Category Archives: Flashback Fridays

Flashback Friday: Mind Ripper (1995)

08 Friday Jul 2016

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mind-ripper
BACK IN THE MID 90’s, a little known HBO movie was released with little fanfare or critical reaction.

It has also been known as The Hills Have Eyes Part 3 despite the fact that the only thing that connects this movie with the franchise is that Wes Craven is billed as producer and his son Jonathan is credited as writer.

Yes it is primarily set in some abandoned quarry in the middle of nowhere, which can loosely connect the films but rather than be a collection of mutants infected by radiation poisoning and reeking havoc on a family, here we have a character, THOR, who has been experimented upon via re-animation. In fact it is probably more closely aligned with Frankenstein, Re-Animator, or Universal Soldier with its subject matter.

The movie doesn’t exactly offer anything new, with it’s team of scientists holed up deep underground to perform their experiments only to have the tables turned on them when their test subject becomes a blood thirsty killer, hunting them one by one.

It does though have some prominent star-pulling power in Lance Henriksen (Aliens, The Terminator) and Giovanni Ribisi (Boiler Room, The Gift) as the dropout son who comes good. And they both stand out in the cast for what is essentially mediocre characters.

In some places the dialogue is clunky but at the end of the day, this movie was never going to win awards for its high brow conversation piece. It’s an action-based horror movie that struggled to find an identity, aiming for Aliens but ending up more like The Mimic.

It’s entertaining enough, but never finds its voice or is strong enough to mark on the horror celluloid mantle of greatness.

– Paul Farrell

 

 

 

Retrospective: The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

01 Friday Jul 2016

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Based on the short story by Edgar Allen Poe and directed by B-Movie legend Roger Corman, this macabre story centres around a prince who lords it up whilst sheltering from the plague-ridden scenes that envelop the town around him.

He’s more than happy to delve into his riches and ignore the plight of others.

In fact he relishes in it and goes to great strengths to terrorize the peasantry.

Playing the role of the villainous tyrant Prospero is another horror icon, Vincent Price who becomes embroiled in a satanic cult and despite being known for his hammy antics, in this role his very nature is well suited to the character and he appears to be incredibly comfortable in his skin.

Corman was also evidently a huge fan of Poe’s work, this movie being the seventh of eight series, which included The Pit and the Pendulum and The Raven. The Masque of the Red Death is definitely the stronger of these titles, with Corman hitting all the right notes and belying the negative image that has been depicted upon him by critics.

This movie has a great lead in Price and plays with the melodrama and nuances with great style and substance and is a fine example of a director at the height of his craft.

  • Saul Muerte

Flashback Friday: Dead Silence (2007)

17 Friday Jun 2016

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dead-silence

THIS WEEK’S FLASHBACK Friday continues the James Wan theme in recognition of his current movie, The Conjuring 2 in cinemas as we write this article.

Dead Silence would see Wan collaborate once again with Saw co-creator, Leigh Whannel and would be his second feature in the director’s chair.

There would also be the all too familiar signatures that Wan brings to the screen, the obvious one in this instance would be in the puppetry, substituting Jigsaw for Billy, but let’s not forget his strong use of light and shadows combined with the strong build up of tension to play on the minds of the viewer.

Whilst still not his strongest movie, there are some delights to have along the way as he harnesses his skills and sharpens his tools in order to bring some more than adequate scares along the way.

Starring True Blood’s Ryan Kwanten as Jamie, who at the head of the film loses his wife in a brutal attack by the afore-mentioned doll, Billy.

This leads Jamie to venture homeward bound where he unearths the grisly truth of her 101 dolls.

A must-see for horror fans and a director at the start of what would be an impressive upward trajectory into the bloody genre and putting out all the stops to make this a confident if not perfect psychological thriller.

– Paul Farrell

Flashback Friday: Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

10 Friday Jun 2016

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Rosemarys-baby
ROSEMARY’S BABY IS ONE of those movies that most movie fans, particularly horror lovers would have heard of, such was the critical acclaim attested to it.
Some even citing it as one of the greatest American horror movies ever made.
But does it still stand strong today?

I’ve often had discussions with people about this movie and the one criticism that I hear about it comes down to pace and lack there of.
Is this down to the modern audiences expectations?
So much emphasis is focused on pushing people to the next moment and raising the bar with each scare with a hefty dose of tension thrown into the mix.
So in some cases I find that I agree that this isn’t your high-tension fast-moving drama, BUT, it is a slow-burner.
And probably the best example of how to deliver a psychological thriller with ease, something that director, Roman Polanski is deft at.

And with the superb talent of Mia Farrow as the lead, Rosemary, who discovers that her husband has made a pact with a religious cult and that the father of her baby to be is none other than the dark lord Satan.

There are many issues at play here as Rosemary not only has to deal with the process of what has just occurred in her life but also the very fact that the security that she thought she had in those around her have been false.
With no one to turn to it is inevitable that she would succumb to the dark forces that surround her.
And what’s more, a mother’s intuition would kick in despite her essentially giving birth to the antichrist.

In my view it’s a classic for a reason and deserves viewing even with today’s audience. Rosemary’s Baby is an example of Polanski at his best and serves as a good companion piece to his earlier movie, Repulsion, which I also highly recommend.

– Paul Farrell

Flashback Friday: The Craft (1996)

03 Friday Jun 2016

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“NOW IS THE TIME. This is the hour. Ours is the magic. Ours is the power.”

There is something quite nostalgic about re-watching The Craft and even more shocking that it’s 20 years old this year.

The film itself isn’t necessarily special but with Fairuza Balk crazing it up like only she can, Neve Campbell at the height of her charms (this being the same year that Scream was released)and Robin Tunney doing the whole millennial thing before it was even a thing.

All of this makes great chemistry on screen and the story of a group of girls who discover that they can use witchcraft to harness their opportunism becomes much more believable.

Of course all will turn sour and the deranged Nancy amps up he mania and turns on newcomer Sarah, exploiting her weaknesses and making her feel more of an outcast.

Ultimately it comes down to a battle of dark and light, good and evil.

The outcome may be predictable, but the journey is enjoyable enough.

It’s still worthy of a revisit and yes the CGI may have aged drastically but the performances still hold strong, coupled with a storyline that is both engaging and thrilling.

– Paul Farrell