn.

And it's really a shame Wicked City is the disgusting, misogynist film it is because the visuals are pretty impressive --the colours are beautiful, especially the use of red and blue, and the monster designs, which include a woman shooting webs from her toothed vagina after the film's first pointless sex scene, are quite interesting.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

The first time I watched Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street I was 15 and I didn't like. The thing is that I didn't know it was a musical and I guess that spoiled the movie for me. Despite the fact that I can't stand Depp, I decided to give it another chance. 

The film tells the story of Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), a London barber whose life was destroyed when the powerful Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) fell for Barker's beautiful wife, Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly), and accused and exiled Barker for a crime he did not commit so that he could have her. Fifteen years later, Barker returns to London under the name of Sweeney Todd, seeking revenge against Turpin. In order to get his revenge, he sets up a barber shop and teams up with Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), the owner of a meat pie shop below his shop.

It could have been such an interesting revenge story but unfortunately, it was poorly executed and the result is a mess that doesn't make any sense --Barker has the right to avenge himself, but killing innocent people, and making meat pie with them? Nope, he does not have the right do to that--, that's predictable --I didn't remember the final twist but it didn't come as a surprise as I saw it coming-- and kept me interested only at the beginning, before the whole throat-slicing business.

The characters are pretty bad too as they are bland and uninteresting. And the performances, most of them, don't get any better. Barker/Todd is a tragic character, and you are supposed to feel sorry for him, hope that he gets his revenge. And yet, in part because of the way the character is written, in part because of Johnny Depp who, by the way, looks like Edward Scissorhands and does a pretty terrible job, you never feel sorry for him. Mrs. Lovett is a disgusting woman but at least Helena Bonham Carter gives a decent performance as she finds a nice balance between drama and comedy. Sasha Baron Cohen plays a character that is almost completely irrelevant to the story but it really looks like he's having fun. Alan Rickman easily steals the show as he gives yet another wonderful performance as the corrupt judge. He brings so much charm to the role, that you'll more likely end up rooting for his character than for Depp's.

Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures

Visually though, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street does not disappoint. Here, Burton created another of his stunning worlds. The cinematography is beautiful, the colours are fantastic, the costumes and makeup are incredible and so are the sets. There's a lot of blood and gore but they work with the story. At last, the songs, although some are too prolonged and they get irritating at times, aren't terrible.

Unsane (2018)

I take pictures and videos with my iPhone all the time --it's simply more practical than a camera as I have it with me all the time, and the quality is great. So when months ago I read about Steven Soderbergh's Unsane, the director's first horror film which was shot entirely on an iPhone, I knew I had to watch it.

The film follows Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy), a young woman who, after admitting suicidal thoughts resulting from a stalking incident, is involuntarily committed to a mental institution. Things become even more frustrating for Sawyer when she sees her stalker, David Strine (Joshua Leonard), working as an orderly under the assumed name George Shaw.

The plot could have had so much potential, but unfortunately, the writers went the wrong direction, unfolding revealing too soon whether the stalker is actually working in the hospital or just the product of her delusion, and the plot goes from being interesting and gripping to clichéd and predictable real fast. Also, there are so many plot holes and factual errors that it's frustrating to the point that you pretty much lose any interest in watching the film.

The writers didn't only struggle with the plot, they had big issues with the characters as well. There are too many characters with no development whatsoever, most of which have no impact on the plot and those who have, have very little use in the plot. Not even the main character, Sawyer, is decently written. Furthermore, most of the things these people do and say feel quite unnatural.

Despite this, Claire Foy does a good job as Sawyer. Her performance is so raw and compelling that you really question whether she is sane or insane, even after it is revealed. Her character is quite unlikeable but there's something about her performance that makes you root for her. Also noteworthy is the performance from Joshua Leonard as the orderly/stalker. Juno Temple and Jay Pharoah provide a solid support respectively as Violet and Nate, two other patients.

Bleecker Street, Fingerprint Releasing, 20th Century Fox

Unfortunately, the acting is the only aspect that stands out in Unsane, a victim of lazy writing that doesn't work either as a thriller nor as a horror as there's no tension and nothing scary and frightening. Soderbergh's decision to film using his iPhone kind of pays off though as the cinematography is claustrophobic and the unique camera angles enhance the way the main character feels. Sure, technically-wise, this is not the best film of the year, but kudos to Soderbergh for showing that you don't need a lot of fancy equipment if you are young and inexperienced but interested in making movies.

Raw (2016)

I've read tons of reviews of Raw (French: Grave) and there was something that has kept popping out, the fact that the film was horrific, that people left cinemas in the middle of the film because of how intense it was. Apparently, people even fainted while watching this. Which also happened with the first Paranormal Activity movie and since that one had no effect whatsoever on me, I decided to check this out. 

The film follows Justine (Garance Marillier), a first-year veterinary student who was raised a strict vegetarian. The school has pretty messed up traditions and initiation tests, and Justine is forced to eat a raw rabbit kidney by the senior students, which includes her older sister, Alexia (Ella Rumpf). That night, Justine develops horrible, itchy rashes all over her body and, shortly after, she starts craving meat, particularly human flesh. 

Although it's certainly not entirely original, the premise is very interesting; unfortunately, in my opinion, director and writer Julia Ducournau was not able to turn it into an interesting movie. The plot is very thin, a combination of pointless and bland gore and sex; it somehow managed to keep me interested throughout only to disappoint me with the haunting-ish and kinda predictable ending as it felt like Ducournau didn't know how to end the film. 

The characters were another problem for me as they lack development and characterization. Despite the fact that she goes through a journey of self-discovery and sexual awakening, we don't know anything about Justine other than she is a vegetarian which I guess is why I didn't care one bit about her. The sister is just an apathetic bitch. The gay roommate suddenly converts and has sex with Justine which is why I didn't care if he would end up dead.

Despite the writing, the actors do a pretty good job. Garance Marillier is excellent as Justine and makes the character's transformation --from mild-mannered, rigorous vegetarian to lustful cannibal-- believable. Ella Rumpf is just as impressive as the sister.

Wild Bunch, Focus World

As for the horror, Raw fails on that front as well. When the cannibal aspect kicks in, one would expect the gore to escalate. Well, it doesn't. There indeed isn't as much gore as one would expect. What's worse though is that it barely effective. The blood though, at least most of it, looks pretty realistic, and the puking hair sequence is disgusting to the point that I looked away for a moment.

On the other hand, Raw has excellent cinematography, interesting camera work and smooth editing --there's one scene where Justine eats a raw chicken breast that is just beautiful. Although I didn't find it disgusting at all, probably because I knew Marillier wasn't eating a real chicken breast since chicken can't be eaten raw nor pink, it really gives the feeling of someone who's been craving something for a very long time and can finally satisfy that craving.

Ultimately, Raw wasn't as bloody, violent and disgusting as I was expecting, nor the clever fish-out-of-water character study and coming-of-age it tries to be, but there's still something about it that kept me glued to the screen wanting for more.