NEW BLOOD: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR
FOX
2016 Color
96 Mins.
Horror/Thriler
Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeremy Sisto and Sofia Rosinsky star.
Written and Directed by Johannes Roberts
Rated R for language violence and gore.

Expectations weren't high walking in. But I'm happy to say that The Other Side of the Door is the best pure genre film to come out this year. Where movies like The Forest, The Boy and The Witch failed this movie succeeds in establishing an immersive, intriguing and suspenseful environment. The movie centers on a mother who looses her child in a tragic accident while living in India. Overcome with grief and after an attempted suicide her housekeeper reaches out to her about a temple buried in the woods by her childhood village. The temple has a reputation as being a gateway to the land of the dead. It is a place where you can commune with the deceased but you must follow one rule, never open the door. Well she of course does and it brings fourth the spirit of her son which begins to manifest itself as something evil. Accompanying him is the freaky ass God of the underworld who guards the gate and desperately wants his spirit back. The territory has been visited in better movies but this solid entry approaches the subject matter in an intriguing way. Steeped in cultural folklore the proceedings are creative and refreshing. The solid execution from Roberts creates a thick atmosphere of nail biting suspense and an almost surreal, nightmarish memorable cinematic experience. Accompanied by disturbing visuals, inspired classicesque horror cinematography, solid performances especially from Callies and Sisto and great character work. Not everything in the film works it's obvious that it's limited by a low budget and when it goes into possession territory it becomes a bit forced as does the performance by the young girl. But that ending is a kicker! All things included make "Other Side" a must see for fans of supernatural horror films! It's been a while since we've seen a film of this type bringing a focus on a foreign culture which works especially well if you're feeling nostalgic for the genre greats of yesteryear like Serpent and the rainbow and The Believers. ****/5

WEEKEND WARNING: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR and more

It looks to be a quiet weekend for us genre fans. Here's a compact look at what the weekend has to offer us.


THE OTHER SIDE OF THE DOOR
Fox
2016 Color
96 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Sarah Wayne Callies, Jeremy Sisto and Sophia Rosinsky star.
Written and Directed by Johannes Roberts
Rated R for violence and gore.

SETUP: Arriving quietly this weekend is this generic looking supernatural thriller. It centers on a mother who looses her child and than tries to contact him in a ritual that goes horribly wrong. The premise is intriguing and it's nice to get a film with shadings of cultural superstitions. I'm not sure how all of this will end up because reviews have been middling and limited. But the March release date and the pre screen for critics shows that they have a little faith in the product even though it's been severely under advertised.


BUZZ: Out of 7 reviews the film is sitting at 43% positive which is decent for a film of this type. And the reviews seem to be a little of both. Look below to see some critics reactions.


POSITIVE:


Kathryn McLaughlin of The List says " Whilst you're in the midst of its dark embrace it's reliably creepy."


Kim Newman of Empire Magazine says " A solid Haunting possession movie with good character work and unusual local colour, this works in a few surprises, sufficient scares and a nicely barbed punchline."


NEGATIVE:


Geoff Berkshire says " The type of sporadically silly and patently predictable horror pic that would look like filler on Syfy's weekend lineup."


Dave White of The Wrap says " There is an annoyingly liberal use of horror's cheapest gimmick, the jump scare."


CONCLUSION: I think the film looks decent and with a positive buzz it's definitely intriguing. It's definitely not a positive sign that it's from the director of Storage 24. I think this will fare a bit better than the forest but I wouldn't expect anything great. I believe there is a 60% chance it could be a solid flick. Check out a creepy TV Spot below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDcxrf1Wevs


AVA'S POSESSIONS
Orion
2015 Color
89 Mins.
Horror/Comedy
Louisa Krause, Carol Kane, William Sadler, Lou Taylor Pucci and Dan Fogler star.
Written and Directed by Jordan Galland
Rated R for language, violence, gore and adult themes.

SETUP: Riding a wave of extremely positive buzz Ava's Possessions centers on a young woman recovering from demonic possession. The film approaches in a creative, comedic manner is supposed to be a major treat for genre fans.

BUZZ: Out of 8 reviews it has 75% positive. A pretty high percentage and I'm crossing my fingers that it's gonna meet my expectations. It's been talked about since premiering last year so let's see what it's all about!

POSITIVE:

Jared Mobarak of The Film Stage says " A fresh spin on a classic theme."

Perri Nemiroff of Collider says "Galland is a skilled world builder. He takes these very familiar big screen scenarios, puts his own smart spin on them and than he winds up with these especially appealing and thoughtful concepts that are a blast to consider well beyond the feature."

NEGATIVE:

Rob Hunter of Film School Rejects says " It isn't a bad film by any stretch but it's frustrating to watch it plod along while an abundance of promise sits right outside the frame."

Mark H. Harris of About.com says " It becomes increasingly serious, creating an awkward middle of the road tone in which neither comedy nor horror delivers a punch."

CONCLUSION: If you've seen the promising trailer you can see that this film looks wild. And with the abundance of positive buzz I'm hoping that it ends up delivering on it's inspired promises. However the lack of any studio push does leave you questioning the quality of the product. That being said with everything considered I'm 70% sure this will a fun flick. Check out the kick ass trailer below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjkfTD_MW1M


ROAD GAMES
IFC
2016 Color
95 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Andrew Simpson, Barbara Crampton, Josephine De La Baume and Feodor Atkine
Written and Directed by Abner Pastoll
N/R contains language, violence gore and adult themes.

SETUP: A young couple becomes entangled with a mysterious married couple and a local road kill collector while hitchhiking. The synopsis isn't too exciting but 100% positive reviews demands your attention.

BUZZ: Out of 8 reviews it has 100% positive! Enough said.

POSITIVE:

John DeFore of Hollywood Reporter says " Stripped down thriler benefits from it's setting."

Mike McGranaghan of aisle Seat says " Fueled by strong performances and some genuinely riveting twists and turns, It's a solid genre film that delivers the goods in a largely fresh way."

Laura Kern of Film Comment magazine says " Nothing is quite what it seems on this psycho road trip and crazy revelations are eventually spilled."

NEGATIVE: none.

CONCLUSION: The buzz is very promising but the lack of any studio push is questionable still between the tense trailer and the positive buzz I'm 70% sure this will be a treat. Hopefully it will deliver on the genre goodies. Check out the nightmarish trailer below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI8guzFYSPI

RETRO HORROR FIX: THE UNHOLY

THE UNHOLY
Vestron
1988 Color
102 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Ben Cross, Ned Beatty, Hal Holbrock and Peter Frechette star.
Written by Phillip Yordan and Fernando Fonesca
Directed by Camilo Vila
Rated R for language, violence, gore, sexuality and nudity.

Who remembers this fun little Good vs. Evil flick? Although it never had the impact it should have. There's no time like the present to revisit this tight little, goofy religious themed horror thriller. Although never as creepy as it should be the film is damn entertaining. Centering on a priest who is chosen by the church to battle the unholy unknowingly. After being thrown from a hotel by a suicidal young man and receiving no injuries he gets his own church where two priests have been brutally murdered before him. Soon after he discovers a local satanic club and tries to help a young girl all the while being tempted by a seductive demon who floats around showing her breasts in lots of different sheer outfits. The Unholy is such a fun little film. The practical effects don't hold up but the craftmanship is impressive as is the film's fun tone. There's a lot of hokiness here from the glossy satanic rituals to the sexy demon who saunters through each of her scenes speechless. And the finale features a frighteningly silly creature that takes center stage as the priest does battle with it. Ben Cross is solid in the lead and the film's structure although reminiscent of so many better films doesn't take itself too seriously here. So if you're in the mood for a nostalgic little devil flick the unholy delivers cheap thrills and 80's horror in spades! ****/5

FINAL BOI'S 2015 HORROSCARS!

Just in time for the Oscars today! Here's my own annual celebration of the unjustly denied genre films and the people who make our lives as horror fans just that much better! please feel free to comment and don't forget to subscribe

BEST HORROR MOVIE:

IT FOLLOWS-Few films recently have had the visceral impact of this justly successful horror indie. From it's opening moments when a frantic young woman races out of her house from an unseen horror to the creepy showdown at a swimming pool. The film is filled with a dread inducing score and a nightmarish atmosphere throughout it's run time. It Follows is undoubtedly a new horror classic. With it's classic execution and socially conscious themes running through out it's easy to see why the film was such a breakout!

BEST DIRECTOR

Todd Strauss Schulson: FINAL GIRLS- A sure runner up for film of the year. The Final Girls was unjustly denied a wide theatrical release despite it's brilliant setup and wonderfully entertaining payoff. Centering on a group of horror fans who find themselves in an actual 80's horror flick. The film is funny, clever and filled with strong emotionally resonant performances. Kudos to director Todd Strauss Schulson for nailing a super fun blend of comedy and light horror to make a unique, classic movie going experience.

BEST SCREENPLAY

M.A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller: FINAL GIRLS-Their brilliant screenplay fueled one of the most original films of the year. Their sharp dialogue and inspired plotting moved things along briskly in an explosive way making the proceedings feel fresh and immersive. Congrats to these guys for pulling off an intriguing blend of increasing cleverness that was a love letter to old school genre fans! P.S. when looking up these guys you'll notice genre vet Miller was a big presence in the 80's starring in everything from Teen Witch to Near Dark!

BEST ACTOR:

ADAM SCOTT: KRAMPUS-Krampus was filled with lots of fun goodies for us genre fans. But standing at the forefront was one hell of a kick ass performance from Adam Scott. Nailing a combination of hilarious comic timing and being scared as shit at the increasingly weird events around him. Scott is due for breakout stardom with his quirky good looks and engaging persona. Always a faithful genre presence check him out in the super fun/trashy Piranha 3D as well.

BEST ACTRESS


OLIVIA TAYLOR DUDLEY: THE VATICAN TAPES-If you managed to see this slightly above average film in it's super limited release or recently on DVD it's hard not feel the raw impact of it's leading lady. Many before her have done the whole possession thing but Dudley brings a genuine artistry to it all as she moves confidently between victim and villain. Filled with many cringe inducing moments Dudley shines throughout the trying role elevating the material around her.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

JEFFREY DONOVAN: EXTINCTION- This criminally underseen post apocalyptic horror thriller is filled with strong performances throughout but sexy Jeffrey Donovan of Burn Notice and BW2 is it's King of the Castle. He adds a real emotional zest and fierce survival depth to Jack, A man whose been wronged and has still managed to become a solid parental figure to a young girl amidst the chaos.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

MALIN ACKERMAN: FINAL GIRLS- Final girls is filled with many wonderful performances but Ackerman really nails her role. She brings a real maternal layer and a childlike naivety to her Nancy/Amanda. When we first meet her in the real world she's a struggling actress and a mother who dies tragically and than we meet her once again in her famous Scream Queen role in the movie within a movie. She cleverly plays with the sexuality, silliness and emotional resonance of the material. Delivering on all accounts in an inspired execution.

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BEST CAST

FINAL GIRLS- Was there even a question? Malin Ackerman, Alexander Ludwig, Nina Dobrev, Taissa Farminga, Alia Shawcat, Thomas Middleditch, Adam Devine and so many more hit their marks exceedingly well. Together with their great chemistry they bring to life this criminally underseen comedic horror tale. All bringing more depth and confidence to their roles.

BEST POSTER

IT FOLLOWS: This gorgeous old school poster evokes a sense of hipster horror with a original tinge. Gorgeously created with the right imagery to capture the horror of the film and pull us viewers in. 

BEST SCORE

DISASTERPIECE: IT FOLLOWS- The music perfectly fills every sweaty palm inducing scene. Drenching the film in an atmosphere of approaching menace and unknowable horror. There hasn't been a genre score this powerful or memorable since the classics (the Exorcist, The Omen, Halloween, The Shining, Jaws)  which it's sure to become!

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

MIKE GIOULAKIS: IT FOLLOWS- It Follows is nightmarish and one of the main reasons is Gioulakis's menacing slow burn cinematography. Capturing each scene in a surrealistic way with a sense of impending doom. His wide pan shots of something moving towards you in the background is the stuff bad dreams are made of. Inspired and Classic, his rich eye for horror is something that deserves applause!

BEST GORE EFFECTS

CARLO ANTONINO AND HER TEAM: EXETER- Have you seen Exeter. if so you witnessed the plethora of gooey gore and it's quite impressive. From impalements to sawed offed limbs and faces being torn apart there hasn't been a more impressive stew of bloody carnage in any genre film in 2015.

BEST CREATURE DESIGN

MATHIEU BAPTISTA: KRAMPUS- No matter how you felt about the movie Krampus's main monster was something to be hold. With a hooded cloak made of ghastliness the gorgeous creature sports soulless eyes, a gruesomely long tongue and disturbing razor sharp claws. He's definitely not someone to fuck with.

SCARIEST  BOOGEYMEN

WE ARE STILL HERE- You would be hard pressed to find creepier boogeymen in 2015 than the nightmarish ghosts of We are still here. Their dark entities spouting smoke, demonic eyes and a rich disturbing atmosphere stay with you long after the film is over.

BEST CGI

JURASSIC WORLD- It's pretty easy to see why JW's phenomenal CGI would take the cake. Filled with lots of new dinos and some returning favorites. JW reigned supreme as it perfected those nasty beasties giving us our moneys worth in spades.

MOST STRIKING VISUAL

THE LAZURUS EFFECT- Maybe the movie wasn't fantastic but that striking image of Olivia Wilde floating demonically down a burning hallway is beautiful and horrific in the best way.

SCARIEST MOMENT 

IT FOLLOWS: TALL MAN- How could you forget the moment when a dark, soulless version of the monster comes closely behind following a young woman into a room. It shook the audience to it's core and reminded people how scary and creative jump scares could truly be.

HOTTEST GUY

ALEXANDER LUDWIG; FINAL GIRLS/FINAL GIRL- Heyyyyyyyy Alexander Ludwig has come along way from his days at Witch Mountain. He's returned to the scene in the form of a tall, muscular greek god with a killer smile and sparkling eyes. It's no surprise that he's one of the hottest guys working the genre today!

Honarable Mention: The Boys of MUCK: The movie is completely exploitative of it's actors but hey that's not such a bad thing here. Ripping there shirts and clothes at the most ridiculous of times. it's hard to appreciate the killer bods on display.

HOTTEST GIRL

NINA DOBREV: FINAL GIRLS: Finally leaving behind her TV persona in The Vampire Diaries Nina Dobrev graced the silver screen with her charismatic wit and killer good looks. from her long luscious locks to impressive physique it's hard not to notice this scene stealing beauty.

BEST VILLAIN

JESSICA CHASTAIN: CRIMSON PEAK- I always appreciate an actor whose not afraid to go batshit crazy when it comes to playing a ghastly villain. Oscar Winner Jessica Chastain does that in spades as Crimson Peak rockets towards it's insane conclusion. Chastain wields a bloody razor with inspired glee and a manic intensity.

BEST COMEBACK 

BRUCE CAMPBELL: ASH VS. EVIL DEAD-It's not like he ever really left. But Campbell stormed back with this perfect continuation of out beloved franchise. Bringing his chiseled good looks and  lovable charismatic douchey sense of humor back to the franchise giving it just the right punch for starving genre fans. Here's lookin forward to season 2!

BEST TV SHOW

ASH VS. EVIL DEAD- Was it even a question? It's no doubt that Ash Vs. Evil Dead was the TV show of the year! Delivering on everything we could want this 10 episode season brought the ghastly goods from finely tuned plotting, creepy scares buckets of fun gore and lots of laughs the series stands as the most enjoyable genre experience of the year!

MOST DESERVING OF A FRANCHISE

FINAL GIRLS: Anyone whose seen and loved this movie knows that if any film deserves a franchise it's this perfect, innovative little genre feature. Leaving us with a inspired little cliffhanger we can only hope the same people involved return to bring us more clever carnage!

LEAST DESERIVING OF A FRANCHISE

INSIDIOUS: It all started out so perfectly. The Original Insidious was brilliant and absolutely terrifying but with the arrival of this third strained unwanted chapter it's leaving us asking why? This once brilliant franchise has lost all of it's pizzazz instead leaving us with an assortment of cliched scares, insipid makeup effects and laughably bad dialogue. 

SO BAD IT'S GOOD

MUCK: Steven Wolsch's disastrous film is perfectly awful in all the right ways. From it's ridiculously sexy cast to it's exploitative use of them. The film features buckets of playful gore unintentionally funny dialogue and some of the most creative and stupendous sequences in any genre film of the year. For extra fun make sure you view the film with lots of booze, try and sort out the rationality of the characters actions and give all your attention to the many over the top slow mo shots!

DELICIOUSLY AWFUL PERFORMANCE

THE CAST OF MUCK: Listen no one in Muck is there to deliver a life altering performance, not that some of them aren't trying which makes it that much more fun. Delivering the corny dialogue with deadpan emotional range they are more focused on showing their abs, biceps, boobs and booties than anything else.  But like the movie it's hard not too appreciate how deliciously awful it all fits.

MOST UNINTENTIONALLY LAUGHABLE MOMENT 

THE GREEN INFERNO( Spoiler): There isn't any moment this year more absurd or laughable than that trick ending at the end of Green Inferno where our main actress turns to face someone with what seems to be wax monster teeth. It sent the audience I was with into a hysterical uproar!

HORRORESQUE: GODS OF EGYPT

GODS OF EGYPT
Lionsgate
2016 Color
129 Mins.
Action/Adv-Fantasy
Gerard Butler, Brandon Thwaites, Courtney Eaton, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Bryan Brown, Rachael Blake and Geoffrey Rush star.
Written by Matt Sazama and Burt Sharpless
Directed by Alex Proyas
Rated PG-1 3 for language and violence


10 THINGS TO DO IF YOU GO TO THE THEATER TO SEE GODS OF EGYPT:


1. Visualize the director's better films Crow, Dark City, Knowing.
2. Make a list of errands you have to do the following day.
3. Braid your hair.
4. Cut your fingernails.
5. Keep going to the concession stand to buy food.
6. Sneak out of the theater and see something else, anything else.
7. Think of a better movie you could make.
8. Think of jokes you can tell about the movie after it's over.
9. Sneak in lots of liquor and get drunk
10. Kill yourself.

Oh Alex Proyas why has though forsaken me. The Crow and Dark City are a few of my favorite films and unlike most I even found Knowing intriguing. But 'GOE" is the hottest mess to come out of Hollywood in quite some time. Built with a 140 million dollar budget this epic failure starts off in an alarmingly but strangely immersive campy tone. After the fight 15 minutes that falters and it becomes a loud, obnoxious groan fest. Where people shout constantly at each other and every scene is more unbelievable than the next and ends in an insepid one liner. Lots of people show up to embarrass themselves here Oscar Winner Geoffrey Rush is one I feel most ashamed for. The movie is packed with cartoonish CGI, dialogue and plotting written by a 2 year old and is only entertaining if being shouted at by an annoying kid for two hours sounds fun . The only thing the film has to offer is a fare amount of impressive visuals courtesy of Proyas's imagination but despite that every facet of this overblown cinematic turd is D.O.A. *.5/5

SO BAD IT'S GOOD: VALENTINE

VALENTINE
Warner Bros.
2001 Color
96 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Denise Richards, Marley Shelton, David Boreanaz, Jessica Capshaw, Jessica Caufield, Katherine Heigl, Fulvio Cecere, Daniel Cosgrove and Adam Harrington star.
Written by Donna Powers
Directed by Jamie Blanks
Rated R for language, violence, gore and sexuality

Roses are Red. Violets are Blue. They're gonna need dental records to identify you. Lots of fun rhymes populate this terrible wannabe slasher franchise that offers up the goofy so bad it's good cheap thrills in spades. The film tells that generic story of a young boy bullied at a Valentine dance. And than returns later as an adult to wreak havoc on those who have wronged him. The setup is basic  and executed much better in everything from Terror Train to Prom Night but when you meet those shallow bitches as adults is when the funnies really begin. From the forced, over sexualized performances to the unnecessarily gruesome V Day horrors the film overstays it's welcome by maybe 30 mins but offers a lot of entertainment along the way. In it's defense you can tell that no one associated with the production is taking it too seriously and that fun attitude shows through it's run time.Also the production value for a film of this type is rather impressive. But a bad movie is still a bad and a fun bad movie is always welcome. Valentine is just that a movie that wants to be scary but is generically executed to be anything but an "up all night" feature. Featuring a disastrously delicious turn from Denise Richards, her hot tub scene is everything! ***/5