Flashback Friday: Mind Ripper (1995)

08 Friday Jul 2016

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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

 

 

 

The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 (1985)

05 Tuesday Jul 2016

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The Seventh and Last Feature for our Wes Craven Season 1 discussion centres on his first sequel and with it a potential to start a franchise.

Needless to say, The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 would not live up to expectations and the franchise would end up dead in the water despite reaching a cult status. Subsequently there have been 2 recent film adaptations based on the original and a comic book to boot.

Wes Craven has distanced himself from the project, citing it as an unfinished piece when he handed it in to the producers to review. The producers, aka the money and finance would accept the film as its first draft and push this out into cinemas with the need to market swiftly. The result speaks for itself.

As for Craven, this was no passion project. It did however, provide funds for him to create horror cinema gold, A Nightmare On Elm Street, (More on this in an upcoming season) and along with it the iconic character of Freddie Kruger.

When sidled next to A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 pales in comparison. The film picks up with survivor from the first film, Bobby, discussing the horrific events that unfolded and the devastating impact it had on him and his family.

Bobby now runs a bike racing outfit and endeavours to take them back out to the sticks for them to compete in a race, but this task appears to be too great an ordeal and he reluctantly chooses not to go.

So, it is down to fellow survivor, Ruby / Rachel (and the dog, Beast of course) to take our intrepid team of victims / youths to certain doom when they once again come face to face with the mutant family in horror poster icon, Michael Berryman reprising his role as Pluto and The Reaper (Papa Jupiter’s brother).

So much is inherently wrong with this movie. Bad characters, poor set up, and no plot. It’s a wonder that it got off the ground. Perhaps is it wasn’t resting on its stronger predecessor and Craven’s now recogniseable name attached to it, it probably wouldn’t have.

And with the already mentioned, A Nightmare On Elm Street, and its success, along with it cane a much longer lifespan for The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 would ordinarily have occurred.

Check out the surgeons of horror podcast below for more thoughts and views.

https://player.whooshkaa.com/player/episode/id/98518?visual=true

Also available in iTunes.

– 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

Invitation To Hell (1984)

28 Tuesday Jun 2016

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INVITATION TO HELL MARKS another entry into the TV movie world for Wes Craven.
With all due respect to Craven, this certainly feels like a TV movie too.

It often feels like a paint by numbers outing for Craven and this may well be the case as he was knee deep in writing what would become A Nightmare On Elm Street and doing last minute sound edits for The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 at the time.

There is a fine array of talent on display during this movie too, with Robert Ulrich taking the lead role of family patriarch, Matt Winslow.

When the Winslows move to a new neighbourhood and Matt takes up his new job when he soon discovers that there is something sinister going on beneath the surface and it seems to be centred on the prestigious club, Steaming Springs.

Anyone who is anyone is fighting for a spot at membership.

And soon enough the family bow to the trappings of materialism and are drawn to all that lies within this world.

Only Matt remains dubious and holds on to his principals, not wishing to conform or be seduced by Jessica Jones played by Susan ‘ Queen of daytime TV’, Lucci.

Notable performances also come from Joanna Cassidy, Soleil Moon Frye, and Barret Oliver.
Overall though, there is nothing that invokes any real emotion from the film. The sense of threat doesn’t hold true and the result of which is that Invitation to Hell becomes a standard movie-watching experience.

Sure the concept of hell is the stuff of nightmares but we have seen this story told before and with a better outcome too.

Craven himself would create a form of hell himself with A Nightmare On Elm Street with its satanesque demon, Freddy Kruger warping the minds of teenagers throughout the world both in dreams and in reality.

For now though, this film does feel like a stepping-stone for greater things to come for Craven and we should acquiesce to that notion.

Craven enthusiasts might be intrigued, but that’s about all there the movie has to offer.

Check out the surgeons of horror podcast below for more thoughts and views.

https://player.whooshkaa.com/player/episode/id/98482?visual=true

Also available on iTunes.
– Paul Farrell

Flashback Friday: The Return of Swamp Thing (1989)

24 Friday Jun 2016

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THE MOMENT THAT THIS SEQUEL begins you know that you are already in for a completely different beast from its predecessor.

Dick Durock returns as the man in the suit and struts his stuff with the kind of machismo campness that only the 80’s could get away with.

Before you know it, the opening credits roll over a series of comic images from DC’s publications with Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Born On The Bayou kicking in with its upbeat rhythms and you are drawn into the groove from the get-go.

Yes – the acting is hammy and Louis Jourdan returns as the villainous Arcane, eats up the scenery and appears to be enjoying every moment that he’s on screen, but the movie is completely aware of its identity and is delivered with tongue firmly in cheek.

We have some familiar faces in Heather Locklear (Melrose Place) as Arcane’s daughter and the heroine / love interest of the piece.

Along with the magnificent Sarah Douglas (Ursa in Superman and Taramis in Conan the Destroyer) both playing to the same tune.

All of which, leaves the audience with an upbeat, feel-good notion to the movie, mainly because it doesn’t take itself seriously and dare I say, marginally better than the original?

Let me make this clear – It’s not the best of movies – not by a long shot, but somehow because it wears its identity firmly on its sleeve, the audience almost forgives its sins and happily plods along with it regardless of its flaws, but only marginally.

 

Lights Out (2016)

23 Thursday Jun 2016

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WHEN DAVID F. SANDBERG caught  the publics back in 2013 with his short film, Lights Out, it seemed inevitable that it would thrust him in the limelight.

Three years later he released a movie of the same name with the same concept, an entity that is manifested when the lights are out.

Where the filmmakers then take this and expand on the original is to have said entity born out of the mental illness and depression of Sophia.

It is only when her son Martin actually sees the manifestation that questions are raised, but suspicions fall upon his Mother’s ability to look after him.

In steps older sister, Rebecca and a slightly unwilling boyfriend, Bret to take Martin under their wing.

As the past comes to light so does the gruesome reality that was buried deep within the institution that Sophia spent some of her time.

Only by facing their past can the family truly get past their demons.

It feels a shame then that the filmmakers didn’t spend more time on character development.

They had the perfect opportunity to shed light on a topical and important subject in society with mental illness, instead it felt the chance with squandered to favour pushing out a film and still capitalising on the success of the short film.

If more time and dedication were placed on this and indeed the entity known as Diana, it would have proven to be a much more frightening movie grounded in the realism of a subject that is often left in the dark.

Such a let down and I felt that more attention was focused on the concept, and in doing so we’re left feeling hollow as a result.

I’m somewhat puzzled by the success that this film received at the box office and even more so that a sequel has been greenlit.

But hey, I’m willing to go against the grain and say that Lights Out was the worst high profile horror movie of 2016.

  • Paul Farrell

Movie of the week: The Forest (2016)

22 Wednesday Jun 2016

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THIS NATALIE DORMER (GOT) vehicle had a lot of potential going for it and when I read up about it, I was intrigued by the concept of a forest where people go to commit suicide.

I’m a firm believer in energy transmission and how a place can resonate or contain the feelings and emotions that a person may have had or experienced in their life.

I feel that in better hands this movie had the makings of being a modern day horror classic but it falls way short and instead delivers a confusing plot structure.

It doesn’t capitalise on what seemed to be perfect scare material.

The central theme was weak and predictable with its only saving grace coming from the strength of its lead.

That aside the viewer is left wanting and deflated over the outcome.

It pains me when a movie can build up so much expectation only to not deliver on its promise.

There is also a slight feeling of racial prejudice at play here with no measure of sensitivity at all.

That’s not to say that I expect films to play the safe card, you either have to go one way or another, but this movie doesn’t even do that,

Above all else, the forest or wooded area can be a pretty scary place when you are left alone to brace the elements.

It’s a place where your mind can play tricks on you.

And we all know that imagination can be the stuff of creativity.

Something this movie sadly lacked.

  • Paul Farrell

Swamp Thing (1982)

21 Tuesday Jun 2016

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AS WE CONTINUE WITH OUR SERIES – Wes Craven – The Early Years discussions, we now draw our attention to his fourth outing in the director’s chair.

Swamp Thing would be the first non-Batman or Superman related live-action movie for DC and it would fall on the shoulders of Craven to turn this around.

It would follow Richard Donner’s Superman movies, so there were a lot of expectations resting on the films success.

Once pointed out by film critic, Roger Ebert that Swamp Thing was a thing of beauty if you knew where to look, which I can’t help but feel that he may have been referring to a certain scene involving its leading lady, Adrienne Barbeau (Escape From New York, The Fog).
Joining Barbeau in the cast would be a number of other faces, namely Ray Wise (Twin Peaks) and Louis Jourdan (Octopussy) the film drew heavily on the comics of the time and would generate another comic book series and even a sequel to the movie.

Essentially though, this was a ‘paint by numbers’ job for Craven who would took on the project to show Hollywood that he could handle set pieces and action sequences.

Essentially, it boils down to a man in a monster suit movie, arcing back to the days of Universal Monsters.

For more thoughts and views on Swamp Thing, check out the surgeons of horror podcast below.

https://player.whooshkaa.com/player/episode/id/98478?visual=true

Also available in iTunes.

– Paul Farrell

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

18 Saturday Jun 2016

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I HAVE TO take my hat off to James Wan, as he has slowly become a key player in the horror genre since Saw, which has generated a further six movies, and Insidious, which has collected four films within the franchise.

When The Conjuring was released back in 2013, I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome, Wan presented a tale that was both shocking and disturbing, which in my opinion belied the trailer. 

I felt that it was a cheap and wanton concept, but was proved wrong with my expectations and thoroughly loved this movie.

The Conjuring would also spawn its own spinoff with the diabolically crap, Annabelle, and don’t get me started on the fact that this also has a sequel in the works.

But upon hearing that a sequel was in the works for The Conjuring and in particular based on The Enfield Haunting, my eyes lit up at the thought of a movie based around this tale as it was a subject close to heart and one of the earliest tales I can recall growing up that was allegedly based on real experiences.

But here’s the thing, and I’m prepared to be grilled by my next few words, but ultimately I was disappointed by the end result.

Now don’t get me wrong, The Conjuring 2 is still a very strong movie, where Wan uses all his usual tricks with light and shadow, and also has an intriguing spirit in the shape of The Crooked Man, with its jerky movements, it has that sense of unease and puppetry in motion that has become something of a calling card in his calibre of work.

Also of note is The Nun character who will also be getting her own movie spin-off. It’s a character that haunts and delights with good measure.

So what’s with the criticism you may ask?

Well, it purely comes down to originality. Here Wan offers nothing new to the storyline around the Warrens, which is a shame because they were such strong characters in the original and it feels like both Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are underused in this. As is Frances O’Connor, an actress that I highly rate but feel she never really gets that moment to shine.

Ultimately though I don’t want to rain on the parade too much as I still look forward to Wan’s movies when they arrive as he has a way of crafting a story that keeps the audience captivated regardless.

Perhaps it’s a good thing that his next movie Aquaman will be a break from the horror circuit to rejuvenate his efforts in the dark world.

But let’s he doesn’t turn his back on it completely as something tells me there are more horrific stories lurking in his mind waiting to be told.

  • Saul Muerte

Flashback Friday: Dead Silence (2007)

17 Friday Jun 2016

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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