Tag Archives: Flatliners

Flatliners (2017)

18 Thursday Jan 2018

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Alternate Title: I Know What You Did in the Abandoned Medical Wing

Hollywood loves nothing more than a remake.
In 2017, audiences were subjected to the remake of the 1990 film starring Kiefer Sutherland, Julia Roberts and Kevin Bacon.
Medical students use themselves as guinea pigs in a bold experiment to see what lies beyond death.
By stopping their hearts for a “safe” amount of time to avoid brain damage, they trigger a near-death experience and are then revived to report back about the afterlife. Simples. What could go wrong?

Ellen Page plays a gifted young medical student who is obsessed with finding out what happens after death. (It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see why – she is shown in the beginning of the film in a terrible car accident with her sister who does not survive.)
She ropes in four of her fellow students to participate in the experiment – the playboy (James Norton), the beauty queen (Nina Dobrev), the one under her mother’s thumb (Kiersey Clemons) and, clearly playing well outside of his comfort zone, Diego Luna plays the handsome Spaniard who keeps warning them in his charming accent that what they’re doing is a bad idea.

Four of the students flatline and each comes out with apparently more intellectual gifts than they had before such as the ability to recall obscure medical case histories and how to play the piano.
After they have a drunken snowball fight in the street after a near-miss flatline – ain’t it grand to be young and alive again? – they each start to realise that something has followed them back to the land of the living.

Diagnosis:

This film was brought back to life but clearly flatlined for too long. It is a shell of its former self with none of what made the original so enduringly good.
There were a couple of scares but at its heart, this is really just an expensively produced teen drama with a trailer and poster art that is scarier than any moment in the actual film.

Having mentally flatlined watching the full hour and 49 minutes of this film, I can only report that I saw some terrible, terrible things. Cheesy dialogue.
Terrible acting. A totally gratuitous sex scene. And no, I can’t remember how to play the piano.

  • Vanessa Cervantes

A look ahead at horror in 2017

05 Thursday Jan 2017

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2016 PROVED TO BE quite a big year for Horror films with the successes of Don’t Breathe, The Conjuring 2, and The Witch to name but a few.

But can this year prove to be as fruitful in delighting our senses and twisting our minds?

Let’s take a look at the movies that lie ahead…

Alien: Covenant

Release Date: 18 May
Is it me or is there more hype around this movie than Prometheus?
It might have something to do with the return of our beloved xenonorph and its predatorial instincts that once again see humans in a fight for survival.
Prediction: With Michael Fassbender reprising his role as the ‘synthetic’ David, along with a strong cast, this looks and feels like the Alien franchise is back on form.

Amityville: the Awakening

Release Date: 30 Jun tbc
This marks the 18th entry into the Amityville franchise, which by my reckoning makes this the most in a  series.
This time the story focuses on Belle and her twin siblings, one of whom is comatose until strange paranormal occurrences awaken him.
Prediction: With the movie changing hands through the selling of Miramax plus poor preview screenings have seen this movie delayed on several occasions.
If this movie does see the light of day, I expect that it will be yet another poor addition to the franchise posing the question why bother returning to it at all.

Annabelle 2

Release Date: 10 Aug
The sequel to The Conjuring spin-off that sees the possessed doll wreak havoc on an orphanage.
Prediction: Another weak entry. The plot line seems farcical.

The Belko Experiment

Release Date: 17 Mar
Think of this as Battle Royale set in a high-rise building as 80 participants are told by an unknown voice that they must play a game of kill or be killed.
Prediction: Brought to the screens by the visionary mind of Australia’s Greg McLean (Wolf Creek, The Darkness) this could be a pleasant surprise albeit using familiar territory. Expect a gruesome battle of survival to occur.

The Bye Bye Man

Release Date: 13 Jan tbc
The concept behind this movie sees three college students find themselves stalked by an entity that can take control of your mind simply if you think or say his name.
Prediction: Sounds like a shit version of The Candyman.
Shitty title, shitty premise doesn’t bold well in my opinion, but hey, I’m happy to be proven wrong.

Chucky 7

Release Date: Dec
Not much is known about this movie yet other than writer of the all six instalments and director of the last two, Don Mancini has resurrected the killer doll for another on-screen outing.
Prediction: If this heralds the right kind of comedy this could be the best version since Bride of Chucky.

A Cure For Wellness

Release Date: 16 Mar
When a young executive goes to retrieve his CEO from a wellness centre, he finds himself spiralling into a world of secrets where his own sanity is tested.
Prediction: Director Gore Verbinski can be a bit hit be miss and if we’re honest more miss of late.
Judging by the trailer though, this could well be a return to form and perhaps one of the better horror movies of 2017.

The Dark Tower

Release Date: 27 Jul
The science fantasy western horror book series from the mind of Stephen King gets the movie treatment.
The film in this instance has been described as a ‘quasi-sequel’ to the books.
Prediction: With a lot of big names producing this movie and the likes of Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey taking the leads there is a lot of high expectations on this being a success.
I for one feel that they won’t be disappointed.
A hit that will likely bring more from the universe in further outings.

Flatliners

Release Date: 28 Sep
Again not much has been announced around the details of this movie other than it being a sequel to the 90’s classic with Kiefer Sutherland set to reprise his role of Dr Nelson Wright.
Prediction: This movie sits on the precipice of success or failure.
With Ellen Page attached I have a feeling this could be better than your average flick and could take this franchise into bold new territory and reawaken a tinge of nostalgia. “Today’s a great day to die.”

Friday the 13th

Release Date: 13 Oct
Another reboot is on the horizon marking this as the 13th instalment.
Not much else has been announced other than it being delayed til later in the year.
Prediction: This needs to be delivered with the right blend of humour and horror in order for Jason to truly terrorise the screens again.
I so want this to be a success but I feel like this might be the final nail in Jason’s coffin.

Get Out

Release Date: 24 Feb
A horror satire from the insatiably brilliant mind if Jordan Peele sees Chris, an African-American man, try to escape from an estate where its black residents go missing.
Prediction: The comedy horror hit of the year.

Insidious: The Last Key

Release Date: 30 Oct
The latest chapter of supernatural horror franchise continues this time with James Wan’s previous partner in horror, Leigh Whannel at the helm.
Prediction: Better than the previous outing but not a par on the original.

Horror Movies in 2017 pt.2