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Scott Tostik (389 KP) rated He's Out There (2018) in Movies
Aug 16, 2019
The mask... Wicked (1 more)
One helluva great build up
Slow burn that heats up well
Contains spoilers, click to show
Woman takes kids to weekend home in the woods. Husband to meet up with them later that night. What could possibly go wrong?
Well... Lemme tell you.... Your whole fuckin day just got ruined by some psycho in a mask who starts of small... Banging on windows... Moving things around the yard... Typical teenage prank type stuff...
As the fear builds, his sadistic nature come to the surface... He intercepts the husband on his way through the darkened goat path of a road and proceeds to carve out his eyeballs and leave his corpse on the front step... Like some cat leaving his master a dead rat or bird... Seeking approval
There's a scene near the end of the film that I found kind of brilliant.
The killer hangs three life sized dolls, representing the mother and her children, for the three to find when they try to run... Stopping them in their tracks... Then... As if they were kids playing a game, he begins pelting them with paintballs to drive them back into the house... Giving himself total control over the situation. The killer has made it impossible for the victims to leave... Thinking the car is a good idea... Mommy hides her children in the closet... Telling them how brave they are and giving them a watch to time 20 seconds before they make a break for it to meet their mother at the car... Mom takes the keys from her dead husbands pocket and start a the car. She then grabs the kids from the closet and is immediately trapped in a room by Mr. Madman.
A neighbor comes over and sees the carnage that is the yard, smashed up SUV, deadman on the steps and tries to help... His fate is sealed by an axe to the head...
The killers total control of everything is what makes me like this movie... Reminds me of The Collector in so many ways... Total control...
Its worth a watch or two... When the climax of the film finally comes a long... Its kind of a let down... But the build up was nice and impressive... If you're looking to get blue balled by a movie... Its a great pick :)
Well... Lemme tell you.... Your whole fuckin day just got ruined by some psycho in a mask who starts of small... Banging on windows... Moving things around the yard... Typical teenage prank type stuff...
As the fear builds, his sadistic nature come to the surface... He intercepts the husband on his way through the darkened goat path of a road and proceeds to carve out his eyeballs and leave his corpse on the front step... Like some cat leaving his master a dead rat or bird... Seeking approval
There's a scene near the end of the film that I found kind of brilliant.
The killer hangs three life sized dolls, representing the mother and her children, for the three to find when they try to run... Stopping them in their tracks... Then... As if they were kids playing a game, he begins pelting them with paintballs to drive them back into the house... Giving himself total control over the situation. The killer has made it impossible for the victims to leave... Thinking the car is a good idea... Mommy hides her children in the closet... Telling them how brave they are and giving them a watch to time 20 seconds before they make a break for it to meet their mother at the car... Mom takes the keys from her dead husbands pocket and start a the car. She then grabs the kids from the closet and is immediately trapped in a room by Mr. Madman.
A neighbor comes over and sees the carnage that is the yard, smashed up SUV, deadman on the steps and tries to help... His fate is sealed by an axe to the head...
The killers total control of everything is what makes me like this movie... Reminds me of The Collector in so many ways... Total control...
Its worth a watch or two... When the climax of the film finally comes a long... Its kind of a let down... But the build up was nice and impressive... If you're looking to get blue balled by a movie... Its a great pick :)
JT (287 KP) rated Don't Breathe (2016) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
Building suspense is considered a difficult task. Alfred Hitchcock was a master of this. You need look no further than the shower scene in Psycho for an example of his work. When a film delivers on suspense it can sometimes take the emphasis off a predictable twist ending. If the audience leaves the screening visibly shaken then a director has done his job.
Don’t Breathe, directed by Fede Alvarez, follows three amatuer burglers, Rocky (Jane Levy), Alex (Dylan Minnette), and the aptly named Money (Daniel Zovatto), who are looking for a big pay day. When they hear about a retired blind war veteran who lives alone, and who may have $300,000 in cash, the trio decide he would make easy prey – how wrong they were.
Rocky is the more cautious of the three, but having grown up in an abusive family she is looking for an escape plan and to take her sister Diddy (Emma Bercovici) to safety with her. This job is a means to an end for that scenario to happen.
If the audience leaves the screening visibly shaken then a director has done his job.
The opening doesn’t offer much other than setting the scene but once the doors are bolted and windows locked it’s game on. Alvarez has a solid understanding of this genre, no matter what you thought of his bloodthirsty Evil Dead remake? In the confines of this house of horrors he is able to let The Blind Man (Stephen Lang) run riot as he attempts to put a stop to the break-in.
There is a sense that Alvarez is toying with his audience, in a bid to starve off the ending. He’s having too much fun. The atmosphere is excruciatingly tense, particularly when The Blind Man levels the playing field in the basement by turning off all the lights. A neat twist in the story tries to create empathy, but it’s a little too late for that and the final act ramps up the suspense to Hitchcockian levels.
Any other person would have dropped the money and looked for a way out as quickly as possible. That is not the case here as each opportunity to escape is met with a roadblock that send the burglars back down a different path. The home invasion horror has been around for a while but done right it can be incredibly effective and in this case Don’t Breathe gets it spot on.
Don’t Breathe, directed by Fede Alvarez, follows three amatuer burglers, Rocky (Jane Levy), Alex (Dylan Minnette), and the aptly named Money (Daniel Zovatto), who are looking for a big pay day. When they hear about a retired blind war veteran who lives alone, and who may have $300,000 in cash, the trio decide he would make easy prey – how wrong they were.
Rocky is the more cautious of the three, but having grown up in an abusive family she is looking for an escape plan and to take her sister Diddy (Emma Bercovici) to safety with her. This job is a means to an end for that scenario to happen.
If the audience leaves the screening visibly shaken then a director has done his job.
The opening doesn’t offer much other than setting the scene but once the doors are bolted and windows locked it’s game on. Alvarez has a solid understanding of this genre, no matter what you thought of his bloodthirsty Evil Dead remake? In the confines of this house of horrors he is able to let The Blind Man (Stephen Lang) run riot as he attempts to put a stop to the break-in.
There is a sense that Alvarez is toying with his audience, in a bid to starve off the ending. He’s having too much fun. The atmosphere is excruciatingly tense, particularly when The Blind Man levels the playing field in the basement by turning off all the lights. A neat twist in the story tries to create empathy, but it’s a little too late for that and the final act ramps up the suspense to Hitchcockian levels.
Any other person would have dropped the money and looked for a way out as quickly as possible. That is not the case here as each opportunity to escape is met with a roadblock that send the burglars back down a different path. The home invasion horror has been around for a while but done right it can be incredibly effective and in this case Don’t Breathe gets it spot on.
JT (287 KP) rated In the Tall Grass (2019) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
What did I just watch? If someone could enlighten me I would be most grateful. Netflix doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to original films and I have yet to see one that I was genuinely impressed with. Given all the money that Netflix has, you would have thought they might be able to deliver something worth watching.
For Netflix’s latest effort, In The Tall Grass, the film is based on the 2012 novella by Stephen King and son Joe Hill. King’s books, in particular, seem hardest to adapt onto the big screen so it should come as no surprise that this supernatural head-scratcher fails miserably.
Becky (Laysla De Oliveira) and Cal Demuth (Avery Whitted) are making the long trip to San Diego where Becky is planning to give up her baby. Stopping outside an abandoned church they hear a child crying for help from inside a field of tall grass. Not wanting to drive off the pair investigate and become separated and lost in the grass maze. Director Vincenzo Natali is no stranger to maze-like scenarios having helmed The Cube, in which six people are involuntarily placed in an endless maze of deadly traps.
King’s books, in particular, seem hardest to adapt onto the big screen so it should come as no surprise that this supernatural head-scratcher fails miserably.
With Becky and Cal in danger of being consumed by the grass, they encounter the family of the missing boy they were searching for. The Dad, Ross (Patrick Wilson) discovers Becky and promises her safe passage out of the labyrinth. Cal in the meantime has met the young boy, Tobin (Will Buie Jr.), who makes a few sinister statements. A huge rock in the middle of the field that can turn people insane as well as bend time expands the story’s supernatural element. This becomes apparent when Becky’s boyfriend shows up months after she failed to return home and becomes a focal point of the story.
The cast, except for Patrick Wilson who plays the psycho role to great effect, are forgettable. There is a scattering of creepy moments but it’s not enough to carry the film any further. Natali had to make a few changes that were different from the novella to pack it into a feature-length film and this is probably where it falls down.
For Netflix’s latest effort, In The Tall Grass, the film is based on the 2012 novella by Stephen King and son Joe Hill. King’s books, in particular, seem hardest to adapt onto the big screen so it should come as no surprise that this supernatural head-scratcher fails miserably.
Becky (Laysla De Oliveira) and Cal Demuth (Avery Whitted) are making the long trip to San Diego where Becky is planning to give up her baby. Stopping outside an abandoned church they hear a child crying for help from inside a field of tall grass. Not wanting to drive off the pair investigate and become separated and lost in the grass maze. Director Vincenzo Natali is no stranger to maze-like scenarios having helmed The Cube, in which six people are involuntarily placed in an endless maze of deadly traps.
King’s books, in particular, seem hardest to adapt onto the big screen so it should come as no surprise that this supernatural head-scratcher fails miserably.
With Becky and Cal in danger of being consumed by the grass, they encounter the family of the missing boy they were searching for. The Dad, Ross (Patrick Wilson) discovers Becky and promises her safe passage out of the labyrinth. Cal in the meantime has met the young boy, Tobin (Will Buie Jr.), who makes a few sinister statements. A huge rock in the middle of the field that can turn people insane as well as bend time expands the story’s supernatural element. This becomes apparent when Becky’s boyfriend shows up months after she failed to return home and becomes a focal point of the story.
The cast, except for Patrick Wilson who plays the psycho role to great effect, are forgettable. There is a scattering of creepy moments but it’s not enough to carry the film any further. Natali had to make a few changes that were different from the novella to pack it into a feature-length film and this is probably where it falls down.
Good Me, Bad Me
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ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY, CONTROVERSIAL AND EXPLOSIVE DEBUTS OF 2017, Good Me Bad Me is for...
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Deep Red (Profondo rosso) (1975) in Movies
Jul 19, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
Deep Red (aka Profondo rosso) is a thriller/slasher from Italian writer/director Dario Argento.
When Marcus Daly (David Hemmings) witnesses the murder of the women living in the flat below him he finds himself in a race to find the murderer before he becomes their next victim. The films killer follows a lot of what would become familiar tropes in slasher films, the killer is rarely seen and when they are seen they are covered u, they use a number of different ways to kill their victims and they have a habit of sneaking around. There isn't necessarily a a lot of blood from the kills, that is to say blood is sprayed around but when there is blood it is filmed in such a way that you can't miss it, in fact they eye is drawn to it.
Speaking of eyes there are a lot of them, Dario Argento has his own style of filming, he uses filters and strange camera angles and, in Deep Red a lot of closeups on eyes, sometimes just for scene transitions.
As well as being a Slasher, Deep Red is a mystery, as the film progresses Marcus the protagonist find clues as to the identity of the killer giving the viewer the chance to work out who it is as well. But there are red herrings and a lot of things that don't necessarily make sense. There is a clockwork boy, used only one by the killer, there is a creepy girl with a possibly mad farther, two facts that really don't affect the story.
As I said, Deep Red contains a lot of the Slasher tropes but it predates most of them, even beating Halloween by three years and so you can see that it has a big influence on the modern (well 80's so not so modern now) slashers.
The down side is that Deep Red is slow, there is a lot of talking, although contained in this are some clues as to the killers identity and the level of violence isn't quite as much as some of the more modern films, it does however beat some of it's slasher predecessors such as Psycho.
Over all Deep Red is a good film, slightly more mystery than slasher but with enough kills to keep a slasher fan happy. The story does plod along at is own pace but over all an enjoyable film.
When Marcus Daly (David Hemmings) witnesses the murder of the women living in the flat below him he finds himself in a race to find the murderer before he becomes their next victim. The films killer follows a lot of what would become familiar tropes in slasher films, the killer is rarely seen and when they are seen they are covered u, they use a number of different ways to kill their victims and they have a habit of sneaking around. There isn't necessarily a a lot of blood from the kills, that is to say blood is sprayed around but when there is blood it is filmed in such a way that you can't miss it, in fact they eye is drawn to it.
Speaking of eyes there are a lot of them, Dario Argento has his own style of filming, he uses filters and strange camera angles and, in Deep Red a lot of closeups on eyes, sometimes just for scene transitions.
As well as being a Slasher, Deep Red is a mystery, as the film progresses Marcus the protagonist find clues as to the identity of the killer giving the viewer the chance to work out who it is as well. But there are red herrings and a lot of things that don't necessarily make sense. There is a clockwork boy, used only one by the killer, there is a creepy girl with a possibly mad farther, two facts that really don't affect the story.
As I said, Deep Red contains a lot of the Slasher tropes but it predates most of them, even beating Halloween by three years and so you can see that it has a big influence on the modern (well 80's so not so modern now) slashers.
The down side is that Deep Red is slow, there is a lot of talking, although contained in this are some clues as to the killers identity and the level of violence isn't quite as much as some of the more modern films, it does however beat some of it's slasher predecessors such as Psycho.
Over all Deep Red is a good film, slightly more mystery than slasher but with enough kills to keep a slasher fan happy. The story does plod along at is own pace but over all an enjoyable film.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated Bloodshot (2020) in Movies
Jan 9, 2021
Contains spoilers, click to show
Ok, I'll start by saying that this is one of those films that needs two viewings, not that the second viewing adds anything to it but you do get to appreciate what the film is trying to do. Let me explain.
First off Bloodshot is action/comic book movie of two half's. In the first half we half (well maybe first third) we have Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) completing his mission, celebrating, getting captured and loosing his wife before being resurrected as Bloodshot and going out on a mission of revenge. All of this has an increasingly comic book feel to it, and so it should, the film is based on one after all. However some scenes feel too comic and the "villain", Martin Axe, feels too over the top, especially when he seems to have had a personality swap the next time we see him. There is a reason for of this reviled by the films mid way plot twist but, on the first watch through the "Psycho Killer" scene distracted me from some of the film. Then we get a plot twist that studio Trigger* would be proud of. I'm sure anyone who has read the original source material knew what was going to happen, but that has always been one of the problems, keeping the mystery for new fans but giving the comic book fans what they want.
As we get to the second half of the film it losses some of t e over the top-ness, or at least substitutes it for a different kind of over the top and does bring you back into the plot of 'Augmented man fights other augmented men' which does give us a good over the top action film.
If you do give Bloodshot a second watch then you do notice some clever little bits, like the entire plot being told to us near the beginning of the film. Although I'm still not sure why the London police car has a machine gun in the back of it.
Over all Bloodshot is a o.k. - Good action film but for no brained augmented human action films I think ' Hobbs and Shaw' did it better, Bloodshot even shares Eiza Gonzales with them.
*Responsible for the anime's Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann both of which have mid season twists that send the series in different directions.
First off Bloodshot is action/comic book movie of two half's. In the first half we half (well maybe first third) we have Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) completing his mission, celebrating, getting captured and loosing his wife before being resurrected as Bloodshot and going out on a mission of revenge. All of this has an increasingly comic book feel to it, and so it should, the film is based on one after all. However some scenes feel too comic and the "villain", Martin Axe, feels too over the top, especially when he seems to have had a personality swap the next time we see him. There is a reason for of this reviled by the films mid way plot twist but, on the first watch through the "Psycho Killer" scene distracted me from some of the film. Then we get a plot twist that studio Trigger* would be proud of. I'm sure anyone who has read the original source material knew what was going to happen, but that has always been one of the problems, keeping the mystery for new fans but giving the comic book fans what they want.
As we get to the second half of the film it losses some of t e over the top-ness, or at least substitutes it for a different kind of over the top and does bring you back into the plot of 'Augmented man fights other augmented men' which does give us a good over the top action film.
If you do give Bloodshot a second watch then you do notice some clever little bits, like the entire plot being told to us near the beginning of the film. Although I'm still not sure why the London police car has a machine gun in the back of it.
Over all Bloodshot is a o.k. - Good action film but for no brained augmented human action films I think ' Hobbs and Shaw' did it better, Bloodshot even shares Eiza Gonzales with them.
*Responsible for the anime's Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann both of which have mid season twists that send the series in different directions.
THE KING OF FIGHTERS-i 2012(F)
Games and Entertainment
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Famous paid app "THE KING OF FIGHTERS-i 2012" returns as a free app in order to celebrate the 20th...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated Night Swim (2024) in Movies
Jan 5, 2024
The first major release of 2024 has arrived in the form of “Night Swim” and the Blumhouse production looks to follow on the success of “M3gan” and
their other recent hit “Five Nights at Freddy’s”.
The movie stars Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon as Ray and Eve Walter; a married couple trying to raise their two children and deal with Ray’s M.S.
diagnosis. Ray is a former Major League Baseball player and holds out hope that he can overcome his situation and make a return to his profession even if those around him do not.
A life on the road has caused Ray to miss many events such as the birth of their daughter as well as be distant from their son. A new job at a prestigious school offers Eve a chance to have the needed insurance for Ray and work to do while she completes her degree.
The family opt to purchase a home with a pool versus renting as the ability to finally have some stability and use the pool for therapy is a welcome combination. This is enhanced by the discovery that the pool is
actually filled by a natural water source which Ray believes is healing him and rapidly putting him on the road to recovery.
Things are not as they seem as the pool holds some dark and deadly secrets that go back for decades and the family soon finds themselves dealing
with forces beyond their control as they desperately try to survive.
The film has an interesting premise though at times I did think about various other films and some of the shock moments failed to get me as they did others in the audience but I am not one who startles easily.
The cast was strong but at times I found myself not caring as much for the outcomes of certain characters as I was more concerned with the overall
explanation behind the supernatural elements of the film.
Despite this, it was an enjoyable watch that provided something a bit different than the usual monster or psycho on the loose horror film and Co-Writer/ Director Bryce McGuire has adapted his short film well into a
film which provides just enough of what the core audience wants to make it an effective horror entry.
3 stars out of 5
their other recent hit “Five Nights at Freddy’s”.
The movie stars Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon as Ray and Eve Walter; a married couple trying to raise their two children and deal with Ray’s M.S.
diagnosis. Ray is a former Major League Baseball player and holds out hope that he can overcome his situation and make a return to his profession even if those around him do not.
A life on the road has caused Ray to miss many events such as the birth of their daughter as well as be distant from their son. A new job at a prestigious school offers Eve a chance to have the needed insurance for Ray and work to do while she completes her degree.
The family opt to purchase a home with a pool versus renting as the ability to finally have some stability and use the pool for therapy is a welcome combination. This is enhanced by the discovery that the pool is
actually filled by a natural water source which Ray believes is healing him and rapidly putting him on the road to recovery.
Things are not as they seem as the pool holds some dark and deadly secrets that go back for decades and the family soon finds themselves dealing
with forces beyond their control as they desperately try to survive.
The film has an interesting premise though at times I did think about various other films and some of the shock moments failed to get me as they did others in the audience but I am not one who startles easily.
The cast was strong but at times I found myself not caring as much for the outcomes of certain characters as I was more concerned with the overall
explanation behind the supernatural elements of the film.
Despite this, it was an enjoyable watch that provided something a bit different than the usual monster or psycho on the loose horror film and Co-Writer/ Director Bryce McGuire has adapted his short film well into a
film which provides just enough of what the core audience wants to make it an effective horror entry.
3 stars out of 5
Debbiereadsbook (1410 KP) rated Dream a Little Dream (To Love a Psycho #1) in Books
May 3, 2025
There is no HEA here, not yet. There is no romance, not yet.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is the first book in the To Love A Psycho trilogy. There is no HEA here, not yet. There is no romance, not yet.
But what is here, is setting the stage for what is to come, and I bloody loved it!
It's dark and deadly. Very little smex, but the steam is building, oh yes!
Aaron is the child of serial killers, Kenny the psychologist who helped bring their capture. Jack, the police constable who finds Aaron. While this is mostly about Kenny and Aaron, it is important to mention Jack. Given as Jack played a huge part in Kenny's life before, and the fact that Aaron knows Jack, from that very early meeting and again, when he comes back into his life.
What I think (cos Lord knows if I can word it correctly!) I liked most about this book, was that both men are somewhat . . .not damaged or unhinged but those words keept jumping from my book brain and I dont think they are right, but that sort of thing. They are both haunted by their past, and Kenny especially surprised me. He fights Aaron all the way, but knows he can't keep away. Even taking to him to his therapy is something Kenny HAS to do for Aaron.
Given what's said here about Jack and Kenny's relationship, I can see why Kenny needs to look out for Aaron, he has no one else, but Kenny is hard wired that way: to care for someone, in any way he can. I think deep down, Kenny knows this, even if he psycoanalyses himself to the very max, I don't think he's actually seeing that in himself.
I did not see it all playing out the way it did, and I love being surprised. I can't wait to see what White does to this pair in the next book, but I am promised an eventual HEA, they are just gonna have to work so darn hard at it, it might break me!
4 stars, but only because it is a cliff hanger, and I KNEW that going in, but I can't quite stretch, not yet!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
This is the first book in the To Love A Psycho trilogy. There is no HEA here, not yet. There is no romance, not yet.
But what is here, is setting the stage for what is to come, and I bloody loved it!
It's dark and deadly. Very little smex, but the steam is building, oh yes!
Aaron is the child of serial killers, Kenny the psychologist who helped bring their capture. Jack, the police constable who finds Aaron. While this is mostly about Kenny and Aaron, it is important to mention Jack. Given as Jack played a huge part in Kenny's life before, and the fact that Aaron knows Jack, from that very early meeting and again, when he comes back into his life.
What I think (cos Lord knows if I can word it correctly!) I liked most about this book, was that both men are somewhat . . .not damaged or unhinged but those words keept jumping from my book brain and I dont think they are right, but that sort of thing. They are both haunted by their past, and Kenny especially surprised me. He fights Aaron all the way, but knows he can't keep away. Even taking to him to his therapy is something Kenny HAS to do for Aaron.
Given what's said here about Jack and Kenny's relationship, I can see why Kenny needs to look out for Aaron, he has no one else, but Kenny is hard wired that way: to care for someone, in any way he can. I think deep down, Kenny knows this, even if he psycoanalyses himself to the very max, I don't think he's actually seeing that in himself.
I did not see it all playing out the way it did, and I love being surprised. I can't wait to see what White does to this pair in the next book, but I am promised an eventual HEA, they are just gonna have to work so darn hard at it, it might break me!
4 stars, but only because it is a cliff hanger, and I KNEW that going in, but I can't quite stretch, not yet!
*same worded review will appear elsewhere
The Altruistic Brain: How We are Naturally Good
Book
Since the beginning of recorded history, law and religion have provided "rules" that define good...