Genre: Horror

Happy Death Day (2017) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

Another horror flick from production company Blumhouse Pictures, ‘Happy Death Day,’ released in 2017, does at least extend out of the usual range of Blumhouse horrors to become more of a horror-comedy than just a straightforward teen slasher. But, similar to the rest of their associated franchises, e.g. ‘Insidious,’ ‘The Purge’ and ‘Paranormal Activity,’ both ‘Happy Death Day’ and it’s sequel, have their fair share of issues, with some being far more severe than others.

Plot Summary: Waking up in the dorm room of a boy whose name she can’t remember after a night of heavy drinking, self-centered college student; ‘Tree Gelbman,’ intends to continue her trend of avoiding her birthday, but little does she know that later that night on her way to another party, someone is waiting to murder her. Only after being killed, ‘Tree’ awakens in the same dorm room, soon realising she is being forced to relive her brutal night of murder over-and-over again until she discovers her killer’s identity…

‘Happy Death Day’ similar to many other day-repeating stories in the past, takes most of its inspiration from the comedy classic; ‘Groundhog Day,’ from 1993. Yet, unlike many of the other films that are inspired by this beloved comedy flick, it becomes clear over time that ‘Happy Death Day’ is quite derivative of ‘Groundhog Day,’ as the film’s story not only utilises the comedy’s plot without much innovation (only throwing a killer into the mix). But, the film even steals the main point of the narrative, that being its main character and their correlating character arc, using the time-looping concept to in a way punish the protagonist for their cruel behaviour towards others.

In spite of this, however, the protagonist; ‘Tree,’ portrayed by Jessica Rothe, is by far the best element of the film, as while ‘Tree’ does go through a character arc that is all-too-familiar as previously mentioned, Rothe makes a fantastic first outing as an actress through her very enjoyable performance. Then, of course, there is the killer, whose identity remains a mystery throughout most of the runtime, known as ‘The Babyface Killer,’ the killer’s outfit is actually the mascot of ‘Bayfield University,’ where the film takes place, and although the costume itself is far more goofy then intimidating, the mask/costume was actually designed by Tony Gardner. The costume designer behind the now-iconic; ‘Ghostface,’ costume from the ‘Scream’ series, which does help redeem to the killer’s undoubtedly petty motivation.

The film’s cinematography by Toby Oliver isn’t anything amazing, but does back up the story effectively in a variety of scenes. Whether that’s through its use of wide sweeping shots when the characters are in an intense chase, or when more shaky hand-held camerawork is used to reflect ‘Tree’s breakdown when she first realises she is stuck in her current crisis. Yet, similar to much of its story, the film never leans enough into a more outlandish/experimental nature when considering what the film could accomplish with its cinematography.

Talented composer Bear McCreary handles the film’s original score, which isn’t very distinctive from most of his other work within the horror genre. But, despite the score’s lack of memorability, it still does feel as if there is a decent amount of effort put into it, as the soundtrack actually has quite a lot of range even if some of the tracks don’t always fit with the tone of the film. This also goes for many of the songs used throughout ‘Happy Death Day,’ as nearly all of the film’s song choices massively differ in both genre and general popularity.

Still, the biggest problem ‘Happy Death Day’ suffers from is the inconsistency of its tone, as although the film does attempt to have scenes featuring both scares and humour, alike, many of the film’s jump-scares and jokes range in quality, and occasionally even cancel each other out. Additionally, the film also takes an unusual approach to its violence, as while ‘Tree’ dies countless times throughout the film in a number of different ways. The film never allows for any creative or darkly amusing deaths, due to its lack of any blood or gore. Yet, this wasn’t always the case, as the original screenplay for the film did actually include more violence, so much so, in fact, that it would have gained the film a higher age rating, with plenty of scenes having much grislier deaths that were later altered by director Christopher Landon (Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse) during pre-production.

In summary, whilst the signature performance from Jessica Rothe does help to make ‘Happy Death Day’ a far more enjoyable viewing, in addition to the film’s idea of a protagonist being repeatedly murdered having plenty of potential for a horror-comedy. The film just doesn’t do enough with its story, feeling almost as if its a little restrictive on itself, never delving enough into being either funny or freighting respectively. So, if you desire an amusing horror-comedy to stick on one evening, maybe just go back to your more accustomed choices over this mediocre slasher. Final Rating: 5/10.

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The Babadook (2014) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

Surreal, engrossing and truly terrifying during some scenes, ‘The Babadook’ is, in my opinion, one of the best modern horrors released in quite some time. Through its excellent filmmaking, astounding performances and horrifying yet also intriguing creature, ‘The Babadook’ attempts to do something different with its horror, going about its story with far more depth than many other films within its genre, soon becoming an experience that’s just as immersive as it is disturbing for anyone who stumbles upon it.

Plot Summary: Following the sudden death of her husband in a car crash, the now-widow; ‘Amelia,’ struggles to cope as a single mother, as her son’s chaotic behaviour and constant paranoia of monsters makes her friends become distant and even her sanity begin to fade. Until, one night, after the pair read a mysterious pop-up book, titled; ‘Mister Babadook,’ they soon discover a malevolent creature has manifested itself into the dark corners of their home…

Directed by Jennifer Kent (The Nightingale), ‘The Babadook’ is a horror film that has much more to offer beneath its surface, with themes of family, grief and trauma throughout. Based on the short film; ‘Monster,’ also directed by Jennifer Kent, ‘The Babadook’ actually takes much of its inspiration from one of Kent’s real-world friends, a single mother whose son was traumatised by a monstrous figure he thought he saw everywhere in the house. So, Kent imagined a scenario in which this creature was real, eventually leading her to create her short film, before then wanting to expand on the idea further.

The main area ‘The Babadook’ excels where most modern horrors fail is the characters. Only featuring a main cast of two terrific actors, Essie Davis and Noah Wiseman, with Wiseman only being six-years-old at the time of filming. The mother and son of the film are both compelling characters for very different reasons, as the mother ‘Amelia’ struggles to cope as a single parent. Alienating her friends/colleagues and becoming more lonely and sexually frustrated as time passes, mostly due to her son; ‘Samuel,’ who continuously struggles with anxiety and the absence of a real father, which makes it challenging for him to mix with other children. This all adding up to making the film just as effective as a family drama as it is a supernatural horror.

Although Radek Ladczuk’s cinematography isn’t quite as impressive as the film’s magnificent editing, which allows for plenty of quick visual storytelling and gives the film a level of style that I didn’t expect. ‘The Babadook’ does still feature a number of stunning shots, which are enormously enhanced by the film’s dread-inducing lighting. As, not too dissimilar to the horror flick; ‘Lights Out,’ from 2016, ‘The Babadook’ himself only appears within the shadows. So, with nearly the entire runtime being set within a dark run-down house (usually also at night), the creature could be lurking within any shot, and occasionally, even is…

Slightly fairytale-esque in parts, the original score by Jed Kurzel may not be a stand out horror score up there with the likes of ‘Halloween’ or the original ‘Psycho.’ But, the score is still a fair amount more creative than many other modern horror scores, with tracks, such as ‘Trippy Television’ and ‘It’s Only a Story,’ giving the film a very dream-like quality, sounding almost as if they were composed for a Tim Burton-penned project at points. That is before the soundtrack becomes a little more of the standard horror affair with tracks, like ‘The Playground’ and ‘Re-Writing the Story,’ despite these tracks still helping to build tension throughout.

Immensely creepy throughout the film, ‘The Babadook’ himself is a very memorable and frightening presence in spite of his somewhat goofy moniker, as every one of his appearances is always elevated by his bone-chilling sound design, which is very uncanny in a similar fashion to the original score. The only major issue I take with the film is the lack of encounters the characters actually have with the creature, as while many of his scenes are extremely well-executed, ‘Mister Babadook’ just doesn’t have quite enough screen-time for me. However, this problem also extends to nearly all of the film’s side characters, as ‘Claire,’ ‘Robbie’ and ‘Mrs. Roach,’ all feel underutilised within the narrative, even though the story’s main focus is very clearly the mother and son relationship.

In summary, ‘The Babadook’ is a brilliantly crafted horror, mostly as a result of its atmospheric cinematography/lighting and masterful editing, alongside its great performances and array of tension-filled moments. Whilst perhaps not for every horror addict, due to its sparse amount of jump-scares and very low body count. Jennifer Kent’s directorial debut is certainly a horror flick I’d recommend to most, and considering Kent has stated that the film will never receive a sequel, it’s clear the film was a true passion project that won’t fall into the trap that many successful horrors do of milking themselves into an over-blown franchise. Final Rating: 8/10.

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The Bye Bye Man (2017) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / 1 Comment

Simply from the laughably atrocious title of the film alone, I’m sure many can guess why 2017’s ‘The Bye Bye Man’ fails so miserably as a horror flick. Coming across more as a student film project rather than a feature that actually made its way into cinemas (mostly due to its amateurish acting and filmmaking alike), ‘The Bye Bye Man’ is an incredibly lacklustre and mindless horror down to even its last few painful minutes of screen-time.

Plot Summary: When three college students move into an old house just off-campus, they unwittingly unleash a supernatural entity known as ‘The Bye Bye Man,’ a dark creature that preys upon any victim that discovers its name. Now, withholding this knowledge, the group attempt to keep the existence of ‘The Bye Bye Man’ a secret whilst also trying to save themselves…

Despite the film’s title implying otherwise, the actual antagonist of the film hardly appears in full throughout the runtime. In fact, the story on which the film is based; ‘The Bridge to Body Island,’ actually has a much more complex mythology for the creature than the film itself. Originally being born albino in New Orleans in 1912, who eventually ran away from home and began murdering people and cutting out their eyes and tongues, which he would then sew together and bring to life using voodoo. The original story of ‘The Bye Bye Man’ is far more interesting and disturbing than what appears in the film, which is nothing short of undeveloped and even fairly boring in terms of both his design and his abilities.

Relatively new actors Douglas Smith, Cressida Bonas and Lucien Laviscount, unfortunately, all lead the film with quite poor performances. As, while the cringey and often moronic writing certainly doesn’t help, their performances are lacking in both urgency and charisma, so it becomes quite difficult to care about them once the supernatural occurrences begin. Surprisingly, though, the actor behind ‘The Bye Bye Man’ himself, is Doug Jones, known for his fantastic creature/character performances, such as ‘Abe Sapien’ in the ‘Hellboy’ series, and ‘The Amphibian Man’ in ‘The Shape of Water.’ Yet, even though Jones may seem like too much of an accomplished actor to be in such a minimal role as this, with talented actress Carrie-Anne Moss also making an appearance, it’s possible that at one point in time the screenplay for this film may have actually contained some creative ideas.

James Kniest’s cinematography is another area in which the film lacks, as the bland camerawork only allows for a couple of visually interesting shots throughout, usually resulting in the film having a very flat and occasionally cheap look. However, one shot the filmmakers must have been pleased with is the shot of a large industrial train traveling at night, as this shot is continuously reused at multiple points. But, what’s confusing here, is that this shot’s inclusion is never explained, nor does it having any bearing on the plot whatsoever, only appearing at random within the protagonist’s dreams and once in the real world nearing the end of the film.

The film’s original score by The Newton Brothers isn’t memorable in the slightest, simply being a standard piano and strings-focused horror score with the exception of the track; ‘The Bye Bye Man,’ which feels very out-of-place when compared to the rest of the film’s soundtrack, as the creature’s main theme sounds like something ripped straight from an episode of ‘Goosebumps.’ Also worth a quick mention is the film’s corny use of the recognisable ’50s song; ‘Bye Bye Love,’ which is just far too on-the-nose for me.

From its constant jump-scares to its many typical horror clichés (e.g. a group of college teens, creepy scribbled drawings, an old foreboding house, a protagonist who looks up the creature’s origins in a library), the film is teeming with much of the usual problematic writing that floods many modern horror screenplays. Only this time, the film has simply nothing else to set itself apart from others within the genre. The only aspect of the film that could’ve been remarkable would’ve been ‘The Bye Bye Man’ himself and his ‘Seeing-Eye Hound,’ made from pieces of his victims. But, as already mentioned, the film does nothing with its antagonist or his hound, only utilising the dog creature to stand alongside ‘The Bye Bye Man’ through some truly abysmal CG effects.

In summary, ‘The Bye Bye Man’ is one of the last films I’d recommend to any horror fanatic. Completely absent of any likeable characters, an intriguing/threatening antagonist or any sense of an eerie atmosphere, it’s hard to believe that the film has any positive reviews at all. And, yet, somehow, it does. All we can do is hope horrors such as this fade into obscurity and never receive a sequel, prequel or anything else of the sort, as this genre has already suffered enough in recent years with the likes of ‘Truth or Dare,’ ‘Chernobyl Diaries,’ and ‘The Gallows,’ just to name a few. Final Rating: 1/10.

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The Purge: Anarchy (2014) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

This sequel to the original ‘Purge,’ released just a year earlier is a slight improvement over the first, yet still doesn’t fare much better, as while ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ does deliver more on what its initial film setup, now focusing on a small group of characters attempting to survive the night of chaos and murder out on the desolate streets of Los Angeles. ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ doesn’t do enough with this new perspective, and it soon becomes quite evident that it isn’t going to be enough to save the film from its return to weak filmmaking and storytelling.

Plot Summary: As another year’s ‘Purge Night’ commences, two groups of survivors unintentionally intertwine after being rescued by a mysterious stranger out on a mission. Now, stranded and in desperate need of a vehicle, the group agree to stick together in order to survive against the many ‘Purgers’ out for blood…

Once again directed by James DeMonaco, it’s clear from the larger-scale that ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ is aiming for that the film is trying to please the audience members that were dissatisfied with the first entry in the franchise, ditching the small-scale home invasion story in favour of becoming more of an action-focused thriller that further explores its disturbing world. Yet, even with the many themes of ‘The Purge’ series still present, ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ manages to feel like a bigger waste of potential than the first film. As in spite of the fact we get to see how many different Americans spend their murderous night, the film still feels quite restrained, never delving enough into each baleful group of ‘Purgers’ or their violent deeds.

Frank Grillo leads the cast this time around as a character only known as ‘The Sergeant,’ who has easily become the most beloved character in the series since ‘The Purge: Anarchy’s initial release, soon becoming the only character to return in a later ‘Purge’ film. However, whilst I understand why most viewers resonate with his character, I did feel much of his characterisation was lost as a result of a large amount of his dialogue (including his backstory) being cut during post-production. The sequel’s cast also includes Carmen Ejogo and Zoë Soul who both give decent performances, as well as the other two cast members of Zach Gilford and Kiele Sanchez, who are both about as irritating and dim-witted as horror characters come, having nothing but scene-after-scene of the two making moronic decisions following their many sessions of obnoxiously loud panicking.

Unfortunately, returning cinematographer Jacques Jouffret doesn’t innovate much on his style of cinematography from the first film, relying very heavily on hand-held camerawork now just with slightly better lighting due to the many street lights above the characters’ heads. Although there are still a few interesting shots, the only real aspect of the film that manages to stand out stylistically is the film’s end credit sequence, which combines footage from both of the ‘Purge’ films released at the time in addition to shots of fire, bullets, blood, firearms and the American flag, all key visuals of the series.

Nathan Whitehead’s original score is similar to that of the first film, only this time being much shorter in length, mostly consisting of a series of tracks that lack anything overly distinctive about them, being utilised within the film exclusively to help build tension. That is with the exception of the track; ‘Commencement,’ however, without a doubt the best track of the entire score, as this impactful and brooding track plays when ‘The Purge’ first begins, making for one of the film’s most memorable scenes.

Whilst this was also an issue in the original ‘Purge’ film, ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ carries over the same problem, suffering repeatedly throughout the runtime as a result of its many awful CG effects. Most notably, the heavy overreliance on CG blood, which looks dreadful in nearly every shot it’s featured in. That being said, ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ does also take on one of the previous film’s best elements, that being the many frightening (and occasionally also iconic) masks. From skulls, to blood-stained hockey masks and even a simple white bag, nearly all of the masks seen during ‘The Purge’ franchise manage to add a little personality and character to each film’s signature psychopaths.

In summary, ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ is another lacklustre entry within ‘The Purge’ series, even though I do feel a similar plot to this one could be executed well, ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ somehow manages to feel more disappointing as it tries to be more ambitious. Whilst the film is perhaps the best entry in the current series (which isn’t really a compliment), mostly due to Frank Grillo’s entertaining performance and the film’s continuous feeling of rush helping to propel the film forward as the group attempt to live through this yearly night of violence. ‘The Purge: Anarchy’ still relies far too heavily on the central concept of ‘The Purge’ itself. Final Rating: 4/10.

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The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

A twisted and unique indie horror that is certainly not for the squeamish, ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ utilises it’s simple concept and individual location to the best of its ability, immersing its audience into its grim setting almost as if they are performing the autopsy themselves alongside the film’s characters. Whilst the film may still suffer from a couple of the same issues that plague many other modern horrors, ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ manages to overcome most of its faults to evolve into a compelling slice of low-budget horror.

Plot Summary: While investigating the murder of a family, a small-town Sheriff and his team are puzzled with the discovery of a mysterious body buried underneath the crime scene. After bringing the corpse of the unnamed; ‘Jane Doe,’ to family coroners; ‘Tommy’ and ‘Austin Tilden,’ to determine her cause of death, the pair soon discover the corpse is harbouring a dark secret…

Directed by André Øvredal (Troll Hunter, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark), ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ may be slightly lacking in terms of budget, yet the film always manages to use this to its advantage by setting nearly the entirety of its story within the walls of the ‘Tilden Morgue and Crematorium.’ Through which, the film constantly retains its eerie atmosphere and even a partial feeling of claustrophobia. In addition to also keeping its audience entranced within its narrative through its signature mystery, as the questions of “Who was ‘Jane Doe?” and “How was She Killed?” remains on every viewers’ mind after the opening scene.

The main father and son duo portrayed by Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch both do a great job throughout the film, with the writing also contributing to the film’s engagement as their characters receive a decent amount of characterisation. Easily the most challenging (and respectfully most impressive) performance of the film has to be the ‘corpse’ herself; ‘Jane Doe,’ however, as while there were some prosthetics used during production, it may surprise many to know this role was actually portrayed by actress Olwen Catherine Kelly for the majority of the film, as André Øvredal felt it was necessary to have an actress in the role to help connect to the audience on a human level, eventually leading Kelly to be cast due to her knowledge of yoga, which helped her minimise both her breathing and slight body movements.

The cinematography by Roman Osin is admirable, implementing a number of attractive shots during the runtime. However, the film’s cinematography is still best utilised when it comes to the many gruesome close-ups, as the film never shies away from the “Autopsy” part of its title, displaying nearly every part of the autopsy from the initial exterior examination through to the interior examination, securing this film’s position as not one for the faint of heart when its comes to blood/gore (or nudity for that matter). The lighting throughout ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ also benefits its story, as the film’s array of tense moments are only enhanced as a result of the morgue being shrouded in shadows.

Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans handle the film’s original score, which in spite of its complete lack of memorability does help add to the film’s foreboding tone and blood-curdling atmosphere, as the score feels more like ominous ambience rather than a standard horror score, with the track; ‘Hair Cut,’ being the clearest example of this. The film also places a heavy emphasis on the song; ‘Open Up Your Heart and Let the Sun Shine In,’ a classic ’50s song, which repeatedly plays over the overly static radio within the morgue, resulting in the song quickly becoming one of the film’s creepiest aspects.

Whilst ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ does avoid many of the usual horror clichés, the film, unfortunately, still suffers from the most common problem in horror; jump-scares. Despite relying far more on its atmosphere and occasional chilling visuals to place its audience on edge, the film still feels the need to spread a variety jump-scares throughout its tight runtime. In particular, within the film’s final act, which is when the film loses much of its originality in favour of becoming more generic and predictable.

In summary, ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ is a fairly underrated gem in the realm of modern horror, surpassing many other films that attempt many similar ideas but usually end up feeling quite tasteless, such as the overlooked film; ‘Anatomy,’ from 2000, or the bizarre 2008 indie flick; ‘Deadgirl.’ So, although not completely perfect in its execution, ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ still delivers on its setup of a tense and engrossing tale that also manages to make time for its characters in the process, and even though I personally don’t find Øvredal’s filmography impeccable, I believe this director has talent, and projects like ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’ prove he can be a worthy contributor to the horror genre. Final Rating: 7/10.

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The Purge (2013) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

The first instalment in the now-iconic horror franchise, the original entry in ‘The Purge’ series is a fantastic idea quickly ruined by its poor execution, as whilst the film’s main concept of one night a year where all crime is legalised is both a terrifying and intriguing notion, the entire series (in particular this first film) seem to explore the horrific world its story is set within in all the least interesting ways.

Plot Summary: In the near future, America celebrates ‘The Purge’ once a year, a national event in which all crime is legal for twelve hours. On this night of chaos and murder, a wealthy family soon find themselves hostages for unintentionally harbouring the target of a murderous syndicate after he gains access into their fortified home…

Directed by James DeMonaco, this director has actually taken on every instalment of ‘The Purge’ series from the original film through to the latest entry; ‘The First Purge,’ in 2018. According to DeMonaco, the idea for the film first came about during a moment of road rage when he and his wife were cut-off in traffic by a drunk driver, resulting in DeMonaco wishing you could have one free murder a year after witnessing the driver’s complete lack of regret. While a creative and disturbing concept by itself, ‘The Purge’ series has also captivated many through its many themes. Although mostly focused on in later films, the various themes of this horror franchise could be interpreted by viewers in a number of different ways, from political to psychological.

Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey, Max Burkholder and Adelaide Kane portray the main family of the film; ‘The Sandins,’ who, unfortunately, with the exception of Ethan Hawke as the father, ‘James Sandin,’ all give relatively weak performances, portraying the family as extremely mundane throughout the runtime. However, this is also heavily due to their actual characters, as nearly every character within the film is written as either very peculiar or very cliché, with the son, ‘Charlie Sandin,’ having a medical problem which he takes medication for, in addition to having a strange character quirk for building and driving a remote control car attached to a disfigured baby doll, which ‘Charlie’ uses to navigate his way around the house. But, due to how specific the latter is, he (and his sister) end up seeming like nothing more than plot devices to put the rest of the family in (or get them out of) peril.

Aside from one or two shots, the cinematography by Jacques Jouffreet is unsurprisingly quite bland. Mostly unitising mid-shots and close-ups, ‘The Purge’ never really attempts to do anything overly inventive with its cinematography, usually relying on rough hand-held shots. Alongside this, the lighting throughout the film is immensely dark, as after the murderous syndicate cut the power to the family’s home, the remainder of the film’s runtime is spent in near-total darkness, which can become a little irritating after a point as the constant dark corridors make the characters even harder to follow than they already were, as the cinematography doesn’t allow the viewer any understanding of the house’s convoluted and confusing layout.

Even though many modern horrors lack an ingenious score, the original score by Nathan Whitehead is fairly uninspired, as in spite of the soundtrack helping to build up a tense atmosphere during a few scenes, the original score simply isn’t memorable in the slightest and is barely distinguishable from any other generic horror/thriller soundtrack, despite the huge list of tracks the film has to offer. However, the excellent costume design of ‘The Purge’ does help redeem the weak score in some respects, as the many different ‘Purge’ masks make for some memorably creepy visuals.

The most obvious issue ‘The Purge’ has been criticised for is its focus on being more of a home invasion thriller than what most would imagine (and desire) a ‘Purge’ film to be, as the original film is actually extremely contained, being set nearly entirely within the family’s home and relying on only a small group of characters. While director James DeMonaco has stated this was mostly due to the film’s small-budget and lack of filming days, you can’t help but feel the film isn’t exploring its chaotic world as effectively as it could whilst watching. Of course, being a modern horror, ‘The Purge’ is also littered with jump-scares throughout, many of which are very predictable due to the build up to each one, eventually making them feel nothing but tedious.

In summary, whilst I personally don’t feel ‘The Purge’ series improves much even throughout its future entries, there are still some aspects I enjoy within this modern horror, from its interesting ideas and themes to its decently entertaining performance from Ethan Hawke and array of menacing masks and costumes, ‘The Purge’ does have great potential, but I simply feel it was just never fully realised. While this horror series does have a devoted fanbase, I’ve never quite understood its appeal. As for me, ‘The Purge’ franchise will always have its intriguing ideas spoiled by its dull filmmaking and storytelling. Final Rating: 3/10.

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Maniac (2012) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / Leave a comment

Directed by Franck Khalfoun (P2, I Lived, Amityville: The Awakening) and shot almost entirely through a first-person perspective, 2012’s ‘Maniac’ is a unique and extremely innovative slasher that has been enormously overlooked by fans of modern horror. While the film does admittedly have its issues, the impressive visuals and timid yet creepy performance from Elijah Wood surely make up for most of them, quickly resulting in a discomforting dive into the sadistic mind of a serial killer.

Plot Summary: After working his day job at a mannequin restoration store, the mentally ill and isolated, ‘Frank’ takes to the dark streets of Los Angeles as a serial killer with a fetish for female scalps. But, when a young artist asks him for help with her new exhibition, ‘Frank’s obsessions begin to consume him…

Although it takes a different approach to its story, ‘Maniac’ is actually a remake of the classic 1980 slasher of the same name. However, this is one of the rare occasions where I believe that the remake is possibly an improvement over the original film, as while the ’80s flick does feature plenty of over-the-top gore, the film never manages to elevate itself from being just a fairly straightforward slasher, and although it’s maybe not always successful, the remake does attempt to further develop ‘Frank’ as a character as well as exploring themes of mental health, parental ignorance and identity loss throughout its runtime.

Elijah Wood, best known for his role as ‘Frodo’ in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ series, portrays the serial killer protagonist, ‘Frank,’ as awkward and almost dry at points, making ‘Frank’ feel incredibly deranged when he interacts with other characters. Most notably, the artist and photographer, ‘Anna,’ portrayed by Nora Arnezeder, who is a clear contrast to ‘Frank’ in the way she portrays her simplistic yet likeable and innocent character, completely unaware of ‘Frank’s dark deeds as she grows closer and closer to him. The performances are slightly dragged down by writing throughout the film, however, as although the dialogue is decent for the most part, the film does still have the odd unusual line.

As previously mentioned, the remake of ‘Maniac’ is also shot nearly entirely through P.O.V. shots and it’s this cinematography by Maxime Alexandre that really makes the film stand out from many other slashers. Whilst watching the film, you can’t help but feel the tension as ‘Frank’ goes on dates or has conversations with women who we know will soon meet a gruesome fate, as the audience is fully aware of his sinister intentions, the film almost makes you feel hostage to ‘Frank’s mind. That being said, the film does sometimes take you out of the experience when it leaves the P.O.V. format for a few seconds. While I understand why the film does this (as it’s usually at crucial points within the narrative), I personally feel keeping the audience restricted to looking through ‘Frank’s eyes would’ve made the film more compelling, especially since we don’t even see ‘Frank’s face until twelve minutes into the film.

Serving as a great throwback to the classic ’80s film it’s based on, in addition to adding too many of the film’s best moments. The original score by Robin Coudert (or merely Rob, as he is usually credited) is a slick synth soundtrack. Utilising electronic waves, this underrated score is certainly a high point of the film, with my two favourite tracks; ‘Doll’ and ‘Haunted,’ both being incredibly memorable in their own right, almost feeling as if they were ripped straight from any of the iconic horrors of the 1980s.

Extremely violent and disturbing throughout, ‘Maniac’ truly pulls no punches when delving into the mind of its serial killer, meaning many viewers may be put off by the film’s highly gory deaths and unnerving murder scenes, as ‘Frank’ disposes of his victims with little remorse, dark memories of his mother during childhood fuel his violent actions. This is also where many of the film’s more bizarre moments come into play, as although it may surprise some viewers, ‘Maniac’ is partly an arthouse film as well as a slasher, as the film’s underlying themes as well as ‘Frank’s broken mind is usually displayed visually throughout the film in a variety of ways. Unfortunately, this leads to the film’s weakest aspect, however, as during many of these anomalous scenes, the film’s editing can become quite erratic, sometimes even placing cuts mid-conversation.

In summary, I deeply enjoy ‘Maniac,’ even though the film is quite problematic in some areas, mostly in regard to its unusual editing choices and occasionally lines of strange dialogue. ‘Maniac’s memorable original score, intense violence and, of course, captivating cinematography through its use of P.O.V. The film stands as definitely one of the better horror remakes in recent memory. And, although I probably wouldn’t recommend ‘Maniac’ to everyone, if you’re preferred realm of the horror genre is gory slashers, then this inventive flick is certainly not one to miss. Final Rating: 7/10.

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It (2017) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / 1 Comment

After many years of waiting, horror and literature fans alike got their wishes granted in mid 2015 as director Andy Muschietti (Mama, It: Chapter Two) signed on to direct a reboot (or readaptation) of one of Stephen King’s most iconic and beloved horror stories, this, of course, being ‘It.’ And, due to its excellent cinematography by Chung-hoon Chung and incredibly memorable performance from Bill Skarsgård as the demonic clown ‘Pennywise,’ ‘It’ is certainly one of the better Stephen King adaptations in recent years, even with the array issues the film still suffers from.

Plot Summary: In the summer of 1989, a group of unpopular kids known as ‘The Losers’ Club,’ band together in order to destroy a shapeshifting monster known only as ‘Pennywise,’ a creature which has been terrorising their home town of ‘Derry’ for decades and can disguise itself as whatever it’s victim fears most…

Following the film’s incredibly successful release in 2017, ‘Pennywise’ has quickly become a modern horror icon despite only having about four minutes of dialogue in the entire film. But, it’s easy to see why this is, as not only does ‘It’ share the familiar fun tone of classic films of the 1980s, such as ‘The Goonies,’ ‘The Gate’ and ‘The Monster Squad,’ yet ‘It’ also manages to adapt the novel’s antagonist; ‘Pennywise,’ fairly closely from the original source material, resulting in a mostly entertaining novel-to-screen transition.

The main cast of ‘The Losers’ Club’ features Jaeden Martell, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Jack Dylan Grazer, Chosen Jacobs and Wyatt Oleff, who all share pretty great chemistry with each other, as alongside the film’s terrific writing, the children truly feel like an actual group of kids, with the group constantly cursing and sharing in plenty of quippy banter with each other. In addition to the younger cast, ‘Pennywise’ is this time around portrayed by Bill Skarsgård, and while I have always loved Tim Curry’s cheesy yet menacing portrayal of the iconic clown. Bill Skarsgård is a stand out aspect of the film for sure. Capturing the eerie qualities of the character as well as his unworldly nature perfectly, truly embracing the idea that ‘Pennywise’ isn’t just a psychotic murderer dressed as a clown, but something far stranger…

The cinematography by Chung-hoon Chung is surprisingly brilliant for a modern horror, featuring a number of attractive shots which blend extremely well with the film’s story. The film does have one recurring shot which is quite irritating, however, as during many of the scenes where ‘Pennywise’ appears to his victims, the film utilises a shot in which the sinister clown approaches the camera straight on, sprinting directly towards the screen, and while I understand what the filmmakers were trying to accomplish with this shot, I feel it only comes off as fatuous and appears extremely out-of-place when compared to the rest of the film’s visually enthralling camerawork.

Admirable yet flawed, the original score by Benjamin Wallfisch ranges from being your typical horror soundtrack to eventually becoming more emotional for the more character-focused scenes. The main issue I take with the original score are some of the tracks which feature deep bass-like sounds, as I feel these tracks really don’t fit with the film’s tone or time-period. Regardless, the tracks; ‘Paper Boat’ and ‘Derry,’ do serve the film’s story delightfully well, with one of the film’s final tracks; ‘Blood Oath,’ also being a beautiful send-off for these characters before their inevitable return.

From ‘Pennywise’s uncanny appearance to the abandoned house ‘It’ lives within on ‘Neibolt Street,’ many of the film’s designs are also pretty memorable despite their limited screen-time. These fantastic designs are dragged down by the film’s poor CG effects, however, as the film always seems to resort to CG visuals during many of its more tense moments, which can take away from their impact. This is also where ‘It’s most substantial problem comes into play, as ‘It’ has really split audiences down the middle when it comes to its focus on horror, as while the film does have a few eerie scenes and creepy visuals, this adaptation seems to be more focused on being the coming-of-age story the novel mostly is. Although some viewers may be disappointed by this, desiring a narrative based more around the story’s darker elements, I feel the film’s distracting CG effects and constant barrage of jump-scares are made up for by its interesting delve into its themes of childhood fears and growing up.

In summary, 2017’s ‘It’ is a solid Stephen King adaptation, as while certainly let down by its weak CG visuals, overreliance on jump-scares and occasionally inconsistent tone, the film still is a pretty enjoyable watch throughout its two hour runtime, mostly due to the film’s great performances and general memorability, and with ‘It: Chapter Two’ turning out to be an underwhelming experience for most. I’d say it further proves that this film is the direction to go when it comes to adapting King’s work. Final Rating: low 7/10.

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The Open House (2018) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / 1 Comment

Netflix has always enormously ranged in quality when it comes to their original films and the horror genre, as despite films such as ‘The Ritual’ and ‘Gerald’s Game’ displaying some great promise for the streaming service, many horror duds, like ‘Malevolent,’ ‘Eli,’ ‘Rattlesnake’ and ‘The Silence’ just to name a few, leave ‘The Open House’ feeling like just another bland and (sometimes even moronic) entry into this ongoing trend.

Plot Summary: Following a recent family tragedy, athletic teenager, Logan, and his mother, Naomi, find themselves besieged by a threatening force when they temporarily move into a new house currently up for sale…

By far the worst element of ‘The Open House’ is its writing, as in addition to the film’s extremely dim-witted characters and bizarre misdirections. ‘The Open House’ almost feels as if it has a disconnect from reality at points, as the main antagonist of the film, ‘The Man in Black,’ lurks within the mother and son’s home unbeknown to them, usually hiding in their basement. Yet, somehow, also manages to navigate through the house without ever being seen, even going-up and down the single staircase to the basement constantly. The closest ‘The Man in Black’ ever comes to being found is through the noises he makes at night, and although these moments do give ‘The Man in Black’ the perfect opportunity to depose of his victims, he never does for reasons that go unexplained.

Dylan Minnette and Piercey Dalton portray the main duo of the film, ‘Logan’ and ‘Naomi Wallace,’ a mother and son broken apart by the recent death of their father/husband, and although neither of the two actors give a truly bad performance throughout the film, none of the characters ever really feel that likeable or interesting, even continuing onto the supporting cast of Sharif Atkins, Patricia Bethune, Paul Rae and Aaron Abrams. Who, all attempt to give each one of the small-town residents a distinct and out-of-touch personality, which usually fall quite flat. ‘Logan’ and ‘Naomi’ also suffer from one of the biggest issues for horror characters, that being their nonsensical decisions, as during many points within the story, the characters don’t react to situations how most people realistically would, sometimes even missing very obvious signs of danger.

Surprisingly, the cinematography by Filip Vandewal does allow for a number of attractive shots. Whilst still fairly dull overall, usually not really adding much to any of the film’s tension-filled moments (what little there are) through the film’s strong overreliance on its static shot-reverse-shot formula during many scenes. ‘The Open House’ does at least attempt to use a variety of wide-shots and focus-pulls to make effective use of its isolated yet beautiful location in the snowy mountains of Ohio, despite the story itself barely utilising this location aside from a scene nearing the end of the film.

The original score by Joseph Shirley is pretty much exactly what you’d expect, being the usual generic and sometimes even overbearing strings score composed for the majority of horror flicks. From the opening scene to the end of the film’s credits, every track is very forgettable and is barley distinct from each other. So much so, that it seems that the soundtrack is barley even findable online, as it actually took me quite a while to locate the score afterwards.

Another poorly-executed aspect of the film is its many misdirections, as already mentioned, as despite hinting at numerous different paranormal events throughout its runtime, ‘The Open House’ is actually a mostly grounded modern horror. As whilst the film constantly alludes to supernatural occurrences, the film then always undermines itself by completely ignoring them. This also isn’t just limited to the paranormal aspects, however, as the film also introduces a variety of loose-ends which the film never ties-up, and whilst some could see this as setting-up a layer of mystery, I personally feel it’s just lazy writing and bad red-herrings. This is most notable when it comes to the character of ‘Martha’ portrayed by Patricia Bethune, who repeatedly refers to her dead husband throughout the film and always acts very unusual. Yet, nothing ever comes of his, and by the end of the narrative, her character is almost completely forgotten about.

In summary, ‘The Open House’ is a truly dismal Netflix Original, with some weak performances, a forgettable original score, atrocious writing and an enormous amount of clichés. Aside from the occasional piece of decent cinematography, ‘The Open House’ simply feels like a ‘nothing’ experience as, for me, these kinds of low-effort and low-budget horrors are only dragging the genre down further than it already has been in recent years. Final Rating: 2/10.

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Bone Tomahawk (2015) – Film Review

/ Joe Baker / 2 Comments

Brutal, tense and compelling, ‘Bone Tomahawk’ is one of those rare films that isn’t afraid to mashup genres, as throughout the film we go from a violent horror to a classic western and back again, all without the film ever feeling as if it’s tone is unclear. Whilst I have always enjoyed classics such as ‘True Grit’ or ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,’ I don’t think this is just down to personal bias towards westerns, however, as ‘Bone Tomahawk’ excels in more aspects than one, when it comes to this genre.

Plot Summary: In the dying days of the old west, an outlaw unknowingly leads a band of cannibals to the small town of ‘Bright Hope.’ Leaving the town’s elderly sheriff and his posse to set out on a mission to rescue the town’s residents from the tribe of savage cave dwellers…

Directed by S. Craig Zahler (Brawl in Cell Block 99, Dragged Across Concrete), this underrated director has always had a talent for gritty storytelling, this time crafting a narrative, which is both very engaging and tense, despite being fairly straightforward and simplistic. In addition to this, ‘Bone Tomahawk’ manages to perfectly capture the tone of a classic western, and sometimes even elements of 1970s horror, as the film actually reminded me of ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ at multiple points, although this may just be coincidental.

Kurt Russell leads the brilliant cast of Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox, Richard Jenkins and Lili Simmons very well, as throughout the runtime all of the characters receive a decent amount of characterisation, with each member of the cast having at least one scene between them. My only issue when it comes to the characters is the lack of a fleshed out character arc for Kurt Russell’s protagonist; ‘Sheriff Hunt,’ as although his character is explored within the film’s story (usually subtlety through dialogue). I personally feel his character arc was never developed quite as much as it could’ve been, despite the fact that this would’ve resulted in a more investing protagonist.

Although the film features a little too much hand-held camera, in my opinion, the cinematography by Benji Bakshi is mostly solid throughout, as the film contains plenty of attractive shots, a few of which even feel like throwbacks to iconic shots from old westerns. The cinematography also makes great use of the film’s variety of remote locations, as the comfort of the small town feels completely distant, when compared to the barren rocky landscape where the cannibals thrive, usually resulting in a very tense atmosphere.

The original score by Jeff Herriott and S. Craig Zahler himself is very similar to the tone of the film, in the sense that it’s a perfect mixture between western and horror, as the soundtrack utilises trumpets and acoustic guitars to perfectly fit with the western visuals, before then completely changing to tenser and more uncomfortable tracks, putting the viewer on edge. However, the original score also manages to have a genuine feeling of tragedy within it, as the score uses intense violin strokes to evoke emotion wherever possible, especially in the track; ‘Four Doomed Men Ride Out,’ which fits this idea perfectly.

Of course, the scene that ‘Bone Tomahawk’ is most known for is without a doubt its infamously violent scene set within the cannibal’s cave, and whilst this scene may be extremely disturbing for a large majority of viewers, I feel that is director S. Craig Zahler’s exact intention, as this moment perfectly displays the horrific nature of the cannibalistic tribe, truly playing into their merciless and barbaric ways of life (despite not actually being that heavily present throughout the story). This scene also displays a range of excellent practical gore effects, making this savage moment even more difficult to watch through its gruesome realism alongside the agonising screams of the cannibal’s victim(s).

In summary, for the most part, ‘Bone Tomahawk’ achieves what it sets out to accomplish, as although the film won’t appeal to everyone through its simplistic plot, slow pacing and graphic violence, the film utilises it’s great performances and isolated locations pretty effectively, resulting in a film that’s just as enjoyable as many other classic westerns despite being a little bland in a few areas. I personally can’t wait to see more of S. Craig Zahler’s work in the future, as I feel this director has some real promise when it comes to telling dark yet gripping stories. Final Rating: 7/10.

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