By Edward W. Stanley
I thought I'd have a scary film night and I watched a few movies recently, having not found a realistic review for any of them; I figured I'd post my take on these pieces of 'cinema'.
Drag Me to Hell, 2009
3 out of 9
"Rehashed but good plots, gaudy special effects, not bad acting, probably popular in the high schools, don't have any expectations"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1127180/
It's a horror movie, and fairly horrible. I really tried to get into and although I found it though had a good 'story', it was three twilight zone stories mashed together, with some awkward special effects. Acting was reasonable. I couldn't sit through it. It might be enjoyable if you are a Fangora fan.
Eddy's fast alt: Constantine
Antichrist, 2009
2 out of 9 (Yes it gets a worse score than Drag Me to Hell, for Willem Defoe should know better)
"A Big budget quality horror film, but hard to find anything remotely enjoyable, not recommended at all."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0870984/
Warning: this film contains extremely graphic violence.
I had high hopes for this film but I couldn't sit through this TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) special horror feature either. It wasn't because of the nature of horror films, for I can name 4 or 5 films off the top of my head (Saw, Nightmare on Elm Street, Identity, The Exorcist 3, or Scream) of the genre that are very memorable. But this movie just pours on the violence and its message; yes it tries to have a message, which is absurd at best. Willem Defoe, the big name attached to this film, brought a certain believability and credibility (irony) to this film. I would not recommend it to anyone.
Eddy's fast alt: Misery
Laid to Rest, 2009
4 out of 9
"A low budget movie that could be remade, with a budget into a good film"
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1228933/
As low budget scary movies go it wasn't bad, the characters were interesting if mostly poorly acted. This bad acting and plot actually works for this film. This could have been a really good film, but the Jigsaw / Jason villain's mask was too shiny, the plot too thin and the music score was provided by what seems like the directors' friend's band.
Oddly, the best of the bunch, if you can call it best.
Eddy's fast alt: Saw
