31 Days of Halloween: Day 15, Hocus Pocus

The middle part of the month is a good time to move onto something more fun to avoid burning out. I can't think of much better than what is likely my favorite Disney movie. I've likely seen it close to a hundred times and I still love to watch it. Even as an adult I can appreciate it. Just a classic.

I know! I'm excited too!

In the year 1693 a coven of witches, the Sanderson sisters are casting a spell to make themselves young again. They claim the soul a young girl and become youthful again, her brother attempts to save her but is transformed into a black cat. But later the witches are captures by the angry folks of Salem and hung. But not before they cast a spell where they will be returned to life if a virgin lights a special candle in their home. Skip ahead 300 years to modern day Salem and our main protagonist Max Dennison, who, while trying to impress a girl breaks into the Sanderson sister's home and lights the candle. Completing the ritual and bringing the sisters back from the dead. Not only that, they want the soul of Max's little sister. Now the kids have to find a way to get rid of the sisters and avoid falling victim to their magic. Sounds a touch intense at times, but I think that makes it a good thing for parents and kids to watch and be satisfied.

Beautiful.

The thing I've admired most about Hocus Pocus is just how gorgeous the whole production is. Disney manages to turn the exterior shots in Salem during the spring into a fall wonderland. Everything about it scream Halloween. You would know what night of the year it was even if you were never told specifically. The costumes and makeup are incredible. The sisters being older at the beginning is done well and the zombie effects for Billy are great. Doug Jones even put live moths in his mouth that fly out at one point in the movie. That's some dedication right there. You can say whatever you want about Disney but they always make a pretty movie and put everything into set design. Makes the experience all the better for it.

Tough crowd.

I can't say I've met a person who doesn't at least like Hocus Pocus and most people adore it, especially if they grew up around the time it came out. I watch it every October and if you have kids, you probably should too. It's easy to get your hands on as soon as fall hits. I can't endorse it enough.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 14, Smiley (2012)

Before we start. I refuse to go to any place that could possibly gives views or visits to the film, Smiley. So I'm not going to grab pictures. I don't want anyone under the false idea that someone actually wanted to view their material.

I talked about The Den not that long ago. A great, suspenseful film that has you on the edge of your seat and shows us just how big the internet is in our lives and how it can be used to harm us or frighten us. Well, before I ever saw The Den, I saw Smiley. I had no idea just how terrifying the internet could be until I saw Smiley. Now Smiley is scary in a whole different way. Smiley is scary in the idea that a movie like it ever saw the light of day. The writer should have burned the script and never looked back, because Smiley is just terrible and shitty.

For the life of me I can barely remember the plot of this shit show. I think it's about two girls in high school who spend all their time on Omegle or something. They learn the urban legend of a killer called Smiley who shows up and kills the other person you're looking at on camera if you type, and I shit you not, "I did it for the lulz." three times on the chat window. It's like an idiotic version of the Candy Man. So, anyway, this stupid looking killer shows up and stabs a person on camera... so scary. You know what? Smiley doesn't even deserve this much. The plot fucking sucks. It ends up leading to a twist that would make a Shyamalan shake his head at how stupid it was. Whoever wrote this movie must have sat down and watched a bunch of good horror and thought to themselves, "I can totally do that to. I'll just take all the good parts of these and put them together. How can it fail?". Unfortunately talent is a factor in this sort of thing and the writer had none. So the twist at the end of the movie is that every character but one is in on the plot and all are trying to kill her dressed as Smiley. They all smugly gloat about how they tricked the hell out of a dead girl and disperse to post on their tumblr or something. Oh but it's not over. The main douche in charge decides to type the magic phrase while talking to one of the other conspirators and... OH MY GOD! Smiley is actually real! So damn stupid.

Smiley could be pointed to as an example of the phrase, artistically bankrupt. It steals elements from many many better movies and does none of it well. Before I forget, Smiley also has abysmal acting and special effects. If I had been unlucky enough to see this in a theater I would have lit it on fire and waited gladly for the police to take me away. Never ever watch this. Even if it's free and you're bored. No amount of alcohol could make this a fun experience. By the end of watching this we were all just talking about better movies to watch. Fuck Smiley. I'm out.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 13, V/H/S (2012)

This is a found footage film inside of a found footage film combined with an anthology film. I have to say... that's pretty damn cool since those are two sub-genres I happen to really like. I'll go ahead and give a short run down of the stories in V/H/S with my own titles I've given them.

Redneck Cat Burglars: The connecting story of V/H/S. A group of petty criminals who pretty much get off filming themselves doing despicable shit look to step their game up into some higher crime and are sent to steal a special VHS tape from some old guy. They break in and find him dead, then weird things start to happen while they look for the tape. Meanwhile one member of the crew is watching tapes with the dead body as they search (that dude has some brass ones). This story is filmed with two cameras so you get to see both halves of the tale.

Slum-bro Party Massacre: Three young douche bags with a hidden camera set out to lure drunk girls to their hotel to gang bang and film. Gotta have some honesty here, I was really hoping these guys died in a super painful and awful way and was not disappointed. Some scenes here that will really make you cringe. Something I liked is that, as a sober viewer in comparison to the characters, you know something is wrong and see the danger a mile away. You get the idea of just how drunk and stupid these guys are. The moral of the story? Don't look to take advantage of women at bars.They might kill you!

Nope.

You Could Have Just Asked for a Divorce!: A married couple takes a second honeymoon through the American Southwest. It's boring as all hell most of the time until it turns into a weird snuff film. Though the violence in this story is so literally in your face and brutal, it really has an impact.

Hey, Wanna Go Camping at Murder Lake?: A group of friends heads out on a camping trip with a girl they just met, only to have it revealed to them that all her other friends that came with her died and now she's using these new friends as bait! Wow, that's pretty cold! A cool part of this story is that the killer is obscured by "tracking", so it just looks like an anomaly on the tape chasing them. The kills are pretty cool and there is a lot of great use of VHS effects.

Abducted and Pregnant: A young woman is plagued by odd bruises and phenomena in her apartment while web chatting with her med student boyfriend. This entire story is shot from the perspective of a webcam, which I thought was pretty cool. This story is short and creepy with a pretty good mind fuck ending.

Wrong House, Bro: Halloween night a pack of young men end up at the wrong house in search of a Halloween party and contend with some spooky goings on. When the shit finally hits the fan in this story the effects are nice and the cast does a great job of being scared. A really solid story all told, there's a pretty nice sense of dread through the whole thing.

I really enjoyed the whole experience. All the stories are solid and the grainy look of the VHS effects is wonderful. VHS is obviously the most evil of all recording mediums, just behind ahead of the laser disc. A couple of points to hit, this movie has a LOT of nudity and sexuality. Not in a distasteful way, but if you're a prude you may not much care for it. A bit of a theme in the movie is exhibitionism and voyeurism. But, there's a lot of creativity at work here with such an awesome concept and some really nice looking effects and makeup. There are some really visceral kills and some scenes that made me not want to look at the screen because I was scared of what might happen next. It's a solid horror experience.

Also, one thing this movie taught me. Even if you're being chased by some horrible monster, take your time on the stairs. Watch it and you'll see what I mean. I'm pretty sure stairs lead to the death of more horror movie characters than power tools.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 12, Return of the Living Dead

This is the most scary zombie movie ever made in my opinion. I'll tell ya why.

Everyone has a plan these days for zombies. The perfect hiding spot, weapons, escape routes. Well if the scenario of Return of the Living Dead plays out? Throw em away.

These zombies are fast. That's scary all its own. They never ever stop. Shots to the head won't do it. Dismemberment won't do it. The body parts just crawl their way around and keep killing. The worst and most psychologically damaging feature of this zombie breed. They can talk and they are smart. Holy crap.

This is the 80's. All of it in the same car.

Block yourself off in a secure building with everything you need. They'll be there. Droning on and on about how they want your brains. They don't get bored or sleep. Imagine that... They'll break you mentally. You'll eventually eat a bullet just to stop hearing the word "Brains". I think the idea that the zombies can do anything a living human can, except for the resist the craving for brains, is chilling. 

Return has some wicked special effects. The Tar Man zombie is outrageously gross and scary, probably my favorite zombie ever. You get a truly crushing sense of hopelessness as the characters can't figure out how to stop the onslaught. Hell, one scene messed me up forever about turning on my headlights at night (I always lock the doors first). A lot of care was taken in the effects and it shows, top to bottom its great visuals. 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!

Return of the Living Dead might be the most fun of any zombie movie without trying to be funny. It's very different from the norm and had its own impact on pop culture. It's not nearly as serious as Romero's stuff and not as silly as Zombieland, so you get a pretty good balance. It's a classic and well worth your time.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 11, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

When we last left off, I was totally put off by the last numbered entry in the years spanning series. Before I started this, The Marked Ones was the only sequel in the series that had gotten me interested and actually wanting to go to a theater. But, seeing as I hate the theater and especially hate going alone, I didn't see it. Now I'm getting the chance. I was fully prepared for the parade of disgust to continue. Luckily, it was mostly positive.

":GASP: Where are all the rich white girls!"

The Marked Ones takes a big leap in setting and goes to a barrio in California. Instead of the hauntings happening in a pristine suburban environment, we now get to see everything in a tight urban area and welcome changes in scenery instead of being locked into a home interior. We're also fortunate in that the characters are totally different. They're funny, act totally normal for their age. Comes off as very natural. So, at least from a presentation stand point, things are looking up and feeling pretty fresh. The Marked Ones is also shot a little differently. The cast is pretty much a group of lower middle-class kids. So they don't have a ton of money to rig their whole house with HD cameras and junk. You mostly get to see the movie through one camera that a character buys in the first five minutes. There's also no watching people sleep for over half the movie or staring at empty rooms. There is always someone operating the camera.

Puberty for Jesse went horribly wrong.

We get to follow a young man named Jesse who's just graduated high school. You spend the first bit of the film learning about the people around him and his home. Just seeing him be a post high school kid. Everything starts getting interesting when Jesse and his best friend Hector start messing with the crazy old lady that lives underneath him that people claim is a witch. The boys film her doing a strange ritual in her apartment and not long after, she turns up dead and they see another boy they know leaving the scene. Well, being the curious youngsters they are, the crew investigates and soon start being affected by the supernatural. Mainly Jesse. Throughout the movie you also get to see ways The Marked Ones is connected to the rest of series, which they do in a neat way. Something I also appreciated is that it isn't the same old shit, objects moving on their own and all that. They go over the top and show off some of that budget they have. Instead of implied supernatural things, it's right in your face. There's no high tension, suspenseful horror at work, but damn if it isn't fun. I think there's also a bit of a drug addiction metaphor going on towards the middle of the movie, but it gets dropped once the supernatural is very obvious.

You will watch them talk to Simon for minutes.

Now, I'm gonna go out there and spoil the fate of our characters. Because if you've seen any of these movies you know what's gonna happen. That's right, the bad guys win for the fifth time in a row. The characters you've been getting invested in all die off camera and if you're lucky you actually see a body. I mean, I don't need the villains to get totally defeated. But I'd like for someone to make it out or something. Though they do take it to the bad guys a little. A group of gang members end up encountering a group of witches and shotgunning a few down which is a bit satisfying. In the end though, other than being interesting, the end is unsatisfying. That may be the only thing keeping me from totally loving this movie. But I certainly don't regret watching it and might even do so again.

So we have all the official Paranormal Activity movies out of the way and I'm really looking forward to the change of pace. So until next time, don't be afraid to be a little scary.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 10, Paranormal Activity 4

This scene never happens.

So I've just been burning through these this week. Even looking forward to the next one in the series after the last is over. The first movie introduced the idea, the second expanded and improved on it, the third showed it all to us in a different way. So what will the fourth bring?

Did this come from the movie or are the FBI on the way to your house. We'll see!

A whole lot of the same shit. Paranormal Activity 4 brings nothing new to the table and follows the formula of the first three like a flow chart. Rich white people have a giant house and a camera fetish. Something weird happens. Someone sets up cameras everywhere and then even weirder shit happens. This time all the weird stuff is around a seven year old(?). Which they really really do their best to convince you is the weird kid for the purpose of a pointless twist later in the movie for the sake of having one. On top of that, all the characters are just pulled from the other movies and given different names. Not literally, but they are pretty much cut outs of them. The only new thing brought to the table here is that the fucking demon can use an Xbox. Let's talk about that shit a bit.

Welcome to Kinect vision, get used to it.

So. One thing they did really wrong here was have the demon keep the name Toby from PA:3 to this one. Not only that, the damn thing is playing Kinect Sports with the two little kids in the movie. They humanize this thing and it takes the other world and alien nature of it out of play. In one scene the plot makes it out like "Toby" is a servant of the child. Then it reveals that Toby is cool to you as long as you do whatever it says. So what is it? Is Toby chill and fun since you're the little chosen one or are you living in total fear that the demon will kill you, the little chosen one and reset all of their plans and deals? Oh what massive bullshit.

This scene never happens either. 

I guess I can also go into the actual characters and why and all that. Teen girl is getting fucked with by a ghost, so her and her annoying boyfriend (Sound familiar), decide they are going to play detective and record everything in the house on webcams in a few rooms. The only reason they even suspect a ghost is because they caught a shape moving in the infrared beams put out by a Kinect while using night vision on a camera. So, as you would expect, they use the hell out of that effect. There are people walking all over the place in these damn beams that almost give you a headache. Don't worry though, none of this or the characters matter. Wanna know why? Well if you haven't figured it out from the results of the first three... spoiler alert.... ya ready? Ok... ALL OF THESE PEOPLE DIE AND IT DOESN'T MATTER! I'm starting to get the idea that there is no real motivation to this story other than to extend out the series. I'm pretty tired of watching all these characters the movie spends 90 minutes getting me to care about die the same way over and over again. We've had in four movies, three people getting flung around and killed by the demon off camera and four getting their necks and back broken. Totally lazy. I could likely go on more about other lazy things that make no sense, but I'm done talking about this particular one. I'm ready to watch The Marked Ones and put this series to bed. Because unless they change a lot, it's gonna be a real bad time.

Guess what? Yep, this scene never happens either. 

Just watch the first three movies, there isn't much a reason to watch this one unless you really do like them that much and just need to know the story (which barely advances). Until next time, don't be afraid to be a little scary.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 9, The Den (2013)

The Den, an independent project that got a lot of positive word of mouth. I ended up finding it at Walmart of all places which I will not complain about. I'm finally caught up on reviews by the way. Got a bit rocky there, but things came out well. Woo hoo weekend!

So The Den has an interesting premise. Our main character Elizabeth is a young woman trying to get a grant to study a particular phenomena on the internet. The proliferation of video chat websites, more specifically one called The Den. Who's out there? Why do people do it? Why is it so big? After a bit of convincing, the board gives her the grant and so begins her journey into the depths of video chat. Things start off as you'd expect, but then take a turn in ways she could have never imagined after a series of mysterious messages.

Maybe the worst choice I've seen in any horror movie.

I'll confirm that as I had been told, The Den is a very accurate portrayal of the internet. Elizabeth meets some cool and personable people on The Den and also your average every day degenerates who just want people to watch them tug on it and other such things. It makes video chat rooms actually look fun! Mainly because she sees a thousand times less dicks than what you would in real life. You also kind of get the sense that the project or maybe even the interaction on the internet is replacing her real social life, she starts brushing off the real world more and more. I'm sure we've all known someone like that, whether it's from MMORPGs, social networking or things like that. Even the horrible comments on videos are captured in all their glory. These people did their research. It also plays with ideas like anonymity provided by such a place, the amount of hoaxed material and the underground trade of extreme or illegal material. I'm also going to point out how useless the police seem to be throughout the entire movie. They basically say, "Sorry, tough shit." to situation they completely identify as real and just brush it off. The police are so reluctant to help at all.

See, totally accurate.

The Den is creepy. The situation Elizabeth is thrust into is one where anyone can impersonate anyone. She can be watched anywhere and her own home isn't safe from prying eyes. A wrong click here or there and any stranger could have access to your camera, your videos and pictures. With computers and phones being our whole life at this point it's maybe the most physical representation of a person's inner self. Kind of weird to think about. The Den is a big winner this year. It's only just over an hour and totally worth the watch. It also ends in a way I didn't really expect. Any fans of horror will dig this a lot. Also, if you have the option, watch this on a PC. It seems like it would enhance the experience. A new review should be coming today. Until then, don't be afraid to be a little scary!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 8, The Possession

So I'm falling a little behind on my posts because of this and that, but they are about to show up rapid fire. I decided to break up the monotony of Paranormal Activity even if I am enjoying it with a completely different movie about creepy children and demons. The Possession.

The Possession is a fairly normal movie of its kind. A family is affected by a paranormal entity that decides to make their life miserable and weird. I can see how this got lost in the shuffle and I haven't seen it until recently. I mean, there was a huge boom in movies on this subject matter. So much it was a ridiculous. The Possession certainly stands above many of the ones that came out at the time though. One reason, it's based on a "true" story. The family buys a Dibbuk box at a yard sale (you can actually search for the real life story on google, it's kind of interesting), the box happens to have an evil spirit sealed inside of it that latches on to people who open it. The family is also affected by it's own strife, the parents are dealing with a divorce and the kids are caught in the middle of it. They just can't catch a damn break.

The Dibbuk box acts differently than most villains in a possession movie that try to stay hidden from people. This thing doesn't give a damn. In the first scene a woman tries to destroy it and the box kicks the shit out of her with unseen forces. Later in the movie it flat out kills a teacher for being around it. You wanna know why it does that? Because it knows it's a box and can get away with it. No one in their right mind is going to accuse the box, you can't arrest it. It can pretty much do whatever freaky shit it wants. The Dibbuk is a clever bastard. There are some fairly neat special effects scattered through the movie, though most of it is CGI, and pretty obvious at moments. But there are a few scenes that look really nice. It's a lot of good PG-13 horror stuff you're getting.

There's a pretty heavy metaphor for divorce and it's effects on families. One of the little girls throws around some lines like "I hate you.", "No wonder mom doesn't love you anymore." and things like that. Even lies about the dad hitting her. You even get a fake nice potential step dad thrown in there to get some great comeuppance. One of the more neat things in The Possession is that mythology and faith behind the Dibbuk is all Jewish in nature. So instead of a Catholic priest performing an exorcism, you get a Jewish Rabbi. As sad as it is to say, that's pretty progressive for movie studios to throw out there. It just adds a really cool level to the whole thing. An interesting tidbit from the set of the movie, the actual owner of the Dibbuk offered to bring it to the set of the film for Sam Raimi and the other crew to see and Raimi responded with what was essentially, "Fuck no! That thing is scary."

The Possession is solid but nothing truly spectacular. You probably wouldn't regret seeing it, but it's certainly not a classic you'll watch over and over again. So... ah fuck it, give it a shot at least once. I guess The Possession genre at the time didn't have a super high bar to hit. I'll be back later with some more reviews. Don't be afraid to be a little scary.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 7, Paranormal Activity 3

So, after two movies I am quite curious about this whole series and really liking it. I wouldn't have assumed this at all. There are two more to go after this one. No more time to waste, we gotta talk about demons and witches!

Ok, so the plot. Well... it's pretty much the same as the first two with a couple of tweaks. There is a neat tweak though. You go all the way back even before the Paranormal Activity 2 to the mostly dead characters from those movies finding a big box of VHS tapes from their childhood. Katie gives the tapes to Kristi and maybe thirty seconds later you find out they were stolen during the house ransacking in PA:2 before anyone could watch them. So, we end up watching them as an audience. So we take a jump back in time twice! We get to play silent witness to the girl's childhood in 1988 as the demon starts to touch their lives. Generally the same, but still pretty different.

I know it looks bad. But trust me, the movie is actually scary.

The family consists of Julie the mother, Dennis the father and young Katie and Kristi. In a refreshing change, these are all pretty likable characters. Dennis is the first male presence in the series who isn't a total shitbag, he's actually awesome. Julie is a devoted mother with a short patience for nonsense. Kristi and Katie are just your average little girls. Running around, playing, being generally creepy. Oh yes these little girls are creepy as hell. But, of course, you know it, you love it, the demon! Don't you fret either, because the demon, now named Toby, is a massive asshole still. This thing crosses into new frontiers of dickery. You almost seem to think Toby chilled out in it's older years from what we see in the first two movies. While the family may be likable, they suffer severely from white people in horror movie syndrome. They do their level best to be in every silly situation to get hurt.

Good thing they were playing Bloody Mary and not Candy Man, Tony Todd would not have been happy.

Paranormal Activity 3 just seems to improve on the work of the rest of the series. Scares and scenes are more ambitious as the budget grows and it really shows. You're gonna get the jump scares as usual, but what is really a treat is when the demon is just fucking with people. It is a master at just being a pest until it has enough strength to really mess you up. Some of the more tense scenes I've watched appear towards the end and it's really a treat, Not to say everything here is perfect. I can see how if the story doesn't engage you, the kind of lazy copying of the previous script can get old fast and you would rather see something else. Paranormal Activity 3 is just a super fun time, even when things that don't make sense are happening. Just look at it for what it is, a story about a haunted house. I'd give it a good rating for a sure, it's worth watching no matter the time of year.

Another review in the basket. 24 more to go and I don't have any plans to stop. Until tomorrow, don't be afraid to be a little scary.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 6, Paranormal Activity 2

I apologize again for how slapped together the last review was. This one should be much better. Which, believe it or not, it's about a much better movie. I remember seeing Paranormal Activity 2 originally and not thinking much of it, but I also hadn't seen the other in a while. Watching the first entry and this one back to back though, it's pretty obvious how big an improvement it is. Paranormal Activity 2 is actually pretty damn good.

This ghost is an asshole.

Paranormal Activity 2 starts about sixty days before the first Paranormal Activity ends. We follow a whole new family's tribulations with unseen forces. This family though are relatives of Katie from the first movie, her sister Kristi, her husband and two kids. They've just moved into a new home and everything is looking great, that is until bizarre things start going on. Such as the family coming home to find their house entirely flipped upside down, but nothing missing. In response to the suspected break in, the family installs security cameras all over the house, which is how we the audience are privy to most of this sweet sweet found footage. So a few things you should know, every male character in this movie is a dismissive dick about the concerns of their family. Yes, I know it's a lot to ask of a person to believe in ghosts, but at the very least humor your loved ones and put them at ease as opposed to tell them they are morons. An even bigger asshole though is the ghost or demon or whatever you want to call it. First and foremost it is the most petty prankster. If there is shit to blow around or slam shut, this thing will do it at the best time to scare the fluids out of you.

See what I mean? Total asshole.

The biggest thing they did right in this entire production is realize that the audience isn't a bunch of spastics, They have mostly seen the first installment and get what's happening. So you don't have to wait as long for creepy stuff and scares. You don't lose any tension, because you know things are going to get much worse and it's a prelude to it all. I can't rightly tell you why the entity takes it's time with the family and tip toes around scaring them all that, I mean, who can really understand the motive of something like that? But it sure makes for a good time to watch. You also get to learn more of why things are happening and what is going to happen. This actually has me a touch excited since I haven't seen the other installments in the series and I want to see where they go. Paranormal Activity 2 though takes a very dark turn and treads some fairly scary ground.

These people are either watching Paranormal Activity or the latest Seth McFarlane production.

Now, I have no idea if this is true, but I took this away. The way the characters act after the break in reminds me of a family actually dealing with the anxiety and feeling of insecurity from something like that. They never really attribute the anxiety to that incident, but it's clearly there in their actions and lines. The actors and writers also seriously come within a hair of the footage and dialogue seeming totally for real and natural. The only thing holding it back is that it looks just a little too clean, if that makes sense.

Paranormal Activity 2 is a great sequel. A step above the first that builds on the material that came before. I'd even be willing to say it's one of the better horror movies of the 2000's. Get a few people together and I don't think you'll regret the evening spent with Paranormal Activity 2, just watch with all the lights off of course. I'll hopefully be back tomorrow with Paranormal Activity 3 and either pleasant surprise or crushing disappointment. I think I know which one too... but either way, don't be afraid to be a little scary.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 5, Paranormal Activity

Alright alright, this is gonna have to be quick and dirty since I'm at work and everything is going to shit around me in there. So I figured why not go with the an easy movie to talk about. Arguably the movie that brought found footage back in vogue in a big way. Like the it's predecessor, The Blair Witch Project, which I also plan to cover this month, Paranormal Activity changed the way we look at the found footage genre and did a whole lot with a super low budget.

Paranormal Activity is shot from the view of multiple cameras purchased by a couple to monitor strange things happening in their home at night. As the activity intensifies, so to does the strife between the couple trying to cope with it all. This leads to a cycle of feeding the entity in their home and plunging them into a situation they can't quite return from. There is a lot of subtext to the plot, mainly about relationship and childhood trauma and it's all up for interpretation by the viewer. But the fiancé in the story is much less about being supportive and more about being right. So I guess it could all be a metaphor for how the couple's relationship fell apart with a very literal and definite end.

Paranormal Activity is a bit polarizing in the horror scene because many would call it boring and lazy while a whole other group would call it brilliant and well made. My personal opinion is that Paranormal Activity is a very good, if not boring film with very little pay off in the middle section and huge payoff towards the end. What most people are going to get though is tension and dread as they expect things to happen, that expectation puts you on edge. Even if what eventually happens isn't really that huge it gets your heart racing because that pacing. There are some genuinely creepy scenes though, particularly where the bride to be stands silently over her fiancé for hours watching him sleep and has no memory of the event. Strikes a bit of a primal nerve and anyone who has night terrors can identify with that sort of thing being scary.

Paranormal Activity goes on to spawn many sequels which I plan to cover before the month is through, along with an unofficial one proclaimed by many to be the best sequel in the series. I believe a lot of the charm of Paranormal Activity was to be had in theaters with easily scared people who would jump at the smallest thing happening. I think you can capture a small bit of that just by getting some more jumpy friends together for a movie night. Just don't expect a fast paced haunted house adventure that's gonna tear the house down.

I'm sorry about the lack of pictures and even a lack of discussion. If I have a chance I'll go back and do this again, work was just a surprising kick in the sack today. I'll be back tomorrow for sure with another review and hopefully a much better one. So until then, don't be afraid to be a little scary.

31 Days of Halloween: Day 4, Night of the Demons (1988)

Day 4 may be the most fun movie so far and likely the most fun on the whole list. Night of the Demons is one of the best examples of 80's horror you can get. The back story or reason for anything happening is mostly irrelevant. The action is everything here along with the monsters and blood. I'd be lying if I said my hopes had been high for Night of the Demons upon looking at it, thankfully I was wrong. 

Somebody got white girl wasted. 

Night of the Demons is about a group of teens that go up to an abandoned mortuary in town to have a Halloween party and be generally rowdy. The character types are plucked from all your favorite 80's archetypes, from fat bully to likable city kid. Just trying to have a good time the teens all hold a seance and unwittingly unleash a demon from the mortuary furnace. The teens are soon starting to be picked off and have to run, hide and fight for their lives against an evil that wants them mind, body and soul. I wouldn't say there is any stand out acting here, a lot of these actors I'm pretty sure were in other 80's horror movies and I don't think any of them were particularly well known. I'd have to say the guy doing the best job in my eyes was Alvin Alexis who played Rodger. I really cared about his character's well being so it got me invested. 

"Hot n' Fresh light at Krispy Kreme!"

What I will probably give the absolute most praise to in Night of the Demons is the main title sequence. It has one of the most cool credit sequences ever and I could just watch that on repeat for a while. It's an animated intro with an ominous synth tune playing that shows depictions of spirits floating through the sky, the mortuary on the hill, graveyards, and other spooky scenes. It's everything good and fun about horror movies and the Halloween season. A lot of Night of the Demons features monster effects and blood, which I can say is pretty decent to great in most uses. I'd hope it would be with how often the demons are on screen. The interior of the mortuary is awesome, the crew did great making it. In fact, the set dressing over all kicks ass. 

She just heard the pumpkin spice latte was back.

Looking back on it all, Night of the Demons is just so much fun. You don't have to think too hard to look for little clues or easter eggs in the movie. It plain and simple is what it is and that's why I like it. This is really in the same kind of field as Return of the Living Dead or Fright Night, two other kick ass 80's movies. This is one you can't go wrong with for a party or get together with friends because it's not hard to find moments to laugh, cheer or groan about what you're seeing. Night of the Demons won't open your mind to new lands of terror and horror, but you'll sure as shit have a great time. 

Three more weeks til Halloween, Halloween. Three more weeks till Halloween, Sil-ver Shamrock!

31 Days of Halloween: Day 3, The Strangers (2008)

Despite being highly touted in the horror genre and being out six years now, I've yet to see The Strangers. It looks to be right up my alley. Masked killers in what appear to be a slasher/home invasion movie. The other thing that goes around often is that it is not only well made by actually scary, which is a rarity that something can really evoke that these days. Well it got popped into the dvd player with some great friends around and I finally got to see what the fuss was about.


The Strangers takes place in a couple's remote summer home after a romantic night that ended with a marriage proposal that didn't quite go as planned. Kristen played by Liv Tyler turns down the proposal which makes for an uncomfortable night. Not long after they settle in for the evening, strange things start to happen. A girl shows up to the door (at 4 a.m.) asking questions and leaves. Our male lead (Scott Speedman) James leaves to get some smokes for Kristen after calling a friend to pick him up and things get really bad. Kristen is stalked by three masked intruders who destroy the couple's phones and isolate them completely.

This season of It's Always Sunny is really dark...

The Strangers doesn't do a whole lot in the way of gore of violence, which I guess many wouldn't expect. What it does do though is very shocking and visceral, it means something. You feel a sense of worry for the characters as they become increasingly paranoid and scared. The masked intruders slowly close the net on them and the situation seems more and more hopeless by the minute. The Strangers pulls all those strings of being home alone at night or maybe somewhere remote and hearing strange sounds, getting your imagination going about what could be out there. Rationally, you know it's something mundane. But... what if? What if you're just that unlucky? Can give you the willies if you think about too long.

These steak knife salesmen are out of control. 

The Strangers reminds me heavily of Halloween (1978). Some of the same lighting tricks used with The Shape back then are on display now in some of the scenes with intruders and they stalk more than personally engage the victims unlike most slashers. Atmosphere and tension take the fore as opposed to the base violence. Violence is by comparison quick and doesn't stick with us because movies have hardened us to such things. But the feelings brought on by the atmosphere of a movie this will stick with you. It'll creep up in the back of your mind when you're home alone. To me, that's the sign of a good horror movie. The Strangers is really awesome.The best viewing is in a dark house, possibly all alone if you really want to be scared. You can easily find The Strangers in a five dollar bin right now and you can do a lot worse for that price on a scary movie these days.

I'm gonna keep on keepin' on with these movie reviews. Thankfully I'm not doing it all alone and my fabulous friends are helping me out. Can't ask for much more than that. I'll be back tomorrow with another review, so until then, remember to lock your doors and don't answer for strangers. Don't be afraid to be a little scary.

Trick or treat?

31 Days of Halloween: Day 2 The Tunnel (2011)

This movie came recommended more than a few times on some message boards I frequent. It seemed to always be in lists when found footage horror came up. The Tunnel comes to us from Australia and was actually paid for by, and I hope I remember this correctly because I'm a bit too spent to do proper research, the 135K project where the movie was paid for frame by frame through donation. I've never heard of anything like that before, but it sounds pretty great. So I guess we should do some delving of our own into The Tunnel.

The Tunnel has a pretty easy plot to get behind. A group of reporters have gone down into off limits drainage tunnels to try and expose why the government won't let all this water sitting around be used for different projects. They seem to get more than they bargained for. The two survivors narrate the footage you see through interview segments. Now, I didn't really care for that at all, seeing as it takes a great deal of the suspense away when you know who the survivors are going to be. Kills a bit of the suspense for me. Something I did appreciate though is that the footage isn't all from the perspective of a personally held camera, some footage from security cameras lends the movie a real documentary or news story feel to it. Your cast for the most part is a group of stereotypes from the horror genre, Mr. Responsible, All About My Career Lady, Brave Man, and Likable Guy. They aren't super interesting, but they'll get you through the story.

Maybe this was a bad idea....

I'll warn you now that The Tunnel is a very slow movie that depends on lot on the atmosphere to do the work in the early parts. That's not a bad thing at all, but if you're looking for something fast paced and crazy, look elsewhere. The twisting and winding of the tunnels is enough to disorient the viewer and knowing that  they're watching a horror movie they'll expect a scare around every corner. Very rarely does such a thing ever come. The Tunnel is a less is more kind of movie. But when they deliver on the more, it's quiet frightening. But it's so rare to actually see whatever is down there, I won't spoil it for anyone, because it's pretty bad ass. You are rewarded for you patience and enjoyment of great atmosphere.

The newz is serious businezzz.

The Tunnel oddly leaves me with little to talk about. Not because it's bad or anything, it's just a lot of atmosphere and some things I'm going to keep spoiler free. It's worth tracking down a copy and watching it. A big thing though, The Tunnel is a snoozer until they actually go into the titular tunnels. Lots of office politics and things like that. It may not be the best for a party or rowdy group, but it's fun for a quiet personal viewing or small group of friends. The Tunnel is pretty well put together and I'd have to say it's on my good list, give it a go.

I'm two movies down and there is quite the stack to go. I wonder what's going to come next.... well, I guess we'll see. So until next time, don't be afraid to be a little scary.