Back in 1998, a group of friends and I immersed ourselves in various local urban legends. As I listened to the stories that traveled around the area, I became even more fascinated by the legends after viewing the film Urban Legend during its opening weekend. For years afterward I bought and read random books on urban legends around the world. Finally, I found an encyclopedia of sorts on them, but not as nice as the one in the film sadly. If only.
Back in 2001, a friend and I made our way out to watch Frailty on the big screen. Immediately after viewing the film, Frailty has been one of my favorite films and one I recommend to anyone who has not seen it. The film is more of a psychological thriller rather than a true horror film, but aspects of the film are quite horrific. Frailty manages to add an extra layer into the psychological reasoning for committing these murders making it an unique and underrated film. Besides, films that make me think are always going to be my cup of tea over films that do not. After all, every now and then one’s mind needs a good challenge.
During my first screenwriting class we watched The Night of the Hunter (1955). Most films introduced to me in school is they are normally either a hit or miss. However, for the most part this particular professor always introduced films that I adored even if the rest of the class hated them. Then again this could be partly because I do hate many films. I believe at least one good thing lies within every film. Maybe this is a bit naive to admit, but I feel that’s the truth. Continue reading “The Night of the Hunter film review”
On Halloween in 1999, my father and I headed to our old Regal Cinemas that was transformed into a church. This was the first year of viewing a new horror film on Halloween every year. This was a couple of weeks after we viewed the remake of The Haunting (1963). Both films were good film choices, but ultimately House on Haunted Hill won for our Halloween viewing. This is not to say the remake of The Haunting is awful, but House on Haunted Hill has always been my favorite of the two films.
During my Freshman year in high school, I viewed The Birds (1963) through my English/literature class. This was after reading various excerpts from Daphne du Maurier’s novel of the same name. This was one of my favorite parts of the entire semester. Most people were more excited that semester by the Romeo and Juliet assignment which allowed to watch Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. While I love Baz Luhrmann’s work, I was more excited about The Birds.
A couple of years after Candyman (1992) was released, some kids in my class were talking about the film. For some reason or another most of the kids I knew started watching horror films before I did. This meant that most of my friends started watching them before they were nine years old. A little too young? Probably so, but we still found ourselves enamored in this culture that probably could have waited until we were teenagers.
Back in late July, before the trailer from Happy Death Day was plastered everywhere, I watched the trailer. I had immediate desire to view this film. A horror film version of Groundhog’s Day? Yes please! My desire grew when I realized that the film was slated for a Friday the 13th release. A horror film on Friday the 13th in October. Be still my horror loving heart! With all the hype surrounding the film though there was a small part of me that worried the film might be awful. I was starting to feel like the characters in Fanboys and wondering if I would be gravely disappointed by the end. Thankfully, I was beyond pleased when leaving the theater Friday evening.
Audiences open up on a college student, Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe), in a random college guy’s dorm room, Carter Davis (Israel Broussard), on what turns out to be her birthday. At first she goes through her day like any other day. Audiences quickly realize that Tree is not a very nice person soon rather than later. Generally, the whole point of these films is that we are sympathizing and rooting for the lead character to survive, but after Tree’s first death takes place within the film audiences are left to wonder if we will feel bad enough for her to connect with her by the end of the feature.
Upon realizing they were remaking Flatliners with some of my favorite actors in it, I knew this was a feature I wanted to see on the big screen. The trippy part was going to check in with my Moviepass app Monday evening so I could purchase my ticket and seeing the original 1990 film poster starring back at me. For a moment I debated if my theater was showing the original feature. Truth be told, I would have been happy to see either one, but was happy to finally see the movie I saw part of the ending and beginning when trying to view Friend Request last week. My AMC theater was all sorts of confused, but I digress. Now those fleeting moments all make sense and I am not left wondering tidbits that gave me enough to be considered food for thought, but not enough to spoil too much. There are some tidbits considered to be spoilers in this review though. Readers be warned!
The opening sequence was rather intense, but did not dwell on the horrific moment in our lead character’s life. In fact the film quickly cuts to nine years later. Courtney (Ellen Page) is participating in rounds at a hospital and were audiences assume she is either a doctor or a medical student. Still hung up on her past, she begins to question a patient who flatlined earlier in the evening about the afterlife. Courtney is intrigued by the idea that there is more out there after we pass. Of course, anyone who has ever lost someone wants to believe in something. After all, we want to believe that we are reunited with our loved ones in death. The patient calls Courtney out on her past and audiences see her own research project begin forming the moment that Dr. Barry Wilson (Keifer Sutherland) foreshadows Courtney’s end game when insisting that all great doctors want to push boundaries and bring something new to the field.
Friend Request is a film I’ve been curious about since noticing a cardboard cut out when exiting another film one evening at the theater. Initially this made me think of the 2014’s Unfriended. The unique thing about Unfriended is that the entire film took place through characters computer screens. So while the two films have a popular social media site in common, they are drastically different in terms of execution.
Friend Request opens on a classroom where a professor informs his classroom that a student has killed herself. Upon asking those in the room to report anything that might help authorities understand what occurred the camera pans to two friends, focusing on one of the most popular girls in school, Laura Woodson (Alycia Debnam-Carey). Moments later audiences are transported to two weeks earlier and we watch as she absentmindedly clicks on numerous confirms without truly acknowledging who she is friending online. In fact, Marina is the only person she examines even remotely in depth. Though I have to believe in hindsight she wishes she would have kept scrolling.
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