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White Settlers (2014)
If not for the ending I would definitley reccomend this...
An effective little horror movie, very similar to the French/Romanian movie Them (Ils), which starts off strong but two thirds of the way through starts to head downhill towards an ending which is unsatisfying. Where "Them" raised many questions and provided no answers (and was all the better for it), White Settlers does in the end reveal the motives of the attackers but you'll wish it didn't. The final scene comes off as contrived and cheesy when its clear the filmmakers were aiming for it to be shocking. On the plus side the acting is very good from Pollyanna McIntosh and the movie only runs for 75 minutes so you don't come out of it feeling tired; of course you wish the ending were much better but the movie is almost worth recommending for the strong opening 45 minutes alone.
Bad Ben (2016)
A very decent horror movie all things considered...
Couldn't find any reviews online for this from critics I trusted so thought i'd just give it a go. The story is simple but then it didn't have to be amazing, the acting from Nigel Bach is pretty decent all things considered and he manages to carry the movie along and keep you interested. Also there is some good camera work and a couple of good scares, and an ending which is definitely worth the wait. What lets this movie down though is just how illogical it is at times; mainly down to the fact that Nigel Bach's reactions to his situation in the film are so alien. He only shows even a glimpse of fear at the very end, before this you'd think that the stuff happening to him just happens all the time to everyone. Its not a bad acting performance just a very strange one. I would go on a rant about how the fact that he films more or less everything with his phone is never justified, but this is so often a problem in found footage movies that its not worth going on about; that said it is more illogical in this movie than most as demonstrated in a number of scenes where he is struggling to perform simple day to day tasks cause he's holding the camera phone in his other hand. Additionally there are a few moments which are unintentionally funny, like when he is wandering around the house looking for the source to the strange happenings with a camera phone in one hand and a can of air freshener in the other ready to spray any ghosts who get in his way. Or a scene where he is trying to banish a ghost from his house, shouting angrily at it, while holding a candle stick in one hand and a selfie stick in the other. Overall though this is a pretty decent horror movie and an impressive achievement considering it is made by and starring only one person. And the ending is genuinely creepy...
Psych:9 (2010)
Surprisingly Decent
I wasn't expecting much from this due to the bad IMDb rating. I only watched it because of Cary Elwes. Unlike a lot of the films in recent years where Cary Elwes is given top billing on the poster to then only have a 10 second cameo, Psych 9 was different because he was one of the main characters and although he isn't always on screen, he is in it from beginning to end and his character is important to the story (although it may not seem that way until the end). So if you are a Cary Elwes fan like me, then your in luck because he has a lot of screen time; and he's very good. The lead actress is pretty good but struggles to carry the movie on her own being the lead actress. Thankfully Cary Elwes and Michael Biehn are there in strong supporting roles to carry the weight of the movie that she can't handle. The story is quite good, keeps you interested throughout. There are a few cheap jump scares which threaten to detract from your enjoyment of the movie, but apart from that there are some well executed creepy moments scattered throughout. The main problem with the movie is it's final act. It piles on twist after twist, and is messy and very problematic, however, it is still fun to watch and you don't feel you have wasted 90 minutes of your life after seeing it. It's just a silly ending really, but not too bad. So if you're looking for a decent straight-to-video horror movie, then check out Psych 9 if you've nothing better to watch. Its fun while it lasts, won't stick with you, but also won't ruin you're life.
Extraterrestrial (2014)
Entertaining In The Moment But Ultimately Disappointing and Quite Stupid
(Not sure if there is actually any spoilers in my review but I always tick the box just in case I write something that someone thinks is a spoiler; so they can't report me)
I really wanted to like this movie because i'm a big fan of Grave Encounters; its much better than Paranormal Activity and its sequels. Unfortunately, this movie started out alright but gradually got worse and worse. The story is simple, group of young adults go to a cabin in the woods (*sigh*) and get attacked by aliens. The acting is a little weak in places but overall its perfectly fine. The pacing is uneven and also when watching the film it feels like the directors were unsure of what tone they wanted the film to have, so sometimes the film tries to be very funny (doesn't succeed) and doesn't take itself seriously, then next scene the tone has completely shifted to serious and as viewers were expected to suddenly take the whole thing seriously. Additionally, the characters are one dimensional so you don't really care what happens to them and also some of them do extremely stupid things e.g. the flying saucer comes right over the characters and they are all getting in the car to drive away and one of them gets out and just looks up at the ship and obviously then stays there until the ship beams her up. Also, no effort has gone into the aliens, they literally just look like the typical alien image, grey skin, oval shaped heads, big black eyes, etc. On the plus side the special effects are quite impressive considering the budget and the movie is fun to watch in the moment (but not good when you think back on it). One final note: the movie steals the ending from REC 3:Genesis, the ending may well have been used in other movies before REC 3 but I have only seen it in REC 3 which was quite recent and that leads me to believe this movie stole the ending from it. Unfortunately, the REC 3 style ending works in REC 3, but in this forgettable movie, it does not work.
VANish (2015)
A Very Well Done Thriller
(Not sure if there is actually any spoilers in my review but I always tick the box just in case I write something that someone thinks is a spoiler; so they can't report me)
This movie is what I would expect from Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez if they were to ever co-direct and co-write a movie. It has a simalair feel to some of their movies and also it has the kind of ultra violence that you'd find in Tarantino's movies (the kind that some people feel is out of place and unnecessary; but it's never bothered me and I kinda enjoy it in a weird way). Additionally, the screenplay is very tarantinoesque and is written in a smart way and has a simalair style to Reservoir Dogs. I'm not gonna go into the plot cause you can read that on the IMDb page anyway, but the actors who play the captors and the actress who plays the captive, are the people whom we spend most of the movie with. They are all unknown as far as I know but they all deliver solid performances and bring their characters to life in a really good way; thanks to the good writing the actors do have something to work with and the characters do have more dimensions than one e.g. one of the captors always seems nervous about everything and has a drug problem and is haunted by memories from his past when he was in the army. You may have noticed the names Tony Todd and Danny Trejo on the poster who both have top billing but are both only in the movie for just under five minutes. However, both actors are on top form and make their scenes memorable; Tony Todd plays a cop who pulls the captors over halfway through the movie and Danny Trejo arrives in the last five minutes of the movie and plays the leader of a Mexican drug cartel who is also the father of the woman being held captive in the van. A hell of a lot happens throughout the movie and there is so much more to the plot than is suggested by the IMDb plot synopsis but to give loads of details would be to spoil the story. The thing that amazed me the most about this movie was that 95% of it takes place in side the captors van and yet the director still manage to maintain a good atmosphere and the movie can be very tense in places. The only real complaint I have is that the practical effects are a but iffy e.g. someone's head gets blown off and someone else's fingers get chopped off and both times the effects look cheap, although I am glad they avoided using CGI because on the film's small budget it would have looked even worse, however ultimately this doesn't matter too much and doesn't make the movie worse.
On a final note I would definitely recommend this to fans of Tarantino and Rodriguez and also to those who enjoy a good thriller. Also ignore the fact that this has been put into the 'horror' genre on IMDb, it has no horror elements and doesn't resemble a horror movie in anyway (believe me, horror is my favourite genre).
Død snø 2 (2014)
My New Favourite Zombie Movie
I really loved the first dead snow movie but the sequel is twice as good!! It is laugh out loud funny. The story is hilariously over the top and great. Cinematography is great. The gore is extreme but comical and OTT. The characters and acting are awesome!! Even the zombies have individual personalities and there is an awesome zombie that keeps getting killed and brought back to life and it's hilarious (you'll know what I mean when you watch the movie). And finally, it had the best possible ending, it's so funny, dark and heart-warming at the same time! And not to mention the battle towards the end between the Nazi zombies and the Russian zombies, one of the best scenes of all horror movies. Such a brilliant and awesome movie, it exceeded my expectations (which were very high) and it deserves to do well.
House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
A Clear Rip Off Of So Many Better Movies
When I watched House of 1000 corpses, I had already seen Rob Zombies other movies (except devils rejects) so I figured this would be at least OK because I liked his other movies, but I have to say this was his worst one and I was very disappointed. Even Halloween 2 is better than this (which I liked more than most people did). It does kind of become frustrating after a while because it just reminds you of so many better movies which, quite frankly, you'd rather be watching. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the movie it rips off more than any, whether it's the wearing of a dead characters skin, or the camera zooming in on a female victims eye while being tortured, or even as simple as the picking up of the hitch-hiker. On the other hand, it did have a good opening and I liked some of the characters e.g. captain Spaulding, but after starting off good it continues to get worse and worse as the movie goes on, until I found my self constantly clicking the info button on my remote to see how long was left, hoping it would end. Additionally, it was poorly shot, and directed. The acting was OK, and I wanted to mention the character of baby, played by Sheri Moon, (who I like) because she wasn't very good and her character was annoying. I kinda wanted her to die so I didn't have to listen to that annoying laugh any longer. In conclusion, I can't recommend this movie to anyone, because any true horror fan will have seen the movies it rips off and will likely feel they've wasted time watching it. I would like to take this opportunity though, to recommend that those who haven't seen Rob Zombie's Halloween 2, give it a chance, you may be pleasantly surprised. P.s. don't be fooled by the 6/10 rating. It is way too generous.
Apartment 1303 3D (2012)
Rebecca De Mornay Is Great But The Movie Is Crap
First of all I want to make a point about Rebecca De Mornay. I really like her and I think she is a great actress and I kinda feel sorry for her in relation to this movie, because all the scenes she is in are the only good scenes, but every other scene is crap, so she probably didn't know what she was signing up for. Luckily she still manages to deliver a solid performance, however that is where the good points end. Every other cast member is a bad actor, especially the actress who plays Janet (who appears to be the main character but randomly dies half an hour into the movie). Julianne Michelle, who plays Janet, has got to be one of the worst actresses ever and the scene where her character dies was one of my favourites; not because it was good but because I didn't have to listen to her utter another damn word. Anyway, on with the other bad things... the screenplay is absolutely stupid, the story is one of the most un-original i've ever heard (ooh, someone died in an apartment and now makes new residents commit suicide, where have I heard that before). The characters are uninteresting and one-dimensional (except for Rebecca De Mornay's), the CGI is awful, and there is so much of it , even when it's unnecessary e.g. the apartment building, the view from the balcony of 1303, the bath water (grrrrrr). I dread to think what the 3D version of this movie is like. This movie has no redeeming qualities. Finally, after watching this movie, I tried to think of things in it that allowed me to be glad about the fact that I watched it. All I could come up with was that I now know that Rebecca De Mornay can sing (and is great at it) and that she can still deliver a great performance when under the worst direction and working with the worst supporting cast/screenplay. (Do Not Watch This Movie)
The ABCs of Death (2012)
A Bloody Awesome Movie!!
A bloody awesome movie!! A really good concept makes for a very bizarre movie. Some segments were brilliant, some were awful and the rest were just good. My favourite segments were D is for Dog, N is for Nuptiles and Q is for Quack. When I heard that Ti West was a director in this movie I was excited to see his segment, M is for Miscarriage, but it turned out to be the worst of the lot; It's seriously sh*t. Anyway all the directors put there tiny $5000 budget to good use (except for Ti West), some of the segments had really creepy visuals, and one in particular had brilliant special effects for it's budget. The three Japanese segments made no sense but were hilarious and OTT, like most things that come out of Japan! In conclusion, its a really interesting and bizarre movie but I can't give it any more than 7/10 because too many of the segments are bad in comparison to ones that are good. Definitely worth a watch!
ATM (2012)
The Most Annoying Movie I've Ever Watched
This movie really p'd me off! I'm not gonna go into loads of detail but if you enjoy boring movies with stupid characters, bad dialogue and meaningless mayhem then look no further, this is your perfect movie. A few of the things that annoyed me the most in this movie were: when they arrive at the ATM they park about 100 feet away from it for no reason, every time they have a chance to getaway they decide that they will stay in the ATM, the characters weren't likable and there is no explanation whatsoever as to why the killer is doing what he is doing. Finally, the story is simple and effective but wasted due to the poor execution onto the screen; if you want to watch a movie with a similar story to ATM then watch P2, its far better in every way. (If after reading my review you still think that you might want to watch this movie then please please do not buy it, find a free download or stream it). Overall one of the worst horror's i've seen: 3/10.