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100 Bloody Acres (2013)
100 Bloody Acres (2013)
2013 | Comedy, Horror
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Story: 100 Bloody Acres starts as we meet one of the brothers Reg (Herriman) who is a part of an organic fertiliser business, after Reg picks up a dead body, he finds himself drawn into picking up three hitchhikers, Sophie (McGahan), James (Ackland) and Wes (Kristian) who are heading to a music festival for a binge filled weekend.

Once Reg arrives back to his brother Lindsay (Sampson) the hapless brothers must decide to kill the three to continue to produce the highly popular fertiliser and keep their reputation up or let them go.

 

Thoughts on 100 Bloody Acres

 

Characters/Performance – Reg is the simple-minded brother who is always out to impress his brother, he brings the victims back to the factory. Lindsay is the brains of the act and he must clean up the mess Reg has left him in. He will go through with any killing. Sophie is the main reason Reg stops, she is travelling with her boyfriend but been cheating on him with their other friend. James just believes he is going to have the life he planned with Sophie. Wes is the traveller who enjoys a drug or two finding himself high through the whole film.

Performance wise, Damon and Angus are both good as the brother showing good chemistry as they do come off very different. Anna, Oliver and Jamie are all fine in the victim roles without coming off as interesting characters.

Story – The story has moments that feel fresh in places but in the main it is all just another version of group of travellers get taken by isolated people who must fight to survive or become the latest victims. It has good moments but doesn’t end up being the most memorable story in the genre.

Comedy/Horror – The comedy is good in places and does add to all the events of the film as it is almost what could go wrong does go wrong. The horror works in places too as we get the gore from it.

Settings – The Australian outback always makes for a good setting as we know how isolated the places are when it comes to the horror.

Special Effects – The effects work when needed without being used too often, the highlights come from the wild trip Wes is going through.

Final Thoughts – You want to see an Australian version of Tucker & Dale versus Evil, then this is for you but it doesn’t quite live up to the levels of that one.

 

Overall: Enjoyable horror comedy.

https://moviesreview101.com/2017/10/18/movie-reviews-101-midnight-halloween-horror-100-bloody-acres-2012/
  
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
2010 | Drama, Horror, Mystery
5
5.7 (22 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Back in the 80’s, razor-fingered Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) became an iconic figure of horror and mainstream pop culture with the film “A Nightmare on Elm Street”. Thanks to great special effects, macabre humor, and the charismatic Freddy, audience flocked to theaters and launched a highly successful series that spanned several films. Eventually the series ran its course, but the title character remained a mainstay of horror fans everywhere. Last seen in “Freddy Vs. Jason”, the terror of teenagers’ dreams has returned in a new take on the film from the Platinum Dunes production team, the same team behind the successful relaunch of the “Friday the 13th Series”.

The new film stars Jackie Earl Haley as the title character, and once again he is dispatching the teens of Elm Street in all manner of bizzare and grisly fashions in their dreams. Soon the town is full of dead teens and their insomniac peers anxious for an answer to the madman. Their parents are no help as they are quick to downplay any questions about Freddy and quickly disregard any concerns raised by their kids, even when the body count continues to rise. As their numbers dwindle, a group of friends starts to uncover the reason behind the unresloved deaths and band together to solve the mystery of Freddy Krueger and survive.

Freddy is only able to menace the teens in their sleep, so they take all manner of precautions in an attempt to stay awake and plot a defense, but sleep is something one can only postpone, never fully avoid, which means Freddy is always lurking, just waiting for his chance to strike.

What follows is a fairly by-the-numbers horror film that is sadly is lacking much suspense and horror. I was a big fan of the series and I found myself wanting to watch the original Wes Craven classic rather than what was unfolding on the screen. Haley does a great job as Krueger, blending menace with gallows humor, but Englund left a very large Fedora and razor gloves to fill and Haley comes up lacking. I also missed the elaborate effects that defined the series, greatly underwhelmed by this film’s attempts. The gore, suspense, and thrills were restrained compared to the previous films.

This is not to say this is a bad film, but the generic cast headed by Thomas Dekker gives us very little to root for and left me wanting more. Here is hoping that the next offering gives fans more of what made the series so popular and less of the formulaic predictability that has become so common in horror.
  
Till Death (2021)
Till Death (2021)
2021 | Horror, Thriller
6
6.7 (3 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Contains spoilers, click to show
Till Death is a pretty middle-of-the-road thriller that somehow manages to both benefit and suffer from its no-nonsense approach to, well everything really. On the one hand, it's premise is an enticing one - after finding out about her affair, Emma's (Megan Fox) husband leads her out to a remote cabin under the false pretense of an anniversary getaway, handcuffs the two of them together by the wrists, and proceeds to shoot himself, leaving her attached to his dead body and fighting for her life when two hitmen come by to finish the job. This setup leads to a decent amount of tension, it's snowy setting exacerbating her survival conditions.
There aren't really any twists or turns to be had, and everything plays out fairly predictably, and quite honestly, it wouldn't work as well without the cast attached to it. Megan Fox has proved with vehicles such as Jennifer's Body that she is more than capable to lead a horror flick with style, and Till Death cements that fact. Her character is pretty badass, and Fox gives us a protagonist that's worth rooting for. On the flip side, the two hitmen-brother actors are great as well. Callan Mulvey in particular cuts an imposing figure as the movies main villain.
The narrative flirts with deeper context here and there but sadly never pulls the trigger. Mulvey's character is a person from Emma's past, having mugged her some years ago. The plot clearly spells out that there was motive behind this, but never explores this aspect, leaving a frustrating and unexplained story thread. The relationship between the brothers is interesting also, and at one point threatens to present a dilemma in who to side with, but again, it never actually goes there, and as such, reeks of a wasted opportunity for a far more interesting story than the one presented.

For what it is though, Till Death is a competent and entertaining enough thriller/horror to add to a spooky season watchlist
  
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Darren (1599 KP) rated The Veil (TBD) in Movies

Oct 24, 2019  
The Veil (TBD)
The Veil (TBD)
TBD | Horror
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Characters – Jim Jacobs is the leader of the cult, he wants to prove the spirit can be separated from the body, did he die in the mass suicide or did he achieve his goal with the other members of the cult. Maggie the lead in the documentary team, she introduces the team and arranges for Sarah to return, she does also have a connection to what happened during the mass suicide. Sarah is the lone survivor from the suicide, she returns as a grown up even if she does seem to be happy to be back to learn the truth.

Performances – Thomas Jane is the highlight of this movie, his performance is filled with all the crazy needed for role. Jessica Alba on the other side of the coin is average to poor throughout, this role could have been played by anyone to a higher level. Lily Rabe does continue to make herself feel like she should be in horror films at all times.

Story – The story follows the documentary team looking at new evidence which could explain what was happening on the site of a mass suicide. The idea of learning what happened through a mix of tapes which sadly don’t feel like found footage which is the biggest problem. The continuing idea works but the forced horror is the stumbling block here. The story does also have flaws including why didn’t the police investigate the property to find the tapes, I mean come on there was a mass suicide surely raiding every possible location is important in an investigation.

Horror/Mystery – The horror does feel forced for the most part and once we see the final scene feels almost unnecessary, this could easily have just stuck to the mystery thriller side of things and kept us on edge wondering where things will go next.

Settings – The whole film is set on the Veil, it shows a place that has had mass suicides would be haunting to be around as well as have secrets people might have missed.

Special Effects – The effects for the ‘found footage’ are way too high of a quality, this is mostly down to one moment feeling like it has the grainy effect but the next we are thrown into that time. The ghost activity is fine but nothing overly impressive.


Scene of the Movie – The final moment.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – I want to put a couple here, first why did the police not investigate the surrounding area? Why is Jessica Alba a lead actress? The horror is mostly plain old jump scares.

Final Thoughts – This is a by the book horror mystery thriller which would have hit higher levels if it had remained just a mystery thriller without the pointless jump scares that miss most times. We also have a forgettable supporting crew in the documentary team.

 

Overall: Try but don’t buy in.
  
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Darren (1599 KP) rated Wounds (2019) in Movies

Oct 24, 2019  
Wounds (2019)
Wounds (2019)
2019 | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Characters – Jim Jacobs is the leader of the cult, he wants to prove the spirit can be separated from the body, did he die in the mass suicide or did he achieve his goal with the other members of the cult. Maggie the lead in the documentary team, she introduces the team and arranges for Sarah to return, she does also have a connection to what happened during the mass suicide. Sarah is the lone survivor from the suicide, she returns as a grown up even if she does seem to be happy to be back to learn the truth.

Performances – Thomas Jane is the highlight of this movie, his performance is filled with all the crazy needed for role. Jessica Alba on the other side of the coin is average to poor throughout, this role could have been played by anyone to a higher level. Lily Rabe does continue to make herself feel like she should be in horror films at all times.

Story – The story follows the documentary team looking at new evidence which could explain what was happening on the site of a mass suicide. The idea of learning what happened through a mix of tapes which sadly don’t feel like found footage which is the biggest problem. The continuing idea works but the forced horror is the stumbling block here. The story does also have flaws including why didn’t the police investigate the property to find the tapes, I mean come on there was a mass suicide surely raiding every possible location is important in an investigation.

Horror/Mystery – The horror does feel forced for the most part and once we see the final scene feels almost unnecessary, this could easily have just stuck to the mystery thriller side of things and kept us on edge wondering where things will go next.

Settings – The whole film is set on the Veil, it shows a place that has had mass suicides would be haunting to be around as well as have secrets people might have missed.

Special Effects – The effects for the ‘found footage’ are way too high of a quality, this is mostly down to one moment feeling like it has the grainy effect but the next we are thrown into that time. The ghost activity is fine but nothing overly impressive.


Scene of the Movie – The final moment.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – I want to put a couple here, first why did the police not investigate the surrounding area? Why is Jessica Alba a lead actress? The horror is mostly plain old jump scares.

Final Thoughts – This is a by the book horror mystery thriller which would have hit higher levels if it had remained just a mystery thriller without the pointless jump scares that miss most times. We also have a forgettable supporting crew in the documentary team.

 

Overall: Try but don’t buy in.
  
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
1981 | Comedy, Horror
Steps away from most of the stereotypes (2 more)
Comedic Horror
Great practical effects for the time, even better than some modern day films
One of the classic Werewolf Films that any horror fan should watch
An American Werewolf in London should always be apart of any Werewolf film or horror film Fan's collection. It's comedic, yes, but it's still a great horror as well especially for it's time.

The cast isn't full of big Hollywood names, but that's what makes this film so good. You don't expect anything from the cast so the film shows you something like you've never seen. Though there are a few cast members that have big names such as Rik Mayall (R.I.P), but he isn't a main cast member, and serves only as a background character in a pub.

The story of two Americans, on a tour of England, with some comedic humour towards the atmosphere of England as we begin the film in the countryside. David's friend complains about the weather, whilst David himself is enjoying his time being out in the open.

The films practical effects are incredible, from the large wolf itself to the actual transformation, which sees limbs being extended into unnatural form, and David's mouth extending into a about, using only practical effects and no CGI. This is what makes this film so damn good!


The soundtrack is one of the cheeriest IV heard for a horror film as it contains multiple versions of the classic song Blue Moon, as well as Creedance Clearwater Revival's classic song Bad Moon Rising. Which eases some of the horror but not by much.


The film also differs from other werewolf films as it mocks the supernatural myth elements such as silver bullets, but includes some of the lesser known myths about the pre-transformation period such as the bizarre nightmares which often involve the cursed being to see themselves naked in a woods stalking and sometimes eating an animal raw, often deer or rabbit, and this film includes that as well as another very bizarre nightmare involving Nazi Demons.


The other great aspect to this film is the appearance of Dave's dead friend throughout the film, as we discover he is trapped in purgatory unable to pass on until the curse is lifted (a.k.a David needs to die). It's not the fact that Jack appears though that makes this element of the film incredible, it's the way he looks when he appears. Everytime Jack shows up, his body is more and more decayed and he becomes very zombiefied during our last encounter with him in the film, and the practical effects and makeup truly add to the grim reality of this aspect. The makeup was so grim in fact, that Griffin Dunne, who portrays Jack, wasn't overly pleased that this gruesome makeup would mean that his mother wouldn't be able to watch the film because it was that horrifying. There were even pieces of dangling rotten flesh, which was accidental but left in because it looked more realistic.


The film is funny, it's gripping and it's horrifying as we watch the beast stalk the people of London and then the next morning, we see a normal man and as we begin to watch him lose his mind, we sympathise for him.


Highly recommend this to any horror fan of you haven't seen it already, and if you haven't...why not? It's brilliantly written and brilliantly directed by the amazing John Landis.
  
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Darren (1599 KP) rated Scar (2007) in Movies

Sep 26, 2019  
Scar (2007)
Scar (2007)
2007 | Drama, Horror, Mystery
6
6.0 (2 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Characters – Joan is a character we meet at two different ages and flashback between through the film, the teenage version of her gets tortured by the serial killer leaving her with the scar on her face. The adult one heads back to her hometown for the first time since to see her niece graduate. When the killings start again she becomes the prime suspect though she believes she killed the killer all those years ago. She must learn who the killer is before her niece goes through the same ordeal she does. Olympia is the niece that is living the normal teenage life graduating only to become the latest target by the killer who has already taken her friends. Bishop is the serial killer that targeted Joan and her friend all those years ago, forcing the through a torturous ordeal, has he return? He enjoys making the victims suffer as he cuts them. We do get to meet other characters who mostly become victims of the killer, each one interacts in their own way.

Performances – Angela Bettis is strong in the leading role of this film, she often took chances on horror and this is one where she can lead the film and deal with the horrors involved. Kirby Bliss Blanton is solid in her role though she doesn’t get as much to do other than be generic teenager. Ben Cotton does make for a good villain that showed just how twisted his character it. The supporting cast are all solid enough without being challenged to do anything to make them standout.

Story – The story follows a victim returning home for the first time only to face a serial killer she believed she had killed to protect her niece. The story does a good job balance the two timelines as we see how Joan is reacting to the ordeal from her first encounter to the new encounter, playing along the lines that she might not be as clean as she thought she was. We also get to deal with how people can become interested in killings over the stories about the killer over the victim. The strangest twist in the film is the fact that another bigger film seemed to use the exact same twist and motives behind the killings, I won’t mention the film because it will ruin the end of the film.

Crime/Horror – The crime side of the film follows the action of the serial killer which plays into the horror because of the torturous nature that they follow through the film, the wounds feel real, look real and brutal with just how they are made to look.

Settings – The film takes place in a small town, which has a reputation, we see the normal locations, but it is in the shadows where we see the killer conduct their actions.

Special Effects – The effects come from the graphic body horror we are put through by the killer, the wounds being enough to make the blood appear over causing fatal wounds.


Scene of the Movie – The killer’s identity.

That Moment That Annoyed Me – The killer’s motivation.

Final Thoughts – When it comes to late night horrors sometimes we can just enjoy the events for what they are, this is one of the perfect examples of this giving us horror when we need it and a simple horror to watch.

 

Overall: Midnight horror treat.
  
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Andy K (10821 KP) rated Crash (1996) in Movies

Aug 31, 2018  
Crash (1996)
Crash (1996)
1996 | Drama
Bad words in review (0 more)
Do you get turned on after being in a car crash?
Contains spoilers, click to show
The people in this movie do and it pretty messed up. I love David Cronenberg and all his body horror films and also the deeply provocative and sometimes controversial subject matter in his films; however, this one seemed just a bit too random and out there for me.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a great steamy sex scene in a film as much as anyone, but this movie seemed like a never-ending stretch of handjobs and random nastiness for no reason whatsoever.

The characters were not even that interesting in that all they wanted to do was grope, suck and fuck each other just for the turn on of being around a crashed car and that didn't really make any sense.

Do yourself a favor and watch Naked Lunch or Videodrome instead.