#07 - Santa Sangre (1989)
I've seen a bunch of Alejandro Jodorowsky movies, so this wasn't my first rodeo and I somewhat knew what to expect. He often likes to dip into the extremities of surrealism and, well, Santa Sangre is no different. I'm not even going to bother to describe what this about, just know it's wonderfully weird. One could argue this isn't as much a horror as it is other things, but there's some disturbing thrills, suspense and unsettling darkness to it. 7/10
#07 - Santa Sangre (1989)
I've seen a bunch of Alejandro Jodorowsky movies, so this wasn't my first rodeo and I somewhat knew what to expect. He often likes to dip into the extremities of surrealism and, well, Santa Sangre is no different. I'm not even going to bother to describe what this about, just know it's wonderfully weird. One could argue this isn't as much a horror as it is other things, but there's some disturbing thrills, suspense and unsettling darkness to it. 7/10
saw it a few years back when i was studing film at college blew my mind.
onto #7 tonight with The Last Broadcast i finally got hold of a DVD a few months back so i could get rid of my DVR copy i really love this film deserves more love
Those Hellraiser rights aren't allowed to sit that long since they're rushing out another one. Hellraiser: Judgement is scheduled to be released next year. Bradley still isn't returning, but at least Pinhead looks better this time.
Well, if it gets released before next October I'll have to do it for the marathon since I did the rest.
Pinhead does look better, but I'm not crazy about the Cenobites design based on that pic. They look too general horror gore and not weird sexual mutilation like the old designs. Pinhead needs the flayed nipples and is that a dirty old jacket he's wearing? Lose that.
Well, if it gets released before next October I'll have to do it for the marathon since I did the rest.
Pinhead does look better, but I'm not crazy about the Cenobites design based on that pic. They look too general horror gore and not weird sexual mutilation like the old designs. Pinhead needs the flayed nipples and is that a dirty old jacket he's wearing? Lose that.
The Weinsteins are making yet another crappy Hellraiser sequel to hold onto the rights? At this point, I do wonder if Barker and company are just straight trolling them with dragging out the remake for as long as they have.
The Weinsteins are making yet another crappy Hellraiser sequel to hold onto the rights? At this point, I do wonder if Barker and company are just straight trolling them with dragging out the remake for as long as they have.
This is the second Argento film I've seen, the other being the ubiquitous Suspiria, and this was something of a let down. It's a competently made giallo, but it doesn't excel at anything. It looks good, but not good enough to make up for an unengaging story like some of the weaker Bava movies are able to do with his excellent stylizations, and the acting is solid. But it's a 2 hour movie with a mystery that isn't super interesting (it's a story of corporate espionage in a genetics lab that a bunch of assholes work at) and although the scenes of suspense are pretty well handled with some nice POV shots, there weren't enough of them to hold my attention. Even the violence isn't particularly titillating. I did like the rooftop climax and final death though, and the music was good. But otherwise this was a let down. Hopefully the other Argento films on my list (Deep Red, and Opera) are better, as this was the weakest film of my marathon thus far.
Deep Red and Opera are much, much better. Especially Deep Red.
I own The Cat O'Nine Tails on DVD and watched it when I was consuming as many gialli as I could, and honestly, even looking at the case I can't remember a damn thing about it other than it had a blind man in it. It's one of the more forgettable titles in the sub-genre for sure.
Yeah, that sounds about right. I know Barker has serious punctuality issues with everything, but it's just too funny to see the Weinsteins keep holding out hope for the film they bought the rights for in the first place, only for this to be the result.
Oliver Reed plays a creepy brother, always seemingly on the edge of a breakdown, in a family dealing with some grief issues when they get a surprise visitor. Some good twists, turns, and backstabbings.
#7 - The Conjuring 2 (2016)
As my choice of movies so far has illustrated, I remain a huge sucker for hauntings, ghosts and possessions. And last year, I watched The Conjuring and wrote this: "Holy shit, this is the best movie I've watched so far. Scares you shitless, down to the bone. Great atmosphere, terrifying at the right moments and goosebump-inducing for the rest of it. Terrific cast, too. Just everything about this movie worked for me. Absolutely superb horror. Not gonna spend more words on this, do yourself a favor and seek this one out."
I fully stand by that, but now that I've seen The Conjuring 2, I'd say this movie got dethroned, the sequel is even better, thanks mostly to the kid actors in this one, all of them were perfect. It's hard to find great kid actors and to find a whole family of them, just perfect. The story continues from the previous story, nicely combining an overarching story with the haunting from the first movie and the haunting in this one. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga once again absolutely nail their roles as The Warrens.
Finally, the cinematography is great, some really amazing angles in here and great examples of showing very little, but just enough to freak people out. I especially like a scene where the Warrens first meet the possessed girl and do an interview
where the spirit doesn't want to come out for one reason or another and Ed (Patrick Wilson's character) asks everyone to turn their backs so the spirit comes out. The camera then moves to Wilson's face and puts the background out of focus, while doing some transformation on the girl to the old man ghost that possesses her. It's masterfully done, really great scene.
Another note of appreciation is for the sound in this, eerie at the right times, but also some cool choices like whistling and use of christmas songs that hit just the right amount of creepy in the context they're presented in.
Seriously, I've peaked early, doubt I'm going to see a better movie in this run, so it gets 5 Elvis impersonators with a bullet out of 5.
And now we get to the sleazy part of the Mario and Lamberto Bava mini-marathon.
06) A Bay of Blood (Reazione a catena) (1971) (Oct 6)
My first 70s Mario Bava film, A Bay of Blood left me both conflicted and amused. I'm not even sure how to talk about a film like this without spoilers, but I'll try to be as general as possible.
When a film opens with
an elderly countess being murdered right out of her wheelchair with a goddamn noose,
you know you're in for a crazy time.
I can't even begin to describe what follows, and apparently neither could Bava as the pacing and storytelling is a bit of a mess in this one. At one point the story progression basically stops dead in its tracks to introduce a group of horny hippies and we're treated to a proto Friday the 13th. It's definitely not as tight as Bava's previous efforts.
It's hard to complain about a movie not following the typical formula when Bava is the one creating the formula everyone else would later follow, but the lack of any clear protagonist makes it a little difficult to get invested in the story as you wait for all these people to be brutally murdered. And holy shit, do people get brutally murdered.
Bava clearly did not shy away from graphic violence and gore before, but the kills on display here are the most graphic I've seen from him yet. I was a bit surprised to see nudity in this one as well, as none of the earlier films I've seen from him were this risque. I wonder if it was just him changing with the times, or outside pressure to make it more sexy. While I don't want to flat out call it a sleazy flim, it's by far closest I've seen from Bava yet.
About here is where you should realize this review is meandering (because it is) so I'll come to a close because that's exactly how the film did it. The final act is INSANE. It's a mad dash to get everything explained, and then the ending… goddamn that ending. Bava, you mad genius!
A Bay of Blood is difficult for me to score. It has some serious storytelling issues I can't overlook and the English dubbing is pretty poor on a technical level, but the final act is so bonkers it must be seen.
Overall, flawed by very enjoyable. I suspect this will be more enjoyable during a second viewing.
Rating:
out 5 "What's in the basket?"
07) Delirium: Photo of Gioia (Le foto di Gioia) (1987) (Oct 7)
Ah, now we're into the real sleaze. While Lamberto Bava's Delirium may not reach the trash heights of Fulci's New York Ripper or Bianchi's Strip Nude for Your Killer, it's probably around the level of Argento's Tenebre, which is a pretty good balance.
In my review of Lamberto's A Blade in the Dark, I was going to make a joke about how it felt so Argento influenced that if it had Daria Nicolodi in the cast and a Goblin score, I probably wouldn't have known it wasn't Argento. Well, we still didn't get a Goblin score in this one, but we did get Nicolodi!
So with that, it's a pretty standard Argento-ish style giallo with a good cast and some creative visuals. What sets this one apart from the pack are both the lead, Serena Grandi, who I understand was a huge Italian sex symbol at the time and a really creative way of shooting the killer POV shots during the murders.
As the film's English title suggests, the killer suffers from delirium so there's some pretty wacky visuals on display at times. I don't want to give any away, but it's a cool little touch to an otherwise standard giallo.
The biggest issue; outside of the amazing
killer bees
murder and the delirium effects, the kills pretty bland and uninteresting. They could have went a little more extreme there. Overall, I had fun and think it's worth checking out for fans of the sub-genre.
I wish these movies would be more consistent on whether the titles use Roman numerals or not. The poster says "Part 3" but the title screen is "Part III". The previous movie has posters that say "Part 2" and "Part II", with the title screen saying "Part 2".
So Jason finally gets his iconic hockey mask...2/3 of the way through the movie, but now he feels like Jason Vorhees. The characters here are more interesting here than in the first two. The 3D gimmick is nice for the kills, but not for the random things like the baseball bat, the yo-yo, and the popcorn. I'm glad those punk bikers got killed, and fairly quickly too. I'm also getting tired of these fake-out endings. Oh well, just one more to go.
From the spooky rendition of Carol of the Bells over the opening credits, to William Shatners final tipsy toast, I loved every single moment of this anthology. Its funny, gory, creepy, ridiculous, and always thoroughly entertaining.
There are four loosely connected stories on offer: a spooky investigation into high school murder; a trip to steal a christmas tree that has some hideous repercussions; a dysfunctional family trying to survive a visit from Krampus, and lastly, Santa and Mrs Claus having a spot of bother up at the north pole with some elves who arent feeling themselves. All the stories are great; I find it genuinely hard to pick out a favourite. And I really loved the way that, because everything is happening on the same day at the same time, the film cuts back and forth between them, rather than showing them one after the other; it gives the film a cohesion some other anthologies lack.
All the cast are really good (particularly George Buza, who gives the best portrayal of Father Christmas Ive seen in a long time), but of course the real star of the show is William Shatner. He plays local radio DJ Dangerous Dave, and his increasingly inebriated and non-PC pronouncements on Christmas, his unhappy co-worker Norm, and some troublesome goings on at the local shopping mall, are interspersed throughout the film to magnificent effect. Shatner is perfect for the part. He hams it up mercilessly, and I couldnt stop grinning the whole time he was on screen.
If you like Christmas, you like anthologies, you like great practical effects, and you understand that William Shatner is a god amongst men, then A Christmas Horror Story is highly recommended. The first movie this month that Ive wanted to watch all over again the minute it finished.
14. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) Another gratuitous rewatch, really enjoyable if you know what you're getting into. In typical horror movie fashion, the majority of the film doesn't even take place anywhere near Manhattan! Could've used more of the infamous stalking theme too but oh well.
7. The Forest - not the shitty Into the Forest this time! Pretty enjoyable and solid film, the acting from Natalie Dormer was surprsingly hit and miss, but she could sell some of the more extreme moments. Love the concept and idea, and Japan is always the most beautiful place. Worth a watch!
Rating: 3/5
Wifes Rating: 4.5/5
8. Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children - I'm guessing this doesn't actually count... but I had to see it and include it! It was really enjoyable and I love the idea. It falls apart a bit at the end, but the first 3/4 had me pumped.
Rating: 4/5
Wifes rating: 4/5
7) Lights Out
Just got done watching this. An overall solid scary film. Also one of the few scary films where the kid in it wasn't an annoying little shit(Babadook). A couple of good jump scares as well.
#11 - House of the Devil (FTV) (2009) - No. Just...... no. When a movie takes over an hour of its 90 minute runtime to build up to its climax, I expect a better payoff than what I got here. Wolf Creek was able to pull off having a slow build because the last 30 minutes were spectacular and memorable. This was not. It wasn't the most awful film in the world, but it just about bored me to tears. An early contender for worst FTV of the challenge.
My immediate reaction to Paul Schrader's re-imagining of the classic Cat People is one of keen interest in finding out which of his fetishes he didn't indulge in this film! It's pretty surprising just how damn kinky the film gets, to the point where I wish that I had a time machine so I can go back to the meeting after the screening of this film to find out just how horrified that the Universal execs must have felt to discover what they were really funding the whole time. Taking the general premise of the original film, the first names of the main characters and virtually nothing else, Schrader essentially sets out to make a film like the original, in the sense that it positions its suspense more from the mood and atmosphere than outright shocks and jolts, but takes a drastically different route to get there. It's actually quite astonishing how much it charges along its own tangent, to the point where the one scene that's a direct lift feels entirely out of place as a result of being unneeded with how everything else has progressed up to that point. Of course, being almost entirely different isn't necessarily the key to success, as Schrader indulges in more than just his kinks. While I do like the relocation to New Orleans, Schrader draws unnecessary attention to himself as a filmmaker with how aggressively he over-directs the film, with a barrage of complicated tracking and framing setups that rarely lets up. It's one thing to be stylish, but it's another thing to put such an emphasis on showing off, especially at the expense of the storytelling. Speaking of, this film is honestly pretty difficult to explain beyond weird stuff happening that sometimes involves sex and leopards, as there really aren't too many attempts at having a story or that much characterization. I don't think the actors are bad at all (truthfully, Malcom McDowell does ham it up rather nicely to make up for the lack of meat), but it's clear that they're struggling to really get into their parts since I'm not even sure Schrader knew what he wanted to do with them other than making them a part of the scenery. Sure, it's hard to argue with those results when they involve the frequently nude Natassja Kinski (and, for the ladies, the guys disrobe nearly as often!), but if it came down to picking one to recommend right away, then there's no doubt that the original Jacques Tourneur/Val Lewton film comes out on top in pretty much every area that counts. But despite being nearly twice as long without the emotional center that the original had, there is a nicely bewitching layer to Schrader's take on the material that feels oddly compelling, even beyond the obvious luridness of what Schrader is able to get away with on an R-rating. It's difficult to quantify or qualify, but I think the combination of the tone that the film goes for, along with its clear avoidance of simply doing the original film over again, including a strong ending that couldn't be more different and dare I say more interesting than the note the original ended on, help to make this film stand out and be worthwhile. If it's not a great film like the original was, then it is certainly great about paying homage while doing its own thing in a genuinely interesting and intriguing way.
#07 - Santa Sangre (1989)
I've seen a bunch of Alejandro Jodorowsky movies, so this wasn't my first rodeo and I somewhat knew what to expect. He often likes to dip into the extremities of surrealism and, well, Santa Sangre is no different. I'm not even going to bother to describe what this about, just know it's wonderfully weird. One could argue this isn't as much a horror as it is other things, but there's some disturbing thrills, suspense and unsettling darkness to it. 7/10
Funny enough I actually watched both of these recently and liked Blood Rage much more, feeling it had a lot more whacko charm haha. I like the supporting characters in Blood Rage, they're.... Eccentric?
8. The Collection - This was so radically different from the original. Not even sure why it was a sequel (i know continues the story, but boy does it feel so diff). This felt more like a Saw meets Resident Evil type dealio.
9. Honeymoon - Pretty suspenseful thriller. Trying to figure out what's going on.
Awful. Sneering and mean-spirited in the style of an edgy teenager. Thematically incoherent. Makes "Hostel Part II" look like the pinnacle of thoughtful social commentary and directorial craft.
Pinhead does look better, but I'm not crazy about the Cenobites design based on that pic. They look too general horror gore and not weird sexual mutilation like the old designs. Pinhead needs the flayed nipples and is that a dirty old jacket he's wearing? Lose that.
Since we're on the subject though, Arrow Video just announced that they're bringing The Scarlet Box to the US. It's a blu-ray set of the first three films for those who don't know. The UK set sold out pretty quick, so if anybody wants it, jump early. No clue if the set is region 1 locked or not at this moment though.
I'd like to get to the Books of Blood someday, but honestly, I'm not much of a reader these days. I get sidetracked too easily. Not really interested in the YA series though, it's not my kind of thing.
Since we're on the subject though, Arrow Video just announced that they're bringing The Scarlet Box to the US. It's a blu-ray set of the first three films for those who don't know. The UK set sold out pretty quick, so if anybody wants it, jump early. No clue if the set is region 1 locked or not at this moment though.
Thanks for the links. Yeah, the designs aren't bad, they'd be fine in any other movie. There's just nothing Hellraiser about them. At least they don't look too cheap, I guess... and the box looks fine in those pics, so there's that.
Glad to hear about that Arrow set though. I'm so getting that unless it's crazy expensive here. I already have the old BDs for 1-2, but I want the new transfers and must have Hellraiser 3 on BD!
I wonder if we'll ever see an extended cut of Hellraiser. If my memory is correct, the trailer on the original BD had longer shots of gore than in the "uncut" US version of the movie, but I couldn't find any info on it when I looked into it.
If the old suggestion that they should only remake bad films with good premises is to hold up, it's hard to know if something like The Blob would have qualified. Had it not had the distinction of being Steve McQueen's first big starring role, or that goddamned theme song being so catchy, it's a bit difficult to see the virtues of the film even if you got rid of all the plodding setup. A lot of that had to with the blob itself: compared to other B-movie creatures of the era, it's a bit too simple to make for a good villain, and while the relative lack of explanation as to what it actually is could have been an interesting thread to explore further, that door was already shut pretty tight by the time they got around to remaking The Thing from Another World. Chuck Russell's solution to that problem, with the help of his fellow filmmakers, turned out to be pretty simple: Make a Better Blob.
And boy howdy, did they ever with this superb thrill-a-minute update, that takes a dopey premise and finds a cool way to make it feel fresh and even relevant to the 80s, while having some of the best practical effects work of any horror film ever and a wickedly demented sense of humor that spares very few. One thing that works right the hell away is keeping an interesting tie to the 50s, with this small town feeling like it never should have survived the decade, giving a nice sense of isolation from the rest of the world that helps to enhance the danger of when the blob starts to become beyond anyone's control. Did I mention how much fun it has subverting your expectations? It establishes early on that no one is safe from being consumed, and it's a credit to the sheer commitment to that ideal that it manages to keep its word on that to the end, leaving us with Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith as our unlikely but legitimately kick-ass saviors from this not-so-alien menace.
And it moves so damn efficiently! Rarely does a moment go by that doesn't keep building up the momentum that is constantly surging throughout its run time, making it almost impossible to believe that this update is 15 minutes longer than the original and yet moves so much more elegantly. Russell and Frank Darabont crafted one mean machine of a screenplay on this, but thanks to the big budget, it has a great look and feel beyond the masterful effects work that gives it a sheen seldom seen. The original film did have a bit of that going for it, but nothing on this scale. I'm not surprised it failed to recoup its budget, coming out at the tail end of the 80s when horror was starting to go out of fashion at the box office, but to whichever execs decided to give this project a big budget: thank you, you crazy bastards.
There really aren't enough kind words I have for this film. It deserves to be in the same pantheon that the likes of The Thing and 1978's Invasion of the Body Snatchers occupy. Hell, had it not been for the Blu-ray's brutal lack of availability these days, it probably could be with little effort. It's exciting, hilarious, devious and a real testament to how much great filmmaking prowess can improve even a flimsy concept. All it takes is a little love, a little understanding, and a whole lot of slime.
Films for October 8: It's time for some sci-fi horror! First up is Contamination, the immediate Italian response to the box office bonanza that was Alien with what will likely be the expected but hopefully entertaining outcome. Next up after that is The Hidden, which looks to offer up an interesting blend of buddy cop dynamics, extraterrestrial mayhem and just a touch of serial killing. And because there was no way that this was going to go unseen this year, we shall dive into the brand spankin' new Blu-ray of the firmly canonized Sci-Fi Horror Film of Them All: The Thing.
Better than the original in many ways, which is what I like in remakes. I like how Barbara wasnt annoying and worthless in this one and the ending was still bleak as fuck.
You'd these movies would be easier to get on bluray. The original is public domain, but the best bluray is from Japan. The remake was a limited release and OOP. Had to buy a region free Australian edition. Original dawn of the dead is OOP and expensive.
Thanks for the links. Yeah, the designs aren't bad, they'd be fine in any other movie. There's just nothing Hellraiser about them. At least they don't look too cheap, I guess... and the box looks fine in those pics, so there's that.
Glad to hear about that Arrow set though. I'm so getting that unless it's crazy expensive here. I already have the old BDs for 1-2, but I want the new transfers and must have Hellraiser 3 on BD!
I wonder if we'll ever see an extended cut of Hellraiser. If my memory is correct, the trailer on the original BD had longer shots of gore than in the "uncut" US version of the movie, but I couldn't find any info on it when I looked into it.
I didn't know about the extended footage, that would be if it was ever put out.
There is already a scaled down boxset of the Hellraiser trilogy that was released in the UK, so if you're not too worried about losing the fourth disc in the Scarlet Box along with the 200 page book then i'd go for this one. I actually ordered it last week before Arrow made the US announcement.
I was hoping you'd enjoy it. I watched it during last years marathon and despite having vague memories of it from when I was younger it blew me away. I never knew about how big the budget was, that explains a lot though. One of these days I'll get it on blu-ray, when the stars properly align.
I was hoping you'd enjoy it. I watched it during last years marathon and despite having vague memories of it from when I was younger it blew me away. I never knew about how big the budget was, that explains a lot though. One of these days I'll get it on blu-ray, when the stars properly align.
I was hoping you'd enjoy it. I watched it during last years marathon and despite having vague memories of it from when I was younger it blew me away. I never knew about how big the budget was, that explains a lot though. One of these days I'll get it on blu-ray, when the stars properly align.
There's a presumably region free release of the blob remake from Australia in early November. The same company released the NotLD remake on bluray, which was a limited twilight time release in the US.
October 7, film 2
There really aren't enough kind words I have for this film. It deserves to be in the same pantheon that the likes of The Thing and 1978's Invasion of the Body Snatchers occupy. Hell, had it not been for the Blu-ray's brutal lack of availability these days, it probably could be with little effort. It's exciting, hilarious, devious and a real testament to how much great filmmaking prowess can improve even a flimsy concept. All it takes is a little love, a little understanding, and a whole lot of slime.
It really is great, very underrated. I like that they made the blob utterly ruthless - it's downright mean. People I didn't expect to go die in alarmingly icky ways. Incredible creature effects.
#1 Hush
#2 Demonic
#3 The Fog
#4 I spit on your grave
#5 The Birds
#6 Psycho
It's weird watching the Birds and Psycho back to back because they have so much in common yet are very different. Both cool movies. But the Birds left more of an impression since I knew less about it, it did a good job of building up the birds as intimidating creatures.
8. Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children - I'm guessing this doesn't actually count... but I had to see it and include it! It was really enjoyable and I love the idea. It falls apart a bit at the end, but the first 3/4 had me pumped.
Rating: 4/5
Wifes rating: 4/5
This is based on one of my wife's favourite books. We went to see it last night then had a long conversation about whether I could include in the horrorthon. It's a kid's fantasy adventure that includes
hideous zombie-eyed scumbags eating a plateful of children's eyeballs, several enormous tentacle faced invisible monsters, people having their eyeballs removed/stabbed through, those little scary Halloween masked twins and Samuel L Jackson with some seriously fucked up teeth.
I'm pretty sure it can count in this month's tally.
Also, what a great film, despite Tim Burton's dumb comments on the casting diversity issue.
A fun premise is dotted with some funny moments, but otherwise squanders its setup badly. I've had it with stupid people doing astoundingly stupid things in horror movies. This is loaded with jump scares that make no sense. Zombie springs in front of someone, surprising them - while they are in the middle of a field of snow - like, six times. Characters that do the amazingly inexplicable, like walk across half a mountain to tap someone on the shoulder, while they are in the middle of whacking away at zombies with an axe, rather than just calling to them. Gee I wonder what will happen when they turn around.
My favorite films feature strong female characters, so I demerit this one a shitload for letting the guys have all the fun while the women literally get chased around and picked off the entire movie, forcing them to make one stupid decision after another. For every fun moment - zombie chopping montage was funny - the film counters with boatloads of insultingly stupid. I had fun for about ten minutes, and was frustrated/bored/angry for the rest.
It has the distinction for having the single most awkward sex scene so far this year, so there's that.
I'm watching The Thing or Cabin in the Woods tomorrow, as a palette cleanser.
There's a presumably region free release of the blob remake from Australia in early November. The same company released the NotLD remake on bluray, which was a limited twilight time release in the US.
A movie whose concept is probably better than its execution. Solid acting from the lead, mediocre from many of the others, Sid Haig being sort of Sid Haig, I won't reveal. It is one of those movies that thinks it is more clever than it really is. CG blood at times which is such a major no no for me.
Has probably one of the worst name drop the title scenes I've ever seen and they get Sid Haig to do it which makes it even worse because he's capable of much more.
A decisively mediocre film, not good, not awful, not boring but not super entertaining...
Summary - A real estate broker in (Alicia) checks in on the last remaining resident of a largely abandoned, rent-controlled building in Barcelona. Despite pressure from real estate developers (who want to bulldoze the building and exploit the property), he doesn't want to leave.
It's also her boyfriend Simon's birthday that night, and his employment situation has him both depressed and averse to her spending a lot of money on him. She holds on to the keys to the building and arranges a birthday surprise for him in one of the empty apartments.
Unfortunately, the real estate developers aren't willing to wait for the old man to die, so they send in a crew to expedite the process, and the presence Simon and Alicia presents an inconvenient loose end. The rest of the movie consists largely of them trying to escape the building while being pursued by hired thugs.
Thoughts - Meh. I'll give it this much: there's some decent imagery in the film on occasion. The problem is basically everything else. I'm not sure if it's the script or the acting (I lean towards the former, myself), but the characters are flat and, frankly, boring. I'm not invested enough in them to actually CARE what happens to them. At that point, I'm following their story not because I want to see how it turns out, but rather just because I have to go along in order to finish the film.
There's really very little suspense for a film that's basically The Raid on a smaller scale (though admittedly without any of that film's pacing or fight choreography). Things do pick up a little bit in the last half/last third, but the ending is such a foregone conclusion that even then, it doesn't feel like there's any actual stakes. In a way, it feels like the music video version of a better film - hitting the necessary beats and going through the motions while showing off some nicely-constructed images.
I am conflicted about this movie. On the one hand, a lot of the dialogue’s bad, some of the acting’s worse and many of the characters behave so stupidly they bloody well deserve to be hacked to pieces by Psycho Santa and his garden shears. (I mean, how long would it take YOU to get off a bed when there was someone underneath it stabbing a large blade upwards through the mattress?)
On the other hand, the characters somehow manage to be appealing despite their occasional stupidity, the plot (three young ladies offer to help a neighbourhood widow put up her christmas decorations and everything goes wrong) is entertaining and not as straightforward as it first seems, and the awesome gore is hilariously plentiful. In the opening twenty minutes alone, we have
multiple bloody deaths, including two where the victims have their dicks cut off, one of which severed members gets nibbled on by a cat.
The red stuff gets sprayed all over the place at very regular intervals throughout the movie, which brings me to my next positive: with a super-saturated colour palette and a million twinkly lights, this is pretty much the most Christmassy-looking film I’ve ever seen, in any genre. Shiny and bright and beautiful, it’s like Hostel 2 and Home Alone had a gory festive baby.
So, modern scream queen b-movie masterpiece, or sleazy cheap holiday exploitation flick? Not sure I can really tell, probably a bit of both, but I know had great time with it, and I can see myself watching it again come Christmas.
There's a presumably region free release of the blob remake from Australia in early November. The same company released the NotLD remake on bluray, which was a limited twilight time release in the US.
Oh cool, that's happened with a few other Twilight Time titles before, like Fright Night and Christine (at least prior that film being taken back by Sony and released on their own). I think they're almost always the same exact transfer, too.
