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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) in Movies
Oct 14, 2019
What Noise Does A Chainsaw Make?
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre- a classic horror film. Directed by a horror icon and legend- Tobe Hopper.
The Plot- When Sally (Marilyn Burns) hears that her grandfather's grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin (Paul A. Partain), set out with their friends to investigate. After a detour to their family's old farmhouse, they discover a group of crazed, murderous outcasts living next door. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), who wears a mask of human skin, the survivors must do everything they can to escape.
The film was marketed as being based on true events to attract a wider audience and to act as a subtle commentary on the era's political climate; although the character of Leatherface and minor story details were inspired by the crimes of murderer Ed Gein, its plot is largely fictional.
Hooper limited the quantity of onscreen gore in hopes of securing a PG rating, but the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rated it R. The film faced similar difficulties internationally.
It has since gained a reputation as one of the best and most influential horror films. It is credited with originating several elements common in the slasher genre, including the use of power tools as murder weapons, the characterization of the killer as a large, hulking, faceless figure, and the killing of victims. It led to a franchise that continued the story of Leatherface and his family through sequels, prequels, a remake, comic books and video games.
I highly reccordmend this movie.
The Plot- When Sally (Marilyn Burns) hears that her grandfather's grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin (Paul A. Partain), set out with their friends to investigate. After a detour to their family's old farmhouse, they discover a group of crazed, murderous outcasts living next door. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), who wears a mask of human skin, the survivors must do everything they can to escape.
The film was marketed as being based on true events to attract a wider audience and to act as a subtle commentary on the era's political climate; although the character of Leatherface and minor story details were inspired by the crimes of murderer Ed Gein, its plot is largely fictional.
Hooper limited the quantity of onscreen gore in hopes of securing a PG rating, but the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rated it R. The film faced similar difficulties internationally.
It has since gained a reputation as one of the best and most influential horror films. It is credited with originating several elements common in the slasher genre, including the use of power tools as murder weapons, the characterization of the killer as a large, hulking, faceless figure, and the killing of victims. It led to a franchise that continued the story of Leatherface and his family through sequels, prequels, a remake, comic books and video games.
I highly reccordmend this movie.
Zombiewood - Guns! Action! Zombies!
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Lights! Camera! Zombies! Zombiewood is an awesome free action shooter game. Survive the zombie...
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Unhinged (2020) in Movies
Aug 17, 2020
A little OTT
So today was my first trip back to the cinema since COVID kicked off, and Unhinged was my film of choice (figured it’d be fairly quiet during the day - I was right). I had seen nothing about this film other than reviews on here and overall it didn’t make for a bad return to the cinema.
Let’s start with the major negative and positive, this film is ridiculously over the top. From the hammy overacting from Russell Crowe (who must have had a hoot filming this) to the excessive number of unnecessary deaths, this doesn’t hold back. There’s a good amount of gore and the car chase scenes are quite tense and exciting. My biggest problem is that the major of the main character’s actions don’t make sense and just become irritating when she does things that seem ridiculously stupid. Some things were that unbelievable that I was almost screaming at the screen in frustration (and only just restrained myself when I remembered I was actually in a public place and no longer in my home cinema 😐 ). However there were at least a few incidents that made me laugh too.
Overall this isn’t a bad film and was vaguely entertaining. If they had toned back the ridiculous aspects and made it more tense and believable, it would’ve been a much better film as road rage is a major problem for some people. Sadly I probably enjoyed and got far more excited over the Tenet and The King’s Man trailers beforehand than during this entire film, but it was still fairly enjoyable for my first foray back to the cinema.
Let’s start with the major negative and positive, this film is ridiculously over the top. From the hammy overacting from Russell Crowe (who must have had a hoot filming this) to the excessive number of unnecessary deaths, this doesn’t hold back. There’s a good amount of gore and the car chase scenes are quite tense and exciting. My biggest problem is that the major of the main character’s actions don’t make sense and just become irritating when she does things that seem ridiculously stupid. Some things were that unbelievable that I was almost screaming at the screen in frustration (and only just restrained myself when I remembered I was actually in a public place and no longer in my home cinema 😐 ). However there were at least a few incidents that made me laugh too.
Overall this isn’t a bad film and was vaguely entertaining. If they had toned back the ridiculous aspects and made it more tense and believable, it would’ve been a much better film as road rage is a major problem for some people. Sadly I probably enjoyed and got far more excited over the Tenet and The King’s Man trailers beforehand than during this entire film, but it was still fairly enjoyable for my first foray back to the cinema.
MORTAL KOMBAT X
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Experience the over-the-top, visceral fighting of MORTAL KOMBAT X! Bring the power of next-gen...
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Girl Upstairs [Audiobook] in Books
Dec 19, 2021
![The Girl Upstairs [Audiobook]](/uploads/profile_image/761/ce80efbf-8c94-4858-87df-e1d1c7d65761.jpg?m=1639925089)
I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook and whilst I personally wouldn't call it a psychological thriller, it's more of a mystery, it kept my attention and wanting to go back to listen to just one more chapter.
The two main characters of Emily and Suzie have quite sad stories to tell but for very different reasons. The start of the book is told from Suzie's perspective and whilst it does start a little slow and you are wondering where this is going, once Emily's perspective comes in and it begins to switch between perspectives, it starts to get interesting and intriguing. I admit that I didn't particularly warm to Suzie at first but she grew on me as the story developed and I got to know her better.
There is minimal violence, no blood or gore just a constant uneasiness and sense of menace sitting there waiting to creep up on you and whilst the reveal was a surprise, I did have a bit of an inkling so not the shock that I was expecting.
What I thought made this audiobook was the narrator; she kept my attention with her dulcet tones and whilst she used the same voice for all characters, there wasn't a second where I didn't know who was speaking.
Would I have enjoyed this book more if it was a physical one? Well after reading other reviews, it looks like possibly not so I would definitely recommend the audio version if you enjoy character-driven, mysteries told by an excellent narrator.
Thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited copy.
The two main characters of Emily and Suzie have quite sad stories to tell but for very different reasons. The start of the book is told from Suzie's perspective and whilst it does start a little slow and you are wondering where this is going, once Emily's perspective comes in and it begins to switch between perspectives, it starts to get interesting and intriguing. I admit that I didn't particularly warm to Suzie at first but she grew on me as the story developed and I got to know her better.
There is minimal violence, no blood or gore just a constant uneasiness and sense of menace sitting there waiting to creep up on you and whilst the reveal was a surprise, I did have a bit of an inkling so not the shock that I was expecting.
What I thought made this audiobook was the narrator; she kept my attention with her dulcet tones and whilst she used the same voice for all characters, there wasn't a second where I didn't know who was speaking.
Would I have enjoyed this book more if it was a physical one? Well after reading other reviews, it looks like possibly not so I would definitely recommend the audio version if you enjoy character-driven, mysteries told by an excellent narrator.
Thank you to HarperCollins UK Audio and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited copy.
The Greensward (Pitch & Sickle #4)
10.0
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The Lady’s Horsemen are riding out once more. Carrying death’s scythe to where tormented souls...
MM Historical Gaslamp Fantasy
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005) in Movies
Apr 27, 2022
The Hellraiser franchise has certainly hit some low notes by the eight entry in the series, but you know what? Hellworld ain't one of those low notes, and this a hill I am willing to die on.
It's without a doubt, the cheesiest Hellraiser thus far, and the first one to really lean into the dumb, sex-crazed teenager horror usually associated with slashers. It kind of works. There's a bit of an identity crisis going on. It's part slasher (complete with an I Know What You Did Last Summer set up), part typical Hellraiser, part Saw (this was the mid 00s after all), part haunted house horror. Suffice to say, there's a lot going on, and the plot even manages a semi decent twist during the climax which is a rarity with these later entries. It sometimes feels a bit muddled but most importantly, it's something different at this point! 5-7 all feel VERY similar so I can respect the fresh angle Hellworld was aiming for. Throw Lance Henriksen into the mix, alongside a returning Doug Bradley (unfortunately with little screentime yet again), and some early roles from Henry Cavill, Katheryn Winnick, and Khary Payton, and you have a pretty solid cast doing their best to traverse a typical low budget horror script. When all is said and done, it ain't too shabby, and even has the courtesy to include some memorable gore, and brings back the much loved Chatterer.
Hellworld is way more entertaining than it has any right to be, and is easily the best of the Rick Bota trilogy, which isn't exactly a high bar to clear, granted. Either way, it deserves more love!
It's without a doubt, the cheesiest Hellraiser thus far, and the first one to really lean into the dumb, sex-crazed teenager horror usually associated with slashers. It kind of works. There's a bit of an identity crisis going on. It's part slasher (complete with an I Know What You Did Last Summer set up), part typical Hellraiser, part Saw (this was the mid 00s after all), part haunted house horror. Suffice to say, there's a lot going on, and the plot even manages a semi decent twist during the climax which is a rarity with these later entries. It sometimes feels a bit muddled but most importantly, it's something different at this point! 5-7 all feel VERY similar so I can respect the fresh angle Hellworld was aiming for. Throw Lance Henriksen into the mix, alongside a returning Doug Bradley (unfortunately with little screentime yet again), and some early roles from Henry Cavill, Katheryn Winnick, and Khary Payton, and you have a pretty solid cast doing their best to traverse a typical low budget horror script. When all is said and done, it ain't too shabby, and even has the courtesy to include some memorable gore, and brings back the much loved Chatterer.
Hellworld is way more entertaining than it has any right to be, and is easily the best of the Rick Bota trilogy, which isn't exactly a high bar to clear, granted. Either way, it deserves more love!
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Morbius (2022) in Movies
Apr 2, 2022
For better or for worse, Morbius is finally out and, well, it ain't anything to write home about, but it's not quite as piss poor as I'd been hearing.
I've always liked the Morbius character, a solid C-list villain of Blade and Spider-Man, but did he ever really need his own movie? Well evidently not. It's essentially a run-of-the-mill comic book adaption that feels like it belongs in the mid 2000s with Elektra and Daredevil. It's kind of like a less fun Venom. Jared Leto isn't too shabby in the title roll when he's onscreen by himself, but there's just no chemistry between anyone otherwise, rendering a lot of the runtime quite boring. The action scenes are the kind of predictable grey CGI orgies that we've come to expect by now, and it's difficult to make out what's even happening on some occasions. The CG itself is hit and miss. Morbius actually looks pretty decent for the most part, but Matt Smith's character looks like a reject from I Am Legend. The movie suffers from a lack of an R rating, with a lot of weird looking bloodless scenes where gore was clearly meant to be present. To top things off, it boasts a mid credits scene that at best, doesn't even try to make sense, and at worst, manages to cheapen the events of Marvel movies that have come before.
Honestly though, I didn't outright hate Morbius. There are certainly worse comic book adaptions out there, but I won't be in any rush to watch again. Sony insisted on pushing ahead with it, and ultimately could have done so much more.
I've always liked the Morbius character, a solid C-list villain of Blade and Spider-Man, but did he ever really need his own movie? Well evidently not. It's essentially a run-of-the-mill comic book adaption that feels like it belongs in the mid 2000s with Elektra and Daredevil. It's kind of like a less fun Venom. Jared Leto isn't too shabby in the title roll when he's onscreen by himself, but there's just no chemistry between anyone otherwise, rendering a lot of the runtime quite boring. The action scenes are the kind of predictable grey CGI orgies that we've come to expect by now, and it's difficult to make out what's even happening on some occasions. The CG itself is hit and miss. Morbius actually looks pretty decent for the most part, but Matt Smith's character looks like a reject from I Am Legend. The movie suffers from a lack of an R rating, with a lot of weird looking bloodless scenes where gore was clearly meant to be present. To top things off, it boasts a mid credits scene that at best, doesn't even try to make sense, and at worst, manages to cheapen the events of Marvel movies that have come before.
Honestly though, I didn't outright hate Morbius. There are certainly worse comic book adaptions out there, but I won't be in any rush to watch again. Sony insisted on pushing ahead with it, and ultimately could have done so much more.
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Jigsaw (2017) in Movies
Nov 29, 2017 (Updated Nov 29, 2017)
Another unnecessary sequel
It's such a shame the Saw films have got to this. The original was in my opinion, brilliant especially with that twist. Even the second film was fairly decent. Sadly the rest of the sequels got gradually worse and more convoluted until we finally thought we'd seen the end in the "Final Chapter"... but alas no, they still can't let Jigsaw rest and have now brought everything back in a new film and most likely numerous sequels - I'll bet everything I own that this won't be the sole Jigsaw film!
I had low expectations for this and I wasnt disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't bored and it kept me entertained even if it was fairly silly and bad. It just could've been so much better.
The acting was in the most part atrocious and cheesy. Only Tobin Bell really came out of this unscathed. The traps and gore seemed lame and a bit boring in comparison with the other films, although this is kind of explained by the twist ending, but it still isn't acceptable. And the twists themselves, so predictable and unoriginal! Saw them coming a mile off, proving that the more sequels you have, the more film makers struggle to for originality. The plot itself also didn't make sense in parts - it vaguely tied in to the Saw films but didn't directly throw back to the actual ending of the 7th film. Major plot holes both relating to that and the twist ending here that they obviously didn't want to think about.
This is alright if you're bored and need something to watch - especially when there's nobody else in the cinema screen! But sadly it's a poor tribute to the original Saw film, like most of its predecessors.
I had low expectations for this and I wasnt disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't bored and it kept me entertained even if it was fairly silly and bad. It just could've been so much better.
The acting was in the most part atrocious and cheesy. Only Tobin Bell really came out of this unscathed. The traps and gore seemed lame and a bit boring in comparison with the other films, although this is kind of explained by the twist ending, but it still isn't acceptable. And the twists themselves, so predictable and unoriginal! Saw them coming a mile off, proving that the more sequels you have, the more film makers struggle to for originality. The plot itself also didn't make sense in parts - it vaguely tied in to the Saw films but didn't directly throw back to the actual ending of the 7th film. Major plot holes both relating to that and the twist ending here that they obviously didn't want to think about.
This is alright if you're bored and need something to watch - especially when there's nobody else in the cinema screen! But sadly it's a poor tribute to the original Saw film, like most of its predecessors.
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Housemates in Books
Jan 12, 2018
I cant put it into words how much I enjoyed this book. There are only a select few books that I cant help talking about with my family and work colleagues, whether they want to hear about it or not, but this is one of them
I just couldnt help myself!
Be warned, there is gratuitous violence throughout!
Im not going to give anything away about the story-line but basically, its a twisted Big Brother with a bit of Saw thrown in for good measure where the contestants have to take part in tasks and eliminations with the last person standing having the chance of walking away with £2 million.
The contestants inside the house are a mix of characters some of which more likeable than others and some thoroughly despicable we learn more about each person as time goes on and it can be a bit of an eye-opener in some cases.
Now, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that this is going to put your brain cells to work extra hard nor am I going to say that the twist is a massive surprise but what I will say is that if you, like me, are a little bit sick of the raft of reality TV programmes being rammed down our throats and just wish they would up the anti just a little, then this is the book for you!
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy in return for an honest and unbiased review. I will, most definitely, read more from Mr Wright as I do like a bit of gore every now and then 😃.
Be warned, there is gratuitous violence throughout!
Im not going to give anything away about the story-line but basically, its a twisted Big Brother with a bit of Saw thrown in for good measure where the contestants have to take part in tasks and eliminations with the last person standing having the chance of walking away with £2 million.
The contestants inside the house are a mix of characters some of which more likeable than others and some thoroughly despicable we learn more about each person as time goes on and it can be a bit of an eye-opener in some cases.
Now, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that this is going to put your brain cells to work extra hard nor am I going to say that the twist is a massive surprise but what I will say is that if you, like me, are a little bit sick of the raft of reality TV programmes being rammed down our throats and just wish they would up the anti just a little, then this is the book for you!
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy in return for an honest and unbiased review. I will, most definitely, read more from Mr Wright as I do like a bit of gore every now and then 😃.