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LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated The Thing (1982) in Movies

Feb 6, 2020

The Thing (1982)

1982 | Horror, Sci-Fi

8.4

(70 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

In my many years of enjoying movies, I've yet to come across anything quite like John Carpenter's The Thing.
It's quite simply, a horror masterpiece!

The imagery and monsters bought to the screen feel like they're straight out of hell. All these years later, and The Thing, and it's many disturbing forms, remains arguably the most terrifying movie monster out there.
The incredible use of practical effects ensures that the films visceral and horrible imagery still remains to this day, and is a testament to the amazing work put by the art and make up crews.
The isolated and snowy setting is almost iconic as the titular alien, and adds an eery atmosphere from the opening scene.

Kurt Russell is a fine lead, as his character McCready drives the narrative forward at a fast and manic pace. The story if one dripping with paranoia and tension, and the whole cast do a great job at conveying this.
The plots conclusion is different from what you might expect of the genre at the time, and it's lack of a 'final girl' shows that The Thing was not afraid to go against the grain when it came to horror.

It's probably my top horror movie of all time, with the original Halloween coming a close second. Long live John Carpenter.

Kudos

JT (287 KP) rated Crawl (2019) in Movies

Mar 10, 2020

Crawl (2019)

2019 | Horror, Thriller

6.5

(38 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

I was pleasantly surprised by Crawl. For one, it’s a monster movie. Two, it has a decent plot with characters you care about seeing survive. And three, it’s very well shot with some great CGI. The film opens with Haley (Kaya Scodelario) psyching herself up to compete in the pool, proof that her ability to swim and swim fast will not be found wanting later on.

When her sister calls to tell her that she has not heard from their father (Barry Pepper), Hayley heads towards a brewing category five Hurricane to see if all is OK – which it’s not.

Turns out that daddy has had a run-in with a couple of hungry alligators and only the confines of the underground basement has prevented him from becoming a quick snack. With floodwaters rising by the minute Hayley the ‘apex predator’ has to get her game face on to fend off another impending attack.

Sharks have always been at the forefront of water-based terror so it’s nice to see the alligator making a return. There is some neat jump scares coupled with good amounts of gore, but it rarely raises the tension levels any more than that.

Acting-wise Scodelario and Pepper do an alright job and there is an inkling of a back story to shed light on their slightly troubled relationship and competitive edge.

Kudos

Hazel (2934 KP) rated The Room Upstairs in Books

Feb 16, 2020

The Room Upstairs

Iain Rob Wright | 2020 | Horror, Mystery, Paranormal

7.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

Entertaining

This book takes me back to my teenage and early twenties reading years when I couldn't get enough of horror books and would read anything and everything ... most of it was utter rubbish if I'm honest however, I can't same the same about this which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Considering this is quite a short book, the characters are well developed and likeable. The main character is a young lad and soon-to-be-teen, Martin; the book is written from his perspective and although this works well overall, he sometimes comes across as a little older than portrayed ... either that or he's a damn site braver than I am now let alone when I was his age!

The story starts off with a run-of-the-mill visit to a car boot sale where seemingly innocuous items are bought however, it soon turns into a mystery when a door appears that really shouldn't be there and then to horror when what is lurking inside is revealed. The pace is fast and the writing crisp with excellent tension and the odd graphic scene which are not for the faint hearted!

Once again, Mr Wright hits the mark with this highly entertaining horror book and I am ever thankful to him for sending me an advance copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.