Archives For Reviews

Review: We Are What We Are will leave your stomach in knots

Ryan —  October 23, 2013 — 25 Comments

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It’s another remake, but it’s a brilliant one. Jim Mickle’s patience with We Are What We Are turns the film into a slow-burning nightmare that makes up in its lack of scares with a jaw-dropping final act that will leave you speechless. The film centers around the Parkers, a reclusive family who follow ancient customs, find their secret existence threatened as a torrential downpour moves into their area, forcing daughters Iris and Rose to assume responsibilities beyond those of a typical family. Continue Reading…

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Blu-ray Review: The Conjuring

Ryan —  October 21, 2013 — 23 Comments

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Seeing as how I never got the chance to review James Wan’s The Conjuring when it scared up theaters back in July, I figured a Blu-ray review only made sense. Hitting shelves on October 22nd, acclaimed director James Wan’s The Conjuring follows a pair of paranormal investigators who help a family haunted by a demonic force, only to find themselves trapped in their own horrifying nightmare. The film stars Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as Ed and Lorraine Warren; Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor as Roger and Carolyn Perron. Continue Reading…

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Review: Dark Touch can’t make up its mind

Ryan —  September 30, 2013 — 7 Comments

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Marina de Van’s Dark Touch had plenty of potential, but with an unconvincing lead and its disjointed story the film ultimately loses itself after a solid first act. In a remote town in Ireland, eleven-year-old Neve finds herself the sole survivor of a bloody massacre that killed her parents and younger brother. Suspecting a gang of homicidal vandals, the police ignore Neve’s explanation that the house is the culprit. To help ease her trauma, dutiful neighbors Nat and Lucas take her in with the supervision of a social worker. Neve has trouble finding peace with the wholesome and nurturing couple, and horrific danger continues to manifest. Continue Reading…

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Review: All the Boys Love Mandy Lane digs its own grave

Ryan —  September 4, 2013 — 22 Comments

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Jonathan Levine’s All the Boys Love Mandy Lane has finally gotten a release Stateside after what felt like an eternity. Now that horror fans can get their hands on Levine’s teenage slasher, will it live up to the hype? There’s a lot of things that All the Boys Love Mandy Lane tries to do right but it unfortunately falls under a curtain of cliches and terrible characters that it ends up digging its own grave that only gets deeper and deeper as the movie goes on. The film follows a group of high-schoolers who invite Mandy Lane, “a good girl” who becomes the object of everyone’s affection after returning from summer break, to a weekend party on a secluded ranch. While the festivities rage on, the number of revelers begins to mysteriously drop one at a time. Continue Reading…

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Review: The Seasoning House is a stomach turning tale of revenge

Ryan —  August 30, 2013 — 18 Comments

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The Seasoning House marks the first directorial effort by renowned British special effects artist Paul Hyett. You may not recognize his name, but you will no doubt be familiar with his brilliant special effects/make-up work found in films such as The Descent, The Woman in Black, Doomsday, Eden Lake and so much more. It was only a matter of time before Hyett took a seat behind the lens and with The Seasoning House being his feature film debut he managed to find a way to leave his stamp on the horror genre. The film follows deaf and mute Angel, who is abducted and ditched in a grim Balkan brothel. The ex-soldier who runs the place, Viktor, puts her to work tending to the other women, but when she sparks a friendship with one of the women, things take a turn for the violent. Continue Reading…

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Review: Byzantium breathes new life into the vampire genre

Ryan —  August 14, 2013 — 19 Comments

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Almost 20 years after Interview With the Vampire, Neil Jordan explores the vampire mythology once again with Byzantium as he breathes new life into a tired genre. Led by both Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Arterton, this vampire tale is a dark and moody flick with brilliant visuals and just enough of an original spark to make it one of the best vampire films since Let the Right One In. Two mysterious women seek refuge in a run-down coastal resort. Clara meets lonely Noel, who provides shelter in his deserted guesthouse, Byzantium. Schoolgirl Eleanor befriends Frank and tells him their lethal secret. They were born 200 years ago and survive on human blood. As knowledge of their secret spreads, their past catches up on them with deathly consequence. Continue Reading…

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Review: 100 Bloody Acres is a blood soaked blast

Ryan —  August 3, 2013 — 8 Comments

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Written and directed by Cameron and Colin Cairnes, 100 Bloody Acres is a blood splattered blast that seamlessly blends comedy into the horror genre. This marks their first feature film together and it follows two brothers, Reg and Lindsay Morgan, who are struggling to keep their organic blood and bone fertilizer business in motion. Their secret “recipe” for success was a huge boom to business, but lately supply has been gravely low. When Reg stumbles upon 3 travelers stranded on the side of the road, he comes up with a ridiculous solution to their problem, and a way of finally gaining the respect of his big brother. Continue Reading…

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Review: A Field in England will make you question your sanity

Ryan —  July 19, 2013 — 1 Comment

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Ben Wheatley’s A Field in England is shot entirely in black and white, creating his most gorgeous looking film to date that can be equally as frustrating as it is breathtaking. Wheatley’s latest film is a wickedly insane trip into a bizarre field that may or may not be one you’ll want to visit. 1648. During the English Civil War, three soldiers and a scholar find themselves away from a battle in a mysterious field where O’Neil, an Irish alchemist, forces them to help him search for a perhaps-magical treasure. Continue Reading…

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Review: Stoker is a beautifully twisted tale of murder

Ryan —  June 19, 2013 — 24 Comments

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Park Chan-wook makes his English-language directorial debut with Stoker, a beautifully twisted tale of murder that echoes Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt. After India’s father dies, her Uncle Charlie, who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother. She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him. Continue Reading…

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