4.5
If you were a fan of HBO’s True Blood but found it desperately lacking in its lycanthropic side, then David Hayter’s Wolves is for you. Although it has decidedly fewer fairies and moody goth vampires, it does have plenty of burly biker werewolves and plenty of silly drama. This is a B movie to be sure, but the forgettable characters and action beats make this pup feel slightly neutered.
6.5
I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t like Gregory Dark’s 2006 horror-thriller See No Evil. While it introduced a new crazed psychopath, Jacob Goodnight, to genre fans, it didn’t leave much of an impression. The film arrived when torture-porn horror films were beginning to reach their peak. Films like Saw and Hostel were pushing the envelope in terms of what horror films can get away with or even show. At the time, the genre became more about shock, blood and just how brutal and gross can you get. After a while you can become so desensitized that it becomes boring. That pretty much summed up my opinion of the original – all shock and brutality and little substance – to the point it was forgotten. It’s 2014 and here comes See No Evil 2, and much to this viewer’s surprise, it’s better than the original and is a pretty well made slasher film.
8
Horror-comedy is a genre that you seldom see much from nowadays. In recent years you’d have to look to films like Shaun of the Dead, Slither or Zombieland to deliver the shrieks and guffaws. The genre’s offerings can take many forms, such as flat-out parodies (like the Scary Movie franchise), self-aware films that scare you while letting you in on the joke (like the Scream series) or films that deliver exactly what the title promises (like Killer Klowns from Outer Space).
Italian master of horror Dario Argento is back, and his latest film, The Sandman, is currently looking for funding on Indiegogo. The film revolves around a sadistic killer named “The Sandman” who enjoys removing the eyes of his victims
7
When crafting a horror sequel, everything generally needs to be bolder, louder and more excessive. Tommy Wirkola, director of Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead, must have taken this to heart because this is a sequel that eclipses the original in almost every regard. Playing out much more like a gory action/comedy, rather than a horror/comedy like the original, Wirkola cranks everything up to 11, and delivers one of the craziest, nauseating and most brazen zombie films I’ve ever seen.
7.5
Ivan Kavanagh’s The Canal combines the creepy imagery of a Japanese horror film with the paranoia of a psychological thriller to make one of the riveting horror films of the year. At its core, The Canal a fairly simple ghost story, not unlike Scott Derrickson’s Sinister, but there’s enough depth to the scares be effective and to make them feel fresh in the already-crowded market of haunted house movies.
Magnet Releasing has picked up the worldwide rights to the upcoming horror anthology film XX, which features a series of shorts all directed by female filmmakers. Among them is Karyn Kusama (Jennifer’s Body), Mary Harron (American Psycho), Jennifer Lynch (Surveillance) and Jovana Vuckovic (The Captured
4
The Houses October Built is yet another film in a seemingly never-ending, relentless downpour of found-footage horror. While it follows the same exact beats as so many others like it, this one does manage to provide a number of cheap thrills and a concept that isn’t wholly unoriginal. In the end though, it’s just another found-footage horror movie that doesn’t make much technical sense and would probably work a thousand times better if it were shot traditionally.
2
The Devil Incarnate is an uninspired, tepid and profoundly generic possession film that blends traditional storytelling with, wait for it, found footage. All the tropes are here and, unfortunately, not even some creepy imagery can save this film from being a forgettable paint-by-numbers fright flick.
This year’s Viewster Online Film Festival has officially wrapped, and the grand prize has gone to Brazilian director Claudio Ellovitch with his film Pray. Ellovitch was awarded a $70,000 prize for the film, which is currently available for free via Viewster.
‘Tis the season to celebrate all things horror, so this week’s Kickstart Sunday pick is the upcoming horror-comedy Party Slashers from director Carl Bachmann. The film revolves around a group of young people being terrorized by the undead while
5.5
If one thing can be said about director Nacho Vigalondo, it’s that he’s always coming up with new and creative ways to tell stories. Timecrimes was one of the best time travel movies I’ve ever seen and might be one of my favorite thrillers of all time. Extraterrestrial brought a different take on the alien invasion movie, and now Open Windows, his first English-language film, takes a harsh look at technology and obsession. The film is told entirely through a computer screen, which doesn’t seem like something that could hold one’s attention for an hour and a half, but somehow Vigalondo throws in enough suspense and twists to keep everyone glued to the screen.
7
When the first ABCs of Death film came out last year I was excited at the prospect of 26 different directors offered the opportunity to take a letter from the alphabet and have full creative control in crafting a macabre tale of death told letter by letter.
2
These days, found-footage horror films are a dime a dozen, and while most of them attempt to add something new and fresh, they rarely ever do. Directors Michael Bartlett and Kevin Gates are quite familiar with the genre, having previously directed The Zombie Diaries, and now their latest effort, The Paranormal Diaries: Clophill, aims to once again present itself as a documentary, exploring the paranormal occurrences of a very real place. But does this film set itself apart from the multitude of docu-style horror films that have been coming out seemingly every week for the last few years? Unfortunately, no it doesn’t..
A new domestic trailer has been released for the much talked about horror film The Babadook from director Jennifer Kent. The film revolves around a mother and her son being terrorized by a being known as the babadook, and from everything I’ve
6
You wouldn’t know it judging from the generic cover, but Found. is equal parts extreme horror and coming-of-age story. It deals with dysfunctional family units, racism, and bullying, all while adding in some of the most disturbing scenes of horror I’ve seen in quite some time. This is a film that exudes controversy, from the dialogue to the extremely graphic imagery. It’s well made and impressively shot, especially considering its shoestring budget, but be forewarned, this is a tough movie that will linger with you far after the credits roll.
