Take Shelter(2011)

As usual, I would venture to say that The Academy Awards are a joke this year.  So many films are overlooked because they're either not mainstream enough or they don't fit the perfect genre mold of the awards show.  I would say that Take Shelter is certainly one of those films.  It's not quite mainstream and its style won't necessarily appeal to the masses, but if this reviewer was in charge of the Oscar's, it would receive the best picture award.

Curtis(Michael Shannon) begins to have dreams and visions of an apocalyptic storm.  He becomes obsessed with fixing up his back yard's storm shelter.  Curtis' ultimate decision is whether he needs to work toward protecting his family or seek help for himself.  The conclusion will stay in your head for days after.

As I said earlier, this should have at least been considered for the best picture nomination.  Also, Michael Shannon's performance is incredible and should receive some form of recognition.  The direction and everything else is nearly flawless.  Since this film got a limited release and hasn't had its arrival on DVD announced yet, I hope you can see it soon, it's fantastic!

10/10 stars.

The Innkeepers(2012)

This slow building, crafty horror flick won't appeal to the modern ADD audience but any  true fan of the genre will be pleased with its throwback style.  When comparing it to other films, 1944's The Invited and the original version of The Haunting come to mind.  There are several other classics that The Innkeepers pays homage to, but I won't bore you with that.

Luke and Claire are the only two employees stuck with the task of working The Yankee Pedlar Inn's final weekend in business.  With only a couple guests and the second floor being the only one that hasn't been stripped, it seems that it is going to be a calm evening.  These assumptions are ruined when a strange old man checks in and refuses to sleep anywhere except a certain room on the third floor.  It all eventually leads to a frightening, ghost of a conclusion.

Director Ti West is really coming into his own with films like House of the Devil and now The Innkeepers.   I really hope he gets a chance to make dozens more films and that he isn't discouraged by the jaded, Tranformers fans out there.  Storytelling and actual suspense still matter to some of us!

8/10 stars. 

31-Day Horror Challenge Day Thirty One: Halloween III: Season of the Witch

I figured I would step away from being cliche reviewing 1978's Halloween and instead, review one of my other favorite films, Halloween III.  While I will still being watching Halloween and Halloween II, as I do every year, I figured this was the best option for review.  The original idea for the Halloween series was to create a completely different movie with a completely different story every year in an anthology style.  Great idea, right?  So why did it go wrong?  Well, because people were so mad that this film had nothing to do with Michael Myers that the producers were forced to go back to being unoriginal.  In fact, I have never heard a complaint about this film that didn't have to do with the fact that Michael Myers was not a part of it.  The hate is completely unfounded and people need to be able to look at this as the great standalone movie it is.  Now that that's out of my system, let's get to it.

After a strange murder/suicide occurs in a hospital ER, Dr. Dan Challis(Tom Atkins) decides to start an unofficial investigation into the matter.  After a lot of research and questions, he discovers that a crazy toy maker is plotting to kill as many children as possible on Halloween night by way of his special toy masks and a strange ancient ritual.  Will he stop the madness in time, or will thousands of people suffer?  It's thrilling and creepy right until the end!

It really is a shame that the producers of this series were thwarted from making a creative new movie every year.  This is a great taste of what we could have seen.  The script is fun, the direction is admirable and the acting is great.  Check this one out but please look at it as its own film and not a part of the other ones.  If you can do that, you're bound to enjoy it.

____  ____  8/10 Jack O'lanterns



Thanks to everyone who's been reading these.  I've had a blast watching all these movies and writing about them and I'll definitely be doing this again next year with 30 completely different films.  Be sure to stay tuned though, I will have plenty of reviews and fun stuff until then.

31-Day Horror Challenge Day Thirty: The Fog(1980)

John Carpenter followed up his hit Halloween with 1980's The Fog and I would say it's almost as good.  It has a great feel and it's just all around creepy.  I know I've said this a lot but this is another film I cannot go through a Halloween season without watching.

A small fishing town in northern California is planning to celebrate its turning 100 years old.  A strange fog that moves against the wind starts to roll toward the coast and it leaves the townspeople confused.  As it turns out, the fog contains the ghosts of the victims of the crime that started the town.  It's safe to say that they're back with a vengeance.

Though he's somewhat fallen off the wagon in recent years, John Carpenter is a great director and it shows here.  It is also written very well and the acting is passable.  I love the creepy atmosphere of the town.  It's definitely worth a viewing.

 
____  ____  8/10 Jack O'lanterns

31-Day Horror Challenge Day Twenty Nine: Quatermass and the Pit(1967)

No horror marathon would be complete without at least one Hammer Horror flick.  Quatermass and the Pit, a creepy little sci-fi/horror that is extremely well put together and thought out.  The atmosphere is nearly perfect and will leave you with a sense of dread.  I highly recommend it!

A construction crew unearths some strange skeletons and a large object that is at first thought to be a missile.  It soon becomes clear that it is not a missile at all but something that is not from this earth.  Once it begins to control people in an odd way, Professor Quatermass realizes something must be done.  It all leads up to a very bizarre and disturbing conclusion.

Hammer films are always great to escape from reality for a while with.  This one is no exception as its acting and story will almost think you are experiencing the whole thing.  Watch it, you won't be disappointed.

____  9/10 Jack O'lanterns

31-Day Horror Challenge Day Twenty Eight: Pet Sematary

Pet Sematary will always have a special place in my heart as it is the first horror film I can remember seeing.  Therefore, you could say it's what spawned this obsession.  It's not the best film ever made but it is extremely creepy and scary and there are plenty of memorable lines and scenes.  For the most part, it deserves the recognition it's received.

When the Creeds move from Chicago to a nice little house in the countryside, everything seems perfect.  They immediately notice the huge semi trucks that constantly speed by the one road in front of their house.  It's not long before their infant son is killed by one of these trucks.  Grief stricken, the father buries his son in a nearby cemetery in the hopes that he will come back to life.  His hopes come to life in the worst way possible.

Stephen King himself wrote the script for this film so it's definitely well put together.  The acting is good but at times a bit uneven.  I think the best part is the creepy atmosphere with the house and the cemetery.  If you haven't seen this movie, it's about time you did.

  

____  ____  8/10 Jack O'lanterns

31-Day Horror Challenge Day Twenty Seven: Freaks

Controversy has plagued films since the very beginning.  Banned in the UK for thirty years after its release, Tod Browning's Freaks is no exception to that and still causes controversy to this day.  It's a great film but it's definitely disturbing in a realistic sense.  To this day, it still makes me a little uneasy to watch.

When Cleopatra, a beautiful trapeze artist decides to marry one of the circus' dwarfs, the other carnival freaks realize she is only marrying him for his money.  She continues to deceive him until it simply becomes too much.  Finally, the freaks decide to retaliate.

The acting is definitely iffy but that's mostly due to the fact that the cast were mostly real circus freaks with little acting experience.  The script is tight and flows nicely.  Freaks is a great early horror movie that should be more well known than it is.  Give it a try this Halloween season.

____  9/10 Jack O'lanterns