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Excision (2012)
'Excision' is weird in all the right ways
So I just finished watching 'Excision'. I came across this in the endless search to find horror movies a little bit off the beaten trail. AnnaLynne McCord plays 17 year old Pauline who is just trying to find a place in a world that doesn't have room. Just like every teenager, she talks about how much no one understands her and how much she hates her mom and such, but she truly is all alone in the world. The director does give us cliché archetypes in the family structure (parents that hate each other, father who just says "Listen to your mother.", the perfect other daughter), but he makes them all seem so terrifying in their own perfect way. The same goes for the creepy priest, the no nonsense principal, the super hot popular girls (AnnaLynne McCord is definitely the hottest girl in the cast, but they greased her forehead, gave her cold sores and acne, and a constant look of sleep deprivation), and so on. This is the kind of movie you hate to love, but with superb casting and an excellent vision from Bates Jr who wrote and directed, 'Excision' is a terrifying look into the mind of a supremely disturbed young girl (to the point of psychotic) who has no idea just how differently she sees the world. If you are pregnant or have a heart condition, I'd watch at your own risk. Plenty of gore and nudity. 7.5 out of 10.
The Baytown Outlaws (2012)
A good direct-to-DVD find
'The Baytown Outlaws' is a direct-to-DVD action movie from first time director Barry Battles. Don't let the "Direct-to-DVD" thing scare you. This one is legit. It's so gratifying to know that you can find little gems like this among all the crap that gets feed to us in the theaters (Yeah, I'm talking to you 'Oz the Great and Powerful' and 'Jack the Giant Slayer' and every Jason Statham movie made since 'The Italian Job'). "Baytown" is about three brothers who only know violence and mayhem. They live their life one mark at a time and always looking for the one last big score. They find it in smoking hot Eva Longoria. She commissions them to get back her god son from the evil clutches of drug lord Carlos (Billy Bob Thornton). Thornton plays the same character he's played over the past couple of years ('Bad Santa', 'Bad News Bears'), and I still love it. This movie is a cool blend of other films like 'The Warriors', 'The Way of the Gun', and 'Smokin' Aces'. Its definitely worth a watch and should also restore your faith in the Direct-to-DVD bin. 7.5 out of 10.
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
A top 25 classic
If you look up any "Top 25 Horror Movies of All Time" lists, you are guaranteed to find 'Rosemary's Baby' on every single one of them. This 1968 classic takes on a subject that is already terrifying to most of us and makes it just that much worse. Rosemary is expecting and as her due date approaches, she knows that something is just not quite right. Roman Polanski brought a whole new kind of horror to the table that just wasn't that accessible at the time. Visionaries like Alfred Hitchcock, George A. Romero, and Polanski showed us that horror movies didn't need to just be about Frankenstein and Dracula. These men pulled horror out of the gutter and off the tail end of a joke and sparked a revolution that brought a legitimacy to the genre. Mia Farrow is perfect in this role. Her helplessness and innocence built up the suspense throughout the whole film until it was boiling over by the climax. Polanski gives us very good insight into the struggle of women's rights through this film as well. Farrow's character isn't able to think for herself. Much like Romero's main protagonist in 'Night of the Living Dead' (also made in the same year), both characters show how helpless women were made to feel back then and the struggle they had in just being able to voice their own opinion about something. If this film was made today, or remade, the inner struggle that Rosemary goes through wouldn't have the same impact as equality has strengthened the female vigor. However, if anyone could step into the shoes of Mia Farrow, it would be Gwyneth Paltrow. I do believe that she is this generations Farrow. It's ironic that Paltrow also starred in a Thriller in 1998 called 'Hush' in which she is pregnant and struggles with forces beyond her control. Paltrow was also born in 1971, so maybe she in fact Rosemary's baby. I loved this classic horror. I can't believe it took me this long to watch it. 9 out of 10.
The Tall Man (2012)
'The Tall Man'; an unexpected surprise
'The Tall Man' came out in 2012 and received an average review across the board. Nobody hated it, but no one liked it either. They didn't try to differentiate themselves from all the crap that has been spilling onto the market recently in the horror and thriller genres. They had a bland poster and forgettable trailer. All that being said, I stumbled across this on Netflix last night and figured that Jessica Biel wouldn't put her name on something that wasn't at least a glance (Except for 'Easy Virtue'...and 'Stealth'). 'The Tall Man' centers around a Washington mountain town that has been slowly decaying over the past few decades due to jobs leaving and the economy going into the toilet. To make matters worse, the town also has a large amount of missing children reports and they all claim a figure simply known as "The Tall Man" has been taking them. This movie will surprise you. I was very glad I gave it a try. 'The Tall Man' is truly one of these horror thrillers that will leave you guessing until the very end. The twists and turns kept you engaged throughout. If you're looking to be really scared, you may wanna try another movie, but if you want a good mystery horror thriller, then check out this surprise from Pascal Laugier (who also directed 'Martyrs'). Really pleased. 7.5 out of 10.