WHAT WOULD TOTO WATCH? » horror movies

‘Scream 4′ – Lather, rinse in blood, repeat

cftoto — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:33:27 +0000

What’s your favorite scary movie?

If the answer is either “Scream 1, 2 or 3″ you’re in for a treat with a fourth round of meta-horror madness. Everyone else will endure a brisk but brainless genre exercise, the regurgitation of slasher references already discussed to death in the first three films. Audiences won’t be stabbed by the film’s not so sharp wit. They’ll be bludgeoned by the familiar plot devices, cheap scares and unimaginative kills.

“Scream 4″ begins with the return of Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), the poor soul stalked by Ghostface in the first three movies. She’s both a survivor and a book author now, and she reluctantly returns to her home turf of Woodsboro, Calif. to promote her new memoir.

That’s more than enough incentive for a new Ghostface to pick up the bloody mantle of his predecessors. Teens start piling up at the local morgue, a fact which alarms both Sidney and her cousin Jill (Emma Roberts, displaying very little star power). Seems Jill’s friends are getting those infamous Ghostface phone calls (“what’s your favorite scary movie? Please check your closet for a homicidal maniac,” etc) along with Sidney.

Good thing Sheriff Dewey (David Arquette) is on the case. Dewey and his wife, Gale (Courteney Cox) both try to solve the new string of murders, all the while Jill’s pals (including Hayden Panettiere) find themselves in the killer’s cross hairs.

Director Wes Craven resuscitated his career with the original “Scream,” a movie smart enough to fuse hipster dialogue with genuine shocks. Watch the first “Scream’s” opening scene again and marvel at its brutish efficiency. Compare that to the movie within a movie within a movie opening in “Scream 4,” which needs only a dozen more layers before it approaches “Inception” level confusion.

We’re exhausted before the opening credits actually begin.

Things settle down nicely once the story shifts to Dewey and Gale, whose marriage takes a hit when Dewey is forced to focus his time on the serial killings, not his wife’s eggshell ego. Arquette’s character remains an impish treat, a Keystone Kop who knows his own limitations but is too focused on doing good to care.

Craven and returning “Scream” scribe Kevin Williamson simply can’t give the couple enough screen time to work out their issues. They’re too busy forcing the new teen cast on “Scream” fans, an obvious attempt to appease the young demographic. Who cares if Campbell is still adorable, or that Cox is as feisty here as she is on “Cougar Town?”

Youth must be served. And disemboweled.

And don’t bother trying to guess the killer. The “Scream” films don’t offer traditional whodunit arcs, and the motivations behind the murders are typically limp.

Craven’s ability to scare us may have wilted over time, but he’s a sturdy enough craftsman to sustain our interest until the bloated final reel. So we get a killing every 15 or so minutes and enough “inside baseball” jargon to appease horror hounds. But clever and hip rarely equals smart storytelling, and while “Scream 4″ references web cams, Twitter and other modern flourishes it never gels into something original.

Every frame feels too familiar, which means shocks are out of the question.

“Scream 4″ toys with bigger themes, like our need to be famous in a reality show age and the “blame the victim” mentality which erupts after the initial round of killings. The film is far too impatient to explore them to anyone’s satisfaction. It’s far too keen on rebooting a money-making franchise for another generation of horror fans with low expectations.

(Photo Caption: Alison Brie, Marley Shelton, Adam Brody, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Anthony Anderson in Wes Craven’s SCRE4M. Photo by: Gemma La Mana / Dimension Films)

‘The Collector’ – Sawed-off thriller no franchise starter

cftoto — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:06:51 +0000

The “Saw” formula is wearing thin on movie fans – witness the weak box office take for last October’s “Saw VI.”

So it’s curious why the minds behind “The Collector” saw fit – no pun intended – to incorporate that franchise’s garish color palette and blood-curdling traps into an otherwise promising thriller.

Guess the film’s director, Marcus Dunstan, is simply stuck in torture mode. Dunstan helped write the last three “Saw” installments – and is attached to lucky number VII.

“The Collector,” available on DVD and Blu-ray April 9, starts with promise. It soon degenerates into a hackeyed thriller without the resourceful Tobin Bell to save his creative hide.

Josh Stewart of “Criminal Minds” fame plays Arkin, a handyman desperate for some quick cash to save his wife from a loan shark’s bite. He decides to break into the home of one of his clients, a family he knows will be out of town for the evening, to pilfer their jewels.

Except the house isn’t deserted.

A black masked figure is lurking within, and he’s set up a series of traps for anyone who enters – like Arkin.

The setup is simple and effective, and following Arkin as he slinks around the house is genuinely chilling. Credit Stewart for making Arkin uncomfortable in his own skin, a fresh element for the horror genre.

We’re hooked … for a spell.

But the more we see of The Collector, the less we care.

Once the “Saw”-style traps get triggered, the film’s mystery elements starts to ebb. It’s one thing for Jigsaw to stage elaborate morality plays with his death devices, but watching these Rube Goldberg contraptions feels far less organic to the story.

Dunstan, it would appear, is merely cribbing from his tired horror handbook.

The Collector himself, sporting a truly creepy mask, never develops the kind of presence to let him compete with the likes of Freddy, Jason or Michael.

He’s just a torturing machine, nothing more.

Gore hounds will be pleased by the splatter effects, but even they will notice the gaping plot holes and lack of interesting supporting players.

Suffice to say “The Collector” ends with a sequel-enticing twist. But it’s hard to imagine a “Collector II,” let enough IV, V and VI, is in the offing.

(Photo: Josh Stewart gets more than he bargained for when he breaks into the wrong house in the horror film “The Collector.”Vivendi Home Entertainment)

The overrated horror movie checklist

cftoto — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:55:40 +0000

Every Halloween, film experts recommend scary movies to get us in the holiday spirit.

And their tips usually draw blood – cinematically speaking.

But some horror movie favorites get a little too much acclaim.

WWTW reached out to some fellow movie critics – and a professor steeped in horror movie lore – to see which films get too much attention this time of year – and which ones deserve a bit more love.

Nell Minow – AKA Movie Mom

Even before New York Times film critic A.O. Scott mentioned it in the paper this week I was a fan of “Dead of Night,” which I saw as a teenager because my mom said it scared her out of a night’s sleep when she was a kid, and just saw again. I have a special affection for “The Craft” and “The Faculty,” both of which I think are better than their reputations. As for overrated, I’d say “Planet Terror.” Yes, there are parts I love, but it is way too into itself.

Film blogger James Frazier

Overrated: “The Exorcist” (1973): Perhaps “overrated” is the wrong term here. But for the gargantuan hype surrounding the film’s level of terror, count me as underwhelmed. While William Friedkin’s legendarily grotesque film sits at the top of just about every “Scariest Movies” list, my own enjoyment of it came from the human drama involving its conflicted protagonists. Linda Blair’s possessed (and ghastly abused) Regan was certainly one of cinema’s eerier characters, but not one that haunted my nightmares.

Underrated: “Day of the Dead” (1985): Perhaps the least respected of George A. Romero’s zombie films, “Day of the Dead” is more methodically paced and contemplative than what audiences are used to seeing out of a zombie film. While certainly inferior to “Night of the Living Dead” and “Dawn of the Dead,” it had been so maligned to me that when I finally watched it, I was shocked at how tense and gripping it was. There’s some of the expected action and gore, but Romero makes the atmosphere claustrophobic with the realization that the film’s heroes are merely waiting for the inevitable end, which to me is the most frightening state one can exist in

Orlando Sentinel’s Roger Moore

I’d say pretty much everything Rob Zombie has made qualifies as over-rated. He’s beloved by hardcore horror folks. I see him as an artless splatter artist who hasn’t figured out how to make all the gore and cretinism scary yet. People who laugh at his films are probably puppy torturers and should be watched.

Underrated is harder. I tend toward stuff that is realistic–leaves out the supernatural. The recent remake of “Last House on the Left” wasn’t a classic, but I thought was under-appreciated by critics and audiences. Sara Paxton’s performance gave the generic “victim” role humanity, pluck and gut-wrenching pathos. It’s been years since I’ve seen somebody commit that deeply to what is too often a thankless role in a horror movie

Catherine Zimmer, Assistant Professor of the Film and Screen Studies Program at Pace University

Overrated: “Saw” (2004) – Though nobody thinks the Saw franchise is quality filmmaking in general, many people seem to think the first one is quite good. However, when I first saw the film it seemed to me to be totally derivative (if not an outright knock-off) of David Fincher’s far more disturbing and well-made “Seven, “released almost 10 years prior. So if only to give credit where credit is due I feel the need to take the wind out of the Saw sails.

Underrated: “The Changeling” (1980) -Not to be confused with Clint Eastwood’s 2008 film, this creepy ghost film from 1980 stars George C. Scott as a bereaved widower (his wife and child having been killed in a car accident) who is confronted with a large and haunted mansion. It’s a classic ghost story that still can give me the chills, but with “The Amityville Horror” and “Poltergeist” dominating the ghost market in that era, it has been somewhat lost in the shuffle.

(Photo: “Last House on the Left” didn’t get enough credit from his fellow movie critics, says Orlando Sentinel movie reviewer Roger Moore.)

‘Zombieland’ – This undead comedy has brains, brawn

cftoto — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:48:48 +0000

Do we really need another zombie comedy after the sublimely silly “Shaun of the Dead?”

If it involves a rompin,’ stompin’ Woody Harrelson … you betcha.

“Zombieland” strips away the social commentary weighing down George A. Romero’s recent “Dead” epics and the hand wringing over why the dead are suddenly springing back to life.

It goes right for the jugular – and the funny bone – doing far more damage to the latter.

“Zombieland” opens with one of the few remaining humans, nicknamed Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), sharing his tips for staying alive in a world overrun by the undead.

Cardio is crucial to staying alive, as is “double-tapping” zombies to make sure they’re dead – again. Each lesson is shown in bold type, a recurring gag which gets funnier with every repetition.

Columbus teams up with Tallahassee (Harrelson), a natural zombie slayer, but the two are no match for a pair of girl grifters (Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin).

Both duos are trying to reach friendlier terrain – any place where zombies don’t overrun the land.

“Zombieland’s” killer trailer captures the essence of this efficient thrill ride. Clever sight gags rub elbows with snarky punch lines, all the while our heroes mow down zombies in spectacular fashion.

Harrelson’s grandiose performance overshadows the wax paper-thin plot. It’s easy to dismiss his work here as just another aggressively comic romp. It’s far better than that.

He creates a stir whenever he’s on screen, whether he’s snapping off an outlandish one-liner or simply staring down his neurotic partner in zombie slaying.

And what a blast to see Harrelson square up with Eisenberg, two actors whose disparate screen personas complement the other. The mix clicks from their opening scene, and while a “Zombieland” sequel isn’t necessary who wouldn’t want to see these two team up again?

“Zombieland” slows to a crawl mid-film, not a good sign since the movie’s running time is only 81 minutes long. And while the film’s signature cameo (no spoilers here!) is grand fun, the joke overstays its welcome.

Director Ruben Fleischer can’t deliver the kind of scares a good horror film demands, but his comic pacing is darn near perfect.

“Zombieland” should be required viewing during the upcoming Oscar season – a kinetic jolt to clean the palate from movies “for your consideration.”

(Photo: Jesse Eisenberg tries to flee a pair of flesh eating undead in “Zombieland”/Columbia Pictures)

Give us our ‘Paranormal Activity!’

cftoto — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 17:21:43 +0000

The people have spoken … and Paramount Pictures is responding.

“Paranormal Activity,” the new micro-budget horror movie released in select theaters last weekend, will hit 20 additional cities this weekend after fans deluged the film’s official web site.

If you call 230,000 requests a “deluge.”

Color me skeptical, since you’d expect a word-of-mouth sensation to draw more requests in our interconnected age.

Still, the film’s marketing gimmick is strong and now more people can see the film and decide if it’s worth the hype. Just remember – the film only shows at midnight.

The new cities prepping to show the film this weekend include: Los Angeles, CA (Arclight Hollywood); New York, NY (AMC Empire); Chicago, IL (AMC River East); Dallas, TX (AMC Northpark); Houston, TX (AMC Studio); San Diego, CA (AMC Mission Valley); Phoenix, AZ (Harkins Tempe Marketplace); San Francisco, CA (AMC Metreon); Philadelphia, PA (National Amusement Bridge); Atlanta, GA (Atlantic Station); Miami, FL (AMC Adventure); San Antonio, TX (AMC Huebner Oaks); Las Vegas, NV (Rave Town Square); Minneapolis, MN (AMC Rosedale); Denver, CO (Regal Continental); Detroit, MI (AMC Forum); DC/Baltimore (AMC Georgetown); Sacramento, CA (Cinemark Complex 14); San Jose, CA (AMC Mercado); and Tampa, FL (AMC Veterans).

Free ‘Meat’ at FEARnet.com

cftoto — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:41:40 +0000

You don’t have to go to the video store or tweak your Netflix queue to find a quality horror movie this time of year.

The Clive Barker-based movie “The Midnight Meat Train” is now available for free viewing over at FEARnet.com.

The site routinely showcases free streaming movies, but some of them are not exactly familiar titles.

“Meat” is different.

The film got treated shabbily during a brief theatrical release last year, but packs plenty of chills right up to its harrowing finale. Co-star Vinnie Jones is terrific as the hammer-wielding villain, and we get to see Bradley Cooper in a fine pre-”Hangover” lead performance.

But be warned. This “Train” is brutal – punishing, unrelenting and full of gore. And you’ll have to punch in your birth date to gain access to the R-rated film.

(Photo: Vinnie Jones plays a mysterious traveler in the gorey film “The Midnight Meat Train”/Lionsgate)

2009 Fall Preview: Holiday horrors

cftoto — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:48:50 +0000

The oh, so serious Oscar season needs a jolt now and again, and the season’s horror lineup promises to do just that.

Sure, “Halloween II” jumped the gun on its own holiday, but film studios have plenty of other genre offerings to keep gore hounds happy.

WWTW checked in with Sean Redlitz, Editor-in-Chief of FEARnet.com, for his thoughts on the fall horror offerings.

WWTW: Are there any themes that connect the horror movies coming our way in the Fall and early winter?

SR: If there’s a theme for the upcoming crop of horror and thriller films, I’m afraid it’s “see you next year.” For a variety of factors but most notably the economy, movies like Universal’s The Wolfman and Paramount’s “Shutter Island” have been pushed back to early 2010.

Fortunately there’s still a lot to look forward to, including “Zombieland” and “Saw VI.” Not to mention the unstoppable juggernaut that is “New Moon.”

WWTW: With all the talk of a vampire resurgence, the zombie genre continues to deliver. What’s the most intriguing part of the upcoming film “Zombieland?” Are there other zombie films coming our way soon?

SR: I have high hopes for “Zombieland.” Zombies, especially the slow moving kind, are ideal for comedy. “Shaun of the Dead” is the best example but there are others, including the cult classic “Return of the Living Dead.”

Even in non-comic zombie movies, there are often laugh out loud slapstick moments. In George Romero’s original “Dawn of the Dead,” a zombie is so intent on eating the living that he lurches straight into the spinning blades of a helicopter. Funny stuff.

Speaking of Romero, he’s hard at work on “Survival of the Dead,” scheduled to hit film festivals later this month and hopefully theaters later this year. I love the fact that you can keep up with both “Zombieland” and “Survival of the Dead” via their Twitter feeds!

WWTW: What information can you share about “Jennifer’s Body?” Could Diablo Cody’s script have an impact on the writing of future horror movies if the film takes off?

SR: I haven’t seen “Jennifer’s Body” yet, only the clips, trailers and fake PSAs that they’ve put out online. I like what I’ve seen so far. It comes across as a smart, modern take on the classic high school horror. They’re certainly not shy about using Megan Fox’s undisputable hotness to get people’s attention. I can’t wait to see what Cody and director Karyn Kusama (“Girlfight”) deliver.

WWTW: Is the “Saw” franchise on its last legs as “Saw VI” heads to theaters, or is this still a film series horror fans are enthusiastic about?

SR: Last legs? Hardly. At Comic-Con, Lionsgate leaked – and then pulled – an intense clip from the new film that had horror fans very excited. Looking ahead, “Saw VII” has already been greenlit. Fans of Jigsaw have a lot to look forward to.

WWTW: Are there any horror films coming soon that people aren’t reading about but have plenty of promise?

SR: If you’re reading the news section at FEARnet.com, then you know there’s a lot promising horror on the horizon. The trailer and poster for Ti West’s “The House of the Devil” look great, like a throwback to ‘80s horror in the best possible way. It’ll be out in October. Mike Dougherty’s long awaited “Trick ‘R’ Treat” is currently touring the globe and will be out on DVD next month. Those who’ve seen it have raved about it. You won’t spot these two on newsstand covers, but they’re definitely films worth seeking out.

WWTW: What’s been the impact of IFC on Demand horror titles and FEARnet’s own streaming films on the horror genre? Is it empowering horror directors?

SR: New technology and new distribution outlets have always been a boon to the genre. Double bills at drive-in movies brought us classics like Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe series. The home video market of the ‘80s and ‘90s opened the door for a flood of direct-to-video releases, some of them quite good.

Now VOD and online streaming make it possible for horror filmmakers to bypass theaters and video stores and bring their movies directly to living rooms and laptops. FEARnet’s free VOD channel and free online streaming offer a low risk, high reward way for movie lovers to sample great indie and international thrillers and horror films, as well as big-budget horror favorites.

Next: Fall Movie Preview: The Best of the Rest

(Photo: “Zombieland,” co-starring Jesse Eisenberg, is one of the most anticipated new horror films of the Fall movie season/Sony)

‘Dead Snow’ – These zombies should stay buried

cftoto — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:30:42 +0000

The new horror film “Dead Snow” serves up the best one line description a shocker could have.

“It’s a zombie movie … but the zombies are Nazis!”

What horror fanatic isn’t intrigued by that pitch?

“Dead Snow” has a killer hook, and virtually nothing else.

The quirky premise quickly gives way to garden-variety boredom.

The Norwegian import, now available on IFC on Demand, starts with a bunch of young med students gathering for a little snow-bound R&R. None of the characters leave an imprint, and a sex scene in an outhouse is more disgusting than any of the decapitations we see later.

The trouble begins with a strange older man knocks on the door asking for coffee. He’s really here to sketch out the entire back story, which he does in an utterly unbelievable rant about how evil lurks just around the corner and they should be very, very careful.

He then proceeds to pop a tent nearby in the freezing cold, with only a rusty gun for protection. Good luck with that.

When the film descends into bloody chaos in the final moments, it’s actually a relief.

The kills prove occasionally creative, and it’s always a blast to see a scene in which zombies try to invade a house while the frantic survivors board up every window and doorway.

That bit never gets old.

Continuity errors pop up frequently, only to be washed away by another torrent of blood. At one point, two of the surviving characters decided to split up without giving a reason why. The moment might have worked as a humorous aside, but the touch here is decidedly deadly.

Taken as a whole, “Dead Snow” is so clumsy it could be seen as parody, but it’s never smart enough to pull it off. The horror comedy genre could be the toughest one to nail, with “Slither,” Tremors” and the “Evil Dead” films coming to mind as rare exceptions.

The frenzied final half hour will engage the gore hounds, and the sheer novelty of the premise remains a hoot.

Every other aspect of “Dead Snow” is DOA.

(Photo: A Nazi zombie is ready for his close-up in “Dead Snow.”)

‘Drag Me to Hell’ – Raimi warmed over

cftoto — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:01:10 +0000

What horror needs right now – desperately – is for an A-list director to bring his or her genius to the genre.

Sam Raimi is just the man for the job, but his new film “Drag Me to Hell” packs only a fraction of his sublime vision.

You could argue the most inspired part of this half-baked horror is its title.

“Hell” stars Alison Lohman as Christine, a frazzled loan officer trying to snare a promotion. She decides to play hardball with a shriveled up old woman (Lorna Raver, chilling and effective) who needs a third extension on her mortgage.

The old battleaxe doesn’t take rejection kindly. She puts a curse on Christine, dooming her to three days of torture before getting, all together now, dragged down to Hell.

Christine’s uber-patient boyfriend (Justin Long) tries to help, even though she’s not totally honest with him about all the spooky shenanigans going on her life.

The script, pasted together from spare horror parts by Raimi and his brother, Ivan, misses plenty of chances to bring real depth to “Hell.” Why not make Christine truly selfish, someone who might even deserve a curse or two?

Lohman proved far more intriguing in “Matchstick Men.” Here, she’s either bored or bland, take your pick, and her fellow cast members fall right in line. Only Long registers here, and his character is relentlessly one-note – read: boring.

A few scenes are vintage Raimi, particularly the pitched car battle between Christine and the old woman. It happens early in the film, and it’s the last giddy moment we get. From then on it’s all episodic nonsense, some grossout bits and a scare or two teased out by the standard genre conventions – creaking floorboards and other cheap shocks.

“Drag Me to Hell” is a missed opportunity, the chance to show what a major film talent can do within the troubled horror genre. It’s like strolling through purgatory, at best.

(Photo: Lorna Raver gives a few good scares in the new horror flick “Drag Me to Hell.”)

Zombies for $70??

cftoto — Tue, 26 May 2009 15:24:41 +0000

Director Robert Rodriguez famously began his movie career by making a film for a mere $7,000 – “El Mariachi.”

Horror upstart Marc Price is making Rodriguez look like Donald Trump.

Price’s first zombie picture, “Colin,” was shot for all of $70. Now, the buzz is building around the new film and the frugal British director behind it, according to CNN.

“Colin” is an extreme example of working cheap, but it’s also another sign that almost anyone can make a movie given enough technical know-how and some old fashioned ingenuity.

Whatever happened to Robert ‘Rebel Without a Crew’ Rodriguez?