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JT (287 KP) rated Insidious (2010) in Movies
Mar 10, 2020
James Wan has all the talent but for some reason is unable to put the killer instinct into his films and finish them off like they should be. With the exception of being one of the founding members of the Saw franchise, his films to date haven’t quite lived up to the expectations we know he can and should be able to deliver on.
Wan returns with Leigh Whannell the creator and writer of Saw, with the pair looking to yet again scare everyone shitless with a haunted house tale, this time focussing on a young boy whose slipped into a coma and drifted into the outer realms called The Further.
When writing Insidious Whannell wanted to make sure that he avoided all the haunted house cliches, and he pretty much did that. What he failed to do though was script a stronger third act, something which might have brought this up on a par with Saw.
Dalton is the one in peril as he suddenly slips into a coma one morning, his mother Renai (Byrne) is then forced to spend time looking after her trio of kids all the while looking over her shoulder, as she hears one bump to the next occurring both in broad daylight and at night.
After some decent scares from the outset including the old “he’s behind you” and murmurings through the baby monitor the film was almost guilty of slipping into a farce as our protagonist Josh Lambert (Wilson) was forced to engage in some astro physics in order to save the day.
It was a real shame as up till that point you’d have spent most of the run time hiding under the covers, as Wan introduced one jolt after another, some more subtle than others but ultimately offering the same desired effect.
The introduction of Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) the Ghost hunter whose come to see what all the fuss is about is pretty much inevitable. Armed with the latest high tech equipment and a couple of geeks, the aptly named Specs and Tucker, provides much amusement as Rainier delivers the killer line “It’s not the house that’s haunted”.
The film moves through the gears well, but it’s that annoyingly poor third act that ruins it for me. It does try and redeem itself with an all too predictable ending, those that have seen Wan and Whannel’s other film Dead Silence will know what I mean.
At the end of the day you feel all Wan had to do was hit the target, but this is just off to the right!
Wan returns with Leigh Whannell the creator and writer of Saw, with the pair looking to yet again scare everyone shitless with a haunted house tale, this time focussing on a young boy whose slipped into a coma and drifted into the outer realms called The Further.
When writing Insidious Whannell wanted to make sure that he avoided all the haunted house cliches, and he pretty much did that. What he failed to do though was script a stronger third act, something which might have brought this up on a par with Saw.
Dalton is the one in peril as he suddenly slips into a coma one morning, his mother Renai (Byrne) is then forced to spend time looking after her trio of kids all the while looking over her shoulder, as she hears one bump to the next occurring both in broad daylight and at night.
After some decent scares from the outset including the old “he’s behind you” and murmurings through the baby monitor the film was almost guilty of slipping into a farce as our protagonist Josh Lambert (Wilson) was forced to engage in some astro physics in order to save the day.
It was a real shame as up till that point you’d have spent most of the run time hiding under the covers, as Wan introduced one jolt after another, some more subtle than others but ultimately offering the same desired effect.
The introduction of Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) the Ghost hunter whose come to see what all the fuss is about is pretty much inevitable. Armed with the latest high tech equipment and a couple of geeks, the aptly named Specs and Tucker, provides much amusement as Rainier delivers the killer line “It’s not the house that’s haunted”.
The film moves through the gears well, but it’s that annoyingly poor third act that ruins it for me. It does try and redeem itself with an all too predictable ending, those that have seen Wan and Whannel’s other film Dead Silence will know what I mean.
At the end of the day you feel all Wan had to do was hit the target, but this is just off to the right!
Ross (3282 KP) rated Insidious (2010) in Movies
Nov 27, 2017 (Updated Nov 27, 2017)
The idea (1 more)
The creepy assortment of ghosts
With my wife out for the night and the kids all tucked up in bed, I decided to treat myself to a horror film, and Insidious was what I opted for (having watched the set of Sinister films a few months ago).
The film follows a fairly similar trajectory: weird things happen, the house is haunted, no its not the house its the child that's haunted, demons, triumph, happy ending. I don't think that's a spoiler as it describes 90% of the recent horror films.
A family with three young children move to a new home and soon one of the children bumps his head and ends up in a coma. From there some weird things start to happen.
Rose Byrne is excellent as the housewife struggling to raise her three kids and write music to kickstart her new career. It is her who experiences most of the unpleasant visitations, being stuck at home all day with the baby and her son in a coma. In one particularly creepy scene in the new house, she plays the role superbly (and I will never again listen to Tiptoe through the Tulips without shivering).
As with most decent horror films, this doesn't try to do anything new with the bulk of the film, but has an underlying new idea shaping it (and revealing that would be a spoiler!) that looks to explain the haunting.
Apart from Rose Byrne, I found the rest of the cast really quite poor, but they're acting during the haunting scenes didn't manage to spoil them too much.
Overall, a great creepy film that ticks all the boxes and leaves you wanting to watch the sequel.
The film follows a fairly similar trajectory: weird things happen, the house is haunted, no its not the house its the child that's haunted, demons, triumph, happy ending. I don't think that's a spoiler as it describes 90% of the recent horror films.
A family with three young children move to a new home and soon one of the children bumps his head and ends up in a coma. From there some weird things start to happen.
Rose Byrne is excellent as the housewife struggling to raise her three kids and write music to kickstart her new career. It is her who experiences most of the unpleasant visitations, being stuck at home all day with the baby and her son in a coma. In one particularly creepy scene in the new house, she plays the role superbly (and I will never again listen to Tiptoe through the Tulips without shivering).
As with most decent horror films, this doesn't try to do anything new with the bulk of the film, but has an underlying new idea shaping it (and revealing that would be a spoiler!) that looks to explain the haunting.
Apart from Rose Byrne, I found the rest of the cast really quite poor, but they're acting during the haunting scenes didn't manage to spoil them too much.
Overall, a great creepy film that ticks all the boxes and leaves you wanting to watch the sequel.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated The Murder House in Books
May 10, 2018
7 Ocean Drive also known as The Murder House, gives Detective Jenna Murphy the creeps. She used to play on the beaches right outside this house when she was little. Since she has been away from Southhampton Township for so long, she can't recall why. When two dead bodies are found in the house, Detective Murphy is on the case to find the killer. The number one suspect, Noah Walker has strong ties to the house and is known for his past crimes. The story behind the house is a good setting for any haunted house, but this house isn't exactly haunted as it is just strange for all the death in encapsulates.
The Murder House is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. You get to a point where you think you know what is going to happen next, and chances are you will be wrong. You don't know who to route for to be the bad guy or the good guy. I found myself yelling at the book and gasping on a few occasions because I couldn't believe what was happening. I thought I had it all figured out from the beginning. It's been a while since I've read a James Patterson book where I was wrong about who the killer was going to be. I was really stumped on this one. I was truly immersed in the story. I have always been a big James Patterson fan and this book I will have to say will be one of my favorites. It has everything you want from a good thriller. I always will recommend a book by James Patterson, they are usually quick to read and entertaining, but this one is highly recommended.
The Murder House is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. You get to a point where you think you know what is going to happen next, and chances are you will be wrong. You don't know who to route for to be the bad guy or the good guy. I found myself yelling at the book and gasping on a few occasions because I couldn't believe what was happening. I thought I had it all figured out from the beginning. It's been a while since I've read a James Patterson book where I was wrong about who the killer was going to be. I was really stumped on this one. I was truly immersed in the story. I have always been a big James Patterson fan and this book I will have to say will be one of my favorites. It has everything you want from a good thriller. I always will recommend a book by James Patterson, they are usually quick to read and entertaining, but this one is highly recommended.
Darren (1599 KP) rated Dark Feed (2012) in Movies
Oct 14, 2019
Characters – The characters are all designed to be different members of a film crew from actors to special effects guys, we just get to learn which part of the movie they are involved in without getting to see much else about the characters themselves. We don’t see to learn enough about any of the characters making it hard to figure out just who is meant to be the lead character.
Performance – The performances are not great which does reflect the idea of the film but by the end you are just left wondering if the lead character is going to take over the performing but no.
Story – The story is film crew in former mental hospital that once did experiments on the patients is haunted and now they are about to become the latest victims of the hospital, this is fine but sadly it just doesn’t reach the levels it should do with scares which are mostly messing around between the crew and just something we have seen before.
Horror – There is little to no scares going on through this movie, we have moments that build up but in the end most are false scares which just make you not care about later ones.
Settings – The setting is the highlight of the film as we get to see the haunted abandoned location making for the scares.
Special Effects – The effects are not that impressive either.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not knowing who was the main character until too late into the film.
Final Thoughts – This is a horror film with a good idea but sadly turns into something that gets confusing as we are left wondering who to root for and just if anything scary will happen.
Overall: Messy Horror Film
Performance – The performances are not great which does reflect the idea of the film but by the end you are just left wondering if the lead character is going to take over the performing but no.
Story – The story is film crew in former mental hospital that once did experiments on the patients is haunted and now they are about to become the latest victims of the hospital, this is fine but sadly it just doesn’t reach the levels it should do with scares which are mostly messing around between the crew and just something we have seen before.
Horror – There is little to no scares going on through this movie, we have moments that build up but in the end most are false scares which just make you not care about later ones.
Settings – The setting is the highlight of the film as we get to see the haunted abandoned location making for the scares.
Special Effects – The effects are not that impressive either.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Not knowing who was the main character until too late into the film.
Final Thoughts – This is a horror film with a good idea but sadly turns into something that gets confusing as we are left wondering who to root for and just if anything scary will happen.
Overall: Messy Horror Film
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) in Movies
Oct 5, 2018
Jamie Lee returns!
Coming off the pukefest that was the Curse of Michael Myers, filmmakers had nowhere to go but up.
Seeing Jamie Lee Curtis back as Laurie Strode alongside younger versions of Michelle Williams, Josh Hartnett and Joseph Gordon-Levitt gave me a thrill. Unfortunately, the screenplay is substandard and doesn't really give the characters much to do.
Since she was last seen, Laurie has gone into hiding with her teenage son and is now a teacher at a private school in California still haunted by the events on Halloween 20 years ago.
The last act redeems the film a little with the family reunion and final confrontation being enjoyable and nostalgic; however, when the film ends I still had the feeling like an opportunity to make a truly great horror film was wasted.
Seeing Jamie Lee Curtis back as Laurie Strode alongside younger versions of Michelle Williams, Josh Hartnett and Joseph Gordon-Levitt gave me a thrill. Unfortunately, the screenplay is substandard and doesn't really give the characters much to do.
Since she was last seen, Laurie has gone into hiding with her teenage son and is now a teacher at a private school in California still haunted by the events on Halloween 20 years ago.
The last act redeems the film a little with the family reunion and final confrontation being enjoyable and nostalgic; however, when the film ends I still had the feeling like an opportunity to make a truly great horror film was wasted.
Blazing Minds (92 KP) rated The Nun (2018) in Movies
Nov 1, 2021 (Updated Nov 3, 2021)
We take a trip back to 1952 in the latest movie in the Conjuring Universe, The Nun, to find out how it all began and I took the trip back in IMAX in Broughton to enjoy the horror on a big screen.
In Romania, a young nun takes her own life, to find out why she did this a priest with his own haunted past is sent to the cloistered abbey to uncover the order’s unholy secret, their investigation not only has their lives at risk but also their faith and their souls as they confront The Nun, a malevolent evil that has taken o the form the demonic nun that we saw in The Conjuring 2, it’s now a battle of good against evil, light against dark as the abbey becomes a supernatural battleground of the living and damned.
In Romania, a young nun takes her own life, to find out why she did this a priest with his own haunted past is sent to the cloistered abbey to uncover the order’s unholy secret, their investigation not only has their lives at risk but also their faith and their souls as they confront The Nun, a malevolent evil that has taken o the form the demonic nun that we saw in The Conjuring 2, it’s now a battle of good against evil, light against dark as the abbey becomes a supernatural battleground of the living and damned.
graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Haunted (Women of the Otherworld, #5) in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Haunted was an interesting book, but it suffered from one major flaw - it's excessive length. There were just too many passages that could be trimmed for the better and I found myself glazing more often than not closer and closer to the end. The book isn't all bad, there are quite a few clever things, but it felt more like filler than an actual entry into the series. Ms. Armstrong would probably been better off taking out a few of her ideas and saving them for another book. Oh, and what does she have against cats? It's seriously disturbing. The other stuff I can handle, I can somehow separate myself from it because I know it's fiction. But there's something about animal torture, mutilation, etc., even in a fictional book that just creeps me out and makes me sick. Not my idea of fun reading. *shudder*
Ross (3282 KP) rated Malevolent (2018) in Movies
Apr 17, 2019
A Netflix unoriginal
Horror-by-numbers from Netflix. A young American man looks to make some money by tricking Glaswegians into believing their house is haunted and banishing the spirits. He makes his sister pretend to have the gift of communication with the spirits, and the use of some technology to baffle the mid-80s victims. Just before their last such scam, his sister discovers she may have some real sixth sense after all.
The acting is mediocre (Celia Imrie totally hamming it up from the off), with the rest of the (non-Scottish) cast adequately carrying their roles.
James Cosmo is something of a standout as their grandfather in his one scene, telling of how their mum became more and more odd and reclusive until her death.
The plot is far from original with some half-decent jump scares along the way, though quite spaced apart in the short runtime.
The acting is mediocre (Celia Imrie totally hamming it up from the off), with the rest of the (non-Scottish) cast adequately carrying their roles.
James Cosmo is something of a standout as their grandfather in his one scene, telling of how their mum became more and more odd and reclusive until her death.
The plot is far from original with some half-decent jump scares along the way, though quite spaced apart in the short runtime.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2103 KP) rated Lord of the Wings (Meg Langslow, #19) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
The town of Caerphilly is hosting the first annual Halloween festival, and Meg is hoping she can take it easy since she is only in charge of the Goblin Patrol, the extra volunteer security force. However, a break in at the haunted house, a foot in the alligators, and a dead body complicate matters.
I love this series, and this book is another fun addition. When I realized it was set at Halloween, I almost set it aside until October, but I just couldn’t wait. The characters are strong and charming as always, and the various aspects of the plot keep things moving forward quickly. I was disappointed that one character introduced a couple books back is once again absent, but that is my only complaint in another fantastic read.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/08/book-review-lord-of-wings-by-donna.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
I love this series, and this book is another fun addition. When I realized it was set at Halloween, I almost set it aside until October, but I just couldn’t wait. The characters are strong and charming as always, and the various aspects of the plot keep things moving forward quickly. I was disappointed that one character introduced a couple books back is once again absent, but that is my only complaint in another fantastic read.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2015/08/book-review-lord-of-wings-by-donna.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2103 KP) rated Behind Chocolate Bars (A Chocolate Covered Mystery #3) in Books
Mar 9, 2018
Michelle and Erica are getting into the Halloween spirit by helping create the annual haunted house to benefit the Boys and Girls Club. But their time gets distracted when a murder happens out of town, and Dylan, a teen they know, becomes the prime suspect. Can the duo find the time to help prove he didn’t do it?
It was fantastic to be back with these characters again. The series regulars are fantastic, and the new characters were just as good. This book was a little different because he didn’t meet the victim before the murder, but that didn’t hamper the plot at all with plenty of suspects and clues before we reached the logical end.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/10/book-review-behind-chocolate-bars-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
It was fantastic to be back with these characters again. The series regulars are fantastic, and the new characters were just as good. This book was a little different because he didn’t meet the victim before the murder, but that didn’t hamper the plot at all with plenty of suspects and clues before we reached the logical end.
NOTE: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2016/10/book-review-behind-chocolate-bars-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.