2020 Blind Spot Series: The Ring (2002)

Despite it being widely praised by fans of the genre, I was never compelled to watch Gore Verbinski's The Ring as I always thought it'd be just another mediocre to say the least American horror. But it's a must-see, apparently, hence I picked it as my Blind Spot film for the month of October. And I wasted two hours of my day off to see it, hours I could have spent watching two episodes of Netflix's Dark, which is scarier, far more tense, suspenseful and twisted than this dreadfully boring flick. 

The Nun (2018)

Back in October, I watched The Conjuring movies for the first time and I loved everything about them which is why, despite James Wan not being the director and the negative reviews I read, I decided to check of the latest spin-off of the series, The Nun.

The story is set in 1952 Romania and follows Father Burke (Demián Bichir), a priest with a haunted past, and Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga), a nun in her novitiate, as they investigate the death of a young nun (Charlotte Hope) who took her own life and confront a malevolent force in the form of a demonic nun, Valak (Bonnie Aarons).

The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter is considered by many the master of horror movies so, although I was not a fan of Christine, his adaptation of Stephen King's novel, I decided to check out The Thing, one of the most popular horror movies out there. 

The film follows a group of scientists and workers of a small research American base in Antarctica. After a group of seemingly mad Norwegians dies in the process of chasing and shooting a dog from a helicopter, the American team finds the Norwegian base only to discover that everyone is dead or missing. They also find the remains of a burned creature and decide to take it to their base and, too late, they realise the Thing is alive and dangerous as it can take over and assimilate into other life forms, including humans.

Chopping Mall (1986)

I stumbled upon Chopping Mall many times over the years but, since I already had my share of cheap 1980s horror movies for that year, I always passed it. This year I focused more on quality horrors and I picked this one to be the crappy one. 

The film takes place in a mall where a new security system has been presented which includes three high-tech robots programmed to disable and apprehend thieves. Four couples of teenagers, Rick (Russell Todd) and Linda (Karrie Emerson), Greg (Nick Segal) and Suzie (Barbara Crampton), Mike (John Terlesky) and Leslie (Suzee Slater), and Ferdy (Tony O'Dell) and Allison (Kelli Maroney), decide to have a late night party in one of the store. They are enjoying themselves, having sex, drinking and all, when a lightning storm strikes, the robots start malfunctioning and go on a killing spree. 

Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)

Although Insidious: Chapter 2 turned out to be a huge disappointment, I still decided to check out Insidious: Chapter 3, naively thinking that a change of director and cast could bring the franchise back from the dead. I was wrong as it turned out.

The film is set several years before the events of Insidious and follows Quinn Brenner (Stefanie Scott), a teenage girl who, after trying to connect with her dead mother (Ele Keats), asks psychic Elise Reinier (Lin Shaye) to help her. Elise refuses to help her, Quinn tries again to contact her mother alone against Elise's advice and ends up awakening and being haunted by The Man Who Can't Breathe (Michael Reid MacKay).

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

I think we can all agree Insidious is no horror masterpiece. Despite this and the fact that sequels are usually disappointing, I was expecting Insidious: Chapter 2 to be a solid horror. You know, it's still directed by James Wan, the same guy, Upgrade's Leigh Whannell, wrote it,  and the cast is pretty much the same. And I couldn't have been more wrong. 

The film picks up where the previous left, with Renai (Rose Byrne) being interrogated by a police detective (Michael Beach) about the death of Elise (Lin Shaye). While the police continue their investigation, the Lamberts move in with Josh's (Patrick Wilson) mother, Lorraine (Barbara Hershey), and try to put everything behind them. However, the spirit world isn't done with them yet. 

Vincent (1982)

As I've said in the past few weeks, finding horror animated films has been a real struggle; so when I stumbled upon Tim Burton's short stop-motion horror film, Vincent, I watched it right away. 

The film tells the story of Vincent Malloy, a 7-year-old boy who dreams and pretends to be just like actor Vincent Price. He does experiments on his dog Abercrombie to create a Zombie dog; he is obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe's tales and while reading them, he loses touch with reality completely to the point that he believes he's been deprived of the woman he loves and he is afraid of being tortured. He is a very well-mannered boy but his continuous macabre daydreaming really annoys his mother who always finds a way to get in the way and bring him back to his lonely, tedious life. 

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

If you have read yesterday's review then you already know that The Conjuring blew me away. I don't remember the last time a movie scared me that much. Actually, I don't believe it ever happened. That, the recurring cast, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, and the recurring director, James Wan, set my hopes pretty high for The Conjuring 2.

Just like the previous film, this one too is based on true events and follows Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) as they travel to London, England, where a single mother, Peggy Hodgson (Frances O'Connor), and her four children are being haunted by an unknown, evil entity who eventually posses the second oldest daughter, Janet (Madison Wolfe).

The Conjuring (2013)

I'll start this by saying that I'm an atheist, I don't believe in paranormal activities and therefore I don't like to waste my time with paranormal horror movies. But there's someone in the blogosphere *cough*Margaret*cough* who keeps praising James Wan so I decided to watch one of his most loved films, The Conjuring. 

As you probably know the film is based on true events and tells the story of the Perron family who shortly after moving into their "new" dilapidated farmhouse in Rhode Island begins to experience paranormal events. Fearful, they ask for the help of Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga), two paranormal investigators that soon discover there's a witch haunting the house and the area surrounding it.

Hereditary (2018)

I saw the trailer of Hereditary a couple of times in cinemas before the movies started but it didn't impress me so I decided I would pass it. Over the past months though, pretty much everyone in the blogosphere has been speaking so highly of it that I rethought my decision and decided to watch it for my horror challenge.

The film follows a family of four, Annie (Toni Collette), her husband, Steve (Gabriel Byrne), son, Peter (Alex Wolff) and daughter, Charlie (Milly Shapiro), after the death of the family matriarch. While each member is still trying to handle the grief their own way, a tragedy occurs and they learn things aren't as they seem. 

Wicked City (1987)

As soon as I decided I would do the 31 days of horror thing, I realised I didn't know any horror animated movie. Actually, I did, but I already had reviewed those so I started searching and, list after list, I always came across one movie, the anime Wicked City (Japanese: 妖獣都市 Yōjū Toshi). I figured it oughta be good so I picked it.

The film is set in a world where most humans unknownly co-exist with an alternate dimension populated by supernatural demons. There's between peace between the two worlds for centuries and agents from both sides cooperate to keep it that way. However, as the end of the 20th century approaches, a group of demons wants to destroy the human world and it's up to two agents, a human playboy, Taki (voiced by Yūsaku Yara), and a beautiful demon, Makie (voiced by Toshiko Fujita), to protect a 200-year-old man, Giuseppi Mayart (voiced by Ichirō Nagai), the only one who can keep peace between the worlds.

Antichrist (2009)

I've been meaning to watch more Lars von Trier films ever since I watched and loved Nymphomaniac. But he is not the easiest director to watch, so I kept putting them off until now, as I decided to watch horror movies for 31 days straight and I picked Antichrist. 

The movie tells the story of a couple who has just lost their child. After the funeral, She (Charlotte Gainsbourg) falls into the depression hole and He (Willem Dafoe), a therapist), tries to help her by figuring out what her fear is.  To do this, they head off to their cabin in the woods. Once there, however, her mental state rapidly deteriorates. 

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

I don't know exactly how I discovered The Rocky Horror Picture Show as cult movies weren't something I'd watch. I just know that, when I first watched it, many years ago (I believe I still was in my teens), I was not ready for it but I loved it nevertheless. Since I'm doing this Horror October thing, I figured it was time to rewatch it. 

The film follows Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon), a newly engaged couple whose car broke down in the middle of nowhere during a rainstorm, and, while seeking a telephone, stumbled upon the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a transvestite from transsexual Transylvania. From then on, a series of weird and bizarre things begins to happen.

Mandy (2018)

When I first heard people saying how great Nicolas Cage's latest movie, Mandy, was, I thought they were kidding. Then I checked on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, I saw it had a good rating on both sites so I checked it out. 

Set in 1983, Mandy tells the story of a loving couple, Red (Nicolas Cage) and Mandy (Andrea Riseborough), who lives in a cabin in the woods. Red is a lumberjack; Mandy is an artist who works at a nearby gas station. They lead a happy, quiet life until one day the crazy leader (Linus Roache) of a cult lays eyes on Mandy and conjures a group of motorcycle-riding demons to kidnap her, leading to Red spiralling into a madness-fueled revenge. 

Dead of Night (1945)

Although I can't quite put my finger on it, I'm pretty sure Birgit over BB Creations talked about Dead of Night at some point on her blog, probably in one of the Thursday Movie Picks entries, I found it interesting and decided to check it out. [Update: it was not Birgit. Maybe it was Joel]

The film follows an architect, Walter Craig (Mervyn Johns), who is summoned for a job in the countryside by a new client, Eliot Foley (Roland Culver). Upon his arrival, he is introduced to the other guests and Craig reveals that despite never having met any of them, he has seen them all, in that same house, in a recurring nightmare. One of the guests, psychiatrist Dr. Van Straaten (Frederick Valk), doesn't believe in supernatural so, as an attempt to convince him/prove him wrong, each guest recounts their own supernatural tales.

A Cure for Wellness (2016)

I must have read positive reviews about A Cure for Wellness if I decided to add it on my watchlist. I can't remember though as I kept putting it off forever because of its length, two and a half hours. I mean, who's got time and willpower to watch such a long horror? I'm talking to non-horror lovers like myself. Anyway, I finally check it out and damn, it was good. 

The film follows Mr. Lockhart (Dane DeHaan), a young and ambitious financial executive from New York who is sent to a mysterious wellness center in the Swiss Alps to retrieve his company's CEO, Roland Pembroke (Harry Groener), whose signature is necessary to complete a merger. It is supposed to be a very easy task but soon Lockhart begins to question the true nature of the center and finds himself trapped at the wellness center as well. 

Carrie (1976)

Stephen King's Carrie has been on the shelf, waiting for somebody to read it, for decades (my mother bought it in the 80s and never read it). It was February when I finally decided to read it and, being a King fan, I found it rather disappointing. It wasn't terrible but it sure wasn't great either. I still decided to check out this movie because Brian De Palma directed it and Sissy Spacek plays Carrie, and, like just the book, it was disappointing. 

Brought up by her religious fanatic mother (Piper Laurie) almost in isolation, Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) is a shy 17-year-old whose classmates constantly makes fun of. When she gets her first period, she is teased by the girls more than before and the gym teacher (Betty Buckley) disciplines the girls severely. One of them, Sue Snell (Amy Irving), feels sorry for her so she asks her boyfriend (William Katt) to take Carrie to prom instead of her. Christ Hargenson (Nancy Allen), on the other hand, is determined to have revenge and, with the help of her boyfriend (John Travolta), starts plotting against Carrie. But Carrie has telekinetic powers and messing with her won't be a smart move.

It (2017)

I'd be lying if I said It was one of my most anticipated films of the year. It just wasn't. I guess it's because I never saw the 1990s mini-series and I find clowns pretty stupid. Also, I didn't read Stephen King's novel up until recently. Reading that great book, however, made me interested in seeing it, especially when all the people I (virtually) know were saying what a great movie it was. That of course created some expectations Andy Muschietti's film wasn't able to meet, and instead of being happy and frightened, I left the movie theatre pretty unhappy and bored.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

Genre

Horror

Director

Rachel Talalay

Country

USA

Cast

Robert Englund, Lisa Zane, Shon Greenblatt, Lezlie Deane, Breckin Meyer, Ricky Dean Logan, Yaphet Kotto, Tobe Sexton, Cassandra Rachel Frei, Lindsey Fields, Johnny Depp, Tom Arnold, Roseanne Barr, Alice Cooper

Storyline

Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) returns once again to haunt both the dreams of the last surviving teenager (Shon Greenblatt) and those of a woman (Lisa Zane) with a deep connection to him.

Opinion

If "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child" was awful, I don't know what "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" is. Other than a ridiculous nightmare and an unwatchable film.

Unlike the previous entry, this film actually had some potential with Freddy's backstory. It could have been good. No, it should have been good. But the filmmakers decided to throw that potential away and write instead a story that is stupid, confused and so boring it makes you wish to be the one dying instead of Freddy.

As if that wasn't enough, that thing resembling a plot moves so fast you don't have time to process what just happened that something else happens. But don't worry, it's not important, after all nothing happens but stupid killings - trying to kill someone with a cotton bud? What's next? Brushing someone's teeth to death? - and Freddy still trying so hard to be a comedian.

And just like the other times, he doesn't succeed. He is just an idiotic joker who can't pull off a single joke, and that isn't scary at all. In other words, Krueger is the film's biggest (and only) joke.

Completing this pathetic film there are utterly annoying, irritating characters that are light years away from character development, atrocious acting and horrible effects.

Basically it's a great horror. In a different, bad way though.

Cockneys vs Zombies (2012)

Genre

Comedy | Horror

Director

Matthias Hoene

Country

UK

Cast

Rasmus Hardiker, Harry Treadaway, Michelle Ryan, Alan Ford, Georgia King, Jack Doolan, Ashley Thomas, Tony Gardner, Tony Shelby, Georgina Hale, Dudley Sutton, Richard Briers, Honor Blackman, Elizabeth Webster

Storyline

A gang of bank robbers fight their way out of a zombie-infested London.

Opinion

I've learnt about the existence of this film only recently and the title caught my attention as soon as I saw it. Unfortuntately, other than a very catchy title, "Cockneys vs Zombies" doesn't have a lot to offer.

Even though it doesn't sound half bad - actually it pretty much sounds like "Shaun of the Dead" which is good because I loved it -, the storyline is quite boring and the two "acts", the bank robbery and the rescue mission, don't seem to work well together.

Another issue with the film is that it's hard to get attached and care for the characters. Whether the attacks were successful or a failure, I just didn't care.

Also it lacks those clever elements that made "Shaun of the Dead" such a great zombie comedy, probably because the filmmakers put more effort into the title than they did for the rest of the film.

However, the film is actually well (and fast) paced, it does have nice killings, zombies make their way into the film early on and some scenes are a great fun to watch - like the slow paced "fight" between old men and zombies, or the zombie hooligans. And the humour, strictly British, is decent.