Spooky`s Spooky Viewing log

spooky donkey

Right i have been meaning to post one up but I actually haven’t watched a lot of horror as i have been catching up on my TV Epps but they are coming to and end now.... Thank the maker lost is over I say.

Anyway seeing as i have been watching a lot of TV ill start with the only TV show that really has a horror element to it and that is.....

Supernatural
So if you haven’t watched this I would encourage you to get the box sets and watch seasons 1-5 through. An excellently created show with a story arc that spanned 5 years and had a much better conclusion than lost. Staring Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki as 2 brothers, Sam and Dean who travel across America in a 67 Chevy Impala hunting things that go bump in the night.
The creator Eric Kripe created an excellent mythology to the supernatural universe even including him self in the story through the prophet chuck. Bring in angles and daemons (not a Dan Brown reference) he took it further than a monster of the week affair. The show is full of fan boy in jokes and the conclusion of season 5 was one of the more satisfying endings in TV memory. I won’t tell you how it ended or get into spoilers here. Just watch it, and the good news is we get a season 6 but its gona be a whole new story arc with s new show runner Seara gamble who is a big on goretastic TV.

right onto some movies...

Nightmare on elm street remake.
Right typing the title for this one was just more effort than the movie was worth so ill says no more.

La Horde
A film that’s not on our 100 definitive films and I wonder why?
Perhaps a little too new.
Zombie movie as it should be, ambiguous start and an ambiguous end with lots of nasty deaths in-between. This French Apocalyptic zombie flick owes a lot to the Left For Dead computer game as it has a bunch of survivors trapped in a Ballymun type tower block trying to get out. Hell when it even came down to the last 4 I found my self referring to them as Zoë, Luis, Bill and Francis (the L4D characters). And even true to the computer game it even had a lot of hand to hand / melee weapon combat. Id never seen so much Zombie hand to hand in a film before and it helped the film stand out from the rest. Even the production companys name came from the computer game culture.... Capture [The Flag] films.
The actors who i have never heard of before really did a good job of looking scared and made you feel they had a lot to loose, well they did their lives. I think George A Remero should take a leaf from Hordes book as it feels more like his older and better movies. Even introducing one of the more prominent characters as though he was a zombie was well done. I felt the movie was only let down by one ropy scene on the roof of a car. But still a must see for all fans of the undead.

spooky donkey

The Monster Squad Well on Darko`s recomendation I sat down and watched this with the Kids last night. And I have to say it was very good. It started a little scary for a kids movie and I was having my doubts but soon it reverted to a budyy buddy kids movie. The kids really loved it, particularlly to when on kid injured the warewolf.
I realised about half way though that I had seen it before when I was young but it was had forgotten. I loved the line " is she a version " brought back the memories.
So a big thubms up for a horror movie you can watch with the whole family, well perhaps not your granny.

and now for some TV.

Bones
A TV show with a forensic anthrapoigst and an FBI agent working to solve murders. Now before you think im loosing the plot posting this in the horror forum, I am only drawing your attention to one epp in particular. Season 5 epp 17
And its all because of its guest star.....Booth and Brennan investigate an unidentified skull and upper body at her alma mater, Burtonsville High School. In order to interrogate possible suspects, Booth and Brennan pose as a married couple at her High School reunion, where she reconnects with her only friend from high school, the dark-humored janitor. Played by none other than Robert Englund. YEs they brought back freddy and while he was called MR buxley, we all really know he played it as freedy. Right down to his little finger flick on the cabinit when he gets her book to sig. The whole epp was a homage to the teen shasher movie and full of laughs. Be sure to check this one out even if you have never watch the show watch that one epp.

Tru Blood season 3
Right so ive started watching Season 3, of what has to be the only good Vampire fiction on TV or film in recent years.
Season 3 is only two epps old and ive only seen the first epp and half the 2nd, I fell asleep watching it late last night but ill finish it off tonight.
Any way the season opener was not too hot, it felt all over the place as it tried to hit the ground runing on the back of season 2. Tera`s whole plot just anoyed me, and Bill being abducted was iffy also. The Epps only saving grace was a few laugh from Jason stackhouse.
The 2nd epp got seemed to e getting better but Ill reserve judgment till I see it all tonight.
So I just wanted to say if you have not seen tru blood watch it from the start. Im hopefull season 3 picks up and im sure it will. Every series is allowed on bad epp.

spooky donkey

The collector
Intrestingly IMDB Has this as a 2009 movie, must have taken a while to come out here. Well I have to say its the best horror movie in the cinema today, as its the only one. Bit of a slow time of year for horror movies and given the SAW pedagri of the producer I had hoped for a bit more.
Some good torture secenes to make you squirm for sure, but flawed to hell. The concept was good a thief breaks into a family home to pay off a debt, meen while a psyco killer breaks in 5 mins later and rigs the house with lethal booby traps and gets off watching his victms impail and mutilate them selfs as they try to escape. Problem was he riged a house with so many traps it would have taken him days to set them up not the 5 mins after the thief arrived.
So not a fill to rush out and watch in the cinema or a blu ray to buy but if it was on the TV one night and you had nothing else to watch give it a look see...

spooky donkey

So I watched Donkey punch last night. Not sure id call it a proper horror but it did have some sick deaths. A predictiable series of events follow the death of a girl during a sex game. Still not bad for a british film. Set on a boat it gave a good sense of being traped in a bat situation with no way out.
Still I have higher hopes for dog house gona try watch that one tonight.

spooky donkey

So last night I took in doghouse and have to say I really enjoyed this horror comedy. I was not a big fan of shawn of the dead so I did not have high ecpections for dog house. But it was a really funny english zombie movie.
A zombie virus that only affects wemon plauges a small town that a bunch of lads go for a lads only weekend break. Well they get more than they bargin for and the uasual comedy zombie hi jinks ensue.

With Danny Dyer and Noel clark leading a rag tag bunch of misfits. Im not a big danny dyer fan but I do like noel clark he does comedy very well.

This goes on my highly recomended list anyways.

spooky donkey

The last Exorcism Took this in friday night in UCI. Ive said it before and ill say it again, i love going to the cinema for horror films. Audience reaction really makes it worth while. While watching a trailer for paranormal activity 2 some guy went on is snot heading up the stairs when a jumpy bit of the trailer came on, that and the reactions of all the gangs of young girls, really make it worth the trip to the cinema. All that said that was the high light of the cinema trip as the film its self was just so so.
These reality horrors are starting to get old. The main character was likeable enough a guy who does nto believe in exorsicms but who does fake ones cause he believes it helps troubled people. So he goes to do one for a documentary film crew witch turns out to be the real thing...
So other than that its a real done before kinda film. id say 5 out a 10 if i was to rate it..

ShadowGal

spooky donkey wrote: »

The last Exorcism Took this in friday night in UCI. Ive said it before and ill say it again, i love going to the cinema for horror films. Audience reaction really makes it worth while. While watching a trailer for paranormal activity 2 some guy went on is snot heading up the stairs when a jumpy bit of the trailer came on, that and the reactions of all the gangs of young girls, really make it worth the trip to the cinema. All that said that was the high light of the cinema trip as the film its self was just so so.
These reality horrors are starting to get old. The main character was likeable enough a guy who does nto believe in exorsicms but who does fake ones cause he believes it helps troubled people. So he goes to do one for a documentary film crew witch turns out to be the real thing...
So other than that its a real done before kinda film. id say 5 out a 10 if i was to rate it..

i thought the same to be honest, i felt they pushed the girls nice side in my face so much i just got a little annoyed by her, ya i had a few jumpy bits but the ending ??? where were they going with that one :cool:

spooky donkey

Piranha So went to see this last night and I really enjoyed this one. More than I thought I would. Not sure if I should even be posting about it in the horror forum as it was more of a comedy than a horror, but sure ill invoke /Mod pirvlage on this one

Lovely touch having richard Dreyfuss do the opening with a nice homage to Jaws in there. The film had a very recognisable cast even if they were not all big names, most known for their TV work but the whole spring break loonacy going on while hundreds of collage peeps get eaten alive worked for me.

Some great gore and some great cameos, I really liked Eli Roth contribution to the film but ill say no more with out having to use spoilers.

So while its no shakespear it was a fantasic turn the brain off and laugh out loud for 90 mins.

Also one of the better 3d movies of recent times, I noticed a lack of 3d effects in toy story3 and clash of the titans but priaha does not disapoint on the 3d front. Hers hoping resi evil 3d out today does not disapoint on the 3d front. My next film to watch BTW.

spooky donkey

Resident evil
Well I went to see the latest installment last night and was not very impressed with it. Movie did have some great action set peices witch were enjoyable enough on their own. But plot wise It felt like there was no script and they just made it up as they went long. Also Wesker has to be the most cheasy character ive ever seen in a film, I do know there were cheasy in the game but no one said the movie had to follow suit.

Still Mila looked great as she took out hordes of undead and the 3D was perhaps one of the best ive seen yet. Instead of blood splatter on the camera you felt like the blood his your glasses, and the film was drenched in 3D effects as well as blood.

Worth the trip if only for the 3D, be great to see it used to this effect in a better movie.

spooky donkey

DEVIL

Went to see this the other night. Its sold as an M Night Shalyam film and is based on a story by him and he is listed as producer, but I wonder did he have much to do with the actual film given that he would have been well busy with Avatar the last air bender.

So a movie based on a bunch of people stuck in a lift with the devil, with them being killed off one at a time. And your left to guess witch one is the devil? A good premise just not a good film. I felt it was predictable and lacked the uasusl MNS twist at the end, there were a few twists and turns along the way just not enough to hold the intrest. Avoid in the cinema wait for the DVD on one of them cold winter nights and dont expect too much and you will not be disapointed.

Still on good point it is definatlly a sign that the horror season is back upon us. /SARCASM I bet the next Saw film is gona be fantastic.

spooky donkey

Saw 3D

Well went to see this last week, just for the 3D and was not disapointed. Great use of 3D. As for the film well I hope this is the last its just getting so long in the tooth. I did have some great death sequences have to give it that, espically the public one... As for plot well I think they have given up trying to make one, I think they are just playing it by ear....

spooky donkey

john Carpenters The Ward

A horror set in a instution for troubled girls set in the 60s. So it sounded promising and coming from JC I suppose I expected more. Very much done by numbers feel to this one, very predictiable. Not the worst film ive ever seen but just not exceptional.

Ill give it about a 4/10.

spooky donkey

well wes craven is back with Scream 4 and sure well it made me laugh a few times. More of a statment on the state of the holloywood horror industry than an actual horror film. Still I have a few laughs and loved all the Cameos and In jokes. That said its only for the screm die hard fan boys. 5 outa 10 i think....

spooky donkey

with completly low expectations I got a pleasent suprise with Attack the Block.


Great example of what you can with with a low budget and almost no CGI. More of a sifi than a horror it did kinda remind me of "The Thing". Nice to know that aliens dont just attack LA and New york. The setting in a council estate in south london gives it a more real feal to those of us on this side of the pond. The comedy spawning from that south london culture was just fantastic. I can see them lads all getting their own subtitles when the move hits the states.
Not to be missed lads, if its not in the cinema still then be sure to catch the shiny disk versions when they are released.

8 outa 10 and condicering the budget I should almost give it 10 outa 10 but ill leave it at 8.

spooky donkey

well I took in the remake of Fright Night last night, and with almost no memories of the orignal as it has been 25 years since I had seen it I just took the movie at its face value.
I was not impressed with the Superbad type casting in this but Colin farrell and David tennand just made the movie somthing a little bit better than this normal type of remake fare. Also bit slow to start but when it does its a decent film. Just pity about the slow first 30 mins, i was getting fed up with it early on but it picked up.
Still Id only give it 6/10 made me think I must pick the orignal and its sequal just for comparisoins.

spooky donkey

Woman In Black
Went to see this last week and really enjoyed it.
A return of the Hammer house of Horror, I hope we see many more to come.
Possiable classic here, back to the old way of making a horror, just bumps in the night and not seeing a whole lot, just made it scarier.
Kieran Hinds was good as was harry potter, sorry Still cant get hogwarts out of mind when I see Dan Radcliff. Still he wasent bad in it either....

Also helped to have a packed cimema fully of peeps who kept screaming at every jump, added a laugh for me anyways. 75% full and the movie was in its 3rd week, good showing for a Hammer film.

Not a lot of gore but a movie like this did not need it...
7 outa 10 ....

spooky donkey

MAMA

Its been a while since a decent horror came out so I went to see this there las week. Had high expectations from Becia Del toro ( Pans labyrinth ) and I was not disapointed.

Its the story of 2 kids that get abandoned in a cabin in the woods only to be found 5 years later by the kids uncle. But they take somthing back with them.. ... MAMA...

I was amzed at how they made a film like this with the kids so central to the story and the scary stuff.... Del toro did a good job of not revealing his monster till late in the film and let the imagination do its work..

i give it a bette than expected 8 out of 10

Tindie

^
Have you seen the short ?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRqS6pBC42w

spooky donkey

no not seen it Tinde...

Anyway here is some complete lazzyness on my part, I just copied and pasted Darkos review for your next as I agree with him entirely..... Great movie...

You're Next

So here are my quick thoughts on You're Next. For those too lazy to read it all, I'll sum it up by saying that You're Next is for me, the best film of 2013 and destined to be remembered as a classic.

Last year's A Horrible Way to Die from writer Simon Barrett and Director Adam Wingard was an exceptional piece of work that stands as not just one of the best genre films of the past decade but, a damn fine film that put pretty much every big screen release to shame. Wingard and Barrett further collaborated on the wonderfully witty short Q is for Quack from last years ABC's of Death, as well as entries from both V/H/S and it's sequel. And now, their latest feature length horror opus, You're Next, has received a wide mid-week release, something which is almost unheard of for anything other than a 200 million dollar CGI infused blockbuster and as such expectations are high with many claiming that You’re Next is a game changer, a film that was revolutionizing the horror genre as we know.

From the start it's only fair to point out You’re Next is not a game changer, nor is it a film which will drastically alter the horror landscape, and that is not a criticism of the film. Hyperbolic statements such as those do little more than create expectation in the viewer and it's unfair to saddle any film with such expectation.

You're Next tells the story of Paul Davison, his medicated wife Aubrey and their dysfunctional, grown up kids and significant others coming together to celebrate Paul and Aubrey's 35th weeding anniversary. As one expects, things are far from cosy and it's not long before old rivalries and childish squabbles are reignited. Things come to head during a particularly heated family dinner when just as things are about to explode the not so quiet tranquility of this family gathering is shattered by a crossbow bolt, followed swiftly by the introduction of a gang of murderous, animal mask wearing party crashers.

You could be forgiven for reading the above plot description and assuming that You’re Next is yet another in the seemingly never ending line of home invasion slashers and while there's nothing striking original in the set up, You’re Next manages to be one of the most satisfying entries in the genre to date.

Wingard and Barrett playfully toy with genre conventions and expectations in such a refreshing and impressive manner that nothing here feels stale. Even the pre-credits death, one of horrors most generic and tired conventions is playfully mocked in a manner which defies expectations. There's a visual punch and a symmetry between imagery and sound that creates some genuine tension in these opening moments. The closest comparison one could make is to the infamous opening death in Scream, only You’re Next manages to surpass it both stylistically and inventively.

The manner in which viewer expectations are toyed with in You’re Next is perhaps the films ace in the hole. The opening invites us to sit back and enjoy a familiar ride but once the mayhem kicks in You’re Next takes the path less traveled. Genre expectations and the rule book are thrown out the window and the mid film twist is a thing of beauty that few will see coming. Thanks to the smart script and assured direction the transition from slasher flick to revenge thriller never feels jarring. It feels like a natural progression for the genre and one that opens up a whole host of possibilities that the film gleefully embraces.

One of the films more striking aspects is the score, which is highly reminiscent of many 80s genre classics, most noticeably the work of John Carpenter. It's deeply unsettling and adds a real sense of foreboding to the film. It works as both an homage to the films Wingard and Barret so clearly love as well as welcome change from the more heavy metal orientated scores of modern horror. The use of this old school synth score is perfectly offset by the repeated use of the wonderfully toe tipping and upbeat Looking for the Magic by Mind the Gap, a song that would feel more at home during the final moments of an episode of Gossip Girl than in a traditional horror film. The juxtaposition of such an infectiously happy, pop number with such unrelentingly grim violence is a stroke of genius on the filmmakers part and perfect highlight the streak of dark humour running throughout the film.

You’re Next is the perfect balance of horror and fun and manages to craft a truly unnerve sense of dread throughout. This is not some generic, sanitised teen friendly horror but rather a superbly acted, brutally violent and unrelenting ride with a number of truly inventive and memorable kills. It's a messy, messy ride that once our villains appear rarely stops for breath and has so much fun subverting audience expectations that one can't help but fall in love with they mayhem. Genre fans owe it to themselves to experience You're Next and everyone would be a fool to miss what is by far, the cinematic highlight of the summer.

I COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTER MYSELF Darko....

spooky donkey

The Purge

Not sure I would call this a horror but a decent thriller.
A well though up concept if a tad orignal. A onece a year 12 hour period where no laws apply, goverment scantioned anarchy.

Film moves along well enough despite the odd plot hole. Good killings and voilence if you like that sort of thing.

id give it a 6/10..

spooky donkey

Devils Due

Went to see this last night, another found footage movie.

Plot:
After a mysterious, lost night on their honeymoon, a newlywed couple finds themselves dealing with an earlier-than-planned pregnancy. While recording everything for posterity, the husband begins to notice odd behavior in his wife that they initially write off to nerves, but, as the months pass, it becomes evident that the dark changes to her body and mind have a much more sinister origin.

So sounds good so far.... then it starts.... and its just a dreadfull film. I kept thinking will they ever stop making these found footage films as they are done to death.

So little happens and the stupid excues for the husband filiming the most inane things saying " thats just his thing ", even a 5 year old kid takes a strole around the house with out a video camera...

Nothing happens till the last 10 mins of the film and by that stage i was starting to fall asleep in the cinema. And the ending is so lame and flawed thats is not even funny....

Avoid this one at all costs...

1 out of 10.

spooky donkey

Cockneys V Zombies

I've had this on the back burner for a while now as the title made it sound like some sh1te B Movie fodder that pops up from time to time. I could not have been more wrong. This has to be far my favourite Zombie comedy movie by a long way. I never really got behind Sean of the dead feeling it was a little over rated imo. This made me laugh from beginning to end. Worth the watch just for the granddad character. also the Zimmer frame slow zombie chase sequence. Also some great one liners in there....
This movie is up there with Zombie land well worth a watch.....

spooky donkey

Unfrieinded--

Hell No.......

spooky donkey

Knock Knock

Billed as a horror from Eli Roth, though I am not sure it is one. Still great twist movie keeps you interested. More of a thriller really. Great movie only let down by Keanu`s over acting.......

jaykhunter

spooky donkey wrote: »

Unfrieinded-- Hell No.......

That bad, eh? Looks like jump-scare teen fodder. Any use at all?

spooky donkey

jaykhunter wrote: »

That bad, eh? Looks like jump-scare teen fodder. Any use at all?

worst movie I have seen in a long time.

Tindie

spooky donkey wrote: »

worst movie I have seen in a long time.

I heard it was cash it on The Den (not seen either)

spooky donkey

Not too sure this belongs in Horror but I watched Sharknado and I have to say I loved it. so bad its good. I suppose it had some gore to make it a horror.
Well worth a watch just leave your brain at the door...... Here's to the sequels....