NEW BLOOD: WISH UPON

WISH UPON
Broad Green
2017 color
89 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Joey King, Ryan Phillippe, Ki Hong Li, Mitchell Slaggert, Shannon Purser and Sydney Park  star.
Written by Barbara Marshall
Directed by John R. Leonetti
Rated PG-13 for language, violence and gore.

So... I'm embarrassed to admit it but I kinda liked this movie. Now I know most of you will be rolling your eyes as I would have before I saw it but it's really pretty good and pretty bad but in the right ways. Now the setup is quite familiar girl finds haunted object makes wishes, those around her have to pay the price for them. Some of the wishes consists of making a girl rot, dating the school's hunk, making her dad less embarrassing even though that involves a ridiculous Saxophone and popularity of course amongst others. Some of the prices involve a garbage disposal, a chainsaw and a very large statue with very big horns amongst others.  Although it's really just a longer Tales from the Crypt episode "Wish" offers a fair amount of solid entertainment even though there's not much depth to it all.

 Leonetti of the recent overly mediocre Annabelle directs. He fares much better with teen horror and even amps up the suspense in a few spots, One in particular involves someone on an elevator mixed with someone fixing a car. Leaving the audience wondering who will meet their gory demise. There are of course some unintentional giggles throughout from some of the forced character building moments, some PG-13 edited death sequences and one hell of a ridiculous looking final kill. Now, you have to understand I really went in with the lowest of expectations I mean I didn't hate Annabelle but it's hard to deny that it was a bad movie. I also had a shot before seeing this and that might have helped as well. However, I do believe that the film's two saving graces are the death sequences, some of which are surprisingly violent for it's rating and it's solid cast.

Joey King is really impressive in the lead and even when her character is doing horribly selfish things, she's easy to root for. She's gives her character some much needed depth and manages to side step some of the more horrid dialogue by conveying a true sense of genuine ownership of the part. Not an easy commitment but she nails it. Also impressive are her friends Shannon Purser a.k.a. Barb from  Stranger Things and Sydney Park from The Walking Dead. Both have some great moments and Park is spunky and memorable in her role. All of this merits a light recommendation. Wish Upon doesn't reinvent the genre or even make a solid dent in it. But as teen popcorn horror it's quite entertaining even when it results to making Ryan Philippe play the saxophone repeatedly and coming off supposedly cool like this is a late 80's cinemax after dark flick. But it's in that goofiness that the film remains oddly endearing because it's both pretty good and unintentionally funny in spots. It's a blend of Final Destination and Mean Girls  mixed with Wishmaster, it does however fare much better than the latter and much better than Annabelle and presents a tasty if forgettable offering for Horror fans desperately in need of a theatrical outing. ***.25/5

KILLER FRANCHISE: FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980)

In celebration of my current obsession which has turned me into a 13 y/o boy Friday the 13th the game. I have decided to marathon my beloved childhood franchise of which I have grown up on. And with that I have decided to blog some reviews of them. So without further ado let's start with the brilliant original Friday the 13th aka the one where Jason's Mom is the killer, which is a much deserved classic in my humble opinion.

FRIDAY THE 13TH
Paramount
1980 Color
1 hr. and 30 Mins.
Horror/Thriller
Adreinne King, Kevin Bacon, Betsy Palmer, Jeanine Taylor, Robbie Morgan, Harry Crosby, Mark Nelson, Laurie Bartram, Peter Brouwer and Walt Gorney star.
Written and Directed by Sean S. Cunningham
Rated R for language, violence, gore, drug use, sexuality and nudity.

I never got to see the original film in theaters. I actually didn't see the original film til I was in my teens. I believe my first trip to see Mr. Voorhees was the seventh film and than backtracked from there fleshing out my horror palate. Upon seeing it I was confused as to where Jason was until that horrifying ending which still stands as one of the creepiest twists ever. Now years later I have recently revisited it and can honestly say that it is a brilliant film and it's cult/classic status is well deserved. Although Initially the makers of Friday the 13th decided on a horror film only after the success of Halloween. Made for a now paltry $550,000 the film went on to make $39.7 Million which if adjusted for inflation would be over $100,000,000 now. Like Halloween the film was met with negative reception at first but has earned more positive reviews from modern critics. In the years following the success of the original film Paramount has always been kind of embarrassed by the franchise sadly never giving the franchise the treatment or acclaim it deserves, even though it helped them build their empire. The film centers around a group of camp counselors who are setting up a camp with an infamous past and end up being stalked by and Murdered off gruesomely one by one by Jason's Mother played by a disturbing Betsy Palmer.

 Adrienne King is the final girl and never really went on to do much after the first two films. Although she's taken her cult status and opened a winery in upstate new York with f13 themed wines (look for the link below). The film also stars a young Kevin Bacon in extreme studliness as a one dimensional horny hottie who gets killed off after doing the deed. The film features loads of gory executions trimmed down for an R release of course which include an axe to the face, a slashed throat and a decapitation.

The film is a lot of fun and has an unrelenting pace that culminates nicely. What's most impressive about this classic is how unique it is. It was a very rare thing to have a female villain back than, hell it's even rare now. It's also pretty cool how the film is laid out, it presents itself as a schlocky run of the mill slasher entry seeing a faceless killer throughout the proceedings who you assume to be a man and to be a grown Jason. But when it turns out to be his Mother it adds a whole new dimension to it at all. Because now it's become about a mother's love, overcome by grief and loneliness who has a few screws loose, a psychotic streak and wants revenge for the senseless death of her deformed son. Friday the 13th is such a corner stone of the genre. So many movies have taken from it from it's setting to it's villain and to the way in which horror clichés have formed. I mean how many films have we seen about a psychotic killer in the woods. And this was pretty much the first of the bunch. There's been lots of imitations and a ton of sequels but there's only one original still setting the standard 37 yrs. later for films of it's type. all hail Jason Voorhees!*****/5

KILLER FRANCHISE: FRIDAY THE 13TH 3-D

In celebration of my current obsession which has turned me into a 13 y/o boy Friday the 13th the game. I have decided to marathon my beloved childhood franchise of which I have grown up on. And with that I have decided to blog some reviews of them. So without further ado let's continue part 3 aka the one in 3-d where Jason gets his mask.


FRIDAY THE 13TH 3-D
Paramount
1982 Color
95 Mins.
Horror-Thriller
Dana Kimmell, Paul Kratka, Catherine Parks, Gloria Charles, Jeffrey Rogers, Nick Savage and Larry Zerner
Written by Mark Kitrosser and Carol Watson
Directed by Steve Miner
Rated R for language, violence, gore, sexuality, nudity and drug use.


After a slight misstep with the sequel Part 3 goes another route and decides not to take itself all too seriously. There are moments in this film in which it feels like a straight out comedy. But the execution from Miner is what makes this entry work oh so well. As for the plot a young woman returns to her family's cabin trying to overcome the trauma of being attacked years ago. She of course brings her stoner, hornball friends and the violence ensues as Jason hunts them down. Let's see where do I start.

NEW BLOOD: IT COMES AT NIGHT

IT COMES AT NIGHT
A24
2017 Color 
91 Mins.
Horror/Thriller/Drama
Joel Edgerton, Caren Ejogo, Christopher Abbot, Riley Keough and Kelvin Harrison Jr. star.
Written and Directed by Trey Edward Shults
Rated R for language, violence, gore and sexuality.

We've seen this movie before. Something's happened to the world, a virus has seemingly taken out most of the population and a family resides in the woods trying to survive. Until one day a mysterious stranger shows up and things begin to fall apart. I know you are probably rolling your eyes. I mean how many of these movies are they gonna make. It's true the concept feels a bit tired but "Night" proves there are still new ways to revisit it that make it feel fresh and relevant. This film is so great. I would just like to warn people upfront that this film is a slow burn and to be honest it's more of a drama filmed as a horror movie.

Shults effectively builds a potent, dread filled atmosphere you can cut with a knife. Every moment from dishes being washed, family dinners and staring into the woods is gorged with an uncomfortable sense of impending doom and anxiety inducing paranoia that makes it all feel nightmarish. It's the type of movie where they stare into an endless void horrified at something we cannot see but we are witnessing the horror that is happening on there faces. I mean there are a few scenes that take place in this long, dark, black hallway with a red door at the end. The camera moves slowly through it penetrating your psyche and inducing a subtle, prominent fear. I swear I was so creeped out I just wanted them to stop doing it. 

 In addition to the atmosphere, the performances are very strong across the board. Edgerton is solid as always, Ejogo has never been better and Kelvin Harrison is a real stand out here. He lends his character a sense of relatable desperation surviving in a bleak world not worth surviving in. The film is filled with disturbing imagery that was hard to forget long after I saw it, the cinematography is really impressive making the most inanimate objects seem downright creepy and the score is simplistic and haunting lending the proceedings the feel of a nightmare you can't wake up from.

 In fact I had a bit of trouble sleeping that night. I wanna say that it's not a perfect film sure it could have used a bit more character work. As well as some fleshing out concerning the story. But maybe that's the point maybe the simplistic nature of the film and all of it's subtext is what makes it so darn effective. It's sure to divide audiences, the movie is just not for  everyone. There's no big payoff and most of the events that happen are ended on an ambiguous note which will feel unsatisfactory to some. But it's all intentional because in the end it's a character driven piece about human nature in which the title refers to the horror that comes when all hope is lost. ****.5/5

NEW BLOOD: ALIEN COVENANT

ALIEN COVENANT
FOX 2017 Color
120 Mins.
Sci/Fi-Horror
Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston, Billy Crudup, James Franco, Danny McBride< Carmen Ejogoand Jussie Smolett star.
Written by Dan O' Bannon
Directed by Ridley Scott
Rated R for graphic violence, gore, strong language and nudity.

I know it's been a while since my last post. And this review is hella late but I was busy with life stuff like my 38th birthday and getting engaged to my wonderful boyfriend of five years. But truth be told reviewing this movie is a difficult thing. I've needed time to think about it and what I wanted to say. Now that the film has been out for two weeks and word of mouth isn't to positive I can say that I was undoubtedly disappointed. Not to say that the film is bad, because it isn't. First up let's discuss the plot which is pretty much Scott's version of Friday the 13th in space. A group of colonists discover a planet with the remains of an alien spaceship and set upon it. Almost immediately a sort of alien bacteria exposes itself to them and some people get infected.

(SPOILER) They eventually run into android Michael from Prometheus and a new kind of Xenomorph. The film sadly doesn't deliver on the films it wants to be or feels like it should be. The first half feels like a sequel to Prometheus and the second a half a half assed follow up to Alien/Aliens. When the action gets going which is pretty quickly it feels disjointed. Alien films have always been character driven and suspenseful. This entry doesn't really have any character work in it. Waterston is solid in the lead but her character feels confusing and a little disjointed and Fassbender does expectedly well with his parts but there just doesn't seem to be all that much to him besides being creepy in a god like fashion.

Sadly the film is filled with a bunch of tired genre clichés where people wander off unnecessarily, fire at explosives and decide to have sex in the aftermath of an Alien attack. There is some fun to be had here the special effects are cool as is the cinematography, there are some interesting action sequences although they feel out of place and some cheap scares here and there. The movie does nail an atmosphere of dread for the most part but it all feels very rushed through and dragged out at the same time. It can't choose whether it wants to be something substantial with an underlying theology and deeper subtext or just a run of the mill horror sci/fi action flick. Because it toggles between these it's not truly effective on either level.

 Worst of it all culminates to a generic Tales from the Crypt type ending. What is all the more confusing is that in the trailers, TV spots and scenes that appeared on line there seemed to be a lot more character work and extended sequences of suspense which were cut out. And that's really the goods that would have made this venture have more of an impact instead of feeling so episodic. In the end I'm sure the film will get better with a director's cut and multiple viewings but as for right now it barely makes the grade for decent summer entertainment. Which isn't a very high bar. My suggestion wait for VOD and give Prometheus a second shot it's a better film in my opinion one in which it feels like Scott wanted to make instead of feeling like he was obligated to. I didn't love that film the first time around but it's grown on me substantially as for Covenant I'm just not so sure. ***/5

HORRORESQUE: KING ARTHUR-THE LEGEND OF THE SWORD

KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD
Warner Bros.
2017 color
126 Mins.
Fantasy/ Action
Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Annabelle Wallis, Djimon Honsou and Eric Bana star.
Written and Directed by Guy Ritchie
Rated PG-13 for language, violence and adult themes.

I was lucky enough to catch an advance screening of King Arthur the other night. You may be asking yourself why this review would even appear on a horror blog. But there is without a doubt a lot of horror themes running throughout this gargantuan production. Surprisingly enough this new version of the mythology approaches the material from a darker fantasy angle than any which have proceeded it. The movie starts out with an epic FX heavy battle sequence featuring gigantic, mysterious creatures and lots of magic. Soon after Arthur's parents are murdered and he escapes. Only a young boy he is taken in by a bunch of young women working in a brothel. We see him grow up through a bunch of quick cut flashbacks done in the purest Guy Ritchie style. Of course when reaching his peak he becomes a continuously shirtless, ruggedly charming Charlie Hunnam. 

Acting as a sort of security for the household with a group of charismatic friends. Meanwhile the kingdom is being searched when a stone with an immovable sword appears. And I'm sure you can guess what happens from there. There are the expected events such as the pulling of the sword, Guinevere, whose a mage trained by Merlin this time around and a final epic battle. 

What you don't expect is some gnarly supernatural creatures, a bunch of cool magic and a very unique take on the material that's never been seen before. The movie is also surprisingly funny and creatively executed. Those expecting a standard issue historical take on the legend will be sadly disappointed. This has more in common with Mortal Kombat than Braveheart. The movie is excessively energetic and confidently entertaining but does feel a bit chaotic at times.

 Because of this chaos it's hard to forge any type of emotional connection to the characters or story. It all feels very flashy and awe inspiring. And although there seems to be substance here as well a ton of very cool ideas it all feels like so much and yet doesn't have the girth you would think. As we move towards it's explosive finale it becomes a bit too CGI heavy, that being said it truly is a sight to be seen.

 I only wish they would have gone for that R rating so the violence would be a bit more graphic and the gore more apparent. Also although the cinematography is pretty impressive I do wish they pulled back and slowed down to show some of the battle sequences instead of the quick zooms and cuts that left me a little confused at times. And once you buy into the cinematic universe they create it's one hell of a good time. Filled with insane action set pieces a very hunky and likable Hunnam and awe inspiring visuals this "Arthur"leaves quite an inspired impression. 

And speaking of those genre bloodlines there's everything from nasty sea creatures to giant snakes and an insanely creepy and hellish Video Game style villain. Enjoy!***.5/5

NEW BLOOD HORRORESQUE: COLOSSAL

COLOSSAL
Toy Fight/Bright light
2017 Color
110 Mins.
Horror/Comedy
Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudekis, Austin Stonewall and Tim Blake Nelson star.
Written and Directed by Nacho Vigalondo
Rated R for language, violence and adult themes.

Although technically not a horror film, not a comedy and not a sci-fi film. Colossal is very much a unique and much needed representation of the tired genre. The film centers on a washed up, alcoholic, party girl who returns to her home town after her boyfriend (Dan Stevens-currently the Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast and the sexy mofo from The Guest) breaks up with her. Aimless she runs into an old friend who now owns his father's bar played by the talented Jason Sudekis. Coinciding  almost immediately with her arrival a Kaiju monster attacks Seoul, Korea. As the movie moves along she discovers that if she enters a certain patch of land at a certain time the monster will appear halfway across the world and mimic anything she does. We also discover that Jason Sudekis, when walking into the same patch of land becomes a Giant Robot as well. I know most of you are probably rolling your eyes but it's all pretty awesome. She of course becomes very aware of the consequences of her actions and Sudekis begins to abuse his newfound power challenging her. It all culminates to a really unique, impressive, unexpected showdown. There are so many things to love about this movie but let's start off with the performances. Both Hathaway and Sudekis are fantastic. It's her best and most likable role in the last few years she gives Gloria a depth of emotion and desperation and still manages to be quite funny.

 Sudekis on the other hand is so likable for the film's first half before transforming believably into a sociopathic monster of sorts. Writer/ Director Vigalondo smartly ushers the proceedings with a comedic edge. And even when the film gets really dark it still remains entertaining and relatable. And it's no secret when it comes to the films subtext, symbolism and message. Gloria's actions regarding her life and it's direction have consequences not just for her but all the others around her. The Kaiju portion of the film I don't think should be taken at face value it's symbolic of the destruction someone can do when not paying attention to how it affects others. It's a profound statement delivered in a warped, gargantuan, cinematic way. Colossal of course isn't perfect it could have used a bit more comedy and a bigger finale but in the end it all feels very appropriate. For those reasons it won't branch out to the mainstream audience but it's a remarkable little gem nonetheless and a welcome return for Hathaway as well as a career changer for funny man Sudekis. ****.25/5